"It's a pleasure to meet you", the slime somehow spoke. "I am Abyssal King Vita."
I was pretty confused by the situation, looking over towards Sylphiette, she did too. Well, perhaps she looked less confused, and more... worried?
"Vita?", I questioned. "I think I've heard the name before"
"Yeah", Sylphy added, deep in thought. "I've read the name in a textbook. The ruler of Hell, one of the three great labyrinths, if I remember correctly. But... what are you doing here? Why are you doing this to us?"
'Doing what to us?'
My mind reeled as I tried to wrap my head about what was going on. I still had a bit of a headache and it felt like a fog that had infiltrated my mind was finally lifting. I'd heard of Abyssal King Vita, during my travels. He was infamous as the Ruler of Hell. I know that Hell is just the name of a labyrinth, but with a title like that, I imagined him to be a lot more demonic looking. A blue slime... well, it's a bit of a letdown.
"The reason I'm here and the reason I attacked you are one in the same", Vita answered. "I'm paying back a debt."
"A debt?", Sylphy pondered.
"He's a disciple of Hitogami", I said with disdain. There's nobody else with the power to control someone like Vita who has a grudge against me.
"I don't know if I would call myself a disciple exactly", Vita mused. "But yes, I am here under his orders."
"Then you're a fool. Hitogami is simply using you. As soon as you've served your purpose, he will discard you while laughing at your misery."
"True enough. Hitogami is indeed awful. However, there are many such as myself who, despite knowing his true nature, still follow him simply because he saved them. He saved my life. He showed me how to escape from Death God Raxos' clutches and guided me to my place as ruler of Hell."
"What purpose did you have for showing us these illusions?", Sylphiette asked. "Are you trying to distract us from something important?"
"I'm only doing as I was told", the slime replied. "Right now your physical bodies are still seated at the theater. I'd imagine that Hitogami has another disciple nearby to fully enact his plan while I hold the two of you immobile."
Anxiety rushed into my head. Vita is right. Surely there is somebody at the theater waiting to kill us as soon as the rest of the patrons depart. We need to wake ourselves up immediately!
Vita looked over towards me as I tried to will myself awake. He didn't have eyes or a face... but somehow I knew.
"If it were that easy to escape my hold I would have never gained the renown that I have now."
"Then why are you even talking to us? Why not throw us into another of your illusions?"
"I've come to propose a truce."
"A truce? You come out and tell us you're working for Hitogami and then expect me to accept a truce?"
"I believe it to be in your best interest as well."
"There's only one reason you would offer us a truce. Your hold on us is slipping. I can feel it. Each one of your illusions unraveled easier than the last. It's only a matter of time before we break free."
"There's a partial truth to that. I will admit that I underestimated you. I should have known better than to try to control both of you at once. Pride comes before fall, I suppose."
"So our love for each other broke through the illusions", Sylphy answered confidently.
"No, don't be ridiculous", Vita replied. "You were totally taken in by that first illusion. Once you've been taken that far in, breaking out through willpower alone is impossible."
"Well... maybe at first", Sylphy answered, fidgeting nervously in her seat. "But once I saw Roxy kissing that other man... the Rudy I know would never let that happen."
"The problem wasn't your psyche or relationships. I draw upon your memories to create believable dreams of possible realities. My power manipulates your natural, internal flow of mana to take control of all five senses, creating the perfect illusion. The problem was the absolutely ludicrous amount of mana you two possess."
"Hitogami didn't even warn you about that? Just more proof that you're a disposable pawn."
"He did say that you possessed a large quantity of mana. That statement turned out to be an incredible understatement. When he said that, I expected an amount of mana similar to the Guardian of Hell that I took control of; I was surprised that your wife alone had nearly that level."
"Wife?", Sylphy questioned, her face flushing slightly. "We aren't married yet."
"The memories of you two were very confusing. There was conflicting information that didn't make sense. Especially coming from your end", he said, pointing at me. Well, he didn't exactly point, seeing as he had no arms, but I felt that he had.
"Your mana is something else entirely. Not only does the sheer quantity dwarf anything I've ever interacted with, your mana is wild and violent. It's taking everything I have to maintain control."
Is it just me, or is he getting smaller? The blue slime, which had been large enough that the chair it sat on could barely contain it, now fit rather comfortably on it.
"You seem to have noticed. Controlling your mana is taking quite the toll on me. If I keep this up, it's only a matter of time until it costs me my life. Even if I sacrifice myself, I won't be able to hold you down more than another five or ten minutes."
"Why would we accept a truce then? If we are destined to win regardless."
"It's true that I can't control you for much longer. But her..."
Sylphiette's eyes widened.
"It doesn't matter if she knows she's in an illusion. Once I've taken hold, there's no breaking free. If I abandon my grip on you, I can easily hold her consciousness for as long as I'd like. Even if you wake up next to her there's nothing you can do. Short of killing your wife there's nothing you can do to me."
Vita sat there, with a smug look on his face... presumably. He waited for me to respond. He knew I had no choice but to agree. Or so he thought.
"Based on that logic, you're right; a truce would be in both of our best interests. I don't make a habit of forming grudges against someone just because they attacked me. A lot of the time we wind up as friends going forward."
"So then we have a deal?", Vita asked, his form still slowly shrinking.
"I don't think so. You see, the problem is: YOU THREATENED SYLPHY."
As I said that I stood up, knocking over the chair behind me. I'm going to end him right here and now!
"Don't be a fool! You can't do anything to me here!"
Vita surely thinks I can only cast spells when he allows it. I raised my hand up in the air and summoned a small flame at my fingertip. My other hand formed a perfectly spherical ball of water.
"That's where you're wrong", I answered coldly. "I have to thank you. It's incredibly difficult to master a technique without the ability to see the results or feel yourself performing it."
Throughout these visions, I had been using my magic. Nothing special, just the same magic I've always been able to cast. I hadn't really thought anything of it until just now. The thing is, looking back, I didn't feel the same when I cast those spells.
I clasped my hand into a fist, feeling the strength as I clenched tighter. I closed my eyes, feeling the tight layer of mana coating my skin. My body felt light as a feather, yet I also felt like I could throw a punch with the same force that Eris wielded.
'This is what it feels like. This is what it's like to maintain my battle aura!'
I reached my hand back out and pointed a finger directly at Vita, ready to end him.
[Electric!]
The world around me faded once again, just before my eyes snapped open and I found myself back in the theater. The crowd around me was enthralled. Armond was in the middle of a heated, overly dramatic, final showdown with... I have no idea who he's fighting, and don't care.
Just as I thought this, a sharp pain hit my stomach and I involuntarily started to wretch. The couple in front of us turned to scowl at me.
*Bleargh!*
I bent over on all fours and vomited up a blue, sticky fluid. It oozed onto the ground, mixed in with stomach acid and some remnants of the Taiyaki that I had enjoyed earlier. The blue fluid spread out slowly over the ground, acting just as any other sticky liquid. Was this Vita's corpse?.
I looked back over to Sylphy, her sleeping form began to rustle. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. She turned to look at me, her gaze cold and piercing. Her eyes, the sclera, irises, and pupils, all turned completely blue.