The mother hummed softly as she moved about the room. Behind her, the baby wobbled unsteadily, taking his first steps. She turned just in time to see him stumble, her hands coming together in an excited clap until he fell. His face scrunched up, and the first cries left his lips, prompting her to rush over immediately, scooping him up into her arms.
Meanwhile, a shadow and a man of mist watched from nowhere, unseen by the world.
"She looks very much like you, Tobi," John remarked, his voice light, though his gaze was sharp.
The shadow beside him gave a small nod. "She is my mother."
"Is she?" John mused.
"Obviously."
"Are you sure?"
The shadow sighed. "Are you trying to annoy me?"
"Yes."
A long silence stretched between them before the shadow finally muttered, "How can the most isolated and loneliest being in existence have the personality of a clown?"
"…"
"Fuck you," John responded flatly.
"…"
"Point proven," Tobi muttered.
The mother rocked the crying child gently in her arms, her soothing whispers weaving through the silence of the room.
"Oh my, you took quite the fall, didn't you?" she said softly, rubbing circles into his back. His tiny sniffles and tearful hiccups only made her hold him closer.
"There, there, Mama's here," she cooed, grabbing a napkin to gently wipe his face.
Once satisfied, she set him down, only to blink in surprise as he scampered off, his little legs moving faster than expected.
"Oh my," she murmured, watching him go. "Has he reached that age already? He only just learned to walk, didn't he?"
By now, the child had reached the closet, his tiny hands pushing it open with a small grunt of effort.
"Ja Do!" he chirped excitedly.
"H-Hey, be a little quiet, yeah?" John whispered, crouching down to meet the baby's bright eyes. "You know how difficult it is to pull these off, baby Tobi."
The child tilted his head in confusion. The mist-man only chuckled before reaching out, conjuring a delicate lily in his palm and placing it into the baby's hands.
"Lilo!" the baby said happily.
John grinned. "Close enough. Yeah, Lilo."
The closet door swung open.
The mother stood there, her warm eyes sweeping the empty space before falling on the child, who turned to her with a delighted expression.
"Hi," she greeted, her voice amused. "Did you go off to play again?"
The baby nodded eagerly, holding up the lily as high as his tiny arms could manage. She arched a brow, her gaze lingering on the flower.
"Where did you get this, darling?"
"Ja Do!" the baby declared.
She stared at him for a long moment before her expression melted back into a smile, though her fingers tightened slightly around the delicate petals.
"Is this for Mommy?" she asked sweetly.
The baby nodded, giggling as she gently patted his head.
"How sweet," she murmured before handing him a crayon and paper, letting him scribble away while she examined the flower with an unreadable expression.
"A lily… how poetic," she whispered. Her gaze flickered toward her son, who remained blissfully unaware, his attention consumed by his drawings. She picked him up and cradled him in her arms, resting her chin atop his small head.
"My child, why do you walk such a path?" she murmured. "You know how it hurt me to watch you the first time."
The baby only nuzzled into her warmth.
She sighed, brushing his hair back. "My boy who killed Fate… As proud as I was, such a feat cost you everything. And now, you want to do it again."
The child merely stared at her, his large eyes brimming with innocence. She chuckled softly, shaking her head.
"My, my. Well, there's no need for such thoughts here. You're safe. You can relax," she assured him. "Even Fate can't see into my domain, so stay."
Her voice was honeyed, persuasive. But the baby only tilted his head.
Her smile remained, though her grip on him tightened ever so slightly. "Those friends of yours… they're a bad influence."
Every time she searched for them, they were gone. No trace, no presence, as if they had never existed at all. The only one she could see was his shadow, a fragment of him that refused to leave.
"Why do you do this?" she whispered.
The baby only giggled, grasping at her hair with clumsy hands.
She laughed softly. Of course, he wouldn't understand. Not as he was now. It would be better to ask the shadow, but even after her first attempt at crafting his ideal life, he hadn't accepted it.
She knew what he wanted.
So why wouldn't he just accept it?
"I don't want you to hurt anymore," she murmured, holding the boy closer.
The baby, unaware of her turmoil, only nestled deeper into her warmth.
"You won't leave. I won't let you be hurt. You understand, don't you, darling?" she asked, kissing the top of his head.
From a place unknown, two watched.
"So, how exactly do we get you, the baby, to remember everything again?" John asked, arms crossed as he observed the scene below.
The shadow merely shrugged. "I was hoping the lily would work, but I guess not."
John sighed. "Alright, then so what now?"
The shadow glanced at him. "I can give him that memory… if you buy me an opening."
"To a baby? Are you evil?"
"Well, it's me, so the child should be able to handle it."
John glared. "The devil incarnate."
"No, just a masochist."
"That's worse."
"Perhaps."
John rubbed his temples. "So let me get this straight. You want me to pick a fight with your mother so you can shove a memory of the real you into the ideal you?"
"Yes, exactly. Think you can do that?"
John gave him a long, deadpan stare. "How the hell am I supposed to fight the God of Dreams in a dream?"
"You're the God of Nothing."
"Exactly."
The shadow tilted his head, annoyed. "You know what I meant."
John sighed again. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I can buy you some time… I'll put on a little act. She'll have to go along with it."
The shadow nodded. "Do your best."
John smiled. "Do you need to ask?"