The next scene started to return to clarity, but it seemed to instead be more reminiscent of the early ones. They were in what Kat remembered to be Shizuka's room, with the smooth black marble walls, blue flower like crystals in place of lighting fixtures. The bed's details were terribly warped, much like the road on a hot day.
Only Kat's memory of the carvings let her identify the bed at all, though the mattress and sheets, which were plain white in Kat's own memories, were instead a soft blue to match the lights. The rooms desk was directly next to Kat and Minor's forms, though it was completely coated with papers of various sizes and shapes.
On the opposite side of the desk was a slightly raised platform for Shizuka to meditate on, though it currently had a massive ice cube blocking the entrance, warping the fixtures behind it even further then they had before.
Shizuka's herself, or at least her stand in during memories, was laid out in the bed. There was a strange plant that seemed to be holding water or some other liquid was hooked up to the young kitsune's arm.
Just as the details started to settle Chiharu slammed open the door. Though based on the look on her face it was more accurate to call her 'The Queen' she had a smile on her face, but it did not reach her eyes.
They contained pain and rage, is massive quantities barely restrained by a flash of love as she stared down at her daughter in bed. "This. Has been completely unacceptable. I am of mind to prevent you from training ever again" said Chiharu
"No" coughed Shizuka "You can't"
"I can and I almost certainly will Shizur-ka" said Chiharu stumbling slightly. "I have warned you repeatedly about pushing yourself to far, and so far you have refused to listen to me"
"I'm fine" Shizuka wheezed from the bed.
This was clearly not the correct answer as ice started to sneak out from under Chiharu's well embroidered kimono of a similar quality to Kat's own. It did have designs on it, but because of the memory they were too fuzzy to make out, and the colour was wrong for it to be the one Kat remembered, this particular article was a maroon with light blue highlights.
The ice slowly spread out in something approximating a circle, but the ice was carefully leaning away from Shizuka, perhaps in fear of her hurting her. "You are not fine. This is the eighth time just this month you have collapsed during your training. If this continues, I'm of half a mind to rip out your mana cores to save you the trouble" said Chiharu
"You can't!" said Shizuka again
"Look" said Chiharu "I will not lose a daughter to her own stupidity. If this is what it takes to prevent you from finding an early grave, I'll do it. For the pain of losing your potential is much lighter than that of losing you completely"
Shizuka grimaced "I… I promise to do better"
Chiharu's ice cracked and grew, as spikes started to reach up like the hands of damned souls "I don't want you to do better I want you to rest!" Chiharu hissed, barely restraining a yell "You've made this promise before, and I've listened because Shizuka I do love you, but, I'm putting my foot down here
"If you wish to continue trying to send yourself to an early grave, I will put in place permanent and drastic measure to prevent this" said Chiharu
Shizuka's eyes flickered to the growing ice spikes as a flash of fear came over her face before she managed to school it into a false calm mask. "I understand" said Shizuka trying to prevent her voice from wavering and giving her away.
Though, this was not enough to fool the Queen. Chiharu froze as her ice shattered, standing there like a sculpture of herself. Despite Shizuka's current icy countenance, if Kat was asked who the ice sculpture was, Chiharu would be the answer.
After ten seconds, Chiharu started moving again, and her demeanour rapidly shifted. The air warmed up and Chiharu gained a weak smile, smaller than before but much more genuine as she shifted herself to be sitting on the bed next to Shizuka's head where she proceeded to stroke her daughter's hair.
"I don't mean to scare you Shizuka… or maybe I do" said Chiharu voice fading. "Just, please understand that coming to visit you like this is rather painful for me. I…" Chiharu cringed and cut of the next part of what she was going to say
"Listen Shizuka, just, understand this is scary for me and I'd do whatever I could to keep you safe. Perhaps if I didn't have your grandmother's example that personal strength is so important, I would have already stopped you"
Shizuka looked away from her mother for a moment before turning back. "I… I just feel like I've lost something… and that training is the only way to make up for it. I don't know what it is, and I don't really think I ever can, but it's the only thing that helps"
Chiharu sighed "I've noticed. You look even worse after I invited other children over for you to play with" Chiharu said with a wry grin.
Shizuka giggle a little at that before getting cut short by a hacking cough "Yup"
It was at that moment, that there was a knock on the door. "Come in" said Chiharu
The door opened to reveal someone in a pure white coat with a nurse's bonnet with a vaguely familiar sigil on it. "Your Majesty I am here to change over the vitarus plant"
Chiharu nodded "Of course, please do what you must and don't mind me"
As the nurse stepped back out through the door Kat raised the question "What is that sigil on her hat?"
"It is the sigil for calm magic, one of the first anyone training in healing magic learns" said Minor "Not super useful on the battlefield because it can be easily resisted, but with skin contact and a few herbs very effective on patients randomly lashing out"
Kat nodded and was about to turn back to the scene when Minor froze "A nightmare is back" Minor whispered as if speaking the words aloud would give them power.
Kat scanned the room, waiting for the nightmare to appear. When the nurse walked back in Kat tensed for a second, but saw she was the same as before, just carrying a cart with the vitarus plant in question on it.
Kat's relaxation didn't last long though, as directly behind said nurse was an identical copy with another vitarus plant. *Oh no.* "Minor what do we do" said Kat
"I don't know" said Minor slight panic in her voice "If we stop the wrong one the memory will still collapse and we will need to return to the start"
Kat grit her teeth as she eyed the nurses setting up. They had both walked over to the desk and left their carts there, before walking over to grab the vitarus plant already attached to Shizuka.
Kat pushed as much demonic energy into her eyes as she could. Walking forward to stand right beside the two nurses who were now on either side of the plant in question. Each of them was poking and prodding it in seemingly random places.
The problem was Kat could see the plant shuddering and flickering as this went on. Kat waited for the other shoe to drop. Eventually, the nurses reached over together as one to pull the plant from Shizuka's arm. Kat tensed… and they each managed to pull a separate spike from Shizuka's arm
As Kat was still reeling the nurses continued as if nothing was wrong plucking the vitarus plant from its stand. When it did so reality seemed to shiver as the plant split in two as they both grabbed on in either hand.
Walking over calmly they both placed it on the second rung of their carts before picking up the viratus plant and heading back to Shizuka. "You have to stop one of them Kat. Don't let the fake place it on the stand. They might just topple it"
Kat stood in front of the two figures and glared down at them, but neither so much as flinched. *What the hell do I do? Is there anyway for me to bluff them.*
Struggling to think of a good idea, Kat set her hand on fire. Neither so much as blinked at the sight, but something caught Kat's eye. The fire was shining, but only off of the left nurse's eye. Shit! Kat felt panic rising up inside her. *I don't know if this means that one is real or fake.*
*Ok, let's stay calm..* Kat forced the demonic energy into her brain letting time slow, though not as much as she would like, as the nurses slowly continued on their obvious path towards Shizuka.