Solflare: The Painter's Secret

Warm air wafted into Room 514 as the door groaned open. The heavy curtain frayed sideways, showering the floor in tiny green leaves.

Boots clicked against the tile for a moment before stopping. A long shadow stretched from the threshold to the bed like a demon.

Silver-gray strands of Zoe's hair fell across her face. She blinked and locked her gaze on the bed.

"Leon." Saliva snaked down her throat as she saw her reflection in the smooth surface of the war disc. It sat at the side of the bed, facing the door.

Her heart pounded heavily. Her hands trembled as she crossed the threshold and moved two steps forward.

Beeps from the monitoring system beside the bed seeped into her mind. She turned her attention toward them.

Zoe's chest rose and fell as Lily's ghostly smiling face and voice flashed in her head. "Aunty, thank you."

Her legs clicked with every step that drew her closer to the bed.

Metal groaned as Leon drew a deep breath and cracked his eyes open. "Everything will be okay. It's just a matter of time."

The golden outline of the rose flower glowed faintly on his right wrist. He watched the long shadow drawing closer to him.

Sharp air flew in and out of his nose as the double-self in his head began arguing.

The white-robed Creator slammed his boots on the floor of the Yrandal and clenched his fist. "She's not his enemy!"

Waves of black smoke ran down the lower body of the black-robed Destroyer. He looked straight into the Creator's eyes. "But she bears the Qing name."

Debris rained down on both of them as the black glow from the Destroyer dashed deep into Leon's body.

The unbreakable floor of Leon's inner world began to crumble under the weight of the Destroyer's power as he clenched his fist. "There is no difference between her and her family."

Zoe's sweet fragrance filled the room as she closed in five feet away from Leon and stopped. "Leon."

The flapping curtains hurled chilled air on her when she reached her trembling arm forward. "Leon, it's me. Zoe."

Faint trails of tears dripped down her cheeks to her chin as her eyes welled up. "I know my family had wronged you. But…"

She paused and gulped hard with a sharp exhale. "I knew nothing about that, Leon."

The sky above the Bastion hospital burned with black lightning. Leon pulled his palms from his face and shifted a burning gaze toward Zoe.

A faint mixture of gold, blue, red, and gray glow plummeted through his fierce, black-glowing eyes as he focused solely on Zoe.

The black cloth wrapped around his neck flapped on his chest. Memories of him being treated at the Qing's estate flashed into his head.

His dual hearts fastened their pace when he remembered how much Zoe tried to defend him whenever her sibling did not.

The fierce, blackened, blazing eyes dulled for a second. A gold glow flashed through, followed by a faint trail of tears from only his right eye.

Pain rattled through Leon's spine as countless walls of his inner world began to crumple. The Destroyer used half his full force to take control of Leon's body.

Glowing light seeped out of the Creator and wrapped itself around the Destroyer, binding the two together.

Strands of the Destroyer's hair swiped on the Creator's face, leaving faint cut lines on his cheeks. "Let me go! He needs me."

A faint murmuring laughter escaped from the Creator as he shook his head. "No, he doesn't."

Robes clung against each other as the two versions fought for dominance.

Thick veins flashed on the arms and necks of both versions as the dust from the ground seven feet beneath them swirled upward.

Bones crackled within the Destroyer as he clenched his chin. "FUCK!"

His chest heaved against the Creator's, their hearts pulsing in the same rhythm but in a different sequence. "He's weak because of you."

The Destroyer clenched his fist for a moment, then loosened it when he saw a wide smile on the Creator's face.

The white-robed Creator wrapped his palms around the Destroyer and slowly nodded. "I know it."

Dust sprawled sideways as they lowered themselves to the ground. Leather and metal clicked as their boots touched the floor.

In a flash, all that collapsed in Leon's inner world began to sprawl upward. The white glow from the Creator began merging them together.

Strands of Leon's jet-black hair glued to his forehead as sweat of relief began beading his face.

Chills ran down his spine when Zoe closed the distance and placed a heavy, cold arm on his shoulder. "Leon."

Her fingers brushed from Leon's shoulders to his neck as she crouched down. Sharp air buzzed out of Leon's nose and mouth, but his eyes remained calm as Zoe looked straight into them. "They need you."

Zoe's heart thrummed against her ribcage as she cupped her palms on Leon's cheeks. "Everyone needs you, and only you, Leon."

A faint glow of her pink Soul-bloom flashed out of her palms and seeped into Leon's skin, merging with the raging heat in him.

Leaves drifted from the hems of the curtains as they frayed toward their side when Zoe closed her eyes.

Just as she cracked her eyes open and pushed herself forward, hugging Leon, the black blazing lightning in the darkened sky began to calm.

Strands of her silver hair sprinkled on Leon's shoulders as she increased her grip on him and leaned her head on his left ear. "I'm not going anywhere, Leon."

She brushed her palms against Leon's back while sobbing. "We will create a future together. I promise."

Leon crossed his hands on Zoe's back and blinked at Lily's pale, comatose self.

The sky above Bastion Hospital flushed with warmth as days bled into one another. Traffic roared along the streets like a swarm of bees, while Leon and Zoe maintained their vigil, checking on his mother and sister day after day. Despite Dr. Mike's best efforts, the mother and daughter remained trapped in their vegetative state, the essential components for their recovery still frustratingly out of reach.