Everyone reaps what they sow

An exasperated Lili immediately jumped to the couch, where she had still seen Ramiel a moment ago. Following his last request, she reached for a box lying closer to the right edge of the backrest.

It was a simple cardboard box, sloppily tied with a red ribbon. This small oversight was a perfect match for the Ramiel Lili remembered.

Suddenly, a simple black ring appeared in front of her eyes, shaped like a writhing snake. Aside from the exaggerated details and a few strange runes, Lili found nothing unusual about it.

However, everything changed as soon as the gift took its intended place.

Unexpectedly, Lili's mind was flooded with a series of orderly images, showing her family complete. It looked more or less like files arranged chronologically in a folder.

Beneath each image was the corresponding date, and in the center floated a giant "Play" button. "

Lili was confused. Looking for any clue, she found a file signed verbally " One. "

Without thinking, she pressed it.

Snap

Lili felt slightly dizzy, and then the space around her changed. Instead of being in space, she was sitting on a piece of wooden log. Opposite her was a bonfire burning frozen in time, which nonetheless spread a pleasant warmth around it.

It wasn't just the flames that fell into the trap... the trees, the birds, the wind, not even the river escaped the yoke of time binding it.

" What... "

Lili fumed. She already had enough attractions for one day... but life apparently had its own plans...

" This... it's not possible... how... "

Lili's eyes turned to the right. There she sat, a woman who had no right to exist. Her beauty dwarfed most of the people she knew. She held two children in her lap, tenderly holding them in a motherly embrace.

Her head rested on the hard and muscular lack of a man who was holding a guitar and trying to sing?

Lili wasn't sure about that; he might as well have been shouting

" Mom?"

A muffled groan escaped the confused Lili's lips. She couldn't believe what she saw...The woman who should have been dead for a long time was sitting next to her, along with her father and a younger version of herself? 

Lili suddenly experienced a daze. It was accompanied by heartbreaking pain, which was painted in her bright purple eyes.

" So it's like this ...

The scene she saw was nothing more than a faint memory from the past.

Given the previous events, Lili's mind wasn't working properly. It took her some time to discover the truth behind the surprise.

" Em... Part, I think? It's me again... Maybe you're not sick of me yet... and not throwing insults left and right. "

Ramiel laughed lightly to lighten the atmosphere.

His voice was omnipresent. Lili literally felt as if she was locked in a tight ring with club speakers.

" I thought it would be nice if you had some kind of album with our photos...but as you remember, everything burned down in the fire. And then I came up with an idea like - Hey, after all, we have such a thing as magic, why not create an album of my memories? "

" And here it is, the fruit of my hard work and sleepless nights. "

" You don't even know how hard it was to put together a coherent and logical whole, frame by frame. You didn't think you were just waiting for pictures, did you? I'm brilliant enough to achieve something along the lines of short videos recorded with a smartphone. "

" The best, however, is yet to come. With my genius, you can go inside the photos and recordings. But I would be careful if I were you. As long as you don't come into direct contact with the characters, everything should be fine... but if you disobey, even the entire recording may be lost. "

A hint of pride and narcissism could be heard in Ramiel's voice. However, it quickly turned into despondency and something complicated.

" Sigh... However, I'm not as great as I'd like to be... some of the memories are corrupted, or have simply disappeared from my head... The same goes for the voices and dialogues. I tried my best to replicate them, but it didn't always come out perfectly. "

" If something deviates significantly from how you remembered it, there's a good chance I got it wrong. Umm... On a more important note... keep in mind that these are memories presented from my perspective, so if you see something strange, ignore it. I was a weird child. "

Ramiel remained silent, trying to choose the best possible words.

" If you are interested in the appearance of Ceti and Jack before you were born, you should look at the file - Never, but never open it. I'll warn you right away, there are a lot of incomplete and jumbled memories there. I don't remember much from that period... "

" Hmm... one more thing, in the Ceti file, you have saved all the songs and lullabies that Mom sang to us during our trips to the forest together. They aren't perfectly reproduced ... but it's always something. "

" Umm... I guess that's it... Goodbye, Lili. "

Lili silently browsed through memory after memory. She spent more time on some, skipped some completely, and returned to some several times. She didn't have to worry about time, the one inside the ring ran at its own pace.

Although the memories weren't perfectly reproduced, Lili greatly appreciated Ramiel's efforts. Attention to detail had been maintained; most importantly, it coincided with what she remembered.

It is surely the best gift she has ever received. Every step of the way, you can see the hard work and effort Ramiel put in to make everything fit together perfectly...

He even recreated Ceti and Jack's voices and the sense of familial warmth that she missed so much...

Which made... Lili feels like the last rag and asshole. Her small heart was shrouded in darkness, creating a seed of guilt and self-hatred.

Over the years, Ramiel had done so much for her... even after his death, he kept her safe... and how did she repay him? She called the worst thing that ever happened to her, while at the same time telling him to disappear from her life forever. I'll skip the numerous challenges and shout the words right in her face - It would have been better if you had died hanging from some tree. 

It hurt...

Lili couldn't cope with the guilt that plagued her...

Not knowing what to do with herself, she wandered through the maze of locked doors in search of salvation. She passed through thousands of them, but they never seemed to end.

Currently, everything was indifferent to her...

She wanted only one thing. She wanted to go back in time when Ramiel was still alive and right the wrongs she had done.

She wanted to be in his arms one last time and apologize for everything...

Thump

Lili didn't notice when, she banged her head against an old and dilapidated door, marked with a sloppily painted number 2.

" It's strange... they weren't here before... maybe I'm delusional..."

Her tiny fingers ran gently over the rough surface of the peeling oil paint. Under scant pressure, the crumpled wood crackled. Piece by piece, individual splinters fell to the ground, exposing the room, hidden behind a curtain of gloom, to daylight.

Inside it, under the cover of darkness, stood Ramiel, patiently waiting for the fulfillment of destiny.

Without warning, Lili found herself in her brother's arms. Her head was pressed tightly against his muscular chest, and her arms were wrapped around his torso. 

RRamiel's clone was even more shocked than Lili to see him. He had literally expected everything. He was prepared for challenges, fist fights, broken bones, the worst torture in the world... but not for this...

If he was going to get out with a face, he was going to have to improvise.

" It's good to see you too Lili ... ".

Ramiel embraced Lili in a tender and gentle embrace as if she were made of fragile glass. His right hand went to her hair and gently stroked it. His left hand was no worse, his thumb moving up and down at the same time, barely brushing her exposed back.

Ramiel felt his clothes getting wet.

Snif, Snif

Lili burst into a chaotic cry as soon as she felt a tiny caress from the past. It was exactly the same as she remembered it.

A peculiar feeling of warmth and security erupted inside her heart, spilling over her entire body like a tsunami.

Lili knew that she was in no danger in Ramiel's arms. Maybe that's why she lowered her guard and let her emotions escape from their tight prison.

" Snif I'm - I'm Snif Sorlyyy I-I... Snif Snif ".

Unintelligible gibberish mixed with snot escaped from Lili's trembling lips.

Ramiel ran his thumb along her cheek, taking in fresh tears in the meantime.

Despite the arrival of a new language, Ramiel understood the message perfectly. One look into the woman's glazed eyes was enough for him to see the grief and guilt that had accumulated in them.

" Shi ... you don't have to say anything ... ".

Snif, Snif

Minutes passed, and the clock hand ticked inexorably, heralding the beginning of the coming end.

" Lili... I would like to stay like this forever, tell you many things... but my time is limited... So, if you want to ask me something... now is the best time.

Ramiel didn't want to do that. As he said, he wanted this moment to last forever. Unfortunately, the world isn't a wish concert that fulfills Resident's whimsical requests.

Lili's eyes, hidden behind her tears, watched Ramiel, trying to etch into her memory every little detail. Starting with the physique, and ending with the unique and pleasing tone of voice.

" Ramiel ... I ... I ... ".

Lili lowered her gaze. She was unable to look her brother in the eye. Her conscience didn't allow it.

" I... I know it won't change anything... and it's impossible to fix the past... but-but I wanted to apologize to you... I regret... Snif, Snif... I regret my words... I regret hating you... I regret, Snif, Snif, I regret that I was so short-sighted and - and rejected you... I regret that I hurt you... I'm sorry Ramiel... I'm so... so sorry... "

Lili burst into tears again, clutching Ramiel's shirt tightly in her hands. A sincere confession had cost her much, and asking for forgiveness would cost her even more.

" It would have been easier ... if you had abandoned me ... Snif, Snif. The same way I did it... That's why-why therefore if you don't forgive me... I'll understand...

Ramiel found himself trapped. He could have lied, but it would have been counterproductive. Lili, knew him inside out. She was the only person in the world who could see through his lies.

On the other hand, the truth might hurt her even more.

" Lili... it's not that I hate you, I would call it more pity. I can understand, why you did it and what drove you. I suspect that if I were you, I would do the same thing... but understanding and forgiving the wrongs done are two different things. "

" ... "

" So ... you reject me? " Lili's world collapsed in seconds. Ramiel's painful words acted like a thorn applied to a fresh wound.

This wasn't what Lili expected... In fact, she wasn't quite sure of her own expectations. All she wanted was to see her brother again.

" Sigh... No, I don't reject you... It's complicated, you know how I was and how I am. I accept your apology... and you don't even know how happy I am that you're talking to me, instead of hitting and yelling at me... but I can't forgive you yet... This... this takes time... Maybe if I wasn't just a copy... things could take a different direction. But now? You can't even imagine how I felt when you said that you no longer have someone like a brother. "

" ... "

It wasn't easy for Ramiel. The imitation soul living inside him was jumping for joy... but his heart was hiding barely scarred wounds that, with a little effort, would reopen.

" Lili ... don't make such a face ... and look into my eyes. "

The woman tried to escape with her eyes, but Ramiel didn't allow it. If one has said A, one must say B.

Ramiel gently caught his sister's chin and lifted it slightly upward. When their eyes met, Lili lost herself in the infinite abyss of her brother's amethyst irises.

" Do you see hatred or resentment in them, toward you? "

" N-No..."

Lili replied in a trembling voice.

The longer she looked at Ramiel's eyes, the more she was able to see. At first, she saw nothing but alternately replacing grief and happiness. But as time passed, she saw more complicated emotions, such as care, attachment, and the desire to protect at all costs... but also deeply hidden pain and suffering.

" Lili ... remember for the future what I say, so that you don't make the same mistakes a second time. Humans are arrogant creatures who, often under the influence of emotions, don't consider the possible consequences of their actions. They often think that a simple word of apology will take care of the matter... but this isn't the case. Reality doesn't work that way. Scars inflicted on the human heart remain forever. Only through hard work and sincere effort can their effects be lessened over time. "

" Over the years, people have lost the true value of words. They have begun to use them as it is simpler for them, without thinking about their true meaning... This used to not be the case. People knew the importance and power of the language they used. And now? For most people, words like friend, I love you, honor, courage... are just empty words... Do you understand Lili what I'm getting at? "

" I think... I think so..."

A faint smile dawned on Ramiel's face. It wasn't the height of the man's ability, but it came from deep within his heart.

For a moment, Lili could feel the feelings and emotions Ramiel had for her. It was also the last time she saw her brother smiling.

" I'm glad I was able to see you for the last time Lili, I hope that the path you have chosen will bring you true happiness. "

Ramiel's feet slowly transformed into microscopic particles of mana, filled with the element of darkness condensed to the limit.

" What? No... too fast... I don't want to... "

Lili felt a vigorous tug, then suddenly found herself in Ramiel's arms.

She didn't want their meeting to end. There were still many things she wanted to say to him.

" I always knew you were a bigger crybaby than me. "

" Ram... "

" Huh? That's nice... The last time you called me that when you were twelve years old... It brings back memories of Lili... "

" ... "

Snif, Snif.

Lili tried to keep her nerves in check, but a few lonely tears found a path leading outside.

Ramiel was embarrassed, he wanted to make the most of his remaining seconds but didn't know how.

" This is our last goodbye, Lili. I'm happy to have such a wonderful sister. "

Poof

Ramiel's clone exploded with black matter, leaving Lili alone in the empty room.

The woman helplessly sank to her knees, putting her tear-wet hands to her eyes.

" I'm sorry Ramiel ... you always were and always will be my brother ... "