Y/N POV:

The first thing I remember is darkness. I couldn't see anything except darkness. I felt my hands touch sand, but I couldn't see them either. My eyes searched around for even a small hint of light, but none was found. I stood up from the darkness, swiveling around to find something in the dark void. I didn't need much light, just something. 

Then I saw it. A faint glow coming from beneath me. I reached down into the sand below me, making out the outline of my hands visible. I started to dig, first slowly, then faster and faster as the light started getting dimmer. 

I kept digging and digging, searching to find the light I once saw again. Instead of the light, however, I felt water. It was spurting out of the sand, and it was rising around me quickly. I didn't know what to do, so I did the first thing I thought of: climb up the sand. 

I tried to grab onto something, but it just slipped between the crevices of my fingers. I still couldn't see anything at all, so I relied on my other senses. I felt the water at my knee-level and the sand in my hands; I heard my heart drumming in my ears as I tried to breathe slower. 

I calmed myself, but it was too late. The water whooshed past my ears, covering my head and pushing me down into the depths below. All the sand had disappeared as my flailing limbs tried, to no avail, to grasp onto something, anything. 

But, the only thing I found was water. Water below me, water above me, water inside me. I was fully trapped underwater with no way to escape. I knew that I was sinking, and fast. Stinging, my eyes squeezed shut as I used the last of my body strength to swim upwards. I felt one last oxygen bubble come out of my mouth before I was free from the nightmare. 

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The first thing I heard was a loud knocking on my door, so I adjusted myself into a sitting position. I rubbed my blurry eyes, trying to adjust to the light.

"Come in!" 

I saw Douma's blonde hair peeking in the doorway as I stretched my tired limbs. He waved at me, and I motioned for him to come in. As he came over and sat down on the futon next to me, I realized that I was not wearing the same kimono as I was yesterday. I peered up at him with one hand pointing to my clothes, my eyebrow raised. 

"Oh don't worry about that! I got one of my female followers to change you." He laughed and rocked from side to side. I relaxed, and we sat in silence for a few moments, the events from last night recollecting in my head. I decided not to try and fake my emotions, it was too tiring to keep up the facade that I actually cared. 

"Thank you for bringing me to my room." I said quietly, breaking the silence. He replied to my statement by moving his hand back and forth, as if to say, 'it's no problem'. 

"Ahh, it's okay (Y/N)! I don't mind a bit!" Douma studied my face intently and frowned. 

"Hmmm, that's strange, I can't tell what you're feeling." He propped his hands up against his face, holding his head up. 

"That's because I can't feel. It's the reason I was sent here to be 'cured'." I made air quotes with my fingers mockingly. His eyes widened as he sat up straight. 

"You..." He trailed off. He seemed like he didn't believe what I had said.

"What? What is it? I'm telling the truth." I raised my eyebrow at him, trying to convince him that I wasn't lying. He broke into a grin and bounced on the futon happily.

"You're like me!" He continued chattering for a long time, and I took the chance to think. 

'What does he mean 'like him'? Is he apathetic as well?' I thought, and looked back up at him. He was still talking, but I decided that I would listen. After a few minutes, he finally stopped and peered back at me confusedly. 

"Why are you still listening to me? Aren't I boring you?" He asked, scratching his head to further exaggerate his emotions. I shook my head and got up off of the futon. 

"I don't think you're boring, I'm fine to listen to you talking about the cult." I shrugged and looked around the room to find the bag that my kimonos were in. 

"If you're looking for your clothes, I got you some new kimonos alongside the ones you brought with you - I'm going to assume you brought clothes with you." He pointed to a door on the left side of the room, and my eyes followed. 

"Thank you, Douma-sama." I bowed in respect and climbed back over the futon and left the wooden door wide open, revealing a rainbow of clothes inside. I didn't know how much this must have cost, but it screamed one word: expensive.

I quickly glanced back at Douma to see his reaction, but he didn't look surprised in the slightest. Instead, he gave me a reassuring nod. I walked into the spacious wardrobe, examining each kimono specifically. 

My fingers traced the patterns on the clothing, the material feeling silky to the touch. I felt Douma's rainbow eyes piercing into the back of my head,  watching me intently as he patiently waited for me to pick out clothing to wear. 

I turned around and faced him, holding a navy blue kimono in my hands. It had baby blue hexagons patterned onto the edges, and had a white obi hanging around it. I studied the kimono then looked up at him for approval.

He nodded his head quickly, stretching up from the futon. 

"That looks beautiful on you, (Y/N)-chan! Good choice." I reached for the shiny doorknob and twisted it, closing the door to the closet so I could change. I knew that he was still outside because I could hear him shuffling around the room. 

I folded the pale yukata that I had been wearing and put it on an empty shelf for me to change back into later. I unlocked the door and immediately found Douma staring back at me intently. He was sitting on the floor right outside the closet, and not knowing what else to do, plopped down right in front of him. 

We awkwardly stared at each other for a couple of seconds, and Douma snapped his fingers. "Oh yes! I just remembered, I need to inform you of something really important. It is the one rule that all of my followers must obey, and it's really not that difficult to understand. You cannot go into the east wing of the temple without either my permission, or me personally leading you there. Unless, of course, it's an absolute emergency." After taking in a deep breath, he grinned and continued.

"That's the only rule, so you can do anything else you please around here." He paused. "But still use common sense, obviously. On a serious note, however, are we clear about the rule?" He looked at me fake-sternly to which I nodded slowly.

"Yep, I got it. No east wing unless I'm with you, have your permission, or I'm dying." I said jokingly, ticking off my fingers. He smiled at me quizzically, but knowingly.

A few moments later, I heard a knock on the door. I swiveled my head back around at Douma, who was also confused. I shrugged and went to answer the door, and a tall brunette woman was standing there. Quickly after she saw me staring at her, she jumped in surprise, then she bowed.

"Uhm, my deepest apologies for the intrusion but is the Great Founder in here? He instructed me to fetch him once it was time for him to greet the new guests." She asked timidly, still in a deep bow. 

"Yes he's here." I ignored the apology, and I waved my hand at Douma as a gesture to come over. He stood up and sauntered over, frowning.

"Oh my. I thought there was at least another hour! Very well then, I'll take my leave. Thank you, dear." He brushed past me and stepped into the wide hallway. I turned around to retreat back into my room, but his firm grip held the shoji door open. 

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" He laughed mockingly. I shrugged and let go of my hold on the handle, stepping aside to avoid smacking into the doorway. I bowed respectfully, but he pulled me into a bear hug. 

I didn't know what to do, so I stayed like that for a few seconds. He released me and smiled cheerfully, clasping his hands together.

"You're so cute, (Y/N)!" The brown-haired woman tapped on his shoulder, gesturing for him to hurry. He frowned at her, but detached his hands from mine. He briskly walked away, leaving me to stand alone in the doorway of my strange new bedroom. 

Not even five minutes later, I began to feel bored with the uninteresting room. So, I decided to explore the cult to see what else I could find. I wandered down the long hallway that Douma had gone through beforehand, observing the paintings on the wall. 

One was of a cobalt blue flower that looked like it had spider legs sprouting up from the middle. It was surrounded by black, and it was glowing. 

The second painting showed a baby pink butterfly on a flower in a wisteria garden. Its wings had light teal around the edges, and I found it to be mesmerizing.

The third and last painting held a woman cradling a sleeping infant in her arms. She had silky-looking black hair that faded into prussian blue, and she was sitting on a snow white lotus. However, what really caught my attention was her emerald green eyes that seemed to sparkle with joy, deeply contrasting my own dull (e/c) ones. 

For a moment, I felt a twinge of envy. 'Why am I jealous? I have never even met this woman.' 

I didn't want to spend my gaze on the beautiful girl in the painting any longer, so I huffed and stalked down the hall. At the end, I found a set of large oak doors with the same lotus carvings as in the painting. I traced my finger along the pattern, feeling the grain against my skin.

I listened so that I could know if anyone was inside, but I did not hear anyone. 

'This is not the east wing so I'll be fine.' I gripped the handle and went in. I spun around as I walked further into the new space, examining every detail of the walls, ceiling, and floor. 

The walls were ivory, and the ceiling was a pale white color. The room had the pleasant smell of flowers, and I heard water flowing nearby. The floor made a sharp tapping sound each time I stepped on it, which I found quite amusing.

This room was completely stripped of furniture, with the exception of a small blue bean bag chair near one of the open windows. I strolled over to it with my hands behind my back, and started to survey it. 

I sat down in the bean bag, finding myself sinking. I quickly jolted back up, peering doubtfully back at the chair. I suddenly heard faint bells ringing in the distance, and since I was completely free, I followed the sound. 

It led me outside into the garden, where Douma was sitting underneath the shade of a droopy willow tree reading a book to some children. The children, I noticed, seemed to be nodding off to sleep, so I told myself to wait until they were done.

I curled my knees up against my chest, resting my chin on my arms. I watched as Douma eventfully acted out everything in the book, often checking the book for clarity. I realized the sun was setting, but I did not care. There was plenty of shade on Douma's garden, so much so that I realized not many spots actually had sun hitting them. 

I saw Douma glance up at me for a quick second, acknowledging my presence. He then slammed the covers of the book shut, making some of the children jolt awake. After he woke up the other children and sent all of them inside, he walked over to me. By this time the sun had set, and the sky was showing the first stars of the night.

"Konnichiwa (Y/N)-chan, it's nice to see you enjoying the gardens!" He exclaimed, pulling me into a warm embrace. I had long gotten used to these sudden bouts of physical interaction so I didn't struggle in the slightest when he picked me up bridal style, 

"Close your eyes, I want to show you something special." He whispered into my ear. I followed his instructions, relaxing in his grip. Not a second later, I felt a strong gust of wind in my ears, and I suddenly felt freezing. 

"You can open your eyes now." Douma whispered in my ear as he put me down gently. I felt long blades of grass brushing my ankles, and I opened my eyes to a breathtaking sight before me. 

A crystal lake was in front of me, the moon shining off the clear waters. Lily pads and lotuses floated were sprinkled around, housing all sorts of tiny animals. Fireflies danced and frogs croaked; it all seemed so poetic that I forgot to ask Douma how he got here so fast. 

I felt Douma's fingers interlace my own as we sat down on the mossy ground. I listened to all of the sounds around me, naming them in my mind. I reached my hand out and hugged Douma's arm, a habit I had since childhood. 

"So how do you like it? It's beautiful, right (Y/N)?" Douma whispered, caressing my cold hand. 

"If I could feel, I think I'd say I love it." I breathed, cherishing his warmth. I surveyed the land, remembering every detail of its natural beauty. 

"Douma-sama, do you know what that flower is? I can't seem to recall it." I turned to him and pointed my index finger a cluster of blossoming flowers in front of us. 

"Ah yes, that one is called an 'ajisai'. That type of flower smells lovely, in my opinion. Here, smell one." reached forward and plucked one of the flowers out of the bunch. I pulled my arm out from under myself and took the flower. I closed my eyes and inhaled the faint scent. 

"You're right, it has a pleasant smell." He picked another one of the flowers and placed it in my hair. 

"These flowers represent beauty, so I think that it matches you quite well my dear. May I braid them into your hair?" I nodded as he combed his fingers through my hair. We stayed at the serene lake chatting about anything and everything, and only turning to leave when sunrise was drawing near.

Word Count: 2592