Ian didn't know where he was.

Everything was quiet, and the air was still as he lay on the ground. He could feel a numbing pain resonating through his body. Ian could feel the cool feeling of metal around his neck as well. He tried to open his eyes and move into a sitting position, but he couldn't move, only being met with a strong, sharp pain in his neck.

Where am I?

His mind was hazy, and he found himself unable to think straight. His memory was kind of foggy as well, and he couldn't remember what he was doing before he ended up here... wherever here even was.

What was I doing?

Why can't I remember?

"I see that you failed Mitchell."

A echo-like voice suddenly rang through the silence, and Ian was snapped out of his thoughts. That sounds like Mitch... Why does he sound different? Ian tried to call out to his friend, only to be met with another sting of pain. It was only a few seconds after when another voice called out. This time the voice was clear, and Ian knew for sure who it belonged to.

"You! I thought that-"

"That I was dead? I told you, not even death is an escape for me, I cannot be killed."

Are they arguing? Ian thought to himself, Or is Mitch arguing with himself? They sound the same, but the one with the echo... something just isn't right. Ian didn't try to move again, but he tried his best to pay attention to the two voices, battling with the haziness in his mind. The other voice said that Mitch failed... But what did he fail?

"But, it seems that, unlike me, death did fall upon one tonight."

Surprised, Ian stiffened, a memory tugging at the corner of his mind at the second voice's words. Ian still couldn't recall it, though it felt as if it was at the tip of his tongue. He just couldn't recall exactly what it was... Did someone die? It wasn't the Raven... Was it?

Who was it?!?!?

Ian's thoughts were once again interrupted by Mitch calling out loudly, a tone of what Ian could have sworn was fear and sadness in his voice.

"What?! Are you talking about Ian?!?"

Ian's thoughts were silent, and if he could move, there would be a look of shock and disbelief on his face.

What? Did he just...? Am I...?

But even as Ian tried to deny it, the memory was finally coming back to him, though Ian wished that it hadn't. He remembered sitting at his desk. He remembered that he had found out something with Mitch's vision. He remembered leaving the house in the pelting rain. He remembered finding Weiss. He remembered chasing after her.

He remembered the headlights.

He remembered the pain.

Did I really die? Ian thought, the sudden realization coming over him.

I am the Black-Haired Raven.

"The Black-Haired Raven's destiny has been fulfilled. He has died, and now the dulled star will once again find his light, finally putting an end to all of this-" The voice continued, before it was cut off by Mitch, whose voice was now filled with fury as he yelled.

"Can you actually tell be something useful dammit! If you had told me who the Black-Haired Raven was without all of this 'destiny' bull, than Ian would still be alive! This is all your fault!"

"He had to die. He needed to die. Aren't you happy now? All of the pain is over now. I told you that you couldn't save him, but you didn't listen. That is no one's fault but your own. Stop crying."

"I know that it was my fault! I tried to save him, but..."

That's what Mitch failed. He failed to save me. But it wasn't his fault, it was mine...!

"You really do not understand. Your efforts didn't mean a thing. Take a look Mitchell."

Ian could hear sadness in the voice's words, though he wasn't sure if they were genuine, but still, he felt as if-

"Ian!"

Mitch's surprised voice rang through the dead air, and Ian could hear something that sounded like the rattling of chains and the flapping of wings as Mitch kept calling out Ian's name, desperation in his voice. Ian wanted to call back to him, tell him that he was there, but he was only met with the same pain in his neck as before when he tried.

Mitch's calls eventually started to become quieter, as if he was giving up on him. Can he see me? Even if he can... what does he see that would make him give up so easily?

"Don't even bother. I can't hear you... I can't hear anything..."

Mitch fell silent, and Ian's thoughts did as well as a new voice rang through the air, echo-like similarly to the other voice. But as the first voice sounded like Mitch... this new one sounded like Ian. Why does it sound like me?!? Why is it saying that I can't hear Mitch?!? I can hear him just fine!

"I can't hear anything... see anything... feel anything..." The second voice repeated, the words sounding forlorn as it continued.

"NO!" Mitch cried out, followed by the sound of rattling chains again, followed by the sound of the chains drawing tight and Mitch crying out in surprise, before Ian heard the sound of something slamming hard onto the ground.

Ian tried to move again, desperate to catch Mitch's attention. He ignored the sharp pain that shot through his neck and the dull pain throughout his body as he did, only wanting to make only the smallest of movements.

"It isn't too late."

Ian felt his hand twitch, and knowing that he was making progress, he made one final effort to move.

"You four can still save me."

Ian's eyes shot open, and the first thing that he saw was Mitch leaning against a thin pillar of white light that belonged to what appeared to be a large bird cage, the cage's floor littered with white feathers.

Ian didn't have a chance to do anything before Mitch suddenly fell over, his eyes shutting as he fell to the floor, passed out.

Mitch!

Ian's attention was drawn to two figures standing outside of the cage, watching Mitch's limp body silently.

One was a startling image of Mitch, looking just like him, the only two differences being that he seemed to be made up of the same white light that made up Mitch's cage, and that there were no wings on his back.

The second figure had his back to Ian, so Ian couldn't see his face. The figure was made up of a deep blue light, which looked as though it were reflecting the night sky, and he was wearing a hoodie that seemed to be made up of the same light, along with his hair, which was pulled into a ponytail. Though Ian wasn't entirely sure, he guessed that it was supposed to be a copy of him, based on the voice he heard earlier.

Though Ian couldn't move his head, he tried his best to look around where he was lying. He appeared to be lying inside of a cage similar to that of Mitch's bird cage, only the pillars were made up of a blue light, much similarly to the light making up the copy of himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see golden chains that hung from the top of the cage toward him, and Ian guessed that they attached to whatever metal thing hung around his neck.

I see, Ian thought to himself, the Angel and the Raven trapped in bird cages. Clever.

The landscape around him was completely black, and Ian couldn't help but to remember what Mitch had told him about his dreams, and about the black space where his dreams usually took place. Is this that place?

"So you finally decided to open your eyes."

Ian was snapped out of his thoughts by the echo of his own voice. He looked to see that the copy of himself was approaching the bars of his cage, an expressionless look on his face. His eyes were made up of bright purple lights, and as Ian stared down the copy, he felt as if he were looking at himself in a mirror.

Ian shifted a glance behind his copy to see that Mitch's cage had disappeared, and the real and light versions of Mitch were gone as well.

"Don't bother looking for them." The light Ian said with the faintest of smiles on his face. "Mitch woke up in the real world, so he's gone. His light can't form itself when the other person is gone from the dreamscape, so he's gone too."

The two glared at each other for a moment, before Ian choked out a few words, his body straining with pain as he struggled to speak.

"Who... are... y-you...?"

The copy of Ian sighed, before he spoke. "I am you, and you are me. I am the manifestation of your sadness, your doubt, and your guilt, bound to this dreamscape until you face the feeling that you dread the most."

Ian was silent for a moment, before managing to speak a bit more. "If you... are my... s-sadness... guilt... my... doubt...then why did... M-Mitch... have one... as well?"

The copy frowned, before continuing. "Some are stronger than others, depending on the concentration of the feelings that created it. Mitch's light had a higher concentration than any person should be able to mentally handle. That is why his light is so powerful. His light has plagued his dreams for a bit now."

Ian was surprised to hear that Mitch had been keeping this part of his dreams away from him. How much has he not told me?

"Mitch's vision... the p-prophecy..."

"I only know as much about the prophecy as you do. We share the same mind, remember? It would be impossible for me to know more than you, nor any less. Any more questions? I can't promise that I can answer them, but I will try."

"Just three... questions..." Ian said slowly, the intense pain still surging through him with every word he spoke. "M-Mitch's copy... sounded so... strange. He sounded serious... I thought... it was... strange... how he... sounded... like Mitch... but was... so... different. But you... sound... like... me..."

"The light only reflects the inner feelings of who it belongs to. No matter how different Mitch's light sounds compared to the real Mitch, you must remember that the light is only reflecting what Mitch really thinks. His light only shows negative feelings because this is what Mitch is hiding. Acting rough to Mitch, calling him 'Mitchell', paying no regard to those Mitch cares about... It all just reflecting Mitch's own negative feelings. Mitch's light was made mainly from the expression of guilt, and he uses that against the real Mitch. I'm not like Mitch's light because your negative feelings are much different. That's why I'm not angry like him, why I don't talk like him, and mainly why I don't act like him. I guess that you could call us your echoes."

"You've told m-me... what...created you... and Mitch's copy... but what feelings... did I... have... that caused you to...e-exist?"

"Like Mitch's copy, I was created mainly from one of three possible emotions. Mitch's was made from guilt. I am made from your doubt. Your doubts about the prophecy, about the Raven, how your friends see you... But that isn't where most of it comes from."

Ian's copy leaned further into the cage, looking at Ian with what appeared to be an expression of sadness on his face.

"You doubt yourself. You doubted whether or not you would be able to protect your friends from the prophecy. You wanted to protect them, but in that, you doubted your own strength, you doubted your own courage."

Ian looked to the ground, sadness on his face as he remained silent. His copy stared at him sadly, before he pressed on. "You said that you had three questions? I've only answered two."

Ian remained silent a moment longer, before looking back up at himself. "If I'm... really... dead... does that mean... that the... Raven... was me?"

The copy nodded slowly, continuing. "Yes. You died. The Black-Haired Raven has died."

Ian tried to make a small nodding motion with his head, wincing with pain after he did so. "I'm glad... that it was m-me... n-not anyone... else."

Ian's copy smiled. "I know. I'm happy too. All of our friends are safe now. Doesn't that make us happy?"

"Y-Yes... and you said... that the four... could still... save me. If they... really can... I know that they... would do... anything... to make sure... that it... happened."

The copy nodded, a smile on his face. "Of course. That's the only doubt that you don't have. You have no doubt in your friends. Your overwhelming faith in your friends..."

The copy of Ian stopped, looking down to the ground silently. Ian followed his gaze. His eyes widened as he noticed that the light copy seemed to fade. His feet had already disappeared, and the blue light had disappeared already to about his knees. Ian's copy stared back at Ian, a sincere look of happiness on his face as he continued, the light beginning to disappear from his arms as well.

"As I said, you don't have any doubt in your friends. Your overwhelming faith in your friends... that faith can overcome any inch of doubt in your mind."

Ian looked sadly up at his copy, which had almost completely disappeared, the only light left being a bit of his face.

"Don't be sad that I'm disappearing Ian. Remember, I'm a part of you, so technically, I'm never gone. You faced the feeling that you had dreaded the most, your doubt. You were strong enough to accept your death... You were courageous enough to not fear death. There is no reason for me to be here anymore. I honestly wasn't expecting to disappear so quickly, but that just shows how strong you are."

Ian was about to say more when he felt a sudden wave of drowsiness washed him, hitting him hard. His eyes drooped, and he let his eyes close, thankful to feel most of the pain disappear as he slid into sleep. Thank you...

"You're welcome. Just remember, Mitch and the others will get us out of this soon..."