"Who's that?" Dimentio asked.

Mr. L was appalled. He couldn't even believe what his own brain was telling him. This couldn't be true! It simply couldn't! What were the odds?

"I think... I think it's you," Mr. L breathed.

Alex gasped, continuing to write. It was almost like he was assigned to watch a movie and take notes. He was observing the entire scene almost the way a critic would, only instead of writing his own reactions, he wrote Mr. L's.

"You knew me?" Dimentio asked. A small glimmer of what seemed to be excitement bubbled to the surface. "What was I like?!"

Mr. L paused. How to explain that... 

He could try to sugarcoat things, or he could be brutally honest. Either way, he still didn't know where to start. What was Dimentio even like? He was a genius, yet an idiot at times. He was kind in brief moments, but a total jerk in others. It was like he was everything all at once. Living honestly must have been exhausting for him. 

"Well... for a while you were my friend," Mr. L started. "You were brilliant and crafty. You also were good at annoying people and making them smile. You were a jester, after all."

"A jester?" Dimentio asked, chuckling. "Like, with the silly hats and outfits?"

Mr. L laughed in response. "Yeah... your whole ensemble was rather ridiculous, but you wore it well."

"Sounds like you're calling me ridiculous."

"Well, you were!" Mr. L exclaimed, still smiling. "You were, and still are, one of the most ridiculous people I've ever met. You acted like the world was a stage, and we were all a part of a show or something. You were always performing and acting. It was hard to tell what you meant whenever you spoke. It wasn't like you ever outright lied, but you'd twist your own words. It was actually fairly impressive if I'm being honest. I was a little jealous."

Dimentio smiled through his eyes and cocked his head to the side. "Jealous you say? Why?"

"Simple. I wanted to be the smartest person in the room," Mr. L admitted before he could stop himself.

It wasn't like him to just admit things like that

Dimentio leaned forward slightly. He seemed rather excited to hear more about himself, which Mr. L didn't quite expect. If the man in green were in his shoes, he would have felt more nervous. Especially considering he was a dark soul. He had to know that he led a pretty bad life to end up like that, so why was he acting so eager to learn more? Wasn't he afraid of the truth stinging?

"What else?!" Dimentio asked. "Do you know how I died? What were some of the things I accomplished? Did I have any goals?"

"Slow down with the questions," Mr. L breathed, still smiling at the dark soul's puppy-like behavior. "I'm not quite sure how you died. I've heard a few stories, but I'm not sure what's true and what isn't. As for goals and accomplishments, you kept most of that to yourself. You were pretty secretive, to be honest."

"Ah, so I was mysterious~" Dimentio chuckled.

"Very," Mr. L admitted, ignoring the brief blush that dusted his cheeks. "To the point where it was kinda annoying."

Dimentio continued smiling through his eyes, leaning closer. Mr. L noted that the current mask Dimentio wore covered his smile, which was odd because the mask he wore when he was alive ONLY showed his eyes and his smile. 

A part of him missed being able to see that. The other part was hoping he'd never see it again. 

"So what happened, then?" Dimentio questioned. "You said I WAS a friend. Did we get into a fight?"

Ah yes, the part Mr. L was afraid to tell him about. He wasn't sure why he felt so nervous. It already happened. He already knew how the story ended. 

He wasn't quite afraid of what Dimentio's reaction would be either. He wasn't scared of Dimentio remembering and suddenly lashing out or something of the sort. If anything, he was more scared for Dimentio than himself. Why did the truth feel so heavy all of the sudden? It always was harsh, but explaining to someone that they're a bad person seems extra harsh. Especially when that person doesn't even remember. 

Mr. L took a quick breath, then explained everything he knew. He explained the feeling of betrayal. He explained how the last thing he saw before he died was that glowing yellow eye. The last thing he heard before it all went black was that chilling, cold laughter. He explained the confusion and the emotional war he had with himself because he still didn't quite know how to feel. 

When he finished explaining, he nervously looked up at Dimentio, waiting for a response. Waiting for a reaction. 

"...That wasn't me." Dimentio finally said.

His excited mood had vanished, and the air around him felt slightly colder. 

Mr. L felt a small twinge of guilt, but he didn't let the issue just drop.

"Yes, it was."

"No, it wasn't! I wouldn't do that!!" Dimentio cried. "Not to you! Not to anyone! I know I'm a dark soul, but that can't be why! I wouldn't- That's not me! I may be difficult at times- but I'm not- I wouldn't- That's not me!!"

"Dim-"

"DON'T SAY IT! DON'T CALL ME DIMENTIO! IT'S D-4913!! I'M NOT THAT PERSON!!" Dimentio cried, clenching his fists. 

"Why is this so hard for you to accept?!" Mr. L asked. "You're a dark soul. You've got to know that you've done bad things in your life."

"I know! But I'm not that person!! You're SCARED of that person! I can tell by the way your hands clench and the way your shoulders tense up! I don't want to be that person. I'm NOT DIMENTIO!" The dark soul cried out. "THAT'S NOT ME!!"

He stepped backward, shaking slightly. Mr. L wasn't quite sure what to do. He wanted to do something, though. He wished he could just take back the conversation so things could go back to the way they were a few moments ago before he figured out who D-4913 really was. 

However, the truth was, nothing was going to be the same. He couldn't see the dark soul the same way anymore. Now, whenever he looked at him, he saw Dimentio. 

"Quit looking at me like that," Dimentio breathed, his voice much quieter than before. "It's not me. That's not me!"

He shook his head, then turned away and took off running. 

"Dimentio!" Mr. L cried, quickly trying to chase after him. Only, it was already too late. Dimentio had turned a corner, then disappeared into the maze. It was like he was never even there. 

"....Subject seems upset with the reunion," Alex muttered when Mr. L stomped over to him and snatched the notebook out of annoyance. 

He tilted his head to the side, looking over all the notes. Alex's handwriting was fairly neat. He had perfectly documented the entire conversation and managed to find the time to doodle cupcakes in the margins of his notebook as well.

"Cupcakes? Seriously?" Mr. L asked.

"What? I like them," Alex admitted, snatching the book back and writing a few more quick notes before closing it and putting it away. 

. . .

Dimentio ran until he was sure he had lost the man in green, then brought his hands to the side of his head, pacing back and forth while thinking over everything Mr. L had told him about himself. 

He wasn't sure what he expected. He knew very well that he was a bad person, but he always liked to believe that he did bad things to help people he cared about or something like that. He always wanted to believe that villains always had reasons for doing evil. He didn't want to be someone who betrayed his own friends. He wanted to be someone misunderstood. He wanted redeemable qualities. He expected himself to be something along the lines of a friendly-ish trickster who just had been thrown into an unfortunate situation and ended up having to get his hands dirty. 

Above all, he didn't want to be the one responsible for Mr. L's death. One thing about losing all his memories was that he lost all the guilt that came with the horrible things he did while he was alive. But if Mr. L was being truthful, then that guilt would roar back with a mighty hunger, ready to eat Dimentio alive from the inside.

He didn't even know what he was doing anymore. As a dark soul, his loyalty was sworn to Queen Jaydes. Yet, he had already broken a few of her rules to help the man in green, and he still didn't entirely know why. He was honestly terrified of the queen, and defying her would surely lead to harsh consequences. Even so, he wanted Mr. L to escape. Now more than ever. If what the man in green said was true, then Dimentio owed him a life. If it wasn't true, then a life was still owed to him. That was an unfair way to die. 

"I have to find him again," the dark soul breathed, turning to head back, when he came face to face with the Queen herself, looming over him.

"Ah, D-21221. Where exactly are you heading? Last I checked, you weren't assigned to this section of the maze..." The queen pointed out, smiling slightly. 

Dimentio nervously swallowed, taking a few steps back. He didn't correct her on the number this time. 

"Ah, well, I was ah- just on my way to find the test subject! So I could lead him back to the beginning, like I said I would, of course!" Dimentio breathed.

The queen nodded, tilting her head slightly and taking a step closer to him. Her entire presence was slightly overwhelming. The air felt colder around her, to the point where it made Dimentio shiver. 

"I see. For a moment, I almost thought you were running off to help him..." Jaydes teased. "But no, that would be ridiculous. You wouldn't do that. Not after my warnings. That would be stupid, even for you."

Dimentio let out a nervous laugh, crossing his arms and looking to the side, avoiding her icy gaze. 

"Pffft, me? Helping him? Yeah, sooo stupid!" He nervously laughed, stumbling back and turning away from the queen. "W-Well, I'm off to find him and lead him back to the beginning, just like we planned! Ahaha-"

"Hold up, D-21221," The queen breathed, making Dimentio freeze in place, then slowly turn to face her. 

"Yes, my queen?" He asked, hiding the worry in his tone.

Jaydes smiled, then tossed a purple mushroom to the soul. Dimentio caught it, then looked down at the mushroom with curiosity. 

"Give him that," The queen smiled.

Dimentio squinted at the mushroom. It looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't tell how or why.

"W... what is it?" Dimentio asked.

"Just a gift," Jaydes smiled.

Dimentio felt a small chill run up his spine.

"It won't hurt him, will it?" 

"Oh? Why the concern?" Jaydes asked, smiling and raising an eyebrow.

Dimentio shook his head, holding the mushroom out to her as if rejecting it. 

"I won't do anything that will harm him," he stated, slightly fearful of how the queen would respond. Normally, if she commanded something of him, talking back was strictly forbidden. It was practically unheard of. 

However, the queen didn't seem mad. Yes, she looked slightly annoyed, but also amused.

"Don't defy me, D-21221. Remember, I own you. I'm honestly surprised. You, losing your head over a boy," the queen chuckled. 

"My head?" Dimentio asked, drawing back slightly. "My head isn't lost, your majesty..."

Jaydes chuckled, drawing even closer. 

"You don't think a neutral soul like him could ever like a selfish, evil, dark soul like yourself, do you?" The queen asked.

Dimentio drew back, looking down and holding the purple mushroom close to his stomach. "I... well... it doesn't matter," he breathed.

"Great. Then give him the mushroom. Or it's into the river for you, are we clear?"

Dimentio nodded, then turned away once again, holding the mushroom closely and walking at a slow pace.

"Oh, and D-21221, one more thing, just to make this more interesting," Jaydes beamed, making him halt once again and look back at her.

The queen slowly smiled.

"I know how badly you long for neutrality. Stop the man in green from escaping, and I can free you from your afterlife of eternal labor, allowing you to finally rest in peace."