Neither you know what causes this pain in Rafayels chest nor do you want to think of the possibilities from the tender look he gave you. Only worrying about him, you jump up from the table and hurry over to him.

"Is there something I can do? Should I call an emergency? Or should I call her?" you shoot him questions, anxious and clueless how to help him.

You don't know if you're allowed to touch him in this state. Your hands are hovering above him, flying helplessly in some distance over his body or his head. Rafayel pants and grunts, clutching his chest even harder where the mark of his bond is aggressively glowing. And with a weak hoarse voice he tries to answer you.

"I- I feel like I've been torn apart. If my body is drawn in different directions and wants to move to both. It's' awful -argh." he whimpers. And then big pools of blue with a drop of pink locking into you. "You are..." and his hand caresses the side of your cheek so gently, feather-like touches tracing your skin.

"Rafayel..." you nearly cried. You can't bear seeing him like this and there he is trying to comfort you even if you're a stranger to him. "How can I help you?" you, catching his hand to stop with his tender gesture.

Heavy breathing lifts his chest up and down, his face still pain driven, some sweat is glistening on his forehead, and yet he looks at you like you mean the world to him. "Help me up..." he sighs "to the bedroom" a weak gesture to the direction of the mentioned room. "Closest..." another grunt between pained whimpers.

"Okay, I'll try." trying to lift him up to his feet as you throw his arm above your back. "Hang on, Rafayel" you nearly sink to your knees as his weight falls on you. God, this man is heavier than he looks, you think to yourself as you slowly carry him to his bedroom. Step by step you walk him as the artist is slumped on your shoulder partly, and dragging his feet in the direction you lead him.

"You even smell the same..." he whispers roughly into your ear, after he dragged his nose along your neck and shortly before you reach the bed.

"Now is not the time for this, don't you think?" You let him sink into the sheets with a relieved sigh. "Ugh, why are you so heavy?" you mutter playfully  „Lemurian bones, or what?"

The purple haired man just chuckles as he tries to get into a comfortable position. "Rather you are missing some hunter's strength here" he teasingly winks at you.

"Ha, Ha!" you smile and show him your tongue. "Since you can still make jokes, your condition doesn't seem to be that bad." you mock him back, and get up to get him a glass of water. But suddenly he grabs your wrist and pulls you to the edge of the mattress. With a soft plump you nearly fall onto him but somehow manage to only hit the sheets. „Rafayel" you call out, confused about his behavior.

"Stay." he whispers, his ocean eyes begging you to agree as he holds you firm but without hurting you.

With an irritated huff you sit down again beside him. "I just wanted to get you some water."

Then silence falls between you, Rafayel having one arm over his closed eyes. Not sure what else to do, you stay, watching him. The mark on his torso stopped glowing, and the pain seems to get less.

After a few minutes you dare to ask "What happened?"

It takes a while for him to answer and even then he doesn't look at you. "Don't know." he quietly states.

But you see through him, at least you believe that. The Rafayel in the game is very good at avoiding the truth when he doesn't want to talk about it. But you're not the MC who falls for his distractions and evasive measures.

"I don't think so." you challenge him "I guess you know exactly what happened. You just don't want to tell me — Which is okay, I'm a stranger, an intruder in your and her life." your voice gets quieter as the Lemurian shoots you a surprised gaze. "You don't know if you can trust me and that's okay really. I understand that..." and your sadness is back as you remind yourself how wrong this whole situation is. "I shouldn't be here, I'm aware of this — but please, at least be honest to me."

Rafayel's gaze doesn't waver as you speak to him, and after you finish he grabs your hand, gently stroking the knuckles with his thumb.

"Cutie, I-" a frustrated sigh before he starts anew, now heaving himself up in an upright position and getting closer to you. "Maybe it's an error, maybe you really shouldn't be here. But you are." serious spoken words as he observes your face thoroughly "and you both feel the same to me. You're so equal with each other that even the bond is irritated." Now he looks away, rubbing his neck with one hand. "I guess that's what happened. I've been torn between both of your wishes..."

"What...?" you stutter, hardly understanding what he implies. The bond reacts to you? How's that even possible?

And with a flushed face he turns his attention back to you. With another caress of your cheek he smiles at you softly. "Don't stress yourself out over this. We'll find an explanation, yeah?"

Now it's your turn to blush heavily, and you finally stand up and gain some distance. With him so soft and tender towards you, it's impossible to think clearly. And even if it does feel right and good getting this treatment, it's not fair. He's in a relationship with your hunter self, and you can't help but consider it cheating being this close to him.

Maybe you're the real person in this place, but it's HER life that you barged in, fictional or not. And you really need to hold some distance from him. Who knows how long you're here, perhaps tomorrow you'll wake up at your desk at home. But a feeling deep in your heart whispers that this won't be the case anytime soon, and you're not sure if you really want to go back...

As you turn to him, Rafayel looks a lot better now and the sweat in his face is gone.

"And what explanation is there? You can't be bonded to me." you insist, not wanting to believe that this special connection is with you as well. "One should think, that a god knows about such things. It's not like you gifted me your heart." you ponder out loud.

And so you miss that Rafayel has swung his legs from the mattress and is now sitting at its edge. A perplexed look on his face, eyes round and stunned "What did you just say?"

"That as the God of the Sea you really should know about such things." you repeat patiently.

Rafayel snickers bitterly and looks out of a window. "I am no god." and gazes back at you with a taunting face "Seems this game told you wrong." and another snort.

You feel the anger caused by his mocking well up in you, but you fight it. You know his behavior from the game he just bitched about, and you won't fall for his attempt to distract you from the truth.

"You wish!" you shoot back at him, not hiding the smug smile that sneaks its way into your face. "She may not remember and won't get the hints you threw at her. But as I said before, Rafayel: I am not her. You are the last God of the Sea. You may not have the whole power you once had, back in Lemuria. But that doesn't make you a common Merman."

Rafayel now stares back at you, with a serious expression, no longer playing the carefree eccentric artist. "And you think you know it all?" again mocking, challenging you.

"No, I don't. But I'm sure I know enough. You can't distract me as easily as you do with her, so just don't try it." you taunt him back.

And he stands up from the bed, walks towards you and one step ahead he stills. "Why do you insist that you aren't equal to her? You look like her, talk like her, move like her. You even smell exactly the same." he taps his hip with his elegant fingers, and you know that the gears in his head now spinning around.

If he knew how much you wish for him to be right ... but it's impossible. You aren't like her, because she wasn't real. You are, and you just haven't figured out how to get back into your life. He isn't an actual person as well and you better remind yourself of that.

"A game, Rafayel." and you gulp heavily because it's choking your throat. "This isn't real."

His gaze flies to you, sunset eyes locking into yours, emotions swirling in his blue and pink orbs as he closes the short distance and taking your hand in his as he sets small kisses to your fingertips.

"This is no game, cutie. I am real, you can feel this, yeah? This whole world is real, and so is the bond I feel in my heart."

And you lose yourself in these pools of swirling colors, the eyes you always wanted to drown in. "Rafayel..." you whisper weakly and at the same time it echoes loudly from the entrance.

Your MC Twin is back from her meeting and Rafayel releases his grip on you with a small sigh. "I don't know why there are two versions of my bride. But you are mine as well as she is." as he leaves the room to greet your copy and suddenly you are alone in the room and your dangerous thoughts and what-ifs.