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“You’re rapid cycling. They did something to Dessin with Mind Phantoms. Made him believe Skylenna was the source of his pain and suffering.”
“She is the source of it,” I confirm. I’ve watched the way she’s toyed with us over the years. She is the reason I split in the first place. A demon from hell like Ralek.
He sighs, nodding slowly. “Kalidus, right?”
“God of Storms,” I add.
“I think I know of a way I can stop the cycling,” he says cautiously.
I bow my head to give my approval.
“Cricket. I know you’re the gatekeeper.” Warrose leans closer. “We need your help to stop the carousel switching. Please come to the front.”
~
Warrose
My chest aches for them as Kalidus dissociates. The trigger to call Cricket by name worked. He blinks slowly, as if he’s about to fall asleep.
“Have you ever met Cricket?” Ruth asks.
I shake my head, but don’t take my eyes off of the man dissociating in front of me.
“Never. But Dessin told me about an alter they called a gatekeeper once. This alter named Cricket controls switching, access to other inner worlds they might have for different subsystems, or even alters that contain certain traumatic memories.”
I can’t imagine what they’re going through. In one fell swoop, Kaspias and Masten managed to erase everything good about Skylenna. They managed to corrupt the purest love any of us has ever seen.
They broke Skylenna and Dessin.
I clear my throat and make eye contact with Cricket. He’s staring directly at me, unblinking, as still as a block of stone.
“Cricket?”
“My apologies. Our system has seen a high level of stress,” they say flatly.
“How can we help?”
Cricket’s emotionless eyes flick between the rest of us. This alter doesn’t move like any alter I’ve been around; they’re mechanical and measured. I’ve never actually met Cricket. From what I remember, the gatekeeper sees and experiences almost everything but rarely interacts with the outside world.
“I do not think you can help.”
“Your system is under duress from the most recent experiment. Mind Phantoms. It was to make you all believe that Skylenna is your enemy. But in reality, she’s the lover of Dessin and Kane.” I steeple my fingers against my mouth, hoping that Cricket will be able to see past the false logic they’ve been given.
“I see.”
“Do you think you can convince the other alters of this shift in their reality?”
They blink. It’s a gesture of boredom, I think.
“That might be your reality, but it isn’t ours. I hold many of the traumatic memories that are solely centered around Skylenna. As does Bloom, our memory holder. Since Skylenna is a prominent trigger, I am unable to process your request.”
Fuck.
“What can you do to help the others then?” I demand, heat rising to my face as anger wells inside my chest.
“I can slow down the unwanted switching,” they offer matter factly. “It would be best if exposure to this trigger was eliminated or kept to a minimum.”
“Meaning what?” Niles says.
