.

When Moon had thought of Mercury's magic, she had assumed it was something more… discrete. She didn't expect to be dreaming about the past, much less the day Proxima died. But here she was - in the hall of the gods before they had been trapped in that small, rocky town. 

The hall of gods was marvelous. A large marble room, filled with soft carpets and gold inlay that spiraled up and down in delicate patterns. Just looking at it gave Moon a sense of nostalgia and a deep sense of home-sickness. 

She was standing in the middle in the same shiny black satin suit she was wearing now. In the middle was the same scene she had witnessed that day. Venus was standing in the middle of the hall in a suit as well. As Moon blinked awake into this dream, or rather, memory, Venus looked up and smiled at her. He had no pupils - his eyes were a pure, snowy white. But what startled Moon wasn't his eyes or even his sardonic smile - but rather the blood, covering his whole arm, dripping onto the carpet. 

This was the day he had killed Proxima. 

Venus smiled and held out his bloody hand to her. 

"Merra, I did this for you, see?"

Moon, meanwhile, had not changed a bit over those three years. She put on the same uncomfortable frown she had back then, remembering the panic that had stirred at that sight long ago, and said, 

"Where's Proxima? Venus?"

Now a crazed laugh echoed through the hall, echoing through the roof, and growing more high-pitched all the while until Moon got goosebumps on her arm. 

"Venus. Please stop. Tell me where she is." Moon begged, and the laughter continued, until one second when it was abruptly cut off, causing goosebumps to travel from her spine to her hands. 

"Merra, Merra, Merra, oh my gullible nightingale. Proxima is dead." Venus said. Now he reached back his hand to cross two fingers over each other, and then those hands over his temple. 

'I love you'

Moon blanched. Everything was just the same as before. Nothing, absolutely nothing, had changed, and now the panic wasn't so much a ghost anymore, and her hope diminishing, making her realize how much hope she had put in Venus. 

"Where's Proxima?!"

Moon woke up in a pool of sweat. She snapped up into a sitting position, and Mercury, who was still next to her, watched curiously, though that didn't mean he still wasn't wary of her appearance. 

"Huh. You were only gone for about a minute." Mercury said, and Moon rubbed her head. 

"It doesn't matter, Mercury. Whatever you did, it didn't work." Moon said, and Mercury nodded at her. 

"You saw the day Venus killed Proxima, right?" To that, Moon nodded slowly. 

"Then, let me explain a few things. Proxima isn't dead. The blood on Venus's hand was his own - he still has a scar on his forearm from it today too. Proxima was hidden away by Supernova, to save one person from the abuse at least." 

Supernova. There was no way you didn't know the sun without knowing him. The Sun's loyal little puppet who lost his eyes after the Sun burned him, and now wore a blindfold. No one knew what was going on in that head of his when he did everything the sun asked him to - even after he knew she would never truly love him. Supernova. 

He had hidden away Proxima? 

Moon stared at Mercury. 

"He'll die if the sun finds out about this," Moon said. Mercury looked at her again. Moon returned the gaze, somehow not able to snap back to her senses. Then she did, and stood up, dusting her hands off on her skirt. 

"Thank you, Mercury. Really." 

Mercury scoffed and turned away again, his eyes hidden by dark blue hair. Moon knew what he was thinking - there was a small flash of hurt in his eyes. 

"Oh, I won't abandon you. I'll be back soon." Moon said. 

Then she motioned to Terra, and the two started to leave together. As Moon walked down the hill, trying to retain her balance, she heard a voice behind her. It was still a bit cold with suspicion, but now ringing with the ripples of a few undertones of warmth. 

"Safe travels, Merra."

Mercury, perhaps, didn't hate her anymore?