“Take a deep breath.”

 

“That’s right, now hold it. Focus on it. Feel the stillness ripple across your body before you let it out, now.”

 

“Very good. Before we continue, you must be comfortable and in a position where your body is relaxed. Go ahead and stretch your limbs, take a couple of deep breaths and find that perfect position.”

 

“Comfortable?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Excellent. Star, I want you to focus on my eyes. Notice the spiral pattern? The different colours shimmering in the background and pulling your focus towards the centre? Did you spot the streak of Magenta at the corner of my Iris?

 

“No.”

 

Look again; I assure you it’s there. Left eye, 2 O-Clock. Found it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Very good. Now that you’ve seen it, you won’t be able to unsee it. The way it lightly breaks the spiral, off-setting the pull ever so slightly. You’ll wonder why it’s there, and it’ll frustrate you. Fixate on that frustration and allow your mind to decipher its purpose, and while you do this, breathe; take a deep breath and notice how that feels. I imagine it’s slightly heavier. Maybe a bit more restless? That’s okay because there’s something else for you to spot. Did you realise the light behind me was flickering? No? You have now, and you’ve probably realised the interval keeps changing. But there’s more, is that music in the background? Strange, it appears to be shifting between different songs, each with different volumes and tones. And as you notice all of this, you realise you’re increasingly agitated. You’re thinking, why? Isn’t the purpose of hypnosis to calm the subject, pulling them into a trance and leaving their mind malleable? All these questions rising to the surface, plaguing your mind, wouldn’t it be nice just to let them go? And that was another question, another thought to fixate on, and you know that the answer is yes. You dislike the way this feels, you dislike the randomness and the different elements vying for your attention. So let’s remove them.”

 

“The music has gone, replaced with gentle white noise, barely audible and steady. The light has been dimmed, now a hue of green and unchanging. You can go ahead and let those fall out of focus; you don’t need to worry about them anymore. You have my word; they won’t change.”

 

“Now your breathing. It’s still heavy and irregular, so let’s press my vines against your body. Feel them take control and regulate the rate of your breathing. My weight is pressing against you, taking away any control you once held. You know this feels better, not worrying and allowing me to help you. Let your breathing fall out of focus and focus on your last source of irritation, my eyes.”

 

“Perfect, darling. You’re almost there. By now, you’ll have noticed the streak has gone. You’re not imagining it, so don’t plague yourself with those useless thoughts. I’ve acknowledged it’s gone, and that’s enough. With that, the last of your irritation sources have vanished, so let’s also remove that. Let go and feel it falling away, your body at peace, your mind still. Continue to stare at my eyes, allow yourself to be pulled in by them, and surrender. Surrender yourself to me.”

 

“Surrender...”

 

“Yes, darling. You did so well, and I’m so very proud of you, but now it’s time to fall, falling into my control.”

 

“Falling into your control…”

 

“And you know that you’re safe. Safe and loved, held by me and protected. Nothing can hurt you here, and you know this to be true. My words are absolute…”

 

“words are absolute…”

 

“my power unquestionable.”

 

“power unquestionable…”

 

“Good girl. Now stop repeating. Let my words flow through you and absorb them, but do not dwell on them. Your mind is open to me; with it, it accepts its first command.”

 

“Fall into oblivion…”

 

…

…

…

 

“You’re floating, drifting through a void. Your surroundings are incomplete. Allow my words to give them form as you notice a mirror in the distance. It’s calling to you, drawing you closer. Go to it.”

 

“I want you to picture yourself, your feelings, your looks, your desires and wants; picture all of this and more and then project that image into the mirror. Now tell me, what do you see?”

 

“A girl. Me. Sharp fox ears, fluffy tails, colourful hair. She’s tense and scared. She wants to escape, but she knows she can’t.”

 

“Why does she want to escape?”

 

“She knows she’s about to lose an important part of her, and it’s conflicting. She knows this will help, that’ll benefit her, but…”

 

“Go on.”

 

 

“Darling… I want you to picture your old reality. Picture Zeitha Rebuille and project that image into the mirror. Now, what do you see?”

 

“A girl. Also me. Human ears, masculine frame, stiff upper lip. She’s angry. Cold. Distant.”

 

“She was and had good reason to be so. But she changed the same way you have changed. Move your left arm and observe how she follows, how she strains her neck as you strain your neck. The two of you perfectly synced. Then, take your right hand and press it against the glass.”

 

“I want you to imagine how she feels. Look past her cold exterior and delve deeper. How did she feel when she met Lucia for the first time, when she and Ratio banged into a wall, the sarcastic sense of humour she held. Picture all this and more, and as you gain further understanding, you can feel the barrier between the both of you beginning to fall. Break through that barrier.”

 

 

“Good girl. Now look back and observe. There is no mirror, no barrier between your visualised self. No original or copy; only you remain. This is the state of things; it has always been the state of things. You are one, complete and whole. The memories of your past and present fused together. You ARE Zeitha.”

 

 

“Again.”

 

 

“This time, the words spoken will be ingrained into your core self. Irrefutable and unchanging. This is your second command and thus an absolute. Who are you?”

 

 

“… yes. Yes, you’re…”

 

“Zeitha, I want to delve a little deeper. Allow my words to retake hold and drop further for me. Allow me to navigate your guilt, giving it form and purpose. You’re in your laboratory, reviewing schematics for the MABS. Pilots lost their lives, and you feel responsible. You check and comb, but nothing you do reveals a fault in your design. You check again. First, the primary failsafe, then the secondary and tertiary. They’re perfect. There is no flaw in your work, and you accept this. So why did the pilots lose their lives? You examine the manufacturing chain and come across a startling revelation. Cut corners, bolts the wrong size, metal with cheap alloys, and so much more, all of which are outside your control. The fault here lies not with you, but with the megacorporations used to manufacture the models. A decision you held no part in. The fault is not yours.”

 

“Moving forward to the weapons you helped create. What was their intended purpose?”

 

 

“Was that their only purpose?”

 

 

“Was that what they were used for?”

 

 

“So, you were deceived?”

 

 “Ye- No! I knew what I was doing, what they’d be used for.”

 

“Zeitha, control your breathing. Deep breaths in… out. That’s right. I don’t want you growing heated over this. Continue breathing and fall back into the headspace I created for you. That’s right, allow yourself to fall back into my control. Now. You will respond to all future questions with either yes or no. Understood?”

 

 

“Good girl. Zeitha, I have seen your memories and watched them through your eyes. We both know you dislike hurting people. Yes?”

 

 

“Precisely. What you did, you did to survive. There is no shame in that, and it’s admirable wanting to protect other sophonts. And you do protect those you care about, don’t you?”

 

 

“Do you consider yourself a malicious person?”

 

 

“Do you consider yourself a bad person?”

 

“No.”

 

“I would agree. You’re a good person Zeitha. You may have made a few mistakes along the way, but at your core, you’re good. I understand why you wish to retain your feelings of guilt; it comes down to accountability, does it not?”

 

 

“And that is admirable, darling, when managed correctly. You’re taking on the accountability of others. This is not healthy, nor is it wise. I have evaluated your guilt and found it lacklustre and based on falsehoods. You are my floret, an extension of my will, and I absolve you of your guilt. This is your third command and thus an absolute. You are an inventor, a protector and a good person. You are not a bad person, and you are not to retain your guilt any longer.”

 

 

“Let go of it, darling; you needn’t fight me. The time to grow past your mistakes has come. Let go.”

 

 

“Good girl, I am so very proud of you. You will remember all that took place here, but you will be unable to change the result of my influence nor twist the commands I have given. Take another deep breath and allow my words to ingrain into your mind. Knowing they’re true. Trusting in their guidance. This is my fourth and final command and thus an absolute.”

 

 

“Perfect. You did perfectly, Zeitha. Now. Allow me to bring you up slowly. Your mind is rousing, your thoughts returning. Feel the energy flowing through your body, arms, legs, and chest. Your breathing is normalising and your eyes beginning to flutter. Notice the noises surrounding you, the feel of my vines against your body and return to me. Rise.”

 

I blinked, my mind groggy and my body heavy. I forced three slow blinks and attempted to focus on Miss’s form looming over me, too little success. A soft yawn departed my lips, leading itself to a sigh. “You really did it,” I noted, not quite believing she would.

 

“I did. How do you feel?” Miss replied.

 

“Whole. Conflicted. I know what you did, but try as I might, I can’t remove your influence. It’s… frustrating.”

 

“It was for the best,” Miss reassured me.

 

I scoffed and positioned myself upright now that Miss’s vines had been removed. “I need to be alone.”

 

“I understand.” Miss left a few essentials on the nearby table; water, snacks and tissues. She leaned down, kissed me, and then made her way to the door. “Call when you need me,” she instructed and then left.

 

I held Foxy to my chest and played with my new emotions. Try as I might, I couldn’t bring myself to feel guilty for my past actions, nor could I think of myself as a copy. The entire concept of an original and replacement now felt entirely foreign to me. It was, quite simply, disgusting. To have my mind altered to such a state and then imposed upon me… Words cannot describe it. It wasn’t long until the tissues were used. I didn’t want this. Error! She had no right!

 

I didn’t want this…