Private Where the Trees Remember Her Name

[Isla Reingard]

​

Isla stepped into the Mirater forest like it might swallow her whole and spit her out in laughter. The trees were taller than she remembered, not just in height, but in presence. They loomed like old friends trying to pretend they hadn't missed her. Their branches creaked overhead in the soft morning wind, thick with dew and memory, and she spun once in place just to hear the leaves react to her again.

"I'm home," she whispered, mostly to herself. Then louder, to the two boys behind her: "I told you it smells better here. Naboo's too clean. This? This is real air. Air with opinions."

She didn't give them a chance to argue. She was already bounding ahead, her boots kicking up soft dirt, the long hem of her jacket snagging on a thornbush before she yanked it free without missing a step. Her brown hair bounced behind her, loose and half-brushed, tucked sloppily under a hood she hadn't bothered to tie. She was buzzing. Absolutely buzzing.

She wasn't supposed to be here. Lorn had made that very clear, his face set in that grim, battle-worn way it always went when she brought up the idea. "Not yet," he'd said. "Not safe." But Isla had learned a long time ago that "not safe" and "don't go" weren't the same thing. Not when you had a vision. Not when something pulled at your chest like a tide. And okay, maybe dragging both Phillip and Aiden along was a tiny bit manipulative, but she'd needed a buffer between her and Lorn's inevitable wrath. And if they were going to build their lightsabers anyway, wasn't this the perfect place? Somewhere forgotten, sacred, and humming with the kind of old Force energy that made your fingers tingle?

Also, she was really hoping Aiden would teach them something cool with a blade on the way. Maybe while also not tattling to her dad. "Look!" she called, spinning around mid-jog and pointing with both hands toward the north. "That ridge? That's the edge of the Hollund Mountains. That's where the lake starts! You can't see it from here, but when the mist burns off, you'll hear it."

She beamed at Phillip, practically glowing with the need to share every square meter of this place with him. "I used to camp there with my mom," she added, softer now, more reverent. "Before… y'know. Everything." Then she caught herself and bounced right back, darting toward a narrow footpath nearly hidden by root and brush. "This way! We're gonna have to climb, like, a little, but I promise it's worth it. The cave's near the top. We'll know it when we feel it."

Phillip Slate | Aiden Porte​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Aiden Porte Isla Reingard

Seeing Isla this happy...it made Phillip's chest feel all funny. He didn't know why but he couldn't help but try to keep up with her, turning his head to make sure Aiden was still there with them. Phillip needed the other Padawan with them. He knew that if Lorn found out about this, and if it was just Phillip with Isla? Then the wrath Phillip would experience would be more than he could probably handle. He didn't want to lose out on being able to see Isla again. He should have told Lorn where they were going. What was going to happen...but Phillip couldn't bring himself to betray Isla's trust like that.

"You know I've experienced this air before, right? I know what "Air with opinions" feels like."

He let Isla talk about the mountains, keeping a little grin on his face. Of course he knew about the mountain, he had done as much research as he could last time he had came to visit Mirater to make that painting for her. There ha been other paintings he had made for Isla, but he hadn't given them to her. Not yet at least. They had been kept hidden away in his dorm. It was what he had done when he needed to focus his mind and meditate. He'd just sit in his room and start painting something. The first thing that came to his mind. The fact that most of them were connected to him and Isla? That was just pure coincidence. Of course. There was other paintings he had done...less positive ones, but he didn't want thinking about those to ruin his mood.

"Camping? Huh. That makes sense. You were pretty good when it came to that camping lesson."

The first time they had met. It was a fond memory of Phillip's. It was the moment that had caused him to start coming out of his shell more, as he brushed himself down, preparing to start climbing. It would be like climbing a tree at the end of the day. At least he hoped as much. He had made sure to carefully pack his Lightsaber crystal, hiding it away in his pouch where it wouldn't fall out. He had plenty of different ideas for the Lightsaber in mind as well. He just had to figure out which one would be perfect for him.

"Last one there is a rotten Mynock."

 

[Aiden Porte]

"I told you it smells better here. Naboo's too clean. This? This is real air. Air with opinions."

"Perhaps, then again I'm biased towards Naboo so......" Aiden followed up behind the young girl as he glanced over to Philip and showed a small smile.

She took off from them, and he just shook his head and chuckled. "Oh only if you knew, you are outmatched Isla" He said with a teasing tone. "Shall we Phillip, cant have her making us looks bad."

That ridge? That's the edge of the Hollund Mountains. That's where the lake starts! You can't see it from here, but when the mist burns off, you'll hear it."

"So you are saying we must push you in the lake, yes?" Aiden teased as he took a look at the view, it was magnificent.

"Camping? Huh. That makes sense. You were pretty good when it came to that camping lesson."

A small smile appeared on his face as Isla mentioned camping and then Philip spoke of a camping lesson, perhaps a story that could be told another time. It was obvious to him that there a good connection between the duo. It was a good thing to see, almost like art. Aiden felt a bit of sorrow as Isla mentioned her mother but she rebounded incredibly quickly and he was happy to see it.

Memories like that wouldn't go away, as long as you wished for it they would stay with you.

"This way! We're gonna have to climb, like, a little, but I promise it's worth it. The cave's near the top. We'll know it when we feel it."

"Last one there is a rotten Mynock."

"I say last one there has to cook lunch." Aiden chuckled as he neared the wall. Aiden would begin the climb, but just a few moments after Isla and Phillip, it was his job to look after them.

He was still who he was, guardian, protector for all of them.

Phillip Slate Isla Reingard

 

[Isla Reingard]

​

Isla's boots crunched the last few paces over the rock face, her breath catching, not from the climb, though that had been something, but from the view. The Hollund Lake stretched out below them like glass, cut through with veins of silver where the sunlight broke the clouds. Mist still clung to the far shore. The mountains arched around it like a cradle, ancient and vast, their peaks softened with spring moss and veins of white-gray stone. She could see birds wheeling low over the water. Hear the ripple of the wind through pine needles and something else, something lower.

The cave was there. Tucked just beneath the overhang, almost invisible unless you already knew where to look. It didn't sparkle or glow or pulse ominously with Force magic. It just sat there. Waiting. She turned back to the boys, cheeks flushed with heat and exertion and excitement, hands on her hips.

"Well," she said, "I win. You're both Mynocks and you're making lunch." Then she laughed and dropped her pack onto a mossy ledge, letting her weight fall beside it with a dramatic huff. "C'mon, tell me it wasn't worth it."

She gestured out to the lake, the cave, the endless world unfurling in every direction. "This was my whole galaxy for a while. Everything I thought I needed."

Her voice softened, but it didn't fall. She looked toward the entrance of the cave.

"My mom used to tell me this is where she fell in love with my dad. Right in there." She gave a small, crooked smile, brushing a hand against her knee like she was chasing dust that wasn't there. She laughed again, but it was quieter this time.

Then she caught herself and quickly stood, dusting off her hands with far too much energy.

"Anyway. The cave's not just for crystal-gathering. There's a pool inside. Not big, but cold. Real cold. I used to dare myself to swim it when I was little. My mom said it was sacred. I think she just wanted me to learn how not to drown."

She turned toward the entrance again, her expression turning contemplative.

"You'll feel it when we're close. Like a song in your chest."

Then she grinned at both of them again, mischievous, daring.

"Race you inside?"

Phillip Slate | Aiden Porte​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Aiden Porte Isla Reingard

Phillip couldn't help but return the smile in Aiden's direction. He was getting more out there. More willing to be social with others in the way that brought him out of his shell.

"Oh. It's fine. Isla normally makes me look bad at stuff. She's waaaaay better than I am at some things."

Sure, maybe that would give Isla more of an ego but it was true in Phillip. In most of what it meant to be a Jedi, Isla had Phillip beaten. It's why he had been pushing himself more into his training. It's why he didn't complain as his muscles screamed at him. The callouses and cuts he got from his training didn't bother him anymore. They were just signs of his progress. His growth.

"Hey! Hey! I said the last one is the rotten Mynock. Not anyone who isn't first."

He couldn't help but pout at being called a rotten Mynock himself. At the very least, Isla better hope that it was Aiden doing the lunch and not Phillip. He couldn't cook or make a meal to save his life. But for now, he listened to Isla talk about the cave, taking a few steps towards his friend and gently resting his hand on her shoulder, trying to be as comforting as he could.

"Well. Your whole Galaxy seems a bit small. But I can see the appeal to it. It's...beautiful here. It feels tranquil."

The idea of falling in love inside a cave? It sounded romantic in a sense. Phillip hadn't heard any stories like that about his parents. In fact, he didn't even know when or where they fell in love. Maybe it should be something he asked when he was back home....but then they'd have questions and Phillip wasn't sure if he'd want to answer them...

"What are we waiting for? Let's run."

And like that, the usual lackadaisical and slow Painter ran off towards the cave as fast as he could, huffing and puffing away. Climbing might be something he still struggled with, but running was something he could do for days.

 

[Aiden Porte]

"I win. You're both Mynocks and you're making lunch."

"Well, I guess its best I'm making lunch." Aiden said with a teasing smile. "Who knows how yours would turn out." Aiden wandered after them, as Philip had advised them to follow and run after her. Aiden chuckled and in turn hustled up behind them.

"You'll feel it when we're close. Like a song in your chest."

"Race you inside?"

"What are we waiting for? Let's run."

"Let's do it!" Aiden continued after them, reaching the entrance as they moved further into the cave. The cave was teeming with life and force energy, bright crystals on either side of them had a strong hue to them. It was just as Isla had spoke about a song in their chest. It made Aiden feel better, and he wasn't even feeling bad right now.

It was a push and a guide to them. Something that they each would seek out and take for themselves. Not as a prize, but as a guide and partner.

"You can feel it..." Aiden spoke with a small laugh and a big smile as he glanced around. "What are you guys feeling?"

"If this is what he was talking about this entire time, it's not bad at all. It's a sign to keep going..." The Jedi Padawan whispered to himself, even after all this time. While he didn't understand times, it was here now he was beginning to understand so much more.

Isla Reingard Phillip Slate

 

[Isla Reingard]

​

Isla didn't win the race. Phillip, out of nowhere, had found a hidden gear and surged across the finish line, Aiden hot on his heels. But Isla didn't even care. She slowed to a stop at the cave's mouth, a grin splitting her face. Stepping inside felt like crossing a threshold, like the very ground beneath her could shift. Maybe it did.

The chill was the first thing she noticed, not harsh, but alive, humming in the air. The cave breathed. Pale blue and violet crystals, like chandeliers fashioned by nature, jutted from the rock, catching the light and scattering it in soft rainbows. It felt like the whole place was listening, holding its breath in anticipation.

Isla grabbed Phillip's sleeve, half-leaning on him, buzzing with an electric energy. "Do you feel that?" she asked, practically vibrating. "Like the cave just reached out and said, 'Hey, you belong here'."

Her eyes flicked to Aiden. "What was it like? When you got your crystal?"

Her voice held a breathless reverence, like she was asking about a cherished story she'd only ever dreamed of hearing. The cave echoed her words softly, the sound swallowed by the deep silence. Then her gaze drifted, past them, past the crystals, to the far end of the cavern, where the light faded but something shimmered.S lowly, she pulled away from Phillip, her voice trailing off. "…That's it. The pool."

The rock narrowed into a ledge above water so black it reflected nothing. The surface was perfectly still, undisturbed. There was no smell of decay, no dust, no algae. Just a cold that felt ancient. Her heart quickened, a deep, instinctive pull in her gut. It was a thread back to childhood, to the girl who'd dared herself to jump from this very ledge, just to prove she could. But this wasn't about proving anything now.

She walked to the edge and sat, the scrape of her boots on the stone echoing in the silence. The cave didn't demand, didn't beckon. It simply waited. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was quiet, different. "I think… I think mine's in there."

She glanced at the boys, then back at the black water. "I don't know why. I just know."

She swallowed, her fingers tapping lightly on the ledge. "You think I should go in?" she asked, but she was already pulling off her boots. Not hesitant, not reckless, just… certain. Like turning a page in a book she hadn't realized she was reading.

Phillip Slate | Aiden Porte​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Aiden Porte Isla Reingard

A strange sensation washed over Phillip as he crossed over the threshold of the cave. It was difficult for him to explain it, as if the moment he figured out what kind of word to use, it vanished from his lips. The best way for him to explain it would be surreal. The cave felt alive in a way that Phillip could never suspect some kind of inanimate structure to feel. There was a soul here in a way. There was the Force flowing through the cave as Phillip took in a deep breath.

He had been so focused on the feeling that the Lad let out a small jump as Isla tugged at his sleeve. Turning his attention over towards her as Phillip broke out into a grin. Something about the way the light bounced off the crystals made her look radiant though he shook his head, trying not to focus on that thought. It was embarrassing to think about.

"I...I do...It feels...comfortable. Not sure if it feels...like home. But I do feel...like I belong here."

Phillip listened to his voice echo in the cave, as it reflected back at home. Echoing the comment about how he belonged here. And he did. Not necessarily in this cave, but with the Jedi. With Aiden and Isla.

His eyes darted over towards Aiden, eager to hear the story about how he got his first crystal. Phillip technically had his first one already. From the auction. And whilst there were some nights that it felt like it was bonding to him, there were other nights where he had felt like he had cheated. That's why he was here now. To prove to himself that he deserved an actual crystal.

Then his attention went back over towards Isla for a moment as she made her way over towards the pool and he followed her carefully, looking into the reflectionless abyss that rested ahead of them. Isla believed her crystal was in there? Then it was more than likely there.

"...Do what you think is best Isla. I don't think we should influence your choice. This is...your crystal...Just know if I think you're in danger for a moment, I'm going in after you. And I'm not good at swimming."

It was meant to be a joke. But there was a part of Phillip that was actively worried about Isla taking a dive into the water with how dark it was...That's when he noticed it however. A small sparkle that stood out amongst the darkness. It didn't appear as if it was coming from the water...More as if it was reflected in it as Phillip let his eyes look around the cave, looking at all of the different crystals...One of them was the one reflected in the water...just which one?

 

[Aiden Porte]

"What was it like? When you got your crystal?"

"Honestly it wasn't anything like this, this is more intense, more meaningful." Aiden glanced around, the lightside of the force pulling his mind in a particular direction. "That was many years ago though, life changes and the force with it."

"You think I should go in?"

"Go...." Aiden said with an encouraging tone and a smile. "As Philip said, we are right here with you."

"Trust yourself and your instincts." Aiden voiced as he turned to Philip.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are your thoughts at....Philip?" Aiden inquired, not in a condescending way, just trying to offer support if that was necessary.


There are people out there that need you....


Aiden took a deep breath as he glanced around, the voice soft, faint and familiar.....

Isla Reingard Phillip Slate

 

[Isla Reingard]

​

Isla dipped her toes into the water first and gasped, the shock of it stealing her breath. "Okay," she hissed, more to herself than anyone, "that's cold." The chill bit up her ankles like it had teeth, a warning she felt deep in her bones.

Still, she looked back at Phillip and Aiden, their faces framed by the soft, ethereal glow of the crystal walls. Their steady, patient gazes somehow made her braver, anchoring her in the present. Her heart thudded, not from fear, not really, but from something older, something familiar stirring within her.

Then, without another moment's hesitation, she plunged. The water stole her breath, a sudden, icy fist clenching around her lungs, as if it had been waiting for her. She kicked, fighting the primal instinct to surface immediately, even as her lungs burned from the shock. Her heart, however, didn't waver. She pushed down, deeper, following that persistent pull in her chest, a strange sensation like a string had looped through her ribs and tied her to something sacred, something ancient, hidden in the depths below.

And then... light. Not a sudden burst, but a gentle revelation. Crystals jutted from the cavern floor in soft, glowing constellations, blooming like frozen flowers in every imaginable shade of violet, silver, and pale, misty blue. They cast their own illumination, dancing in the dark water like stars that had fallen from the sky and simply decided not to leave. Her eyes locked on one in particular: a violet shard, untouched by dust or time, shaped almost like a flame.

Slowly, carefully, she reached out, her fingers brushing the cool, smooth surface. The moment her skin made contact, everything changed. The cave disappeared, dissolving as if it had never been real.

In its place, she saw stars, whole systems, burning bright and cold. She watched the Core itself, not burning from within, but surrounded, consumed by unseen, grasping hands. An empire, far slicker and newer than the ones of the old wars, wearing peace like a deceptively cunning mask, tightened its hold like a vice across the galaxy. Ships fell from hyperspace with the dangerous grace of sabers. She saw flags she didn't know the names of, banners of criminal empires with hungry eyes, dragging the notorious Black Sun from shadow into the harsh light of day, cutting deals in desolate places Isla had only ever seen on star charts. Worlds where the Republic was nothing more than a whispered rumor, a ghost of a forgotten past.

And then she saw Naboo wreathed in smoke and siege, a beautiful jewel choked by an unseen enemy. A red figure, cloaked and sharp like the edge of a scream, stepped from the shadows. Isla couldn't discern their face, but she knew, with an icy certainty, that they knew her. They were coming for her, for what she saw, for what she might yet become. Her mother's voice echoed, faint and broken through the cosmic canvas: Not yet. She's not ready. She can't hold all of it...

And then, the figure looked directly through Isla, their gaze cutting to her very core, and said her name. Out loud.

She screamed, but the sound was trapped, muffled, as if underwater. The bubbles that escaped her lips burst like tiny, ephemeral stars in the vast, swirling vision. Her hands gripped the violet crystal tighter than she meant to, desperate for it to anchor her to now, to who she was before all of this, before this terrifying glimpse of destiny. But she didn't let go. She couldn't let go. Her eyes were wide, unblinking, suspended in the frozen blue of the water, still beneath the surface, still caught between what she knew and the terrifying, unavoidable truth of what was coming.

Phillip Slate | Aiden Porte​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Aiden Porte Isla Reingard

As soon as Isla took the plunge, the look on Phillip's fell, revealing the anxiety hidden below the surface as he bit his lip. He had to have faith in her. To trust that this would go well. Trust was the most important thing right now. And fortunately for him, Aiden was able to bring Phillip's mind into the here and now, instead of letting him dwell in his anxieties.

"...There's a lot. My mind is always active. I'm thinking about my crystal. A real crystal that I've earned. Not won through an auction..."

His eyes glanced around the cave once more, still on the search for the crystal he had saw reflected in the reflection that shouldn't have existed. The reflection that dwelled within the black water abyss. It was a good distraction. It stopped him from trying to focus on what was going on below the surface.

"Isla. My thoughts have been going towards her a lot. Thinking about...the choices I've made. How they're pushing me. Pushing me to go out of my comfort zone. To train. To be stronger."

Before he had even realised, Phillip was wandering around the cave, making his way over towards a singular crystal that seemed to show reflections of surroundings that didn't exist. Phillip knelt down, reaching his hand out to grab the crystal and bring it closer to his eyes, as he saw a kaleidoscope of reflections. Each one was different, but there always one constant in the crystal reflection.

Himself.

In one, Phillip was stood in a studio, dozens of paintings hung up around him, splashes of colour all over the place and a bright grin spread across his face. There was another that was similar...but vastly different. It was still a studio with paintings...but there was a singular colour. Red. Everything was painted in red. The room. Phillip's clothing. Everything was red except for the white of his teeth in a manic grin, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes staring at its artwork. Then another reflection. Phillip stood in the middle of a battlefield, fire raging behind him as he cut his way through the air with his own lightsaber. So many different paths reflected back at him.

"...My future. I wonder what I'm going to be. Who I'm going to be. Will I be someone I'd be proud of?...There's just so much going on in my mind."

Yet as he rolled the crystal in his hands, at all of those various reflections of himself staring back at him...Phillip found his mind wandering back to Isla as he looked back over towards the water. He had to breathe. He had to stay calm. But it was hard not to worry. Phillip just had to remind himself. If Aiden wasn't panicking, then everything was probably alright. If Phillip couldn't trust himself not to be anxious, he could trust Aiden.

 

[Aiden Porte]

"Isla. My thoughts have been going towards her a lot. Thinking about...the choices I've made. How they're pushing me. Pushing me to go out of my comfort zone. To train. To be stronger."

Aiden chuckled lightly, not in a way to make fun, but what he said was incredibly understandable. Far too familiar to be completely honest....

"That is usually the way of things. She looks to you more than you know. You two need each other." Aiden said with a soft and warm tone. "Things are always changing, yet we must do our best to grow with it. Not let it change us to its will, but to change to better ourselves and those around us."

"I do not have the gift of foresight like my father did. I just want to know and believe that you have bright future ahead of you Philip. I believe because I want to, I can't see it. But I can believe in it and trust in my own instincts that they are telling me right."

Aiden patted his friend on the shoulder briefly. "You must believe it too."

The Padawan's smiled faded slightly and he had a small storm fed expression on his face. He felt he was starting to sound more and more like his father. He shook his head slightly and he took a deep breath. His thoughts reaching out towards Isla, he couldn't do much to help her.

Just persuade and encourage.

You can do this, Isla.

We believe in you...

Phillip Slate Isla Reingard

 

[Isla Reingard]

​

The violet crystal burned against her palm, not in temperature, but in truth. Isla's entire body felt cracked open, as if the vision had poured through her ribs and left her hollowed, humming with fear and something dangerously close to awe. The red figure still lingered behind her eyes, like an afterimage from looking too long into a sun she hadn't seen coming, and the echo of her name from their mouth buzzed in her ears like a warning.

Even with her lungs screaming and her limbs growing heavier from the cold, she clutched the crystal like it might keep her together. She didn't know how long she'd been beneath, seconds, minutes, or even a century, but something inside her finally shifted. "Not yet," her mother had said. But now, maybe yes. Perhaps she wasn't entirely ready, but she was here. Her legs kicked, and she surfaced with a gasp that tore through the stillness like thunder. The sound of it echoed off the cave walls, harsh, real, and alive.

She blinked water from her eyes, clutching the crystal tight to her chest as she floated for a moment, her breath ragged, her chest rising and falling as if she had just been born from the water itself. Then she laughed. It started as a cough, choked and sputtering, but quickly turned into a breathless laugh as she struggled to swim toward the ledge, her fingers scrabbling against the slick stone. "Okay," she called between breaths. "Next time someone else can almost drown in a sacred pool, thanks!"

She hauled herself up, dripping and trembling, her boots and pants soaked through, her braid clinging to the side of her face. Yet her smile, lopsided, exhausted, and exhilarated, was blazing. "I saw something," she said, collapsing hard against the rock. "A future. Many futures. But one of them felt more real than the rest." Her voice was quiet now, steady but barely so. "Someone's coming. Not just to the galaxy. To me."

She opened her hand. The crystal pulsed faintly in her palm, its violet glow mirrored in her wide, wet eyes. "But I don't think I'm afraid," she added, more to herself than to them. "I think I was, before. But I'm not anymore." She looked up, water still dripping from her chin, and locked eyes with Phillip and Aiden. "I'm not alone this time."

Isla tilted her head toward Phillip now, grinning as if her lungs hadn't nearly given out in a sacred, freezing death trap. "Hey, hey, look." She scooted closer to where he sat, still clutching his own crystal like it might answer a question he hadn't figured out how to ask. She held out her violet shard in both hands, cupping it as if it might sing.

"It's kinda cool, right?" Her voice pitched up in excitement, the way it did when she truly cared if someone agreed with her. "It was under the water, deep, like it knew I had to go all the way to find it. You'd have hated it." She bumped her shoulder lightly into his, water still dripping off her sleeves. "But it's mine. Like, actually mine. And I wanted you to see it first." The crystal pulsed once, faint and steady. She smiled at him, all bright eyes and damp, overjoyed chaos.

Phillip Slate | Aiden Porte​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Aiden Porte Isla Reingard

"We...need each other?"

Phillip blinked to himself as he repeated what Aiden had said. It had seemed obvious when spoke out loud...but it had been something Phillip hadn't tried to think about. Running his thumb along the crystal once more as Aiden spoke about the future, that he believed in Phillip because he wanted to. As the older Padawan put his hand on Phillip's shoulder, Phillip's mind was just running through so many different thoughts. He had to believe in himself...His future...He had to grow with it...The lad stared into the crystal in his hand, seeing various flickers of different versions of him. Different futures he could go down...but there was one thing missing in all of them. One difference that meant he wouldn't accept any of those futures...

And at that thought, that's when Isla broke through the surface, causing Phillip's head to snap over towards the water, a relieved and satisfied smile spreading across his face. He had to fight the urge to help her out. She could climb out of the water herself but as soon as she was out and collapsed against the rock, Phillip made his way over, crouching down by Isla's side as she spoke. Hm...Both had seen different futures of themselves...Was that common with crystal hunts? But someone was coming according to what Isla had seen...Well, Phillip hoped none of his futures were going to come true.

"You're not alone Isla. That's true. Aiden and I are here. Everyone else is as well. You don't have to face anything alone."

For once however, Phillip was...lost for words. He had dozens of thoughts going through his mind and for once he was struggling to get through it all. The comment about Aiden saying they needed each other, the futures he had saw, and then the crystal in his hand. Twisting and turning it as the light reflected off in blue waves before he looked up towards Isla's crystal. It reminded him of the Parallax crystal he had gotten from the auction, as he looked down at the crystal and then up to Isla, giving her a grin

"Kinda cool? It's fantastic. The colour is great. And it matches with your eyes as well...But...yeah. It does sound like I'd hate diving for it...Never been good with the water..."

With that, he rubbed his neck, staring down at the crystal between his index finger and thumb.

"Mine...showed me weird futures. I didn't like all of them. I was...a painter in one of them...That one I liked...Then there was one of me as a Knight...fighting through a battle...but there was another one that scared me...I was still a painter...but it looked like I was painting with blood. Everything was red."

Phillip's voice trailed off at that. The worst part for Phillip was that to him, each of those futures were equally as possible as the other. They weren't some fictional story that would never happen. They were all possible paths...yet at the same time...

"...But I don't think any of them were real...You weren't in them."

That was it. The main reason that Phillip wasn't having a breakdown over what he had seen. Because in his eyes, there was no future that didn't have Isla in it. It was like Aiden said. They needed each other.