I didn't exist. And then I did.

And then I didn't.

~.~.~

Almost immediately, Eliphas snatched a fistful of Don's hair and yanked. 

"What were you thinking!?" he screeched into his twin's ear. "Erasing everything!? Have you lost your mind!?"

Don Thousand winced but didn't try to pry his hair from Eliphas's fist. He didn't try to defend his action either. Instead, he shrugged. "Dunno."

If it was possible to make Eliphas even more angry, Don was pushing all the right buttons. His face contorted into one of pure fury. When he spoke, his voice was frighteningly calm. "You don't know?" He yanked harder. "You don't know!?"

At this point, Don slapped Eliphas's arm away. "No, I don't know!" he snapped back. "We were in emotional turmoil! I don't expect you to know what that means!"

"But I expect you to use your senses instead of thinking with your emotions!"

"Did you forget what we almost went through!? Any other country could have tortured us! It could have been our home! We could have lost the only place we felt safe in!"

Eliphas fumed. "And you would have destroyed the very thing you feared to lose." He stormed off into the reflective halls of the temple.

Don Thousand watched his other half leave. The burning anger seemed to melt away from him the further Eliphas got, as though he were taking that anger with him. It should have been impossible, but it was happening. A heavy tiredness was all that was left over by the time he was alone.

~.~.~

Eliphas was burning. He was fuming, and he couldn't seem to stop. The sudden rage was boiling within his chest, and he should have been concerned at how much he was feeling, but the anger felt so good! Now, if only he could find something to hit...

His fist shattered the mirrored surface of the temple's wall. Satisfaction fought with rage for his attention, but he didn't care. It felt good.

So he did it again. And again. And again.

And he didn't stop until the entire corridor was composed of nothing but shattered mirror shards.

When he finally stopped, Eliphas looked down on the mess he left behind. With the rage slowly ebbing away, he was left with a hollow emptiness. It wasn't the familiar emptiness he was used to. No, this was a horrible one. It felt like it was eating him from the inside out, and he didn't know what would happen if that emptiness kept spreading. He needed Don!

But when he started walking back to where he came from, he stopped in his tracks. Don Thousand was the reason for this. He couldn't forget that.

The anger flared again. He stormed through the halls to where he knew the door was and placed his hand on it.

~.~.~

Don Thousand was numb. It scared him. He should have been angry or upset, but he felt nothing. Instead, here he was, sitting at the edge of the pool. The waterfall did nothing to calm him. It seemed to mock him with the reminder of a simpler time.

A time where we didn't know the horrors this world was capable of.

The numbness started weighing heavily on him. It stopped being frightening, and that alone should have frightened Don. He was always feeling something, but now? He was lucky if he felt a spark of anger from Eliphas.

This was wrong. 

So, so wrong. 

He needed Eliphas.

Nodding to himself, he stood up from the edge of the pool and began making his way through the halls where he knew Eliphas had his rampage. The glass in the hallway was a sure sign that his twin was there, but where was he now?

Don Thousand closed his eyes and tried to locate Eliphas, but there was nothing. A complete absence. His eyes flew open, a spike of shock and hurt stabbing through his chest.

Is he that mad? Does he want to leave me? What will I do without him!?

Panic clamped down on his heart so strongly he gasped for breath. He clutched the gem embedded in his chest, as if that would help sooth the stab. He rushed through the hall in a stumbling run.

"Eliphas!!" Don screamed. "Eliphas!!"

No answer. The panic gripped him in a grip so tight he stumbled to his knees. He vaguely felt grateful that he was no longer among the shattered crystal.

~.~.~

Calm washed over Eliphas like a wave of fresh water. He'd made his way into the ring forest when the calm hit, so he sat down in a welcoming nest of roots. He closed his eyes, leaned back, and just breathed deeply.

Now he felt like quite the fool. He grimaced, knowing that he'd have to clean up the mess he'd made in the hallway. Absently, he was glad that Don Thousand hadn't hurt himself on the shards.

How could he let his temper go out of control like that? Really, it should have been impossible. He always felt this comforting calm, and he knew Don took the brunt of the emotions. So how could he lose his temper so badly?

He'd yelled at Don before, but he never destroyed a whole hallway.

Well, he'd deal with that later. He was still upset with Don, after all, and he was still in the temple. Eliphas had no desire to see him right now.

This is the first time we were separate like this. The thought rose unbidden. Eliphas jerked slightly in surprise. What would it be like going on my own? Don can have the temple all he wants. I'll go somewhere else.

Without any other thought, the usually-cautious deity rose from his nest of roots and started walking.