I wanted to react, but my body refused to listen to me completely. The pain in my mind was so sharp that it drowned out everything else, leaving me frozen where I lay.
I could do nothing but watch as the doctor stepped over my body without hesitation.
His footsteps echoed softly across the room before he reached his chair and lowered himself into it.
Spinning to face my direction, his legs crossed
"You've certainly made quite a mess of this entire situation. I'm not quite sure who you are, but you've caused one hell of a lot of trouble. To make matters worse, I'll probably be the one getting an earful once all of this is over."
The doctor seemed to be complaining, and yet his smile made me feel otherwise. A faint chuckle escaped him as he shook his head, as though he found the entire situation more amusing than troublesome. Reaching across the desk, he picked up the stack of papers resting there and glanced over them.
"Now, I'm starting to wonder why you decided to come here of all places. Back when we met, you said that you were going to Sector 3. Was that your way of throwing me off?"
He flashed the files in his hand.
"Is something wrong with your nodes? From the start, this place was your goal, wasn't it? You risked doing all of this because something is wrong with your head."
The doctor tapped his temple.
"I won't call you stupid since you did get quite far, but in the end, you seemed to have hit your limit. Was it really worth it?"
"....."
I didn't reply.
I couldn't reply. My entire body refused to listen to me as I barely managed to raise my hand, trying to reach for the documents.
The sight seemed to amuse the doctor as he brought them closer to me, only to pull them back right as they were about to reach my fingertips.
"Tut. Tut. You wouldn't understand the documents even if I did give them to you. It'd be too much of a waste."
The doctor placed the documents back on the table before leaning closer, his eyes carefully studying me from head to toe. As he did, something seemed to come to mind. He paused for a moment, then spun around in his chair and pulled open one of the drawers in his desk.
After rummaging through it briefly, he retrieved another set of documents before reaching for his coat and taking out a set of pills that he dangled right before my very eyes.
"Then again, this is what you should've been aiming for from the start. These are what I'd call my latest masterpiece."
He chuckled.
"I've done several tests already, and while I can't guarantee that they will completely heal broken nodes, they are the closest thing to those pills that were shown to me by them."
For just a moment, the pain that had consumed me began to fade. In that brief instant of relief, my thoughts drifted back to his words, replaying them over and over in my mind.
Ah.
Something else clicked inside my mind.
This doctor...
He was trying to replicate the pills given by the system.
The doctor laughed.
"Honestly, I'm actually quite tempted to give them to you. I would want to use you as my testing subject. I've tried it a couple of times with some other humans, and while most results have been positive, there have been a few... let's say side effects. They're not quite ready yet."
The doctor dangled the pills before me once more, and in that instant, I reacted.
"Ukh."
Groaning, my hand reached in his direction, desperately trying to reach for the pills with everything that I had. But not even a few seconds after my pathetic attempt, my body failed on its own, and I stumbled onto the ground once more.
The doctor's laugh reached my ear subsequently.
"You really seem quite desperate for them."
Although I couldn't see him, I could imagine.
I could imagine the smile that marred his lips as he looked down at me from above.
"Don't be too down, though. I won't be giving you the pills now, but nothing says that I'll never be giving you the pills. Just have a little bit more faith, and I'll see what I can do. How about it?"
I raised my head right as he brought the pills back to his coat.
He clapped right after.
"Alright! In light of all the mess that you've caused in search of these pills, I'll let you be my most trusted experimental subject! This way we'll both get what we want. Ah, but..."
He paused for a moment, his thoughts drifting to something else.
"I've been trying to contact the Enforcer for quite some time. I can already guess that you've done something with him, but I'm curious about what. He was quite a capable man. I'm wondering exactly how you managed to overpower someone like him."
"....."
I didn't reply to his question.
I physically couldn't, my nodes aching even more than before. Even listening to all his talk was hard for me.
Thankfully, I didn't need to listen for much longer.
Clank!
Not a moment later, the door to the room opened, and several figures walked in, their gazes falling on me as the doctor stood up from his seat, immediately barking several orders as he pointed in my direction.
"Take him away. Make sure to incapacitate him so that he can't free himself. As you've seen, he is a very troublesome one. I don't want anything bad to happen while he's being brought out."
I continued to put up a struggle, but given the state of my body, it was impossible as the guards pulled me away.
The last thing I saw before my consciousness slipped was the curl of the doctor's lips as everything vanished, and I reappeared inside the familiar room.
"Ukh!"
I reached for my stomach, my body hunching over as I nearly puked.
'Ah... what a familiar feeling.'
Taking several deep and heavy breaths, I barely managed to keep myself steady as the pain inside my mind reached a point where I found myself struggling to keep it together.
But eventually recovering myself, I leaned back against the doorframe of the door before laughing.
"Ha... ha."
Found them.
I found what I had been looking for.
Taking another deep breath, I reached for my pocket and tried to take another vial, but it was in that moment that I realized that I had run out completely.
"I guess... this is it."
Maybe this was for the best.
Even now, I didn't know what sort of memories I had lost. However, whatever they were, I knew that I couldn't risk any more. This could come back and bite me in the future.
'Yeah, let's not push any further. This is good enough.'
Allowing myself to recover a little bit, I stood up and headed for the door, reaching for the handle and walking out.
Pocketwatch in hand, I followed the same path that I had done before. If there was a slight variation, it was that I didn't call the Realmwalker this time, but Mirelle.
She showed up in her child form. Given my current node situation, there was no way for her to sustain her teenage form.
"You'll be this round's sacrifice."
"....."
"Go."
"...I don't wanna."
"Go."
"I don't wanna. No."
I closed my eyes for a brief moment before raising my hand and showing five fingers.
Mirelle's little face changed.
Her small lips parted, ready to decline, but I spoke before she even had the chance to.
"Seven."
Her little face trembled, and just before she could negotiate further, I shook my head.
"...Nothing more."
"Tsk."
Did she just click her tongue?
I raised my brow, but right then, the little girl had already turned around and trotted away.
A familiar scene occurred.
"There!"
The guards gave chase like they did in the past. However, it was obvious that they were taken aback by the presence of the little girl. But I wasn't too worried, as everything up to the doctor's office proceeded just as smoothly as in the past.
Arriving before the door, this time, I didn't open the door myself as I had the Realmwalker shift its form around me and open the door for me.
Despite it just being the Realmwalker that acted, my nodes still ached as I flinched slightly.
Click!
Entering the familiar room, I stumbled forward before falling to the ground.
The familiar scene played out.
The doctor came in a moment after, rambling about my situation.
I just remained on the floor, not saying a single thing.
"Is something wrong with your nodes? From the start, this place was your goal, wasn't it? You risked doing all of this because something is wrong with your head."
I just allowed him to talk.
"Tut. Tut. You wouldn't understand the documents even if I did give them to you. It'd be too much of a waste."
I waited until he reached for his coat and tried to grab the pills, only for him to freeze in the process.
"Kuk."
I found myself unable to hold back from that point forward.
"Kuek...!"
Reaching for my mouth, my body started to tremble.
Especially when I noticed the confusion on the doctor's face as he looked at me.
"Are you laughing?"
As if understanding something, the unease on his face grew.
I raised my head and finally looked at him, unable to hold back my smile any longer as I opened my mouth, revealing the numerous pills resting on my tongue.
He stood up abruptly.
"You⎯!"
But it was too late.
I swallowed all the pills before he could do anything about it.
-x-X-x-
Some could argue that what I had just done was risky.
I wouldn't really argue otherwise. To some extent, I had underestimated just how much of a toll this entire operation would've taken on my body, but it wasn't like this was something that I could've controlled.
Soran's and Rowan's sisters' appearance was wholly unexpected.
'Although the Team Leader shouldn't be in top condition, she should've recovered quite well. Especially since this is the first time that she used the medicine.'
I wasn't really worried about her or Rowan's sister. I had a feeling that she was very likely the one causing problems at the moment.
With those two safe, I probably could've turned back and left.
'Yes, this much should be enough. And I've also caused quite a stir. I'm sure that this can be seen as a form of message.'
But...
'It's just not satisfying.'
The idea of ending things here didn't sit well with me.
Especially when taking into consideration everything I had gone through to get to this point.
I had a purpose, and I had yet to fully fulfill it.
This...
This right here was the last step.
Gulp.
I closed my mouth and swallowed the pills in one go.
"——!"
The doctor's expression changed abruptly as he rose from his seat, but it was already too late. I swallowed everything as I opened my lips shortly after, exposing my tongue.
"Haa."
I smiled right after.
"Done~"
As I smiled, a thin dark thread slipped away from the doctor's coat and returned to me. Having memorized the exact spot where he kept the pills, stealing them hadn't been difficult. It was for this reason that I had Mirelle run instead of the Realmwalker.
Clank! Clank!
The door came to an abrupt open right after, as several guards entered the room.
The shuffling of footsteps reached my ears, but that was all I could make out. The doctor appeared to be saying something while pointing in my direction, his mouth moving rapidly as he barked out orders.
I could feel the guards rushing toward me, but I paid them no attention. A moment later, they were on top of me, forcing me down against the floor as rough hands pinned my arms behind my back. Even then, my gaze never left the doctor.
I couldn't really focus.
Something strange appeared to be happening inside my mind.
The sensation I felt was strange. It was almost as if someone had planted a worm inside my brain. I could feel it wriggling through my thoughts, every twist and movement sending an uncomfortable sensation coursing through my head.
"...Block..."
The doctor's voice reached my ears from time to time as the guards took out several strange devices and clipped them onto me. I couldn't make out what he was saying. His words were drowned out by the strange sensation inside my head, leaving behind nothing more than a faint murmur in the background.
Were they trying to block my nodes?
Ah, that's...
"Cute."
The words slipped out of my mouth without me even realizing it as the room appeared to freeze over.
***
"Cute?"
The doctor paused, staring at the figure pathetically sprawled across the floor with several guards positioned on top of him.
"I don't think you're aware of your current position."
A sudden and unexpected situation occurred.
One that Dr. Samuel Veyra couldn't have predicted.
"You may have swallowed the pills, but what does it matter if your nodes aren't going to work?"
From the start, the doctor had never been worried about whatever the man before him was attempting to do. He was just pissed about the fact that his pills were going to go to waste. So what if it would help him? At the end of the day, his nodes were blocked.
He was also completely surrounded from all sides.
"To make it this far, you're clearly quite skilled. I'll give you that much. Unfortunately, it doesn't change your situation. It was a commendable effort, but a futile one."
The doctor sat back down in his seat while leaning closer to him. As he did, his brows furrowed.
Especially when he noticed the smile hanging on the face of the'troublemaker' lying before him. Something about that smile filled him with an inexplicable sense of discomfort. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze dropped to the corner of the room, where he took notice of something bushy peeking from the corner. A red bush?
"Hm?"
He barely had the time to blink before a soft tune played in the air.
Almost instantly, the entire room froze as the guards immediately grew alert, with some moving towards the doctor in order to protect him.
But just as a few reacted, something unexpected occurred.
"Haaaaa——!"
A spine-chilling scream ripped through the room, startling everyone present. Heads snapped toward one of the guards as his hands clawed at his face. Digging his nails into his skin, he began tearing at it frantically, peeling away strips of flesh as another agonized scream escaped his lips.
"Hey!"
"Shit...!"
The guards were instantly thrown off by the sight, but just as one guard started, another one followed as the music continued to play in the air.
"HAAAAA!"
This time, they screamed even louder.
And soon—
One rushed the nearby wall, smashing their head against it.
BANG!
That was just the start.
BANG! BANG!
One smack was followed by another, and then another. Wet cracking sounds echoed throughout the room as the guard repeatedly slammed his head against the wall, each impact harder than the last.
It was a sickening sight.
One that even made the doctor pause. A moment later, he lowered his head once more, his gaze falling back on the troublemaker. It was only then that he noticed something strange.
The man appeared to be wearing a different set of clothes than before.
They were colorful.
"Wha..."
By the time he blinked, the outfit was gone.
Startled, the doctor blinked. When he looked again, the troublemaker was wearing the same guard uniform as before.
He didn't even have time to process what had just happened before another scream ripped through the room. Everyone turned just in time to see a second guard sprint toward a nearby wall. Without slowing down, he slammed his head into it. A sickening crack echoed through the room as blood sprayed in every direction.
The doctor's face flinched for the first time as he immediately reached for his desk.
"The sound! Don't listen to the sound!"
By now, all of the guards had realized that the music was the source of the problem, and many had already reached for items meant to protect themselves from its effects. However, with the chaos unfolding around them, it was difficult to focus. To make matters worse, while everyone's attention was fixed on the unfolding disaster, the troublemaker abruptly rose to his feet.
Turning on his heel, he dashed toward the room's exit.
"Hey!"
The doctor was the first to react, lunging toward the fleeing troublemaker. However, he came to an abrupt halt as the tune lingering in the air suddenly grew louder.
"S-stop him!"
Two of the guards reacted instantly and gave chase, rushing after the fleeing troublemaker. At the same time, the doctor quickly inserted a pair of earplugs into his ears, dulling the music that had been worming its way into his mind.
He drew a deep breath.
"...Run as you might, there's no escaping."
The entire laboratory...
It was completely sealed.
There was no point of escape.
Furthermore—
"They're coming."
The fingers of the Hand.
-x-X-x-
"C-ough! Cough...!"
The pain in my mind had yet to subside, even after taking the strange pills I had stolen from the doctor. In fact, I could still barely use my nodes. That being said, the doctor wasn't some quack. He genuinely seemed to know what he was doing, as I could feel the nodes within my mind showing slight signs of improvement.
They were just enough to sustain the Conductor as I headed for Sector 3.
As I ran, I couldn't help but think about my nodes.
'While I did go to see his pills, their effects are much better than I originally anticipated. They almost feel like the same pills that I bought from the system shop. In fact, they feel a little stronger.'
Of course...
I was also deeply aware of the possibility of the pills having potential side effects.
Taking the pills wasn't exactly the smartest thing that I could've done, but given my circumstances, there wasn't much of a choice.
At the very least, not for what I wanted to achieve...
"It should be this way."
Running through the corridors, I already had the route memorized. Even as the sound of hurried footsteps echoed behind me, I never looked back. I simply kept running, doing my best to stabilize my mind.
As I ran, I looked down at the cuffs that were placed on my hand and smiled, reaching for them and tossing them away.
"How lucky~"
I couldn't really smile for much longer.
I knew that the luckier I was now, the unluckier I'd be later.
But none of that concerned me at the moment as I continued to follow the path back to Sector 3.
One thing that I had to point out while running was that I hadn't encountered any real obstructions. The path ahead seemed totally clear, and I knew exactly why.
'Looks like she's causing quite a lot of trouble herself.'
The thought made me smile, but thinking about the doctor's last words, I knew that I had to hurry up.
There wasn't much time left until the really annoying people showed up.
***
"Wheeeeew."
A whistle flowed in the air.
"You people are really insane, aren't you? Testing all sorts of crap on so many people. And the fact that the BUA hasn't done a thing to stop it? I can't say I'm surprised."
Soran's gaze swept across the surroundings, her eyes lingering on the countless patients displayed behind the glass. She had long since lost count of how many there were. Unfortunately, with Rowan's sister hanging limply over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, she didn't have the luxury of stopping to observe everything in detail.
There was also the troublesome matter of the people who kept coming her way.
"Will you stop?"
Soran turned her head just as a group of guards rounded one of the corners. Their expressions tightened as they activated their nodes, preparing to attack her. Before they could make a move, however, she raised her free hand and lifted a figure by the hair, displaying his battered face for everyone to see.
"...I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The guards stopped at the sight of the figure in her grasp, their faces tightening considerably.
Soran shook her head.
"Look. If you care about this guy and care about yourselves, just let me leave, alright? I'm only taking her. Sure, I broke a few things along the way, but we can all forget about that, can't we? Just pretend you never saw me, and everyone walks away happy. Especially since the cameras and monitoring systems are down. You don't get in trouble, and neither do I. Sounds like a win-win to me, right?"
The more Soran spoke, the more convinced she became that she had made an excellent proposal.
It was to the point where she took their agreement for granted.
"Right? I mean—"
The guards still ended up attacking her, with several attacks moving her way as some of the guards dashed at her directly.
Soran's lips froze mid-speech, her eyes blinking slowly before her shoulders slumped, and she sighed.
Time froze.
All stopped before her eyes.
Her nodes started to ache as she silently clicked her tongue.
'...Brainless farts. And here I thought I had made a good deal. Stupid.'
Clicking her tongue again, Soran didn't engage with them. Not because she didn't want to, but because she found the situation already taxing enough. There was no need to waste any valuable time on people like them.
'I've also got some baggage to carry.'
Soran turned to look at the figure slumped over her shoulder. There was also the captain, but to be honest, she no longer needed him, so she just dropped him to the ground.
He wasn't good as a security captain, and he wasn't good as a hostage.
"The hell are you even good at?"
Soran spat.
As she did, her gaze drifted in the direction of where she was supposed to head.
She was supposed to meet Seth over there.
'I'm still somewhat confused as to why he told me to go there. Based on my understanding, there is no way for us to escape from there. I've even checked some of the maps. As things stand, it seems kind of impossible to escape.'
The Team Leader was at a loss.
Nevertheless, there were no real complaints. Based on what she had seen so far, there was no need for her to doubt Seth. He had shown her his capabilities, and based on what she had seen, he certainly had something up his sleeve.
'I'm just curious to see what exactly he has up his sleeve. From what I see, there's no way for us to escape.'
Glancing at the security captain one last time, Soran prepared to leave when she suddenly stopped. Her lips pursed tightly as she turned back to look at the numerous patients being treated behind the glass windows. After a brief pause, she sighed again, setting Rowan's sister down before patting her on the head.
"Might as well, you know?"
The situation just didn't sit well with her.
Not the fact that everyone was trapped and being experimented on. She felt a certain level of sympathy for that, but it wasn't what was really bothering her. What bothered her more was the fact that she was leaving so quietly.
That...
It didn't really suit her style.
Lifting her head to stare at the numerous patients, she cracked her fingers.
Her lips pulled into a smile right after.
"Yeah, it really doesn't."
***
By the time I arrived back at the spot where I had found Soran, she was already inside, waiting for me with her arms crossed behind her back while a figure lay on the bed beside her. I was a little out of breath as I entered the room, but immediately taking notice of her expression, I had a sudden foreboding.
"What did you do?"
"Huh? What...?"
Soran blinked rapidly.
Lifting her head and looking around, she pointed at herself.
"Are you talking to me?"
"No, Rowan's sister."
"Oh, if that's so, she's sleeping."
"...."
"Ehm." So...? What are we supposed to do now?" Soran looked around the room, pretending to have forgotten my previous question. "I've got her. What should we do now? Based on what I've found, this place is entirely locked. There's no way to escape."
"Don't worry about that."
I let the matter go and took another breath, catching it as I looked around the room before moving to the open space on her right and rubbing my ring.
'It should be opening soon.'
I could feel the heat radiating from it. It was only a matter of time.
All we had to do was wait.
Looking at the door, I closed it behind me before eventually taking a seat.
I was quite exhausted.
But thinking about the entire situation, I felt rather satisfied with what I had accomplished. It was just sad that I wouldn't get to see the results with my own eyes.
A pity, really.
But it was better than nothing.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, Soran raised her head as she looked towards the door.
Her ears perked up as she looked at me right after.
"It seems like there are quite a lot of people headed our way. If you have something, do pull it out now. I don't think we'll be able to weasel our way out of this if you don't do anything."
"...."
I didn't reply.
I stared at the door.
The Team Leader took my silence for something else as she stood up.
"I guess this is it, huh? We had it good. Short as it may have been, I was happy. If we somehow get out of this, we should go and move our wedding up. I can't stay like this for much longer. I need assurance. I need..."
"Get a prenup."
"...."
"I need to keep myself protected."
"...That's fucked up."
I strained my ears while staring at the door.
I could hear the sound of numerous footsteps coming from the other side. There were quite a lot of them, rushing towards where we were fast. I stood up from my seat and stretched my body.
"Well, I guess this is our cue."
I turned to look behind me.
Right at that moment, the ring on my finger heated up, and the space before us warped as a familiar portal space appeared. The air around it bent and shivered, light folding inward like it was being swallowed.
Soran's eyes widened at the sight, but I didn't give her much of a say as I directly walked into the portal.
Better to leave fast...
I could feel the appearance of something rather terrifying.
-x-X-x-
I didn't linger for much longer.
Feeling the terrifying presence headed our way, I stepped into the portal and left the place directly.
'I'm not quite satisfied, but... I guess this is my limit.'
Stepping into the portal, the scenery before me warped as the air around me changed. The subtle, artificial chill of the air conditioners gave way to a raw, biting cold. One that made me shiver immediately.
But I couldn't pay much attention to the cold.
The moment I stepped out of the portal, I was greeted by the sight of a massive castle, its towering walls and countless spires just as grand as I last remembered.
The dark stone starkly contrasted the gloomy sky above, its worn-down walls marred by deep cracks and thick roots that had burrowed deep into the stone.
"Hmm. This time I've appeared right outside. Is he mad?"
Last time it wasn't like this.
I turned to watch the portal behind me fade, making sure no one emerged after me. Only when it vanished completely and nothing followed did I let out a quiet sigh of relief before turning my gaze toward the massive castle gates.
Ah, right!
I suddenly turned to look around me.
"Where is Soran?"
I looked to my left and right, but no matter how hard I searched, there wasn't a single trace of her. My brows furrowed as my gaze slowly returned to the castle gates.
Could it be...?
I didn't wait.
Stepping forward, I pressed a hand against the massive castle doors. A deep creak echoed through the silence as they slowly swung open, revealing a sight I knew all too well.
The biting cold faded almost immediately, replaced by a warm, comforting air that washed over me.
Soft chatter echoed ahead as people dressed in white drifted through my vision, each holding a chalice of wine while blissful smiles rested on their faces.
Already aware of the trap hidden behind the idyllic scene, I did my best to ignore the countless temptations laid before me. At a certain point, however, a loud voice cut through the chatter, drawing my gaze toward its source.
"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Come on! Chug that shit, you weak bastard!"
".....H-help!"
"Chug!"
"E-enou⎯"
"I said chug that shit!"
"Uekh!!"
Hmmm...
Maybe I had been too naive.
Maybe there was another way to break past the temptations...
BANG!
Soran slammed her empty glass onto the table.
"Who's next!?"
She wiped her lips with her sleeve while looking around, her dark eyes narrowing. She looked like a tiger, ready to pounce at anyone who showed weakness.
Every nearby guest instinctively took a step back.
One man quietly hid his wine behind his back.
Another pretended to be unconscious.
Ah?
"Tsk. Tsk. That's some weak stuff. Who is next!?"
BANG!
Soran smashed the wine glass on the table as her eyes scanned the surroundings, pointing the broken glass towards the people in a threatening manner. Almost as if she was going to kill them if they didn't comply. In the end, her eyes fell on the young girl passed out next to her as her eyes flickered dangerously.
Wait, that's Rowan's...
"....You!"
Although Soran had lost it, thankfully she hadn't completely given herself over to temptation. Her gaze was fixed elsewhere, and when I followed it, I couldn't help but raise a brow at the familiar figure standing in the distance.
Unlike the dark suit he had worn the first time I saw him, he was now dressed in the same white robes as everyone else. His dark hair was neatly parted to the side, and a faint, serene smile rested on his lips. Yet on closer inspection, his eyes were utterly hollow, devoid of even the slightest spark of thought. As he calmly sipped from his glass, he looked like nothing more than an empty shell.
I was momentarily surprised by the sight, but it all soon clicked as I recalled the effects of this place.
'Although not much time has passed in the real world, given how time here flows for much longer, I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed here for a very long time.'
I wasn't quite sure for how long, but I knew that the time had been enough to break him.
"It's you...!"
Maybe it was for the best that I'd stopped her.
"Kidnapper!"
If she interfered, there was a chance he could snap out of it. With that thought in mind, I took a step forward.
"Hm?"
A hand suddenly came to rest on my shoulder.
"Quite the gift that you've brought me."
The voice immediately stopped me. I didn't even bother looking back. Already aware of who had spoken, I maintained my gaze directed in Soran's direction as she approached the'former' Enforcer.
"Shameless bastard! Hitting on a married woman! Have some shame!"
I found myself nodding at her words, only to stop as I cocked my head. Wait, something wasn't right.
Standing next to me, I heard a soft chuckle.
"...You've created quite the spectacle for me."
His voice was almost like a whisper.
I found myself nodding again.
"In that case, I take it that you've enjoyed what I've given you."
"Mhm, it's not bad."
The man smiled. Or at least, I presumed he did.
For the briefest moment, I thought I was in the clear. The relief lasted only a few seconds before his voice reached my ears once more. It was as soft as ever, yet the weight behind each word was unmistakable.
"...But that wasn't the reason why I gave you the ring. I gave it to you so that you would come to me, not to escape."
The cold that seemed to have been present when I first arrived seemed to have returned, engulfing every part of me as I momentarily shivered.
Despite this, I wasn't really all that bothered.
I had seen this coming for a while.
'I did abuse this little thing, after all.'
Reaching for my hand, I retrieved the ring and tossed it back to him.
"Here."
"....."
"It was useful."
It really was.
"But also, you did say that I could come and visit whenever I wished."
I shrugged and said nothing, shifting my attention to Soran. She was busy trying to pry the Enforcer's mouth open and force the wine down his throat while his eyes trembled violently.
My heart shook.
Wait, don't do that...
"Open that shit! If you don't open it, I'll shove it down the other hole!"
"⎯!"
Wait, is she serious?
"Ukheeee!"
Oh, no...
"...I guess you're right."
It was his voice that pulled my attention away from the scene. My gaze drifted to his hand, or more specifically, the ring he was absentmindedly fiddling with. It was a pity he hadn't given it back. Clicking my tongue inwardly, I silently complained to myself.
I had to be honest.
I was only pretending to give it back to him. I expected a sort of speech that said,'Well, you did entertain me so I'll give it back, blah, blah, blah...'
But it wasn't there.
"The ring did indeed help you quite a bit. I didn't intend for it to be used this way, but I can't say that I'm at fault."
I know, so give it back.
"...I should've seen it coming."
Yes, so give it back.
"No."
I sighed.
Right, I forgot this guy can read minds.
A soft chuckle followed as I turned my head.
His features were clear before my eyes, yet none of them truly registered in my mind. Casually, he tossed the ring into the air before catching it and turning his attention back to me.
"Now that we've got this part sorted, I'm sure you're going to see the result of your actions, right?"
I froze for a moment, but soon, I smiled.
Is it that time already?
But thinking about it, yeah, it made sense.
"Come."
Paimon moved.
"Let's have a look at what you've done."
-x-X-x-
"Cough! Cough...!"
A fit of coughs escaped my lips as I followed Paimon toward the castle entrance. The adrenaline had begun to fade, and with it came the full force of the pain.
I felt like shit.
The pills that I had taken from the doctor did help, but those pills weren't perfect. Just because I felt better didn't mean that I was out of the clear.
'He did say that there were side effects.'
I hadn't experienced them yet, but I was certain I was going to soon.
Not only that, but there were several other side effects that I needed to worry about.
'...I've certainly lost a good chunk of memories, though I'm not quite sure which ones. And I'll soon be hit with a lot of bad luck.'
I groaned at the thought.
Still, that was something for me to think about later.
There were more important matters at hand.
'Ah, but I do want to get some good sleep. Maybe I should go get some rest. That'll do m⎯!'
My eyes snapped open as I came to an abrupt halt. Lifting my head, I watched Paimon continue walking ahead while his voice drifted back to me.
"You seem tired. What do you say, do you want to take some rest before starting?"
This guy...
I forced myself forward, ignoring his voice.
'Seems like I can't let my guard down.'
I almost did.
After everything that had happened, and with how friendly he had seemed, I'd almost let myself forget who I was standing before.
'Right, right. I shouldn't forget.'
I moved up the stairs in silence, moving towards Paimon's office before taking a seat in one of the chairs. I didn't say anything the entire time as Paimon sat opposite me, staring at me with a glass of what I presumed to be tea in his hand.
Leaning back against the chair, I closed my eyes and darkness took over.
Right then, Paimon's voice reached me once more.
"Good luck~"
***
Cra-Crack!
The sound of glass scraping against the floor echoed as a foot came down on the shattered pieces, the noise cutting through the heavy silence that blanketed the surroundings. For a brief moment, it was the only sound that remained.
The figure moved alone, their eyes sweeping across the surroundings as broken glass crunched beneath their feet. Everything lay shattered and broken, while the lights above flickered weakly.
With a single glance, it looked as though a storm had torn through the place.
The figure continued forward in silence, taking in the aftermath before eventually coming to a stop. From somewhere ahead came the sound of clashing steel and raised voices, echoing faintly through the ruined halls.
Turning the corner, they were greeted by the sight of numerous guards locked in battle against figures dressed in flowing gowns. Blood stained the floor beneath them, while bodies and shattered weapons lay scattered throughout the corridor, granting one a full display of the situation.
Against the far wall, a young guard sat with his cap in his lap, staring at nothing while a medic tried to help him recover.
Looking at things now, while a few skirmishes still remained, the situation had largely been brought under control. Even so, it was clear the battle hadn't come without losses. Broken glass and shattered equipment littered the floor, leaving the entire area in ruins.
One couldn't imagine the losses that had been sustained on this day.
The figure continued to take in the surroundings as they walked forward. Throughout it all, not a single person acknowledged their presence. It was as if they carried little to no presence at all.
They moved through the corridors in silence, passing by numerous guards without so much as a glance from them.
This continued until the figure came to a stop before a certain door. Reaching for the handle, they quietly stepped inside.
Clank!
The office was in the same state as everything else. Papers carpeting the floor, tables overturned, a filing cabinet lying face-down in the corner... The place was in an absolute mess, but none of it mattered. The figure's gaze went straight to the far end of the room, to the man hunched over a flickering monitor.
"No, no, no... Where is it? Where is it...?"
The doctor's fingers slipped on the keys. He typed the same search twice, deleted it, typed it again. Sweat rolled off his chin and spotted the desk, and one of his thumbnails had been chewed down to blood as he kept gnawing at it anyway, eyes darting across the screen fast enough to hurt.
He looked to be in a complete panic as he frantically searched through the files on the computer. So consumed by what he was doing, he never noticed the door opening. Never noticed the footsteps behind him, with no effort had been made to hide them.
Yet, the doctor never reacted.
Too consumed by the files on the screen, he continued muttering to himself, completely oblivious to the figure standing behind him.
"Where is it? I can't have lost them... No, no, no... this is a mess. This is a terrible mess. All the samples... and everything. Damn it! Damn it!"
BANG!
His fist came down hard enough to rattle the monitor, his voice cracking as it rose.
"How did he do it!? Who is it?! How did this entire thing happen!"
Gone was the calm and collected doctor from before. The man now standing before them was a far cry from his former self, his bloodshot eyes frantically darting across one document after another.
The charade continued for several more minutes. Then, at last, some animal instinct prickled at the back of his neck, and he turned.
The moment he did, his eyes widened in horror at the sight that greeted him.
"⎯⎯!"
His eyes went wide. His mouth fell open, chest swelling for a scream—
But a hand was already pressed over his lips, sealing the sound away before it could be born.
He hadn't even seen it move.
The hand withdrew a heartbeat later. The doctor's head dropped so fast it was a wonder his neck didn't snap.
His lips opened, but no word came out.
His entire mind was frozen by the sight that stood before them.
A soft voice broke the silence.
"Where is the Enforcer?"
"T-That's..."
The doctor faltered for a brief moment before quickly composing himself. Hurriedly, he began explaining the situation to the figure before him. How an intruder had broken in, and how even he had no idea what had happened to the Enforcer.
He didn't omit anything and perfectly recounted the entire situation to the person standing before them.
Throughout it all, the figure remained silent, listening without so much as a reaction. Only after the doctor had finished explaining everything did they finally speak.
"...I see."
A lukewarm reaction.
And yet the doctor's head sank even lower. The room hadn't changed, but it felt as though the air had been quietly stripped out of it, the walls easing inward a centimeter at a time. His ears popped. Sweat crawled down into his collar.
It was... suffocating.
He didn't dare utter another word. After what felt like an eternity, the voice came again.
"I have a good understanding of the situation. It seems like we've been a little too lenient."
The doctor listened in silence, not understanding what that meant, and knowing better than to ask. His whole life had gone into his research. Everything outside of it had always been someone else's business.
The figure seemed to understand that much. A hand came to rest, gently, on his shoulder.
"This isn't something that you should be concerned about. All you have to do is focus on your research. We'll handle the rest."
"Yes. Yes..." The doctor nodded rapidly, his gaze fixed on the floor.
"Mhm. It's good that you're aware."
The hand lifted away.
"You are an invaluable asset to us, doctor. Your only concern should be your work. Leave everything else to us. This was an oversight on our end, and I'll see to it personally that nothing like it ever happens again."
There was truth in those words. The doctor was invaluable, and his research mattered immensely to the organization. What happened today had never been within his power to prevent, and so, toward him, there was no anger at all.
As for the others...
"..."
The figure turned for the door.
"Follow me, doctor. I'll escort you elsewhere."
"...We're leaving? But my research, I—"
"You needn't worry about that either. We'll recover everything that can be recovered. For now, rest while we handle things. Even if the research is delayed a while, that's acceptable. In the end, you're still here. As long as you're her⎯"
"Everything will be alright."
The doctor's voice cut clean through the sentence.
The figure stopped.
Slowly, they turned back.
The most unsettling part?
...The doctor's rattling eyes.
Trembling in their sockets. As if whatever now sat behind them was still getting used to the view.
Understanding arrived in an instant.
"Hello."
The doctor's lips parted. The voice that came out was hoarse and off-key, like an instrument being tried for the very first time.
"Ehm. Ehm."
He cleared his throat twice, seemingly trying to get adjusted to the voice. Flexed his fingers one by one, as if counting them for the first time, then looked ahead and spoke again.
This time, the smile was gone.
"You should've never touched me."
-x-X-x-
In the moment the doctor raised his head, the atmosphere around the room changed. The already constricted air grew even more constricted as a suffocating tension burst forth as the doctor's gaze fixed on the figure that stood before him.
Drip!
Somewhere deeper in the ruined lab, something was leaking. The emergency lights flickered above, staining the surroundings red with every pulse. Shattered glass. Overturned equipment. Dark stains spreading slowly across the white floor...
And in the middle of it all, the doctor stood smiling.
For just a moment, silence swept through the surroundings as both sides stared at each other. But eventually, a soft chuckle escaped the doctor's lips as he began to speak once more.
"I didn't really want to do this, you know?"
He started rambling.
"But you all didn't leave me much of an option. Rather than waiting for you all to do something, I decided to come for you directly. Because..."
The doctor suddenly paused, his head lowering as he pinched his chin. His complexion turned serious, as if he was contemplating something extremely serious.
It was a natural gesture.
And yet...
That very gesture felt... off.
Like something wearing human skin was checking whether it had gotten the movement right.
Then, as his head rose once more, he revealed the same wide smile as before as he stared at the figure before him.
No...
It was wider.
"...I wanted to send you a message."
The words seemed to echo across the entire room, sinking into the silence that stood between the two of them. The figure standing opposite him didn't say a single word as he stared at the doctor in silence. His gaze remained fixed, with no single fluctuation within his dark pupils.
The silence stretched on for several seconds.
Five seconds.
Ten...
The only sound was the slow'drip... drip...' echoing from somewhere within the surroundings. It echoed in a steady rhythm, almost like the ticking of a clock.
This persisted until the figure finally spoke.
"You wanted to send a message?"
There was no fluctuation in his tone.
Just like before, it was lukewarm. As if it was missing any semblance of emotion.
No...
There did seem to be an emotion mixed within the tone. One akin to incredulity.
They continued, "I don't think you seem to be aware of the circumstances. Do you truly wish to send us a message?"
"Hahaha."
The doctor burst out laughing.
From the way he was looking ahead, it was almost as if he was looking at an idiot.
"What do you mean by'do you truly wish to send us a message?'"
His laughter continued as he stared at the figure opposite him. Rather than fading with time, it only seemed to grow worse. The doctor's body hunched slightly, his shoulders trembling with every breath.
"Kkh... pft."
But something about the laughter felt off.
Buried deep beneath the doctor's familiar voice was something else. A second voice, laughing along half a beat behind. Likely the sound of the true voice behind the doctor's current actions.
A thin line of red slid down from the doctor's nose.
His movements were noticeably less stiff than before as the doctor continued to laugh before shifting his attention back to the figure.
"Are you saying that I can still take back the message? From the way you're speaking, you're saying that everything that I've done means nothing, right? So if I just raise both hands right now, will you forgive me?"
The doctor raised both hands.
But as if thinking that it was wrong, he extended both hands forward. Almost as if asking him to handcuff him.
"Here. Here."
In a way, he seemed eager.
Like a child holding out his wrists for a game that had long been finished.
But the figure didn't budge at all. Despite the provocations, he didn't show any semblance of emotion. Scanning the room and taking a look at the mess that had occurred, he shook his head.
It was a mess.
Shattered containment units. Ruined samples. Years of research reduced to nothing but broken glass and spreading stains...
"My apologies. I guess you're right. It's a little too late for that."
"Right?"
The doctor pulled his hands away, smiling.
"It's a little too late for you to forgive me, but..." The doctor's smile suddenly faded as his eyes narrowed. "In the first place, why do you assume that I should be the one to be forgiven?"
The doctor's hand lowered.
The smile was gone, replaced by something deeper.
And with it, the temperature of the room seemed to drop. The flickering light stuttered, and for the briefest of moments, the doctor's shadow on the wall behind him didn't match the way he was standing.
But only for a moment...
"In the first place, you're the ones who provoked me. What makes you think that you're the ones in a position of forgiveness?"
"....."
"I should be the one asking for forgiveness."
"....."
The figure didn't answer, but in the first place, this was never meant to be a proper conversation.
The thing standing in front of him wasn't asking questions.
The thing standing in front of him was no longer even the doctor.
This right here... was a message.
One that Seth had carefully set up for this exact moment. All of it had been prepared long before the figure had even stepped into this room. There was no negotiation in this situation.
"I have a good idea about what you guys are. Your motives, and just how big you all are."
"I don't think so."
The figure shook its head, but the doctor merely smiled, the figure's words going from one ear to the other. It was as if he was talking to himself.
Because he was.
There was no longer anyone left inside to listen.
"In the end, I just wanted to make it clear."
The doctor's head tilted while staring ahead.
It tilted...
And then it kept tilting, reaching a degree past what was normal. His eyes remained locked forward the entire time, never blinking, as a second line of red slowly began to leak from the corner of his eye.
"This right here was merely me sending a message."
His voice grew incredibly hoarse.
"If you come at me, then I can come at you. And trust me..." The doctor paused, his voice growing even more intense. Beneath it, the second voice no longer bothered to hide, the two voices speaking in perfect unison.
"I won't just stop at breaking your precious lab and important research."
The doctor suddenly smiled again.
"Consider this a friendly warning."
Cra Crack!
With that, the doctor suddenly raised both hands and, with a quick'snap', his head twisted, his body falling to the ground with a quick'thump' a moment after. It all happened incredibly quickly, giving no time for the figure standing opposite him to react.
But it wasn't like they couldn't react.
They didn't react on purpose. From the start, the doctor's fate had been sealed. Even if they did somehow manage to stop the doctor, his mind had already been corrupted. Hollowed out and worn like a glove, only to be discarded the moment the message came to an end.
There was no saving him.
There hadn't been anything left to save for a long time.
"....."
A tense silence followed as the figure stared at the doctor's lifeless body.
The emergency light flickered.
Red. Dark. Red.
And with every pulse of light, the smile was still there. Frozen onto the dead man's face, stretched wide, aimed directly at the figure. As if the message hadn't quite finished being delivered.
Even in this situation, the figure didn't show much of a reaction. Eventually, however, a ripple formed in their pupils as a soft voice whispered into their ears.
"Oh dear~"
It hadn't been there a moment ago.
There were no footsteps or anything. One moment the figure had been alone with the corpse, and the next, a soft breath was brushing against his ear as if it had always been there.
"It seems like things have taken a weird turn. He was quite useful, this doctor. This has set us back several years."
"....Yes."
"The damage we've sustained is not cheap either."
"Yes."
"But as usual, you don't seem to be very concerned. What do you say we do now? Should we get back at him for what he's done?"
The voice grew seductive, a fair hand reaching forward and gently caressing the chin ahead.
The fingers were beautiful. Slender, and fair.
But they were also cold.
Cold in a way that no living hand had any right to be.
"Say the word, and I can have it done. I⎯"
"⎯Need to stay put."
The soft voice interrupted the seductive one as the figure turned around, no longer paying any attention to the body of the doctor. At the same time, the figure standing behind him froze.
But the figure didn't elaborate.
He didn't need to, as he continued forward, the woman's attention turning away from them and onto the doctor's body.
A twisted smile greeted her back.
One that, for just a moment, seemed to stretch wider.
-x-X-x-
Clap! Clap! Clap!
I was greeted by a loud round of applause. Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was the outline of Paimon's figure as he sat on the chair opposite me, clapping as loudly as he could.
"Wonderful! How wonderful!"
He looked genuinely impressed. Or at least, that was what I took away. His features never registered inside of my mind as I leaned back against the chair, catching my breath.
Ugh.
But it wasn't easy.
The moment I leaned back, I was hit with an immediate sense of pain as I pressed my hand against my head and tried my best to suppress the pain. But that was easier said than done as I clenched my teeth and took a few more breaths.
For a moment, I was almost tempted to take more pills, but I stopped myself when thinking about the potential consequences.
'The first thing that I need to do after this is immediately try to reach the Fifth Order. I can't keep going like this.'
The situation was turning more and more serious.
But at the very least, I had managed to achieve what I wanted to achieve.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
As the rhythmic claps registered in my mind once more, I raised my head to look at Paimon. He finally stopped clapping and leaned back in his chair. Reaching for the cup beside him, he brought it to his lips for a small sip before raising it in my direction.
"I've got to say. I was a bit apprehensive at the start of all of this, but this was quite a wonderful spectacle. They may not have shown much of a reaction, but I can assure you, they weren't as calm as they appeared to be."
"That's a relief to hear."
I commented while leaning back and closing my eyes again.
As I did, I asked, "But to what extent was he troubled?"
A soft chuckle followed up my question. Opening my eyelids, I caught a glimpse of the demon staring at me with a look that seemed to say,'Nice try.'
I shrugged in return.
To be honest, I didn't get a good look at the person that I had been talking with. All I had done was control the doctor's body after slowly and carefully implanting seeds into his mind due to Mr. Jingles's ability.
I wasn't sure if they were a male or female. How tall they were, or even their identity. I had tried to gauge Paimon with my question, but it seemed like the demon had seen right through me.
'Not that I didn't expect this.'
"Our deal is already over. I won't be telling you much more. If you want to figure out their identity, that'll be up to you, and..." Paimon paused as he set the teacup down and rested his cheek against his propped-up fist. "...It wouldn't be quite as entertaining if I told you all the answers, right?"
No, it would be.
It would definitely be more entertaining.
At least, for me.
"I wouldn't be too worried about them, though."
Paimon's words brought my attention away from the situation as I looked at him once more. His finger tapped against his temple several times.
"If there's one thing I'd be worried about, it'd be this. It's quite serious."
"...I am aware."
This much was clear to me.
It was already bad enough before, but it was even worse now.
Still, it wasn't like the changes that had occurred to me were all that bad. Several of the changes were necessary in order for me to survive. This world wasn't very kind to me.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no..."
Paimon shook his finger as he leaned his body forward.
"I don't think you truly know the gravity of your current situation. You've always danced around with your safety, but we're reaching a point where things might become quite serious for you. Even if you do end up reaching the Fifth Order like you're planning to, in the end, you'll still not be cured. You'll just try to reach for the Sixth Order, and repeat the process."
Pausing, Paimon tilted.
"Can't you see it? You're nothing but a slave to⎯"
"I am aware."
The words flowed out a lot calmer than originally anticipated. At this moment, I was so calm that I almost terrified myself as I pressed my hands against the armrest of the sofa and helped myself up.
"I'm fully aware of my current situation."
"Mhm, I know that. I'm just letting you know."
Turning around, I suddenly paused.
"I appreciate your warning, but since you know, why say it? Obviously, you must know what I need to do in order to resolve this situation, but won't tell me. No..." I thought for a moment before nodding to myself. "You're likely going to ask me for something in exchange for the information, correct?"
"...Haha."
I heard a small laugh coming from behind me.
'He's not denying it.'
I more or less already had an idea as to what he wanted.
"You want me to increase your influence in the real world? Is that what you want?"
"See? This is what I'm talking about!"
I heard a soft smack coming from behind me. Presumably from Paimon smacking his hand against the armrest of the sofa.
"Every time I see you, you're like a different person! It's like I'm talking to a completely different person each time. Hooo~ How fun."
I moved towards the door.
Paimon didn't stop me as he continued chuckling. There was no need to say more between the two of us. He relayed what he wanted me to do. In the end, it was up to me to decide.
"Time is ticking for you~"
As my hand reached for the knob, I pulled the door open.
"You best be careful."
The long corridor greeted my sight.
"Don't let yourself get consumed. It'd be a tragedy if it happened."
Clank!
"But not just for you."
***
Silence returned to the room the moment the door closed.
Seated in his seat, the soft slurping sound of tea being drunk echoed across the surroundings as the teacup rested on the table a moment after.
Clink.
The sound was small. Yet within the empty room, it rang out clearer than it had any right to.
Crossing his legs, Paimon's gaze remained fixed on the door.
But he wasn't really looking at the door.
He was looking through it.
He could see through everything. Nothing within the castle escaped his sight. Not the empty halls. Not the shadows pooling within forgotten corners. Not a single speck of dust drifted through these walls without his knowledge.
And so, he watched.
He watched as Seth quietly brought away several figures with him, slipping through the castle as though afraid of being seen.
As if that were possible.
Within these walls, there was nothing that could escape his gaze. Or thoughts.
Paimon didn't stop him.
He didn't intend to stop him as he leaned back against the chair, his finger gently tapping against the armrest of the chair.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
It was a slow, patient rhythm. One akin to someone enjoying the show.
Eventually, he watched as Seth brought the people away from the castle and left for the real world. One step past the gates. Then another. Until, at last, their presences slipped out of his domain entirely.
Everything returned to how it was right after that, and as a sense of normality settled in the castle walls, Paimon brought the teacup to his lips once more as he muttered.
"...I wonder if I should've stopped him."
He paused.
The tapping stopped with him.
For a moment, the room fell completely still. Even the steam curling above the teacup seemed to freeze in place.
Then, slowly, a wide smile marred his features as he brought the tea to his lips.
Wide.
Then wider.
Wide enough that it stopped resembling a smile at all.
"But that wouldn't be fun~"
The words came out light. Almost sing-song. Like a child deciding to let a fly keep buzzing, just to see where it would land.
"Besides..."
Paimon's eyes curved into crescents, his voice dropping into something softer.
Something colder.
"...The poor thing is yet aware of what he truly is."
Paimon shook his head, lowering it to stare beneath him.
Towards a certain direction.
"Isn't that right?"
-x-X-x-
[The Butcher's Wrath]
The aftermath of the incident was big.
Despite the eventual'defeat' of the Butcher, the criticism revolving around the BUA and the major Guilds didn't die down. Instead, it only grew louder and more persistent.
It was the scene that greeted me the moment I arrived at the Guild with Soran and Rowan's sister. Crowds packed the area outside as camera flashes went off one after another. Large broadcast trucks lined the end of the street while reporters swarmed the entrance alongside the gathering crowd, their voices carrying across the entire area.
Thankfully, we were prepared in advance as we stopped just a bit before the Guild, where a black SUV suddenly pulled up beside us.
For a split second, my body tensed.
My hand twitched upwards on its own, my exhausted mind already racing through a dozen scenarios of everything that could go wrong⎯
Then the car door slid open, and several familiar figures appeared.
"Where have you been?"
Zoey was the first one to step out.
Her gaze first fell on me, and as her mouth opened again to complain, she suddenly stopped, finally taking notice of Soran and the person resting behind her.
Her eyes widened the moment she caught sight of Rowan's sister.
"That's...!"
Her attention immediately fell on me right after. Her gaze looked inquisitive. As if asking me what the hell was going on.
"Hmm."
I scratched the side of my chin, thinking of what to say.
Her gaze remained fixed on me.
"Hmm."
I tilted my head slightly.
This wasn't quite an easy thing to explain, and I wasn't really in a state to explain. In the end, scratching my chin once more and tilting my head again, I just answered with a,'Ehm, you know... rescue mission? Something like that, yeah.'
"....."
Zoey looked at me speechlessly.
She was at a loss for words. Before she could gather her thoughts, another figure stepped out of the car.
"What are you doing? Get in here quickly!"
Staring at the Section Chief as he hurried us in with a wave of his hand, I glanced at Soran before stepping into the car. She looked a little tired, but besides that, she seemed fine as she exchanged a few words with the Section Chief. She was probably explaining to him what had happened to us.
Besides Zoey and the Section Chief, there was one other person inside of the car, and our gazes met almost immediately.
"What?"
She frowned the moment she saw me.
My face scrunched up.
"...Ugh."
"Did you just make a face at me?"
"You're imagining things."
"You did. Bastard. I'll⎯"
"Everything alright?"
Zoey appeared behind as she looked into the car, and almost immediately, a high-pitched, soft voice greeted her back.
"Yup~!"
I reached for my face and tried my best to keep it from scrunching up further.
"Hm? Seth? Is something wrong?"
"Me? Nothing. Why?"
"I don't know..." Zoey frowned while looking me up and down. Seemingly thinking of something, she lowered her voice, "Are you constipated? You look constipated. Maybe..."
Ah.
Did it really look that way?
I turned my head to stare in Catherine's direction. She had a sweet smile on her face, but her eyes seemed to be warning me,'Don't say anything or I'll kill you.'
To that, I smiled.
"I am not."
I smiled brightly at Zoey as she leaned her head back.
"I just had a situation with your sister."
Catherine's eyes turned blazing.
I ignored it as Zoey blinked, alternating her gaze between the two of us.
"What ha⎯"
"She confessed to me."
I came clean, the back of the SUV turning incredibly quiet.
"I rejected her."
The silence continued.
Until⎯
Clank!
"....."
A pair of dark eyes fell on us.
Left to right.
Like a hawk, it scanned us all.
Until they eventually fell on me.
"Am I not good enough for you?"
*
Instead of being brought back to the Guild, the Section Chief judged that we all needed to be sent to the hospital. Initially, Soran and I protested, feeling that we didn't need to go. The only one that truly needed to go was Rowan's sister, but under the Section Chief's strong insistence, we were all brought there.
Recalling what had happened in my last hospital visit, I found myself having developed a sort of apprehension towards them.
Just recalling all the weird sensations I had been put through made my body shiver.
In the end, however, it was probably for the best.
It wasn't until I was put into a bed to rest that I realised just how exhausted I had been. My mind still pounded at the aftermath of the entire situation, and with everything that had happened, I simply passed out the moment I lay down.
Darkness took me before my head even settled against the pillow.
By the time I woke up, I was greeted by the sight of a sterile white ceiling.
For a few seconds, I didn't know where I was.
For a few more, I didn't know what had happened.
The unfamiliar ceiling. The smell of disinfectant. The steady, distant beeping from somewhere beyond the walls. My thoughts crawled through it all sluggishly until, piece by piece, everything clicked back into place.
The pounding never stopped. It only diminished as I brought my hand to my head and groaned.
"...Ugh."
It felt as though a truck had driven over my head and stopped before going back and forth several times. I really felt like shit.
But at the same time, helping myself up, I felt a lot more refreshed as I took a good look at my surroundings.
"I'm back."
I drew a deep breath.
I was finally back after the entire ordeal.
'I really didn't expect things to turn out the way that they did, but in the end, I still managed to deliver my message whilst saving the Team Leader and Rowan's sister.'
Falling back into the bed, I let out a long exhale.
"They'll probably still come at me, but at least I've bought myself some time."
There was no way that my message was going to stop them from attacking me. I wasn't that naive. The main point behind the message was to help me buy time. With everything that I've shown and done to them, I knew that they had grown more apprehensive about doing anything to me.
They still didn't have a full breakdown of my skills, and assumed that I was a lot stronger than I showed.
This was what I wanted.
But at the same time, I also knew that the next time they came at me, they were going to come at me in a way that would make it impossible for me to escape.
Impossible to escape.
The words settled over the quiet room like a weight.
I turned my head towards the window. Outside, the city moved on as usual. Cars, people, and all the mundane things that made up the usual scenes. The entire world was going about its day without a single care.
And somewhere within all of it, I had a sinking feeling that someone was watching me.
'They'll start to overestimate me.'
My long-term prospects weren't very good. Nevertheless, this was something that needed to be done in order for me to continue living. Had I not done this, I would've likely been targeted consistently until they finally got me.
Things were much better this way.
'I need to quickly reach the Fifth Order and quickly develop several'Games'.'
This was the best way for me to grow.
This wasn't the end of my problems, though. Thinking about the potential side effects of the doctor's pills and the memories that I had lost, I could only close my eyes and smile bitterly.
Just once, I tried reaching for one of the lost memories.
There was nothing to grab onto.
That was the truly unsettling part.
I couldn't even tell what I had lost.
"Right, I'm supposed to experience some bad luck soon."
This wasn't the end of the bad news.
Counting the imminent side effects of the Luck Halo, I was certain that the next week was probably going to be some of the worst in my life.
And sure enough⎯
To Tok!
A sudden knock interrupted my attention.
The timing was so perfect that, for a moment, a chill crawled up my spine. As if it had been waiting right outside the door for me to finish that exact thought.
Lifting my head, I watched as the door opened and a figure walked in.
I recognised them the moment that they entered the room. Wearing a nice dark suit, with a large dark coat resting behind and a dark top hat, they entered the room, taking off the hat and pressing it against their chest as they walked in.
Scanning the surroundings, they looked everywhere but me. The corners of the room. The window. The thin gap beneath the curtains.
It was only after checking every inch of the room that they eventually shifted their attention towards me.
As if making sure we were truly alone.
"How are you doing?"
The Guild Master's voice was warm.
"...I heard all about the incident."
He took a seat on the stool next to my bed.
"You did a good job."
Placing the hat on the table next to me, he crossed his legs and tossed something onto my bed.
It was a newspaper.
My eyes fell on the front page. On the headline stretched across it in letters that were far too large.
"Well..."
A brief silence followed as I stared at the title in the newspaper, a groan escaping my lips.
"...There's a lot that we need to do."