Six hours.
That's how long I sat there, enduring lecture after lecture until the back of my skull buzzed like a hornet hive. When they were over, relief hit like water after drought. Asmarion disappeared with his circle before I could say anything, and that's when Hinesia appeared again, as if she hadn't just abandoned me in a crowd of vultures earlier.
"Come, let's go."
I followed her.
We walked in silence through the corridors until we reached an elevator. It wasn't a secret one, either. It sat right there in plain sight, ignored by students who streamed past without a second glance. She stepped in. I hesitated for half a second before joining her. The doors sealed, and then we sank.
There were no buttons to mark progress. The air turned cooler the further down we went. By the time the elevator shuddered to a stop a minute later, I wasn't sure if we'd gone beneath the earth or slipped into another reality altogether. When the doors parted, the sight knocked the breath out of me.
A sea of shelves stretched into infinity. Tomes the size of coffins stacked alongside journals barely bigger than palms. They were dusty and ancient, pulsing faintly with Xana.
So this is the Alexandrian Library. She glanced over her shoulder with a faint smirk.
"You have two hours. That's the rule. No one stays longer. Besides, we're the only ones here. I suggest you don't waste it."
And just like that, she waved and turned but I didn't move. Because there was something gnawing at me. So when she was halfway gone, I said it.
"You're an Outer, aren't you?"
She froze dead in her tracks. slowly, she turned. Her face composed in that same regal detachment she always wore.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Sounds like you've been reading too many conspiracy forums. What is an Outer anyway?"
I stepped forward, letting my voice drop.
"Don't bother lying. I can see it. My enchantment makes it impossible for me not to. I can distinguish Outers from this world's natives. And you, Hinesia of House Rameses, are an Outer."
The mask slipped. Her eyes went cold. For a moment, she didn't look like a haughty noble's daughter. She looked dangerous.
"You realize that I could kill you right here?"
I scoffed, not backing down. "Sure. But if you do, House Argemenes comes for Rameses. Everyone saw us take the elevator together. If you return alone, it raises questions."
Her hands clenched at her sides. I could almost hear her teeth grinding. Then she hissed
"I was trying to be nice all along, but it seems you're an Outer too."
"You're not wrong. And that's why I wanted us to be alone."
Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"Because I'm not stupid enough to harm the first daughter of my master."
That intrigued her. For the first time, Hinesia's carefully controlled expression cracked, confusion flashing across it. She stepped closer, glaring up at me.
"I could frame you. One accusation of sexual assault and no one would question me."
"Nefira already tried that and failed."
Her breath hitched from shock.
"What did you just say?"
I gave her a thin smile. "You heard me."
She grabbed my robes, pulling me down to her height. "Is Nefira an Outer too?"
I stared at her, said nothing. Her eyes widened. She let go, stumbling back a step as if my gaze burned her. Then she exhaled sharply, shoulders dropping.
"So it's true as father said. I can't even kill you if I tried. Your Flux… it's too powerful."
"Now you're starting to understand."
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. I actually realized this when we met. I didn't even suspect it until the Three Questions Enchantment actually activated after I asked a third question.
Finally, I broke the silence.
"I want a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"Nothing too dramatic. We came from the same world. That makes us rarer than anything else in this one. You don't trust me, fine. However, you know as well as I do. There's no one else we can trust more than another Outer. You can keep your secrets and I'll keep mine. But we don't have to be enemies."
Her expression softened. It wasn't much, but enough. She looked at me like she was measuring every word and intent behind my eyes. Then she sighed, almost like she was annoyed at herself.
"Damn it. You're right."
I didn't waste time with vague promises or flowery talk. If Hinesia was truly an Outer, then she would understand plain terms.
"My deal is simple. We help each other in the long run. No masks, no games. You watch my back, I watch yours. That's it."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because I'm in Reversa University. And whether you like it or not, I'm controlling the pace of the University Arc."
Her eyes widened. Her lips parted slightly before she regained her composure.
"Wait. You mean to tell me you've already—"
"Met the heroine? Yeah. I've met her."
That broke her composure. She stepped closer.
"And you think you can change her story? You think you can tinker with MoDS like it's just some… sandbox?"
"Listen, in the MoDS storyline, I die saving my sister. You know what that means? It means my story is for me to be expendable. I am not dying for cheap dramatics. Not in this life."
Her lips pressed tight. She wanted to argue. I saw it in her eyes, that stubborn denial that Outers like us all cling to when the weight of inevitability starts pressing down. But then I pressed the knife deeper.
"In the future arcs, all the daughters of House Rameses are killed. You know this, don't you?"
Hinesia froze. The silence said more than her words ever could. She did know.
"Asmarion kills you all, you included. The perfect brother turned monster, tearing down his sisters one at a time. And you know why?"
Her hands trembled at her sides. "Because he's corrupted."
"Exactly. And you played MoDS so you know this isn't just my paranoia. It's already written. The flags are there. Your brother's not going to make it out clean."
For the first time, the confident first daughter looked… vulnerable. She lowered herself into a chair tucked near the aisle.
"So tell me then, genius, how do you plan to stop the corruption? Because last I checked, no one ever managed it in MoDS. Not the the characters, not even the players who spent years trying to twist the endings did it."
I crouched a little, leveling with her. "You want your new family to die?"
"No! Damn it, no! You think I don't care just because I'm an Outer? I've been here since Valentine's Day. And in that time I... love them. I love my family here. The House of Rameses is... they're not NPCs to me. Not anymore."
Same for me too. I don't think I've ever seen Thales, Verdamona or anyone in this world as expendables.
"Then the only option is to follow my lead. You don't have to trust me yet but you damn well know I've thought further ahead than anyone else. I know the rhythm of MoDS because I'm in it. If we want to change things, we can't brute-force it. We have to cut the problem at the root. We have to stop Asmarion's corruption before it blooms."
She studied me again, her eyes searching for weakness, for arrogance, for any sign I was bluffing. But I wasn't.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
"That's for later. But, it starts with you not treating me like an enemy. If you refuse help, then you're already signing your death warrant. But if you're willing to work with me, even grudgingly… then maybe we both walk away from this story alive."
The silence that followed was long. Her nails tapped against the wooden arm of the chair. Then finally, she let out a long, shaky breath and gave a small nod.
"Fine. I'll accept for now. We'll be allies, nothing more. If we're destined to die anyway, then it's better to fight back together than alone."
Good. Who knew she was this easy to talk to?
"That's all I wanted to hear. Oh, and for the record, I'm Outer_110,635."
Her eyebrows lifted at that. Slowly, she said, "Outer_40,001."
"Guess that makes you my senpai."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't push it. Just because I'm Japanese doesn't mean you should say that."
"Wait, you're Japanese? I said that as a joke but you're seriously from Japan?"
"In my past life, yes. And you?"
"I don't have a home."
"You sure have secrets. Well then, you better tell me everything if we want to survive."