"And so, that's who she is," Xain finished, his voice carrying a subdued finality as he wrapped up his explanation of Annie.
"That's...sad," Clara murmured softly, her tone weighed with sympathy.
Xain hadn't given them nearly as much detail as he had offered to Zee and Larkin, and even then, those two hadn't gotten the full truth. They were people he trusted with his life, but even with that bond he had kept pieces of himself hidden. With this group, it was different. He didn't distrust them, but he wasn't ready to open himself in the same way. Still, what he revealed was enough for them to sympathize, enough to weigh heavy on the group.
Yet one person in the group was struck harder than all the others. Nori sat clutching his notebook so tightly his knuckles blanched, his gaze fixed on the floor. His thoughts spiraled inward, heavier with each beat of silence. *It's all my fault. He didn't know what happened to me and turned into that—turned into Annie.* The thought twisted in him, sharp and relentless. Worse was the truth he couldn't reveal. He had once imagined that, one day, he might tell Xain who he truly was. But after hearing this? If he admitted he had survived, alive all this time—even if he had become a killer—it would strip meaning from what Xain had suffered. So he kept his silence, wrote nothing, and stayed hidden behind the name 'Nerissa,' just his fan.
"Well, okay, but that doesn't really explain what happened during the match," Roland pointed out, cutting through the silence.
"Yeah, does that mean you just randomly switch personalities?" Mae asked, tilting her head curiously. She froze for a moment, her mind racing elsewhere as an inappropriate thought or two crept into her imagination, her lips curling into a mischievous grin. "Not that it's a bad thing," she added with a breathy chuckle, amused at her own mental detour.
Xain ignored the second half of her words, focusing only on the actual question. "No. At least... that's what I thought," he admitted. "This is the first time it's ever happened, so I really don't know why it did. Like I told you all, it wasn't deliberate, not like the last time. It wasn't something I had control over."
Clara shifted uncomfortably, her brows drawing together. "Does that mean... you might do something like that again? Because I don't know if I really like that..." she trailed off, her voice fragile, eyes flickering toward him before darting away. Her reaction earned her puzzled looks from the others, who silently wondered why she seemed so affected.
Elsa stepped in to steady her friend. "What Clara is trying to say is that the way you moved, the way you behaved then—it was disturbing. Uncomfortable to watch. Or more accurately…uncanny."
"That much we can all agree on," Gurion said, more or less back from his earlier state. "What you did in the arena felt grotesque." His words earned nods and murmured agreement from the other fighters.
"I can't promise it won't happen again," Xain said, one hand pressing against his chest as if trying to anchor himself. "Because I don't know how it even happened in the first place. But I'll try to understand it, to figure it out, so I don't lose myself like that again."
Mae hummed, lips curling. "You don't have to worry about losing yourself around me~" she purred, her grin widening.
Her attempt earned a sharp smack from Zee, who glared at her with open irritation before turning back to the group. "Sorry. She's been misbehaving lately."
Mae glanced at her with a bemused expression. "What am I, a cat?" she muttered, rubbing the spot where Zee had struck her.
Even then sighed, exhaling hard. "Well, here's hoping you figure it out today. The last thing I want is to fight her tomorrow."
Xain glanced at him, then shifted his eyes between Vilak, Annabel, and Calvinel. "By the way, weren't you guys going to explain what Soul Chambers are to me?" he asked.
Calvinel, unaware of this agreement, snapped his fingers. "Ah, right—you're from Ironhelm. You wouldn't know, of course. Makes sense you'd need an explanation." He turned to the three magic users with a nod. "Go on then. Despite using mine, I can't really explain it well myself."
Annabel stepped forward, her movements calm but deliberate, eyes locking with Xain's as her voice cut across the room. "I suppose I will begin," she said evenly. "Listen closely, boy. Here is how Soul Chambers—and the things that are like them—work."