[You have been haunted]
I stared at the notification for several seconds before lowering my gaze towards Geneva's brother.
He was looking right at me.
The smile had returned to his face, stretching his lips as his eyes remained wide open. A nurse was fixing the dressing around his forehead, but he didn't seem to notice her at all.
He just continued to stare at me.
As if I was the one he was directly speaking to.
But to make matters even worse, my connection with the hypnosis had also faded. Right now, it felt as though it was someone else who was looking at me.
"....."
I took a slow breath before looking towards Geneva.
She looked back at me.
Neither of us said anything, but her gaze briefly moved towards her brother before returning to mine. Her fingers tightened around the side of the bed.
She seemed to have understood the situation.
I could tell that much.
'An anomaly...'
I looked at her brother again.
What if we had been looking at things wrongly?
I had been looking for something physical the entire time. Something or a location that the compass would be able to find.
But what if it wasn't something physical?
My hand stopped near my pocket.
'Right, in that case...'
A disease?
An anomaly that behaved like some sort of disease or plague.
My heart suddenly raced.
That would explain why nobody could see it. In the first place, if it was a disease, then it was no wonder people couldn't detect it. A disease that acted like the most common cold...
It could make them feel unwell before drawing them somewhere else.
A dream?
Geneva's brother had also spoken as though he was in a meeting with someone. If his mind was somewhere else, perhaps that was where the anomaly actually met its victims.
Where they waited for their turn.
An appointment.
"....."
I felt my heartbeat pick up.
That would explain quite a lot.
'A disease that brings them to the dream world where the anomaly meets with them for an appointment.'
My heart raced even further.
I felt closer and closer to the truth.
Unfortunately, understanding what might be happening didn't make me feel any better. I knew how to look for something that left behind traces. I could at least think of a few ways to deal with something standing in front of me, but this...?
Where was I supposed to begin?
Just in case, I put on my sunglasses and looked around. But as I expected, there was no anomaly near me.
A small pressure against my arm drew my attention to the side. Geneva was looking towards the doorway.
"Can we talk outside?"
I nodded.
She waited until the nurse had finished adjusting the dressing, then followed me out. Even after we stepped into the corridor, she remained close to the door.
"I think we're of the same opinion on this, aren't we?"
"Yes."
I nodded, watching as she rubbed the side of her arm.
"I've been too hung up on the idea that it was an invisible anomaly to even think of the other possibility. This possibility... To think that the anomaly could be a disease."
Geneva glanced through the doorway.
"And what he said about waiting..."
She pressed her lips together.
I looked down at my hand.
There was something else bothering me. If it was a disease, did it have a mind of its own? Could it choose who it entered?
The notification did not tell me anything beyond the fact that I had been haunted. If that meant I had been targeted, then...
'Does that mean I'm already infected?'
My fingers slowly curled. I didn't particularly like that thought.
Actually, I hated it.
I had only just managed to get my head into a somewhat decent state. The idea of something else entering my body and potentially fucking it up was annoying.
And yet, I couldn't simply reach inside and pull it out.
"Seth."
I looked up.
Geneva had taken out her phone.
"I need to contact the BUA."
I was taken aback.
"What?"
"If this is what we think it is, then this is much more serious than we thought. There are other patients here. The staff..."
Her thumb moved.
I reached over and stopped her hand.
Anything but that.
"Don't do it."
She looked at me.
"...What?"
I met her gaze.
"What do you think they'll do if you tell them there's an invisible disease spreading through the hospital?"
Her expression changed.
"They'll close the place down."
"Yes."
"They'd have to."
"And where would that leave us?"
Geneva didn't answer immediately.
I looked back towards the ward.
They wouldn't just close the doors and let everyone leave. They'd want to know who had come into contact with whom, where they had been, and whether anyone else was showing symptoms.
In the meantime, we would get to sit here.
Waiting.
Again...
I wistfully looked up.
"I was stuck once. I moved past that."
"...What?"
"Anyways, don't call them. At least, not yet."
Geneva stared at me for a moment before looking down at the phone.
"But if this can spread..."
"Then we need to find out how."
"That's why I need to call them."
"And tell them what, exactly? That we think it's a disease?"
Her mouth stopped moving.
I let go of her hand.
"Your brother has been around other people. You've been with him. The nurses have been looking after him."
Geneva glanced towards the room again.
"Have they all ended up like this?"
"No, but—"
"Then we still don't know what we're dealing with."
I lowered my voice.
"Even if it can spread, it doesn't seem to be happening to everyone who comes near him."
At least, that was how it looked to me.
It could be moving between people slowly. It could be choosing them. There might be something else that had to happen first. I didn't know, and that was the problem.
Was delaying the call a little irresponsible?
Probably.
But getting stuck in a hospital because of an assumption didn't sound particularly responsible either. Especially when I was one of the people trying to work out what was happening.
Geneva had yet to put her phone away, and I could understand why. She wanted to report this to get more aid from the BUA.
I waited until she looked at me again.
"If we need to get to the bottom of this, we can't be stuck."
Getting stuck meant not being able to investigate.
Anything but that.
Her gaze remained on me as I continued.
"We'd be waiting for them to decide when we could leave, while this thing keeps doing whatever it's doing. We need to understand more before that happens. Your brother doesn't have much time."
She looked towards the ward for several seconds.
Then, slowly, she lowered her phone.
"...You're right. But only for now."
Her expression grew thoughtful as she turned back towards me.
"Then we should—"
"Did you know that I went to the doctor?"
"Ah?"
"That doctor..."
I wistfully looked up. It felt as though I was doing that quite a lot lately as I reminisced about my time with the doctor.
"...I went to him."
-x-X-x-
I realized something.
The best way to get someone to shut up was by acting like a lunatic.
My head was clear. It was quite clear.
There were no extra voices or any of that. But I still chose to act like a lunatic because it helped me get people to stop talking.
It was great.
A cheat code of sorts.
But there was a limit to how much I could act like a lunatic. In this case, the situation was quite serious because there was a good chance that I was infected with some sort of unknown disease.
One that doctors very likely wouldn't be able to find.
'This is really troubling.'
I scratched the back of my head as I looked at Geneva.
She was looking at me too, but it was more like she was looking at me to see if I was alright in the head.
I was.
For now.
Maybe.
"For now, it's best if you remain quiet. If things progress in a bad direction, you're free to alert the BUA. However, keep in mind that alerting them will prevent us from investigating the situation properly. It might waste our time completely, and given the time constraint with your brother, this isn't something that we want."
"...Alright, but I won't be able to keep the news hidden for long."
"I'm aware."
By law, she had to report it. Even if she pretended not to like me, if it was found that she knew something and didn't report it, then it would be pretty serious. I was also certain that she wanted to report it because if the BUA took over and the situation escalated to a certain level, it would mean a lot of Paragons and individuals would investigate.
In essence...
'She doesn't care about the law, but just wants others to help.'
The only reason why she didn't do that was that I told her not to.
She understood that I was forcing her hand.
"...I'll go check on my brother."
"Do that."
I eyed her in silence, staring at her departing back without saying anything.
'I guess I should hurry things up a bit.'
This investigation...
My hand reached for my pocket, tightening around the radio.
'There's also this problem that I need to resolve.'
*
The car stopped in front of a massive ivory building.
I looked through the window, following the pale walls up until I had to lean forward to see the top. Several large pillars stood on either side of the entrance, with wide steps leading up from the road.
'So this is the Ivory Thorn Guild.'
For a moment, I wondered how much the place had cost.
Actually, it was probably better if I didn't know.
Thanking the driver, I stepped out and looked towards the people gathered outside. There were considerably more than I had expected. Some stood together, speaking in low voices, while others held cameras and watched the entrance.
I made my way through them, keeping my injured hand close to my stomach as I climbed the steps.
It was a little quieter inside.
The lobby was spacious, with enough room that the people standing around the reception desk barely took up any of it. Looking past them, I noticed two men in black standing in front of a gate leading farther into the building.
Then I spotted a few familiar faces.
They were gathered a short distance away, with Jordan standing behind the others. Joanna noticed me first and immediately came over.
"You're here."
"Yes."
I glanced towards the gate.
"What's happening?"
"They're blocking anyone from entering."
"Did you tell them that we're from the Severed Stars Guild?"
"Yes. They said nobody is allowed entrance, but..."
"But what?"
"Several other Guilds have entered."
"...Oh."
A smile slowly formed on my face.
That made things considerably easier to understand.
I looked towards the two men again. One of them glanced in our direction before returning his attention to the lobby, his expression remaining unchanged.
"Did they say when we could go in?"
"No."
"Did they offer to let someone know we're here?"
"I asked. They told us to wait."
"How considerate."
Joanna looked at me for a moment.
I continued to smile.
There was supposed to be a meeting regarding the situation with Ivory Thorn. More specifically, the Gate they had failed to clear.
With so many people dead and a considerable part of their main force gone, the BUA had raised the alert. Other Guilds were now allowed to interfere, and there were quite a few things that needed to be discussed before anyone made another attempt.
It was an Ranked Gate, after all.
Sending people in without understanding what had happened to the previous group would be rather stupid.
I had come to hear what information was available and discuss how to deal with it. I wasn't really planning on clearing the Gate.
At least, not yet.
There were too many other things I needed to take care of. This was merely a task the Section Chief had thrown at me because I was close.
It was supposed to be an easy task.
But apparently, even that was going to be troublesome.
The other Guilds had been allowed through, whilst we weren't.
Considering the things that were happening within the Guild, and the potential 'sponsors' coming from other Guilds towards the people in our Guild, I doubted they had simply forgotten about us.
'Well, this is annoying.'
I looked at the guards for a little longer before Joanna spoke again.
"What should we do?"
I turned towards her.
There were several ways to go about this. I could try speaking to them myself, although I doubted that would change much. Calling someone was another option.
I was about to answer when a voice came from beside us.
"Wait, let me."
My head turned.
Ariel was already walking towards the entrance.
"..."
No, not this crazy bitch.
"Wait."
I moved after her, raising my good hand.
"Let's be calm about this. We're here as delegates from the Guild. We can't do anything cra⎯"
The man standing closest to her twitched.
It was a subtle movement. His shoulder jerked slightly, and for a brief moment, his expression tightened as he looked at Ariel.
Then he stepped aside.
"..."
My hand slowly lowered.
The other guard noticed almost immediately. His brows drew together as he looked at his colleague, then at Ariel.
"Hold on. You can't⎯"
He stopped.
One of his hands remained half-raised, his mouth still slightly open. He stood there without finishing what he had been about to say, even as Ariel walked past him.
She stopped just beyond the gate and turned towards me.
A smile spread across her face.
"See? We can go in."
I looked at her, then at the two guards.
One was standing neatly to the side. The other still looked as though he wanted to say something.
Neither of them was stopping us anymore.
Beside me, Jordan's mouth opened and closed several times. His gaze kept moving between Ariel and the guards before eventually settling on me.
"Y-you can't..."
He seemed to be waiting for me to say something.
I thought about it for a moment.
"Well, I guess this works too."
"...!"
Reaching into my pocket, I took out my sunglasses and put them on with my good hand.
Then I stepped forward.
Joanna followed, slipping a hand into her own pocket. Ariel had already taken out her pair by the time I reached the doorway, and the others soon did the same.
I briefly looked back.
Jordan was the only one without sunglasses.
He stood in the middle of the lobby, staring at us in complete shock. When he noticed me looking, his mouth opened again.
Nothing came out.
"You don't have your own sunglasses?"
-x-X-x-
The large conference room was quiet as the Guild Master of Ivory Thorn changed the image on the screen.
Several people sat around the long table, with representatives from different Guilds occupying the seats nearest to him. All belonged to large Guilds within the Oak Circle.
There wasn't a single representative from the five major Guilds.
That didn't mean they weren't paying attention. The Guild Master knew that much. He also knew that several of the people sitting in front of him were considerably more interested in what his Guild would lose than what had happened inside the Gate.
None of them actually cared for the Gate.
A man with silver-rimmed glasses lowered the report in his hands.
"This is where they encountered it?"
"Yes."
The image showed a large hall with several broken pillars. Bodies lay scattered across the floor, although it was difficult to make out much else through the blood covering part of the lens.
"Who recovered this?"
"One of the survivors."
"And where are they now?"
"They're being treated."
The man's fingers tapped against the report.
"We'll need to speak with them before we can consider committing anyone."
"You'll be able to speak with them when they're in a condition to answer."
The Guild Master pressed the remote before the man could respond.
The image started moving.
Heavy breathing came through the speakers as the person wearing the camera moved behind a pillar. Someone was shouting nearby, but the sound of metal striking the floor made it difficult to hear what they were saying.
Then a woman entered the frame.
She stood in the middle of the hall, wearing a pale dress that had darkened around her waist. Her hair hung loosely around her face, and one of her feet was bare.
There was a knife in her right hand.
The Guild Master and everyone else in the room watched her lift it.
He had already seen the recording several times, and yet, his fingers still tightened around the remote.
A member of the raid team stood a short distance from the woman. He was slowly backing away, his attention remaining fixed on her as he reached towards his waist.
"What's he doing?"
The Guild Master didn't answer.
The woman brought the knife towards her stomach.
And then?
Puchi!
A scream came through the speakers.
But it wasn't hers.
It came from the member of the raid team, his mouth hung open as he stared down at his hand, his fingers trembling as blood spilled from the exact spot the woman had stabbed herself.
"Haaaa—!"
His scream ripped through the surroundings as the woman pulled the knife free from her body.
Blood spilled between the man's fingers as she did so. He staggered back, but before anyone could reach him, the woman dropped her knife on the floor and slipped her fingers into the wound.
Several people around the table stopped moving.
She inched her finger into the wound.
"Haaa!!"
The man screamed again as both hands moved towards his stomach, his scream growing even more hoarse.
"No! Hold him!"
Someone rushed into the frame and caught his wrists.
The camera shook. For a few seconds, there was nothing but the side of a pillar and the sound of the man begging them to stop his hands.
Then the woman came back into view.
Her dress had split around her stomach, blood leaking out constantly. Lifting her head, she looked in the direction of the man holding his teammate's wrist as she reached down for the knife.
Slowly, her bloody hand moved towards her neck.
Then?
The recording stopped.
"....."
The Guild Master lowered the remote.
"That was the last clear section of the footage."
Nobody immediately spoke. A woman near the end of the table looked down at the report before turning back to the image left on the screen.
"Mind control?"
"That's what we initially thought."
"You don't think so anymore?"
"We don't know."
His answer made several people frown.
"The survivors described the same thing. They remained conscious. They knew what was happening, but they couldn't do anything about it. She reflects her own pain onto whoever is in the room."
"Then restrain her."
The man with silver-rimmed glasses spoke again.
"Or kill her before she can do anything."
The Guild Master changed the image.
The woman appeared again, this time from farther away. A spear was buried in her chest, and part of her stomach remained open beneath it.
She was standing over two bodies.
"Those were also suggestions we proposed, but it doesn't work. Restraints only serve to restrain others."
The man's mouth closed.
"We haven't identified what allows her to select someone, or how far away they need to be before they're safe. Whatever this Decree is, it doesn't match anything in our records."
The Guild Master looked around the table.
"Until we understand it, sending another team inside will only—"
The doors opened.
Clank!
***
Several heads turned towards us as we entered.
I looked around the room, taking in the long table and the people seated around it before briefly stopping on the projection.
Oh.
That looked rather unpleasant.
Joanna came in beside me while Ariel followed, still looking quite pleased with herself. The others entered shortly after, their sunglasses remaining neatly in place.
Everyone besides Jordan.
He stood near the doorway, looking between us and the people around the table as though he was still deciding whether to come inside or not.
I tilted my head towards him.
He reluctantly took a step forward.
Good. We shouldn't leave anyone behind.
"You are...?"
The man who spoke wore silver-rimmed glasses. His gaze had already moved over our Guild insignia, but he still looked at me as though he couldn't understand why I was there.
I smiled and took off my sunglasses.
"...I am a man of many names."
His brows drew together.
"To some, I am called Team Leader. To others, I'm simply Seth. Those who know me better tend to add a few words before or after my name."
"This isn't—"
"Talented. Considerate. Exceptionally competent. There are quite a few, so I won't go through all of them. Oh, right, some also call me lunatics, but I'm not."
I approached the table, keeping my injured hand close to my stomach.
"Of course, some people also call me a bastard, but those are usually people who don't know me very well."
"Those are titles..."
"When a door is close, it's still a door."
"What...?"
"Is it not?"
"Team Leader Thorne."
"Ah. So you do know one."
His expression stiffened.
I nodded appreciatively before pulling out an empty chair with my good hand.
"We could've saved quite a bit of time."
See?
At the end of the day, the only way to get these people to stop acting like idiot was to just say a bunch of nonsense.
I found this method to work quite well.
"This isn't the place for another one of your publicity stunts."
"There's cameras here?"
"....."
He didn't answer.
I sat down and placed my sunglasses beside the report on the table. Joanna stopped behind my chair, while the others moved out of the doorway.
Turning my attention towards the projection, I studied the woman on the screen.
A spear in her chest. An open stomach.
And she was still standing.
Hmm.
"Well, go on."
I gestured towards the screen.
Nobody moved.
The Guild Master stood at the head of the table, his brows furrowed as he looked from me towards the others behind my chair.
"How did you get inside?"
"Through the door."
"I can see that."
"If you weren't allowed inside, then obviously there's a r—"
"Do you know what I hate the most?"
My smile faded.
The Guild Master stopped speaking as I rested my good hand against the table.
"People who waste my time."
The room grew noticeably quieter.
I had come here to listen to a meeting. I wasn't here for anything else. I didn't even want to be here in the first place, so the faster this went, the better.
'I am starting to understand why the Section Chief always looks so tired.'
Pointing towards the projection, I looked straight at the Guild Master.
"If there's anyone who can solve this case, it's me."
The man with silver-rimmed glasses let out a small breath. In a way, it almost felt as though he was laughing at me .
I turned towards him.
"Who are you?"
"I am..."
"No, never mind, I don't care."
His expression stiffened as I turned around.
"I'm good at what I do. More-so than most of the people present."
Several expressions changed.
That wasn't arrogance.
It was the cold truth.
"If you want to solve this, then I'm your best bet. So..."
I leaned back and nudged my head towards the projection.
"Continue."
"....."
Nobody spoke.
The Guild Master's attention remained fixed on me. He looked rather irritated, but his gaze eventually shifted towards the woman on the screen.
I waited.
The man with silver-rimmed glasses opened his mouth, only for the Guild Master to raise his hand.
Then he looked at me again.
"Will you actually help...?"
"To be honest, no."
"...!?"
"I'm only here as a formality. I only said what I said because it sounded cool, so go ahead. I'll leave after I'm done."
I only said what I said because the way they looked at me bothered me.
I actually couldn't care less about the meeting.
There were more pressing matters that I needed to deal with.
-x-X-x-
The Guild Master opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He seemed too speechless to know what to say.
Eventually, his gaze moved towards the man with silver-rimmed glasses, who looked as though he had quite a few things to say. After staring at him for a moment, the Guild Master shook his head and turned back towards the projection.
"As I was saying..."
Oh.
He was actually continuing.
I settled into my chair, rather pleased with how things had turned out.
"The woman inflicts her own pain onto others. She isn't controlling them. The movements you saw were their reactions to what they were experiencing."
He changed the image, bringing up another section of the hall.
"When she hurts herself, someone else suffers the same thing. That's why taking their weapons away didn't help."
I whistled.
"...That's interesting."
No, really.
It was really interesting.
Ariel could control people, but this seemed to be something else entirely. The woman didn't even need to make someone do anything. She could simply hurt herself and let them deal with it.
How... sadistic.
"What happens if she stubs her toe? That must be even worse than slicing her head off."
I blurted out my inner thoughts without even realizing it.
The Guild Master's hand stopped against the remote.
"....."
That was a genuine question.
I had hit mine against the corner of a desk before. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Well, a few people.
My gaze briefly moved towards the man with silver-rimmed glasses before returning to the projection.
"We've been reviewing the recordings to determine how she chooses her targets," the Guild Master continued. "Unfortunately, we haven't found anything conclusive."
He was ignoring me.
Fair enough.
I picked up my sunglasses and slipped them on as another image appeared.
"We initially considered distance. However, some of those closest to her were unaffected, while others farther away were targeted."
"Then it could be her line of sight."
"Possibly. But the footage doesn't give us a clear enough view to confirm that."
The image showed the woman standing beside one of the broken pillars. Part of her face was hidden beneath her hair, making it difficult to tell where she was looking.
I tilted my head slightly.
"...Hmm?"
The man beside me glanced over.
I lowered my sunglasses a little, looked at the screen again, then let them settle back into place.
He moved his chair away from mine.
The way he looked at me was rather rude. He was looking at me as if I was crazy, but I wasn't crazy.
I had my own reasons.
"The scout recordings haven't been much better."
The Guild Master said.
"There are too many obstructions, and none of them show the entire hall. We haven't been able to get any more information. We're... stuck."
My ears perked up.
"Then what exactly are you proposing?"
The question came from a woman near the end of the table.
The Guild Master put down the remote.
"A different approach. Rather than sending another conventional team, we need people whose Decrees allow them to operate without being affected by pain."
"Pain suppression?"
"That's one possibility. Another would be someone capable of producing independent copies."
A few people started looking through their reports again.
I remained focused on the screen.
The Guild Master picked up the remote and changed the image. This one had been taken from near the entrance, with most of the hall visible beyond the doors.
My fingers stopped against the arm of my chair.
Oh.
I lifted my glasses once more before slowly taking them off and setting them beside the report.
Another person moved away from me.
"Someone who can send a copy inside while remaining outside themselves," the Guild Master continued. "Preferably one that doesn't share its senses with the original. That would allow us to investigate without placing another person directly in danger."
"And someone who doesn't feel pain?"
"They should be able to approach without becoming incapacitated in the same way. We would still need to account for the injuries, but it gives us somewhere to start."
I raised my good hand.
"Oh...? What about robots?"
The Guild Master looked towards the woman at the end of the table.
"We'll need to confirm which Guilds have suitable personnel before discussing the next attempt."
"....."
Ignored again.
I slowly lowered my hand.
Robots seemed like a perfectly reasonable suggestion. They didn't feel pain, didn't complain, and probably wouldn't ask for compensation afterwards.
Actually, they sounded like excellent Guild Members.
"The matter of compensation will also need to be addressed."
The man with silver-rimmed glasses said.
See?
Already talking about compensation.
"Any personnel committed to this operation will be taking a considerable risk."
"I'm aware."
"Then you'll understand that we'll require more than an assurance that—"
I looked down at my watch.
Then I stood up.
"Alright, I've heard enough. I'll be taking my leave."
The man stopped speaking.
Several heads turned towards me as I pushed my chair back into place with my good hand. Joanna straightened behind me, and the others started moving towards the door.
"You're leaving?"
"Yes."
"The meeting isn't finished."
"That's alright. You can continue without me."
"....."
I had come, sat down, and listened. That should've been enough to prove that I had attended.
It was a formality, after all.
Now that it was taken care of, I planned on resting for a little while. I still had quite a few things to deal with, but doing them while exhausted wouldn't really do me any good. Then again, when was I not exhausted?
I picked up my sunglasses and turned towards the door.
Then I stopped.
"Ah, right."
The Guild Master looked at me.
He seemed to be both relieved and angry at my sudden actions. Relieved I was leaving, angry at how rudely I was leaving.
I shrugged and pointed at the projector.
"Regarding the Gate, clearing it should be pretty easy."
His brows drew together.
"...What?"
"The woman is a fake."
The room went quiet.
I gestured towards the projection.
"She isn't actually the anomaly. You've been looking at the wrong thing."
"What are you talking about?"
"The doll."
I pointed towards the lower edge of the image, where a broken section of a pillar lay near the wall.
"The little one in the corner. That's what you should be dealing with."
Everyone turned.
For a moment, nobody said anything. Then the Guild Master picked up the remote and enlarged the section I was pointing at.
A small doll sat against the rubble.
Its dress was dirty, blending into the debris around it, while one of its arms lay across its lap. With all the blood and bodies elsewhere in the image, it was rather easy to overlook.
Its head was tilted towards the hall.
Towards the woman.
"...That?"
"Yes."
The Guild Master stepped closer to the screen.
Someone turned back several pages in their report, while the woman at the end of the table leaned forward.
"How did you notice it?"
"I looked."
"You looked?"
"Yes. With my eyes."
I wasn't certain what else they expected me to say.
The man with silver-rimmed glasses abruptly put his report down.
"You're not making shit up, are you?"
His voice was considerably louder than before.
"People will be going inside based on the information discussed here. You can't just point at something in a photograph and expect everyone to believe you."
"Then check it."
"This could be extremely dangerous."
I looked at the bodies on the screen before returning my attention to him.
It seemed rather dangerous already.
"You've done nothing but interrupt this meeting, and now you expect us to—"
I shrugged and put my sunglasses back on.
"Suit yourself."
Then I turned and left.
Nobody stopped us.
*
"Wait, Team Leader."
Mia caught up with me before we reached the end of the corridor.
"Was that true?"
"What?"
"The doll. Is it really the anomaly?"
"Ah. Yes."
I nodded, looking ahead as Joanna and the others followed.
Mia glanced back towards the conference room.
"So they just need to go to that corner?"
"No. It won't necessarily be there."
"...What?"
"Its location changes. It was somewhere different in every recording."
Her steps slowed.
"There's such a thing?"
"Apparently."
In one image, it had been by the far wall. In another, it had been beside the entrance. The same broken pillar was visible in both, so it wasn't simply because the camera had moved.
I hadn't seen it move, but it certainly hadn't stayed in the same place.
Mia looked at me for several seconds.
"You noticed all of that while they were talking?"
"I was listening too."
"Then why didn't you say anything earlier?"
"They kept ignoring me."
"That's..."
She stopped, apparently unable to argue with that.
"But how did you know it was the doll and not the woman?"
I lowered my sunglasses slightly and looked at her.
Then, smiling, I pushed them back into place.
"Trade secret."
"....."
Actually, it was the sunglasses.
I hadn't expected them to work quite so well on a recording, but I had checked more than once. Even when the angle changed, they kept drawing my attention to the same little thing.
Without them, the doll looked like something someone had thrown away.
With them...
Well, there was a reason I had taken a second look.
I adjusted the glasses against my nose and continued walking.
See?
I wasn't crazy.
-x-X-x-
I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the building.
The air felt considerably better out here. There were still people gathered near the steps, but none of them were asking me to introduce myself or how I had managed to get in. Probably, they already knew.
That alone was quite a pleasant turn of events.
I had attended the meeting, provided some useful information, and left without agreeing to do any additional work.
Everything felt great.
Adjusting my sunglasses, I started making my way down the steps while the others followed. Mia was saying something to Nora behind me, and Joanna had already taken out her phone.
It was then that I noticed Jordan.
He was walking a little farther behind everyone else, occasionally glancing towards the entrance. When he noticed me looking, he immediately straightened.
"Something wrong?"
"Ah… No."
"Then why do you keep looking back? Did you leave something?"
"No, I…"
His gaze moved towards the building again before returning to me.
"Was what you said really true?"
I tilted my head.
"I said quite a few things."
"About the doll."
"Ah."
Another one.
First Mia, and now him. I was starting to feel as though nobody had any faith in their Team Leader.
A little hurtful, considering how talented I was.
"Why? Do you think I made it up?"
"No, that's not…"
Jordan stopped speaking as I looked at him.
Then he slowly lowered his head.
"…I wasn't sure."
At least he was honest.
I smiled and waved my good hand dismissively.
"Well, my information is accurate. But whether they accept it or not is up to them."
I looked back towards the building.
"It's also not that simple to clear the Gate."
Jordan's head lifted.
"…What?"
"Finding the doll is one thing. Dealing with it is another."
The doll hadn't been particularly difficult to find once I knew what I was looking for. That didn't mean someone could simply walk up to it, pick it up, and leave.
This was an Ranked Gate, after all.
There were probably other ways for the doll to protect itself. There was no way to be sure that the woman was the only thing the doll was capable of summoning. Was the woman even its limit? Could she summon more?
I doubted they had managed to capture everything.
'Actually, I'm starting to get interested in the doll. Maybe I should get the doll for myself.'
It was just a passing thought.
Unless I stole it, there was no way the BUA would allow me to have something so dangerous.
"But you said it would be easy."
Jordan muttered as he looked at me.
Looking at him, I nodded.
"For me."
I mean, I could just have the Voidwalker do all the work for me. Even Mirelle could probably do it.
"….."
"But they're not me. So it won't be that easy for them. Still, I told them enough. It's definitely much easier than it was in the past."
I had already helped them more than I should've. If they wanted me to explain every little thing, then that would be way too much work for me.
I was currently trying to avoid that.
Jordan looked towards the entrance one last time before slowly nodding.
"Then… we're not going inside?"
"The Gate?"
"Yes."
"Didn't I say we were taking a break?"
"You did."
"Then take a break."
His shoulders finally relaxed a little.
Good.
Perhaps now he could stop worrying about things that weren't his problem. I was about to offer him some more advice when something tickled the inside of my nose.
My breath caught.
"Achooo!"
I turned my head, bringing my good hand up just in time.
"…Bless me."
Rubbing the bottom of my nose, I took another step.
Then I stopped.
My hand remained against my face.
Oh…
***
Mia watched their Team Leader walk away before turning towards Joanna, who was still holding her phone.
The directions to the nearest clinic were open on the screen.
"…Did he really leave because he sneezed?"
Nora was the one who asked.
Joanna looked up from her phone.
"That's what he said."
"Oh."
Mia glanced in the direction the Team Leader had left.
"….."
For the first time, she found herself unable to say a thing.
She thought he had been joking at first. Like… who would call a doctor because of a sneeze? But he actually did go.
'What the hell…?'
Perhaps he really didn't like getting sick.
Well, nobody did, but most people weren't quite so eager to see a doctor after sneezing once.
"Let's go."
Putting her phone away, Joanna started walking towards the car. Mia followed, only to notice that Jordan hadn't moved yet.
He was looking back towards the building again.
"Still thinking about the doll?"
His head turned.
"Ah… A little."
"Didn't you just ask him about it?"
"I did."
"And?"
"He said it wouldn't be that easy for them."
Mia looked at him for a moment before smiling.
"But easy for him?"
"…Yes."
That sounded about right.
She could almost imagine the expression he had made while saying it.
"Come on."
She motioned for him to follow, and Jordan finally moved away from the steps. They walked behind the others for a few seconds before Mia spoke again.
"The Team Leader can be a little weird sometimes."
Jordan looked at her.
Suddenly she thought about his recent actions.
"…Quite weird, actually. But he's usually right about these things."
"I'm not saying he's wrong."
"I know. I asked him about it too."
That seemed to surprise him a little.
Mia shrugged.
"He goes through phases. In some moments, he wants to step on things. In other moments, he becomes reclusive and stays in his office for a long time, and in other moments he starts speaking in poetic yet nonsesical ways. He's currently in that phase."
"…Oh."
"You learn to get used to it."
Mia nodded.
"He is weird, but… his capabilities are real."
She looked back at the building.
"I can guarantee you right now that within the next couple of days the Gate that one single Guild couldn't clear will be cleared. All because of what the Team Leader said."
She was doubtful at first too, but thinking about how the Team Leader was, she realized it was pointless worries.
"He's not one of the youngest Team Leaders for no reason."
Jordan remained quiet for a moment before slowly nodding.
"…Alright."
"Besides, he told us to take a break. There's no need to make that difficult."
That was the part she was most excited about.
They reached the car just as Joanna unlocked it. Nora got in first, and Jordan opened the door on the other side while Mia slid into the seat beside Nora.
As she reached for the door, her nose suddenly tickled.
***
"It doesn't seem like you have a cold."
"…Are you sure, doctor?"
"Yes."
The doctor sitting across from me lowered the thermometer onto his desk before looking back at me.
"There's nothing at the moment that suggests you have one. And sneezing once doesn't necessarily mean you've caught a cold."
"I guess you're right."
I rubbed the bottom of my nose.
It felt fine.
In fact, everything felt fine. My throat wasn't hurting, my head was clear, and I didn't feel particularly different from how I had felt before leaving the building.
I had just sneezed.
Once.
That was all it had taken for me to ask Joanna where the nearest clinic was.
She looked rather confused, but she still found one. I told her to take the others back before coming here on my own.
Looking back, it had been a rather quick decision.
'Kind of strange now that I think about it.'
I looked at the bracelet on my wrist.
Was I really cured?
"Has it happened again since then?"
I looked up.
"What again?"
"The sneezing."
"No."
"And you haven't noticed anything else?"
"No."
The doctor nodded and turned towards his computer.
I watched him type for a few seconds before lowering my gaze towards my hands.
'Maybe I am being paranoid.'
It was possible.
After everything that had happened at the hospital, I was probably paying too much attention to things I normally wouldn't have cared about.
People sneezed.
I had sneezed before.
Quite a few times, actually. None of those times ended with me sitting in front of a doctor, asking him about my general state. In fact, I had never gone to a doctor regarding colds in the past.
But…
'I have a cold.'
Geneva's brother's voice came back to me.
I remembered how softly he had spoken back in the hospital. How he had stood there with blood running down his face.
My fingers slowly tightened against my knee.
"Are you concerned about something?"
I lifted my head and put on my sunglasses.
'Damn, I really am paranoid.'
But I guess I was now sure the doctor wasn't an anomaly.
The doctor was looking at me even more weirdly now, his hands resting beside the keyboard. From his expression, he probably thought I had other more serious problems than the cold.
And he was right.
"…I'd rather not get sick."
"Of course."
"I have quite a few things to do."
He nodded, although I doubted he understood just how many things I had to do.
"What made you think you had a cold?"
I looked at him.
"The sneeze."
"Right."
"….."
"….."
When he put it like that, it did sound a little unreasonable.
I leaned back in the chair and slowly let out a breath.
It wasn't as though I expected him to identify whether I had caught an anomaly exclusive disease or not. Even if something was wrong, there was a good chance that he wouldn't notice anything.
I knew that.
I had known it before coming here.
And yet, I still came.
Perhaps I just wanted someone to tell me that I was fine.
The doctor turned back towards the computer, and I waited while he finished typing.
My nose had yet to bother me again.
The more time passed, the more it seemed as though I had overreacted.
'It was just a sneeze.'
I rubbed the side of my face.
A little embarrassing, but I could live with that. I would much rather embarrass myself over nothing than ignore something I shouldn't have.
At least now I could go back and rest.
"Alright."
I placed my good hand against the armrest and stood up.
"Thank you, doctor."
"You're welcome."
I nodded and reached for my sunglasses.
Then my nose started itching.
"Achoo."
My hand stopped just above the glasses.
"….."
Slowly, I looked at the doctor.
He looked back at me.
"…That's just—"
"Achoo."
"….."
"….."
His gaze remained on my face for several seconds.
"…You might have a cold."
"Fuck."
-x-X-x-
I sat back down.
The doctor watched me for a moment before glancing towards the thermometer on his desk.
"It was two sneezes. To be honest, you don't need to be so concerned."
"I'll try."
I wasn't making any promises.
My nose had stopped bothering me again, but that didn't make me feel much better. I looked down at my hands before eventually reaching for my sunglasses.
There wasn't much point in staying here. He had already told me everything he could.
"Thank you. I'll—"
Trrr!
My phone rang.
I paused and took it out, looking at the name on the screen before answering.
"Guild Master Maren?"
⎯Seth. Are you available?
Her voice sounded a little different from usual. There was something happening in the background, and I heard her say something to someone else before returning her attention to me.
⎯Can you come to the Guild?
"What happened?"
⎯He woke up.
My hand stopped against the sunglasses.
"Who?"
No, there was no point in asking. I already knew.
⎯Our member. The one we've asked you to rescue.
"….."
I slowly stood up.
"Since when?"
⎯A little while ago.
"Has he said anything?"
There was a brief pause.
⎯…You should come and see for yourself.
I looked towards the doctor, who was waiting for me to finish the call.
"I'm on my way."
I bid farewell to the doctor and left, my heart pounding against my chest harder than I expected it to.
He woke up…?
But that's impossible. Wasn't he affected by VILE – 1048 as well?
*
The Guild Master of Silver Lanters was waiting near the entrance to the medical ward when I arrived.
She stepped towards me almost immediately, her grey hair a little loose around the sides of her face.
"This way."
I followed her down the corridor.
"How is he?"
"They've examined him. Physically, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong."
"That's good."
"Yes, but…"
Her steps slowed as we approached a door.
"He's frightened."
"Of what?"
"We don't know. He won't tell us."
I looked through the doorway.
The man was sitting on the bed with his back against the raised pillow. Both hands were gripping the sheets, pulling them tightly over his legs.
At first glance, he looked considerably better than before.
There was some colour in his face, and he turned his head when someone moved outside the room. He was clearly aware of what was happening around him.
His eyes, however…
I stopped near the door.
They were wide open.
Even as he rubbed one with the back of his hand, the other remained fixed on the room. He lowered his hand almost immediately and looked towards the corner beside the bed.
Then the window.
Then the door.
"Ever since he's woken up, he's been like that. He won't close his eyes for some reason."
The Guild Master said quietly as she looked in his direction.
I turned to her.
"Not even for a moment?"
"Not once."
I watched him press his back more firmly against the pillow.
"Has he recognised anyone?"
"Yes. He knows who we are. He even asked how long he'd been here."
"And when you asked what happened?"
"He stopped answering."
Maren pushed the door to the room open, prompting the doctors to look our way.
"It's alright."
The Guild Master spoke in the softest voice I'd ever heard her speak.
"I've brought someone who might be able to help."
The Guild Member's attention settled on her almost immediately.
His fingers loosened slightly, although he kept hold of the sheets as I entered behind her.
I had only taken a few steps when he noticed me.
His expression changed.
The little colour in his face seemed to disappear as his gaze settled on mine. His mouth opened, and the sheets began trembling between his fingers.
I stopped.
"…Are you alright?"
He didn't answer.
His eyes moved a little higher.
Then to the side.
I felt my shoulders stiffen.
"Why…?"
His voice was barely audible.
Maren moved closer to the bed.
"What is it?"
The man swallowed, his throat shifting as he continued to stare past me.
"…Why did you bring it here?"
"….."
I looked behind me.
There was the doorway, part of the corridor, and a nurse passing with a folder held against her chest.
Nothing else.
My gaze moved towards the space beside the door before returning to the man.
"What did you say?"
His hands pulled harder against the sheets.
"Why did you bring it here?"
I reached for my sunglasses and put them on.
Then I looked again.
The doorway was still there. So was the corridor.
I couldn't see anything that explained the look on his face.
'…What is he looking at?'
A small sound came from the bed.
When I turned back, the man had started shaking his head.
"No."
Maren reached towards him.
"Listen to me. You're at the Guild. You're safe."
"No, no, no…"
He suddenly pulled the sheets up, dragging them over his head before Maren could stop him.
I could still see his hands beneath the fabric.
They were pressed against the sides of his face.
"Please."
The word came out so quietly that I almost missed it.
Then he said it again.
"Please. I didn't tell him anything."
I remained where I was.
"I swear. I didn't tell him anything!"
His voice grew louder, and Maren looked towards me.
I didn't know what to tell her.
I hadn't even asked him anything yet.
"Look at me."
I took a careful step towards the bed.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I just need you to—"
"Don't!"
His body jerked beneath the sheets.
I stopped immediately.
For several seconds, the only sound in the room was his breathing. It came in short, uneven bursts, with the sheet pulling against his mouth every time he tried to take another breath.
"I didn't say anything…"
He was still speaking.
But I no longer thought he was speaking to me.
My hand slowly moved towards my pocket.
"Alright, you don't have to tell me anything. Just look here for a moment."
My fingers closed around the foam ball.
But before I could take it out—
"Haaaaaaaa—!"
The scream made my hand stop.
Maren caught his shoulder as his back arched away from the pillow. The sheet slipped from his head, revealing his face.
His mouth was open.
His eyes were fixed on something beside me.
Then the scream stopped.
His body fell sideways against Maren's arm.
"Hey!"
She caught him before his head struck the side of the bed.
His hands had gone slack.
The sheets slipped from his fingers, and for the first time since I had entered, his eyes were closed.
"Get someone!"
Maren's voice snapped me out of it.
I turned towards the doorway, but a nurse was already rushing inside. Another member of staff followed, and I moved aside as they approached the bed.
"What happened?"
"He was speaking, and then…"
Maren stopped, looking down at the man.
I stood near the wall with my hand still inside my pocket.
The foam ball was pressed tightly between my fingers.
I didn't even get to take it out fully.
'What sort of…?'
-x-X-x-
"Seth."
I looked up.
Maren stood a short distance away, watching me as the staff worked around the bed.
"What did he mean?"
"I... don't know."
It had been a while since I had been this speechless. So much so that I couldn't even think of any nonsense to say.
"He said you brought something here."
"I know, but as you can see, I'm not really with anyone."
My voice came out a little sharper than I intended.
I paused for a moment before lowering my hand.
"...I'm also certain there was no one behind me."
I had made sure with the sunglasses. Those were pretty good at telling me if there was an anomaly standing behind me.
'Most likely he's talking about the disease. I've been infected.'
Right...
My heart sank.
Maren looked towards the doorway before returning her attention to me.
"Did you see anything?"
"No."
She pressed her lips together.
I glanced back at the bed. One of the staff members was calling the man's name, but he wasn't responding.
"He was frightened before you arrived, but it wasn't like that. This... is the first time I've seen him act like this."
'Why did you bring it here?'
My gaze moved towards the space beside my shoulder.
Still nothing.
The more I thought about it, the more certain of my previous assumption I was.
I... was infected.
Whatever he had seen, it was likely talking about the infection. Maybe it was because he was also infected that he could see what I couldn't see.
Eventually, I looked at the Guild Master and the member before turning away.
"Let's give them some room."
Maren nodded, although she hesitated before following me towards the door.
We had barely stepped into the corridor when my phone rang again.
Trrr!
I looked down.
Geneva.
For a moment, I simply stared at her name before answering.
"What happened?"
?Seth...
Her voice was strained.
I straightened, more or less guessing what she was about ot say.
"Your brother?"
?Yes.
My heart sank once more.
Straining my ears, I could make out some noise in the background. I heard someone speaking quickly, followed by the sound of something being moved.
?He's getting worse.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"How much worse?"
?They had to hold him down again. They've managed to settle him, but his heart rate still won't come down.
"....."
I closed my eyes briefly.
Of course.
?They want to contact the BUA.
She continued.
?They're asking questions, and I can't keep telling them that we need more time.
"Have you told them anything?"
?Not yet. But...
She stopped.
I could hear her breathing.
?Seth, I don't think I can keep doing this.
I looked through the open doorway beside me.
The man on the bed hadn't moved.
"I understand."
?Have you found anything?
My lips parted, but nothing came out.
I had come here because someone had finally woken up.
Now he was unconscious again, Geneva's brother was getting worse, and I was very likely infected as well.
In the end, I took a deep breath.
"...I need to check something. I'll call you back."
There was a short silence before she answered.
?Please hurry.
The call ended.
I lowered the phone without putting it away.
Maren was looking at me, waiting for an explanation. Behind her, someone called the Guild member's name again.
Yet again, there was no response.
I stood in place, listening to the chaos around me, finding myself struggling for an answer.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt...
Overwhelmed.
Trrr!
In the midst of my thoughts, my phone vibrated again.
Hm?
I looked down at the screen, my fingers still resting near the side of it. The moment I did, my brows jumped up in surprise.
Geneva.
"....."
We had only just finished speaking.
For a moment, I hesitated before answering.
"What happened?"
?He's awake.
I stopped.
"...What?"
?My brother. He's awake. He's talking to me. I mean, he was... awaken before, but now... he's concious. He's actually talking to me!
Her voice was urgent, but it sounded different from before. I could hear her moving, followed by a quiet voice somewhere in the background.
?He knows who I am. Seth, he's actually talking to me.
My gaze slowly moved towards the room beside me.
The Guild member was still lying on the bed, his eyes closed while someone checked the equipment beside him.
My heart sank.
"When did he wake up?"
?Just now. Right after I called you.
"Has he said anything strange?"
?Strange?
"What has he said?"
?He asked why I was crying.
Geneva's voice caught a little.
I remained silent, listening as she said something to her brother. He answered, although I couldn't make out what he was saying.
I should've been happy.
He had woken up. After everything that had happened, this should've been something worth celebrating.
But I had just watched someone else wake up.
"...I'm coming."
?Okay.
"Don't ask him about what happened yet."
She paused.
?Why?
"Just stay with him for now."
There was a brief silence before she agreed.
I lowered the phone and looked towards Maren.
"I need to go."
"Has something happened?"
"Another one woke up."
Her expression changed slightly.
I didn't explain further. Looking towards the room one last time, I adjusted my sunglasses before turning away.
This couldn't be a coincidence.
The timing was too strange.
One had woken up, seen me, and fallen unconscious again. Now the other was awake, and I was going to see him too.
My steps slowed.
'...Should I?'
I stopped near the end of the corridor, my hand tightening around the phone.
If the same thing happened again...
I looked down at Geneva's name.
Then I continued walking.
'Right, I need to get to the bottom of this. That's the main priority.'
*
By the time I reached the hospital, Geneva had sent me two more messages.
?He's still awake! This is an amazing sign! I think he might be awake for goof!
?He's asked me for water. He... might actually be good.
I read the second message again as the elevator doors opened. I could feel the hope in her texts, thus making each of my next step heavier than the last.
I put the phone away and made my way towards the ward.
There was no screaming this time.
I could hear someone speaking quietly as I approached the room, followed by Geneva's voice. She sounded calmer than she had during either of our calls.
The door was partly open.
Through the gap, I could see her sitting beside the bed, holding a cup while her brother drank from it. There was a fresh dressing around his forehead, and his fingers rested loosely against her wrist.
He looked tired.
But he was looking at her properly.
When Geneva lowered the cup, he said something that made her nod several times.
I remained outside for another moment.
"...You should sleep too."
His voice reached me.
Geneva shook her head.
"I'm fine."
"You look tired."
"I know."
She rubbed beneath one of her eyes before noticing me near the door.
"Seth."
Her shoulders relaxed.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
At the sound of my name, her brother turned his head.
His gaze settled on me.
Then everything seemed to stop.
His hand remained against Geneva's wrist, his fingers still curled loosely around it. His lips were parted as though he had been about to say something else.
I stayed near the doorway.
He stared at me.
"....."
The cup shifted in Geneva's hand.
"What is it?"
He didn't answer.
His fingers slowly tightened around her wrist.
I watched his eyes widen, the colour leaving his face as his breathing started growing uneven.
Right.
I had thought this might happen.
That didn't make the sight any easier to look at.
"Seth came to—"
"Haaaaaaa—!"
Geneva flinched.
The cup slipped from her hand, spilling water across the sheets as her brother suddenly pulled away. His back struck the raised pillow, and he immediately tried to move farther.
There wasn't anywhere for him to go.
He kept pushing anyway.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Geneva reached towards him, but he dragged his knees up against his chest and screamed again.
A nurse hurried over from the other side of the room.
I had yet to move.
My hand was still resting against the door.
Just like before.
"Please, calm down."
Geneva caught his arm as he tried to scramble towards the far side of the bed. His heel caught in the sheet, and he pulled at it desperately without once looking down.
He was still staring at me.
Not behind me.
At me.
I felt my fingers tighten against the door.
His mouth opened wider.
For a moment, nothing came out except a thin, strained breath.
Then he raised his hand.
His finger trembled as he pointed straight at me.
"You're next."
Geneva stopped.
"...What?"
The boy's arm shook harder.
"You're next!"
Another member of staff entered behind me. I stepped aside to let them through, but the boy's hand followed the movement immediately.
"You're next! You're next!"
I didn't say anything, taking a step back towards the corridor.
He didn't calm down.
"H-hey! Calm down! Calm down! I'm here!"
Geneva wrapped an arm around his shoulders, trying to get him to look at her, but his eyes remained fixed on the doorway.
On me.
"You're next!"
His voice cracked on the last word.
Geneva caught his pointing hand and gently pulled it down.
He immediately raised the other one.
"YOU'RE NEXT!!"
-x-X-x-
"You're next!'
I stepped away from the doorway.
"You're next!'
His voice followed me into the corridor, growing hoarse as someone moved past me and hurried inside. I remained beside the wall until a nurse pulled the door partly closed.
Even then, I could still hear him.
'You're next!'
"....."
I looked down at my hands.
After a little while, Geneva came out. She stopped in front of me, her sleeve wet where the water had spilled over it.
"Did you know?"
I lifted my head.
"Did you know this was going to happen?"
My lips parted, but I couldn't quite find an answer.
I did suspect it. In fact, I knew it was going to happen.
But I had to go.
I needed to make sure.
"I could see it from the face you made when you entered... How you weren't surprised at all by the reaction. Right, now that I think about it, when I called you, you asked if he'd said anything strange..."
Her fingers tightened around her sleeve.
"Why?"
"...."
"Did something similar happen with the other victim?"
I looked straight at her.
That seemed to be enough of an answer.
She took a small step away from me.
"You still came anyway... Right when he..."
She bit her lip.
"....."
"You could've told me."
Her voice was low. Somehow, that made it more difficult to listen to than if she had shouted.
"He was talking to me... He was asking me to get some rest. It had been so... long since I had last talked with him. And yet..."
Red trickled down her chin.
I didn't look away.
From the start, I expected this sort of reaction.
For a moment, she looked as though she wanted to say something else. Then she pressed her lips together and turned towards the ward.
"The BUA is coming."
My hand stopped against my wrist.
"I didn't call them. I did promise you I wouldn't, and I didn't. This is just something the hospital did. I tried my best to stop them, but this incident has forced their hand."
"I understand."
"Don't ask me to stop them. I can't."
"I wasn't going to."
She looked back at me before returning to her brother.
I remained where I was for several seconds. Then I walked towards the chairs against the wall and sat down.
My head was still clear.
There wasn't another voice interrupting my thoughts or making it difficult to think. I could remember every decision that had brought me here.
That wasn't helping.
I lowered my face towards my hands and waited.
Eventually, the sound of hurried footsteps made me look up.
Several people entered the corridor. A man in a dark coat stopped near the nurses' station, holding up an identification card.
"Chief Investigator Vincent Hale. BUA."
A nurse immediately approached him.
They spoke briefly before he looked towards the people gathered nearby.
"The hospital is being placed under lockdown. Please remain where you are until an agent speaks with you. Medical staff can continue their work."
Someone near the elevator started protesting.
Hale left another agent to speak with them and approached me instead.
"Seth Thorne?"
I nodded.
"You are not to leave this floor."
"I heard you."
"An agent will take you to a separate room. Until we understand what's happening, you're to stay away from the patients."
My fingers tightened slightly.
Then I nodded.
***
Geneva sat in a small room down the corridor, her hands resting in her lap.
Chief Investigator Vincent Hale sat across from her. The other man had introduced himself as Senior Investigator Elias Ross before taking the seat beside him.
He seemed to be writing down everything that was being said.
Geneva went through what had happened to her brother, from his earlier condition to the moment Seth entered the ward.
"He mentioned a cold?"
"Yes. And feeling feverish. That's what... my brother said. He was answering questions, but we couldn't hear anyone asking them."
"Was he responding to either of you?"
"No."
Hale glanced at the notes in front of him.
"And this led you to suspect an infection?"
"It could be something inside them. A disease. Some sort of plague."
Geneva looked between the two men.
"If it affects their minds, that would explain why nobody has found anything. Their bodies are here, but they could be somewhere else."
"That's a real possibility."
Hale said, looking at his partner.
"At the moment, we haven't established how it moves between people. Or whether it does."
"But the two cases..."
"Are being investigated. We've already contacted Silver Lanterns."
She nodded, although her hands remained tightly pressed together.
"When did you first suspect this?"
"Before he woke up properly."
"Why wasn't it reported?"
Geneva lowered her eyes.
"I... made the call myself. I thought we'd lose the chance to investigate if the hospital was closed."
Ross's pen stopped briefly.
"This was solely your decision?"
"Yes."
She looked up.
"I... thought I might find something."
Hale remained quiet for a moment before closing the folder.
"Your brother will continue receiving care. For now, don't question him about what he experienced."
"What about Seth?"
"We'll speak with him next."
Geneva looked towards the door.
"He hasn't told me what happened with the other patient."
"We'll ask him."
She rubbed her hands together before slowly nodding.
*
Hale closed the door behind him and glanced towards Ross.
The Senior Investigator was looking through his notes as they walked down the corridor. He stopped at one of the pages before closing the folder beneath his arm.
Neither spoke until they reached the room where Seth was being kept.
The agent stationed outside straightened.
"Has he asked for anything?"
"No, Chief Investigator."
Hale nodded and opened the door.
Seth sat at the table with his head lowered, his sunglasses held loosely in his uninjured hand. He didn't look up when they entered.
Hale paused near the doorway before approaching the table.
"Team Leader Thorne."
There was no response.
He pulled out a chair and sat down while Ross closed the door behind them.
"We need to ask you a few questions."
Only then did Seth raise his head.
Hale met his gaze, waiting while Ross took the remaining seat and placed his folder on the table.
"Senior Investigator Elias Ross."
Seth looked at him briefly before returning his attention to Hale.
"How long will I be staying here?"
Hale rested his hands against the table.
"We can't give you a definite answer yet."
"An estimate?"
"It could be a very long time. Until we understand the situation, we can't allow anyone who may be affected to leave."
"....."
Seth's gaze remained on him.
"Please don't worry. Some of our best agents are being assigned to this investigation."
Hale waited for a response.
Instead, Seth lowered his eyes towards the sunglasses.
"What about my team?"
"We'll contact them. We need to establish who you've been around."
"They aren't showing any symptoms."
"We don't know whether that means they're unaffected."
Seth's thumb stopped against the frame.
Hale noticed the movement before continuing.
"We're not suspecting anything this far, but we do believe that there's reason to be concerned. Two people have reacted severely to your presence. We need to understand why before letting you approach anyone else."
"I don't know why."
"Then tell us what you do know."
Ross opened his folder and picked up his pen.
For several seconds, neither agent spoke. Hale watched as Seth slowly set his sunglasses on the table.
Then he started talking.
His account was brief. He told them about his visit to the Silvern Lantern Guild, and how he wasn't the one who actually rescued him. In general, there wasn't much that he had to say since he really didn't have much to do with the Guild Member.
Ross occasionally stopped him to clarify something, but otherwise let him continue.
"What exactly did the patient say?"
Seth looked towards him.
"It was a bunch of nonsense. Talking about someone being present, but there wasn't anyone in the room. I am quite certain of that."
Ross wrote the words down.
"Did he explain what he meant?"
"No."
"And you didn't see anything?"
"No."
Hale glanced at his colleague's notes before looking back at Seth.
"You think you may have been affected as well?"
The room went quiet.
Seth's hand remained beside the sunglasses.
Eventually, he shrugged.
"...Maybe, or maybe not. The fact that you're here with me could also mean you're infected. I don't think it was very smart of you to come knowing that."
"....."
"I see. You don't have to worry about that. We've already accounted for that."
Ross's pen moved again.
Hale studied Seth for a moment. There were several things he wanted to ask about that answer, but before he could continue, his phone vibrated.
He took it out and read the message.
"The hospital director is waiting."
Ross looked up.
"I'll finish here."
Hale nodded before standing. He collected his phone and turned towards Seth, who had lowered his head again.
"Remain in this room. Someone will bring you anything you need."
There was no answer.
Hale waited another moment before heading towards the door.
Outside, he spoke briefly to the agent stationed in the corridor. His voice faded as the door closed behind him.
Ross continued writing.
Across the table, Seth hadn't moved.
The pen stopped a little while later.
Ross looked over what he had written before setting it down beside the folder. He remained quiet for several more seconds, watching the man seated opposite him.
Then he smiled.
"So...?"
Seth's head slowly lifted at the sound of his voice.
"It looks like you're infected."
"....."
Ross leaned back in his chair.
Seth stared at him, his fingers becoming still against the edge of the table.
The smile on Ross's face grew a little wider.
"We're very curious to see how you get out of this one."
-x-X-x-