Aleph blinked his eyes open.
After a moment of adjusting to the room's lighting, he took a deep breath and rubbed his face, trying to pull himself together—when a soft humming cut through his thoughts.
Turning his head, he saw an uninvited guest.
On the bed, elbows resting on her knees and chin propped in her hands, sat Black Swan, watching him with a calm smile.
When she noticed his gaze, she tilted her head slightly and waved playfully.
"Ohh~ Did I barge in on a private moment, young offspring of Exaltation~?"
Aleph brought a hand to his forehead. In this damn hotel, was it normal for anyone to just walk into someone else's room like it was nothing? What unsettled him even more was how easily these people—Sparkle, Sampo, and now Black Swan—seemed to know about his connection to Exaltation. It made sense that Aha's followers would be aware, but… her? A memokeeper of Remembrance?
He couldn't help but be suspicious. After all, the very same energy he had absorbed in that dreamscape creature lingered around both her and Stelle.
And while Stelle only carried a faint trace of it, Black Swan was steeped in it.
Black Swan chuckled softly, as if she understood—at least to some extent—what he was thinking.
"You're probably wondering, 'How did she get in here?'" She said. "If I want to enter a place, believe me, it'd be hard for anyone to stop me."
Aleph raised a brow, giving her the same look he'd once given Stelle the day he found the document she wrote declaring the independence of pants.
He got up from the bathtub and shook out his hair.
"Step out for a moment. I need to change." He said, expression flat.
"Hm… as you wish." Black Swan nodded without letting her smile slip.
However, as Aleph took off his coat and shirt, an uncomfortable feeling made him stop. Turning his head, he saw Black Swan still there, staring at him intently.
Still sitting in the same position, her eyes were fixed on the scars across his torso—from the ones on his chest to the golden cracks visible at his joints, reminders of his battle against Blade.
She tried to mask it, but in such a well-lit room it was hard to hide how darkened her expression had become.
"Weren't you leaving?" Aleph asked.
Black Swan blinked, as if his voice had pulled her out of her thoughts.
Then, with a mischievous smile, she tilted her head.
"Are you embarrassed about your body?" she teased, her voice turning more playful. "Or… are you hiding something tiny you don't want me to see?"
Aleph stared at her indifferently.
"That's your best attempt at provocation?"
He sighed and finished changing, not giving it any more importance. After all, strange as it was, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened to him.
....
Later, the two of them left the room and headed to the lobby, where the rest of the group was already waiting.
"What happened inside the dreamscape?" Himeko asked as she looked at them.
Stelle spoke up right away.
"First, we fell from the sky. It was just like in those action movies—I was carrying Aleph in my arms as we crashed through the clouds…" She said, waving her hands dramatically.
Aleph shot her a flat, expressionless look, but she didn't even flinch.
"Then, some guys from the Hound Family chased me because they thought I was a stowaway."
Aleph nearly choked on his cocktail when he heard that, and Black Swan had to pat him on the back. He just raised a hand and signaled her to keep going.
"But then some guy named Gallagher showed up, called them off, and even promised to help me find a certain idiot…" She raised her voice at that last word, shooting Aleph a sharp side glance. "An idiot who left me alone to go flirt with some girl he just met."
Aleph lifted his hands with a sigh.
"In my defense, you're old and strong enough to take care of yourself."
Stelle ignored him, shrugged, and kept going.
"Oh, I also met a weird woman who ate peach desserts. She said a bunch of cryptic stuff…" Stelle furrowed her brows, trying to remember. "Meh, I already forgot."
Aleph slapped his forehead.
"Anyway… after that Gallagher left because some woman named Siobhan came to drag him off since she was going to be busy and needed someone to watch his bar or whatever." Stelle said this while trying to snatch Aleph's other cocktail, only for Black Swan to slide it out of her reach and drink it herself. "Then I ran into Sampo, and he showed me some pretty fun attractions."
As if showing off, she pulled out her phone and started flipping through photos of her experiences at the various attractions.
"Then I tripped, ran into a lamppost, and the next thing I remember is waking up in that weird place with Aleph and Firefly."
Welt, arms crossed, nodded and turned toward Aleph.
"And how about you, Aleph?" He asked with curiosity.
"Well, after I got separated from Stelle, I ran into a young girl being harassed by a bunch of weirdos, and, well, one thing led to another." He told it more like the plot of a movie than what really happened.
If Stelle could do it, then so could he!
"After that, Firefly invited me to eat…"
"Wait a second!" March cut in, giving him a suspicious look. Her palm slammed onto the table as she pointed at Aleph accusingly. "The brochure says you can't eat food in the Dreamscape! How do you explain that hole in your story, Aleph?"
"Exactly, you can't eat in the Dreamscape." he replied, but before March could let out her victorious shout, he added, "But that doesn't mean what you think—it just means that even if you eat there, the food won't reach your stomach in reality. Still, it tastes amazing."
March collapsed to her knees on the floor, completely defeated.
The story went on.
"Then I ran into Sampo again, and we also went to a place with an incredible view."
March perked back up.
"Oh! Was that where you took those photos from?" She asked, and Aleph gave her a thumbs-up.
"After that, we got the message in the group chat." He continued. "Firefly and I ran into Sampo once more, though this time, for some strange reason, he was accompanied by a Pepeshi dressed like a clown."
Black Swan laughed at his words.
"One thing led to another, and, well, before I knew it, I was waking up near Stelle and Firefly."
"After defeating the weird spawns we ran into along the way, we kept moving forward." He continued. "One of them was like a giant gem with ridiculously short arms and legs, another looked like a TV with legs and an angry face on the screen, and the last one was a purple crystal dinosaur with red eyes and golden claws. They all dropped like flies."
Stelle nodded proudly, puffing out her chest.
"The path led us to a hallway that ended in a room lit only by old televisions." She said while taking a sip of her cocktail. "There were hundreds of screens showing static. Also, four doors, counting the entrance."
"We opened them all, and no matter the order, we always ended up back in the same place. Even going backwards dropped us right there again." Stelle said, crossing her arms with a frown.
Aleph raised a finger and used Illusionist to create an image to illustrate things better.
"After several tries, the static grew stronger. A purple fog covered everything, and then that thing appeared. A huge creature with a serpentine body and bat wings."
"What a scandalous encounter." Black Swan remarked with clear amusement.
Aleph stopped there, finishing his cocktail in one gulp. Black Swan took over, smiling as if she had been waiting for that moment.
"In fact, I was wandering around after a rather bothersome encounter with two masked jesters. When I heard noises—a fight—I decided to intervene."
"I could've handled it." Aleph grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Yes, yes, we know already, Aleph."
Stelle rolled her eyes.
Black Swan chuckled softly.
"The truth is, something strange is happening in the Dreamscape." She said with a more serious expression. "The Family seems to be trying to hide it. I don't yet understand how, but the Masked Jesters seem to have stumbled onto this information, and judging by the behavior of those we've run into, we can assume they're trying to expose it."
"Ah, the Pepeshian clown." Aleph muttered with a nod of understanding.
Black Swan couldn't hold back a laugh, bringing a hand to her lips.
"Call her whatever you like… but if I'm right, the dream world here is beginning to crack. And it will shatter piece by piece."
At that moment, two notifications came in—one on Stelle's phone, the other on Aleph's. Stelle checked hers first.
She pulled out her phone.
[SW: "Hury up n reed dis b4 it disapears."]
"It's from Silver Wolf. She just modified the Dream Tubs' codes. Now we can access a restricted area when we dive in again."
Aleph checked his.
[Kafka: "How have you been, darling?"]
[Kafka: "Did you miss me?"]
[Kafka: "Has Stelle behaved herself, or has she already driven you crazy?"]
[Kafka: "Should I prepare a homemade baldness cure like Silver Wolf suggested?"]
Aleph couldn't help imagining her smiling softly as she typed, and a pang of longing bloomed in his chest.
Kafka's final message contained coordinates and a simple line.
I want to see you.
"What is it?" Stelle asked, noticing his distraction.
"Nothing you need to worry about," he replied, pocketing his phone.
Welt and Himeko requested a private moment with the group. Black Swan stood up and stepped aside.
March sighed sadly, resting her head on the table.
When she lifted her face, she pouted with a huff.
"Why does it always end up like this? My vacations ruined by some weird mystery…"
Aleph patted her shoulder and slid a strawberry milkshake toward her. Still grumbling, March started sipping it through a straw, regaining some of her spirits.
"So good~." She said with a smile as Aleph gently patted her head.
"Don't trust Black Swan." He said, frowning. "Something about her sets off every alarm I've got."
Welt nodded beside him.
"I agree."
Stelle tilted her head, confused.
"But… she seems nice. She helped us, didn't she?"
Welt answered bluntly.
"Do you remember what happened in the Luofu, with Tingyun?"
Stelle fell silent for a moment before nodding stiffly.
Himeko then laid out her plan.
"To move forward, it's best we split into two groups. That way we gather more information, and if something happens in reality, we can react." She explained.
"I can go with March and Stelle." Welt offered.
"No," Himeko shook her head. "I need you here. Aleph… well, he's not great at diplomacy, and he lacks eloquence when it comes to speaking. That's why you're indispensable in reality."
Aleph scratched the back of his neck in mild embarrassment.
"My fists are better than my words."
Welt sighed, a bit frustrated.
"I know how badly you wanted to join the adventure, Welt. Sorry." Himeko said.
He shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. It's not worth stressing over little things."
The talk ended, and everyone headed to their rooms.
In the hallway, Black Swan was waiting, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. As Aleph passed, she silently followed and entered his room with him.
Aleph sank back into the tub. From the bed, Black Swan got up and walked over until she was right beside him.
As his eyelids began to grow heavy, he felt her hands gently caressing his head, in a way that filled him with a nostalgic warmth.
In a soft tone, she spoke as she leaned closer.
"When you make a decision, be sure it's one you won't regret."
For some strange reason, her image blurred before his eyes, and her appearance shifted.
Her honey-colored hair was braided, and her bright green eyes sparkled like emeralds, full of affection, gazing at him for a moment before her appearance shifted back to normal.
Then she leaned in closer, until he could feel her warm breath on his face.
Smiling with a strange gleam in her eyes, she bent down even further and whispered in his ear:
"Offspring of Exultation… 'Beloved' of Remembrance."
************
He opened his eyes once more in the dreamscape, realizing he was alone. He sat up, stretching calmly, though Black Swan's words still echoed in his mind.
What had she said?
…"Beloved by…"?
What was that supposed to mean?
He shook his head quickly.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on that. He climbed the stairs in front of him until he reached a set of double red doors.
He passed through them and descended a flight of split stairs.
The sound of a katana sliding into its sheath caught his attention. Turning, he saw Acheron, standing among memetic entities that dissolved into shards of light.
She looked at him with surprise, but soon gave a faint smile.
"It's good to see you."
Aleph returned the smile.
"Likewise. What are you doing here?"
Acheron tilted her head, a finger resting on her chin.
"I originally came here with someone else… but at some point we got separated. I don't quite remember when."
"I see. I've got companions to find too. Want to look for them with me?"
After a moment of thought, she nodded.
"Alright."
As they walked, Acheron suddenly asked questions that caught him off guard.
"What kind of desserts do you like?"
Aleph blinked at her, confused, but answered anyway.
"Mint ice cream. Also simple stuff, like flan or tiramisu. And I love anything with peaches."
"Interesting." She nodded. "I also love peaches. And any dessert that uses them."
Aleph blinked again, remembering Mei had been the same.
....
It didn't take long for them to run into Stelle and Black Swan. Stelle tried to smile, but her exasperation was obvious as she marched up to Aleph and reached out to tug his ear.
"What's wrong with you? Do I need to have March or me babysit you? You always pick up strange women wherever you go—and of all people, it had to be her, the one spouting cryptic nonsense!"
Aleph caught her hand before she could pull his ear.
"Stop joking like that. You'll make everyone think I'm some kind of womanizer."
Acheron tilted her head, then noticed someone else.
"Memokeeper… it's a pleasure to see you."
"Ah, yes, good to see you too." Black Swan replied kindly, though the smile on her face seemed somewhat forced.
She kept her distance from Acheron but positioned herself close to Aleph.
Stelle ignored everything, grabbed Aleph's hand, and dragged him along.
"Are you serious?" He complained, feeling like a hyperactive kid being dragged around by his parents in a shopping mall.
"Shut up and cooperate." Stelle huffed.
Aleph sighed, leaned toward her ear, and whispered with clear annoyance, his tone tinged with resentment.
"I'll get you back for this."
A shiver ran through Stelle's body, her face flushing red.
…For some reason, hearing Aleph speak to her like that made her feel a strange emotion—one far too dangerous for her poor heart.
"Stupid Aleph." She muttered, glaring at him.
.....
Further ahead, they arrived at the lobby. Fortunately, there weren't many encounters with memes, so they didn't have to fight much.
That was where they found Firefly.
Aleph and Stelle were both glad to see her, stepping forward to greet her—but a roar tore the moment apart. From a portal of purple mist emerged the creature Black Swan had previously contained.
Time slowed in Aleph's perception.
Its body was made of purple crystal, with a serpentine torso twisting as it spread batlike wings. The single red eye on its forehead blazed like a burning beacon, and its metallic tail ended in a spear-like tip.
In an instant, that tail lifted Firefly into the air and pierced her before tossing her aside like garbage.
Stelle's eyes went wide in shock as she ran to Firefly's fallen body.
The memory of Stelle being impaled by Cocolia's ice spear slammed into Aleph's mind, his eyes widening.
"My greatest wish would be to live like this in reality too. To walk, to feel the air, to live what every girl considers a normal life—without the need for life support."
Her words echoed in his mind.
They hadn't known each other long.
There wasn't any particular bond between them.
Then…
Why?
Why could he feel this familiar sensation consuming him?
Aleph intercepted the creature. His body tensed, magic bursting through his arms and legs. Without bothering to form his ice bat, he charged straight at it with his bare fists.
Rage.
A burning, overwhelming rage.
The first impact of his fists against the purple crystal boomed like thunder. The creature roared, beating its wings and unleashing gusts of foul wind and shards of jagged crystal. Aleph pushed through them, his skin splitting with shallow cuts that healed as fast as they formed thanks to his monstrous vitality.
With his own roar, he drove his fists into the crystalline body, cracks spreading across the ground.
The tail lashed at him. Aleph caught it with both hands, feeling the blade tear into his palms, and yanked hard, slamming the beast against the ground. Before it could rise, Aleph leapt on top of it and rained down blows, each one exploding with frost and lightning.
The red eye spun wildly, the creature roaring as it thrashed, hurling Aleph through the air. But he twisted mid-flight and landed on his feet, panting, his knuckles bloodied.
Without thinking, he lunged again, this time with a roar filled with rage. He struck with such force that the purple crystal cracked from top to bottom. The creature screeched, and the purple mist thrashed violently as it staggered.
Black Swan watched, somewhat surprised.
"So he could handle it on his own…" She muttered under her breath.
She was as impressed as she was unsettled by the ferocity with which he fought.
.....
Meanwhile.
Elsewhere, March trembled a little as she walked alone.
"This place is way too creepy… Where are Stelle and Aleph?"
A roar cut her off. A memetic entity shaped like a mechanical dinosaur appeared, spewing fire.
March raised her hand and waved at it awkwardly.
"Uh… hi, Rexie?"
The dinosaur roared and charged at her. March shrieked and bolted, cursing her bad luck.
"Great!" she shouted while running. "Where did those two run off to?"
She pulled a silly face as she suddenly realized something.
"Uh, wait—where's my bow?"
.....
The hall shook with every impact, the floor already littered with fragments of purple crystal. Aleph was panting, his clothes shredded, every gash on his torso and arms closing little by little thanks to his monstrous vitality. Even so, the crystalline liquid that mimicked blood ran in thin rivulets down his skin, mixing with sweat.
They snarled at each other to the point it was impossible to tell who was the monster between them.
The creature advanced, its crystalline body glowing from the cracks Aleph had made.
His own body, shrouded in bursts of ice and electricity, slammed into the creature's torso. He toppled it with a brutal charge and unleashed a storm of blows. Aleph's fists sank in like hammers, splintering the violet shell and sending glittering shards exploding in every direction.
At last, the monster staggered back with a strangled roar. The purple mist began swirling around it.
"Don't think you're getting away…"
Aleph lunged after it, but its tail snapped taut—the creature screeched, fanning its tail wide. The spikes shot out, piercing Aleph's right shoulder, both of his hands, and his right leg.
His back slammed against the wall, pinned like a puppet. Air burst from his lungs in a ragged gasp, accompanied by the dry crack of his left leg.
"Coward…"
Taking advantage of that moment, the creature vanished into the portal it had created.
Aleph tore the spikes out by sheer force. His leg crunched as he landed; he dragged it forward anyway, still ready to lunge again. But the monster had already slipped through the portal, disappearing into the fog.
Aleph fell to one knee; it was hard to stand on a single leg.
Rage boiled in his chest, but it cooled the instant he saw Stelle trembling on the ground, Firefly in her arms.
A hole pierced the girl's torso. From the wound gushed a blue crystalline liquid, just like his own injuries.
"Hang on…" Aleph dropped to his knees beside them. Magic burst from his hands, trying to close the wound. But nothing happened.
The flow of energy unraveled the moment it touched Firefly's body.
In the end, Dia had its limits. No matter how much energy he poured in, it was still only a minor spell.
Before their eyes, Firefly's body began to glow softly. Then, she dissolved into shimmering bubbles that floated for a few seconds before fading away.
Aleph and Stelle remained kneeling, their gazes sinking into the remains of the crystalline liquid scattered across the floor.
Silently, Acheron stepped closer. She bowed her head and said gently:
"My condolences."
Black Swan stepped forward, placing her hands on both of their shoulders.
"You still haven't found March. Don't lose yourselves in this now."
As if her words had been a signal, the lobby doors burst open. March came running in, chased by a mechanical dinosaur spewing fire, with a pack of smaller memes at its side.
"AAAAAAH! HELP!" She screamed, flailing her arms.
"Are you just gonna sit there?! Help me already!"
Acheron's hand was already on her katana, but Aleph didn't give her the chance.
"They're mine!"
He hurled himself straight into the horde. The first to fall was a misshapen lamp-like entity.
Aleph smashed its head off with a single blow. Another, with a body of gears, was skewered by a knee strike wrapped in ice.
The mechanical dinosaur opened its jaws and unleashed a stream of fire that engulfed the entire hall.
Aleph didn't retreat. The skin on his arm burned, but he pressed forward through the flames. He rammed his fist into the monster's maw and, with a roar, drove it down its blazing throat. A second later, he unleashed a Bufudyne inside its metal skull.
The frozen blast tore the dinosaur apart from the inside out. The metal body exploded into fragments that dissolved into mist. The other memes tried to flee, but Aleph chased them down and ripped them apart one by one until none remained.
When it was over, he glanced at his arm. The skin was scorched, with shards of ice embedded in it. Without hesitation, he formed an icy blade and sliced the damaged skin away. Fresh, clean flesh immediately began regenerating to cover it.
"Tch."
Aleph spat on the ground, annoyed.
His skin regenerated, but his clothes didn't.
....
Once Stelle had calmed down and Aleph was back in optimal condition, the group continued investigating the place.
"What's going on here?" March murmured.
Moving forward in silence, they followed a trail of destruction that stretched out like a path. Scorched walls, deep imprints in the floor, and heaps of memes reduced to scrap or ash. The air still reeked of ozone and burned metal.
"This… doesn't look like just anyone's work." March muttered, her newly recovered bow slung over her shoulder.
"That's because it isn't." Aleph ran his hand across a charred crack in the wall. Memories stirred in his mind as his fingers brushed over a burned patch where lingering heat still pulsed faintly.
Such brutality was unmistakable.
And considering it was Silver Wolf's intel that had brought them here…
Neither Aleph nor Stelle said it aloud, but they both had a strong suspicion of who it might be.
Black Swan walked calmly, her eyes scanning the place with interest.
Until she suddenly stopped, turned toward the others with an enigmatic smile, and said:
"Amid all this ruin… lie memories worth uncovering."
"Memories?" Aleph asked, raising a brow.
In response, Black Swan snapped her fingers. Before them appeared Firefly's crystalline figure, translucent as though sculpted from ice.
"These are memory echoes." She explained softly. "Shadows trapped in the folds of this dream."
The Echo spoke, and though the words were vague, everyone could sense Firefly hadn't been alone at that moment. The specter walked toward a side hallway.
"Follow her." Black Swan said.
The echo faded, and Black Swan summoned another. This time, Firefly looked visibly nervous, the tremor in her voice making it clear that whoever accompanied her inspired fear.
March groaned, scratching her head.
"Great… more mystery. How long until any of this makes sense?"
Black Swan chuckled, shaking her head.
"Don't be impatient, March 7th. The truth always comes out. Nothing can stay hidden forever."
A third Echo appeared.
Firefly bolted, terrified. Whoever had been with her seemed to have turned against her. The specter fled at full speed, and the group chased it down hallways riddled with static. Aleph and Acheron led the way, cutting through the memes that tried to block them with devastating strikes.
The hallway opened into a chamber where hundreds of old televisions crackled in black and white. After crossing it, they reached a lobby reminiscent of the last one.
But there, standing at its center, was a massive figure over two meters tall, crushing a meme's head in one hand as it dissolved into mist.
A figure Aleph and Stelle instantly recognized—SAM, a Stellaron Hunter.
March swallowed hard and muttered,
"H-he doesn't look very friendly… does he?"
Unfortunately, her voice had been just a little too loud.
SAM raised his head. The green glow of his visor locked first on March… then on Aleph and Stelle. Without warning, he surged forward, his arm extended like a metallic claw reaching to seize them.
Acheron's slash stopped him. Her katana scraped weakly against SAM's armor in a clash that made the floor quake. Both staggered back a step before lunging again.
Meanwhile, Black Swan stepped calmly toward the others, smiling with unnerving composure.
"It's about time." She murmured.
March blinked at her, confused.
"What are you talking about?"
Black Swan didn't answer. Instead, she leaned slightly toward Aleph, her eyes glinting with mischief.
"It's time to uphold my end of the deal, darling. Don't you think you should leave the stage to them?"
Aleph frowned.
"What are you—?"
He didn't even finish the sentence before a portal of purple mist opened beneath their feet. The pull dragged him, Stelle, March, and Black Swan down into it.
Only Acheron and SAM remained behind, locked in their duel.
***********
When Aleph blinked, he was already standing in a room so luxurious he could practically feel his nonexistent wallet trembling in fear. The contrast was brutal—fine carpets, walls adorned with golden reliefs, and the air saturated with the scent of expensive wine.
On an armchair, holding a glass filled with Penacony's finest vintage, Aventurine watched them with a friendly smile.
"Welcome~." He said, raising the glass. "I think you should be thanking me."
March pointed at him, indignant.
"Thanking you? For kidnapping us?"
Stelle narrowed her eyes, gripping her bat with suspicion.
"It'd be better to listen first." Black Swan intervened calmly. "No matter how irritating the speaker may be."
"Thank you, Memokeeper." Aventurine set his glass aside, his eyes narrowing as his demeanor turned more serious. "Because I just saved your lives."
March and Stelle exchanged confused looks. Aleph, however, frowned and turned toward Black Swan. She only gave a playful gesture—finger to her lips in a "shhh," followed by a wink.
"Saved our lives from what?" Stelle asked.
"As you should already know, Penacony's dream. The dreamscapes. All of it is collapsing."
Silence fell over the group as Aventurine spread his hands toward them.
"And the proof is undeniable. No one is safe in here anymore. Death walks this world, hunting people down."
March raised her hand awkwardly.
"Sorry, but… could you be more specific?"
Aventurine sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"People have started dying inside the dream." His gaze grew grave. "Real deaths. The Family lies when they claim Harmony's protection ensures everyone's safety. I've seen the opposite with my own eyes."
March's eyes went wide.
"That's impossible! They said—"
"The Family lies."
Aleph and Stelle exchanged a glance, Firefly flashing in their minds.
Aventurine nodded with a hint of sorrow.
"I know. The Family wants to cover it up. But they'll never erase it from me, the sole witness of what happened. I saw Robin's corpse."
He pressed on, seizing the moment, as the others stood frozen, their mouths agape.
"And when we speak of Death, I can't help but suspect. My guess is clear. That Death is none other than the woman claiming to be a Galaxy Ranger… Acheron."
Stelle's grip on her bat tightened while Aleph scowled.
"What…?"
"Impossible." Aleph said flatly.
"Huh? Do you really want to put so much faith in her, Mr. Stellaron? You shouldn't let yourself be fooled by a pretty face. No matter how stunning she may look on the outside… her insides could be utterly rotten." His eyes locked onto Aleph's. "She lied to you. She is not, and never was, a Galaxy Ranger. Her true identity…"
The silence was unbearable.
"…is that of an Emanator. Though I don't yet know for sure which Path she follows."