Erion twisted the handle to the coldest setting possible, letting the water crash over him.
The shock hit instantly, biting through his skin and dragging him fully back into himself.
He closed his eyes, letting the frigid rush slide across his body, soaking into every nerve.
His senses sharpened. His mind cleared. His body felt awake again, almost like when she performed those absurd massage experiments on him.
Experiments he never agreed to.
Experiments he never expected to work.
He lowered his gaze to the floor, watching the water weave across the dark tiles and disappear into the drain. The sound and the cold pulled him into a strange floating trance.
This is not good.
He had kept her close so he could investigate, her mind used as a weapon, and in return he would guard her.
After the mission, she would have to leave.
A drop echoed behind him, followed by a firm knock on the door.
"Hey, Erion! Are you okay? You were wobbling when you walked in."
A quiet chuckle surfaced before he could stop it. Too easy. Too unguarded.
You're too late for that help, he thought. He couldn't blame her; her mind must have been racing.
Unbelievable to actually be concerned about him after what he did.
He reached for the robe and wrapped it around himself. The fogged mirror made him look like a ghost, frosted reflection and unwanted help.
"Erion!" Evah knocked again, and the door swung open.
She froze at the sight of him, drenched hair, black bathrobe clinging to his frame. She stepped back, startled.
"You know, Bunny, it's not good to barge in like that," he said with a jester's smirk as he walked past her.
Evah blinked at the bathroom door still ajar, then turned toward him—only to twist her head away quickly.
"Hey! At least finish dressing inside! I'm still a girl, you know!"
"It's not like you haven't seen everything," he replied, grinning.
"And thankfully, you haven't pulled out my insides."
That did it.
Evah spun around right as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"It's called manners!" she snapped, stepping toward him.
But his expression didn't change. A smile tugged at his lips, yet his blue eyes sent a cold shiver crawling down her spine.
"You should stop pretending you're concerned, Bunny."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice against her ear.
"It's convincing… but who exactly are you fooling?"
The words clung to her like poison, sinking deeper than she expected.
Erion straightened and looked at her with something close to pity.
I was just worried. I only wanted to help.
Why is he acting like this?
Her mind spun, calculations firing rapidly, all built to protect her from pain.
But Erion wasn't part of that system.
"You think I didn't notice?" he asked.
"That the solitude wasn't meant for me. Or should I say… the guilt?"
Guild.
GUILD.
GUILD. GUILD. GUILD. GUILD. GUILD.
Evah froze, the word swelling inside her until it filled the room. It felt carved into every surface.
Erion's face warped in her vision, twisting into a monstrous reflection with glowing blue eyes. His lips formed that same word again and again:
GUILD.
Each repetition grew harsher, lower, until the sound dipped into something no human throat could make.
Then everything went dark.