TAKE 3
I opened my eyes to see Krish sitting a few feet away, hugging her knees to her chest.
Her voice came out a soft murmur.
"Ayo...?"
"Yeah?" My voice felt distant, like it had traveled through water.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said, burying her face between her knees.
"But if you don't let me help you, you'll be trapped in Limbo forever..." I leaned forward. "I'll be trapped here too."
"I don't mind," she muttered.
"But you don't even know me."
Krish raised her head slowly. A faint glint flickered in her eyes—recognition.
"But... I do."
A sudden jolt of pain crashed into my head like a sledgehammer. I clutched my temples and reeled back, gasping.
"You have a Case too, don't you?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "It's obvious. You're... too knowledgeable about all this."
I went quiet. My thoughts tangled in threads of confusion.
"I do..." I admitted. "But sometimes, I don't remember anything. Even now, I can't explain what my case is, or where it began."
Krish gave a knowing nod. "Figures. No wonder you don't remember me. Still... I expected it."
I leaned in, squinting. "Wait—what do you mean? How exactly do I know you?"
A small smile crept onto her lips. She looked up at the ceiling, her voice drifting like smoke.
"It's been years. We were close once—middle school. Childhood friends. But like most people from our past... we drifted."
---
TAKE 4
"I... I don't remember," I murmured, a hollow ache opening in my chest.
"Exactly." Krish's voice dropped, tinged with shame. "I changed. I started hanging with the wrong people—drinking, sex, drugs. Anything to drown out my family issues..."
Her head lowered. Ginger strands of hair fell over her face like a curtain.
"I knew you didn't approve... You were always the one trying to fix things. I was just... stupid."
She bit her lip, drawing blood. Her voice cracked. "I fucking hated myself for it."
A painful pulse throbbed in my chest. My heart slammed against my ribs.
"I started noticing... strange things," she continued, her tone turning distant. "People... days... looping for no reason. It started around the entrance exam, the one used to pick the top students."
She looked up at me again, her eyes unwavering. "Every time one student failed to make the top three... the day would reset."
A long silence passed between us.
"That student," she said quietly, "was you. Ayo Merlio."
My heart slowed. Goosebumps bloomed along my arms. I looked down at my palms—pale, drained of all color.
"I... think I remember," I whispered.
Krish gave a weak giggle. Her aura dimmed, colder now.
"You should."
---
TAKE 5
"Wait—how did you get infected with a Case?" I asked. My eyes began to sting.
Krish's expression dimmed. "...Because of you."
A breath caught in my throat.
"I asked you something back then," she said, her voice barely audible. "And you answered. You said... you were happy I approached you this time."
I bowed my head, heavy with guilt. "But that's not all, is it?"
Krish nodded slowly. "No. In return, I asked you to remove me."
My heart skipped.
"'Remove you?' What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like." She ran a hand through her hair. "I couldn't handle my life. Everything was rotting. So... in a selfish moment, I begged you to remove me from your story. From your world."
She tapped her chin. "What did you call it again? 'Writing people out of existence.'"
I massaged my temples, my mind spiraling.
Is this why Mr. Jesse asked me to help her? Has my condition eroded my memories so badly that I can't even remember a friend?
But... I've made up my mind.
---
PALPABLE
"So..." I spoke gently. "Are you ready to face your reality now?"
Krish's reply was instant.
"No."
"You have to."
"I know."
Pain is strange. Physical pain can fade. Psychological pain lingers—mutates.
"I won't lie and tell you life gets better," I said, folding my arms. "For some, it doesn't. It gets worse."
Krish exhaled slowly, her shoulders sinking.
"I hate challenges," I continued. "I hate that they change me. That they force me to grow."
"So... you hate growth?" she asked, cocking her head.
"Growth is addictive. It's a high. You get a taste, and suddenly, you want more. But it's exhausting."
Krish raised an eyebrow, her expression playful. "I don't get you."
"I'm lazy."
She smirked, leaning forward. "I don't think a lazy person would go through all this trouble."
"They wouldn't. But even growth can come passively. You kill someone. There's blood everywhere. The next time, you're calm. Precise. Clean. Isn't that growth?"
Krish rubbed her chin. "...Yeah, I guess it is."
"So the question is—do you want to grow away from yourself... or grow through the pain?"
"In other words... do I want to be lazy or not?"
"Exactly."
A gentle silence settled between us. I turned to the villa's calm, still waters.
"I think..." Krish began.
I looked at her.
"I think I'll just be lazy."
I blinked. "...Huh?"
"Lose touch with reality. That kind of lazy."
Her words hit harder than expected. I turned inward.
Maybe I'm being hypocritical. Maybe I'm not lazy—I just fear being the worst. That's what I fight.
It doesn't make sense.
But it makes sense to me.
---
FINAL CUT
Krish's body shimmered faintly. A warm glow blossomed across her skin.
Her bony frame slowly filled out. Her eye bags softened. Life returned to her.
"I've noticed something," she said.
I looked up at her.
She met my eyes, serious. "My parents... they didn't plan for me. They were careless. Disgusting, even. But I placed too much perfection on them. That illusion... crushed me."
She exhaled. Her face was lined with peace—and regret.
Her white gown now clung to her differently. She wasn't the frail girl I first saw.
"So... I'll ask again," I said softly, my gaze on the still water.
"Are you ready to face reality?"
A long silence.
"...Yes."
Krish smiled at me.
I once doubted I could help her.
But maybe it was never about helping—just giving her the pen.
Krish stepped toward me, her gaze warm.
"Ayo..." she whispered. "Looks like this time... you left the ink wet."