Lorelei bolted upright, gasping as if surfacing from deep water. She dragged in a long, shaky breath, then another, her senses slowly swimming back into focus as her heart settled.
Where am I?
Overhead, a white light burned far too bright for comfort, harsh and unblinking. Curtains shielded the sides of the room, blocking any view from outside. She pushed herself off the bed, legs heavy with exhaustion, and pulled a blind aside—only to find another bed, nearly identical to hers. Someone lay in it, completely hidden beneath the blanket. Lorelei crept closer and lifted the fabric. Shiniel. Fast asleep, utterly at peace, mouth wide open and drooling onto the pillow. Her sword leaned against the bedside, still sheathed.
"Kill her," a voice whispered. "Don't waste time. Kill her while you can."
She climbed onto the bed, hovering over the sleeping girl. Her left hand reached for Shiniel's neck—trembling. But something caught her wrist. No—something seemed to catch it. In Lorelei's blurred vision, the mangled, blood-soaked shapes of Maria and Silvia gripped her arm, their ruined faces pleading as they reached out. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She turned her gaze to her own hands: the right was covered in its glove, the left left bare and vulnerable.
Was I really about to kill her?
The truth crashed down on her, cold and undeniable. She had been ready to take a life by force. To kill out of fear. To erase everything that person had lived for. In her agitation, her hand struck the sword, sending it clattering off the bed. The noise yanked Shiniel from sleep, and she opened her eyes to Lorelei fighting off her own delusions. With a shove, Shiniel sent Lorelei tumbling off the bed, then rolled aside and snatched up her sword, fingers curling around the hilt, ready to draw at the slightest movement.
"What? You wanted to kill me too?" she asked, dripping with sarcasm.
"No… No… You don't understand. You don't at all."
"Then what am I supposed to understand? Who even knows how many people you've killed by now."
"I didn't—" Lorelei's voice cracked.
"Don't tell me you didn't. You're a murderer. I can see it in you."
"I didn't… I didn't… I didn't—" Lorelei shook her head violently, tears spilling over. "I said I didn't! I had no choice. They were going to kill me too! What part of that don't you understand? I never asked for this—never! Why do you all blame me? I didn't choose to be born with this power! I didn't! I killed them because… because… I wanted to live too! Is it so wrong for someone like me to be afraid of dying?!" The words poured out of her, all the tangled grief and rage she'd been carrying.
"…"
Shiniel lowered her weapon a fraction, taking a proper look at Lorelei's tear-streaked face.
"Lorelei. Calm down. Take a deep breath. Just breathe."
"What power are you talking about?" Shiniel asked, her tone softening.
"Listen to me, Lorelei. Listen." A pause. "I said she knew about your power—that was a lie. Everything about Lan's spirited sword, about it being able to kill you… that was a lie. Sure, they can kill you, but not like—"
"What power?" Shiniel repeated.
"Forget about killing her, for now. Get up."
Lorelei wiped her tears and rose without a word. She lifted the white curtain and wandered aimlessly down the halls, vision blurring, mind fogged, her conscience nowhere to be found. Strangers watched her stumble, fall to her knees, and drag herself upright again.
"Calm down. Lorelei, calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down! I'll do exactly what you want." Her voice pitched higher. "Those people—you want me to kill them, don't you? Don't you?! Fine! I will! All of them!"
A hysterical laugh escaped as she walked, stumbling again. Beneath her eyepatch, her left eye twitched uncontrollably. The ticking of a clock returned, louder than before, pounding through her every thought.
"Sto—"
Wham!
"Sto—"
Wham!
"Sto—"
Wham!
"Sto—"
Wham!
Over and over, her head slammed against the hard white wall. Blood ran from her forehead down her cheeks, separating the flow from her nose. A man in white, watching from the corner, finally rushed in to stop her—but the moment his hand touched her shoulder, Lorelei hurled him off. He hit the ground flat, groaning.
"Die."
She drove her fist into him, dislocating his jaw and breaking his nose.
"Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. DIE! DIE! DIE!"
Her fist rose and fell, again and again, until his bare skull was exposed to the air. She stood, staggered through the hall, and wiped the blood from her hands onto the passing walls.
"I did what you wanted, didn't I? Huh? Tell me I did—"
A glowing symbol bloomed beneath her feet. Yellow chains shot up and bound her in place. She fought, thrashing and screaming, desperate to break free.
"Let me go! I'll kill them all! All of them!"
A shock of electricity burst from the chains and drove her to her knees. Distant voices screamed in fear, but nothing mattered anymore. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she let herself sink into a long-awaited rest.
…
"It was probably the shock," someone said. "Her mind drifted away."
Voices buzzed around her.
"It struck her directly on the cranium," a calmer voice explained. "She'll need rest before everything returns to normal."
Lorelei opened her eyes. A man sat beside the bed, neatly dressed beneath a white jacket. On either side, Samuel and Brant hovered, both wearing matching looks of anxiety—Brant tapping his foot against the floor, Samuel brushing his thumb restlessly across his palm. The man in white continued.
"I'm not certain the malfunction in the dome caused this, but I can assure you we'll look into it. The principal has been notified and is, as we speak, inspecting the spell."
Brant buried his head in his hands and let out a long sigh. Samuel spotted Lorelei's open eyes first and rushed to her side.
"Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere? Did you have a nightmare?" He fired the questions faster than she could answer.
"Samuel, calm down. Don't crowd her like this." The man in white got up to intervene.
Brant stayed perfectly still, but his face said everything Lorelei needed: a quiet mix of relief and joy. The man guided Samuel back to his seat before turning to her.
"Take it easy. You don't have to say anything, alright? We'll look after you for a little while."
Lorelei forced herself upright and leaned against the headboard.
"I don't want to…" she whispered.
"What?" the man asked.
"I don't want to stay here," she repeated, louder.
"I understand, but you need to he—"
"You heard her," Brant cut in.
"Brant, I can't just let her go in this state. You know that well."
Brant rose from his chair and leveled a hard stare at the man.
"You heard her," he repeated, the gentleness gone from his voice.
The man sighed and waved a hand, parting the curtain and stepping out.
"You feeling alright?" Brant finally asked, his voice dropping.
Lorelei nodded.
"We'll give you some time. We'll be just outside."
They slipped through the curtain and drew it shut. Alone now on this unfamiliar white bed, Lorelei sat in the quiet.
"I—"
"…"
"I'm sorry."
Even spoken only in her head, the figure's words felt distant, heavy with regret.
"I needed you to grow stronger on your own, Lorelei. I needed you to become a stronger version of yourself. The future isn't kind; I want to shield you from it. I don't want you to endure what I have—what we have. You're different from me, from all of us. You're special. No existence in this world is as special as you are."
"I can manage myself just fine."
"You can't, Lorelei. Not in this state. It's the effect of the numeral—wielding a numeral's raw power slowly devours your mind. Faster than an Eye, faster than an Authority. Now, listen closely. No matter what happens from here on, no matter what you must fight, no matter where you are: as long as you wield an Eye or Authority, you must follow its will. Every Authority has a will… but Time is particular."
"…"
"Time favors nil, Time empowers nil, Time embodies all."
Lorelei closed her eyes.
"And yet it could just as easily be read: Time favors all, Time empowers nil, Time embodies nil. It depends entirely on the user. How do you see time, Lorelei?"
"..."
"It's a question you will one day be forced to face. Do not ignore it. Do not reject it. And above all, do not avoid it. Shiniel won't trouble you for a while. Treasure… treasure this brief peace."
"I'm a hypocrite."
"Sometimes, hypocrisy can be a virtue."
The figure's voice faded from her mind, and at that exact moment the curtain parted as Brant and Samuel stepped in. Lorelei fidgeted with her fingers before speaking.
"What… what happened to that person… the one I…"
"Don't worry. They've already healed him."
She fidgeted a moment longer, then let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"You ready?" they asked in unison.
"…"
"Come on, then. Let's go home."