#pen lcb

Before he could decide, the elevator jolted to a stop. The doors slid open with a hiss—and the hallway beyond was already full.

They stood waiting. Peccatulum. Twisted things, wrong things. Their bodies were vaguely human, but stretched and warped, like clay left too long in the sun. Limbs bent at unnatural angles. Eyes gleamed like shattered glass. Their mouths hung open, too wide, too still. They didn’t breathe. They didn’t blink. They just watched.

Boy’s jaw dropped. “What the hell are those things?”

Mark stepped forward, fists clenched. “Things we kill.”

Dante didn’t look up from his pad. “Peccatulum,” he said, voice clipped. “Treat them like distortions.”

Boy fumbled for his notebook, scribbling the word down with shaking hands. “How?”

Mark wiped his face with the back of his hand, eyes locked on the nearest creature. “We kill them.”

Mallo, unusually quiet, gave a single nod. Her fingers flexed around the hilt of her weapon, knuckles pale.

Dante sighed, his voice low and grim. “They’re too far gone. No redemption. No recovery. You kill them.”

Mark didn’t wait. He leapt from the elevator with a roar, boots hitting the ground hard as he charged the nearest peccatulum. Mallo followed, her blade catching the violet light in a flash of silver. Boy shoved his notebook into his coat, drew his identity gun, and sprinted after them. Lenore was close behind, her feathered badge gleaming like a warning.

Alex remained in the elevator, slumped against the wall, eyes closed. Whether he was asleep or simply refusing to engage was unclear.

Hyde stood at the threshold, untouched by Dante’s pad, unassigned. The peccatulum turned toward her, sensing something different. Something familiar.

And Hyde smiled.

It wasn’t the kind of smile that invited warmth or camaraderie. It was the slow, deliberate curl of lips that knew too much and cared too little. Her fingers rose to her hair, which cascaded down her shoulders in dark, undulating waves—like ink flowing through water. She began to pin strands with a casual elegance, leaving some locks to tumble freely, as if she were preparing for battle not with armor, but with style. Each movement was fluid, almost hypnotic, her fingers weaving through the strands like a spider tending its web.

Dante hadn’t moved. His eyes remained fixed on the frozen panel, the screen still locked on Hyde’s icon, flickering faintly as if unsure whether to obey.

Jekyll’s voice echoed inside Hyde’s mind, sharp and impatient. What are you waiting for? You’re already in control—go and fight them!

No, no, Hyde replied, her grin stretching wider, teeth catching the purple light. I want to use an ID. The one we gave him.

The elevator trembled slightly as the battle outside intensified. Screams, gunfire, and the guttural shrieks of peccatulum filled the corridor beyond. Hyde remained still, untouched by urgency. Her gaze slid toward Dante, who finally turned, noticing she hadn’t joined the fray.

Between the chaos, his voice reached her, tentative and polite. “Ah, thank you for standing with me, Ms. Jekyll.”

Hyde’s head snapped toward him with a suddenness that made the air feel colder. She tilted her chin just enough for her hair to fall back, revealing the full intensity of her expression. That smile—too wide, too still—spread across her face like a mask. It was uncanny, and it always made Dante shiver.

Her eyes gleamed with something unreadable. Do these morons never learn? she thought, her voice a hiss in the back of her own mind.

Dante flinched. “Oh! My apologies… wrong one. Thank you, Ms. Hyde!”

Hyde’s smile softened into something more dangerous. “That’s more like it.” She crossed her arms, the motion slow and deliberate, and turned her attention to the battlefield. Her comrades were locked in combat—Mark barreling through with brute force, Mallo slicing with precision, Boy firing in bursts while scribbling notes mid-dodge, Lenore weaving through the fray like a dancer with a blade. The peccatulum were relentless, their distorted forms lunging and twisting, but the team held their ground.

Hyde watched it all with a detached curiosity, like a queen observing a chessboard mid-game. Her gaze didn’t flinch as Mark was knocked back, nor as Mallo drove her blade through a peccatulum’s throat with surgical precision. The chaos beyond the elevator was a symphony of violence, and Hyde was content to listen to its overture from the wings.

“No need to thank me,” she said, voice low and smooth, each word deliberate. “I only stand here to remind you of what I said before. You seem to have forgotten.” Her eyes remained fixed on the battlefield, but her words were aimed like daggers at Dante’s spine. “You know what ID I want to use next. The current team has no synergy. It should not be a problem.”

The panel flickered again, as if responding to her will. Somewhere deep in the system, something began to shift—lines of code bending, permissions unlocking, a quiet surrender to her presence.

Dante’s fingers trembled as he tapped the panel, almost praying it would work this time. “I haven’t forgotten,” he said, voice tight with relief as Hyde’s page finally loaded. “You wanted to use… your Middle ID, yeah?”

Hyde tilted her head, considering. I suppose that one would suffice, she mused, her voice echoing inside her own mind. And we can use the maestro one for later. She nodded slowly, the gesture almost regal. It would be beautiful to see Mallo’s reaction to it.

The thought of Mallo’s pain stirred something warm and electric in her chest, but her face remained composed, untouched by the thrill. Her smile didn’t widen. Her eyes didn’t gleam. She was a mask of calm, even as joy curled like smoke inside her.

I don’t want either of those IDs, Jekyll whispered, clutching her own shoulders in the dark corner of their shared mind. I can’t be here for them. I want some say in things.

Hyde’s grin twitched, barely perceptible. Just let me take care of the combat, she muttered under her breath, lips barely moving. You’ll be back for the important stuff.

“I’ll have it out and ready to use once you get out of the elevator then,” Dante said, selecting the ID with a final tap. He glanced up at Hyde, uncertain whether to expect thanks or a threat.

Hyde turned toward him and nodded slowly. “Thanks, I suppose.” The words felt foreign in her mouth, like borrowed language from someone she used to be. Gratitude didn’t suit her—it hung awkwardly in the air, like a coat worn inside out.

She stretched out her knuckles, the joints cracking like distant thunder. The Middle ID crept over her like a second skin, cold and heavy. Chains began to form around her arms, spectral and metallic, binding her with purpose. Her brush dissolved into smoke, replaced by the infamous book of vengeance—its pages blank, waiting to be filled with names.

“This will be fun,” she said, voice thick with anticipation.

“Heck yeah! Go out there and kick some peccatulum behind!” Dante clapped, eyes gleaming at the sound of violence. Outside, Boy staggered under the weight of a blow, and Mallo drove her blade through another peccatulum’s chest, her face unreadable.

Hyde stepped forward, the elevator’s threshold humming beneath her boots like a warning. The chains around her arms rattled softly, spectral and metallic, and the book of vengeance pulsed in her grip like a heartbeat waiting to be weaponized. She turned back toward Dante, one brow lifting in faint surprise at the way he watched her—not with fear, but with something close to admiration. Huh, she thought, lips twitching. Guess he isn’t so bad. He seems rather happy about this.

Behind her, Jekyll’s voice faded into the walls, swallowed by the ID’s grip. The elevator sealed shut behind her with a hiss, and Hyde stepped fully into the corridor just as Mark drove his fist through the last peccatulum’s skull. The creature crumpled like wet paper.

“These guys are easy,” Mark said, brushing gore from his knuckles. “We beat them up, move to the next room, that’s all. Rinse and repeat.”

Boy nodded, still catching his breath. “Yeah, okay. That’s… simple enough.”

But Mallo wasn’t convinced. Her voice came sharp and fast, like a blade thrown across the room. “Why are they on the first floor? They were on the final floor last time. We cleared that. We cleared it!”

Mark shrugged, already bored. “Demon syndicates were there last time. Probably stirred them up.”

Dante, still fiddling with his pad, added without looking up, “Golden Bough was active too. Could’ve summoned them. That kind of resonance pulls these things in.”

Mallo’s eyes narrowed. “But why here? Why now? Why are they here?”

Boy, crouched beside a twitching corpse, blinked up at her. “Uh… bad luck?”

Mark snorted. “Middle couldn’t get to them. That’s all.”

Jatayu, adjusting his coat with a sigh, offered, “Surely they aren’t cowards. Maybe they just haven’t gotten here yet. Or they’re waiting. Or they’re watching. Or they’re just slow.”

Mallo’s gaze snapped to Mark, and her eyes flared with something between fury and betrayal. Her stare landed squarely on the Middle ID glowing faintly on his chest. Her lips curled in disgust.

Then her eyes slid to Hyde, who wore the same ID. But Hyde wore it differently. Where Mark’s was a label, Hyde’s was a crown. The chains shimmered. The book pulsed. Mallo’s expression faltered—just for a moment. Not fear, not quite, but to something wary. Something that knew better than to provoke.

Mark, of course, remained unbothered. He rolled his shoulders and looked around, as if waiting for the next round.

Mallo exhaled sharply, trying to regain control. “Which way do we go now?”

Mark raised an eyebrow, already fishing something from his pocket. “Flip a coin?”

“Yayyyyy!” Boy and Lenore chorused, their voices overlapping in chaotic glee with a tinge of sarcasm.

Mallo’s hands flew up. “We are not flipping a coin! We should be using logic! Strategy! We’re not children!”

Lenore tilted her head, her feathered badge catching the dim light. “Maybe randomness is logical. If we’re being watched, wouldn’t unpredictability be safer?”

Mallo blinked. “It’s probably just a hallway. If I had to guess. Facilities like this—they’re built differently. Symmetrical. Mirrored. It’s probably the same either way.”

Boy squinted down both corridors, then turned back. “So… we're blind? Can we just flip a coin?”

Lenore tapped her chin. “Pretty sure each path is equally likely to be a trap.”

Mark grinned. “Aight. I got a coin from a demon syndicate guy. He said it was lucky.” He held up a tarnished, jagged-edged token that looked like something had bitten it with too many teeth. He flipped it.

“Wait—wait! Which way is heads and which is tails? You can’t just flip it without saying!” Boy flailed his arms.

Mark caught the coin mid-air with a practiced hand. “The hall in front of us is heads. Right of us is tails.”

“That depends entirely on where we’re standing,” Jatayu muttered, rubbing his temples. “Orientation is relative. If we’re facing north, then—”

A brief, chaotic debate ensued. Fingers pointed. Directions were redefined. At one point, Boy tried to draw a map on the wall with his trusted pen before Lenore gently took the makeshift crayon from his hand. Eventually, they agreed: tails meant right.

Mark flipped again. The coin clattered to the floor, spun wildly, and landed with a dull clink—tails.

“Right it is,” Mark said, already moving.

They turned the corner and were immediately greeted by another cluster of peccatulum, their forms writhing in the shadows like a corrupted choir waiting to sing.

Boy’s eyes widened. “Do we… do we normally fight this early? Like, this soon after the last batch?”

Dante didn’t even look up from his pad. “This is a small amount. We usually face these little ones in the dozens. Sometimes more.”

Boy blinked, then nodded slowly, as if trying to convince himself. “Oh. Well. This is nice then.” He raised his gun with a shaky hand.

Hyde lingered at the edge of the corridor, her boots planted just beyond the hallway’s threshold, the hum beneath her feet fading into the distant thrum of combat. She didn’t move. Not yet. The chains around her arms hung loose, swaying with each breath, and the book of vengeance pulsed faintly in her grip, as if sensing the bloodshed ahead.

Mark surged forward in his Middle ID, intercepting a blow meant for Mallo with a grunt and a flash of steel. The gloom and gluttony peccatulum shrieked, their distorted forms lunging and twisting, but they were no match for the coordinated brutality of the team. The floor was slick with ichor within moments, the creatures falling one by one like puppets with severed strings.

Hyde watched it all with clinical detachment, her eyes narrowing as she studied the way each member moved. Their attacks were efficient, but their habits clashed with the identities they wore. Mallo’s precision faltered under the weight of borrowed aggression. Mark’s brute force was amplified, but lacked his usual restraint. Even Boy’s enthusiasm seemed warped, his Thumb ID pushing him toward recklessness. It was fascinating—how the IDs reshaped them, how they resisted or surrendered.

Her gaze drifted from the battlefield to Dante, who stood just a few feet away, half-hidden in the shadows of the doorway. He wasn’t watching the fight. Not really. His clock was unfocused, staring through the carnage as if trying to see something beyond it. One hand was clenched tightly against his chest, fingers digging into the fabric of his coat. His posture was uneven, shoulders hunched, weight shifting from foot to foot like he couldn’t decide whether to run or collapse.

Hyde frowned. She stepped forward and slugged him in the shoulder—firm, deliberate, calibrated to bruise but not break.

Dante stumbled back with a startled yelp. “Huh! Hyde! Ow… What was that for?”

Hyde tilted her head, suppressing a snort. So he would be really easy to kill, she smirked, amused by the thought. “You even fall like a stick,” she said aloud, voice dry. “Get your head in the game. Daydreaming is important for creativity, but not when it could be your last. Focus.”

Dante blinked at her, eyes wide, as if she’d just stepped out of a nightmare and offered him a cup of tea. He stared for a moment too long, trying to process her words, trying to reconcile the violence with the advice.

“I don’t recall you being the motivational type,” he said finally, rubbing his shoulder. “You’re right. Thanks, Hyde.”

Hyde didn’t respond. She turned back toward the battlefield, her chains rattling softly, the book pulsing once more.

She was watching.

And she was waiting.

Hyde’s gaze slid sideways, her expression unreadable as she watched Jatayu retreat from the fray. His coat flared behind him as he backpedaled, boots skidding slightly on the blood-slick floor. More peccatulum were pouring in, their grotesque silhouettes writhing in the violet light like shadows made flesh. The air was thick with the stench of ozone and rot, and the walls pulsed faintly, as if the facility itself were breathing.

“Cold feet, veteran?” Hyde’s voice cut through the chaos like a scalpel—precise, cool, and just sharp enough to draw blood.

The veteran paused mid-step, his breath visible in the chill that clung to the corridor. He didn’t turn to face her, but his shoulders stiffened. “My attacks in this ID are ineffective,” he said, voice clipped but not defensive. “In order to help, I need to trade my ID.”

Hyde didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she turned her attention back to the battlefield, where Mallo had just won a brutal clash against one of the newer gloom-type peccatulum. Her blade sang as it carved through the creature’s chest, and the corridor’s hungry acoustics swallowed its shriek. Mallo didn’t celebrate—she never did—but her stance shifted, just slightly, into something more grounded. She was in control. For now.

Hyde’s eyes flicked back to Dante, who was still hovering near the doorway, fingers dancing across his pad. “Isn’t ID choice your job?” she asked, her tone deceptively casual.

The insult was buried beneath the words like a blade beneath silk, but Dante, ever the optimist—or perhaps just distracted—missed it entirely.

“Indeed it is!” he said brightly, tapping the screen with a flourish. “Which is why I have a new one prepared just for the job!”

With a final swipe, Jatayu’s ID shimmered and shifted. The air around him crackled as the G Corp Commander designation took hold, his silhouette sharpening, posture straightening. The moment the transformation settled, he turned on his heel and sprinted back into the fray, coat billowing like a banner behind him.

Boy watched him go, eyes narrowing. “Huh,” he muttered, side-eyeing the new ID. He shuddered as if it recalled a memory for him. “Fancy.”

More peccatulum surged forward, their limbs scraping against the walls, their mouths open in silent screams. The team braced for another wave.

And still, Hyde did not move.

She stood at the edge of it all, her chains quiet, her book closed. The violet light painted her in shades of dusk, and her eyes gleamed with something unreadable. Not fear. Not hesitation. Something colder. Something more deliberate.

If I am to become the Maestro, she thought, I need to compose the energy I possess. Not squander it on every shrieking beast that throws itself at our feet.

There was no glory in killing these things. No music in it. Only noise.

And Hyde had no interest in playing to noise.

The chains around Hyde’s arms dissolved into smoke, the book of vengeance vanishing from her grip like a dream forgotten upon waking. The ID snapped off her like a second skin peeling away, leaving her in her base form—no longer cloaked in Middle designation, no longer bound by its hunger. The corridor’s violet light dimmed slightly around her, as if the system itself recognized the shift.

Jekyll stirred faintly in the back of her mind, a whisper against the silence.

Dante glanced over, catching the change. His eyes widened slightly, and he tilted his head, uncertain. “You okay, Hyde?” he asked, voice cautious. “Usually, you’re really eager to… paint…”

Hyde raised her hand to her mouth, fingers resting lightly against her lips in a pose Dante had seen before—too many times, in too many IDs. It was a gesture that always preceded something unsettling. Her eyes gleamed with a sly, unreadable light.

“These,” she said, voice smooth and low, “are not scum I deem worthy of wasting my time on.” Her smirk deepened. “Who’d be here to guard the manager from such harm? We can’t have you turning into a painting, no, no, that simply won’t do…”

You lure him into a false sense of security, Jekyll murmured, her voice tight with concern.

I won’t kill him until I have to, Hyde replied, calm and unbothered.

Ahead, the battle raged on. Mallo and Mark fought side by side, their movements surprisingly synchronized despite the tension between them—and despite Mark’s Middle ID. Mallo’s strikes were precise, her blade singing through the air, while Mark absorbed blows and retaliated with brute force. It was messy, but it worked.

Jatayu, now fully settled into his G Corp Commander ID, moved like a storm. He demolished two peccatulum in rapid succession, his attacks clean and efficient. There was no hesitation in his movements, no wasted energy. He was a veteran, and it showed.

Dante’s gaze drifted back to Hyde, the flames on his head cracking. Something about her posture—too still, too composed—made his stomach twist. She was trying to look neutral, maybe even helpful, but the smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth betrayed her. Just barely.

There was always something behind Hyde’s words. Something sharp. Something that hinted at harm. And now, Dante couldn’t tell if she’d been joking about protecting him—or suggesting she was the threat he needed guarding from.

He shuddered, visibly unnerved. “I think… we should go join the others…” he muttered, voice thin. Without waiting for a reply, he shuffled toward the door, trying not to look back.

The last peccatulum fell with a wet thud.

Mark wiped his hands on his coat and exhaled. “Hope no one distorts,” he said, half-joking.

Mallo laughed—a short, sharp sound—and nudged Mark with her elbow. Mark looked at her strangely in response. They walked forward together, side by side, their steps in rhythm before they each chose a different hallway to go down. Lenore followed Mallo, while Boy and Alex followed Mark. Boy looked visibly unnerved walking beside G Corp Jatayu, despite Jatayu’s sincere compliments toward Boy’s gun and fighting skills.

“The genders have split,” Jatayu observed. “Lenore and Mallo went left, and Mark and Boy went straight. Shall we split up?”

“I don’t really want to be with Hyde right now,” Dante muttered.

His fear was music to the painter’s ears, and she wished to feed off it. Hyde walked up next to the manager, her presence sudden and unsettling. “Why not, manager?”

Dante screamed—loud, sharp, like a train horn. “I… I feel as if we’ve been spending a lot of time together, and it might leave a bad impression on the others if people started thinking you were the favorite…” He was clearly lying through his teeth, nervous and twitching.

“How touching,” Hyde replied, her smile never faltering. I have you right where I want you.

Please, don’t antagonize our boss, Jekyll sighed, rubbing her temple.

“With your permission, I would like to join the boys,” Jatayu said, already stepping forward. “I have nothing against women, but hell hath its hatred against the scorned woman. They scare me.” He walked straight ahead to join the boys without waiting for a response.

Dante slowly turned to Hyde, his voice thin. “I want to stick with Mallo. I don't want anything bad happening… come with?”

Hyde was still smiling. “Sure.”

Dante didn’t fully turn his back toward Hyde as they made their way down the hall and turned left. He was trembling, shoulders tight, while Hyde walked proudly behind him, her steps measured and calm.

They met Mallo and Lenore, who greeted the manager with a nod and stepped forward into the central facility room. Dante entered first, clearly trying to put distance between himself and Hyde. In the center of the room stood a massive console, its surface flickering with data and containment logs.

The central facility room was colder than the corridors that led to it, as if the air itself had been conditioned to preserve something fragile—or dangerous. The walls were lined with dark, matte panels that hummed faintly, and the lighting overhead was dim but deliberate, casting long shadows across the floor. In the center stood a massive console, shaped like a hexagonal altar, its surface alive with flickering data streams, containment logs, and encrypted readouts. The glow from the screen painted the room in shades of blue and green, like the inside of a submerged vault.

“What are we looking for?” Mallo asked, already scanning the interface.

Dante hovered near the console, fingers twitching as he tried to make sense of the interface. He glanced at Mallo, who was already scanning the data with sharp focus. “You’re the one good at machines,” he said, voice tight with expectation.

Mallo didn’t look up. “You’re the one who rushed in here first,” she replied coolly, her eyes darting across the screen.

Lenore stepped closer, her feathered badge catching the console’s glow. “Is there a map?” she asked, her voice soft but urgent.

Mallo turned slightly, her brow furrowed. “Not exactly. No map, but there are notes—logs about abnormalities stored in the facility.” Her finger traced the screen as she read. “It says each hallway ends in a storage room. This one contains a chained beast… this one has a human energy cell… and this one…” She squinted, leaning in. “Something called ‘Blank.’ That’s odd. I’ve never seen that designation before.”

Lenore’s face went pale. Her expression tightened, eyes distant, as if pulled into a memory she hadn’t consented to revisit. “I hope it’s not ‘Nothing There,’” she murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

Dante blinked. “What’s a ‘Nothing There’?”

Mallo looked up, confused. “A nothing what?”

Lenore swallowed hard. “It’s an abnormality. One that the ID I’m currently using is familiar with. It’s… very bad.”

Hyde, standing just behind them, tilted her head. She couldn’t see the console from where she stood, but she listened intently. 

“Dangerous, I assume,” Lenore continued. “The logs mention two objects in one hallway, and one in another. But I can’t see the specifics.”

Dante’s voice wavered. “They’re contained, right? We don’t have to face them, do we?”

Mallo’s eyes narrowed. “I thought facing them was part of the job.”

“They’re pre-contained,” Dante offered, trying to sound confident.

“For how long?” Mallo asked, her tone sharp. “Are they contained because the system works, or because they don’t feel like leaving? How long until they do want to leave?”

Lenore stepped forward, her voice steadier now. “LCA wants their eggs, but abnormalities in their containment units work too. We just need to verify stability.”

Mallo straightened. “Then let’s go look.”

Lenore nodded, but added, “We should regroup with the others before engaging any of them.”

“Agreed,” Dante said quickly.

Mallo glanced toward a side corridor. “Maybe we can cut through here.”

Dante followed her gaze. “The hallways connect. That should work.”

The room buzzed with the low, constant hum of overhead lights and aging terminals. The air smelled faintly of dust and ozone, like a place that had been powered but forgotten. Desks were scattered across the space, some overturned, others buried under heaps of torn files and shattered monitors. It looked like someone—or something—had searched through the room in a frenzy, but not recently. The damage was old, the scratches faded, the chaos settled into a kind of uneasy stillness.

Hyde stood near the doorway, her eyes scanning the wreckage. It was hard to tell if anything of value remained. The mess was too deliberate to be random, but too chaotic to be useful. She tilted her head slightly, watching Lenore approach the central terminal.

Lenore’s fingers danced across the interface, her feathered badge flickering faintly in the dim light. “Strange,” she murmured. “This branch has no information on the Golden Bough. Or at least, not this floor. There are three floors total, so there might be something deeper in. If Ornella’s branch is anything to go by, it could be inside a containment chamber.”

“No harm in checking,” Mallo replied, her voice steady.

Lenore didn’t look up. “If we need to suppress anyway, Dante, it’s your call. But suppressing them regardless won’t change much. We’ve done it before. It’s tedious, but manageable.”

Dante rubbed his temple, gaze flicking between the terminal and the hallway beyond. “Hmm… It would make sense to see what we can do to suppress them for LCCA. But it would also be foolish to charge into their home without the full party. We’d be walking into their den with half a plan and no backup.”

“One of our gun users isn’t even with us at the moment,” Lenore added, her face expressionless despite the faint scorch marks still glowing across her cheek.

“You look… toasty,” Dante said, trying for levity.

Lenore blinked slowly. “Flames don’t scar too badly in this ID. We should regroup with the others. I suggest we head in the direction they might’ve gone.”

Mallo nodded and turned toward the right, following the path the boys had taken—but through a different hallway. The others followed in silence, their footsteps echoing against the cold tile. The rooms they passed were dark, their doors slightly ajar, but no light spilled out. It was as if the facility itself was holding its breath.

Lenore didn’t hesitate. She walked straight into the next room at the end of the hall, her badge casting a faint glow ahead of her. Inside, she saw them—peccatulum, clustered and twitching in the shadows. To the left, more movement. To the right, at the far end of the hall, the boys stood waiting.

Mallo stepped in after her, eyes widening slightly at the sight.

“Hi guys,” Boy called out, waving with one hand while the other gripped his weapon.

“I see our comrades up ahead,” Jatayu said, his voice calm, his stance already shifting into readiness.

Hyde’s gaze drifted toward the left room, her eyes narrowing. Dante, meanwhile, turned toward the right, lifting his PDA and using its screen as a makeshift flashlight. The beam cut through the dark, illuminating a heavy door and the faint outline of chains beyond it.

“That one might be the chained beast,” Dante said, voice low. He took a step back. “I… don’t want to go in there.”

The air grew heavier, thick with static and the scent of something ancient. Hyde’s gaze drifted toward the left room, drawn by a pulse she couldn’t name. It wasn’t curiosity—it was hunger. A threat to demolish. A challenge to meet. Something worthy of her time.

Without a word, she slipped away from the group, her steps silent, her presence unnoticed. The door creaked open just enough to let her slide through, and then it shut behind her with a soft click. She made sure Dante didn’t see her vanish, didn’t catch the flicker of her coat or the glint in her eye.

Inside, the room was pitch black. Not just dim—obliterated of light. The walls swallowed sound, and the air was colder here, like the breath of something buried. Hyde couldn’t hear or see anything at first, but then—

A low, distant horn.

It wasn’t loud, not to the others. But inside Hyde’s head, it roared like a train barreling through a tunnel. Jekyll gasped, recoiling. No. No, not this. Not again.

Scraping metal echoed from the far end of the room, dragging across the floor in slow, deliberate strokes. Hyde looked up, eyes adjusting to the dark.

She saw them.

Four figures, barely visible in the gloom. Their outlines shimmered with a sickly green hue, the unmistakable signal of a Green Ordeal. And they weren’t alone. Another presence loomed behind them—larger, heavier, wrong. All of them were TETH level. All of them were watching.

Hyde twirled her brush between her fingers, the motion fluid, almost playful. Then she reached back and pulled the door behind her tightly, sealing herself in. No cracks. No witnesses.

“Aight,” she whispered, grin spreading. “Let’s fight these motherf—”

The transformation hit like a wave.

Her body shifted, the brush in her hand warping into a jagged, ink-stained baton. Chains slithered up her arms, binding her wrists in ceremonial iron. Her coat darkened, stitched with symbols of Middle allegiance—Her boots clicked against the floor with a sharper edge, and her eyes gleamed with a violet sheen. The Hawaiian shirt laced her shoulders and fell to her sides.

The Middle Hyde ID was not just a look—it was a persona. A sanctioned executioner. A walking contradiction: elegance and brutality, artistry and annihilation.

Jekyll vanished, her voice swallowed by the ID’s grip.

Hyde admired her new form, flexing her fingers as the chains and tattoos pulsed with latent energy. She liked this look. It suited her. 

But against these robots, it wouldn’t be enough. She would have to hit them with something harder. 

Like an EGO. 

The door sealed behind Hyde with a soft click, swallowing the corridor’s light and leaving her in a room of pure shadow. The air was thick, metallic, and cold—like breathing through rusted wire. The four Green Ordeal units stood in formation, their frames twitching with unnatural precision. They weren’t just machines. They were rituals in motion. Each one pulsed with a sickly green glow, their limbs jagged, their movements too smooth to be mechanical.

Hyde didn’t hesitate.

She reached inward, into the marrow of her identity, and let the corrosion take hold.

The Stunted Mimicry EGO surged through her body like wildfire. Her skin split and reformed, red claws bursting from her fingertips, jagged and wet like freshly torn metal. Her jaw elongated, reshaping into a maw of blood and teeth—an echo of something primal, something that had never been human. Her coat darkened into a slick, crimson sheen, and her eyes gleamed with a feral hunger.

The second robot didn’t even react in time.

Hyde lunged, her claws carving through its chest with a sound like tearing silk. The jaws snapped once—twice—and the machine crumpled, its green glow extinguished in a burst of static. It didn’t scream. It simply ceased.

But Hyde wasn’t done.

The red faded, and a new presence overtook her—a cold, blue shimmer that crawled up her spine like frostbite. The Faint Aroma EGO enveloped her, wrapping her limbs in translucent mist. Her breath became visible, each exhale stealing warmth from the room. Her veins pulsed with a pale glow, and her eyes turned glassy, distant, like someone halfway submerged in ice water.

The first robot—already doomed—shuddered once and collapsed. No impact. No final blow. Just death. Quiet and complete.

Hyde staggered, her body flickering between forms, barely holding together. The third robot lunged, and she countered, claws meeting steel in a burst of sparks. But the third and fourth struck her from both sides, their blows landing hard—one to the ribs, the other to her shoulder. She reeled, blood splattering across the floor in a wide arc.

She dropped to one knee, panting, her vision swimming.

The robots paused. They didn’t advance. They didn’t retreat. They simply stood there, awkwardly, as if waiting for protocol to catch up with reality.

Hyde coughed, wiped blood from her mouth, and pushed herself upright. Her legs trembled, but her grin returned—wide, crooked, and full of malice.

The fourth robot twitched, then charged.

Hyde met it head-on. She clashed, her fists banging against its arm, and this time she won. With a roar, she drove her fist into its face, sending it flying across the room. It crashed into the wall with a crunch, limbs splayed like a broken marionette.

She reached into her coat and pulled out a half-crushed bottle of vodka from a previous mission. The label was torn, the glass chipped, but it was still sealed. She popped the cap and chugged it, the burn slicing down her throat like fire. Her wounds didn’t close, but the pain dulled, just enough to keep her standing.

The fourth robot—still guarding—twitched again. The third, somehow still functional, limped forward for another strike.

Hyde didn’t wait. She surged forward, fists glowing with residual frost and blood, and struck both in a single motion—one upward slash, one downward crush. The room lit up with green sparks as both machines collapsed, their cores ruptured, their limbs twitching in final spasms.

Hyde stood in the center of the wreckage, blood dripping from her chin in slow, deliberate rivulets. Her coat was torn at the shoulder, one sleeve shredded, the fabric soaked in a mix of her own blood and the green fluid that had once powered the ordeal units. Her breath came in ragged bursts, each inhale scraping against bruised ribs. She had almost died. The hits had been brutal, relentless. But somehow—through grit, corrosion, and sheer spite—she made it out alive.

Ugh, she thought, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. That shouldn’t have been that difficult. If I was at full power, I’d have—

The door burst open.

Light spilled into the room, casting long shadows across the carnage. The rest of the party flooded in, weapons drawn, eyes wide. Mallo was first, blade already half-raised. Mark followed, fists clenched. Lenore’s badge glowed faintly, scanning for threats. Jatayu stepped in with practiced calm, while Boy stumbled in behind them, eyes darting across the wreckage.

Dante was last, breathless and worried, panic etched into every line of his flames.

Hyde didn’t turn. She just smiled.

Mallo’s voice rang out, sharp and accusatory. “What were you doing?”

Hyde tilted her head slightly, her grin widening. “What does it look like?”

Mark snorted. “Getting beat up.”

Hyde finally turned, her eyes gleaming. “There were four of them,” she said, gesturing to the twisted remains scattered across the room. “I beat them all to rubble.”

Mallo’s gaze flicked to the Middle ID still clinging to Hyde’s form. Her eyes narrowed, and without a word, she turned and walked away, her coat flaring behind her.

Dante stepped forward, voice cracking. “Hyde, that was dangerous! You could’ve died!”

Hyde shrugged, the motion stiff but defiant. “I’m alive, aren’t I?” She smirked, blood still drying on her teeth. “I used only one skill the whole time, too.”

Mark crossed his arms, eyeing the wreckage. “Barely.”

The room was silent for a moment, save for the soft hum of the dying terminals and the faint buzz of Hyde’s lingering EGO. The others lowered their weapons, tension slowly bleeding out of their stances.

Hyde stood tall in the center of the wreckage, her silhouette framed by the flickering remains of the ordeal units. The chains around her arms rattled softly, their weight a reminder of the power she had wielded—and the toll it had taken. Blood still dripped from her chin, slow and deliberate, tracing the torn edges of her coat. Her breath came in shallow bursts, each inhale scraping against bruised ribs. She was battered. She was bleeding.

But she was proud.

She ignored whatever Mark muttered next, tuning out the noise of the others as she pulled out her book of vengeance. The pages were stained, warped from previous battles, but still legible. She crossed out the names of the four robots with precise, deliberate strokes, each mark a small act of closure.

Then, without hesitation, she wrote Mallo’s name.

Not for justice.

Not for duty.

But out of spite. Out of the slow-burning hatred that had built up over time—through glances, through dismissals, through every moment Mallo had looked at her like she was a threat instead of a teammate.

Mark my words, Mallo. I will be your demise. That is a vow on my life. 

The ID broke off with a hiss, the chains dissolving into smoke, the book dimming in her hands. Her body sagged slightly, the adrenaline fading, leaving behind exhaustion and ache.

From the hallway, Mallo’s voice drifted in, sharp and cold. “Jekyll was carrying.”

Hyde’s eyes narrowed.

Mark’s voice followed, casual and dismissive. “We would’ve been fine without Jekyll.”

Hyde adjusted her paintbrush and turned to Dante, motioning silently. She wanted to be rewound. Her body was screaming for it, and she didn’t want to show weakness by asking aloud.

Dante hesitated, his fingers hovering over the pad. “I hope you think long about this, Hyde,” he said quietly.

Hyde tilted her head, her smile returning, crooked and bloodstained. “Why? They’re the ones that died.”

Mark scoffed, overhearing the conversation. “You barely didn’t. You look like you got hell beaten out of you.”

Lenore stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. “We’re not idiots who barge into rooms without knowing what’s on the other side.”

Hyde’s smile didn’t fade, but her eyes sharpened. Right, she thought, because you’re not powerful enough to take them on like I can. I don’t see the rest of you pulling feats like I can. She didn’t say it aloud. But the silence that followed was heavy with implication.

The room was quiet now, save for the soft hum of the dying terminals and the distant echo of footsteps in the hall. Hyde stood in the center of it all—wounded, defiant, and utterly alone in her triumph.

The rewound worked. Jekyll returned to the front, her breath shallow, her body still echoing with the pain Hyde had endured. Her fingers trembled slightly as she traced her brush across the floor, trying to ground herself in the present while Hyde’s memories surged behind her eyes.

Wow, Hyde, I’m impressed you did that, Jekyll began. But can we not get so close to death next time?

We were fine, Hyde wiped her face with malice. The team is overexaggerating. 

In the hallway, Mallo’s voice cut through the quiet. “Why would those robots be in there? That room looked abandoned.”

Mark shrugged, glancing back toward the wreckage. “Maybe someone put them there deliberately.”

Lenore stepped forward, her tone clinical. “It’s possible they were shoved in during an escape attempt. If that had been an abnormality instead of robots, Hyde probably would’ve died.”

Mark scoffed. “If it had been an abnormality, I would’ve taken care of it.”

Oh please, Hyde muttered from the back of Jekyll’s mind, her voice dry and venomous. Your ego would’ve killed you before the abnormality even got the chance.

“You weren’t there,” Lenore said sharply, not bothering to look at him.

Mallo turned to Mark, unimpressed. “There were only four robots in there, right?”

Jekyll nodded slowly, still catching up to the moment.

“But why?” Mallo continued. “The computer only listed one. Why were there more?”

Jekyll began to zone out as Mark started speculating again. She tried to focus, tried to stay present, but Hyde’s voice was louder, recounting every clash, every blow, every moment of near-death triumph. Jekyll traced her brush in slow circles across the ground, not paying attention to the conversation around her.

Whenever they pull of feats, they get praise, Jekyll gripped her paintbrush. But all we get is ridicule for our achievements. 

Feats are not won by simply standing around and not taking risks, Hyde added. 

Why? Why do they get praise? It’s not fair, Jekyll could feel anger burning in her chest. I… we… deserve recognition. 

Yes, yes we do, Hyde’s tone was slurred and deceptive. So you’re beginning to understand why we needed to get to the top of everything we were a part of. 

No, that’s different, I just wanted to paint because…

Life became better once people respected us, no? 

Jekyll didn’t reply. She knew Hyde was right. She knew she agreed with the painter. The critical words of the party stung like a bee. It would be a wound she would not forget. 

Then Dante spoke, breaking through the haze. “The robots are formed by the Golden Boughs—manifestations of doubt. Are we saying that Mallo the Boastful has doubts?”

Mallo laughed, tossing her hair as she walked away. “Please. I’d never have doubts.”

Jatayu stepped in, his voice calm and measured. “We did well overall, but I think we could improve our strategy.”

Mark crossed his arms. “Half the time, we’re just taking hits for you.”

Jatayu frowned. “It’s unfortunate. I couldn’t protect anyone during that fight. No one was defending. I’m supposed to boost defenses in this ID, but I wasn’t able to contribute. I’d like to go first more often.”

Mark shook his head. “When I go first, I deal better damage. I’ll stay first. The strongest should lead.”

“I’m strong,” Jatayu replied. “And I have leadership experience.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “You do know your wing fell, right?”

Jatayu’s expression darkened. “What happened to G Corp?”

“You lost the war,” Mark said simply.

A sharp crack echoed through the room as Jatayu’s ID shattered like glass. He staggered slightly, returning to his base form with a grimace. “That was… an experience.”

Mark glanced around. “Hyde almost got herself killed. Mallo’s in her usual pissed-off mood.”

Jatayu turned to Alex. “Anything to report?”

Alex turned slowly and shrugged.

“What’s this about Hyde almost dying?” Jatayu asked, his voice low.

Jekyll stepped forward, her voice quiet but firm, as if she tried to stand up for herself. “Hyde defeated four robotic green ordeals. And she lived through it.”

Jatayu nodded. “I’m glad she survived. But she might want to be more careful next time.”

Seriously, you too? Jekyll couldn’t bring herself to keep Jatayu out of the rage boiling within her.

Mark scoffed. “She ran off. She could’ve died.”

“But she didn’t,” Jekyll replied, trying to keep her tone cool despite her emotion. “And I didn’t have much say in the matter anyway.”

“She was barely alive,” Mark muttered. “One cough and she would’ve imploded.”

“We did find Hyde pretty badly injured,” Dante added, rubbing the back of his neck. He defended the other’s accusations quickly. 

Jekyll’s eyes narrowed. “Well, she lived, only using one skill for the entire fight against four attackers. I don’t think any of you could’ve pulled that off.”

But the party was not listening. The others turned toward Alex, shifting focus. They began lecturing him on the first EGO he’d found, explaining its properties, how to activate it, how to survive it.

Jekyll stood quietly, her brush still tracing the floor. Bastards. They don’t understand. We… you did great, Hyde. You wouldn’t have taken that risk if you didn’t know Dante could bring you back, right?

Why is it their problem? Hyde whispered. They shouldn’t care if I live or die. We have infinite lives, now. Of course if I was on one life I’d be more strategic, but even if so, we would have survived. These idiots clearly don’t get it. 

The doctor sighed in relief, trying to speak to him. However, no words came out of her mouth. Her mouth did not move despite her soul wishing to talk to him. Dante simply took Jekyll’s hand and pulled her towards him. 

Some sort of barrier broke the moment Jekyll crossed the door threshold. The light overwhelmed her eyes, and she fell into Dante’s arms before all her senses became overstimulated, refusing her any access to the outside world until they recollected themselves. 

The light slowly dimmed, allowing Jekyll’s eyes to adapt to the environment. She watched herself be reassembled piece by piece painlessly. It only took a few minutes for all her blood to return to her vessels and function in her body to be restored. 

Dante was holding onto her hand just like in the vision. He looked more concerned than worried. “Hopefully, you are alright,” he ticked, nodding. He clenched his stomach violently as if he felt Jekyll’s pain after she died. 

Jekyll didn’t let go of his hand. She leaned on Dante’s shoulder as her head spun. She wondered what happened, but figured she would ask later. All she knew was that she was safe by Dante’s side, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to her as long as he was around. The flames on the top of his head provided enough light and heat to keep her warm, and she wasn’t ready to give up that comfort just yet, especially after breaking free from the cold floor of hell. 

With the Sinner in his grasp, the clock stared down at the therapist, ensuring that the world couldn't harm her now. The pain – which never faded each time the hands of his face turned – was secondary to the hands of the sinner before him. He glanced around, ensuring there wouldn't be anything to disturb their moment of peace, keeping track of time. "It's alright. It's going to be ok. The first time is always the worst, dying. But.. you don't have to do it alone. You are never alone."

Jekyll laughed lightly. Second… time… 

First time on the battlefield, bastard. 

Jekyll sighed, not happy to hear Hyde in the back of her head. She glanced up, bowing to the clock in thanks. “You’re the best, Dante.” She smiled softly. “The best manager I could’ve ever worked for.” 

The maestro was better.

Shut up. 

If the manager could’ve smiled and hugged her tightly for the compliment he desperately needed, Jekyll was convinced he would have. He raised his arms to hug her, but his attention was pulled away as Pen asked where Mallo and Jatayu were. Realizing they died in the fight, Dante began to turn back the clock to bring them back just as he did with Jekyll. 

Jekyll stood back, unable to bear the sight of Dante in pain as the other sinners slowly formed back together. 

So… about the IDs, Hyde. 

The voice in her head stopped, heaving a sigh of frustration before it replied to her in a harsh tone. What about them? 

I hate them. I don’t like being locked up and not being able to do anything, Jekyll tried to sound as firm as possible, putting her foot down. 

I agree.

So I– wait. What? Jekyll paused, confused. Was Hyde really siding with her? 

I hated being locked up when you were in the LCCB ID. You probably hated it when I was in The One Who Shall Grip ID. 

Can… can we keep their usage to a minimum? Jekyll pleaded, knowing it would often be in vain, but she took that chance. 

Ask the clockhead. He’s the one who controls that. 

It was Jekyll’s turn to sigh in frustration. Dante has a name. You should respect him as such. 

Whatever. My point still stands. 

Dante walked over to Pen, about to rewind the clock for him next. 

The hunter put up his hand in refusal. “I’ll keep myself on my toes, Dante,” he shook his head. 

The manager looked relieved strangely. “Alright, I trust you.” He glanced at the rest of the group, doing a head count and still refusing to revive Mark. “Right then… it seems that the hallway is cleared. We could either go down the hall and explore the rest of that area… or we can go that way.” His hand lifted to point at the unlocked door mirroring the abnormality containment room. The flames on his head gently cleared away the darkness, but it added an ominous feeling to his appearance. 

Pen’s walk was more graceful and quiet than usual. He walked down the hall and gently approached a door that likely took them back to the entrance. His spear provided him with enough light to observe the door. “Is this another abnormality containment unit?” He asked Dante, his white hair glistening in the darkness. 

“N-No,” Dante stammered, still standing by the door in the middle of the hallway. “It shouldn’t be; I believe is a normal doorway.” 

Pen sighed, relaxing his posture and letting out a shaky breath. “What a relief…” 

It was odd how Pen was so nervous about abnormalities after facing one. What… happened after I died? 

Hyde was quick to answer, as always. They probably suffered without my help. 

Didn’t you fight next to the abnormality? 

That’s why they now fear me. Hyde smirked with delight. It was perfect. 

“Mallo, you have Mark’s body, right?” The manager asked in the darkness. 

There was a grunt before a shadow was hoisted over a shoulder. Mallo stepped into Dante’s circle of light and nodded silently, smoking a cigarette. Mark’s body started to smell, but it didn’t seem to bother the tall woman. 

Everyone nodded simultaneously when Dante confirmed everyone was ready and proceeded to move forward. Lenore and Pen were eager to explore the door at the end of the hall. No one batted an eye toward the door in the middle of the hall, despite Jekyll having an uncanny feeling that was where they were supposed to go. Doesn’t this door just loop around to the room Mallo dragged me out of? 

That’s not important right now, Hyde eagerly tried to peer through Jekyll’s eye. We will likely face combat again. Talk to the clockhead about the IDs before he changes us into one of yours. 

Or yours, Jekyll retorted. You’re not the only one that matters. 

Dante followed behind the rest of the party. It was one of the few chances Jekyll could talk to the manager before others wished to eavesdrop. Jatayu followed close behind him, his gaze more focused on the darkness behind the group rather than what lay ahead. 

Jekyll once more entered Dante’s circle of light, immediately feeling relieved the moment the manager turned to face her. “Dante?” Jekyll began, clenching her arm as if she struggled to find her words. 

“Is everything okay, Jekyll?” Dante reached out his hand toward her, before gently placing it back by his side. He shoved his other hand into his pocket, the clock silently ticking in the background. 

Jekyll stared at Dante’s face, trying to look him in the eyes… or what she thought were his eyes. “Can I ask a favor on behalf of me and Hyde?” 

“Certainly!” Dante nodded slowly. “How may I help you two?” 

Choose your next words carefully, Jekyll. 

Jekyll inhaled a nervous breath, clenching her hands together. She hated how much her hands shook the moment she even got a little bit nervous. “Can you…” Exhaling, her next words became a mutter. “Not turn us into IDs unless it’s absolutely necessary?” 

To the doctor’s surprise, the manager agreed. “Of course,” his voice was more understanding than Jekyll expected. “Will you be fine fighting on your own, then?” 

N-No I… 

I will, Hyde rolled her eyes. Fighting is easy. Leave that to me. 

“Hyde will be fine…” Jekyll stammered nervously, not liking the idea of fighting herself. “We just… both don’t like being silenced by the IDs… unable to say anything…” 

“I don’t understand what it is like to share a mind,” Dante inquired. “So I will keep in mind that is how both of you feel whilst using them.” 

Jekyll bowed in thanks once more, stepping aside and gesturing toward the rest of the group. “After you, manager.” 

“Thank you!” The hint of glee in his voice was reassuring. He paced down the hall with his head held high. 

The doctor followed suit, pacing behind the manager and falling in sync with the veteran. Anxiety crept up her back like a spider ready to devour her. She grazed her hand along her paintbrush before clenching it, watching the veteran’s movements as he too, nervously followed behind Dante. Hyde, what did you do to the group? 

Nothing of your concern. 

Jekyll didn’t believe her. She stuttered over her words as she tried to grab his attention discretely. “J-J-Jatayu?” 

He turned his attention toward her, his eyes half-opened and his body posture on alert. “Hmm?” He greeted Jekyll with a smile. “Yes, Ms. Jekyll?” 

“Did…” Jekyll sighed, clenching her arms as her footsteps echoed along the metal hallway. “Did Hyde hurt any of you guys?” 

The door at the end of the hallway swung open thanks to Pen’s force. He stepped aside as Lenore peered into the new room whilst Mallo watched from afar, smoking silently. Pen soon joined Lenore’s side, trying to make sense of the darkness that hid the room’s entities. 

“It wasn’t of Hyde’s violation I like to think, the entity had… abilities,” Jatayu responded, his voice low and wavering as memories flooded his mind. He stared at the ground as he slowly followed the manager, the only thing glimmering about his presence being the silver ring on his finger. 

Jekyll shivered. Hyde!

What are you freaking out for now? Hyde rolled her eyes, tuning back into the conversation. I kicked everyone’s butts before they staggered and killed me. 

Why would you do that?! Jekyll felt her breath quickening, unable to process that she attacked her coworkers. 

I was protecting the bird, simple as that. 

A what?!

Don’t worry about it, Hyde sighed. I attacked the bird anyway, I used one of those… uh… EGO things we got back from the bus. Anyway, where is Mallo? 

Jekyll didn’t like how fast Hyde was changing the conversation. Wait, why do you want Mallo? We didn’t finish–

She killed us. 

But–

I just want to talk to her, Hyde snapped, clearly done with the conversation. It is not your business.

It is my business! You’re literally using my body!

So? 

“Oi! You’re on private property!” A new, harsh voice echoed from the new room. “Get out of here, now!” 

Pen jumped back, his face draining color by the second as he hid behind Lenore. Jekyll could tell he was horrified by the voice; it somehow struck a nerve. His hands rested on Lenore’s shoulders. Pen peeked over her shoulder, muttering something to her. 

Lenore didn’t seem to mind and proceeded with her standard questioning. “Are you an employee of L Corp?” She asked calmly with a hint of spite, clasping her hands together as her eyes adjusted to the light. 

“Nah mate,” the voice replied. “We are just the people who own this place now.” 

Pen grabbed his spear as subtly as he could. He was ready to fight the voice that spooked him. His eyes slanted as they peered into the room.

Mallo still didn’t seem to bother with what was happening. She carried a weird, awkward posture as Mark’s body hung over her shoulder. She was purposely away from the group and refused to engage. 

“Worry not, Jekyll.” The veteran took a step in front of her, readying his tanfas in a protective position. He glanced back, his look was solemn. “It was not your fault, okay?” 

Jekyll’s hand went up to feel her face. Did I look worried? How did he know? 

Idiot. Focus on what’s going on. 

“You said this wasn’t a containment unit, Dante!” Pen shouted. He stared at the manager. Fear claimed his soul. 

“What?” This caught Dante by surprise. He quickened his pace to meet them. “It shouldn’t be!” 

“Oi, bum! Get ye and yer pussy outta here! Don’t make me say it again!” The new voice rang with a low, disgruntled threat. The tone of his voice conveyed his stance on the manner; he was not joking. 

The threat certainly caught Mallo’s attention; she finally got off the wall and wandered over to the rest of the group. 

It became difficult for Jekyll to see what was happening the moment Dante fled her side, having been her light source. When the manager joined the hunter’s side, he sighed in relief. “Ah… it’s just two humans…” Pen relaxed, letting go of Lenore and stepping to her side. “We have business here.” He informed the intruders quickly and concisely. 

They were not buying it. “Yeah? So do we!” 

That’s a second voice, Jekyll dared to go past Jatayu’s tanfa to observe the two intruders. She wanted to see a face she could match with the grumpy male voice. 

“Then why don’t we both just get along with our own businesses?” Pen continued. 

“You’re trespassing on ours!” The first voice shouted with anger. It was deeper and more hostile than the second voice, but both of them had the same intention. 

It seemed that Mallo had enough. She stepped forward out of the shadows. Her glare told everything she was feeling; giving an ‘are you stupid’ look to Lenore and Pen before she decided to speak. “Why are you conversing with them?” The voice and tone in which she spoke came off as harsh and intimidating.

Lenore, however, did not show any sign of fear. 

The second figure in the shadows snapped his fingers, trying to make his voice lower. “Come on, we don’t have all day now, we get on with our work and you piss off, or we will gut you like a fish!” 

Mallo’s face filled with an emotion Jekyll knew well; fear. She stepped back. Jekyll found it odd that she was almost intimidated by a simple voice that barked and had no bite. 

Now you’re talking, the thought seemed to please Hyde. Everyone is bark and no bite. This is why we bite first, and bark after. 

We are not dogs… 

It’s a metaphor, Jekyll.

You don’t need to tell me what a metaphor is. I majored in English. 

Amongst the rest of your useless degrees? Hyde scoffed. 

Jekyll rolled her eyes. You wouldn’t understand. You didn’t even get one degree.

Hyde snapped. I am the best artist in M Corp’s Ring. I majored in art with a specialization in blood preservation and murder. It is you who is the pushover fool.

You’re just a killer. You are an evil entity. 

And you are the creator of me; the color in your life. 

“I believe you gentlemen have a very poor understanding of the situation,” Lenore’s raised voice caught the attention of the doctor and the painter. 

“Oh really now, huh?” The first voice scowled, roaring like a lion. “What makes you say that?” 

A facade of calm anger seizes hold of Lenore’s expressions. “You are interfering with a business that is a far, far higher power than yourselves. Leave, or so help me not, may you be purged like the scum that you are on this circle of hell.” Her aura was the one of the intimidating One Who Grips, but it borrowed from the many memories of many other versions of herself. 

The two men responded, backing up being intimidated by her words. 

She would have a field day with split shards. Jekyll couldn’t tell if it was she or Hyde who thought that. Jekyll discarded the thought as she took a step towards the door, straining her eyes into the darkness to catch a glimpse of the threatening figures. 

Both men wear teal-colored green attire, with their right arms replaced with a strange, augmented… thing. It looked unholy, possessing a decaying color that enveloped all of their limbs up to their shoulders. Through their captive arm, a hole goes through their hands up to their shoulders as well. It glowed softly. The same strange genetic mutation also occupies their left hands and wrists. 

The taller one was the owner of the deeper, rustier voice. His hair was black and slicked back across his skull. His face was in a permanent scowl that was difficult to see amid the present darkness.

The second man was shorter, his hair a messy brown that covered his silver eyes. His gaze was harsh, but his facial expression was what caught Jekyll’s eye.

Hyde caught her own throat. L-Lucas? 

No. Jekyll sighed. It’s… it’s not Lucas. 

Hyde was silent, and… emotional. Jekyll searched her memories for why Hyde would be so caught up on the name. She knew the second demon syndicate’s face complexion looked strikingly similar to Lucas's, but there was no way it could actually be him. 

If I see him again, I’ll kill him.

You’ve always said that, Hyde. Jekyll sighed. But… it is likely he’s not alive anymore. We wouldn’t know. 

I didn’t get to paint with his blood. 

He would’ve let you. 

The two went silent again, the memories flooding through their head. Jekyll stared the second man down, her hand gripping the paintbrush. Despite the history, she felt oddly indifferent about it. Killing Lucas’ father was not a kill she regretted. It was the only one she thanked Hyde for. 

Thanks, again, Hyde. 

For murdering Sir Danves Crew? Yeah, whatever. 

It… Jekyll gripped her paintbrush tighter, anger boiling inside her. It was for the better. 

Do you think… Hyde paused, her voice in Jekyll’s head wavering. Do you think Lucas ever found out? 

I… Jekyll stopped a tear, wiping her face as she recalled the man. I don’t know. 

“Dante, step back,” Pen instructed, readying his harpoon.

“Okay,” Dante glanced back at the doctor and the veteran. “Jekyll, Jatayu, we need you up here.” 

Hyde, Jekyll begged, obeying Dante. Pull yourself together, we need to fight.

Hyde obliged, staring down the enemies. They’re not mechanical… I can still beat them to shreds. 

That… Jekyll opened her mouth to object. Yeah, okay. 

“Maybe you’ll find out how to use this another day,” The first man turned his head toward Pen, gesturing to his green arm. “But that day is not today.” 

“Stay out of this room, we are dealing with business.” The second one tried to raise his voice but stammered over his words the moment Lenore pierced his soul with her gaze. 

The door shut in front of the party’s face, but not by the syndicate members. Mallo gently closed the door and glanced at the rest of the party. “Not our problem anymore,” she stated.

Lenore stood there in disbelief. “What?” 

Now hold on, Hyde frowned, disappointed. That Maut guy ordered us to exterminate them. It is our problem. Let’s sweep the floor with them!

“Hyde, not now,” Jekyll said out loud. She covered her mouth immediately. Thankfully, no one in the group seemed to notice or care. Oh, I keep forgetting they already know about you.

Tough, Jekyll. 

Mallo thought to herself, staring at the floor before forcing her gaze toward Jatayu, adjusting Mark’s body over her shoulder. 

How has she not gotten tired of carrying his dead weight? Jekyll followed her gaze to stare at the veteran.

Jatayu was on high alert, staring down the hall they just walked into. His head rotated at every small sound, and his tanfas were in a battle-ready position. He took the position of being the rear guard of the group as if it were his duty to do so. He guarded everyone like if he didn’t, they would all die. 

Jekyll shuddered to herself. Is he guarding us because he didn’t guard his family on that wedding night? Is it only out of guilt? 

Guilt is a terrible driving force of action, Hyde rolled her eyes. But a driving action nonetheless. 

Don’t criticize the man. 

Why not? Hyde challenged. Going through the memory of your conversation with him, it’s honestly pathetic. He’s trying to find his niece who was kidnapped by a syndicate. There is no way she’s alive after all this time. Who was the idiot who taught him hope? 

Hyde–

Jekyll was interrupted as she stepped out of the way when Mallo walked past her. Mallo deliberately ignored her presence as she confronted Jatayu, almost stepping over her. She refused to look at her and acknowledge her, having an awkward vibe around Jekyll. 

Jekyll wasn’t surprised by such action, and how it ticked Hyde off. This motherf–

“We are supposed to eradicate threats, correct?” Mallo asked Jatayu and Dante at the same time.

Dante was the first to reply, seeing Jatayu was busy. “Uhm, yes, that is what Maut said per our contract with their company.” 

“Do the demon syndicate members count as a threat?” Her eyebrow raised, giving a pathetic look at the closed door. 

“As long as they are not in the way, I suppose not…” Dante suggested. “It depends if we want to terminate them and how we wish to.” 

Jatayu kept his head facing the hall, but his eyes turned to Dante. “I wouldn’t mind murdering them.” 

Mallo pointed at the door behind her. “Break a leg, I guess.” 

“Dante, permission to expel these putrid demons from existence?” Jatayu’s voice dripped with untold rage. A fire burned inside his eyes. 

The compassion Dante conveyed solely with his flames shocked Jekyll, but he shook his head. “It is not worth it right now. We have worse things to deal with. For example, we haven’t seen that red thing that beheaded the corpses yet.” 

The sadness on Jatayu’s face triggered something inside the party. Lenore was the first to act upon her empathy. “The demon syndicate members seem to be hiding something in there, are we sure we don’t want to figure out what they are protecting?” 

“I do not sense the golden bough, which is what we are after here,” Dante reminded everyone of the goal at hand. “Did anyone see anything important?” 

“It was pitch black; we ordered them to leave but they refused to. It seems the conclusion is obvious,” Lenore gestured to the door, a small chaotic gleam flashing in her eyes. 

“They are not our prey, but what if they attack us later on?” Pen added. 

“I agree with Pen,” Jatayu turned around, butting into the conversation. He seemed eager to convince the manager. “It’s totally not because I hate these people…” 

“Hate is a driving force,” Mallo confirmed, cracking a smile. “Let me suggest something, Dante. Jatayu and another volunteer stay behind to clear them out, and the rest of us continue forward.” 

“I volunteer!” Jekyll shouted, raising her hand. She surprised herself with her immediate response, but it seemed she and Hyde agreed on the action despite their different reasons. Jekyll faced Jatayu and nodded. “A promise is a promise, and I plan to keep mine. I will go with you.” 

A promise is a promise, Hyde said in a mocking tone. Do you know how stupid that sounds? I’m just ready to kill some people! Let’s do this! LET ME BONK THEM–

There was a moment of silence after Jekyll’s outbursts before Lenore and Pen also volunteered. 

Dante ticked a few times before speaking. “I suppose it would be best for everyone to go in since we have the numbers.” 

“We can kill them faster than deciding to kill them,” Lenore joked, pulling back strands of her hair and putting it into her ponytail. 

The matter was settled. Everyone stepped forward in front of the door, conversing amongst themselves a strategy for entering into the battlefront. Pen decided to go in first, with Lenore and Mallo following after him. Jekyll decided to go in after Jatayu, residing in the last place. 

Lenore leaned back, snapping to get Jekyll’s attention. “Hey, Jekyll,” she said with a sly grin on her face. “Would you bring out my right hand? We would be godly in this fight if I had her.” 

Hell yeah. Let me have the ID out. The One Who Shall Grip. 

But– “W-Will I be normal outside of combat…?” Jekyll stammered, squeezing her arms. I don’t want to be trapped again. 

Don’t be a baby. Let me fight and then we can return to normal.

But last time–

“That’s a question for the masked one,” Lenore gestured to Dante.

The doctor wasn’t able to process everything in such a short notice. The manager seemed to understand. “You don’t have to equip it if you don’t want to.” 

“They were scary,” Pen added. “But you returned to normal after the fight ended…” 

Mallo shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Hyde’s Nagul Und Hammer ID. 

Come on, Jekyll. Hyde’s voice suddenly became soothing and alluring. Hyde always talked this way when it came to manipulation, and Jekyll knew she fell for it every time. This way, you will be spared from the entire fight and don’t have to witness it, no? Surely, you don’t want to see that Lucas-like guy die under your feet.

“Oh, since you’re going to be alone, Dante…” Pen tapped his spear on the ground. It lit up the area around Dante, giving him a shield. “This won’t last long, but it’s just in case…” 

“Oh, thank you Pen,” Dante acknowledged the hunter before turning back to the doctor. 

“Okay,” Jekyll sighed, being persuaded. “You can… you can change to the ID, Dante.” 

Wonderful. That’s what I’m talking about!

“Are you sure you want to?” Dante pressed, his head tilting to the side. 

Yes. Yes, you want to, Jekyll. Hyde continued. Don’t give room for him to plant doubt in your decision. 

“I’d… rather not see the battle anyway…” Jekyll clenched her arm and glanced to the floor. Her breathing hitched, and she closed her eyes to prepare for the change. 

“As long as you are okay with it,” Dante slowly pulled out the cards from his jacket, shuffling through them. “I’ll make sure to turn you back into your original once the combat is done.” 

Dante raised the card in front of Jekyll and flung it from head to toe. Jekyll felt the clothes on her back changing into the familiar ID, her black coat curling into the white cape drenched with blood on The One Who Shall Grip. Her brown eye faded into nothing, and her red eye became the most prominent as the transformation concluded. 

You were always a fool to trust me. Hyde’s thoughts became the primary force as she took control.

Jekyll opened her mouth to say something but was caught by the force of unknown chains in Hyde’s mind, stuffing every thought and voice that could’ve come from her. 

By the time Hyde adjusted to fronting, she spotted Mallo also in a new ID, specifically one that associated with the whalers in U Corp. Her coat was long and green, and her harpoon was shorter and bulkier than one similar to Pens. She wore a cap on her head and held a fancy cigar. However, despite the authoritative outfit, Mallo’s posture became slouched and timid. She dropped Mark’s body and left it on the floor. 

Hyde didn’t pay any more attention to her before she faced Lenore. “My gratitude, Lenore,” her smirk was wild with psychopaths. “Are you ready to annihilate these scum from the earth?” 

Lenore returned her evil smile. “It will be a pleasure to fight by your side instead of against you this time.” 

Hyde clamped her mouth shut, clearing her throat. Yeah… we don’t talk about that… 

Lenore noticed her reaction and her smile faded. “Hey, no hard feelings? There are many heretics we can turn our wrath against together.” 

Hyde forced a smile. “Very well.” She raised her foot and slammed it on the door, causing it to fly across the dark room as its hinges clattered onto the ground. A circular band of light surrounded Hyde as fire seeped from her fists around her ax. She charged in, analyzing the enemies immediately. 

The two men shot up from the floor, fear filling their faces as they looked behind their backs. “We told you to leave? How could you?!” The darker man shouted in rage. Each of them ready attacks against Pen, who had walked the closest to them after Hyde obliterated the door. 

Pen saw their positions of attack, and it only forced a smile on his face. “Don’t you wanna get your heads cut off?” 

“Remember when I told you you’ll find out what these things do?!” The first syndicate raised his arm as it slowly glowed a black color. “You’re about to find out!” 

The hunter wasn’t amused. “They capture souls?” 

The first syndicate member stammered. “W-Well… yes… You’re not supposed to guess!” He seemed frustrated by the comment alone.

Pen’s voice did not sweeten from his dry tone. “Wow.” He adjusted his white hair. 

Mallo chuckled to herself. “We ruined your only cool thing.” 

The second syndicate member blazed with fury. “Hell, you’re next!” 

Lenore didn’t give them any more time to rant about destroying the party. She cut off the first man’s attack with her own, sliding her weapon across the arm and hinging it on the man’s shoulder, giving him a good cut. Lenore didn’t hesitate to implant nails into his new wound. 

The first demon syndicate member didn’t have time to cry in pain as Mallo jumped him, forcing her harpoon down his new wound and drawing out his blood.

Hyde readied her stance, unable to stay in place for much longer. The nails and blood made her crazy. Something inside her got more excited to purge the heretic. This ID REALLY likes blood… huh. She wasn’t used to the ecstatic feeling that surged through her veins, but she would use the newfound energy to her advantage. 

“Hah! Did you really think you could stop me before I did something amazing?!” The first syndicate walked off his wound like it was nothing. He smirked with pride as his arm got darker. 

Jatayu’s eyes boiled under his helmet; Hyde could tell by how he carried his hammer. He lunged for the first man. However, his rage quickly subsided the moment they clashed. Jatayu swung his hammer again, but the enemy caught the hammer and flung the base of it away from him. 

Before anyone could react, the green arm was placed in Jatayu’s face and blasted a black mist at him. Jatayu staggered back, rubbing his face in agony. 

“You fool!” The man laughed, the wound on his arm healing. 

Pen’s eyes widened. “I need to set up barriers, stat.” He started fiddling with his harpoon.

Hyde narrowed her eyes, insulted they would attack Jatayu so cruelly. You’re gonna pay for that. Her feet left the ground as she slammed the first syndicate into the wall. She raised her ax and slashed it across his torso, power surging through her fanatic state. 

The shorter, brown-haired syndicate member raised his arm toward Mallo, forcing Hyde to dodge and get back in line. “I’m going to make good on my promise. I’m attacking you because you made me less cool!” 

How pathetic. Hyde rolled her eyes. You never were cool. 

Pen shot forward to the first syndicate, driving his spear into his shoulder. The first man staggered, crumbling to the floor. 

Mallo’s smirk only widened as she lunged for the second man, clashing with her harpoon before throwing it towards him. It grazed his arm and made him real back. However, the syndicate member took this attack and stabbed her in the shoulder in return. He laughed maniacally as he did so, his eyes crazed with insanity. 

Pen tapped the ground with his spear, and light particles floated around everyone, giving them a temporary shield. He backed up as Jatayu turned to him.

“Thank you, workshop worker,” Jatayu put the flap of his helmet over his eyes. “I shall smite in your steed.” 

Hyde glanced at the staggered man on the floor. “Don’t take my kill,” she hissed at Jatayu. 

Jatayu nodded in obedience. “I shall prepare him for you.” He quoted gently before raising his hammer. He let the weight of gravity carry his hammer down onto the helpless man. Bones breaking in his body echoed through the room as the hammer crushed his body and soul. 

There’s like nothing left of him, Hyde frowned. He’s so dead already. 

Jatayu uses the shock of the syndicate’s coworker to do a surprise attack on him, swinging his hammer across the man’s chest. 

Hyde didn’t pay any attention to that aftermath; Jatayu had prepared the man well for her. She stepped slowly, the chaos around her dimming as her approach forced the man to make eye contact with her. 

He coughed in pain. “Please… I’ll give you my soul… spare… me…” 

Hyde smiled, laughing to herself. She swung her ax in her hand as she looked down at the man. “What fantastic art you will make.” 

The man was helpless as Hyde split the man in two with her ax, her swings scattering his guts across the walls and floors. None of his limbs stayed attached as Hyde swung effortlessly, demolishing any prior form he once had. She didn’t finish until he was a pile of blood and rubble on the floor. 

When she was finished, she stood over his remains, glancing down at her outfit. It was difficult to tell it was originally white; one could’ve sworn it was red with white highlights with how much blood rested on her chest and hands. What was that… 400 damage, or something? She sighed. Where’s Jekyll with her calculations when you need her? 

The wild crazed look in her eyes did not subside as she turned to the second man. I am going to enjoy this. She sneered as she pointed her ax at the syndicate member who looked like Lucas. “You’re next.” 

The second syndicate member, having watched his coworker be obliterated into shreds, trembled in fear, gripping his arm to his chest. He tried to speak, but all that came out were anxious mumbles as he quaked in his own boots. 

“Huh, that could’ve been me earlier…” Pen shuddered, staring at the remains on the floor before staring at Hyde. He gulped pretty hard, thinking back to the abnormality fight. 

Lenore wore a proud smirk. “Very well done, Hyde, I have taught you well.” 

Remember your place, Lenore. We are not the same in this universe. 

Mallo mumbled something about being too messy as she shook her head. She glanced toward Jatayu, who started to shout with pride. “Congratulations O One Who Shall Grip! You have done us proud, showing the might of Nagul Und Hammer! It is an honor to serve you!” He set his hammer aside and clapped profusely. 

Hyde raised her head high, returning to the line with pride before facing the final foe. He didn’t take his eyes off her, and he trembled in fear. 

That will be you one day, Lucas. She raised her ax, unable to force her usual, chaotic smile. 

“We should capture this man,” Pen proposed before everyone could prep themselves. He took a step towards the second syndicate member, gesturing to the pile of blood next to him. “You see what happened to your pal? Lay down your weapon, and this won’t happen to you.” 

The man shook his head, squeaking. “Y-You think I’m gonna b-believe that after watching what that maniac did?! I don’t even stand a chance!” 

“Is it not better than getting beheaded by the monster?” Pen argued.

Hyde didn’t necessarily connect the dots that he wasn’t referring to her. She started to laugh, that crazed desire for death in her eyes. 

Pen tapped his harpoon on the floor again, providing another temporary shield around the party. “You’re not gonna hurt anyone here with me around,” he said calmly. 

The man looked at each of the party members. He cowered in feat at the bloodthirsty Jatayu, the stoic Mallo, the Lenore who threatened him earlier, and the Hyde who couldn’t stop laughing whilst imagining his demise. He slowly lowered his weapon, turning off his arm. His face was pale, and his pupils ceased to exist. He slowly stood up before he turned his foot to run. 

“Wait, do not run,” Pen urged. “You’ll… die.” 

It was too late. The man had turned his heel and started sprinting down the hall. 

Mallo was faster. She dashed after him, throwing her harpoon with skill. It pierced the man’s chest and pinned him to the floor. She rested from her position and walked over to him, the bloodthirst amongst the party having filled her own eyes. 

The man screamed in pain, withering as his body sunk into the sharp end of the harpoon. He gasped for breath. He tried to stop breathing as Mallo loomed over him. 

“Spoils don’t escape during the hunt,” Mallo hissed, stepping on his chest and pressing it further into the harpoon. 

The man screamed in pain. “What the hell are you hunting?!” He cried, his whole body shaking in fright. 

As the rest of the party circled him, Pen questioned him. “You won’t die if you help us,” he informed. “What is cutting off all the corpse's heads?” 

The man only replied with confused noises. 

Pen sighed. “No recourse.” 

“It’s the big thing in the chair!” The man blabbered, tears streaming down his eyes. “The red dress woman, with a big red eye in the big red chair!” 

“A woman?” Pen thought out loud. “Are we not hunting abnormalities? Does this sound familiar to anyone?” He looked around to the rest of the party, before addressing the most obvious person. “Jatayu?” 

“A red woman? No, I do not remember a red woman,” Jatayu shook his head.

Hyde stepped closer to the man, holding up her ax to his throat. She stared daggers into his soul as her feet swayed side to side, getting impatient. Where is the order to kill him? Her smile was dark, her chaotic eyes darting across the man’s complexion. He really does look like Lucas… 

The man started to yap again out of fright. “I-I know it sounds silly, but we were supposed to protect the treasure! We have to obey her! She killed the two that didn’t!” His hand shook as he lifted it, pointing at the other corpses on the floor. 

Mallo raised her eyebrows. “Treasure?” 

The guy swallowed. “Oh no…” 

“Tell me more about this treasure,” she smirked, leaning down to meet his eyes much like Hyde was. 

He mumbled over the blood pouring from his lips. “I can’t…” 

“Why not?” Mallo’s face was captured by annoyance. She flipped her black hair behind her shoulder. “No one is here.” 

“If I say it, I’ll die before it even becomes a thought!” 

“There’s cards on the bodies,” Pen had walked away from the man, observing one of the corpses on the floor. 

“The hell do you mean cards?!” The syndicate member whimpered in pain as he strained to look, curiosity getting the better of him. 

“There are heart cards on all of the beheaded corpses,” Pen mentioned. 

“There’s a few more corpses to check over there,” Mallo points to the other side of the room.

The man objected. “That i-is disrespectful–” 

Mallo shoves her foot into the guy’s chest, pushing him further into the spear. He yelped in pain, his scream being cut off as his eyes bulged from his skull. “I don’t care,” Mallo hissed into his ear. “Shut up.” 

The man painfully grasped for air as Mallo walked over to the corpse Lenore was investigating. 

Pen tilted his head with a grim expression on his face, staring at the captive. “Sorry about them, they have a short fuse…” 

Hyde leaned on her ax, staring the man down. How is this man still alive? He should have been dead by now, especially with his organs being impaled… 

She glanced away from the captive only when a soft rustling noise interrupted the silence. She spotted Lenore picking up another card of hearts before all the cards from Mark’s dead body traveled across the floor to meet with the other card in Lenore’s hand. 

Mallo raised her eyebrow. “What?” 

Pen came back to the syndicate member and lifted his head so he could see. “Does that not look familiar to you?” 

“A-All I say were white… things flying through the air…” He muttered, his intake of air becoming more sparse. 

Pen grunted, taking a step towards Lenore and snatching the cards before showing them in front of the demon syndicate member’s eyes. 

“Red… hearts…” he coughed. “Like the woman… she has… red hearts too.”

“All the corpses have cards on them,” Pen informed. “So you must have a card too, I think.” 

“Does that mean we get to turn him into a corpse?” Hyde’s eyes lit up with glee, standing up straight from leaning over on her ax.

“What? No! I… I don’t… have a card…” The captive coughed up even more blood, which sent a surge of emotions through Hyde’s veins. 

“Is she dead?” Pen questioned further, his eyes narrowing. “The woman you work for.” 

“What? There are two women… one of them is my boss… and the other… is the heart lady…” The man used the last of his strength to raise his head to meet Pen’s eyes. “Why am I telling you this?” 

“No, go on,” Mallo glanced up from the corpse she was looting. “Tell us more.” 

“Am… I going to die if I do…?” 

You’re already going to die by the looks of it… Hyde flattened her face. 

“No,” Mallo lied through her teeth. “Not if you tell us the information we need.” 

He wasn’t convinced. “I don’t… trust that one…” 

“Well, you better hope you trust me!” The woman stood up and walked over to him, grabbed him by his wavy brown hair, and pulled his head up, the blood on her hands coating his curly locks. 

Hyde smirked, eager to join in. “It won’t take too much time to gut you like your partner over there,” she gestured to the pile of rubble she created with the man’s body earlier. “And my bloodthirst isn’t satisfied… so who is it going to be? You, or your boss?” 

Under immense pressure, the man simply started to wail as his blood trickled down his cheeks. He looked disgusting and was barely clinging to life. 

“We can test the theory right now,” Pen added.

That didn’t stop the syndicate member’s wailing. “Huh?” 

“We can see if a card appears on him when he dies,” Pen pointed to the beheaded corpses and then to the corpse Hyde killed. “I would do it… but it’s a little too bloody for me.” 

When the man tried to protest, Hyde found no interest in hearing his pleas. She stepped away from the man, the aura of light around her shifting as she explored the dark room before stumbling upon the corpse she made. Free supplies, at least. She kneeled and opened a few jars in her pockets, collecting the interesting colors she could salvage from his guts and blood. I need to paint that one thing for the seasonal auction… 

She overheard the conversation with the captive as she did so. “One last thing,” Pen’s voice raised in volume. “Who do you work for?” 

“Who do you think?!” The man gasped, lifting his diseased green arm.

“What do I think?” A new rage filled Pen’s soul. “I think you’re going to die if you don’t tell me.” 

The man grunted as Mallo stepped on him again. “His… name… is…” 

Before he could say anything else, the green arm and wrist on his body lit up his whole body. They glowed brightly before they exploded inside of the man’s limbs. The man uttered a silent scream of agony before his body melted into a corrosive green goop onto the floor. He had melted from the inside out. 

“Wait, tell us!” Pen urgently asked. 

“It’s too late, he’s dead.” Mallo sighed, lifting her ID harpoon away from his goop. 

“Perfect,” Hyde chuckled to herself. “I won’t have to threaten him to not follow us anymore.” 

The tension in the room subsided; Jatayu opened the door to make sure Dante was okay before letting him inside. Everyone’s posture relaxed now that the threat was eliminated. 

Pen held his hand up to his chin, staring at the floor. “The demon leader is a woman, then…” he theorized. 

“It’s not the same person as the one causing the decapitations though,” Mallo corrected, joining Pen.

“So… it’s two different women we have to defeat.” Pen countered, trying to pull the pieces together. 

Jekyll had a conversation with Jatayu about this since they seem to have a lovely history… Hyde searched her memories. Hmm… I can’t recall it. Oh well, time to make a scene~ “Isn’t it obvious?” Hyde sealed the last bottle of blood as she raised her arms, adjusting her ax before she stood. “The man himself would know!” She pointed to Jatayu, who was looting a corpse. He didn’t find anything. 

Pen continued to mutter under his breath, disregarding Hyde’s comment. “It’s a woman of hearts…” 

These motherf– “Jatayu!” 

Jatayu shot up, his head turning around on high alert before his gaze met Hyde’s. “Yes, my worship?” 

Hyde smirked proudly. It’s been a long time since someone has called me that. I quite prefer it. She opened another jar before scooping up some of the green goo from the second syndicate member’s remains. “Do you recall the name of the demon syndicate leader… guy… thing?” She waved her hand around carelessly, trying to figure out what words to use. 

 Dante shuffled through the ID cards, and waved Jatayu’s base ID, over him, returning him to normal. It revealed the agony his face was in, and how hard he was gripping his tanfas. “Do you mean the guy that has caused so much pain and suffering in my life? The people who took my entire family away from me? The duo that took my joy and happiness? The one that I blame the most for everything that happened to me, and the one I hate most? No, I do not know him, except I do.” 

Shut up with your sob story and get on with it. “Yeah, yeah, that son of a bastard, what’s his name again?” 

The veteran shuddered as he uttered their names. “Ravana, the demon king… His right-hand woman, Nishakara.” 

Pff, sounds lame. Hyde rolled her eyes at their names. Sounds like they put letters into a can, shook it up, and randomly chose them. 

“Oh, so that’s who the syndicate member was working for,” Pen nodded, finally understanding. 

“In a way…” Jatayu confirmed, sighing. “I would love to tell you as much as you would love to hear right now, but I did find something on this corpse that might be more important.” 

Most of the party paused what they were doing to look at the card Jatayu was holding up. It was the ten of hearts. The silence helped Dante go around and change everyone back to their base IDs, one by one. 

“Why didn’t that card magnetize like the others?” Mallo asked, approaching Jatayu before taking the card to look at it. 

“Maybe it will for you,” Pen suggested, also curious. 

Mallo handed the card back to Jatayu. The veteran shook the card; nothing happened. He grunted, shaking it again and throwing it on the floor. The moment the card touches the metal ground, the rest of the cards come flying towards it, shuffling themselves nicely and in order as they all rested. 

“It worked,” Mallo thought out loud. 

“I don’t know why they do that, though…” Pen sighed. 

“The cards likely have nothing to do with their gimmick,” Jatayu explained. “It is probably caused by magic or an ability of an abnormality.” 

“Is that abnormality the red woman the enemy was talking about?” Pen inquired. “He said she had one big red eye, with a red dress and a red chair… It doesn’t necessarily sound like a human unless they lost an eye.” 

Hyde shot a glare at Pen. Watch your next words carefully. I have one eye. 

Pen didn’t seem to notice. He stared after Mallo who started to drag Mark’s body in. 

“Hyde!” Dante interrupted her, approaching the One Who Shall Grip quickly. “Are you ready to change back into your base ID?” 

Hyde transferred her glare from the hunter to the manager. “Why? I’m free. I don’t have to worry about that sad excuse for air.” 

Dante paused, standing still before shuffling through the cards. “I’m… going to bring back Jekyll now.” 

Before Hyde could react, Dante discarded the card quickly, transforming Hyde back into her base ID. However, the only thing that changed were her clothes and Jekyll returning in her head. She had lost so much sanity mid-battle, she was already fronting in the base ID. She turned her paintbrush in her hands before crossing her arms. “Real mature, clockface.” 

What… is it over? Jekyll asked as if she woke up from being passed out for a long time. 

“O-Oh,” Dante stammered, backing away. “I forgot, about the… multiple personalities…” 

There’s only two of us, idiot. 

Don’t call Dante an idiot, Jekyll begged, immediately getting on the scene. He’s doing his best. 

Shut up. Hyde disregarded Jekyll’s commentary, placing the jars she collected into her jacket pockets. 

“He mentioned a treasure,” Pen’s words snapped Hyde back into the previous conversation. 

Dante also joined in, having turned everyone back into their base IDs. “They did, yes. Perhaps they are talking about the golden bough?” 

“Did you feel it resonating here?” Pen asked. “I thought it wasn’t here, but they could be guarding it elsewhere…” 

Dante spotted Mallo finally succeeding in dragging Mark’s body through the doorframe. Her foot went up to kick the door down until she realized the door wasn’t there per Hyde breaking it down earlier. She grumbled to herself before joining the rest of the party. 

“Well, there’s one treasure,” Dante greeted Mallo.

“It’s just part of the hunt,” Mallo glanced at Mark’s body, which had begun to smell over the last few hours. 

“I meant you, but…” Dante sighed, cutting himself off. 

Hyde raised her eyebrow. Dante flirting? That was not on my Q Corp bingo…

We don’t have a Q Corp bingo card. Jekyll sighed.

That’s not the point. 

Pen and Lenore amongst further discussion stepped out of the room and back into the long hallway. Pen shouted Lenore’s name and gestured to explore the remaining sections of the hallway. 

When Hyde’s gaze traveled to Jatayu, she realized his look of agony had not eased since he last spoke. Hm, let’s have some fun, shall we? 

Hyde, no!

“So,” Hyde strolled with pride over to Jatayu, standing in front of the tall man as she rubbed her chin with her blood-soaked hand. “Ravana, eh? That’s the bastard you’re after?” She grinned maliciously, looking him up and down, calculating what she could do to get a reaction out of him. “Enlighten me on what he did to you again, won’t you?” 

Hyde no, don’t pester him like that! Jekyll pleaded, desperately trying to take control. I can tell you the details! I know your intentions, stop!

Hyde simply ignored Jekyll, eyeing Dante and Mallo who were approaching them. Her grin only widened as Jatayu struggled to answer. 

He stammered on his words before sighing and letting it out. “He killed my sister in law… and he stole my niece from our family, on her wedding night…” 

PFFF, Hyde snuffed a laugh, grinning with delight. “Tch, aww…” She forced a frown, tilting her head. “That’s it? Just that, and you’re all worked up about taking revenge on him? That’s so–”

Hyde, don’t you dare. 

Hyde winced, cutting herself off as Jekyll desperately tried to break through. “Shut it, let me talk to h–” 

NO!

As if luck was on Jekyll’s side, Dante rotated the clock, restoring Hyde’s sanity. Hyde couldn’t hold onto control any longer as she was thrust back into the mind, Jekyll promptly taking over. 

Oh, thank the arbiters… Jekyll immediately switched the monocle to cover her red eye, gasping for breath as her features returned to normal. She glanced up at Jatayu timidly, trying to figure out how to salvage the damage Hyde had done. “Jatayu, I am so sorry about h–” 

“I want you to understand,” Jatayu held up his tanfa to Jekyll’s throat. His eyes were boiling with rage. His arms and shoulders shook as if he were using all his strength to not attack Jekyll on the spot. His voice was low and threatening, and his eyes burned like fire into Jekyll’s soul. “I… care about you as a friend… and I do enjoy Hyde’s presence, I think we can be friends…” He gritted the words through his teeth as if he were trying to convince himself that it was true. “Do. Not. Insult my family, or how I feel about my family ever again.” 

Geez bro, Hyde rolled her eyes inside Jekyll’s head. You should have listened to Mark when you had the chance. Family doesn’t matter. 

What do you mean, Hyde?! That’s not true! Jekyll cowered under Jatayu’s threat, backing away from the tanfa. She clamped her hand over her mouth, trying her best to not let Hyde speak through her. Tears streamed down her face. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry Jatayu I didn’t mean to– She stopped herself, simply nodding to affirm she would never do such a thing again, before running out of the room. 

She almost ran into the doorframe, barely dodging before she ran to the end of the hall, slamming her head against the wall. It echoed throughout the chambers. Jekyll’s heart raced as waterfalls escaped her eyes. She sobbed uncontrollably, sinking to the floor and curling up into a ball. 

Now? You choose to be emotional now? You’re a moron, Jekyll! Hyde insulted, getting angrier by the second. 

Don’t you dare insult his family! What if he did the same to us?! Jekyll sobbed. Family matters! It always had! 

Does it look like I care?! Hyde snapped. He needs to learn the truth! You need to learn it, too!

You don’t actually believe that! Jekyll gasped for air, her sobs getting more intense by the second. Her body shook violently and she got cold fast. The tight pain in Jekyll’s chest felt as if it was eating her alive as she gasped for breath, trying to comprehend everything. How dare you insult his family! Why would you do that?! We miss mom, too!

Why the hell would I miss her?! Hyde shouted, getting more aggressive. I killed her! 

The two went silent as the memory forced its way up. A familiar yet foreign pain seized their mind, shutting both of them up. The night, the lamp, the way she looked so confused in their hands… the memory flashed in front of Jekyll and Hyde as if it was happening in real life. 

Although Jekyll knew she wasn’t standing, it felt like she was. She saw her mother in the grasp of her hand, her knees buckling under the weight in which Hyde held her. Tears streamed down the mother’s face as her gentle hands rested on theirs. “Please… please, my child…” 

“No!” 

Jekyll shuddered as she heard her voice cry out, but she couldn’t stop the brush from slicing their birthgiver into two. Her blood stained the cobblestone walkways, and her scream pierced Jekyll’s ears; it was a sound she would never forget; a feeling she would never be able to wash away… her mother dying in her hands, by her hands. Rain poured heavily in the vision. Jekyll couldn’t remove the sight of her mother’s body lying on the floor, split in two. Her blood covered Jekyll’s hands and feet, staining her outfit. The mother’s eyes stared up at her in horror and grief, and those eyes still haunted her to this very day. 

The vision faded much to Jekyll’s relief, and she was back in the Lobotomy Corporation Facility. She leaned her head against the wall, her eyes wide as they poured more tears down her cheeks. They burned profusely, yet she couldn’t stop crying. Jekyll closed her eyes and hid her face in her arms, curling up further into a ball. Her sobs were silent, and her body shook violently despite her efforts to keep herself pulled together. “Can you not… shut up for once in your life…?” Jekyll muttered through sobs, her chest getting tighter by the moment. The sight of her mom still lingered in her mind, which made her sob even more.

I’ve only said the truth… Hyde’s voice wavered, seeing the vision first-hand. You know what happens… you know the consequences of holding onto hope like Jatayu does… This memory is just a reminder of it.

“Stop talking about it!” Jekyll whispered in pain. “Do not remind me…” 

A soft clacking echoed across the metal floor; the vibrations got stronger and the sound got louder as time went on. Jekyll sensed a presence standing in front of her, looming over her. 

The person sat next to her, taking their time to join them on the floor. A whiff of smoke told Jekyll who it was immediately. “You… okay?” Mallo asked, holding the cigarette between her fingers as she gave her a sympathetic yet melancholic look. 

Jekyll glanced up from her sobbing, her eyes burning from all the tears she wept. She started to speak, but clamped her hand over her mouth, muffling her words. 

Oh hell, it’s her.

Don’t you dare talk right now, remember your place. 

Jekyll looked away from Mallo, staring at the floor... gently shaking her head no in response to the question. She couldn’t raise her head to talk to her, not now. What if Hyde said something awful again? She didn’t want to hurt Mallo like she hurt Jatayu. 

Mallo sits there for a moment, in silence. It took her a few seconds before she spoke again, staring at her cigarette. "Do... you wish to talk about it?" She said, looking back over at Jekyll: her face was calm, and her posture was relaxed. "I'm all ears if you'd like."

Jekyll struggled to find the proper words whilst fighting for control. Her head shook as her lips wavered. "N-No I... I will hurt you too... Hyde will... will..." 

Will what? Say the truth? Hurt their precious little feelings? Grow up. 

She grunted, her eyes shaking wildly as she raised her hands to clench her head. "I don't want to hurt you too..." Jekyll let out another sob, her uniform slowly being drenched in her crystal-like tears. The stupid… split shards…

Can you hurry up with your breakdown already? We got work to do. Hyde sighed, refusing to acknowledge the broken emotions she too felt. 

Mallo sighed slightly; it wasn’t out of annoyance, but sympathy. "Well. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it; I'm not going to force you." She looked away for a moment to think, before looking back at Jekyll. "Just..." She sighed before extinguishing her cigarette and placing it on the floor. Her foot stomped on it to ensure the fire going out.  "Look– Here."

Mallo moved closer to Jekyll, before pulling her into a hug. Her arms wrapped around Jekyll’s shaking body slowly, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Listen, it’ll be alright. You haven’t hurt anyone.”

Hyde scoffed. What is she on–

“And I’m sure whatever happened, they will forgive you. People make mistakes, even if the mistake is made by… someone else in your body. Any respectful person would forgive you. So it’ll be ok, Jekyll… and Hyde. It’ll be ok for both of you.”

…

It was the first time in a long time Hyde finally shut up. Mallo softly rubbed Jekyll's back to try and calm her down. 

Jekyll was surprised by the gesture but didn't object. She slowly wrapped her arms back around Mallo, burying her face into her shoulder as she sobbed, though her body started shaking less. She clung to Mallo tightly. "Please... please don't go... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Mom..." She muttered the last part, her voice broken. Images of her mother’s warm hugs flashed before her eyes, and the deadly feeling of the brisk cold after her mother could no longer give her warm hugs after her death lingered. Jekyll hated that cold, she hated not being able to touch anyone anymore and feel that warmth. 

However, Mallo's embrace was so warm, that she never wanted it to end. Mallo’s hug was like a second version of her mother’s. The moment Jekyll embraced Mallo was the moment that shut Hyde up as the feeling of the mother’s hug flashed in their mind. 

Hyde recalled how the White Lake also felt this way. This is a trap… Hyde started. It… It has to be…

Mallo froze at the words Jekyll uttered, glancing down at Jekyll with a shocked expression. She didn’t push her away; instead, she sighed and continued to rub Jekyll's back "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. Not anytime soon, or anytime in the future. I can promise you that." She tensed for a bit but managed to relax and patted Jekyll's back. "And... if it's any consultation... I forgive you."

Jekyll stopped sobbing momentarily, pulling away just enough to look Mallo in the eyes, using her hands to wipe her face. "I..." She paused, sniffing before collecting her thoughts together. 

It… It wasn’t a trap… Hyde wrestled in Jekyll’s brain, trying to figure things out. What? How? Why wasn’t it a…

"Sorry... I might've squeezed too tight I..." Jekyll’s voice shook, ignoring Hyde’s ramble. She wasn’t going to miss this moment of comfort that she needed for so long. "Your... words and hug were... something I'd never thought I'd hear or feel again..." She sighed, looking to the ground. "Thank you..."

"It's... not a problem," Mallo said, sighing yet again, more so relieved than anything else. "Hate to see innocent people upset."

Oh. Hyde sighed disappointingly. She just… doesn’t know… 

But…

Jekyll, you and I are not innocent. Hyde recalled. She wouldn’t be acting this way if she knew… 

Mallo gave Jekyll a pat on the back and let her go, ending the hug. “You feeling better? Or do you want another one?”

Jekyll’s eyes darted from side to side before meeting Mallo’s gaze and nodding. She embraced Mallo with less strain; she didn’t cling to Mallo as much as the first hug, having calmed down. She couldn’t close her eyes as Mallo’s arms wrapped around her. 

Mallo obliged and hugged Jekyll again, her posture becoming increasingly relaxed. She stayed quiet to just let the duo enjoy the silence of their interaction. It took a few moments of a silent embrace before Mallo softly hummed a gentle tune. The melody was slow and calming, being quite melancholic in it's feel.

Jekyll rested in Mallo’s arms, slowly relaxing herself. She felt her heartbeat and breathing slowly sync with hers, and it almost put her to sleep. The pain in her eyes felt less bothersome, and her mind slowly came to ease. 

Please don’t ruin this, Hyde… Jekyll silently begged, closing her eyes. 

…I won’t. The painter sighed. Just… enjoy it while it lasts… 

You can… enjoy it too… you know…

Besides the illusional bus was a blue van. It was small, but just like the bus, it was likely bigger on the inside than the outside. Some would recognize the van as the one that gave them the invitation to the company. A group of people the party had not seen before stood outside, gazing at the approaching bus team. 

“What’s the van doing here?” Mallo cut off her rant and slowed her pace toward the bus. 

“It’s the LCCB; the Limbus Company Before Team,” Dante replied, his flames licking the sky. “I wonder why they are here.” 

Mallo pondered the thought for a moment, catching up with the manager as her black hair swayed behind her. 

“They’ve helped us a few times in the past,” Dante continued. “They could be briefing Vergilius on our next mission.” 

Mallo nodded, leading the party toward the bus. “Oh okay. So, they go and find where we are supposed to go? I guess that’s why they are called the before team.”

 “Quite.” 

Mallo groaned, hoisting the egg up in her arms once again. “Ugh… I’m tired and ready to lie down.” 

“It has been a few days,” Dante affirmed. “Let’s go inside.” 

The spider shifted slowly in Jekyll’s arms, unconsciously forcing her to hold it tighter so it didn’t slip. The doctor did her best to stay apathetic toward the creature. I can’t get attached to it… 

Dante stopped a few feet away from the Before Team outside the bus. “Enjoy your well-deserved rest,” he gestured to the bus. “You all earned it.” 

Jatayu adjusted Mark’s sleeping body in his arms, grunting. “It’s truly been a long week.”

Mallo and Dante were stopped by the before team regarding the abnormality egg, allowing Jekyll and the others to pass by onto the bus immediately. As the door opened, Jekyll met Charon’s dull eyes and gray figure. The doctor stepped onto the bus and gave a polite nod before glancing down the bus hall. 

Vergilius and Faust were in a close huddle, debriefing over a handful of papers Faust was handing to Vergilius. “...And as such, that’ll be our destination coming forth. Faust hopes you’re interested in letting the party know.” She informed. 

The Red Gaze slowly turned his attention to the party grouping up on the bus. He sighed warily. “Speaking of, there the miscreants come.” 

Jekyll slowly moved out of the way and took a seat nearby, making room for more of the members to hop on. Mallo and Dante got on last, missing the egg. Outside of the window, Pen and Othello hopped into the blue van and disappeared as the Before Team closed the door. 

As the guide finished his comment, Mallo chuckled. “Miscreants? I wouldn’t call us that. We did get the golden bough.” 

He wasn’t impressed. “Am I supposed to congratulate you for doing the bare minimum that your job requires?” 

“Miscreants don’t do their jobs, though.” 

Vergilius shrugged, unphased. “You did better than the last group before you, I suppose. You got the first golden bough without failure.” 

Jatayu glanced to the side, dropping Mark onto a nearby chair and shifting uncomfortably. 

“You all have progress reports anyway,” The Red Gaze continued. “To inform me on how your journey went.” 

Mallo inhaled sharply, clasping her fingers together in a single clap. "I... I can tell the report,” she turned toward Dante. 

If the manager had a face, he would be concerned. “Are you sure you want to?” 

“Well, yes. After what you said, I think I should, right? It’s to make me improve…”  The former Lobotomy Corporation employee turned to face the color fixer. “I’m going to lay it straight. Uh, it was a disaster.” 

The next five minutes consisted of Mallo laying out in clear detail the events that occurred along the mission. She made sure to emphasize how the party was almost in one big argument the entire time and did not get along with one another. To Jekyll’s surprise, she also informed him how she was mostly the cause of it and her fault in some of the mission setbacks. To nobody’s surprise, she also made sure to account for Mark’s issues and death, Jekyll’s habits, Lenore’s brawl with her, Pen and Othello’s absence, and much more. It got to the point where Jekyll stopped paying attention because of how long it took. 

It was interesting enough to get the bus driver’s attention, but her gaze wasn’t as harsh as Faust’s and Vergilius’s. By the time the report was wrapped up, the Red Gaze sighed. “I suppose… I expected too much from you lot. I would have thought that in a life-or-death situation—where your dreams and heart’s desires are on the line—you would not have even considered making choices such as these. It was foolish of you, Mallo, to attack your lifeline to this mortal world. It should have been taken with more concern than a mere accident.” 

“It wasn’t an accident, though. It was panic, but it doesn’t excuse my actions. I was, however, the only one to defend Dante against the Sun King." She snapped with annoyance laced in her tongue. “Genuinely, I appreciated the others going to help Jatayu, but it was just me! Lenore and Pen did nothing for the majority of the fight! I should have a punishment for my previous actions, yes, but just as I made a mistake, others did too!” She closed her eyes, huffing a frustrated breath. “I shall accept the punishment that the Red Gaze deems fit.” 

To say that Jekyll did not expect a smirk to appear on the guide’s face was an understatement. “Worry not.” He did not force Mallo’s head to rise when she lowered it. “Your punishment is on the way. There’s nothing that I can do; that what comes next won’t hurt you more.” 

Mallo lifted an eyebrow. “What?” 

“You will learn in time,” he continued. “But temporaries require you to learn the lessons here and now. You’ll be on Mirror Dungeon duty. Specifically, cleaning them.” 

Mallo furrowed her eyes further. The punishment seemed inadequate. “Okay…? I can do that.” 

“Kuvira is already doing your job. She will be there to guide you through the process. You should go and assist her once this meeting is over.” 

The doctor hadn’t noticed when the prisoner woke up, but by how he communicated, it was clear Mark heard a lot of the conversation. “Yeah, uhm, old man, Vergie,” he raised his hand and stood to his feet, swooning back and forth. “Cool if I call you that?” 

The smirk on Vergilius’ face vanished. “No.” 

“There are a few things Mallo left out. On the second encounter on the second floor of the lab or whatever, Mallo came in contact with the mermaid thing that was obsessed with love. She merged with it at some point, shared memories with it, and tried to attack me first. I learned this the second I fused with it. I learned she wanted to kill me with it. You know, just some information that might be useful to you.” 

Mallo seemed confused. “Huh?” 

“Do you not remember the mermaid?” 

“Oh, the thing that said it would do anything for our love? It was a dark room with controlled lights, which I was helping Jatayu find and turn on.” 

“It was dark in there,” Jatayu added. 

Mark turned his gaze back toward Vergilius. “I don’t know why you don’t like being called pal, Vergilius sir; anyway, clockhead has the whole thing in his memory if you want to see it.” 

Mallo objected before the guide could say anything. “Me and Mark combined our efforts against the mermaid. Together, we crippled and defeated it.” 

“It doesn’t matter if we did something good about it; our good and bad actions should be reported equally because we are to be punished for them.” 

Mallo addressed her posture and hand toward Mark, looking at Vergilius with a see-what-I-mean glare. 

“I’m just giving you all the information, Verg. I did what was right back there, and I disobeyed Dante, which got me jumped by everyone. Everyone ganged up on me, a mere twenty-one-year-old who’s new to all this.” 

Mallo’s temper started to boil. “It was Dante’s command to do so!” 

“To dispose of me, not to brutalize me as you all did. I cannot imagine you would brutalize children in such a manner.” 

Hyde scoffed, making Jekyll shudder. Wanna bet? 

Mallo raised her hands and turned toward the back of the bus. “Okay, I’m going to help Kuvira. Don’t you ever… say that again.” 

Mark scoffed, a smirk on his face. “See what I mean? I’m sorry about her, Vergilius. She’s so tempered.” 

Vergilius did not get to speak as Mallo stormed away from the party toward the Mirror Dungeon door in the bus. He sighed, rubbing his head. “This child show has gone on for longer than it should have. I will dictate a fitting punishment later, but more pressing matters are at hand. All of you, take your seats. Faust has important information to brief.” 

Those who weren’t seated found their seats quickly. It did not matter at the time where they were in accordance with the bus, as no one would stay there long after the meeting. 

Faust bowed her head low before staring toward the manager. “First of all, it is worth mentioning your success. Congratulations on your first assignment. This has proved well for your first bonding teamwork despite your complications. This is a stepping stone and a new start to a more grand future than previously seen with the preceding teams. However, there are some pressing news that must be addressed. Othello and Pen, as you can see, are no longer with us. Othello has violated the company code via funds for his unique ammo. Secondly, due to extraneous circumstances and taboos, Pen violated different city regulations and was handled before Limbus Company was dealt with legally. With two open vacancies, Limbus Company has hired and oriented two new individuals to join your party. Both should be arriving in three, two, one…” 

Faust seemed to be pleased by the fact the newcomers came on her cue. The first to step in was a young, blonde man. He was already dressed in LCB attire, which was well-kept and ironed to perfection. He was as tall as the manager, only really being taller than Jekyll. He ran his large hands through his hair and took an observing glance around the party before his eyes stopped on the Red Gaze. He seemed more unnerved the more he looked at him, but he still carried himself with the composure of running by a script. He took a quick, sharp breath to compose himself. “Is this the bus that the LCCB team mentioned?” His voice did not match his tidy appearance and was pitched up like a young boy. “I am Alex. I hope our time together will go productively.” 

Jekyll leaned back in her chair, observing him up and down. She smiled to herself. Huh. He looks like Lucas. If only he knew what he was in for. 

Faust is the first to welcome him. “Welcome, twenty-fifth sinner of Limbus Company, Alex.” 

Dante stepped up from his seat behind Jekyll and brushed off his uniform. He approached Alex, extending his hand. “Tick tock, tick tock, I know you can’t hear me.” 

There was a brief moment of silence as Alex stood there, glancing at Dante curiously, before Mark came up behind the manager, translating for the new kid. “You need to shake his hand.” 

Dante looked back nervously but nodded in approval before speaking again. “Welcome to Limbus Company, Alex. I am your boss.” 

Mark translated. “Welcome to Limbus Company. This clockhead is your boss. You need to make a deal with him.” 

Alex looked on with concern, still not moving from his prior position. “Is everything alright?” 

The back door of the bus opened, and Mallo walked back into the meeting room. It was so quick—too quick, in fact. Cleaning the Mirror Dungeon should’ve taken longer. 

When no one responded, Alex cleared his throat and adjusted his suit also. “Well, I’d better get on with it then. Thank you for providing this opportunity.” He firmly stuck out his hand and clasped it tightly, shaking it up and down. 

It was clear Alex experienced the mortal coil around his soul loosen and tied around Dante with the estranged and exotic look in his eyes. He took a moment to process but didn’t have time to conclude before Dante started speaking. 

“I think that would do the job,” Dante began. “Can you hear me now?” 

Alex tilted his head to the side. “Yes? I think so?” 

Dante let go of the newcomer’s hand. “Good! It’s a pleasure to have a new member on the team! It might be rough settling in honestly, but we will get you situated swiftly.” 

Just as he finished, the doors of the bus flung open as another newcomer came flying in, late behind his schedule. He scrambles in, shaking his head to get the curly, brown hair out of his face, standing just above Alex and Dante in height. His eyes shone with excitement and curiosity, but he was skittish and paranoid with every movement he took. He found his footing and stood straight, catching his breath. His human hand rested and fidgeted with his collar tirelessly. He was also quite young, perhaps younger than the first. He was much more intriguing than Alex, as he was accompanied by a rat’s tail, hand, leg, and ears. He tried to straighten out his tie but failed to do so. “S-Sorry I’m late,” he stammered, talking quickly with anxiousness. “I got held up by something. Hi, I’m Boy; it’s very nice to meet you.” He extended his rat hand in the air and tried to wave it normally, but it flopped oddly as if the movement wasn’t natural. 

I didn’t think I’d see someone from Old G Corp, Hyde scoffed. What kind of unique paintings I could make with their special parts remains to be seen.

Hyde! 

“Oh my gosh!” Dante backed away, resting one of his hands in front of his chest in shock. “That man’s a rat!” 

Mallo tried desperately to hold back a burst of laughter. 

Mark raised an eyebrow. “A lil’ bit racist, aren’t you, Dante?” 

Lenore shrugged. “Well, look at him. He is a rat.” 

“Even if he is, you don’t have to say it in such a way, Dante.” Despite his criticism, it seemed like Mark enjoyed the opportunity he pounced upon. 

Mallo couldn’t hold it back anymore and let the cackle escape her throat.

“You can understand this lad?” Boy gestured to Mark and Dante. “All I heard was a train horn.” 

“You need to give…” Mark paused briefly. “Whatever hand that works to the manager and shake it to understand him. It’s part of the contract.” 

Alex gently stood to the side, letting go of Dante’s hand and watching the scene unfold, almost grateful the attention was off him. 

Boy shook his head, understanding. “Oh! Duh, right, I’ll give my right hand,” he raised it to show Mark it was his human hand before extending it toward Dante. 

Dante reached out and shook it firmly before nodding. “Welcome to Limbus Company. Sorry for my sudden outburst. I apologize if it was offensive.” 

The second newcomer shrugged carelessly. “If it was a surprise about my body, it’s understandable. It’s not every day you see someone like me. I didn’t hear you anyway!” 

Mallo warped her way around the people standing in the hall to approach the new members. Her eyes narrowed in disappointment. “So who are these two?” 

“Faust introduced them as Alex and Boy,” Lenore replied before furrowing her own eyebrows. “Wait, his name is just Boy?” 

Mallo glanced around. “Did… Did you not see me leave the room earlier?” 

Faust stepped in. “However, you did come back.” 

“After you had already explained everything,” Mallo interjected, dismissing Faust. “Who is who?” 

Boy raised his rat hand again. “I’m Boy.” 

A smile grew on Lenore’s face. “Are you Boy, or are you Man?” 

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve heard that so many times.” 

“It’s a unique name, but not the most unusual name I’ve heard,” Mallo acknowledged. 

Dante gently rested his hand on Mallo’s shoulder to get her to stop before speaking up. “Well… Boy, Alex, I am Dante, just as I’ve introduced myself earlier. I am your manager, but I suppose it’s time you meet and greet the rest of your team. Lenore, could you start by introducing herself?” 

Lenore gave Dante a side-eye. “Sure, just my name or…?” She cleared her throat, not waiting for a reply. “I’m Lenore; I mostly just love fighting at work. The same goes for all of us. I hope you do not suck at hitting things because we will do it a lot.” 

Alex nodded, whereas Boy seemed unsure, his arms shaking slightly. “I’m not great at it, but I can manage and get around.” 

“By distractions?” 

“Uhm… poisons.” 

Mark scoffed. “So you’re a coward.” 

The rat glanced toward the prisoner. “What? Yes...” 

Mallo smirked to herself. 

“You got the balls, kid,” Mark commented. 

“For once, I agree with Mark,” Mallo added. 

“Like how you agreed with me in the dungeon, inside the mermaid?” 

“What? No! We never agreed there!” 

“But we agreed to get out of the situation together, and we agreed on—” 

“Shut up!” 

“When I am right, you are mad,” Mark shrugged, turning away from the newcomers and walking toward the back of the bus. 

Alex didn’t let the silence last long. “I’m good at cleaning up foes if that helps. I make sure it doesn’t get lost in the sauce.” 

“Do you mean actual cleaning or killing?” Lenore asked. 

“Both could be helpful,” Boy commented. 

“One job is for the LCA, not us,” Lenore clarified. 

Dante cleared his throat, causing everyone to silence their voices. “You just met Mark and Mallo,” he pointed to each one. 

“I thought you said you were going in a circle? Jatayu is next,” Mallo gestured to the veteran with a soft smile. 

Jatayu nodded slowly. “Thank you, Mallo,” he bowed his head toward the newcomers. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Jatayu. A free shot is good enough for us, Alex and poison will work greatly in this field, Boy.”

“Hopefully,” Boy nodded his head in return. 

“Lastly,” Dante extended his hand sideways toward the doctor sitting in the front seat, legs and arms crossed. 

Do not forget to let them know of my presence. Hyde warned. Remember what happened last time? 

Jekyll cleared her throat, not moving from her position. She made sure her voice was clear and professional to set an expectation. You will not see me as a wavering, timid person like the others. “Jekyll, Dr. Jekyll. In other circumstances, I am called Hyde. It is a complicated circumstance to determine who is who, but I wish not to explain that to you now. For now, I am Dr. Jekyll.” 

Hyde, although pleased with the greeting, seemed unsatisfied with how it was presented. At least you finally introduced me. 

The two seemed oddly unphased. “Alright,” Boy shrugged. 

“Just tell us when to call you what you want, when you want, I suppose?” Alex added. “Thank you for the introduction.” 

Jekyll gently nodded in return, sighing to herself. How many more people have to know before we take care of the issue? 

Believe me, hun, I am not the one with the issue here. 

Mallo cleared her throat and made her way past Dante. “I want to do my proper introduction,” she offered her hand toward them. 

Each of the newcomers shook it according to their personalities. Boy’s was skittish and quick, and Alex’s was firm and established. 

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Mallo continued. “I never heard too much about where you seem to be from,” she glanced at Alex. “R Corp, right?” 

“Who’s to say he doesn’t have experience with all the corporations?” Lenore interjected. 

The spider squirmed by Jekyll in the seat, glancing up at her. The doctor slowly picked it up and stood up, walking toward the back of the bus and handing the creature to Jatayu. The conversation felt overwhelming, and Jekyll was not interested in either of the new candidates getting to know them. She didn’t hear what Jatayu said as she passed the guide and Faust toward the back of the bus. 

The decorative, hotel-like hallway had the doors looking like they were straight out of a fantasy novel. Jekyll quickly found the one with her name on it and tugged on the large, gold door handle. The moment she stepped inside, she saw the ghost-like manifestation of Hyde. 

Jekyll didn’t bother looking at her as she flopped on the bed, letting out a relaxed sigh as she sank into it. 

As she heard Hyde also flop on the other bed, she slowly turned her head to watch, taking the monocle off. 

The room’s floor was covered with blood. It ran like a river between the cracks. The walls were split, with one half of the room gray with crystalized, blue decorations. It was meant to look pretty on the outside, but they reminded Jekyll too much of the Split Shards drug for her to like them. The decorations were accompanied by eyes, making them more unsettling. Her bed was in the corner next to desks and tables full of jars and testing tubes. The only thing that resembled what she wanted people to see was the therapy couch and book near the window. 

On Hyde’s side of the room, the walls were painted black. Everything was covered in paint of many colors. There were blank and sketched canvases everywhere. Despite the horrid sight, nothing stank. The window was also on Hyde’s side of the room. Outside, all that could be seen was a snowy alleyway forever stuck in the time of night. Hyde sat on the therapy couch for a moment, tapping her foot before walking over to Jekyll, extending her hands. 

“Supplies,” she demanded.

Jekyll stared at her for a bit before sitting up slowly, taking off her jacket, and unbuttoning the jars and vials they had collected on the previous journey. She handed them to Hyde, who didn’t hesitate to snatch them out of her hands and walk over to one of the canvases. She pulled out a pencil from her belt and started to sketch out an idea. 

“Realism?” Jekyll asked. 

“It’ll be a combination of both this time,” Hyde leaned over, staring at the canvas intently. “I plan to paint our experience with the company so far.” She unscrewed Gerald’s glass remains and started to pin them to the canvas, shuffling them around to get the look she wanted. 

Jekyll rolled over in her bed lazily, not finding the energy to oppose any further. She tried to close her eyes, but they stung every time the lids of her eyes closed over her pupils. She groaned, rubbing her face before sitting up. Her eyes rested on Hyde as she contemplated how to start the painting they both envisioned. 

Hyde stopped sketching on the canvas and took a step back, smiling to herself. She rotated it so Jekyll could see. “Not that I care about your opinion, but this seems like something you would appreciate.” 

Jekyll wobbled on her heels as she got up from the bed and observed the painting closely. There were many lines for planned abstraction and smearing of blood, but Hyde had done a decent job at painting Jatayu in the middle of the massacre. Jekyll could see where Hyde planned to place the green demon syndicate goo, the blood, Gerald’s shards, and the guts they’d collected along their journey. Jatayu was in the center of the canvas, traveling downward from the sunlit sky, shoving his tanfas into the ground of the supposed Sun King lightly sketched under him. Demon Syndicate members and other enemies were left in shambles around the center of the masterpiece. The bloodshed would be the abstract part of the painting, versus the incredible realism in the center, contrasting the two art styles. 

“Impressive,” Jekyll nodded in agreement. “It would sell quite well.” 

Hyde smirked, twirling a small paintbrush in her hand before dipping it into a jar of blood, mixing it and the water of the blood together. “Do you think Jatayu would buy it?” 

“Not for the price you’d want to sell it for.” 

“Hmm, true, I suppose not everyone is rich like us.” 

Jekyll ran her finger along the Sun King’s head, blurring it. She tapped her thumb to her chin, observing the details more carefully. “Don’t forget the abnormality’s fire crown. It’ll signal to the onlookers that the man is overthrowing a wicked authority.” 

Hyde raised her eyebrow and tilted her head toward Jekyll. “Very well.” 

Jekyll’s eyes adverted toward Gerald’s shards, and her heart ached upon looking at them. Her thoughts ran back to the spider the party collected at the top of the spire, and she shook her head. Ripping her gaze away from the painting, she strolled back over to her part of the room and started looking through the files on her desk. 

Hyde continued to paint in silence, cracking open various jars and distributing them across the canvas. It would have smelled awful if Jekyll wasn’t used to the stench of death. Jekyll ran her hands through the files, surprised that most of the ones from her office were there, at least the ones she committed to memory. 

"Documents, logs, reports..." Jekyll muttered to herself, mindlessly shuffling through the papers. She didn’t really wish to look through them; she left all of it behind for a reason. However, if she planned to go back, she’d have to go right back into what she was doing before. 

“You know,” Hyde began, resting her elbow on her hip as she flipped a paintbrush in her hand. “I think this whole adventure would be better if we... worked together.” 

“You mean, letting you out more?” 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Jekyll,” Hyde chuckled, clicking her lips together as she tapped her foot before adding another stroke to the canvas. “I’d hate to bicker with you through the whole journey here.” 

Jekyll turned around, staring Hyde square in the eyes. “We are only bickering because you want to ruin my already-tarnished reputation! I don’t need any more issues with people!” 

Hyde paused, looking back; her posture slouched, showing that she wasn’t taking the conversation seriously. She glanced back and forth from the canvas to Jekyll, putting on a confused expression. “They already know; what’s the big deal? It’s not like I’m a secret anymore.” 

Jekyll took a deep breath, rubbing her face and letting her hair fall to her waist, brushing her fingers through it. “They can’t know about—” “The horrible things I’ve done?” Hyde scoffed. “Did you not see Jatayu’s whole past through his memories? Unless we complete our job before it’s ‘our turn’, they are gonna find out. Besides, what’s the harm?” 

Jekyll shook her head. “They’ll kill us.” 

“Not if we work together to get our job done faster,” Hyde hinted. She walked up to Jekyll, resting a hand on her shoulder. “...Hah… It’s weird being able to do that.” 

Jekyll shuddered, staring into the only person that scared her to her core. To look her greatest fear in her eyes—the one who ruined her life—took a strength she did not have. “...Yeah, weird.” 

“Don’t be frightened,” Hyde smirked. “I’m on your side~ I am here to get you out of this and us out of here. I’m proposing that we work together like old times instead of bickering. You’ve proven your usefulness in negotiating circumstances, versus me in combat.” The grip on Jekyll’s shoulder tightened. “You know my true intentions, darling.” 

Jekyll paused. “...Don’t call me that.” 

“Hmm. Yeah, that was odd,” Hyde stepped back, traveling back toward her in-progress painting before looking back. “You know how I operate, and you know I’m being genuine with you. I cannot hide my true intentions. I want to get away from you just as you from me. You are afraid to express what I do for you." Hyde couldn’t stop her laughter, cutting herself off. 

Jekyll shivered at the thought. “I could never do the awful things you’ve done.” 

“No, but you created me for a reason.” Hyde’s smile faded as she eyed the Split Shard drug in the corner of the room. “I want to be let out more. I’m tired of you trying to excuse my actions like I’m some kind of... pet being wrangled in by its owner.” 

“I’m tired of you trying to crumble the image I’ve tried to put up to these people,” Jekyll backfired. “Our lives were perfect until you ruined it.” 

“It was not my decision to try and hide me, yet leave all your assets to me.” 

Jekyll bit her lip, scrunching her face. “Okay, yes, that was stupid on my part…” 

“It’s why we are here,” Hyde shook her head. “You were so afraid of getting arrested for my sake, that you fled. You know how guilty that must’ve made you look?” 

“Us… look. For all they know, you kidnapped me.” 

“You better hope it stays that way for your benefit,” Hyde mocked. “That is why I’m proposing we work together to get the job done quicker. Us being at odds has only hindered both of us.” 

Jekyll sighed, pondering the thought. “And if we complete our contract, what then?” 

“We can go back to our normal lives, maybe even as different people,” Hyde smiled at the thought. “You can hide in your mansion, and I can fulfill my passion.” 

Jekyll sighed, thinking about the possibility of fulfilling one’s greatest desire with a golden bough. The silence that echoed in the room was only interrupted by Hyde’s bloodstrokes on the canvas. The thought of Hyde leaving did not bring any relief, to the doctor’s surprise. Despite what Hyde had done, Jekyll had relied on her for so long, that she couldn’t just give her up like that. What if there came a time when she needed her, but she was no longer around?  

“What if you didn’t leave?” Jekyll finally proposed. “What if I just let you out more?” 

Hyde stopped painting, freezing in place. She slowly turned to face her counterpart, curious. “Elaborate.” 

“Well…” Jekyll tried to scramble her thoughts together. “You proposed an alliance. A promise to work together. I'm willing to do so, and let you out more, on one condition.” 

“I’m listening.” 

"Can you try to not ruin our reputation? Can you try to cooperate with the others?” 

Hyde pursed her lips, leaning on her left hip as she stared at the floor, tapping the soaked paintbrush on her side. “Mmm… Fine.” 

Jekyll bowed her head, sighing in relief. “Thank you.” 

“Besides, we want the same things anyway,” Hyde chuckled to herself, shaking the paint jar and frowning as she scraped the last of the supplies out of it. “We just have different ways of obtaining it.” 

Jekyll shook her head. “I… don’t think—” 

“I’m out of paint supplies.” Hyde frowned, setting the jar on the nearby table. The painting before her was half done. She did not have enough materials to finish coloring Jatayu and the Sun King, but the background was finished. “Say, don’t they have some in the mirror dungeons? Let’s go grab some.” 

Jekyll glanced at the door, her shoulders dropping. “I’m so tired.” 

“I can take the front.” 

“Hmm… I suppose we could go check then.” 

Hyde nodded and headed toward the door. The closer she got, the further Jekyll faded back into Hyde’s mind, and they shared a body once more. Hyde adjusted her hair, pinning it up to offer the illusion of Jekyll as she exited. 

Lenore, Jatayu, and Alex were in the hallway. “Hello Jekyll,” Lenore caught her immediately as she opened the door. “Wanna help us onboard Alex?” 

It’s Dr. Jekyll… Jekyll sighed, grunting. 

Hey, take your rest; I got this. Hyde cleared her throat and made her voice more high-pitched. “Uhm… l-later… I need to do a few things.” She timidly said as she turned her heel and started walking toward the Mirror Dungeon hall. 

“Huh. Ominous,” Lenore commented. 

“Well, have fun!” Jatayu called out, smiling. 

…

What? 

How the hell did you pull my impression off so well? That was scary convincing. 

Hyde shrugged. It’s not hard to act like you when it feels like I’m being timid when you are. 

Touché. 

It didn’t take long for Hyde to travel down the ominous hall, her feet silent on the ground as she approached the large, black door. It took a bit of effort for her to lift the handle, but once she got it open, the large door slowly swung open, and she stepped inside. 

Jekyll and Hyde understood that the Mirror Dungeon was like a battle training ground that brought up fights previously fought for training. There were supposedly many floors, but it currently looked like an empty box with a few lights on. Perhaps it showed more promise and room when it was turned on. 

The only thing that stood out in the blank room was the three terrible-smelling buckets, the ladder, and the person on top of said ladder. The assistant had her head up in the ceiling, tweaking a few things before she glanced down, her skin beaming and her smile shimmering. “Ah! Jekyll! I didn’t expect to see you here!” 

Hyde observed her slowly and frowned. Ugh, her energy is so vibrant like mom's... “I don’t mean to disturb you,” her voice was charismatic and chill. “I am just here to grab some supplies.” 

“Supplies?” Kuvira tilted her head, her brown hair falling over her shoulder. She slowly made her way down the ladder before gracefully landing her feet on the side of the buckets. “There’s not much in here. The supply room would have been the other way. Why, unless you’re talking about some tools you need! I am using a few to repair the mirror dungeon as it was malfunctioning recently, weird, right? I can lend you some, but I might have to come hunt you down if you like to use them for too long because, oh boy, once I find a problem, there seems to be another. I might even have to get Jatayu’s house on—” 

Hyde raised her hand, demonstrating that she was not interested. “I am here for some blood, Kuvira. I came to get it for a project; I don’t need any other information.” 

Kuvira paused and nodded slowly. “Ah! Yes, I should’ve expected as much. Mr. Red Gaze did say something about your other half liking to paint with such stuff... that’s a Ring thing, yeah? I’ve heard many things about them, how they are one of the Five Fingers, spread across the city and—” 

“You don’t need to relay information to me, as I said,” Hyde forced a smile, trying to remain calm. “I know what the Ring is, and yes, you are correct.” 

Hyde, I can feel—

Not now. 

“That must have been a really unique experience!” Kuvira went on. “I’m sure you have so much talent when it comes to art! I’d lend a hand if I had any artistic talent at all, but heh, I can’t say much as I even forgot how to read,” she scratched her head and chuckled softly. “I know some of these remains are supposed to feed the bus, but I could probably lend you a little bit of what you need because you asked so nicely; I don’t mind!” 

“It wasn’t an ask.” Hyde marched over to the buckets, looking inside them. The blood was not the color red it was supposed to be. She frowned. “It was more letting you know what I was going to do... but this color of red is... distasteful.” 

“Ah, I’m sorry about that,” Kuvira glanced inside the buckets as well, not even wrinkling her nose. “This is just what me and Mallo swept up earlier; I’m not sure I can change that.” 

“Hmm. I shall turn this thing on and fight some minions myself. Then I can gather the supplies fresh.” Hyde raised her head proudly. “It can’t be that hard to do it alone.” 

“Uhm,” Kuvira’s smile faded, and she walked back over to the ladder. “I wouldn’t do so.” 

“Why?” The painter scoffed, smirking as she glanced over at the assistant. “Scared of a little bloodshed?” 

Hyde, don’t antagonize her! 

“Of course not,” Kuvira smiled and shook her head, climbing the ladder to look at the ceiling again. “I just really, really don’t like fighting." 

“So you’re a coward.” 

“I wouldn’t say that... Also, this thing needs to be repaired.” 

Hyde raised an eyebrow. What coward doesn’t wish to fight and avoid it at all costs? “Sounds like an excuse.” 

Kuvira paused for a moment, the glow on her skin shrinking slightly. Her blue seemed to... discolor. “We can turn on the mirror dungeon once I’m done. I’d be happy to watch your incredible skills!” She slowly closed the hatch of the ceiling. It wasn’t the most stable, but it would hold until she got back up with another tool. 

A defenseless woman, here on the bus, with no revive... Hyde smirked to herself. I wonder if her blood would be good on a painting...

Hyde, no! She can’t come back from the dead like the others!

Surely, they don’t need her around. Look at her smiling like that. No one smiles in the city like that. 

...I don’t know. 

We don’t even need to kill her; we could just, well, borrow a finger or two.

Jekyll didn’t reply as Hyde grabbed her paintbrush from her back, resting the tip of it on the floor. She watched Kuvira carefully, waiting for a moment to strike. 

Kuvira shuffled her hands through the toolbox before her eyes lit up at finding the screwdriver. She stood to her feet before slowly looking back at Hyde. Her smile wavered. “Is everything alright?” 

“Do you know how to fight, Kuvira?” Hyde tilted her head, slowly smiling. “If I wanted to borrow your blood for a painting, would you be able to stop me from taking your life along with it?” 

The assistant froze, the blood draining from her face. She took a step back, her eyes turning from a soft blue to a more hazel-like color. Her hair became darker. "I wouldn’t do that, Jekyll. I told you I’m not into fighting.” 

“It’s Hyde right now... Someone as joyful as you don’t last long in the streets.” Hyde took a step closer, closing each gap Kuvira made as she rotated her brush. “I’d like to know how you lived this long if you’re not a fighter. If you are, this will make this more entertaining. No one is ever as happy as you. You are untrustworthy, and a liar; don't think I can't see right through you!”

“You can’t.”

Hyde stopped, furrowing her eyes. The backtalk was something that caught her off guard, but it was not something she would tolerate. “Excuse me?”

Kuvira hitched in a controlled breath. "You can't see through me." 

The painter scoffed. "You are pathetic to think I can't." 

Kuvira continued to back away, slowly walking in a circle back toward the ladder. "...You remind me a lot of who I used to be."

Is this moron serious? "Stop with the talk! I can kill you with one swipe." 

"Don't do that, please. You will regret it." Kuvira glanced around worriedly, her feet light against the dark panels of the floor. "J-Hyde, this isn’t a good idea. You will get more of what you need on your next mission, but don’t try to take it from me.” Her green scarf trailed behind her; it was a miracle it didn’t trip her. Her glowing skin and her small blue necklace began to dim more, and she slowly became more panicked as it did so.

“Scared of a little brawl?” Hyde teased, walking closer. “Doesn’t fear feel so delightful?” 

Kuvira stopped in her tracks, eventually ending up in the same spot by the ladder as she had before. Hyde approached her slowly as if to get a reaction, to make her feel fear and beg for mercy. 

But there was none of that. The more that Hyde advanced, the more that sense of fear led from her target. Kuvira soon stood up, her eyes fully hazel. The glow in her skin vanished, and there was something dark about her appearance—something unnatural. 

Something Hyde never wanted to face. 

Her mood changed. “I simply don’t want to hurt you, or happen to get caught when you turn into a pulp on the ground.” 

Jekyll froze in terror. What? 

Hyde laughed, scoffing. “HAH! You, turn me into a pulp? Do you know who you’re talking to? I am D—” 

“I don’t care who you are.” Kuvira’s voice was low and dangerous. Her posture was straight, and she clasped her hands together as if she were meeting somebody formally. Her voice became softer and and lower, as if she spoke with less passion, volume, and enthusiasm. “Take my advice and don’t seal your fate to the inevitable. You are not high and mighty to everyone here.” 

Hyde paused for a moment, sensing the change in demeanor. She twirled her paintbrush in her hands confidently, regaining her composure. “Your intimidation tactics won’t save you,” Hyde began. “I’d offer more chit-chat, but I’m fresh out of time.” 

Hyde lunged for Kuvira with all her speed, swinging her paintbrush toward her.

She missed. 

With one swift motion, Kuvira dodged effortlessly to the side, not even knocking over the buckets on the floor. Her scarf slowly fell to her sides as if they were magic, and she almost cracked a smile. “Jekyll, don’t make me hurt you.” 

“It’s Hyde!” Hyde grunted, lunging again, only to be met by the same fate. She breathed heavily as she glanced up at Kuvira, her eyes furrowing. What the hell?!

Why is she moving so fast? Jekyll added, clenching her arms. 

“I won’t be so merciful if you try again, Jekyll." Kuvira blinked slowly, but it was a kind of gesture that showed her test of patience. “You are not making wise choices. Actions like these will seal your fate for the worse. I meant you no harm.” 

Hyde stood up, cracking her back before smirking. “I don’t care if you’re innocent or guilty of some horrendous crime. Stop being a coward and fight me! Earn your right to live!” 

Kuvira sighed, closing her eyes. 

Hyde didn’t waste any more moments. She lunged for her again with a silent attack, hoping to catch her off guard. 

Suddenly, Hyde was stopped in place. The whole Mirror Dungeon started to shake as yellow and black magic seeped from the cracks of the repairs. Before Hyde could blink, she was tied down by tendrils she couldn’t describe. They seeped into her skin and caused her to gasp in agony. It felt like every one of her systems immediately exploded and stopped working from the inside, causing her muscles to tighten and panic. 

Kuvira had simply lifted a finger. All Hyde remembered was her moving the same finger again before the life was sucked out of her, and everything went black. 

* * *

Every time Jekyll came back from the dead, she felt like the hands gripped and ripped at her soul more harshly and with more force. Each time Dante opened the door to rip her out of hell, it was more painful, as if her evil deeds were piling up on her and refusing to let her leave. She almost felt bad thinking about how much pain Dante would be in, but her thoughts didn’t fully sort until her body slowly formed... inside of a bucket. 

Jekyll slowly took the bucket off her hand; the first thing she saw was Mark also being rewound from some sort of head injury. The next thing she saw was Dante crumbling to the floor, gasping in pain, and clutching his chest. 

“...Side effects! Great for medicine!” Boy shouted.

It seemed that everyone was in the room. Vergilius, Charon, Faust, Mallo, Alex, Boy, Jatayu, Mark, Lenore, and Kuvira. They all chatted amongst one another, the newcomers more paranoid than the others. Mark rubbed his head as consciousness returned to him as well, leaving both of them confused. 

What the hell happened? 

Mallo was the first to walk over to Jekyll. “That’s not important right now,” she told Boy before bending to meet Jekyll’s eyes. “What happened to you?” 

Jekyll opened her mouth, but suddenly, her words got caught in her throat. An impending fear that she was not used to grew in her chest and left her speechless. She slowly turned her eyes, catching Kuvira staring at her with the harshest gaze she had ever seen. The doctor’s face grew pale, and she gripped her hands together, turning her knuckles white to hide their shaking. She reached up to rub her head, trying to look around innocently. “I don't... remember..." She lied through her teeth, keeping her voice straight. 

The harsh gaze from the assistant was quickly removed, and her normal, bright, light-hearted composure returned as if nothing happened. 

What… Hyde breathed, also feeling the overwhelming fear. Who is she? 

I don’t know... but it’s scary that she’s here... 

I’ve never even heard of such magic… 

“If I had pain medication, I’d give it to you,” Boy offered sweetly, eyeing Jekyll in a much more friendly way. 

Mark got a read on the situation and started commenting. “You could inject it.” 

“I don’t want to test it on anyone here,” Boy shook his head. “I am genetically messed up, so it doesn’t mean what works on me will work on you.” 

“You can still test it on us,” Mark implied. “Dante can just rewind us when he’s close. Could come in handy to help Dante too, if he’s human, right?” 

Faust nodded. “Dante is one hundred percent human.” 

“See? You can test it on us, then test it on Dante when it works.” 

“It also requires a lot of medication that I don’t have,” Boy explained. 

Jekyll almost spoke up, trying to calm her nerves down. I have some medication experience; I could help you out. 

“If there is medicine in you, and you die, does the medicine come back too when you are rewound?” Lenore asked, stepping forward with a weapon in hand. 

Dante groaned and lifted his clock from the floor. "Please, let’s not die…” 

Jekyll almost felt a pang of guilt. I’m sorry, Dante. I didn’t think Kuvira was... well...

She hit us like a truck. Impressive… and terrifying that she probably does not favor us now. 

Bot shook his head furiously. “I don’t want to be blood soup!” He pointed at Jekyll and the bucket near her. 

“We are going to die either way,” Mallo objected. “Might as well.” 

“I just watched someone become soup!” Boy shook, his voice getting louder before he took a breath. “I need to calm down.” 

“I’ve only been revived once, but it’s not that bad,” Lenore explained. “Off topic, but have we explained EGO and corrosion to the newbies?” 

“I know about EGO, not corrosion.” 

“Corrosion is when the EGO of an abnormality takes control of you,” Mallo and Mark said at the same time. There was a moment of silence that followed as they glared at each other. 

Boy laughed nervously, putting his rat hand to his head. “Am I on drugs?” 

Faust shook her head. “Faust finds their explanation unreliable.” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about." Mallo’s retort was followed by a glare shifting toward Faust. “I worked at L Corp; you did not.” 

“Faust was employed at L Corp; I was not.” 

Mallo paused. “...What? You can’t just say you did, yet you didn’t do something. What do you mean?” 

Her only reply was a smug grin. 

Mark raised an eyebrow and stood to his feet, hand on his knee to push himself up. “Do you mean like an ID of yours?” 

“You could suggest that, yes. It is the most accurate to the situation.” 

Mark shared Faust’s grin as he turned to Mallo. “See?” 

“But that’s not you!” Mallo argued. “That’s just an alternate timeline version of you!” 

“Does it matter?” Lenore interjected. 

“Yes, it matters!” Mallo was not having it. “IDs don’t bleed over, so their experience is not ours firsthand!” 

“It’s still you; that’s the whole point of the technology,” Lenore inquired. 

“Are you and your One Who Grips ID the same then?” 

“I disagree with her perhaps, but it is still me.” 

“Yes, it’s an alternate version of you but not—” 

“I think there are better things to constitute than arguing what a soul is regarding IDs,” Boy stammered. 

Mallo glanced back toward him. “Abnormalities can take your soul.” 

“WHAT?!”

Mallo went on a tangent that Jekyll didn’t pay attention to. She slowly crawled over to where Dante was sitting on the ground and sat next to him. She shrunk back as she watched Kuvira walk by, talking to Dante casually and asking him for help on the repairs in the Mirror Dungeon. The veteran obliged and followed the assistant inside. 

RIP Jatayu. 

He won’t provoke her like you did! Jekyll sighed. What happened to working together? 

My mistake: out of all the things, I didn’t expect THAT. 

Despite Mallo’s ramble in the background, Jekyll was able to pick up on a small conversation the manager had. “I hope that Jatayu and Lenore were treating you well,” he gestured to Alex.

He nodded formally. "They were very helpful, yes. Very informative."

Boy tried to exit from the party, moving out of the way, but Mallo and Lenore grabbed his arms, insisting that he stay. They both started to head over to Dante with Boy in hand. 

Dante didn’t notice. "Ah... good. Were they able to help get you situated with combat any? Apologies for rushing the gun, but, as you can see, a lot is going on."

“We did consider it, yes. But we thought better considering we'd get into combat eventually and were looking into the EGO storage before..." Alex gestured toward the incident. "We might as well get it over with."

Dante’s attention had to be brought to Mallo, Lenore, and Boy as they came over and discussed the opportunity to train him. 

“It’s fine, really; I’d rather not die." Boy shook his head, trying to back away. It was clear he was not into the idea.

Dante chuckled. “I’m sure you both will do fine." 

“You will die,” Mallo interjected. 

“Not today, please!” Boy stammered. 

“You die, get up, and die again, and you get up and try again!” 

“I can step back and watch someone else do it!” 

“If only,” Lenore crossed her arms and shook her head. 

“You can use your drugs if you want, if they even work,” Mallo added. 

“I don’t know! That’s like the number one rule of the backstreets, you don’t test your own drugs on yourself!” 

…

…

The conversation had stopped, despite everyone still chatting. Jekyll stared in absolute horror at Boy, flashing back to the time when she did the exact opposite. 

That’s what Mark said at the...

We did that, yet we turned out fine...

But, we weren’t supposed to... How does he know that? Was that a common rule I just... missed? Jekyll gripped her cloak where the Split Shards vial was. She breathed heavily.

He truly has no idea. He’s in for a treat. 

It was only Dante’s voice that snapped Jekyll out of her trance. “If it helps any, I was going to have you guys do an easy battle. Alex is an Ex R Corp employee, and both of you can work on some minor and easy things.” He ticked slowly, trying to calm Boy down. 

“Any help is appreciated. That is, if you’re offering. With someone’s help, the task wouldn’t be a hard pill to swallow,” Alex said. 

Mallo moved to the side to observe the newcomers up and down again. “Hmm… I need someone competent in there, just to make sure. Our first round was a complete mess, so send in a person who knows what they are doing, Dante. Send me, Lenore, Mark, or Jekyll… any one of us works.” 

“I’d rather send Faust,” Dante argued. “You just smacked Mark against the head and killed him.” 

“It was consensual!” 

Boy shook his head. “I don’t think that helped!” 

“It was—” 

The party went on and on about teamwork, who had done the most wrong, and something about whether or not to do combat. It was difficult to string any pieces together, but all grew silent as a red glow appeared in the room and the guide stepped forward. With a single movement, he silenced everyone in the room. 

Jekyll glanced toward the Mirror Dungeon door. I wonder if he knows what she’s hiding. 

“May I inquire about the bickering?” Vergilius asked calmly. 

Mallo was the first to recover her senses and reply. “We are trying to decide if Boy and Alex should go into combat, and which one of us is competent enough to teach them. I’m suggesting me or Mark.” 

Is she mad? Hyde scoffed, enjoying the sight. 

Jekyll was also confused. Wasn’t she screaming at Mark before this? 

“Maybe offer someone who doesn’t have a record,” Mark jabbed. 

“Send two sinners in with the newcomers,” Vergilius more demanded of the solution than offered it. 

Mallo nodded. “Why don’t both of you pick one to go with you?” 

Boy shuddered when the spotlight was shifted to him. “I guess Mark? Given the information...” 

“That’s one,” Vergilius gestures to Alex. “Who?” 

Alex turned to Lenore. “If you’d be so kind?” 

There was more senseless talk among them, mainly with Mallo objecting to the choice. Jekyll slowly got to her feet, trying to get out of the way of the chaos. She slowly ventured toward the hallway, attempting to make a sneaky escape. However, all of her stealth failed the moment Kuvira came out of the Mirror Dungeon. Fear overtook her heart and she booked it out of the room, running toward the end of the bus, down the halls, past the storage...

Eventually, after her heart had settled down, the doctor found herself in a room with a large chained ball hanging over a pit. To the right were piles and piles of metal, red flower-shaped things. They looked like artificial roses. Before the drop where the chain ball hung was a large metal door and a small chamber to fit in said flowers. 

Jekyll approached the machine slowly, eyeing it carefully. What is this? 

Hyde also watched carefully. I don’t recall them talking about this…

Did we go too far in the corridor? Jekyll wandered over to the metal flowers, picking one up and running her hands along its pedals. 

Why don’t you put it in the slot? See what happens. 

Curiosity got the better of her. Her steps echoed along the wooden floor as she carried the object and placed it in the designated slot. 

With creaks and turns, the chain wheel started to glow and spin. The doors opened more as the chains wrapped around the strange glowing ball shot out toward what looked like a starry night sky. Everything glowed red and orange as the facade of the night cracked. It shattered as the Split Shards shrugged, the holes in the machine revealing the mirror worlds. Each chain went into a new mirror world. Some of them were dull, some were red, and one was bright yellow. 

Jekyll’s mouth dropped. She had seen mirror worlds before, but never had she seen something be able to cross into them. After staring a long while, she placed her hand on the glowing lunacy. It faded at her touch, and all the chains retracted into the ball, pulling out what they had found in other worlds. 

To the left, there was a small machine that printed cards that looked similar to the ones Dante used for IDs. Jekyll waddled over with awe and curiosity as she searched them. Most of them were just duplicates of herself, which was typical. That’s mostly what I see when I use the split shards drug...

But one of them stood out. One of them was bright yellow and shined, unlike the rest. Jekyll gripped it with her hands and blew the dust off it, her eyes widening what she saw. 

It was Hyde but in a white outfit and a Ring weapon. Her hair was back, and she possessed no monocle. The card had OOOO on it; she wasn’t sure what that meant, but she almost dropped the card the moment she read the title of it. 

“How is he–” the manager paused, clenching his hands. “Oh, I think I know why.” 

Mallo knelt and picked up some of the flesh with her fingers, rubbing it together. It was rather sticky. "Hmm... It’s similar to the sunburst rainfall abnormality. You know, the spear we sacrificed earlier.” 

“But Mark sacrificed it,” the manager countered. 

Mallo looked unimpressed. “That’s because it’s likely from the abnormality where the spear came from.” She wiped the flesh off her hands and back into the pile. 

“Finally, a worthy opponent,” Lenore smirked. “Our battle will be legendary.” 

“Mark probably just found the original abnormality when he flew up,” Mallo continued. “Do you know where sunburst rainfall came from?” 

"...I do,” there was a great hesitancy in Dante’s voice. “The Sun King... he’s back.” 

“You’ve fought it before?” Mallo furrowed her eyebrows. “Hold on a minute. What risk level is it?” Her face of curious inner thought soon turned to a pale, discolored stare as the blood drained from her face. 

“It’s an ALEPH; last time we fought it, it was weakened and deterred.” 

“Is that weakness still active? I sure hope so.” Lenore’s smirk fled from her face at the mention of its threat. 

“Given that Mark sacrificed the spear, I don’t know.” 

“Okay,” Mallo started to pace back and forth, avoiding stepping in Mark’s remains.“We’ll be fine as long as..." she mumbled her answer out of earshot. “Honestly, I’m impressed.” 

Dante rested his hands on his clock face, breathing deeply. “I’m surprised there’s anything left of him.” That was all he said before he turned the clock, gasping in pain as Mark slowly returned. 

His charred skin slowly softened to its normal peach color as consciousness returned to Mark. He immediately was equipped with an ID Jekyll couldn’t identify, nor did she care to name. There are too many of them to keep track of... 

As he stood to his feet, the six wings of bright feathers returned to his back, floating gently behind him. “Took you long enough, manager.” 

Dante recovered from his pain and rested on Pen’s shoulder before looking up. “Are you okay? What happened?” 

Mark shrugged. “Bad tale of Icirus?” 

“I’ve met one before.” 

“Cool, so I met Jatayu,” Mark continued. “I also met this... thing that’s like made of sunlight and fire wings. That is what killed me.” 

“Oh, yeah, it does sound like you ran into the Sun King.” 

“Sun King? Dumb name.” 

“Boastful, but that’s the idea.” 

“Pride coming from an abnormality? Who would’ve thought?” Lenore chimed in sarcastically. 

Mark disregarded her comment and continued. “Jatayu tried to fight it, and I tried to help. Guess what happened.” 

Dante’s flames dimmed. “He’s still up there.” 

Mallo’s concern was also raised. “You saw Jatayu, right? How is he?” 

“Instead of normal, he has a vulture skull and wings on his arms," Mark answered. 

Dante fidgeted with his hands, getting more nervous by the second. “So he is distorted. We don’t have long, but before we can continue, I have one last thing. What is that on your head?” 

The party lifted their eyes to see a soft crown of fire emitting from Mark’s head, circling it slowly. 

“Huh, looks like an EGO gift,” she shrugged. “I guess burning yourself to a crisp wasn’t worthless after all.” 

“I have six wings and a crown. At this rate, they should call me the Sun King.” 

Mallo scoffed. “There’s no way.” 

Mark smirked, amused by her reaction. “C’mon, it’s a joke.” 

She only offered him a deadpan stare. 

“Speaking of fire,” he shrugged off her reaction and pulled out a bottle he bought from the bar. He knocked off the lid, which fell down the spire and started to chug the drink. 

Mallo sighed, rubbing her eyes before changing the subject. “Oh my gosh, okay... Are we just going to stand here, or are we going to stop Jatayu’s distortion?” 

Mark shrugged again, wiping his mouth after a sip. “I think Jatyau is losing.” 

I don’t think an ALEPH is something to mess with, Jekyll reasoned on her own. No wonder he is losing. 

Mallo began to back up said point. “Logically, an ALEPH versus a distortion... Yeah, we need to hurry up.” 

Someone having a mental breakdown is not going to fare well against a monster, Hyde added. His blood will be shed. 

Mark continued to pull out various drinks before offering some to Lenore. They had some mild conversations in the back as the group continued up. 

Jekyll bent down to scoop Gerald into her arms, holding him close as they continued up the spire. Hold on, Jatayu, we are coming. 

As the party rose from the previous challenge toward the next level upon the spire, they found... the same building as before.

What? Jekyll glanced back down the path they walked up, double-checking to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. 

The rest of the party seemed to be doing the same, observing the landscape as if they had just gone in circles. 

The only difference notable in the building were a few small embers, flickering flames billowing inside through the windows, daring to grow larger; it became a den of agony and pain.

Dante tilted his head. “Hm. The same place again. That’s.. new. It has never done something like that before. Perhaps a different era in Jatayu’s time?”

“It looks like it’s about to set on fire,” Mallo shuddered. 

“Not much to it or to do about it,” Mark sighed. “It’s a memory.” 

“Even if we could, do we have any water?”

“Does it look like I have water?”

“Exactly.” 

“Flames are beautiful,” Lenore smiled slowly. Her reasoning came from a place of her ID rather than the actual flames. She had worn the same ID for some time now as if it were – in her opinion – the best one. 

“Oh,” Mallo looks over at Lenore’s flaming ID. “Yeah.” 

“This has something to do with Jatayu’s past again, likely,” Dante interjected. “I don’t have a good feeling about this, but there is nothing we can do but sit and watch.” 

Mallo didn’t seem convinced. “We don’t have to step inside it, right?” 

“We have to,” Mark answered before the manager could speak. 

“I… hope not." Dante’s words were a lot more timid as his attention lay on the scene before him. 

Lenore looked at all of them confused. “What’s the worst that could happen?” 

Mallo didn’t believe her ears. “Gee, I don’t know, maybe burning alive?” 

Lenore stared at her plainly, as she was currently on fire before her. “I’ll go inside if no one else wants to.” 

Can you all shut up and get on with it? Hyde groaned, rubbing her face. Enough with this endless chitchat.

“I wonder,” Mark changed the subject. “Do you think each place we go to fetch the golden boughs will reveal and put us through our own memories?” 

The party went silent for a moment. There was some thought about the possibility, and it seemed to terrify most of them. 

“Maybe so,” Lenore shrugged, appearing to be the most accepting of the idea. “It happened once before.” 

Mallo laughed uncomfortably. “Haha! No, it won’t happen to me.” 

Jekyll and Hyde stood silently. She glanced over at Dante, who slowly turned away as if he knew it was true. 

…Aw hell nah, Jekyll waved her hands in dismissal. No, no, no, this is NOT what I signed up for. 

This will... be a first, Hyde sighed, clearly not liking the thought. It’s worse than others seeing your personal Split Shards moment. 

Mark too noticed Dante’s turn-away and also gave him a nasty side-eye. 

The world once again shifted into a monochrome black and white as the fragments of memories formed once again. The building appeared to be larger than last time. It was more lit up with neon signs, and music bleated from inside. The various sounds cheered with life as once more, two familiar figures arrived on the scene, entering into the bar with glee.

The younger brother – the memory of Jatayu – carried in his hand a small, yellow box with wrapping and a green bow on top. The older brother – Sampati – only wore a relaxed expression on his face. Both of them appeared to be a bit older than the last time the company saw them. Sampati was adorned in a feathery coat and carried a large spear on his back. The younger was addressed in the distinct P. Corp attire: a bodysuit that glowed with a gleaming light. 

They met up at the bar, commencing small talk as they closed the door behind them. The party watched slowly before all of them followed inside, with a strange need to hear the conversation. 

The older brother spoke first. “So, Jatayu. Are you going to tell me why you have that box yet, or…?”

“It’s a surprise. You’ll get it once we’re inside; just don’t worry about it. Besides, you said you had something to talk about as well.”

“Various things, yes. I suppose that I can... stifle my desires for a bit then~”

The bar was a bustling, thriving building, rich with entertainment, a contrast to the last time they were here. It had more guests and larger bands playing in the background. The brothers made their way further in, moving toward their favorite spot in the bar, the front stools.

Jatayu glanced around the bar, smiling. “Glad to see this place is doing better. It deserves it.”

The older brother agreed. “Quite. Kollam is experiencing a large boom in popularity for tourism after all; it makes sense that more and more people are coming. This tiny town is finally on the map as somewhere worthwhile.”

“All thanks to the new and rising Grade 4 fixer, gaining fame and fortune where he goes.” The memory of Jatayu gestured to his brother, attributing the success to him. He set down the present as he sat himself. 

His older brother followed, sitting down next to him and scoffing. "Oh, please, like I am the only one responsible. You’re also to blame, you know? Sir P. Corp  Architecture Department Manager~” He tossed a soft jab at his brother, causing them to both chuckle. 

The bartender wandered up to them and offered them their favorite drinks without an order and a payment. Sampati pulled out the money to pay, placing the ahn over the bar as he nodded in acknowledgment. The bartender accepted the payment and went on with his job, attending to the other customers waiting for him. 

“It’s not that special." Jatayu twisted his finger on the glass. “There are multiple managers, and we’re still working under the Head Director too. Still, I’m a lot farther than when I began.”

“And it shows! Look at you, wearing their colors. You know that you are outside of work, right?”

“Says the man carrying a large spear on his back and our father’s coat.”

“….Shut. How dare you call me out!”

A playful chuckle escaped them both as they taunted each other, taking a sip of their faloodas. It wouldn’t be long before they began to turn their attention towards the box.

“...So. What’s this then? You wanted to see me; I needed to see you, so it’s only right you go first.”

“Right to the point, huh? Not gonna wait and enjoy the moment for a bit?”

“Who says we can’t be serious and relax?~ Why can’t we make progress and be at ease?”

“Fair enough, I suppose that makes sense... heh. Here.” The memory of Jatayu muttered as he took the box in his hand before giving it to Sampati. “You’re set to become a Grade three Fixer in less than two months at your current rate. It’s going to get more and more dangerous. You won’t slow down any. So, have this.”

The older brother raised his eyebrow as he opened the box, unwrapping the paper by its bits and revealing to the party a mechanical orb. It was vaguely heart-shaped and nostalgic compared to the heart Jatayu ripped out earlier in the Lobotomy Corporation facility. It fitted in his hand perfectly, designed with his specifics in mind. He looked confused mostly, rotating the thing in his hand. "You... got me a heart?” 

The younger brother took a sip of his drink, looking away. “It was a-a personal project of mine. Personal body barriers. Meant to protect and shield the holder from anything. I didn’t want you to get hurt, so... there.”

“Ah, you made this for me?” He raised his head, stopping his inspection of the object as he smiled softly. 

“I’m working on making a second one, for your wife, though. I’d like to make sure the first one works. Two birds, one shield.”

“Aww~ Looks like my brother does love me... heh. This is thoughtful, Jatayu. I’ll make hella good use out of it; you need not worry about that.”

"True, though. Ideally, it never gets used.”

There was a moment of silence that befell the room. Sampati’s smile faded as he stared at the box. After a moment, he sat the box down on the counter and placed the device into his pocket. It beat like a heart, glowing with a pulse inside it. “About that,” Sampati began. “I guess it’s time for me to tell you my news." He took a moment to collect himself; the hesitation was clearly uncharacteristic of him. 

Jatayu noticed as well, and he turned to face his older brother, spinning in his seat. His expression changed, not for the better. “Sampati?” 

“Jatayu, I need you to promise me something.” 

“Sampati? You’re being a bit cryptic, but go on. What is it?” 

The older brother didn’t respond immediately. He took a breath, facing his brother before offering a smile. 

“...You are going to be an uncle.” 

The look of shock on the party’s comrade’s face was rememberable. “What?” 

“My wife, she is pregnant. I am going to be a father in 5 months to a beautiful baby girl. And you, Jatayu, are going to be her uncle.”

It was as if the entire bar had gone silent at the news, the air growing quiet and dense as a result of it. A few bystanders looked in their direction, having overheard the news. 

Jatayu’s face contorted with emotions, ranging from shock and surprise to widening eyes in awe, growing in suspense at each moment. His eyes gently formed tears as a bright smile, stretched across his face as his heart raced. His breathing got heavier by the moment; it was clear this was big news for him, and the intention of the importance of family to him was true. 

It was at this moment that Hyde finally understood. …So this is why he values family. She sighed. It is as much as I value art. 

And we… Jekyll glanced away. We insulted that right out of him. 

It was the first time Hyde felt anything close to remorse or guilt. I see... how I screwed up now. 

You do? 

She nodded. I may not agree that family is that important and still believe it is a weakness to him, she glared back at the brothers. But I see how my words in one of our last interactions could have affected him. 

Jekyll sighed in relief. So you will—

I am not sorry for what I said. I know what I say is true, and it is hard to hear. Hyde paused, recalling herself. But the truth would not help Jatayu in the state he is in. He must be eased into a different belief before it can work. Right now, I see he is tied down by family, and it is the core of his actions. 

...Gosh, he really is Lanyon. 

Truly. If we wish for Jatayu to return to us, we must succumb to his level of flawed thinking and drag him out of it. 

It wasn’t much of an apology; Jekyll could feel Hyde’s pride fueling itself within her. However, it was a step closer to feeling some form of change in her actions, some form of civilized thought. That was all she could ask of her counterpart, and she would not complain about it. Does this mean you will apologize to him? 

Not in the way that you hoped I would, Hyde shrugged. But I believe I need to rethink my plan in terms of confronting him. He will not be convinced to let go of his chains so easily. This is why. 

Normally, you would not put up with something that held people back. 

I suppose I need to start learning how to. 

“I…” The memory of Jatayu finally spoke. “I am going to... to have a niece.” He panted lightly, trying to catch his breath as his eyes gleamed toward his brother. Tears flew from his overjoyed soul. “I’m going to be an uncle! You’re going to be a father!” He held his head low, excitement building in his chuckles. 

The older brother nodded. “I plan to, yes. It’s… thrilling, but terrifying.” 

“Of course it’s terrifying! You’re going to be a FATHER!” Jatayu chuckled and exclaimed as he spun in his seat happily. 

“I know, I know. Which… is why I need you to make me a promise.” 

“Hm? What? Yes, of course, whatever you need, Sampati. I’ll be happy to babysit if needed or get supplies.”

“Thank you, but... not those. I need you to promise me... that..." He trailed off, the atmosphere flowing with his voice as he settled down. The anticipation in the air was noticeable. “I need you to promise me that if anything happens to me... you will be there for her.”

“...huh?” 

“I need you to promise me that, if, for some reason, I die... you will be there to care for my daughter.”

“I… Sampati. You can’t just drop that news on me, and then speak as though you are going to die tomorrow! You have a responsibility to fulfill now!”

“I know, I know. I don’t plan on running from it; I want to be there. I want to see my daughter grow, but I am... I’m terrified... This... this city... it’s not for the faint of heart. People die in the hundreds daily, potentially thousands. Anything could kill me at any moment.”

“…I see now.”

“And, likewise... anything could kill her at any moment... I don’t want that.” The older brother raised his head, looking directly at the younger. Tears streamed down his cheeks, not ones of happiness, but rather ones of fear and despair. “I trust you more than anyone in this world, Jatayu. I trust my brother from the bottom of my heart. I will strive every day to keep safe the ones I love and be there for them. You, Bhumi, my daughter, all of Kollam... but... I am just a man. I want to know.” He reached out through choking tears, resting his hand on Jatayu’s shoulder. “Promise me... that if something happens to me... she will be okay.”

It was Jatayu’s turn to join his brother in weeping. They stared at each other as if they were tackling reality together. However, a strong determination filled the younger brother’s eyes. “Sampati,” he began, reaching out his own hand to rest on his brother’s shoulder. “I promise. That no matter what happens. That no matter what time of day or state of the world. I will make sure that they are okay.” He paused as he thought, light returning to his soul. “I will make sure that you will be there to see it all. That you will be okay too. I am going to make this world safer.”

“...Huh?”

“You said it yourself. This world can take anything without warning. It’s dangerous—too dangerous for a child. I don’t want you or them to get hurt. So, today is going to be the beginning of a new world.” He patted his brother’s shoulder, his tears drying up on his face. “I don’t know how... no. I am already coming up with ideas of how. But somehow. I will make this world safer for her. For you. For everyone. I will do all that I can to make this world better. I don’t want to lose my brother, nor my niece or sister-in-law.”

Jekyll observed the situation as she recalled Jatayu’s current mission and current state. He didn’t make due on that promise... His niece is kidnapped. 

The world is cruel to those who let themselves be bound by attachments. 

“Jatayu, thank you.” His brother smiled. "You... You truly are the best brother anyone could ask for. I promise you that you will not lose us.” 

“I am still trying, brother,” a louder, overall voice could be heard above the bar as if they were watching. It was distorted, and as it spoke, the scene came to an end and faded away. “I have never given up on that promise, nor will I ever give up on that promise to you.” 

There was nothing more to be done as the music and idle conversation faded. The bar was empty, save for the bartender at the end. A rumbling took place outside, which snapped Mark out of the silence of the party as each of them processed what they had just seen. 

“Well, there is probably something waiting for us outside." Mark had a neutral expression on his face as he adjusted his pipe. “Once you guys are done thinking about the memory of whatever, join me outside for the typical fight.” 

Let’s not dwell on this any more than we need to. Hyde turned away from the bar, urging Jekyll to follow after Mark. Let’s go bash in some monster heads.

Jekyll obliged, shaking her head as she fought for control before immediately following Mark outside. The pink armor of her ID returned. Her paintbrush turned into a gun, and Hyde analyzed the stats. 

…Wait, she paused. Our unique charge didn’t reset. We are still at the same number we left the previous battle with. 

Is that a bad thing? Jekyll lifted her eyebrow, observing the stats. It lets us deal more damage. 

I wish I knew what it exactly meant; the ID’s memories are not helpful at all. 

A surge of power rushed through Jekyll’s skin. Who cares? This feels good. 

Almost too good... 

The helmet quickly identified the enemies with black hearts. There were two sloths and two greed peccatulas. Two small doubt robots would turn into larger monsters if not killed, just like on the previous floor. They approached the party like every other enemy had. 

Gerald popped out of Jekyll’s grip onto the floor, ready to fight as he whirled around. His eye rested on the party coming out to help them, with Dante safely tucked behind the bar wall. 

The tension in the atmosphere skyrocketed like insurance rates as Mark lunged forward toward the doubt robots. He barely hit both of them before blocking their attacks. 

Mallo didn’t assess the battlefield quickly enough and was attacked by the sloth peccatulum that lunged for her. She countered its attack by striking it back. The first attack prepared her for the second one; she clashed against the second sloth peccatulum and won with ease. She rushed toward the first greed enemy before hitting it skillfully. 

Jekyll adjusted her gun and shot at the greed peccatulum attacking Mallo. She caught it off guard and sent it flying back into the bar wall. She smiled, sighing softly. 

However, her relief was not for long. Suddenly, warning sirens went off in her helm. The code started to shake as everything turned from a pink shade to gray. Her vision blurred, and her eyes couldn’t see properly as everything became a daze. 

“Warning: Max Pink Heart reached. Initiating Extermination of Black Heart Protocol.” 

What is happening? Hyde asked calmly. 

Jekyll clenched her head, backing up out of the fight as she tried to regain her composure. I can't—I can’t think straight! I must… I must eliminate all black hearts! 

Hyde quickly picked up what was going on. This must be the abnormality’s doing. Take the helmet off—there was no reply. Her eyes furrowed as she tried calling out again. Jekyll? 

Must eliminate all black hearts. 

She barely saw Lenore use an EGO as she walked into the battlefield. “This is to show you all that I am,” Lenore uttered, slamming a mechanical arm into the first sloth peccatulum. 

Gerald followed suit and attacked the same enemy in its open wound. 

The tiny robot turned into a much bigger, tankier robot, like before, looking like a factory machine. The feathers on Mallo’s back unsowed themselves and attacked the enemy with ease. 

But who was the enemy? 

As Jekyll looked out from her helmet, she noticed the black hearts were now on everyone, allies included. She could tell no difference between them as if her allies had abandoned her to combat all the enemies on her own. Her vision was black and white, with grey outlines of everything vibrating violently. Her head spun and she could only think one thought. 

Eliminate all black hearts. Her suit turned black as she aimed her gun, ready to fire at the blackest hearts she saw, which were the closest sloth peccatulum… and Mark. 

The movements of the enemies around her were erratic; she watched them blur side to side. But their hearts did not escape the skill of a sniper. She could not discern the moves of the battlefield, only the movements of her own. 

Jekyll shot the first greed peccatulum after watching it move unexpectedly. She shifted her gun and shot the sloth peccatulum, imploding him on the spot. There was no hesitation in her attacks as she aimed for Mark, only seeing a gray outline with a large, black heart in the center of it. The bullet when it was shot split into two, with the second bullet traveling to the robot in the middle of the battlefield. 

Jekyll struggled to regain control of her actions and body in the suit. She watched Mark block the bullet with his shield, but it wouldn’t be long before the suit fired again. Her thoughts were not her own, and even Hyde could not break through the power of the ALEPH abnormality. To think that the party had to face one of them was terrifying enough. She would not have chosen the ID if she knew it would have turned on her allies. 

But it was too late. The gun reloaded itself as the doctor’s arms adjusted to aim at new targets, scanning for the most black of hearts amongst the enemies and allies. It shocked Jekyll how black her allies’ hearts were, but it was difficult to tell them apart in the first place. 

The only one without a black heart was Gerald, who still looked relatively the same in her gaze. His heart was still pink, and he looked up at Jekyll with great concern. 

Protect good, pink hearts. "Must... eliminate all bad, black hearts," Jekyll muttered, the control in her mind keeping a grip on her actions. 

The gun pointed at the robot, firing the moment the calculations were complete. The suit shifted to Mallo, firing at her as well. 

The feathers didn’t seem to appreciate the attack. They swarmed in front of Mallo, blocking the bullet before lashing out toward Mark. 

The feathers ripped at Mark’s flash, cutting him off from a clash from a greed peccatulum. They tore at his skin and muscles until he imploded on the spot. They killed him without a second thought. 

“Huh, Karma–” Mallo barely got her words out before the feathers swarmed toward Jekyll… before they dove next to her and swarmed Gerald. 

They tore at Gerald’s eye and claw, devouring him in their hungry rage. The glass ball he rolled on shattered. No matter how much Jekyll tried to break free to save him, it was no use. The feathers finished their job, and all that remained of the doctor’s pet were the glass shards and a pink feather. 

GERALD! Jekyll cried out in pain, trying to reach out to him. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to fight the suit to go to him. Her heart stopped, and aching hopelessness seized her soul. The one thing she had cared for… was gone. 

However, the suit only glanced at the body before aiming the gun strictly at Mallo, firing many rounds at the killer. They shot through her protective feathers and into her shoulders and chest. Mallo crumbled onto the floor, gasping for air as she looked over. 

Lenore stepped in front of Jekyll as she prepared a firey attack. “You need to get a hold of yourself!” Her voice was faded and distorted as she rushed ahead, attacking the giant robot. 

Jekyll couldn’t do anything as the suit attacked the greed peccatulum. She saw the feathers unsowing themselves and charging toward her, but there was nothing she could do. 

They ripped at the armor, collapsing it onto Jekyll’s skin. She cried out in pain as she fell to the floor, unable to move her limbs. The suit itself seemed to be in too much pain to move further. They staggered her. It wasn’t long until Mallo fell into a corrosion as a result of Jekyll’s attack. She charged at the robot and Lenore, who were still fighting, and killed her comrade with an EGO Jekyll could not identify. 

Jekyll did everything in her power to try and move to keep fighting. However, more feathers from Mallo’s back shot at her again, pushing the metal further into her skin. She felt her stomach and lungs rupture from inside her, and everything faded to black.

* * *

The hands of hell were never pleasing, but it didn’t take long for Dante to pull her out immediately. In fact, it was quite quick compared to the normal rebooting time. 

As soon as Jekyll felt the strength return to her body, she sprung up and rushed out the door of the bar, analyzing the battlefield as much as she could. 

No, no, no, no! Gerald, Gerald! She clasped her hand over her mouth, desperately looking for her friend. 

The battlefield was a wasteland. The blood of the dead peccatulum poured onto the ground, and the robot remains lay dead on the floor. The sun beamed brightly overhead, slowly reflecting on the liquid and glass on the floor. 

…The glass.

Jekyll stumbled over to the pile of sharded glass that lay resting beneath her. Her eyes scanned it in disbelief as her hands started to tremble. No… NO, please... Her lips quivered as she collapsed to her knees. Her hands ran along the edges of the shards, picking them up as they sliced at her fingers, only making her tremble more as her blood spilled onto their clear appearance. Gerald... Gerald I... She couldn’t think straight. Her vision blurred as tears seeped down from her face. She removed her monocle to stop the buildup before she broke out in a sob, clutching the pieces of glass close to her chest as she curled upon herself. Her cries were not smothered, and there was no comfort for her aching heart.

Hyde approached Jekyll in their minds slowly, resting a hand on her shaky shoulder. I’m… I’m sorry, Jekyll. He’s gone. 

Jekyll shook like an earthquake before she turned around and hugged tightly onto Hyde’s legs. 

The painter herself could feel Jekyll’s pain as her own. She hesitated before resting her hand on her counterpart’s head. She rubbed her hair slowly, unsure how to comfort herself. Such loss for a creature we’ve only known for a short time… She began, unable to show her sympathy and care properly. Grief is something most experience. Let me take over as you compose yourself. I shall take care of the logistics as your process. 

It was one of the few times such grief was not caused by Hyde herself. The difference she noticed is there was no thrill to it. There was no joy. Seeing something that had the potential to be great die in someone else’s hands rather than her own did not bring her the same satisfaction. Perhaps it was the closest she could feel to grief over something she had lost, but she refused to acknowledge it. How could she? She watched people go through this pain in her own lust for blood and never batted an eye. But when the pain was with her, with the very person that bore her into the world, she could not shut off her heart as easily. 

Jekyll slowly nodded, sobbing harder as she clung to Hyde’s legs. Her grip on reality loosened as she let go of control.

Not a second passed with Hyde hesitating. She immediately took the reigns of the body, and the tears stopped. Her soul shook as Jekyll wept in the back, but she inhaled sharply, steeling her heart. This. This is why attachments are horrible and why I’ve gotten rid of them. This is why I have done what I have done: to eliminate pain like this… 

Hyde loosened her grip on the shards, staring at them intently as she watched her blood stain them. She stared silently into the distance, contemplating the decisions that led up to this point. A rare, solemn expression was heavy on her face. I shouldn’t have encouraged Jekyll to keep it. I was a fool. 

Footsteps approached her out of her sight. She could tell the manager was coming to talk to her, which made her grip on the shards worse. I do not need your comfort, Dante. She hissed in her mind. Things are already bad as they are. 

“You…” He began, stopping as he stood behind her, his flames not as hot as they used to be. “You okay, Jekyll?” 

Hyde rose to her feet, turning her head slowly toward Dante. For a moment, there was a flash of pain in her eyes. It faded as Hyde raised the monocle to cover Jekyll’s eye, revealing her red eye. She untangled her bun and let her hair fall to her knees, shaking it as a facade returned to her mannerisms. She smirked. “Jekyll will not be available for... some time,” she carefully chose her words.

Her gaze turned to the bar, where she spotted Mallo leaning on the doorframe, looking at her with a sorrowful, guilty stare. She had her arms crossed as if she were listening intently. 

Hyde could feel the rage and grief radiating in her soul from Jekyll, but she quickly suppressed it. “It seems that..." The painter turned her attention back to the manager. “Human greed was more important than a treasured life, via the feathers,” her head gestured to the collection of feathers on Mallo’s back. She stared back at Mallo with raised eyes before she shrugged, glancing at her own nails that were chipped from the glass. Her carelessness masked her perfectly. “Se la ve, we knew the damage they did. Keeping those things around really makes it clear where your priorities are, Dante.”

It was an intentional jab, which forced Dante to pause and think slowly. “Yeah, it... it was good while it lasted. It was a... uh... good thing. Gerald was.” 

Terrible words to comfort someone, Hyde critiqued. Not that you were ever good at that. “Yes, he was,” she said in a clearer tone, laced with a bit of wrath. Hyde glanced down at the broken body. “Shame that he had to go, but..." She shrugged, recalling what the maestro taught her. “There is no beauty in things that last. Even paintings wither away when their time comes.” She looked back up at Dante, leaning on her hip. “That’s why we miss things. Perhaps it’s some kind of... messed up empathy that we possess. We can’t enjoy what we have in the present.” 

The manager tilted his head and took a step back. “That’s not really that screwed up. If it is, then we are both messed up in the head.” 

Do not compare your incompetence to my insanity. Hyde scoffed. “Tell me, Dante. How shall I explain to Jekyll Gerald’s passing in a manner that doesn’t condemn the one who killed them with their greed and desire for a shiny wing?” 

Dante took another moment to respond, the flames on his head dimming more and more as his hands clutched one another. He glanced away from Hyde to turn his focus to Gerald’s remains and Mallo’s wings. “I… I’m not fully sure there’s any ideal way to put it. At the end of the day, seeing the wings and how they act... They are a bit indiscriminate, but they try to do good… It’s not really a clear-cut story, sadly. There might not be any way to make the story one hundred percent innocent.” 

Every fiber in Hyde’s being wanted to snark toward Dante, showing him that she would not tolerate such an answer. However, the pain she felt in her soul overbearing her wrath, and her intentions sunk into despair. She turned her gaze back toward the pet she had named, her gaze softening as her shoulders relaxed. “I don’t think you will see Jekyll for a while. W… She’s pretty distraught.” Hyde tried her best to stop her voice from breaking, lacing it with anger. “Not just over Gerald, but the whole..." She cleared her throat. “We didn’t have full control over the ID you gave us. Do not put that ID on us ever again if you wish to see my counterpart soon.” 

“Thank you. That’s helpful information.” 

Hyde shrugged in response, turning away from the manager as she stared back down at the glass shards. Emotions toiled in her mind and soul, and Jekyll’s cries did not cease. It was difficult for her to maintain her general attitude when Jekyll’s pain was felt as her own. She ignored Dante as if she were dismissing him from the conversation. 

But Dante stayed. He took a step forward; his hand reached out. “Are you okay, Hyde?” 

Hyde paused. You're asking me? She turned around with a cheeky grin. “Of course, I'm—” she stopped. Her eyes rested on Dante’s clock. He didn’t have an expression, but if he did, she knew she would see concerned, caring eyes. It bothered Hyde to an unholy degree. For a moment, there is a brief second of pain. The grand facade of Hyde fell, and her unfaltering smile that never left her cocky attitude faded. She would never admit it, but she, too, was upset and mourning Gerald’s passing. All could be seen by the manager in the brief moment it was visible. 

As if Hyde still had some humanity left in her. 

Mallo shifted on the doorstep, drawing Hyde’s attention. The next beat in time, the moment faded. The facade returned, and Hyde forced a smile again. It was as if the moment of vulnerability had never happened. “How can I not be great? I am Hyde, the great myth, the docent teacher, the one who is bound by no morals and obligations to do what I please. There is only room to be great, because I am free, and I hold no remorse.” She raised her voice as a proclamation of power, sending shivers down anyone’s spine who heard it. 

The manager retracted his hand. “No remorse... at all?” 

“Why should I have remorse?” Hyde tilted her head, crossing her arms and chuckling to herself. “It only holds you back from what you really desire to do. You can’t give into your deepest wants when you are bound by the standard chains of someone else’s society.” 

The moment of silence followed by the manager was deafening. His hands rested in front of him, clasped together as he slowly nodded. His clock rotated to glance down at Gerald’s glass. "That's... true,” he hesitated as if he were scared to admit it. “Not sure if I agree with it, but it is not wrong. Still, if you say you’re fine, I will not push it. Though, do understand that you matter too, just as much as Jekyll does.” 

The gesture was kind, but it was the most crap that had ever come out of his mouth, in Hyde’s opinion. She didn’t believe him. “If lying to yourself makes you feel better about the situation, then by all means, keep at it.” The painter chuckled to herself and shook her head, turning away from him once more as she bent down to collect Gerald’s scraps. She pulled out one of her collecting bottles from her jacket and placed them carefully in them. Matters as much as Jekyll does; what a load of rubbish.

“Well, take some time to recover, as much as you need. Or, to break the news to Jekyll. We are not fully ready to move on, so there is time.” 

The wrath boiling inside Hyde got the better of her. “Do we, Dante?” She snapped, turning her glare toward him. “Do we really have time? Because I remember we were in a rush to get back to a member who ran away! Can’t blame 'em,” her voice relaxed. “But we don’t have time to linger and ‘have time to recover’ if we want to catch him. We are in such a rush because you all ‘care’ about him.” 

Dante’s reply was one of soft words and care. “Just as we were in a rush to get to you.” 

Hyde stopped picking up the shards, processing what he said. She remembered vividly the pain she was in… 

The only person that rushed toward her was him, the manager. 

The vulnerability returned, and Hyde, for the first time, had difficulty masking her emotions. “Go.” Her voice lowered like a threat. “Leave us now.” You speak nothing but lies; you probably thought I was Jekyll when I was hurt, and you come to console me as if you aren’t afraid of me and what I am capable of. 

Dante obliged and took a step back. “We will be preparing to leave for the next floor inside the bar,” he nodded in a brief farewell. He turned to leave but hesitated, looking back. “You are an important member of the team, Hyde.” He ticked. “Don’t beat yourself up as if you were not.” 

Hyde made no visible movement to Dante as she continued to pick up the shards, one by one, placing them carefully into her containment jar. She listened to the footsteps getting softer by the second and shook her head. Her heart ached, and she clutched her chest, a small tear falling on her hands. 

What is this sorrow that I feel... that cripples me and my objective? Why does it hurt so much? 

She continued to pull the shards together, wiping the floor clean of Gerald’s remains. There was no trace left of him when she finished. She sealed the jar and put it in her jacket once more, sighing as she slowly calmed herself. Maestro taught you better than this; she talked to herself. Now is not the time. 

 Jekyll seemed to have calmed down from her weeping as well, slowly pulling herself together. Hyde, I-I’m sorry I—

Shut, Hyde snapped. It was not your fault. It wasn’t mine either. Do not feel sorry for yourself. It hurts. 

Jekyll nodded slowly and did her best to retain the information that she wasn’t responsible for her pet’s death. If I had just protected him—

You were not in control. Do you not remember this from the grueling therapy sessions you gave? We don’t know how to protect. The circumstances just happened to have him dead. We will keep him as a memory, always as something beautiful. 

The doctor seemed to like that answer. She nodded and backed up, watching what Hyde did like a movie. 

Heavier footsteps approached Hyde. The painter stood up and turned around to see Mallo walk slowly toward her. The woman stopped a fair distance away, her head bent and her wings tucked into her back as if they knew they had done something wrong. She awkwardly stood there before speaking. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” Hyde offered a malicious grin, not feeling the same vulnerable attachment with Mallo as she did with Dante. The manager drew something out of Hyde that she couldn’t place her finger on, as if he was connected to her and knew her memories. Mallo, however, did not, and Hyde would not let her grief show again. “Greed is how you get ahead. It is how you gain, just like how you gained the wings on your back,” she almost spat out those words, but kept her tone cool. “They are a nice touch to your figure. Very art-inspiring, in fact. It’s… as if your sins could free yourself from your chains.” 

Mallo sighed. “The ends did not justify the means, and I... It wasn’t under my control, but I’m sorry anyway.” 

Hyde flattened her face and looked to the side. “I’ll tell Jekyll that.” 

I heard her. 

Mallo raised an eyebrow as she also looked away. “Okay,” she glanced up the spire. “Is there something I can do to make it up to you, at least? I’m trying to... atone for my mistakes.” 

You act as if I need something from you to be satisfied. Hyde glanced back at her coworker. I don’t. "Do you know where I am from, Mallo? Not Jekyll, do you know where I am from?” 

She looked confused. “Uh, no. We haven’t talked a lot, and Jekyll doesn’t talk about you a lot.” 

“Naturally,” Hyde rolled her eyes. Seriously? 

Listen, Jekyll wiped her face. I—

“I assume you come from the same place, or a similar one since you guys share a body after all—” 

“My home,” Hyde interrupted, straightening her posture. “Which I did not wish to leave; we have a system of three strikes. After the third strike, no grace is given out. You have already crossed your three strikes with me, and this appears to be the second for Jekyll.” She lied through her teeth, seemingly convincing enough. She waltzed up to Mallo and rested a hand on her shoulder. “You have her grace." Her voice went from a sarcastic politeness to a lower threat. “But note that if that third strike is cast against her, I will personally make your life a living hell. No one would find your body, and the only ones who would know of your demise would be those people that you pray I never utter their names.” 

Mallo was a tough person, not easily frightened, but even Jekyll noticed how she shuddered briefly in fear. “I don’t know how I wronged you, let alone three times. I do apologize,” she took a more humble stance than usual before shooting a glare at Hyde. “I don’t think you would. I’m calling your bluff. You are quite a threatening person, I’m sure of it, but…” She shook her head. “I don’t think you would. Jekyll wouldn’t forgive you.” 

Hmm, your apology could be worked with, Hyde paused, thinking. But I am no person to lie about my strength and my connections. 

Hyde, Jekyll reached out. We talked about this—

“Do you think Jekyll would be able to forgive you over me?” Hyde asked, tilting her head. 

Mallo shrugged. “She seems more understanding.” 

You don’t understand her, though. I do. “Jekyll has to forgive me, I am in her mind and soul. I’ve kept her alive for years,” Hyde stopped, snuffling a cackle. The crazed look of insanity returned to her former dull gaze. She looked Mallo up and down. “You underestimate my connections with the Middle. But let me offer you a proposition instead.” 

Mallo stepped back, her eyes wide at the mention of the name. “No, no, if you had connections, you wouldn’t be here.” She stopped backing up and took a step forward, bending over to try and intimidate. “If you had connections with the Middle, you would have killed me already.” 

“May I remind you it was Jekyll who joined; there was no background check on me?” Hyde pulled out her brush in front of her, gripping it to face Mallo as her voice lowered. “The Ring is not so far from the Middle when it comes to the Five Fingers.” 

Mallo stepped back, feeling the threat in her voice. She respected Hyde and gave her some distance, thinking and shaking her head. “They may not be so far, but I don’t think you guys get along very well, do you?” 

Hyde only smirked. Not if you stroke their egos long enough. The sisterhood is more reasonable than the brothers. “Let’s put our discussions aside... Jekyll is quite fond of you. I am bound to make sure she stays safe. So, here’s the deal. Take every action you commit with caution; do not put Jekyll through any more unnecessary pain. Do not lose that third strike with her, or I shall call some old friends.” Her gaze darkened. “You rest on her forgiveness, once that’s gone..." She lifted her head in a dominating position. Thinking. “Unless…” She paused for a moment. She wouldn’t be too bad of an art piece. “Perhaps inspiration can be drawn from you as well. Something... full of art, full of... reality.” You are someone who does fit the description of who they are looking for. Your name is written in their book of vengeance, perhaps. I know some of the members have talked about someone similar to you. You tried to take someone out of the Middle... Yes, that was it. 

She did? 

Brief conversations that I have heard, she recalled. So that’s why they don’t like her… 

“I don’t plan to break any strike; I am just trying to do what I think is right." Mallo’s gaze softened. “I’ve tried to do right before, but every person ends up dead when I do, so I’m trying to atone, so should I be held responsible for trying to do what’s best?” She looked almost pleadingly at Hyde. “I don’t know why I’ve wronged you; I know I’ve wronged Jekyll, but I didn’t plan to break anything, so I’m sorry.” 

“That’s where you're wrong, seeking in what’s doing right,” Hyde laughed. “You do what others tell you is right, and not what you want to do.” You fold to society, something that will keep you captive for the rest of your life. I am not a slave to society’s rights like you. “I don’t like you, Mallo,” Hyde smirked. “You impose your will as a law onto others, as if you are some kind of guide or savior from someone’s circumstances, dragging them out of a place they couldn’t escape themselves when you alone cannot escape.” Her words were intentional as if to get under her skin. “You are a walking contradiction, but that is also what makes you so... fascinating.” She lifted her hand. “I’m not one to tolerate many, but I think you intrigue me just enough to perhaps... give you that second chance.” It was a deceitful offer, just like all of her propositions, but Hyde snuffed the pain and grief she felt in order to make her words work. 

Mallo was not understanding her cryptic messages. “Walking contradiction? I don’t know what you mean by that. I do what I think is right, but I know it’s not always right, but I’ve learned that. I knew what was best for people; I knew people’s suffering; I worked in one of the worst corporations in the City. You do not know what it’s like to have someone beg for you to kill them to put them out of their misery, for them to be in pain so much they grovel at your feet!” 

The insanity returned. “Delightful, is it not?

“What? No!” Mallo backed up more, horrified. “How can you say that?”

Hyde chuckled and leaned on her hip, her elbow resting on it. She lifted her hand as if she was holding tea. “So Jekyll never told you.” 

I would never tell her about your wrongdoings! Jekyll stammered, trying to get involved. It’s a bad look on both of us!

Were you not the one who gave me the idea to keep them alive? Hyde snapped. 

But not to–

Make them suffer more? Your memory is faulty. 

“Jekyll never told me... what? She doesn’t say a lot about you; far from that.” 

Hyde tilted her head. Of course, she didn't; she’s too afraid of the public eye to admit she enjoyed it as much as I. 

…

Hyde smirked at the thought, feeling Jekyll shudder in her mind. She looked up before turning to walk into the bar, her hair flipping at her head motion. 

The painter could feel the wrath seeping through her coworker. “Hey! I was talking to you! Come back here!” 

Hyde turned around; her eyes perked in an innocent, curious face. She observed Mallo’s mad and annoyed look, and it did not bother her at all. She stared at her comrade, scanning her. You’re angry as if you expected better of me. I am Hyde; get that through your head. 

The former Lobotomy Corporation employee tried to pull herself together. “Look, at least from what I understand, Jekyll only cares about you because she has to. She grudgingly puts up with you; she tolerates you because you can’t do anything about it. You are stuck with each other. You are not her. I’ll put up with you for Jekyll’s sake but don’t expect me to respect you as I do with Jekyll. You don’t deserve it. You aren’t like her.” She turned around, lowering her voice to a whisper full of malice and hatred. “You aren’t even someone a mother could love.”

Something cracked in Jekyll’s soul when Mallo uttered the words. Her lips quivered, but Hyde refused to show it. She stood straight, raising her voice with a wrath that was not previously in her as if her grief was breaking loose. “I killed my mother, Mallo!” She roared authority in her voice with a tinge of pain. “To love me is to put aside my crimes that I don’t regret. That’s why you can't love me; it’s why Dante lies through his teeth when he claims he can! I have the strength to triumph in this world without affection or love!” She spat out the words in disgust, gripping her paintbrush. “Jekyll does not have that same strength yet. Stop teaching her as if she can rely on those fake, faulty things. She can't, Jatayu can’t, and it’s clear that you can’t, either.” She rested her vocal cords, lowering the volume of her shouts. “It’s a foolish lie. It makes you weak.” Hyde huffed out a breath of frustration before turning her heel and walking inside the bar without another word. 

Hyde strolled across the bar in a neat, composed posture, as if her wrath had not existed moments before. No one suspected a thing as she sat at one of the stools on the far side of the bar, eyeing the bartender carefully as he cleaned a cup. She exhaled a breath she was holding in, rubbing her face. 

What have you done? Jekyll covered her mouth in a panicked state. You just told her—

I don’t care. Hyde traced her fingers along the pattern of the wood counter. They are bound to find out sooner or later, whether it’s through me or the golden bough showing them. 

Hyde—

Mallo opened the door to the bar, shortly after. Rage boiled from her face as she turned toward the manager. “Hey, Dante,” she gritted a fake smile through her teeth. “Can we have a chat for a minute? Outside?” She swung her arm around Dante; everything about her casual tone was fake. 

“Uhm…” Dante stammered as if he were having flashbacks. “Okay? Is everything okay?” 

“Just need to talk to you real quick,” she said sarcastically. “Come outside.” 

They left quickly after that, Dante showing great concern with Mallo’s erratic behavior. 

Why are you ruining this for me? Jekyll cried, hatred seeping from her soul. Why do you always have to ruin what I build?! Why are you destroying my life?!

You want to talk about destroying a life? Jekyll, you brought this upon yourself! Hyde snapped back. You took me out of my life; what did you expect me to do? Sit back and obey like a dog, as if I were fine with this? 

You’re not supposed to give us a bad reputation!

Too bad, I already did. Hyde rolled her eyes. I did what I had to; I gave the truth. You know I am right! I know your soul; it’s connected with mine. You cannot deny that you agree with me. 

Jekyll stopped, sitting back down as tears fell from her face. She clutched her arms.

All this talk about forgiving me, Hyde continued. When you forgot I still haven’t forgiven you. 

Jekyll sighed. I know I signed up for Limbus Company, it was a rash decision. I know I ripped you away from the Ring without your consent. We were going to be arrested if I didn’t act quickly.

The maestro would’ve protected us.

I didn’t want to live in such a horrid place... People think it’s wrong.

But you don’t. 

Jekyll paused, listening to Hyde’s words.

Hyde saw she was getting through. You don’t think that. That’s why you went to the Ring in the first place, right? You were the one who joined them before handing that life to me. Don’t think you’re so high and mighty; you are right down in this hell with me. 

Jekyll shook her head. No, I can’t… it was you who—

Stop lying to yourself, Hyde snapped, shoving Jekyll out of conversation. Maybe when you’re willing to admit your faults, then we will talk. 

I will never be like you. 

She didn’t hear anything from Hyde, telling her that her opposite was still busy looking into the mirror worlds. She wondered if they would ever find another version of themselves and not useless shadows of dead bodies. 

Her head started to pound further, and she clenched her head, swaying from side to side. Her footsteps became more like stumbles, and she had to lean onto a close wall when the group stopped to stay upright. She clenched her neck, trying to catch her breath. Why did I ever invent such a sensation? 

“Right, this is the first time we are all down here in a Lobotomy Corporation Facility,” Dante ticked as he turned around, the fire on his head being the main light source within the room. “At least, for you new recruits. We should watch out for something that wishes to behead us.” 

“As long as we are visual, we should be fine,” Pen rested the end of his spear on the ground, tapping it and listening to the echoes it caused. 

Dante’s head only lit the rusted technological door behind him. His hand rested on the edge of it, waiting to push it open. The fire above his head lit up a text difficult to read, overrun by rust and moss. Nevertheless, Jekyll could see it said something along the lines of ‘Department.’ But… which one?

“Shall we head inside?” Dante asked the group, his voice weary and wavering. 

It was hard to see, but everyone gave subtle nods. 

The entryway was narrow, causing everyone to form a line. Upon seeing Mark eagerly placing himself in front, Jekyll forced herself to stick to the back of the line. The last thing she wanted was to be around him, especially after the effects had kicked in. Please just be over already… She cried in despair. Stupid… stupid drug… She figured it hurt more than usual because she was in a rush to use it, in fear of Mark’s words. Jekyll also couldn’t recall she was the one to deal with the after-effects, as Hyde was always fronting when it was over. She glanced down at the moonstones on her fingers glowing slightly. She sighed, a tinge of resentment attached to her toward Mark. He just had to force her to switch back and forth as if it wasn’t a big deal. It’s not like he cared about the consequences of it, and Jekyll was the one paying for it. 

More light entered the atmosphere the moment Dante pushed the door open. It took a bit for Jekyll’s eyes to adjust, lest with her head spinning. 

The environment was nothing short of abandoned. Many TVs were scattered across the walls, hanging by a single chord and shattered into pieces. Holographs glitched in and out on the floor, summoning random sparks each time they received a surge of power. Chairs and tables were broken apart and scattered across the room into the corners as if a giant had pushed them away in one swipe. Lights flickered in and out overhead as if someone had tried to use them for the first time in years and they exploded from impact. Human feet could not survive this room without being slashed by the various materials on the floor. 

That was not what Jekyll had her hazy attention upon, however. Jekyll couldn’t take her eyes off the various corpses that littered the room. Some had brown uniforms, their heads cut completely clean from their body and missing. Some reminisced about the demon syndicates they fought earlier, and others were unrecognizable from the green mold covering their bodies, revealing a horrendous stench. Their bodies looked frozen in time as if they were in an undead state. 

Jekyll glanced towards the headless bodies, admiring how clean a cut was made across their necks. Perhaps I should collect some blood for Hyde… Maybe she will thank me and stop bothering me for a bit if I do so. 

To her surprise and to further her dismay, there was an unusual lack of blood on the floor. There wasn’t even any salvageable blood pouring out from the victim’s neck. Jekyll never fancied touching dead bodies like Hyde and decided against any further collection of painting supplies. 

The stench only made her head spin more, anyway. 

Mallo walked across the room with grace, almost gliding over the floors with familiarity. She barely gave any attention to the dead bodies on the floor, giving them a look of disappointment and a dagger stare of patheticness. 

Pen, on the other hand, took great interest in the corpses, studying them carefully. He glanced at the green mold ones before studying the clean cut across the beheaded ones. “Why would a beast do this?” 

Upon hearing the question, Mallo finally gave the corpses some time of her day. “It’s much worse than a beast.” 

Pen mutters something under his breath, turning toward the next corpse. 

“It’s a completely clean cut,” Mallo bent down next to one of the beheaded corpses. She observed it with curiosity, not as to what did the damage… rather who. 

“Hopefully we will be fighting humans, due to the damage,” Lenore commented, investigating the wall for any type of trail or tracks left behind. 

Jekyll laughed to herself. Do you think humans can do this clean of a job? Never in my life have I seen something so perfectly done. Her head spun as fragments of the split-shard drug entered her vision. She paused for a moment, sighing. I sound like Hyde… 

“Wouldn’t count on it,” Mallo confirmed Jekyll’s thoughts. 

Pen glanced up from his observations. “Are distortions humans?” He asked out of the blue. 

“I think… they used to be,” Lenore replied. 

Mallo nodded in agreement. 

“I see,” Pen did not seem shocked by this information. “Good to know.” 

“What one hell of a hole,” Mark scoffed, drawing attention to himself as he rummaged through the pockets of the dead. 

What little remorse you have for life, Mark. Jekyll sighed. 

“The hell? Why is he carrying this?” Mark took his hand out of the beheaded corpse’s pocket, holding out a playing card: two of hearts.

“A card?” Pen asked. 

“I went through his pockets, I mean might as well take what they have, if it’s not useless,” he cursed under his breath. “They are surprisingly clean for being dead, and I found this.” 

Jekyll could only hear the sinners scrummaging through the pockets of the dead as shards covered her vision once more. Ngh… two more, and then it should be over. 

“I found a three of hearts,” Lenore walked over and handed it to Mark, who found another card. 

Mallo didn’t search hard enough to find a card, nor did she care to put effort into it. Her attention seemed to be divided. 

“Four of hearts on this one…” Mark continued, taking an odd form of leadership with this case. “Something tells me that each body might be marked by a card… It’s like the spade syndicate…” 

“I’m sure the spades use spade cards,” Lenore confirmed with a smile.

Mark ignored her. “I don’t expect the life insurance that hired us to have these cards… maybe the lone shark syndicate.” He started to loot the body Mallo didn’t give much effort into. 

There’s a sudden look of horror that captures Mallo’s expression. “Did they keep it here?” Her breath hitched as she muttered. She looked around the room in a type of panic Jekyll had never seen before. 

By the time Jekyll’s vision cleared to see things properly, she couldn’t believe what she saw first. Pen had knelt and grabbed one of the green-mold corpses’ hands. He jumps back in surprise as if something had reached to grab him, startled. “It’s not dead–” he cut himself off, tilting his head to the side. There was an odd pause before he spoke again. “Interesting.”

Mallo made her way up to one of the computers, pressing a few buttons and grunting in frustration when they didn’t work. She turned toward the party in a panic. “Is anyone good at engineering?” 

Jatayu raises his hand among the shaking heads. 

“I need help activating this,” Mallo points toward the computer that seemed to be the least broken. 

Pen stepped forward and assisted Mallo. Jekyll wondered why Jatayu hadn’t after he raised his hand, but she failed to catch his expression as another mirror shard covered her vision. The sensation was one of pure bliss followed by a sharp pain in her head. She clenched her head, taking her monocle off and rubbing her red eye, tears streaming from it. Jekyll’s environment changed around her, and she was face to face with someone she recognized… and someone she knew too well. 

She saw a person akin to her face in a dark navy suit with red markings. She held a large gun and wore her hair down to her shoulders. The red markings spelled the word ‘Limbus Company’ across her vest, and she was staring right back at Jekyll. 

Is that… me? 

“Jekyll? Are you alright?” She could hear Dante calling to her. 

Jekyll couldn’t see Dante, but the moment he started talking, the vision began to fade as reality returned. “Mm… give me a moment–” she tried to keep the vision going, reaching out to the different version of her.

Her efforts were in vain. The different version of herself faded from view, and the final slashing pain from the drug slit Jekyll’s head. She clenched it, shedding silver tears as the drug’s effect finally came to an end. 

Ugh… Jekyll heard Hyde come back into focus. That round was horrible. 

Despite being conflicted upon Hyde’s return, she couldn’t help herself as she checked up on her. You okay? 

The drug isn’t always that bad… Hyde stumbled upon her words as if she was still groggy. I didn’t see anything new, though. 

I saw… me. Jekyll sighed. 

Oh? 

“Finally, something hella useful,” Mark’s scoff cut Jekyll off. She glanced toward him, finding him in the other room looting more bodies. Ahn fell from his hand into his pouch. He continued to loot every single one, pulling out more cards and more ahn. Jekyll watched as he tried to break off one of the demon syndicate corpses’ arms for its weapon, using his pipe to break its shoulder. However, the arm didn’t come off despite his efforts. Frustrated, he kicked it in the face and walked out of sight. 

“What happened to you?” Pen’s trembling voice forced Jekyll’s attention back to him. He grabbed the hand of the corpse again and started talking to it. His face was covered in an uncomfortable emotion, and he closed his eyes. “And what do you want, my friend? Hmm… how can I do that…?” He followed his mutterings by taking his spear and stabbing the corpse in the face. The body limped and crumbled under the wound, dying on the spot as if it wasn’t dead already. Pen opened his eyes as he looked at the corpse. 

Pff, some hallucination he’s going through. Hyde rolled her eyes. 

Jekyll was tired of her commentary. You’re a hallucination. 

Hyde laughed sarcastically. How low of you. 

“I don’t know how I can help you friend,” Pen continued talking to the dead body, letting go of its hand. “Rest well, I will bring you vengence.” 

This child is insane. 

Jekyll couldn’t help but agree with Hyde. 

Patterns of computer noises filled the silence following; Jekyll turned her gaze towards Lenore and Mallo searching through the computer files. Well… more Mallo frantically going from screen to screen and Lenore reading what she could. In fact, she was going through various screens of the computer so quickly and so efficiently that it made Jekyll inclined to believe she had experience within the Lobotomy Corporation facilities. Only an expert can go through information like that… 

Mallo stopped on one screen, reading through it quickly. She stared intensely as her eyes widened in fear. She backed up from the screen, her hands raised in front of her chest as if they were frozen in their typing position. Jekyll could’ve sworn she saw her break a panicked sweat before she stormed over to Dante in a hurry. “Dante, I found something.” 

Dante turned to face her after staring at Jekyll for a long time. “What’s up?” 

“Follow me,” Mallo demanded more than asked Dante before immediately walking over to the computer, expecting Dante to follow. 

And follow he did. His head tilted from curiosity more than concern, and Dante didn’t seem to take into account the stressed state Mallo was thrown into. Nevertheless, he looked at the computer and started to read. 

“I found the culprit,” Mallo continued. “Something tells me you can’t come back from being decapitated, Dante?” 

“I’d… rather not think that would happen to me…” Dante grasped his hands with one another, his ticking slowed as he read. 

“Can you bring us back from it?” Lenore swayed her glaive back and forth, almost in a sense of boredom. 

“I think so,” Dante finished the reading. “This is definitely we should keep our eye out for.” 

“You need to stick behind us,” Mallo suggested. 

“Right… assuming nothing bad happens, it would be best to stick together.” 

Mallo took Dante’s words to heart and started counting the people in the room. She paused, counting everyone again. “Jekyll, Lenore, Jatayu, me, Dante, Pen…” she paused. “Where’s Mark?” 

“Oh whew,” Lenore smiled. “We are not missing anyone important.” 

Mallo was unconvinced. Her hands were trembling with shock. She bolted to the right in a panic, her breath hitched and caught within her lungs. 

Idiot, Hyde sighed. Mark literally went the other way. We watched him go left and rob everyone. 

Oh crap- Jekyll started running after Mallo into the next room before she thought about it. “Mallo!” 

By the time Jekyll called out to Mallo again near the end of the other room, she was out of breath and so was Mallo. The room was the same as the last; it consisted of broken computers, glitched holographics, various corpses, and a horrendous smell from the destruction. The room was yellow and purple, which were odd colors that Jekyll had never seen in a building before. 

To Jekyll’s surprise, Mallo did not have any cigarette in her hand, or any lit nearby. She looked around in a panic, searching for any sign of someone coming through this way. 

Jekyll collected her breaths before she rested a hand on Mallo’s shoulder. “Mallo…” she wheezed, tired from running after her. 

“Idiot’s gonna get himself killed…” Mallo muttered to herself as she turned toward Jekyll.

Jekyll could feel Hyde getting stronger. Huh, so despite the hatred you still care about the moron’s safety… Isn’t that interesting? 

“He’s over here!” Jekyll heard Lenore faintly shout in the other room, where she saw them go. 

“I don’t have time for this, Jekyll!” Mallo snapped, fury blazing in her pupils. “Spit it out!” 

“Uh-uhm, they are over there,” Jekyll stammered, surprised by Mallo’s reaction. “I heard Lenore… Mark went left…” 

She didn’t seem convinced. Mallo glanced towards the door continuing down the hall and back at the way she came. 

Remind her two brain cells that we need to stick with the party, Hyde snapped. 

Oh. “W-W-We should stick with the party, because o-of the decapitating thing… on the loose…” Jekyll sighed, staring into Mallo’s soul. 

There wasn’t another moment in between Jekyll ending the sentence and Mallo grabbing Jekyll by her wrist before sprinting back the way she came. Mallo’s hair brushed in the way of Jekyll’s sight, causing her to stumble and have difficulty finding her footing. However, she was able to keep up with the woman as her grip only tightened on Jekyll’s wrists the moment she even fell an inch behind the speed Mallo ran. 

Hyde was not happy. Jekyll, get out of her grip! She doesn’t need to drag you around like this!

Everything Jekyll was seeing was a blur. It-It’s fine! She knows what’s best right now… I should follow her lead. 

Her ‘lead’ is her walking all over you! You know what happens when you allow this, Hyde hissed. This is the third time you’ve been dragged around today. I’m tired of you just letting it happen. 

A wave of guilt washed over Jekyll as she finally found her footing and kept up with Mallo in an equal sprint. Well, you’re not the one in control. I will decide if I wish to be dragged or not. 

Jekyll was immediately filled with a sense of dread as Hyde spoke. Then I shall kill her like I killed the others that walked over you. 

Mallo and Jekyll ran past Dante with heavy footsteps echoing across the metal floors. They ran across looted bodies and corpses before they burst the door open into another room, where combat had ensued. 

Lenore, Jatayu, Pen, and Mark had taken care of the battle in the majority. Mark was dancing with maracas over a staggered demon syndicate, not having a care in the world in his current ID. 

Jekyll didn’t have time to laugh at how silly Mark looked before Lenore, also in another ID, stabbed the staggered enemy through the face, killing it on the spot. Her glaive had turned into a rapier, and the quick flick of her wrist sliced the man in two from the head down. The pathetic man with blonde hair crumbled to the floor. 

Mallo finally let go of Jekyll’s wrist, to Hyde’s approval. Jekyll brushed her now unkept hair out of her face, almost disappointed that this room was the same as the last. She took her brush and brushed it with her fingers, trying to untangle it from the winds that messed its sharp edges up. 

“Everything okay?” Dante’s ticks started to get louder alongside his footsteps. 

Mallo immediately grabbed the door handle. “Enemies, stay out.” She shut the door in his face. 

Jekyll couldn’t understand what Dante said once the door was closed. 

Pen slammed the edge of his spear on the ground, lighting up the room. The light seemed to linger around Mark and Jatayu, who immediately took action as the light lasted. 

Mark twirled in the air with his maracas and handed countless blows to the living demon syndicate, double-staggering it. His hat only moved an inch despite his quick movements. 

Jatayu didn’t hesitate to run his tanfas through the demon syndicate’s skull, beating it over and over again. Despite the clear signs it was dead, Jatayu continued to beat the corpse until it was nothing more than a pile of rubble. 

As soon as Jekyll had entered combat, it had ended. Mallo stepped out of the doorway and lit a cig, calming her down immediately. However, the smoke and dopamine from the cigarette didn’t ease the daggers that dove into Mark’s soul as she stared at him. 

Mark’s ID faded back to his usual self as he scoffed. “Hell do you need, loser?” 

“You’re an idiot,” Mallo hissed, her fingers pinching the cigarette in fury. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed.” 

“We can’t really die with Dante around, pansy,” Mark mocked. “It doesn’t really matter.” When Mallo’s glare did not let up, somehow Mark took that as a sign to continue blabbering. “I can handle myself,” he rested his pipe on the floor. “I’m not as incompetent as you all.” 

“He has a point,” Pen added. 

Jekyll turned toward Pen, shocked. Is he agreeing with Mark? 

Hyde seemed pleased. The kid has a spine after all. 

Mallo also glanced at Pen in confusion. “Huh? You… you can’t be serious about supporting him,” she glared back at Mark. 

“If we die, Dante brings us back,” Pen explained. 

“It causes our manager pain to bring us back,” Lenore stepped in, also turning back into her base ID. “It’s best and quite strategic if we don’t die.” 

“Unlike you two,” Mallo gestured to Mark and Pen. “I know what’s in here, I know what kind of beasts are kept here. There are some things Dante can not bring you back from, and the situation that we are about to face could be one of them!” 

“That’s a might,” Mark shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, just drop the dang subject and get out of here. These nitwits that we are actually facing are incompetent, and the threat you propose will be too.” 

“You haven’t seen what I seen,” an odd sincerity filled Mallo’s voice as she walked up to Mark. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Look, if you got monsters under your bed to talk about, Dante’s over there,” Mark hissed before turning his heel and walking into the next room. 

As Jatayu opened the door to let Dante in, Pen followed Mark into the next room, closing the door behind them. 

“Two enemies have been dispatched, Dante,” Lenore started to report the events. “The others are heading further into the facility…” She paused, heaving a sigh. “I’m not sure why they are going on ahead. It would be best to stay together.” 

“Don’t worry I’m sure you guys can catch up to them,” Dante reassured, adjusting his gloves. “I can’t, but that’s probably for the better.” 

“I don’t understand,” Lenore continued, leaning on her glaive with a forced neutral expression. “We are supposed to protect you, Dante. Yet, they keep wandering away from you, minimizing our chances at that.” 

“I mean…” Dante shrugged. “If they are out there killing the threats, it means the threats can’t get to me.” 

“Our ability to defend you is negated when they dwindle out numbers, lowering our chances,” Lenore didn’t seem to take the situation as lightly as Dante did. However, Dante’s opinions seemed to have formed from experience… 

Experience of being left behind? How cruel. Jekyll frowned, looking at the ground.

Yeah no wonder the other teams got fired, Hyde sighed. They can’t do their job. 

Yeah… but–

Jekyll. Hyde rubbed her head in annoyance. If you really think this company can offer you our greatest desire, do not get fired like the former employees. Protect Dante, I guess…

Jekyll flattened her face. Yeah, protect him from you. 

I threatened his life once, take a chill pill. 

You imagined his head on a stick!

Okay, but I’m not actually gonna do that, alright? Hyde laughed at the thought. Our lives are tied to him, anyway. 

But you made it clear…

Look, Hyde shrugged. You gotta assert dominance to make sure people can’t mess with you, and stick to your word. But there’s a beauty in well-painted lies as well. 

You’re sick. 

And you’re the one trying to get rid of me with this contract. 

Jekyll sighed, gripping her paintbrush and leaning on it, glancing toward the ground. It’ll be better for both of us…

Hell yeah, it will, Hyde snapped. You’re incompetent, and a fool. If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead. 

If it weren’t for you, our mother would still be alive. 

Jekyll’s brain was silent before Hyde cursed and shut her mouth. Jekyll immediately regretted her words, but there was nothing she could do about it. 

The truth was always what hurt the most.

“You okay?” Dante walked up to Mallo, the flames on his head sparking endlessly. 

Mallo was lost in thought staring right at Dante, her hand at the edge of her mouth. She shook her head and looked away as he approached. “I’m fine.” 

“You don’t look fine,” Dante pressed. “Something bothering you?” 

“I said I was fine,” Mallo raised her voice, snapping. 

“If you say so,” Dante returned with a gentle tone. “If you do need anything, I got you.” 

Mallo rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Dante did not pick up on the sarcastic tone as he turned toward Jekyll. “How are you, Jekyll?” 

Jekyll glanced up from the floor. Oh crap, think of something to say uh– “Is there… really some stuff you can’t bring us back from?” 

Hyde snapped her attention back to what was going on. What kind of dumb question is that? We’ve already covered this–

“There’s been a few things that are risky, and it’s not impossible…” Dante explained, “It’s not something I would like to test. I-If it helps at all, I haven’t lost a sinner yet to death. I’ve only lost them through contract termination…” 

Sounds like a bunch of boring history I don’t want to hear, Hyde groaned. 

Jekyll fought for control as Hyde steered their body through the next door, closing it behind them. She sighed as her eyes adjusted to the darker room.

Up ahead were some enemies talking with a peculiar purple and black droid, who talked in a robotic high-pitched voice. It was too far away to hear what was said between them, but it was clear the syndicate members were ranked under the robotic presence. 

Mark and Pen were sitting down behind a wall, talking quietly amongst themselves as they observed an object. 

Jekyll sighed, realizing she had walked in where enemies could spot her. She tiptoed over to her comrades, sitting on the other side of Mark. 

“...a second-grade workshop,” Pen finished the sentence. 

“You’re spending so much on this lavish device,” Mark huffed. “Aren’t you afraid of it getting mugged?”

“I’m not worried,” Pen makes himself smaller than he already is. “The unregistered biometric thing handles it… I don’t know, but it does make people think twice.” 

What the hell are they on about? Hyde pressed, wishing to look closer. 

“Are we considered unregistered biometrics to this… thing?” Mark rotates the object in his hands, a soft, observing expression on his face. 

“You can probably hold it for about ten minutes before it starts acting out.” 

Mark shrugged, adjusting his facial composure. “I’m not keen on testing it, seeing how well we are going through this hellhole,” he gestured to the enemies up ahead. 

It’s nice to know that Mark can actually get along with people, Jekyll shrugged to herself. 

Pff, dude could get along with everyone back then, he could sweet talk you to death and everyone would love him, Hyde explained. His trip to prison probably changed that. 

Although Jekyll wished to recall what Hyde was talking about, she was more curious about the object Mark was holding. “What is it?” She asked, making her presence known. 

Mark didn’t seem startled by her suddenly showing up, and he didn’t say anything about it either. He just looked in her direction with a neutral expression, which was more preferable than the usual scowl to Jekyll. 

As Jekyll looked at the object, she saw it was a spherical object. A bunch of pieces orbited it like a solar system, the pieces tied by an invisible force. It glowed light blue and the pieces retracted and reconfigured from the object endlessly.

“It’s a modified A.M.F. matrix, U Corps singularity I believe,” Pen explained, taking the object. “It has an X Corp alloy, too.”

“It's expensive and unordinary in production,” Mark added. “Pen, you should patent this.” 

“It is already patented, I just modified it,” Pen answered, grabbing his spear and standing up. 

Jekyll followed his gaze to see the rest of the party finally walk into the darker room, alerting the enemies within the facility. 

“That drone is something to be cautious of,” Lenore said out loud. “It would be best to try and communicate to it, exchanging information.” 

Jekyll followed Mark as he stood and walked over to rob another corpse he found before changing her path toward the rest of the party. 

“That thing leads to things that can kill us,” Mark objected, glaring at Lenore. “It would be best to destroy it.” 

Mallo glared, which somehow shut him up. 

Lenore didn’t take his opinion into account. She simply walked up to the purple and black drone, ignoring the syndicates beside it. 

The drone stopped its mumbling and turned toward Lenore, its voice squealing in robotic delight. “Ooooh! What brings you all here?” The drone swayed back and forth, scanning everyone in the room. 

“I am here on behalf of the executive manager via Limbus Company,” Lenore started formally. “We were hired to investigate the facility under the law; I am obligated to ask why you are here.” 

“We are here to hunt,” Pen added, tapping his spear on the ground. 

The robot zoomed toward Lenore, getting in her face and leaving no room between them as the purple eye dotted back and forth. It did the same thing with Pen. “You two are not part of the syndicate~,” it said with glee. “Nor is the rest of your party… Enlighten me on your manager.” 

Dante had barely made it through the door, but he took no steps to approach the robot as they continued to chat. 

“I think that goes beyond our expectation and free information exchange,” Lenore snapped the robot’s attention back to her. “You–” 

“Hey,” Mallo resting a hand on Jekyll’s shoulder tore her focus off of what was happening. 

Jekyll sighed in relief and smiled slightly at her. “Hey, are you okay?” 

“Yeah…” Mallo sighed, an odd expression on her face. “You good? I’m sorry I dragged you around so much.” 

…Huh. 

Not now, Jekyll silenced Hyde and observed Mallo’s gloomy expression, which was very uncharacteristic of her. She tried to reassure her. “O-Oh! It’s okay haha,” she laughed nervously. “It’s the third time it’s happened today, I don’t mind… I guess I should get used to it,” she gently nudged Mallo on the shoulder, forcing a smile. 

Mallo nodded in response, pulling out a cig and lighting it for Jekyll. She stood awkwardly before she frowned and walked towards the enemies. 

Jekyll took the cigarette and watched it burn in her hands before inhaling some of it, coughing at the taste. However, it seemed to ease her nerves and not be so anxious about her interaction with Mallo. However, the thought wouldn’t leave her mind. Hyde? 

What do you want? 

Please… Jekyll found herself begging. Please don’t kill Mallo… She’s…

What? Taking advantage of you? 

She’s like mom. 

Hyde stopped, sighing. Jekyll could feel Hyde trying to peer through the other eye, and reluctantly, she took off the monocle to let Hyde have a look. 

How the hell is she like Mom? 

She is looking out for us… Jekyll stared at the cigarette in her hands. She’s making sure we are okay. Tell me, when was the last time someone did that for us? 

People did it for you all the time, idiot. 

But she knows about you, and yet still cares… Jekyll took one last inhale of the cigarette, covering up her left eye once more. Like mom did. 

Jekyll knew Hyde was conflicted; she felt her urge to tear everything apart that came near her, and the regret of her actions prior to Limbus Company. She cursed and threw imaginative things around. Fine! Fine… If she is as kind to me as she is to you, then I shall spare her. 

Jekyll sighed in relief. Thank you. 

I am not guaranteeing anything, Jekyll. 

There was a loud smash; Jekyll whipped her head up to see the aftermath of Jatayu swinging his tanfa across the drone’s head. His face was filled with rage as if the drone had offended him. 

The robot lit up, spinning in circles as it laughed chaotically. “Ohh! A feisty one! I can’t wait to study you all!” It mocked. 

Hey, she laughs like you, Jekyll scoffed. 

Excuse me, my laugh is so much better than that–

Mallo also seemed pissed off, whacking the robot with her stave as if it was a hammer. 

Lenore immediately followed, piercing it right in the eye. 

A strange gas started to pour out from the vent of the robot; it was dark and cold. The black smoke built up inside it, making a slow hissing noise as the sinners continued to attack it. 

I know gases like those… Jekyll’s heart was thrown into a state of panic. Something horrible is about to happen… it’s going to kill us if we stay in here!

Hyde took a moment to observe the situation. Well sh–

Dante! I need to grab Dante! Jekyll ran towards the manager and grabbed his arm, dragging him out of the room. “Out of the way, Dante!” She cried. “Get into the other room!” 

Wha–” Dante resisted in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

This son of a mother– Hyde forced her way to the front, using her strength and techniques to successfully pull Dante out of the room, with Jekyll slamming the door behind her. “Get out of the way, Dante!” Jekyll couldn’t tell if it was her or Hyde speaking. “Get into the other room!” 

The manager seemed to have grasped the severity of the situation and obeyed, running to the edge of the room Jekyll was in. 

The moment Jekyll made sure the door was closed was the moment she heard a loud hissing sound before a minor explosion. Through the cracks of the door and holes in the wall, a black mist surrounded Jekyll, disrupting her sight. Jekyll gasped for air as she glanced around, unable to see anything as the black mist blinded everything in sight. She panicked, removing her monocle to hopefully see better. She could only see two feet in front of her and she felt her sanity drop. 

Jekyll started to feel sick in her chest as she glanced around, unable to keep Hyde from having some control over her anxiety. What is happening? Dante? 

Dante has disappeared from sight. 

The fire closed in around the battlefield as tensions rose. For a moment, no one moved. Everyone stood there silently, waiting for the other to break their defensive position. 

Lenore and Mallo pounced on the action first, attacking the wings hanging low from the Sun King’s back when he wasn’t looking at them. Mark also threw his spear before he had to go fetch it, temporarily leaving Jekyll and Jatayu’s side. 

Some of the wings came flying toward Jekyll’s shield, but Jatayu was faster. His large wings blocked the Sun King’s wings from their attacks, saving Jekyll. The vulture stepped forward and grabbed the abnormality by the throat, almost as tall as it. He jumped with the Sun King in his grasp, slamming him into the top floor of the spire, creating a new, deep crater in the middle of the battlefield. Jatayu grabbed the Sun King’s arms and slashed at them, some of his claws hitting its wings as well. Three of the four remaining wings on the Sun King staggered from the vulture’s rage. 

Mallo quickly eyed the last wing that moved on its back, readying a strike toward the veteran. She didn’t let it get very far as she ran up and stabbed it into the ground, staggering it herself. 

The Sun King scrambled under Jatayu’s grip, hissing at Mallo. “YOU!” 

“Nice strike,” Mallo ignored the abnormality and acknowledged Jatayu’s efforts. 

Jatayu quickly got off the Sun King before he could be burned to death. Although he looked better and more sane, he did not reply to his comrade. 

Jekyll rested her sword and spun it in her hand, relaxing. She could finally attack something without having to defend herself. She made quick eye contact with Lenore and gestured to the upper right wing. Lenore seemed to understand. They both rushed toward it to try and sever it from the Sun King’s body. Jekyll slashed at its middle, while Lenore attacked its bone. 

Mark quickly followed suit, using his attacks to attack both the upper wings while the Sun King was still on the floor, setting the damage up for Jatayu to finish the job. 

Jatayu realized the opportunity that was pressed upon his shoulders. He didn’t hesitate to capture the weakest wing in his hand and rip it from the body of the Sun King. 

The stagger didn’t last as long as the party expected. The Sun King rose to his feet, throwing everyone back toward Dante. His wings dripped with melting magma, and anyone that got too close would likely die from the heat alone. He was dripping with rage, eyeing Jekyll as he readied his attacks once more. 

Jekyll could feel her back getting heavier; she glanced behind her to see the feathers still growing into wings like they did on her comrades. Where did I even get all of these? 

She didn’t have time to answer her question as she activated her shield again. It strengthened itself from the attack she landed on its wing, and it was the only thing that saved her from the Sun King’s attacks rushing toward her. 

Lenore pulled her weights and ruptured two wings on its right side, backing out of the way before Jatayu came flying in toward the abnormality, tearing off whatever wings it had left from its core. 

Wingless and defenseless, the Sun King pushed everyone back again, clenching its sides as it buckled over. The damage Jatayu alone had done to it was enough to make it question standing up to fight them again. His voice was full of anger and hatred as he dared to stand to his feet again. “I will not let my throne, that I worked so hard to get, be taken away from me by muteless rats! I tried endlessly to get to where I am, and I will not be taken down by a useless bird and its pathetic companions!” 

The Sun King extended his arms toward the sun, which was nearing high noon. His glow and flame shot up toward the sun, gripping onto it. Slowly, he drained its power as he started to regenerate himself. By some magical capabilities, the sun began to dim and lose its light at the attack. “It will be MINE! ” The Sun King cried, absorbing the sun’s fire quickly. 

As the abnormality did so, the vulture stood to his feet with more ease than the first time he rose. The large, distorted vulture, the veteran, the unkept promise of peace, grunted and slowly approached the abnormality of fire. “No, I will not... let you get what you desire! Not today, not again; you have tried to hurt all that I have loved over and over again! I will not let you take another thing away from me that I love. I will not be taken away from this path; no matter how much pain I endure, I remain steadfast to my word. I will not break from my path; this is my promise to you! Before this day is through…” Light started to surround Jatayu, and he slowly got smaller and smaller, the golden bough glowing brighter as his wings disappeared and his face returned. “I will not anyone of my beloveds ever fear the pain of death again!” The light faded, revealing the Jatayu the party knew well. He returned to his normal human form, undistorted. The golden bough rested on his back, glowing softer after it had worked its magic. 

Jekyll averted her gaze from one glow to another, staring at her comrade. …Woah. He’s back. 

Jatayu raised his hands toward the sun and slowly—by a phenomenon Jekyll couldn’t understand—started pulling the sun and its power away from the Sun King. He challenged its authority and left a way open for his comrades to help him. 

Mark and Mallo seized the moment, attacking the Sun King’s torso and core to take it down, weakening it. 

The clash was over as soon as it started. Jatayu won over control of the sun, stripping its power from the Sun King and returning it to its rightful owner. He didn’t hesitate to take his fist and slam it into the Sun King’s chest, sending him plummeting into the crater created earlier. 

The sun tilted toward the sinners, basking them in its glow as the party regrouped. “Thank you, Mallo,” Jatayu nodded slowly toward her, using some of his first coherent words toward the party in a long time. 

“Just doing what is best. Nice hit, by the way.” Mallo replied curtly. 

“Thank you; I needed to do something for the team.” 

“You’ve done plenty, and I thank you for it.” She offered a soft smile. 

Jekyll felt the weight of the feathers lift off her back, and to her surprise, they didn’t attack anyone. She turned around, spotting that the wrath feathers had finally turned themselves into wings, with the two remaining wrath feathers on her back being the original ones that saved her life. 

How poetic. 

The Sun King slowly sat up, struggling to get onto its feet without its wings. He grunted and roared, torn between fighting Jekyll and Mark, and split his attacks between the two of them. 

Mallo charged first, winning her clash and slamming her weapon into its foot. She flipped the abnormality off, a wide smirk on her face. 

“What?!” The Sun King glanced down at the sun blade in her hands. “What is this?! You dare use the tool of my following?! How DARE you use it against me?!” 

“Pretty crappy following if they betrayed you with this, giving it away,” Mallo scoffed. 

“I will kill you and your bloodline!” 

“Yeah, okay, good luck with that.” 

Jekyll was not far behind Mallo, rushing toward the Sun King and slicing her greatsword across its legs. The abnormality bent its knees at the force, collapsing onto the ground. It was unable to stand high and mighty without its feet. 

Lenore jumped over Jekyll, raising her weapon and pinning the shoulder of the tall monster down onto the cratered floor, making sure it could not rise again. 

Because Jatayu overcame his distortion, he started to manifest a new, unique ego catered to him. He grew colorful wings similar to his vulture form before flying up and uppercutting the Sun King on the floor, breaking its jaw with a powerful hit. He turned around, resting on the ground as his ego faded, before giving a knowing nod to Mark. 

The prisoner nodded, pulling out the earth-raiser abnormality tool, raising the tool to parry away an attack before he stabbed it in the gut. Leaving the earth spear there, he unsheathed two familiar sabers before slashing it across the Sun King’s chest and neck, stepping onto the abnormality and piercing its head with them. “The sun is not for you to take, for there is a dawn awaiting Kollam.” 

The Sun King struggled under Mark’s attack and died, a black and yellow mist surrounding its form before it lay at rest in its suppression egg. It was a large, flaming ball of fire not so different from the sun that rested overhead. The sun itself began to slowly disappear, as if it wasn’t a real sun after all. The fire closing in on the party around them also vanished entirely. The ivory gemstone rested in the center of the egg, leaving the party with its first successful ALEPH ego. 

Jekyll relaxes, dropping the heavy sword onto the ground. After a long fight, the ID slowly fades away, and they are healed to their normal health. We… we won. 

Well done, Jekyll almost jumped at Hyde’s voice. Hyde chuckled softly, bowing her head. I am greatly impressed, Jekyll. 

Oh… Jekyll scratched her neck, slightly embarrassed. Thanks. 

“Oh gosh,” Mallo started to stretch the moment she dropped her weapon. “I haven’t fought an ALEPH in ages. I need to get used to that again.” 

“What do you mean?” Lenore stepped forward. “We used to fight them all the t—” the ID cracked off of Lenore, and she stopped midsentence, thinking hard. “What the hell was I talking about?” 

Mark, still in his ID, slowly approached Jatayu. He put his hand on his comrade’s shoulder, looking at him. “Father would be proud of you today, and so would the people of Kollam.” 

The words seemed to hit a spot in Jatayu’s soul. He glanced over and tensed up, a spark of light filling his eyes. However, they soon started to glimmer as the veteran leaned in for a hug. 

Mark provided it for him. The two embraced one another until the ID shattered off Mark, leaving him in his base ID. He looked around, confused. Just as the gentle moment occurred, it ended. 

Despite feeling the change in Mark’s ID, Jatayu didn’t let go immediately. He relaxed in Mark’s arms before letting go himself, leaning back and taking his arms off Mark. 

Mark stared for a moment before opening his mouth. “You good man? What the hell happened? And what was up with that hug?” 

Jatayu paused before raising his hand, offering a fist bump. “Thanks for having my back, brother.” 

“I mean, we are not brothers, but sure, I guess." Mark furrowed his eyes as he lazily returned the fist bump. 

I suppose IDs work differently for everyone, Jekyll observed. Like we share their behaviors and memories until they fade away. 

Jatayu smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I suppose not literally, but... if it helps any, you’re a good man.” 

Mark hesitated. “Yeah, sure, alright, man,” he responded sarcastically, as if Jatayu didn’t know what he was talking about. His tone became less of a joke as he continued to speak. “You alright?” 

“No, but I will be. We will be okay.” 

“Imma check on the others; you stay cool.” Mark cast a more confused look at Jatayu before walking over toward the others in the party, double-checking to see if they were alright after the fight. 

Mallo deliberately avoided Mark approaching her as she walked over to Jatayu herself. “Hey, Jatayu.” 

“Oh, Mallo, I... want to say sorry.” Jatayu began rambling. “I am not fully certain if I’ve done anything to hurt you at all, but I am deeply sorry for—” 

“No, no, no, I am sorry, really,” Mallo interrupted him. “I should apologize. Truly, I realize my mistakes from the bottom of my heart and everything I’ve gone through. She sighed, trailing off.

Jatayu nodded slowly before opening his arms and offering a hug.

Mallo looked confused, like Mark did moments before. "You're... forgiving me?” 

“Everyone makes mistakes. I made many, but I’ve learned that as long as you keep trying to do better, that is what matters.” 

Mallo slowly accepted the hug after that, wrapping her arms around the veteran. 

“Everyone deserves forgiveness,” Jatayu reassured. 

Mallo simply sighed into his arms before she began to speak. 

“You all held up well?” Mallo’s words were interrupted as Mark approached Jekyll, distracting her attention. 

Jekyll glanced up at him, her face neutral toward him. I was eavesdropping but okay. 

“I saw you got hit a couple of times Jeee… Hyde?” He tilted his head, trying to guess which one was present. 

Can this fool really not figure it out? Hyde rolled her eyes. We literally present ourselves differently. The hair is up, the monocle is over the eye, and—

“The creature didn’t break through my shield,” Jekyll cut her counterpart off, replying curtly. “I see you held up well.” Jekyll scrambled her thoughts together, trying to leave things off on a better note with Mark than before out of obligation. “Congratulations on the kill.” 

“When have I not?” Mark smirked. “Last time I checked, I am the most capable sinner here.” He huffed his chest with pride and relaxed his shoulders. 

“Mhm,” Jekyll sighed, glancing at the floor. Still that same annoying ego... 

Feed his ego, Hyde urged. 

Why? 

It would be funny. 

Jekyll sighed again, having nothing better to do. “You’ve proven yourself as a vital asset to the team. I’m impressed, to say the least.” 

Mallo had made her way over toward Lenore and Dante. A conversation rose about responsibility, which captured Mark’s attention and cut him off from saying something stupid. “Hey, what do you mean most responsible?” He strolled over to the group, interjecting into the conversation. “I’m right here!” 

Lenore stopped what she was saying and glanced over at Mark, furrowing her eyes. “For a second, I thought you might have had a point, and that alone terrifies me.” 

“We get along just fine, though.” 

“In combat with our skills, yes. The rest, not so much.” 

Mark didn’t seem pleased with the reply. He glanced around the battlefield before spotting a wall that was behind the flames for combat—the one Jatayu was pressed up against when he was distorted. “Imma go examine the wall,” he said nonchalantly as he waddled toward the end of the spire. 

Mallo slowly parted from the group as well, taking a moment to observe the abnormality egg more closely. 

So, the golden bough is obtained. 

Jekyll internalized Hyde’s words as she watched Dante take the golden bough from Jatayu, placing it under his coat. Yes, it appears so. 

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get our hands on it. 

Jekyll sighed, staring at the floor as she moved some of the rubble with her foot, adjusting her jacket and its contents inside it. We got a lot of supplies for your next painting, though. 

Hmm. Yes, Hyde seemed satisfied with the change of subject. We have the blood, the guts... and Gerald’s remains? 

Jekyll flattened her face, her heart aching at the mention of her former pet. Yes, we have those.

Don’t be so emotional about it, Hyde shrugged, urging Jekyll to look through their vials. What’s done is done. We must move forward. 

It doesn’t feel that simple. Jekyll objected. I… I wanted him to—

To what? Stay with us forever? Be our pet and go on many journeys together? Jekyll, please. Hyde laughed to herself, shaking her head. Nothing is as good as people make it out to be. In fact, it would have hurt more if Gerald had lived longer and then died. He would have died eventually. She glanced around, smiling psychotically. Just like how mom’s death hurt more than dad’s. 

Jekyll feared the tears starting to fall down her face. She knew she agreed with Hyde. She knew she would have to come to terms with what had happened, but it felt too hard. Why can’t we ever have a nice relationship with anyone? 

Because people are corrupt. Hyde rolled her eyes. Everyone wants to be friends for their own gain alone. No one actually cares about anyone else; they only want companionship to fill their void of loneliness or to make up for their failures. 

Jekyll glanced at Jatayu and Mallo. And… we see right through their lies? 

Exactly. Hyde grinned. You’re getting it. 

Jekyll sighed, gripping her sleeves. Do you think the same would have been for Mr. Utterson and Einfield? 

That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Hyde recalled the people she was referring to. Everything they did was for their own gain. All of their investigation was to put us down and lift them up. That’s why we left. 

And the same with Mr. Poole? 

Hyde stopped, hesitating. Jekyll knew why she hesitated. Every person they had ever met followed the same pattern of behavior except for Mr. Poole. In fact, Hyde’s entire philosophy fell apart when Mr. Poole was mentioned. Despite everything, he had still cared for them even after she took over the mansion. 

… Gosh, I miss that man. 

Jekyll closed her eyes. Me too. 

They both recalled how cared for they felt with their old friend. No one else treated them kindly except for him. He was loyal until the very end, until they vanished from their homeland altogether. Jekyll regretted not telling him where she was going. Her thoughts lingered on the last time she saw her servant’s face. 

Do you think he’s still alive, Hyde? 

If he is, he is doing well. Nothing can shake that man. 

Nothing… but us, I suppose. 

He was one of the only two that knew. 

…Now they all know. The whole party does. 

I wish I could go back and see him just one more time. 

“Are you alright, Jekyll?” 

Jekyll looked up from the floor, spotting Jatayu approaching her. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she pulled the two feathers off her back, holding them gently. I think… I should give these back now. She offered them to the veteran, her face solemn, still not over the emotion the thought of Mr. Poole brought to her. “Thank you for saving my life,” she stammered, clearing her throat. “These belong to you.” 

Jatayu furrowed his eyes, confused. “When did I do that?” 

“You…” Jekyll trailed off, her hand still outstretched with the feathers in them. “These feathers saved my life when I ascended the spire and fell down the first time, when I...” When I tried to claim the golden bough for myself and ditch the party... 

“I wasn’t expecting that, uh..." Jatayu slightly puffed out his chest, pride in his eyes. He gave a light nod to the doctor. “You’re welcome, I think. Thank you, uh, heh." He rubbed his head awkwardly before he accepted the feathers, taking them from Jekyll’s hands. “I should probably take them,” he muttered to himself as the feathers wrapped comfortably around his arms. “Thank you; I’ll figure out what to do with these.” 

It felt odd being parted with the feathers after being bound to them for so long. A bit of Jekyll longed to feel the feathers again, but she restrained herself. It wouldn’t have been socially acceptable to ask for them back anyway. She slowly formed her words, choosing them carefully. “Were you able to hear Hyde’s apology through your memory?” 

My what?

Jekyll almost mentally slapped Hyde. If that wasn’t your apology, then I am saving your a—

Okay, okay, geez. Calm down. 

"I... remember my... someone, uh, I almost want to say, no, not her... might have been Hyde; I remember someone saying it, but it’s slightly out of my memory.”

Jekyll gently took the paintbrush off her back and rested its tip on the floor, gripping the handle to try and keep a hold of her emotions better. It was Hyde; I heard her, glad to see you have some recollection of it.” 

“Well, if Hyde is listening, thank her for being here with us.”

Not like I had much of a choice, bud.

Jekyll slowly nodded in reply to Hyde and Jatayu. “You’re courage is admirable, Jatayu. It makes sense as to why you strive for what you do. I’m glad you’re alright.” She barely got the last lines out, her tone more one she used in her therapist days rather than a sincere, friend-like gratitude. 

The veteran didn’t seem to notice the empty words. “Thank you; it means a lot to hear that. I can say the same to you, Ms. Jekyll. You’re quite brave yourself.” 

Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll sighed, shrugging. Her hands began to twitch again, unable to lie through her teeth any longer. “We should probably get off this thing.”

Hyde slowly grinned in the back of her mind. Why not be honest with him, Jekyll? Let him know what you really think! 

It's not socially acceptable. Jekyll sighed, frustrated that she admitted to it. You can do that; I cannot. 

“Ah, yeah, you’re right, we should speed things up a little. After you both.” Jatayu bowed politely and gestured toward the exit of the spire. 

Jekyll awkwardly smiled and strolled over to where the manager was standing, taking an idle position. 

Jatayu would’ve joined her if he wasn’t called over by another pressing matter. 

“Jatayu, come over and help me break down this wall!” Mark called, flaunting his hand in a come-here gesture. 

“Oh, alright!” 

Mark and Jatayu prepare their pipes and tanfas to strike the wall down. They slammed against it repeatedly, getting close as cracks shot through the old stone, but it stayed upright. They paused for a moment to catch their breath before they heard soft clapping above the wall. 

The rest of the party slowly looked up to observe the person that had joined their presence. He was a man in a tan coat, with glasses, all so familiar. 

It was Maut. 

The actual sun began to set on a different horizon as Maut glanced down at the rest of the party, still clapping slowly. The wall crumbled under his weight, revealing a bright, violet glow behind its walls. Maut took a single leap forward and landed on the floor with ease. One of his hands was out in a greeting gesture, while the other was resting behind his back formally. 

He didn’t have time to speak as Mallo and Mark rushed him, grabbing him by the scruff and lifting him off his feet. Mark yelled at him first. “Explain yourself! What the hell are you doing here?!” 

Jekyll slowly pieced together the issue. Had he set us up all along? How did he get up here if he didn’t? 

Maut’s voice was just as nasally and stuck up as the first time the party heard it. “Oh dear, I have been grabbed. This is uncomfortable.” 

“Explain yourself,” Mallo repeated Mark. 

“I’m here to reward you for your successful contract.” 

Mark’s grip tightened on his collar. “Imma bash your head in if you don’t spill what you’re hiding,” he hissed. He was more aggressive, to the point Jekyll had a double take. This was the normal Mark they got used to before the journey, not the laid-back, easygoing Mark they had grown used to in the second half of their journey. 

Haah… It was an act all along. Hyde laughed. I knew it. 

Maut shrugged, unbothered by Mark’s aggressiveness. “You’re right. I am not as nervous as I was before.” 

“Spill. It. What do you have to do with Jatayu and his situation?” 

“I came to assist on your behalf,” Maut replied cryptically. 

Mallo glanced at Jatayu, hoping he would have answers. Jatayu’s face told them he didn’t; he was just as confused as the rest of them. 

“We poked into Jatayu’s memories, by some golden bough crap I don’t know,” Mark turned to Jatayu, handing him the card he found. “I found this in your coat when you lost your heart in one of the memories. It was pierced in your chest. This guy has something to do with you.” 

Jatayu took the card and glanced at it over. “Right, P Corp’s insurance policy offers free life insurance. I remember getting this when I became the engineer manager. I didn’t think it would pass. Is this why you’re here?” 

“Partially. I am not the one who reclaimed and revived you, but I oversaw the reservation progress put into your new heart. Learning what had caused the issue and what surrounded you, I had personal curiosities. However, watching all of this unravel, I am satisfied enough with the results to assist you further in your journey.” Maut nodded slowly, adjusting his glasses. 

Mark gripped his shirt with both his hands. “What the hell do you get from this?”

“Nothing of your concern.” 

“Imma make it clear for your small mind. Imma bash your head in if you don’t tell us.” Mark reached for his pipe, his grip tightening around it. 

“I highly advise that you don’t do that.” 

“Three seconds.” 

The tensions between them rose as Mallo looked at Jatayu again, letting go of the guy. 

Jatayu cleared his throat and stepped toward Mark and Maut, addressing his comrade. “Mark, I’m not sure this is something we should be triefling with. He saw us on the bus, and how did he get here before us?” 

Wasn’t he the last one to see Othello? Hyde tilted her head. Is that why he never returned? 

“Okay, as much as I don’t like the guy, I don’t think we want to make another enemy, Mark.” Mallo scratched the tip of her head, adjusting her black hair. “We did get contracted by them, and they brought Jatayu back to life years ago.” 

“This is the same person that put us through this hell and simply just watched Jatayu distort,” Mark explained, his grip not loosening. “So sorry, not sorry, I need to know what is going on!” 

“You have reason to be suspicious, but we are not your enemy. We have assisted you before, and I don’t mean through P Corp,” Maut said. 

Mallo’s eyes slowly widened. “Dante, is that true?” 

Dante shook his head, his flames dimming on his head. “I don’t know what he means. Some sinners used to have some IDs, but I don’t know what he is talking about. I never worked with him before; at least our branch hasn’t.” 

“See? Fess up, or face some broken teeth,” Mark hissed. 

Maut stared blankly at Mark. “I don’t know what your manager said.” He said it as if he did know what he said but didn’t wish to admit it. 

“He doesn’t know, so we are back at square one!” 

“Ah, but it was a different group.” 

“Oh, be blunt instead of cryptic!” Mallo shouted, stomping her foot. “Someone here is short-tempered, and it’s about to become two people!” 

“Worry not, I can show you all something. Specifically, it’ll help your manager recognize who I belong to.” 

Mark hesitated, but eventually dropped the man. “Do anything stupid, and this pipe will break your teeth, so keep it straight.” 

“Of course,” Maut’s voice changed when he said those words. It became lower, more mystical, and more mature. It was as if it belonged to the voice of a storyteller, of one who knew more than he let on. He slowly took off his brown coat, dusting himself off. He wore a dark blue suit underneath, with a blue tie and no glasses. He tossed them aside as if he never had needed them. 

A train horn sounded as Dante backed up. It was clear he knew what shade of blue that was and who it was associated with. 

No one else in the party had as much of a reaction as the manager did. “Why the hell did you turn blue?” Mallo asked nonchalantly. 

Mark flattened his face. “Okay. I’m bashing your teeth in.” Mark tried to swing his pipe at him. 

However, with a sudden movement of unnatural speed, Maut gently moved backward with a graceful dodge. It was so graceful it left Jekyll’s mouth dropped. 

Mark fell through with his swing, stumbling on his feet before he stood back up. “Oh, hey? Did I just imagine that?” 

Maut’s gaze was locked on Dante as if he were trying to tell him something through his mind. “Your manager recognizes me.” 

Jekyll furrowed her eyes. What? How can you tell? You can’t hear him—

At least his voice is no longer annoying. 

“Dante, you do?” Mallo asked, turning toward her manager. “Why didn’t you tell us?” 

“I don’t recognize him, but I do know where he is from.” Dante shared timidly, eyeing the man up and down. 

“Is it from a syndicate?” Mallo asked. 

“Can I beat him up now?” Mark added. 

“No, he’s good... His group helped with the LCB-1. They are slightly mysterious, but they have been linked to people in the past somehow. I'm... curious to see how he is linked to Jatayu.” 

“Wait a moment.” Mark looked back and forth between them. “Manager told us that everyone in your group is linked to LCB-1, and since this is the LCB-3… you’re not linked to me, right? Don’t listen to our manager here. You don’t have anyone in your little group that I’d know, right?” 

Maut shrugged, smiling softly. “There is... one person. You know them very well, but it is not time for you to see them again.” 

Mark swung his pipe at Maut again, but just like the first time, Maut simply blinked away with ease. 

“Give me a name, or I’ll bash your skull in!” Mark’s whimsical tone left him, and his knuckles on his pipe turned white. 

  Maut stood near Mallo silently for a moment before he bowed his head. “Very well. You will soon come into paths again with your brother.” 

Mark swung his pipe at him again, but came out with the same result as last time, with Maut blinking away and standing next to Jekyll. 

Mallo stared confused. “Why the hell would you ask for his name and then—” she dodged Mark’s swing. “Is every one of your people connected to us?!”

“At least over half,” Dante admitted. 

Jekyll stared at the man standing beside her. For a moment, Maut looked back at her with solemn eyes. It wasn’t the same annoying nerdy eyes he had shown before. They were kind, gentle, but mysterious and cryptic nonetheless. They mesmerized Jekyll and Hyde, and she couldn’t stop staring. 

…I’ve seen those eyes before.

Maut took a moment to identify Jekyll before he smiled softly at her, sending shivers through her spine. It gave her butterflies of anxiety, as if she could tell he knew everything about her without her ever saying anything, as if he was a close friend to someone she knew very well. 

“If it helps any,” Maut turned his attention back to the party as if the moment had never happened. “Everyone is linked to me one way or another.” 

Mallo scoffed. “Me, linked to you? Never in your dreams.” 

“It’s closer than you think.” Maut offered. 

“I know who I am linked to, and you are not.” 

“Indeed, those people you have sent to me are those I know,” Maut spoke in a riddle that no one seemed to understand. “All the people who meet life’s end come to meet me, and life’s end is there to greet me. As thanks for proving yourself, you have things awaiting for you, as your contract stated.” 

Jekyll felt her feet moving before she could tell them to move. She glanced back at Maut, who met her with the same gaze as before. She forced her eyes to the floor, feeling too awkward to ask anything else as she made her way toward the violet light. 

The rest of the group slowly followed suit, making their way away from Maut despite their unanswered questions. Mallo leaned over toward Dante. “I don’t trust him.” 

What rested behind the wall was where the golden bough would have been had Jatayu not picked it up earlier. All that was left was a small stand with an empty holder, however, the violet glow emitted behind the stand. 

Mallo glanced at the stand, seeing a symbol she recognized. “It always comes back to L Corp." She hissed under her breath, shifting the dust off the stand. “Everything is connected to them.” 

“This is their former facility,” the manager replied.

Mark and Jekyll stared behind the stand, spotting where the violet glow was coming from. It was a spider as big as an arm’s length or a large dog. Its body was purple and glowed softly with purple glowing silk around its six legs. It glanced around, spotting Mark and Jekyll. 

Mark stared back at it, slowly approaching the spider and setting his pipe down. He raised his hands in a friendly manner, crouching to make himself seem small. “Hey, come on little guy, come on,” he called to it slowly. 

There is visible fear and tension in the spider as it shook, but it glanced up at him and listened to his soft tone. It took a few timid steps toward him, testing the water curiously. 

Mark slowly extended his hand toward it, petting it gently the moment it didn’t shy away. The spider slowly calmed down and approached the man more comfortably. 

Jekyll watched how Mark won over the spider slowly with awe, curious about this gentle side of him. I wonder if there are other secrets or tricks he has up his sleeves. He seems to be good at... 

Everything? 

…Yeah, Jekyll realized Hyde was right. He just seems to succeed at everything he does. 

That’s how he wants you to see it, likely. 

The veteran approached the prisoner and the doctor. “Whatcha got there, Mark?” 

Mark glanced at the tag on the spider’s leg, his eyes widening as he read it. “Jatayu, your niece was named Sita, right?” 

Jatayu paused in his tracks. “Yes.” 

“This tag says Weaver of Sita Videha.” 

“Weaver?” Jatayu’s voice wavered, and he started walking toward the two of them again. "There's... a part of Q Corp’s singularity that has something to do with spiders. This might be one of its singularities, but a child.” 

Jekyll stepped forward to take a look at the spider closely. It’s quite different from the moonstones at M Corp. What does it do? 

“I guess. It seems to be related to your niece, I think? I don’t know, man,” Mark shrugged, resting his hand on the spider’s head. 

Jatayu seemed confused. “Why is it related?” 

Mallo, unlike Jekyll, budged her way into the conversation just because she could. “What about a singularity?” 

“Don’t be too loud,” Mark almost snapped defensively out of character. “You might scare it—her,” his hands slowly wrap around the spider, trying to protect it. 

…Huh. 

Where’s popcorn when you need it? Hyde joked. I need to watch this and eat it up. 

Mallo stared at the spider. “What the hell is that?” She paused. “Huh. That’s one of Q Corp’s things, if I remember correctly, right?” She glanced at the group, looking for confirmation. 

“It makes sense, but what is it doing here? Why does it have Sita’s name on it?” Jatayu stared at it intently. 

"Well, the guy said... Maut said there would be things we are looking for here. He also said it would be worth it or something. Obviously, we got the golden bough, but maybe it’s a hint for you, or a sort of trail to keep you going, I guess?” 

Jatayu’s eyes widened as he stared at Mark, gesturing toward the weaver. Mallo stepped back, and Mark permitted him to approach the spider. “It says weaver of. It is intended to be for someone, so it is related to your niece,” Mark clarified.

“May I—” 

“Yes, go ahead." Mark took his hands off the spider and stepped back. 

Jatayu slowly approached the spider, kneeling to see it eye-to-eye. 

The spider was cradled between Mark’s legs. It slowly moved one of its legs to reach out toward Jatayu before touching his hand with it. 

The veteran’s voice cracked as he felt it touch him. "Do... do you know my niece, any? I... beg you, anything.” 

The weaver tilted her head to eye Jatayu carefully. Timidly, but slowly, she responded by approaching him slowly. She moved and raised her hand toward his hand, spinning out a string of glowing violet thread before placing it into Jatayu’s hand. It cut it skillfully and backed up, going between Mark’s legs once more. 

Mark sighed. “You’re right…” 

“This means…” Jatayu stopped for a moment, his eyes locked on the string. Tears streamed down his face. He clutched the brightly glowing string to his chest. "She's... still alive. My niece is still alive and out there!” He gripped his jacket and sobbed quietly. “She’s alive… Sita’s alive…” 

Mark scratched his neck awkwardly. 

Jekyll glanced to the ground. A rarity for a syndicate to keep someone alive after a capture. How important is she? 

Mallo moved out of the way as the manager approached the group. Each of the sinners gave the veteran his respective space. They watched for a moment before Mallo broke the silence. “This job started rough, but all things considered, I think this ended pretty well.” 

“Everything will be okay,” Dante affirmed. “Especially now that he has an answer.” 

Jekyll slowly approached Jatayu before resting a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. She patted it slowly. Where are my therapy skills when I need them? 

Let him feel the pain; it’s entertaining. 

Hyde!

Jatayu wiped his face as he felt her hand. He wept his final cry before standing up and gripping his hand. “I now know she’s okay, for now at least... it’s not too late to find her. I cannot give up now, not now, not ever. Now that I know there’s confirmation she’s out there, I will never stop looking. Now that I know…” 

Mark approached him also, slugging his shoulder. “If you end up distorting again, we will beat you up and bring you out of it again.” 

Jatayu chuckled softly. “I appreciate that greatly. For some reason, I don’t think I will shake this will of mine as easily.” 

Mallo stepped forward to join the circle. “And maybe I have something more than the contract simply demands of me. I have a sense of care, at least some, after seeing everything.” 

“It’s certainly going to be an interesting ride,” Jatayu acknowledged. “This is one I’m never going to break off from, though. As long as there is something of a light from this thread, I will never stop. That is going to be my promise.” 

Mallo extended her hand toward Jatayu. “And I promise to see it all the way through, for the both of us.” 

Jatayu took her hand before resting his free hand on her shoulder. “Likewise to you, friend. Likewise to you.” 

Mallo smiled. “Stop this emotional crap; it’s making me emotional,” she chuckled. 

Mark shuffled through his bag, pulling out a purple soda. “Sorry about ruining a sentimental moment, but how are we going to sneak this onto the bus considering the contract and Vergilius watching our every move?” 

Mallo glanced at him and shrugged. “Dunno?” 

“Well,” Dante stepped forward again, cracking his knuckles. “The contract did say we could keep whatever we found.” 

“It’s important to Jatayu at least,” Mark raised the bottle. “Someone they did employ, so it’s in their best interest.” He popped open the cap and took a large swig of whatever was inside. 

“I don’t think there’s any disbenefit, as it is a part of the contract.” 

“Do you want to take care of this thing with me?” Jatayu gestured to the spider, asking Mark. 

"Yeah, yeah,” Mark waved his free hand dismissively. He took another large sip. “I’ll help…” His voice slurred as his knees gave way, and he fell to the ground, asleep. 

Jekyll stepped out of the way, letting Mark fall to his own demise without assisting or catching him. Hyde broke out in laughter in her head, and Jekyll couldn’t help but smile at the sight. 

"Did... did he just fall asleep?” Jatayu glanced back and forth, pointing at Mark. 

“Wh—” Mallo grabbed the bottle in his hand and observed it. She facepalmed. “Did this idiot really drink an abnormality-based– oh my gosh.” She shook it, finding it empty. “Yeah, I’m not keeping this,” she threw the bottle across the room. It shattered with a loud clang, scaring the spider. “Do we have to carry him?” 

“I can do it,” Jatayu offered. 

Mallo nodded. “Thanks, I kind of,” she gestured to the abnormality egg at the other end of the room. “I have to carry that anyway.” 

“We should probably start heading back,” he said, eyeing the egg cautiously. “We got everything, right, Dante?” 

“We have no reason to stay any longer,” Dante glanced at the animal. “Who wishes to carry the spider?” 

“I can,” Jekyll blurted out. 

Hyde seemed confused. Why? 

I don’t know; I just... said it before I could think. 

“If it lets you, then sure,” Dante nodded slowly, turning his back to the group to start walking down the spire. 

Mallo followed him carefully. “How long will it take us to get out of here?” 

“With no enemies, maybe a couple of hours.” 

“Let’s start back now. This egg will hatch soon. I’m going to go ahead, so I can get this thing in a safe spot, if possible.” 

“We’ll meet you down there.” 

Mallo nodded and started making her way down the spire, Lenore jogging after her quickly. The two made mild conversation as they descended. 

Jekyll sat on the floor as Jatayu hoisted Mark over his shoulder, slowly making his way after Mallo. He had Mark on his back like he was giving his sleeping body an older brother piggyback ride. 

The doctor gently tapped the floor aesthetically to get the spider’s attention, slowly letting her approach her. The spider slowly crawled to her, curious at the noise she was making with her nails. 

Jekyll’s heart ached with each moment, shoving down her tears as the spider got closer. Its eyes stared at her like Gerald’s did. She slowly wrapped her arms around the spider, pausing to let it realize what was happening before she scooped it up, rising to her feet. 

Her six legs scrambled in her arms, adjusting slowly before two of her legs hung from Jekyll’s arms, while the other four tucked underneath herself. Its eyes slowly closed, and it snuggled close to Jekyll. 

Jekyll almost broke out sobbing. She snuffled a cry and held it gently. Such innocent things in the world... You remind me so much of Gerald. 

Hyde glanced at the spider, a frown on her face. Don’t get attached this time, Jekyll. Its not ours like Gerald was. It'll save you the pain. 

Jekyll nodded slowly, looking away from the spider. She did her best to tell herself it was just an object she needed to protect. 

Jatayu and Dante started heading out with Jekyll close behind them. Her hair came undone and gently blew in the wind as the area got darker. She was the last to descend the spire, and she was thankful she was. She glanced up one more time to see the ragged cliffs and the sunset along the horizon. It was the first sunset she saw, and she gasped in awe at the beauty of the sunlight. She gave a broken, pain-filled smile, savoring the moment the best she could. The sight left Hyde speechless as well, and they stopped their descent for just a moment to just stare in awe. 

I hope, once my journey is over, I can see a sunset like this again… 

There were shouts on the other side of the room. Jekyll could recognize Mallo, Jatayu, and Mark’s voices shouting back and forth at each other. She couldn’t tell what they were saying from so far away, but she could tell the retorts weren’t necessarily friendly. She shivered in her boots; she hoped they wouldn’t lash out at her like she thought they were doing on each other. 

A bright light turns on in the distance, revealing another part of the room. Perhaps the rest of the party was working their way through the lights and fixing them. Jatayu was an engineer of P Corp, right? 

That’s what the drone lady said. 

Maybe he’s just fixing the lights and they are shouting to communicate… Jekyll forced her heart to give her party the benefit of the doubt. 

She turned her head to look behind her, spotting another water portal forming in her line of sight. She shuddered and stepped out of the way, hoping that she wouldn’t get hit by the massive mermaid flying across the room now and then. The simple sight of it terrified her; the doctor and the painter were both sick of walking in wet socks. 

There. Hyde pointed into the darkness, showing yet another disruption in the shadowy fog. Likely another note with more useless information. 

Jekyll heaved a sigh, taking a step towards the note and picking it up gently, unscrolling its purple fabric to read what it said. 

"However, we mustn't lose sight of our reasons for this return to the Home. We must procure the Treasured Relic, even at the cost of Q. Corp's ire...perhaps, that is the reason for the Chariot Breaker's Return. Perhaps, he knows the greatness we have stowed away here. Does he hunt for it?"

“Must be the golden bough,” Jekyll muttered to herself, placing the purple scroll with the others. She walked along the section of the room until she stumbled upon another button. She glanced curiously at it. Oh! This could be another light! Perhaps–

Wait. 

Hyde forced her hand back, resisting the urge to press it. Jekyll paused, very confused. Hyde, what the hell–

Do you see the small slots on the side of the box? Hyde pointed out the opened slits on the top corners of the box, able to fit a spider-leg through them. This button is also a different shade… it’s more yellow, more meek, it speaks of something alive rather than a simple machine of a dull gray. 

Jekyll didn’t notice the two different shades until Hyde pointed it out. She withdrew her hand, smiling softly. Your artist's eye finally came to good use. 

Has it ever not? 

The doctor sighed. …No, you… kept us alive this far… 

Hyde ignored her passive-aggressive tone and glanced into the darkness once more. There’s likely a button over there, try that one. 

Jekyll obliged and waddled over to the new button, examining it for the same slits in its corners and its shade of color. When she saw none, she gently rested her hand on the button. 

Nothing happened. 

Hmm… Jekyll tried looking at the box to look for any loose wires; which she discovered zero. Where is the engineer when you need him? 

The veteran? Hyde forced Jekyll’s head to peek into the darkness again. You should’ve followed his voice instead of getting distracted. I have questions to ask him, and now you need him to fix this light. 

Well, perhaps we can try it ourselves… Jekyll recommended. Do we really need the light on, anyway? 

Before Hyde could answer, there was a call in the air. Someone was calling Jekyll’s name, but it wasn’t one she recognized immediately. It was so casual… so… unusual. It rang through the air like a feather trying to cross a cavern. 

The doctor drew her paintbrush, readying for combat. Is it the mermaid? Did it learn my name? Is it trying to play a trick on us? 

For once, the painter did not answer her. 

Jekyll heard the voice call again; the voice approached her from the south with loud clanks across the floor. The figure walked rhythmically, much to the beat of Mallo’s foot pacing. Jekyll sighed in relief, and shouted with all her might, unable to tell how far Mallo truly was from her. “Mallo?” 

Mallo poked her head out of the shadows into Jekyll’s vision, plugging one of her ears and casting a glare toward her. “Ahh, there you are. Just wanted to make sure everyone in the group was alright, cause’ be and Jatayu went off, splitting up the party. Mark confirmed that Pen was by his side… did you travel with Lenore?” 

Jekyll stammered over her words, muttering over her own breath. “L-Lenore stayed behind to p-protect Dante.” She’s going to scold me, isn’t she? 

“So you went all by yourself?” 

No, I’m here. Hyde scoffed. You’re never alone, save when I want to leave you alone. 

Jekyll closed her mouth after she opened it to reply. There was a notable pause before she spoke again, adjusting her brush to rest behind her. “Well, I’m never really… by myself…” 

“You know what I meant,” Mallo adjusted her ponytail and narrowed her eyes, pulling out another cigarette. 

Seriously, where does she get all those? “Yes, I explored… by myself…” 

Mallo lit the cig and inhaled a part of it whilst keeping eye contact with Jekyll. She heaved a disappointed sigh. Letting out a puff of smoke. “I don’t know why you didn’t stick with one of us. This place could’ve been dangerous.” 

That’s the best part–

Not now, shut up, Jekyll snapped. We are a drenched puppy right now, making that argument will not help us. “Was the… non-verbal suggestion not to split up and cover more ground?” She asked in a gentle tone, trying to deflect what she thought was anger. 

“Yes, which was good,” Mallo flicked the end of her cigarette to get rid of the curling ash. “But it’s no use splitting up if we are dead.” 

Her lack of faith in us is despicable. Hyde spat, glaring at Mallo. I am not a force so easily snuffed. 

Mallo ignored the glare and continued to talk. “Did you at least find anything?” 

Before Jekyll could form a proper response, she blurted out a nonchalant “no” and sighed. Hyde! What the heck?!

We found nothing of importance, there’s no need to inform her of that. 

“Alright, well…” Mallo trailed off, believing the lie. “I found these, at least.” 

Jekyll took from Mallo’s hands three new scrolls of information. She unwinded each of them and read them carefully: out loud so Mallo could hear. 

"The Chariot Breaker will not claim this. If he does, our King will take notice of our failure today, and he will not take lightly. Alas, I am too busy within my workshop to be there to resolve the issue in person, and the higher leveled Demons were not available for this venture... Is it wrong to be more excited? To see the depths that the Burner of Surya will go to for whatever reasons he may fight for? I can already hear the screams of my Demons. The monsters are vicious. Let us see if they are enough. The one fish creature.. reminds me of our Master's Chariot.. surely, the bird is too weak to flap its wings once more.. then again.. he survived our King once. I will be eagerly hoping to see him break again, like that night we took the Star-to-Be."

Wonderful, Hyde smirked. This helps us with the other notes we found. 

Should we not tell her? Jekyll pleaded, feeling a knot of guilt tie up around her chest. She’s our teammate; we are supposed to work together. 

She doesn’t need to know, Hyde shrugged and smirked with glee. Information is not free. 

Jekyll sighed, not having the strength to say no to the painter. She moved her head to line up with Mallo’s. “Did you guys figure out anything else from these notes? Any cryptic messages, or what they could mean?” 

“The fish creature is the mermaid that’s been gliding across the floor. By the looks of it…” Mallo glanced at Jekyll’s coat dripping water from every side. “You’ve seen it already. I assume the Charior Breaker is… Jatayu?” 

Jekyll raised an eyebrow. Yes, and? 

“Look, I’m not the best at discerning cryptic messages. Whoever the person is, the one writing the notes… I don’t like what they are planning.” 

The altar came back into Jekyll’s mind, and she turned her head toward it. She couldn’t see it anymore due to the darkness, but everything slowly started to click. “The new era they talked about doesn’t sound nice…” 

“Hold on,” Mallo turned away from Jekyll, her back facing her. She cupped her hands around her mouth before shouting in the south direction. “Jatayu! Did you get that button to work?!” 

A faint voice replied; one that was clearly the veteran. It wavered amongst the darkness like a candle giving off light. “Not yet. Where are you? I… can try… to work?” 

Jekyll didn’t catch everything he was saying, but hearing his voice alive and well gave an odd sense of reassurance to her. 

Mallo turned to Jekyll and lowered her voice. “Did you find any button that might’ve been a light?” 

“Y-Yeah, one over there,” Jekyll pointed across her body with her opposite arm into the darkness. She turned and walked over to it, glancing towards the north wall. “This one?” 

Mallo started counting down the rows and columns of the room. “A, B, C, D… Jatayu, I got it! You have the wire plugged into I-3, right?” 

“Yes?” Jatayu faintly replied. 

Jekyll tried to see him in the darkness, staring in the direction his voice came. However, there was one very large object in the center of the room that disrupted the shadows and everything around it. What… is that? 

“Do any of the plugs say 2?” Mallo continued. 

The veteran called back in another faint voice. “No!”

Mallo cursed under her breath. “Is there one that says E?” 

“Yes!” 

“Try plugging that one in!” 

“Got it!” 

Jekyll glanced at Mallo. What the heck is going on–

“Jekyll, try pushing the button,” Mallo’s demand immediately interrupted Jekyll’s train of thought. 

Her hand rested firmly on the large red button before she pressed it down with precision. The moment she did so, the room suddenly lit up in all the directions of that light, revealing another section of the large floor plan. The red tiles on the floor became much more vibrant and silky under the light; they waved like the texture of the ocean. 

Jatayu was visible next to a large gray box in the center of the room, which appeared to be some sort of maintenance generator at first glance. Jekyll also spotted the mermaid in the light, getting a good glimpse of it. 

Although she had caught glimpses of it before, the picture in the doctor’s head was now complete. A large, blue-haired mermaid hovered in the red metal ground like it was water. Her hair flew like water and peeled against her flaky pink skin. The mermaid was armless, and her pink skin traveled all the way down to her silky green tail. Her eyes were large hearts with a sharp, white, cracked line between her pupils. It appeared as if the hearts in her eyes were meant to be broken. It slowly eyed Mallo, approaching her much more slowly than the quick, deadly strokes it was taking across the room earlier. 

Mallo shuddered as she eyed it back. “That’s the thing…” she clamped her mouth shut, wrinkling her nose. 

Jekyll glanced toward the north wall once more. She saw the exit. It was a large door with a complex mechanical design. The door had three bright green lights in a horizontal scope, with two of the lights still dull, indicating five lights total. The bar in the middle of the door was pulled back to the last two unlit lamps. It was clear the last two lights needed to be lit before the door would open. 

Huh. Hyde nodded slowly in Jekyll’s head. Not a half-bad design. 

“Jekyll?” 

Jekyll turned to face Mallo obediently, offering the former lobotomy corporation employee her full attention. 

Mallo cleared her throat and adjusted her uniform. “Did you find any more of those buttons?”

“Yes,” Jekyll stammered before Hyde could interject. “I’ve seen two. One of them lit up way back where Dante is, and the other remained dead.” 

“That door has five bulbs,” Mallo pointed to the red exit door. “We’ve pressed three buttons so far, lighting up three sections of the floor plan. The generator over there has five ports. If we light up all of the room, that door should unlock. It’s a stupid disciplinary team design… but it kept abnormalities like this one contained.” She glared at the mermaid. “We need to press all of the buttons, light up the room, and the door will open.” 

Jekyll followed Mallo’s gaze to the mermaid, her heart beating faster. “With… that thing flying around?” 

“Just hit it,” Mallo said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Stick by me, and it won’t be a problem. It’s predictable.” 

Nah, remember the last time we stuck near an abnormality? Hyde forced a memory of the White Lake to Jekyll’s thought. I ain’t doing that again. 

No… and the Red Queen, Hearts Lady, thing… it wasn’t reasonable either. “I know where the button is. I can press it, but I need to get past the mermaid.” 

“I’ll distract it, then,” Mallo gestured into the darkness where the other button resided. “Go.” 

Jekyll obliged and quietly sneaked around Mallo, double-checking to make sure the mermaid didn’t spot her before slowly working her way around. 

Mallo took notice immediately and acted upon her promised distraction. “Ugh, love… I hate it,” she cursed under her breath before shouting towards Jatayu, giving him instructions. 

When the mermaid’s gaze locked onto Jekyll, she took a step back behind Mallo once more. She decided to glance at the door one more time before making her move. 

“I’m burning alive, but still alive!” Mark’s voice could be heard shouting throughout the room. 

“What happened?” The veteran asked. 

“This… bastard of a spear keeps burning me!” 

“Why is Mark burning alive?” Jekyll glanced towards Mallo, wondering why she hadn’t acted upon the mermaid via a distraction yet. 

Mallo’s face showed how done she was with the situation. “He called the spear a bastard, like the idiot he is. Do not mess around with tool abnormalities, lest you wish to be bound to more trouble.” 

Jekyll opened her mouth to reply but clamped it shut as a heap of coughs claimed her vocal cords. She faced north to see a blue gas seeping out from the open parts of the door. There is an odd noise from the other side which accompanied the leaking gas dripping through the cracks. The fog was blue and felt hideous to inhale. Jekyll’s skin didn’t react well to touching it, either. 

Jekyll flattened her face and stepped away from the door, spotting that the mermaid made its way closer to Mallo. She decided to start heading into the darkness as Mallo and Jatayu conversed more. 

“Right… I am going to put this into Port C, or something!” The veteran stepped into the generator and started to fiddle with some of the wires inside of it. “I have no idea which one it is… it says C6?” 

“It is probably the one Jekyll is heading towards!” Mallo nodded toward the doctor before communicating again. “That way!” 

“Oo! A box!” The veteran stopped what he was doing. “This one has a green button on it!” 

“A green button?” 

“It’s yellowish like the bomb boxes… but the button is green instead of red.” 

“Press it; see what happens!” 

Jekyll stopped dead in her tracks. Are you insane?! Her eyes widened. Those were bombs?! Why are you telling him to press it?!

There was a loud click, followed by silence. Even the mermaid took a moment to look at the generator. 

Mallo tapped her foot impatiently. “Jatayu?” 

“I think I’m being surrounded!” 

“Don’t touch the boxes!” 

“They want me to press them!”

“Don’t press them!” 

I’m getting a headache watching this, Hyde rubbed her head. We have a party of idiots. 

“Yeah,” Jatayu shouted toward the faint Mark voice. “The spear corroded two of the LCB-2 members and tried to stab me when it gained control. No, we can’t break it… that thing has ruined many lives.”

The what? Jekyll stood dumbfounded. Are they all on crack? What are they talking about? 

“You can’t break abnormalities, that’s not how they work! They physically cannot die, they just turn into eggs!” Mallo added. 

“Mark, you won’t be successful!” Jatayu pleaded. “I would like to see it die, but it won’t work!” He waited as Mark shouted something before replying. 

Mallo’s voice was louder than his. “It definitely won’t work! Hop around the generator, the mermaid is on my side!” 

Mark stepped briefly into the light, but not enough for Jekyll to see. However, Jatayu’s reaction was enough to get a grip on what changed. “MY GOSH WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!”

The conversation had taken so long, the mermaid was inches away from Mallo. It approached slowly and with great caution, trying to get as close as possible. Jekyll was about to alert her, but Mallo spotted it first and unsheathed her stave, pointing it at the abnormality. “Hey! Don’t come any closer!” She hissed. 

The mermaid formed a mouth; it looked horrendous when it spoke. “You… you stopped me on my laps before… Why? Do you… do you love me?” 

Jekyll saw this was the only opportunity she was going to get. She made her way around Mallo, approaching the darkness slowly. 

Does it want love? Hyde raised an eyebrow. That’s it? 

Jekyll shook her head. I don’t think it’s that simple… 

A contagious, psychic laughter left Mallo’s lips as she towered over the creature’s head. “Love you? Really? Do you really think I could love something like you? That’s cute… and pathetic. I have no love in my heart anymore.” 

The world briefly stood still. A knife shot itself through Jekyll’s heart the moment Mallo said that. No love within her heart… W-What? The doctor gripped her brush, thinking back to all the caring moments and the love Mallo had shown her. But… But I thought–

It only made Hyde roll her eyes. I knew it. The motherly act was a lie. There is no love in her, Jekyll. You heard her say it with her own mouth. 

Jekyll did her best to slow her breathing, but it didn’t stop tears running from her eyes. Surely, she–

Jekyll! Hyde snapped. We have a door to unlock, and a golden bough to retrieve! This is no time to be moping about someone not caring about you. No one ever did! Stop believing they will! 

The mermaid resonated with the plea Jekyll almost uttered. “I’ll do anything for love, please!” the creature begged, the hearts in its eyes cracking. 

“People promised me that before; do you think I’d believe you?!” Mallo grabbed the abnormality by its throat, scoffing in its face with a wicked smile. She pressed her fingers into its neck as a form of intimidation. Memories flashed before the woman’s eyes. 

The mermaid started to cry, staring into Mallo’s soul. “I just want you… to love me…” 

Before Mallo could speak and Jekyll could think, a light began to shine from the mermaid’s point of contact with Mallo. AN invisible force pushed Mallo, forcing her to be drawn to the mermaid.

Mallo became panicked as her hand merged into the mermaid’s skin. “Wait, wait! What the hell are you doing?!” She spoke quickly and in a panic. “Stop that, stop that!” She tried pushing the mermaid away with her foot, but it only merged with her foot as well. 

Jekyll watched in horror as the mermaid grew in size and devoured Mallo in a matter of seconds. Mallo fused with the mermaid effortlessly, and was nowhere to be seen as the mermaid took on aspects of Mallo’s body; black hair and bright blue eyes. 

Hyde watched in terror herself. …What the actual f–

Inelligle voices ran between the air in the form of the mermaid’s voice and Mallo’s, only uttering one word Jekyll could understand. “Mark.” It didn’t take long for the mermaid to zoom into the darkness in the last direction Jekyll heard the prisoner’s voice. 

PFFF– Hyde burst into a peal of laughter. They’ve become like us! Fighting for one mind! How ironic, how diabolical! 

Jekyll only snapped out of her thousand-yard stare from Hyde’s laugh. She stumbled onto the floor and up again, bursting into the darkness and as far away from the abnormality as she could get. It… It took Mallo… Mallo is gone…

Relax, Hyde’s cackling subsided. She never cared about us anyway, there’s no need to care about her. 

Jekyll frantically lunged through the darkness before stopping to take a breath, spotting the altar once more. Hyde… Is it… Do you think–

We don’t need her, Jekyll. Hyde narrowed her eyes. We don’t need any of them. Each of us is in this company for our own gain. I’d say we get that golden bough ourselves, and get the hell out of here. 

Jekyll paused, wiping away her tears. 

Hyde used her silence to continue. How have you not learned this lesson yet? Stop seeking Mallo’s validation, she is not our mom. She never will give you what you want. No one actually cares about anyone in the city. 

Jekyll stumbled from side to side before reaching the button she found previously, still eyeing the altar. She glanced into the darkness, faintly hearing footsteps approaching her. “Who goes there?!” 

Jatayu’s voice accompanied the figure merging from the fog. “Jekyll? Is that you?” 

Oh great, just the Burner of Syra we needed. Hyde rolled her eyes.

He… At least he cares about finding his niece… At least someone cares about someone else in this City. 

Stop sulking. That doesn’t matter right now. Let me ask him my questions. 

“Yes,” Jekyll finally answered the veteran as he came into view. He also looked incredibly drenched and sopping wet from the mermaid’s sprinting rounds. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, adjusting his tanfas in his hands. 

Jekyll nodded before she froze, seeing the dark outline of the mermaid in the distance. “Uh… Mallo has fused with the abnormality…” 

“What?!”

“I don’t know!” Jekyll raised her hands instinctively after Jatayu’s roar. “Stay there, let me come to you!” 

“You stay safe!” 

Murmurs about ‘family doesn’t matter’ echoed from the mermaid as it splashed across the room. Jekyll eyed it carefully before she reached Jatayu, pulling him out of sight of the creature. “Thank goodness you're safe…” 

Jatayu glanced around, confused. “What happened?” 

“So… Mallo fused with the abnormality, I think…” She glanced at the button next to her. That’s… odd. I thought it was more south. 

It’s the yellow one with the slits, Hyde observed. 

“This button is suspicious,” Jekyll watched Jatayu eye the button before pushing his hand away from it. 

He gripped his hand with the other one before glancing up at Jekyll’s hair. “Mallo said the yellow ones were bombs, is it yellow?” 

“Yes.” Jekyll sighed. “Do you see anything else? Perhaps another button?” 

Jatayu stared into the darkness. “I see… two things… one by the west wall, and a button-shaped thing south of us.” 

Jekyll clenched, stress building up in her shoulders as she looked over them. “You… see that?” 

“It looks like a small… no, large… box? I am not sure,” the veteran looked curiously at the doctor. “Do you know what it is?” 

Perfect time to bring up the questions–

“Uh… I don’t know if we have time to dive into this,” Jekyll was almost answering Hyde more than Jatayu, but he seemed to take it as an okay answer. 

The mermaid is distracted. Ask him about stone altars. 

Jekyll paused, stammering over her words. “Do you… have any experience with… uh… stone altars?” 

…Are you serious right now–

“Not personally,” Jatayu’s face wore confusion like a mask. “I remember one of my fellows saying they had visions of stone altars when they held the tool abnormalities…” 

It was Jekyll’s turn to be confused. Who? 

Probably the LCB-2, Hyde groaned. He doesn’t refer to any of us as ‘fellows’ anyway. He is probably referencing whatever’s burning Mark alive right now… Somehow, I think that thing and Jatayu are linked to the altar. 

They were supposed to sacrifice him on the altar, right? Jekyll reasoned, putting her hand up to her chin. So… was that a tool they tried to use? 

“I see more boxes, a few yellow ones… and… I think I see the mermaid?” Jatayu continued, spinning in a circle to name everything he could see. 

Hyde scoffed in a light-hearted manner. Dork. 

Jekyll didn’t take his response the same way and hyperfocused on what he said. “Wait, what? You see the mermaid?” 

“Over there in the distance,” Jatayu pointed southeast. “I see its figure… where Mark was. Wait, it might be chasing Mark!” 

Jatayu turned to take a step in that direction, but Jekyll grabbed his arm. Hyde was clearly not done with him yet. “Considering how fast that thing is, there is not much point in helping Mark if the being is after it.” Jekyll stammered over her words, eager to get answers out of the veteran before he disappeared. I don’t need you merging with the abnormality, too. 

Jatayu did not take her comment lightly. He turned his head slowly, his gaze full of anger and his voice one with authority. “What do you mean there’s no helping him now?” His tone was one of someone offended by the sheer thought. “Mark might be a dick, but he is still our comrade!” 

“Jatayu, I need you to listen very carefully,” Jekyll returned in a serious tone as she stared into his soul, her gaze unwavering. You’re the only one that cares about anyone else at this party, why can’t you think of yourself? “We need to solve the puzzle in this room and turn all the lights on so… we can help our comrades better.” 

Hyde paused, a look of surprise on her face. You are a smoother liar than I thought. 

W-What? 

I see your intention. Hyde scoffed, waving her finger. We can urge him to help us solve the puzzle… then we can get out of here. 

Jekyll paused. Well, yes, but–

No, no, I like this. Hyde smirked with a hint of villainy. Keep going. Use these… ‘titles’ of his to get his attention if you must. 

…okay. 

“Our comrades are being chased by the mermaid, Jekyll!” Jatayu combated. “They are heading for Mark– oh no, they could be heading for Dante too!” 

“Jatayu!” Jekyll snapped, gripping his arm and pulling it towards her. It was enough force to make the tall veteran look down at her. “I don’t know who you are, or whether or not you truly care about the rest of the party. I cannot judge that after these titles of… ‘Burner of Syra’ or ‘Chariot Breaker’ I’ve learned about you from the notes on the ground I found. But I need you to set your emotions aside and work with me here! You need to focus on the puzzle and help the party solve it, otherwise, the mermaid will freely travel in the dark and claim us all as it did Mallo! I don’t want that… for you…” She stumbled over the last part, trying to make it as sincere as possible. “I need you to promise me that you will not go to the altar behind me, and you will press the lightbox on your way to the others.” 

Hyde’s smirk only grew as Jatayu became convinced of Jekyll’s quick plan; she also noticed how he tensed up at the titles used, delighted in the fact she had found another button to poke. 

“Okay, I promise not to go near the altar… And I will press the button as I head towards Dante. You should go to the generator and plug in the wire for the last button.” Jatayu forced his arm out of Jekyll’s grip, heaving a heavy sigh. Regret was written all over his face, and he actively tried to pull himself together. 

I… can’t believe he actually fell for it. Jekyll nodded firmly. “Okay.” 

What do you mean you can’t believe it? You gave him no room to suspect otherwise. Hyde said through the grin that hadn’t faded. I’m impressed, Jekyll. 

The veteran stepped into the darkness before looking over his shoulder, his eyes softly wishing a farewell to the doctor. “Good luck,” he said sweetly. 

Jekyll felt guilt wrap around her soul like a chord as Jatayu walked over to the light button and pressed it firmly, turning on the lights for the area and revealing the generator to Jekyll’s eyes. He then took off running southeast, on a mission to make sure Dante was okay. 

Jekyll clenched her arm, staring at the ground. At least he will not go near the altar, now… 

Don’t beat yourself up about the motivation behind your ask, Hyde chuckled to herself. We got what we wanted from him. Let’s finish this puzzle and be on our merry way. 

Jekyll slowly walked to the generator, trying to obey Hyde in not beating herself up about it. Is it the right thing to just… take off, and not look back? To leave them? 

They’ve been making points about how useless you are to the group, Hyde reminded her. They don’t trust you, just like Mark said. They don’t love you, just like Mallo said. Do you really think a group like that is worth fighting for? Are they worth your time and effort? 

Upon those words, Jekyll hardened her heart, remembering the prior experiences she had with similar people. She was not going to be walked all over again by those who didn’t care about her. She was not going to fall for any of it. No, no they are not.