Chapter 12: A Desperate Confession

The arc of Ava’s scythe almost presses against Ordelia’s neck, but she ducks below it like a game of limbo. It’s impressive that Ordelia is able to avoid Ava’s strike, but what matters is how she’ll retaliate next. That’s when I notice the red threads in Ordelia’s palm, and an idea hits me.

Realizing she missed, Ava swipes downward. This time her blade is shrouded in the dense black Influence that was given to her, bearing the primal stench of her killing intent. In less than a second, Ordelia will be killed, a death befitting the continuity of Ava’s Tale as the Turning Point. The feeling of dying from beheading would be swift and painless, but even if I end up suffering the least, Ava will suffer the most. Leaving me with an even more painful feeling, failure. Or at least that’s what could happen.

Given the lack of an opportunity to maneuver away, Ordelia’s right hand grabs the blade with a pinch between her two fingers. The Influence covering it flares up like a wild flame, but it does nothing to lessen the grip on her scythe. Ava bellows with a shrill screech, as her Influence rises further. While Ordelia’s body is bending under the pressure, her right arm remains unbothered, because the one in control of that is me.

“Brother, something is different about her. Could it be our visitor?”

“Indeed it is, though it’s her instinct that's caused him to surface. Its activation must have been unintentional, but that is the nature of an Instinct. She’s really grown accustomed to that professor's experiments, hasn’t she?” the black blob says with a dull tone of voice.

“Totally, this is gonna be so fun!” The yellow one squeals.

With Ordelia’s back against the ground, I push away Ava’s scythe, knocking her back. Ava stumbles a bit, leaving her guard wide open. With Ava's pressing Influence now dissipated, Ordelia uses this opportunity to backflip to her feet.

“Get me close to her.” I shout to her, as I clench her fist.

Ordelia nods with a deep breath, before charging towards Ava as fast as she can.

The second she’s face-to-face with Ava, I catch her with a right hook. Ava’s eyes roll back in a daze as she’s launched into one of the trees in the nearby forest. With a shake of her head, Ava’s eyes glow bright green as she shrieks and charges at us.

Ava catches Ordelia with a kick against her side. Ordelia gasps, having felt the wind knocked out of her. When she glances at Ava’s leg, I grab hold of it, seizing this opportunity to retaliate again. However, Ava is unfazed by this and ends up kicking Ordelia’s chin upwards with her other leg.

In shock, I let go of my grip on her leg. Normally a hit like that wouldn’t faze me, so this must be the pain Ordelia is experiencing. Is this the intention of The Cats Cradle? No I can’t think about that right now, she’s coming again.

Ava lands on her feet after flipping with the kick she gave Ordelia, and puts on her hood again. Her Influence rises once again, as she comes at us like a beast on all fours.

“Ordelia, I need you to dodge her next attack...Ordelia?”

She isn’t acknowledging what I said, but right as I was about to criticize her for her stubbornness, I noticed something. It’s low and sort of ragged, but her breathing is irregular. The manner at which she’s blinking is slow too. What I feared the most is happening. Ordelia is hurt.

As Ava’s fist is about to deliver the finishing blow, I block it with a punch of my own. I still have complete control of her right arm, so this is the best I can do. Seeing as the pain for me has subsided, Ordelia must still be reeling from those two hits she took.

Ava goes in for another with her other fist, and I grab on to her wrist. I can match the amount of speed and force she’s putting out, but I’m still worried about Ordelia.

“Ordelia, are you still there? You have to move!” I shout at her, but no response. Her vision is hazy, but I can still see what’s going on, so that means she’s still conscious. She’s on her last leg, but that isn’t going to stop Ava from killing her.

Tugging away from my grip on her arm, Ava twists her lower body into an ax kick. I let go of her wrist to block the downward kick aimed at Ordelia’s shoulder using her forearm, causing a collision of our Influence. The moment the momentum behind Ava’s kick is lost, I push her leg aside as she comes in for another punch. I block her fist with a clutch, but this time I feel a burning sensation in Ordelia’s palm.

“Die!” Ava shouts with a grin, right as a flash of her green Influence flares up into a powerful blast from her palm.

This knocks Ordelia back midair into the forest, even after dispersing most of the Influence behind it. Ordelia tumbles through the tree branches causing tears on her gown, along with cuts and scrapes on her dark skin. After rolling to the ground, she lies here motionless.

“Ordelia! Dammit…” I yell, realizing how injured she is. She isn't answering.

I place her palm against the ground in an attempt to lift her up from the ground, but I end up turning her over on her back. Her instinct is starting to wane, and the distance between what I can see from her perspective is growing. It’s akin to backing away from the view of the scenery outside a window, as the cold breeze rustles the leaves of the trees above us. It’s strange to think that the forest itself remains unbothered when considering the reason Ordelia is lying here in the first place. Was all that for nothing?

“No...it wasn’t.” Ordelia says weakly.

“You’re alive! Thank goodness.” I say with a sigh of relief.

“Of course I am, how else would you still be here?”

“True, but now you can hear my thoughts. I wasn’t expecting an answer to my question there.”

“Ever since you took control of my arm I’ve been able to. I didn’t think you cared about me that much…” She says with a chuckle, while tilting her head to the side. In a weird way, it’s like she’s glancing at me lying next to her on the grass.

I scoff. “Well of course I do, why else would I be helping you?”

She coughs. “Heh, I was wondering that not too long ago. I apologize, really, I shouldn’t have doubted you before.”

“Thank you, but that isn’t what’s important right now. I need you to get up, so we can make it out of here.”

Ordelia digs her fingers into the ground, as a wave of frustration passes.“If only I had listened to you when you said all of this was fate. After I shut you out, I made an effort to make sure Ava played with the other kids. It was hard, but little by little she was making progress. I was so proud.”

“No, I couldn’t have possibly known things were going to pan out like this. I’m only a spectator.”

“And a keen one at that, but you’re right. When I volunteered to be a part of all this, I knew those moments of happiness wouldn’t last long.” Ordelia says, sounding almost defeated. She lifts her arm and glances at the palm of her hand, the view of the full moon slipping between her fingers.

“That happiness can last as long as you want, so long as you survive this. You can watch her become a fine woman. A woman she can be proud of. That’s your duty, right?!”

“I know that!” She shouts, her voice trembling as her tears blur her vision. “I want it to last forever too, but…my body won’t allow it.”

“What do you mean?” I ask her, shocked by her tearful confession. Having almost forgotten my own emotions, I somehow feel my own heart sink.

“In order to make my body suited for my instinct, Ms.Oppix has been administering serums to hone my compatibility. While it strengthens my body, the Instinct continues to demand more, so I have to then take another. And after taking so many doses, I have less than a year left.”

A gust of wind rustles the leaves in this otherwise peaceful forest, as if it too was shaken by this new revelation. I’m lost for words, but then I recall that moment in the restroom. It was the serum causing her to feel sick; even Tiffany was aware of it.

“A year? That isn’t enough time to…”

“I never had enough time from the beginning, but I still tried my hardest. I thought shutting you up was enough. It almost ended up working too, but...Ava knew. She could sense the distance growing between us, which is why her Turning Point was triggered earlier.” Ordelia turns her palm towards the sky, and reaches out towards the moon. “I could only stand there, paralyzed in fear as the thing I feared the most happened right in front of me. It was at that moment what you said about fate came to mind, and at the same time your presence had returned.”

“You knew I was there the entire time?”

She nods. “I didn’t want to face you again, because your warnings ended up being true. I’ve failed.”

Now it makes sense. Ordelia wasn't just doing this for Ava, but for herself as well. But if the book of Tales has Ordelia’s death predetermined, that means we’ve only delayed it.

This entire time she’s been speaking, the cool breeze has been brushing up against her scars, leaving her shivering in pain. It’s a tingling sensation that causes her body to tense up a little with each labored breath as she lies on the grass.

It’s my fault she’s in the shape she’s in right now, I pushed her to this point. I made her anxious of what’s to come, of the inevitable. Whether or not it happens in this dark forest, or it happens by the hands of the girl she’s worked to protect, Ordelia is going to die. Meaning, our efforts thus far have been…

“Have been for nothing…” She finishes.

She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath, as if enjoying her last few breaths. When she opens them, Ava’s hooded figure is looming over her with bated breath. There wasn’t the slightest indication of her approach, not even a sound, but now she’s here. Standing above us with her scythe in hand. It’s crescent shape gleaming with the full moon's light, as if anticipating this moment.

Ava pulls back her hood, revealing her vacant expression behind it. There’s a cold and glassy look in her eyes. The same sort of look the Ava I knew gave; a face lacking any emotion, while her urge to kill is brimming with euphoria. Doesn’t she recognize the creature she’s about to kill?

“Hello, Ordelia.” Ava says, her voice sounding just as cold as the passing breeze.

“Hello Darling, you look troubled.” Ordelia says in an attempt to sound like she’s in high spirits, but her voice is weak.

“Well you look like you’re at death's door. I wonder who could have done this to you…” Ava says while placing her scythe against her shoulder.

“Ava, I know this isn’t your fault. It’s because of the Tale you’re-”

Ava’s lip quivers into a burst of laughter, failing to hold it in. Her obnoxious cackling continues for a few moments, after which she wipes away the tears from her eyes. “It isn’t because of the Tale, it’s because of you! You kept avoiding me, trying to leave me, all because I wouldn’t play nice with everyone else!”

“That’s not what I was trying to do, I just want you to be happy!” Ordelia begs with a cough.

“Happy?! You thought leaving me would make me happy, are you trying to trick me again?!” Ava yells, putting the blade of her scythe under Ordelia’s chin.

“No I’m not! I would never play a trick on you!”

“Lies! You kept saying everything would be okay. That making new friends would make me happy, but that was all lies! You were scared of what I would become, weren't you? Well here’s your worst nightmare!”

Ava lifts up her scythe in preparation for a swing. I try to lift Ordelia’s arm to block, but it won’t move. Is this really it for her? There must be something else I can do, there has to be. I can’t let her life end here. I can’t just sit back and watch!

BUZZZ

The air crackles, like a live current. It’s accompanied by the sound of snapping branches and thumps against the tree trucks around us. Someone is coming.

Ava turns to her left and sparks fly as she blocks the incoming kick with her free hand. Things are a bit blurry but I can tell they’re wearing the same gown as Ordelia. Could it be…

“Dance of Lightning: Snap!” shouts a woman as her light blue Influence surges down her leg in the form of electricity, vaporizing the fabric along her gown and shooting out from the bottom of her sole. Just as the name suggests, the resulting sound is that of a…

SNAP!

Ava groans as she’s knocked back and lands on her feet, but the look on her face is shaky.

Her stance weakens to a kneel as residual sparks flicker around her, leaving her to cough up blood. With her vision going in and out, Ordelia turns to the blurry visage of her savior and is met with a hand covering her mouth. Unable to struggle, she ends up swallowing whatever is in their hand. Realizing something foreign was forced down her throat, she goes into a coughing fit as they uncover her mouth. In turn, her Influence starts to surge. It’s akin to fluid filling an empty glass to the point it spills well over the brim.

Now having the strength to sit-up, Ordelia gets a good look at the creature kneeling in front of her.

“I’m getting the feeling Ava isn’t the damsel in distress here.” Tiffany says with a sigh of relief.

Ordelia shakes her head. “Tiffany? I thought you were injured.”

“I was, badly too. I hate that we ended up having to use our last resort.”

Ordelia looks at her hands, as the amber aura of her Influence wells up from inside. “I didn’t think that capsule would work so well.”

“Neither did I, but I assume it’s the serums we’ve been given that are allowing it to work so well. My Instinct feels stronger than ever!” Tiffany boasts with a cheeky grin, as light blue sparks flicker around her.

“But if we had to resort to that, then that means the professor really did…”

“Abandon us, yes.” Tiffany admits with a troubled expression. “My device has been cut off from the network, and any traces linking back to her have been wiped. In her eyes, we’re already dead.”

This professor abandoned them? What kind of creature would leave their subordinates during their time of need? Especially when Ordelia is so important to the mission.

Ordelia gets up on her feet and wipes herself off. “If that’s the case then we can’t hold back now.”

Tiffany nods. “At least we’re on the same page. I managed to hurt her this time, but I know that won’t be enough to subdue her.”

With Ordelia’s body and senses now restored, I notice a disturbance in Ava’s Influence. While Tiffany’s strike did hurt her, it didn’t result in much of a wound to her physical body. Normally, when two Influences differ, the lesser one gets overtaken. It isn’t a surprise when it happens, since it’s the expected outcome. But if someone managed to do the opposite, Ava’s current condition would be the result.

The ever encroaching mass of Influence spilling from Ava has been pierced, like a blade through a suit of armor. While Tiffany’s strike was powerful, it lacked the necessary Influence to overwhelm Ava, so she condensed it towards a small area. Maintaining that kind of concentration in the face of such an opposing force is not only impressive, but is the only way someone like her can stand a chance against Ava.

Ava stands up, her legs still trembling.

“Well look who decided to join us. I thought I finished you off.” Ava chuckles, as the two blobs pop up from behind her.

“Ooo that other knight has returned! Is this still by the book brother?” Shouts the yellow blob.

“Indeed, its ending has been adapting to the changes made, but I’m sure things will start to veer off enough.” the black blob insists.

“I see, so the two of you are joining in?” Tiffany asks, glaring at them floating above Ava.

“While it would be more interesting, I regret we cannot. Though being a spectator does have its quirks, right Sintobi?” remarks the black blob, glancing at Ordelia.

Tiffany looks at her. “Who’s he talking about?”

Ordelia bites her lip.

“She’s awfully quiet, so your guess must be right brother!” the yellow blob says, looking at her brother.

“Indeed. The Influence flowing in her arm confirms it, and since he is the pride of his clan during his time, I hope he doesn’t disappoint his host.” The black blob taunts, right as Ava stabs the pole of her scythe into the ground.

Even with her injury, she still manages to bolster her Influence. At this point, it’ll be hard to subdue Ava. I clench Ordelia’s fist. We’ll have to hit back with either an equivalent amount of Influence and greater, but will Ordelia be able to handle it?

“There’s no reason to worry Sintobi. Tiffany and I can handle this now.” Ordelia mumbles with confidence, before throwing Tiffany a glance. I’m surprised she remembered my name.

Tiffany gives her a nod and readies her fists. “I don't know who they are referring to, but if it has something to do with your instinct, I’m glad it’s pissing those two off.”

Ava cackles. Her shrill laughter rings in our ears like alarm bells. “Oh really, you think you can ‘handle me’? Don’t let the fact that you managed to survive go to your head, I still have plans for you my dear mother.”

Ordelia’s immediate shock rushes through her body like a cold chill. “You called me-”

“Watch out!” Tiffany yells.

I grab onto Ava’s forearm right before her long nails could pierce our throat. Tiffany springs towards her. The sound of crackling lightning fills the air, as sparks gather in her palm.

“Flash of lightning!” she yells, as a flurry of sparks shoot out from her fingertips. Ava is hit but manages to slip out of my grip before I can follow up.

Sparks flicker across Ava’s body, but it seems to have been ineffective in causing much damage to her. Ava lifts her arm, causing her scythe to spin midair towards Tiffany. With a crackle in her step, Tiffany moves out of the way.

Like a boomerang, it swoops back towards Tiffany, following her in a wide arc. Shards of tree bark scatter as her loafers crackle from tree to tree in an effort to escape the rampaging scythe, which is ravaging every tree she bounces off of.

Ordelia looks over at Ava, and with a surge of her Influence, runs towards her. Ordelia gathers her amber Influence in her left arm and punches Ava. She blocks it with her forearm, but I follow up with a punch using Ordelia’s right arm, leaving Ava to repel my attack with her raw Influence. It seems she understands there’s a difference between the two at this point, which isn't surprising, but her caution will make hitting her more difficult.

On the other hand, Tiffany manages to dodge the scythe but is tagged on her waist. As she twirls like a ballerina midair, Ava’s mist-like Influence shrouds her scythe. The pole bends in the middle, forming another blade at the opposite end before clamping down on Tiffany’s lower back.

“Tiff!” Ordelia yells while turning to dodge Ava’s punch.

Tiffany gasps as the blade rips out from her side. Her blood splatters everywhere as she’s almost cut in half. Ordelia’s assault is slowing down.

“We can’t worry about her right now! Just focus on Ava!” I shout, as another one of my punches is knocked away by a burst of her Influence. “Dammit!”

Ordelia’s movements are starting to slow down compared to Ava’s. She’s distracted.

“But we should at least check on her!” She yells out loud, while ducking backwards under Ava’s kick.

“You’re worried about her, huh? Well, go meet her in Hell!” Ava shouts as she opens her mouth. Her Influence spikes as a green ball of Influence forms at the tip of her tongue, before shooting out in a beam.

As I am about to block the attack with Ordelia’s palm, I sense something coming from her right. While I can’t see it, I reflexively grab the blade of the scythe with her bare hand. The scythe starts shaking in my grasp, like a wild animal hoping to break its shackles. But without a free hand, I can’t block the beam coming at us.

Ordelia forms a shield of Influence and blocks it using her left arm. The shield bends and warps as she struggles to hold her own against Ava's beam of pure malice, or at least that’s what I thought.

Although her shield is cracking, her stance isn’t faltering. And while her feet are digging deeper into the ground, her Influence is increasing. It’s not a burst of Influence but a gradual escalation past what I thought to be her upper limit.

As her amber aura mends the cracks in her shield, I realize what’s happening. The Influence behind Ava’s beam is dipping, while the excess particles are being absorbed by not only the shield, but Ordelia herself.

I can feel something raging in the pit of her stomach, as she knocks away the waning beam with her now expanded shield. Ava groans with the grit of her teeth.

“Just give up already!” Ava shouts as she’s charging another beam, this time her Influence spiking even higher.

“Sintobi, this Influence, you feel it right? Do you still think we can lose this?” Ordelia mutters under her breath.

“Your perseverance is strong, so I’ve never doubted you. I only wonder what you’ll do next…” I say to her, allowing the honesty behind my words to reach her.

“That’s all I needed to hear...” she scoffs, as that feeling in her stomach expands. It feels like her entire body is on fire, but she’s somehow keeping herself composed. She takes control of her arm once again and snaps the blade of Ava’s scythe. The scythe itself howls in pain as it falls to the ground.

Clapping her hands together, Ordelia pulls apart the red threads connecting her palms. She steps forward, the grass beneath her feet…

Crunch…

In a blink of an eye, Ordelia is staring Ava dead in the eyes. Ava’s eyes widen, her mouth still agape, as her green Influence swells towards the tip of her tongue. Right as the green ball is about to unravel, Ordelia uppercuts her. Redirecting the beam into the sky above and blasting apart a few of the clouds with frightening force.

Ava’s neck cracks back into place as she looks at Ordelia with a punch. It connects with Ordelia’s face, but she doesn’t budge. Staring back into Ava’s eyes, Ordelia throws a flurry of punches. Ava gasps as numerous collide with her stomach and torso, yet she grits her teeth and screams. Ava’s Influence gathers in the palm of her hand, but Ordelia snuffs out the flash of green by grabbing her forearm and relinquishes control of it to me.

“Do it now!” she yells, signaling me to take action.

I tighten my grip on her arm with a rush of my ivory Influence, causing her to scream out. This is what she was afraid of when she was avoiding this arm before, but now I’ve got her. I bolster my Influence once again and fling her away by the arm. Then comes the sound of crackling in my ear.

“Good work, now follow up with me!” Tiffany says running up next to us.

Ordelia glances at where the scythe cut her at the waist and notices that she’s healed. Is all of this because of that drug they took? That professor is really something else.

“Got it!” Ordelia shouts, the two of them running side-by-side.

Ava reaches her arm out and her scythe swoops into her grasp fully mended by her Influence. She takes an immediate swing at them with her scythe, but Ordelia shoots a collection of thread into soft grass beneath our feet. By digging those threads of The Cat's Cradle into the earth, she pulls herself towards the ground and ducks under the blade of Ava’s scythe, while Tiffany…

“Dance of Lightning: Snap!” she shouts as she comes at Ava with her charged lightning kick. Ava lifts up her scythe, but it’s too late.

SNAP!

Ava’s jerks back Tiffany’s the light blue Influence shoots through her chest like a spear, leaving an glowing “X” sigil. While coughing up blood Ava attempts to swing forward, but Ordelia pulls on her shoulder from her right. Ava does manage to hit Tiffany’s leg, but it’s a shallow enough cut that it immediately heals.

With Ava now off-balanced, Ordelia binds her arms with her red threads and pulls them back. With each thread taut from the tension of pulling on her limbs, there’s a sudden crack. Ava’s shoulders drop as the joints and appendages in her arm give way, letting her slip out of the threads. She headbutts Tiffany, but Tiffany doesn’t relent.

“Dance of Lightning: Crackle…”Tiffany yells, while the top of her gown is vaporized by the electricity surging along her arms. Further compromising her clothes by exposing her bra underneath, but she doesn’t care. It’s become clear that this is a small price to pay for not only her spike for Influence, but as a means towards survival. The sharp sounds of her punches fracture the very air itself with each strike, as they collide with Ava's upper body in a flurry.

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE…

Ava grits her blood stained teeth, as she bolsters her Influence with a scream. She retaliates with a twist of her body in an attempt to swing her scythe with her slackened arm, but she just misses Tiffany’s neck. A strike like that was desperate, which allows Tiffany to follow up with one last punch to her face. Ava’s eyes roll back as she’s knocked to the side, tumbling to the ground like a fallen log.

Ordelia looks at Tiffany, and they both nod. This isn’t the end of it.

Ava pushes her shoulder into grass, popping it back in place. She lifts herself up with her scythe but slumps back down and starts coughing up more blood. When she lifts her head up, a “Y” sigil appears on her cheek.

“First you try to leave me, now you’re trying to kill me? What a terrible mother you are…” Ava says with a weak grin and cold stare, while popping her other shoulder back in its socket.

Ordelia starts trembling.

“She’s not your mother!” Tiffany shouts.

“But she’s the only mother I’ve ever had.” Ava says, while pointing her finger at Ordelia. “My other mommy left me because I wasn’t good enough for her, but now she wants to kill me. You’d rather finish off what my mother started by killing me, huh?! Why can’t you understand that I just want to stay by your side!”

Tears trickle from Ava’s eyes, leaving an aching pain in my chest. After hearing what Ordelia confessed earlier, I know it’s hard for her to see Ava this way. It’s uncomfortable for me as well…

I can feel Ordelia’s emotions flooding forward, even after she’s been painstakingly trying to ignore them. Though how can she?

With all this tension in her heart, I try pulling myself away from it, but I can’t. I’m the spectator after all, and the longer I’m in this role my judgment will get further clouded. For a split second, it feels like Ordelia and I are one in the same wavelength. What’s happening to me?

“Ava…I’m doing this for your own good.” Ordelia says with a bout of confidence, swallowing her fear.

Her eyes widened with shock. “My own good? You’d rather kill me than try to understand me, for my own good?!”

Judging from the look in her eyes, Ava’s hysteria seems genuine, but the timing is perfect; unnerving almost. As if it were meant to invoke a reaction from Ordelia, but it is possible that these are her true feelings. Dammit, Ordelia, my head is just as messed up as yours.

Ava continues. “You are the worst, the absolute worst! I hate you! I wish I never met you-”

In the blink of an eye, Tiffany is standing over Ava. Her fingers prepped in a plucking motion towards her forehead.

“You may not realize it, Ava, but it’s the book talking right now. You know better than anyone that compared to anyone else, she wants the best for you.” Tiffany insists, her back turned towards Ordelia, sparks crawling along her back like vines on a dilapidated building. “As for me, I always thought you were a spoiled brat.”

“Wait Tiffany, not yet!” Ordelia shouts, as a tingling sensation invades our senses.

“Dance of Lightning…”

POP...

A burst of electromagnetic energy is created in a flash as all of the Influence in the air collapses on to point in a single moment. Blowing Ava away in an instant, leaving arcing light blue sparks to ripple through the forest, ripping apart everything in our surroundings. What sort of drug would allow an ordinary nun to do something like this?

After those few seconds, the rippling stops. Sparks continue to linger everywhere between the ground and midair, while Tiffany stands in the center of the destruction before us with her top pretty much blown to shreds. This once dense area in the middle of the forest, is now a charred ring-shaped field filled with trees decimated beyond recognition. To think all of this happened in an instant…

As for where the girl ended up in all this, I still can’t tell. The Influence around us is so thick and murky to the point I can’t even sense Tiffany’s Influence right in front of me.

Tiffany turns towards us barefoot, only the skirt of her gown left. The rest could hardly be considered clothes at this point, so she rips off the rest of her top, exposing the rest of her pink bra underneath. She pants as sparks crawl along her body like a live wire, her eyes still glowing a faint blue.

“I told you to wait!” Ordelia shouts, breaking the silence between the two of them. With the feeling of regret washing over her, she couldn’t help lashing out.

Tiffany walks over to Ordelia, placing her hand on her shoulder. “It was trying to throw you off, I had too.”

Ordelia looks away. “She was only trying to make me understand, I should have listened to her. She believed in me, those were her feelings!”

“She wasn’t the same child anymore. She was acting in accordance with her Tale, not her true feelings. Only mortals do that…” Tiffany explains, staring at her electrified palm.

“That just means it was parroting her heart. She was still in there, I know it.” Ordelia protests, looking at the sky.

“We don’t know that, or at least Ms.Oppix didn’t mention anything like that. Besides, the pill is wearing off…”

She’s right, Tiffany’s Influence is remaining at its upper limit. It’s more than what she had before the drug, but without a means to regain it, her options are limited. And if I had to guess, Ordelia should be reaching that point soon.

Ordelia sighs. “You’re right, we should retrieve her body and head back to the professor. She can’t turn us away when we’re still alive.”

Tiffany nods, before making their way across the clearing. The dirt and grass beneath their feet crumbles into ash, while the air itself is murky with Influence. It’s putting me in a state of delirium, in turn intensifying the eeriness of the forest from my lack of awareness.

A gust of wind rushes past, rustling what’s left of the trees surrounding the clearing. While it isn’t storm-like, it causes the grass to crumble into ash. Whirling around the air like embers from a campfire, without the comfort such a fire would bring. There’s an anxiety in the air, one that fills my own heart with fear. While Ordelia is calm. Why am I the only one feeling this fear?

“Because we’re here…” whispers two voices, closing in on me. I can feel my fear taking form, as it speaks to me with such sincerity. I sense its presence, not next to Ordelia, but right beside me. The spectator of her very being. And the worse part is, it feels like they've been there all along.