—Name: Elaine Ivas—

  —Age: 30—

  —Blood Type AB—

  —Occupation: Secretary Of Heaven Lights Inc.—

  —Public Status: Alive—

  —Do you wish to perform a deep search?—

  The air currents weakened, her hair resting just over her shoulders. She tilted her head, pulling the knife from her pregnant stomach.

  "There's nothing to settle; spilling your essence on my blade wouldn't fill the void you planted."

  "You mean your memories?" he answered. Blood poured from her wound, but her demeanor treated it like it was natural.

  "Wouldn't that be great if that was all you meddled with?"

  Hezekiah thought for a moment, looking at her stomach.

  Is her mind so far gone that she killed her own baby? And here I was regretting not reminding Sally that her mother is still alive.

  "Maybe so, but I wouldn't have expected you to still somewhat care for them."

  An icy breath escaped her lips, as if relieving frustration.

  "Care... Right, that's exactly what this is." She pointed the blade at her stomach. "The joy of bringing life again into this world still resonates within me." She jetted the knife into the same spot, snapping Hezekiah's attention.

  "Yes... That's the feeling, isn't it? After I woke up, the desire to tear everyone to pieces lived within my heart. Love was absent, empathy was non-existent."

  She met his eyes. "But soon after, I felt a kick. Subtle and innocent. It dawned on me I was pregnant. And like a tidal wave, the instincts of a mother poured into my soul, redeeming me from my suffering. As if I was experiencing love for the first time."

  Hezekiah stared wide-eyed at her. Incinerating her immediately flashed through his mind, but he wasn't sure if it was best to make a move yet, especially since he wasn't sure what she was fully capable of.

  "What are you saying exactly...?" Hezekiah faintly replied.

  "Love is more than words, and you don't know how much you love something until it's gone." She gently caressed her stomach with a loving smile. "I knew something was wrong with me upon my awakening. I feared I lost everything that made me who I am. But in the end, the blood of my son revealed to me that I still possessed such a beautiful emotion."

  "How is murdering your own child love? Do you even hear yourself?"

  Elaine twitched, her smile slightly flattening. "I thought you would've understood. Did you not feel the claw of guilt eat you away after you took that girl's life? Your eyes looked just like mine when my child's innocent substance slid down my fingers. That was proof that you understood love, just like when I had to do the same."

  "You're crazy! You did what you did because that syringe corrupted your mind, Elaine. Whatever you're experiencing isn't love, it's something else. I was right to keep your daughter and husband away from you."

  A thunderous echo zipped through the tunnel, inducing a rampant ringing in Hezekiah's ears. Dust fell from above as the air shifted into something denser.

  He squinted his eyes, keeping his sights on her. He noticed the tunnel walls were splintered with cracks, as well as the track beneath them

  She's angry?

  "Hypocrite... You turned my lover into a corpse and erased my daughter's existence. I craved the warmth of them both, and now, I have no one else to prove my affection to. Nothing else to make me feel human."

  Hezekiah tensed his eyes.

  How long has she been watching? She's not only aware of what happened to Reed and Sally, but my fight with Cevine and Jin as well? Wait... Could she be the presence I felt when I was walking through the walls in the hospital?

  "A hypocrite, you might be right about that," he softly agreed. "That's also why I promised Sally to bring the three of you together again. That's what you want too, isn't it?"

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  Elaine didn't move her lips, her eyes glowing in ambiguity, as if searching for something.

  "I don't know... And I don't know why the desire isn't there, but there is one thing I currently wish for, something that only you can give me."

  Hezekiah had just finished writing a rule. "If it's not my life you're chasing, then what are you expecting of me?"

  Elaine pointed towards her chest. "I wonder if it's possible for my Master to experience what we went through."

  Hezekiah raised his brows. "Whatever that's supposed to mean, I'm not interested." Hezekiah withdrew the multi-colored deck from his pocket, flinging a red-edged card. It sliced through the air, aiming for her neck.

  A black tendril shot forth from the ground, piercing the card dead in the center. The tendril twisted and coiled like a snake before pelting toward Hezekiah. It froze in place just outside the Custom Boundary, as if there was a repelling force.

  "Of course... You truly are the agent of misfortune, ready to blot out the last of the three, despite you being the origin of all this." She curled her knuckles. "How is it fair that your existence is at the cost of our lives?"

  The tendril retracted, striking again along with other black tendrils. The invisible force withstood the onslaught. Hezekiah noticed the punctured card fading, reappearing on the top of the deck, fully restored.

  The cards are strong enough to crack concrete, but their strength lies in their edges. In that case...

  Hezekiah selected a higher-numbered card. He tracked the tendrils' movements with his eye lens before tossing the card at their predicted path.

  It sliced through them like water, severing a few from the rest of their form.

  "For someone who thinks they killed their baby through their own will, you sure have a lot to complain about."

  The remaining tendrils retreated. They swerved in place as more erupted from the ground.

  "Am I confusing to you? Who's fault do you think that is?!"

  Her throat swelled before shooting forth her tongue. Barbed protrusions were on its sides; it circled around the boundary before arching high in the air.

  But the same effect persisted, preventing it from entering within the Boundary.

  "It's useless trying to kill me here, Elaine." Hezekiah threw another card, splitting her tongue in two.

  Elaine groaned as blood sprayed from the wound. She rolled back her tongue, holding her mouth. Her shoulders stiffened as he aimed the pen at her.

  Hezekiah, picking up on her reaction, dryly smiled.

  "You fear this too, don't you?"

  Elaine wiped the blood off her lips, inspecting the Custom Boundary.

  "And you're afraid of stepping out."

  "So what? I can easily kill you anytime I want."

  Elaine's laugh was shallow. "I wonder about that, but I think my true target may find that to be difficult."

  "True target?"

  "If you'd only listened, then maybe I would've made it less painful for her, but maybe you'll have to see her ripped apart before your eyes for you to fully understand us."

  Hezekiah focused on her strange look, working to piece together her intentions.

  "You wouldn't..." he muttered. Flames burst from the pen, scorching the walls and tracks, charging toward Elaine like a pack of wolves.

  The flames filled the tunnel, blackening everything.

  He recalled the flames. The dark air began to clear, the railroad tracks were no more, and the infrastructure was more damaged than ever.

  The coldness left his skin, the familiar dry air returned.

  Fortunately, the Custom Boundary remained intact. He sighed in relief, but instead of departing, he waited—listening for anything, scanning the walls and the deep darkness of the tunnel.

  Nothing.

  Nevertheless, his nerves remained tense. He thought about stepping out, but a mental image of him immediately being impaled made him shiver.

  He let moments go by, sorting through his thoughts as the adrenaline subsided.

  If that's her plan, then she won't bother killing me here. That wouldn't satisfy her.

  Hezekiah kicked a rock in frustration before departing from the Custom Boundary.

  Corrupted mind or not, if she dares touch Falina, then I'll play her game twenty times worse.

  His card deck flashed, signifying it was restocked. He hid them in his pocket, noticing he was now on tracks again.

  Hezekiah thought for a brief period, his blood faintly boiling beneath.

  "She must've known I would've tried to kill her with my flames. Did she deliberately provoke me to destroy the tracks, in order to cause everyone's demise when the train goes by?"

  He saw a small light at the end of the tunnel; faint chatter and static announcements gradually populated the silence.

  He made his pen disappear just in case, and he lifted his hood before emerging from the tunnel.

  The lights were bright, animated display screens played their mundane jingle.

  A few stood on the edge of the platform, as if they were contemplating deeply about something. One of them noticed Hezekiah; their eyes were dark, as if they hadn't slept in days. He soon looked away, however, lacking any interest.

  "Took long enough," Hezekiah stated. He pulled himself up the platform; eyes followed while children were pulled back by their parents.

  "Did he just walk out of that tunnel? What the hell was he doing down there?" a man voiced.

  "Bet he was huffing those leaves, probably looking for more of that good stuff."

  Hezekiah inhaled deeply, allowing the soft air to comfort his lungs.

  "Yup, this is definitely Sector 19. Where raw thoughts fly unfiltered and no one gives a damn. This is perfect."