damned_institute | Nightshift 43: The Sphinx's Chamber

At the sight of the golden room, Anise's tired eyes lit up with life once again. The Head Doctor's interior decorating was usually gag-worthy, but this was pretty impressive. The golden monster in the center of the room also kind of seemed to match the decor.

...Gold monster? That was what Guy described to her before. What did he say it was called? A spink? Maybe she should have paid more attention to that part of the story. Anise never imagined she'd end up facing it herself.

Its face looked a lot like a person's, she noticed. It was supposed to be able to talk, right? Anise considered saying something to it first, but she wasn't sure what one normally said to giant golden people-lions. That, and she didn't want to hint to Sync that she knew what was going on. So she feigned ignorance and merely stared up at the thing in awe.

"Um... are you sure this room looked better than the other one?" she asked Sync without looking at him.

Unlike the last room, which was dim and somewhat foreboding, this one was much more inviting in comparison. He had to wonder if the gold doors in the other hall held something similar, but dwelling in the past was rather pointless now.

The warm colors along were enough to calm him, and yet his gaze had befallen upon the statue that resided in the middle. It looked strange at best with its creature-like body and human face, but Sync made no move to get a closer look. He didn't know what the purpose was for this room, and so taking precaution by staying near the door was the best choice for now. But even then...

"It hasn't attacked us yet, has it," Sync joked lightly.

Edited 2009-09-17 05:25 (UTC)

"Be careful," a voice rumbled from the center of the room. One of the sphinx's emerald eyes opened to appraise the group impassively. "Whether or not you come out of here alive depends only on your wits and cooperation..."

He trailed off and opened his other eye as he frowned.

"Hmph. A bit young to be risking your necks down here, aren't you?"

Oh, wow. It talked. Somehow, the novelty was wearing off fast and not because she was impressed. After the zombies, ghosts (hell, maybe there were zombie ghosts running around, it wouldn't surprise her at this point), and finding a lava pit inside of a place it had no right to be in, a giant cat, human face or no, wasn't going to faze her.

Not that she didn't act afraid. "We're... We're at risk here?" she asked out nervously, shuffling herself closer behind Anise and in front of the door as she gazed up at the speaking monstrosity. "I'm sorry! We didn't mean to disturb you, I mean-..." She trailed off, teary eyed and frighted at what horrible fate could be in store for them this time! Dahlia glanced over to Sync. "Did we?"

If the answer was "no," fine. But if was yes and they failed this, she'd be finding some channelers just so she could murder him again. Preferably Pearl and Maya, that would be two treats in one.

Even though she knew it was coming, Anise flinched when the creature suddenly spoke in a loud voice. Its eyes and its voice were so human-like it was kind of unsettling.

"O-oh, are you concerned about us? That's really nice of you," Anise commented with an awkward, nervous giggle. She had a feeling that wasn't it at all, but it was the first time a monster actually tried to warn her ahead of time about anything.

"Looks like we actually have a chance to turn back here," she whispered to the two behind her. "Shouldn't we maybe... you know?" There wasn't much hope of Sync actually listening to her suggestion, but she just had to get it out there. Even if they weren't going to be hopping over any more lava pits, this was still seriously dangerous.

If she remembered right, Guy said he'd had to answer a riddle to get through that room, and failing to answer would have meant... well, bad news. Not only was Anise not that great at riddles and puzzles, but she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate well enough to make her best attempt. She felt a little dizzy, and she supposed it was her own fault for not eating properly, but all the stress around her sure didn't help. Her face was somewhat pale, though she wasn't quite aware of it.

And if that wasn't enough to ruin her ability to focus, there was still the problem of the intercom. The loud screaming continued with no sign of stopping anytime soon. Among the anguished voices, Anise thought she could make out a quieter, calmer voice. She wasn't even sure it was there, but for some reason, it bothered her.

Edited 2009-09-18 19:14 (UTC)

At that point in time Sync may as well have been alone, wide eyes fixated on the beast when it suddenly spoke. Dahlia and Anise's voices couldn't have been farther from his mind as he stepped forward, though the majestic scene lost some of its charm when the creature commented rather bluntly. However, he swallowed down the urge to bite back.

"Being young doesn't mean anything," Sync answered passively, thumb rubbing up against the sword's handle while he spoke. "We've gotten this far, haven't we?"

The creature's first words hadn't been lost to the teen, and so he took the time to backtrack.

"But what do you mean 'wits and cooperation'? What kind of trial is this?"

The sphinx regarded all of the young adventurers with an even glare as they spoke. Once they were done, he crossed his monstrously huge paws over each other, sighing as if in exasperation.

"You certainly have the option of turning back if you choose," he said in something of a grumble. "I admit I would not take immense joy in ending lives so young as yours, but if you are able to answer one of my riddles correctly, all of you will leave here unscathed and with a reward. However," he added, a little more brightly, "if you lose, I might be able to finally get off my pedestal and get some... exercise."

The sphinx glanced up, eyes glinting.

"The true question, of course, is whether or not you are willing to risk your lives on your wit."

'Exercise'? Suggesting killing the three of them would require more than a giant paw squishing them into adorable little piles of dead? Please. He gave them too much credit.

Though that did make her think behind her Anise-shield. "Finally" implied that it had been a long, long while since he could do anything. Dahlia wasn't as simple as to believe they were the first ones down here, especially since getting to this door took all of what? Five minutes? If the poor thing was that bored and eager to do some smashing, how hard could his cutesy little riddles be? Ha! What was he going to make them do, count how many people got on and off the morning bus in Oshkosh, Wisconsin? Find how many legs a milkmaid and her husband came across while waltzing through the countryside? Ask them what was black, white, and red all over?

Tch. Like anything this ugly mash could do to them would be harder or more painful than what they just got out of. Oh, she was so scared.

So she peered over Annie's shoulder and spoke up to the thing with a meek little voice. "...What kind of riddle?" If they had to fill a three gallon jug perfectly with two-liter bottles before a bomb went off, she was going to be very disappointed in their little riddley friend.

"Right? Killing a bunch of injured kids like us wouldn't be any fun at all! It'd be a waste to even get up for something that boring," Anise hastily added to the monster's explanation, still smiling nervously. Saying things like that probably wasn't going to influence the creature's decisions, but a girl could always hope.

It looked like Sync was ignoring everything she and Dahlia said on purpose. That jerk. Anise didn't want to end up dead just because he didn't know when to quit!

"So how good are you at wordplay and stuff?" she asked the God-General. From the flatness in her voice, it was clear she didn't expect he had much experience with it. Sync had only lived a few years, and probably spent most of that time learning more important things. He didn't listen to any of her other appeals, but maybe there was hope of him backing down if he realized they could be at a disadvantage here.

Sync would've scoffed if he could, but instead he remained cool and collected while the creature pined to get some 'exercise'.

So they really were being given a chance to turn back? But with a challenge like that the God-General refused to back down, even when it was obvious that Anise was doubtful of his abilities. She may have had a point; after all, he only lived about a quarter of the Guardian's life in comparison. However, he wasn't about to start treating it like a handicap.

"I'm probably better at it than you," Sync answered, finally looking over his shoulder at Anise with a slight grin.

"I say we go for it. At least we're not jumping over lava."

"However, you are jumping to conclusions," the sphinx replied to Sync's confident declaration. He then turned towards Dahlia and Anise, frowning slightly. "As to what kind of the riddle and the rules of the game..."

He raised his head, staring forward as it made what seemed to be its usual recitation.

"Here, you have the option of being asked a riddle for a very worthy prize. Once I have given the question, you will have five minutes to think and one chance to answer correctly; should any one of you address me with a wrong answer or should you find yourselves unable to respond within five minutes' time, you will have to challenge me in a wholly different way.

"Choose wisely. Should you turn down my challenge, you will be free to return the way you came. Should you choose to stay, the doors behind you will shut and only a correct response will get you out with the prize."

The sphinx paused before looking back down at the humans.

"So. Which will it be?"

[skipping Dahlia by request]

Even though they hadn't done anything strenuous in a while, that dizzy feeling wasn't letting up. What was even weirder was that Anise felt a little bit short of breath, like she'd been running for a while. She was pretty sure skipping meals didn't normally cause that kind of reaction, though it wasn't like she did it often. In the meantime, she just did her best to focus on what was going on, without thinking about how tired she was or where it hurt or what the intercom was doing.

...And it looked like she still wasn't getting through to Sync. That moron! He really was bent on getting them all killed, wasn't he!?

"This whole trip is going to end up being a waste if we get killed here," she griped at the God-General. Not to mention it'd be a waste of their lives, but she knew Sync well enough to realize that might not be much of a deterrent to him. But it looked like he wanted to solve the puzzles of the basement for some reason, so maybe he'd realize being reckless here could blow his chances of that.

This time Sync did react to the creature's remark, chuckling lowly though he refrained from saying anything else. It was obvious enough that he wasn't afraid of this challenge, even when it appeared to be just as dangerous as the last set of rooms they've been in. It was probably that way for every room in this basement.

But what would be stopping Landel from just reviving them again? It probably wouldn't be without a price, but it wasn't like they were any closer to finding out a way of escaping.

"But we won't if we stay level-headed about this." By then Sync had turned to face Anise fully, gracing her with a frown.

"Don't you want to go back home? Don't you want to restore Auldrant? Isn't that what you've been trying to do for years?"

His frown disappeared, replaced with an unreadable expression.

"Or is home just not worth going back to without him?"

[aaand post order change with permission]

Anise tensed as Sync spoke. Dahlia was right there, so she had to force herself not to lash out in anger. Restore Auldrant? Of course she wanted that. But Sync was the last person she wanted to hear anything like that from! Helping Auldrant couldn't be farther from what he planned to do when they got out!

Was that it? Did Sync just hate everyone so much that he was willing to go through all this just so he could go back to Auldrant and destroy them?

And he had the nerve to bring up Ion at a time like this, too! As usual, he managed to hit a sore spot. It wasn't just Ion... most of Anise's family and friends were all here. She didn't really have a home on Auldrant to go back to, if those people weren't there. But that was all the more reason to want to win against Landel...

"None of your business!" the girl snapped, shooting Sync an angry look before having to turn her head away. It was hard to look at him and think about Ion at the same time. Besides that, there were a lot of things she wanted to say, but she couldn't in front of Dahlia. It was frustrating. Finally, Anise let out an exasperated sigh. Maybe the monster would kill her, maybe Sync would kill her. But there was still a chance that this was her ticket out. She didn't know if it was the right decision or not, but she was too angry and exhausted to rethink it before speaking again.

"Fine. Do what you want!"

Even after everything that happened Anise was still as predictable as ever, but Sync refrained from sneering at her when she snapped back. Really, she was only angry because he was right.

Instead the God-General graced her with an apologetic smile, almost as if he was sorry for cornering her like that. Of course, he would've dragged her into this regardless, but it certainly made things easier for him when she actually cooperated. Figuring that they were done 'discussing' their options, Sync spun back around to face the monster with a serious expression.

"We accept your challenge."

There was no turning back now.

"It's about time," the sphinx grumbled in a wholly unprofessional way as he shifted on his haunches to look down at the challengers. As promised, the doors shut behind the group as the sphinx's voice began to recite the riddle, loud and clear.

"I build up castles. I tear down mountains. I make some men blind; I help others to see. What am I?"

The sphinx paused, then bowed its head.

"You have five minutes."

Poor, pitiful Dahlia just couldn't believe these two were arguing at a time like this! The more they went on, the more she just shuffled herself away from the two of them and closer to the door, hands clutched to her chest like she was just pleading for them to stop it! They were all friends, weren't they? They had gone through so much together, beaten so many horrible odds in their adventures, proven that together they could go through anything, climb any obstacle, beat riddle, and soar through any sky! The power of their new friendship would be written in the stars!

So why were Syncie and Annie fighting?! It was so horrible! They just kept going on, too! Their angry words were like wounds ripping inside of her very soul, leaving her with tears in her eyes. So... so frightening, to see them this way...

Oh, they stopped. A shame. She was having so much fun with that improv, too. Not as good as watching the lovebirds bicker like the idiots they were with a nice bucket of popcorn in hand, but fine. They had come to a decision.

Kitty-cat up there spouted off its little riddle and Dahlia payed full attention to it. Build castles, tear mountains, men blind, others see... Hm. It was weird, but she could have sworn she had heard that one before, a long time ago. The answer she was thinking of made no sense, though...

Ugh, this riddle was stupid. She looked at Anise and Sync, like they'd be smart enough to figure it out.

As soon as she heard the doors close, Anise wondered if she was going to regret this. Too late to worry about that, though, wasn't it? She just had to listen carefully and think hard.

Build up castles, tear down mountains, make some men blind, make others see. She repeated it in her head like a mantra until every word was firmly locked in her memory. Now... how did she even begin trying to solve it?

Maybe a good start would be making a list of things that fit one clue, and seeing which ones worked with other clues. Like, there were only so many things that could tear mountains down, right? Like water and wind. Wind could blind people, and it could clear fog... but it couldn't build anything. Even trying to think of any figurative sort of "castle-building," it didn't fit.

Damn it. This was why riddles were so annoying! The time limit sure didn't help. Knowing her life was riding on whether or not they came up with the right answer just made it harder to think.

A wave of dizziness hit her suddenly, and Anise's vision blackened. The girl closed her eyes for a few seconds, hoping it would pass. It did, but when she opened them again, she was looking not at the golden chamber, but at a dimly lit cave-like place. Above her, she saw Luke and Tear's faces, both of them giving her strange, sad looks.

But in an instant, they were gone. What was that? It seemed so familiar, but it couldn't have been...

No, she had to focus. Anise glanced at the others in the room briefly, wondering if maybe they saw anything weird too, then lowered her gaze to the less distracting floor. They had to solve this, now.

I build up castles. I tear down mountains. I make some men blind; I help others to see. What am I?

Unlike the other two, Sync didn't bother to remain introverted, but he did keep his voice low enough in order to make sure the creature didn't mistake them as prematurely answering the riddle.

"Build castles, tear down mountains... rocks build castles, but rocks are what make up mountains not destroy them..."

The God-General frowned, deciding to contemplate the second half of their riddle.

"Make some people blind and help others to see..." With enough thought Sync had come across the same conclusion that Anise had. "Strong winds could blind people, and it could also clear fog, and maybe it can even erode mountains but..."

For a brief moment Sync was beginning to regret accepting the creature's challenge. At least in the elemental rooms he only had to rely on his physical attributes and quick thinking. Deep, methodical contemplation on a riddle whose words might've meant something entirely different just wasn't his thing.

Oddly enough, Anise's earlier question had come into mind at that time. How good was he at wordplay? In fact, it was those words that got him thinking in another direction, and he couldn't help but look up at Anise and Dahlia with narrowed eyes.

"What if these words are meant to have more than one meaning," Sync suggested. "Castles and mountains... those might only mean one thing, but..."

He closed his eyes, completely focused on their task.

"Blind... and see. Or maybe the sea."

For a moment Sync thought about light. Light often blinded people and lighthouses prevented sailors from crashing into the rocky shore and keeping them in sea... but it couldn't build castles or tear down mountains. Rocks didn't shrink no matter how long they were under the sun.

This was so frustrating!

Edited 2009-09-21 16:58 (UTC)

This puzzle was grade school stuff, things she had done a million times. It was easy, it was stupid, and it was a waste of her night. Worse, though? She couldn't think it through. For the life of her, it just wouldn't stick. Even under the threat of death or worse, her mind just kept going back to how much her back was starting to hurt or the giant, creepy cat staring down at her. It wasn't the best condition to be doing timed riddles in.

"Well," she started hesitantly, "men can build castles and cut into mountains... And, I guess time can do all of that too..." She tilted her down, looking at the floor below. Why was this so hard? All they had to do was find something that could fit all the criteria and make sure it was the right one.

This was stupid.

"What about sand? Sandcastles, erosion... it can get into your eyes." She let out a little sheepish laugh, but it died really quickly. Even the idiot she portrayed herself as would know this was no time for humor. "It... can't make you see though, if we aren't talking about the sea."

Anise could tell Sync didn't read a lot of poetry. Castles and mountains could have plenty of metaphorical meanings! ...Not that she knew what they were.

I told you so. If they died here, she was going to tell that to Sync over and over for the whole of their afterlives. That stupid bastard...

The girl perked up when Dahlia offered a suggestion. Sand castles? Maybe she was on to something! ...Or not. Anise's shoulders sagged when she realized that didn't work either. Of course sand couldn't help you see. It dirtied things up, blew in your face, hurt like hell if it got near your eyes...

...Wait a second.

"What about glass?" Anise piped in suddenly. "Like, glasses? They make that out of sand, right?"

She paused, uncertain. "Do... you think that might be it?" Their lives were depending on this. They couldn't just blurt out the first answer that seemed to fit. There could still be something better, maybe.

Given that Dahlia had been quiet the entire time, Sync couldn't help but glance over at her when she finally spoke, offering her two cents into the pile.

"... You can make castles out of sand?" The God-General made a face, but the fact that Anise had nothing to say against Dahlia's words probably meant that she had a formidable answer. He merely nodded when the Guardian asked if glass could be made out of sand, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"They do," he answered, letting the thought linger before continuing.

"It actually works for both of our meanings," Sync pointed out, quirking an eyebrow. "Glass can be made with sand, and sand is what makes up a seashore."

The smartest thing would've been to go over their options a final time, but he doubted they had enough time to do even that. And so, without warning, the God-General glanced up at the creature, making sure it understood that he was answering.

"The answer is sand."

The sphinx paused, as if considering, and then frowned

"Very good, humans. It would seem I need to..."

He sighed.

"Nevermind."

The creature, falling back into its normal routine, turned its head and reached backwards with a foreleg, as if grabbing something from underneath his sizeable bulk. Once he finished, he outstretched his paw and presented to the humans their prize: A miniature shield made of silver and engraved with unknown markings.

"This is the Coliseum Shield," the sphinx said, tone somber. "I have handed out many versions of it in my long days, but I have yet to hear of a man, woman, or child for whom it has brought nothing but misery."

As if foreseeing hesitant looks from the humans, he sighed. "No, there is nothing evil about the artifact itself, but where it will take you is certainly a place of death and despair. I warn you now, humans, that I can give you directions, but their destination is not for the faint of will and heart.

"In the ballroom, you might have noticed a door to the south--one of such intricacy that it either repulses or entices all who see it. That is the door to the Coliseum, and should you find the partner to this artifact in the east end of this basement, you will find yourself able to enter so long as you are willing to make a sacrifice. Should you survive the trials within, from which many venture but few return... You will be able to proceed further into the bowels of this heinous Institute."

The sphinx bowed his head and then laid down on his haunches again, his paw still outstretched.

"That is all that I can tell you. I wish you luck."

He closed his eyes and went still.

What? Wait! Sync, that moron, was going to answer with sand?! There was no way that was the right answer! That was just nonsense off the top of her head-

...

Oh.

She knew this was stupid.

Kitty went on to produce some sort of shield to them and continued to ramble, but Dahlia was hardly listening. A coliseum, in the middle of this dump? Was that what Sync was so itching to get into? Of course he would, the time-waster. Dahlia almost scoffed as she stepped forward and went to grab the thing (hey, it was her answer, therefore her shield. If Sync wanted to drag her through hell again, he was going to have to make it up to her. Besides, she was the only one with a bag), fingers delicately tracing each little marking on the surface.

"Hey, wait--!"

Anise only barely managed to get the words out of her mouth before the monster replied, affirming that the answer was correct. She sighed heavily. That idiot, blurting out the answer so quickly! What if they were wrong!?

She listened to the monster's words, though as she did, another dizzy spell hit. Figuring this one would pass too, she kept standing and tried to wait it out. Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky this time. Her vision dimmed, and the sounds around her seemed to grow distant. Her legs felt weak.

There was a loud clatter as Anise's mallet and flashlight dropped to the floor. The girl also fell, landing on her knees and slumping forward before regaining some awareness. Her hands shot down to the floor for some much-needed balance. Her sight returned, and her hearing slowly began to clear. As it did, she was able to hear the intercom again, but it sounded different. That calm voice Anise only thought she heard earlier was clear as day now.

"...Don't look at me like that. There are plenty of replacements for me..."

Anise froze in horror, staring upward, looking to wherever the sound seemed to come from. That was Ion's voice. Ion's voice was on the intercom. Why!? What were those bastards thinking!?

It was getting harder to breathe. Like her body had to work harder just to get the usual amount of air. And it hurt. Not just in her chest, but everywhere. "Something's wrong," she gasped. This wasn't just dizziness or sore muscles. This was something completely different.

Unlike the other two, Sync could only smirk when the creature confirmed that his answer was correct. He didn't protest when Dahlia made a move for the shield; after all, it technically was her answer, and as long as Anise didn't have it then he was fine with that. However, it sounded like the monster had more to say, and so the God-General quietly listened when it warned them about the 'perils' they were to face if they decided to continue.

"A coliseum..." he murmured, watching the creature settle back down with tired eyes. He'd already assumed that the sword they picked up earlier was some kind of key to the south door, but it was both surprising and not to hear that it housed something that was supposedly even more dangerous than what they already endured. Death and despair, huh?

But why would Guy and the others be going after something like this? Either they didn't care about the dangers, or they were still completely oblivious after all this time. Either way, Sync was determined to find out.

Except he was torn from his thoughts when a loud clatter echoed throughout the room, followed by Anise collapsing soon after. Sync watched her fall through his peripherals, finally turning towards her and made his way over until he could kneel down to her level.

"What is it?" The God-General figured that it was nothing more than a ploy to prevent them from going any farther.

Dahlia was awfully transfixed with her little prize. It shimmered and reflected light in just the right way when she held it, fitting in the palm of her hands like it was made just to fit there. Why should she give it away to Sync? So he can kill himself in some coliseum? What did he want to do so much that he just had to have it, punch a lion? Tch. It didn't matter for now. For now, this shield was hers and she would enjoy it.

She had to wonder how much it would it would go for if she sold it? It looked valuable, very ornate and charming. She could just sneak it away tomorrow night, run off from the building with Kibby or someone like that and hawk it off to someone for a pretty penny. Then she could dump Kibby, take the money, and live happily every after, away from this madness.

Mm, that sounded good.

Alas, poor daydream, she knew ye well. Anise collapsed to the floor and, like a good girl, Dahlia slipped the shield into her bag and rushed down to her side. "Annie! Are you okay?!" Whatever it was, it better be good.

Each breath that Anise took was slower, deeper, and more labored than the last. Her face had grown deathly pale, and she was fighting to stay conscious.

As she listened, she could hear Luke's voice, too. That conversation... it was the one they had just before Ion died. Why was that being played on the intercom!? Sync and Dahlia were beside her now, but neither of them seemed to react to the change in the intercom's broadcast. "Can't you... hear that?" she asked in a weak voice, watching Sync's face for any signs of recognition. It wasn't an experience she wanted to share with him, but it was definitely weird that he hadn't made any comment on it yet.

Why did she feel so weak? And why was she the only one affected by whatever it was? She hadn't done anything or gone anywhere different than Sync or Dahlia had. Had she? The pain kept getting worse, and she was feeling more and more light-headed, but her head was suddenly cleared when she was hit by a chilling realization. This was what Ion went through.

It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? While Ion's last moments were broadcast over the intercom, she was feeling the same weakness and pain that he must have felt at that exact time. But if that was the case, then what was going to happen to her if this didn't stop soon? Was she going to... die?

I should have died instead. How many times had she told herself that while crying over Ion? Part of Anise felt like maybe she deserved this, but without knowing how or why it was happening, she couldn't accept that. Once the fear began to sink in, Anise felt her body tremble uncontrollably. She couldn't stop it. She was terrified.

"This... this can't be happening..."

"Hear what," Sync asked with a frown. "I can't hear anything above that racket on the intercom."

Really, if Anise wanted a break she could've just asked instead of causing such a commotion. Yet the God-General wasn't blind; her face had grown much paler than it usual, and her labored breaths sounded more like gasps than anything. For a moment Sync wondered if this was also part of the trial they partook in, but other than the usual aches he felt nothing out of the ordinary. What ever was happening to Anise was affecting her and her alone.

If it weren't for Dahlia being nearby he would've smiled. Watching the Guardian gasp and shake like that was more than enough to make up for what he'd gone through. It only served her right for trying to be useful when she was just as useless as the rest of this institute. In fact, upon retrospect, it was only fitting for a weak Fon Master to have chosen such a weak Guardian in return.

But Sync didn't say any of that. Instead he reached out and touched Anise's cheek, watching on with an unreadable expression while he spoke.

"What's wrong...?"

Hear that? Hear what?

"M-me either!" Maybe Anise was just going psycho and hearing voices that weren't there. If her idea of a good time was to parade around with Sync, hell, Dahlia wouldn't fault her brain for taking a permanent lunch break. But still, she couldn't have herself show that apathy to a sick and frightened girl, could she?! "What do you hear?!" Her hands trembled when she put them on Anise's shoulders, face contorted in fear and worry like she was the one suffering from... whatever she was going through. The point stood that she was so worried for her new friend!

What was it with this night? Everything that could have gone wrong did and she didn't even get to see anyone collapse over and die for all her trouble. If Anise strained herself with worry until she had a heart attack, well, at least Dahlia could wake up with a smile knowing that at least one of the two thorns in her side suffered a painful demise.

Really. Was she going to flip her lid that badly over nothing? Tch. What a waste of space.

They were asking her what she was hearing. They really couldn't hear it? But it was on the intercom!

"You don't have to...watch over me...any more...Anise..."

If Anise had been in a more stable frame of mind, she wouldn't have considered giving an honest answer with Sync next to her. But as she was, all the girl could think about was the pain in her body, the fear of what it might lead to, and how could those two act like they didn't hear something that was so clearly playing in the room?

"Voices... Ion's voice..." Even though the words came out of Anise's mouth, it didn't sound at all like her voice. It was too weak and breathy. Normally, Anise would correct that. She'd straighten up, smile, and tell everyone that she was just fine - but she couldn't this time. Why couldn't she!? Dahlia looked terrified, and she just hated the thought of Sync seeing her so vulnerable like this.

It felt like her body was being shredded into little pieces. No... that was exactly what was happening. Her fonons were separating, and... and she was going to fade away and disappear. What was going to happen after that? To Guy and the Colonel, to her Mama and Papa, to Ion... She was never going to see any of them again. There were so many things Anise kept bottled up inside, that she wanted to tell them but never could, and now it was too late.

She couldn't be brave like Ion was. She wasn't ready to die! Didn't Ion feel the same way, when this happened to him? How could he just accept it? How could he forgive her for it?

"Thank you...for everything... My most...cherished..."

"Ion..."

Anise could feel her eyes welling up with tears, but she didn't have the strength to cry. It was over.

The girl's body fell limp as the last of her energy escaped her. Soon after, it faded into nothingness.

Nightshift 43: The Sphinx's Chamber

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