Much later, a certain wolfman stirred awake. He remained in his tomb of warmth rather than shooting up. His body was exhausted, and his post-Corruption headache did not make it any easier.

… I Corrupted.

His first thoughts baffled him. He didn't expect to Corrupt against the Head herself. But having those memories return to him caused his mind to reel, and when faced with an insurmountable wall…

… Did I want to succeed? Tch. No. I wanted to lie down and sleep forever. There's nothing I can do anymore. To Corrupt and talk about my heart. My misery. She saw my past I had long locked away.

He couldn't but wonder what Frost's intention was. The words 'the right path' came to mind, but Raoul didn't know what this meant. All paths looked the same to him. Some were worse than others.

At the end of the day, the only limitation was time. Inevitably, all paths would result in the same exact thing. Death, or worse.

"What is the point?" He asked, raising a hand to his chest.

He felt something soft.

Strange, he thought. Was the blanket covering him that thick? Why did it feel so soft and like silky strands?

He touched again with his other hand, and two small voices spoke back.

"… Ah…?"

"… Raoul…?"

"Orth… Thras…?" His gaze moved from the ceiling and fell onto a pair of heads that rested on his chest.

"Why… are you two here?"

"Told."

"And urged."

"By who?" Raoul wore a look of scorn.

The Amalgam…

"Compelled."

"By ourselves."

"Asked."

"And Head said…"

"… Do as you wish…"

Indeed. The twins had come seeking Raoul's warmth on their own accord. The Amalgam had only enabled them. Once again, he brought his eyes back onto the dimly lit metal ceiling and pondered on what the Amalgam was after.

"… Cer, Ber and Res grew up thanks to the Amalgam. But it's futile. A wasted effort. It won't stop where this world is heading to." He spoke to himself, firmly believing this to be true.

He saw a bleak future where all achievements, connections, love and possessions would one day be rendered obsolete. A kind of future that went in line with Nilhim's belief where only few would be able to exist.

"But it's comfortable. Right now."

"I'm sure it is."

Res' voice came from the hydraulic door. She only briefly nodded to greet him.

"So, Frost gave you a beating. Did you learn anything new? Have anything to say?"

"It's all so tiresome. Nothing will change."

"Things have already been changing. You just never cared to look. You're like the old me who cherrypicked what I wanted to see and what I needed to ignore just to maintain my delusion. I was hoping you'd come up with a better excuse."

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Res, who had hardly ever spoken to Raoul; and who he had remembered to be a timid girl afraid of the slightest sight of blood, reprimanded him with eyes mirroring the Head's scathing intensity.

"But I'm happy you're not dead. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that way. None of us would have wanted you to die for the sake of letting us live in that world you think exists. Even if it does, what makes you think we'd be happy to Corrupt?"

"… I've exhausted all of my excuses. But I can tell you it was sorrow that led me down that path. I have no need to do anything anymore. You've already done what I sought to do yourself."

Raoul didn't sound apologetic.

He only spoke as a matter of factly.

Indeed. What else could Raoul do now, other than work as a Repenter? What was there to repent for, when he had already acknowledged his wrongs and could not find a reason to keep moving forward?

The words he expected to burn Res only caused her to let out a disappointed sigh.

"Enjoy your hell then. And before I forget. Frost left you a few words."

"The Head again?"

"'Don't forget to remember yourself'. Frost said that you have an image problem. Raoul. Do you know what you are?"

"A mutt waiting for their last sleep. And a smoke."

"Unbelievable… I take it you'd let anything happen to any of us, even for a second time." Res barked. "Tch… I don't like believing Cer but… What happened to Raoul?"

"… Raoul is…"

Res disappeared before Raoul could answer.

He didn't have anything in mind to begin with.

Because the Raoul they once knew was long dead.

He drowned in silence. It has always been his company along with misery and despair.

But strangely, this time, he had two other companions.

"Raoul…"

"Is here…"

"Right?"

Orth and Thras pointed at his chest, right where his heart was.

But Raoul could only scoff and laugh dismissively at them.

"I wish he was."

* * *

A new tension filled Acedia's quarters.

"We're in the City of Clubs now." Horus began, slapping her hand on Sector C3 on a map splayed across a projector. "It won't be long before we hit the City of Strings."

"Yeah, we know. But why is this an emergency all of a sudden? We got an appointment." Cer raised a brow.

This caused Alcina to shake her head as Icara hastily wrote down on her sketchpad.

"The twins. You like them a lot, yeah? Weren't they like, your first crushes?"

"Sort of." Cer shrugged. "But what's that gotta do with anything?"

"Act X." Jury chimed in. "At least I think so. Aren't they under the influence of the Scripts? Did something happen?"

"Something did already. And you can thank Frost for being too enabling." Res criticized. "They broke the Commandment of a Script."

"I'll just talk to Beholder Marionette. It'll be fine." Frost said, but the room's atmosphere was anything but fine. "… Act X wouldn't be stupid enough to try to fuck with us."

"You'd think so since you're the Head, but…" Alcina elbowed Icara, who then showed her sketchpad.

"Just so we're on the same page, we're all aware that the Head and our Director Acedia are not accounted for in their predictions. It is entirely possible that they do not know you are acquainted with the twins."

"Sorry, but I'm not buying that they're ignorant." Frost said as Icara quickly moved to a new page.

"The more likely outcome is that they will still attempt to sever their strings at all costs. It is the agreed price that people must pay if they defy a Commandment. Act X has waged several skirmishes and wars on Ateliers housing Commandment violators. It is possible they will attempt to sever their strings regardless of your protection."

Icara flickered to another prewritten page as Frost's fists curled intensely.

"… You're joking, right? Act X are willing to fight against us just to cut down two strings?"

"The real reason is likely that not all Act X members are tied to the Living Loom. There are multiple Living Looms who create the Scripts besides Beholder Marionette. Ultimately, it depends on what the Living Looms determine, but even they are beholden to… (Can I write its name here?). It punishes Commandment violators very seriously. Then, there is the issue of delayed orders due to the nature of Act X's chain of command."

"The Fate Mechanism. The Advent of Purpose, huh… And Act X as well. I'm supposed to have a civil conversation with Beholder Marionette."

"I believe it's still possible. We'll just keep the twins out of sight. I'm sure the Beholder will be willing to compromise."

"No word on the Director yet. But I imagine he won't allow this to happen."

Let's hope so. It'll be our first time meeting him too.

Frost cleared her throat and sincerely hoped that Act X wouldn't be as foolish as to bear their teeth to a sanctioned Healer of the Nexus.

"As a precaution, we'll bring my Claw, and a brigade of Seci Response Moons to accompany her. I'll talk to Beholder Marionette. The last thing we need right now is infighting."

Frost didn't think it'd be that serious.

A pair of Healers who broke such a harmless Commandment could surely be forgiven.

She hoped so, otherwise, she'd have to make an example out of Act X.

… Which would also be a terrible idea, given how volatile Act X's predictions were right now.

They needed a compromise.

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