XXV

"Six Feet Under."

Saeran has entered the chatroom.

Saeran: What have you done to me?!

Saeran: I almost figured you wouldn't be in this room. You fear what is going to happen to you now, don't you?

Saeran: Do you think this is funny? You've gone and done it now.

Saeran: There's no getting back into my favor, not after you tried that... not after you... ugh.

Saeran: That bug isn't back. If you thought he was, you're lying to yourself.

Saeran: That airhead will never come back. That loser will never come back. That weakling will never come back! This body cannot last without me. Because I'm strong. That weak skeleton will always let people hurt him.

Saeran: He'll always be scared and shiver.

Saeran: I won't.

Saeran: I'm nothing like him! My rage is my shield. If I don't get angry, If I don't have my rage, I cannot survive with this body.

Saeran: Do you get it? I'm right. I'm the right one. I'm the right one to stay. I'm always going to be the monster that you face in the end.

Saeran: I will always be the inevitable solution. Saeran is everything in the end. Ray is nothing.

Saeran: ...Ugh. I've got such a headache because of you!

Saeran: Hey, Lila, I don't like how confident you must feel right now. You thought you were so great and you actually woke that skeleton and chatted with him but you didn't... it was... just another game with you.

Saeran: You're nothing but a useless toy!

Saeran: I don't even know what punishment you deserve... oh, wait.

Saeran: I told you I would get rid of you, didn't I?

Saeran: Do you think I was joking when I said I'll throw you out?

Saeran: I told you that I was strong. I'm strong without anyone by my side. I'm strong. I'm strong enough to do anything I want!

Saeran: I can do that... I can do that at any time... I can make them... get rid of you... I can... do that.

Saeran: I won't.. even feel anything about it! You'll be gone. You'll be gone for good... no more princess!

Saeran: I'll go tell savior to get rid of you right now.

Saeran: That's all I need to do. That's what I have to do.

Saeran: Get lost from this world forever with that pathetic prince of yours.

Saeran: You're dead.

Saeran: The End.

Saeran has left the chatroom.

Lila thought she was going to ruin everything, didn't she? She simply believed that she was going to be able to destroy and dismantle paradise with her dirty little tricks, and somehow she had lulled Ray from his eternal slumber for a brief moment. The reconnaissance from the believers located on or around that floor had confirmed a commotion and a dazed Saeran exiting the room in a hurry, as well as a hurried conversation where Lila repeated the supposedly dead boy's name. This naive dream of the princess was going to be destroyed, inevitably. She had better have something else coming as anything she had tried thusly had been a pain... but it hadn't broken Saeran.

How could it have?

This just... a small mishap in their life. A... oh, what did you call them? A feud between two siblings...? A little rivalry between sisters? Yes, it was nothing more than that. A young girl throwing a tantrum because she didn't like the rules that had been set for her! Rika clenched her fist and tried to keep her composure until her loyal followers left the room and she had the moment for herself, alone.

This wasn't a stalemate.

No, this game was nearing its end and the winner was she, not Lila.

She thought she had captured a pawn on the chessboard but Rika was holding the checkmark right in front of her, this... this small mishap meant nothing. Lila could never bring back a dead boy. Ray would never be coming back, not after the hours of darkness and reconditioning to bring out his better, and stronger alter. This was only an unfortunate effect from Saeran's special elixir... the dissociation and loss of self occurred often with that specific dosage that she had been giving to Saeran for quite some time now.

This wasn't Ray.

That spineless boy would not be back to cause trouble in paradise.

Rika would make sure of this fact.

Chest heaving and lungs burning, Saeran barged into her throne room with bated breath and angry coursing up his spine. Such a disheveled state he had found himself in, and yet, it was sincerely a relief to see such a tantrum from the boy. He had nearly come straight to his Savior after this tragic incident, and that meant his faith had not wavered in the slightest.

"My Savior," He fumbled his greeting but it came out hard. "It's Lila! There's no hope for that useless airhead, she's at her limit and I can't stand it anymore! We need to get rid of her! Get rid of Lila! She's never going to willingly obey me, and that means she'll never listen to you, my Savior. She thinks she still can try and play games with all of us. She thought she could try and make that bug come back, she thought she could make me leave, but she couldn't! He won't stick around. You warned me about this and I can't stand it anymore. I can't take her nonsense anymore! That toy needs to be destroyed before she thinks she's capable of destroying us. Those awful eyes of hers need to go away!"

Rika did not say anything immediately. She merely strode over to the boy as he sank to his knees in front of her, and rested her hand against his shoulder for a moment as he stared up at her. "I'm so very glad you've come to your senses, Saeran." She said with confidence. "It's taken some time but I knew you would make your mind eventually. You couldn't possibly go on playing with the princess forever without realizing how infuriating it is. She tried to destroy you, and we can't have that, now, can we?"

He nodded his head. "She thought... she thought she made that bug come back, but there's hardly anything left of that moron to come back," Saeran hissed, lowly, green eyes staring up his Savior. His thoughts were so blurred by his anger, and his rage. It was a splendid sight to see Saeran dart around with such illicit thoughts, but he was on the brink of babbling. "I... There's no way he's ever going to come out again...! I won't let that happen. I can't let that happen. So... That's why she needs to be destroyed now, not later! There's no hope for this toy. She can't think she can destroy us... me! I won't have it, my Savior! We can't let her ruin everything!"

"There's no need to beg of me, Saeran. I knew this was inevitable... sooner or later, Lila would have to be destroyed just like Ray. It's a shame but that's the way things have to be. They weren't meant for the world we live in, only the strong survive in paradise. You needn't worry about being destroyed, Saeran, you're the strongest... nobody could break your control here... Lila only wanted you to believe you couldn't be that. The only reason the princess thought Ray came back was that she tried to twist your mind, and break you down with her unfathomable light. But you didn't let that happen, Saeran. You came running back to the truth, didn't you?"

Saeran's breathing was still erratic but he bowed his head. "Yes... my Savior. I know the darkness is the real strength. I know our way... I know what it means. I am the strongest in the darkness... I should never doubt that. I shouldn't have hesitated and let her screw with my head as she did. It won't happen again."

Rika's voice worked him through his fears and concerns just like clockwork. "It's alright, Saeran, I forgive your transgressions. She may be a fool but she has such a way with her words that could destroy anyone. I know because we are blood, and our blood makes us very similar... but that doesn't mean she is worthy yet of such a bond. It doesn't mean I have to acknowledge her yet... not until she is completely on our side. She uses her ability for the wrong in the world, in a way, she's just like those two traitors that hurt you and me. They're the kind of people that make you like them... and then they use that against you."

"... You're right, my Savior, those kinds of people only try to hurt us," Saeran's breathing began to calm. "Those kinds of people want to destroy us. That's why they need to be removed. They need to go away... so they can't hurt us."

"We can't allow that kind of attitude to prosper in our paradise. It needs to be crushed like the weed it is, and that's why I've made up my mind on what we're going to do with Lila," Rika began to smile widely at her own plans. There was so much to plan, and so much to be pleased with now that the end of this girl was neigh. "Her cleansing ceremony will be held within the next forty-eight hours. I will begin the preparation on her special elixir and I will destroy every ounce of the light that's inside of her pitiful little heart. That's the end of the little princess' story."

"She won't be able to try anything stupid again." Saeran agreed, in a mutter.

"The pathetic princess will be no longer in Magenta. You will never have trouble with Lila ever again, Saeran, because Lila will be no longer in this world to cause trouble. Every trace of her will leave... every ounce of happiness will leave forever, and the person that will be left in the end will be nearly as strong as you, Saeran. Someone who won't cross paradise... only further it's a blessing," Rika said, pausing to let out a little sigh. "It's a shame, really, but those who refuse to accept their fate will always meet their end in such vicious ways."

Saeran stared at the woman. It all made sense when she put into perspective. Whatever feeling in his gut that had been stopping him thinking about anything but doom and destruction was gone the moment that his Savior clarified all of his concerns. He could see clearly now through his haze. Those feelings that lingered were in the back of his mind but their sound was soft now compared to before. He lowered his head, and accepted her words for what they were and rested his beating heart.

The Savior smiled. "I'm glad you've finally come to your senses, and you've admitted to me that you can't stand the sight of her any longer. I knew that the infatuation wouldn't last once you figured it out. It makes me happy to hear such a thing from you, Saeran. You needn't worry about her anymore. She will be gone forever before you know it. Leave it to me to take care of the preparations, I have never stirred you wrong before, have I? I can trust you'll do the right thing with her in the meantime."

She always knew what to do.

It was a long time ago... such a long time ago when it seemed like their family was a picture perfect house.

It was only as Lucy began to get older that she realized that their house wasn't exactly perfect. It was to the outside world, a hard-working father, a mother that seemingly cared about her children, and two little daughters that who would grow up to be perfect. Things were never as they seemed to be, and that's the real reality. In reality, her Dad was always hiding things, he lost himself after got injured at his job, and began to cope with medication. Her Mother was always trying to prove herself to the world, faking her way through speaking about accomplishments as if they were all gold-stars, and when someone didn't meet her standards... she would take care of that problem with her words.

Lucy always did as she was told. She achieved everything without flinching. She didn't have to try hard to get anything. She was everything that her Mom wanted her to be, but Lila... Lila always struggled to be what their Mom wanted. She had to try really hard to get good grades, and she never really did well with people. It was because of her inability to connect with the world that their Dad would try to coddle her in a different way, he would try and teach her things that would make her useful to their Grandparents, at the very least. She would never whisper this to Lila knowing how much she cared about who they Dad used to be... but she had heard the both of them talk about Lila in such horrible ways.

She was this... pitiful black sheep, to their parents.

Their Mom would get such outpowering from people when they knew how soft Lila was, and their Dad would try and stir her away from trying anything hard to make sure she never failed them in the first place.

It hurt, to think about.

That's why Lucy didn't think about it... but, now that things weren't okay... she couldn't help but to think about these things.

Today had started like any other day in the week, she woke up and dealt with the chores like always, ran through her morning routine, and made sure that Mia was taken care of before she checked her phone in the hope that there was a message from either her Mother or Lila, but there was never anything of the sort to ease her nerves. The last time both of them had talked, it seemed as though things were starting to turn around and Lila had her head on her shoulders!

When things were quite like that, it was easier to check Lila's social media pages just to see if she was active. When she saw that Lila was online, or if she had posted something, that eased her anxiety. When there weren't any answers on those pages, that's when she started to get worried. Lila could get roped into her own little world, and just be alone for a long time... but for her to not even think about talking to her big sister was very wrong. Sure, things had been strained and neither of them was good about fixing this... but they still spoke to each other nearly every week.

It had been weeks.

Something was very wrong with her baby sister, and she had to do something about it.

Lucy made up her mind that morning and loaded Mia into the car without a second thought. Her car seat was adjusted into place, and the baby was snuggly and safely in her spot. She shut the car door after giving the baby a once over, and then a twice over, turning around to face her girlfriend with a little smile on her face. She tucked back her short blond hair behind her ear, "I have everything that I need, now, promise me you won't close shop if I find out something bad!"

"I won't close up the shop if you find something bad. I promise. Cross my T's and dot my I's, this bakery isn't going anywhere as long as I'm in the head baker here," Harley nodded her head, resting her hand against Lucy's shoulders. "Now, Luce, are you sure it's alright? I can still come with you if you want me to go with you. This is the last call for that! Don't think I won't put my stuff on hold to make sure that your family is alright right now, I know how worried you are about Lila."

The twenty-four-year-old sighed. "It's alright. We can't afford for things to be shut down, even for an afternoon, and I'm sure I'm just blowing this out of proportion." She said, shaking her head. "She's probably just... being Lila. It's not weird for my sister to try and shut people out. If I know her as well as I think I do, she's probably just swamped with her work she's forgotten to call."

Harley seemed reluctant to believe such an idea, even she was worried about the situation and knew it wasn't okay. "Well, you've known her way longer than I have, so I hope that's the case."

"Yeah. I'll call you as soon as I know something."

"You better, otherwise, I'm going to head that way right after you, Lucy."

Lucy laughed that this teasing gesture and got into her car, turning it on, and heading down the dirty and familiar old roads that lead her back to her hometown. It wasn't the biggest city in the world but it was home in a way, there were little things that made it what it was, but for Lucy... she never felt all that attached to the town. Her fondest memories of the place were when she was with her little sister! Sometimes there were nice memories with their parents, but those were few and far between.

Their relationship had been okay for the first years of Lucy's life... but as the years went on, it was clear that they weren't compatible people. They stayed together for the sake of the children, but it had done nothing but damage everyone involved. It was a wonder that Lila didn't come out worse than she had, and the same could have been said for Lucy. Those memories were the ones that Lucy leave the town for a new home, to begin with... when she left that place, her life had gotten much better. But she had to leave Lila behind when she did. She couldn't exactly bring her baby sister with her to college no matter how much she wanted to do that.

Looking back upon that wish... she should have fought harder to make that happen. It seemed as though thing got worse without Lucy at home to mediate problems, and things spiraled downwards and out of control. Life had been broken into little pieces and the strings holding it together did not last. It wasn't much longer after that, that their Dad had gone missing and had been declared dead. Now that... now that their Mother wasn't with their Father any longer, those ugly incidents didn't happen anymore in their household.

Lila didn't have to deal with the abrasive side of two parents... but she had to contend with the one that was left. It wasn't as awful as it had once been, but it still wasn't ideal for Lila in Lucy's opinion. If she hadn't been so cowardly, she would have been the one to make sure that Lila came to stay with Harley and herself after she got out of the hospital, and maybe this incident wouldn't have even been happening.

If Lila hadn't been alone... she wouldn't have gone silent.

Familiar roads of forest and evergreen turned into a city sooner rather than later, and her first stop was going to drop off Mia with her Mother; The toddler would get to visit with her Grandma and Lucy would have free hands to make sure Lila was absolutely okay if something was wrong. It was the ideal scenario for this mess, she assumed. The engine of the car was shut down and she stared up at the stone building with trepidation in her guts... was she really doing the right thing by getting involved?

If she didn't look for Lila... she doubted their Mother would ever do it. Lucy carried Mia up to the front door and knocked. Her Mother appeared a moment later with a smile. "Mia, Lucy! This is a surprise - I didn't think you were going to visit for another week. What brings you here?" She cooed at the little toddler and stepped to the side. "C'mon inside, I'm not in the middle of anything so we can chat."

"Hi Mom," Lucy greeted. "I'm not here for a long visit. I was wondering if you could watch Mia for a little while?"

"I'm always happy to watch my favorite grandchild, I mean, my only grandchild right now but she's still my favorite overall," Her Mother was open arms for the little one. "C'mere, Mia, you get to hang out with your Grandma today, aren't you excited?" Lucy handed Mia off to her Mother. Lucy was sure her Mom would be able to handle Mia for a little while. She wasn't the best at handling people that could walk and talk but she knew how to handle a little baby - that she could always trust.

"Thank you." She glanced down at her phone. It was only a quarter past the hour, she had no reason to believe that Lila would be out of her apartment at this time of the day.

"Not that I want to pry into your business... oh, you know I want to know. Do you have an appointment or something? You usually don't drop Mia off for no reason, honey. Something exciting in your life, I wonder?"

"No, it's about Lila, Mom." Lucy dropped the name and her Mom noticeably soured with the mention of that name. "I haven't heard from her in a while, and I'm starting to get really worried about what might have happened. The last time this happened she wasn't okay. Have you heard anything from her in the past couple of weeks?"

"Hm... no, not exactly, your sister hasn't been talking to me, either. No, she's been ignoring me, that's what it is. That's usually what she does, anyway, so I'm not all that surprised she isn't talking to you, either, Lucy." She shrugged as if it were nothing to her to hear this. "She's just being a child. You shouldn't have driven all the way here just to check on her, it's going to be a waste of your time. You could have been at work. She's just acting out for attention, yet again, and she'll stop once she figures out that nobody's going to baby her this time."

Lucy stiffened. That incident with Lila wasn't one that she liked to remember. Lila had gone on such a downward spiral with her life when their Dad had... gone missing. It had taken a lot of intervention to pull her out of that place, and to think that she might be in that place again... terrified Lucy. She couldn't stand to imagine Lila staring at her with such contempt again. Those eyes were confused, and she hadn't meant what she had done but in that headspace, she wasn't herself. "That wasn't acting out, Mom. You know she had a problem. She's been getting help for it, you know that."

"It's all the same to me, honey. Acting out, trying to get everyone's pity... Lila's always been like that. I just don't want you to worry yourself about her when she does this. She shuts people out like this all the time, you should stay here today, I'm having a little get together with my friends and that should clear your mind." She advised without even flinching. "Some wine and normal people, you need that in your life. Just think about that, you could tell everyone how great you're doing on your own!"

Lucy shouldn't have felt so surprised that this was how their mother was acting but she was tired of this nonsense after twenty years of it. She loved her Mother but the woman cared more about her social standing, and how people viewed her. It was like that dominated her personality and sometimes Lucy believed that she didn't even think about what she was saying. She wasn't even trying to pretend to be concerned about Lila. Lucy didn't want to admit it but sometimes it felt like she was the only one in what was left of her nuclear family that cared about Lila's health.

"Nobody's seen Lila, Mom. I called my friends in town and they told me that she hasn't been coming in on her usual time. I even got a friend to try and get her to come to the door, but nobody answered. She won't answer her phone to anyone. I wouldn't be worried if she was posting on her social media, but there's nothing on that, either. No sign of her at all! Something isn't right with my sister and I can't believe you aren't worried about your own daughter! She would have begrudgingly opened her door if you knocked, but you haven't even tried!"

Her Mother stared at her for a moment, and let out a tiny sigh. She shook her head at these words. "If she thinks she can ignore us that's on her, Lucy, I understand that you're worried about her but she's never going to grow up if you keep babying her as you have. She has to learn that nobody's going to look out of her in the world."

Lucy gripped the front door so hard she thought it might crack underneath her fingers. "I will. I'll always be there for Lila, even if you don't want to be there for her, Mom. What's worse is that you blow it up on your social media that you're worried about Lila, and that you go to see her all the time to check on her, so people think you're a great person in the community. I love you, Mom, but please stop acting like you understand Lila at all. You don't even try to talk with her and understand her. Don't try and tell me you know how it is."

Her Mother opened her mouth to say something but Lucy raised her free hand to quiet her, this was one of those conversations that had been a long time coming and Lucy had to swallow the nerves in her stomach to even outright admit what she had. With Mia right here, she couldn't stand something like happening. "I'm not going to fight with you in front of Mia. This isn't something that we can just argue about and get anywhere with it. I will be back as soon as possible, just as soon as I make sure Lila is okay."

And that's exactly what she did. She got into her car and headed straight for Lila's apartment. It was apart of a tiny complex of housing on the end of that street, and it was the one closest to the woods. Lila had probably picked that one so the few flowers that she had planted out front wouldn't feel as long as they might have if she was closer to the city center.

The front door would not budge no matter how hard she pushed it. Lucy pushed against the frame, twisting the knob left and right one more time in a vain attempt to get inside - but it was for naught. The apartment was locked tight, and nobody had come to the front door for the past half-hour. There seemed to be nobody home and nobody had been home in a while. That thought was concerning, as not even their Mother had heard anything from Lila in weeks. It wasn't abnormal for Lila to go radio silent, but she had been working harder at trying to communicate with others for the past few months since she started therapy.

"The spare," Lucy realized, after she had been standing there this long, that there was the hidden key next to the door and she had completely forgotten that it was right in front of her!

Oh my God, she thought with a groan.

She felt so ridiculous at that moment; She had driven all the way here, a whole hour and a half, that wasn't counting how long it took dropping off her daughter with her Mother, and only just realized she could have entered the apartment a long time ago. "She told me I don't know how many times where the fucking spare was. I'm so dumb!" It was hidden underneath a footstone in the dirt. Lucy grabbed the key from its spot in the dirt, and it twinkled underneath the sunlight.

"You better be in this apartment and just marathoning some movies. I don't know how many you could be watching to be gone this long, but if you aren't in this apartment I'm going to blow a gasket." She cursed as she headed back to the door - this was so close. Lucy put the key in the slot and began to open the door.

The door began to creak open, but it was too dark to see inside. Lucy took a step forward and peered into the apartment, "Lila...? Lila, are you home?" she called into the apartment with no answer to greet her back.

With the key to Lila's apartment in her hands, she pushed the door open and peered into the dark room. There wasn't any sign of life in the place, not at all, it looked like dust had begun to cover things. Lucy tore through the entire apartment just looking for anything that could explain where her sister was. The single bedroom was empty, and the bed looked like it had been left after Lila got up in the middle of the night. The bathroom was empty and looked like it hadn't been used in a while. The living room and kitchen held nothing - no one - no answers to anything and a missing little sister without any clues to her whereabouts.

This apartment was empty and had been empty for some time given how it appeared.

"Lila, where are you? What could have possibly happened to you?" Lucy groaned. Surely she had to be overlooking something. There had to be anything... something... there had to be clues.

Staring back at her in the living was a canvas of art that Lila had been talking about when they spoke on the phone. It was the one that she had been working on for Mia, it was as lovely as she had made it sound. The sight of the traditional piece made Lucy's heart tight. This was one of the few things that were left in Lila's place. Surely she wouldn't have just left everything with this sitting here. It wasn't like Lila to do this. Could someone have taken her...? Could she have been kidnapped?

"You.. you wanted so terribly to give this to me... and now... I wish you had been able to... it's beautiful."

The thought of her sister being taken abruptly made her make to look even harder for answers to prove that wasn't the case. She pilfered through Lila's bedroom a second time just in case she hadn't seen something. The spot on the side table was usually where she kept her purse, and that wasn't there. Her laptop was left against the bed and the gaming console was nearby as well like she had been playing around before she left the room. Her shoes that were next to the door were also missing, and that meant that she left her apartment at some point, she had been gone willingly for some time.

But how long ago had that been? How long had this apartment been empty?

Tossing that from her head, she turned on the computer only to find that it had been idle. The session that Lila had been using was still sitting on it. She pursed her lips, as she scrolled down the webpage. It was a guide for a video game, "Mystic Messenger...? Oh, it's one of those dating game things. I didn't know Lila was into those... Dad had teased her about dating her phone once, maybe this was what he meant." Lucy frowned. The other tab that she had opened was to her art website, and it didn't give any clues.

Was that all she had to go on?

A dating game and her art... this is what she would have been doing on a normal night. No emails or suspicious messages on her computer, no way to know if she was meeting up with anyone. Lucy shut the computer with a sigh. She hadn't thought that she would have to go to the police station... but it appeared as though she was going to have a file a missing person's report. There was no other choice. This was the only way to find Lila... if they could even find Lila... Oh God, that thought made her eyes wet.

Lucy left the bedroom and headed back into the living room. Much to her surprise, and fear, there was a figure standing in the middle of the room, with his back to her, and touching the leaves of the dead sunflower on the coffee table. She let out an audible gasp, and instantly grabbed whatever she could reach to defend herself from this intruder, a lamp, but it wasn't enough to have something to protect herself she had to move -

the figure turned around and the familiar face made Lucy drop the lamp in shock. It clattered to the ground and shattered into pieces much as her beating heart did. This intruder wasn't just any intruder... he was much more confusing than a scary person standing in her sister's apartment. Because it was someone that shouldn't have been standing at all. It was someone that she had told herself was dead, and he had been dead for months. This man had blond hair the same shade as Lucy did, he stood a generous height even with boots on, and his eyes were the same as her little sister's eyes.

His face was so much different than she remembered. His lips were set in a frown, the same kind of frown that he would have had when she was a little girl and she had been caught stealing a cookie from the jar in the middle of the night, "Lucy, my dear, I didn't think I would find you here of all places. Such a shame that I found you here, I didn't think anyone would have bothered to come here since Lila's been gone so long... But, I can't let you leave now. I'm sorry, my butterfly, but it looks like you're going to come sooner than we planned for."

Lucy's blood ran cold.

Rika has entered the chatroom.

Wisteria has entered the chatroom.

Rika: Lila.

Wisteria: Rika.

Rika: What is this nonsense I've heard about...? Care to tell about the ruckus you've caused?

Wisteria: What? Do you mean that Saeran is unstable with his control?

Wisteria: Because Ray has resurfaced. He wasn't gone.

Rika: If you want to believe such an error could be a win for you, then you're free to stay drowning in the intoxication of your delirium.

Rika: Saeran is unusually furious at you.

Rika: He shrieked that we should get rid of you.

Rika: I believe I told you that you had only one thing to do to keep yourself from being broken as he has become... and it seems you continue to head towards that path.

Rika: You're just a weed to be trampled by the strong, now.

Wisteria: They're both a part of the same person, and the amount of trauma both of those alters have gone through is probably insurmountable. It's not of their fault that they've been hurt. Nobody here is a weed, they only get hurt because you make it happen.

Rika: You can actually see that... even now? You're still sharp as ever, even though you haven't eaten much in days.

Rika: No matter how much Saeran tried to call you good-for-nothing, I already knew that I can't overlook your ability since you're capable of such things as I am.

Rika: You use your power for such wrong things.

Rika: Nevertheless, don't sound arrogant. You aren't in any status that can bring back that broken boy.

Rika: You would have lasted much longer as you are if you hadn't been so self-confident and arrogant.

Rika: You'll perish so much sooner, now. The girl we know as the princess will soon become something much, much better then the weed she is now.

Rika: I must say that you deserve it. You've brought this upon yourself, Lila.

Wisteria: You say that Saeran is strong. You say that that strength is the truth but it's not. He's barely able to know left from right anymore. He won't be able to keep going with what you've done to him.

Rika: From now on, I only will have the say with what happens to him.

Rika: Don't think you can do anything.

Rika: Worry more about yourself. Worry more about what's going to become of you.

Rika: Do you know why Ray came back for a moment...? That's because...?

Rika: Saeran was momentarily in a delusion. It happens with the elixir time from time.

Rika: Even if Ray came back, by some miserable chance, it does not change the fact that today will be the last day that you can breathe as the weed that you are.

Wisteria: ...

Wisteria: What do you think you're going to do to Saeran?

Rika: None of your business, I'm afraid.

Rika: First things first though... before we get rid of you, I think I should make sure we get all the information you have out of you... and anything that Ray slipped to you.

Rika: Your cleansing ceremony is soon to come. It will be such a special moment for our family!

Rika: You will be reborn in paradise as such a better person.

Wisteria: Are you afraid of me, Rika? Is that why you're trying so hard to try and change me like you've changed everyone else? Do you fear what might happen if people don't like you?

Wisteria: You can't make people like you. You can't scare people into doing what you want forever. This power you have will end sooner or later, and it doesn't matter if I'm not here. The others will get you... they'll stop this.

Rika: Let your delusions take over... yes. Believe such things if you wish.

Rika: I couldn't possibly be afraid of my own little sister.

Rika: I wonder... since the RFA canceled their party... why don't we make your ceremony a show for everyone?

Rika: The believers will be ecstatic... and at the same time, they'll fear me and Saeran even more.

Rika: After that, this person that you are now will be gone, and I'll have the next step to completing my family.

Wisteria: Ray... Saeran... they'll never forgive you for what you've done to them.

Wisteria: The RFA... they would never forgive you either... even V, when he gets his head on his shoulders...

Wisteria: You should have stopped this a long time ago. You had a family that cared about you. You tore it to shreds because you weren't grateful for any of that.

Rika: ...Fool.

Rika: How pathetic. That's not even worth scoffing.

Rika: Enjoy your last few moments as Lila... the pitiful princess.

Rika has left the chatroom.

Wisteria has left the chatroom.

Saeran tried to collect himself the moment he left the Savior's room. He caught his breath, and he went straight back to his workroom to reflect on the things that were to come very soon. He had been so angry when he awoke from his slumber. There such a blurry haze... and he hadn't realized what had happened until he found himself huddled in the corner. Lila had actually tried to pull Ray out of the abyss on her own, and somehow the airhead managed to do it for a brief moment. He nearly believed that it had been Ray... but the Savior... she tried to remind him that it was not the dead bug. It had just been... a delusion... he hadn't been thinking... he hadn't taken enough of his elixir.

It happened to twist his thoughts sometimes.

He slumped in his chair and dug his hands into his hair.

Staring up at the computer screens, he could see the camera into her room where Lila had her back to the thing. Her body wasn't moving. She seemed to have gone back to sleep after that incident. In disdain, he closed the camera feed and grimaced, trying to shake those stupid thoughts from his mind. "Once my toy is gone. I won't need to look at these cameras. Once she's gone... I won't be able to see that bewildered face of hers. It's no big deal though... Her face didn't deserve my attention in the first place. She was nothing but a toy... useless after playtime is over. Her scent induces headaches... and that face is awful... She was the worst toy I could find. She should be grateful that I'm the one that will throw her away."

"Yes... I'll... be the strongest... and I'll make sure she's... gone."

His eyes lingered in the direction of the application folder on the computer. This was the whole reason that Lila hadn't been gotten rid of as soon as he was in control of this body, and yet... he could have completed this thing at any time. He had just wanted the girl to whisper her secrets to him, instead. Had he really only been keeping his toy around just for the sake of that application this whole time like he had been telling himself... or... what was it really that? There was this strange feeling that he wasn't thinking straight. Did he want to keep her around because of Ray...? Was it because he liked the thrill of the chase...?

He didn't understand it anymore, and no matter how hard he was trying to listen to the Savior's words... it seemed as though these thoughts were going to haunt him.

These thoughts were ruining him.

They were screwing with his head.

Gone. It needed to be gone. The Savior was right.

"Gone... yes. These thoughts... will be... gone."

Those words that triggered such trouble would be gone.

"Nothing proves how strong you can be like taking advantage of someone, huh?" she whispered, unsure of how powerful those words were to him. "I bet you know how that feels firsthand, and that's why you tried to use against me... because you know how bad it hurts to have someone use your words and feelings against you, Saeran."

It had made him feel so sick... sick to his stomach. Why had he felt such pain in his chest when she said those words to him? Why wouldn't it just go away?

He gritted his teeth. "This is annoying."

This must have been the punishment that Ray had wanted to give him. Stupid thoughts that didn't make any sense. Thoughts that were out to make him feel such pity or guilt... it was dreadful. It was all because of that girl, and how that girl had opened her mouth and said such words that struck his chest like an arrow. When these thoughts were gone... he would never have to worry or even think twice. He could destroy without flinching, and he could truly get his revenge once and for all.

Why couldn't she just leave his mind? This was why she had to leave this place. This was why he had begged the Savior to get rid of his toy... but he wanted to be the one to make his toy leave. No, he had to be the one to take care of his toy. That's what the Savior must have meant. He knew what he had to do. That's what she said. He knew what he had to do. She whispered. This was what he was going to do. He told himself this fact, and he tried to keep replaying in his mind.

Soon... this girl... Ray... these lights... they would be six feet under the ground. Roses would not bloom from that ground... they wouldn't... they couldn't... because the light always perishes.

It always leaves.

It's never strong enough to stay.

Rika stared at those in front of her with her hands pressed together in such a calm fashion. She looked among those at each and every one of their faces to make sure that they understood the severity of the orders that she was proposing to them. The next two days had to be absolutely perfect otherwise she was going to angry. "Saeran can no longer be trusted in the company of the former Special Missionary. He's so very strong but he can be such a brute when he doesn't get what he wants. I can't allow him to make a mess. Do not allow him into this room, those are my orders, gentlemen. I can't have him changing his mind or ruining what fun is to come very soon."

"Yes, my Savior."

"Of course, my Savior."

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

Y'all are welcome. Cheritz announced that V's After End is coming on Valentines! Clearly, a birthday present to me, thank you. My birthday was worth it when I saw that announcement yesterday. There's also news of a Rika DLC that delves into her background, so I'm interested in learning more about that as well. I wonder how she got to where she was, so we'll have that answer at last. No sign or news of Ray Route's after end, though, but I'm grateful we even got something after such a long time of waiting, Cheritz's really out working hard for us. Anyways, things are starting to twist in this story... aren't they?