Chapter 8

"I remember the director saying all the Regulars should be here," said Khun, devoid of energy. "So why are some not?"

As they waited for the final decision, gloom hung over the occupants of the room. They'd done everything they could from their side, but in the end...

When the bubble had reached the surface, Bam wasn't there, only Rachel. According to her, the Bull had appeared, and he fell below after defeating it.

And just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.

The two Princesses, injured, and Shibisu had turned up. When they asked if Leona had returned, it was as though Khun had been doused in ice water. Apparently, she'd chased after the Bull, when they'd learnt it was sent to kill Bam... And nobody had seen or heard from her since.

It can't be. Not her, too.

"Um, Khun," Narae the Scout replied, "Rak and Endorsi are—"

"I know, I'm not expecting them to show up. They don't take part in this sort of thing, anyway."

"How can you say that? Please understand how they feel!"

How they feel? And what about what I'm going through? "I'm not in the mood to try and understand others right now."

"Stop, now's not the time to go after each other," Shibisu voiced. "We have to think about what we'll do now, going forward. The test is over... So, what...should we do?"

The entire purpose of all this was to help Bam. So, without him, what was the point?

Khun didn't have the capacity to care when Hatz and Paracule started fighting, even after the latter remarked that Bam and Leona were dead, so they should all move on.

Part of him hoped against the odds. Those two were strong, so they'd survive. They would be found, and everything would be fine.

"Didn't I tell you not to fight during breaks?" said Lero Ro, entering at last. He had Hatz put his sword away.

Paracule asked if they'd passed the test.

"You...did pass the test."

"But how can that be?" said Hatz. "Weren't both Bam and Rachel supposed to return for us to pass?"

"Yes, but Bam asked the Guardian for a favour – that you all would go up regardless of the test results, in the event that he died."

Khun stared upward at him. "Wait. Does that mean that Bam is...?" He couldn't bring himself to finish.

"Yes, I'm sorry to tell you that Bam is dead. We couldn't find him anywhere after the Wine Glass drained out. It's very unlikely that he survived."

He felt numb. Bam had given him a new purpose, a fresh start from his past. If he was gone, then...

"What about...Leona?" he forced out.

"We confirmed that she was also in the Wine Glass, so the same goes for her. She's been assumed dead."

This has to be some kind of nightmare. But what could he do, except to accept reality? Entertaining false hopes would be far worse.

He hadn't even figured out what drew him to her. She'd barged into his life like a storm, then disappeared just as quickly. And now, he just felt empty.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Khun stared at the necklace dangling from his fingers, as if it could yield answers.

Earlier, Lero Ro had met with him. He said that he'd brought a doctor to check Rachel's legs when she was unconscious, and they were in fact fine. Which meant she'd been lying for a while now.

But that wasn't all the test administrator had for him.

"Here." He held out a hand, and dropped something into Khun's palm. "I also looked for her pets and Lighthouses... But this is all I found. It is rather odd as well, but this is as much as I could do."

That's how Khun ended up with Leona's necklace.

Another encounter he'd had also left him thinking.

"Hey, that girl, was she an Irregular?" Anaak said, passing by.

"..."

"If you don't know, then forget it."

"What makes you think so?"

"Nothing. She just said something about being an enemy of Jahad, too, so I was wondering. But then again, he wouldn't have wanted her alive if that were the case? Anyway, it must have been something else."

It was a reminder that Khun actually knew very little about Leona. Something he regretted more than expected.

He lay back, and by chance, as a beam of light lanced through the purple gemstone, he saw something. Immediately, he sprung up and brought it closer to the light. It was small, but definitely there. A crest!

But when he searched for information about it, he unearthed nothing. Deflated, he was about to lie down again, when there was a knock at his door.

He admitted Shibisu into the room. "Hey, you wanted to talk?" the Scout greeted.

Khun confided in him, speaking of his suspicions, and what Lero Ro had told him about Rachel.

"But why would she pretend to be hurt? Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's being threatened." But even as he said that, Khun didn't believe it. Too much didn't add up, in that case. "The test director seems to be involved."

"Darn." Shibisu dropped his forehead onto his palm in frustration. "But even if that's the case, what makes you think she...?"

Her lie may have seemed unrelated, but under the circumstances, since Rachel had been alone with Bam and they had no other testimony to go by... And, Khun had to admit, given Leona's conviction... He wondered if things might have gone differently if he'd paid more heed to her words. But it was too late, now.

It was likely that Rachel was the one who caused Bam's death.

"Leona warned me before, about Rachel. She was certain she would betray Bam."

"Yeah, but. That was her opinion, right? Did she have proof?"

"No, but isn't it suspicious that she's also gone? Since she was also in there, she would've been the only witness to what went on down there."

If she'd entered the Wine Glass of her own accord, she would have made sure she had a way out. The fact that she hadn't, could point to some shady happenings.

From Rachel's account, Leona had appeared and went to save Bam, right after he killed the Bull. What was strange, was that she didn't mention that at first, only after being questioned about her, much later. And she'd kept glancing to the door, shaking. It might have seemed like she was hoping for Bam to return. But what if she feared the return of someone who could expose her as a liar?

"You don't think— Rachel did something to her, as well? That can't be."

Khun agreed there. He doubted the blonde could have done anything to Leona, who had not only been stronger and more skilled than her, but also been on guard against her. But if she and Hansung Yu were in cahoots, then her resources were not limited. He could have had someone else do it for her.

And there was something else that convinced him her disappearance was no mere twist of fate.

"It's not out of the realm of possibilities. Whether it was her, or the test director, someone did something to Leona – and to Bam. It can't be a coincidence..." Khun hesitated, reconsidering whether or not to say more. Then he decided it would be best if Shibisu had all the facts. "...particularly since Leona was probably an Irregular, too."

"W-What? No way, Leona too? What makes you say that?"

Khun explained his reasoning. "Again, I know it's mere speculation, but if it's true, it makes the current circumstances all the more questionable. Especially considering Mr Ro said nothing of hers could be found, except this necklace."

Shibisu exhaled. "So, what'll you do, Khun? We already said we'll help Rachel to the top."

He told Shibisu to keep their discussion a secret, and lead the team up. It was the team that Bam brought together, and if they heard about this, it would fall apart. Khun, on the other hand, would form another team with Rachel. "Suspecting that Rachel killed Bam, or even Leona, leave that to me. It's too cruel—"

"Khun, you—"

"So it's a burden for the cruellest of us to bear."

Since Rachel was the only clue the killers had left behind, he would keep a close eye on her. Whatever the truth was, he would find it. And if she really was responsible, then he would have her pay for it ten times over.

Author's Note

A very short chapter, because I decided to split the one I'd intended. Not because it was too long, but because I felt the content just needed to be separate.

So instead, the next chapter will be the actual epilogue. I'll probably post it tomorrow, since it just needs a final edit.