"And as the Devil represents, the individual then faces temptation..."

Edogawa-sensei, Persona 3

After taking great care to sneak out unseen from the backstore of Mr. and Mrs. Norton's bookshop, Eruca composed a certain someone's number on her cell phone.

"Hello, Raynie," she said through the receiver, trying to sound more cheerful than she really felt. "Are you still free? I changed my mind about tonight. It really would do me some good to spend time in good company."

Next to Eruca, Aht was kicking at the ground, in a clear show of boredom. Gafka stood next to her, large arms folded across his chest. By the placid expression on his face, no one would believe that he had been fighting a dangerous supernatural creature just a few moments ago.

"Really?" replied Raynie; Eruca could hear the relief in her voice. "Great! It'll be fun, you'll see!"

Eruca took a deep swallow before continuing. "Could you invite the others too? You know, Marco, Rosch and Sonja? It's been a while since we did something, all of us together."

"Huh?" said Raynie. "Yeah, sure, why not? My foster parents are out tonight, anyway. We'll have the whole house to ourselves, isn't that just awesome?"

"Thank you," Eruca said. "I'm looking forward to see all of you." She was surprised to realize it was not a lie, not really.

"Yep! See you soon!"

Eruca ended the call and turned toward Aht and Gafka. "Are you sure you want to come with me? It really isn't your mess to solve. Besides, this might get dangerous, you know—"

"Aw, c'mon!" Aht said with a pout. "I wanna get to the bottom of this. We need to find out who's the jerk who h-hurt Stocke. He needs to pay!" Her expression grew ferocious. "Besides, I got a Persona and stuff. I got more experience fighting those freaky monsters than you!"

Eruca exchanged a look with Gafka. The latter just shrugged.

"You do?" she told Aht, skeptically. "I thought that was the first time you actually fought with your Persona."

"So, what if it was?" Aht put her arms on her hips. "That still means I got more experience than you. You never used your Persona, not even once!"

It wasn't a very compelling argument, in Eruca's honest opinion. "It will only get more dangerous from here. I'm sorry, Aht, but you're still a child."

"Well, you're a kid too, you know! Stop acting as if you've got everything figured out!"

Eruca sighed. "Is it alright if she comes with me, then?" she asked Gafka. "At least this once."

"It's fine by me," Gafka replied evenly. "But if more of these… things show up, I grab both of you and we get the hell out of dodge."

"Fair point well made," said Eruca.

Aht rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right, it's not like you can actually fight those creeps. You don't have a Persona, remember?"

Again, Gafka responded with a shrug. "I'll figure how. Eventually. For now, our priority should be getting more information." He motioned over to his car, which was still parked in front of the bookstore. "Get in, both of you. I'll drive you there."

The car ride to Raynie's place was mostly silent. Still, Eruca called her mother to share her plans for the evening. She felt a twinge of guilt as Sophia happily gushed to her over the phone. Eruca wasn't being dishonest, not really. Still, it seemed deceitful to raise her mother's spirits in such a manner while she was only chasing more trouble, in truth.

Finally, they neared their destination. Aht let out a gasp as she looked outside the window. Eruca herself could barely contain her surprise. Raynie's foster home was gigantic—it was not as huge as the house where Eruca had grown up in Granorg, but it was certainly fancier-looking than most of the buildings she'd seen in Alistel.

"Wow!" Aht said as they went to ring the doorbell. "Your friend's parents sure are loaded!"

Gafka glanced down at her, apparently amused. "Your grandfather's house is not so much smaller, little lady."

"Yeah, but he's an important guy, you know! That's why he's got so much money! Are these people mobsters or what?"

Eruca nearly choked. She was coughing, rather awkwardly, when Raynie swung the door open.

"Hey!" Raynie said, "good to see you!" Her grin then gave way to a confused frown. "You, uh, you alright there?"

Eruca gave one last wheeze. "Of course. Everything's fine." She punctuated the end of her sentence with a wobbly smile.

"Uh, sure. If you say so." Raynie's gaze came to rest on the two people behind Eruca. "Wait, is that… Aht? And Gafka?"

"Who else?" Aht said, bouncing her eyebrows up and down.

"I invited them both," Eruca said. "Is that okay? I'll explain why when we'll get inside."

"Oh-kay," Raynie said, not sounding entirely convinced. She led them inside. "Uh, it's great to have you here, guys. Everyone is already waiting in the basement. Mr. Daniels—my foster dad—he's got this crazy home cinema setup, you'll see. He bought this hugeass TV two weeks ago, biggest one he could find in store." She grinned. "Never had all the basement to myself, heh. It'll be a change of pace from watching things on an itsy-bitsy laptop screen."

Eruca forced her lips into a smile as they went down the stairs. Still, she was once more struck by an odd sort of guilt. Again, she was lying by omission. It made her uncomfortable to put on a cheery façade under false pretenses.

The others were already sitting on a couch in front of the aforementioned television. Despite his larger frame, Rosch was squeezed in a corner, leaving Sonja and Marco with the lion's share of the space.

"Eruca!" said Sonja. "It's so great to see you—oh! Is that…?" She blinked, mouth hanging open.

"You invited Aht and, uh, Mr. Gafka, was it?" Rosch said, looking also rather bemused. "That's… great, I guess?"

"Yeah." Marco scratched his head, before letting out a chuckle. "At least that means we won't watch one of your super gorey movies, huh, Raynie?" He sounded slightly relieved.

"You know I was watching horror movies at her age, right?" As Marco groaned, Raynie smirked at him, before turning to Eruca. "Sit down, you guys! I'll get refreshments, plus all the junk food we need!"

Sonja raised the steaming cup she was holding. "And I brought some tea if that's more up your avenue."

Eruca's smile grew a bit more genuine. "I wouldn't say no to a nice cup of tea."

"Okay!" Raynie looked at Gafka and Aht. "What about you two? Need anything?"

"Tea for me as well," Gafka replied in his low rumbling voice, while Aht launched herself on a sofa, landing amidst an avalanche of cushions.

"Soda for me, please!" she said, stretching and yawning.

Eruca seated herself, prim and proper, in a chair across from the others, while Raynie went up the stairs. She felt her smile freeze in second-hand embarrassment as Aht began to pepper Rosch with questions about his new prosthetic arm. Despite her genuine, enthusiastic curiosity, he only answered with laconic responses. When Raynie returned with food and drinks, poor Rosch seemed almost relieved when he reached for a can of soda.

"So!" Raynie said. "What should we watch? I'm open to suggestions."

"Wait," Eruca said. "There's something I have to say. I haven't been completely honest about why I wanted to meet with all of you. I'm sorry."

Soon, all eyes were upon her.

"What?" Raynie said with a nervous laugh. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Eruca stared at the cup in her hands. Despite its warmth, her hands remained cold and clammy. "There is something I must ask. It's… it's about my brother."

Immediately, their confusion was replaced by worry. Eruca bit the inside of her cheek, evading their concerned gazes. It was always so embarrassing, the way people treated like glass these days…

"You see," she continued, "there's something I was wondering about. It's… it's hard to explain, but…"

Sonja slid closer to Eruca, putting a hand over her shoulder. "You can ask us anything. We're here for you, you know that?"

"It's just… it's hard to explain without…" Without coming off as crazy. The words felt trapped in Eruca's throat. Sonja's face was so open, so trusting. How could Eruca broach such a delicate topic and not –

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Aht said, flailing about in her pile of cushions. "She wants to ask about Personas and Shadows and stuff! Stocke's death had something to do with that, right?"

It was as if someone had doused the entire room with a flood of ice-cold water. Rosch's face went slack, while Sonja jumped a little, gasping as some of her tea splashed her skirt. Marco's eyes seemed about to bulge from their sockets. And Raynie… Raynie just snorted out soda through her nostrils.

"Oh my god, what the hell?" she said, wiping her nose awkwardly. "How… how do you know about that?"

"I saw Stocke using his Persona," Aht explained, as if it was the most evident thing in the world. "After that, I kept seeing those weird blob monsters around my school. And then when Stocke's sister got attacked by her Shadow, me and Gafka, we—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Rosch interrupted her. "Eruca got attacked by her Shadow?!"

"No way!" Raynie exclaimed. Much like Sonja, she swept closer to Eruca. The latter tried not to let her discomfort show; she was not so used at having her personal space invaded in such a manner. "Holy shit, you okay?!"

"Are you hurt?" Sonja said at the same time, sounding slightly panicked. "How did it happen?"

"I'm fine," Eruca said. "It happened just a few hours ago. Thankfully, Aht and Gafka were there to help me."

Sonja put a hand over her mouth. "No… it all nearly happened again, right under our noses. I can't believe it. Just how clueless are we?"

Again…? thought Eruca. Then, the realization dawned on her.

Ernst. His friends thought they had failed him.

"But how did you guys manage to defeat it?" asked Rosch. "You can't fight a Shadow without…"

"A Persona," said Eruca. "Or so I understand. I'm still missing a big part of the picture, actually. That's why I wanted to speak with all of you." She inhaled sharply, steeling her gaze as she looked at them. "I need you to be completely honest with me. There's no need to hold me by the hand like I'm some naive child. I want to know the truth. All of it. Even the less savoury parts."

Her words drew silence from the others. Then—surprisingly—Raynie began to speak.

"I wasn't there at the beginning, but I'm sure Rosch and Sonja can fill in the rest. For me, it all started when…"

Eruca was still mulling over those revelations as she made her way home.

Personas. Shadows. Those mysterious comas, those even stranger time loops. Still, out of all those bizarre topics, the element that had caught Eruca's attention was the detail that had seemed the more innocuous.

"Wait, you say my brother was looking for a book?" Eruca had asked. "You say whoever is responsible for all of these attacks might have used a book to summon those monsters?"

"That's what Stocke said," Sonja had answered. "He said that person had stolen something called the Black Chronicle. He had another book—the White Chronicle, or so I remember."

"Yeah!" Raynie had said. "It gave him the ability to friggin' turn back time. How goddamn mental is that? I still can't believe it!"

Eruca hadn't been able to respond to such a thing. It all sounded like the plot to some novel—a video game, even. Then again, if she could accept the equally fantastical notion of being able to summon a magical person with her brain to act as her personal protector, well…

Eruca pushed the door open, trying to make as little sound as possible. It was still the early evening, but Eruca did not want to wake her mother from what would be a much needed rest. Eruca climbed to the second floor, hearing the hum of the TV coming from Sophia's room. She took a peek inside, and was relieved to see her mother snoring on her bed, little Musket sleeping soundly on the pillow next to her. Eruca blew a kiss to the loyal feline.

For a moment, Eruca stood in the doorframe, trying to gather her thoughts. At the end of the hallway, the door to Ernst's room was closed as always. Eruca took a deep breath, before willing herself forward. Her hand rested on the doorknob for a while. There was no reason for her to be so frightened, and yet…

She pushed it open. The air smelled of dust and the slight stench of teenage sweat. Ernst's laundry lay in a messy pile on the floor, beside a stack of books. His bed was not made; Eruca remembered how often their mother had scolded him for his sloppiness.

Once again, Eruca inhaled sharply, seeking to clear her head. A book. Ernst's friends had said he had used a book—the White Chronicle—to induce those strange time-loops and save them from their Shadows. She set out to find the tome in question. A part of her almost expected to end empty-handed. This story Ernst's friends had spun—it all sounded so nonsensical.

And yet, she thought, remembering the clock-faced woman and the shade wearing Ernst's skin, could she really close her eyes to the evidence? Eruca had lost the luxury of ignorance the moment she had been attacked by her Shadow.

Her irritation only grew as she went through the mess Ernst had left. Eruca was on the verge of giving up when she saw the strap of her brother's school bag sticking out from under the bed. She grabbed it and poured its content on the ground. Her breath caught in her throat as one book fell to the floor with a loud thud. Heart pounding in her ears, Eruca took it with trembling hands. It was a thick, ancient-looking tome, its cover decorated with green jewels and an elaborate gold pattern.

Save for its colouring, it was also eerily—freakishly—similar to the book she had been given the day of Ernst's funeral.

Eruca scrambled into the hallway, rushing to her room. She soon stumbled into what she had set out to find. Mouth going dry, she placed both books side-by-side on the top of her desk. As she had expected, the two tomes looked as if they were part of the same set.

Eruca sank down into her chair, feeling winded out. "My god," she whispered to no one in particular. What did it all mean? Her brother had looked for this book for months, and that search had possibly cost him his life. And now, thanks to the invisible, inscrutable hand of fate, this so-called Black Chronicle had ended in Eruca's possession.

She stood straighter in her chair as an unsettling realization struck her. Before that, the Black Chronicle had belonged to someone else.

Before that, the Black Chronicle had been in the hands of one Protea Bicchieri-Heiss.

When Eruca shared her findings the next day, Raynie nearly choked on her drink.

"Are you alright?" Eruca asked her, genuinely concerned.

Marco patted Raynie's back as she coughed. She gave Eruca a strange look, still red-faced. "How can you be this chill? Your stepmom might have been the one behind all this. That's freaky!"

"Well, we were all thinking it might have been one of the school staff in the first place, right?" Rosch said, rubbing his chin. "Still, can't say I expected her of all people…"

"Why?" said Raynie. "She's always seemed like a bit of an asshole to me."

"What's up with her giving the book to Eruca, though?" Marco asked. "That just doesn't make any sense."

Eruca glanced to the side. It made her nervous to talk about this in the middle of the school courtyard. The rest of the students were too busy to pay them any mind, but still…

"She was acting strangely when she gave it to me," Eruca finally said. "She almost seemed… scared."

"Something about the book must have frightened her," said Sonja.

"Or someone," said Rosch. He frowned. "You gotta be careful. The whole thing smells like trouble."

"She kept mentioning my father for some reason," Eruca said, feeling suddenly forlorn. "How he figures in all of this, I really don't know."

"Your dad?" Raynie seemed uncomfortable, suddenly. "He's not around, isn't he? What's the deal with him, anyway?"

Marco gave her a look of dismay. He tugged on her sleeve, trying to mouth something to her. She ignored him—or, rather, never noticed him trying to get her attention.

"It's a long story," Eruca said. "There's… a lot of bad blood between him and my mother. He stayed in Granorg when they divorced." Her brow furrowed. "It's strange that Protea lives here in Alistel rather than with him. Does it have something to do with my father's disappearance?"

The others seemed to ponder her words in silence. Their quiet, troubled demeanours clashed horribly with the boisterous cacophony of the other students around them. Suddenly, Eruca felt a world apart from those kids just waiting for the end of break, chatting and laughing without a care.

"Then, our best bet would be to question her," Rosch eventually said. "She's got to know more about all of this."

"But how are we supposed to contact her without coming across as suspicious?" Sonja said. "She's the assistant-principal, and we're just average students."

Eruca shrugged. "I'll do it. I'll just say it's about a family-related issue." The bell then rung. She offered the others a rueful smile. "I'll see what I can do after class. See you later."

A few hours later, Eruca was waiting in front of Protea's office, hand hovering near the door. She stood still for a moment, feeling unsure.

"What are you waiting for?" Raynie asked her. She and the others hung a little farther behind, getting strange looks from the rest of the passing students. "It'll be fine. What could go wrong, really?"

Eruca bit down her lip, before giving her a stiff nod. "Yes, of course, you're right." Again, she raised her hand; this time, however, she knocked on the door in a strong, decisive manner.

Not long after, a man in his thirties came to answer the door.

"Hello?" the man said; he looked rather puzzled to see Eruca and the others. "Can I help you?"

"I was hoping to meet with the vice-principal," Eruca said. "It's for a personal matter, you see…"

"Oh!" The man readjusted his glasses. "I guess you don't know, hmm… Then again, it's not exactly something we told the students."

"What?" Eruca felt anxious, all of a sudden. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

The man drew back. He glanced to the side. "It's not something that should concern you. You should all be going home."

He was about to close the door, when Raynie came forward. "Whoa! You know Eruca is the vice-principal's stepdaughter, right? She's family. She has a right to know if something's wrong, hasn't she?"

The man frowned at Eruca. "You're her stepdaughter? And you haven't heard anything from her recently?"

Eruca managed a weak smile. "That's part of why I wanted to see her. I haven't heard from her or my father for a while. I was getting a bit worried."

"Huh." He squinted at them from behind his glasses. "I see. Well, get inside, then. Funny that you've had no news."

Eruca looked back at the others. Raynie gave a thumb's up, while Sonja waved her hand with a nervous smile. Eruca nodded, before following the man back to Protea's office and closing the door behind her.

"So," the man began, "as I was saying before, this is not exactly common knowledge, but the assistant-principal is on leave. Health problems, I believe. I haven't been told much."

"Really?" Eruca said. "How… horrible. I had no idea."

"Principal Hugo is trying to keep this under wraps, as you might understand. You'll… keep quiet about this, will you? If word gets out that I actually told a student, then…"

"Don't worry," Eruca said, putting on her best straight-laced student impression, "I wouldn't dream of telling anyone about this."

The man rubbed his temples. "Good. With the way troubles keep piling up, I really don't need more problems." He motioned to Eruca to leave. "I don't have any more information that would interest you. You really should get going."

Eruca fidgeted with her wristwatch. "Do you have her address? I could visit her, I'm sure she would like that."

The man quirked one eyebrow. He didn't seem that convinced. "Sure. Whatever. Go check up on her if you want."

Eruca had the distinct impression that he was trying to get rid of her in any way possible. "Thank you," she said, somehow amused. "Your help is appreciated."

"You know, considering the kind of person she is, I kinda expected something nicer," Raynie said.

After school, the five of them had agreed to meet at the apartment building where Eruca's stepmother lived. They had been accompanied by Aht and Gafka, to Eruca's great dismay. She hadn't wanted them to come, but the Satyros child and her tall, ever serious protector had both shown up unannounced after the end of classes. As always, Aht hadn't been willing to take no for an answer.

"Yeah," said Rosch. "This part of town is kind of shady. Place looks rundown, too."

Aht gave Eruca a funny look. "What kind of person is your stepmom, anyway?"

Eruca pushed open the door to the building. "I don't know," she answered Aht. "We haven't been formally introduced, actually." As they made their way inside, Eruca wrinkled her nose. The hallway stank of cigarette smoke, and the carpet was discoloured in some places. "I wonder if she's really got some sort of illness. I wouldn't want to intrude…"

Raynie let out a snort. "I dunno, seems to me like she might have pissed off the wrong kind of people and went off to hide. But that's just a dumb theory, mind you."

"She wouldn't be the only person at school to be on sick leave," Sonja said. "One of our teachers was injured in an accident a month ago. He's still in the hospital, from what I've heard."

"I'm not looking forward to having him back," Rosch said with a sheepish grin. "The guy's a bit of an uptight prick, if you ask me."

Finally, they reached the right apartment. Before Eruca could knock, however, Gafka put one hand on her shoulder.

"I have an idea," he said. "Let me talk to her."

His knuckles softly rapped on the door. For a few moments, Eruca heard only the loud thumping of her heart in her ears. Then, mercifully enough, came the sounds of footsteps from behind the door.

Eruca held her breath as the door opened, just by a smidge. Though the gap was small, Eruca could see a familiar face peering from within the apartment.

"What is it?" Protea said, rather rudely. Her gaze went up and down at Gafka, and her expression grew even more pinched. "Who are you? What the hell do you want?"

Gafka was unfazed by her boorish demeanour. "Good day, ma'am. My name is Ajit Gafka. I'm a private investigator who was hired by your husband's family. I'm here to ask you some questions."

Protea grew pale. "Questions? About what? I don't know anything that might help you. Go away!"

She tried to close the door, but Gafka stopped it with his foot. Protea gasped.

"You can't do that!" she almost shrieked. "I haven't done anything wrong, you can't do that to me!"

"As I was about to say, I'm looking for your husband," Gafka continued, cool as a cucumber. He gestured at Eruca with his head, silently asking her to come closer. At the sight of Eruca, Protea clutched at the door so tightly her knuckles became white. "I believe you've already met his daughter? She has many questions of her own."

"I don't have to say a thing to you! Get lost!"

From behind, Eruca heard Raynie blurting out, "Oh, for crying out loud!" For his part, Gafka only sighed.

"Ma'am, you have two choices," he told Protea. "Either you cooperate with us, an option that gives us the opportunity to offer you protection, or…"

Protea's lower lip wobbled. "Or…?"

Gafka simply shrugged. "I do wonder how your employer would react if they knew that you've gone on leave for fabricated reasons. They would not be pleased, I believe."

Protea gaped at him. "You wouldn't!"

"I would prefer that you choose the first option, if you want my honest opinion. As I said—"

"You know nothing!" Protea spat. "I don't know what kind of delusions you're holding, but I can perfectly take care of myself!"

"Please!" Eruca came forward, putting a hand to her heart. "I know you're scared, but we can help if we know more! I know what that book is, now, I understand why you gave it to me. Some dangerous people are after it, right? Is that why you're so frightened?"

Protea seemed taken aback for a moment. She looked at Eruca with a squinting, suspicious stare. "How would you of all people be able to protect me?"

Eruca smiled. "I can't say I know what we're up against, but I promise my friends and I will be ready to take on that threat."

"Your… friends?" Protea said, pushing the door open a bit more. At the sight of the small crowd of teenagers behind Eruca, her face twisted in a grimace of horror and disgust.

Raynie tilted her head in a salute. "'Sup?"

Protea's small apartment was messy, with clothes and half-filled luggage littering the place. The curtains were drawn, leaving the space in near darkness. Motes of dust hung in the air, making Eruca want to sneeze.

"Were you going somewhere?" Eruca said with a frown. "Are you… moving out of Alistel?"

Protea noticeably tensed. She turned and gave Eruca a spiteful look. "Can you blame me? If only you knew just a fraction of what I've gone through, then maybe you wouldn't act so high-and-mighty."

Eruca heard Raynie letting out a growl.

"Why you little…" she said, stomping in Protea's direction. Eruca stopped her by raising her arm.

"Then perhaps you should start speaking," she told Protea. "How did you end up with the Chronicle in your possession? And who is it you're so afraid of?"

Protea sneered at Eruca, before dropping into a sofa. She lounged in her seat as if it was a throne. "Before I speak, I want to make things clear. Maybe you're looking for trouble, but I've had enough. I'm going back to Granorg." Her smirk grew even uglier. "If that paints a big red target on your back, well, that's fine by me. As long as I'm not the one dealing with all of this crap."

Eruca nodded, her expression cold and grim. "Whatever happens, I won't run. I'm ready to get to the bottom of this."

Protea rolled her eyes heavenward. Then, she said, "I stole it. From your father."

"What?" exclaimed Raynie, while Rosch and Sonja exchanged startled looks. Eruca only tightened her hands into fists; somehow, she was not surprised.

She breathed in and out, eventually saying, "Please, continue."

"I only know that it's part of a set," Protea said, "and that both books have been passed down your family for years." She waved a hand around, clearly annoyed. "I can't say I know why everyone is so willing to shed blood over what is essentially two giant piles of paper, though."

"So?" Eruca prompted. "Why did you steal the Black Chronicle then?"

"Ugh! So demanding! You are your father's daughter, you know that?"

Again, Raynie gave a growled invective. This time, even Rosch looked murderous.

"Just stay on topic, please," Eruca said coolly.

"Whatever! It was for a job! The whole thing was for a job! I was supposed to get close to your father and steal the damn thing. It's just… having him propose to me wasn't part of the plan. What was I supposed to do, say no to becoming the wife of one of the richest men in the world? Surely no one would be daft enough to do such a thing!"

"And then…?"

Protea grimaced. "The troubles started when I actually found the book. I gave it back to my employers, but Vic must have found out, somehow. Next thing I know, he takes the other book and drops off the face of the earth, leaving me to look like the worst of fools!"

"Who hired you?" Gafka said. "Do you have names?"

Protea's assurance began to show some cracks. "They're… long-time associates of mine. We've often collaborated together on some smaller… projects, back in Granorg. I still don't know why they wanted those books so badly."

Rosch stepped toward her. "You heard Mr. Gafka. We need names, lady."

"You lot sure are annoying," Protea said, scrunching up her nose. "Dias and Selvan. There, are you happy?"

"Wait, you mean…" Sonja said, in half a whisper.

"The two teachers at school?" Rosch completed, sounding completely floored. He passed a hand through his hair. "Holy… holy shit."

A pair of teachers… Eruca could not believe it. Ernst might have been murdered by two of his teachers? It seemed so surreal, so… wrong.

"I have another question," Eruca said, voice slightly hoarse. "If the three of you were based in Granorg, why did you move here?"

"It was their idea," Protea said. "I'm not sure what that book—that Black Chronicle—is supposed to do, but it wasn't working the way they wanted. For some reason, they seemed to think that your uncle would be the key to unlocking that mystery."

"My uncle?" said Eruca. Suddenly, she was short on breath. "W-what does he have to do with all of this?"

"I can't say why, but Dias and Selvan… they were terrified of the man. Said there would be hell to pay if he caught wind of their plan, whatever it was." Protea shuddered. "Whatever the reason, they must have been right. Who else would have hurt Selvan in such a savage manner?"

Savage…? "My uncle wouldn't hurt anyone," Eruca said, feeling the blood leaving her face. "He's not that kind of person."

"Whatever you think, it doesn't change the fact that someone beat that idiot Selvan badly enough that he's still in the hospital!" Protea nearly screamed. "And you'll be damned if you think I'll line up to be the next! No, I've had enough of this!"

"Alright," said Eruca. "You can go, once you've finished telling us what you know."

Marco frowned at Eruca. "You'd let her go? She is partly responsible for everything, you know. If she hadn't stolen that Chronicle thing, then Mimel and Kiel and Stocke would still be…" He shook his head, unable to say more.

"I know," Eruca told him. She looked at Protea, a strange mix of emotion churning in her belly. There was spite, yes, and anger… but it was mostly drowned by a great deal of pity. "I don't think we're in a position to lay down judgement on anyone. There is still a lot we don't know."

Protea's shoulders dropped in relief. Marco, for his part, still stared at Eruca. She could not decipher his expression, but something about his eyes, the way he looked at her, left her oddly… unsettled.

"I don't know anything else," Protea said. Something in her voice had changed. It was softer, more subdued. "I didn't know a thing about these books. I was just in for the money, I swear."

"I understand," Eruca said. In the end, Protea was simply a coward, a foolish puppet who hadn't expected her bad choices to have so many horrible consequences. "Thank you for your help."

Protea turned up her nose at Eruca. "You're rather mad, aren't you? Chasing after trouble like that. If you end up like that imbecile Selvan—or worse—don't you blame me." She smirked, and a bit of her usual arrogance then crept back into her voice as she said, "It will be your own stupidity that got you into that mess."

Thankfully, Sophia did not comment on how silent Eruca was as they prepared supper later that night.

Sophia was in a good mood. Much like Eruca had been allowed to go back to school recently, she was back to working a few days a week. It was a small comfort, but Eruca welcomed it all the same. Her mother thrived when she was around other people. Spending all of her time alone in a house full of memories and regrets would not help her. As they ate supper together, Eruca's mother even shared a funny story one of her colleagues had told her. Sophia had not laughed out loud as she would once had done, but she'd still shown a genuine smile.

Afterwards, Eruca went to her room, saying she had to do her homework. Of course, it was easier said than done, as most of her thoughts were still occupied by the conversation she had shared with Protea some hours ago. The others hadn't known what to think of her revelations. Ernst's friends seemed unable to decide on their next course of action, lost adrift in doubt and fear. Eruca herself could not steer them, not the way her brother had done. She was nowhere strong enough to take his place…

Eruca's mind was heading down a dark, winding path when the phone rang loudly, startling her. It continued to ring for a few seconds before Sophia picked it up.

"Hello?" Eruca could hear her mother's voice coming from downstairs. There was a pause, then she continued, "Who… who is this?"

Again, Sophia was quiet for a moment. Eruca felt her heartbeat quickening. Her heart nearly leaped in her throat when her mother's screams finally broke the thick silence that had taken hold of the entire house.

"You!" Sophia was shouting over the phone. "How dare you, how dare you?!"

Immediately, Eruca got out of her chair, grabbing another handset. Through the receiver, she heard a man's voice. It was familiar—eerily so.

"—I've been busy, you have to understand," the man was saying, his voice a low rumble. "Besides, you know I could not—"

"He was your son!" Sophia shrieked. "You couldn't even come to your son's funeral?!"

There was a scoff on the other end. "As if you or that parasite brother of mine would have let me come. You've made your position very clear the day you stole my children from me."

"Stole? Stole…?!"

"Anyway," Victor said, ignoring Sophia's angry sputtering, "there is something I must ask you. This summer, I entrusted Ernst with a certain item. I need to—"

"No," Sophia spat. "I'm not doing anything for you. Never speak to me again." And she hung up.

Eruca remained frozen on her spot, hand clutching the phone tightly. Finally, she tumbled down to her bed. She buried her face in her hands and sighed, deeply, as she tried to ignore the soft sobs coming from downstairs.

Sleep did not find her easily this night.

Eruca opened her eyes and frowned.

It was hard to make something out of her surroundings. A deep, dark blue showed on the horizon wherever she looked. She tried to take a step forward, only to realize that there was no solid ground under her feet. She gasped, feeling a twinge of fear.

In front of her, a strange mist began to condense into two womanly figures. The one on the left shimmered with a soft, silvery light. The other was black and formless as a shadow.

"THERE SHE IS!" a woman's voice said. It seemed to come from the darker figure. "FINALLY, SHE'S BECOME AWARE OF US. YOU'RE NOT VERY PERCEPTIVE, AREN'T YOU, CHILD?"

"Don't say such a thing, sister", came another feminine voice. It sounded younger. "I believe she has a good, strong heart. Much like her brother once did."

"My brother?" Eruca said, breathlessly. "Who are you? How do you know about him?"

The womanly figure on the right let out a laugh. The sound of it sent chills down Eruca's back. "YES, YES. PERHAPS YOU CAN SUCEED WHERE HE FAILED."

"Perhaps you can save us," the other completed, softly.

"A FAVOUR FOR A FAVOUR. YOU HELP US, AND IN RETURN WE HELP YOU."

Eruca tried to move away. A strange sort of fright had taken hold of her, though she could not say why. "W-What do you mean, help me? What would you do?"

"WHY," the eldest of the two sisters said, cocking her head to the side as if she were amused,"WE WOULD HELP YOU CHANGE THE PAST, OF COURSE." She reached forward with a long-fingered, grasping hand. "YOU WANT TO SAVE THAT BROTHER OF YOURS FROM HIS CRUEL FATE, DON'T YOU?"

Eruca looked at the hand extended toward her, heart thumping loudly in her chest. Then, without thinking, she took a step forward.