Hello dear readers, and welcome back for another update! If you're just starting out with Smashed Minds, I welcome you! If you're an old reader ready for more...well, I hope you're ready for more!

Summer has FINALLY arrived for me (along with a copy of the new Animal Crossing, which is fantastic), and that means more time to write and update a bit more frequently. This chapter is another dialogue-heavy one (sorry!), but I promise things will pick up considerably next chapter, as we move closer and closer to solving the Mansion's mystery.

For those of you guessing the identity of the Raven still...well, this should shift your list of guesses around a bit. :)

I'll cut to the chase and say enjoy the new chapter now. Please remember the review box exists down in the corner! I love to see reviews and see what people think of the entire thing, so if you could leave a review I would be eternally grateful!

Enjoy the new update!

*Nintendo owns everything*

Chapter Eight: Over the Void

Gann's cold eyes cut through David like a sword as the giant took in this simple statement. "I am, am I?" he finally responded, after moving one of his own checkers to an empty spot. "Tell me, what proof do you have of this?"

"You spoke against Main the first time we met," answered David, as he refused to back down from his opponent's piercing gaze. "When Peach was...disposed of by Miles, you were the one who wanted to wait and see how things played out. You always seem to be watching and waiting, and tonight I recognized you in the Starling Court- you were the one who came and took me from my room...and here you are waiting for me."

"So you have no solid proof? Merely theories from simple observations?"

"No, I have proof. On the night of Lyn's murder, I found a key by the foot of the staircase. The Starling Court said tonight that someone had lost their key, and it seems suspicious to me that it would go missing on the night of a murder." He searched his pockets, but shrugged sheepishly as he came up empty-handed. "They took it from me, but I did have it."

The corners of Gann's mouth twitched as he pulled out the missing key and spun it lazily on his index finger. "You mean this key?"

David reached to grab it, only to have it yanked away by the giant. "So it was you," the reporter realized aloud as he leaned back. "The key was yours all along." His face hardened into an angry mask as he added, "You're a murderer."

Moving a checker, the red-haired man seemed nonplussed by the accusation. "You say it as if you're in shock."

"You killed her." The reporter's voice was as dead as the woman he spoke of, and the words hung thickly in the air, seemingly pushing away the oxygen and energy in the room.

Now it was Gann's turn to find it hard to glare at David with his usual venomous gaze. He took a moment, perhaps searching his thoughts for any plausible excuse for his dark deeds. Finally, he found what to say, which was surprisingly simple. "Yes, I killed her."

There was a silence that filled every corner of the sunroom stretching on and on for what felt like a lifetime until David, his face pale, sputtered out feebly, "So you are the Raven."

A sigh escaped from Gann. "No David, I am not the Raven. I carry out orders as a member of the Court and on behalf of the Raven, but I do not carry them out as the Raven. No one does- the Raven prefers observation over acting. Acting can lead to discovery after all, and that's the last thing anyone wants."

"But...Lyn's death...that night, the Raven wanted me to see her corpse...were you just 'following orders' then?"

Something about this statement struck a nerve in Gann, who curled his lip and narrowed his eyes at the reporter. "Listen boy," he hissed, "this is a high-stakes game you've become involved in, not some fantasy roleplay. Like I told you, you can't lose your nerve or focus on a single death here, especially when there are things that are more important. Worse things have happened within these walls- much, much worse." Composing himself, the giant took several deep breaths before continuing, "It had to be done. The message had to be sent to Main, and the only way that would happen would be to kill one of his staff."

"Why did you have to kill her though? Does it give you some sort of satisfaction? Or is it just another stepping stone for whatever the Raven has planned?"

Some checkers were shifted about as Gann mused quietly over his response, but it wasn't until one of David's checkers was removed from the board that an answer was finally given. "Killing a person is not an easy task the first time around, you know. The human body, the mind, all scream against killing another person. It is a barrier in a way, a barrier that keeps you from breaking your morals and relinquishing your sanity to the primal instinct of our past. Once you break that barrier, you change in who you are, how you think, how you carry yourself. Some men and women crack and crumble away once they have smashed through the barrier, but some are released. They feel no guilt or emotion for their actions, and they lose their feelings because it is the only way they can cope and sleep at night without the immense reality of their actions weighing them down. After that, after taking the plunge and killing for the first time, the floodgates are opened and it can be done again and again as naturally as tying one's shoe."

"That's why you were chosen? You've...killed people before?"

The giant laughed softly to himself. "According to Main, I am here because I kidnapped Zelda and held her hostage until her 'friend' found me and beat me within an inch of my life. Yet I know I've killed people- the feeling is something that hangs over you whether you wish to admit it or not. It's like a light coat you slip on- barely noticeable, but still there. Samantha is under the assumption, along with others here, that we live other lives. I know she is right-how else can I explain the feelings of bloodlust and murder, or the memories of dark actions I carry within my head? I have done far, far worse than hold someone hostage, and the Raven knows it.'

'While here, I've tried to keep low, and tried to act like a normal individual by throwing aside my past deed, but killing Lyn only proves one thing: I am a bad guy. A villain. No matter how hard I try to change, no matter what good intentions I have, I can never escape my true nature. In the end, it only leads to more death and blood on my hands...and I am beginning to grow weary of both. I killed Lyn because it needed to be done- was it the right thing to do? No, but that no longer matters much. There are no longer good choices or bad choices here- the choice now is between who is telling the most truthful things. People will eventually be hurt in the struggle, but there are always casualties."

David removed one of Gann's checkers from the board, causing the giant to frown. "It sounds like you feel guilty for Lyn's death. Didn't you say after killing so many, it made you devoid of feelings?"

"This place has changed me, Mr. Kojima. I am not the cold-hearted tyrant I once was in the past, for now I do feel guilt over Lyn's death. I took it too far, and I regret having to fall back on my old ways after keeping away from them for so long."

"So tell me this then: how do I fit into all of this?"

"You still have to ask that question?"

"Of course, I'm a reporter...at least I think I am. Tonight has been one of those nights when I find myself asking questions about who I am, rather than learning answers about who everyone else is."

"Consider me surprised then. I thought you would have already caught on." Gann took his eyes off the checkerboard for a moment as he leaned forward and balanced his chin on his knuckles. "You, David Kojima, are the key to us getting out of here, to stopping Main's web of lies and fix us from whatever he's done to us. Main already knows this, and knows you pose a threat to everything he has established here- why else would he invite you here, when no other reporter has been allowed to the island? He knows you could come, and he has been prepared to stop you from the moment you set foot on the boat that brought you here."

The thought that Main had purposefully invited him for a reason other than reporting had never crossed David's mind, but now he realized it was a very real possibility. "So I'm supposed to be some sort of hero?"

"Oh no, not a hero- a hero's job is to defeat evil. Your task is to restore thing to the way they once were."

"What way? How can I even do something like this?"

"You don't believe the Raven's truth about our memories, but soon you will see that we are honest. As for how you can help us...did Main mention the third floor to you?"

That memory of the day of his arrival seemed like so long ago. Yet the experience still remained fresh in David's mind as he recalled the warning the Master had given him. "Yeah, on the first day he forbade me to go there, but when I asked Soloro about it..."

"He denied the existence of the third floor?" Another checker was moved, accompanied by an eye roll from Gann. "Isaac's a little ass, and you should ignore anything he happens to say. Believe me, there is a third floor."

"What's up there?"

"I haven't a single idea, but something is up there, something that Main doesn't want anyone to see, especially you. I have a hunch that somewhere up there is the answer to where we came from, and why we are currently here."

"Let me guess: you want me to get up to the third floor somehow and do a little investigation work?" David began to absentmindedly move his checkers as his thoughts drifted away from the game and toward the mystery of the third floor's contents.

"Exactly! You're a reporter, so getting hard-to-obtain information must be second nature to you. Now, the third floor entrance is supposedly located in the library...but Main keeps that place locked up tight. In order to go upstairs, you'll need the key to get inside."

Frowning, David responded, "Hang on, doesn't the Starling Court have a key to the library? After all, they have the keys for getting into the rooms."

Gann ruefully shook his head. "They've tried before, but the lock is different, and the mechanism is too complex to fashion a fake key out of. The only way to get in is with the actual key, and the person who has that is none other than our resident asswipe, Dr. Soloro."

Laughing, David ran a hand wearily through his hair and exclaimed, "This already sounds like an impossible task!"

"Here the impossible is possible, Mr. Kojima." The giant suddenly looked down at the checkerboard and allowed himself a smile. "You underestimate your own capabilities. Let your instinct guide you, since it seems you accomplish more when you don't focus on something."

The hell is he talking about now? Looking down at the checkerboard, David didn't understand at first what Gann meant. Then he saw that all but one of Gann's checkers had been removed from the board. Wordlessly, he passed his closest checker over the lone black one and took it from the board, bringing an end to their game.

"You know, nobody has ever beaten me in a game," Gann continued with a hint of admiration in his deep timbre. "Until now, that is. Remember, Mr. Kojima, when it really comes down to it, this is all just a game: a game of truth, of lies, or trust, sanity, and so on. The stakes are high, and your opponents are crafty, but you can match them move for move, and beat them when they least expect it. You just need to trust your instinct."

As he finished speaking, Gann rose from his spot and unfolded his massive limbs in a surprisingly graceful fashion. Pointing towards the door, he turned himself to gaze out the window at the first hints of dawn creeping up on the night. "I hope my answers are satisfactory to your questions. The life I live is not one I am content with, and my choices are partially to blame for that. Yet, right now, what I do- and what you should be prepared to do- is for the good of every patient in the Mansion."

"Thank you."

This seemed to be a surprising statement to the giant. "Oh? What for?"

"For at least trying to make light of the situation at hand. However, there's still one question I have." David, who had risen and moved toward the door, hesitated and looked back at Gann's shadowy form. "In the Starling Court tonight, one of the members said they didn't want something bad to happen again. What did they mean?"

Gann stiffened slightly, but relaxed after taking a drawn-out sigh. "A few years ago," he softly explained without diverting his attention from the window, "long before your arrival or the rise of the Raven, a group of patients thought it was time to act against Main. Four of them developed a plan, and their leader- a highly gifted individual- was ready to dispose of Main and leave the island for good. They were confident their plan would go off without a problem. Unfortunately, they were horribly, horribly mistaken. On the night of their attempted takeover, Main apprehended all four patients after somehow learning of their plot. He placed them all in the restraint room, and three of them died after hours upon hours of what the Master called 'retraining'. The fourth, their leader...well, Main changed him. He was brainwashed by Main into believing his memories were all fake, and that Main was the one who rescued him from his sorry state. Main made his become a loyal worker and kept him by his side, so he could never be distrustful again. None of the patients dared to challenge Main after that until you arrived.

"Wait, so if the patient is still alive and working for Main, does that mean he's here? Who is he?"

A sly smile slid over Gann's stony features, standing out against the shadows surrounding him. "He was - is - one of our more unusual patients, and I gave him the name of the Psychic long ago, since he always seemed to know what was on someone's mind. You see him practically every day. The patient who staged the rebellion is none other than the chef, Miles Tibbins."

I said earlier Miles would be important...heheheh...

Since I'll have more time to write in the coming weeks, I'll do my best to have a new chapter out soon. Until then, I encourage you to review, share, favorite, follow, or reread this baby! You might spot some things that you could have missed the first time around, like Miles' identity. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next update!