Chapter Four

Night. The time when he could truly be awake. Night. The time he was allowed to be himself. Night. The time he could allow his true nature free reign. Night. The time of true ecstasy. He didn't even try to suppress his excited giggles.

Marie had long since gone to bed, and Stein was finally free to do as he chose to. Sneaking out from under the covers was hardly difficult when your partner was such a heavy sleeper. Stein was home free and he was going to make the most of his freedom. He had from now until sunrise.

Let's go!

His fingers were fast from years of practice. His eyes were sharp from years of textbooks. His heart was primed with inborn passion. He only needed freedom.

Stein only had a few days to get this right. If he moved too slowly, his project would quickly wear out, susceptible as it was to the flow of time. Even Death was not beyond time. Stein found that an interesting philosophy because it only made his heart beat faster, made him more productive. At this rate he would be finished with Stage Three by Friday. That only left Stage Four.

It was almost frightening how fast he could work when manic. He could get things done at nearly three times his "normal" speed when he was this way, far faster than any of his classmates ever could. School had wasted so much time for him. Being forced to stay seated while the others finished their tests had been torture. And they'd said he had an inclination towards cruelty.

"I would almost puke just from the sight of everyone…"

He shook his head. Now was not the time for reminiscing, not with such an important endeavor ahead of him. Resentment would have to come later, after he had succumbed to the insanity. And yes, that was to be his fate. Stein had resigned to that long ago, ever since the verdict had come in from the experts, as soon as the diagnosis had been made by the establishment. The Order. The Established Order. They were the ones who had declared him disturbed.

"Right and wrong are determined by the people who hold positions of authority." Stein could recall telling one of his students that. He would have to remind himself of that philosophy if he was to make it through to the end of this mad venture. Nihilism was the only way for Stein's soul to escape condemnation.

The world is one big moral grey area and the best thing to do is to keep going.

And so he was able to continue through the night of the laughing moon, his frenzy now quieted by his solemn meditations. It was hard to be happy when one feared for one's soul. He could only keep going, comforting himself with the fact that one day all his suffering would be ended.

"Anyone who strays from the right path must be stopped."

Stein could only hope that Lord Death would find the heart to destroy him.