Count it Up

by ReadyForTeddy

The Industrial Revolution is in full swing, and Ness & Lucas are ready for the winter term at Onett Boarding School. But when a variety of horrifying, unexplainable events start to take place, it becomes apparent that everything's about to change.

12. Chapter 12 - Listen

(Several Hours Earlier)

"I don't deserve you!"

Ness's voice rings through my head. I toss through book upon book in frustration.

I've retired to the library. After an uncomfortable dinner with the others, I'm forcing myself to give Ness some distance, but the combination of worrying about my best friend and the elusive Magical Monsters and Mythical Creatures is making my head spin.

I fall into a chair with a sigh.

My mind throbs, filled with images of that figure in the shower. I lurch at the memory. Who were they? What did they want? I tried to attack my bloodied hair with some cold water earlier, it helped, but the wound is still there. The memory hasn't faded.

I've stowed a portion of dinner away to give to Ness later. I'm afraid of what is happening, but I'm determined to find out what is wrong with him. I will help, even if it hurts me in the process. I know he's not managing the situation well, and I wish to myself that I could do more. But we're in this maelstrom together, so I will do all that I can.

With this resolve, I pull a stack of hardbacks near me, and I keep searching.

I have to find this book. I'm not sure why it's so important, but I need to read about it, to find out what Future Human wants. To find out what it is, why it keeps haunting me. It shouldn't bother me so much, it's only a dream, but I'm deathly curious. Any minute I'm idle, it prickles in my mind.

The library is as sleepy as ever, the books piled high on shelves, some ancient, some modern. The gas lamps illuminate the worn spines of the highest books, the books that look like they'd crumble if touched… but the book I'm looking for was new, I remind myself. It could even have been freshly inked. It hadn't been printed, that's for sure, instead, it had been written with a faint, square-like scrawl. If only I could remember the author…

Unfortunately, after a while of theorising through headaches, I'm left empty-handed. Once again, there's no sign of Magical Monsters and Mythical Creatures, nor any sign of it ever having existed. Perhaps it was all just a dream. Perhaps the author took the book away. I sigh, frustrated. I need to be sure, but it'll take forever to search among this labyrinth. It's yet another mystery.

For now, I force myself to believe that somebody else must've taken it out, leaving the library in dismay. The evening has moved on, the sky looming a midnight blue, and it's about time I visited Ness.

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~~o00o~~

Chapter 12: Listen

(Lucas)

~~o00o~~

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(Several Hours Later)

I jolt awake.

Something's stirred me. My vision swims through the black air. Cold bites at my skin, and I quickly sit up, pulling my duvet further around my body. Through my fading dream, I peer through the darkness. catching a glimpse of a silhouette slipping through the door.

My stomach lurches. I scramble, tumbling out of bed. Ness's side of the room is empty. Where's he going? I try not to panic, standing up, running through the possibilities in my mind. There's no reason he'd be going out into the school. He couldn't possibly be going outside. There's only one thing to do.

Follow him.

But the hallway is deserted. Was I too slow? I look around, noticing that a painting of some old king is askew. I test it, pivoting it upwards, and I rotate it around to reveal some sort of hidden entrance. A ladder guards it, plummeting into the cold abyss below. This must be the way.

But despite my certainty, I freeze. Could Ness really have gone down there? Is he going into the forest? My breath hitches, and I steel my nerve. There's nothing else to be done. I clamber into the hole, but as soon as I do, there's a rushing noise behind me, and the painting swings shut.

"Ness!" I cry, but my voice only echoes around the walls. There's no reply, no sign of life. My heart skips several beats. I feel the cold rungs of the ladder with my hands and feet, aware of how immense the drop below would be. All my muscles tense. Some sort of dust catches in my throat, and I cough and splutter, trying to think of Ness, but it's so dark, and it could cave in at any minute, and I could fall…

No. Ness. I need to think of Ness.

I yelp as my hand slips off a rung, sharply throwing me into focus. I scramble to grip the ladder, and I start to climb down as quickly as possible, my feet slipping, my eyes shut tight with fear. I need to keep going. The ladder seems endless, torturous; I feel ill, my chest is thick, my throat closing up, I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe! My head throbs harder, and I scramble down, down, down…

Ground. Solid ground! I laugh, giddy with relief, but the relief is shattered when I hear a dense crunch, and I feel the ground shake beneath me.

A small clump of earth falls from my head, onto the floor. My worst fears are becoming a reality.

The passage is caving in.

I yell, another violent tremor toppling dirt to the ground. My legs carry me of their own accord, plunging through the darkness with no idea of where I'm going, only guided by intuition. The rubble roars behind me. I collide face-first into a wall, expelling a mighty thud as I slam into the ground. The noise behind me rises in a crescendo. I spit out dirt, trying to scramble to my feet, but I slip again, cutting my hand on a jagged stone. I gasp for breath, eyes screwed tight, all alone, ready to be consumed…

But the noise stops.

I open an eye. Have I gotten lucky? It doesn't sound like the passage is caving in anymore…

Turning, I nervously crawl backwards, away from where the noise had been just seconds before. Once I feel safe enough, I scramble up, thanking my lucky stars and shaking like a leaf. I'm finished with dark spaces for the rest of my life.

The sound of footsteps ahead reminds me of my purpose. Ness. I break into an efficient run, my hand trailing the wall, but the footsteps ahead of me burst into a sprint, and suddenly, warm light fills the passage as I turn into a junction. The footsteps hurtle down the darker path, and I have to follow, leaving the light behind me.

The path begins to slope upwards. The distant cry of wind fills my ears. The footsteps fade into it, blending with the oncoming noise, and I have to strain to hear where they went. Even so, I keep running, the passage walls growing damper and damper until, suddenly, I plunge into the cool moonlit air of the forest. But my relief is short-lived, as a sudden clap of thunder shocks me senseless. The wind screams, tearing at my pyjamas. A thick sheet of rain pours over my head, soaking me in seconds.

"Ness?" I cry, looking desperately for his silhouette through howling trees.

A crash sounds to the left, so I sprint after it, trampling sodden mud underfoot. A figure darts out from behind a trunk, but it hurtles in the other direction. I follow for all I'm worth, leaping over fallen branches, thinking fearfully of the river. Ness wouldn't — would he?

The thought tears through me like a knife. I run. I'm faster than him, I have to be. But he runs too, like his life depends on it. He glances behind him, just as a flash of lightning strikes — his visage is illuminated for a split second, a mirror of exhaustion and terror. And just as he's looking the wrong way, he trips, sprawling to the ground, covering his head—

"Ness!" I exclaim, practically falling onto him. His body shakes. It shakes so much. I pull him up and into my arms, holding him near. I've got him. It's okay. I've got him. We're in the middle of the woods. In the middle of the dark, freezing woods, in the middle of a thunderstorm. But I've got him.

"L-Lucas?" Ness says in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"You woke me up!" I breathe out, clinging to him like a small child. "What are you doing?"

"I-I thought you were the Face or something! I was running, and—"

He's cut off by a blast of thunder. I grip his hand.

"What the hell is happening, Ness?"

"The grave." Ness trembles. "I couldn't get it out of my head, I - I felt drawn to it, Lucas, and then there was this music — I couldn't sleep, not without thinking, without wondering..."

"You - what?" I stare at him in disbelief. "You came outside, alone, in those dark, horrible passages, just to look at the grave? Why did you not wake me?"

"You wouldn't have let me come," he says, tugging at his wet hair. "I'm sorry, Lucas—"

"Yes, I would've!" Lightning strikes nearby, and I grip his hand tighter. "It's not safe to be out here alone!"

"But Lucas..." He pauses, looking down at the grass, his teeth chattering. "You came all this way for me."

"Of course I did, you idiot! I was worried sick! I thought - I thought you were coming out here to commit - to commit suicideor something!" I feel my eyes welling up. "Do you know how dangerous this was? The passage collapsed behind me, Ness, we have to find another way back, there could have been anything down there, and - and there could be anything out here! Please, please, never do this again!"

"I'm sorry," Ness mumbles.

"Don't apologise! Ness!" I grab him by the shoulder. "Promise me you won't do this to me again. Promise me you won't do something this stupid. Promise, right now!"

But Ness just sobs, and I can only sigh, pulling him into a tight hug. He clings to me like we're eight years old again, like we've just escaped Porky, or we're lost in the streets, the Sharks circling their prey. The rain pours down my back, my head throbbing under the weight of it.

"Ness, don't cry." My voice sounds higher than usual. "W-We're going to be okay."

But Ness gives a tiny shake of his head. The wind howls louder, the rain plastering my hair to my forehead. Lightning flashes violently nearby.

"Come on," I chide. "Let's find the gravestone."

"W-What?" He turns to me with alarm. "I thought you said — it's dangerous — and—"

"Well, we're here now," I say. "I need to make sure you don't come back. Where is it?"

"It's right there." Ness points at a rock, protruding out at a funny angle from the ground.

My eyes widen. "Right there?"

"F-Funny coincidence, r-right?"

"Yes. Come on." I kneel, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling rising within me. "Let's just get this over with."

Ness nods. We get down on hands and knees, mud clinging to our pyjamas. We dig away at the dirt and the leaves, revealing the remainder of the stone. It doesn't go much further down. I squint, trying to make out the words among the lichen, but it's far too dark.

"Wait for a bolt of lightning," Ness says. I silently nod my agreement.

Crash!

I blink.

There's nothing else there.

Our names are inscribed as clear as day; Here lies Ness, buried with his dearest friend and companion, Lucas, but underneath, there's no date. It's blank.

"W-What?" Ness stammers.

I wrack my brains. "Is that good?"

"I don't understand. How can there not be a date?"

"I don't know." An uncomfortable feeling settles within me. "But I don't like it."

Ness kicks the dirt back into the hole. In silence, we stare at the grave for a few seconds longer.

And that's our big mistake.

Everything happens at once. A massive light sears my eyes, and I'm hurled to the ground. The air is torn apart, Ness crying out behind me. My vision swims with stars as suddenly, there's a blow to my head, everything falls still, and my world fades to black.

.

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.

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When I come to, my first thought is why can't I see anything? That becomes apparent when I try to stand up. I'm lying face down in the mud.

Everything aches. I attempt to turn on my side, but there are what feels like a million tonnes mounted on my back. The rain is still thick and heavy, pouring down my cheeks and into my half-open mouth.

I try to lift my head, spitting out what feels like half a terrarium. My mind swims in protest, but still, I try to make out my surroundings. The moon has swept further across the sky. The thunder and lightning are quieter now, and a faint light in the distance tells me dawn is creeping.

But one thing's for sure. I'm stuck.

"Ness?" I cry out, weak. "Ness!?"

Right in front of me is the gravestone. I can read it more clearly now, and I reach out, using it as a lever, hoping to slide myself out from under this enormous weight. My body slips, my shirt riding up and coating my face and stomach with mud, but I feel myself moving, the weight shifting, first over my buttocks, then over my thighs.

I wriggle myself free, ignoring the pain that remains in the small of my back. Gripping onto the gravestone, I haul myself to my feet, and what I see behind me makes me feel ill.

A great oak tree lies on its side, roots sprawled like tentacles in the air. Its branches wave feebly in the dying wind, but its trunk, its thick, mighty trunk... that's what I was stuck beneath. It's a wonder I survived.

Where's Ness? is my next thought, and my eyes fly with panic. Next to a nearby pine, there lies a figure, pale and cold in the moonlight. I rush over, my heart pounding.

I shake him once, then twice. His pyjama shirt is scorched on one side, revealing an angry red shoulder. His skin flakes, flecked with tiny droplets of foliage and mud.

Of course. The pieces fall together in my mind. Lightning struck the tree, but it caught Ness too.

At once, a gasp escapes Ness's mouth, and he falls into my arms. I hold him as best I can as he winces, his eyes flying open. I haul him over to the pine, ignoring the pain of his weight, collapsing him down against it. Tearing his shirt, trying to gauge the full extent of his burns. Along his chest, there's another; angry, red, and raw. The rain will wash it clean, that's all I can hope for, then I'll get him up to the medical ward. It's all I can do.

"Lucas?"

"Stay still," I say. I wring out my shirt as much as possible, using it to clear Ness's wounds. Ness winces again under my actions, but he doesn't protest, only continuing to shiver.

"What happened?" he asks.

"Lightning," I say, still focused on the task at hand. I use the shreds of Ness's pyjama shirt to cover his biggest wound, taking a deep breath. "It struck the oak tree, but it looks like it got you too." I neglect to mention that the trunk nearly killed me.

"Are you okay?" Ness asks faintly.

"We need to get you back to the school," I say, helping him stand. "We got what you came for. Which way do we go?"

"Are you okay?" Ness repeats.

"I'm fine. Which way?"

Ness screws up his face, evidently in pain. I take his hand in mine, trying to ignore the dizziness threatening to topple me.

"I don't know," Ness says weakly.

But suddenly, it's as if someone has flicked a switch inside me. My muscles tense, my hair stands on end, my mind racing at top speed. Something's happening.

"Listen," I say.

"What?"

"Listen," I say, more insistently this time.

I crane my ears, trying to hear over the hungry wind. Thunder rumbles in the distance, but I'm almost certain I can hear something else. I edge towards the noise. Ness follows suit, still looking very confused, and I slot my hand into his.

"Keep listening."

"I don't—"

"Shh!"

There it is, there it was. Cutting through the wind, unmistakable. Like a snake, a hiss.

I inch closer again, leaving the grave and the fallen oak behind. I push through the lower branches of a small birch tree, behind which a faint light seems to glow. Ness winces, the branches brushing against his exposed shoulder.

"Have you ever thought," I whisper, "About when you are alone in the dark and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end? That irrational fear when it feels like something's there, watching?"

Ness gives a tiny nod of his head, now looking rather frightened.

"What if," I continue, edging towards the light. "What if it's not irrational?"

"You are scaring me," Ness says. "Please stop."

"Listen," I say.

There it is again. A quiet hissing, permeating the night.

"I hear it," Ness murmurs.

"Ness?"

"Y-Yes?"

"What do you think it is?"

Hiss.

Ness steps forward, quaking. "I don't know."

"Listen..."

Hiss.

"Some sort of monster?" Ness's hand tenses in mine.

"No, listen closer," I say. We're so close.

"Can't we go back to school?"

"That's not the sound of a monster, Ness." The wind whips up my hair, pushing it onto one side of my face. "That's something else."

"Then stop being spooky and tell me—"

"I think it sounds like a machine."

"A machine?" Ness gives me a puzzled stare.

"A machine."

Ness looks bewildered, wrapping his arms around his middle. "How can you know?"

"Instincts," I say, without thinking.

"Is it dangerous?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know what sort of machine it is." I tiptoe forward. "I think it's this way, behind this thicket…"

"Shouldn't we leave it alone?"

"It could be important..." I push into the deeper trees. Ness groans, following after me.

Driven by curiosity, I peer around the corner, where the dim orange light glows. There, silhouetted by the light, is a box-like shape, groaning, hissing, the sound of steam being forced through a pipe.

Ness steps ahead of me, curiosity overtaking him too, our injuries forgotten. The machine is a little bit smaller than me, a dull grey, jutting out unnaturally among a tuffet of grass. Steel beams and pipes surround the outside, and then the source of light becomes clear. A big panel on top is half-open, revealing what appears to be some sort of hole.

"Don't touch it!" I exclaim as Ness reaches forward.

"But—"

"It could be dangerous."

Ness takes a stick, prising the panel open further, peering down the hole.

"Take a look."

I come closer, and I nearly inhale a mouthful of smoke. Down there, far below even the ground, there is some sort of fire.

"I wasn't expecting that," I say.

"Oh!" Ness makes a sudden movement. "I know what it is!"

"What?"

"It's a chimney."

My mouth hangs open. He's right. I momentarily forget the pain and the weather and the darkness as I think, forcing myself to concentrate.

But something hits me. "Ness?"

"Yes?" He senses my distress.

"If this is a chimney, and the fire below is lit…" I drop my voice to a whisper. "Someone might be down there, possibly listening to every word we say."

I watch Ness's eyes widen, any remaining colour leaving his face. He indicates for us to leave, and we tiptoe away as fast as we can.

We emerge by a clearing. It's wide, allowing the extent of the moonlight to reflect off the sodden ground. The rain now falls in a lazy drizzle, ensuring that nothing dares to start drying out.

"Ness?" I have another thought. "If that was a chimney, then what was all that stuff on the side? The steel?"

"I don't know, b-but can we go back to the school?" He's back to shaking again.

"Which way is it?" I ask.

"I don't mind, just, somewhere, please. I'm scared…"

"Okay, uh, those four trees — see them, there?" I point to the other side of the clearing. "Let's go that way." I'm guessing, and that's obvious, but Ness doesn't comment. Our senses heighten as we step out into the open, treading ever so carefully over the mud. My hand tremors, but against Ness's soft palm, I'm reassured.

Until Ness freezes in place.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

"Did you say those four trees?"

"Yes…?"

"Then," Ness says, gulping. "Why are there five shadows?"

My heartbeat practically slows to a crawl. The wind seems to pick up as I examine the moon, the singular light source. And then the trees, the four trunks, casting vast shadows on the grass. But in between… Ness is right. Something else.

Something awful.

"Be very quiet," I whisper. "It might not have seen us."

It's shrouded in darkness. Perhaps it thinks we haven't noticed it. My mind races through the horrible possibilities of what it could be.

"Hello?" Ness calls boldly, and I panic.

"Ness! You'll bring it over!"

The figure jumps — I'm not sure if it had been expecting to be seen — and it appears to shuffle forward. There is some sort of uncertainty, or perhaps it's a hobble, in its walk. I'm not sure which. It seems to be looking over my shoulder. I daren't tear my eyes away to find out why.

Its visage is dark behind the veil of rain and the shadows of the pine trees. I grip onto Ness's hand, my breathing quickening, prepared at any moment to run or fight. Ness takes a brave step forward. The moonlight glistens on the ground, then in an instant, it catches the face of our opponent, and there's a sickening twist in my stomach. A matted knot of filthy hair. Empty, hollow eyes. Grey, webbed skin. I know that face. I've seen that face before.

That.

Face.

"RUN!"

I feel a hand in mine, and suddenly we're sprinting, hurtling against the driving wind. We pass the hissing of the chimney, bursting out of the clearing, plunging into the darkness of the forest. We run as fast as our legs can carry us, weaving seamlessly around the trees. There's a crash behind us. I take a left, and Ness takes a right around a tree, our hands momentarily fall apart…

But then we're together again, the rain and wind mercilessly blasting at our faces. Countless trees disappear behind us. My hair falls slick against my forehead; I'd almost convinced myself that it was a hallucination, that the Face couldn't be real, but here it is. What if it finds the passages and gets into the school? Or what if it's been doing so already? The disappearances…

I get out of my head, and I focus on running. I look behind me, but this time, there's nothing. No Face. No noise. It's gone.

We're safe.

"Ness!" I exclaim. "We can stop!"

Ness checks for himself, and grinds to a halt, gasping for breath. I hold on tight to his shoulders, and he winces, gripping onto mine in return.

"The Face," he manages wildly. "Here!"

"I know! I saw it too, you goof!"

"You are," he gasps, "The goof!"

I take the chance to survey our surroundings. We've ended up in a different part of the forest now; the trees aren't as dense, or as broad-trunked. The storm seems just the same, though, and a wave of pain rushes over me as I remember my damaged head.

"Why's it here?" Ness asks, shaking. "It must've boarded the train!"

"I think people would've noticed if that thing was on board," I say.

Ness laughs, but that mixed with being out of breath causes him to break into a coughing fit. I thump him on the back, concerned, but he soon resurfaces.

"Where are we?"

"Safe, I think." I look up at the moon again. It's brighter here, kinder. It makes me feel more confident.

"Okay. Sorry for getting us into this trouble..."

"There's no lasting damage." I give him another hug. "It'll be all right. I'll get us back. It's freezing, though."

Ness hugs me back, trying to warm me up. It helps a little, shielding me from the wind.

"All right, so, let's think about this," I say, trying to be clever for the first time all night. "Where do we go?"

"Should we try the opposite direction?" Ness asks.

"...That sounds good to me."

As we begin to walk, surprisingly, the forest doesn't look too dangerous anymore. The rain has eased off a little, and it's been a while since we've heard a clap of thunder. There is still the occasional lightning strike, though, each one giving us a bit of a fright when it appears. The wind is still nasty as well, an awful northern wind, determined to rip us to shreds.

A sort of path makes itself visible from out of the gloom, likely made by some sort of woodland creature. It's helpful, as along it, there are fewer sharp stones that can attack our feet. Resigned to the awful weather at this point, we walk in silence, but it's a comfortable silence. Despite the initial surprise of seeing the Face, I almost feel like I expected it, or at least, expected something to be here tonight.

"I'm tired," Ness says, yawning.

I move alongside him, letting him lean on my shoulder. I wrap my arms around him in a bid to warm him up, making sure to avoid his patches of burnt skin.

"What if they think we're just another disappearance?" Ness asks miserably. He's losing hope. I cannot let that happen. If he loses hope, we may end up stuck in this forest for a very long time.

"Well, Ness," I say, huddling up to him, burying my face in his neck. "If we are stuck, there's nobody I'd rather be stuck with."

"Agreed." He wraps an arm around me.

I hug him, but suddenly, I freeze, the hairs on the back of my neck once again standing on end.

"L-Lucas?"

"Listen."

"I—"

"Shush!"

He's silent. I'm silent. I'm sure that for the second time tonight, I can make out another sound, something buried beneath the wind. But this time, it's different. It's the sound of hope, the sound of potential.

The sound of freedom.

"A river!" Ness exclaims.

"It must be!" I break into a smile. "And if we follow the bank, back to where we were with the others…"

"Then we know the way back!" Ness cheers. "You are a genius, Lucas!"

I race him to the bank, the hearty roar of the current filling our ears as we arrive. The river is full to bursting from the storm, a lot more intense than it had been on our last visit. To my immense relief, just a few metres away, I can see it. The bank where we spent the night.

Ness and I share a joyous hug, before sprinting down the riverside in earnest. But if I've learnt anything from life, I know that nothing comes for free.

"Placet Auxilium!"

I whirl around. Of course, this night of nightmares wouldn't be complete without him.

Future Human.

Once again, it's different. It wears steel-plated armour now, some sort of ticking coming from a set of gears beneath a web of wood and screws. I edge forward, keeping Ness behind me.

"It's the city guard!" Ness says suddenly.

"City guard?"

"From my dream. He was guarding New Pork City!"

"You've dreamt about him too?"

"Yes, but..." Ness hesitates. "This isn't a dream."

"Well, it might be. We've shared dreams before..." I step back, aware that Future Human has started coming forward. As it comes into the moonlight, I could swear that even the face is different.

"But Lucas." Ness scrambles away from it too. "This feels real."

"It isn't," I say. "It's impossible."

"So is the Face."

"Then perhaps this whole thing has been a dream!" I shout, backing further away, frightened by this new reality. What if the other two encounters with Future Human weren't dreams either? After all, I hadn't remembered falling asleep in the library, or even in the forest. I'd woken up after passing out. After seeing it! But then - but then, what, how?

"Placet Auxilium!"

It's coming. I back further along the bank, trying to understand how on earth this can be possible. It sounds more desperate than ever, its gaze so contorted in agony. What is happened to it? Who did this?

My vision unfocuses and refocuses again. What happened the other times? How did I get away? In the library, Ryu had been there, and then in the forest, that girl.

I snap back to attention, just as the Future Human swings a great metal arm into my side, and I double over, wheezing. I get ready to run, but then there's another hit, the ground beneath me gives way, and I'm falling…

Splash.

I land in the river, and cold shoots through me. Instinctively, I gasp for air, but water rushes into my mouth. I splutter, kicking, trying to fight the force of gallons of water rushing into my side. On the bank, Future Human turns to Ness, who freezes, wide-eyed and horrified. I kick again, trying to make some ground, but the cold shock is too much, and I thrash like an animal. I wildly grip a bundle of reeds, but they tear from the ground, sending me spinning towards a rock...

"Lucas!" Ness dives into the water. Future Human cries out. My vision tints with red as I'm dragged toward the stone. But Ness grabs me by the hand, struggling to breathe and looking madly behind us. There's a splash, Future Human jumping into the river — I'd hoped it couldn't, that it wouldn't be able to — and then it's coming, fast. Ness tries to grab further up my arm, but Future Human grips him with a rotting hand, and Ness yells, accidentally letting go. My vision slides to the back of my head. I'm swept away — I cannot die, not now, not here... but a surge of strength comes out of nowhere, and I desperately grab onto the bank, kicking my legs. I mustn't give in. I won't. I won't close my eyes!

Ness is fighting Future Human — I hear screams — I scramble quickly up the bank, seizing what little strength I have left. I slide, grabbing a tree for support… but Ness! I need to help Ness! The thought grounds me a little, enough to give me balance. I duck under branch after branch, trying not to fall. I reach Ness's side, grabbing his expectant arm, and he kicks frantically at Future Human's armour, just managing to pull free. I haul him up as hard as I can, and he grasps the bank, sliding up the muddy slope. But there's no time for relief as Future Human tries to follow. I grab a nearby stick, sending the creature tumbling back into the river.

"Placet Auxilium!"

"L-Lucas, what does that mean?" Ness stammers, shivering from the infernal cold.

"I-It means, please help," I say, grabbing his hand, desperately trying not to collapse. "I-It keeps saying that, it keeps - every other time - I —"

"You want help? With what?" Ness cries as Future Human fights the river.

"Nos Ardere!"

"That's new!" I gasp. Come on brain, come on body, you can do this, you can stay strong...

"How can we help?" Ness asks.

"Dolor!"

Its voice rises into a yell, the mechanical body thrashing in the current. Ness senses me about to topple over, and he yanks me close.

"That means pain! What is painful?"

"Dolor!"

"Yes, pain, where?" Ness shouts, angry. "Please, we cannot help if you do not say!"

But it wildly shakes its head, and suddenly, it gives a loud growl, effortlessly pulling itself onto the bank.

"Lucas!" Ness yelps. "It's coming!"

"Dolor!"

But I can barely hear the monster over the ringing in my ears. I'm vaguely aware that we start running. Ness leads, towing me along, guiding us through the trees… I can just about make out the trunks in time to dodge them. The rest is noise; Future Human screaming, the wounds in my back, my head feeling as if it's about to burst.

We fling ourselves through a clearing, down a track, jumping over the fallen tree by the gravestone. The wind drives wildly at my face, picking up into a furious howl. We move at seemingly impossible speeds, and then there's the school, a light at the doorway...

"DOLOR!"

But it's still here. We're not going to make it. My legs want to give in. My head wants to give in. Ness pants beside me, trying as hard as he can, but it's not enough. The hill is too steep, and the Future Human is too fast.

"Get down!"

A familiar voice. Instinctively, I duck, Ness and I rolling into a terrified pile. There's a blinding flash of light, and Ness yells, I cry out, my heart pounding. All at once, the light rushes away, centring in a tiny ball, then disappearing entirely.

A figure hurries over, their long hair manic and illuminated in the moonlight. They duck down to us, then they turn to the school and shout.

A face comes into focus. It's Rosalina.

I have no words for her. Everything hurts far too much. The light, the noise… I want to collapse, but, but…

"Come in, quick." She helps me up, her delicate hands shaking. "Quick! In case anything else appears!"

"F-Future Human," I gibber as Rosalina leads us indoors. "Future Human!"

"Professor, Lucas is hurt," Ness is saying, somewhere far away.

"Ryu has supplies — quick!What are you waiting for?"

We move, Ness helping me along, the warm, dry air of the school soon washing over me. We slow down once we're indoors, wading through a labyrinth of corridors. My consciousness threatens to slip, and Ness grips me tight.

"Get in." Rosalina throws Ryu's office door open.

We have no choice but to obey. My mind swims. Future Human, here. I tell myself this must be a dream. It has to be. This is all nonsensical.

Ryu looks shocked to see us, but after a distinct look from Rosalina, he sets about drawing up a couple of chairs. I'm put down on one, and Rosalina goes about bandaging my head. It's all very busy, very frantic. The light in Ryu's office is bright, and I have to close my eyes. Rosalina whispers something in Ryu's ear, and Ryu hums in understanding, placing a hand on my shoulder. Warmth begins to spread through my body. The pain lessens, the ache fading to background noise. A hot sensation burns momentarily on my scalp, but it's replaced with a gentle pressure.

"What is happening?" Ness grips the table. "What was that creature?"

I collapse against him, trying to stay conscious long enough to listen. I need to know. I need to hear.

"Well," Ryu says. "I wasn't planning on having that discussion at this time of night—"

"Is it to do with the disappearances!?" Ness asks, shaking.

"No, it's not. Hush, Ness, calm yourself down. I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you what I — what Rosalina and I — know."

Rosalina sits herself down. Ness fidgets in anticipation, so much so that I nearly slip from his shoulder to the floor. Ryu's eyes find Rosalina, who gives a tiny nod.

He speaks. "The situation is complex and very deadly, you must understand this. We don't know where these things, these creatures, are coming from. But I have some certain skills from when I went to this school myself, I have discerned a way to... track them down."

There's a slight pause. Uncharacteristically, Ryu looks rather nervous.

"If one of them is near, I can detect it, and I can therefore find and neutralise the threat. But we do not know what they are. Nor do we know how they operate. All we know is that they are here and potentially very dangerous."

"Wait, them?" Ness tenses. "There's more than one?"

"They look different each time," Ryu says. "There must be."

"But what are they?"

Ryu closes his eyes and then opens them again. "As I said, we have no idea. I confided in Professor Rosalina, and she did not know either. They appear to be part human, part machine."

"Like… a sort of cyborg?"

"Book," I manage to utter. "In book, I saw, in book—"

"You saw them in a book?" Ryu gives me a sharp gaze.

"It was called - was called Magical Monsters and Mythical Creatures..."

"Can I see it?"

I gasp for air, colours flashing in front of my eyes. "Gone - gone, from library..."

"Ah." Ryu looks pained. A million questions burn through my mind, but I cannot muster the strength to ask them.

"When did you first see it?" Ness asks.

"Well," Ryu says, grimacing. "I first saw them in the library, at the same time that I believe Lucas did, too. I was coming in to find an account for that history lesson we had, and I noticed it had cornered him. I saw it next when Bayonetta came to my office to inform me it was attacking Lucas in the forest. And then, one chased you both through the corridor—"

Ness gasps. "So there was something after us!"

"Yes." Ryu gives a wry smile. "But I thought it prudent to keep that quiet. Then came tonight. I, uh, tracked it again, and there it was, outside the window. I sent Rosalina to get you two to safety. Now, I'm sure you've noticed the pattern?"

I have. But I don't want to admit it. It fills me with dread.

"Lucas…" Ness's gaze shifts in my direction.

"That's right. They always seem to appear around Lucas."

"But they're impossible," Ness protests. "We must be dreaming. No offence, Professor, but magic doesn't exist."

"They are indeed impossible," Ryu says serenely. "I do not pretend to understand them at all. Magic, on the other hand, that is a very different matter."

Ness takes a deep breath. "They must be related to the disappearances. They have to be."

"But that's the funny thing." Ryu furrows his eyebrows. "They cannot be. I have only tracked those four, I'd know if there were more. They don't go anywhere near the disappearing people."

"So, we have two mysteries to solve," Rosalina says quietly. I'd almost forgotten she was there.

"And they're both dangerous!" Ness says, angry again. "We need to evacuate the school!"

"Unfortunately, we cannot. I told you, because of the virus, we cannot re-enter Onett city—"

"But Lucas is in danger!"

"Ness," Rosalina says. "I know you care deeply about Lucas, and I know this is scary, but we are putting in measures to keep you all safe—"

"We just got attacked!"

"Well." Ryu's face darkens. "It doesn't help that you were in the forest during the dead of night. You might as well be looking for trouble."

"We were - we were just—"

"Save it. Please, do not bore me with an excuse."

"Professor. This cannot be real," Ness says, and he folds his arms. "We have to be dreaming, and that is that."

But Ryu glowers. "I've told you before. You need to start learning what is real, and what is not—"

"Enough!" Rosalina exclaims. She quickly stands, looking between the pair as if they might start duelling then and there. "I think it's time for bed, don't you?"

Ness gives in instantly, and as we leave the office, I get the strong impression that I'm in terrible, terrible danger.

.

.

.

.

.

As soon as we're back in our temporary dormitory, we tumble into our day clothes; our pyjamas are either soaked through or torn to shreds. Ness paces back and forth, and I lie down, unable to sleep amid my aching mind.

"They're after you, Lucas." Ness turns sharply to face me. "Something is definitely after you, and someone is behind the steel men, the figure in the shower, the Face..."

I turn onto my side, looking at him. "In the book, the men were called Future Human."

"What put out the fire?" Ness continues, his head in his hands. "How did Rosalina get rid of the Future Human? I don't understand it."

"It doesn't add up," I say.

"Bayonetta told me she saw you being attacked in the forest, and she said she got Ryu to sort it."

"I saw a girl," I remember. "I saw her behind a tree... But how was she even there?"

"Oh." To my surprise, Ness goes pink at that. "Uh, well, she was with Wario. When I ran off, I heard them doing things, you know, like… sex."

"Gross."

"But then," Ness says, resuming his pacing, "How does the Face fit into all this?"

I tremble, remembering seeing the haggard Face. It had a body, at least, though it was concealed by the darkness.

"And then, the disappearances?" Ness collapses into his bed. "The Grave? The figurine? And that chimney, what was that doing there? Then there's Olimar and Meta Knight up to something... I don't get it!"

I think, processing all we saw in the forest. Never have I been more afraid, more bedraggled, even on the streets of Onett. Never has any night been quite so intense.

"We need to listen," I say, whispering.

"Listen?"

"Listen," I say. "What was it saying? Why Latin? Why does Future Human speak Latin?"

Ness hits his pillow with frustration. "I don't know."

"We've got to count it up," I say. "Count up every little detail, every single clue, because if we don't, nobody will. There has to be a rational explanation for everything, everything going on here, all the impossible events…"

"Do we tell the others?" Ness asks. I shake my head.

"We shouldn't drag them into it."

"Yes. You are right. We mustn't."

"Do you still think Ryu could be behind it all?"

"Anyone could be behind it," Ness sighs. "We cannot trust anyone but our friends."

I shudder. I already have an idea, someone who's been after me for a very long time. A bowler hat threatens to enter my mind's eye, but I quickly push it away.

"Bowser?" I suggest, just to distract myself.

"Too stupid."

"Yes." I laugh, and it creates some warmth.

Ness yawns, stretching. "Tomorrow might be ordinary."

I laugh again. "Yes, right. Nothing's ever ordinary with us."

"True… I'm sorry for causing, well, tonight," Ness sighs. "I cannot believe you came all the way out for me."

"I'm just such a great friend."

"You most certainly are." Ness smiles. "If only I could be like you."

"Ness..." I blush, turning away. I don't like when he says that sort of thing. "It's not all bad, we got some answers."

"Yes…" He looks down. "But that's your second head injury in a day. I'm surprised you don't have permanent brain damage."

"Perhaps I do… I'm still sharing a room with you, after all."

"Excuse me!"

I laugh. "C'mon, we should sleep." I move to pull my covers over myself, before remembering they're cold, wet, and muddy. The storm rages outside, now sounding a million miles away.

"Yes," Ness agrees, and I shiver. It's freezing. I look over at his bed, seeing him bury himself beneath the covers. He looks so much warmer than me...

I sneak over. He's surprised to see me, but he lets me snuggle up to him, wrapping his arms around my body. We're just friends, I remind myself. He just so happens to be soft, cuddly, and the best person to grace this earth.

But even before I can sleep, images hang in my mind. A great beam of light, scattering the Future Human to the winds. A ray of ice, beating down the incandescent arms of the fire. Creatures, neither man nor machine, a hybrid of both.

And then Ryu: Magic, on the other hand, that is a very different matter.

For the first time in my life, I think I'm beginning to agree.