Warning: Some readers will find this chapter disturbing. It includes themes of assault. Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter 7: The Hivemind

A few months had passed since the incident with the space pirates. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened since then. Outside of that, it was simple days of training and going out on standard assigned missions. Today, Meta heard that he in particular would be doing something different than usual from Kurabe, but he didn't find out what it was until his mentor came to his room. Almost immediately, he regretted it, as his mentor was fussing over his appearance for nearly an hour.

"Please remember to stand up straight, Meta. It'd be rude to slouch. Remember that you're the representative of all my students and you must act like it."

He only pouted in response. In his eyes, this wouldn't help with all the teasing he had to endure from a few of his fellow students.

"Sensei, is this party we're going to really that important? Couldn't just you and Mercury go?" He asked with a sigh.

His mentor gave a slight giggle. "What? Can't I show off my adorable student?"

The youth pouted at that. If there was anything he hated, it was being treated like a child.

"Sensei, I would appreciate it if you treated me like my age... and I'm supposed to be a soldier! Not cute!"

"You can be both."

"But I don't want to! Besides, why aren't you dressed up?"

"Because my armor looks formal enough for important events and deadly enough to wear on the battlefield."

Meta just groaned, not having a good argument for that. "What's even the point of this party anyway? You just told me it's important without explaining why."

"Well, it's being hosted by one of our biggest financial backers, Heimham. He was the financer and the one who built many of our battleships, including the GranEssex, so it's seen as an important courtesy to him. Oh, and Reedy is also coming, so be on your best behavior as well."

Meta just kept grumbling. He didn't necessarily hate Reedy, but he certainly wasn't a fan of him. He could stand being in the same room as him at least. The sane could not be said for the rest of the party goers. Ever since that mission on Artik, Meta had a severe dislike for royalty and the rich. The way they all looked down on others just because of the fact they were rich really got under his skin. They were all the same: cowards with undeserved egos. He then felt a hand be placed on his hand.

"Meta, you don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want to. Just stay with me and Mercury... or even Reedy, I guess, if it makes you feel better, ok?"

"I already planned on it, sensei. I still don't understand why I have to be the student representative."

"Meta, it's unfortunate, but the fact of the matter is that you will have to attend events like this throughout your life. Think of it as training if you must."

He only silently nodded.

"Oh, and I guess I can mention it to you, but Reedy's wife will also be coming with us. So, he should be less of a pain than normal."

Meta didn't outwardly react to this, but he was always curious about Reedy's wife. More specifically, it was what she saw in Reedy in the first place. All he saw was a smug man who was occasionally nice.

"And... there. Now we need to just wait for Mercury to finish."

Meta looked in the mirror to see no difference in his appearance outside of his hat being straighter on his head. Then they both heard knocking on the wall, turning around to see Mercury.

"I've been ready for the past two hours Kurabe." She said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

The moment Meta saw her, he could feel his cheeks turning hot. She was wearing a beautiful dark blue dress with a black shawl and bright blue hairpiece. It was a much more elegant contrast to her standard uniform, which was best described as being strangely formal and casual at the same time.

Kurabe was the first to speak. "It's been a while since I've seen you wear that, Mercury. It still suites you."

She then gently nudged Meta as if saying "go on, say something.".

He slightly jumped a bit.

"You... you look beautiful... Mercury..." He uttered, feeling his face become even hotter.

Mercury smiled. "Thanks, Meta. Now hopefully Reedy will get off my case about it. He's been hounding me about wearing a dress today for the past week." She said, slightly adjusting her shawl.

However, Kurabe and Meta knew she was happy about wearing this dress. The smile on her face was too genuine. Honestly, the youth could understand it somewhat. She looked extremely beautiful in it and couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Well, now that we're all ready, we should get going then." Kurabe suddenly said after clearing her throat.

"Sensei, should I bring a weapon just in case?" Meta asked.

In truth, he wanted to bring a sword with him. He couldn't really explain it, but he felt more at ease when he held a weapon or at least carried one on him. Kurabe had a thoughtful expression and pulled out a fancy sword from the closet, showing it to him.

"This is a ceremonial blade. It doesn't have an edge to it, but it certainly looks good with you, Meta. It's sheath even matches your outfit."

He took it in his hand, looked at it, and then nodded as he put it on his side. "Thank you, sensei. This makes me feel a lot more comfortable."

"You're welcome, Meta. Just don't threaten any of the guests with it." She said with a smile.

Meta couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.

An hour later the GranEssex party of three arrived at the location of the party. It was being held at Heimham's personal mansion, though from Meta's perspective it looked more like a castle.

"Now presenting, the Lady of Shadows Kurabe and her party." One of the butlers announced as they entered the main ballroom.

Almost immediately, he felt the gazes of many people fall upon him.

"The moment I can, I'm running back to the ship..." The youth thought to himself, already annoyed by the atmosphere and gazes.

"Do it and see what happens, Meta." Kurabe whispered.

He gave a slight flinch, noting the deadly way she uttered that. As much as he wanted to question what would happen, he already knew. His mentor would be absolutely furious. It seemed like his only option would be staying with her and Mercury. Even Reedy would be better if it meant he didn't need to be around these irritating nobles much. If anything, hopefully Kurabe wouldn't try to embarrass him. He looked around the interior of the mansion. It truly was an impressive place, and it was obvious that a lot of love and care was put into building and decorating it. Though he noticed something that quickly angered him. Many of the party goers were glaring at Mercury, eyes filled with disgust.

"...I'll explain it to your later." He heard his mentor whisper. However, he could sense that she had also noticed this and angered by it.

"Sensei?" Just as he asked that, he was suddenly cut off by yet another announcement.

"Introducing the Silver Tactician Reedy and his cohort."

Immediately, the group turned back to see it was Reedy, but locked in his arm was a small, winged woman wearing a fuchsia dress and red bandana that covered her yellow hair.

"That's probably his wife." Meta thought.

He also noticed that Reedy was also receiving glares. While neither Mercury nor Reedy seemed to care, it still annoyed him. It was to the point where he just wanted to pull his mentor to the side and ask her about it. However, there was no time, as the pair had been making their way towards them.

"There you are. I see you look beautiful as ever in that, Mer." Reedy said, pushing his glasses up.

"Reed, are you really going to say that while Raita's here?" She replied with a giggle.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about me, Mercury. Reedy spent the entire trip here complimenting me."

"I'm sure he did. That's just how he is."

The man just shyly averted his eyes.

Meta only continued to silently gaze around. "...do they just not notice all of the glares? Or are they... just ignoring them...?" He thought.

"Oh, I believe you haven't met Meta yet. Allow me to introduce you." He was suddenly broken out of his thoughts by Reedy's voice.

"Raita, this is Kurabe's student, Meta. Meta, this is my wife, Raita."

"It's nice to meet you." He responded shyly.

The woman gave a big smile.

"Aww, you're a lot cuter than I thought you'd be! I know Reedy said you were a Star Warrior, but he never said you were this cute!" She said, shaking his hand.

Meta just internally groaned. Yet another person calling him cute. At least she was polite about it.

"I don't think I've seen any of your kind around..." He then uttered, trying to push the conversation away from him being cute.

"Oh, that's because I'm a fairy!" She replied simply.

"A fairy?" She tilted her head.

"You haven't heard of fairies before? We're a species that populate a planet known as Ripple Star."

Admittedly while Meta has researched different species, he only read about species with combat abilities. If they didn't fight, he just skipped the entry in the research book he had.

"Well, I guess that doesn't matter." She then said before giving a slightly dreamy sigh. "Ah... Ripple Star. It reminds me of when Reedy and I first met."

"Raita, I believe we should take our seats now for the meal. We should be at the same table as Kurabe." Reedy quickly cut her off.

"We can discuss this when we seat ourselves!"

Meta silently nodded, honestly hoping that they would be leaving immediately after eating.

The two groups sat down to each other and awaited the meal. Meta at least was somewhat looking forward to this, but he doubted any of it could beat Kurabe's cooking.

"May we have your attention please, everyone? Mr. Heimham would look to say a few words to you all." One of the butlers said.

A man of average height and stature walked forward and gave a quick look around. His eyes landed on the GranEssex group, and he gave them a warm smile. Curious, Meta read his emotions and none of them were negative.

"Maybe some rich guys are alright..." Meta hesitantly thought to himself.

"First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming on this very special day. Not only is this the celebration of the completion of this mansion, but this is also the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Heimham Corporation. As you know, this company was run by my father, and we have been on the cutting edge of space transport for several years..." He continued to go on and on.

Kurabe and Raita were glued to his speech, while Meta was just bored. He looked Mercury who had a look of worry on her face. This confused the youth, as the woman was her usual cool self the whole time. He then glanced at Reedy who also looked concerned. What was going on? Then, the expression on the woman's face turned slightly fearful as she dabbed part of her face with her napkin. Suddenly, the man looked at her and quickly said something to her in sign language before they stood up and walked to a private corner of the ballroom. Meta wanted to follow, but one glance from Kurabe kept him from moving in his seat.

Once they were a safe distance away from everyone, the two began talking.

"Reedy, what are we going to do? It could be anywhere, for all we know it's already replaced someone else!"

"We're going to have to ask for an emergency administration of the Reedy Exam, Mercury. I think that's the best option to root it out."

The woman gave an uneasy look.

"I don't think that's possible. There's no doubt this whole party will erupt into chaos if we just tell them."

"Maybe, but I'm sure people will be fine with it if we tell them that their lives depend on it... because it does."

Mercury still looked doubtful.

"Reedy, not everyone uses their brains when under pressure. The more likely scenario is that the majority will accuse us!"

"The majority might, but who will the majority listen to?"

"Mr. Heimham."

"Exactly. We talk to him and then he'll announce the news." He then took a look up at the stage where the host was talking. "Speaking of which, he should be done with his speech in a bit. I'll go tell him about it. You should go back and stay with Kurabe."

Mercury still looked unsure.

"Mer, it will be alright. I promise."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Reed, it's just... I'm afraid. Surely, it must sense that we're here as well and it's going to target me because I'm the weaker Limet..."

"Which is precisely why I want you to get back to Kurabe. She's the strongest person here. The hivemind would have to be either incredibly brave, stupid, or desperate to try anything with her around."

The woman stared at him silently before nodding. "Please be careful, Reed."

She then made her way back to the table. Before Meta could ask anything upon her return, Kurabe spoke first.

"It's a hivemind, isn't it?" She questioned in a matter-of-fact way, as if she already knew what was going on.

"Y... yes." Mercury replied with a shiver.

"...hivemind?" Meta asked his mentor.

Kurabe looked conflicted. While she wanted to explain the situation, she didn't want to make Mercury feel any more uncomfortable than she already was.

"It's ok, Kurabe, you can tell him." The woman whispered.

The warrior nodded in response before turning to her student. "Simply put, someone at this party is a hivemind Limet."

Meta's eyes widened in shock.

"There are two types of Limets in this universe. There are normal ones like Mercury and Reedy, who have their own thoughts, feelings, and peacefully co-exist with all races and species. Then there are hivemind Limets, who exist to do nothing but expand their numbers and spread their influence. They're terrifying beings who assimilate and mimic entire living beings without prejudice. Those with higher power levels could even destroy an entire planet."

Meta didn't exactly know how to process this information.

"Wait... without prejudice? So, it'll attack other Limets for no reason?"

That explained why Mercury was so distressed at the moment.

"They especially love to target other Limets since the squishy metal on the outside of their core gives them more material. In other words, more ways to hide themselves."

"That's horrifying."

The youth wasn't easily frightened or disturbed, thanks his harsh upbringing. But this... this was truly something else.

"Wait, is that why everyone kept glaring at Mercury? Because they think she's some kind of monster?"

"That's exactly it. While it has toned down fairly recently, there still exists people who hold a stigma against Limets due to the hiveminds."

"But that's stupid! Mercury isn't a hivemind, so they have nothing to be afraid of!"

"I know, Meta. But remember that fear tends to be more powerful than logical thinking in some situations."

Meta couldn't refute that, but he definitely didn't like it. He then felt Mercury place a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you for sticking up for me, Meta, but for now we have more important issues to worry about. Reedy should be done talking to Mr. Heimham any minute now."

After a few minutes of waiting, Reedy then returned to the table as Heimham went back up on stage.

"Attention everyone, I have an announcement to make. I don't how to word this in a proper manner, but it must be said. A hivemind has infiltrated the party and before you begin to accuse our Limet guests I have already confirmed they are not working with it." He said with stern eyes, his mood completely different from before.

The gathered crowd began to chatter incomprehensibly. While Meta couldn't exactly pick up all the conversations, he did note that there was a great increase of animosity within the room, more than likely directed at Mercury and Reedy.

"Now, before we go any further, I'd like for everyone to take an emergency Reedy Exam. This is a simple test with a fail rate of 0.01% that will be able to determine who the hivemind is. Unless you would like to be so brave and show yourself immediately."

"Why should we do something made by a Limet?" One of the guests asked.

Before any of the GranEssex crew could object, someone did it for them.

"I dunno about you all, but I'd rather not risk my life because of a bunch of whiny idiots. Sign me up for the test!" Yelled out a blue penguin wearing a green robe.

"...sensei, you wouldn't happen to know who that is, would you?"

But before she could respond, the penguin stomped up to the stage, followed by a ball creature with no mouth and a dark navy bandana, and took the microphone from Heimham.

"Look, if you guys are so desperate to die, go and be my guest! But if you ask me, I wanna live to see tomorrow! And if you want to see tomorrow, you better take it, too!"

There was a moment of silence before someone else from the crowd shouted. "Who the hell are you?!"

"You don't know ME?! The great and mighty King Bebebe?!"

"Good to see you haven't changed at all, Bebebe." Kurabe said to the loud penguin.

Without missing a beat, he turned to her while still speaking into the mic.

"Greetings, O Lady of Shadows, how are you?"

"I've been quite well. Much busier than last time we talked, but nothing I can't handle."

As they continued their casual conversation, Meta turned to Mercury.

"Mercury, who is that man? He seems... strange."

"That's King Bebebe. He's a king that Kurabe often takes missions from."

"Not only that, but he's an avid supporter of the Organization. We're on good terms with him and his country." Reedy explained further.

Meta just blinked at this. "What country?"

"The Crescent Kingdom. A peaceful kingdom inhabited mostly by penguins like Bebebe, but other races do live there as well."

Meta nodded in understanding. Then he heard Heimham clear his throat and take the microphone from the king.

"That's enough, all of you. We need to focus finding the hivemind before something-"

Suddenly, all the lights in the mansion turned off, covering everything in darkness. Then just as quickly as they disappeared, the lights came back on.

"IT'S THE HIVEMIND! THE HIVEMIND IS DOING THIS!" One of the guests shouted.

"It's those damn Limets!" Another one chimed in.

Mercury moved closer to Reedy and Kurabe, slightly shuddering in discomfort.

"...for the hivemind to be able to hide this well, there's no doubt it's a rank 10..." Reedy uttered under his breath.

Suddenly. there was an ear-piercing shriek.

"HE'S DEAD!" Someone shouted.

One of the party goers was indeed dead and it looked like all of his energy was completely drained from him. That wasn't the worst part however, as the victim's face was horribly disfigured, making it impossible to tell who the victim even was.

"Sir, we need to do the test, NOW!" Reedy yelled urgently.

"R-right!" The man then turned to the crowd. "Everyone, calm down. We need you to do the test!"

The crowd was too much in a panic to listen. Kurabe sighed as mana coursed through her body.

With a mana charged shout, she yelled. "SETTLE DOWN UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE!"

That caused everyone to become silent and stare at her.

"Now, let's calm down and talk this out like adults. We're all going to take the Reedy Exam, it's the only way for us to completely guarantee we can find the hivemind. Unless you'd rather the other option..."

With a single clack of her heel on the floor, the entire surrounding floor area was now covered in ice. Everyone shook their heads in fear.

"Good. Reedy, please explain how the test works."

"Very well." Reedy then took the microphone.

"Can't we just heat up a hot wire and test everyone's blood?" A random guest asked.

"Do you really think we have time to test the blood of everyone here? Besides, that's only effective for telling the difference between Limets and non-Limets." Reedy said bluntly. "Plus, not every species has blood. So, a test like that would be pointless."

"Then what do we do?"

"I was going to explain that before you interrupted me." The man replied in an annoyed tone. "Normal test administration is a pair of two aspects: Asking questions to elicit an emotional response and forcing a hivemind body to react using electricity, or extreme heat or cold in dire situations. As Heimham noted, this test has a 0.01% fail rate, which makes it nearly impossible for a hivemind to pass except for under extremely rare circumstances that I doubt would happen."

"Then why don't you go first, huh!? Show us you aren't actually the hivemind!" One of them asked.

"I shall. Kurabe, ask me a question."

The warrior nodded. "Alright. Why did you decide to marry Raita?"

"Starting strong I see. That's very you, Kurabe. Very well. It starts with my first meeting with Raita. I was out on a mission, and I was wounded rather fatally. I would have died if not for a certain wandering medic. Raita found my half dead body and managed to heal me back to full health. I asked her why she would risk healing me, seeing as she had no idea if I was hostile or not. She responded with "all living creatures deserve compassion". Then I asked if even a monster like myself deserved kindness. For reference, back then, I had a myriad of issues I'd rather not talk about it. She told me that if I really was a monster, I would have killed her instead of talking with her like I had been. Since that day we would always make time to meet up and eventually I stopped viewing myself in such a negative way. Raita saved me in more than one way and that is why I will always love her."

Kurabe nodded. "I see. I believe that is sufficient proof that you are not one."

"While it should be, may as well do the cold test, for efficiency's sake."

She then hid a smirk.

"As you wish."

Tracing a rune and opening her mouth, a blast of cold air came out and surrounded Reedy. While it was clear he hated it, he didn't react violently to it either.

"Ok, ok, you can stop now, Kurabe." He groaned.

"Really? But I'm having so much fun with this."

"I know you are, woman, but we still have to test every guest! We don't have time for this childishness!"

That seemed to snap her back. "Ah, right, right. So, who should be next, then?"

"Do me so I can leave already!" Bebebe yelled out.

"Alright, since you volunteered, you can go next." Reedy nodded.

But just as they were about to perform the test, they were interrupted.

"Reedy, do you mind if I go to the bathroom?" He immediately knew the voice was Raita's.

The man slowly looked at her with an annoyed expression.

"Honey, I'd rather you didn't. We need everyone present for safety reasons."

"I'll go with her." Mercury said, standing up.

Meta quickly turned to her, as if shocked. "Mercury, are you sure it's fine if you go on your own with her? I-if you want, I can go with both of you!"

The woman shook her head.

"I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine, Meta. Besides, you'll be helpful to Reedy with the tests, seeing as you're talented with reading others. Also, it's the girls room." She said, laughing at the last part.

He opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it in embarrassment.

"Ok..." was all he said.

She gave a slight nod and headed towards the exit with Raita.

"Mercury, just please promise me you'll come back safe!" The youth suddenly shouted.

"I will, Meta!" She replied with a wave as she exited.

"So, are we gonna get on with this test or what?" Bebebe grumbled, arms crossed.

"Oh, right."

Kurabe then did the cold test on Bebebe. The Waddle Dee assistant stared blankly as the king was turned into an ice cube for a brief moment.

"...I think he's not a hivemind."

"I knew that already. He was too impatient to be one."

As Raita went in to use the restroom, Mercury waited outside on her own.

That bad feeling still was present, and it shook her to the core. While all hiveminds were frightening, there was one detail about this one that made it particularly that to her: it was a level 10 on the strength spectrum. In other words, it was on Reedy's level of strength. There was no doubt that encountering it would be fatal for her, due to her strength being that of a level 8. She clenched her shawl uneasily. It wasn't just this feeling of loneliness despite Raita being nearby or the idea that a hivemind is present that made her uneasy. It was the atmosphere of this hallway. It was dimly lit, a bit chilly, and simply made her even more frightened. A part of her wanted to take Meta's offer but she was against it full heartedly. She was right when she said he'd be more useful helping Reedy. That and she didn't want to risk him getting attacked by the hivemind. He was strong for his age, but nowhere strong enough to handle the hivemind. He would die for sure, and she wanted to avoid that. It was the same with Kurabe. While she would be able to handle herself against the hivemind due to her powerful ice magic, she was better suited to helping Reedy. Not only that, but Mercury would simply never be able to forgive herself if something happened to her. Honestly, she wanted Kurabe to just freeze the entire mansion, but she knew Kurabe wouldn't do that. The amount of power needed to freeze every inch of this place could potentially kill herself and Reedy. Kurabe would never risk that. It made her feel... helpless.

"Raita, how much longer are you going to be?" She suddenly asked. She just wanted to get back with the others as soon as possible. At least if she was with Kurabe, she would feel somewhat safe.

"Sorry, Mercury, I'll be done soon!"

"Please make it quick, Raita, I'm getting tired of waiting."

"Lucky for you, you won't have to wait much longer."

A new, terrifying voice said from behind Mercury.

"WHO ARE-!?" She couldn't even finish that sentence.

The moment she looked behind her, she saw a formless and vaguely humanoid mass. It was the hivemind. Her heart stopped. How... how was it here already? She didn't even hear any movement this entire time! Her instincts were telling her to run and scream for help. She tried to move, but she couldn't. She tried to scream, but she couldn't. It was like her entire body was paralyzed with fear. But she had to try her hardest. Just at least let someone know.

"SOMEONE HELP-"

"Now, now, none of that, my dear." The hivemind said while covering her mouth and pushing her into the wall.

The moment Mercury squirmed and attempted to scream for help again; she felt her lips begin to fuse closed as the liquid metal within them began to be absorbed. Suddenly, she heard Raita's voice from inside the bathroom.

"Mercury, is everything ok out there!?"

"Everything's fine, Raita. Take your time." The hivemind said, using Mercury's voice to answer.

Mercury's eyes widened even further. This was it; this was how she died: Slowly losing everything that made her who she is.

"Now, little Mercury, time to hand over that core of yours. Don't worry, I'll take good care of it."

Why did it have to ask that? It was going to take her core whether she wants it to or not. Before she could think anything else, she felt the hivemind's fingers take hold of her core and Mercury began to feel indescribable pain, all while her liquid metal body was slowly being absorbed into the hivemind's, shrinking ever so slowly. She could feel it digging deeper and deeper into her chest as it did, scraping away all the liquid metal surrounding it and absorbing it into its body, as if to show that she was completely defenseless and there was no escape.

"Please... stop...!" That was the only thing she could think.

The pain in her core only began to increase, as if giving a response to her plea to stop.

"Nghh... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts...!"

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Mercury." The hivemind spoke as it began to develop a strange, fishlike eye that stared at her unblinking. "You'll live on as a part of me. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"No, it doesn't you monster!" She tried to scream but was simply unable to due to her mouth being fused.

Her consciousness began to unravel. Her core shrilled even more with pain that was even worse than before. The metal on her body further melted and was absorbed. She had to do something, anything to get away. She couldn't die, not now! She needed to keep her promise to Meta. She needed to see her family again! She couldn't die full of regrets. But with each passing second, the faces of her family and friends were slowly fading away from her memory. Her consciousness was becoming fuzzier, with all of her thoughts becoming more and more incoherent. Tears were now flowing from her eyes, eyes that were slowly being absorbed with the rest of her face. At this point, she was just numb. There was no pain... or if there was, she could no longer feel it. Or was she simply desensitized to it? No, there was no way she would become desensitized to that much pain. But there was another question that came across her mind: Was this what it was like to be assimilated? If it was, it was the worst experience she'd ever had. At this point, she was almost completely absorbed. This was it. This was how she died. Her thoughts began to scramble even more as she panicked. She had to do something, anything to get away. With the last of her consciousness, Mercury noticed the hivemind was loosening its grip on her core, probably thinking it already won. With all the remaining energy she had, Mercury managed to snatch her core out of its grip and shot it out of her body like a cannon. The core flew straight down the hall, covered with a small amount of metal, enough to at least form into her base, slime-like form. The hivemind, who quickly took Mercury's appearance, just stared down the hall.

"No matter, I got what I needed. I can hunt the rest of her down later." It said with a sinister chuckle before walking back towards the ballroom.

Meanwhile, Mercury herself remained still. She was slightly dazed as she began to process what happened. Then she felt it. The immense pain that emanated from her core.

"It hurts..." She whimpered as she slowly inched along the floor.

"It hurts..."

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"It hurts..."

She gave a slight shudder. Just... focus on finding metal. Then she could safely return to the group. She travelled down the hallway, as if in a trance.

"It hurts... it hurts..."

Getting further down the hall, Mercury came across the mansion's kitchen. Thankfully it was completely empty so she could absorb metal in peace. Well, Heimham wasn't going to like losing multiple pots and pans, but she had to absorb them. Well, at least that would be the case at first. There was no doubt he would understand everything once it was explained later. She needed as much metal as she could get to return to a more mobile form and tell the others about the hivemind. Unless... it had already reached them and killed them! No, she shouldn't think like that. But on second thought... why shouldn't she at this point, though? One of the biggest worst-case scenarios have already happened! What's stopping her from thinking about much deadlier ones? Nothing, that's what. For all she knows, everyone could already be dead, and it would all be because of her. All because... she was just like that monster. No, she shouldn't think like that. Kurabe wouldn't die that easily. Neither would Reedy or Meta. No matter how much it hurt for her to exist, she had to try. She needed to see her family's faces one more time. With a renewed determination, Mercury began to absorb all the metal she could.

Meanwhile, Meta was growing even more concerned as time went on. None of the people he helped test were the hivemind and Mercury had yet to return with Raita. He then felt a hand on his head and looked up to see it was Kurabe.

"It's going to be fine, Meta. I'm sure Mercury is still ok. She promised that she'd come back."

"I know that, sensei, but I can't stop being worried about her. I've never seen her act so afraid before." Meta replied, his tone full of sadness.

"I'm worried, too, but we have to trust in her, ok?" She said before triggering another ice spell on some guests.

He only silently nodded.

Suddenly, the door to the ballroom slammed open and there stood Mercury, barely standing, her dress tattered, and looking extremely disheveled.

"M-Mercury!? What happened?!" Reedy was the first one to shout.

"The hivemind attacked me, but I was barely able to get away!" The woman quickly responded, stepping further into the room.

Reedy, Kurabe and Meta looked incredibly shocked, but before they could react to the news, a second Mercury appeared from the opposite side of the ballroom, her dress also tattered and looking equally disheveled.

"Don't listen to that monster! That thing is the hivemind!"

"Damn it, we've reached a worst-case scenario." Reedy grumbled urgently as he placed a finger on his chin.

"Why's that, can't we just freeze both and see which one reacts violently?" Heimham asked, hiding behind the group of interrogators.

"Unfortunately, no. When a hivemind manages to absorb even a small amount of another Limet, the surge in power temporarily removes that weakness. It's still weak to cold but it won't react violently like it would before." The man quickly explained, a grim expression on his face.

"Then I'll try reading their emotions!" Meta yelled, desperate to find and help the real Mercury.

However, to his surprise, he couldn't sense anything from either of them. Both the Mercurys' emotions were too scrambled for him to get a proper reading.

"I... I can't tell a thing..."

"That's exactly what I was afraid of. The real Mercury must have been reasonably traumatized, so it's impossible to accurately read her emotions." Reedy continued his explanation.

Meta froze up when he heard that. Just the thought of Mercury going through something like that made him sick to his stomach.

"Reedy, Kurabe, Meta, you all know I'm the real one! Please stop the hivemind!"

"Don't you dare try and deceive them, you monster! They'll never fall for it!"

"Why would I need to deceive them when I'm the real Mercury?"

"You will never be me!"

The Mercurys kept shouting at each other while many of the party guests ran out of the mansion in a panicked frenzy, leaving only Kurabe, Meta, Reedy, the two Mercurys, and Heimham behind. For a moment, the warrior stared at the argument silently before she flicked her wrists to create runes. It was then that the two Mercurys were encased in two individual boxes of ice.

"In case you both have forgotten; you have one more test to complete... one that will no doubt prove who the real Mercury is. The questioning round."

She calmly stepped down from the stage and stepped in front of them.

"I'm going to ask you both a few questions... questions that only the real Mercury could answer. If your answers are wrong... well, I don't think I need to tell you what will happen. Do I make myself clear?" She finished coldly.

While Meta wanted to ask why his mentor was acting like this, he could already sense the fear and worry emanating from her. This was merely an act she was putting on to make herself seem brave and focus herself on finding the hivemind. One Mercury had a confident grin while the other looked on edge but nodded her head.

"To the real Mercury, I'm very sorry about this..." Kurabe whispered low enough so no one can hear it.

"First question: Why do you like being in your humanoid form rather than your blob form?"

The on-edge Mercury quickly answered. "All Limets are born looking mostly the exact same. I hated being just another face in the crowd. I wanted a form that allowed me to express who I actually am."

Kurabe then glared at her. "...and?"

"...I like being tall." The woman finished shyly.

She then turned to the one that grinned.

"And what is your answer?"

"Self-expression. I always hated being a blob. Being so small and defenseless. In this form I can actually be Mercury instead of a Limet named Mercury."

Kurabe glared at this Mercury. Unfortunately, both of these statements are accurate to the real Mercury, so she gave a slight sigh.

"Second question, what made you want to become my friend and eventual vice-captain?"

The one that grinned spoke first. "We were comrades in arms, were we not?"

The one on edge gave a genuine smile. "You saved my life. I would have died that day if not for you, not to mention how you were always quick to defend me when someone accused me of being... a monster." Her face fell after the word "monster" left her mouth.

The warrior nodded again. "Third question: what was the happiest day of your life?"

The grinning one immediately stopped and actually had to think. The other one, however...

"That's easy. It was the day you asked me to be your partner. Up to that point, I only joined the organization because I wanted to prove not all Limets were evil. But it was tough, every day another person would insult and ridicule me. You helped put a stop to all of that. When I joined your team, I felt like I could actually be happy for once. Even if I didn't deserve it."

Kurabe then nodded. "And what about you?"

"The day I came up with my humanoid form. That was the day I could truly be me."

Kurabe seemed to glare doubtfully. "Fourth question: How do you feel about Reedy?"

"He's overbearing at times and can be quite a pain, but I still look up to him and love him like a brother." The previously on edge Mercury answered instantly. It seemed as if she was slowly becoming calmer with each passing question.

She then turned to the other Mercury.

"He's my brother. He's helped me a lot throughout my life, and I'll always be grateful for that."

Kurabe exhaled once more.

"Fifth question: How do you feel about Meta?"

The calm Mercury quickly answered. "At first, I wasn't sure what to think about him. I thought he was a good kid when we first met but now, he's like a little brother to me. Watching him slowly develop the past few years has made me so proud of him."

The warrior then turned to the other one. "And what about you?"

"He's a... good friend."

Kurabe then became silent for a moment before speaking once more.

"Final question! This is the ultimate question that only the real Mercury could answer!" She shouted, pausing for the sake of tension. "How did Meta propose to you!?"

The calm one lost her composure, and her face became red.

"Kurabe, what the hell are you talking about!?" She shouted.

"That's easy, with a ring and a bouquet of roses." The grinning one answered.

Instantly, several spikes of ice shot through the grinning one's chest.

"That was a trick question. It never happened." Kurabe said coldly with a single, red-eyed glare.

That Mercury slowly morphed back into its original form, still grinning. A grin void of any emotion. In fury, Kurabe traced another rune, covering the entire inside of the box with spikes. Then, the spikes began to grow larger and larger, slowly encroaching to pierce the core.

"I'm going to make sure you suffer before you die." Kurabe uttered with a slightly sinister chuckle.

"Kurabe before you administer the killing blow, I have one question for the hivemind."

She looked back to see that it was Reedy who interrupted her. He adjusted his glasses, as if looking down on the hivemind.

"What was your plan? Why this party and why Mercury?" He then asked, not even bothering to hide his anger.

"That's quite simple. I've learned of this party while scavenging for food. I always enjoyed the taste of the rich and greedy. You can imagine my surprise when I saw... not only one Limet, but two! My original plan was to absorb the weaker one and maybe even absorb you. Then when I gained a few of her memories I hatched another idea. I would sneak my way into the GranEssex and kill everyone on board, starting with the so-called Unkillable. Unfortunately, I didn't account for the real Mercury to regenerate that quickly."

"I see." Reedy said coldly. He then summoned a bow and arrow and fired it, obliterating the head. "Kurabe, please finish the core."

"Don't need to ask me twice."

With a quick flick of the wrist, the hivemind's core was completely destroyed by ice, leaving nothing behind. At the same time, the true Mercury was freed from the ice box and was quickly wrapped up in a hug from Kurabe. After a short moment, the woman began to speak up.

"Kurabe, I'm-"

"Shhh... don't apologize, Mercury. It wasn't your fault." Her voice began to tremble. "If this is anyone's fault, it's mine. I should have gone with you..."

"No, if anyone is to blame, it's me. I should have objected more than I did. I failed you, Mercury, and I know I can never make it up to you." Reedy uttered, kneeling down beside her.

"No, it's my fault! I should've gone with her!" Meta then shouted.

Heimham quietly watched on, his eyes slowly watering. He blamed himself for this mess as it was his party that brought that monster here in the first place.

Mercury couldn't find the words she wanted to say. She was overwhelmed by the love and support she was receiving, even if she believed she didn't deserve it. She quietly allowed Kurabe to keep holding her tight, before falling asleep.

The warrior smiled despite the tears forming in her eyes. "Sleep well, my sister."

Slowly the rest of the guests came back in after being told it was safe to return to the party.

Then Raita entered.

"Hey, guys, is Mercury here? I didn't see her outside the bathroom and-"

She then saw the group together, with Reedy carrying a sleeping Mercury in his arms. Immediately, she flew up to her husband.

"Reedy, what happened to her? Is she-?"

"I'll explain later. We're leaving now."

He then turned back to Heimham.

"Mr. Heimham, on behalf of both me and the Lady of Shadows, we would like to formally apologize for causing this trouble and to pardon us for leaving early." He quickly said with a bow.

"Nonsense. Neither of you have anything to apologize about. Please tell Miss Mercury that I'm deeply sorry for what happened when she wakes up."

Kurabe simply nodded. "Very well, I will."

"Why are you just letting that thing get away-?!"

One of guests started to say before being immediately cut off by Meta pointing his sword at them. "Be quiet. The only monsters here are the ones I'm looking at."

The party guest only stared in silence as Meta gave another glare towards him and followed his mentor out.

Upon reaching the ship Mercury started to regain consciousness and saw that Reedy was carrying her.

"I'm still alive?"

"Yes, you are. And to make sure of it, Raita was healing your injuries on the way back." He replied.

She then looked at the fairy, who quickly bowed. "Mercury, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault that-"

"Please don't apologize, Raita. Don't blame yourself." Mercury said as she shook her head. She then stepped onto the ground herself. "Everyone, I'm sorry I..."

She shook her head.

"Thank you for taking me back here, everyone. I'm just going to go to sleep now... I feel so tired..." She began to stumble on to the ship.

"Mercury, are you sure you're ok?" Kurabe asked, stepping forward to attempt to assist her.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry." She gave a smile in response.

The warrior wanted to stop her and talk but she also knew Mercury needed to sleep. She looked like she could collapse at any minute.

"At least allow me to walk you to your room."

"Thank you, but I can walk on my own."

Kurabe just stared at her doubtfully. "Mercury, please sleep well."

The woman nodded back.

"I'll try to."

She then left to head to her room.

After a moment of silence, Reedy spoke up. "Kurabe, if you don't mind, may I stay on your ship for a few days?"

"Permission granted. I'm going to need all the help I can get." She replied with a simple nod.

Meanwhile, Meta was just looking quietly at where Mercury was standing in concern.

After a bit of struggling, Mercury managed to make it to her room and shut the door. She slowly ambled her way to her bed and simply collapsed, having barely any energy left.

"...it hurts." she whispered.

Slowly, she morphed into her blob form, unable to... or rather, unwilling to stay in her humanoid form. Visions of what the hivemind did to her kept flashing through her mind, one aspect sticking out more than any other: assimilation. A horrible, disgusting process that she herself was capable of doing. It absolutely sickened her to no end fully knowing that she shared anything in common with that monster.

"It hurts..."

The pain was still fresh in her memory. It was sharp and agonizing, it made her genuinely feel she was going to die. Is that really how it felt? Is that what she did when she assimilated? Is that what everything felt when they were assimilated?

"It hurts..."

Then her core, her heart. It was attacked violently, there was nothing more to say. Simply put, she felt completely and utterly violated. Or... maybe that was just payment for being born as such an utterly disgusting creature. One that could do such a disgusting and horrible practice that only made her sick the more she thought about it. The faces of family again flashed through her mind, but she couldn't see their smiles anymore.

"I'm sorry, everyone."

She let out a quiet sob.

"...I'm a monster."

A slightly darker chapter this time around.

To be continued...