The lights around us flickered as our footsteps echoed, bouncing back & forth as a way to demonstrate how "empty" the place known as the Library was. Despite the recent addition to our group, this illusion still felt like a graveyard. It was completely devoid of life and also took the lives of those daring to step inside.

"..."

After a while, my footsteps halted. The moment I did, all noises stopped, causing a shiver to run down my spine. The air around was tranquil, not even disturbed by the lights next to me. My blood froze and my head slowly turned to look behind me.

Angela was no longer present. I clearly remember her standing at the bottom of the stairs when I began my ascension but now, her figure was gone. Gears spun in my head until I came to the conclusion that she must have pulled her magic trick and teleported herself to the top.

...But I don't remember hearing her snap her fingers. It was a sound loud enough to catch anyone's attention, powerful to wake up a sleeping person and yet, for some reason, I couldn't remember hearing that iconic noise.

"...Angela?"

No response. I was completely alone. Deciding to not let that get to me, I shook my head slightly and took a small sprint to reach the top of the stairs. Surely, she was going to be at the top, waiting for me with her annoyed look like always.

Just thinking about it was enough to make my eyes roll. Sure, I might have stepped further than I would have liked to when receiving our guests due to my tiredness but I don't think it's worth the glare. Sadly, knowing Angela, she was definitely going to make a big deal out of it.

As I began to imagine the scenario awaiting for my return, I scanned my surroundings and came to an abrupt stop for the second time. The lights which previously illuminated the corridors of this place were no longer present, leaving me in complete darkness. Confused by what was going on, I looked behind me but could not locate the bottom of the stairs.

"That's weird, did Angela mess with the Light?"

I mumbled to myself as I tightened my grasp on the book that I brought back from the previous nightmare I survived. I still have yet to open it, I just don't have the will to do so, my mind is whispering me to not reveal its content out of fear, a Pandora's box waiting for me to lose my guard.

With nowhere else to go but forward, I resumed my march, forced to hear my foosteps resonate like I was deep underground. No matter how far I went, no signs of light were present on my obscured path.

Something was definitely wrong, I knew that by now but I couldn't understand what was going on. The last events that occured were me and Angela welcoming our guests and then me making my way upstairs after our talk. It was nothing truly out of the ordinary, it might as well be a routine by now.

I was left to rot in complete darkness due to some strange circumstances that I couldn't understand. The many sounds coming from my steps were the only proof that I wasn't a floating consciousness, a proof that I was going somewhere, even if I wasn't aware of what the destination looked like.

Was this the afterlife? Maybe my lack of energy caused my body to lose its form. I knew close to nothing about the Light that served as a catalyst to revive the dead employees so nothing seemed impossible in my eyes.

The thought of roaming endlessly in a void that seemed to go forever was enough to give some energy in my legs, turning my regular walk into a sprint. I was hoping to find a "wall" that would indicate me that I was indeed inside a real room, just simply bigger than one would expect. Seconds passed and quite possibly minutes until a miracle occured.

In front of me, the outline of a door made its presence known to me, causing me to stop for a moment.

"...At this point, I'll take anything."

I whispered to myself and firmly slammed my foot into it, swinging the frail door open at full force. My smile of relief only lasted for a second once my brain understood what was waiting for me on the other side.

...

Yellow walls, narrow hallways and reinforced doors on the wall to my right. It didn't take me long to recognize the place, which caused a curtain of sweats to fall down my face. This was a building I was quite familiar with at this point. After all, it was where I worked for 50 days of pure agony multiple times.

A facility born from the deepest pit of hell, a prison where bonds were made and many were forcefully lost. I stood still in the corridor, feeling the still air around me. Just as I remembered, the smell of death lingered around like a poison, causing the sanity of those inhaling it to deteriorate.

The silence was slowly driving me mad. The intercom was completely dead and no motions could be heard. I was completely alone in a facility known to be filled with creatures capable of rendering an unsuspecting fool insane.

Out of instinct, I slowly made my way to the main room, not even bothering to check towards the way I came from. My mind simply shook his head, aware that even if I were to regret my decision, the path I took to get here was no longer there. This gave me the courage I needed to proceed onward.

As expected, the department was completely empty. However, unlike in the hallway, I was struck by a foul smell that caused my hand to cover my nose. As I did so, my eyes widened upon landing on my sleeve. Indeed, instead of the clothes I was forced to wear by the despicable AI, my body was covered with a pink military suit.

Unfortunately, as much as I would have liked to take a moment to observe what I thought to be a suit that I would never get to see again, more pressing matters forced my hand. In the barely lit room, all around me, large trees were extending towards the ceiling. The crimson roots were slowly moving around, holding their "fruits" like trophies.

I couldn't even look at them without feeling sick. The severed head and limbs of employees were stabbed by the trees, hanging like morbid leaves. The colors of my face began to fade away as I looked further down. Around the point where the branches separate, a golden and crimson eye was staring directly at me... the same for every other trees.

"..."

I tried my best to shrug off the pressure and looked around in the hope of finding an exit. The moment I averted my gaze towards the stairs, a pair of eyes that felt completely different compared to the trees' locked onto the back of my head. I swiftly turned around.

There, in the doorway leading towards the Welfare department, the figure of a person was staring at me. I squinted my eyes in an attempt to discern some details but it was a futile attempt in this barely illuminated room.

"...Hello?"

Deciding that I was losing my time standing around corpses of fallen coworkers with a dumbfounded expression, I called out the person. To my surprise, they simply raised an arm and moved their index as a way to invite me to follow them. Finally, they turned around and walked away.

"H-Hey, at least give me a minute to catch up!"

I yelled back and took a sprint in the direction of the door they went through. Surely, at this speed, I would be able to catch up to them.

"Please look at me."

"Stop looking away."

"KEEP ME IN YOUR SIGHT!"

"What the-?!"

As I ran past the army of trees in the room, I was surprised by a sudden sharp pain overwhelming my senses. A scream slipped out of my lips as I fell down on my knees, clutching my bleeding stomach. The voices screaming at me were haunting enough to make my body turn around to observe the large roots. Like the last time I looked at them, their eyes were fixated on me.

With not many options offered to me, I placed my free hand behind me and began to drag my body towards the door, making sure to keep my focus on the things scattered around the room. As soon as I could feel the door behind me, I stood up and jumped through the doorway, landing directly into a pile of vines that seemed to reach the entirety of the corridor.

On the other side, the silhouette silently walked through the door, leaving me on my own. Now that I was out of the crimson trees' range, I firmly placed my hands on the wall next to me and made my way through the obstructed hallway.

Thankfully, unlike the main room I went through a minute ago, I came out of the event unharmed... Well, "unharmed" in the sense that no new injuries were on my body the moment I stepped inside the Welfare department.

"Stop running away!"

Letting my frustration get the better of me, I yelled at the top of my lungs. The person I was following jumped at the sudden intonation of my voice. Whoever they were, they definitely didn't expect me to raise my voice so loud.

Now that the both of us were standing in the same room, a few feet apart, the mysterious person playing this game of cat and mouse and turned to face me. The sound of my heavy breaths was the only thing breaking the silence between us.

"Who the hell are you?"

I tried my best to look as imposing as possible but with sweats going down my face and a bleeding wound, there was only so much my voice could do. The odd person remained still for a moment.

The tension was visible in the air, it felt like i was inside an electric trap. My eyes remained fixated on... whoever I followed, ready to run after them if they tried to escape. I already wounded myself while chasing after them, I'm not gonna let them get away.

"...You can't even remember me?"

"Huh?"

I blinked to demonstrate my confusion. The lights were turned off, leaving me with barely anything to observe my interlocutor. Was I supposed to remember them based on the few information I had?

"I don't... know you?"

I hesitantly answered with a question. Their voice sparked no light in my head. Plus, considering how broken my memories are, I'll only get a headache if I try assembling the thousands of pieces scattered in my brain.

Maybe they were an employee during a past loop? Who knows.

"It's definitely that mechanical brat's fault."

"...?"

I tilted my head to the side. Of course, I understood who they were talking about and as much as I would have liked to use that opportunity to talk shit behind her back, their statement made completely no sense considering I couldn't even remember the voice speaking to me, even after 50 long days spent in the facility we were both currently in.

I may hate Angela but I do know when to stop accusing her... I think. I honestly don't really care that much at this point.

"You can't even recognize something so simple."

Error! Seed of Light protocol failed, activating TT2 Protocol.

Finally, like a curtain pulled to reveal a surprise, the lights above our heads emerged from their slumber. My eyes, not adjusted to the sudden brightness, instinctively closed for a second and once they opened, my questions were met with an answer at last.

...And once that answer arrived, my brows furrowed. My body readied itself and my glare grew fierce. Standing before me was someone that made me realize how dumb I was for not remembering, even in my current state.

After all, even if I were to wake up on the first day of one of the many cycles that occured here without any memories of the past loops, I would still be able to recognize my own face.

"That spark... You finally remembered~!"

Pleased by my reaction, my own reflection held their hands together and pressed them against their right cheek, a wide smile present on its face. Their voice felt like a child discovering their lost toy after weeks of searching. Shivers ran down my spine as I desperately tried to keep my composure.

Seeing my own body move around so energetically in front of my eyes and bearing a large smile that felt too unnatural for my own taste was enough to make my mind panic.

"W... What the..."

I couldn't even get my questions out of my head. My hands were tightened into fists and my feet were ready to sprint in the direction I came from. Sensing my fear, the copycat standing in front of me tilted its head to the side.

"Don't be scared, I'm not gonna hurt you. What would be the point anyway?"

"...And what? Next, you gonna tell me that you're Santa? Do you really think I'm gonna believe you, I wasn't born yesterday!"

I aimed an accusatory finger in the direction of the thing facing me. To my surprise, instead of getting offended, the doppelganger cocked its head backward and let out a booming laughter. The floor trembled in fear and my ears groaned, forced to endure what was happening.

"You got me. I'm sure every little kid have wished once in their life for something as nice as having the big man visit them. Sadly, you're a bit too old for that."

"..."

Their laugh resumed afterwards, making my forehead sweat bullets. My eyes scanned my surroundings as I silently tried to step away. One thing was certain: I definitely didn't want to deal with whatever that thing is.

"Come on, you should remember me. No, you have to, I know that you remember."

"...If you're so confident then say instead of acting like an ass about it."

I was slowly growing tired, annoyed even. I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a sigh before focusing back my stare onto the being inside the room with me. Their smile silently grew wider upon realizing that I was challenging them.

...Probably the biggest mistake I could have done in this scenario.

"Sure thing~!"

Without a single moment of hesitation, the copycat shoved their entire hand inside their mouth, its lips still curved into a wicked smile. The moment I could see the shape of its hand moving underneath the skin of its throat, my heart raised and my urge to puke hit me all full force. It was a miracle that I was able to refrain from doing so, despite the horrible sight I was forced to watch.

"There you goooo~!"

I was relieved to see the monster standing in front of me finally pull out their hand from their own throat. As it finally emerged, my attention was moved to what was in its palm. It was... It's...

"No... nonono-!"

My breathing grew sharp and erratic. My feet moved away from the double facing me, which only caused their grin to strengthen. Inside their hand, a pitch black substance was slowly dripping down, a dark liquid slipping through their fingers like slime. The blood in my veins went cold immediately and my instinct kicked in, causing me to sprint towards the exit.

My footsteps felt like bullets echoing around my ears, making me dizzy. Nothing mattered anymore to me except one thing. I had to get out of here as soon as possible. As soon as I reached the door I came from, however, the colors on my face instantly vanished.

On the other side, the vines that were once a mere annoyance were covering the entire door, blocking it. Not letting that get to me, I firmly took hold of the plants and used my own adrenaline to forcefully rip them off.

The process was slow, too slow even. I knew that it was a lost cause the moment a pair of footsteps came from behind me but my body kept trying, attempting to defy fate itself. Honestly, even I was clinging onto that small hope unconsciously, praying for a miracle to occur. Sadly, in a world where a hellish reality like the City exist, miracles are nothing more than fairytales.

"Goooooot yooooou~"

"..."

A hand was placed against my neck while a second one hugged my still healing stomach. My fingers became numb, unable to remove the remaining vines blocking my exit. Just feeling its presence against me was making my whole body convulse, I was getting physically sick at the mere thought of being near that demon.

A feminine chuckle came from the one holding me. Swiftly, and mostly out of fright, my body turned back and swung a desperate punch. Shockingly, for once, lady luck smiled my way and my attack directly into its face, forcing the doppelganger to release its grasp on me.

"Heh... Heheh... Still so scared."

Its head slowly rose to stare at my face. The scene before me was something I wish I could have never seen. The eyes looking back at me were "bleeding" the dark liquid that it pulled out from its inside. The same thing was happening with their mouth, making a horrifying fountain spewing out that accursed substance.

"I..."

I unconsciously pressed my back against the door behind me.

"But it's fine..."

Slowly but surely, like an animated corpse, the body taking my form closed the gap and soon stood right in front of me. With no warning, the devilish monster grabbed my hands, placing its fingers between mine. Such a scene would have been heartwarming and rather cheesy in a romance film but in this instance, it was a scenario that came out of a horror movie. My breath cut short and my gaze observed its bleeding face pierce through mine as a way to peek directly at my soul.

"I love you the way you are~"

To my horror, instead of a single and clear voice, my ears were assaulted by the sound of hundreds repeating the same words in unison like a chorus. My mind was experiencing a breakdown and tears slowly built up, my sanity was slipping between the cracks. No matter how hard I tried to escape the grasp of my interlocutor, they simply refused to let go of my hands, locking us in place..

I tried once, no result. I held back the tears flowing down. I tried once again to escape, a failure. I desperately suppressed the tears. My arms moved again, struggling to get out of its grasp, only to fail in the end. I pushed back the te- I can't do it anymore. I can't I can't I can't I can't!

My instinctual fear was so strong that my legs gave out. I felt like a shell of my former self, I was unable to think straight, simply letting out tears of terror as I watched my captor crouch down to my level, a lovestuck and wicked smile plastered on its face.

"..."

My tongue was twisted, making me unable to pronounce words. This didn't seem to bother the demon looking at me. Hell, it only made it show an increasing happiness, a dark and horrid emotion that felt like a curse.

"Don't be scared... You really shouldn't."

The being in front of me tilted its head to the side, trying its best to look human enough to dispel my fright. Unfortunately, a monster that doesn't understand humans in the first place can never hope to perfectly act like one, which made its motion look more threatening than it probably would have liked.

"Like that old hag said, I am still you, your E.G.O."

"...I never asked for this."

I weakly whispered to my copycat. It was taking everything I had just to let out those words. Cold sweats ran down my face once I was done. I wanted to collapse, simply close my eyes and run away from this place but their firm grasp on my hands was making it impossible. That thing knew that I would lose consciousness the moment it let go of me and refused to do so.

The only response I got in return was a silent stare from the devil using my own skin as a container.

In a desperate attempt to get away, I firmly shoved one of my feet in its stomach and used my remaining strength to push my opponent's hands towards their chest. During the whole struggle, it felt like was fighting a damn wall, I had to push my body to the point of seeing the veins in my arms just to perform a simple action like resisting their hold.

"Enough."

Suddenly, a yell came out from my mouth. Taken aback by the sudden surge of pain I was experiencing, I lowered my stare and saw my hands bend in a way that shouldn't be possible. I silently gritted my teeth and glared back at the culprit.

The double slowly let go of my hands in a taunting manner and watched my hands go limp the moment their hold onto them was removed. My nerves were crying in agony and my mouth felt like it was on fire. I couldn't move them no matter how hard I tried.

"You can only blame yourself for that dear~"

"...Go die."

I retorted with a voice barely able to hide my pain and anger. A shrug was all I got in return before the thing blocking me plunged one of its hands inside its body, soon pulling it out with a familiar... monstrosity in its hand.

The dark matter held in its palm looked like a worm desperately trying to reach me. It moved unnaturally, making my temperature drop. I looked down and noticed the wound that I received because of those damn trees. This was enough to make my eyes widen as I realized what it was trying to do.

"..!"

My brain entered a fight or flight mode and commanded my body to kick the floor below me, sending me away from my opponent and giving me some space. I hurriedly stood back on my feet and turned around, my sharp eyes drilling into my personal demon.

I unconsciously tried to turn my hands into fists, only to be met by a burst of cries from my nervous system. With the loss of my basically half of my limbs, I was left at the mercy of my captor, who watched with a childish happiness that left me uneasy.

In an attempt to regain control of my senses, which were currently overwhelmed by my bone fractures, I began to hurriedly assess my surroundings for a possible escape that didn't require the usage of my hands. Doing so allowed me to notice a certain object laying on the floor.

...It was the book that I carried around, the sealed encyclopedia that I refused to open. It was an item that I clearly remember not having on my person the moment I arrived in this fucked up version of what was already hell. How did it get here?

"..."

I stood still and remained focused on it. As much as I would have liked to take, hell, use it as a "weapon", the state of my arms made it impossible for me to grab it. It was like being locked in a room with the key but lacking the hands to take it.

I gritted my teeth once more out of frustration. The scene before me was akin to a god mocking me, laughing at my existence and suffering. The only pity I got my way was, ironically enough, from the one who left me in this state. The copycat calmly walked towards the book and took it from the floor before showing it to me.

"You seemed really focused on it, so I thought you could... use a hand."

"Haha. Very funny."

I groaned along with my reply. The devil in front of me definitely deserved its name. Their bleeding eyes soon looked down at the cover and turned the large book in order to open it. The air I was inhlaing became stale and my heart sank, my mind was telling me that something bad was going to happen.

Was I gonna warn them? Fuck no, they deserve what occurs to them. I just need to get out of the possible crossfire.

"...?"

Once opened, the doppelganger looked at the pages that I couldn't observe from where I was standing. Their attention, however, was short-lived. Their gaze returned to me and a slight hint of confusion was showing on their face.

" Is this really-"

Their full sentence was cut short by a blurry shadow tackling them, sending the hijacked body into the nearby wall. I blinked once out of shock and definitely blinked twice once my eyes recognized the one saving me.

Bloodbath.

"... What the-"

I could feel an incredible sensation of déjà vu as I saw the Abnormality made of blood turn its hollow head in my direction. Did... this happen before? I can't remember. Well, whatever, now's not the time to ponder on that.

"You... uh, can go beat them up. Please?"

I awkwardly ordered the monster that me and Roland previously defeated. I didn't know what to do in this situation and it was apparent in my words.

The entity that came to my rescue stared back at me for a moment before charging at my opponent, seemingly following my command despite my lack of energy. My body simply stood there and watched the battle unfold before my eyes.

Unfazed by the surprise guest, the devil wearing a copy of my appearance let out a soft, yet strong laugh, which was then copied by many other voices, some humans but many weren't. A bead of sweat fell down my face in response as I tried to make my presence smaller, hoping to find a way out of this mess.

"Do you really think I'm going to be intimated by someone like you?"

"..."

The faceless husk remained completely silent but still replied to its taunting in its own way: by crushing their head against the wall. The head exploded like a water balloon and released a burst of pitch black blood that covered the wall and floor around the area of impact. The sight was so brutal that my own system forgot my broken hands for a moment.

Yes, they may have been a demon that I feared out of instinct but they wore my face along with my body. Seeing such a scene would make many people uncomfortable to some level.

No longer caring about the headless corpse, the killer turned its head in my direction. Some dark blood was leaking from the large hole in its face. Time passed by until I finally figured out that it was waiting for me to do something.

"...T-Thanks."

I tripped on the single word I let out. Thankfully, it didn't seem to bother my "saviour". The red humanoid slowly dragged its body in my direction before stopping right in front of me, looking down at me with the void inside its head.

"..."

I gulped down my saliva and turned my head in the direction of the door locked by the vines. Now that the main threat was gone, though not permanently if I have to take a guess, it was my perfect opportunity to get out of this nightmare and finally wake up.

Understanding my thought process somehow, the Abnormality raised its arms and swung them against the metal door, breaking it apart like it was made of paper. This only made my blood pressure go up as I realized that this could occur to me if I make that thing pissed.

I should refrain from doing anything to make it angry, for the sake of my own safety.

...

The walk back to the main room of the Central Command was completely silent if I don't count our footsteps as we struggled to walk through the vines on the floor. This facility, which once kept possibly hundreds of people inside was completely empty, devoid of life, devoid of noises and especially lacking in hygiene considering the state it was left in.

Once inside, my focus went up, remembering those weird trees with eyes and how they attacked me the moment I stopped focusing on them. On the side, just as expected, the large and crimson roots were still present. However, their branches were lowered to the floor, like robots running out of power.

In the middle of them all, like a trophy, was a singular metal pole with a flag at the top of it. In a place like Lobotomy Corporation, where wind was nothing more than a dream, one would expect such an item to be lifeless but to my surprise, the flag was fluttering around proudly.

Everything around the object that I can confirm wasn't there before looked dead while the flag itself emanated a faint warmth, something that even I could feel with the distance we had.

"How did that get here?"

I mumbled to myself as I glanced around the room. As much as I would have liked to get closer and have a look, my broken hands were giving me hell, forcefully making reconsider my choice. Plus after what occured, I was not ready to put myself in any more trouble.

So, my next destination was the stairs leading to the upper departments, abandoning the moving flag behind in this warzone. Bloodbath silently followed my action.

The walk to the upper layer was experienced by both me and possibly Bloodbath like a feverish dream. The corners of the stairway were blurry and felt like they didn't exist. The air here was flowing in... reverse, unlike back in the Central Command department. It was hard to explain, the only thing I could associate this phenomena to as a way to explain it was "reverse". I was not breathing air but could still feel said air leave my lungs, the sensation was giving me goosebumps.

The steps below my feet sank like they were made of clouds. Yet, despite that, they were sturdy enough to support my weight. Light was beginning to pierce through the opaque walls around but not enough to blind me. All of these strange events were making me question my grasp on reality but not enough to make me fully break.

 I tried my best to shrug off the awkward sensations I was experiencing and continued my ascension. The next change that occured was the sudden silence that filled the air. My footsteps no longer produced any noise, causing me to lose my balance for a moment, thinking that my foot was still in the air.

With each step bringing me to closer to the top, I could feel the pain in hands grow weaker and weaker, allowing me to finally let out a sigh of relief. I still couldn't fully move them without experiencing said pain but as long as I don't apply pressure on them, I should be fine.

"...Wait, what is that?"

I whispered to myself once I took a look at what was waiting for me at the top of the stairs. Instead of the metallic doors that were commonly used around the facility, the path was blocked by a simple, wooden door. I stood still, observing this odd change while my unexpected ally leaned closer to inspect it.

...Inspect? I honestly don't know, that thing doesn't have a face, it's hard to tell. Plus, I even doubt it is sentient to the level of a human, I'm not expecting much.

As if proving my point, the entity standing beside me silently swung its arms into the door, breaking it into pieces. Some of them flew directly into my skin, thankfully the vital parts were missed. I let out a muffled groan in response and peeked on the other side.

There, waiting for me, was complete nothingness. The world was broken into pieces, tiles were floating in space and objects that would belong to the upper layers were roaming peacefully. Without a single word from my part, I locked my arms around one of Bloodbath's and peeked at the bottom of the darkness.

Down at the lowest point, almost taunting me, was a hole made entirely of light. It was the light at the end of the corridor, the finish line, the- You get what I mean. Although the exit was right in front of me, getting to it was a whole different matter.

"...Why can't I dream about sunshine and unicorns like any normal people?"

I let out a complaint about my current state and entered the "room". As soon as I did, gravity vanished, causing me to spin around as I tried to get my balance. I was floating in this void with my senses completely disoriented. Each time I tried to go in one direction, it felt like the world itself dragged me the opposite way. I was locked in place, floating around.

"Once the guilt grows too heavy, one can find themselves sink at the bottom."

Slowly arriving to my side, the Abnormality composed of mostly blood firmly held me with its arms as a feeble and feminine voice came out from its face. The words it said were quiet, it felt like I was hearing someone from really far away, making it impossible for me to properly identify it.

Fortunately, it didn't really matter in the end. Almost like it was a magic spell, the world around us began to move up the moment these words entered this broken reality. No, it wasn't going up but instead we were going down, sinking at the bottom and directly in the direction of the light.

Not wanting to go back to the top, I placed my arms around the anchor around me, gritting my teeth and enduring the pain caused by my hands. The temporary pain was better than lingering forever in the darkness of space.

Slowly but surely, the light grew brighter until I could feel my feet touch it. As soon as I did, the world was illuminated, rendering me blind. My eyes could no longer see anything and my grasp onto my helper was gone. I wildly swung my arms around to locate them but I was simply met with nothing.

All alone in the Light, I began to awaken.

...

...

Y/N: ...

The librarian blinked once to adjust to the light above his head. For a moment, he refrained himself from moving, fearing that he might get dizzy and collapse. As his thoughts slowly returned to him, his eyes noticed a face peering down at his.

Y/N: ...Angela, what are you doing.

Immediately, his sleepy attitude vanished and a cold voice came out from him, pointing his annoyance at the woman looking at him. Used to it by now, she simply sighed and shook her head slightly before standing up.

Angela: Please refrain from collapsing in the middle of the entrance from now on.

Done for now, the AI turned around and walked away, leaving the assistant librarian on his own. Y/N's shoulders dropped slightly upon sensing her presence vanish.

Y/N: ...Wait, I collapsed in the entrance??

"When?" was the question that popped up in his head. Sadly for him, nobody was going to answer his confusion for now.

The ex-agent took a deep breath and placed his hand on the large book he carried around, remembering the face that... thing gave him once it took a peek inside. Was the content of the book so confusing?

"Uh..."

Y/N: Hm?

Taken aback for a moment by the sudden voice, the one once known as a captain turned his head and noticed the girl with white hair long enough to reach the floor around her feet. She was holding her hands together and her barely revealed eyes demonstrated a level of worry.

Morgan: Are... you alright?

Y/N: Yea, no need to worry.

He swiftly took care of her trouble by revealing a smile. Although she wasn't entirely convinced, the sight was enough to make her lower her stress. She quietly watched the man stand up and make his way to her.

Y/N: So... uh, you need something?

Morgan: Mister Roland told me that you fell down... I was worried.

Y/N: I suppose that's understandable.

He replied with a simple shrug and a pat on the head. Surprised by his action, the librarian working on Keter's floor froze in place but quickly snapped out of it once he removed his hand and made his way to the exit.

Morgan: Where are you going?

Y/N: I dunno, probably gonna go see Roland. I don't feel ready to face Malkuth yet after what we did the last time.

As he stepped through the doorway, the girl with long hair remained on her own in the now empty room. Her eyes lowered to the floor. Now that everyone else was gone, she had no reason to force herself, she could just go back and-

Y/N: What are you doing?

Morgan: H-Huh?

Not expecting to see the man return, the gloomy ex-employee jumped in fright and glanced back at the entrance. The librarian working as Angela's assistant gave her a gesture to follow him.

Y/N: Come on, I'm gonna feel bad if I leave you on your own.

Morgan: ...Are you sure you want something like me?

Y/N: We're all in this together, we might as well be on friendly terms.

He once more gave her a smile, giving her enough energy to drag her feet in his direction. Her hands were still held together but her eyes were no longer looking at the floor, instead staring at the man who raised his metaphorical hand for her to grab, the faint light at the end of the hallway.

Morgan: ...Thank you.