Torturing minutes pass by without Beatrix lifting her gaze. And after her departure minutes later—without carrying something new, we bolt to the treehouse.

Mr. Julian, Arsy, and I climb on a fallen log and hurl it to the river, where we advance by paddling. Soon, my fingers are bitten by the frosty ripples. The calm current also prevents our speed from improving. While Sandra sits on Ax's back as the beast limps through the stomach-deep stream.

A huge stain of water marks the shore once we reach it.

"We must hurry," Mr. Julian says as his teeth clatter and his arms belt around his torso. "The night is coming."

"I'll go." Before one of us agrees, Sandra already trudges to the majestic plant. Ax guards her back like a domesticated dog, despite its visible breath after the swim. Whenever her movements become sluggish, Ax nudges her with its maw.

Does Sandra know how lucky she is to have Ax around?

"Keep an eye on her, boy. We can't lose her in that maze of debris." Mr. Julian rises from the ground. He slings an arm over his daughter, who already wraps her arms around herself without any complaints. Maybe somehow, this trip teaches her to mature up as well. "Whoever made this place was a sly genius. The treehouse is like a castle without human guards."

I nod as my eyes flash with alert.

Sandra climbs the nature-made rungs with much difficulty. The gap between a branch to another cost at least two normal staircases. But Ax's claws are made for this, and while it glides effortlessly to the cottage, Sandra needs plenty of sighs to meet the front door. She wanders around occasionally, peeping with her toes to the other side of the treehouse, as she observes the door.

The sky is still void of light sources. As long as it does, our thinning timeframe will only end in futile break-in efforts.

"Should I help her?" I cast a sideways glance at Mr. Julian, whose damp mustache twitches haughtily. But once the river beckons my eyes to it, I change my mind. "Or should I check out what Beatrix did with the river before?"

"It might be dangerous, Allice. We don't know what's in there."

The lanterns swishing over Sandra's head flicker like dying fireflies, allowing darkness to consume both her and Ax. Her face leans close to the doorknob while her eyes wander around—even landing on me for the shortest second.

By the time she returns, the furious wind has blown my clothes dry. She rests a hand on the crook of Ax's neck before ambling down the steeping land. Her shoulders rise and fall in a hasty pattern, complementing her increasing pace.

"Can you slow down?" Mr. Julian huffs as his meaty palm treats Arsy's shoulder and mine like a walking cane. "What's the hurry? And why aren't you talking?"

The first droplets of rain bounce on our skin once the grassy land stops steeping down. Not long after, they gather into a city-wide crowd, blessing those astray with a chilly sensation. The wind picks up the pace to announce the storm's arrival.

Sandra and Ax lead the way with unmatchable speed, though Ax's hind legs are slightly limp. Mr. Julian groans as he swerves right in an awkward angle, his arms flailing on his sides. "Cursed weather forecast. Hurry up, kid." He beckons Arsy under his arm, and once she's tucked in, they dash together to the direction of the cave.

The storm explodes in my ears while I drag my legs forward. Blood seeps out from my wounds, soaking my bandage and viscously wrapping around my ankle. A plea for help claws up my throat like a mountain goat, only for its grip to slip at the sight of my companions turning into dots at the distance.

The moonlight's shy light behind the clouds shines over the cave's opening. A blanket and a cup of warm water squiggles into my brain, as if promising me... until jagged fragments—possibly pieces of the Onyx Agent I broke earlier—dig deep into my soles.

I collapse on the ground once spasms snatch my balance away. As if waiting for the right moment to torture me further, more droplets leave the sky. My head lolls to the edge of the river, my slightly dipped forehead swaying along with the lulling water.

But... how can a river remain calm during a raging storm?

My brain turns into a muddy blur as my hand plunges to the river in the quest of lifting my forehead. However, my strength betrays me; instead of keeping my nose farther from the water, my fingertips dive further into the depths, grazing over a prominent ball that sticks out, a long stick which accompanies it like a scepter, and the mushy grains that separate the river from land.

Was Beatrix messing up with something like this lever before she left?

Before my name resounds from the surface, I already soar deeper into the bubbly abyss.

🐾

"Roy's right. You're a stubborn scum with a head tougher than a seashell."

The sensation feels familiar: the blinding lights pouring on my eyes, the stale smell of sweat in the room, and the tight blanket that coats around me. And my dried throat, which lingers like the aftermath of a sandstorm.

After blinking my eyes several times, the faces that hover closely above mine refocus, though still unclear. A ghostly pale face with surreally wide eyes, a platinum icing on top of a grinning face, a restless brown cupcake, and a giant marshmallow of black and orange.

My eyelids are heavier than any barbells I've lifted. It's as if someone peels my skin and leaves it barren on a snowy landscape. I'm freezing to the teeth, even in this sushi form.

"This idiot seems to be suicidal," a feminine voice says. "Look at him: freezing to death during a storm, getting re-bandaged for the third time of the day..."

A squeak pipes up from the black and orange bubble. "Sandra Hua, give Allice Worke some rest. Sandra Hua shouldn't bully Allice Worke."

The platinum nest bounces with laughter. "He's a child," he says with amusement once he stops convulsing in glee. "Dove face-first into the water; what was he thinking? Such a shame you weren't the one finding him, Sandra. Your horrified expression would've left a lifetime impression."

The brown cupcake places something heavy and watery on my forehead. At its transferring warmth, my nerves calm down, allowing me to ease back with my surroundings. The stark gray walls, the clutter of items on the desk, and an abundance of people...

I'm already back in Roy's cave.

I force out a smile. The events before my unconsciousness return to my head as sudden as a skydiving hawk. An actual smile breaks loose this time. "Thanks for helping me."

Sandra snorts with a mixture of distaste and revolt. But hopefully, my blurry eyes aren't improvising that thin line on her lips. "What did you do? None of us noticed you were left behind until it was too late. Also, you might've caught cold by now. Seriously, you just recovered from your fever..."

I chuckle while recalling the general points. Yet, I can't let them know about the secret in the river. What if the lever wasn't real? It appeared after my face drowned, after all. A splash of my imagination, maybe?

They're starting to treat me like a child, and I don't need the title 'dreamer' or 'bluffer' to support their reasons.

"Thank God, you're alright, Allice." Miro, whose cheeks still blush like ripe tomatoes, cracks a smile. His sockets are puffy. "We worried about you so much. Moreover, it was when we were so busy..."

"Busy?" I parrot. "What for?"

Roy frowns at the red-faced Miro. "Rest first, then we'll talk. You look like a mummy out of a coffin—blanket version."

"You know it'll keep him more restless, Roy." Sandra leaves my side in a fluid motion, but not before squeezing my upper arm lightly as if trying to keep me awake.

Or maybe she's just letting me know how she already fixes things with Roy.

Questions are still lining up in my head when Roy claims her previous seat, a mass of dark clouds tainting his eyes. It takes seconds of imitating a goldfish's mouth before he says, "I know who sent those messages."

"The owner of the treehouse?"

Roy nods. "Sandra told me. I was really upset with you four"—Ax yawns with a bob of its head at the entrance—"no, you five. It was too risky. Sure, you have Ax, but don't rely too much on it." He draws a mouthful of air. "Ax is our asset—our enemy's backfiring pawn. It was already injured badly after last night, and yet..." Shaking his head with an insincere chuckle, he continues, "If only Sandra didn't return with a pleasing discovery."

"What did she find?" I rub the sleepy sand off my eyes.

He gestures at Xin-Yo to move to his side. The chirpy robot obeys more like a brother than a servant. "Xin-Yo, please repeat my explanation."

Xin-Yo nods, but it resembles a jump than a sign of meekness. "Understood." Xin-Yo turns to me, its surface already cleared of patches and charging cables. "With the Aegis software that Lin-Roy installed, Lin-Roy could scrutinize more on the real Onyx Agents. The hidden labels had the same word: overseer."

I scratch my rough chin, where stubble begins to sprout. What does an overseer have to do with this?

"Now, the treehouse Sandra Hua came to was locked. At first sight, the keyhole was shaped like an almond—quoting Sandra Hua. But in the end, there was a hole in the middle. The details matched after Lin-Roy told the discovery of The Overseer. See, Allice Worke, the eye symbol gives it away. Eye and overseer... get it?"

I sweep a glass of water off the tray and chugs it down, relishing the spreading warmth in my chest. "Okay... then what?"

"Lin-Roy searched for anything regarding the symbol in Lizare City, but there was none. Then Lin-Roy stalked Benjamin Kamal's closest people and the country's top politicians."

"He found it?"

"Yes, of course. Xin-Yo is proud to serve another technology genius." Its eyes turn into lines as if smiling without its mouth. "These last few months, Ivon Fray—Benjamin Kamal's advisor, has been talking about Biliya Republic's security measures after undocumented immigrants from Okauri Country suddenly flocked in. During cabinet meetings, Ivon Fray drew two animals: a snake and a scorpion. He connected the scorpion's claws with the snake's head using a line, and also their respective feet—stomach, in the snake's case—to emphasize his motto: because we focused on the snake—"

"...we missed the scorpion," I finish softly, smacking my tongue as guilt floats on it. Tears well up on the crooks of my eyes at Auntie Morgan's favorite quote.

"Well." Xin-Yo addresses my silence with a timid shift of its feet. "The snake is the civil war at Okauri Country and the scorpion... Ivon Fray must refer to the immigrants. The quote must refer to the unexpected 'attack'."

"Which is one of the reasons why he conspires with Jorge and Beatrix to move the capital city," Roy chimes in. "If the capital is moved, more restrictions can be made to the immigrants without them being anarchists. Most Okaurians are ill-tempered. They won't accept deportation options. In short: Ivon Fray is afraid of them."

Sandra sighs. "But now our matter isn't only about Dogson anymore... it's nation-wide."

"Our focus should remain here, Sandra." Roy frowns. "Yes, those refugees need help too. But we can't handle something national-scale, you know that. Our problem at Dogson is already as complicated as it is."

A/N: I know these are getting more frequent lately, but I wouldn't do this unless it's important XD

I'm thinking of changing the update schedule to Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Ironically, Tuesday is always the busiest day of the week since I started college. So yeah, the change will be effective starting from next week (September 2). I'd actually like to stick with the original schedule, but I also want discipline updates, so here it goes.

Thank you for understanding this decision. Also, a huge thank you for getting this far into the book, though it mustn't be one light read XD