The end was near.

Reux Yvone emerged from the shadows, a wry smile upon his lips. Grazing the line that separated the inside from the out, he made the world watch with fear and unease—trembling in delight. He beckoned for Io to close the distance, remaining where he was; not crossing into the arrival hall.

Iolani Tori did not know he was looking into the eyes of a murderer. He paused, wary of the shrike before recalling that the gate would close in very soon. At most three minutes remained.

Thus, the risk he calculated was not high enough to prevent him from responding, albeit carefully.

"Reux? You're," he noticed a dark stain on the shrike's otherwise white shirt. "What's that? Why aren't you with the others?"

Someone is dead, he wanted to say. After all, Reux was as human as he was and the additional bit of information would, at the very least, inform future decisions. "Well, since you're here now...I guess you'll be fine. It's safer outside the Box because—"

A shadow stood in his way

Under the absence of light, Reux appeared almost shapeless to Io. His silhouette was an inky darkness that seemed to smoke and move in tendrils and wisps, an amassing of clouds into a veil so thick and opaque that it obscured even the most blinding light.

"This?" The shrike remained at the gate, barely crossing. He threw a languid glance at his the collar of his shirt that was soaked with crimson. "Ah, it must be too dark for you to see. It's blood, Iolani. Blood."

More than anything, the sky was red.

It wasn't dark, no.

Just red.

The moment crashed into his cage and tore creature within—ripped it apart, shredded its skin and clawed at its flesh. He began to scream.

"You didn't...you didn't!"

"Let's talk about something more important than Slayne Castor," Reux smiled sadly as he kicked at the earth beneath his feet, "something that concerns you."

Io was shaking his head, shouting a mass of words that were choked and incoherent.

"Remember the first time we met? You were annoyed that I was late to class." The shrike leaned against the gate that was ticking. "Philosophy class, right? You like philosophy class that much?"

"I've been thinking of how I should make it up to you."

"No more," he whispered, feeling the creature within burn and tear at itself. "Please."

The shrike laughed.

"And then it hit me, you know, while I was killing this other owl and eating his heart so that I could have the kind of vision that Nocturnes have at night, but that's a story for another day so let's get back to this one—as I was saying, it hit me. We could have a quick lesson together. In fact, let's have it now."

"No, no please."

A short, stuttered sound of stone startled the boy.

It sounded like the whistle of a train

The gates were beginning to close.

"Iolani Tori," Reux began as though he was the author of Io's story and every word was within his control. "A trolley is hurtling down the railway track towards your most treasured friend."

"No, no no more no—"

He crawled towards the gate but he was far.

"But not to worry," the shrike laughed. He was the happiest he'd ever been. "You can choose to divert the trolley onto a different set of tracks by pulling on a lever!"

"Stop...please."

It was far off but approaching and he knew the decision had to be made but all of a sudden the phantom had disappeared and before him was an old-fashioned lever.

"On this railway track, five cute little strangers have foolishly gotten themselves tied up and are laid obediently in the path of the trolley. Very convenient." The stone gates on both sides of the wall were sliding to a close. Half of the Box remained in sight and Io could feel the weight of the world upon his shoulders. "Now, tell me."

"Would you pull the lever?"

_______________________

This was it. This was the nightmare that he'd struggled to examine and come to terms and make sense and accept and face.

Then, Iolani Tori had assumed the answer to be painfully obvious and the question, awfully simple. Now, it proved to be the hardest one yet. Pure rationality and thought was not enough to solve the dilemma at hand. Consequentialism was not going to help him. Utilitarianism was not going to help him. Mere concepts were not of any use to him at present for they were, naturally and overtly so, intangible concepts.

"Would you like me to identify who, exactly, the trolley is about to kill?" Reux prompted upon a second of silence, relishing in the pain that was written all over Io's face.

"I don't need you to tell me who I deem most important," snapped the latter in a scream. "I know that better than anyone else."

"Well then, the trolley doesn't stop for anyone." Reux looked towards the closing gates. "In ten seconds, it will kill...someone?" He chuckled to himself. "Which depends on your answer, of course—" There wasn't enough time for him to cross back into the jaws of the arena. Io was too far.

But if he could change the future—

change the vision that he saw—

see Luka again—

the time was now.

"Yes."

"Yes, I'll pull it."

"And kill the five?"

"YES."

6

5

An eerie smile—wide and uncanny—possessed his lips.

4

"Thank you, Iolani. I now know the kind of person you are."

3

2

"But have you ever thought—"

1

"What if the lever was broken?"

Congratulations, you saved the five.

By accident.