The guards seemed to move together, too practiced to give Thana a chance to escape. "Here!" she heard Delilah say as something cold was pressed into her hands. With horror, Thana felt something prick her hand just before the guards seized Delilah and pulled her away from Thana. Thana clutched what she had been given tightly as she too was pulled back. While Delilah was pushed down to be restrained, they focused on holding Thana's arms. Reflexively, Thana tried to wriggle free, but only felt the guard's grip tighten like a vice. She was trapped, and Thana was sure she would have bruises from the ordeal.

"Delilah!" she managed to cry out, only to have a hand clamp over her mouth. Another arm wrapped around her waist, securing her arms. Thana realized she couldn't escape the iron grip of her captor. She couldn't even turn her head to see who held her. All she could smell were the peonies making her head spin—were they wearing perfume even here? Realizing her attempts were futile, Thana stopped struggling. She needed to conserve her energy for a real chance to escape, she feared. Even Delilah seemed resigned to the overwhelming force.

Davion and Emilia hadn't moved yet, but Davion was now approaching the duo. "You'll become the monster you hide," he murmured softly to Delilah, who glared at him in anger. With her mouth covered, Thana wasn't sure whether to speak or stay silent. Davion's gaze towards her, however, was far from loving. "And as for you? I'll become as monstrous as necessary until you realize you're finally mine, Mara." Thana wanted to cry, why were her feelings so conflicted? Trapped and unable to bluff, fear gripped her once more. The paralyzing fear that made her want to curl into a ball and crawl into bed, anything to not stand here.

Her fear seemed palpable throughout the corridor. Thana wanted to clench her fists, but all she felt was the prick of the object Delilah had given her. It was only now that she dared to look. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the small dagger in her hand. It was just big enough to conceal in her palm, but it looked razor-sharp, Thana realized. Was this what Delilah intended? For her to stab someone? With wide eyes, she looked at the young girl, did she really think Thana was capable of that? Thana wasn't sure, but she didn't want to discard her last resort either.

"Let her watch, she'll learn to listen," Davion instructed the man holding Thana. The grip loosened finally, allowing Thana to breathe more calmly. Yet, she remained held firmly by her arm, as if expected to bolt from the situation. She had no idea where exactly in the castle she was now. She had simply followed Delilah through the labyrinth of corridors, trusting the girl as she had asked. Had she been wrong? Thana didn't know anymore. It didn't make sense to her—why was Davion letting her go now, just as she found the dagger in her hand? Had he not noticed it? Another thought struck Thana: had he seen what Delilah had done and was now waiting to see what Thana would do? Did he want her to act, to stab the man holding her? Was he planning to use it as a way to punish her further, or to prove she could be as monstrous as him?

Thana wanted to shake off these thoughts desperately, unsure of what she really wanted now. In fact, she wasn't even sure if her desires mattered anymore. Davion grinned at her once more before turning his attention back to Delilah. "Do you have anything to say before you rejoin Klaida?" Fear was evident in Delilah's eyes, something even Thana could read. Had the monster once been a woman? Had Delilah known her? Why had she never said anything? It was another secret Delilah had kept hidden from Thana, was this the truth she couldn't bear? Thana didn't know, and there was no one to explain or trust. "You thought this would be your fairy tale, but you're wrong, it's mine," Davion retorted.

There it was again, the fairy tale analogy. Yet, this was anything but a fairy tale for Thana, she realized. Didn't good always prevail in fairy tales? "Good and evil don't exist," Davion responded, causing Thana's mouth to fall open. Had she said that out loud? Moreover, this wasn't the first time it seemed Davion could read her thoughts. Could he really? Was that why he seemed to know about the dagger? Thana didn't know, then why didn't he take it away? "Everything is relative, my dearest Mara," Davion smiled. "It's whoever tells the story that seems to be the hero." It reminded Thana of a story, but she couldn't remember which. Why did Davion remind her of someone? If life was really a fairy tale, why couldn't she write her own ending? A good ending, for everyone she cared about.

A soft sob caught her attention, Delilah had started crying. The sight of the young weeping girl broke Thana's heart once more. How could it be that even all the shards seemed to fall apart again? Was there a limit to how many times a heart could break? "I'm sorry, Thana," the young girl whispered softly. If Thana hadn't been scared before, she was now. Was this what Davion had been talking about? Was she finally getting the truth? "W-We didn't know what to do, and you didn't seem easily convinced any other way." Each word felt like a dagger to Thana. Her legs began to tremble, and she was momentarily grateful for being held. It kept her upright.

Before more words could come, one of the guards restraining Delilah delivered a harsh slap to her cheek. Delilah didn't flinch, only continued to cry. Her cheek, however, turned instantly crimson. It must have hurt, Thana realized, and she began to struggle to break free again. "Hey! Don't hurt her!" she protested, but she couldn't break free. "You already have us, there's no need for that!" Thana didn't know why she was defending Delilah, but somehow she had been the only one who had felt like a friend in the castle. She couldn't bear to see Delilah in pain.

Davion, however, looked at her with hawk-like eyes. "Enough now, you've tested my patience long enough." His words were cold, freezing Thana's blood in her veins. "Take Mara back to her room and guard it well this time," Davion continued, prompting the guard holding her arm to pull her along. Thana could do little but comply, despite her efforts to break free. "Take Delilah to the basement for her transformation." His words drowned out Delilah's cries, and Thana realized this might be the last she would see of the girl. It was now or never.

"Let me go!" she protested again, attempting to kick the guard holding her. She writhed like a worm in hopes of breaking free and tried to sit down on the ground. It would make her harder to take away. She screamed loudly, hoping someone would come to help. Delilah also seemed intent on fighting the guards holding her, which earned her more blows.

"The dagger, Thana!" Delilah screamed. "It's all a fairy tale and what our minds make of it!" Thana wanted to shout back that she refused to kill anyone, but Delilah wasn't finished with her explanation. "Our minds don't know what comes after death!" Delilah screamed. "Wake up!"

It took a long time, much too long for Thana to understand what Delilah meant. She wasn't even sure she understood the girl's meaning. Yet she knew there was a way to wake up from a nightmare, by going where the mind stops. Without hesitation, Thana plunged the dagger into her own heart.