Yuma stayed by her side when the doctors finished up stitching her wounds. She didn't seem to have any friends in this world; maybe his presence would comfort her. He stayed there for the entire time he was allowed, and he came back again day after day.

One night, Shing woke up. She looked at her arms. They were bandaged with clean strips of cloth. She looked at the chair beside her; it was empty. Looking back up at the ceiling, her hands itched to tear the bandages away. She didn't, though. Instead, she got up and leaped out the window.

~.The Next Day.~

Yuma returned to the hospital to visit Shing in case she woke up. He entered her room, but Shing was gone.

Did she wake up last night?? Did she hurt herself further!?

Panicked, Yuma hurried outside to try and find her.

Nearby, a portal from another world opened. A purple-haired boy stepped out of it and looked around. Ever since their queen left their world, people have been searching nonstop for her. This boy took the portal to this world. Maybe she was here. She looked very distressed when she ran away.

The boy suddenly saw another kid, this one with red and black hair and red eyes. He was running in one direction. The purple-haired boy chased after Yuma to see if he knew anything.

"Hey!"

Yuma's head turned around and saw a teenaged boy chasing after him. "What!?" he called back.

"Where are you going!?"

Yuma faced straight ahead again. "A friend of mine escaped the hospital last night. I need to find her!"

The purple-haired boy's eyes widened. Could this be his queen? "What did she look like? This is important!"

Yuma quickly described Shing's appearance. The other boy showed signs of recognition, so he asked, "Do you know her? Is she a friend?"

"Listen, I'll tell you as soon as we locate her. Right now, finding her is more important! She's a very disturbed girl right now; there's no telling what she's doing to herself!"

"Got it!"

They both shot forward with a new burst of speed and looked for Shing everywhere possible. It was well into the evening, and there was still no sign of her.

Yuma looked around in an alley when his D-gazer beeped. He clicked the answer button; it was the other boy calling him. "What's up?"

"I found her," the boy said. "She's in an alley by the park. I need your help taking her back to the hospital without reopening her wounds."

"I'll be right there." Yuma shut off his D-gazer and hurried back to the alley.

Once there, he and the boy worked to carry Shing back to the hospital. She was luckily unconscious, which made their job much easier since she wasn't struggling. Soon, she was put back into her bed, this time with restraints in case she felt like fleeing again. 

"So, you gonna tell me why you needed to find her?" Yuma asked.

"Yes. My name is Yuri. She and I are from a world different from this, where she ruled as queen. In our world, there are different versions of you, your friends, and your enemies, as well as other people from different worlds, so I already know who you are, but that's beside the point. Shing...she had everything she could ever want. She had loving friends, loyal knights, faithful servants, and a trusted court. She loved all of the people in our world. I don't know when it started. It was a gradual thing. She started acting very..." Yuri searched for the right word. "She started acting deflated. It got worse and worse as they days went on until she just disappeared one day. Our scientist, a very loyal and friendly man, helped us open many portals to look for her, so here I am."

Yuma nodded. "She tried to make her new kingdom here," he began. "She started with me. She used some sort of mind controlling serum to get me under her control."

"She always liked you best. It would make sense to start with you."

They talked on as Shing slept. In her dream, she was in a dark world. There wasn't a shred of light in it, just pitch blackness. She wandered around for a while, but it seemed she wasn't getting anywhere.

Suddenly, an even blacker ball approached her. "It's no use living as you are now," it hissed. The voice sounded like many voices layered into one. "They don't care about you. Even the one you love is only trying to appeal to your good side for fear of being controlled again."

Shing had to agree. That very thought was in her mind a lot lately. The people of her kingdom only followed her and loved her because she was their queen. It wasn't because of who she was, only her status. She took a step toward the ball, her right hand reaching out to it.

"That isn't true, and you know it," a lighter voice argued. The girl turned around and saw a ball of light. Just like the black orb, this one had a voice that sounded like many layered into one. "They genuinely love you. Right as you dream, many of your loyal citizens are taking portals to look for you. They all miss you."

"They only look for you because you are their figurehead. Without you, they have no one in charge. Chaos will reign, and no one wants that. No, they only search because you were in charge. They don't love you."

"The boy stays by your side. He waits for you to wake up so he can greet you into the waking world. He truly cares."

"He is afraid of you. After what you did, why would he start caring about you?"

You're right, Shing agreed. She was caught between her thoughts, both positive and negative, but she only agreed with one side. After sending one last look to the ball of light, she reached out to the black orb once again. You're absolutely right.

Yuma and Yuri stopped talking when Shing uttered a groan. Both boys turned their attention to her, but only Yuri seemed to pick up the strange vibes coming off of her. His feeling was only confirmed when her skin started turning a shade of gray.

"We need to get out," he said suddenly.

Yuma shot up. "What!? No way! I thought you wanted to save her!"

"She's too far gone! If we stay here, there's a good chance she will kill us!"

Shing opened her eyes. They looked oddly dead. Yuma shivered when he looked at those eyes. They were neither playful nor sad; there was only a dead look to them. Yuri grabbed Yuma by the hood of his vest and practically dragged him out of the building. 

The girl looked at her restraints. They were keeping her tied to the bed, but it didn't stop her. The bindings soon melted off of her skin; Shing was free. She walked out of the hospital, killing anyone in her way with a touch. She hoped they had loved ones. That way, they could feel the only pain she was feeling right now. Her mind kept telling her to kill those who had what she couldn't have.

She happily obliged.

The next thing she knew, she was back in the park Yuma frequented with his friends. It was a beautiful place with neatly cut grass, a fountain, and paths made of stone for people to walk in. On one side, trees lined the park thickly. Tonight, there were young couples sitting on the grass, laying together, some sharing kisses.

She whispered into the wind. Told them to come closer. The male of one couple turned around and told his girlfriend or wife that he would be right back. He walked closer. She raised her hand. Remained hidden. Not breathing.

"Is anyone there?" the man asked.

"Hello," she whispered. The whisper resonated all around. "Would you like to go somewhere with me? I can help you find something to surprise your partner."

The man was skeptical. Following some random girl was a bad idea, but a thought tickled at the back of his mind. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. If this person knew where to find something to surprise his girlfriend, he would have something to give her for their anniversary in a week. "Sure."

The girl held out her hand. The foolish man took it. Her hand tightened. Her smile widened. The wind whispered, "You will die tonight at midnight."

The man started feeling weak. He let go of the girl and leaned against a nearby tree. "H...hold on..." he gasped. "I'm...feeling faint..."

"Take your time," the girl replied. "But maybe now isn't the time to look."

"Yeah...yeah you're right..."

"Rest up, now. You don't have much time left."

With that, she walked off. The girl talked to more couples, touching one person from each relationship. True to her word, as soon as the clock struck twelve, those touched died of unknown causes.