Knowing you had a small window was one thing; discovering you had no time left was another.

  Hezekiah took a brief look around himself and slid his hand into his jacket. The pen manifested.

  With the jacket being flame- and heat-proof, the black flames would be harder to notice from a distance.

  Not distracted by all of Falina's clones, he tuned in to their conversation.

  "Based on your account, you really did my bro in, huh?" Falina confirmed casually.

  Her voice carried through the live feed. The other Directors were still present, and there was also a woman with pink hair he had never seen before. Given how she was still moving despite being impaled by a metal pipe, she was probably not ordinary herself.

  Kiann was wearing a diamond bracelet. Every time it shone, a voice reminiscent of his spoke. He was on the floor like a trashy mess, squinting each time he tried to speak himself.

  "What more is there for me to say? Are you expecting me to lie?"

  Falina rose to her feet, glancing at the portal behind her. "I'm willing to bet he'll tell a different story."

  Hezekiah contemplated his options as he held his pen against the page. On one hand, he could just be making everything worse by hiding all this. On the other, he had killed several innocent people and possessed a power that bent anything to his will.

  Will they kill me? Exploit me until I'm reduced to another puppet?

  Not to mention, Irva was somewhere in the mansion. What if someone saw the bright red light emitting from the rules sheet she still possessed?

  And there was still the issue of whether they regarded The Rule of Suffering and its host as enemies—assuming they were even aware of their existence.

  Even Viraka's approach felt interrogative.

  Questions flooded his mind, the solution nowhere solid. But despite it all, a decision had to be made.

  Resolving himself, he wrote the next rule.

  Kiann's eyes immediately bulged, his chest thumping as he realized something was missing. Cold sweat pooled in his armpits, cursing himself for how he had forgotten this in the first place.

  "I deserve to die... I'm beyond foolish," he spoke, the bracelet radiated its brilliance.

  The two Directors shared a questioning look, speechless about what he was going on about.

  "There was something I should've mentioned, I just don't understand... It makes no sense," he said, not daring to meet their gazes.

  "Well, out with it. I don't have all day." Falina spoke.

  "The truth is, as I was smashing his head in, a figure clothed in white appeared out of nowhere, holding a scythe."

  "You never told us this," Aluzara interjected. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

  "I don't know... I'm only just now remembering. In fact, I'm realizing that I never saw Hezekiah die. Sleep suddenly came upon me after looking at the white-cloaked figure, then I woke up with the photo on my phone."

  Urimah couldn't understand what game Kiann was playing. There was no reason to lie at this point, but at the same time, he sounded more bogus than before.

  Falina clenched her fist, backhanding him across the cheek. A groan escaped him as his already fractured jaw burned even more.

  "Imprisoning you would've been fine, but now you get to see what happens for wasting all our dear time."

  "I unde—"

  Falina stripped the bracelet off him and smashed it beneath her foot. "I hoped they were being too mean to you, but you really did lie about killing him."

  After tossing him through the portal, she released a breath. "A white-cloaked figure, huh? Boy, that's a new one."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "If there's any semblance of truth, the corpse may not have been Hezekiah's after all. Perhaps it was replaced?" Urimah speculated.

  "The more we learn, the less it makes sense. It's funny in a way, as if someone wants to make things as complicated as possible. And for what?"

  Aluzara, tracing back through the events, wondered as well. There was no benefit for Kiann to withhold any of this and hope to explain it away by saying he "forgot." It was simply dumb.

  "I assume you're still going to interrogate Kiann?" Aluzara asked.

  Hezekiah watched Falina pick up Morianna, a little curious if his sister was the cause.

  "Yup! But don't worry—he won't be the only one."

  After beaming her through the portal as well, she signaled the others to go through. "You are all under arrest under the authority of the Unity Council."

  Their demeanors shifted, but given that they weren't Abnas themselves, they were at a disadvantage.

  "You're free to use your Huska tools that you're hiding. I've been dying to test whether a Director is more durable than a Black Flower."

  Aluzara bit her lip. Struggling to stand was hard enough with the sickness, but she suspected Falina was suffering the same way.

  "Aren't we going to be sentenced to death either way?" Urimah questioned as he got to his feet, unlatching his watch. Blue sparks emitted from it as he held it front of him.

  "Sheesh. You really think you're important enough to be killed? But I'm down if you choose the hard way." All of the Falinas summoned elements, which hovered at their fingertips.

  "Whatcha doin'?"

  Hezekiah immediately turned around and shut down the live feed. "Damn, it's just you. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

  Insydious stuffed a handful of chocolates into her mouth. "Being super attentive? Thank you! Oh, Lady Viraka found out you snuck out. She told me to bring you back."

  "You didn't ask her!?"

  "But it was your idea. Don't blame me!"

  Hezekiah palmed his face. She's doing this on purpose... but it's getting old. Still, it looked like she hadn't noticed anything.

  "Fine, whatever."

  As they made their way down the mountain, Insydious kept brushing against his side.

  "You're becoming annoying aga—"

  "Hey, what were you scribbling in the air earlier?"

  Hezekiah nearly stopped walking. She saw that? Why would she stay there that long without saying anything?

  "I didn't take you for a stalker. Weren't you taught it's rude to spy?"

  "That's mean," she pouted. "I was only being your awesome, ever-present servant—out of sight until called when needed most!" She pointed proudly at herself.

  Hezekiah shook his head, doubtful of her claim. The most important thing was how much she saw. Everything should've been discreet and hidden regardless, but summoning the pen was a risk.

  And now she was aware of its existence.

  "You're too soft. But if you must know, I sometimes visualize artwork. It clears the mind."

  She rubbed her arm, her bewildered look annoying him.

  "But it didn't look like you were drawing. Ah—you've got a secret love for short poems, don't you?"

  Hezekiah parted his lips, feigning embarrassment. "And what if I do?"

  "Yes! I knew you had a delicate side." She punched his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his neck. "I dabble in writing here and there. You can't fool me."

  Hezekiah scratched his head after shoving her off. "Stop getting so close. Anyway, you're taking all the blame when we get back."

  "Ugh—for a fellow writer, I'll do it for you. Happy!?"

  "Is it that hard to take responsibility?"

  Tempted to laugh when she answered with a smile, he reminded himself not to encourage bad behavior.

  ***

  The moon had already risen when they finally reached the entrance. Various beings patrolled the territory. Some carried swords or spears; a few weapons looked far too exotic, as if inspired by a fantasy film.

  Two beings with massive, dragon-like wings descended before them. They had no pupils or irises, and their cloaks were like living shadows, yet in every other way they looked human.

  No one had approached them the first time they left the mansion, so it was interesting to see another non-human beings up close.

  "Yo, Insydious. Getting bolder tonight, I see," one of them spoke.

  Insydious crossed her arms and looked away. "No one likes a tattletale, Cetika."

  Cetika giggled, turning her attention to Hezekiah. "I hope she didn't blow your ears up."

  "They're recovering now, but a warning would've been nice."

  "Hey! Don't agree with her!" she grunted, wanting to kick him.

  "She didn't say anything wrong, so what's the problem?" Hezekiah stated unapologetically.

  The other cleared his throat as he took a long look at Cetika. "Our Mistress is expecting your attendance, Hezekiah. I recommend you don't keep her waiting."

  "Loosen up, Ikas." Cetika rested her elbow on his shoulder, casually squaring Hezekiah. "A dweller of the Old Dimension chilling with a couple of mythic beings—wasn't this what we always wanted?"

  Ikas rolled his pupil-less eyes. "Your short-sightedness is a real hindrance to your genius." He beckoned toward Insydious. "Cetika must have punished you lightly the last time you disobeyed, but you can trust it won't be the same with me."

  Insydious stiffened, stealing a glance at Hezekiah before stepping ahead. "Yes, sir," she replied duly.

  Whoa. So you really messed up this time. He had never seen her make that expression before, but given how long he had been in a system of order, what she received was deserved.

  Nevertheless, it was hard not to feel a little bad.

  "She's still young. Give her a freebie for once," Cetika said, crossing her hands behind her head. "Even Viraka laughed a little when she found out."

  Ikas twisted his lips. "This is why she's the lowest quality of servants. You're too easy on her."

  Insydious flinched, hesitantly clasping her hands as she pressed her lips together.

  "She failed to properly monitor her guest as instructed. I refuse to allow this in our Mistress's dwelling." He then turned toward Hezekiah with a sigh. "Sorry for any inconvenience she may have caused. Cetika will kindly escort you."

  Without another word, the two headed back toward the forest. Hezekiah caught Insydious clenching her fists, then releasing them, leaving faint imprints.

  "Stickler types are a pain. Can I get an amen?" She shot her hand up, signaling for a high five.

  Hezekiah walked past her. "Hard to say, but I'll acknowledge this—it was fun being around her."