I was lying on a cold stone floor. In my arms was Riala, who I was apparently shielding from something. I glanced up and back behind me and saw a beast growling at me and the girl.

‘Shit, shit, shit!’

My eyes went wide. I shuffled back in a panic, but only managed to move centimeters at a time while lying on the ground. Luckily, four guards came running from behind the beast and started attacking it, giving me a moment to get my bearings.

“Miles! What is happening!?” I shouted.

‘We don’t have time for that! The beast already killed one guard, they can’t hold it off!’

I looked back at the fight and they did appear to struggle. The beast seemed a little bigger than the other one and got in regular hits, while also avoiding the guards' spears. Miles was right, it didn’t look like they would be able to keep this up for long.

I was paralyzed for a moment, until I felt Riala squeeze my body. Her eyes were full of fear and panic. Just like Mother. My heart was beating hard as my eyes fell on the water source and the chain. I finally got to my feet. Keeping my distance from the fight, I ran over to the chain and pulled the water source over to us. Someone had been hard at work, the entire cube was full of scripts. “Tell me what to do!”

‘Use the one on the left! Point it at the beast and put a stone in the marked area!’

I rotated the cube. First I took a quick glance at the script, to see where I had to place the stone, then I rotated it to point it at the beast. The script was a slight variation of the FRC script we had tried before. I didn’t know what exactly it would do after having looked at it for all but two seconds, but I had to trust Miles right now.

I was ready to activate it, when I realized the guards would get caught up in whatever was about to happen. “Out of the way!!” I yelled at them and the guards immediately jumped back as if we had practiced it. Huh?

When I put the stone to the cube, it started vibrating for a fraction of a second before it started to crumble and then blasted apart. A stream of water shot out its front, hitting the beast, while another wave hit me and Riala and made us fly through the air for at least two meters before we hit the ground hard.

I looked back at the beast. The stream had hit it square in the face and a part of its head was missing. It was still staggering towards us, but it was on its last legs. The guards were on it again immediately. Then I looked at the water source. It had disappeared completely. The only trace left was the chain that was lying on the ground.

“What was that script!?” I asked Miles.

‘...’

“Miles!?”

‘I have no idea what just happened!’ he said finally, the confusion obvious in his voice. ‘It was a normal script! Though I did crank up the force considerably...’

He messed up. Wait, he? When did we write that script? I had questions, but those would have to wait. “Riala, are you okay?”

“Yes,” came a weak voice. She had hit the floor hard and her arms were all scratched up, but she would be okay. We had protected her. We were alive.

I looked towards the fight again and the guards were winning. The beast took their hits like they didn’t even register, but it didn’t try to hit back. It was entirely focused on walking in our direction.

Suddenly, Riala started screaming. “Waaah!” She was rolling on the floor while clutching her arms. “What’s wro—” I started, before my entire body started burning. “Ahhh!” It felt like fire was flowing through it. Just like Riala, I was screaming in pain as I fell on all fours. After just a few seconds, the girl fell unconscious. A few more seconds later, the pain started letting up for only a bit and I opened my eyes slightly, just for them to start burning with the same searing pain. “W-what is this!?”

‘I think...’ Miles started.

The pain was lessening, but it still hurt a lot. I thought back to the days when only my head had hurt. That was most definitely preferable.

‘Can you open your eyes? I think I saw something.’

I forced my eyes open, struggling through the pain, and ended up staring down at my hands on the floor. Something like white mist was rising up from my skin, just a centimeter or so before dissolving into the air. Forcing myself upright, I looked around. Riala was exuding this mist as well. As was every blade of grass and flower surrounding the square, just with less strength.

As I was looking back at the guards, they were just finishing off the beast. It was surrounded by much more of this mist, while the guards did also have it, but to a much lesser degree. Living things... I thought.

“Is this mana...?” I asked, unbelieving.

‘As good a theory as any right now. I think we should—’ Before Miles could say any more, the beast fell, and the guards immediately turned around to face me, weapons at the ready. They didn’t approach us and they looked at me as if I was a beast myself. “Don’t move!” one of them shouted.

My mind was running a mile an hour. I had woken up beside a water source full of scripts in the middle of the night. Riala was there, as was a beast, and a bunch of guards that fought it. Okay, that’s not good. I blasted apart the water source and dealt a heavy blow to the beast in a way that shouldn’t be possible. Getting worse. And then I started exuding this mist and the guards were treating me like a monster. Rockbottom.

I didn’t know when, how, or why, but I had to assume that Miles modified the water script. I didn’t know how I got here, but I was out in the middle of the night. I had destroyed a water source, and I had proven myself a danger to a strong beast. Every single one of these things was illegal or highly suspicious. If this doesn’t scream dangerous I don’t know what does.

I looked around, searching for a way out.

‘Other direction!’ Miles said, and I turned my head to look at an alleyway. ‘We can lose them there, I scouted the area.’ I was getting ready when Miles added ‘Take Riala, they’re looking at her the same way!’

Looking between her and the guards I realized he was right. Is it the “mana?”

In one motion I jumped to my feet, hefted Riala into my arms and started sprinting in the direction of the alleyway. My body felt lighter than usual, despite the searing pain. I reached the alley in seconds and kept running while I heard the guards give chase, accompanied by shouts. “Stop right now!”

***

Running, running, and more running. I had followed Miles’ instructions and made my way through the alleys, streets, and small paths he pointed out, until eventually, after what felt like an eternity, he told me to duck into a shed.

I was panting heavily, but I didn’t hear the guards anymore. Not their movement and not even their shouts. It appeared that we had lost them. I laid Riala down on the dirt floor and sat down to catch my breath.

‘We did it...’ Miles said, but I wasn’t even listening properly. I had yet to recover from what had just happened. The scene played over and over in my mind. Something was missing. How did I get there!?

“Miles,” I said, angrily, while still panting, “what the hell... did you do!?”

I waited for him to say something. He would have to explain himself. I waited several seconds until he finally started. ‘I... Damn it... Your body, I can move it while you’re asleep. I... I’ve been experimenting.’

Shellshocked, I stared at the shed’s wooden walls. Confusion, betrayal, anger, it was difficult to pinpoint what I was feeling right now. A mix of everything I guessed. I wanted to scream at him, but I had to stay quiet. Stay hidden. The guards were definitely still searching. I ended up just sitting there, boiling, while I was also still in pain. Not only from the mana, but also from having been hit hard by the water source blowing up.

“Since when?” I said in a low, emotionless voice.

‘... since the beginning.’

The anger flared up even more, I was furious, but I had to keep pushing it down. “How many times have I almost been killed?”

‘... if we don’t count our last encounter with a beast... this was the first time.’

Deep breaths. “Why?”

‘...’

“Why!?”

‘I just couldn’t do nothing. I was looking for a solution to everything! I didn’t... I didn’t think it was actually that dangerous.’

“... even after mom’s death?”

‘You didn’t remember... We killed a beast! We did! And technically it wasn’t difficult! I thought... we would be safe enough...’

Realization struck me like a brick, momentarily blowing away my anger. We had essentially just killed a beast. And it wasn’t the first time. Granted, we had blown up a water source to do it, but that was more of a mistake. We. Have. Killed. Beasts.

The anger came right back as I looked at Riala, in her battered up state. “Why was Riala there?”

‘She followed me. I didn’t notice... I was about to get her home when the beast appeared.’

This situation was unreal. He told me what “I” had been doing while I was asleep. I had run around town, played around with water sources, and risked not only my life, but also hers.

I looked at my hands again, which were still exuding this weird mist. It hadn’t stopped yet and it didn’t seem to abate. I was hiding in some shed, gods knows where, I was in pain, I was exhausted, and the guards were searching for me.

“Was it worth it?”

‘... Tomar. I’m sorry. I really am.’

“Did you have any plan for this turn of events?”

Miles hadn’t thought about it. He thought he would figure out Omega, find a way to split our minds, and as soon as we had found a way for me to live a normal life, he would be gone. That was the main plan. After I had refused to continue the experiments, the fallback plan was to continue in secret at night, blasting away beasts, should they actually appear, and then making a run for it before anyone saw him.

“That’s it? That was your grand plan!?” It would’ve been funny if it hadn’t been so stupid. I thought Miles was smart, calculating, and that he always thought ahead. But this had been idiotic, plain and simple. He didn’t have anything to say in his defense. He agreed with me. He had underestimated the danger, he had been obsessed with his experiments, and he had risked not only our lives, but also Riala’s. Even if it had been unknowingly.

“Can you move my body while I’m awake?”

‘Huh?’ The change in my voice and questioning seemed to confuse him. We were in a bad situation, and as I kept calming myself, I kept coming back to one question. What now? I didn’t have time to endlessly admonish him right now. We had other things to worry about. And I would make sure that he did his part.

‘Not really. I think. The only time I ever tried was when you were out of it for days... sometimes it worked and I helped you eat or get dressed.’

I needed more information. Would I be at risk trusting him? Would I have to worry about suddenly doing something I didn’t want to do? I raised my arm. “Move it.”

Nothing happened. After a few seconds of waiting Miles said ‘I can’t.’

I had felt a slight twitching in my muscles, but my arm hadn’t moved. It was possible that he was lying right now, but as far as I knew, all cards were on the table. We were screwed if we didn’t work together. That much he would understand.

“Try again,” I said, after changing how I thought about my arm. I tried picturing that it wasn’t actually a part of my body, as if I shouldn’t have control over it. Suddenly, my arm, hand, and fingers started moving and clutching. Huh.

“You can do it if I allow it...” I said. I took back control over my arm and stared at the floor. What now... What would Mother do?

“Ugh... ow...” a voice said from beside me. Riala tried opening her eyes, but immediately shut them again as tears started flowing down her face.

“Riala...” I said and patted her on her head.

“Tomar? Everything hurts...” she said with a sob.

“I know... I’m sorry, Riala.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“That’s complicated... I will try to explain it later, okay? Come here.” She was still keeping her eyes shut, so I propped the young girl up, leaned her against me and tried to calm her. “Everything will be fine...” I said, followed by an almost inaudible “Somehow...”