I put down the diary and rub my head. My heart is numb, exhausted from the constant rage it's been feeling. I let out a sigh, and speak to Roland, who is just emerging from the basement. The look on his face is similar to mine, I'm sure. I can only see a dull bitterness.

"We should have made him suffer. His death was far too easy."

Thinking back to Tom's quick execution, I can't help but be angered at the fact that he died so quickly.

"Yes... It's as you say. If I had known his story, I would have made him suffer the harshest of punishments. I've grown too lenient. To think, my way of killing is too clean..."

While I normally wouldn't consider killing as "clean" in any case, I can't help but sympathize with Roland. Still, I can only move on. My head clears like fog in the sun, and I address the boiling Roland in a brisk tone.

"So, did we get all the information we needed? We can understand his Stigma, for the most part. His invisibility comes from his deep desire to hide from his conscious, while his ability to travel through mirrors is most likely a byproduct of his strength. As he grew stronger, the rage he felt towards himself manifested in his ability to transport between mirrors. While it certainly doesn't explain a few points, like whether this hotel has a mirrored world, or if he simply bounces between reflections, the conclusion does wrap up most matters. I now know that Stigma's are personalized, and they're often metaphorical in a certain sense. Whether this is common or not is something you'll have to tell me, but for now I understand the situation."

My understanding of Stigma's has deepened in the short time I have been with Roland. Add on my own hypnosis and assumptions and I just about comprehend everything I need to know about them, at least at the present moment.

"Hmm... Yes, we should be done for now. As for how a Stigma is chosen, from what I gather it's all based on potential. People only have one Stigma. Their Stigma can get stronger, but to do that they need to feed. While there are places to get food quickly, those don't give the best selections from what I gather. A powerful Stigma is usually connected to their owner's character in some way, and that's either reflected in its appearance or utility of some kind. It's fucking creepy if you ask me."

"Interesting. If we're to achieve your goal of reaching the top of the tower, it's only smart to understand how they work. We'll have to think of a way to experiment on powerful Stigma owners."

"As for your mirror world theory, I don't doubt its existence, but it's not something you need to worry about. Creating another dimension is something only those on the highest floors are capable of. You won't be meeting them, and if for some reason you do, it won't matter since you'll have long been eaten. If Tom was able to travel inside the mirror world, he wasn't its creator, and he couldn't control it."

I decide to ignore the disturbing forshadowing, and instead muse while rubbing my arms.

"Now that I think about it, he spoke of killing himself in the final entry. His tone was way more decisive than in any of the hundreds of other entries, yet why is he here? Did he really find a way to excape his madness? Would he really even be capable of running from such a large organization? Where even are we for such a thing to be possible...?"

"..."

Roland's face freezes up, and the blockage in my mind slams forward with enough force to give me a nosebleed. Vaguely I can sense that desperate voice in the back of my mind, but I'm far too disoriented to make heads and tails of what it's saying. The walls crawl, and the ceiling becomes the floor. Abstract shapes flood my mind and I'm stuck in a cyclone of meaningless colors and lights. My body is weightless. I'm falling. Out of all the chaos, I make out Roland's face. Blankly, I observe it. He's clearly surprised. I see traces of fear emanating from his maddened eyes. His body is rigid, frozen stock still as he watches my eyes lose their light. Just before I forget myself, I notice his pupils twinkle in anticipation.