#Mark lcb

[zelphin124]

LCB-3 -> Canto 1: Chapter 7

After being revived, Jekyll and Hyde come face to face with their opinions of IDs and realize that people are a little bit more sensitive than they look. I am so sorry this took so long, college hit me like a truck- Anyway. Here is the chapter! And a new one will be formed tonight, so more content WOOOOOOO! Enjoy! Masterpost Chapter 6 <--> Chapter 8

~o0o~

There are the gripping hands again… 

Jekyll felt the tight hands wrap around her cold body. They were merciless in their grip, and they began to tear her apart like before. The environment was cold, but the hands were hot as if she entered hell. It was dark. There was no light for her to grasp the color of the hands ripping her apart. Their texture was rough, and the crevices on the hands alone tore into her skin. They smelled horrendous, but those were the only two senses she could pull together which terrified her even more. No one heard her cries; not even Hyde responded to her pleas. 

Until someone did answer. It took a bit, but a large crack of light appeared in front of her. Just like last time, two wide doors revealed an outside world Jekyll couldn’t make sense of, shining light on the grimy red hands. 

They responded immediately; they dropped Jekyll and swarmed to the person opening the doors, waiting to devour the next person they could latch onto. The burns on Jekyll’s arms subsided as the hands dropped her, and she fell to the cold floor, collecting herself and tying her hair back so she could see properly. 

The hands reached out to the person in the light, but none could lay a hand on the figure. He approached the door as the hands struggled to get past some unknown force. 

Jekyll instinctively rose to her feet and met the figure at the door, her eyes adjusting to the light before recognizing who it was.

It was Dante. 

The doctor sighed in relief, trying to speak to him. However, no words came out of her mouth. Her mouth did not move despite her soul wishing to talk to him. Dante simply took Jekyll’s hand and pulled her towards him. 

Some sort of barrier broke the moment Jekyll crossed the door threshold. The light overwhelmed her eyes, and she fell into Dante’s arms before all her senses became overstimulated, refusing her any access to the outside world until they recollected themselves. 

The light slowly dimmed, allowing Jekyll’s eyes to adapt to the environment. She watched herself be reassembled piece by piece painlessly. It only took a few minutes for all her blood to return to her vessels and function in her body to be restored. 

Dante was holding onto her hand just like in the vision. He looked more concerned than worried. “Hopefully, you are alright,” he ticked, nodding. He clenched his stomach violently as if he felt Jekyll’s pain after she died. 

Jekyll didn’t let go of his hand. She leaned on Dante’s shoulder as her head spun. She wondered what happened, but figured she would ask later. All she knew was that she was safe by Dante’s side, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to her as long as he was around. The flames on the top of his head provided enough light and heat to keep her warm, and she wasn’t ready to give up that comfort just yet, especially after breaking free from the cold floor of hell. 

With the Sinner in his grasp, the clock stared down at the therapist, ensuring that the world couldn't harm her now. The pain – which never faded each time the hands of his face turned – was secondary to the hands of the sinner before him. He glanced around, ensuring there wouldn't be anything to disturb their moment of peace, keeping track of time. "It's alright. It's going to be ok. The first time is always the worst, dying. But.. you don't have to do it alone. You are never alone."

Jekyll laughed lightly. Second… time… 

First time on the battlefield, bastard. 

Jekyll sighed, not happy to hear Hyde in the back of her head. She glanced up, bowing to the clock in thanks. “You’re the best, Dante.” She smiled softly. “The best manager I could’ve ever worked for.” 

The maestro was better.

Shut up. 

If the manager could’ve smiled and hugged her tightly for the compliment he desperately needed, Jekyll was convinced he would have. He raised his arms to hug her, but his attention was pulled away as Pen asked where Mallo and Jatayu were. Realizing they died in the fight, Dante began to turn back the clock to bring them back just as he did with Jekyll. 

Jekyll stood back, unable to bear the sight of Dante in pain as the other sinners slowly formed back together. 

So… about the IDs, Hyde. 

The voice in her head stopped, heaving a sigh of frustration before it replied to her in a harsh tone. What about them? 

I hate them. I don’t like being locked up and not being able to do anything, Jekyll tried to sound as firm as possible, putting her foot down. 

I agree.

So I– wait. What? Jekyll paused, confused. Was Hyde really siding with her? 

I hated being locked up when you were in the LCCB ID. You probably hated it when I was in The One Who Shall Grip ID. 

Can… can we keep their usage to a minimum? Jekyll pleaded, knowing it would often be in vain, but she took that chance. 

Ask the clockhead. He’s the one who controls that. 

It was Jekyll’s turn to sigh in frustration. Dante has a name. You should respect him as such. 

Whatever. My point still stands. 

Dante walked over to Pen, about to rewind the clock for him next. 

The hunter put up his hand in refusal. “I’ll keep myself on my toes, Dante,” he shook his head. 

The manager looked relieved strangely. “Alright, I trust you.” He glanced at the rest of the group, doing a head count and still refusing to revive Mark. “Right then… it seems that the hallway is cleared. We could either go down the hall and explore the rest of that area… or we can go that way.” His hand lifted to point at the unlocked door mirroring the abnormality containment room. The flames on his head gently cleared away the darkness, but it added an ominous feeling to his appearance. 

Pen’s walk was more graceful and quiet than usual. He walked down the hall and gently approached a door that likely took them back to the entrance. His spear provided him with enough light to observe the door. “Is this another abnormality containment unit?” He asked Dante, his white hair glistening in the darkness. 

“N-No,” Dante stammered, still standing by the door in the middle of the hallway. “It shouldn’t be; I believe is a normal doorway.” 

Pen sighed, relaxing his posture and letting out a shaky breath. “What a relief…” 

It was odd how Pen was so nervous about abnormalities after facing one. What… happened after I died? 

Hyde was quick to answer, as always. They probably suffered without my help. 

Didn’t you fight next to the abnormality? 

That’s why they now fear me. Hyde smirked with delight. It was perfect. 

“Mallo, you have Mark’s body, right?” The manager asked in the darkness. 

There was a grunt before a shadow was hoisted over a shoulder. Mallo stepped into Dante’s circle of light and nodded silently, smoking a cigarette. Mark’s body started to smell, but it didn’t seem to bother the tall woman. 

Everyone nodded simultaneously when Dante confirmed everyone was ready and proceeded to move forward. Lenore and Pen were eager to explore the door at the end of the hall. No one batted an eye toward the door in the middle of the hall, despite Jekyll having an uncanny feeling that was where they were supposed to go. Doesn’t this door just loop around to the room Mallo dragged me out of? 

That’s not important right now, Hyde eagerly tried to peer through Jekyll’s eye. We will likely face combat again. Talk to the clockhead about the IDs before he changes us into one of yours. 

Or yours, Jekyll retorted. You’re not the only one that matters. 

Dante followed behind the rest of the party. It was one of the few chances Jekyll could talk to the manager before others wished to eavesdrop. Jatayu followed close behind him, his gaze more focused on the darkness behind the group rather than what lay ahead. 

Jekyll once more entered Dante’s circle of light, immediately feeling relieved the moment the manager turned to face her. “Dante?” Jekyll began, clenching her arm as if she struggled to find her words. 

“Is everything okay, Jekyll?” Dante reached out his hand toward her, before gently placing it back by his side. He shoved his other hand into his pocket, the clock silently ticking in the background. 

Jekyll stared at Dante’s face, trying to look him in the eyes… or what she thought were his eyes. “Can I ask a favor on behalf of me and Hyde?” 

“Certainly!” Dante nodded slowly. “How may I help you two?” 

Choose your next words carefully, Jekyll. 

Jekyll inhaled a nervous breath, clenching her hands together. She hated how much her hands shook the moment she even got a little bit nervous. “Can you…” Exhaling, her next words became a mutter. “Not turn us into IDs unless it’s absolutely necessary?” 

To the doctor’s surprise, the manager agreed. “Of course,” his voice was more understanding than Jekyll expected. “Will you be fine fighting on your own, then?” 

N-No I… 

I will, Hyde rolled her eyes. Fighting is easy. Leave that to me. 

“Hyde will be fine…” Jekyll stammered nervously, not liking the idea of fighting herself. “We just… both don’t like being silenced by the IDs… unable to say anything…” 

“I don’t understand what it is like to share a mind,” Dante inquired. “So I will keep in mind that is how both of you feel whilst using them.” 

Jekyll bowed in thanks once more, stepping aside and gesturing toward the rest of the group. “After you, manager.” 

“Thank you!” The hint of glee in his voice was reassuring. He paced down the hall with his head held high. 

The doctor followed suit, pacing behind the manager and falling in sync with the veteran. Anxiety crept up her back like a spider ready to devour her. She grazed her hand along her paintbrush before clenching it, watching the veteran’s movements as he too, nervously followed behind Dante. Hyde, what did you do to the group? 

Nothing of your concern. 

Jekyll didn’t believe her. She stuttered over her words as she tried to grab his attention discretely. “J-J-Jatayu?” 

He turned his attention toward her, his eyes half-opened and his body posture on alert. “Hmm?” He greeted Jekyll with a smile. “Yes, Ms. Jekyll?” 

“Did…” Jekyll sighed, clenching her arms as her footsteps echoed along the metal hallway. “Did Hyde hurt any of you guys?” 

The door at the end of the hallway swung open thanks to Pen’s force. He stepped aside as Lenore peered into the new room whilst Mallo watched from afar, smoking silently. Pen soon joined Lenore’s side, trying to make sense of the darkness that hid the room’s entities. 

“It wasn’t of Hyde’s violation I like to think, the entity had… abilities,” Jatayu responded, his voice low and wavering as memories flooded his mind. He stared at the ground as he slowly followed the manager, the only thing glimmering about his presence being the silver ring on his finger. 

Jekyll shivered. Hyde!

What are you freaking out for now? Hyde rolled her eyes, tuning back into the conversation. I kicked everyone’s butts before they staggered and killed me. 

Why would you do that?! Jekyll felt her breath quickening, unable to process that she attacked her coworkers. 

I was protecting the bird, simple as that. 

A what?!

Don’t worry about it, Hyde sighed. I attacked the bird anyway, I used one of those… uh… EGO things we got back from the bus. Anyway, where is Mallo? 

Jekyll didn’t like how fast Hyde was changing the conversation. Wait, why do you want Mallo? We didn’t finish–

She killed us. 

But–

I just want to talk to her, Hyde snapped, clearly done with the conversation. It is not your business.

It is my business! You’re literally using my body!

So? 

“Oi! You’re on private property!” A new, harsh voice echoed from the new room. “Get out of here, now!” 

Pen jumped back, his face draining color by the second as he hid behind Lenore. Jekyll could tell he was horrified by the voice; it somehow struck a nerve. His hands rested on Lenore’s shoulders. Pen peeked over her shoulder, muttering something to her. 

Lenore didn’t seem to mind and proceeded with her standard questioning. “Are you an employee of L Corp?” She asked calmly with a hint of spite, clasping her hands together as her eyes adjusted to the light. 

“Nah mate,” the voice replied. “We are just the people who own this place now.” 

Pen grabbed his spear as subtly as he could. He was ready to fight the voice that spooked him. His eyes slanted as they peered into the room.

Mallo still didn’t seem to bother with what was happening. She carried a weird, awkward posture as Mark’s body hung over her shoulder. She was purposely away from the group and refused to engage. 

“Worry not, Jekyll.” The veteran took a step in front of her, readying his tanfas in a protective position. He glanced back, his look was solemn. “It was not your fault, okay?” 

Jekyll’s hand went up to feel her face. Did I look worried? How did he know? 

Idiot. Focus on what’s going on. 

“You said this wasn’t a containment unit, Dante!” Pen shouted. He stared at the manager. Fear claimed his soul. 

“What?” This caught Dante by surprise. He quickened his pace to meet them. “It shouldn’t be!” 

“Oi, bum! Get ye and yer pussy outta here! Don’t make me say it again!” The new voice rang with a low, disgruntled threat. The tone of his voice conveyed his stance on the manner; he was not joking. 

The threat certainly caught Mallo’s attention; she finally got off the wall and wandered over to the rest of the group. 

It became difficult for Jekyll to see what was happening the moment Dante fled her side, having been her light source. When the manager joined the hunter’s side, he sighed in relief. “Ah… it’s just two humans…” Pen relaxed, letting go of Lenore and stepping to her side. “We have business here.” He informed the intruders quickly and concisely. 

They were not buying it. “Yeah? So do we!” 

That’s a second voice, Jekyll dared to go past Jatayu’s tanfa to observe the two intruders. She wanted to see a face she could match with the grumpy male voice. 

“Then why don’t we both just get along with our own businesses?” Pen continued. 

“You’re trespassing on ours!” The first voice shouted with anger. It was deeper and more hostile than the second voice, but both of them had the same intention. 

It seemed that Mallo had enough. She stepped forward out of the shadows. Her glare told everything she was feeling; giving an ‘are you stupid’ look to Lenore and Pen before she decided to speak. “Why are you conversing with them?” The voice and tone in which she spoke came off as harsh and intimidating.

Lenore, however, did not show any sign of fear. 

The second figure in the shadows snapped his fingers, trying to make his voice lower. “Come on, we don’t have all day now, we get on with our work and you piss off, or we will gut you like a fish!” 

Mallo’s face filled with an emotion Jekyll knew well; fear. She stepped back. Jekyll found it odd that she was almost intimidated by a simple voice that barked and had no bite. 

Now you’re talking, the thought seemed to please Hyde. Everyone is bark and no bite. This is why we bite first, and bark after. 

We are not dogs… 

It’s a metaphor, Jekyll.

You don’t need to tell me what a metaphor is. I majored in English. 

Amongst the rest of your useless degrees? Hyde scoffed. 

Jekyll rolled her eyes. You wouldn’t understand. You didn’t even get one degree.

Hyde snapped. I am the best artist in M Corp’s Ring. I majored in art with a specialization in blood preservation and murder. It is you who is the pushover fool.

You’re just a killer. You are an evil entity. 

And you are the creator of me; the color in your life. 

“I believe you gentlemen have a very poor understanding of the situation,” Lenore’s raised voice caught the attention of the doctor and the painter. 

“Oh really now, huh?” The first voice scowled, roaring like a lion. “What makes you say that?” 

A facade of calm anger seizes hold of Lenore’s expressions. “You are interfering with a business that is a far, far higher power than yourselves. Leave, or so help me not, may you be purged like the scum that you are on this circle of hell.” Her aura was the one of the intimidating One Who Grips, but it borrowed from the many memories of many other versions of herself. 

The two men responded, backing up being intimidated by her words. 

She would have a field day with split shards. Jekyll couldn’t tell if it was she or Hyde who thought that. Jekyll discarded the thought as she took a step towards the door, straining her eyes into the darkness to catch a glimpse of the threatening figures. 

Both men wear teal-colored green attire, with their right arms replaced with a strange, augmented… thing. It looked unholy, possessing a decaying color that enveloped all of their limbs up to their shoulders. Through their captive arm, a hole goes through their hands up to their shoulders as well. It glowed softly. The same strange genetic mutation also occupies their left hands and wrists. 

The taller one was the owner of the deeper, rustier voice. His hair was black and slicked back across his skull. His face was in a permanent scowl that was difficult to see amid the present darkness.

The second man was shorter, his hair a messy brown that covered his silver eyes. His gaze was harsh, but his facial expression was what caught Jekyll’s eye.

Hyde caught her own throat. L-Lucas? 

No. Jekyll sighed. It’s… it’s not Lucas. 

Hyde was silent, and… emotional. Jekyll searched her memories for why Hyde would be so caught up on the name. She knew the second demon syndicate’s face complexion looked strikingly similar to Lucas's, but there was no way it could actually be him. 

If I see him again, I’ll kill him.

You’ve always said that, Hyde. Jekyll sighed. But… it is likely he’s not alive anymore. We wouldn’t know. 

I didn’t get to paint with his blood. 

He would’ve let you. 

The two went silent again, the memories flooding through their head. Jekyll stared the second man down, her hand gripping the paintbrush. Despite the history, she felt oddly indifferent about it. Killing Lucas’ father was not a kill she regretted. It was the only one she thanked Hyde for. 

Thanks, again, Hyde. 

For murdering Sir Danves Crew? Yeah, whatever. 

It… Jekyll gripped her paintbrush tighter, anger boiling inside her. It was for the better. 

Do you think… Hyde paused, her voice in Jekyll’s head wavering. Do you think Lucas ever found out? 

I… Jekyll stopped a tear, wiping her face as she recalled the man. I don’t know. 

“Dante, step back,” Pen instructed, readying his harpoon.

“Okay,” Dante glanced back at the doctor and the veteran. “Jekyll, Jatayu, we need you up here.” 

Hyde, Jekyll begged, obeying Dante. Pull yourself together, we need to fight.

Hyde obliged, staring down the enemies. They’re not mechanical… I can still beat them to shreds. 

That… Jekyll opened her mouth to object. Yeah, okay. 

“Maybe you’ll find out how to use this another day,” The first man turned his head toward Pen, gesturing to his green arm. “But that day is not today.” 

“Stay out of this room, we are dealing with business.” The second one tried to raise his voice but stammered over his words the moment Lenore pierced his soul with her gaze. 

The door shut in front of the party’s face, but not by the syndicate members. Mallo gently closed the door and glanced at the rest of the party. “Not our problem anymore,” she stated.

Lenore stood there in disbelief. “What?” 

Now hold on, Hyde frowned, disappointed. That Maut guy ordered us to exterminate them. It is our problem. Let’s sweep the floor with them!

“Hyde, not now,” Jekyll said out loud. She covered her mouth immediately. Thankfully, no one in the group seemed to notice or care. Oh, I keep forgetting they already know about you.

Tough, Jekyll. 

Mallo thought to herself, staring at the floor before forcing her gaze toward Jatayu, adjusting Mark’s body over her shoulder. 

How has she not gotten tired of carrying his dead weight? Jekyll followed her gaze to stare at the veteran.

Jatayu was on high alert, staring down the hall they just walked into. His head rotated at every small sound, and his tanfas were in a battle-ready position. He took the position of being the rear guard of the group as if it were his duty to do so. He guarded everyone like if he didn’t, they would all die. 

Jekyll shuddered to herself. Is he guarding us because he didn’t guard his family on that wedding night? Is it only out of guilt? 

Guilt is a terrible driving force of action, Hyde rolled her eyes. But a driving action nonetheless. 

Don’t criticize the man. 

Why not? Hyde challenged. Going through the memory of your conversation with him, it’s honestly pathetic. He’s trying to find his niece who was kidnapped by a syndicate. There is no way she’s alive after all this time. Who was the idiot who taught him hope? 

Hyde–

Jekyll was interrupted as she stepped out of the way when Mallo walked past her. Mallo deliberately ignored her presence as she confronted Jatayu, almost stepping over her. She refused to look at her and acknowledge her, having an awkward vibe around Jekyll. 

Jekyll wasn’t surprised by such action, and how it ticked Hyde off. This motherf–

“We are supposed to eradicate threats, correct?” Mallo asked Jatayu and Dante at the same time.

Dante was the first to reply, seeing Jatayu was busy. “Uhm, yes, that is what Maut said per our contract with their company.” 

“Do the demon syndicate members count as a threat?” Her eyebrow raised, giving a pathetic look at the closed door. 

“As long as they are not in the way, I suppose not…” Dante suggested. “It depends if we want to terminate them and how we wish to.” 

Jatayu kept his head facing the hall, but his eyes turned to Dante. “I wouldn’t mind murdering them.” 

Mallo pointed at the door behind her. “Break a leg, I guess.” 

“Dante, permission to expel these putrid demons from existence?” Jatayu’s voice dripped with untold rage. A fire burned inside his eyes. 

The compassion Dante conveyed solely with his flames shocked Jekyll, but he shook his head. “It is not worth it right now. We have worse things to deal with. For example, we haven’t seen that red thing that beheaded the corpses yet.” 

The sadness on Jatayu’s face triggered something inside the party. Lenore was the first to act upon her empathy. “The demon syndicate members seem to be hiding something in there, are we sure we don’t want to figure out what they are protecting?” 

“I do not sense the golden bough, which is what we are after here,” Dante reminded everyone of the goal at hand. “Did anyone see anything important?” 

“It was pitch black; we ordered them to leave but they refused to. It seems the conclusion is obvious,” Lenore gestured to the door, a small chaotic gleam flashing in her eyes. 

“They are not our prey, but what if they attack us later on?” Pen added. 

“I agree with Pen,” Jatayu turned around, butting into the conversation. He seemed eager to convince the manager. “It’s totally not because I hate these people…” 

“Hate is a driving force,” Mallo confirmed, cracking a smile. “Let me suggest something, Dante. Jatayu and another volunteer stay behind to clear them out, and the rest of us continue forward.” 

“I volunteer!” Jekyll shouted, raising her hand. She surprised herself with her immediate response, but it seemed she and Hyde agreed on the action despite their different reasons. Jekyll faced Jatayu and nodded. “A promise is a promise, and I plan to keep mine. I will go with you.” 

A promise is a promise, Hyde said in a mocking tone. Do you know how stupid that sounds? I’m just ready to kill some people! Let’s do this! LET ME BONK THEM–

There was a moment of silence after Jekyll’s outbursts before Lenore and Pen also volunteered. 

Dante ticked a few times before speaking. “I suppose it would be best for everyone to go in since we have the numbers.” 

“We can kill them faster than deciding to kill them,” Lenore joked, pulling back strands of her hair and putting it into her ponytail. 

The matter was settled. Everyone stepped forward in front of the door, conversing amongst themselves a strategy for entering into the battlefront. Pen decided to go in first, with Lenore and Mallo following after him. Jekyll decided to go in after Jatayu, residing in the last place. 

Lenore leaned back, snapping to get Jekyll’s attention. “Hey, Jekyll,” she said with a sly grin on her face. “Would you bring out my right hand? We would be godly in this fight if I had her.” 

Hell yeah. Let me have the ID out. The One Who Shall Grip. 

But– “W-Will I be normal outside of combat…?” Jekyll stammered, squeezing her arms. I don’t want to be trapped again. 

Don’t be a baby. Let me fight and then we can return to normal.

But last time–

“That’s a question for the masked one,” Lenore gestured to Dante.

The doctor wasn’t able to process everything in such a short notice. The manager seemed to understand. “You don’t have to equip it if you don’t want to.” 

“They were scary,” Pen added. “But you returned to normal after the fight ended…” 

Mallo shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Hyde’s Nagul Und Hammer ID. 

Come on, Jekyll. Hyde’s voice suddenly became soothing and alluring. Hyde always talked this way when it came to manipulation, and Jekyll knew she fell for it every time. This way, you will be spared from the entire fight and don’t have to witness it, no? Surely, you don’t want to see that Lucas-like guy die under your feet.

“Oh, since you’re going to be alone, Dante…” Pen tapped his spear on the ground. It lit up the area around Dante, giving him a shield. “This won’t last long, but it’s just in case…” 

“Oh, thank you Pen,” Dante acknowledged the hunter before turning back to the doctor. 

“Okay,” Jekyll sighed, being persuaded. “You can… you can change to the ID, Dante.” 

Wonderful. That’s what I’m talking about!

“Are you sure you want to?” Dante pressed, his head tilting to the side. 

Yes. Yes, you want to, Jekyll. Hyde continued. Don’t give room for him to plant doubt in your decision. 

“I’d… rather not see the battle anyway…” Jekyll clenched her arm and glanced to the floor. Her breathing hitched, and she closed her eyes to prepare for the change. 

“As long as you are okay with it,” Dante slowly pulled out the cards from his jacket, shuffling through them. “I’ll make sure to turn you back into your original once the combat is done.” 

Dante raised the card in front of Jekyll and flung it from head to toe. Jekyll felt the clothes on her back changing into the familiar ID, her black coat curling into the white cape drenched with blood on The One Who Shall Grip. Her brown eye faded into nothing, and her red eye became the most prominent as the transformation concluded. 

You were always a fool to trust me. Hyde’s thoughts became the primary force as she took control.

Jekyll opened her mouth to say something but was caught by the force of unknown chains in Hyde’s mind, stuffing every thought and voice that could’ve come from her. 

By the time Hyde adjusted to fronting, she spotted Mallo also in a new ID, specifically one that associated with the whalers in U Corp. Her coat was long and green, and her harpoon was shorter and bulkier than one similar to Pens. She wore a cap on her head and held a fancy cigar. However, despite the authoritative outfit, Mallo’s posture became slouched and timid. She dropped Mark’s body and left it on the floor. 

Hyde didn’t pay any more attention to her before she faced Lenore. “My gratitude, Lenore,” her smirk was wild with psychopaths. “Are you ready to annihilate these scum from the earth?” 

Lenore returned her evil smile. “It will be a pleasure to fight by your side instead of against you this time.” 

Hyde clamped her mouth shut, clearing her throat. Yeah… we don’t talk about that… 

Lenore noticed her reaction and her smile faded. “Hey, no hard feelings? There are many heretics we can turn our wrath against together.” 

Hyde forced a smile. “Very well.” She raised her foot and slammed it on the door, causing it to fly across the dark room as its hinges clattered onto the ground. A circular band of light surrounded Hyde as fire seeped from her fists around her ax. She charged in, analyzing the enemies immediately. 

The two men shot up from the floor, fear filling their faces as they looked behind their backs. “We told you to leave? How could you?!” The darker man shouted in rage. Each of them ready attacks against Pen, who had walked the closest to them after Hyde obliterated the door. 

Pen saw their positions of attack, and it only forced a smile on his face. “Don’t you wanna get your heads cut off?” 

“Remember when I told you you’ll find out what these things do?!” The first syndicate raised his arm as it slowly glowed a black color. “You’re about to find out!” 

The hunter wasn’t amused. “They capture souls?” 

The first syndicate member stammered. “W-Well… yes… You’re not supposed to guess!” He seemed frustrated by the comment alone.

Pen’s voice did not sweeten from his dry tone. “Wow.” He adjusted his white hair. 

Mallo chuckled to herself. “We ruined your only cool thing.” 

The second syndicate member blazed with fury. “Hell, you’re next!” 

Lenore didn’t give them any more time to rant about destroying the party. She cut off the first man’s attack with her own, sliding her weapon across the arm and hinging it on the man’s shoulder, giving him a good cut. Lenore didn’t hesitate to implant nails into his new wound. 

The first demon syndicate member didn’t have time to cry in pain as Mallo jumped him, forcing her harpoon down his new wound and drawing out his blood.

Hyde readied her stance, unable to stay in place for much longer. The nails and blood made her crazy. Something inside her got more excited to purge the heretic. This ID REALLY likes blood… huh. She wasn’t used to the ecstatic feeling that surged through her veins, but she would use the newfound energy to her advantage. 

“Hah! Did you really think you could stop me before I did something amazing?!” The first syndicate walked off his wound like it was nothing. He smirked with pride as his arm got darker. 

Jatayu’s eyes boiled under his helmet; Hyde could tell by how he carried his hammer. He lunged for the first man. However, his rage quickly subsided the moment they clashed. Jatayu swung his hammer again, but the enemy caught the hammer and flung the base of it away from him. 

Before anyone could react, the green arm was placed in Jatayu’s face and blasted a black mist at him. Jatayu staggered back, rubbing his face in agony. 

“You fool!” The man laughed, the wound on his arm healing. 

Pen’s eyes widened. “I need to set up barriers, stat.” He started fiddling with his harpoon.

Hyde narrowed her eyes, insulted they would attack Jatayu so cruelly. You’re gonna pay for that. Her feet left the ground as she slammed the first syndicate into the wall. She raised her ax and slashed it across his torso, power surging through her fanatic state. 

The shorter, brown-haired syndicate member raised his arm toward Mallo, forcing Hyde to dodge and get back in line. “I’m going to make good on my promise. I’m attacking you because you made me less cool!” 

How pathetic. Hyde rolled her eyes. You never were cool. 

Pen shot forward to the first syndicate, driving his spear into his shoulder. The first man staggered, crumbling to the floor. 

Mallo’s smirk only widened as she lunged for the second man, clashing with her harpoon before throwing it towards him. It grazed his arm and made him real back. However, the syndicate member took this attack and stabbed her in the shoulder in return. He laughed maniacally as he did so, his eyes crazed with insanity. 

Pen tapped the ground with his spear, and light particles floated around everyone, giving them a temporary shield. He backed up as Jatayu turned to him.

“Thank you, workshop worker,” Jatayu put the flap of his helmet over his eyes. “I shall smite in your steed.” 

Hyde glanced at the staggered man on the floor. “Don’t take my kill,” she hissed at Jatayu. 

Jatayu nodded in obedience. “I shall prepare him for you.” He quoted gently before raising his hammer. He let the weight of gravity carry his hammer down onto the helpless man. Bones breaking in his body echoed through the room as the hammer crushed his body and soul. 

There’s like nothing left of him, Hyde frowned. He’s so dead already. 

Jatayu uses the shock of the syndicate’s coworker to do a surprise attack on him, swinging his hammer across the man’s chest. 

Hyde didn’t pay any attention to that aftermath; Jatayu had prepared the man well for her. She stepped slowly, the chaos around her dimming as her approach forced the man to make eye contact with her. 

He coughed in pain. “Please… I’ll give you my soul… spare… me…” 

Hyde smiled, laughing to herself. She swung her ax in her hand as she looked down at the man. “What fantastic art you will make.” 

The man was helpless as Hyde split the man in two with her ax, her swings scattering his guts across the walls and floors. None of his limbs stayed attached as Hyde swung effortlessly, demolishing any prior form he once had. She didn’t finish until he was a pile of blood and rubble on the floor. 

When she was finished, she stood over his remains, glancing down at her outfit. It was difficult to tell it was originally white; one could’ve sworn it was red with white highlights with how much blood rested on her chest and hands. What was that… 400 damage, or something? She sighed. Where���s Jekyll with her calculations when you need her? 

The wild crazed look in her eyes did not subside as she turned to the second man. I am going to enjoy this. She sneered as she pointed her ax at the syndicate member who looked like Lucas. “You’re next.” 

The second syndicate member, having watched his coworker be obliterated into shreds, trembled in fear, gripping his arm to his chest. He tried to speak, but all that came out were anxious mumbles as he quaked in his own boots. 

“Huh, that could’ve been me earlier…” Pen shuddered, staring at the remains on the floor before staring at Hyde. He gulped pretty hard, thinking back to the abnormality fight. 

Lenore wore a proud smirk. “Very well done, Hyde, I have taught you well.” 

Remember your place, Lenore. We are not the same in this universe. 

Mallo mumbled something about being too messy as she shook her head. She glanced toward Jatayu, who started to shout with pride. “Congratulations O One Who Shall Grip! You have done us proud, showing the might of Nagul Und Hammer! It is an honor to serve you!” He set his hammer aside and clapped profusely. 

Hyde raised her head high, returning to the line with pride before facing the final foe. He didn’t take his eyes off her, and he trembled in fear. 

That will be you one day, Lucas. She raised her ax, unable to force her usual, chaotic smile. 

“We should capture this man,” Pen proposed before everyone could prep themselves. He took a step towards the second syndicate member, gesturing to the pile of blood next to him. “You see what happened to your pal? Lay down your weapon, and this won’t happen to you.” 

The man shook his head, squeaking. “Y-You think I’m gonna b-believe that after watching what that maniac did?! I don’t even stand a chance!” 

“Is it not better than getting beheaded by the monster?” Pen argued.

Hyde didn’t necessarily connect the dots that he wasn’t referring to her. She started to laugh, that crazed desire for death in her eyes. 

Pen tapped his harpoon on the floor again, providing another temporary shield around the party. “You’re not gonna hurt anyone here with me around,” he said calmly. 

The man looked at each of the party members. He cowered in feat at the bloodthirsty Jatayu, the stoic Mallo, the Lenore who threatened him earlier, and the Hyde who couldn’t stop laughing whilst imagining his demise. He slowly lowered his weapon, turning off his arm. His face was pale, and his pupils ceased to exist. He slowly stood up before he turned his foot to run. 

“Wait, do not run,” Pen urged. “You’ll… die.” 

It was too late. The man had turned his heel and started sprinting down the hall. 

Mallo was faster. She dashed after him, throwing her harpoon with skill. It pierced the man’s chest and pinned him to the floor. She rested from her position and walked over to him, the bloodthirst amongst the party having filled her own eyes. 

The man screamed in pain, withering as his body sunk into the sharp end of the harpoon. He gasped for breath. He tried to stop breathing as Mallo loomed over him. 

“Spoils don’t escape during the hunt,” Mallo hissed, stepping on his chest and pressing it further into the harpoon. 

The man screamed in pain. “What the hell are you hunting?!” He cried, his whole body shaking in fright. 

As the rest of the party circled him, Pen questioned him. “You won’t die if you help us,” he informed. “What is cutting off all the corpse's heads?” 

The man only replied with confused noises. 

Pen sighed. “No recourse.” 

“It’s the big thing in the chair!” The man blabbered, tears streaming down his eyes. “The red dress woman, with a big red eye in the big red chair!” 

“A woman?” Pen thought out loud. “Are we not hunting abnormalities? Does this sound familiar to anyone?” He looked around to the rest of the party, before addressing the most obvious person. “Jatayu?” 

“A red woman? No, I do not remember a red woman,” Jatayu shook his head.

Hyde stepped closer to the man, holding up her ax to his throat. She stared daggers into his soul as her feet swayed side to side, getting impatient. Where is the order to kill him? Her smile was dark, her chaotic eyes darting across the man’s complexion. He really does look like Lucas… 

The man started to yap again out of fright. “I-I know it sounds silly, but we were supposed to protect the treasure! We have to obey her! She killed the two that didn’t!” His hand shook as he lifted it, pointing at the other corpses on the floor. 

Mallo raised her eyebrows. “Treasure?” 

The guy swallowed. “Oh no…” 

“Tell me more about this treasure,” she smirked, leaning down to meet his eyes much like Hyde was. 

He mumbled over the blood pouring from his lips. “I can’t…” 

“Why not?” Mallo’s face was captured by annoyance. She flipped her black hair behind her shoulder. “No one is here.” 

“If I say it, I’ll die before it even becomes a thought!” 

“There’s cards on the bodies,” Pen had walked away from the man, observing one of the corpses on the floor. 

“The hell do you mean cards?!” The syndicate member whimpered in pain as he strained to look, curiosity getting the better of him. 

“There are heart cards on all of the beheaded corpses,” Pen mentioned. 

“There’s a few more corpses to check over there,” Mallo points to the other side of the room.

The man objected. “That i-is disrespectful–” 

Mallo shoves her foot into the guy’s chest, pushing him further into the spear. He yelped in pain, his scream being cut off as his eyes bulged from his skull. “I don’t care,” Mallo hissed into his ear. “Shut up.” 

The man painfully grasped for air as Mallo walked over to the corpse Lenore was investigating. 

Pen tilted his head with a grim expression on his face, staring at the captive. “Sorry about them, they have a short fuse…” 

Hyde leaned on her ax, staring the man down. How is this man still alive? He should have been dead by now, especially with his organs being impaled… 

She glanced away from the captive only when a soft rustling noise interrupted the silence. She spotted Lenore picking up another card of hearts before all the cards from Mark’s dead body traveled across the floor to meet with the other card in Lenore’s hand. 

Mallo raised her eyebrow. “What?” 

Pen came back to the syndicate member and lifted his head so he could see. “Does that not look familiar to you?” 

“A-All I say were white… things flying through the air…” He muttered, his intake of air becoming more sparse. 

Pen grunted, taking a step towards Lenore and snatching the cards before showing them in front of the demon syndicate member’s eyes. 

“Red… hearts…” he coughed. “Like the woman… she has… red hearts too.”

“All the corpses have cards on them,” Pen informed. “So you must have a card too, I think.” 

“Does that mean we get to turn him into a corpse?” Hyde’s eyes lit up with glee, standing up straight from leaning over on her ax.

“What? No! I… I don’t… have a card…” The captive coughed up even more blood, which sent a surge of emotions through Hyde’s veins. 

“Is she dead?” Pen questioned further, his eyes narrowing. “The woman you work for.” 

“What? There are two women… one of them is my boss… and the other… is the heart lady…” The man used the last of his strength to raise his head to meet Pen’s eyes. “Why am I telling you this?” 

“No, go on,” Mallo glanced up from the corpse she was looting. “Tell us more.” 

“Am… I going to die if I do…?” 

You’re already going to die by the looks of it… Hyde flattened her face. 

“No,” Mallo lied through her teeth. “Not if you tell us the information we need.” 

He wasn’t convinced. “I don’t… trust that one…” 

“Well, you better hope you trust me!” The woman stood up and walked over to him, grabbed him by his wavy brown hair, and pulled his head up, the blood on her hands coating his curly locks. 

Hyde smirked, eager to join in. “It won’t take too much time to gut you like your partner over there,” she gestured to the pile of rubble she created with the man’s body earlier. “And my bloodthirst isn’t satisfied… so who is it going to be? You, or your boss?” 

Under immense pressure, the man simply started to wail as his blood trickled down his cheeks. He looked disgusting and was barely clinging to life. 

“We can test the theory right now,” Pen added.

That didn’t stop the syndicate member’s wailing. “Huh?” 

“We can see if a card appears on him when he dies,” Pen pointed to the beheaded corpses and then to the corpse Hyde killed. “I would do it… but it’s a little too bloody for me.” 

When the man tried to protest, Hyde found no interest in hearing his pleas. She stepped away from the man, the aura of light around her shifting as she explored the dark room before stumbling upon the corpse she made. Free supplies, at least. She kneeled and opened a few jars in her pockets, collecting the interesting colors she could salvage from his guts and blood. I need to paint that one thing for the seasonal auction… 

She overheard the conversation with the captive as she did so. “One last thing,” Pen’s voice raised in volume. “Who do you work for?” 

“Who do you think?!” The man gasped, lifting his diseased green arm.

“What do I think?” A new rage filled Pen’s soul. “I think you’re going to die if you don’t tell me.” 

The man grunted as Mallo stepped on him again. “His… name… is…” 

Before he could say anything else, the green arm and wrist on his body lit up his whole body. They glowed brightly before they exploded inside of the man’s limbs. The man uttered a silent scream of agony before his body melted into a corrosive green goop onto the floor. He had melted from the inside out. 

“Wait, tell us!” Pen urgently asked. 

“It’s too late, he’s dead.” Mallo sighed, lifting her ID harpoon away from his goop. 

“Perfect,” Hyde chuckled to herself. “I won’t have to threaten him to not follow us anymore.” 

The tension in the room subsided; Jatayu opened the door to make sure Dante was okay before letting him inside. Everyone’s posture relaxed now that the threat was eliminated. 

Pen held his hand up to his chin, staring at the floor. “The demon leader is a woman, then…” he theorized. 

“It’s not the same person as the one causing the decapitations though,” Mallo corrected, joining Pen.

“So… it’s two different women we have to defeat.” Pen countered, trying to pull the pieces together. 

Jekyll had a conversation with Jatayu about this since they seem to have a lovely history… Hyde searched her memories. Hmm… I can’t recall it. Oh well, time to make a scene~ “Isn’t it obvious?” Hyde sealed the last bottle of blood as she raised her arms, adjusting her ax before she stood. “The man himself would know!” She pointed to Jatayu, who was looting a corpse. He didn’t find anything. 

Pen continued to mutter under his breath, disregarding Hyde’s comment. “It’s a woman of hearts…” 

These motherf– “Jatayu!” 

Jatayu shot up, his head turning around on high alert before his gaze met Hyde’s. “Yes, my worship?” 

Hyde smirked proudly. It’s been a long time since someone has called me that. I quite prefer it. She opened another jar before scooping up some of the green goo from the second syndicate member’s remains. “Do you recall the name of the demon syndicate leader… guy… thing?” She waved her hand around carelessly, trying to figure out what words to use. 

 Dante shuffled through the ID cards, and waved Jatayu’s base ID, over him, returning him to normal. It revealed the agony his face was in, and how hard he was gripping his tanfas. “Do you mean the guy that has caused so much pain and suffering in my life? The people who took my entire family away from me? The duo that took my joy and happiness? The one that I blame the most for everything that happened to me, and the one I hate most? No, I do not know him, except I do.” 

Shut up with your sob story and get on with it. “Yeah, yeah, that son of a bastard, what’s his name again?” 

The veteran shuddered as he uttered their names. “Ravana, the demon king… His right-hand woman, Nishakara.” 

Pff, sounds lame. Hyde rolled her eyes at their names. Sounds like they put letters into a can, shook it up, and randomly chose them. 

“Oh, so that’s who the syndicate member was working for,” Pen nodded, finally understanding. 

“In a way…” Jatayu confirmed, sighing. “I would love to tell you as much as you would love to hear right now, but I did find something on this corpse that might be more important.” 

Most of the party paused what they were doing to look at the card Jatayu was holding up. It was the ten of hearts. The silence helped Dante go around and change everyone back to their base IDs, one by one. 

“Why didn’t that card magnetize like the others?” Mallo asked, approaching Jatayu before taking the card to look at it. 

“Maybe it will for you,” Pen suggested, also curious. 

Mallo handed the card back to Jatayu. The veteran shook the card; nothing happened. He grunted, shaking it again and throwing it on the floor. The moment the card touches the metal ground, the rest of the cards come flying towards it, shuffling themselves nicely and in order as they all rested. 

“It worked,” Mallo thought out loud. 

“I don’t know why they do that, though…” Pen sighed. 

“The cards likely have nothing to do with their gimmick,” Jatayu explained. “It is probably caused by magic or an ability of an abnormality.” 

“Is that abnormality the red woman the enemy was talking about?” Pen inquired. “He said she had one big red eye, with a red dress and a red chair… It doesn’t necessarily sound like a human unless they lost an eye.” 

Hyde shot a glare at Pen. Watch your next words carefully. I have one eye. 

Pen didn’t seem to notice. He stared after Mallo who started to drag Mark’s body in. 

“Hyde!” Dante interrupted her, approaching the One Who Shall Grip quickly. “Are you ready to change back into your base ID?” 

Hyde transferred her glare from the hunter to the manager. “Why? I’m free. I don’t have to worry about that sad excuse for air.” 

Dante paused, standing still before shuffling through the cards. “I’m… going to bring back Jekyll now.” 

Before Hyde could react, Dante discarded the card quickly, transforming Hyde back into her base ID. However, the only thing that changed were her clothes and Jekyll returning in her head. She had lost so much sanity mid-battle, she was already fronting in the base ID. She turned her paintbrush in her hands before crossing her arms. “Real mature, clockface.” 

What… is it over? Jekyll asked as if she woke up from being passed out for a long time. 

“O-Oh,” Dante stammered, backing away. “I forgot, about the… multiple personalities…” 

There’s only two of us, idiot. 

Don’t call Dante an idiot, Jekyll begged, immediately getting on the scene. He’s doing his best. 

Shut up. Hyde disregarded Jekyll’s commentary, placing the jars she collected into her jacket pockets. 

“He mentioned a treasure,” Pen’s words snapped Hyde back into the previous conversation. 

Dante also joined in, having turned everyone back into their base IDs. “They did, yes. Perhaps they are talking about the golden bough?” 

“Did you feel it resonating here?” Pen asked. “I thought it wasn’t here, but they could be guarding it elsewhere…” 

Dante spotted Mallo finally succeeding in dragging Mark’s body through the doorframe. Her foot went up to kick the door down until she realized the door wasn’t there per Hyde breaking it down earlier. She grumbled to herself before joining the rest of the party. 

“Well, there’s one treasure,” Dante greeted Mallo.

“It’s just part of the hunt,” Mallo glanced at Mark’s body, which had begun to smell over the last few hours. 

“I meant you, but…” Dante sighed, cutting himself off. 

Hyde raised her eyebrow. Dante flirting? That was not on my Q Corp bingo…

We don’t have a Q Corp bingo card. Jekyll sighed.

That’s not the point. 

Pen and Lenore amongst further discussion stepped out of the room and back into the long hallway. Pen shouted Lenore’s name and gestured to explore the remaining sections of the hallway. 

When Hyde’s gaze traveled to Jatayu, she realized his look of agony had not eased since he last spoke. Hm, let’s have some fun, shall we? 

Hyde, no!

“So,” Hyde strolled with pride over to Jatayu, standing in front of the tall man as she rubbed her chin with her blood-soaked hand. “Ravana, eh? That’s the bastard you’re after?” She grinned maliciously, looking him up and down, calculating what she could do to get a reaction out of him. “Enlighten me on what he did to you again, won’t you?” 

Hyde no, don’t pester him like that! Jekyll pleaded, desperately trying to take control. I can tell you the details! I know your intentions, stop!

Hyde simply ignored Jekyll, eyeing Dante and Mallo who were approaching them. Her grin only widened as Jatayu struggled to answer. 

He stammered on his words before sighing and letting it out. “He killed my sister in law… and he stole my niece from our family, on her wedding night…” 

PFFF, Hyde snuffed a laugh, grinning with delight. “Tch, aww…” She forced a frown, tilting her head. “That’s it? Just that, and you’re all worked up about taking revenge on him? That’s so–”

Hyde, don’t you dare. 

Hyde winced, cutting herself off as Jekyll desperately tried to break through. “Shut it, let me talk to h–” 

NO!

As if luck was on Jekyll’s side, Dante rotated the clock, restoring Hyde’s sanity. Hyde couldn’t hold onto control any longer as she was thrust back into the mind, Jekyll promptly taking over. 

Oh, thank the arbiters… Jekyll immediately switched the monocle to cover her red eye, gasping for breath as her features returned to normal. She glanced up at Jatayu timidly, trying to figure out how to salvage the damage Hyde had done. “Jatayu, I am so sorry about h–” 

“I want you to understand,” Jatayu held up his tanfa to Jekyll’s throat. His eyes were boiling with rage. His arms and shoulders shook as if he were using all his strength to not attack Jekyll on the spot. His voice was low and threatening, and his eyes burned like fire into Jekyll’s soul. “I… care about you as a friend… and I do enjoy Hyde’s presence, I think we can be friends…” He gritted the words through his teeth as if he were trying to convince himself that it was true. “Do. Not. Insult my family, or how I feel about my family ever again.” 

Geez bro, Hyde rolled her eyes inside Jekyll’s head. You should have listened to Mark when you had the chance. Family doesn’t matter. 

What do you mean, Hyde?! That’s not true! Jekyll cowered under Jatayu’s threat, backing away from the tanfa. She clamped her hand over her mouth, trying her best to not let Hyde speak through her. Tears streamed down her face. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry Jatayu I didn’t mean to– She stopped herself, simply nodding to affirm she would never do such a thing again, before running out of the room. 

She almost ran into the doorframe, barely dodging before she ran to the end of the hall, slamming her head against the wall. It echoed throughout the chambers. Jekyll’s heart raced as waterfalls escaped her eyes. She sobbed uncontrollably, sinking to the floor and curling up into a ball. 

Now? You choose to be emotional now? You’re a moron, Jekyll! Hyde insulted, getting angrier by the second. 

Don’t you dare insult his family! What if he did the same to us?! Jekyll sobbed. Family matters! It always had! 

Does it look like I care?! Hyde snapped. He needs to learn the truth! You need to learn it, too!

You don’t actually believe that! Jekyll gasped for air, her sobs getting more intense by the second. Her body shook violently and she got cold fast. The tight pain in Jekyll’s chest felt as if it was eating her alive as she gasped for breath, trying to comprehend everything. How dare you insult his family! Why would you do that?! We miss mom, too!

Why the hell would I miss her?! Hyde shouted, getting more aggressive. I killed her! 

The two went silent as the memory forced its way up. A familiar yet foreign pain seized their mind, shutting both of them up. The night, the lamp, the way she looked so confused in their hands… the memory flashed in front of Jekyll and Hyde as if it was happening in real life. 

Although Jekyll knew she wasn’t standing, it felt like she was. She saw her mother in the grasp of her hand, her knees buckling under the weight in which Hyde held her. Tears streamed down the mother’s face as her gentle hands rested on theirs. “Please… please, my child…” 

“No!” 

Jekyll shuddered as she heard her voice cry out, but she couldn’t stop the brush from slicing their birthgiver into two. Her blood stained the cobblestone walkways, and her scream pierced Jekyll’s ears; it was a sound she would never forget; a feeling she would never be able to wash away… her mother dying in her hands, by her hands. Rain poured heavily in the vision. Jekyll couldn’t remove the sight of her mother’s body lying on the floor, split in two. Her blood covered Jekyll’s hands and feet, staining her outfit. The mother’s eyes stared up at her in horror and grief, and those eyes still haunted her to this very day. 

The vision faded much to Jekyll’s relief, and she was back in the Lobotomy Corporation Facility. She leaned her head against the wall, her eyes wide as they poured more tears down her cheeks. They burned profusely, yet she couldn’t stop crying. Jekyll closed her eyes and hid her face in her arms, curling up further into a ball. Her sobs were silent, and her body shook violently despite her efforts to keep herself pulled together. “Can you not… shut up for once in your life…?” Jekyll muttered through sobs, her chest getting tighter by the moment. The sight of her mom still lingered in her mind, which made her sob even more.

I’ve only said the truth… Hyde’s voice wavered, seeing the vision first-hand. You know what happens… you know the consequences of holding onto hope like Jatayu does… This memory is just a reminder of it.

“Stop talking about it!” Jekyll whispered in pain. “Do not remind me…” 

A soft clacking echoed across the metal floor; the vibrations got stronger and the sound got louder as time went on. Jekyll sensed a presence standing in front of her, looming over her. 

The person sat next to her, taking their time to join them on the floor. A whiff of smoke told Jekyll who it was immediately. “You… okay?” Mallo asked, holding the cigarette between her fingers as she gave her a sympathetic yet melancholic look. 

Jekyll glanced up from her sobbing, her eyes burning from all the tears she wept. She started to speak, but clamped her hand over her mouth, muffling her words. 

Oh hell, it’s her.

Don’t you dare talk right now, remember your place. 

Jekyll looked away from Mallo, staring at the floor... gently shaking her head no in response to the question. She couldn’t raise her head to talk to her, not now. What if Hyde said something awful again? She didn’t want to hurt Mallo like she hurt Jatayu. 

Mallo sits there for a moment, in silence. It took her a few seconds before she spoke again, staring at her cigarette. "Do... you wish to talk about it?" She said, looking back over at Jekyll: her face was calm, and her posture was relaxed. "I'm all ears if you'd like."

Jekyll struggled to find the proper words whilst fighting for control. Her head shook as her lips wavered. "N-No I... I will hurt you too... Hyde will... will..." 

Will what? Say the truth? Hurt their precious little feelings? Grow up. 

She grunted, her eyes shaking wildly as she raised her hands to clench her head. "I don't want to hurt you too..." Jekyll let out another sob, her uniform slowly being drenched in her crystal-like tears. The stupid… split shards…

Can you hurry up with your breakdown already? We got work to do. Hyde sighed, refusing to acknowledge the broken emotions she too felt. 

Mallo sighed slightly; it wasn’t out of annoyance, but sympathy. "Well. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it; I'm not going to force you." She looked away for a moment to think, before looking back at Jekyll. "Just..." She sighed before extinguishing her cigarette and placing it on the floor. Her foot stomped on it to ensure the fire going out.  "Look– Here."

Mallo moved closer to Jekyll, before pulling her into a hug. Her arms wrapped around Jekyll’s shaking body slowly, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Listen, it’ll be alright. You haven’t hurt anyone.”

Hyde scoffed. What is she on–

“And I’m sure whatever happened, they will forgive you. People make mistakes, even if the mistake is made by… someone else in your body. Any respectful person would forgive you. So it’ll be ok, Jekyll… and Hyde. It’ll be ok for both of you.”

…

It was the first time in a long time Hyde finally shut up. Mallo softly rubbed Jekyll's back to try and calm her down. 

Jekyll was surprised by the gesture but didn't object. She slowly wrapped her arms back around Mallo, burying her face into her shoulder as she sobbed, though her body started shaking less. She clung to Mallo tightly. "Please... please don't go... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Mom..." She muttered the last part, her voice broken. Images of her mother’s warm hugs flashed before her eyes, and the deadly feeling of the brisk cold after her mother could no longer give her warm hugs after her death lingered. Jekyll hated that cold, she hated not being able to touch anyone anymore and feel that warmth. 

However, Mallo's embrace was so warm, that she never wanted it to end. Mallo’s hug was like a second version of her mother’s. The moment Jekyll embraced Mallo was the moment that shut Hyde up as the feeling of the mother’s hug flashed in their mind. 

Hyde recalled how the White Lake also felt this way. This is a trap… Hyde started. It… It has to be…

Mallo froze at the words Jekyll uttered, glancing down at Jekyll with a shocked expression. She didn’t push her away; instead, she sighed and continued to rub Jekyll's back "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. Not anytime soon, or anytime in the future. I can promise you that." She tensed for a bit but managed to relax and patted Jekyll's back. "And... if it's any consultation... I forgive you."

Jekyll stopped sobbing momentarily, pulling away just enough to look Mallo in the eyes, using her hands to wipe her face. "I..." She paused, sniffing before collecting her thoughts together. 

It… It wasn’t a trap… Hyde wrestled in Jekyll’s brain, trying to figure things out. What? How? Why wasn’t it a…

"Sorry... I might've squeezed too tight I..." Jekyll’s voice shook, ignoring Hyde’s ramble. She wasn’t going to miss this moment of comfort that she needed for so long. "Your... words and hug were... something I'd never thought I'd hear or feel again..." She sighed, looking to the ground. "Thank you..."

"It's... not a problem," Mallo said, sighing yet again, more so relieved than anything else. "Hate to see innocent people upset."

Oh. Hyde sighed disappointingly. She just… doesn’t know… 

But…

Jekyll, you and I are not innocent. Hyde recalled. She wouldn’t be acting this way if she knew… 

Mallo gave Jekyll a pat on the back and let her go, ending the hug. “You feeling better? Or do you want another one?”

Jekyll’s eyes darted from side to side before meeting Mallo’s gaze and nodding. She embraced Mallo with less strain; she didn’t cling to Mallo as much as the first hug, having calmed down. She couldn’t close her eyes as Mallo’s arms wrapped around her. 

Mallo obliged and hugged Jekyll again, her posture becoming increasingly relaxed. She stayed quiet to just let the duo enjoy the silence of their interaction. It took a few moments of a silent embrace before Mallo softly hummed a gentle tune. The melody was slow and calming, being quite melancholic in it's feel.

Jekyll rested in Mallo’s arms, slowly relaxing herself. She felt her heartbeat and breathing slowly sync with hers, and it almost put her to sleep. The pain in her eyes felt less bothersome, and her mind slowly came to ease. 

Please don’t ruin this, Hyde… Jekyll silently begged, closing her eyes. 

…I won’t. The painter sighed. Just… enjoy it while it lasts… 

You can… enjoy it too… you know…

Hyde watched as Jekyll fell asleep from the soft tune, embrace, and from pure exhaustion. Why enjoy it when it won’t last? A tear fell from Hyde’s eye. If they found out who we really were, what we have done, we would be met with the same cold wind with no one to shield us from it… 

[fiishii]

something I thought of today instead of focusing on wrk

[cursedxwt]

Based on this tweet

[sunshades]

Wait repost before I go to sleep cuz I just noticed it djdnt end up in the tags. Putting the sillies in lil outfits... bonus from a ship meme a while ago :3c

[thisdastampdoesnotexist]

[binah-beloved]

selkie Queequeg. a seal you meet on the shoreline when the clouds keep the hoards of people away. you have to dig the shifting lump from the litter tossed into the waves, the seal staring at you with far too much intelligence before swiftly swimming away. yet it's there next time you visit the beach, when there's no people, a drizzle of rain. watching you from afar atop the distant rocks. closer whenever you return each time. it's a funny sight. a human and a seal peacefully sitting next to each other, just watching the gray waves.

it disappears one day. blending into the color of the sea, maybe, and a stranger approaches you instead. muscular and contemplative, saying only what she needed to. a bit blunt. but she seemed to put her whole heart into her smile, when it happened. somehow she manages to always be there when you drop by for a walk. a secret. nothing important. that's what she tells you with a shrug, idly tracing mottled patterns onto your hand.

she calls herself Queequeg, and always carries a soft coat with a sealskin pattern.

[tworealms]

my own limbus journey is refusing to admit that my sinclair bias is affecting me and my interaction with the story by stopping and yelling out that's my special little guy look at him go at anything he does

[kaslanistest]

*ryoshu voice* I.D.N.A. if this looks like yuri to the viewers

[citroncynique]

RODIDON DAY RODIDON DAY!!! Happy 3/9 fellow Rodidon enjoyers!!

[zelphin124]

LCB-3 -> Intervallo 1: Chapter 1

This is where we introduce two new players to the party: thus, two new characters: Boy from 'The Witches' and Alex, an original character. Because Canto 2 is in preparation, the party will be doing minor intervallos between cantos, just like in Limbus Company. (Also this is a great intervallo because I get to bring back an old character of mine). Enjoy! Masterpost Canto 1: Ch 20 <--> Intervallo Ch 2

~o0o~

It was a miracle, yet to no one’s surprise that the party came out of the mission with no sunburns, at least of what they could feel. Dante’s rewinding magic covered everything from pain to death to a simple cold. The wind swept against the group until they worked their way through the exits of the facility. 

The descent down the spire was a silent one. Each of the members kept to their own. Mallo was the only one to speak regarding the egg of the ALEPH abnormality she carried so casually. She dumped information on Dante that he likely already knew, or didn’t wish to hear. The manager didn’t say much; instead, it seemed as if he only listened out of obligation. 

Jekyll’s mind remained on the sunset, engrained in her memory. It faded as the darkness of the city and facilities came into view. Everything from the Lobotomy Corporation facility to the backstreets of Q Corp was a blur. Her attention was ripped from the sunset only when she spotted the bus in the distance. 

Hey, I was looking at that! Hyde frowned. 

Besides the illusional bus was a blue van. It was small, but just like the bus, it was likely bigger on the inside than the outside. Some would recognize the van as the one that gave them the invitation to the company. A group of people the party had not seen before stood outside, gazing at the approaching bus team. 

“What’s the van doing here?” Mallo cut off her rant and slowed her pace toward the bus. 

“It’s the LCCB; the Limbus Company Before Team,” Dante replied, his flames licking the sky. “I wonder why they are here.” 

Mallo pondered the thought for a moment, catching up with the manager as her black hair swayed behind her. 

“They’ve helped us a few times in the past,” Dante continued. “They could be briefing Vergilius on our next mission.” 

Mallo nodded, leading the party toward the bus. “Oh okay. So, they go and find where we are supposed to go? I guess that’s why they are called the before team.”

 “Quite.” 

Mallo groaned, hoisting the egg up in her arms once again. “Ugh… I’m tired and ready to lie down.” 

“It has been a few days,” Dante affirmed. “Let’s go inside.” 

The spider shifted slowly in Jekyll’s arms, unconsciously forcing her to hold it tighter so it didn’t slip. The doctor did her best to stay apathetic toward the creature. I can’t get attached to it… 

Dante stopped a few feet away from the Before Team outside the bus. “Enjoy your well-deserved rest,” he gestured to the bus. “You all earned it.” 

Jatayu adjusted Mark’s sleeping body in his arms, grunting. “It’s truly been a long week.”

Mallo and Dante were stopped by the before team regarding the abnormality egg, allowing Jekyll and the others to pass by onto the bus immediately. As the door opened, Jekyll met Charon’s dull eyes and gray figure. The doctor stepped onto the bus and gave a polite nod before glancing down the bus hall. 

Vergilius and Faust were in a close huddle, debriefing over a handful of papers Faust was handing to Vergilius. “...And as such, that’ll be our destination coming forth. Faust hopes you’re interested in letting the party know.” She informed. 

The Red Gaze slowly turned his attention to the party grouping up on the bus. He sighed warily. “Speaking of, there the miscreants come.” 

Jekyll slowly moved out of the way and took a seat nearby, making room for more of the members to hop on. Mallo and Dante got on last, missing the egg. Outside of the window, Pen and Othello hopped into the blue van and disappeared as the Before Team closed the door. 

As the guide finished his comment, Mallo chuckled. “Miscreants? I wouldn’t call us that. We did get the golden bough.” 

He wasn’t impressed. “Am I supposed to congratulate you for doing the bare minimum that your job requires?” 

“Miscreants don’t do their jobs, though.” 

Vergilius shrugged, unphased. “You did better than the last group before you, I suppose. You got the first golden bough without failure.” 

Jatayu glanced to the side, dropping Mark onto a nearby chair and shifting uncomfortably. 

“You all have progress reports anyway,” The Red Gaze continued. “To inform me on how your journey went.” 

Mallo inhaled sharply, clasping her fingers together in a single clap. "I... I can tell the report,” she turned toward Dante. 

If the manager had a face, he would be concerned. “Are you sure you want to?” 

“Well, yes. After what you said, I think I should, right? It’s to make me improve…”  The former Lobotomy Corporation employee turned to face the color fixer. “I’m going to lay it straight. Uh, it was a disaster.” 

The next five minutes consisted of Mallo laying out in clear detail the events that occurred along the mission. She made sure to emphasize how the party was almost in one big argument the entire time and did not get along with one another. To Jekyll’s surprise, she also informed him how she was mostly the cause of it and her fault in some of the mission setbacks. To nobody’s surprise, she also made sure to account for Mark’s issues and death, Jekyll’s habits, Lenore’s brawl with her, Pen and Othello’s absence, and much more. It got to the point where Jekyll stopped paying attention because of how long it took. 

It was interesting enough to get the bus driver’s attention, but her gaze wasn’t as harsh as Faust’s and Vergilius’s. By the time the report was wrapped up, the Red Gaze sighed. “I suppose… I expected too much from you lot. I would have thought that in a life-or-death situation—where your dreams and heart’s desires are on the line—you would not have even considered making choices such as these. It was foolish of you, Mallo, to attack your lifeline to this mortal world. It should have been taken with more concern than a mere accident.” 

“It wasn’t an accident, though. It was panic, but it doesn’t excuse my actions. I was, however, the only one to defend Dante against the Sun King." She snapped with annoyance laced in her tongue. “Genuinely, I appreciated the others going to help Jatayu, but it was just me! Lenore and Pen did nothing for the majority of the fight! I should have a punishment for my previous actions, yes, but just as I made a mistake, others did too!” She closed her eyes, huffing a frustrated breath. “I shall accept the punishment that the Red Gaze deems fit.” 

To say that Jekyll did not expect a smirk to appear on the guide’s face was an understatement. “Worry not.” He did not force Mallo’s head to rise when she lowered it. “Your punishment is on the way. There’s nothing that I can do; that what comes next won’t hurt you more.” 

Mallo lifted an eyebrow. “What?” 

“You will learn in time,” he continued. “But temporaries require you to learn the lessons here and now. You’ll be on Mirror Dungeon duty. Specifically, cleaning them.” 

Mallo furrowed her eyes further. The punishment seemed inadequate. “Okay…? I can do that.” 

“Kuvira is already doing your job. She will be there to guide you through the process. You should go and assist her once this meeting is over.” 

The doctor hadn’t noticed when the prisoner woke up, but by how he communicated, it was clear Mark heard a lot of the conversation. “Yeah, uhm, old man, Vergie,” he raised his hand and stood to his feet, swooning back and forth. “Cool if I call you that?” 

The smirk on Vergilius’ face vanished. “No.” 

“There are a few things Mallo left out. On the second encounter on the second floor of the lab or whatever, Mallo came in contact with the mermaid thing that was obsessed with love. She merged with it at some point, shared memories with it, and tried to attack me first. I learned this the second I fused with it. I learned she wanted to kill me with it. You know, just some information that might be useful to you.” 

Mallo seemed confused. “Huh?” 

“Do you not remember the mermaid?” 

“Oh, the thing that said it would do anything for our love? It was a dark room with controlled lights, which I was helping Jatayu find and turn on.” 

“It was dark in there,” Jatayu added. 

Mark turned his gaze back toward Vergilius. “I don’t know why you don’t like being called pal, Vergilius sir; anyway, clockhead has the whole thing in his memory if you want to see it.” 

Mallo objected before the guide could say anything. “Me and Mark combined our efforts against the mermaid. Together, we crippled and defeated it.” 

“It doesn’t matter if we did something good about it; our good and bad actions should be reported equally because we are to be punished for them.” 

Mallo addressed her posture and hand toward Mark, looking at Vergilius with a see-what-I-mean glare. 

“I’m just giving you all the information, Verg. I did what was right back there, and I disobeyed Dante, which got me jumped by everyone. Everyone ganged up on me, a mere twenty-one-year-old who’s new to all this.” 

Mallo’s temper started to boil. “It was Dante’s command to do so!” 

“To dispose of me, not to brutalize me as you all did. I cannot imagine you would brutalize children in such a manner.” 

Hyde scoffed, making Jekyll shudder. Wanna bet? 

Mallo raised her hands and turned toward the back of the bus. “Okay, I’m going to help Kuvira. Don’t you ever… say that again.” 

Mark scoffed, a smirk on his face. “See what I mean? I’m sorry about her, Vergilius. She’s so tempered.” 

Vergilius did not get to speak as Mallo stormed away from the party toward the Mirror Dungeon door in the bus. He sighed, rubbing his head. “This child show has gone on for longer than it should have. I will dictate a fitting punishment later, but more pressing matters are at hand. All of you, take your seats. Faust has important information to brief.” 

Those who weren’t seated found their seats quickly. It did not matter at the time where they were in accordance with the bus, as no one would stay there long after the meeting. 

Faust bowed her head low before staring toward the manager. “First of all, it is worth mentioning your success. Congratulations on your first assignment. This has proved well for your first bonding teamwork despite your complications. This is a stepping stone and a new start to a more grand future than previously seen with the preceding teams. However, there are some pressing news that must be addressed. Othello and Pen, as you can see, are no longer with us. Othello has violated the company code via funds for his unique ammo. Secondly, due to extraneous circumstances and taboos, Pen violated different city regulations and was handled before Limbus Company was dealt with legally. With two open vacancies, Limbus Company has hired and oriented two new individuals to join your party. Both should be arriving in three, two, one…” 

Faust seemed to be pleased by the fact the newcomers came on her cue. The first to step in was a young, blonde man. He was already dressed in LCB attire, which was well-kept and ironed to perfection. He was as tall as the manager, only really being taller than Jekyll. He ran his large hands through his hair and took an observing glance around the party before his eyes stopped on the Red Gaze. He seemed more unnerved the more he looked at him, but he still carried himself with the composure of running by a script. He took a quick, sharp breath to compose himself. “Is this the bus that the LCCB team mentioned?” His voice did not match his tidy appearance and was pitched up like a young boy. “I am Alex. I hope our time together will go productively.” 

Jekyll leaned back in her chair, observing him up and down. She smiled to herself. Huh. He looks like Lucas. If only he knew what he was in for. 

Faust is the first to welcome him. “Welcome, twenty-fifth sinner of Limbus Company, Alex.” 

Dante stepped up from his seat behind Jekyll and brushed off his uniform. He approached Alex, extending his hand. “Tick tock, tick tock, I know you can’t hear me.” 

There was a brief moment of silence as Alex stood there, glancing at Dante curiously, before Mark came up behind the manager, translating for the new kid. “You need to shake his hand.” 

Dante looked back nervously but nodded in approval before speaking again. “Welcome to Limbus Company, Alex. I am your boss.” 

Mark translated. “Welcome to Limbus Company. This clockhead is your boss. You need to make a deal with him.” 

Alex looked on with concern, still not moving from his prior position. “Is everything alright?” 

The back door of the bus opened, and Mallo walked back into the meeting room. It was so quick—too quick, in fact. Cleaning the Mirror Dungeon should’ve taken longer. 

When no one responded, Alex cleared his throat and adjusted his suit also. “Well, I’d better get on with it then. Thank you for providing this opportunity.” He firmly stuck out his hand and clasped it tightly, shaking it up and down. 

It was clear Alex experienced the mortal coil around his soul loosen and tied around Dante with the estranged and exotic look in his eyes. He took a moment to process but didn’t have time to conclude before Dante started speaking. 

“I think that would do the job,” Dante began. “Can you hear me now?” 

Alex tilted his head to the side. “Yes? I think so?” 

Dante let go of the newcomer’s hand. “Good! It’s a pleasure to have a new member on the team! It might be rough settling in honestly, but we will get you situated swiftly.” 

Just as he finished, the doors of the bus flung open as another newcomer came flying in, late behind his schedule. He scrambles in, shaking his head to get the curly, brown hair out of his face, standing just above Alex and Dante in height. His eyes shone with excitement and curiosity, but he was skittish and paranoid with every movement he took. He found his footing and stood straight, catching his breath. His human hand rested and fidgeted with his collar tirelessly. He was also quite young, perhaps younger than the first. He was much more intriguing than Alex, as he was accompanied by a rat’s tail, hand, leg, and ears. He tried to straighten out his tie but failed to do so. “S-Sorry I’m late,” he stammered, talking quickly with anxiousness. “I got held up by something. Hi, I’m Boy; it’s very nice to meet you.” He extended his rat hand in the air and tried to wave it normally, but it flopped oddly as if the movement wasn’t natural. 

I didn’t think I’d see someone from Old G Corp, Hyde scoffed. What kind of unique paintings I could make with their special parts remains to be seen.

Hyde! 

“Oh my gosh!” Dante backed away, resting one of his hands in front of his chest in shock. “That man’s a rat!” 

Mallo tried desperately to hold back a burst of laughter. 

Mark raised an eyebrow. “A lil’ bit racist, aren’t you, Dante?” 

Lenore shrugged. “Well, look at him. He is a rat.” 

“Even if he is, you don’t have to say it in such a way, Dante.” Despite his criticism, it seemed like Mark enjoyed the opportunity he pounced upon. 

Mallo couldn’t hold it back anymore and let the cackle escape her throat.

“You can understand this lad?” Boy gestured to Mark and Dante. “All I heard was a train horn.” 

“You need to give…” Mark paused briefly. “Whatever hand that works to the manager and shake it to understand him. It’s part of the contract.” 

Alex gently stood to the side, letting go of Dante’s hand and watching the scene unfold, almost grateful the attention was off him. 

Boy shook his head, understanding. “Oh! Duh, right, I’ll give my right hand,” he raised it to show Mark it was his human hand before extending it toward Dante. 

Dante reached out and shook it firmly before nodding. “Welcome to Limbus Company. Sorry for my sudden outburst. I apologize if it was offensive.” 

The second newcomer shrugged carelessly. “If it was a surprise about my body, it’s understandable. It’s not every day you see someone like me. I didn’t hear you anyway!” 

Mallo warped her way around the people standing in the hall to approach the new members. Her eyes narrowed in disappointment. “So who are these two?” 

“Faust introduced them as Alex and Boy,” Lenore replied before furrowing her own eyebrows. “Wait, his name is just Boy?” 

Mallo glanced around. “Did… Did you not see me leave the room earlier?” 

Faust stepped in. “However, you did come back.” 

“After you had already explained everything,” Mallo interjected, dismissing Faust. “Who is who?” 

Boy raised his rat hand again. “I’m Boy.” 

A smile grew on Lenore’s face. “Are you Boy, or are you Man?” 

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve heard that so many times.” 

“It’s a unique name, but not the most unusual name I’ve heard,” Mallo acknowledged. 

Dante gently rested his hand on Mallo’s shoulder to get her to stop before speaking up. “Well… Boy, Alex, I am Dante, just as I’ve introduced myself earlier. I am your manager, but I suppose it’s time you meet and greet the rest of your team. Lenore, could you start by introducing herself?” 

Lenore gave Dante a side-eye. “Sure, just my name or…?” She cleared her throat, not waiting for a reply. “I’m Lenore; I mostly just love fighting at work. The same goes for all of us. I hope you do not suck at hitting things because we will do it a lot.” 

Alex nodded, whereas Boy seemed unsure, his arms shaking slightly. “I’m not great at it, but I can manage and get around.” 

“By distractions?” 

“Uhm… poisons.” 

Mark scoffed. “So you’re a coward.” 

The rat glanced toward the prisoner. “What? Yes...” 

Mallo smirked to herself. 

“You got the balls, kid,” Mark commented. 

“For once, I agree with Mark,” Mallo added. 

“Like how you agreed with me in the dungeon, inside the mermaid?” 

“What? No! We never agreed there!” 

“But we agreed to get out of the situation together, and we agreed on—” 

“Shut up!” 

“When I am right, you are mad,” Mark shrugged, turning away from the newcomers and walking toward the back of the bus. 

Alex didn’t let the silence last long. “I’m good at cleaning up foes if that helps. I make sure it doesn’t get lost in the sauce.” 

“Do you mean actual cleaning or killing?” Lenore asked. 

“Both could be helpful,” Boy commented. 

“One job is for the LCA, not us,” Lenore clarified. 

Dante cleared his throat, causing everyone to silence their voices. “You just met Mark and Mallo,” he pointed to each one. 

“I thought you said you were going in a circle? Jatayu is next,” Mallo gestured to the veteran with a soft smile. 

Jatayu nodded slowly. “Thank you, Mallo,” he bowed his head toward the newcomers. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Jatayu. A free shot is good enough for us, Alex and poison will work greatly in this field, Boy.”

“Hopefully,” Boy nodded his head in return. 

“Lastly,” Dante extended his hand sideways toward the doctor sitting in the front seat, legs and arms crossed. 

Do not forget to let them know of my presence. Hyde warned. Remember what happened last time? 

Jekyll cleared her throat, not moving from her position. She made sure her voice was clear and professional to set an expectation. You will not see me as a wavering, timid person like the others. “Jekyll, Dr. Jekyll. In other circumstances, I am called Hyde. It is a complicated circumstance to determine who is who, but I wish not to explain that to you now. For now, I am Dr. Jekyll.” 

Hyde, although pleased with the greeting, seemed unsatisfied with how it was presented. At least you finally introduced me. 

The two seemed oddly unphased. “Alright,” Boy shrugged. 

“Just tell us when to call you what you want, when you want, I suppose?” Alex added. “Thank you for the introduction.” 

Jekyll gently nodded in return, sighing to herself. How many more people have to know before we take care of the issue? 

Believe me, hun, I am not the one with the issue here. 

Mallo cleared her throat and made her way past Dante. “I want to do my proper introduction,” she offered her hand toward them. 

Each of the newcomers shook it according to their personalities. Boy’s was skittish and quick, and Alex’s was firm and established. 

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Mallo continued. “I never heard too much about where you seem to be from,” she glanced at Alex. “R Corp, right?” 

“Who’s to say he doesn’t have experience with all the corporations?” Lenore interjected. 

The spider squirmed by Jekyll in the seat, glancing up at her. The doctor slowly picked it up and stood up, walking toward the back of the bus and handing the creature to Jatayu. The conversation felt overwhelming, and Jekyll was not interested in either of the new candidates getting to know them. She didn’t hear what Jatayu said as she passed the guide and Faust toward the back of the bus. 

The decorative, hotel-like hallway had the doors looking like they were straight out of a fantasy novel. Jekyll quickly found the one with her name on it and tugged on the large, gold door handle. The moment she stepped inside, she saw the ghost-like manifestation of Hyde. 

Jekyll didn’t bother looking at her as she flopped on the bed, letting out a relaxed sigh as she sank into it. 

As she heard Hyde also flop on the other bed, she slowly turned her head to watch, taking the monocle off. 

The room’s floor was covered with blood. It ran like a river between the cracks. The walls were split, with one half of the room gray with crystalized, blue decorations. It was meant to look pretty on the outside, but they reminded Jekyll too much of the Split Shards drug for her to like them. The decorations were accompanied by eyes, making them more unsettling. Her bed was in the corner next to desks and tables full of jars and testing tubes. The only thing that resembled what she wanted people to see was the therapy couch and book near the window. 

On Hyde’s side of the room, the walls were painted black. Everything was covered in paint of many colors. There were blank and sketched canvases everywhere. Despite the horrid sight, nothing stank. The window was also on Hyde’s side of the room. Outside, all that could be seen was a snowy alleyway forever stuck in the time of night. Hyde sat on the therapy couch for a moment, tapping her foot before walking over to Jekyll, extending her hands. 

“Supplies,” she demanded.

Jekyll stared at her for a bit before sitting up slowly, taking off her jacket, and unbuttoning the jars and vials they had collected on the previous journey. She handed them to Hyde, who didn’t hesitate to snatch them out of her hands and walk over to one of the canvases. She pulled out a pencil from her belt and started to sketch out an idea. 

“Realism?” Jekyll asked. 

“It’ll be a combination of both this time,” Hyde leaned over, staring at the canvas intently. “I plan to paint our experience with the company so far.” She unscrewed Gerald’s glass remains and started to pin them to the canvas, shuffling them around to get the look she wanted. 

Jekyll rolled over in her bed lazily, not finding the energy to oppose any further. She tried to close her eyes, but they stung every time the lids of her eyes closed over her pupils. She groaned, rubbing her face before sitting up. Her eyes rested on Hyde as she contemplated how to start the painting they both envisioned. 

Hyde stopped sketching on the canvas and took a step back, smiling to herself. She rotated it so Jekyll could see. “Not that I care about your opinion, but this seems like something you would appreciate.” 

Jekyll wobbled on her heels as she got up from the bed and observed the painting closely. There were many lines for planned abstraction and smearing of blood, but Hyde had done a decent job at painting Jatayu in the middle of the massacre. Jekyll could see where Hyde planned to place the green demon syndicate goo, the blood, Gerald’s shards, and the guts they’d collected along their journey. Jatayu was in the center of the canvas, traveling downward from the sunlit sky, shoving his tanfas into the ground of the supposed Sun King lightly sketched under him. Demon Syndicate members and other enemies were left in shambles around the center of the masterpiece. The bloodshed would be the abstract part of the painting, versus the incredible realism in the center, contrasting the two art styles. 

“Impressive,” Jekyll nodded in agreement. “It would sell quite well.” 

Hyde smirked, twirling a small paintbrush in her hand before dipping it into a jar of blood, mixing it and the water of the blood together. “Do you think Jatayu would buy it?” 

“Not for the price you’d want to sell it for.” 

“Hmm, true, I suppose not everyone is rich like us.” 

Jekyll ran her finger along the Sun King’s head, blurring it. She tapped her thumb to her chin, observing the details more carefully. “Don’t forget the abnormality’s fire crown. It’ll signal to the onlookers that the man is overthrowing a wicked authority.” 

Hyde raised her eyebrow and tilted her head toward Jekyll. “Very well.” 

Jekyll’s eyes adverted toward Gerald’s shards, and her heart ached upon looking at them. Her thoughts ran back to the spider the party collected at the top of the spire, and she shook her head. Ripping her gaze away from the painting, she strolled back over to her part of the room and started looking through the files on her desk. 

Hyde continued to paint in silence, cracking open various jars and distributing them across the canvas. It would have smelled awful if Jekyll wasn’t used to the stench of death. Jekyll ran her hands through the files, surprised that most of the ones from her office were there, at least the ones she committed to memory. 

"Documents, logs, reports..." Jekyll muttered to herself, mindlessly shuffling through the papers. She didn’t really wish to look through them; she left all of it behind for a reason. However, if she planned to go back, she’d have to go right back into what she was doing before. 

“You know,” Hyde began, resting her elbow on her hip as she flipped a paintbrush in her hand. “I think this whole adventure would be better if we... worked together.” 

“You mean, letting you out more?” 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Jekyll,” Hyde chuckled, clicking her lips together as she tapped her foot before adding another stroke to the canvas. “I’d hate to bicker with you through the whole journey here.” 

Jekyll turned around, staring Hyde square in the eyes. “We are only bickering because you want to ruin my already-tarnished reputation! I don’t need any more issues with people!” 

Hyde paused, looking back; her posture slouched, showing that she wasn’t taking the conversation seriously. She glanced back and forth from the canvas to Jekyll, putting on a confused expression. “They already know; what’s the big deal? It’s not like I’m a secret anymore.” 

Jekyll took a deep breath, rubbing her face and letting her hair fall to her waist, brushing her fingers through it. “They can’t know about—” “The horrible things I’ve done?” Hyde scoffed. “Did you not see Jatayu’s whole past through his memories? Unless we complete our job before it’s ‘our turn’, they are gonna find out. Besides, what’s the harm?” 

Jekyll shook her head. “They’ll kill us.” 

“Not if we work together to get our job done faster,” Hyde hinted. She walked up to Jekyll, resting a hand on her shoulder. “...Hah… It’s weird being able to do that.” 

Jekyll shuddered, staring into the only person that scared her to her core. To look her greatest fear in her eyes—the one who ruined her life—took a strength she did not have. “...Yeah, weird.” 

“Don’t be frightened,” Hyde smirked. “I’m on your side~ I am here to get you out of this and us out of here. I’m proposing that we work together like old times instead of bickering. You’ve proven your usefulness in negotiating circumstances, versus me in combat.” The grip on Jekyll’s shoulder tightened. “You know my true intentions, darling.” 

Jekyll paused. “...Don’t call me that.” 

“Hmm. Yeah, that was odd,” Hyde stepped back, traveling back toward her in-progress painting before looking back. “You know how I operate, and you know I’m being genuine with you. I cannot hide my true intentions. I want to get away from you just as you from me. You are afraid to express what I do for you." Hyde couldn’t stop her laughter, cutting herself off. 

Jekyll shivered at the thought. “I could never do the awful things you’ve done.” 

“No, but you created me for a reason.” Hyde’s smile faded as she eyed the Split Shard drug in the corner of the room. “I want to be let out more. I’m tired of you trying to excuse my actions like I’m some kind of... pet being wrangled in by its owner.” 

“I’m tired of you trying to crumble the image I’ve tried to put up to these people,” Jekyll backfired. “Our lives were perfect until you ruined it.” 

“It was not my decision to try and hide me, yet leave all your assets to me.” 

Jekyll bit her lip, scrunching her face. “Okay, yes, that was stupid on my part…” 

“It’s why we are here,” Hyde shook her head. “You were so afraid of getting arrested for my sake, that you fled. You know how guilty that must’ve made you look?” 

“Us… look. For all they know, you kidnapped me.” 

“You better hope it stays that way for your benefit,” Hyde mocked. “That is why I’m proposing we work together to get the job done quicker. Us being at odds has only hindered both of us.” 

Jekyll sighed, pondering the thought. “And if we complete our contract, what then?”��

“We can go back to our normal lives, maybe even as different people,” Hyde smiled at the thought. “You can hide in your mansion, and I can fulfill my passion.” 

Jekyll sighed, thinking about the possibility of fulfilling one’s greatest desire with a golden bough. The silence that echoed in the room was only interrupted by Hyde’s bloodstrokes on the canvas. The thought of Hyde leaving did not bring any relief, to the doctor’s surprise. Despite what Hyde had done, Jekyll had relied on her for so long, that she couldn’t just give her up like that. What if there came a time when she needed her, but she was no longer around?  

“What if you didn’t leave?” Jekyll finally proposed. “What if I just let you out more?” 

Hyde stopped painting, freezing in place. She slowly turned to face her counterpart, curious. “Elaborate.” 

“Well…” Jekyll tried to scramble her thoughts together. “You proposed an alliance. A promise to work together. I'm willing to do so, and let you out more, on one condition.” 

“I’m listening.” 

"Can you try to not ruin our reputation? Can you try to cooperate with the others?” 

Hyde pursed her lips, leaning on her left hip as she stared at the floor, tapping the soaked paintbrush on her side. “Mmm… Fine.” 

Jekyll bowed her head, sighing in relief. “Thank you.” 

“Besides, we want the same things anyway,” Hyde chuckled to herself, shaking the paint jar and frowning as she scraped the last of the supplies out of it. “We just have different ways of obtaining it.” 

Jekyll shook her head. “I… don’t think—” 

“I’m out of paint supplies.” Hyde frowned, setting the jar on the nearby table. The painting before her was half done. She did not have enough materials to finish coloring Jatayu and the Sun King, but the background was finished. “Say, don’t they have some in the mirror dungeons? Let’s go grab some.” 

Jekyll glanced at the door, her shoulders dropping. “I’m so tired.” 

“I can take the front.” 

“Hmm… I suppose we could go check then.” 

Hyde nodded and headed toward the door. The closer she got, the further Jekyll faded back into Hyde’s mind, and they shared a body once more. Hyde adjusted her hair, pinning it up to offer the illusion of Jekyll as she exited. 

Lenore, Jatayu, and Alex were in the hallway. “Hello Jekyll,” Lenore caught her immediately as she opened the door. “Wanna help us onboard Alex?” 

It’s Dr. Jekyll… Jekyll sighed, grunting. 

Hey, take your rest; I got this. Hyde cleared her throat and made her voice more high-pitched. “Uhm… l-later… I need to do a few things.” She timidly said as she turned her heel and started walking toward the Mirror Dungeon hall. 

“Huh. Ominous,” Lenore commented. 

“Well, have fun!” Jatayu called out, smiling. 

…

What? 

How the hell did you pull my impression off so well? That was scary convincing. 

Hyde shrugged. It’s not hard to act like you when it feels like I’m being timid when you are. 

Touché. 

It didn’t take long for Hyde to travel down the ominous hall, her feet silent on the ground as she approached the large, black door. It took a bit of effort for her to lift the handle, but once she got it open, the large door slowly swung open, and she stepped inside. 

Jekyll and Hyde understood that the Mirror Dungeon was like a battle training ground that brought up fights previously fought for training. There were supposedly many floors, but it currently looked like an empty box with a few lights on. Perhaps it showed more promise and room when it was turned on. 

The only thing that stood out in the blank room was the three terrible-smelling buckets, the ladder, and the person on top of said ladder. The assistant had her head up in the ceiling, tweaking a few things before she glanced down, her skin beaming and her smile shimmering. “Ah! Jekyll! I didn’t expect to see you here!” 

Hyde observed her slowly and frowned. Ugh, her energy is so vibrant like mom's... “I don’t mean to disturb you,” her voice was charismatic and chill. “I am just here to grab some supplies.” 

“Supplies?” Kuvira tilted her head, her brown hair falling over her shoulder. She slowly made her way down the ladder before gracefully landing her feet on the side of the buckets. “There’s not much in here. The supply room would have been the other way. Why, unless you’re talking about some tools you need! I am using a few to repair the mirror dungeon as it was malfunctioning recently, weird, right? I can lend you some, but I might have to come hunt you down if you like to use them for too long because, oh boy, once I find a problem, there seems to be another. I might even have to get Jatayu’s house on—” 

Hyde raised her hand, demonstrating that she was not interested. “I am here for some blood, Kuvira. I came to get it for a project; I don’t need any other information.” 

Kuvira paused and nodded slowly. “Ah! Yes, I should’ve expected as much. Mr. Red Gaze did say something about your other half liking to paint with such stuff... that’s a Ring thing, yeah? I’ve heard many things about them, how they are one of the Five Fingers, spread across the city and—” 

“You don’t need to relay information to me, as I said,” Hyde forced a smile, trying to remain calm. “I know what the Ring is, and yes, you are correct.” 

Hyde, I can feel—

Not now. 

“That must have been a really unique experience!” Kuvira went on. “I’m sure you have so much talent when it comes to art! I’d lend a hand if I had any artistic talent at all, but heh, I can’t say much as I even forgot how to read,” she scratched her head and chuckled softly. “I know some of these remains are supposed to feed the bus, but I could probably lend you a little bit of what you need because you asked so nicely; I don’t mind!” 

“It wasn’t an ask.” Hyde marched over to the buckets, looking inside them. The blood was not the color red it was supposed to be. She frowned. “It was more letting you know what I was going to do... but this color of red is... distasteful.” 

“Ah, I’m sorry about that,” Kuvira glanced inside the buckets as well, not even wrinkling her nose. “This is just what me and Mallo swept up earlier; I’m not sure I can change that.” 

“Hmm. I shall turn this thing on and fight some minions myself. Then I can gather the supplies fresh.” Hyde raised her head proudly. “It can’t be that hard to do it alone.” 

“Uhm,” Kuvira’s smile faded, and she walked back over to the ladder. “I wouldn’t do so.” 

“Why?” The painter scoffed, smirking as she glanced over at the assistant. “Scared of a little bloodshed?” 

Hyde, don’t antagonize her! 

“Of course not,” Kuvira smiled and shook her head, climbing the ladder to look at the ceiling again. “I just really, really don’t like fighting." 

“So you’re a coward.” 

“I wouldn’t say that... Also, this thing needs to be repaired.” 

Hyde raised an eyebrow. What coward doesn’t wish to fight and avoid it at all costs? “Sounds like an excuse.” 

Kuvira paused for a moment, the glow on her skin shrinking slightly. Her blue seemed to... discolor. “We can turn on the mirror dungeon once I’m done. I’d be happy to watch your incredible skills!” She slowly closed the hatch of the ceiling. It wasn’t the most stable, but it would hold until she got back up with another tool. 

A defenseless woman, here on the bus, with no revive... Hyde smirked to herself. I wonder if her blood would be good on a painting...

Hyde, no! She can’t come back from the dead like the others!

Surely, they don’t need her around. Look at her smiling like that. No one smiles in the city like that. 

...I don’t know. 

We don’t even need to kill her; we could just, well, borrow a finger or two.

Jekyll didn’t reply as Hyde grabbed her paintbrush from her back, resting the tip of it on the floor. She watched Kuvira carefully, waiting for a moment to strike. 

Kuvira shuffled her hands through the toolbox before her eyes lit up at finding the screwdriver. She stood to her feet before slowly looking back at Hyde. Her smile wavered. “Is everything alright?” 

“Do you know how to fight, Kuvira?” Hyde tilted her head, slowly smiling. “If I wanted to borrow your blood for a painting, would you be able to stop me from taking your life along with it?” 

The assistant froze, the blood draining from her face. She took a step back, her eyes turning from a soft blue to a more hazel-like color. Her hair became darker. "I wouldn’t do that, Jekyll. I told you I’m not into fighting.” 

“It’s Hyde right now... Someone as joyful as you don’t last long in the streets.” Hyde took a step closer, closing each gap Kuvira made as she rotated her brush. “I’d like to know how you lived this long if you’re not a fighter. If you are, this will make this more entertaining. No one is ever as happy as you. You are untrustworthy, and a liar; don't think I can't see right through you!”

“You can’t.”

Hyde stopped, furrowing her eyes. The backtalk was something that caught her off guard, but it was not something she would tolerate. “Excuse me?”

Kuvira hitched in a controlled breath. "You can't see through me." 

The painter scoffed. "You are pathetic to think I can't." 

Kuvira continued to back away, slowly walking in a circle back toward the ladder. "...You remind me a lot of who I used to be."

Is this moron serious? "Stop with the talk! I can kill you with one swipe." 

"Don't do that, please. You will regret it." Kuvira glanced around worriedly, her feet light against the dark panels of the floor. "J-Hyde, this isn’t a good idea. You will get more of what you need on your next mission, but don’t try to take it from me.” Her green scarf trailed behind her; it was a miracle it didn’t trip her. Her glowing skin and her small blue necklace began to dim more, and she slowly became more panicked as it did so.

“Scared of a little brawl?” Hyde teased, walking closer. “Doesn’t fear feel so delightful?” 

Kuvira stopped in her tracks, eventually ending up in the same spot by the ladder as she had before. Hyde approached her slowly as if to get a reaction, to make her feel fear and beg for mercy. 

But there was none of that. The more that Hyde advanced, the more that sense of fear led from her target. Kuvira soon stood up, her eyes fully hazel. The glow in her skin vanished, and there was something dark about her appearance—something unnatural. 

Something Hyde never wanted to face. 

Her mood changed. “I simply don’t want to hurt you, or happen to get caught when you turn into a pulp on the ground.” 

Jekyll froze in terror. What? 

Hyde laughed, scoffing. “HAH! You, turn me into a pulp? Do you know who you’re talking to? I am D—” 

“I don’t care who you are.” Kuvira’s voice was low and dangerous. Her posture was straight, and she clasped her hands together as if she were meeting somebody formally. Her voice became softer and and lower, as if she spoke with less passion, volume, and enthusiasm. “Take my advice and don’t seal your fate to the inevitable. You are not high and mighty to everyone here.” 

Hyde paused for a moment, sensing the change in demeanor. She twirled her paintbrush in her hands confidently, regaining her composure. “Your intimidation tactics won’t save you,” Hyde began. “I’d offer more chit-chat, but I’m fresh out of time.” 

Hyde lunged for Kuvira with all her speed, swinging her paintbrush toward her.

She missed. 

With one swift motion, Kuvira dodged effortlessly to the side, not even knocking over the buckets on the floor. Her scarf slowly fell to her sides as if they were magic, and she almost cracked a smile. “Jekyll, don’t make me hurt you.” 

“It’s Hyde!” Hyde grunted, lunging again, only to be met by the same fate. She breathed heavily as she glanced up at Kuvira, her eyes furrowing. What the hell?!

Why is she moving so fast? Jekyll added, clenching her arms. 

“I won’t be so merciful if you try again, Jekyll." Kuvira blinked slowly, but it was a kind of gesture that showed her test of patience. “You are not making wise choices. Actions like these will seal your fate for the worse. I meant you no harm.” 

Hyde stood up, cracking her back before smirking. “I don’t care if you’re innocent or guilty of some horrendous crime. Stop being a coward and fight me! Earn your right to live!” 

Kuvira sighed, closing her eyes. 

Hyde didn’t waste any more moments. She lunged for her again with a silent attack, hoping to catch her off guard. 

Suddenly, Hyde was stopped in place. The whole Mirror Dungeon started to shake as yellow and black magic seeped from the cracks of the repairs. Before Hyde could blink, she was tied down by tendrils she couldn’t describe. They seeped into her skin and caused her to gasp in agony. It felt like every one of her systems immediately exploded and stopped working from the inside, causing her muscles to tighten and panic. 

Kuvira had simply lifted a finger. All Hyde remembered was her moving the same finger again before the life was sucked out of her, and everything went black. 

* * *

Every time Jekyll came back from the dead, she felt like the hands gripped and ripped at her soul more harshly and with more force. Each time Dante opened the door to rip her out of hell, it was more painful, as if her evil deeds were piling up on her and refusing to let her leave. She almost felt bad thinking about how much pain Dante would be in, but her thoughts didn’t fully sort until her body slowly formed... inside of a bucket. 

Jekyll slowly took the bucket off her hand; the first thing she saw was Mark also being rewound from some sort of head injury. The next thing she saw was Dante crumbling to the floor, gasping in pain, and clutching his chest. 

“...Side effects! Great for medicine!” Boy shouted.

It seemed that everyone was in the room. Vergilius, Charon, Faust, Mallo, Alex, Boy, Jatayu, Mark, Lenore, and Kuvira. They all chatted amongst one another, the newcomers more paranoid than the others. Mark rubbed his head as consciousness returned to him as well, leaving both of them confused. 

What the hell happened? 

Mallo was the first to walk over to Jekyll. “That’s not important right now,” she told Boy before bending to meet Jekyll’s eyes. “What happened to you?” 

Jekyll opened her mouth, but suddenly, her words got caught in her throat. An impending fear that she was not used to grew in her chest and left her speechless. She slowly turned her eyes, catching Kuvira staring at her with the harshest gaze she had ever seen. The doctor’s face grew pale, and she gripped her hands together, turning her knuckles white to hide their shaking. She reached up to rub her head, trying to look around innocently. “I don't... remember..." She lied through her teeth, keeping her voice straight. 

The harsh gaze from the assistant was quickly removed, and her normal, bright, light-hearted composure returned as if nothing happened. 

What… Hyde breathed, also feeling the overwhelming fear. Who is she? 

I don’t know... but it’s scary that she’s here... 

I’ve never even heard of such magic… 

“If I had pain medication, I’d give it to you,” Boy offered sweetly, eyeing Jekyll in a much more friendly way. 

Mark got a read on the situation and started commenting. “You could inject it.” 

“I don’t want to test it on anyone here,” Boy shook his head. “I am genetically messed up, so it doesn’t mean what works on me will work on you.” 

“You can still test it on us,” Mark implied. “Dante can just rewind us when he’s close. Could come in handy to help Dante too, if he’s human, right?” 

Faust nodded. “Dante is one hundred percent human.” 

“See? You can test it on us, then test it on Dante when it works.” 

“It also requires a lot of medication that I don’t have,” Boy explained. 

Jekyll almost spoke up, trying to calm her nerves down. I have some medication experience; I could help you out. 

“If there is medicine in you, and you die, does the medicine come back too when you are rewound?” Lenore asked, stepping forward with a weapon in hand. 

Dante groaned and lifted his clock from the floor. "Please, let’s not die…” 

Jekyll almost felt a pang of guilt. I’m sorry, Dante. I didn’t think Kuvira was... well...

She hit us like a truck. Impressive… and terrifying that she probably does not favor us now. 

Bot shook his head furiously. “I don’t want to be blood soup!” He pointed at Jekyll and the bucket near her. 

“We are going to die either way,” Mallo objected. “Might as well.” 

“I just watched someone become soup!” Boy shook, his voice getting louder before he took a breath. “I need to calm down.” 

“I’ve only been revived once, but it’s not that bad,” Lenore explained. “Off topic, but have we explained EGO and corrosion to the newbies?” 

“I know about EGO, not corrosion.” 

“Corrosion is when the EGO of an abnormality takes control of you,” Mallo and Mark said at the same time. There was a moment of silence that followed as they glared at each other. 

Boy laughed nervously, putting his rat hand to his head. “Am I on drugs?” 

Faust shook her head. “Faust finds their explanation unreliable.” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about." Mallo’s retort was followed by a glare shifting toward Faust. “I worked at L Corp; you did not.” 

“Faust was employed at L Corp; I was not.” 

Mallo paused. “...What? You can’t just say you did, yet you didn’t do something. What do you mean?” 

Her only reply was a smug grin. 

Mark raised an eyebrow and stood to his feet, hand on his knee to push himself up. “Do you mean like an ID of yours?” 

“You could suggest that, yes. It is the most accurate to the situation.” 

Mark shared Faust’s grin as he turned to Mallo. “See?” 

“But that’s not you!” Mallo argued. “That’s just an alternate timeline version of you!” 

“Does it matter?” Lenore interjected. 

“Yes, it matters!” Mallo was not having it. “IDs don’t bleed over, so their experience is not ours firsthand!” 

“It’s still you; that’s the whole point of the technology,” Lenore inquired. 

“Are you and your One Who Grips ID the same then?” 

“I disagree with her perhaps, but it is still me.” 

“Yes, it’s an alternate version of you but not—” 

“I think there are better things to constitute than arguing what a soul is regarding IDs,” Boy stammered. 

Mallo glanced back toward him. “Abnormalities can take your soul.” 

“WHAT?!”

Mallo went on a tangent that Jekyll didn’t pay attention to. She slowly crawled over to where Dante was sitting on the ground and sat next to him. She shrunk back as she watched Kuvira walk by, talking to Dante casually and asking him for help on the repairs in the Mirror Dungeon. The veteran obliged and followed the assistant inside. 

RIP Jatayu. 

He won’t provoke her like you did! Jekyll sighed. What happened to working together? 

My mistake: out of all the things, I didn’t expect THAT. 

Despite Mallo’s ramble in the background, Jekyll was able to pick up on a small conversation the manager had. “I hope that Jatayu and Lenore were treating you well,” he gestured to Alex.

He nodded formally. "They were very helpful, yes. Very informative."

Boy tried to exit from the party, moving out of the way, but Mallo and Lenore grabbed his arms, insisting that he stay. They both started to head over to Dante with Boy in hand. 

Dante didn’t notice. "Ah... good. Were they able to help get you situated with combat any? Apologies for rushing the gun, but, as you can see, a lot is going on."

“We did consider it, yes. But we thought better considering we'd get into combat eventually and were looking into the EGO storage before..." Alex gestured toward the incident. "We might as well get it over with."

Dante’s attention had to be brought to Mallo, Lenore, and Boy as they came over and discussed the opportunity to train him. 

“It’s fine, really; I’d rather not die." Boy shook his head, trying to back away. It was clear he was not into the idea.

Dante chuckled. “I’m sure you both will do fine." 

“You will die,” Mallo interjected. 

“Not today, please!” Boy stammered. 

“You die, get up, and die again, and you get up and try again!” 

“I can step back and watch someone else do it!” 

“If only,” Lenore crossed her arms and shook her head. 

“You can use your drugs if you want, if they even work,” Mallo added. 

“I don’t know! That’s like the number one rule of the backstreets, you don’t test your own drugs on yourself!” 

…

…

The conversation had stopped, despite everyone still chatting. Jekyll stared in absolute horror at Boy, flashing back to the time when she did the exact opposite. 

That’s what Mark said at the...

We did that, yet we turned out fine...

But, we weren’t supposed to... How does he know that? Was that a common rule I just... missed? Jekyll gripped her cloak where the Split Shards vial was. She breathed heavily.

He truly has no idea. He’s in for a treat. 

It was only Dante’s voice that snapped Jekyll out of her trance. “If it helps any, I was going to have you guys do an easy battle. Alex is an Ex R Corp employee, and both of you can work on some minor and easy things.” He ticked slowly, trying to calm Boy down. 

“Any help is appreciated. That is, if you’re offering. With someone’s help, the task wouldn’t be a hard pill to swallow,” Alex said. 

Mallo moved to the side to observe the newcomers up and down again. “Hmm… I need someone competent in there, just to make sure. Our first round was a complete mess, so send in a person who knows what they are doing, Dante. Send me, Lenore, Mark, or Jekyll… any one of us works.” 

“I’d rather send Faust,” Dante argued. “You just smacked Mark against the head and killed him.” 

“It was consensual!” 

Boy shook his head. “I don’t think that helped!” 

“It was—” 

The party went on and on about teamwork, who had done the most wrong, and something about whether or not to do combat. It was difficult to string any pieces together, but all grew silent as a red glow appeared in the room and the guide stepped forward. With a single movement, he silenced everyone in the room. 

Jekyll glanced toward the Mirror Dungeon door. I wonder if he knows what she’s hiding. 

“May I inquire about the bickering?” Vergilius asked calmly. 

Mallo was the first to recover her senses and reply. “We are trying to decide if Boy and Alex should go into combat, and which one of us is competent enough to teach them. I’m suggesting me or Mark.” 

Is she mad? Hyde scoffed, enjoying the sight. 

Jekyll was also confused. Wasn’t she screaming at Mark before this? 

“Maybe offer someone who doesn’t have a record,” Mark jabbed. 

“Send two sinners in with the newcomers,” Vergilius more demanded of the solution than offered it. 

Mallo nodded. “Why don’t both of you pick one to go with you?” 

Boy shuddered when the spotlight was shifted to him. “I guess Mark? Given the information...” 

“That’s one,” Vergilius gestures to Alex. “Who?” 

Alex turned to Lenore. “If you’d be so kind?” 

There was more senseless talk among them, mainly with Mallo objecting to the choice. Jekyll slowly got to her feet, trying to get out of the way of the chaos. She slowly ventured toward the hallway, attempting to make a sneaky escape. However, all of her stealth failed the moment Kuvira came out of the Mirror Dungeon. Fear overtook her heart and she booked it out of the room, running toward the end of the bus, down the halls, past the storage...

Eventually, after her heart had settled down, the doctor found herself in a room with a large chained ball hanging over a pit. To the right were piles and piles of metal, red flower-shaped things. They looked like artificial roses. Before the drop where the chain ball hung was a large metal door and a small chamber to fit in said flowers. 

Jekyll approached the machine slowly, eyeing it carefully. What is this? 

Hyde also watched carefully. I don’t recall them talking about this…

Did we go too far in the corridor? Jekyll wandered over to the metal flowers, picking one up and running her hands along its pedals. 

Why don’t you put it in the slot? See what happens. 

Curiosity got the better of her. Her steps echoed along the wooden floor as she carried the object and placed it in the designated slot. 

With creaks and turns, the chain wheel started to glow and spin. The doors opened more as the chains wrapped around the strange glowing ball shot out toward what looked like a starry night sky. Everything glowed red and orange as the facade of the night cracked. It shattered as the Split Shards shrugged, the holes in the machine revealing the mirror worlds. Each chain went into a new mirror world. Some of them were dull, some were red, and one was bright yellow. 

Jekyll’s mouth dropped. She had seen mirror worlds before, but never had she seen something be able to cross into them. After staring a long while, she placed her hand on the glowing lunacy. It faded at her touch, and all the chains retracted into the ball, pulling out what they had found in other worlds. 

To the left, there was a small machine that printed cards that looked similar to the ones Dante used for IDs. Jekyll waddled over with awe and curiosity as she searched them. Most of them were just duplicates of herself, which was typical. That’s mostly what I see when I use the split shards drug...

But one of them stood out. One of them was bright yellow and shined, unlike the rest. Jekyll gripped it with her hands and blew the dust off it, her eyes widening what she saw. 

It was Hyde but in a white outfit and a Ring weapon. Her hair was back, and she possessed no monocle. The card had OOOO on it; she wasn’t sure what that meant, but she almost dropped the card the moment she read the title of it. 

Maestro Hyde. 

[teotoffee]

that one twitter art trend going on ft. current fave and og fave source under the cut:

[bardofhype]

when there isn't a new test subject. is this anything

[fablegaze]

[art-blogge]

with @dakukabi , the theme was apparently “kill” and “die” (excluding limbitch maint side) and “how fast can i badly draw my own sona” (very)

[tworealms]

[pocasu]

my lcb id if you want to send a request btw!