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zelphin124 · 1 month ago

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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.

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