"…and then you screamed, 'later I'll explain,' only to never explain a thing. Kinda hilarious, don't you think?" Iris said, her voice echoing down the academy's nightmarish corridor.

Amy watched the girl's back as they walked. She took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from snapping before speaking. "We were—and still are—in the middle of a crisis."

"Right, but here's the thing—" Iris spun around to face Amy, continuing to walk but now backwards. "I haven't known you for long, and I don't know what kind of story you have with the others. But I get the feeling it will always be 'in the middle of a crisis' with you. Tell me, if we continue this way, when exactly is this magical 'later' supposed to happen? When we're all dead?"

Amy rolled her eyes and ignored the girl's words. Her boots clicked against the smooth stone floor, making it the only sound alongside Iris' steps in the momentary silence that ensued.

If only I had someone else to accompany me…

The plan had seemed straightforward enough back in the main chamber. Amy would take the first trial—get in, get out, get back to help with defenses. But everyone had agreed it was too dangerous to walk alone, not with Abaddon potentially managing to bypass their crude barrier. And since Iris already knew the way from her earlier exploration with Lain...

Well. Here they were.

It wasn't like she hated Iris, no farther from the truth actually; back when reading the manga, Iris had been one of the few characters she actually hadn't found irritating. The problem was just that now the girl was an actual, real breathing human being, and so she managed to get on Amy's nerves waaaay too efficiently.

And speaking of…

"Do I have something on my face?" Amy asked, noting how Iris's gaze hadn't left her for the past thirty seconds.

Iris didn't seem to hear her for a second as her mind seemed to be in another place. Actually…it almost looked like her gaze was on something behind her.

Iris's grin suddenly widened, then her eyes definitely turned to Amy this time. She was still walking backwards with her head tilted at an angle that would've been creepy if it weren't so deliberately theatrical. "What did you say?"

Amy released a long breath before speaking. "I asked if I had something on my face, seeing as you keep staring."

"Oh, nothing is wrong. I was just trying to figure something out."

"Figuring out what?"

"You, of course." Iris finally turned around, resuming a normal walking posture. "You're weird, Stake. I mean that in the nicest way possible, but you're really fucking weird."

"Thanks…?" Amy responded with a small frown.

"You're welcome," Iris said, then glanced back over her shoulder. "You know, I've been thinking about it. That whole thing with your book during our confrontation with Crow's psychopathic father. That was insane."

Amy's hand moved unconsciously to her satchel, fingers brushing the damaged cover of Libris inside. The book was warm to the touch, even through the fabric. Still sleeping.

Through the numbness, a hint of bitterness threatened to surface, making her frown.

Right now it isn't the time.

"I assume you are going somewhere with this…" Amy responded.

"You assume right," Iris said, her grin widening. "Since I love repeating myself, I'll do it once again. After dealing with Crow's missing arm, you told me—or rather told everyone—that you would explain what the hell had happened 'later'. Yet you haven't explained anything yet."

"And I already told you, we were and still are in the middle of—"

"A crisis, yeah, yeah." Iris stopped walking abruptly, and Amy nearly collided with her back. The tall, muscular girl turned, blocking the corridor entirely. "Actually, I think you're wrong about that." She gave Amy a toothless smile as she stared down at her. "Right now we're just two girls taking a nice, peaceful stroll through a bit dusty and weirdly designed academy hall," Iris said, gesturing around them with a sweeping motion towards the obsidian walls with decorations such as paintings and small chairs hanging upside down or straight up being in the ceiling sometimes. "Perfect time for girl talk, don't you think?"

Amy could feel a headache building as she began anticipating the next sequence of events; she didn't even need her ability to tell her how this was going to play out. "We're on a timer. We're in a life-or-death situation. We don't have time for this."

"Says who? You?" Iris took a step closer, and Amy had to resist the urge to step back. "Forgive me, but as much as I'm willing to follow your plans, I don't exactly trust your words." Iris sighed, then crossed her arms. "You promised you would explain later. Your exact words were 'I'll explain later.' Well, it's later. So explain."

"When I said later, I meant—"

"After the crisis? After the trials? After we escape? After we graduate from the Academy? After you and Crow marry, start a family, and have—"

"Crow and me what??"

"Ugh. Either way. Face it, Stake, there's always going to be something. That, or we might actually die in a few hours, just like you said. Life or death situation."

The prophesied headache bloomed fully, a dull throbbing at Amy's temples. She pressed her lips together, staring at the source of her current pain.

Annoying…

Amy recognized that Iris had some right to demand answers. Their survival was built on Amy's knowledge, after all. The problem was that there were simply too many things she couldn't explain without revealing the fundamental impossibility of her existence.

Even the mysterious seer who could see the future didn't explain the vast extent of the knowledge she possessed. And she felt reluctant to invent or strengthen her power without enough reader affinity to actually make it real; that was the easiest way to get her outed as a fraud.

It wasn't that she didn't want to respond to the girl's questions; she just couldn't.

Yup, that's right, she couldn't. Toootally, that was it. It was just that… she wanted to but couldn't. Yup, that's right.

Silence followed the girl's words, and a tense and very uncomfortable atmosphere settled.

Amy, seeing as they were losing too much time on this, was about to speak, but Iris beat her to it.

"C'monnn~ Not even a simple phrase. Breaking promises… that's not very nice."

"Iris. We. Are. In. The. Middle. Of. A. Crisis."

"Stake. We. Are. Not. In. The. Middle. Of— Ouch!!!"

Amy, tired of it all, just kicked her leg, then once she had the annoyed girl's eyes fully on her, she pointed at the root of all their problems.

Far above them, visible through a window in the corridor's ceiling—something that shouldn't be in that place, but it was—the sky could be seen, or at least some of it, as a big part of it was covered.

The colossal 'woman' hung above them, ever present. Her obsidian skin caught no light, and her tattered wings spread wide enough to eclipse the sun that might or might not actually be there.

But it was the eyes that made Amy's stomach turn.

Two voids where eyes should be, somehow even darker than the obsidian around them. And they were pointed down. Down at the academy. Down at this corridor.

Down at them.

Probably. Maybe. It was hard to tell with something that size. Could something that massive even focus on individuals? Or was Amy's mind just playing tricks?

Iris had gone very, very still beside her.

After a few seconds of just staring at it, the girl sighed and refocused on Amy once again.

"You know what Stake. Forget it." She suddenly said, earning a relieved look from Amy.

Thank God…

"If you understand, then let's—"

"I don't need answers anymore," Iris announced, interrupting Amy mid-step. "Looking at that creepy lady from above gave me an epiphany. I already know what you're hiding."

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Uh……?

Was this another one of her stupid little games…

Amy sighed, squinted her eyes, then tilted her head. "What do you mean, you know?"

"Lain isn't the only one who knows how to read between the lines." Iris leaned against the wall, crossing her arms with what looked like a knowing smile. "The way you always seem to know just a little too much, but not quite everything. The way you look sometimes, like you're reading from a script, but someone keeps changing the lines." Iris's eyes gleamed with something Amy couldn't quite identify. "I used to do something similar when I was a kid."

"You... what?"

Amy's mind shut down as she stared at the girl in confusion and then nervousness.

Wait, could it be, this girl too…

"There was this game the village kids played," Iris explained, her expression becoming nostalgic as she stared at the ceiling. "We'd hide things from each other—toys, treats, whatever—and the person who found the most would win. But I figured out early that the real power wasn't in finding things. It was in knowing where they were but not telling anyone."

Amy stared at her, blinking.

"It felt good, you know?" Iris continued. "Having that secret knowledge. Watching everyone else scramble while you just... waited. Choose your moment. It made me feel cool and mysterious." She paused, then added more softly, "Though I was a kid. So it's kind of different doing it now that we are almost full-grown adults…"

What the hell is she—

"What are you even saying? That's not the same thing," Amy said right after regaining her voice, perhaps too defensively.

"Isn't it, though?" Iris tilted her head with a soft, melancholic smile. "You've got information, you're holding it close, you're using it to guide us without telling us everything." She shrugged. "The only difference is that…uh… well. The age. But don't feel embarrassed about it! I always say that it is better to be a happy kid than a grumpy geezer."

I don't understand anything that is going on right now…

Was this girl trying to compare her to a kid acting mysterious for the feeling of being cool? Amy almost felt offended. Almost. But she bit back the retort forming on her tongue and instead resumed walking, her jaw tight.

Iris must have noticed Amy's expression because she laughed softly, then shook her head as she began walking alongside her. "Didn't I tell you there's nothing to be embarrassed about? Wanting to be perceived in a specific way is part of human nature."

"I'm not—" Amy stopped herself, taking a breath. "It's fine."

"But honestly, no wonder you don't want to tell anyone about your secret information source," Iris continued, clearly enjoying herself now. "I assure you, Stake, I understand. You like having an aura of mysteriousness, like the heroes in the books. I get it~"

"..."

Is she doing this on purpose…?

As she watched the girl continue her hopefully teasing, a realization suddenly hit Amy, making her stop in her tracks.

She locked eyes with Iris, who had stopped and was looking at her with confusion.

"Iris. What do you actually want from me? This isn't just about answers, is it?"

The question seemed to catch Iris off guard. She blinked, her theatrical grin faltering for just a moment. "What? No, I literally just told you—it's about answers. You said you'd explain later, and I'm collecting on that promise."

"That doesn't make sense," Amy interrupted, crossing her arms. She felt exhaustion pulling at her, but something about this whole exchange had been bothering her since the start. "You're being way too persistent about this. It doesn't fit."

"Doesn't fit what?"

"Your personality," Amy said bluntly. "You're not the inquisitive type. You don't push for information like this. That's not your..." She caught herself before saying how she knew that hadn't been her role in the manga and quickly adjusted. "That's more Zayd's thing. Or Lain's. They're the ones who dig for answers and push when something doesn't add up."

Iris's eyes narrowed slightly. "Okay, first of all, we just met not too long ago. And second of all, are you seriously trying to tell me how I act?"

"I'm saying this—" Amy gestured between them, "—this whole interrogation routine? It doesn't match. You're direct, yes. Blunt, definitely. But you're not this." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "You usually take action first and ask questions later, if at all. So what's actually going on here?"

"Are you—" Iris stared at her with something between confusion and disbelief. "Are you seriously trying to gaslight me right now?"

"What?" Amy felt her eye twitch. "How is that gaslighting? I'm pointing out the truth!"

"You're making it sound like I have some weird ulterior motive when I'm just asking you to keep a promise."

"You DO have an ulterior motive! That's my entire point!"

"B-But I know myself…"

"Ughhh…! Just think for a second, will you!"

Iris stared at her for a long moment, her jaw working like she was chewing on words she couldn't quite spit out.

The silence stretched as Iris seemed to be pondering something. Then suddenly—

"Wait….🤔 You're right! There really is an ulterior motive."

Why is she saying it as if she didn't know…?

Iris kept pondering for a few more seconds, her expression slowly turning into tiredness and then resignation.

"Okay," She said slowly, letting out a long sigh. "Now that I actually think about it... maybe it's not only about that."

Amy tapped her foot, her impatience beginning to show. "I'm listening."

"I want," Iris began slowly, "to know if you're actually going to keep us alive. Or if you're just... using us to reach an objective." She crossed her arms, and the gesture looked defensive rather than confrontational. "I don't have a problem with people using me, that's fine. We can work with that. But the others… Your idea about Crow. Sure, making him a living shield kept us alive, but in return it just… I can't explain it..."

She trailed off, but the implication hung in the air.

This again… first Lain on the rooftop and now Iris… Did I make the correct choice back then…

Amy held her gaze, then spoke with as much clarity as she could muster. Better make this clear once and for all to avoid future problems. "Everything I've done and everything I will ever do is to save you—all of you. I swear on everything that has ever mattered to me, this is the truth."

The silence that followed Amy's words stretched between them. Iris stared at her for a long moment, something unreadable flickering across her features.

Then, unexpectedly, she sighed and looked away.

"Shit, I can't believe I'm saying this…" she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "Miss Amy Stake, I think… I owe you an apology."

Amy blinked, then frowned, then blinked again, then frowned for a second time. "What?"

"Yeah, yeah~ You heard correctly, Stake. I said sorry…" Iris ran a hand through her hair, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. "Look, it's been a crazy day... A few hours ago, I found out the world is ending. With a giant woman in the sky and chaos monsters, and apparently an actual prophet—like an actual prophet from those of the legends—is running around trying to kill us." She let out a shaky laugh. "It's a lot to take in, you know?"

Amy kept blinking, unable to comprehend whatever was going on in front of her. She studied the girl's face, noting the tension around her eyes, the way her hands trembled slightly before she clenched them into fists.

This was unexpected… Now she felt bad.

"Look, Iris." Amy began, scratching her neck and looking anywhere but at the girl with a visible frown. "You're right, I have been hiding a lot from you and the others, and for that I also apologize…"

I can't believe I'm taking accountability for my own actions…

"I know it's kind of a shitty thing to do, considering the situation we are in. But believe me when I tell you that I have my reasons for keeping what I know from all of you…" Amy exhaled and then added more quietly. "I get it. I really do get that all this is extremely overwhelming..."

"Do you though?" Iris asked, with a hint of accusation in it. "Because you seem to be handling all of this remarkably well."

Amy almost laughed at that. If only she knew… "As I said, I'm on your side, Iris. Our side. I know it's hard to believe, but I truly am. Everything I'm doing is to keep us all alive."

Iris studied her face for a moment, then pushed off from the wall. "Yeah, well. I sure as hell hope that's true, because otherwise we're completely fucked."

They locked eyes for one last time before they resumed walking, the tension between them not gone but definitely less hostile, more uncertain.

The obsidian hallways continued their weird architecture around them—a painting that should have been on the left wall appearing on the ceiling, a door that opened into another door that opened into a window.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Iris spoke again. Something about her expression put Amy a little on edge for some unknown reason.

"So, this power of yours. Can it really get us out of this nightmare? Like in one piece and with the easiest path imaginable…"

Amy hesitated for a single second before nodding. "I trust my power. It hasn't failed me yet. But it probably won't get us to where we want to go unscathed…"

"Shit... Then I really hope that power of yours has predicted this too."

Amy frowned, glancing at the taller girl. "What do you mean?"

Iris's eyes grew more focused, and a little smile appeared on her lips. "I really hoped you'd noticed by now…. that or that it was your doing somehow and you were about to betray us and give me an excuse to fight you…no such luck, I guess."

Amy's heart began beating faster, and her hands clenched against her satchel.

Iris stopped walking, her entire body tensing. "Get ready to run," she said quietly. "The gates should be straight ahead. I'll take care of this."

"Take care of wha—"

Iris moved so fast that Amy barely saw it. One moment she was standing beside her, the next she ran behind—toward the part of the already traversed corridor—her fist connecting with a shadow along the wall. Then, something exploded in a spray of black ichor that dissipated into smoke.

Amy's blood went cold as she stared at the girl's actions, then rapidly came to a conclusion almost out of instinct—a black spray and blood could only mean a chaos creature.

How?? What? How did it get past the barrier?

Before she could voice the question, more movement caught her eye. The walls themselves seemed to be birthing them—things resembling cockroaches but made of darkness, spiders with too many legs and eyes, beetles that clicked with sounds that hurt to hear.

Amy's mind went blank. The barrier was supposed to hold. It was linked to Crow. If these things were here, then either the barrier had failed, or…

Wait… Small… There were no big creatures like the ones outside. Did that have something to—

"STAKE!" Iris's voice cut through her paralysis. "RUN! I've got this!"

A massive swing of Iris's arm sent three more shadow-rats flying, dissolving into nothing. But for each one she destroyed, two more seemed to crawl from the cracks in the obsidian.

"The trial! Finish it. I'll go warn the others," Iris shouted again, not looking back as she grabbed what might have been a centipede made of nightmares and squashed it. "Straight ahead! GO!"

Amy's legs finally responded, and her mind fully caught up to the events unfolding. She turned and ran, her boots slapping against the floor as the sounds of Iris's battle echoed behind her.

Behind her, she could hear Iris laughing for some incomprehensible reason as she fought.

Amy only looked back once, then kept sprinting with all her strength.

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