“Wow, you’re really strong!” Isabelle said, watching Delilah.
Delilah felt her face grow hot as she did another slow, controlled chin-up. “Not really,” she said, pausing at the top. “I’m small and light, so these are easy for me.”
“Always downplaying herself,” Alice said, rolling her eyes. “You’re awesome, sis! That’s fourteen, right?”
Delilah blushed even more. “Fifteen,” she said softly, dropping down to land lightly on the floor.
“Do you always do all these exercises in the morning?” Isabelle asked.
“Usually,” Delilah said. “I haven’t had a chance for a while, but it feels good to be back at it.”
“It’s a good way to start the day,” Alice said with a grin. She’d done most of the exercises alongside Delilah, and even Isabelle had joined them as best she could. She turned to Rabanastre, grinning. “Ready?”
“Ooh, ready for what?” Isabelle asked.
Alice chuckled, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “For… this!” She suddenly leapt up in a beautiful, high spinning flip. Delilah recognized the move immediately — Alice was going to do the amazing, balletic flip to then land on Rabanastre’s outstretched palm and be tossed even higher.
But Rabanastre didn’t move. The tall, muscular humanoid rabbit Summon watched Alice with his trademark glowering stare, but he didn’t make ready to catch her. As Alice came down, still nothing changed…
She’s going to land on her head!
Just as Delilah thought that and was rushing to catch her, Alice twisted in midair at the last possible second. She landed in a low crouch, looking shaken for a moment. But then she popped up, hands up like she’d just stuck the landing in a gymnastics routine. “Ta-da!” she said, grinning. Isabelle cheered, clapping excitedly.
“Was that okay?” Delilah asked in a whisper.
Alice turned away so that Isabelle couldn’t see her face, and then shot a confused glance towards Rabanastre. “He and I have been a little out of sync lately,” she said. Then she shrugged. “Whatever. He’s probably just going through a phase.”
Through a phase? I suppose Felix was a bit stubborn and reckless when he was little, but he grew out of that quickly. Should Rabanastre be going through this kind of phase after being with Alice for so long?
“But now that morning exercises are over…” Isabelle said, leading into a cheer as she threw her hands up, “it’s bath time!”
Alice sighed. “Who gets excited about washing themselves?”
“You don’t like being all squeaky clean?” Isabelle asked.
“It’s just a little sweat,” Alice said, shrugging. “Who needs to bathe every day, anyway?”
“You’re doing it anyway, though, right?” Delilah asked, raising an eyebrow.
Alice sighed. “Yeah, yeah.”
The three went to the bathroom, a massive open space with a shared dressing area and partitions between individual baths. This had been one of the most despondent, disgusting rooms to clean, with soap scum eating away at the tiles, rust clinging to pipes and faucets, and mold festering in awkward corners. But now that it was clean, it really was a resplendent, comforting space. White tiles, a high, bright ceiling, and all sorts of faucets with tons of different settings. The girls had tried out the baths right away when they’d finished cleaning them the previous day, and Delilah had relished in the various bubbling effects she could get from jets in the walls and floor of the baths. There were hundreds of different kinds of scented soaps, shampoos, and conditioners, and after a hefty round of laundry they’d ended up with piles and piles of luxuriously soft towels of all sizes and colors.
Delilah preferred showers, but she’d taken quite quickly to the baths here. Perhaps it was because the first had come after a long day of very hard, grungy work. And there was definitely an element of having been traveling for a long time with no real place of home and relaxation. Whatever the case, she found the baths at Revue Palace to be wonderfully soothing.
Afterwards, she dried off and dressed, and then helped Isabelle dry her hair — the little girl’s apple-red hair fell nearly to her ankles when dry and bouncy with curls, but when wet she was practically tripping over it and had to be very careful.
“I kinda want to cut it like yours,” Isabelle said. “You used to have so much hair, but you don’t miss it, do you?”
“Sometimes,” Delilah said. “I miss it less than I thought I would. But it does feel nice this way. Don’t take cutting your hair lightly, though. Yours is so soft and beautiful, and I get the feeling you’d miss it more than I miss mine.”
Isabelle giggled. “I do really like my hair. And Mari, Sara, and Mommy are always saying nice things about it.”
“Shorter hair’s easier to take care of,” Alice said, ruffling a towel through her hair and then tossing it aside. “But a Princess being high-maintenance seems about right.”
“Your hair looks weird!” Isabelle said. “It usually looks so cool! What’d you do to it?”
“It’s always stupid and stubborn after I wash it,” Alice said, pursing her lips as she tugged at the longer side of her hair.
Delilah stared at her for a moment, then motioned her closer. “Come here,” she said.
“What?” Alice asked, eyeing her suspiciously, her white eyes flicking to black.
“Just come here,” Delilah said. Alice let out a sigh and came over, sitting down so Delilah could inspect her hair.
Delilah frowned the instant she ran her fingers through Alice’s jet-black hair. “You didn’t use conditioner, did you?” she asked.
“What’s that?” Alice asked.
“What’s conditioner?” Isabelle asked, eyes wide in shock.
Delilah frowned, feeling Alice’s hair some more. “Hold on… what did you wash your hair with?”
“Soap,” Alice said, frowning at the scrutiny. “What else do you wash stuff with?”
“What kind of soap?”
Alice looked at her as if that was the dumbest question she’d ever heard. “The bar stuff, the blue one.”
“You used a bar of soap to wash your hair?” Delilah and Isabelle asked in unison, gaping in astonishment.
Alice pursed her lips and turned away. “W-what was I supposed to use?”
“Shampoo!” Isabelle said. “And conditioner!”
“You guys are too high-maintenance,” Alice said.
“No,” Delilah said. “Your hair’s beautiful and really sensitive, so you should treat it properly. I’ll show you what I use, and you should try that next time.”
“My hair’s not sensitive!” Alice said, pulling away from Delilah’s fingers. “My hair’s tough and cool!”
“And for it to stay that way, you need to take proper care of it,” Delilah said.
Isabelle nodded sagely. Then she pointed at Delilah. “You’re really acting like a big sister,” she said.
Like a big sister?
Delilah was taken aback at that — and reminded of when Adelaide had said something similar to her, moments before Alice asked her to be her sister.
Am I… really…?
But I’m the baby of my family. I don’t have any younger siblings. Or, I didn’t, until now.
“You really are,” Alice said, her eyes flicking to white then black and back again. “So I guess I shouldn’t complain so much.” She stood.
“Hey, wait,” Delilah said. “You at least comb your hair, don’t you?”
“What is it with you guys and hair?” Alice asked, ruffling her hair with her fingers. “Geez, it’s not that complicated. I just use my hands. It figures itself out eventually.”
“No wonder it’s so tangled, despite being so short,” Delilah said. She sighed and stood, holding out a comb. “You can do it, or I’d be happy to do it for you. Even though you really should go wash your hair a second time, this’ll at least help for now.”
“You really should wash it again!” Isabelle said. “We’ve got a serious formal ceremony to attend today. You should look your best!”
“I don’t get why people get so worked up over fancy-dos,” Alice said. At intense stares from both Isabelle and Delilah, she let out a huge sigh. “Fine! I’ll go wash my hair again! Geez, and I just got dry and dressed, too.”
“Let me show you what I use,” Delilah said, following after her. After she showed Alice, she returned to Isabelle. The girl’s hair was finally close to dry, so she helped her brush it. When Alice returned, both girls stared at her intently — especially at her hair. When Delilah motioned Alice over to check, Alice flinched, but didn’t resist, coming to sit in front of Delilah. Both Delilah and Isabelle ran their hands through her hair, and immediately smiled.
“So soft!” Isabelle said. “Silky smooth and wonderful! It’s the best hair ever!”
“See what a difference it makes?” Delilah asked. “Your hair feels nicer to you now too, right?”
“Y-yeah, whatever,” Alice said, pulling away, but Delilah pulled her back.
“Just a quick combing, it’ll help a lot,” Delilah said. “You don’t want all these tangles.”
“What if I do, huh?” Alice asked, frowning.
“Don’t be such a grump,” Isabelle said. “Taking care of each other’s hair is a really important thing for sisters to do. It helps your bonds grow deeper and more wonderful!”
“You’re just a natural at those cheesy lines, aren’t you?” Alice asked.
“It doesn’t feel bad, though, does it?” Delilah asked as she ran the comb through Alice’s hair.
“Feels weird,” Alice muttered. “My hair never feels like this.”
Finished with all of that, the girls left, making their way to the dining room for breakfast, which Marcus and Maribelle were taking charge of. As they walked, Alice leaned in close to Delilah and whispered softly, self-consciously, “Do you… really think my hair’s beautiful?”
Delilah smiled. “I really do,” she said.
Alice reached up, playing with her bangs. “Then I… I guess I could… take better care of it, from now on. Thanks, by the way. For… showing me how.”
Delilah smiled all the more. “You’re welcome.”
Breakfast wasn’t quite ready yet, but that gave Delilah an opportunity to help out as well. As she and Alice were setting the table, she looked up after a moment. “Hold on, where’d Isabelle go?”
“Belle-Belle?” Alice asked, looking around. “Huh. I could’ve sworn she was right next to me a second ago.”
“She’s gone?” Maribelle asked. “Revue!” At the calling of her name, Revue appeared, making a dramatic, twirling entrance, flower petals scattering around her.
“You called?” she asked.
“Do you know where my sister went?” Maribelle asked.
“Ah, she isn’t in the Palace anymore, dear,” Revue said. “She went back to the Library of Solitude.”
“She went back?” Maribelle asked. “But… Mother likely won’t let her leave, now.”
“She’d hold her own daughter hostage?” Alice asked.
Maribelle sighed. “She’s determined not to let us get involved with your quest. And Belle-Belle’s still a child, so she’s within her rights to tell her what to do.”
“But why’d she go back?” Delilah asked, looking to Revue. “Did she say anything to you?”
“She had an awfully mischievous gleam in her eyes,” Revue said. “And she said with great confidence, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be back real soon!’ Though she didn’t say at all why she was leaving.”
“Maybe she wanted a book,” Alice said.
“We should trust her,” Marcus said, continuing to prepare the table for breakfast, setting a place for Isabelle. “She may be young, but she knows her limits. It’s unlikely her confidence was unfounded.”
“If nothing else, she’s safe in the Library of Solitude,” Maribelle said. “Still, why —”
“I’m back!” came the excited voice of Isabelle. She dashed into the dining room, grinning broadly. And she wasn’t alone.
“Sara?” Maribelle asked, staring in shock.
With Isabelle was Sarabelle. Ever since her rescue from the Radiant Palace, she’d been recovering quite well. But even so, Delilah thought she always looked fragile and delicate. She was very thin, with a paler complexion than that of her sisters, and her red hair was pale, too, streaked with faint veins of silver, very carefully and elaborately arranged with numerous beautiful golden hairpins. She carried herself in a dignified, regal manner, with graceful poise and elegance. And she was dressed beautifully, in a pale blue gown wrapped around her waist, with an embroidered shawl draped across her shoulders. And also on those shoulders…
“Bella?” Delilah asked, staring. Peeking out from behind Sarabelle’s neck was a small, lithe white cate with red streaks on its ears. Pale green eyes stared back at Delilah, and Bella’s tail swished slowly back and forth.
“She’s never been outside of the Library before!” Maribelle said. “Even when you’ve left.”
“I know,” Sarabelle said, reaching up and lightly stroking Bella’s neck with a single finger. “She was quite upset with me when I agreed to leave. She was going to stay home, but then —”
“She said your name!” Isabelle said, pointing at Delilah.
“Me?” Delilah asked.
“Yes,” Sarabelle said with a smile. “I said I was going to Delilah, and at that, Bella leapt onto my shoulder and refused to be left behind.”
“All because of my name?” Delilah asked. She slowly approached Sarabelle, and Bella’s eyes remained fixed on her. When she was close enough, Delilah slowly, gently held out her hand. Bella stretched out a small white paw and nudged at Delilah’s fingers.
“She still likes you more than us,” Isabelle said with a despondent sigh.
“But wait, Belle-Belle, Sara,” Maribelle said. “How did you get out of the Library of Solitude? Isn’t Mother determined to keep you there?”
Isabelle grinned. “I was super-sneaky!” she said. “Nobody saw me, and nobody saw either of us on the way out!”
“Whoa, way to go, Belle-Belle!” Alice said, holding out a hand. Isabelle happily high-fived it, glowing from the praise.
“But why?” Maribelle asked.
“I wish to come with you,” Sarabelle said. “Not on your journey. Simply to the Astral Wall. Mother isn’t going, she has to train the majority of the Paladins and Sub-Paladins for the coming battle. But I wanted to go and pay my respects. Some of those we lost were once dear friends to me.”
“And I thought she’d want to, which is why I went to go get her,” Isabelle said.
“Yes, your intuition was quite impressive,” Sarabelle said. “And your ‘super-sneaky’ ways were, too. I didn’t believe I could leave the Library, so I’m very grateful to you.” She looked at the table and smiled. “And it seems I’m in time for breakfast. I hope I’m not one too many.”
“No way!” Isabelle said.
“We’ve made plenty for everyone,” Marcus said. “Please, join us.”
And so they had breakfast together. Sarabelle sat between Isabelle and Delilah, and Bella sat on Sarabelle’s lap, tail swishing with curiosity, head constantly looking around, green eyes peering at everything.
“She’s really never been outside the Library of Solitude before?” Delilah asked.
“Never,” Sarabelle said.
“She even stayed there and survived when everyone else had left and the Darkness had taken over the Library,” Isabelle said. “She’s a super devoted kitty.”
“And must have some mean survival skills,” Alice said, grinning at Bella. Bella didn’t pay her any mind — she didn’t pay anyone any mind, she was so focused on taking in all of these new surroundings.
Breakfast was a pleasant time, then, and after cleaning up, it was time to leave. Revue showed them the way to the right door to the Astral Wall, passing the door they usually took to the Library of Solitude, and leading them instead into another room, full of doors to other Bastions. Delilah was stunned, and had to take a moment to take it all in.
“This place… is huge,” she murmured, gazing up and up and up the tower-like room. Stairs ran up along the perimeter, and doors covered the walls. There were a dozen doors alone on the ground level, and dozens more — hundreds? — up the rest of the chamber.
“Revue Palace was once one of the most important Daylight Bastions,” Maribelle said. “The Library of Solitude has two rooms like this. It’s important for there to be hubs that connect to as many Bastions as possible, and it makes the most sense for those hubs to be important and stable Bastions.”
“The door to the Astral Wall is here, loves,” Revue said, showing them a silver door on the ground floor. Above every door was a symbol representing which Bastion that door led to, and above this one was a castle wall surrounded by stars. “Do have a safe trip, and come back soon!”
“Even though we’re coming back, it’s only to regroup before we leave again,” Alice said. “Don’t expect us to jump right back into cleaning.”
“I’ll gladly ignore your inconsiderate tone,” Revue said with a smile, “since you all did such a marvelous job restoring the residential hall! Words cannot express my gratitude, but I am searching for the proper song.”
“Do you think you’ll have it ready by the time we get back?” Delilah asked. “I’d love to hear it.”
Revue chuckled, resting a long-fingered hand on Delilah’s head. “So kind, love. I’ll certainly be ready to sing for you upon your return.”
“Hooray!” Isabelle said.
“Shall we go?” Marcus asked, opening the door and stepping aside, gesturing for the others to go ahead of him.
“Let’s go,” Delilah said, leading the way. She took a deep breath before she stepped through the door, adopting a serious expression.
The morning had been wonderful and fun. But through this door…
Lay her guilt. Fourteen Paladins, dead at the hands of the Lingering Will. She needed to honor their memory with everyone else.
And…
I need to take it all to heart. So that I never allow this to happen ever again.
The open door revealed a white sheet of light, just like all doors between Bastions. Delilah stepped through the light…
And immediately exited into a wholly different place. It appeared to be a storeroom, dusty but well-organized. She quickly crossed to the far door and pushed it open, stepping out into the Astral Wall proper.
She sucked in a breath, gazing in awe at what she saw. The first thing that struck her, differentiating the place from other Bastions she’d been to, was that she was outside. Not just for a garden or small area, no. The Astral Wall adopted the reverse of the Library of Solitude. Where the Library had several spacious gardens, those were, comparatively, a small portion of the overall Library, which was primarily interior construction. Here, rooms like the storeroom Delilah had just left were small and space far apart along the Wall, leaving tons of space to walk outside beneath a sky of impossible stars.
They glistened and gleamed, swirled and tumbled, all in a variety of colors and sizes. Some danced with each other, trailing glitter behind them. Others crashed into each other, fusing together, growing larger and melding their colors into one. Others burst apart, giving life to dozens of smaller stars that skipped and spun around each other.
Like any other night sky, there was a great deal of dark space between the stars. And yet these stars were so bright, so colorful, so lively, and so numerous, that it didn’t feel like it was dark at all.
The Wall itself lent to that atmosphere. It seemed as if its entire hundreds-miles-long length was carved from a single massive stone — an asteroid? A planet? — and that stone shimmered and shone with pale blue light. Delilah could see so much of the Wall’s length, because it curved to the right, and it had dips and rises like shallow hills. To her left were the Wall’s ramparts, tall, sturdy battlements rising up to repel any danger. To the right, stairs led down from the Wall to a huge plaza that felt less like a plaza and more like a city thanks to its size and the fact that there were close to one hundred buildings of various shapes and sizes spread out among grassy plots, flowering gardens, and rising trees. On the far side of that plaza, a grand staircase rose up to a magnificent castle with high, conical towers and a great central keep topped with the four largest towers.
“Okay,” Alice said in a hushed, awed murmur. “This is… pretty freaking cool.”
“It’s huge!” Isabelle cried, gazing wide-eyed at everything.
“Oh, that’s right,” Maribelle said. “You’ve never been here, have you, Belle-Belle?”
“Nope,” Isabelle said.
“The ceremony will be held at the Wall’s midpoint,” Sarabelle said. “Shall we go?”
“I can —” Maribelle started, moving towards Sarabelle, but Sarabelle laughed softly and shook her head.
“Please, you don’t need to assist me,” Sarabelle said. “I’ve recovered a great deal since you brought me home. This exercise does me good.” She started forward, and smiled as Isabelle came alongside her and took her hand so they could walk together.
They walked mostly in silence. The grandeur of the place brought a hushed awe to them, and as they got farther on, they started mixing with a growing crowd, all heading to the same place. That crowd had a sense of quietude, a somber air of remembrance that reminded them all of what they were here for.
Twelve was here, and he walked with them for a little while. “I’m pleased to see you alive and well,” he said, his porcelain mouth curving in a charming smile. “I trust you are closer to achieving your goal?”
“We are,” Delilah said.
“Excellent. Well, I hope we can speak more after the ceremony.”
Delilah saw Hayden, Botan, Camellia, and the dog Flynn, but they were involved in leading the ceremony for the fallen fourteen, so they didn’t get to speak to each other.
“They’re the Paladins in charge of the Astral Wall, aren’t they?” Delilah asked.
Marcus nodded. “They were given that role by Maestro Siegfried himself. And they have been valiant defenders of this Bastion for a very long time.”
“What is the Astral Wall, anyway?” Alice asked. “The way people talk about it, it’s something super special, right?”
“Yes,” Marcus said. “All Bastions defend several Locations — or in the case of the Moon, planets — from Darkness. Several areas in the Dominion see multiple Bastions overlap their defensive fields to support one another. But there is no Bastion that is as powerful a defensive force or protects as many Locations alone as the Astral Wall. It is… difficult to describe, because of how Locations in the Dominion are constantly in motion, on paths that are not entirely predictable.”
“That’s okay,” Delilah said. “Knowing that it’s the most important and impactful defensive force of the Bastions is enough, right?”
“Yes,” Marcus said with a smile. “Now, come this way. The ceremony will soon begin, and I would like you to have a proper view of the proceedings.”
“It’s like a funeral, right?” Alice asked.
“Yes,” Marcus said. “We call them rites, but you can think of them the same way. For something like this, with fourteen fallen to pay tribute to, there are three components. First, their name will be spoken. Second, a chime will be rung. Third, a star will be raised for them.”
“A star?” Delilah asked.
“It will become clear as you watch,” Marcus said. “Once we have paid tribute to all fourteen, then several Paladins will speak some words, and we will end with — ah, but it begins. Hush now, and pay close attention.”
Silence fell not just over Delilah’s group, but the entire crowd. Hundreds of Paladins and Sub-Paladins were gathered here, and it seemed there were thousands more on the Wall and down the stairs behind that were residents of this Bastion come to pay their respects.
A man stepped atop a stage, and Delilah recognized him. Maestro Siegfried, the Paladin of the Bastion known simply as “The Crown.” Every part of him testified to a life as the head of the spear in the constant battle against the Darkness: his steely gaze, his grizzled and scarred face, his white armor with dents and scars that no amount of polishing and repair could hide. He was the leader of the Paladin team charged with treading the deepest, darkest places of the universe in search of information about any weakness that Sal, Lord of Night, might possess. And yet he was here, which made Delilah wonder if something had happened to that initiative. Had they succeeded? Had they failed? Or had he simply returned out of a deeply held sense of obligation and reverence for the fallen?
Siegfried spoke in a deep, gravelly voice resonating with somber tones. “Friends, allies, brothers and sisters in arms. We are gathered here today, in the midst of the darkest era we have yet seen, because of tragedy. The shadow of death has stretched over fourteen of our comrades, and we shall not see their faces, nor hear their voices, nor fight alongside them, again in this life. But death is not the end. Darkness does not have the final say. So we shed tears, and we comfort one another in this sorrow. But at the same time, we sow the seeds of hope. We remember who we have lost. We look forward to that day, when we shall see them again. And we proclaim to the oncoming Night that the Light does not lessen with their deaths. It shines as bright as ever, and no Darkness can consume it. Here, today, let us remember the names of those we have lost too soon.”
Siegfried stepped to the edge of the stage, and Hayden, Botan, and Camellia climbed up to stand in the center. Behind them were two others. One held a silver hand chime, and the other held a basket with translucent silver crystals.
“Nicholas Hallaway,” Hayden said.
The hand chime was rung, its clear, resonant tone echoing out over the crowd. As it echoed out, a crystal was held aloft. Light filled the crystal, until it blazed like a star, and then shot into the sky. There, it joined the many stars above, becoming its own star alongside them, adopting its own color and dancing with the rest.
“Rebecca Lowell,” Botan said.
The chime was rung. Another star was raised up, shot skyward, and joined the others.
One by one, Hayden, Botan, and Camellia took turns speaking the names of the fallen. The chime was rung with each name, and a new star danced in the sky.
Delilah listened closely, watched intently, took it all in. Every single name she memorized, engraving onto her heart.
David Phorens.
Tor Kierson.
Enrique Nylles.
Minerva Graves.
Isaac Orsen.
Asbel Lannis.
Dimitri von Aerus.
Grant Starkstone.
Sousuke Shirai.
Heath Aerindale.
Soraya Azuki.
Eris Matherion.
Delilah felt the weight of that final chime, and engraved that last name, like all the rest, on her heart: Eris Matherion. The resonant tone, the somber hush of the crowd, the fourteen names, all felt like a weight bearing on her shoulders. And yet it was a weight she felt she must bear. So she didn’t falter, she didn’t duck her head or let her attention waver.
But as she watched the final star go up for the fallen Paladin, she felt a sudden sense of dread. A pit in her stomach. A cold, sudden chill.
And then, her heart pounded at a soft, otherworldly whisper.
“…the Key…”
It spoke with such hunger, such longing. And as those two words were spoken, grey mist began to swirl and fester beyond the Astral Wall’s ramparts. Strange portals opened in space, and wicked, grasping hands clawed their way out.
Delilah’s eyes widened. A gasp went up somewhere, and a shout somewhere else. Hayden, Botan, and Camellia began to move into fighting stances.
But Delilah moved faster than anyone. She ran before she knew she was running, through a crowd of people all so much taller than her. She burst through them, out the front, and leapt atop the ramparts where even she could be seen clearly by the phantom coming into shape. Reaching into her shirt, she pulled forth the Key of the World on its chain and brandished it.
“This is what you want, right?” she cried, managing a clear, strong voice.
The voice took on a wild, gleeful edge. “…the Key…!”
“That’s right,” Delilah said, glaring at the Lingering Will. Here it was, seen with her own eyes for the first time, and words struggled to describe it. A phantom, a shade, a ghostly fog of grey and silver. Ghastly hands grasped and then vanished, reforming into different shapes and grasping again. Hundreds of hands, thousands. And Delilah thought she saw, in the midst of the cloud, a single, lidless eye, fixed upon the object in her hand.
“That’s right!” she said again, louder. “I have what you want. No one else.” She clutched the Key tightly, glaring defiantly even as her heart pounded with terror. “Come and get me.”
The Lingering Will’s many hands reached out, the whole cloud pursued, and Delilah leapt back from the ramparts. She dashed across the wall, running, sprinting, as fast as she could. The crowd parted before her, no one tried to stop her, no one stepped in to defend her.
Good. It can’t be fought, so just let it chase me.
No one else is going to die because of me.
She saw the door, the door that would lead back to Revue Palace, and she raced towards it. But then footsteps sounded beside her, and she looked over.
Alice?!?
“Don’t come with me!” she said, waving Alice off. But Alice glared at her, eyes flashing white
“Shut up,” she said. “I’m with you all the way, you know?”
Delilah stared at Alice for a moment, and Alice’s expression softened. She flashed a thumbs-up.
Delilah’s heart soared. The sisters ran together, opened the door together, charged through the sheet of light together.
But…
Wham!
Something huge, heavy, collided with them. What should have been an instant transition from Astral Wall to Revue Palace turned into a tumbling void. Delilah and Alice were both thrown, Delilah’s breath knocked out of her. She tumbled, spun, end-over-end through a swirling, psychedelic void.
And with her…
Grasping, ghostly hands. A voice spoke, so close, too close, “…the Key…!”
Delilah grasped the Key as tightly as she could, even though the constant spinning and tumbling threatened to strip away her consciousness. The hands grasped for her, and they touched her hand. Fingertips like ice, like fire, they clawed at her, but she fought back, screaming and pulling the Key away.
You can’t have it! I won’t let you!
Delilah fought the Lingering Will, alone, in the void, falling, falling, falling.
But she couldn’t fight forever.
A sound of rushing wind. A sudden, stomach-churning twist. A huge, invisible impact.
Delilah’s world went black.