Syraviel clapped her hands together.

“Perfect,” Syraviel said. “It's quite simple. Alicia, I know you have lots of trouble controlling your aura but you can still manipulate it to an extent, right?

Jack couldn't hear Alicia speaking in her soul but he felt an uneasy acceptance from the girl.

“I'm going to have you try to push your aura towards your soul bond with Jack and transfer it over to him.”

Jack shook his head.

“Let me get this straight,” Jack said. “You want to put the aura that's fucking up Alicia's soul in my soul? I'm pretty messed up, but that doesn't mean I'm fine with making my soul a nuclear waste dump. Alicia, forget what I said earlier. I don't want a reward. You can handle this on your own.”

Jack felt a mix of conflicting emotions in the girl.

“But I can't handle this, Jack,” she thought.

“Come on, Jack,” Diana said. “Don't be like this.”

“Don't be what?” he asked. “Don't be reasonable? Don't have a sense of self-preservation?”

Diana tilted her head, rolling her eyes at the boy.

“What's the matter, Jack?” Diana asked. “If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd lost your balls instead of having them drained.”

Jack stood still for a second.

“Wow, good for you, Alicia,” He said. “A brave soul has volunteered themselves for you.”

“Don't be silly, Jack,” Diana said. “You're soul-bonded to her, I'm not.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Which is why you aren't sick of her bullshit,” he said. “Must be nice yapping away on the sidelines without a care in the world.”

Diana stood up.

“You have no idea the kind of pressure I'm under right now.”

“Yeah, I don't,” Jack said. “I don't know anything about you, Diana. I thought I did. I thought you were just a wannabe goth girl, tired of suburbia and the expectations that come with being a genius. But you've been hiding things.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Diana asked. “What am I hiding, Jack?”

“You disappeared six months ago, but these Goddesses have had their claws on you for longer, haven't they? How far have they twisted you? You've already admitted they basically love- bombed you. What sick ideas have they planted in your head?”

“First of all-”

“Hey-”

“You! Screw off!”

Diana clenched her fists.

“I will not!” Diana said.

“Not you,” Jack said. “I'm talking to this malingerer.”

Jack cocked his head towards Alicia.

“Jack this is serious-”

Forget it, Alicia,” Jack said. “ You've got my aura already. Ask for something else. Because I'm not doing this.”

Jack heard the girl let out a mental snort.

“Fine. Then find someone else to harass. Since you don't care about dying, then you might as well enjoy what you have left of your time.”

“I'll do whatever I damn-”

“Hey!” Diana said. “You can't just ignore me by switching between physical and mental conversations! Especially after accusing me-”

Syraviel cleared her throat, filling the dome with a sinister, sanguine gloom. Sweat dripped down their brows from the pressure, but Jack and Diana still glared at each other.

“Let's take a minute to cool off,” Syraviel said. “It's been a rough day and we're all still on edge. We've got road to cover. Let's not waste our energy fighting each other.”

“Sure, let's not waste energy,” Jack said. “But my energy can be wasted. My energy and soul's wellbeing are perfectly free to be wasted during this precious downtime after which I'll still be expected to carry Alicia.”

“I can see you're in a perfectly rotten mood,” Syraviel said. “Void, what did you do to the poor kid?”

“Nothing, we have had a perfectly pleasant night together,” Lisaseron said, absentmindedly.

Syraviel noticed something off about the Goddess.

“Just how hard did you two go at it? What's the matter with you?”

“I am with my thoughts, Shadow,” Lisaseron said. “I feel something is amiss.”

The taller Goddess whizzed by the humans, stopping next to Syraviel, her clothes put on perfectly, without a wrinkle on them. She looked at Syraviel then at the humans.

“Am I going to have to drag these thoughts out of you?” Syraviel asked. “What is it?”

Lisaseron shot into a distant corner, her eyes constantly watching all four of them.

“Something is off,” Lisaseron said. “But still, none of you have noticed.”

Syraviel scrunched up her nose. Shadowy tendrils extended out from Syraviel's own shadow, faintly floating in place, a slight tremor running through a few of them.

“There are things faintly out of place,” Syraviel said. But... would you interpret them as insignificant?”

Lisaseron sighed.

“I... perhaps not,” Lisaseron said. “The problem may be internal, given that the dome isolates our perception of the outside. Do not mind me. I will be doing some... troubleshooting.”

Lisaseron turned towards the dome and put her hands against the unsettling 'fabric of reality' that made up the dome.

Every kept staring at Lisaseron.

“Again,” Lisaseron said. “Pay me no mind. Our time remaining here will not be overly long. It would be best to not squander it.”

Syraviel turned back to the humans, finding Jack staring at her with a tired look.

“You're a Goddess, Syraviel,” Jack said. “Surely, you've got something better than this?”

“It's not as bad as it sounds, Jack,” Syraviel said. “You see, the main goal of this isn't actually to transfer as much of Alicia's aura into your soul. Your role will be to help provide a safer environment for Alicia to practice her aura manipulation. Part of that means some of her aura will get into your soul bond and yes, a portion of it will end up in your soul. But I wouldn't consider your soul a dumping ground, more like a chimney for ventilation.”

“I don't know,” Jack said. “This sounds whack.”

“One might say the same of your conspiracy theories about us Goddesses.”

“Look, you're nice. But there's no way you guys aren't shady people.”

“Well...” Syraviel started. “I am quite... shady.”

Syraviel's own shadow waved.

Diana snorted, groaning as she laughed.

“Weren't you the one complaining about puns?” Diana asked.

“Humor is a good distraction from anxiety of existence.”

“Smart move,” Jack said. “Instead of refuting or confirming anything just distract me.”

“Not from your theories Jack, but actual danger,” Syraviel said. “Based on what Void was saying earlier, I believe something, most likely the dome itself, is just barely triggering our danger senses, putting us all on edge. Even us Goddesses are effected by it, so it must be worse for you three.”

Jack stared at Syraviel for a long moment. He looked at the dome and shuddered slightly, taking a moment to recalibrate his mental state.

“That actually makes sense,” Jack said. “I've busted way too many nuts to be this pressed. My bad, Diana. I still shouldn't have come at you like that.”

Diana squinted her eye at the boy for a moment before grinning.

“I started it,” Diana said. “It's my bad. Let's just call it water under the bridge.”

“You too Syraviel,” Jack said. “I have my doubts about you Goddesses but now isn't the time.”

“No harm no foul,” Syraviel said.

“And my apology?” Alicia thought.

“Moving on-”

“Fuck you, Jack.”

“- any time any place, sweetheart. So about this dome being dangerous... maybe I'm crazy but shouldn't we get out? ”

“Be at ease, Jack,” Lisaseron said. “I am monitoring the dome very closely.”

Syraviel nodded.

“We think it'd be best to spend a bit more time in here,” Syraviel said. “We want Alicia as stable as possible before we move. Jack, this is the best move for both of you. Besides, even if her aura really is too strong, we've got plenty of soul elixir and healing magic for you too. This will be pretty manageable compared to what you've done earlier.”

Jack sighed.

“I guess I will be collecting that reward,” he said. “Juice isn't worth the squeeze, but whatever. I'm ready.”

“So, we just do it?” Alicia asked. “Is there a special technique to it or... something?”

“Explanations from me won't be much help,” Syraviel said. “This is something you have to get a feel for on your own.”

“Great,” Alicia said.

Syraviel looked at Alicia.

“You seem to have misgivings, Alicia,” Syraviel said.

“I was hoping this plan meant you had something to teach me. I could barely transfer a bit of my aura to him when my aura was weaker,” Alicia said. “But, it's alright. I can give it a try.”

Jack blinked, now realizing that Alicia communicating directly with Syraviel.

“How the hell are you two talking and why can't I hear anything?” he asked. “Have you been listening in this whole time, Syraviel? You guys didn't start your own little soul bond, right?”

He felt anger flare up in Alicia.

“I was busy while you were goofing around. In case you still haven't realized, everything is not alright, Jack. Now are you going to help or are you going to fuck off?” Alicia thought.

“Fine, fine,” Jack said. “Let get this over with.”

Just as Syraviel walked over, Jack felt his danger sense creep up slightly. It wasn't much but with Syraviel bringing attention to the subtle tension earlier, the minor increase in tension was blatant. He looked back at Lisaseron, with Syraviel and the others, doing the same.

“We are just doing this aura stuff, right?” Jack asked. “Or is this unstable dome just another way to train us?”

Lisaseron shrugged her shoulders.

“Calm yourself, Jack,” Lisaseron said. “I have triple checked the dome. The dome has not gotten any less stable nor does it display any issues,” Lisaseron said.

“You did mention the dome could develop deeper issues,” Syraviel said.

“Later, perhaps,” Lisaseron said. “In two years, the decay from emergent field subduction or variance from cosmic interpolation could be problematic. But now? I am completely certain there is no issue with the dome.”

“But you said we couldn't sense anything outside the dome,” Diana said. “What are we sensing? Is there something in the dome with us right now?”

Jack's eyes darted around but the Goddesses remained calm.

“That isn't possible,” Syraviel said. “The two of us have some of the best perception in Licirmon, Void especially.”

“We do not have stowaways,” Lisaseron said. “We might be sensing with something... external to the dome. The dome is remarkably effective for its design but it cannot completely isolate us. We had to construct the dome out of materials weaker than Eternal class to pass through the restrictive formations of this planet. ”

Syraviel grimaced.

“Meaning, that if we are sensing something, its big,” Syraviel said.

“Big, yet not big enough for us to detect the threat itself. We still only have a vague sense of danger and wrongness,” Lisaseron said. “I think we can say with confidence that this world is not on the verge of collapse would be too much. But a wide area measure directed at us? That would fit perfectly.”

“Trouble is afoot,” Syraviel said.

“The shadow of a long noose tightens,” Lisaseron agreed.

“Is that a fancy way of saying we're screwed?” Jack said.

Lisaseron shrugged.

“We have been careless,” Lisaseron said. “We thought we had avoided the initial wave of detection, but they have made their move. Like pursuing an easily startled fish, a net has slowly been drawn around us.”

“We're surrounded?” Diana asked.

“Most likely,” Syraviel said. “The perimeter may be two hundred or two thousand miles across. The Unceasing might not even be sure we are here. But yes, you could say we're surrounded.”