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["The final chapter ends with the phrase "Born again." "]
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3rd POV

Today had started on a much better note than the previous ones. X had woken up feeling far more energetic and aware. The bags that continued to build up under his eyes were now gone, and the aching of his bones seemed almost nonexistent. All of this was due to a very early night sleep and a morning cup of coffee.

Despite the good start, however, X stared at his reflection with the same blank look that he always had. The urge to smile and jump cheerfully was there in his eyes, but his body refused the commands he gave it. So instead of that, he simply gave his reflection in the mirror a thumbs up that simplified all that he felt.

"Good job."

With a mental pat on the back for all the hard work he had done till now, X calmly walked out of his bathroom dressed for the day. Breakfast was a simple ration bar and a side glass of water. With documents on one hand and his food occupied in the other, he continued his morning routine while reading the documents like it was newspaper.

Feeling himself full, X cleaned up after finishing his meal before signing the documents he had just finished reading. He found out that most of them that he gets are logistics from various parts of the facility, work that can and should be done by Angela. The few that weren't logistics, were the reports regarding the Abnormalities, something that couldn't be done by Angela as she said it was the Manager's duty to be aware of what they were dealing with at all times.

X was all for it if he were to be honest. He didn't want to deal with numbers upon numbers every single day, so he much preferred reading the Abnormality reports. The one he was currently signing was the one made by Vinera. Looking past the crude language and sass, X could see that the observations she made were informative.

"Likes to be fed......avoid turning your back......aggression results in retaliation......however, stand your ground when necessary......"

He spoke out his mind as he simplified the main points of how the Abnormality should be handled. X began writing his version of the tips and observations onto the side for the document to be changed. He didn't want other employees to misunderstand or completely ignore these for their crude and unprofessional manners, so he took the time to restate the main points for it to be finalized and published.

After being finished with that, he neatly stacked it together and made his way out. Not even a footstep out of his room, however, X was quickly face to face with his assistant who stood directly in front of his doorway. Not even showing a hint of surprise, he simply nodded his head and waited for her to do her usual greeting.

"Good morning, Manager."

"Morning......."

Stepping to the side, Angela allowed him to walk past her as he closed his door. Walking side by side, Angela decided to indicate her reason for accompanying him. Something that X was questioning himself as to why as well.

"I apologize for my lack of presence during your meetings with the Sephirot the past few mornings." X didn't say anything back as he stared straight ahead, as did Angela. "Though it may seem presumptuous of me, there are certain matters that even the Sephirot aren't able to mitigate. Leaving them for me to handle personally."

The Manager wondered what exactly it was that she had to personally attend to, but restrained from asking. Seeing that he wasn't going to comment, Angela went silent while keeping any further discussion to herself. Despite the uncomfortable silence, they came to a what seemed to be a mutual agreement on ending their discussion for the rest of their journey.

One long and boring elevator ride later, X and Angela walked into the Information Department while passing by several clerks. Most stayed clear from their path and barely had the courage to look at them, while some simply left immediately upon noticing them. Feeling a little hurt by their reactions towards him, X offered a wave and even a small "Good morning" to a few. Sadly, it only resulted in them stuttering to respond and then scurrying off.

Though the action did cause Angela to raise a brow at him while she watched him do so. It wasn't surprising, but it was a noticeable difference from the usual Managers Angela had known in the past. But as quickly as the look came it went away when he turned back around to face the front.

Once they finally arrived at the main room, they quickly spotted Yesod who was currently working on a console with a stern look on his face. Across from him, on the other side of the room, agents from both the Control Team and the Information Team were animatedly discussing with one another. Something that seemed to annoy Yesod as he glanced at them from the corner of his eyes whenever they got too loud.

His attention quickly shifted from them to his two superiors who were currently making their way to him. Turning off the console and putting his work to the side for the moment, Yesod crossed his arms and looked at X up and down.

"Although far from perfect, it seems you took my words into account, Manager." He spoke while nodding approvingly, his stern look softened just a tad bit. X glanced himself over as he noticed that he did indeed neatly dress himself for the day due to his good mood. "Am I to presume that your visit today is regarding the development of my Department?"

Yesod spoke that question to him, but his eyes glanced at Angela for a moment. Not getting a response from the assistant AI, Yesod looked back at X while waiting for a response.

"Correct." The Manager responded when neither continued. "The features and adjustments you implemented to the system has proven beneficial."

"Then all as is intended. Judging by your satisfaction, am I to assume that you wouldn't be against another improvement to the system?"

"Of course."

Yesod nodded while closing his eyes to think for a moment as his mind began to drift. But he suddenly snapped them open, much to the confusion of X, as he glanced around the room. Angela noticed this sudden change but simply ignored it in favor of getting to the reason of why she was here.

"Yesod, your request to extend the duration of your temporary agent will be decided in tomorrow's meeting."

Yesod's strange demeanor shifted and did a complete 180 turn as he gave Angela a flat look. X turned to her as well while questioningly sending her a look. Angela simply brushed their gazes off as Yesod uncrossed his arms and let them stiffen by his sides.

"Pardon for my objection, Angela, but it is evident that he wasn't present in my Department for the past two days. Surely you don't think tha—"

"Our thoughts matter not, Yesod. The rotations are concrete and alternations at the moment shall not be tolerated." Yesod slowly closed his mouth shut as he eyed her coldly. "Although surprising, if you feel so strongly about it, you may make the effort to convince the Manager."

"......."

While Yesod and Angela were having their talk, X, who felt as if the discussion didn't involve him, had already left to the end of the room. The agents who were animatedly talking had waved him over to speak, which he appreciated as he felt left out a few minutes ago.

"Would you like to take a seat, Manager?" Dana asked with a tilt of her head. The others at the table gave their full attention to X as he stood slightly awkwardly. "If so, you can have mine or I could fetch one fo—"

She stopped when Mike stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, Dana. He can have mine. My leg needs some stretching anyways." He chuckled while tapping his prosthetic leg. "Here, have my seat, Manager."

At first X didn't move as he stood under the gazes from the agents from both the Control and Information Teams. But after seeing the encouraging looks and contagious atmosphere, he succumbed to the temptation and slowly sat down with them.

"Thank you for your offer...." He muttered his thanks to Mike who simply grinned back. Mentally, Mike sighed in relief as he expected their boss to be some sort of tyrant or uncaring asshole like the rumors said.

He was glad that they weren't true....so far at least.

Dexter had his chin resting on his arms as he looked at the rest of the group. His eyes, while droopy from the lack of sleep, constantly flicked between each of them as he analyzed them. He didn't fully trust anyone here, including Vinera and Bella. A single week and a nightly hangout was not enough to earn his trust. Something he knew that the green-haired girl next to him was of the similar thought.

Roxie kept a firm grip on her weapon as she sat slightly far from them and tried to stay near either Mike or Dana. Fortunately, Mike moved to stand behind her seat when he stood up, allowing her to relax slightly. Dana simply tried to loosen the tension several times in their nightly hangout as well as today this morning.

Vinera paid the group half her attention as the other half was busy fumbling around with her new E.G.O. equipment that she got this morning. It consisted of a khaki colored suit with black belt straps on its abdomen and sleeves. It was very familiar to them and became very clear where it came from judging by the weapon that stood beside her. A hammer that was almost 6-7 feet in length and in the shape of the Abnormality's head from yesterday, to be precise. Despite its size, Vinera carried it like it was made of nothing but air.

Out of everyone in their small group, only Bella seemed to be unaffected by X's presence as she sipped her coffee loudly. Even when the others eyed her annoyingly, she simply stared back at them before smiling and continuing her sipping.

Aside from the sipping noise, the others were simply silent as they sat. Of course, it was understandably difficult to talk as if your boss wasn't right next to you, especially when none of them knew if the rumors were true or not. They weren't the only ones having a hard time speaking, however, as X tried his best to come up with something to speak about.

This was his chance to converse with people that didn't necessarily have to do with work. He did indeed want to have regular talks and even a form of companionship with someone that he could relate to in a way. Try all he might, X just couldn't figure out what to speak about, let alone how to go about it. Just when X was going to glance at Yesod and Angela to see how they were doing to distract himself, Bella suddenly spoke up.

"You all want to play a game?"

Each of them glanced at one another, aside from Roxie, before shrugging and deciding to go for it. Roxie sighed as she shook her head, something Mike noticed as he began to see the clear dislike she had for the other agent.

"......sounds like it could be fun......"

Dexter muttered as he released a tired sigh before he sat up properly to at least give it a try. He was followed by Vinera who stopped messing with her suit and smiled innocently at the rest of them.

"If everyone else wants to, then I'll play."

X and the rest simply nodded in agreement, though X didn't know if he was all up for it since he doubted whether he could socialize with them or not. Seeing them wanting to give it a try, Bella excitingly set her coffee down before leaning forward.

"Great!.......So what are we playing?"

Upon hearing her question, X mentally frowned while the others either chuckled or groaned. Dexter gave her a glare as he slumped back in his seat.

"If you didn't know what to play then why ask?" To his question, Bella simply shrugged which only annoyed him more. "Fucking idiot...." He muttered under his breath, but Dana still heard him.

"U-Ummm, now, now, let's calm down." She said while kindly smiling at Bella. "How about you just choose whatever comes to your mind?"

"Hmmmmm......How about Word Chaining?"

At that, they all thought about it before nodding in agreement. For the next couple of minutes or so, X played several rounds with them. He had won a few of the rounds as the others either stumbled to come up with words or simply just repeated a word already spoken.

Though there were some moments when conflict occurred, it was still a good time that X enjoyed more than he thought he would. The others couldn't tell due to his blank facial features, but nonetheless they also enjoyed their time. But of course, all good times must come to an end as X noticed Angela and Yesod coming their way.

Checking the time, he saw he only had around ten minutes or so before he needed to begin the day. Standing up, he gave the agents a wave and farewell. They all understood and gave their own farewells while waving back.

"I'll do my best, Manager!"

"......"

"Have a nice day!"

".....don't assign me too much work, please......"

"Don't be shy to come by again, Manager."

"Make sure to play with us again! Ma—Na—Ger!"

Bella spoke cheerfully as she smacked the back of his shoulder with each emphasis of his title. Although it stung from how hard she did it, X played it off as he walked away. As he walked further and further away from them, he could hear their voices slowly become inaudible as he reached Angela and Yesod.

"Manager.......it seems you've familiarized yourself with the employees." Was what Yesod said as soon as they came into an appropriate distance from one another. "Though I wouldn't recommend doing so, I will not prevent you from such."

Despite the words he spoke, X could feel that there was something else in his words that he had to take note of. He couldn't tell if it was from the way he said it or with the way it seemed to be addressing someone else, but X felt the need to delve deeper into it.

"Manager, let us head off."

But alas, time wasn't on his side. With Angela's insistence, they both began to walk away from the Department. Before he stepped out of the room, X turned and noticed the odd look Yesod was giving the group of agents that were still playing the last round of Word Chaining. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but from the way the Sephirah's eyes looked......it seemed as if.....he was longing for something.

"Time is of the essence, Manager."

Snapping him from his thoughts, Angela's words rung out as she herself patiently stood a few feet away from him. X gave one last look at the Sephirah and the agents before he turned and left for his office. Their walk was the usual silent and awkward one where neither tried to converse with the other more than they could.

Upon arriving at the office, X took his usual seat while Angela took hers. Organizing his paperwork and watering the cactus on his desk with a bottle of water that he had left for it, X was ready to start the day. Just as he was about to, however, Angela had spoke up.

"Manager....." The man's finger froze just above the buttton. "....among the three letters of the alphabet: A, B, or C; which would you choose?"

In all honesty, X didn't think that she would continue her routinely questions today due to how short of time they had until 8 o'clock, but it seemed he was proven wrong. He went into thought as he tried to understand the reasoning for the question.

While X was busy thinking of his answer, Angela, who patiently waited in her abysmal amount of 'time', was left to her own thoughts. She wondered and pondered the many possibilities that she normally would never think of. Thoughts that she only ever had when she was a freshly made AI began circulating in her head once more as if they never left.

All of this was due to that slight deviation yesterday that no matter how hard she tried to push it out of her mind, it continued to come back with twice the intensity. With it came the feeling that she had long forgotten and wished to never experience. Something that she wasn't meant to experience, let alone have to understand simply due to the fact that she wasn't human.

It was hope.

A small kindle of ever forgotten hope that was smothered by the cold and ruthless reality of time. Yet, in the end, for some inexplicable reason, it seemingly bursted into a spark of flames once more after yesterday.

In the back of her complex mind, Angela knew where this would lead despite whatever possibilities it may end up becoming. The time she has spent here has forcibly engraved itself in her very being. Disappointment and hollowness will be all that is left no matter the outcome.

"......I've decided on A."

The Manager's voice rung out after he finished thinking. Angela put her previous thoughts for later, lest they cloud her words and judgment for the entirety of the day.

"I see. The letter 'A' is a fascinating one. My name starts with it as well." Not seeing where she was going with this, X turned in his seat to give her a raised eyebrow. Angela didn't turn to face him, but she knew that he was expecting an explanation. "Overhearing your discussion with the employees earlier today has brought to the forefront of my mind a pastime that several employees continue to do."

With a slight disturbed nod, X slowly turned back around. He hadn't expected her to be able to hear their discussion with how far they were from each other. Not once had they raised their voices loud enough to seek the attention from the people across the room, so it was alarming that she could have heard them regardless.

"For those who choose 'A' are considered sensitive to the opinions of others about them, and are result-oriented people. As such, they are excellent listeners, and are loved by many. People will flock to them."

She explained with a slight smile on her face as her eyes opened slightly. Curious as to what the other choices would result in, X cleared his throat before asking.

"And what of the other two?"

The question stopped Angela from continuing her dialogue as she sat completely motionless. After a moment, she looked at the Manager from the corner of her eyes, but with the way he had his chair facing away from her, he couldn't see it.

"......People who choose 'B' are detailed-oriented. They are rational, realistic, and honest to their needs, even to the point where others may perceive them as snobs. However, the pursuit of practical interest and the tendency to avoid loss will lead them to success........Personally, I dislike the letter 'B'."

For some odd reason, that explanation caused X's head to ache. Due to this, he had missed the way Angela mixed a small hint of distaste into her words. Almost as if she timed it, Angela began to speak once more just as X's aching left him.

"Those who select 'C' believe that the process is more important than the outcome. Therefor, they are good at planning ahead and enjoy change. They will be able to gain insight and attain inner growth without being confined by the rules."

The Manager rubbed his eyes and forehead when the aching came back in full force. It felt as if his head would burst any second with how much it pained him. When it finally stopped once again, X sighed in relief before leaning back.

".....I see......was there any particular reason for you to have asked?"

"No.....No there was not."

Despite bringing her expectations low, Angela couldn't help but hollowly respond. She had expected this, and yet it had still did carved its way into her once more. Hoping for a meaningful exchange, let alone a divergence was wishful thinking that even she had known to be foolish.

With such incoherent thoughts in her head, she emotionlessly continued on as if it were a regular day.

"There is no scientific basis behind the observations made by these 'tests', but it is admittedly a little fun to waste time with them."

When the Manager didn't respond, Angela closed her eyes and turned back towards her seat.

"You know, maybe I could imagine......." She muttered under breath while speaking to herself. ".....Whether I would have been this or that kind of person if I were human.......is it too odd for me to think about that?"

Despite her quiet whispers, in the deadly silent room X had barely heard her as he leaned forward towards the button. For the second time, his finger froze just above the red small circle as his mind contemplated the words she spoke.

The dead silence that filled the room seemed eternal and everlasting. The imaginary clock ticked and tocked as time seemed to freeze for X as he stared straight ahead. He didn't know whether to answer or not. His mind simply couldn't comprehend things anymore. From the warm and friendly atmosphere with the agents earlier to the cold and sharp tension in his office now, the Manager just couldn't understand what was what and what wasn't what.

 

"Announcement in progress:
To all personnel, the start of the day has been initiated.
Please report to your designated area."

 

The intercom came to life as his finger pushed down right as the time hit 8 o'clock exactly.

With a jumbled mind and numerous amounts of paperwork in his hands, he emotionlessly continued on as if it were a regular day.

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3rd POV

<Four Hour Time-Skip>

Dexter dragged his feet across the ground as he made his way back from another Attachment work from Fragment Of The Universe. It took nearly all his brain power to communicate with the foreign entity as it never seemed to learn much of their language. Yet, the damn thing still insisted to communicate every time he went......which was a lot.

"Tch! Just when I thought the Manager was tolerable, he goes and hands out assignments left and right.....bastard."

With the rest of his curses and mutterings coming out as gibberish, he wobbly made his way to a chair and sat down.

"J—Just a short........nap.......wouldn't hurt......" Laying his head down, he fell asleep as soon as the coldness of the table turned into warmth as his body heat transferred into it. "Zzz Zzz"

But just as quickly as he fell asleep, he opened them back up to the sound of a chair pulling up to his table. He glanced up from his arms and saw Y/n taking a seat across from him. The two of them stared at each other for a solid few seconds before Dexter frowned at him.

"So, you're finally awake." Y/n said as he chuckled. Not understanding what the man found amusement in, Dexter eyed him cautiously. "Hmm? Oh, don't worry. I'm just surprised that you haven't toppled those bottles over."

"What?"

Sitting straight up, the weight on his head finally registered as several bottles that were stacked on top of each other came falling down onto the table and floor. Rubbing the spot where one of them hit his face, Dexter gave Y/n a glare.

"What the hell was that for?" He spoke through gritted teeth.

"What was what for? Letting you sleep on the job or entertaining myself while covering for you?"

Seeing the confusion on his face, Y/n grinned before pointing to the tower of paperwork in the table. Since they were far from the other clerks, the stack of papers perfectly hid Dexter when he had took his nap. Realizing that he would've been in real trouble, especially with Yesod for his strictness, Dexter nodded at Y/n.

"Damn......sorry. Though how can you expect me not to react like that?"

"Good point, but it doesn't really matter now that you're awake."

"How so?"

"Well, firstly, you need to hold onto this." Y/n slid across the table a notepad with various sheets of paper on it with incomprehensible writing and symbols. "I would handle that with care, it's designation is T-09-78. Basically, it's an Abnormality."

Hearing that, Dexter immediately let go of the notepad and scooted back. His eyes were now wide awake as he glanced between Y/n and the supposed Abnormality.

"Are you trying to get me killed?!"

Despite his obviously upset mood, Y/n merely shrugged it off as he stood up from his seat.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who missed his assignments." He waved off the glare as he rolled his eyes playfully. "A word of advice: if I were you, I would try to get your sleeping schedule fixed up because we both know that it could've went entirely different if it wasn't me that found you."

Dexter felt his eye twitch as the circumstances for his sleeping habits weren't his fault, but aside from that he took note of the advice for the future. Standing up as well, Dexter reluctantly took hold of the notepad while eyeing it cautiously. Y/n watched as the smile on his face turned flat.

"Another word of advice, though I doubt you will need it judging from the way you've been eyeing everyone here." That comment caused Dexter to stiffen as he swallowed the saliva in his throat. He slowly turned to look at Y/n and noticed how he was staring directly into his eyes. "Keep your head low, become just as harmless as that Abnormality you're holding. Otherwise, you'll end up in a body bag and I'll have to deal with the paperwork."

"......Harmless was the last thing that crossed my mind." Dexter muttered under his breath, though Y/n still heard it.

"......."

Y/n looked at him blankly, causing him to feel uncomfortable as the ominous feeling he got from the notepad felt like it was crawling up his fingers and arms. Dexter wondered if he was doing it on purpose, as the blank stare and the blunt words that he used did have their effect in making him feel uneasy.

"Keep your radio on you at all times. If you don't know what to do, just ask the Manager for instructions. You do remember the frequency for his office, correct?"

Seeing Dexter nod, Y/n warmly smiled once again before giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"Then you'll do just fine~"

With that, the Captain of the Reserves walked past him and left in search of the Sephirah of the Information Team. Dexter looked at his retreating figure while narrowing his eyes. His thoughts were rampaging in his mind while his body stood stiff as it had been from the beginning of their conversation. Something about him left Dexter unnerved and on edge. He hadn't felt this way during their first meeting when they had gotten lost, but that was most likely due to him being absentminded at the time.

After a few seconds, his mind cleared and his body sagged as he leaned on his chair. His grip on the Abnormality in his hands loosened as he stared at it with a tired look.

"Fuck me, dammit."

"If you say so~"

Quickly turning his head, he saw Vinera smiling at him "innocently". He didn't even know when she had gotten there, and he didn't want to. At the moment, he felt extremely disturbed by the response she gave and the way she said it.

".......what the hell is wrong with you?"

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh please, you were the one demanding it."

"........"

His mind refused to process anything at the moment as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Finally fed up with everything, Dexter simply turned around and left without another word. Vinera pouted as she expected a more entertaining reaction. Bored, she simply checked her wrist device for any new assignments to pass the time quicker. She mentally clicked her tongue when she didn't receive one as she took a seat and waited.

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Renold's POV

I swung harder upon the E.G.O. weapon in my hands while the multitudes of sparks flew into the air. The intense heat from the fire beside me caused sweat to accumulate on my brows. My other hand swung once again, harder and faster, with the hammer it held. The hammer for forging hit true, and more sparks continued to fly.

One strike. Two strikes. Three strikes.

Yet....the E.G.O. weapon remained unchanged, unwilling to bend to my liking and efforts. The tool in my hands, however, was already bent at an odd angle and morphed to a new form. One less effective than what it originally was.

With a sigh, I tossed the broken tool to the side with the rest of them while hanging the weapon on the wall for later. I made sure to write down a note reminding me to repair my tool sets when I had the time.

Taking this chance for a breather, I made sure my workspace was clean and organized before extinguishing the flames of my forge. The heat was immediately replaced by the cold air from the facility that unnerved me no matter how many times I felt it. Shutting the lights off and walking out the room, I went into thought about the different changes this time around.

Though I found myself annoyed by the circumstances, I decided to see how it goes from here. Locking the door behind me to ensure no unwanted guests made their way in, I pulled my journal out and began an aimless walk. With a pen in my hand and my book in my other, I wrote regarding the new observations I've made within the past few days.

 

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Entree: Eight
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"Tension is ever rising within the Upper Departments, not much different from the ones below. With the minimal effort put into maintaining them until the Manager has authority over them, there is little to no issue with worrying of stressing his workload.

Though the same couldn't be said for the Control Team. Whether they will be able to handle any more isn't up to debate. From the reports that I've read, they do extremely well together, even more so as time goes on despite the workload. Their bond with one another is likely the cause of it, so I doubt they'll fall apart any time soon.

Speaking of the Control Team........

Malkuth........an issue that will need to be dealt with sooner.

The signs have already shown themselves, though I will admit she has become more docile the past few days from the decrease of interaction. Whether that's progress or an obstacle to our work is difficult to tell this early on.

The Information Department is the same as ever. Issues between Yesod and his agents are common, and since it leads to no divergences being made, there is no need for action.

Hod has become prone to pressure and is relying on methods outside of her expertise to cope. Nothing new there.

Netzach has toned down his consumption of our Enkephalin supply, though I expect it to increase now due to his interaction with Shina yesterday.

Depending on who's Department the Manager chooses next to have fully operational, there will be several consequences. It would be best if a third party were to influence his decision into taking command over the Training Department. Whether Netzach's Department falls apart or not matters little as he rarely progresses or pushes his employees. Which makes the Training Department top priority of the two.

It would seem that getting rid of Hod's problem is the better option.

........hopefully the Manager doesn't lack such foresight much like the previous one. Truly, it was a disaster that we had no hope of turning aroun—"
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I stopped writing when I nearly tripped over something on the floor. When I found my balance, I turned with a glare to see that the "something" turned out to be a "someone".

"Maybe Netzach's problem would be the better option....."

Muttering underneath my breath, I walked over to the corpse of the Sephirah himself who was laying flat-stomached on the ground. Most likely there were two reasons for this; he was passed out or he was probably dead......either way he was being a public nuisance.

Feeling unamused by his antics, I walked closer to him before nudging his head with my foot.

"Get off the floor."

".......nnnggghhh......."

Hearing his low groan answered my thoughts on whether or not to dispose of the body. Frowning at him, I simply turned back around and kept walking while leaving him there. There was no need to step in any further since I had better things to do. Besides, he was technically my superior so I wouldn't and shouldn't be under the threat of punishment if it comes to that.

Upon taking note of my surroundings, I realized that I had walked my way to the Safety Department. The Sephirah that I left on the ground should've been a dead give away, why else would be he there? Out of all the Sephirot, there were only three that generally stayed within their Departments unless told otherwise. One is forbidden from leaving their Department, the second was monitored to avoid any troublesome confrontations, while the last simply sees no point in leaving.

Netzach, of course, is the last one.

I have spoken with him regarding the matter several times, and each ended with the same results. The man simply didn't find any reason to put in the effort to do anything outside of drinking. The only time he ever takes up the responsibility of Sephirah, is when he has to fetch printer paper from one of the other Sephirot.

Even then, I heard he usually comes back empty handed.....

Truly, a disappointment that could be replaced by anyone else and results would drastically increase regardless of their efforts. Though I doubt anyone would ever want to, as the title and burdens that come from being a Sephirah are more than one would think. But even despite the troublesome issues he brings, Netzach is one of the two Sephirot who has proven to be less troublesome out of all them all.

Snapping out of my deep thoughts, I decided to run a quick logistic run on the equipment the Safety Team was currently storing here. Passing several of our agents and clerks, I made my way to the storage unit at the far end of the Department. Seeing the lack of supervision and security protocols around this area made my eye twitch in annoyance.

If someone had the intelligence and courage to, for some reason, turn against us then there wouldn't be anything stopping them from raiding the Safety Team's armory. With a sigh, I pulled out my ID before swiping it on the side scanner. The door opened a second later and I entered the room preparing myself for the worse case scenario.

"Better than nothing." I spoke to no one as I glanced around. The shelves that held several firearms were not my main point of interest, but looking at their condition let me know that no one has been here in a while. "Let's make this quick."

The lights flickered constantly as I walked my way through the countless shelves that surrounded me. The dust that floated and coated the ground, walls, and everything in between showed the lack of care and maintenance. Ignoring such things for now, I took turns around the corners and maneuvered through the maze with ease.

Upon arriving at the back, I stopped in place when I heard the echoes and faint sounds of something. Silently moving my hand, I armed myself with a handgun from the shelf before walking towards the unnatural noise.

Something caught my attention as I followed the noise. I noticed that I was walking in darkness most of the time which was odd as even if this storage room wasn't maintained, the lights should've been fully operational despite their poor quality. Taking a glance up, I could barely make out the fragments and remains of light bulbs in their sockets. Taking notice of this, I immediately glanced at the floor and kneeled.

"No glass fragments......" I spoke my observation to myself when I noticed no shards of glass on the floor. The bulbs were clearly busted but no remains were on the ground. After tracing my fingers on the floor, I noticed something else. ".....No dust."

For a room that was barely cleaned and maintained, this segment of the floor was unnaturally clean. Meaning that someone or something cleaned the remnants of the glass. That meant the darkness I was in wasn't a coincidence and was purposely done.

Standing back up, I looked around and noticed the unnatural way the broken lights were lined up. From behind to in front of me, it was as if the shadows provided a pathway through the humongous room. Noticing the echoes still coming from the other side of the room, I discreetly made my way while following the "path".

The little scavenger hunt led me to a separated segment in the corner of the vast room. I furrowed my brows when the slight stench of iron became apparent, as well as some type of liquid on the floor that I barely could see, leading a trail in that direction. No doubt the liquid was blood and the trail indicated that something or someone was dragged there.

Upon seeing it, I reached my hand to my waist while trying to fetch my radio. But when my hand grasped only air, I vaguely remembered leaving it back with my tools. Clicking my tongue, I let my hand go limp before carefully inspecting the floor.

From the amount, I doubt it was alive while being dragged here. That or it was severely injured in the process. The drag marks showed the vague size of the thing, in which I could conclude that it was human or humanoid in size. There were many possibilities as to what could have done this, though from the fact that a human was killed, it narrowed it down to a specific group.

An Abnormality perhaps then?

Taking note of that, I continued walking as the noises of flesh being torn and muffled gargling was becoming more noticeable. When the noise seemed to be just up ahead, I stopped in my tracks before peaking behind a nearby shelf. I narrowed my eyes when I noticed a hunched figure in the dark just past the last source of light.

The size wasn't as large as I had thought of it to be, but Abnormalities came in different shapes and sizes, so it wouldn't be surprising. Not knowing the capabilities of the silhouette, I leveled my breathing and loosened my muscles while slowly making my way over to it.

I knew that what I was doing was against the procedures for dealing with unknown entities, but from the lack of alarms and the intercoms staying silent, I could guess this was either a new Abnormality that escaped the containment process or it was something else that didn't fall under emergency jurisdiction.

The stench was now becoming unbearable, though I was used to it, never did I become fond of it.

Masking my footsteps with the sounds of them feasting upon their meal, I had gotten a better look at the perpetrators of this disgusting act. I was correct upon my assumption of the thing being dragged being human, but I was incorrect regarding what exactly dragged them.

The silhouette was of a human male who was frantically ripping the flesh off the corpse and consuming it. Judging by the remains of the corpse, they had been feasting on it for a while, most likely an hour or so.

"Oh~ So good!~" The man spoke in between chewing, I could almost hear the smile that he had as he joyfully ripped a rib from the exposed abdomen. "Why do you tempt me so much?~"

Speaking to himself, the man didn't notice me standing a few feet behind him. I analyzed everything about him, from his dark brown hair, to his slightly slim stature. Of course, I noticed the armband that he had on, the 'N' was hardly something you could miss as it reflected the light a bit.

It was at this moment that a detail I had forgotten had came back to me. The identity of the person also became known as the memories of the first day came to me. One of the files that Y/n had given me back then had detailed and described a man who had cannibalistic tendencies and was currently working on rehabilitation.

The man's identification was Alpha-93, while his name was Jonathan.......just Jonathan.......last names don't necessarily matter here, so I can openly admit that I neither remembered nor made an effort to remember.

Either way, undoubtably that same Jonathan is sitting right in front  of me on his knees while enjoying his own colleague as a meal. Something that caught my eye was the fact that the corpse's face was left intact, allowing me to identify them as Bollen, another man who was described as a drug addict who was also undergoing rehabilitation.

Both were people taken from the lowest of the low, and both were acquainted enough to be considered "friends". Though the scene in front of me seems to state otherwise. I blinked when I noticed that he had finally taken into account my presence. Jonathan's eyes were wide in shock as he repeatedly glanced between his hands, the corpse, and me.

Time seemed to freeze as we both stared at each other.

Looking into his eyes, I saw various emotions swell up within him that only continued to grow. Surprise, shock, nervousness, fear, anger, sadness, were some that I could notice within the span of a second. Whether those were directed at me or not, I couldn't tell as my own mind began to wonder.

Many people like to think Yesod and I are similar.

Although I would reluctantly admit, we did have some outward common practices such as our cool-headedness and strictness. But inwardly, oh how wrong they were. Yesod and I couldn't be anymore different from one another. For when he disregards the casualties and deaths as numbers and data sets, he does so out of necessity despite his personal thoughts on the matter.

As for me.......I could care less about the people here.

I didn't come here to worry about faceless and forgettable employees. Never faltered when I walked upon the carnage of my first Abnormality suppression. Didn't mourn or felt myself become burdened by their nightly wallows in my dreams. Only one scream could ever bring me terrors so real that I couldn't sleep. And he was the reason I was here to begin with.

So lost in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed the man before me crying while clutching his knees. Blood dripped from the holes of his shattered kneecaps while he tried to crawl away. I slowly glanced at my hand and realized that I had subconsciously fired at his knees to prevent him from escaping.

Despite seeing his lips mouth out pleads of mercy, all I could hear was white noise. The ringing in my ear that drowned out the gunfire, the cries, the pleas, and the sounds of my footsteps approaching the cannibal. The fear and desperation in his eyes didn't make me have any second thoughts.

Many people like to think Yesod and I are similar.

Although I would reluctantly admit, we certainly are in some ways. For when he scolds Hod for her methods of coping, the hypocrisy in his words was no different from my actions. I have no right to judge or correct him in that matter, as even the moment before me is but a reminder of what I have done.

I blinked before noticing the man on the ground coughing up blood due to the numerous bullet wounds in his chest, he was purposely still alive. The anger and disgust I felt within me as I stared down at the man before me was no different from Yesod's scolding. I knew what I did, and I knew that Jonathan did too. The regret and sadness in his eyes told me so.

Jonathan killed and ate Bollen. Simple as that.

He had killed, consumed, and enjoyed the corpse of his friend. Not out of necessity, but because of the desire to quench the hunger of his cannibalistic tendencies. Didn't matter if he couldn't control it. Didn't matter if he wasn't the one who killed him. Didn't matter if he regretted doing so.

It was a betrayal regardless. Simple as that.

I blinked before noticing that his arms were bent in the opposite direction while he barely clung to life. My hands held his arms by the wrist tightly while holding them steady. I was no different from Yesod, a hypocrite who coped with forging and working. I didn't know if the anger and disgust I had inside me was for Jonathan or for myself. After all, didn't I betray him as well and came here to set things straight?

A betrayal was a betrayal. Simple as that.

Whether or not I meant to do it, or regret ever saying the words I said, didn't matter. For Jonathan and I were no different from one another. Traitors to the friends we held dear simply for our own benefit.

I blinked before noticing the unrecognizable mush of flesh and bones that used to be Jonathan's face. My knuckles aching and my suit bloody. The anger inside me didn't subside, and the disgust only seemed to grow the more I stood here in silence. As the puddle of blood continued to expand under my feet, I saw my reflection as my golden eyes stared directly back at me.

When I felt my face twitch for a moment......I knew just who I had been aiming my actions to.

"Hello? Bollen? Where are you?"

The muffled voice from a radio called out from just a few feet away from me. Tearing my eyes away from my own reflection's, I stepped over the mess I made and walked my way to the source. Quickly finding the radio under a shelf, I slowly brought it to my mouth.

"Bollen, quit messing around and make su—"

"He's dead."

"Wha—"

Not waiting for a response, I changed the frequency before once again speaking.

"Clean up in Storage Unit S-09."

"Right away, Sir."

The response was immediate and quick, something I appreciated as I didn't have the tolerance at the moment to have a discussion with anyone. Straitening my clothes, not minding the blood splattered on them, I tossed the radio to the side before doing what I came here to do and began cataloging the equipment and their condition.

My only purpose here is to right my wrongs and wrong my rights.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Simple as that.

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3rd POV

<Time-Skip>

At the moment, Bella was now the one holding onto the notepad of incomprehensible symbols and writing. She didn't necessarily care for it but since it was an order from the Manager himself, she took the time to keep it on her. She had tried to read it when she first got it from Dexter but the scribbles barely made sense to her. The only thing she could've understood was the phrase "Born Again." at the bottom of the last page.

With nothing else to do with it, she simply attached one of the loops onto her hip and carried it just like that. At the moment, she was simply passing the time until the next assignment was given to her. The entire day had been boring for her as all she did was listen to some stories from the Old Lady and give Forsaken Murderer some food.

Speaking of Forsaken Murderer or the Abnormality formally known as T-0-54, she was surprised that they were able to identified it as such. The Abnormality didn't seem that talkative and barely anything was known about it. Bella questioned whether or not the naming of the Abnormalities were done by the Manager or someone else since no one before hand did.

Putting that thought for later, she continued her pastime of wandering around and doing whatever came to her mind.

She constantly spun and played with her revolver while occasionally firing it at a unknowing clerk to give them a scare. She ignored their shouts and curses as she strolled wherever she desired. Whistling a jolly tune, Bella all but walked through the halls by herself.

Her destination? Nowhere and anywhere.

After a few minutes of wandering, her attention was drawn to the intercom coming to life as her watch buzzed.

 

"Warning: Qliphoth Meltdowns in Progress!"

 

Tilting her head in confusion, Bella look at her wrist and saw that she was assigned once again to the Old Lady. Her face scrunched up in boredom before she reluctantly turned and made her way there. Making her way there, she had a random thought of putting the notepad back in its containment room. It wasn't as if she cared about bringing it with her or not, but most surely she doubted it was proper procedure to bring two Abnormalities into the same room.

She checked her radio to see if it was on and found out that it was. Seeing that she hadn't gotten any orders to put it back, she shrugged and simply opened the Old Lady's containment.

Bella was expecting for the same routine. The creaking of her rocking chair, the rambling words of an old hag, and the dead silence of the entire room. But instead of that, a black wall of mist was what she had walked face first in.

Stumbling back, a look of surprise made its way to Bella's face as she tried to wave it away. Accidentally breathing it in, the black mist moved as if it were alive and surrounded her entire being. She didn't even take a step in when the sudden excruciating pain came to her as the door closed. She had expected it to end as soon as the door closed, but when she opened her eyes and all she could see was black smoke, she knew right then and there that it didn't matter.

"Holy shit! Are you okay?!" A clerk who noticed the scene called of from the end of the hall causing the other clerks to turn as well. "Hey! Someone call for help!"

Kneeling over due to the intense pain in her chest, head, and lungs, Bella coughed and curled up on the floor of the hallway while gritting her teeth. Her eyes twitched as she barely kept the tears from spilling, spasming on the floor from the pain was all she could do.

'What the hell is this?!' She barely questioned within her mind as she tightly held her chest in pain. 'It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!'

Through the mist, she could see clerks reaching for her, desperately trying to help and remove the black substance in the air. Their attempts, while appreciated by Bella, only made her feel as if she were in a worse situation than she already was.

Despite what it seemed, the black mist from the Old Lady's containment was all in her head and the head of the clerks. The pain, the clenching of her lungs, the aching of her brain, and the blindness caused by the mist were not real. It was merely a fabrication made by the Old Lady as punishment for being left in solitude for so long.

Not that any of them knew that.

"Shit! What the hell do we do?!"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?!"

"Stop panicking and get her out of there!"

While the clerks struggled and panicked on helping their fellow colleague, the Manager was watching in confusion from his office. He didn't know what was going on with them, but what he did know was that the countdown for the Old Lady's meltdown was still going. Having no choice, the Manager called upon the other agents of the Information Team and informed them on the matter.

While Dexter and Vinera were making their way to her location, Bella was hunched over on the ground as she gasped for air. But no matter what she did, the burning of her lungs continued to sizzle as if they were being branded with hot iron. Her head felt as if it was going to explode the longer she stayed on the ground. Struggling to get up, she crawled towards the nearest clerk who backed away from her when the mist got close to them.

The clerk flinched when he looked at Bella due to the fact that she had a smile on her face that promised pain when this was over. That deranged smile that increasingly becoming more twisted before finally turning into a maniacal grin. That image was enough for the clerks to step back once more and finally flee.

 

"Notifying all personnel!
Agent Bella's Mental Corruption has reached 100%!
Suppression is advised!"

 

With pain clouding her judgment and thinking, Bella laughed manically as she pushed through the pain to stand up on her feet. T-09-78 was still on her hip as it dangled. Bella slowly reached her hand to her holster before pulling her revolver out. The insanity in her eyes were now apparent as she admired the firearm in her hand.

"Bella! Are you okay?!"

"Don't tell me you're dead!"

Dexter and Vinera bursted into the hallway from the nearby door. Seeing Bella standing there, Dexter narrowed his eyes as he cautiously stepped closer. Vinera hoisted her hammer in her hands as she was all but ready to let loose some of her frustrations. When they reached a good amount of distance to her, Bella slowly turned to them and smiled.

"Hey guys! What are you doing here?"

Vinera froze stiff as confusion set in while Dexter continued to stare intently at their teammate.

"Didn't those guys say there was this black smoke or something?" Vinera asked Dexter in a whisper as she tried her best to find it. When she didn't see it, she focused back on Bella who seemed fine, if not normal. "And we're here to help you obviously."

"Help me with what? I have everything all taken care of!" She cheerfully said as she giggled. Dexter didn't buy the act one bit. Despite how much he hated her personality and antics, he knew her enough to know when something wasn't right. "What's wrong, Dexter?"

"......."

He stayed silent as he eyed her. His spear held tightly in his hands as he took another step closer to her. He noticed how she was calmly holding her revolver and not fidgeting with her it like she usually does. Another thing was the fact that she called him by his actual name and not by his nickname that they agreed to call him by.

"......."

With a sudden burst of speed, Dexter dashed at her with a thrust of his spear. Bella didn't even seem phased as she used her revolver to parry the strike to the side, barely missing her face.

"That isn't very nice." She said with a frown. Before she could react, Vinera was already next to her mid-swing with her hammer from Forsaken Murderer.

Getting flown across the hallway, Bella rolled and stumbled along the floor before somehow ending back up in her feet with a slide. Her hair was disheveled as it shadowed her eyes. Dexter didn't wait as he went for another thrust towards her followed with Vinera behind him.

Bella simply started chuckling as she then aimed her gun and began firing. Going to his side, Vinera used the massive head of her hammer as a shield as the bullets bounced off them. When the onslaught stopped, Dexter dashed once more out of cover and threw his spear like a javelin. The spear moved quickly through the air and impaled itself into Bella's shoulder.

"It hurts!" Bella screamed as she forcibly ripped it out while blood spilled onto the floor. She turned to face them before she was suddenly tackled onto the ground. "It hurts! Get off! It hurts!"

"Vinny! Go deal with the Meltdown!" Dexter ordered as he struggled to restrain Bella. Vinera wanted to object but noticed the timer having only 10 seconds. She clicked her tongue before opening the containment and making her way in. "Goddammit stop moving!"

Bella continued to struggled under his weight as she tried everything to escape. She clawed at him, flailed her legs, and even tried to bite his throat. Luckily, Dexter was able to disarm her and place his knees on her arms after a few tries. With her successfully restrained and unarmed, he simply held her on the spot and waited for Vinera to be finished.

"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"

She kept repeatedly screaming as her volume increased as well. Dexter's strength was waning as time went on and he didn't know if he could keep her there any longer.

"Get off! Get off! Get off!"

"Shut the hell up already! You're giving me a headache!"

Just when he was beginning to think he would fail, the door at the end of the hallway opened as a few clerks came along with Mike and Y/n.

"Dexter!"

"Mike?!"

Despite their short time together, Dexter did find some form of connection with one another for being the only male agents of their Departments. Although it didn't seem that significant to Dexter due to his nature, Mike took their friendship fondly and his caring nature showed.

"You, fetch her weapon." Y/n ordered while pointing at one of the clerks before he turned to the other. "You, go check on the Meltdown and its progress."

"Right away!"

"On it, Captain!"

They made their way and did as ordered while Mike and Y/n quickly came to Dexter's side and helped pick Bella off the floor while keeping her restrained.

"Mike, suppress her."

Knowing what he meant, Mike pulled out his weapon from One Sin. Dexter grew concerned and was alarmed at what he was going to do. When he was going to move to stop them, Y/n quickly stretched his arm out and stopped him from doing so.

"You don't have the appropriate suppression equipment. Stand back or you'll just make the situation worse than it is."

Gritting his teeth, Dexter nodded his head as he watched Mike whack Bella in the head with his weapon. The force caused her to jerk, but otherwise no physical harm seemed to have been made.

"It hurts! It hurts!"

Yet, despite their efforts, Bella was still screaming and flailing. The intercom had yet to announce her suppression, and Mike seemed to also grow concerned. Y/n placed a hand on his chin as he went into thought. All three of them were stumped on what was happening.

Bella on the other hand felt as if he heard was going to collapse in on itself as she simply screamed her misery. She had long stopped processing the world around her as she could only feel the immense pain in her head. It felt as if she was being crushed specifically only the sides of her head life a grape.

"Do it again."

Y/n said as Mike unsurely readied himself for a another strike. When he swung, Bella could only feel static in her entire body. A screeching silence took over her mind as she felt as if she were going to explode.

Push, shove, nudge.

Constrict, restrain, squeeze.

In, out, in, out.

Open, close, wide, narrow.

Pain, relief, sorrow, joy.

When the last and final strike from Mike came once more. It all became clear to Bella as she simply laughed manically. This surprised Mike and Dexter as they took a step back from the unstable woman. Y/n on the other hand simply narrowed his eyes.

"Ahahahahahahaah!!! I know! I know! I know!" She continued to ramble as she threw her head back to see the ceiling. "It's happening! It's happening!"

"What the fuck....." Dexter whispered as he stared at her wide eyed in shock. He noticed Vinera was standing with a similar look of shock as him while the two clerks were standing behind her as well.

"Oh how great! Oh how magnificent! Oh how unimaginable!" Bella cheered as she had tears running down her cheeks now. "I have finally done it! I've achieved it! I've been born again!"

That last statement was what caused it to finally click in the agents mind. With no hesitation, Y/n and Dexter simultaneously moved and reached for the notepad still attached to Bella's hip. They figured the cause of this was due to the Abnormality that she still held, but at this point it was already too late.

Just as Dexter's fingers brushed against the Abnormality, Bella cheered one final time before her entire head exploded. Her blood and brain matter coated both the floor and themselves as they all stood frozen. Shards of her skull had flown in every direction and imbedding themselves to whoever was unfortunate.

Due to their close proximity, Y/n and Dexter had the worse of it as shards pierced the side of their faces and chest. The others were fine aside from bits of meat coating their clothes and hair. None of them moved as they all took in events that just occurred.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
Agent Bella has perished!"

The intercom was what caused the first of them to move. That being Y/n who stepped closer to Bella's corpse. The entire head from the neck upwards was gone as blood continued to ooze out from the opening. Pushing Dexter's frozen hand away from the notepad, Y/n began to read it.

Dexter, still in his shock, let his hand go limp as he simply stood there and watched Y/n do whatever he was planning to do. Mike had covered his mouth to prevent any of his breakfast from coming out while the two clerks had already passed out. Vinera was similar to Y/n as she held a blank look while she stood there.

After a moment, Y/n closed the notepad and pulled out his radio from his hip.

——————————————————————————

3rd POV                  

Manager's Office

The Manager sighed frustratingly. The situation once again got out of hand due to his blunders and misdirections. At the moment, his frustration was merely directed at himself for having forgotten about the Abnormality that he assigned to his agents. He wouldn't make excuses, but no one could blame him for losing track of a notepad amidst a facility filled with paperwork.

Already having ordered Angela to turn back the hands of time an hour before the events occurred, X went over the conversation he had with Y/n.

"What happened?"

"Surely you know from the intercom?"

"......that's not what I'm asking....."

"........a miscalculation and lack of information......"

"........"

"........They're Notes From A Crazed Researcher."

"What is?"

"T-09-78. Although it's hard to distinguish, there is a barely legible name written in each page. Something along the lines of  Agustus"

".......anything else to note?......."

".........I would recommend categorizing this Abnormality as HE. Judging by the effects it could cause in a person's possession, I would limit its uses despite the increase work efficiency it seemed to have had on those who used it."

"I see.....duly noted. I'll see to it that it's done."

"Then since that's all I have to report, I'll be on my way."

The Manager sighed once more as he looked at the Abnormality's profile. The label and name was simplistic and simply taken from his conversation with Y/n. Hearing the room and the mechanical sounds beginning to calm, X leaned forward and got ready to finish collecting the quota for the day. Making sure to send Bella to return the Abnormality before attending to Old Lady, X made note to stay away from it from now on.

——————————————————————————

Y/n's POV

 

It happened again.

The feeling of deja vu and my instincts telling me that something was going to happen. But after making my rounds through the Information Department, nothing happened much to my confusion. Usually my assumptions and gut feelings would at least be a portion true.

Thinking of myself as paranoid, I started to walk my way back to the main room when suddenly I noticed Bella walking up ahead. Speeding up my walk, I was able to reach her in a few seconds.

"Hello there!"

At first she seemed to be absentminded, but upon hearing my voice Bella turned her head as she smiled. Slowing her pace to match mine, we walked together towards the main room.

"Oh hello, Y/n! Sorry I didn't notice you!" She grinned while giving a carefree vibe. I simply grinned back and waved off her apology.

"It's fine, it's fine. You seemed to be deep in thought, so sorry if I interrupted."

"Oh no, you're fine!" She brought her revolver out as she started to play with it while her face went into deep thought once again. "It's just that I felt........odd lately."

"Odd? How do?" I asked curiously, intrigued by what she meant.

"Hmmm......how should I put it......it's like more tiring today than usual." Finding her explanation kind of broad, I stopped walking as she did too.

"Well, that could be explained by a lot of things, mind being more specific?"

"Uuummm......" Her face had a hint of fear as she glanced at her hands. "......never mind. Let's just get going!"

She didn't wait for me as she turned and walked away. Finding no reason to dig further, I followed behind her as she headed past the main room and towards the other side of the facility. Despite wanting to question where we were going, I decided to just silently follow behind her.

At first I thought she was mindlessly walking around but when the containment for T-09-78 came into view, I remembered and noticed that she was still carrying it. Seeing her check her wrist device and the label of the door, let me know that she was following the Manager's order to put it back.

Opening the containment room, we both entered to see a large tube at the end of the room. The blue lights illuminated the inside as the top and bottom were held firmly incased in metal.

Walking towards it, Bella slowly opened the glass casing and placed the notepad in. The lights then brightened before the Abnormality began levitating inside the tube. Bella watched in fascination while I chuckled and closed the casing.

"If you're done admiring the thing, hurry up and deal with the Meltdowns."

The Manager suddenly called out from the radio. Confusion was all I felt as I didn't hear anything about Meltdowns being in progress. Looking at Bella, she also seemed just as confused as I was, but before I could question the Manager on why he gave those orders, the intercom came to life.

 

"Warning: Qliphoth Meltdowns in Progress!"

 

"Color me impressed. The Manager is a damn Psychic!" I joked as Bella giggled. But despite the carefree attitude I gave out, questions piled in my head about how the Manager could've known. "Let's get to work!"

Putting my questions and theories away for later, I walked right out and went to deal with Fragment Of The Universe's Meltdown while Bella went to deal with the Old Lady's.

<Time-Skip>

When we finished dealing with the Meltdowns, the shift ended with no Foreign Entities appearing. With a lackluster ending to the day, I went to sleep with questions that I never thought of plaguing my mind and soul.

'I'll just get some answers tomorrow.'

Was what I told myself before the void took me into a dreamless sleep.

——————————————————————————