There was something deeply wrong.
Shirei's violet eyes scanned the hospital room in Colorno, every detail exactly as he remembered it.
That was when the realization hit him.
The temporal rift had restarted, erasing the events of the previous night as if they had never occurred. The boy remained still for a few moments, his face a mask of calm that hid the turmoil within.
Ada was the first to truly react. Her gray eyes widened, reflecting the terror that pierced her soul—fear too great to be caused by the rift alone. In an instant, the young Blendbreed sprang to her feet, her lean, muscular body drawn taut like a violin string.
"No…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "No, no, no!"
She clutched her dark hair with both hands, nearly tearing it out.
Her screams echoed in the room, a heart-wrenching cry that made the son of Cragar flinch. She trembled violently. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed in the corner of the room. She backed against the wall, overcome with exhaustion, curling into herself as if she could somehow escape that cruel reality. Havel rushed to her without hesitation, wrapping her in a protective embrace. His muscular arms held her tightly.
Shirei didn't understand and felt left out, but Marina's voice echoed in his mind, ordering him not to ask questions. This was the case she had explained to him. He needed to know when to voice his doubts and when to remain silent.
"Shh… it's okay," he whispered, gently stroking her hair and holding her close. "We're here. We're together. You're safe."
The daughter of Rutia was short of breath, a sign she was having a breakdown. "I… I… d-don't want to go back there."
"You'll never go back there again. Your home is now at Lilies Park."
Ada lifted her tearful eyes toward the son of Sidal. "At the park?"
"Yes, at the park," he nodded, "with me and the Equinox Flowers."
Shirei found it pointless to waste time; he turned his gaze away from the scene and focused on analyzing the rift. His understanding of the place was limited, as were the laws that governed it.Why had it restarted? What had they done—or failed to do—to trigger the reset? The questions flocked in his mind like starving crows.
Reno, I need you.
The Tenebrae answered his call immediately, manifesting in the room after emerging from the Interworld.
Ada looked up at him, tears streaking her pale face. Havel glared at him. "How can you be so calm?" he asked, his accusatory tone unmistakable. "Don't you understand your companion is suffering?"
Shirei approached, kneeling in front of them. His violet eyes shone intensely. "We're alive, all three of us. Ada isn't in the state to solve this mystery, and you know what she's going through. This temporal rift is an obstacle for her. I'll help by removing the problem, but I can't stay still if I want to do that."
The Blendbreed watched him, perhaps more surprised than annoyed. Finally, he nodded and moved his hand to gently stroke the girl's back.
"I didn't think I'd say this, but you're not entirely wrong."
Ada straightened up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She breathed slowly, trying to regain control. "No, he's right," she admitted. "We have to find the anchor and get out of this place."
"Are you sure? If you need more time…"
"We don't have time, remember? The fate of the park is in our hands," she interrupted him. "I-I can do it. I'm an Equinox Flower."
Havel stood and helped her up. They retraced the events of the "previous day." They analyzed every action, every conversation, searching for any piece of information they might have missed. Shirei closed his eyes for a moment.
"You look confused, boss," Reno teased.
"I'm the boss here," Havel shot back.
The Tenebrae looked him over thoroughly before agreeing in a flat tone. "Sure…"
"Are you mocking me, undead boy?"
Shirei sighed. "Enough, Reno. Use that mouth to give us everything you know about the temporal rift."
"Everything?"
The violet-eyed Blendbreed nodded.
"As you wish."
Reno floated briefly, his form shifting like smoke in a light breeze. Then, he began to speak: "Temporal rifts are a complex phenomenon. Their duration varies greatly, and clearly it's Rakion who determines it. When the rift's time period ends, it resets everyone present to the point it was established, bringing everything back to the beginning, unchanged."
Havel was about to interrupt, but the Tenebrae beat him to it. "Yes, even the living, if necessary. But you," he pointed to the three Equinox Flowers, "are Outsiders. You won't be treated the same. If you die, you won't come back."
"Never a bit of luck," Havel muttered.
"However, you're the only ones able to retain memories from before the reset. The people trapped in the rift will repeat the same script forever."
Reno's words fell heavy in the room. Shirei called his attention. "What happens if an outsider brings a rift inhabitant outside?"
"The moment the rift resets, the inhabitant will automatically return inside. Once you're a prisoner, you always are."
"Are there any exceptions?"
"Not that I know of, boss."
"So we're the only ones who can stop this cycle…" Ada said.
The son of Cragar noted with some relief that her voice was steadily regaining strength. He remained silent for a long moment, absorbing the information. Then, in a calm voice, he addressed his companions. "Then it's clear the time period of this rift is fixed to less than twenty-four hours—when midnight strikes, the reset happens."
As they spoke, a movement at the end of the corridor caught the attention of the violet-eyed Blendbreed. With a swift gesture, he signaled his companions to stay silent, then dashed to the door and closed it. The Equinox Flowers pressed themselves against the wall, hoping the passage wouldn't be opened.
Peeking through the crack, Shirei watched a group of doctors emerge from an adjacent corridor. They were pushing a stretcher on which lay a motionless body, covered with a white sheet. Dark stains spread across the fabric like blood flowers in a snow-covered field.
The doctors passed close to their room, speaking in hushed tones that blended with the creaking of the stretcher wheels. The Forbidden Heir held his breath, ready to react if they were discovered, but the doctors continued on, disappearing around the corner at the far end of the corridor.
The Blendbreed waited, only moving once the sound of their footsteps had faded. He turned to his companions and gestured for them to wait, then opened the door and stepped outside.
He realized he had forgotten the lab coat, which was still in the wardrobe, so he quickened his pace to avoid being seen. He had considered traveling through the Interworld but didn't know exactly what he was looking for. He turned the corner where the doctors had come from and continued, careful not to encounter anyone. Finally, he turned right, where the path ended at an office.
He read the plaque on the door silently: "Director."
Did they kill the director?
He preferred to discuss that problem with the Equinox Flowers, so he vanished into the Interworld before anyone could spot him. That was when he saw it.
What the…
The son of Cragar froze. In front of him, where the Interworld rippled and the aether curved, stood the silhouette of someone— Or something.
An unknown being was inside the office, enclosed in a vortex of magical energy. Shirei thought it wiser not to find out what it was—not yet—so he made his way back to the room.
He reappeared moments later on the bed, startling both Ada and Havel.
Instinctively, the son of Sidal placed a hand on the hilt of one of his axes. "Purple, you've got to stop doing that or we'll end up joining your father ahead of schedule."
"Something terrible is happening in this hospital," the black-haired boy cut in. "Whatever it is, it's definitely linked to the temporal rift—but there might be something else too."
Ada nodded, her face still pale—paler than usual. "That body… it was covered in blood. Who did it belong to?"
Shirei thought for a moment. "I believe the original director. Now replaced by a creature."
"A creature?" echoed the daughter of Rutia.
"Yes, I saw it while I was in the Interworld. It was immersed in aether."
Havel clenched his fists, his eyes glowing with restrained anger. "We can't let them keep hurting people."
"Technically, you could," Reno replied. "Everyone here is already dead anyway. Doesn't make much difference."
Shirei raised a hand, signaling that the presence of the Tenebrae was no longer required. "We could make things worse if we acted on impulse."
"Then what do you suggest as our next step?" Ada asked.
The Blendbreed looked toward the window, where the sun was rising higher in the sky. "For now, let's blend in with the patients. We'll go to the cafeteria and wait."
"They only bring the patients to the underground after lunch…" Havel nodded, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes. "Then we'll pretend to be serious cases. I can fake dementia. I like this plan. I may be a son of Sidal, but I can hold my own against the sons of Ien when it comes to strategy."
"Pretend? That won't be hard," Ada remarked. "Besides, the plan isn't yours."
"Yes, it is. I'm the leader."
Ada gave a faint smile—the first positive expression since they'd woken up in this repeating day. "If you say so, leader. Then I'll play a patient with hallucinations."
The Equinox Flowers decided to change clothes—this time without any furtive glances from Havel. Once ready, they stepped into the corridor and, after a final look of understanding, split up, each heading to a different part of the hospital, with the clear goal of regrouping in the cafeteria.
Shirei arrived last. The midday sun filtered through the hospital's dirty windows, casting long shadows across the worn tables and faded floor. The air was thick with the scent of bland food and disinfectant—a mixture that made his nose curl. The Blendbreed made his way toward the line of patients waiting for their meal. His violet eyes scanned the room, seeking the familiar faces of his companions.
He spotted them quickly enough: Ada sat in a corner, staring into space as if she were seeing invisible monsters. Shirei couldn't tell whether she was just pretending or actually seeing the scenes that had traumatized her.
Havel, on the other hand, was gesticulating animatedly to a group of bored patients, proclaiming himself the hero of the thirteen realms.
His companions were playing their roles perfectly. With a tray in hand, loaded with a meal more suited to a prison than a hospital, he approached a table positioned between the two Equinox Flowers. He let himself drop into the chair with a vacant demeanor, maintaining the blank stare typical of his catatonic persona.
"The butterflies… the butterflies are dancing," Ada murmured, her voice trembling and her wide eyes fixed on a spot above the boy's head. She moved over and sat next to him.
Havel turned toward the Blendbreed with a benevolent smile. "My dear," he said in a booming voice. "In my kingdom, butterflies only dance by order of the king. And I am the king!"
Shirei stared at his plate, seemingly unaware of what surrounded him. "Did you find anything out?" he whispered, barely moving his lips.
"I noticed there are armed guards in the lower floor corridors. Guards with Blendbreed weapons. Why would people like that be needed in a psychiatric hospital?"
Shirei absorbed the new information in silence. He hadn't seen them when he'd hidden near the underground entrance the previous day.
Has the rift changed? he wondered, unsettled.
"We need to find a way to access the underground," he murmured at last.
It was Havel who broke the silence. "One of us should get caught on purpose…" he whispered, absentmindedly.
Ada turned toward him abruptly. "Absolutely not. It's too dangerous. We don't know what they do to the patients who disappear. We agreed to find the keys because it was a safer plan."
Shirei, however, seemed to be considering another problem. "I believe there's another outsider here."
The two Blendbreeds widened their eyes and asked in unison, "Who?"
"The creature in the director's office," he said slowly. "I fear he knows about us as well. If that's the case, it won't be long before he decides to go on the offensive."
"Then, even if the Temporal Rift resets, it would become impossible to reach the underground levels because he would know…"
Shirei nodded. "Exactly."
"Alright," Havel replied, "then I'll go."
The daughter of Rutia didn't seem to agree, but rather than putting her foot down, she tried to dissuade him with facts.
"How will we communicate with you once you're down there?"
"You can't go. I have to do it."
"You have the same problem I do," the son of Sidal replied bitterly.
"I have Reno," countered the violet-eyed Blendbreed. "My Tenebrae can act as a messenger. As soon as I discover something, you'll know too. And if I'm in danger, he can warn you."
Havel rubbed his scar. He didn't like the idea, but they had no other options left to consider. He had to accept not being the bait and let Shirei take on that role. "Then it's settled. You'll get yourself captured and taken to the underground. Ada and I will remain up here, ready to intervene if needed."
"Are we sure we want to go through with this plan?" the girl asked. "We could still try to steal the keys from that mysterious creature."
Her trembling voice betrayed the worry she tried to hide. Her gray eyes shifted nervously between her companions, a sign that her strange fear hadn't entirely faded.
Havel leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and let out a grunt of frustration. "I don't like the idea of sending one of us down there alone. If I had to choose, I'd go myself, but I don't see any other options. We need to find the anchor, fast."
"Otherwise?"
"We'll be presumed dead, and the academy will send an entire squad into the Rift, risking further weakening our forces."
The boy's violet eyes remained fixed on some undefined point beyond the window. The more time we spend in this endless loop, the more Rakion's plan succeeds. We have to prove we can close a Rift on our own to convince the academy to pull back its soldiers.
Ada bit her lip, torn. "But… what if something goes wrong? What if they really capture you, Shirei?"
Silence fell over the room for a few moments.
"I'll find a way out."
It didn't seem to convince her.
"And I'll come running for you. You're under my command, Purple. I don't let my teammates die on missions," the son of Sidal stepped closer. "The first monster, the first strange feeling—you call us. Understood?"
The two locked eyes, then Shirei nodded.
"Great. How do we proceed? How do we make sure they capture you?"
Ada thought for a moment, then a spark of inspiration lit up her gray eyes. "A psychotic episode," she said. "He'll fake a mental breakdown. He'll scream and thrash around. That'll be enough to draw the doctors' attention."
"Good idea. You and I can stay nearby, ready to intervene if needed."
"No," Shirei replied. "You need to stay away. If they see us together, they might get suspicious. You have to keep playing your roles as patients."
The daughter of Rutia opened her mouth to protest, but the leader cut her off. "Rather, oh almighty Forbidden Heir, can you even act?"
The boy didn't answer—he just looked away. Ada rolled her eyes and said. "Let's hope for the best."
Shirei gave them a brief farewell and headed toward the main hallway, while the two followed him a few minutes later. He walked for a while, looking for the perfect moment to start his performance. Once he had chosen his stage, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Then, with a heart-wrenching scream that echoed through the hospital, he began his act.
His cries immediately drew the attention of the hospital staff, though the boy was acutely aware of how terrible his acting was. If the plan failed, he already knew where to place the blame. The hallway quickly filled with people. The Blendbreed, doing his best to play the part of a patient in the midst of a psychological collapse, thrashed on the ground and widened his eyes.
"The shadows! The shadows are coming! Don't let them take me!"
Despite the performance, he suspected the same calm expression was still painted on his face. Two burly nurses grabbed him by the arms, trying to pin him down. The Blendbreed pretended to resist their grip but used the opportunity to gauge the strength of his possible enemies.
They're strong—too strong for the kind of work they're supposed to do.
"Doctor!" one of them called. "We need help over here!"
A tall man in a white coat pushed his way through the growing crowd of onlookers. His cold eyes studied Shirei with clinical interest.
"Take him downstairs," he ordered in a flat tone. "This patient needs… yes, special treatment."
The nurses began dragging him toward the stairwell at the end of the corridor. Shirei kept struggling, but inside, he was steeling himself for what awaited. He cast a glance at Ada and Havel still on the other side of the hallway.
Forgive me.
After all, he had deceived them.
He didn't think the Lilies of the Equinox were fools, but he knew the situation would be enough to distract them. It was in human nature to discard lower-priority information under pressure—a trait Shirei mysteriously lacked. The anchor was interfering, making it impossible for him to use his powers or send Reno to warn them.
In truth, Havel would've been the better choice.
The Blendbreed, however, had perceived the bond between the two and, recognizing that he wasn't made for teamwork, had placed himself in this situation of his own accord. He let himself be dragged toward the ground floor, through the hallways, and finally beyond the doors leading to the underground. The entrance sealed behind them with a sinister hiss, and Shirei felt the floor shift beneath his feet as they descended into the depths of the hospital. The air grew colder and damper as they went down, and a strange scent filled his nostrils. When the doors opened, he had to suppress his surprise.
The underground bore no resemblance to the rest of the hospital—it looked more like the interior of an ancient temple, with black columns rising from the tiled floor and golden ornaments glinting in the dim light. The nurses dragged him across the vast space broken by pillars, passing closed doors from behind which emerged unsettling sounds: moans, muffled screams, and a bestial growl Shirei recognized instantly.
The monsters from the rift.
They stopped in front of a stone altar, stained with what looked like dried blood. Around the structure, figures in white coats moved with mechanical precision, preparing instruments and vials. Behind them stood an urn containing a luminescent golden liquid. It wasn't hard to guess what it was.
Ichor.
"A new subject… prepare him for Sanctification," ordered the doctor.
Shirei was dragged toward the altar. They laid him down on the cold stone against his will, which allowed him a closer look at the golden liquid. He had to wait a little longer before acting. There were twelve of them—he could overpower them easily, but he couldn't let any escape. He needed to keep them all within reach, at least at first.
A doctor approached him, holding a syringe filled with the glowing substance. "Do not fear," he said in a monotone voice. "You will soon be sanctified. You will become part of something greater. You will receive the grace to become a warrior of Lichi."
In that moment, Shirei understood. They were injecting a goddess's ichor into the patients, a process that would force Blendbreeds back onto their Divine Pathway—but one that had very different effects on humans.
Rakion created a rift here for this purpose, he realized. The triggering event is the birth of the monsters, created by the doctors through the ichor stored in that urn… and that must be the anchor.
The doctor looked him in the eyes and smiled. His smug expression vanished in an instant when he recognized the violet hue of Shirei's irises. He began to back away, dropping the syringe filled with divine blood.
"N-no… who did you bring down here…"
With a swift movement, Shirei rolled off the altar, catching the doctors by surprise. In the chaos that followed, he managed to dodge their attempts to seize him. He could have used the confusion to throw himself at the door and escape, but that wasn't his goal. He advanced through his enemies, taking them down one by one. Only after their numbers were halved did the men realize it would be wiser to flee—an option the son of Cragar would eliminate within the next three minutes.
── ⋆⋅❂⋅⋆ ──
Why did I do that?
He asked himself, staring at the broken legs of the twelve doctors. He tried to recall the moments just before, but found only emptiness in his mind. He didn't remember stopping the men from fleeing, yet the shocked screams around him told a different story.
I don't have time to wrack my brain over this. They're villains, sealed inside a rift.
The Blendbreed swallowed any pity for his enemies and approached the doctor who had recognized him.
"Do you know who I am?"
The man wore a mask of pain on his face, but it was swiftly replaced by fear. "Y-yes. I wasn't informed. I didn't know… there was a new one of you."
"What are you doing in this place?"
"We create the Phasmafili with the blood of the divine Lichi. We analyze and record the differences between male and female subjects."
Phasmafili… so that's their name.
Shirei took note of the information and continued the interrogation. "Why are you doing it?"
The doctor remained silent.
"Answer."
Still nothing. Shirei stepped closer only to realize the man had fainted from shock. He checked to make sure he was still alive, then decided it was time to regroup with the Equinox Flowers.
Without the Tenebrae, I'll need Havel and Ada to carry the urn.
Cautiously, Shirei made his way to the doors of the underground and stepped through—only to find the two Blendbreeds standing in front of him.
"Thank the gods," the girl whispered, relief evident in her gray eyes. "We were about to come looking for you."
That was when a punch flew toward the son of Cragar, which he dodged easily.
Havel shoved him against the wall. "Did you think we wouldn't remember? Huh?"
Shirei nodded slightly, just in time to avoid a second punch.
"Why did you lie? We waited for you until we remembered the anchor was suppressing your powers!"
Ada grabbed the blond by the arm and pulled him back. "This isn't the moment and the place. Let's move."
Havel huffed but allowed himself to be guided to a small room on the first floor. Once inside, Shirei dropped to the ground, ignoring the furious gaze of the Equinox Flowers' leader.
"Speak. Tell us everything," Havel said, his voice a mix of anger and concern.
Shirei took a deep breath and began recounting what he had seen and discovered in the underground. He spoke of the altar, the doctors, and the ritual of sanctification.
"The ichor," he concluded, "I believe it's the key to everything. It's the anchor of this temporal rift. We need to either take the urn with us or destroy it."
Havel touched his scar, deep in thought. "Damn. To think that a century ago they were conducting these experiments. I thought the monsters were the problem, not the mortals."
After a moment, he realized he had spoken those words aloud and turned to Ada. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
The girl gave him a weak smile. "It's okay, Havel. I know."
The three of them fell silent before the son of Sidal spoke again. "So the plan is clear: we need to go back to the underground and steal all the remaining aether."
"The problem will be transporting it outside. It inhibits powers."
Ada bit her lip. "What if it only affects you?"
"We can't rely on possibilities," the son of Cragar replied.
As they continued discussing the details of their plan, a movement outside the window caught Havel's attention. To his horror, he saw strands of darkness intertwining in the hospital garden, forming words.
"Hey, look," he whispered, pointing to the window.
Ada and Shirei approached. The former began to tremble as she read the message that was forming: "We'll see each other soon, panther."
"The hospital director," Havel deduced. "It must be him."
Ada collapsed to the floor, her legs having stopped functioning. Her two companions were immediately by her side.
"Ada!" the leader shook her. "What's happening?"
"The l-l-lion, it's him."
Shirei couldn't follow the conversation, but Havel's terrified expression was enough to make him understand the danger.
"Purple, let's lift her up," the blonde said. "We need to get her out of the Temporal Rift. Immediately."
The boy didn't ask questions and simply followed the orders. The son of Sidal lifted Ada by the legs, like a princess, and sprinted through the hallways with Shirei by his side. The two Blendbreeds didn't say a word but immediately realized how the hospital had suddenly become deserted.
No noise, no living soul but them.
They reached the hallway leading to the room where the Temporal Rift's exit was located, and Ada broke free from her companion's hold.
"W-we can't… leave," she stammered.
Havel opened the wardrobe doors and moved the clothes aside. "If what you said is true, you can't stay here. You come before the aether, or the Rift."
The two continued to bicker, unaware of the emergence of another problem.
Shirei couldn't help but feel a strange sensation in his chest. It was as though something inside him was twisting. He stopped abruptly, feeling his body stiffen. The barely audible voice escaped his lips like a groan of pain.
The world around the son of Cragar began to swirl. The hospital walls seemed to liquefy and spin, creating a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes that threatened to overwhelm his senses.
"Hey! Purple!" Havel shouted, grabbing his arm.
He tried to steady himself on the floor, but his hands passed through it as if it were made of smoke.
It's too soon for the reset…
He felt a wave of panic rise within him and immediately forced it back into place. He had to stay calm and clear-headed.
His legs gave out, and he fell to the ground.
The two Equinox Flowers rushed to his side, but their voices seemed to come from far away.
The Blendbreed felt his eyelids growing heavy. Everything was fading into darkness. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the worried faces of his companions, but even they vanished into the mist.
Then, total darkness.
In the void of unconsciousness, he heard a familiar voice. It was deep and powerful, cruel and familiar.
"My ally," it called, "it's time to return. Help me finish what we started."
With a jolt, he recognized the identity of his interlocutor. "Rakion," he whispered into the emptiness.
He felt himself being pulled forward by an invisible force. He tried to resist, but was unable. Bright lights flashed at the edges of his vision as he was dragged through what seemed like a tunnel of pure energy. The voice seemed to distance itself, and this reassured the boy—he just had to figure out what was happening.
He could feel the mana swirling around, trying to block his passage, as if it were… a barrier.
An invisible wall?
Shirei immediately recalled the strange sensation he had felt when trying to access the Evanescent Trail. His skin felt as if it were burning, as though the mana were trying to break down the bonds between the cells of his body. He ignored the pain and pushed forward, still not understanding why he was in this situation.
Since I've been in the Mortal World, I haven't understood anything. If I'm to be a pawn, at least I want to decide the conditions.
And it was simple; he wanted to access that place. He wanted to enter the trail. A tear formed in the barrier, catapulting him against a dark, rocky ground. Darkness surrounded him, but it wasn't threatening.
It was comforting. Gentle.
He stood up and moved his joints to make sure he was still intact. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he began to make out the contours of the place. It was a vast open space in the deepest blackness. He looked down, and the ground seemed to be made of stone.
In front of him was a figure.
Shirei held his breath when he recognized himself. It was his younger version, the same one that had appeared after the vision of Salix.
"We meet again," said the replica, its voice an echo of his own.
Shirei took a step forward, uncertain. "What… what is happening? Why am I here?"
"Still asking the same questions? Expand your vocabulary. You're here because we can't wait any longer. Time is running out, and you didn't follow my advice, so I took the liberty of bringing you here."
"I can't stay. I have to go back, the Equinox Flowers need me."
"Don't worry, if there's real danger, I'll let you return. I'm not trying to kill us."
The Blendbreed closed his eyes, assessing the situation. He couldn't abandon Havel and Ada so suddenly, but the opportunity that lay before him was far too great to refuse.
"I still don't know how to cross the invisible wall. If it weren't for the help of my subconscious, I probably wouldn't be here… and I wouldn't know how to get back."
He was speaking to himself, so it was obvious that the replica was on his side. The scene from the previous day flashed in his mind. He saw Ada's terrified eyes and the despair in Havel's voice.
He wanted to become stronger, powerful enough to protect them.
The young Shirei looked at him and let a grimace of disapproval slip at those thoughts, but the Forbidden Heir ignored him.
"Have you made a decision?" he asked, finally.
Shirei took a deep breath, then nodded. "Lead the way."