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Kristel reflexively withdrew further into her ball when Frein got up his bed. He looked at her once and sighed, walking slowly, as though approaching a frightened kid.

She might as well be one right now.

He stayed exactly one meter away from her and sat on the floor, waiting.

“Whatever it is, Kristel, you have to face it.” He presented both hands. “Take your time. I’ll wait here.”

Silence descended upon the room. Only the rhythmic beeps of the monitors attached to Katherine and Kristel’s calming sobs lingered through the lull. Frein kept eye contact. He stayed still, calm and understanding. He even deliberately stopped himself from Gathering and Milling.

Frein just waited.

Kristel just sat there. She stared at the Visitor and saw the flashes of her nightmare blurring in and out of her vision. Slowly, the Princess can feel a change. What was once fear was enveloped by rationality and logic. The nightmare versions of the two in front of her had been turned by the Nightmare’s influence. It was an absurd thing to comprehend. If these two were to become Grinding Teeth, Brymeia would have no hope left.

Why?

Kristel couldn’t understand the notion. Surely, if Katherine, the strongest Meiyal Arts practitioner, and Frein, the Visitor endorsed by the Gatekeeper himself, both succumbed to the Nightmare, nothing else would stand before the Nightmare Lands.

There had been nothing from the Order of the Void. Yes, news of Mother Lunasensia had reached them, but the form it took sounded severe rather than hopeful.

And yet, Kristel was sure these two were the key. And so, they should never succumb to the Nightmare.

With fear now under a pretense of control—not truly gone—the Princess felt a different emotion surface. Anger. Again, it was irrational, but this time, she was immediately aware of it. There was no reason to be angry at both Frein and Katherine.

Whatever they did to her in the nightmare, the real ones in front of her would never even let the thought cross their minds. But Kristel could feel the pain. As superficial as they were, she could feel Frein’s fingers digging into her breasts and Katherine gnawing at her stomach. Both of them doing whatever they wanted with her body.

Nightmare or not, it was them.

Her anger surged the meiyal within. No matter how much she convinced herself, it refused to subside. It needed an outlet.

She unraveled her curled up ball and approached Frein with a closed fist. The Visitor saw her intentions and simply smiled.

Kristel erased what little Siffera she had Drawn. She took a low stance, a step, and swung a wide arc, delivering a fully formed fist onto Frein’s face.

The Princess expected for it not to hurt the Visitor at all. A physical body, on its own, had no chance against one protected by the enhancement Meiyal Art. But when Frein flew face first, she knew he erased his own Siffera as well.

Guilt crept in, but it was overshadowed by two things.

First, as her punch connected, she realized her anger was wrongly directed at Frein and Katherine. She was angry at herself. A weakling surrounded by strong people. The distance growing between them was the most frustrating thing in the world, especially with Frein, who had only learned Meiyal Arts for six months.

But that was the second part. It boggled her mind how much of an idiot the Visitor really was.

Before she could reason out with him, pain stung from her hand. She broke one or two fingers. The pain was too much without Siffera to numb the pain.

“That’s some nightmare,” Frein said. The Visitor tended to his bloody jaw while propped by the wall upside down. “Did I rape you or something?”

“Yes!” Kristel yelled, losing her temper. “Yes, you did! Katherine, too! Ah, damn it!”

The Princess fell on her knees, clutching her broken knuckles. There was a form of catharsis. A superficial one. She imagined things would’ve been drastically different for people who were actually victimized by this crime. The relief felt undeserved, and it frustrated her to no end.

“Well, yeah, damn…” Frein slowly fell to his side, still rubbing his jaw. His speech, slightly hindered. “We won’t do that to you. That’s a fact.”

“I know, I know.” Kristel approached Frein and Drew Samesia, but he rejected her with a gesture indicating she should heal herself first. Given the distraction caused by the pain and the fact that she wasn’t exactly an adept when it came to this Meiyal Art, it took her longer than usual.

The moment she tried to touch Frein’s face, a flash of that cursed nightmare caused her to hesitate. The real Frein didn’t react to it. Again, he just waited.

With a sigh, the Princess tried again.

“Samesia,” she invoked, hoping a sort of focus would form from speaking the Art’s name. The spike in difficulty to heal someone else took a toll on her reserves. Frein just stared at her the entire time.

“You, okay?” he asked.

Kristel finished the healing before she replied, tapping Frein’s cheek twice.

“Yeah.” She sat on the floor opposite him. “I’m okay now, I think.”

Frein raised a fist and presented it towards her. The initial impression made her think he was requesting a duel, but the slow and listless effort behind his gesture told her otherwise. She was left confused, instead.

“It’s called a bro-fist,” Frein explained. “You press fists together as a sign of friendship, and a solid indication that you are both in good terms. To not accept a bro-fist, is to declare a rift in between relationships, no matter how little.”

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He raised his fist higher.

Kristel raised hers—the same one she used to clobber Frein’s face earlier. Their knuckles connected.

Immediately, Frein smiled.

The Princess felt something release her. Like a set of chains falling off her limbs. She felt light. Her chest felt at ease and her breathing relaxed. A sigh of relief followed by a bewildered smile.

Like a kid mesmerized by a new toy, Kristel lightly tapped Frein’s knuckles a few more times before she burst out laughing. She wished this was always as easy every time.

An exhausted groan caught both their attentions. Like a blur, Frein jumped to Katherine’s side as she tried—and failed to turn.

“Ow.”

“Morning, sleepy-head,” Frein said, leaning in for a kiss. Kristel immediately pressed the button dedicated to call a healer.

“What were you guys…laughing about?” Katherine asked with burdened breath.

The Visitor passed a glance at Kristel. She immediately held out a fist in front of Katherine, smiling.

Like an automatic reaction, Katherine slowly raised her own and connected the two. Again, the Princess felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. She wanted to hug her friend, but the current situation made it problematic.

Instead, the Lady of the Void reached out and held her face. “Frein and I will never betray you, Kristel. We can promise you that.”

“But I didn’t tell you anything…”

“Sorry,” Katherine said, blinking lethargically. “I can’t help using my Blessing for some reason.”

The door to the room quietly opened to show Jo’war flanked with two other healers on each side. His orcish eyes—dark-green with slit pupils—immediately magnetized towards Frein.

“How long have you been awake?” he asked the Visitor.

“She just woke up,” he replied.

“I meant you, Visitor.”

“Oh. A few minutes. Can you please check on her first? There’s nothing wrong with me.”

“Alright, but I would still like to run some test on you. Just to be safe.”

Frein nodded. “No problem.”

He shifted to make room for the healers while Kristel did the same. Jo’war began asking the Lady some questions, but the Princess had mostly tuned them out. Her focus was on Frein. He carefully monitored the three, masking them underneath a passive expression. Whenever one person’s hand moved, he was immediately tracking it.

“I didn’t take you for the overprotective type,” she whispered.

“No, not always,” he replied. He was oddly still. “If you found someone, I’m sure you’ll do the same.”

While his eyes stayed on Katherine and the healers, Kristel observed him with no reservations.

So, you want the gibberish type. Flimeth’s words resounded inside her head. The Princess found it odd. Why now? Why so suddenly? She even entertained the thought if she was developing a certain infatuation towards Frein. Was it because of that nightmare?

Jealousy?

It didn’t feel right. Then again, in her heart, she only found Frein as a friend at most. Like a big brother she never had.

And it hit her like a speeding yuma who hadn’t seen her master for days. Kristel wanted someone who would look after her like the way Frein looked after Katherine. Someone who, despite the Lady’s undeniable strength, fame, and prowess, would see a side of her that was vulnerable and treasure her for who she was.

Envy was the right word.

A yearning formed within Kristel. She wanted something her two friends shared. A slice of paradise.

“I’m getting my priorities mixed up,” she said just as the healers finished examining Katherine.

Frein met them with haste.

“She’s in good condition but a very delicate one, Mr. Frein,” Jo’war began. By the looks of his glances, he wanted to address Kristel first but immediately realized the connection between the Visitor and the Lady. He continued as soon as Kristel stood beside them.

“Katherine’s flight or fight responses are in haywire. She’s unable to discern which Meiyal Art to use and with how much emphasis. This also causes her Blessing to be at full function as well. We believe its due to the trauma induced by prolonged use of Samesia while sustaining such fatal injuries. Fortunately, she’s not confused about keeping that Meiyal Art function, which helps us a whole lot.”

“So the problem is her meiyal supply and Art fatigue?”

“Correct.”

“Art fatigue will eventually kill her,” Frein said, implying the question with as much patience as possible.

“We can’t provide her depressants to neutralize her Drawing because that will erase Samesia altogether. With the injuries she’s still sustaining, she won’t last a day without that Art. Instead, we’ll let her keep going with Drawing Meiyal Arts until she can regain control. We’ll provide her with as much meiyal as she needs. As for her Art fatigue…”

“I’ll share her burden,” Frein said.

Jo’war seemed to understand right away, but it was lost on Kristel.

“Are you sure?” the Chief Healer asked. “The rate she’s going she’ll reach fatigue every hour. We don’t know how long this situation will last. It could be a day, it could be a week.”

“I’m sure. She did it for me every time during training. I can do it for her.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but can you explain?” Kristel couldn’t hold her curiosity.

“The simplest and quickest way to alleviate Art fatigue is through meiyal resuscitation, but unlike cardiopulmonary resuscitation, this is more intimate.” Jo’war passed the baton towards Frein.

“It’s a kiss,” he said. “A very deep and prolonged kiss.”

“Oh…”

“There’s an exhaustive dissertation regarding why this only works between lovers, but I won’t bore you with the details,” Jo’war said. “Simply put, if I were to insist upon my professional advice, I would say: have Lady Katherine take the medicine for Art fatigue. There’s no need for either of you to prove your love for each other.”

“Alright,” Frein nodded. “I understand.”

“Then we’ll take our leave. We’ll provide the medicines at regular intervals. And, as agreed, I’ll schedule you for some tests tomorrow, Mr. Frein.”

Jo’war and his healers left the room while Kristel and Frein went to Katherine. She was back to sleeping.

With nothing else to do, Frein returned to his bed. He began to Gather and Mill. He regulated his pace, making sure that it won’t affect any apparatus currently attached to Katherine. Kristel, on the other hand, sat back on the sofa.

“Where’s Elizzel?” she asked, suddenly noticing that the faunel hadn’t made her presence known for a long while despite Frein’s activity.

“Asleep,” Frein replied, sparing her a glance. “The Exhibit we Gathered was a little too much. Elizzel was already tired before then. I’m letting her sleep in my meiyal core.”

Kristel latched on that one word. “Exhibit?”

Frein nodded. “I met Rindea Fallsween inside The Mist. I know you’re curious, but I’d rather wait for Katherine to hear it, too.”

“Okay,” she conceded. “But by Exhibit, you mean Rindea’s Exhibit?”

Frein nodded again.

“No wonder they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with you.”

Frein didn’t respond and left Kristel to ponder on her own. He was absorbed in his own Gathering and Milling. Kristel observed him again.

She couldn’t discern the same details like when Frein first explained how Mesiffera worked. But the Visitor’s Milling was so plainly strong that she could see the weight just with Siffera alone. It was absurdly heavy, even when compared to his earlier Millings.

“Your Milling a bit different,” Kristel implied.

“I’m Milling four types of meiyal. Elizzel helped me before, but I wanted to try it on my own.”

“Four?”

“Brymeia’s, mine, the Emerald Guidance’s, and Elizzel’s.”

Kristel’s amazement reached its limit. She got up and strode towards Frein with purpose. Each step, she rid herself of her pride. She didn’t care when the Visitor reflexively raised his guard. She took his hands and stared deep into his eyes.

“Teach me!” she proclaimed.

“What?”

“Perpetual-Layered Milling Form. I never got used to it!” Her embarrassment reached its peak, compelling her to let go of his hands. But she pushed her initiative. “Everything you do, it all stems back towards your Milling form. The reason your Siffera is so much better than any other practitioner is because of that form.

“I need to get stronger, Frein. I’m the only one getting left behind.” Tears started to form. She would plead if she had to. “I’ll do anything! Please!”

“Alright, I get it,” Frein agreed almost immediately. “But you need to promise me one thing first.”

“Anything!”

“Never say ‘I’ll do anything’ to anyone ever again.”

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