The inkiness broken up by the passing visages and blinking colored lights was growing tiresome to look at. The lone tree Hollis had 'planted' had grown considerably. No longer a sapling nor an adolescent, it was full grown and towered over him. Far from its original purpose, the tree only increased the dreariness and loneliness Hollis felt.

This one lone tree.

It didn't feel right.

It seemed that a great amount of time had passed since he had last spoken to Ambrose. How much to be exact, he could only guess, and this assumption would be based on the frequency with which Ambrose came to visit, thus, it would likely be an inaccurate guess.

Most likely, two nights.

With his back to the tree and his head resting to his pulled-up knees, he occasionally peered over to the passing imagery. He had kept his eyes out for more of Mayura's dreams, hoping to reach her, to learn more. As luck would have it, he hadn't come across another one since the last.

Since the attack.

With his thoughts going gloomy, he shook his head, watching the reflections from the lights across the black ground. He wondered for a moment, thought for a moment. Resting his hand to the floor, he closed his eyes.

I want to brighten things up a little...

He sat briefly, making no further moves. Then, in an instant, the world grew bright. Grass suddenly flourished, rising up from the white pixels and spread in a wave throughout the entirety of the former abyss. From the distance, the sky of emptiness filled with light, changing from black to blue, and a sun spontaneously flashed in the middle of it all.

Hollis watched this happen in awe, not having expected it to turn out in such a way. It suddenly felt warmer, more comfortable. And with that tree at his side, he felt less lonely. But still, he couldn't afford to become too comfortable. He still needed to wake up. He needed to return to the real world.

He sat in the new warmth of the sun, basking in the comfort it was bringing him. Closing his eyes, he let himself take a moment to relax from all of the trouble that was rising around him. Up until this point, he couldn't help but peek over his shoulder every now and then, wondering if the Somnium Killer was ready to attack. He felt the fear rise for a moment before he tried his best to extinguish it by thinking of home. Thinking of Mayura.

He had a sister waiting, he had a mother and father waiting. That was what mattered most.

From behind, he heard the familiar click of a door.

Looking back, he saw none other than Ambrose, arms crossed and a look of astonishment clear upon his face. Hollis gulped, coming to a stand. As he approached, Ambrose smiled.

"Ah, I did some...'decorating'."

"I see. I'm impressed." His eyes traversed the world around him with great intrigue. "Anyway, I have some news for you." Reaching under the jacket wrapped around his waist, he eventually pulled out something that sent a shock through Hollis's body.

The knife?

It was just as he remembered it. Traces of his blood still lingered on the blade. It's hefty look and rigid edge still left a feeling of fear in the young man.

"W-where..."

Ambrose smiled softly. "Wanna take a guess where I got this?"

Hollis held his tongue. He assumed he knew what the answer would be, but he didn't want to say it.

What if he was wrong?

What if he was right?

Hollis wanted to give some sort of answer, but upon seeing the hesitation in his companion's reaction, Ambrose's smile softened further. "I'll tell you."

Ambrose took a step closer; Hollis took a step back.

He blinked.

He wasn't sure why he did that. He eyed up the knife in Ambrose's hand.

"Terra had this. She confessed it all to me."

"Terra? Wh-why? How?"

"I hadn't told you for your own safety, but I called a meet-up with the others earlier. I gave some basic information on the situation and was able to force a confession from Terra." His eyes averted Hollis's. "It's a shame, really."

Hollis kept his lips sealed. As a result, Ambrose simply watched him. Neither of them spoke and the silence lingered between them.

"...I'm not sure... That doesn't sound right. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was for your own safety. I had to get the information out of the real killer, and if the killer had lashed out at the time, you could have been hurt." He took another step forward and Hollis found himself backed into the tree. Ambrose tilted his head, a look of curiosity replacing his calm smile. "What's the matter?" Ambrose chuckled softly, as if he had just recollected something amusing. "Do you think I'm the killer? Is that what this is about?" He tossed the knife slightly, catching it as it returned. Hollis winced at this action, his gaze remaining set on the weapon.

"That's not...it."

"'Then here." Suddenly, Hollis found the knife tossed into his hands. "Take this if it's worrying you so much." With a chuckle, Ambrose circled around the brunette, reaching the far side of the tree and sitting down. Patting the trunk, he said, "C'mere. Take a seat. I think we should talk." Though he was filled with reluctance, Hollis followed and took a seat. Ambrose smiled.

"So, what's on your mind, Hollis? You seem hesitant."

"Yeah, well..." He gripped the knife tightly as he tried to force out the words. "You're not Ambrose. Not at all."

"Oh? Why do you think that?" Tilting his head, a slight smirk etched itself over his lips. "I have to say, it sounds like you might be a little too paranoid."

"Alright then. No matter what you say, I don't think you're Ambrose. But tell me, where did we first meet?"

"Oh?" There was a rise in his tone, like he was excited. "That was in Veri's dream, wasn't it?"

Damn it, Hollis thought. What are the odds that Ambrose mentioned that to the others?

"Well, regardless," the taller boy began. "I still want to speak with you. I'm sure you have a thing or two you'd like to say?"

"So, you're admitting you're the killer?"

There was a dreadful silence before, finally,

"That's right." Sliding lower as his head fell back to the trunk, he continued. "How exactly did you figure it out so quickly? I thought I was doing pretty good."

"I can't really tell you."

"Oh?"

"Ambrose has something most people don't. His presence so to speak. I've never come across someone who has one like his."

"'His presence'? I see. That may be a problem..." With a smirk, watching Hollis from the corner of his eyes, he said, "I seem to have the opposite going for me. Ah—" With a low chuckle he added, "I almost said too much. Look at that. Using this face, I can't help but go on and on. I may end up spoiling this all if I say much more."

"Alright, I guess that means you're done talking?"

"That's right. It's your turn." Hearing the upbeat tone in this phony's voice, Hollis felt his heart race. He had no idea what the point of this was. All he could do was remain calm, go along with whatever was thrown at him.

"Who exactly are you trying to blame for these murders? You're using Ambrose's face, but you were just trying to convince me it was Terra."

With a chuckle, he replied, "Not at all. I won't say what exactly I'm doing, that would ruin everything. I'm just doing what I have to. Nothing more and certainly nothing less." His grin broadened. "Honestly, I have to add, I never really denied being Ambrose. All I agreed to was being the killer." Leaning around the trunk of the tree, face to face with Hollis, he said, "Would you still be friends with a killer?"

Hollis turned to avoid that gaze he was so accustomed to. He knew it wasn't Ambrose. But still, a part of him saw that face, heard that voice, and it all told him it had to be that young man.

"It...it depends, I guess. Why would Ambrose kill? If it was for no reason other than to kill, I'd say hell no."

"Well, I gotta say I really admire you, Hollis. You're quite the guy."

As the two looked at each other with a new severity, there came another familiar click.

Turning to the sound, it was him.

"Ambrose?"

"Well, this is interesting." At first, his face proclaimed pure shock, then it immediately diverged into his typical smirk. "You really do look like me. You're pretty good."

Before Hollis could respond, the imposter slung his arm around the boy, a second knife flipping out and pressed against Hollis's throat. Still holding the knife, he moved to jab the phony's arm but was immediately slammed into the tree, the knife falling from his grasp on impact.

"Well, this was unexpected. I thought you'd be gone at least another hour."

"Sorry to disappoint you. What should we call you? Somnium Killer?"

"Yeah. Gotta say I like that name a lot. Real Jack the Ripper-esque. Feels like I mean something!"

"Oh? Good to know. I'll have to pick something less memorable for you at the next meet-up and on forum discussions."

The phony simply scoffed, his arm clutching Hollis tighter. Ambrose lost his look of flamboyancy as his brows furrowed and his gaze went grim. "All I need you to do is let him go. Is it me you're after?"

"Why would you think that? Because I'm using your face?"

"That's not what I meant, but fair enough. I need you to let him go anyway."

Everyone stopped and a heavy tension filled the air. Hollis gulped and felt the blade against his throat as he did. He didn't know what to do. Physically, he was at a severe disadvantage. He'd simply have to hope that Ambrose could get him out of this somehow.

The moment the thought passed through his mind, Ambrose had pulled out a long, thin knife and charged the imposter. There was a sharp 'clang' as the two blades hit each other. There was a momentary pause in their movements before Ambrose pulled his blade from the struggle. Both jumped back and refrained from further attacks.

This guy seems pretty hesitant, Ambrose thought as he fidgeted with his knife. He's trying to keep Hollis out of harm's way it seems.

"Is Hollis really so important to you?"

"This guy? I don't..." He paused.

"Or are you still unsure about whether you need him or not?"

The killer's expression went grim. "I can't afford to ditch him yet. Everything has a place."

"Then give him back." Ambrose smirked. "If you can't let him die, he'd be better off with me than some no-good like you."

The killer went silent. There was a slight cackle before he slightly shifted his weight. He removed the knife from Hollis's throat and, with impeccable speed, launched it in Ambrose's direction. He had little time to react, but managed to evade the attack, the blade cutting through his ponytail.

Guess that got to him pretty good.

Making a run for the imposter, he flicked his wrist with the blade, it's steel shining in the sun. The imposter tossed Hollis from his grip and pulled out a third knife which he used to catch the oncoming attack.

Hollis landed against the tree, watching in awe as the two went at it. There were swift thrusts, immaculate evades, and punches and kicks the brunette had never before seen in anything other than television.

They're so...adept at this.

They seemed evenly matched in power, but there was a noticeable difference in their fighting styles. Ambrose used low attacks and brute strength.

Stolen novel; please report.

The killer used wild strikes and relied on swift, light movements to stay out of reach. When they clashed, it was like a strike of thunder.

Ambrose moved in to deliver a wide strike at the neck, but the killer slipped away at the last second. Lifting his arm in time to the dodge, the imposter sliced up through the youth's face. Hollis gasped, not having a good view of what exactly happened, but catching the sudden shock of the hit locking Ambrose's body.

The killer pulled out the first of the two blades and thrust up, but Ambrose caught it with the ridges of his own. This back and forth continued, but Ambrose was moving considerably slower and clumsier.

Can I really just stand here and watch? That's not right! But I don't want to get in his way...

That's when the thought hit him. This is all a dream! So... With the fighting continuing in front of him, and Ambrose struggling to parry or evade each strike, Hollis had to think quickly!

Ambrose took a leap back to create distance, but the imposter ran at him with ferocious tenacity. As soon as the gap was closed, he swept his arm to strike, but Ambrose forced it away. The imposter's second blade came out, and he narrowly parried this one as well. Before the imposter could recover, the youth delivered a hefty punch to his face.

In an attempt to show off, he tossed his weapon up and delivered three more; one from the right, one from the left, and an uppercut before catching his weapon. He had full intentions to end with a cut to the throat, but the imposter leapt away before the hit could land.

"Taking too much damage? Are you getting scared?" Ambrose was ready to give chase, but a loud, heart-stopping 'BAM' froze him in place.

The instant the sound shattered the air, the imposter dropped.

Ambrose caught his breath in his throat, his features tightening at this unexpected sight. Turning, he saw Hollis standing by the tree, a gun in his hand aimed in the direction of the imposter. With a trained ease, he lowered his weapon.

"I might not be good with hand to hand or any of that...but I at least know how to use this." A weak smile formed as his head fell to the side, his cheeks flushed with color and a bead of sweat rolling down his chin.

Ambrose was stunned. There was so much to this that he couldn't process yet, but taking a moment to calm himself, he smiled back and allowed himself to relax. "Aren't you something?"

"I mean, it's not that impressive. I grew up hunting and visiting firing ranges."

"But you shot him. You saved me, really." The taller youth tilted his head in an overly playful manner, his sneer showing. "I find that very impressive."

Hollis's hand was still shaking, but he did his best to suppress it. Though he attempted to downplay what he did, it did shake him on some level. He was so overcome with worry, though, that he didn't think twice about what he did. He just knew he had to act or else Ambrose would have been in trouble.

As these thoughts went through Hollis's mind, Ambrose approached the body, his defensive form returning as he looked it over with an intense gaze. It didn't take too much time at all for the body to rise up, the wound fully healed.

"I wasn't expecting that," he muttered as he cracked his neck, rising to his feet. As soon as he stood, Ambrose landed a punch to the copy's face. The killer was quick to put up his defenses. As soon as Ambrose went to take another strike, the imposter blocked it and landed his own left hook. As Ambrose lost his footing, the imposter kicked at the youth's knees, toppling him in an instant.

A shot went off, striking the killer in his back. With haste, he spun away before Hollis's next shot could hit. With as much speed as he could muster, the phony ran for one of the dreams and, with a final sneer, ran through and vanished.

Ambrose, now letting his defenses down, crawled to a sit. His body went fully limp as he took careful breaths. "We shouldn't follow him." Was all he said.

Hollis let out a breath before dropping to the grass. After a moment of motionless pondering, he looked over the gun in his hand. A pistol, a Desert Eagle. Despite having been fired, it still held all seven bullets. Guess that's a dream for you.

"Ah. Are you alright?" There was concern in his voice as he shifted his attention to Ambrose. "I was a little worried about hitting you by mistake so..."

"Oh? One of those 'I don't know which one's which' things, right? You know, I always wanted to be in one of those scenes."

"Well, no. It wasn't hard to tell which one of you was which...it's just that you two were moving around so much and so close the whole time."

Hearing this, Ambrose let out a loud, hearty laugh. Hollis was astounded by this man. How could he laugh at a time like this?

"Oh well. We did what we could, and I say we did pretty damn good. What about you?"

The brunette stared, not sure what to think. After a moment of contemplation, he pushed himself up and walked over with languid strides before dropping down next to the sandy-haired youth. "I think we did pretty damn good."

"Yeah! Exactly!" The pleasure over the other boy's face was still strange to Hollis, but he found it somewhat refreshing given the situation they had just endured. While he found Ambrose to still be an unusual man, he couldn't help but find some semblance of comfort in having him around.

In the blink of an eye, the youth's excitement melted away and was abruptly replaced by a stoic, piercing gaze. "It looked like you two were in the middle of something when I came in. What was that about?"

The brunette had forgotten about this. "Uh...we were..."

What were they discussing?

"We were talking about the real killer."

"Oh? What else can you tell me? Did he give you any clues to his real identity?"

"Not really. He tried to frame Terra for it but said something about not really trying to frame her. It was..."

Weird.

"Hm, really? Well, I don't have even an ounce of doubt that it wasn't her. I may not have known her as long as the others, but I know she wouldn't harm even a fly."

"..." Hollis wanted to say something; he wanted to disagree. Though he himself felt there was an innocence to her, she couldn't be ruled out. This young man seemed to be of the opinion that if you knew someone well enough, they could never surprise you.

That wasn't how it worked. Hollis wasn't sure why he believed that, but he knew that it couldn't be so.

"Well, just to be sure, it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her still."

Ambrose's eyes squinted as his smile grew. "Whatever you say."

Most people don't think you're taking them seriously when you say that.

"Anyway," The youth's tone had a dreamy sound to it. "I didn't tell you about this, but I had everyone come to a meet-up earlier."

And the killer knew about that...

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Ambrose pursed his lips, like he was thinking hard about his answer. Then, he peered at Hollis from the corner of his eyes. "I didn't want you to get hurt. Not to mention, I didn't want you there as a distraction. I had everything thought out in an exact way, and if you were there, I was afraid things might get derailed. This wasn't meant as a jab at you, more so I was afraid someone would turn any drama that started around to include you. I didn't want to have to make a plan that had tons of branches to it. I needed something simple and neat." His eyes narrowed sharply. "You understand what I'm saying, right?"

Hollis was surprised by this explanation. It was so thought out, he wasn't sure how to respond. The killer had been close in his own explanation, but Ambrose's was far more elaborate.

"You were hoping to weed out the Somnium Killer?"

"Or at least get some clues." His eyes dropped and his expression faltered to grief. "I didn't get much. It fell into a torrent of arguing. Afterwards," his mood seemed to shift. "I tailed Shyed."

"Ah? Really?"

He smiled. "I was a little late because I'd been following her around. Really though, she mostly ran through her typical routine. After she left the meet-up she spun around in a dream or two and then flew back to her own place. She's never been particularly active, so none of this was out of the norm for her." He seemed like he wanted to say more, but he refrained.

Hollis was unsure about this. He wanted to see everyone fairly, but his suspicions were pinned mostly to Shyed. She was the one who showed the image that started the original issue. Not to mention, watching the way the killer was fighting, he was very quick and light on his feet, something he expected was more likely with one of the women. It obviously wasn't a style someone like Tic would adopt.

"Ambrose. How does fighting work here?"

"Oh?" A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips. "Well, I can't really say I understand it myself. I'm not a particularly...fit guy in reality. I-I mean," there was a painfully awkward chuckle in his voice. "I've never actually fought before. Here..." His expression fell. "Well...I don't know. I really don't understand how it works. It just...does."

"It seems to be pretty personal though. The way you were moving was completely different from that copy. There has to be some sort of personal preference behind the way you do it."

Ambrose nodded, pulling the knife back out and flipping it around in his hand. "I agree. I don't know how it works, but I know what feels right and what doesn't." His stare intensified as he forced himself to continue. "I narrowed my suspicions down..." His gaze dropped. "I don't know how I could do this though. These are my friends, you know? It doesn't...seem right."

"Yeah, but..." Hollis paused, sucking his breath in. He wasn't a very emotional sort of guy, so this kind of talk alluded him. He knew Ambrose was feeling a deep sense of guilt simply having to suspect his friends of being the killer, but he wasn't sure what else he could say to make him understand that there was no other way around this. And clearly, since he was telling him this, Ambrose was expecting to hear some words of comfort.

"But..." Hollis repeated with less enthusiasm. "You don't have anything else you can do about it. It is what it is."

Ambrose peered over to the smaller boy. He chuckled softly, his head tilting in Hollis's direction. "Yeah, I know. Say, how much do you remember?"

"Hm?"

"You had amnesia, right? Or did you forget?" Ambrose playfully elbowed the brunette. Hollis replied, "R-right, yeah. I, uh...I remember some more than before. I remember I have a sister—er, stepsister." He suddenly recalled people correcting him when they were children. He had grown accustomed to simply referring to his father and sister as father and sister, yet when talking to others, they would correct him and tell him to refer to them as 'stepsister' and 'stepfather'. Remembering this, his face warmed. He couldn't understand why, but these corrections always made him feel needlessly embarrassed.

"A sister? Do tell me more." There was a playful tone in the tall youth's voice as he leaned forward.

"I don't think she'd be into you. You're too...egotistical. She likes her men intelligent."

"An ego doesn't mean one lacks intelligence." His smirk turned more into a sneer. "Anyway, I'll pass anyway." He waved his hand as he turned from Hollis.

There are times he sounds so smart, and then others where I can't tell if he knows he's grammatically incorrect...

Ambrose chuckled before resting his chin to his knee. "I can tell emotions aren't a big deal to you, so I won't bury you any more than need be, guy."

"I can't respond to that stuff, but I don't mind sitting through your ramblings."

"Oh? Aren't you an angel?"

"You said I was a sweetheart before."

"It's interchangeable." His voice grew softer as the exchange went on. Once there was a break, Hollis exhaled and sat motionless.

"...When I'm out, well, I guess when you arrive wherever I am, you'll meet her, right? Mayura's her name."

"Your sister, huh? Pretty name. How long have you known each other?"

"Childhood." He glanced to the sky above as he recollected their meeting. "We hated each other at first, and I hated her dad. We never got along, no matter what we were doing. She didn't want a new mom; I didn't want a new dad. Neither of us wanted a sibling." He smirked. "Kids in the neighborhood started teasing us, but she managed to turn it around so that they were teasing me."

"Ouch..."

"Eventually, there was this incident...I don't remember when exactly, but we went camping. Her, me and her dad. We snuck out at night, and she was going to play some joke on me, but we fell into a small, dry riverbed and couldn't get out. We walked most of the night and eventually, her dad found us in the morning. After that...we've grown closer." He chuckled under his breath. "She still teases me, but it's not malicious."

"Typical sibling teasing, huh?"

"Yeah."

"That's sweet." He blinked slowly as he turned away once again, his head inclining.

Hollis could tell that this conversation wasn't fully distracting him from the bigger matter at hand. Sure, he had a little under a month left here, but a month was still plenty of time. Right now, he needed to focus on Ambrose, the one this killer was imitating.

Actually, taking everything he knew and putting it together, he realized the true size of this issue and the weight Ambrose was likely bearing. This Somnium killer was impersonating him as he committed his crimes, this killer was, without question, one of his close friends, and it was up to him himself to sniff out who exactly it was. Yet he wasn't complaining, not verbally at least. He was trying to deal with it.

How do I help someone in this situation, Hollis thought to himself. Recalling something his sister did for him, he reluctantly crawled over behind Ambrose and looked over his ponytail. His hair was quite long, despite the fact he had it pulled up. He looked at it, and eventually, Ambrose peeked over, wondering what the brunette was up to, but still, he kept quiet.

With a scoff, Hollis pulled at the ribbon Ambrose had his hair tied with. "You're probably giving yourself a headache having it pulled back this tight."

"Hey, it looks cool. Chicks like guys with their hair like this." Though Hollis couldn't see his face, he could hear the impish smirk in the youth's voice.

"You're a weird guy, no matter what." With a simple, pull, the ribbon came loose and Ambrose's hair spilled onto his back. "When we were little," he started as he ran his fingers through the sandy-colored locks. "My sister used to play with my hair when I got upset. My hair was longer back then, so she had plenty to play with. I got so distracted that I ended up forgetting what was bothering me, and we were eventually able to talk through it together."

"And you say I'm weird?" The sneer was palpable, but Hollis ignored it.

"If you think this is weird, I'll stop and you can leave."

"A little feisty there, aren't you? Go ahead with what you're doing. It feels nice with you running your fingers through my hair."

Hearing it like that, he actually started to agree that this was weird. He wanted to stop, but he could hear a pleasant hum coming from the strapping youth. Thus, he decided to continue.

Things had greatly calmed down after that sudden invasion from the Somnium killer. Ambrose's stress over the situation had been relieved and he decided to come up with a plan to further investigate the other members. The pair came to the conclusion that, at a later date, there would be a second meet-up.

"Why not sooner? Like, in a few hours?"

"This killer seems to be more psychological based on what you've said. If he's trying to manipulate the way we do things, he's probably hoping we do get everyone together sooner, so I think it would be better to wait, at least for a little while." His expression grew grim. "He has some sort of objective in mind. I only fear that he may kill again to get us to do what he wants." He closed his eyes, his dark brows furrowing as the concern spread deeper over his face.

"Alright. I see what you're getting at." Hollis nodded, hoping this agreement would keep Ambrose from breaking down. This guy was only human, and he was still pretty young. "You can only do what you can do."

"Geez, you're trying real hard to be motivational, huh? Relax a little."

Aren't you the one that needs to relax?

"Alright, I'll stop. So, what now?"

"Well, now..." Ambrose tilted his head, his gaze wandering around the horizon. "Well..." A smug smirk crawled across his lips as his gaze remained steadfast on the distant field. "What if you stayed in my mindspace?"

Hollis grunted, shocked to hear such a suggestion. There was something about the proposition that sounded...inappropriate.

"Why would I—"

"Why do you think? The Somnium Killer can come in and out of your mindspace as he pleases."

"Yours too."

"Yes, but he won't know you're staying there. For a time, it may be safer than if you stayed here." While it was an uncomfortable idea, he had a point that Hollis couldn't deny. Even if the killer realized eventually that that's where he would be staying—of course, how wouldn't he figure it out—it may still be the best option for a time.

With a sigh, Hollis agreed.

Ambrose chuckled, his head tilting far to the side as his smile seemed to grow comfier. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and his form stiffened. He remained motionless for a moment, Hollis watching him with pure curiosity. Then, he blinked. His expression was dark, his teeth bared as he pushed himself to a stand with haste.

"Ambrose?"

"Stay here."

"What? What is it?" Hollis climbed to his feet and followed after. "If it has to do with the killer, I want to be there."

Ambrose paused and turned back to Hollis. "I don't know what it's about, but I got a message from Terra. I can't read it right now, but the note on it said she needs help."

"I'm coming then. I don't know these guys like you, but..." He sucked on his cheek. Realizing he wouldn't be able to get it out, he continued walking. "I just... I want to help."

Ambrose watched him with intrigue before stifling a chuckle. "Alright, come on. We can't keep her waiting."

In an instant, they found themselves standing on the bricked road of Terra's Victorian mindspace. Hollis blinked, once, twice, thrice. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Looking further down the road, splayed throughout, were the dead bodies of the many casual inhabitants of her world. Pools of red bathed the street and the sun that had so brightly illuminated the place had seemingly blown out like a candle.

"No way..." Ambrose was frozen where he stood, his face growing darker the longer he stared. With a stiff step forward, he started into a sprint as he charged into her mansion. Hollis hesitated, fear building up within. Shaking his head and taking in breaths, he charged in after Ambrose.

The inside of the mansion was silent. Ambrose charged through, barely stopping and saying nothing as he headed straight for Terra's tearoom. The moment he flung open the door, he paused briefly before rushing in. Hollis hesitated. He could hear Ambrose mutter something and, with bated breath, he entered. There was no mess in the room. Everything seemed to be exactly as it should have. Ambrose was knelt over in the middle of the room. He sat stone still. Hollis, with caution, walked around him. He felt his stomach churn at the sight before him.

Terra was lying on the floor, and her head was detached from her body.