Kano sat on the ground, clutching her knees to her chest. “There must be something you can do. Some way to fix this.”

“I’m sorry,” Yon said, “but there’s nothing I can do. She’s lost within the network now, like all the other souls that make it up.”

Getting up, Kano paced back and forth between the strands. She stopped and stared at the glowing strands that made up the network. “I’m guessing that destroying it wouldn’t do any good.”

“No. All that would do is release her soul into the aether, killing her off once and for all, along with all the others in there.”

“Damn.” Destroying it at least would have given her something to do, something to take her frustration out on. “What about if I went in? Is that possible?”

Yon shrugged. “I’m not sure how you’d do it, though it should be possible. But to what end? You’d join the collective and lose any will or sense of self.”

Kano’s brow furrowed. There was something off about what the necromancer was saying. “If that’s what happens to a new soul, then why did the defenses start working again? That happened when Thirty-Six joined the network, right?”

“It’s possible she retained vestiges of will at first, but from my understanding they should have faded away before long.” Yon sighed and adjusted her robes. “You need to remember, from what Rovon said, the souls within the network experience time very differently. From her perspective, she’s already been in there for a long time. Regrettable as it is, her consciousness is bound to get ground down to nothing.”

“There must be something else,” Kano said, biting her lip. “Something we’re missing.” She turned to Yon. “You haven’t come up with any ideas. Are you even trying to help?”

“I am. But to be frank, I have little stake in this. Even if there were a way we can bring Thirty-Six back, it’s all for nothing if we lose control of the network.”

Kano blinked. “But Shorin is dead. What is there to worry about?”

“Shorin may be, but whatever that other thing was that attacked his ghouls isn’t. I lost track of it a while ago. I think it’s already inside.”

It took Kano a moment to remember what Yon was talking about. She’d forgotten all about the creature. Hadn’t dealing with Shorin been enough? Did they have to continue this charade? Why did they all want the damn network so much? It had been nothing but trouble up to this point. “Fine. I’ll protect it. But once it’s dealt with, you’re going to help me get Thirty-Six back.”

Yon looked away. “I’ll try. What was that thing, anyway? You must’ve gotten a better look at it than I did.”

Kano had been too distracted by her fight with Shorin to recognize it at the time, but now that she had time to think, their identity was all too clear. “I’m pretty sure it’s Virtur. Someone I know from Shorinstown.”

“You know them? I knew it was a diverse place, but I wouldn’t have imagined something like that living in any kind of civilization. Not if they’re given free rein.” Yon chuckled. “You have some odd friends.”

“Hardly,” Kano said, massaging her temples. “Virtur and I aren’t friends. I wouldn’t say he was my enemy, exactly, but it’s hard to say where we stand now. Especially since he must have come here for the network, just like Shorin did.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Why else would anyone come here?”

“Point taken. But how do any of them know about the network in the first place? The humans seemed pretty paranoid about keeping the contents of this place a secret. I can’t imagine they left many records behind.”

Kano shrugged. She didn’t much care one way or another. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Yon was opening her mouth to speak when someone banged on the door and they jumped.

“Who is it?” Kano called out.

“It’s Virtur.” Kano was certain from the tone of his voice that he was wearing his usual smirk. It made her want to strangle him. She was in no mood to deal with him right now. But he wouldn’t leave just because she said so. Rather than delay the inevitable, she opened the door.

It slid open to reveal Virtur, looking more like his usual self. Part of his brain was exposed like the last time she’d seen him in Shorinstown; the only difference was that he was even bloodier. Kano supposed there must be a lot more blood in a handful of ghouls than one of the children.

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Thinking about what he’d done made her want to kill him then and there. Just as before, the only thing that stayed her hand was that she wasn’t sure if she could kill him. Insane as he was, or perhaps precisely because of his insanity, she hoped they might be able to resolve things with words. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to see you again, of course.” He sounded sincere, but there was no way Kano could believe that. Even he wasn’t that insane.

She rolled her eyes. “Why are you really here?”

His smile widened. “I should have known you wouldn’t be taken in by such a tawdry lie. It appears I underestimated your intelligence. All right, you got me. What I’m really here for is that thing behind you.”

“How do you even know about it?” Yon asked. “The humans tried to keep it a secret.”

“I wish I could take credit for having found out,” Virtur said, shaking his head, “but it was all thanks to Shorin. He was the one who found out. I suppose I should say the late Shorin. I made sure he was absolutely dead.” Virtur licked his lips. “I’m not sure how he figured it out, but I caught wind of what he was planning and figured I’d tag along. So, if you could just step aside, that’d be great.”

He stepped forward, but Kano blocked his path. “And what do you plan to do with it?”

“Well, it’s a basically a bunch of different souls together, right?” He stroked his chin. “I was thinking I’d go ahead and devour the lot. Assuming that’s all right with you.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“Mm.” He tapped his lips with his index finger. “I guess that’s too bad, then. You can’t expect me to give up on such a tasty morsel, especially one so elegantly presented.”

“I won’t let you lay a finger on it,” Kano said. The words sounded hollow to her ears. She couldn’t see how she could stop him, but she had to try. Who knew, perhaps the previous battle had weakened him enough that she’d be able to overcome him. It seemed a distant hope. Raising the long claws that extended from his hands, Virtur prepared to pounce, and Kano resigned herself to her fate.

“What if we make a deal?” Yon asked before he could make a move.

Virtur stopped short. “Oh? What did you have in mind?”

“If it’s souls you’re after, I can provide you with an ample supply.” She produced a handful of delicate soul matrixes from within her robes. “There’s a lot more where that came from. And they can all be yours if you agree to leave this place and never return.”

Virtur looked down at the little crystalline matrixes in Yon’s hand and sneered. “I have no interest in synthetic souls. Not when the real deal is so close. Pure, untouched, unique. They make for the perfect meal. And to think, I thought humanity was extinct. How blessed I am to find out I was wrong. Oh so very wrong.” He licked his lips. “Now, I’m afraid I’m done waiting. Would you mind stepping aside, Kano?”

Despite the question, he fell back into his previous posture, ready to strike. Kano raised her hands and continued to bar his passage. She gave Yon a nod as a way of saying goodbye. Virtur’s leap sent him flying toward her. Had she been in better condition, she likely could have deflected the living missile. As it was, his claws dug into her flesh before she could react and sent her sprawling.

She would have fallen had she not hit the strands of the network behind her. Her back brushed against them, in contact for only an instant. An instant which continued on and on. Everything went dark, yet she could sense people all around her. No, “people” wasn’t the right word. They were hollow shells in the guise of people.

However, in the great multitude she could sense around her, one of them stood out. They were not only more alive than the others, they were familiar to her. It was Thirty-Six, her soul still clinging to its identity. Though only in a limited capacity, she was alive. Kano reached out for her and felt a connection.

“Can you hear me?” she said. Floating through the void, it was impossible for Kano to tell if she was thinking or speaking.

“Yes.” Hearing just that single word filled Kano with joy. It was a bittersweet feeling, tainted by the knowledge that they would part soon. “Is it really as bad as Yon said? Are you going to cease to exist as an individual soon?”

“I think so. But don’t worry; it’s not so bad here.” Kano knew her well enough to tell that Thirty-Six was putting on a brave face to make her feel better. She could hear the tinge of fear in her voice.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to lie. I can handle the truth.” Her lie felt even more blatant, but she hated the idea of not being able to support Thirty-Six in this. She’d failed her in so many other ways—the least she could do was offer what little reassurance she could.

Thirty-Six paused. “I’m scared. I don’t want to die… I don’t want to be trapped here all alone with these things.”

“I know,” Kano said, struggling to get the words out through the knot in her throat. “And I’m sorry. But it will all be okay. It’ll all be over soon. Okay?”

“Really?” Hearing the hope in Thirty-Six’s voice was like a dagger through her heart. It might be more painful than if she hadn’t believed her. But at least this way she could fool herself into thinking she was accomplishing something. And on the off chance it brought Thirty-Six the tiniest bit of peace, then the pain was nothing. A mere trifle.

“I promise.”

“Good,” Thirty-Six said, and Kano heard the smile in her voice. “But what are you doing to do? Aren’t you fighting with that man? It doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to win.”

Kano’s voice faltered. Thirty-Six’s concern for her despite her own situation, coupled with her own fear, was almost too much to bear. “I’ll… figure something out. Don’t worry about me.” The moment the words left her mouth, she knew Thirty-Six wouldn’t believe her. She might believe her other lies, but not this.

“At this rate, you’ll die. He’ll kill you. But it’s okay. I can’t do much, but I can tap into the rest of the network. I’ll make sure you don’t die.”

Thirty-Six’s voice faded before Kano had a chance to reply, and the darkness around her lifted as she slipped back into the real world. Just before the transition completed, she felt a pair of small arms wrap around her waist from behind in a hug.

Then they were gone, leaving only a rapidly fading sense of warmth and the words: “Thank you for everything.”