"Pain and weakness... fear and sadness... confusion and loss... Why do I feel this way? I feel a strange feeling inside me... as if something... wants to drag me into nothingness... behind those eyes... inside the room... my little secret lies... I want to stay... alone... so that... regret disappears from my heart... Why do I always find myself... in emptiness..."

These words echo in my mind constantly, why?

*****

Zero woke up suddenly to find End and Lost trying to wake her up. As for Moan, she was unconscious and Rêve was beside her.

"Huh... what happened?... (Moment of realization)... Is everything alright?" Zero asked, looking around.

"Don't worry... we're far from the opera house," Lost said.

Zero felt relieved and got up, heading towards Moan. She asked Rêve, "Is she okay?"

"I don't know... this has never happened to her before."

"Did it start after she left the opera house?"

"No... it happened when she ran away from that doll."

"I understand." Zero held the jewel in her wand. Zero didn't pay attention to the black dot inside it, and took out the ball she had taken from that doll.

"Ah... this ball..." the children didn't understand what Zero meant, and End was worried, so he grabbed her hand.

"Don't... do anything to it," End said worriedly and warned.

At that moment, Zero smiled strangely and said, "Why are you so worried... I have no use for killing you at all."

End's worry increased more than before, and confusion filled the hearts of the others, until Zero felt a headache, and she realized what she had said. She put her hand on her head and said, "Sorry... I didn't mean what I said."

"It's okay... we understand you," Rêve said in surprise and worry.

"Okay... (turning to End)... Can you let go of my hand... this is bothering me," so End let go of her, and caution appeared on his face.

Zero grabbed the ball, then grabbed Moan's head, and put the ball in Moan's mouth. The children were shocked, and Moan even swallowed it.

"Ah... isn't what you did dangerous?" Lost asked worriedly.

Zero stepped back and said, "Don't worry... just wait a little."

Rêve looked at Moan, and worry appeared on her face.

Zero turned to her and said, "Nothing happened."

Suddenly, Moan woke up. The children couldn't understand what had happened, so she turned to them and yawned, saying, "I fell asleep during the show... huh... how did we get to this boat?"

At that moment, happiness filled the hearts of both Lost and Rêve.

"She woke up," Lost said.

"Tell me from..."

"You're fine," Rêve hugged Moan.

"'Ah... I did it (turning to Zero)... I did it,' End said to himself.

******

"Huh... did all of this happen while I was unconscious... I'm so unlucky," Moan said sadly.

"I wish I was unconscious like you... I almost died of fear," Lost said jokingly.

"The important thing is... (turning to Zero)... we wouldn't have escaped without you," Rêve said happily.

" ... I didn't do much... and I should thank you for trusting me," Zero said.

"Don't be humble, girl... you were amazing when you were smashing those dolls with your wand... especially that glowing necklace... you looked like a hero," Lost said enthusiastically.

"Ahem... you forgot about me and Moan... if we hadn't put on that show... we would all be dead," Rêve said, and she and Moan looked at him angrily.

"I know... but she destroyed all the dolls of the opera house manager... and that's much better... plus... you two froze with fear when you rushed towards the dolls like that." Lost said provocatively.

"What do you think, Rêve... it's our turn to smash something," Moan said with a devilish smile.

"You're right... and I think I found someone to smash his head," Rêve said with a devilish smile.

******

At the same time, Zero was saying to herself, 'This... is strange... if I didn't do all this... but (she raised her head, suddenly seeing the evil twin disappearing, waving to her with a disgusting laugh)... damn it... I let him control me again... at this rate... he will control me... before I find Regret... wait... I forgot about that... it doesn't matter... when we reach land... I will go to Regret's place... first of all (Zero raised the wand and repeated the word 'Regret' in her mind, and the ethereal line appeared in the same direction they were heading)... this is strange... if the direction hasn't changed since we got on the boat... then the line has changed direction... it doesn't matter... the important thing is to find Lily... but... I still don't know something... why did that devil mention that strange name in the opera house... it sounded familiar to me... what was it... it was that name... I think... ah... the audio recording... I remember... Oto played an audio recording for me and no one else... I think he played it for me while I was asleep... he mentioned... several names... and he is one of them... which one did that devil mean... Noone... Ethan... Jerter... the long-haired one... what is it... ah... I remembered...' Zero turned to the children to find them arguing fiercely around her.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Please... stop this," Zero said.

******

"First of all... my name is Rêve..."

"And I'm Moan..."

"Call me Lost... and this jerk is called End," Rêve said.

"You can stop calling me a jerk," End said annoyed.

"Ah... my name is Zero... nice to meet you... thank you for letting me get on this boat with you... and I'm sorry for making a mess during the show... sorry..."

"No need to thank us... and don't worry... we managed to escape from that prison," Lost said.

"We were so tired of doing those tasks... I'm really glad we escaped," Moan said.

"And on top of that... we can hide from these monsters in the shelter," Rêve said.

"Shelter?" Zero asked in confusion.

"Huh... we thought you were heading to the shelter too," Lost said.

"The shelter is a place isolated from the monsters... our friends told us about this place... and one of our runaway friends sent them a map of this place," Moan said.

"But most of us couldn't escape... and they were killed on stage," Rêve said.

"Thinking about it is scary," Moan said fearfully, and Rêve patted her on the shoulder.

"I almost died at the hands of that doll," Lost said.

"Stop freaking her out, you idiot," Rêve said angrily.

"Stop bothering me," Lost said.

********

"Huh... the fight started again." End said.

"Your friends are very lively." Zero chuckled.

"We were told that the opera house isn't the only one that practices this kind of torture." End.

"Huh... '... they mean...' ... what exactly do you mean?" Zero.

"(Sighing) ... I mean killing children during the performance... it seems you haven't visited all the areas."

"Hmm... areas like this -" At that moment, Zero stopped talking: 'I understood what he was referring to.'

******

"Stop fighting... and let's row to the right." End

*******

Darkness fell after a while, everyone fell asleep, but Zero stayed awake, looking at the stars, and the sea was like a vast, unknown desert.

'..... This world is strange in my eyes.. If it weren't for that devil... I would have been ignorant of many things... like controlling the necklace... and fighting with a stick... as well as how to use it.. and that that ball contained Moan's spirit... in addition... to the way out... of this world... Strange... the path of our destination is the same as the path of my destination... Is this really my path... I feel like something is wrong... This destination is incorrect... Can the stick malfunction... No... this is impossible... according to my knowledge of magic types... these are magical tools that don't malfunction (I read all fantasy books and novels about magic, just as a hobby)... or maybe it malfunctions... if the one who casts it makes a mistake... I will review the matter from the beginning... When locating someone with this tool... first, I think about the person... second, I mention that person's title... third, I see that line in front of me... Well, it's time to apply... (Zero closed her eyes) I must think... of Lily... Okay... wait... Should I think about her appearance... Wait... how was it?... Okay... it's hard to remember... Wait... I... I remember her shape... It was... yes... it was like this... Lily's shape... And now... the Regret... the Regret... and now... I should see the line... I hope the direction changes.'

Zero opened her eyes slowly, and her heart was pounding, until she found the line as it was.

"Oh... nothing happened." Zero disappointed.

"What didn't happen?", at that moment, Zero flew from her place in terror.

"Oh... End." Zero.

"Haven't you slept yet?" End wonderingly.

"I have no desire to sleep." Zero.

"It seems you haven't gotten used to sleeping here."

"Do you mean sleeping on the boat?"

"No... I don't mean that... You know what I mean." End.

"Hey... I didn't understand what you mean?"

"You know that I know what you're hiding."

"'Hey... he wants to kill me with his curiosity'... Stop talking to me like that... I know you don't trust me... It doesn't matter... What matters to me is that your friends have agreed to ride the boat... In addition... you took my knife... Would you like to take something else?" Zero annoyed.

"Huh... There is no hope of talking to you calmly... It's okay... I'll listen to you... maybe I'll answer you." End understandingly.

"Ooh..."

"Anyway... it seems you know the truth about this world." End.

"What do you mean by the world?"

"I know you know what I'm saying.... Answer."

"I didn't understand what you mean... Explain it to me." Zero indifferently

"Please be serious... I know you're trying to hide something... This might help us escape."

"I don't know anything... I'm just a girl wandering trying to escape only from those deformed monsters."

"If this is your goal.... then why do you deny all those things about us."

"Stop pressuring me, End.... At least you're just a girl with her friends trying to escape from somewhere.... While I'm trying to -" At that moment, Zero's mouth completely froze, as if she had fallen into End's trap gradually.

"Hmm... why did you stop?... Answer." End.

"Uh... I talked too much... I'm going to sleep now." Zero sweating.

"Finish your words first."

"I want to sleep... I haven't slept in a long time."

Zero lay down on her side.

'Huh... what a cunning child... her way of speaking was strange and illogical... She has a personality that is difficult to talk to... In my opinion... I think she acts according to the situation only... And that her personality is this way... It's okay if she's not aggressive or anything like that... But I'm worried if she's a puppet for that manager... And yet... I have to watch her closely... even if it takes staying up all the way...' End said this to himself.

Zero felt confused by what she had told End, as if she had improvised in every word she said, but what occupied her mind more was finding Lily.

'I wonder if?... I will find Lily in that hiding place... I feel scared... to think about this... Lily... I'm the reason you entered this world... and I will be the reason for your exit... Just wait... Regret.'