Shirei looked towards the window, where the sun was rising higher and higher in the sky. “For now let's mingle with the patients. Let's go to the canteen and wait.”

“They only take patients to the basement after lunch…” Havel nodded, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes. “Then we will pretend to be serious patients. I can pretend to have delusions of grandeur. I like this plan, I will be a son of Sidal but I can compete with the sons of Ien in terms of strategy.”

“Fake? It won't be difficult,” Ada commented, “Besides, the plan isn't yours.”

“Yes that's mine, I'm the leader.”

Ada smiled weakly, the first smile since they had woken up that repeated day. “As you say, leader. I, then, will play a patient with hallucinations.”

The Equinox Flowers decided to change, this time without any hidden glances from Havel. Once ready, the three went out into the corridor and, with a final look of understanding, separated, each heading towards a different part of the hospital, with the clear objective of meeting in the canteen.

Shirei arrived last. The midday sun filtered through the dirty windows of the Colorno hospital, casting long shadows on the worn tables and faded floor. The air was thick with the smell of bland food and disinfectant, a mixture that made Shirei wrinkle his nose.

The demigod headed towards the line of patients waiting for their meal. His violet eyes scanned the room, searching for the familiar faces of his companions. He spotted them almost immediately: Ada was sitting in a corner, staring into space as if she was seeing invisible monsters. Shirei couldn't discern whether she was just pretending or whether she was witnessing the scenes that had traumatized her. Havel, however, gesticulated animatedly to a group of bored patients, proclaiming himself the hero of the thirteen kingdoms.

His companions were playing their roles to perfection.

Tray in hand, loaded with a meal that seemed more suited to a prison than a hospital, Shirei approached the table halfway between the two Equinox Flowers. He sank absently into his chair, maintaining the blank stare typical of his catatonic character.

“The butterflies… the butterflies are dancing,” Ada murmured, her voice trembling and her wide eyes fixed on a point above Shirei's head. She reached him and sat down next to him.

Havel turned to the demigoddess with a benevolent smile. “My dear,” he said in a high-sounding voice, “In this kingdom, butterflies dance only by order of the king. And I am the king!”

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Shirei stared at his plate, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. “Have you discovered anything?” he whispered, barely moving his lips.

The leader of the Equinox Flowers reached them and sat down, pretending to adjust his imaginary crown.

“I noticed that there are armed guards in the corridors of the lower level. Guards with demigod weapons. What need would there be for people like that in a psychiatric hospital?”

Shirei assimilated the new information in silence. He hadn't seen them when he hid the previous day near the entrance to the underground.

Has the rift changed? he thought disconcerted.

“We have to find a way to access the underground,” he finally murmured.

It was Havel who broke the silence. “One of us should deliberately get captured…” he whispered distractedly.

Ada turned to him abruptly. "Absolutely not. It's too dangerous. We don't know what they do to those patients who disappear. We said to find the keys because it was a safer plan.”

Shirei, however, seemed to consider another issue. “I think there's another outsider here.”

The two demigods opened their eyes wide and asked in unison: "Who?"

“The creature in the director's office,” he said slowly, “I'm afraid he knows about us too. If that's the case, it won't be long before he decides to go on the offensive."

“Then, even if the reset happens, it would become impossible to reach the underground because he would know….»

Shirei nodded, «Exactly.»

“Okay,” Havel finally said. “Then I'll go.”

Ada didn't seem to agree but, rather than plant her feet on the ground and deny him that possibility, she tried to make him give up with facts.

“How are we going to communicate with you once you get there?”

Shirei nodded, “You can't go. I have to do it.”

“You too have the same problem as me,” Sidal's son replied acidly.

"I have Reno," the violet-eyed demigod countered. “My tenebrae can act as a messenger. As soon as I find out something, you will know too. Furthermore, if I were to find myself in danger, he could warn you.”

Havel rubbed his scar. They didn't like the idea, but they had no other options to consider. He had to give up on not being the bait and leave that role to Shirei.

“Then it's decided. You will be captured and taken to the dungeons. Ada and I will remain up here, ready to intervene if necessary.”

“Are we sure we want to proceed with this plan?” Ada asked, “We could still try to steal the keys from this 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 had not yet completely disappeared.

Havel leaned against the wall with his 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 really had to choose, I would have gone myself, but I don't see any other options. We need to find the anchor, fast."

"Otherwise?"

“We will be left for dead and the academy will send an entire platoon into the fault, risking weakening our forces further.”

Shirei nodded, his violet eyes fixed on an undefined point beyond the window. “The more time we spend in this infinite loop, the more Rakion's plan will succeed. We have to prove that we can close a fault on our own to convince the academy to withdraw its soldiers."

Ada bit her lip, clearly conflicted. “But... what if something goes wrong? What if they really capture you, Shirei?”

Silence fell on the room for a few moments.

“I'll find a way out of this.”