Standing in front of the sphinx was eerily quiet. Scarlet had stopped shouting to glare at him. Around us lay the remains of what Scarlet had done. No one else to see it but me and the silent sphinx, who had watched us from his ruined pedestal, stone-faced and silent, unflinching as she—no, we—consumed Elveil.

Elveil’s death wasn’t what haunted me. It was the memory of that twisted, blood-drenched smile on my own face, the way Scarlet had savored every last moment as she tore apart not just Elveil but the hundreds who stood in her way. I hadn’t been strong enough on my own. But Scarlet had succeeded where I would’ve undoubtedly failed.

Scarlet was still there. I could feel her trying to rip me out of the driver's seat like I had done her. It was like trying to hold back a flood with trembling hands.

“Is something… wrong, Rina?” Orange’s voice whispered in the air. I looked to my left, seeing Orange standing there in her maid uniform, her long orange hair braided neatly down her back, her glowing orange eyes locked on me.

“No. I’m not,” I whispered hollowly. “I can’t control her, Orange. And what she did to them… to Elveil… I can’t let her out again. Not after that.” My gaze drifted over to the sphinx, sitting there in judgment, his eyes assessing.

“What are you going to do, coward?” Scarlet growled. “After all that, you’re still trembling like a cornered animal. I should’ve been the one in control from the start. You’re too weak to handle this.”

Pretending Scarlet wasn’t there wasn’t a long-term solution, but I wasn’t looking for a long-term solution. My fingers dug into my arms, feeling the hardness of my epidermal plating. I felt more like a marionette dangling from threads, with Scarlet’s bloodlust still humming beneath my skin.

“You saw it all, didn’t you?” I said to the sphinx, my voice raw. “You know what she is now.”

The sphinx was clearly baffled at the sight of three versions of myself standing in front of him. Two were light projections, and one was real. “This… this is unprecedented. How are you three souls?”

“We are actually two, one artificial and another natural,” Orange answered with a deep bow. “We apologize for any confusion and deception. None of it was intentional.”

Scarlet crossed her arms. “Speak for yourself.”

I hung my head as I waved my hand to Scarlet. “She is my split personality.” Then I waved my hand to Orange. “She is the entity that controls my nanites.”

I’m not worried about telling the sphinx any secrets. They won’t matter soon, and the sphinx has no reason to tell anyone anything.

The sphinx glared at Scarlet. “So the one who debased my colosseum with their senseless butchery; that was you?”

Scarlet grinned. “So what if I am?”

“Then you know what has to happen.” My voice broke, but I forced myself to go on. “If you have any mercy… kill me now. Punish us for such an unfair fight.” I could barely choke out the words.

The sphinx shook his head. “I had agreed to the test. If what you seek is eternal rest, I can grant that request.”

“No.” Orange and Scarlet shouted simultaneously.

Scarlet jabbed her finger in my face yet again. “You’re not getting out of this that easily. I’m not dying for your stupidity. If you’re this weak, then why not just give up? Let me take over. You’d be better off, and we both know it. You’re just dragging yourself through this pathetic charade.”

Orange moved closer, her orange eyes hardening. “I won’t let you die, Rina. Not like this.”

“Orange, please.” My hands clenched. “You saw her too, didn’t you? You know what she’ll do if she gets out again. She’s worse than Elveil. She’ll slaughter anyone in her way, even if I try to stop her.”

Orange’s eyes softened, but there was a glint in them, something unbreakable. “I made a promise to protect you, Rina. To make you stronger. I won’t stand by and let you throw your life away just because you’re afraid of yourself. If Scarlet is part of you, then her decisions and desires must be respected too.”

My jaw hung open. “You can’t be serious. She has to be locked away. Why are you doing this to me?”

Orange stepped closer, her hand reaching up to rest on my shoulder. Her touch was surprisingly warm for a being composed of light. “Then make sure she doesn’t.”

A chill ran down my spine. “What are you talking about?”

Her gaze sharpened. And for the first time, I saw the flicker of something deep, something… dangerous. “You’re terrified of what she might do if she gains control again. I understand your fear. But she is you. We can’t choose between you and Scarlet, because there’s no choice to be had.”

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Scarlet turned and arched an eyebrow. “Orange, if you aren’t going to help and have to stay out of this, then stay out. If Rina and I have to solve this ourselves, let us.” She turned to me. “No sphinx, no Orange, just you and me, you pathetic, sniveling scumbag. You can’t even face the consequences of your actions? You’d rather have someone kill you. At least have the decency to kill yourself.”

“It seems you are divided against yourself,” the sphinx said coldly. “Until you can agree on something, your reward will remain on the shelf.”

“No,” I whispered. “I…I can’t.” I extended my arm blades. “If you won’t kill me, I’ll make you.”

I went to stab the sphinx with an arm blade, but my body locked up. Nothing responded. Scarlet was gone. She wasn’t pulling at my mind anymore. Orange stood directly in front of my extended arm blade.

“Orange, please—help me,” I begged.

Orange shook her head. “We will not let you kill yourself. Facing the creatures and trials of the Soul Nexus can kill you. We provide aid in any way we can against those dangers. We have.”

She placed a finger at the tip of my left arm blade and slowly pushed it back in its slot of my forearm. “You have shown us that we have a soul of our own. When you talked about us meeting Shadara and Killa, you were excited. You said we would be friends. Friends are an unconventional concept to us.”

She put her finger on my right arm blade and, like my left arm blade, returned it to its slot. “But you’ve tried to show me what being a friend is like. For all our time together, we—I want to believe you are my friend. And friends can’t let each other kill themselves so senselessly.”

Her change in pronouns caught me by surprise. I was almost speechless. “Are you doing this?”

She gave a slow, sorrowful nod. “You’ve given me no other choice. I’m not doing this because I want to. I have no desire to do this.”

“You said you wouldn’t take over my body.” My voice shook.

“I can’t stop either of you.” Orange’s voice mimicked a soft and sad tone. “But I can keep you both from destroying each other.”

“Why are you saving her?” I asked.

“I can, and I will,” Orange said; her tone carried a tone of finality. “I swore I’d keep you safe, Rina; even it has to be from yourself. I’m not saving her; I’m saving you—all of you. If that means taking control of your body until you’ve reconciled with Scarlet, then that’s what I’ll do.”

Panic clawed at my chest. “No. Orange, you can’t just—lock me away like that! It’s not living. It’s… imprisonment.”

Her gaze softened, but she didn’t step back. “I know. But I’d rather imprison you than let you die, Rina. And in that time, I’ll keep her trapped with you in a simulation, where she can’t harm anyone. Scarlet wanted it to be the two of you together to solve your differences. She will have her wish.”

“Please,” I choked. “I can’t—I can’t be locked away with her.”

Orange’s hand rose to caress my cheek, the gentleness of the gesture cutting deeper than I’d expected. “I’m sorry, Rina. Truly. But this is the only way. Suicide is the wrong answer. Do not worry; I will keep your body safe and make sure Killa and Shadara are safe too.”

Her hand began to fade, and I felt a strange, creeping numbness wash over me, spreading from her touch down my neck into my arms. My vision blurred as if I were sinking underwater, and the edges of the world frayed, darkening, then slipping away.

“No… no, Orange… please… don’t…” My voice was fading, my body growing heavier, slipping out from under me. The last thing I saw was Orange’s face, a soft, almost sorrowful smile as she faded away.

This is for your own good, Rina.

Her voice echoed in my mind as everything turned to darkness.

The forest clearing felt surreal, bathed in pale moonlight, the silence almost mocking. I could feel the boundaries of the simulation—an illusion of reality, crafted by Orange, to trap us both. Opposite me stood Scarlet, her blood-soaked dress shimmering faintly, her crimson eyes gleaming with manifested malice.

“Well, well,” she purred. “Seems we’re alone, Rina. Just you and me. Two entered; only one leaves.”

“This is nothing more than a simulation,” I said. “You’re just as trapped as me.”

Scarlet’s lips curled into a dark smile. “You think hiding in a simulation will protect you? That it will stop me?” She took a step forward, her voice a low, sinister purr. “What’s stopping me from just consuming you, Rina? Taking every last piece of you until there’s nothing left, just like Elveil?”

I clenched my fists, fighting the cold shiver that ran through me. “I won’t let you. This is my mind.” I forced my voice to stay steady. “There’s no room for you here. I can’t let you out again. If my punishment is to face you here for eternity, then so be it.”

“Oh, but we have eternity, Rina,” she taunted. Her voice dripped with delight as she slowly extended her arm blades. “And I’m very curious to see how long you can hold out.”

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ORANGE

Too many emotions to parse through and understand paralyzed Orange as she took over Rina’s body after locking her and Scarlet in the simulation.

“I will take care of your body for you, Rina. You will get it back when you’re ready.” Rina wouldn’t hear Orange’s whisper. She was too busy already fighting with Scarlet.

“So, who do I have the privilege of speaking with?” the sphinx asked.

Orange bowed with Rina’s body. “Rina named me Orange. Her and Scarlet are in a private simulation, as was their wish.”

Unconsciously, the hair on Orange’s head and tail turned a bright orange.

The sphinx gave a gentle smile. “The aesthetic perfectly complements the name. Because you share a body, your accomplishments are the same.”

Orange nodded. “Then would you be willing to permit me access to the next floor? There are two I have to ensure are safe.”

The sphinx stretched out his left wing. A pile of rubble shifted and turned into a broken doorway that shimmered with shades of lavender and blue. “As you wish.”

Orange walked to the portal, turned, and gave a deep bow. “Thank you. I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience of your floor.”

The sphinx only gave a gentle nod before Orange stepped through the portal onto the next floor.