“Iris ... Iris?” Rein was holding a knife by Iris' throat, ready to cut it open. “W-what?” he grabbed his own right hand, stopping it at the last moment.

“MHHHH!!!”

“What are you waiting for?” The Dollmaker asked. “Do it!”

“NO!” But no matter how fierce or how hard he tried to fight his own body, all it did was slowing himself down, delaying the inevitable. The knife still edged towards Iris’ neck. “Please, no!”

‘You’ll suffer endlessly.’ Arthur’s words echoed in his head. ‘repeatedly’ Words he dismissed before. Was this his curse, destined to kill everything and everyone around him? He refused to believe it. Yet no matter what his belief was, his right arm was stronger than his left.

“Do it!”

“No ... no ... no.” Slowly but surely, the knife edge touched Iris’ skin, and along with it, Rein’s hope vanished. Killing those six women, for what? To protect Iris, but everything was useless. Powerless to fight, powerless to protect her. His best effort was nothing more than entertainment to be mocked. A pitiful attempt by a fool dancing to the tune of mistress fate.

“Hkkkk!” Iris let out a muffled scream.

“No, Iris!” No matter how hard he called her name, nothing would come to save him. If he could feel pain, he would have screamed as he forced his muscle to its absolute limit. Yet even his absolute limit, his absolute best didn’t help him. “No ...” Tears flowed down his cheek. He refused to believe it. He refused to give up. But part of him had given up. Some part of him had accepted the cruel reality. Part of him knew that it was in vain. “I’m ... sorry.”

“Giving up so soon?” The voice of a young boy woke him up. “That’s so very unlike you, Rein.”

Somehow, Rein smiled. A self-mocking and self-deprecating smile. He came to mock him, to spat on all his effort. “Fuck, you!” His left and right hands had gone completely numb.

“What?” the boy tilted his head. “I’m trying to help you, Rein.”

“W-what?” For just a moment, a light appeared in his eyes. But it disappeared a moment later. This was the ghost that always insulted him in the worst of time. Who always added salt to his wound. “You fucking liar.”

“Hehe.” The boy smiled the most sinister looking smile an innocent face could produce. “You know me.”

“FUCK OFF!!” Anger erupted in his heart. Rein was trying his best and failed. Now, this ghost raised his hope up only to smash him down harder than before.

He used to feel guilty about him, about killing them. Now, nothing but anger and hatred. He hated them, hated them all. Their death was never his fault. He never wanted this curse, never wanted to kill them. Yet all they did was curse him, blame him, spat him on for something they themselves would have chosen and done. He only wanted a normal life, to have friends, family, and loved one. Yet it was all taken from him, and they hate him for it.

‘She might yet be saved’

“I can help you, dear.” A third voice entered his mind. It was a woman’s voice, soft, caring, and beautiful. His eyes darted all over, desperate to find the voice. It was a familiar voice. He heard it before, but where, when, and whose. “Where are you searching, dear? I’m always here, with you.”

It came from behind him, his right shoulder. He turned his head around. But before he could look, part of his mind already knew who it was and prepared him for it.

Her countless eyes were staring at him. Thousands of gazes filled with ... kindness. The normal him would call himself crazy for seeing kindness in those eyes of madness. Yet despite her monstrous appearance, there was human warmth in those eyes.

He didn’t have to think for long, couldn’t. No time to question why she wanted to help him. With each passing moment spent thinking, the knife came closer to cutting iris’ life. “Help me, please!” He cried out his desperation.

“Of course, dear.” Somehow, through her numerous deformed mouths, Rein saw a smile. Maybe, he was wrong all this time. Maybe ... she always appeared after a disaster happened to him, not because she caused it, but because she wanted to help him.

Her tentacle-like limbs coiled around his own. It felt like a slug or snail was climbing over his body. “Together, dear,” she whispered to his ears.

He tried to move his numb arms again, pushing his right arm with his left. He felt a strong resistance, a tugging from the Dollmaker’s string. But he kept pushing. Fine red lines appeared on his right arm, digging into his flesh and cutting his skin. It should hurt, but he felt nothing.

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“What?” The invisible magic thread wrapped around Rein’s right arm was already strained to its limit. A normal person wouldn’t even be able to move once bound, but what drove Rein now wasn’t human.

When the Dollmaker heard Rein talking to thin air, he thought Rein might have lost his sanity. Only now did he realized Rein wasn’t talking to his own imagination, but an invisible entity.

Snap! The thread snaring Rein’s arm broke. His right arm was bleeding heavily, but he paid no attention to it. Instead, with his freedom back he took off Iris bind and muffler. When he worked on one binding, 'she’ helped him with the other. After finally freeing Iris, he hugged her tight in his embrace.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I’m so sorry.” He looked at her face.

Iris was still fear-stricken. And her gaze was filled with terror, horror, and disgust. It was understandable. The man she looked at now had just mercilessly killed six helpless women and was about to slit her throat. He was controlled when he did that, but she knew no better, and he didn’t deserve her understanding. And despite receiving such accusing look, he was glad. He couldn’t forgive himself if he made Iris felt responsible for their death. Their death was on his hand and the Dollmaker, Iris had nothing to do with it.

“N-no. It’s not your fault.” She opened her trembling jaw, using all her might just to utter a few comforting words. “B-but, there’s-there’s something I must tell you-”

Remembering they haven’t escaped danger yet, Rein carried her body in his arms and ran for the exit. “Save that for later. We must get out, right now.” He glanced behind him. The Dollmaker was grabbing his own head, his eyes blood-red and his face twisted with anger and madness. For some reason, he didn’t chase after them, but there was no complaint.

“No! No! No! This isn’t supposed to happen.” The Dollmaker kept screaming and scratching his own head, still not giving any attention to the escaping Rein and Iris.

“R-rein.” Iris squirmed as unbearable pain spread across her body. “There’s- there’s something I must tell you-“

“Shh! I can hear that once we’re safe.” He refused to hear what she wanted to say. He mustn’t hear it, mustn’t let her speak. He had a feeling that if he hears it, something terrible would happen. It was an unfounded fear, yet his heart throbbed each time she opened her mouth.

“R-rein, you must ... hear me-“ Her voice became weaker and weaker and her body colder.

Why? He screamed inside his mind and heart. He saved her didn’t he, so why did life escape her body. Did the Dollmaker curse her as a failsafe if they escaped? Or was this his plan all along, to kill her as they ran away. To kill her in his arms.

As realization dawned upon him that he could do nothing to stop her body from dying, his knees buckled underneath. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Iris. I can’t. I can’t save you.”

“Rein ...” Iris cold hand caressed his wet cheek. But when he raised his face to look at her, his heart sank even more. She was deathly pale, and even her lips had lost all its color. Her eyes were hazy and had no clarity or shine he fell in love with.

He took her hand. He felt no cold before, no heat, and no pain even around Iris. Yet in a cruel twist of fate, in this moment he felt her fading heat like a normal person would. Felt each passing second of her breath getting weaker and weaker.

“Listen, It’s about ... Friede, she’s ... You ... mustn’t ... … …” Her eyes turned blank.

“Iris? Iris? Iris!” No matter how hard he screamed, no matter how hard he shook her body, she did not respond. Her hand on his cheek went limp. Her eyes and mouth were wide open, leaving the rest of her words unsaid. “Iris! Iris!”

“Hehehehe.” Laughter came behind him, but before Rein could even turn, his body was pushed into a nearby wall. “Serve you right.” The Dollmaker smiled before thrusting the dagger in his hand. Aiming for the heart, one attack to end it all. But ‘she’ on Rein’s shoulder deflected it into his abdomen.

The Dollmaker frowned. “You are an incomplete key. But no matter. As long as I can open the door.” He pulled the dagger, but Rein grabbed it with his left hand to a complete stop. The Dollmaker smiled. “Fool!” He put his weight, but the dagger didn’t budge an inch.

Blood pooled between Rein’s legs. Blood from his stomach wound and his arm. His fingers were cut open to the bone from holding the dagger, yet he held still and not let go. Or more like, no reason to.

He was ... calm. Tears flowed down his eyes, yet his heart was serene, devoid of any emotion. “I ... I can’t feel anything.” Neither sadness, nor anger, nor fear. His heart calm like the surface of water. Reflecting the moon and stars of an endless night.

Realizing the futility of trying to pull the dagger, the Dollmaker pulled out another knife and aimed at Rein’s neck. But ‘she’ deflected it once again, landing it on Rein’s shoulder. But Rein didn’t even flinch or even react, no reason to. Before, an excruciating pain would sting a little. Now, pain completely evaded him. “Pointless.”

He punched the Dollmaker with no restraint. A punch with no hatred, but enough to send a few of his teeth flying away.

A perfect straight punch. Reading it a few more times from the internet was enough. The best posture, best angle, and best way. Not just his heart, his mind and memories now had the highest clarity.

Yet even with a perfect punch, punching the Dollmaker so far and knocking his teeth off was a feat impossible even for an unrestrained human strength. Looking at his arms, the black slug-like tentacle coiling around it must have helped.

He walked closer to the old man laying on the floor, struggling to get up. Rein pulled the knife from his shoulder and stabbed the old man‘s guts, blade and handle. And twisted it inside him. Cry of pain escaped the old man’s mouth. It was a big wound, and unlike him, no one there would help the old man. Rein’s wound was more severe but Albert and Rose, their footsteps were getting closer and closer.

Strange, he thought. With his consciousness in full clarity and without the sway of emotion, he could analyze himself unlike a normal person could. Right now there was no emotion in his heart, yet there was this urge and drive inside him to hurt the Dollmaker more and more. But he refrained himself, there were more important things to do.

He turned and kneeled. Blinded by his own sadness and anger he didn’t realize Iris was still breathing. Her eyes were wide open, her body was stiff as a corpse, and she didn’t react to anything. But her heart was still beating.

With complete calmness and absolute lack of emotion, he gave himself and Iris a first aid. After that, he picked up Iris unmoving body and walked away with the dagger still stuck on his stomach.