Celine stood frozen at the doorway, her silhouette clear in Zane's Echo Sight, her forest-green sweater rustling, her red braid swaying, her hazel eyes heavy with regret. "I understand," she said, her voice soft, almost swallowed by the hum of the machines, each word trembling with the weight of her apology. "I'm sorry for wasting your time, Zane." She turned to leave, her boots scuffing the tile, her heart heavy with the guilt of schoolyard silences, when Ariel burst in, her pale blue hospital gown swishing, her golden hair bouncing.
"Celine, you're here!" Ariel's voice was a spark, cutting through the room's tension like a blade through fog. She turned to Zane, her hands planted on her hips, her tone firm but warm. "Big brother, can Celine move into our new house with us? It'd be great to have her there!"
Zane's head tilted toward Ariel's voice, his eyes still closed, his Echo Sight sketching her outline in his mind—vivid, sharp, her energy a beacon. "Absolutely not," he said, his voice a low, steady current, sharp with finality. "She needs to go home, wherever that is. We don't need extra baggage."
Ariel's eyes narrowed, her resolve unshaken, her voice rising with a mix of defiance and pleading. "She has no place to go, big brother! Her grandmother passed before the Tutorial, and she's got no one else. Besides, I can't take care of you all by myself. Is this because you haven't forgiven her for what happened back at school? Is that why you're pushing her away?"
Zane's jaw tightened, his hand clenching the bedsheet, his tone cool but deliberate. "No, Ariel, it's not about forgiveness. It's just…" He paused, searching for words, "I don't need anyone else complicating things. We'll manage, you and me."
Ariel cut him off, her voice sharp, a fire igniting in her blue eyes. "Then it's settled! Celine, you're coming with us. Let's go grab a drink to celebrate, and oh, big brother, the doctors said you'll be released soon, so get ready!" She grabbed Celine's arm, pulling her toward the door, her hospital gown fluttering, her golden hair bouncing with each determined step.
"Hey!" Zane called, his voice rising, a rare crack in his calm. "I didn't say she could come with us!" But their footsteps faded, Ariel's laughter echoing down the hall, leaving him alone with the hum of machines. He sighed, leaning back, the pillow crinkling. 'Damn it, Ariel. Always making things harder.'
The door creaked again, and Zane's head snapped up, his Echo Sight flaring from his earlier clap, still mapping the room's outlines—bed, monitors, doorframe, and now a new figure, tall and familiar. "Who's there?" he barked, then relaxed as Valmer's voice cut through, warm but teasing.
"It's me, Zane," Valmer said, his dark gray jacket rustling, rosary beads clinking against his silver chain, his sable-rose eyes glinting with amusement. "Ariel's right, you know. It's too much for her to handle you alone, blind or not. You need someone to help, and Celine's a good fit. Or would you prefer a guy? If that's the case, I'd be happy to move in instead of her. I'm great at keeping things lively." He grinned, leaning against the doorframe, his tone light but probing.
Zane's lips twitched into a smirk, his head tilting toward Valmer's outline. "Yeah, I think I'll stick with Celine. I have a feeling you'd probably drive me crazier than my blindness." 'This Echo Sight is holding up longer than I expected,' he thought, the room's outlines still vivid in his mind, each object etched in ghostly lines. *How long does it last? Until I sleep? I need to test its limits.' "What do the doctors say?" he asked, shifting the topic, his voice steady.
Valmer rubbed his chin, his rosary beads clinking softly, his tone thoughtful. "They ran every test they could—scans, exams, the works. Said there's nothing physically wrong with your eyes, which is bizarre. No damage, no injury, just… nothing. Like your sight just vanished. It's got them stumped."
Zane snorted, his smirk sharp. "Forget those doctors. Is the house ready? That's what matters."
Valmer nodded, his jacket swishing as he shifted. "It's all set, not far from here—a nice place, more than you'd expect. We've had a long day, so we'll swing by tomorrow to hear what you know about the System, the Tower, whatever secrets you're holding. Sound good?"
"Cool with me," Zane said, his voice a low ripple, his thoughts guarded. 'Tomorrow, I'll give them just enough to keep them satisfied.' Valmer turned to leave, his boots scuffing the tile, when Zane's voice cut through, sharp and deliberate. "Hey, Valmer. You looked pathetic out there."
Valmer paused, his hand on the door, his sable-rose eyes narrowing as he turned back. "What?" His voice was incredulous, a laugh bubbling beneath it. "You're blind, and you're calling 'me' pathetic?"
Zane's smirk widened. "Against the Geminis, you were dragging, huffing like you'd run a marathon, even with the least injuries. You're too soft. Up your stamina, or you'll be dead in no time." His words were blunt, honed by memories of training with Onilia under crushing gravity on Zoic, nights that pushed him to the edge of collapse. Valmer, with his penchant for lounging with women over fighting, was a far cry from that discipline.
Valmer chuckled, shaking his head, his rosary beads swaying. "Point taken, blind man. I'll work on it." He stepped out, the door clicking shut behind him.
Moments later, Zane was discharged, a nurse guiding him to a sleek black car where Ariel and Celine waited. The drive was quiet, Zane's Echo Sight mapping the car's interior, Ariel's and Celine's outlines beside him. They pulled up to the safehouse—a sprawling mansion that loomed in his mind's vision, its structure vivid in his Echo Sight, though colors and details were lost, and he couldn't map out the entire outline due to its limited radius. 'I expected a shack with a roof, not this,' he thought, his lips twitching. 'They went overboard.'
Celine gasped, her voice awed as she stepped out, her forest-green sweater catching the evening breeze. "Wow, this place is incredible!" Her hazel eyes widened, taking in the mansion's towering facade, its walls and arched windows gleaming under the streetlights. For her, who'd lived with her grandmother in a modest home before the Tutorial's chaos, it was a palace.
Ariel, stepping out beside her, her hospital gown replaced with a simple blue jacket and jeans, was unfazed, her blue eyes scanning the mansion with indifference. "It's nice," she said, her voice calm, "but our old house was bigger." Her home with Zane and their father had been a fortress of wealth, dwarfing this safehouse.
Zane climbed out, his boots steady on the gravel, his Echo Sight sketching the mansion's outline—grand columns, wide steps, a massive door. 'Can't see the colors or the craftsmanship, but it's big. Nothing like Onilia's palace on Zoic, though.' "Let's get inside," he said, his voice steady, his hand brushing Ariel's arm for guidance. "I need to rest."
They entered, the interior unfolding in Zane's mind—high ceilings, sweeping stairs, ornate furniture, all etched in ghostly lines. Celine's awe grew, her voice soft. "This is… magnificent." Ariel shrugged, leading Zane to a plush couch, her touch gentle but firm. Zane sank into it, his thoughts already turning to the Tower, the Dark Throne, and the kills he needed to unlock his path.
The mansion's grand foyer unfolded in Zane's mind like a map drawn in whispers, etched in ghostly outlines by his Echo Sight, the air tinged with the faint scent of polished wood and fresh paint. Zane sat at the center, his white hair loose, his pale face calm but resolute, his unseeing eyes hidden behind closed lids, his blindness a secret battle he fought with every step. Ariel, now in a blue jacket and jeans, was already halfway up the stairs, her voice bright with excitement. Celine lingered nearby, her forest-green sweater and red braid vivid in Zane's Echo Sight, her energy aura a soft pulse in the quiet grandeur of the mansion. Outside, the world prepared for the Trial of Rankers, a month and twenty-seven days away, but here, in this moment, Zane's focus was on carving out a space to adapt, to master his new reality, to protect Ariel at all costs.
"You should start picking your rooms," Zane said, his voice a steady current, flowing through the foyer's stillness, each word deliberate as he tilted his head toward Ariel's retreating outline. "And while you're at it, pick one for me. Something simple, close to you." His tone was calm, but the weight of his blindness lingered beneath it, a silent challenge he refused to voice.
Ariel's laughter echoed from the staircase, her blue jacket a blur in his Echo Sight as she rushed upward. "I'll go first!" she called, her voice brimming with energy, her footsteps light but purposeful. "I'm claiming the best room, big brother! You'll love what I pick for you!" Her enthusiasm was a spark, a reminder of why Zane endured, the kills, the shadows—whatever it took to keep her safe.
Zane's head turned slightly, his Echo Sight catching Celine's outline still lingering near the foyer's entrance, unmoving, her energy aura flickering with hesitation. He sensed something in her hands, a small object, its shape unclear but distinct. "Why are you still here, Celine?" he asked, his voice sharpening, a low ripple edged with impatience. "You heard Ariel. Go pick a room and stop standing around like a lost kid."
Celine stepped closer, her boots soft on the polished floor, the outline of her forest-green sweater rustling, her red braid swaying in his mind's vision. "Um, I… I thought it might be uncomfortable for you, always closing your eyes like that," she said, her voice soft, trembling with her usual shyness but carrying a stubborn resolve. "So I got you these. I wasn't sure which one you'd like, so there's a couple of options." She extended a small paper box toward him, her hazel eyes—unseen by Zane—bright with a determination to make amends, to bridge the gap left by their schoolyard past.
Zane's lips twitched, a faint smirk forming as he reached out, his fingers brushing the box's edges, its outline clear in his Echo Sight. "Just give it up, Celine," he said, his voice cool but deliberate, each word a stone dropped into the quiet. "I told you already—I don't hold anything against you for what happened back then. You don't need to keep trying to fix something that's not broken. Stop making things complicated." He took the box, his movements steady despite his blindness, his tone softening just a fraction. "And thanks. For looking out for Ariel. I mean it."