Eric and Altera winced in pain and massaged their skulls as they got up.

“What the Hel was that?” Eric reached to her with his hand.

“Don’t touch me!” Altera slapped it away.

“Huh?” Eric jumped back. “You bumped into me. What’s wrong with you?”

“With me?” Altera pressed her fingernails against her scalp. Her breath got heavier. “This is all your fault.”

She could feel it burn. It burned, it burned.

Ragna‘s words rang in her – her accusations, their betrayal. Flames raged inside her heart, wishing to release and set the object of her scorn and spite on fire. This desire of hers consumed her body with heat. Any moment, she could combust.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don't. Play. Dumb.” Altera ground her teeth. “I know what you and Ragna did. How could you?”

Eric looked at her in disbelief.

Did he think she talked in another language? Why did he play dumb? Was this a ploy? Yes. It had to be. It was all Eric‘s fault. He had corrupted Ragna. He had seduced Ragna. What else could it be? It could be Quin. Yes, it was all Quin‘s fault. She had corrupted him. He had corrupted Ragna. It made all sense.

“Why did you two have sex?”

“What? Huh? What’s going on?”

“Why don’t you answer me? I can’t believe it.” Altera laughed. She started to encircle Eric. “You still don’t give me an answer. It was Quin. She did it, she did it, did it, did it. Because of her. You had sex with her. Why did you have sex? It doesn‘t make sense. No, wait. It does. It makes; it makes; it makes. You’re in love. You’re delusional; you’re horny; you’re thinking with your penis. Why did you have sex?”

“I...” Eric opened his mouth. He stared at her for a second until he narrowed his eyes. “Are you on drugs?”

“Answer me. I’m getting so sick of you. I want answers, but you don’t give them. Of course, you do. It's part of your plan. You want to irritate me so you can have sex with Ragna. You are a sex-obsessed pervert. You joined so you could molest her, and that’s all there ever was to it. You didn’t want to help us. You weren‘t some noble spirit. No, you were just some molester who wanted to have his way with Ragna.“

“I. Did. Not. Have. Sex with her.” Eric raised his arms and waved them around in a desperate attempt to calm Altera. “What the Hel's wrong with you? And even if I did, what do you care? I don’t need your permission.”

“So, you admit it.” Altera grinned. She pocked her finger against Eric’s chest, and her carmine eyes dilated as she put her teeth on display. “You did it. While I was trying to complete the trials, you two had sex. You never cared about me. No one did. You’re all just selfish and evil.”

“For the last time, I did not have sex with her," Eric shouted. "Do you even listen to yourself?”

“Lies, lies, lies. Why are you lying to me? What did I do to you? I finally had a friend. I stopped being lonely. But you took her away from me. Not just you. Quin had it out for me because Geißel loved me more than her. Yes, yes, yes. It all makes sense.”

Altera’s speech sped up. Her words raced, and she spat them out like bullets, unable for anyone to follow them. She paced through the room, walking to Eric, then changing her mind and stomping to the window, and then to start encircling the room.

“This was revenge. Quin wanted revenge, and you helped her. Because you killed Geißel, we can’t complete the mission. It was all your plan. Quin wanted me to lose. You wanted me to stay here forever, so you can leave with Ragna and move in together. Yes. Drake Griffin lives there in his traitorous apartment, thinks of traitorous things, and drinks from his traitorous “Best Dad”-cup.”

Altera laughed. She followed lines and traces that didn’t exist, and her voice swung. One moment, she talked in a fast-paced yet normal, if aggravated, tone. The next, she screamed and roared. Her hands couldn’t stand still and went all over her body. She rubbed her arms, scratched them with her fingernails, and twigged them before she pressed them against her skull and shook her head. Her nails ate into her scalp. Altera pulled her hair. And when she didn’t touch herself, she fumbled her fingers and grabbed the air.

“You took Ragna from me and destroyed my dreams. You never liked me. Why else did you never bother to get to know me? All you cared about was Ragna. Why don’t you like me?"

Altera stomped on the ground, her heels piercing a hole into the wood. “What did I ever do to you? Why are you and Ragna so much closer? I don’t get it. You hate me so much that you teamed up with Quin to take me down so you can get rid of me.”

She paused to exhaled. While she chuckled, her breaths became heavy and froze to mist. Tears fell from her cheeks and turned to crystals. Her voice mixed despair and ecstasy alongside jubilation, sadness, and rage. A melting pot of emotions hazarded her brain, turning her thoughts into geysers of speech.

“But I won’t let you. I’ll take Ragna and run away. I’ll correct her; snuff out her evil thoughts. Yes. She will become a Valkyrie. Ragna won’t make me upset. No. She won’t. Ragna won‘t. Ragna’s a good girl. She just needs a little guidance, right? Everything will be good. Why wouldn’t it be? Why can’t I do anything right? Why does everyone hate me? It’s my fault. Don’t you get it, Eric? I’m a train wreck. If I were a better person, the world would be better. The world’s already great. I’m the problem. Why? Why am I like that? I –“

A crimson cocoon swallowed Altera and trapped her inside it, leaving only her head and feet free. Her words switched between curses, orders to let her go, and wallows of pity sprinkled in with bouts of self-hatred. She shouted and screamed without a second to spare.

Eric let out a sigh and dropped his shoulders. “I’ve enough of this bullshit. I don’t know what your problem is, but you need to see a doctor. This isn’t normal. Like, you could easily escape with your Brynhildr. But that you don’t even think about using your Fylgja or your runes…You don’t even hear what I’m saying, do you?”

Altera growled and wiggled her body inside the cocoon.

Eric facepalmed, shaking his head with a groan. “I'm not sure if it's the Mana here, but you're off the deep end.”

Bubbles formed within the blood, and steam raised from the cocoon. Sweat pearls formed on Altera’s forehead. The patches of skin touching the blood started to itch and burn.

“I can’t even begin to understand what you babbled there." Eric winced and ground his teeth. His face displayed neither joy nor camaraderie. One might believe he looked at a worm crawling on the floor. "There was so much bullshit, but I heard you go on and on with your self-pity. You asked yourself why anyone would do this to you. I’ll be clear I don’t hate you nearly enough to do any of the fucked-up things you mentioned. Before this, I thought we were friends.”

Altera perked up, and traces of a smile appeared on her face.

Her doubts were wrong. Those whispers had been paranoia and lied to her. All of it had turned out to be false.

“But now, I can’t even tell if I like you.”

And the joy on Altera’s face fell from her. She couldn’t answer, only stare in shock on the verge of tears.

“People aren’t your friends. They’ll never become your friends, and the reason’s you. Say, did you know that I’m allergic to bee stings? Or that I love going to the theater?”

Altera looked at him, puzzled.

What did he mean by that? What was his point?

“Of course, you don’t. Cause you never asked. You expect us to do all the work. Newsflash, friendship doesn’t work that way. You take, and take, and take, and you give nothing in return. Have you ever thought about me or asked me about anything? Do you know why I’m closer to Ragna? Cause she actually puts effort into our relationship. I will tell you right now, if you stay this way, you will ruin everything and end up all alone. Forget this mission, forget your looks, or that you have lost your marbles somewhere. There’s only one thing that ruins your life.” He pointed at her. “And that’s you. You’re your own poison.”

“I...I…”

Altera raised her eyes.

Of course. That’s it.

Eric buried his hat into his head.

“I’m sorry.” The cocoon popped like a water balloon, the blood splattering everywhere. “I promise you we will talk this out later. But I know who killed my brother.”

She widened her wings and dashed away. With the Fehu rune active, Altera navigated through the residence. She turned left and flew upstairs.

Did Eric have a point? Who knew? Right now, she had to clear the level. She had angered Eric, but if she succeeded and allowed them to continue their journey, he should forgive her. As long as she performed her duty as a Valkyrie, he wouldn’t hate her. She had to cling to that.

Altera stormed the door and burst it open. The debris clinked off her armor as her momentum repelled it.

“You killed him.” Altera landed in the middle of her room.

Debris of the ice prison she had created lay on the floor. In front of her, Ragna stood together with Quin.