The titan of void was on him in a blink, a fist of tendrils above Felix like a dark comet. He spent intent to dodge, and rolled out of the way of an attack that never landed.

“Wau. A human.” Surprise lilted a quick and aggressive voice of a girl. The giant lifted its hands up. “Heard a crunch and thought you looked like one of those monkey roaches. Roach monkeys. Whatevs. My bad.”

“Uh. Yeah. Heard that one before...” Felix scrambled upright.

Mass of tentacles withdrew into the person underneath. The girl was around Felix’s age, with tanned skin and short messy hair not found in the Scandies. Behind a pair of round purple tinted sunglasses glowed turquoise dots from the face that reminded Felix of a playful cat, if not for her perpetual frown. Kinda cute in a way.

Voidblack spots remained on her skin, swirling underneath a baggy sleeveless hoodie and shorts, both of which were colorful messes of paint and patches. She hefted the iron torch at her hip towards Felix. Purple tinted silverlight burned within a torch of the same spiraling taper design as Stefan’s.

“H’loo. Name’s Rayne Ramos. I’m hunting a denizen on my master’s orders.”

“Felix Andersson.” Felix unzipped his hood as his brain fired hundred thoughts a minute, scrambling to figure out if he was screwed. Without thinking, he lifted up his torch as Delver’s Etiquette demanded.

“Unlit…” Rayne’s lips fell. She fell into a combat stance as tentacles wrapped around her.

“Wowowow! Hold up!” Felix held his hand up. “I’m not a doppelganger, puppeteered, or a murderer. There’s a good explanation for this. The night torch who was supposed to light my torch died during the interviews!”

“Yu-uh and I’m the eight Lord of the Abyss. Show me your real torch or you’re dead!”

“This is my real torch! Here, it’s signed with the same name as my underwear. See?” Felix held the copper torch and a pair of fresh boxers to Rayne, who squinted at the inscriptions, slightly flustered. “And, and,” Felix continued, “Since I can see your silverflame, which has a purple highlight, which one-hundred percent proves that I’m a human.”

“Does it though?” Eyes behind the sunglasses narrowed, but Rayne lowered her fist tentatively.

Felix nodded rapidly. “It does. What else could I be? Denizens can’t see the silverflame.”

“D’no. An unlit copper torch alone in the Abyss? Fishy as a happy raccoon if you ask me.”

“But perfectly possible,” Felix countered.

Rayne pulled her tendrils in, shaking her head in exasperation. “Guess so. So what’s a copper knight up to this deep anyhow? There are easier ways to die.”

Felix sighed, relieved. “No I’m… Looking for a place. Got separated from my companions.”

“Oke’. Sooooo. Any chance you’ve seen this denizen I’m looking for? Round. Around this size. White soft fur. Glowy. Fluffy antennae on the head, like this…” Rayne descended into a rapid-fire description of Bii in gestures and words.

Okay, what in the Byss am I gonna do now? Rayne had to be that girl from Freedom States described in Daniel’s logs, the one saved by doctor Havardi. She was also the one who’d attacked Bii and S. Was doctor Havardi a potential enemy? An ally? Both? Neither? Rayne continued to wave her hands, mimicking how Bii might hop around.

She’s dangerous. And the best shot Felix had at reaching Hollow Conservatory alive. But how to make her guide him without revealing Bii?

“...and supposedly cute paws. Seen anything like it?” Rayne paused.

Bii shifted in Felix’s backpack. “I don’t think so.”

She blew out a frustrated sigh, scratching her head. “Ajajaj, do I really have to go back empty handed. Gaaah, don’t wanna...”

Whistling, Saga’s. Barely there, beneath the sounds of Abyss, but there it was. It was close, and then it was here.

“...paw prints? Poop?” Rayne asked. “It poops silver liquid.”

Felix’s attention was on the hedge behind her. Saga peeked through foliage. Noticing Felix, she lifted her visor and mouthed ‘hold on’. She gestured for him to keep Rayne distracted, while Elina and Daniel snuck around to get the highground on her.

“Yeah… I’ve seen that poop,” Felix said absentmindedly.

“Really?” Rayne grabbed his hand, eyes wide. “Where? I really, really, really need to find that denizen.”

“Uuh… Let me think.”

Saga nodded in approval and closed her visor.

Could the trio overpower her? Maybe? Right now, they probably assumed he’d been kidnapped, but one question would paint him as the traitor he was. Then what? He’d be in the same pickle as Rayne, except with extra vinegar. Nothing could vindicate him at that point.

Felix had to escape. The question was Rayne.

She’d multiply his chances of surviving the delve to Hollow Observatory, but would trusting her doom him once they arrived? Whatever he did would be a gamble. Felix went with his guts. No turning back now.

Felix began arranging fallen leaves and pebbles on the ground. “Silver poop? Yeah, I saw that on cheese once. Nasty stuff. I might be able to figure out where to find it, but we’d have to go see this master of yours. Does he need an assistant? I’m a decent relicwright. I’d much rather do relicwrighting than be held as a hostage.”

“The Byss you on about?” Rayne cocked a brow. “You know where it is or don’t?”

“Wait a sec!” Felix hurried to arrange pebbles in a map of their surroundings. He had at most minutes. Every second was crucial.

The slightest indication he gave to having betrayed the Knights would result in the trio springing on them. Worst case scenario, there would be deaths, none of which Felix wanted on his conscience. He had to make Rayne need him and warn her, while somehow convincing her not to harm any of the Knights, and somehow do it all without alerting the Knights.

If only Thought Threads had let him share actual thoughts… Thoughts which raced hundred turns a second, none of them useful. Only Elina still crawled towards her position.

“All good?” Rayne asked, slightly worried.

“Yeah.” Felix bit his lip. “I know where the denizen is.”

“Yeee, suuure. What was it carrying?” How does she know?

“A potency orb and a note. Knights of the End have him.” He saw Rayne’s lips twitch. Was it disappointment, or even worry? Felix pressed on. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll tell you where they last kept him, if you guarantee me a safe passage, and promise not to kill anyone.”

“You know who got the note?”

Why is that important? Is doctor Havardi looking for the potency orb? Felix had no time to figure it out. Elina was nearly in position. His arrangement of pebbles was finished.

“I saw a guy read it. Now, my deal?”

“No killing. Safe passage. And you tell me what you know?”

“Deal?” Felix held out his hand.

“Deal.”

Felix pulled her down the same instant she pulled him up, each leaning to whisper in the other’s ear.

“Don’t come to the Hollow Conservatory, or you’ll never leave.” “Act normal. We’re surrounded.”

““What?”” Both leaned back, eyes wide with shock.

Elina was in position. Saga gave Felix a sign, ten fingers up and counting down.

Felix spoke faster than he’d ever spoken, drawing Rayne’s attention to the map of pebbles between them. “Okay! You wanted a map of the denizen. Look here. This one’s the denizen. You’re this red one, I’m this red one.” He stressed the positions of himself and Rayne, then pointed at three black pebbles marking Daniel, Elina, and Saga, and then the stick-arrow laid between Daniel and Saga—the best escape route in their current circumstances.

He stared into the glowing pits behind the sunglasses, praying she got his plan. With his hand held low, Felix began a countdown with his own fingers, two fingers ahead of Saga.

Rayne nodded lightly, meeting his gaze.

‘No killing,’ Felix mouthed.

She scoffed. “There’s only one man in this world I wanna murder.”

Saga was on her third finger and met Felix’s gaze. He gave her a thumbs up, began to rise to his feet, and closed the final finger on his other hand.

That instant, Rayne sprang into action.