*THUMP.* *THUMP.* *THUMP.*

[Enoch walked into the room.] "This place is empty... I wonder if that moron Batter is here."

[💭 ....HE CAN HEAR MY THOUGHTS?!?]

[NO BUT WHERE DID HE COME FROM-- Getting startled, she squeaked softly; A sound only he heard.]

''𝗔𝗵! 𝗦𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆.. 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝘆𝗲𝘀. 𝗔 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀... 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘄.''

''..𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝘆𝗲𝘀? 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.''

[ She's thinking to herself. She seems confused about something... ]

[ 💭 How odd... There's a spectre in the Nothingness. How did it even get there?... ]

“‘We’? Who’s the other one? And since we’re in this topic…

𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐏𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐑, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔’𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐔𝐏 𝐅𝐎𝐑 ‘𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍’”

[ She stares. Expression flat, as her mind took the time to register the individual in front of her. Then suddenly; bursts of laughter. ]

"...Aha! Hahaha~! Oh, of all the places I could end up... I'm trapped here. With the purifier, himself~"

[ What a cruel joke. ]

“Yes….

Are you not the same one, puppet?”

...I heard something. I swear I did.
A voice... So comforting and familiar - yet...

It's faint. Distant. As if buried underwater.

...Where in the several Zones am I?
...Have I finally lost it?..

I don't want to stay here.
How do I leave?

........

"....Hello?"

[ Her lips part. To anyone else, her words would only fall in silence. But to him, her voice rings loud and clear. ]

'' ...𝗠𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵. 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼... 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗢𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁. ''

[ A voice only he could hear. And yet, it sounded so hesitant. ]