— She's going to leave you alone.
The voice appeared out of nowhere, echoing directly inside Samael's ears.It came from nowhere… and yet, it was painfully familiar.
— Who? — he asked, spinning around, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of its source. Nothing. — What the hell is this…?
— Why would anyone stay with someone who doesn't even know who they are? — the voice spoke again, calm and venomous.
Samael clenched his teeth.
— Shut up. I've seen this kind of mental attack in other stories. I'm not falling for it.
A low laugh answered him, dripping with mockery.
— Haha… that's what you think. But… what do the others think?
— There are no others. It's just me — he shot back, too quickly.
But his conviction wavered.
— Even you don't believe that.
— Shut up. You don't know anything! — Samael snapped, his composure beginning to crack.
The voice drew closer—not through space… but inward.
— You and Elizabeth aren't a court. You need her to stay standing. She doesn't need you. She just keeps you around.
The words struck deep, hitting precisely where it hurt.
— I don't need anyone to validate myself! — Samael growled.
— Oh… are you sure? — the voice teased. — Then tell me: how do you know who you are?— Someone fragmented needs others' affirmation to avoid collapsing.— And you… are exactly that.
— I'm not… — Samael murmured, too softly.
Not even he believed it.
— Actually, you're worse, — the voice continued, merciless. — Everything that stays close to you falls apart.
— I…
Silence descended, heavy and suffocating.
— Hahaha… you can't even defend yourself.
The laughter echoed, triumphant.
Samael closed his eyes.
He took a deep breath.
— You're right, — he finally said.
The voice fell silent, startled.
— I have flaws. Fears. Insecurities.— I have no idea how to solve any of them.
He opened his eyes—steady now.
— But I've started accepting myself. I started with my fear.— Little by little, the rest will follow.
The presence trembled slightly.
— It might not be now. It might take years.— But one day, I'll know who I am… and why I am.
His voice turned cold.
— And it won't be someone on the brink of death, desperate, trying to break me… who makes me yield now.
The world began to move again.
At that moment, Elisa had just killed Kevin—or whatever that thing had become.The final blow… seemed to have come from Elizabeth.
Samael watched in silence.
The confrontation was over.
But it hadn't been external.
— I want to rest…
Samael muttered quietly.He could no longer endure the Dream Realm—that place attacked him constantly, not with monsters, but with thoughts.
— I want coffee…
The idea surfaced like a sigh of longing.A warm cup. A decent book. The comfortable silence of before.
Just… relax.
— When I get back… I'll stay like that for three days, — he promised himself, almost solemnly.
He turned toward Alisa and Elizabeth.
— Shall we?
He wanted to ask how it had been. Wanted to know if she was okay.But he had learned something these past few days: Elizabeth's foul mood left no room for doubt.
She simply nodded, without saying a word.
Samael climbed onto Elisa, and together they headed toward the end of that coastal hell.
As they sailed across the dark waters, he avoided speaking to Elizabeth.His mood was… strangely good.
He had accepted one of his flaws.More than that—he had found a path.
The envy he had once felt toward Sunny no longer made sense.Now, it was the opposite.
He had chosen his own trail.
Without giving up freedom—even if he didn't value it as much as Sunny did, it was still his.
— What do I do when I get back? — he wondered.
He now had short- and long-term goals.But something was missing in between.
Medium-term goals.
— I want a pet.
The thought surfaced simply… and sincerely.Back on Earth, he had always liked animals.He wanted something to drown in cuteness—something that didn't demand answers, just presence.
— A cat or a dog…?
Which would be better?What would Liz prefer?
He almost asked.
Almost.
The look Elizabeth shot him at that moment was enough to make him immediately give up.
It looked like she'd skin him alive if he opened his mouth now.
— Women's bad moods are… kind of terrifying, — Samael thought.
He paused.
— Hopefully it's not biological.
The thought inevitably reminded him of his own flaw.
Elizabeth sighed.Her head felt like it was about to explode.
Kevin had hammered her mind for several minutes, triggering the worst headache of her life.
Samael, on the other hand, seemed oddly cheerful.A rare sight.
Normally, he wore that expression of someone who had died and been forgotten underground.
Now… that subtle smile only irritated her more.
Still, Elizabeth was rational.She wouldn't do anything impulsive to erase him.
— Let's think about the future, — she thought.
— Hey, Samael.
— What? — he replied, surprised. He hadn't expected her to start a conversation like that.
— We need to find new members for our court.
Instantly, Samael made a face.
Just the idea of living with strangers drained all his good mood.He would overcome that trauma one day.
But honestly, he wanted to leave that for later.
Much later.
— Do you know anyone who could live with us? — Elizabeth asked.
— What do you mean "live with us"? — Samael shot back. — Are you implying we're hard to deal with?
He knew it was true.But still… he felt oddly offended.
— If you start fooling around, I'll throw you off Elisa, — Elizabeth said, ending the drama.
— What about… Professor Stern? — Samael suggested. — She's the one I lived with the longest.
Elizabeth thought for a few seconds.
— She doesn't seem like someone who enjoys disturbance… or complicated things.
— She doesn't. But what does that have to do with anything? — Samael asked.
— That's exactly what we are.
Silence fell between them.
Samael didn't argue.
— We can try, — Elizabeth said. — If we survive.
Elisa was already approaching the center.
And both of them prepared themselves…
For the hardest challenge so far.