Lisa’s eyes were fixed on the massive, floating landmass above her, and she looked on in awe. The sheer size of the place made her feel impossibly small. Lisa strained her eyes; she could see the faint outlines of buildings - towers maybe - dotting the top. Though she turned to Yoko and said,
”That’s the Kingdom?” Lisa pointed, laughing. ”It’s not what I expected at all.”
Yoko’s sigh brought Lisa back to reality, as she said, ”Yes, Turner, that is the Kingdom.”
”Why didn’t you tell us it’s floating in the sky?!” Lisa said.
Yoko didn’t respond.
”... Why didn’t you tell us it was in the sky!?”
The silence stretched uncomfortably until Yoko sighed.
”... Because I didn’t know it’d be floating, Turner,” Yoko crossed her arms. ”The Pit is home to some extraordinary things…”
”Then how do we know its our Kingdom? It could be some other Kingdom for all we know!” Lisa said.
Yoko pivoted towards Lisa, and pointed up towards the Kingdom.
”One, I was tracking Autoknight movements for ages now, it all comes from and leads to this direction,” Then Yoko pointed at the Autoknight airships coming from the Kingdom, and returning. ”And two… aren’t those the Autoknight airships.”
"If Yoko says it's the kingdom, I believe it is! And those are Autoknight ships!" Ella said cheerfully.
Saskia had finally stood up, silently backing up Lisa in her questioning by standing behind her. "... I suppose it looks right. But how do we get up there without getting caught? A giant flying spider isn't exactly inconspicuous."
”We could try bouncing off…” Lisa tried to joke, glancing at Ella’s rear, but she ended up choking. She sighed… as she wasn’t in the mood after what they had done earlier. The screams of those children as Saskia put them out of their misery. It was for the greater good, Lisa said. It was to help them, Lisa said. Because death is a better alternative to living in the Pit and getting eaten by a monster… yet, the doubts clung to Lisa. The guilt clung to her.
Would she ever escape it?
”... Never mind,” Lisa said, turning away, and Yoko just nodded.
”We have four options,” Yoko said, before she raised one finger. ”One; we use Turner’s spiders to fly up there… I’m certain if we tried, we’d get riddled with holes before we made landfall.”
Then raised another finger.
”Two, we climb up the chains; some of them are close enough to the surface that maybe we can climb from there.”
Then raised a third finger.
”Three; we either hijack or stowaway on one of their airships… Which seems easier said than done because we don’t know where they land.”
Then Yoko paused for a moment and then sighed.
”And I know my decisions have put you three in danger two times already…” Yoko raised a fourth finger before she said, ”... We let ourselves get captured and brought into the Kindom.”
Lisa glanced up at the Kingdom for a few more moments as she considered Yoko’s words and then at Yoko herself. Something about Yoko's demeanor cut through the exhaustion Lisa felt. Then Lisa spoke in a low tone…
”... Is that really our best option, Yoko?” Lisa asked, tilting her head. ”Just hand our asses over to them on a silver platter?”
Saskia nodded in agreement with what Lisa was saying, standing right behind her and watching Yoko with narrowed eyes.
”Turner…” Yoko rolled her eyes, and sighed. ”Just why are you acting like I’m suggesting we just surrender? Like I don’t have a plan?”
Yoko's tone and the way she rolled her eyes all felt too dismissive for her liking. It reminded her of the way some members of the Old Coven spoke to her.
She didn’t like that.
”Because, Yoko, ‘Let’s get captured’ and ‘Surrender’ sound the exact fucking same to me,” As Lisa spoke, her gaze went upwards towards the Kingdom, before her eyes met Yoko’s. ”Say we agree to your plan… well, what exactly is it?”
Yoko met Lisa’s gaze, and for a brief moment, they were intensely staring at each other before Yoko turned away and took a few steps. Then, she explained her plan, ”It all revolves around a spell of mine… Compact. I can teach it to the Disc- Brooks, if needed. As the name suggests, it allows you to compact an item with Orange Lux for more accessible transport. From my testing, channelers do still work as long as you are aware it’s your channeler.”
Then Yoko glanced over her shoulder at Lisa, ”So, we compact our channelers and whatever artifacts we need. Let them bring us up there, and then we catch them off guard and break free.”
Lisa’s eyes remained fixed on Yoko, absorbing the details of her plan. She wasn’t entirely sold, but at least Yoko seemed to be thinking ahead.
Then Yoko shrugged before turning back to face Lisa fully.
”But, that’s only if we all agree on it,” Yoko began, taking a few steps forward towards Lisa, and once she was close, she put a hand on her shoulder. ”Because we’re in this together, Turner. If you, Brooks, or Otten are not on board, we’ll just have to find another way.” She smiled at Lisa, and Lisa smiled back.
”... Your breath smells terrible, by the way,” Lisa noted.
”... And I’m sure it does.” Yoko answered, deadpan.
Both Ella and Saskia were silent for a moment, seeming to think. Even Ella seemed hesitant about the idea.
"I think… It's the best plan. If I learn the spell, we can probably bring all our artifacts…" Ella said eventually.
Saskia was still silent. They stepped forward, hooking their arm around Lisa’s and dragging her away from the other two. They pulled her enough away that they were still in sight of Yoko and Ella, but out of earshot.
"I don’t trust her," Saskia said quietly.
”I mean… it seems a little bit reckless… she seems reckless…” Lisa said… before the static-y voice appeared, opening with a very sarcastic snort.
...?...?...?...-pot…?...?...?...?...black.
”... I mean, what other option do we have?” Lisa just shrugged. ”I don’t trust her either - well, not completely - but I don’t have any better ideas right now. But, if you have a problem, just say something.”
"I don’t have any better ideas but…" Saskia frowned, folding her arms. "I want to make sure we’re on the same page. We do this plan, but she does anything out of line, we kill her."
Lisa was silent momentarily as the weight of Saskia’s words set in… On one hand, she was Ella’s friend and she couldn’t bring herself to hurt her. On the other, the Mother Will’s words were still fresh on her mind… Yoko didn’t care about her. Yoko didn’t care about any of them until they started being beneficial to her. She probably wouldn’t care if she was in the above world.
The Mother Will rose from the ground, yet only Lisa could perceive her - she laid her chilling hands on her shoulders and gave her a seductive whisper, “... Hatanaka is a fool. Only concerned about her family legacy.”
Lisa stood there.
“She sees the Pit, its offerings, as a proving ground. She wants to prove to not just the world but herself, that she is worthy. That she holds strength,” The Mother Will laughed. “Bah! She is using you like the others were… She only sees you as nothing more as a merit to prove herself.”
The Mother Will laughed lowly before saying,
“... You should show her what it means to have power.”
Then she disappeared.
It appeared as if Lisa was standing there saying nothing for about a minute.
”... Yes.” Lisa nodded at Saskia. Yet, there was something about that… it just didn’t sit right with her. Lisa tapped her fingertips together, ”Maybe we should talk to Yoko and the others about this.”
"... about us planning to kill her?" Saskia tilted their head, looking confused.
Took her glasses off.
Lisa facepalmed.
”Yes, let’s go full dicks out and tell Yoko we’re planning to eat her,” Lisa said, completely monotone. ”Did you have an Ella moment?”
"It's the blood loss," Saskia intoned, also completely monotone. "Fine, let's talk to her- them. Maybe she'll show her true colours, or do better. You do the talking, though."
The static-y voice appeared in their heads yet again.
… ?...?...?...means well…?...?... She wants-...?...?...?...you all.
Lisa slid her glasses back on. ”Who does- actually, I’m not in the mood right now weird voice.”
…?...?...?...Yoko. Yoko. Yoko-...?...?...?...How can…?...?... hurt her…?...?...?... biggest tiddies…?...?...?...see.
”Wait, what?” Lisa turned her head to the sky. ”Who does?”
…?...?...?... Yoko…?...?...?...-ko…?...?..?...Yoko.
”... Maybe hurting Yoko isn’t the right choice.”
Saskia tilted their head. "Yoko has the biggest tiddies? Bigger than Ella's? And she's hidden them this whole time? That's not very trustworthy…"
Saskia's gaze turned to Yoko. Then very obviously down to her chest. Then, they grabbed Lisa's hand. "Let's ask."
…?...?...? No, please-
The voice tried to plead as Saskia dragged Lisa right back over, not even waiting a beat before bluntly asking, "Yoko, are you hiding a pair of tits bigger than Ella's?"
…?...?... What have I started?
Yoko raised an eyebrow - though it was on Lisa’s mind.
Then Yoko sighed.
”... One, that is incredibly inappropriate, Otten,” Yoko started. ”Two, how can you two go from thinly veiled animosity to asking such a question?”
Yoko took a deep breath, raising a finger.
”And if it keeps you two focused, yes, I am. Wilson teased me all the time about them. Next question.”
Saskia looked at Lisa, then back at Yoko. ”It's important for trust. You-"
"They're bigger than mine?!" Ella interrupted with a shout. "Whoa- that's like, super weapons!"
”Elaborate, Disciple,” Yoko stared at Ella like she had grown a second head.
"We managed to defeat a dragon thanks to me taking my top off!" Ella elaborated.
"It's true, Ella's tits got him so excited he exploded," Saskia said, almost solemnly.
Yoko was utterly silent for a moment, tilting her head at Ella.
”... As a Hatanaka Disciple, you will be showing more dignity and respect to yourself here on in?” Yoko began. ”Yes?”
”I mean,” Lisa looked off to the side. ”It worked. That’s got to count for something, Yoko.”
”But, Ella now has a standard to uphold,” Yoko nodded her head.
However, the static-y voice spoke clearly.
...?...?...In the Pit?!
"I’m sorry, Sensei… but I can’t make any promises," Ella said solemnly, ignoring the voice. "If my friends are in danger and it’s the only way to save them… I’ll have to do it."
Yoko smiled unnaturally wide, slowly turning her head.
”... I’m honestly at a loss for words here,” Yoko started before she looked at everyone one at a time. ”Were you three always like this? Or did your resurrection… change you?”
”I mean,” Lisa shrugged. ”You all were alive for those ten years!”
"Right. Put yourself in our shoes, coming back to life ten years older," Saskia intoned. "Remembering your death. Not going through young adulthood. Really, we’re sixteen year olds in adult bodies."
"Ten years of anime I missed!" Ella wailed.
”... And the Hound threw you all straight into the Pit,” Yoko said with a sigh. ”No trainin- wait, you three had a different task, right?”
”Yeah, defeat Morningstar,” Lisa shrugged.
Yoko’s jaw dropped.
”... Was this dragon you mentioned earlier named Ignatius by chance?” Yoko asked.
"I think so? He kinda had a habit of going on and on, so I stopped listening to anything he said," Ella said, tilting her head and rubbing her chin.
"That was him." Saskia nodded. "We had to kill him twice. It was a pain in the ass."
”Hmph, small world,” Yoko laughed. ”Wilson, when she decided to save Bray from his own recklessness, ended up there and got into a huge fight with Moringstar’s Society. I saved her from getting killed by the Dragon, but we fled.”
”... Who’s Bray?” Lisa tilted her head.
”Don’t worry about it,”
"Sounds unimportant," Saskia shrugged. "But the Society’s gone now. We got rid of it."
"Yeah we killed that evil bastard and his seven slightly less evil bastard minions!" Ella declared dramatically. "Then we were thrown in here!"
”You did good,” Yoko said, ”Though, did you eliminate just Mornin-” Yoko cut herself off, before looking up at the Kingdom.
”How about we decide on a plan to get up there?” Yoko said with a sigh. ”The matters of the surface world are simply irrelevant right now.”
Then she paused momentarily, looking at Ella, Saskia, and Lisa.
”... And so is my chest.”
"... for now…" Saskia muttered ominously. She continued more loudly. "We’ll go with your plan. But I want to make it clear, outside of hiding your massive chest, we don’t trust you."
"I trust her!" Ella interjected.
"You trust anyone, Ella. Your opinion is invalid."
”... Then how do you expect for all four of us to make it through this, then?” Yoko asked Saskia, raising her chin as she maintained eye contact. ”We only have each other, Otten. Half the beings you will encounter here are monsters trying to eat you. The other half are psychopaths or people too scared to think straight.”
Yoko spoke, taking a few steps forward.
”... We only have each other.”
"Incorrect." Saskia responded. They gestured to themselves, Ella and Lisa. "We have each other. That’s all we need. So stop treating us like we don’t understand the dangers, at the very least. We’re equals here. Trust is earned."
"That’s not fair, Saskia, she’s helped us a lot," Ella said.
Yoko narrowed her eyes at Saskia.
”Then tell me…” Yoko said, ”... What exactly was your plan before I came along? Wander around and hope you find the All-Blade?”
Then turned to Ella.
”... And that is a question for Otten, and only Otten,” Yoko said as she took a few steps forward towards Saskia. ”You moan about how much you don’t trust me, Otten, yet you seemed to be perfectly fine with my plan up until now.”
Saskia's eyes narrowed slightly, but they didn't back down. "We didn't have a solid plan. But we would have figured it out- torturing residents, investigation. I gave you the benefit of the doubt - Ella likes you, and your plan sounded sensible. But then you put them in danger. You care about yourself and your brother more."
Saskia took another step forward to close the gap between them, voice lowering to a hissed whisper. ”Do you trust us? Our capabilities? Because I think you just see us as extra bodies you can order around and sacrifice."
Yoko was silent, narrowing her eyes… Yet her lips curled into a grin.
”... If I was only concerned with my brother and myself, I wouldn’t have spent the time training Ella,” Yoko spat back in a barely muted whisper. ”And yes, I do trust you all… But, you clearly have the wrong idea about me, Otten.”
Yoko paused, looking at Lisa then Ella, ”Maybe Baksh, Devola, Reed, and Stone’s band of cheerleader fuckups were like that, but not I. I legitimately care about you all and I cannot, in good conscience, simply toss you all away the second you stopped being useful like they would.”
Yoko sighed.
”Look, we can all leave with what we came for, Otten. I am willing to do anything to regain your trust.”
Saskia just stared at Yoko for a few moments, eyes narrowed.
"Saskia, come on, at least give her a chance, even if you don't trust her!" Ella pleaded, reaching out to take Saskia's hand.
Saskia looked at Ella, down at their hands, then back at Yoko with a sigh. "Fine. Take this plan as you regaining that trust. It has to work, we all make it out. With what we all want."
Yoko took a step forward and narrowed her eyes as she said,
”... If any of you don’t make it out, I don’t make it out,”
Saskia stared back for a moment before nodding. "Fine. I can accept that."
Ella cheered, throwing her hands up in the air. "Alright, alright, now teach me the shrinking objects spell!"
”What’s the rush? So you can carry more sex toys?” Yoko grinned at Ella, ”How about we find somewhere safe, take a rest, and then I can teach you that spell.”
Then Yoko paused as she said,
”... And other spells you can use to protect yourself from your uncle.”
Ella opened her mouth, then closed it and hung her head. The excitement she’d shown just moments ago was completely gone and she gave a muted nod.
Saskia raised an eyebrow. "Trying to get closer to us by making sexual jokes? Very smart. Ella brought along the dildos for Lisa more than herself, though."
”Well, we can use them for sealing,” Yoko shrugged. ”And only sealing. Nothing else. Definitely not their intended function.” Yoko rolled her eyes.
"They were very useful for sealing! Otherwise I would’ve had to use something useful!" Ella said cheerfully.
Saskia snorted, rolling their eyes. "I don’t know why you took Lisa saying to bring them seriously."
”Turner is… wait, what’s wrong with Turner?” Yoko asked, turning to Lisa.
While this conversation went on… it got increasingly muted as Lisa felt an icy chill up her spine. Her gaze was drawn to the distance, to the side of a mountain. A gigantic and nightmarish spider, an ethereal being, was looming over them. Its white, wispy limbs and glowing red eyes were fixated on her. There was something about it, but it made Lisa’s heart skip a beat. She took a few steps back, grabbed Ella’s shirt, gave it a few tugs, and then pointed at it.
Yoko’s gaze went in that direction of, then narrowed her eyes before looking at Lisa,
”Turner,” Yoko paused. ”... What’s wrong?”
”There’s an Apparition right there,” Lisa said, ”Hit it with your swooooord….”
Yoko looked in the direction again before she said,
”... There’s nothing there, Turner,”
"Are you going mad?" Saskia intoned.
Ella looked around with wide, panicked eyes. She automatically wrapped an arm around Lisa, pulling her into a tight hug against her side. "I don’t see anything? Are you alright?! Maybe- maybe something’s haunting you!"
”I… swear! Can’t you all see it?!” Lisa shouted.
...?...?...?... I…?...?...either….?...?...deep brea-...?...?... Relax….?...?... Find…?...?...?...rest. The voice began. ... Maybe…?...?...Something….?...?... I believe you.
"We can’t…" Saskia frowned, looking around.
"I believe you, Lisa!" Ella declared. She then pulled Lisa closer in, pressing her face into her… chest. "Close your eyes, everyone, maybe this will help."
Then she lifted up her free hand and it glowed brightly until it was a blinding light illuminating the area.
The spider didn’t so much as flinch…. Yoko grabbed the Yokai Killer with both hands and then unsheathed it. The Yokai Killer was utterly dim. She narrowed her eyes. ”... There are no Yokai nearby.” Yoko said it with the inflection of a robot.
Yoko slowly sheathed the Yokai Killer with a click. ”... Perhaps you just need some sleep. It’s been a lot lately.”
"That’s probably it," Saskia agreed.
"Lisa isn’t the type to make something like that up!" Ella said. She then looked down at Lisa. "... but if it’ll make you feel safer I’ll spoon you when you sleep!"
Yoko sighed as she turned away from the spider, keeping the Yokai Killer clenched tightly in her hands, ”From here on out, we’re going to be facing Autoknights from here in.”
Lisa didn’t take her eyes off the spider for a moment,
"We can handle them," Saskia said grimly, pulling out her knife.
Ella nodded. "Let's go…"
The red sky loomed overhead… as the four traveled from the desert mines to a new area. The dry and hot air was spontaneously replaced by the opposite, humid and cool. The area was dense with a white fog… the landscape seemed to twist and warp, with no sense of direction or logic. Towering ruins of what might have once been buildings loomed in the distance, their skeletal remains barely standing, covered in dark, twisting vines. The spider was still on Lisa’s mind as Yoko led the charge, her hand grasping the Yokai Killer, occasionally unsheathing it to examine its glow - but fortunately, it was always dim. But now and then, Lisa glanced over her shoulder to see if that spider was there.
After hours of wandering, Yoko suddenly stopped; a jagged and crumbling building stood ahead of them. The building looked simple, worn from time but sturdy, like an old outpost made of brick and metal. Its windows were cracked, and its roof was slightly sagging. Yoko walked over for a moment before unsheathing the Yokai Killer, and after seeing that it was dim, she sheathed it again with a click.
”That’ll do,” Yoko said, ”We can rest here until a monster comes to interrupt us.”
Ella nodded, pushing into the building first - she still had her hands in front of her ready to cast. Lisa was right behind her.
"I'll take first watch today," Saskia said, looking over at Yoko. "We need to share that burden."
”Very well,” Yoko said with a nod of her head, she quickly hopped on top of the building and knelt in the seiza posture. ”I will be meditating if you need me.”
The building's interior felt like a time capsule, illuminated by dim light filtering through cracked windows. Weathered brick walls were dotted with lichen, while uneven wooden planks creaked underfoot. Scattered remnants of rusted furniture and a dilapidated cabinet added to the sense of ruin. It felt like a forgotten realm, a haven amid The Pit's chaos, yet the spider's unsettling memories loomed in the back of Lisa's mind… Lisa sighed as there was nothing to sleep on.
”Let’s just…” Lisa said, ”Sleep on the floor, I guess.”
Lisa took her backpack off and then flopped down.
Ella put her backpack down too, and lay down beside Lisa, asking almost hesitantly, "want to hug while sleeping?"
Lisa awoke again… this time at the lair of the Old Coven. Well, it’s burned down remnants that remained there long after the Coven disbanded. Lisa looked around, confused, as she stood in the yard behind the building… a field of beautiful flowers that led up to a tree. Something was compelling Lisa over to it. She saw some strange letters, like a code on the side of it; she was perplexed by it.
“... LT GGA.” The Mother Will appeared out of thin air, her hand drifting to the mentioned code. “Does that ring a bell at all…?” The Mother Will trailed off.
Lisa knew Mother Will was a liar, but everything she said sounded right. She knew exactly what to say to push those buttons Lisa never thought would be gone. However, Lisa shook her head as a silent answer.
“That’s your name in their memorial…” The Mother Will said. “It was merely an empty gesture to ‘honor’ the toys that they disposed of.” The Mother Will laughed, tilting her head.
“You gave them EVERYTHING, and all you get in return is five letters…?”
Lisa blinked, and Mother Will was right behind her… She placed her hands on her shoulders. The being’s touch was cold, unfeeling, and unnerving, yet Lisa welcomed it like her mother’s.
“Someone like you deserves far more than that, yes?” The Mother Will began. “For a woman of your potential. Your power. Your contributions…. You deserve to be more than just a passing thought.”
Lisa played with her fingers before she asked, ”... What do I deserve to be, then?”
The Mother Will’s grip tightened on Lisa’s shoulder.
“You deserve to be remembered,” the Mother Will began. “Not as a mere footnote in their history, but as a force that shapes it. They should have feared you. Respected you… worshipped you.”
Lisa’s heart pounded in her chest as the Mother Will’s hands drifted down her shoulders onto her arms. “They never saw your potential, but we know better. You were never meant to be the pawn but the queen on the chessboard. You were meant to be so much more.”
Lisa had always believed she was meant for more, but those thoughts had been buried beneath layers of doubt and pain. Now… those thoughts were clawing their way back to the surface.
“You deserved to be the one that determined how the story ends. The one who leaves a mark on the world,” The Mother Will began. “Ashley Stone. Daisy Hunter. Auri Auclair? They’re all frauds. They took all the credit for all the hard work you put in.”
The Mother Will appeared in front of Lisa as she said, “They held onto what little power they could until they just couldn’t - and burned everything behind them.”
Lisa’s breath quickened as the Mother Will’s words dug deep into her core, like tendrils wrapping around her soul. The old wounds, the bitterness she had tried to bury, began to resurface. The familiar names—Ashley, Daisy, Auri—echoed in her head, now tainted with a growing resentment. She had once admired them, worked alongside them, and even sacrificed for them.
“... They took everything from you.” the Mother Will whispere. “Your loyalty, your devotion, your love, your energy, your passion, your kindness, your power… it meant nothing to them. They left you with scraps, convincing you it was all you were worth.”
Lisa clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms until they nearly drew blood...
“They used you, Lisa,” the Mother Will murmured, her hand brushed against Lisa’s cheek, the touch chilling. “You sacrificed for them. And for what? So they could walk away from the ashes and leave you here? Reduced to nothing more than a meaningless code carved into the bark of a rotting tree...?”
Lisa’s heart raced, and that anger she tried to suppress was dug up as she began shaking her fists. “Imagine what it would be like to take back that power? Be the one who decides who stays… and who goes?”
A dark thrill coursed through Lisa at the thought. Her heart pounded harder, her breaths coming faster. She could feel the pull, the temptation to give in to the thoughts she had once feared. The desire to make them pay, to reclaim everything they had taken from her. Still..
”I don’t kno-” Lisa tried to say before the Mother Will placed a finger to her lips.
“Shhhh…” The Mother Will said, “You don’t have to be afraid of your power anymore, Lisa. Let yourself feel it. Let yourself enjoy it. You’re not weak like them. You don’t need to control yourself for anyone’s sake..”
The Mother Will laughed.
“... It’s time, Lisa,” ”The Mother Will said. “Let go. You deserve to be remembered. You deserved to be feared. You deserve to be whatever you want here in the Pit.”
The Mother Will chuckled softly, “After all… We laud power down here. And with power, you can do whatever you want. Be whatever you want because the Pit is more than just a location. It represents the primal desire of the human soul… freedom through strength.”
The Mother Will paused.
"̵R̵e̷m̷e̵m̷b̶e̴r̸ ̷t̷h̵a̴t̵,̷ ̵L̵i̷s̵a̴ ̶T̵u̸r̸n̸e̴r̴.̴"̸
The Mother Will sunk into the ground… and Lisa was left with anger. She focused on the code—
LT GGA—her hand hovering over the rough bark of the tree as her heart hammered in her chest. She closed her eyes briefly; her body trembled with the weight of her decision as she could finally feel the pull to let go. She closed her eyes briefly, and something had changed when she opened them again. The uncertainty was gone, replaced by something darker. Something fiercer. Lisa screamed at the top of her lungs.
She slammed her hand into a fist and slammed her fist into her “name” on the tree.
The dream ended.
Lisa stirred, and a chill crept through her as she opened her eyes. Her heart raced as her eyes snapped open to the dim light of the building. As she adjusted to her surroundings, her gaze landed on a figure looming above her…
… It was the spider from earlier.
Lisa immediately opened her mouth and shrieked as the spider quickly backpedaled and mounted onto the wall right by the door - which was kicked open by Yoko Hatanaka, one hand on the hilt of the Yokai Killer and the other on the sheath.
”Turner?!” Yoko barked, ”Are you okay?!”
The spider quickly slinked out, and Lisa pointed at it.
”It’s right there! It’s right fucking there!”
Yoko hopped in the air, hand on the Yokai Killer, and turned around. She pulled the Yokai Killer somewhat out of its sheath, glanced down at it, and slid it back in place. She shook her head as she said,
”... Turner, please go back to sleep,” Yoko said with a straight face.
"... There was nothing there," Saskia intoned, pulling blood back into their palm - they'd reacted immediately, with blood armour and blades. "I've been keeping watch the whole time."
”Would you feel safer if we all kept watch?" Ella mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
”Disciple…” Yoko trailed off, before gesturing at Saskia, ”We still need to sleep. Turner can’t keep watch by herself. But, I will remain in here if necessary.”
"That’s true." Ella yawned, looking at Saskia. "Should we swap? You hug Lisa, I’ll keep watch."
Saskia shook their head. "I’m fine for another while. You both sleep for now."
Ella didn’t argue, lying back down and pulling Lisa down.
How could they not see it? How could it not be there? She felt Ella’s arms wrap around her again, pulling her back to the ground, but Lisa couldn't relax. Her eyes darted to each corner of the room…
”... It was right there,” Lisa whispered. ”How could it not be right there…?”
She could feel the weight of everyone’s exhaustion around her, the doubt hanging in the air, but that didn’t change what she saw. She closed her eyes, but sleep was far from her. All she could do was lie there… and wait for it to return.
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