Fair Anguish

It was past midnight. Alice searched through the entire section on Enchanted Architecture, but there was no map of Mosvil. So, she switched to the Aura Reading section. As she was reading, she heard footsteps approaching. Kristen was walking toward the library, but why?

Alice stood up from where she was sitting. With a flick of her wrist, all the books returned to their respective places. The door slowly creaked open. Of course, she broke the spell on it, Alice thought.

"Hey, what's up?" Alice asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet with her hands behind her back, her eyes trained on the ground.

"What were you thinking, breaking the rules? I thought you'd be back by 9 at least," Kristen whispered angrily. "How did you know I was here?" Alice asked.

"I have my eyes. I saw you with the library card," Kristen replied. "Now, let's leave before someone sees us here. I'm not getting caught for something that isn't even my fault."

With that, she walked out, and Alice hurried after her. Kristen locked the door once more using the spell bindings.

They walked back to their dorm in silence. Once inside, Kristen locked the door and unleashed her frustration on Alice. "I don't understand what's wrong with you! You love breaking rules, sure, go ahead. But at least think before you get caught for something so ridiculous. Now, what were you searching for in the library this late?"

Alice rubbed her ear and began, "It was about—"

Kristen interrupted her, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes slightly. "Was it the locket?" Alice looked at her sharply, betraying herself. "I knew it. You were in my room before I came back." This wasn't a question from Kristen, but a statement. "I wasn't," Alice tried to deny it weakly.

"Don't lie to me. You kept the diary facing downwards, ruining my order of books."

Alice scrunched up her nose and replied, "That's a lot of rules. How do you even remember all that?"

"Don't deflect from the topic. What's your obsession with the book?" Kristen asked. After getting no reply, she walked towards Alice and took her face in her hands so that Alice couldn't look away. She, then, continued, "Just forget it. It's in Eidolon now, and don't you dare try to take it from there. You will get into an enormous amount of trouble, so it's better to forget about that book."

Alice was stunned by Kristen's actions. Her eyes were fixed on Kristen for a moment, but then the weight of her words sank in.

She pulled back. "What? No. I need that book. It's important. And for that, even if I have to break into Eidolon, I will," Alice declared with strong resolve.

Kristen huffed in frustration. "Fine, do whatever you like. You never listen to your sister, your aunt, or anyone else. Now, don't listen to me, either. You have no idea the torture they will put you through. I warned you because I know you can break into Eidolon and retrieve the book, but the illusions there won't let you out," Kristen explained, her voice edged with desperation to make Alice understand.

Alice took a deep breath and looked straight at Kristen. "Then help me get it," she requested. A few seconds passed, and neither of them moved, as if even their breaths had stopped amidst the tension. The request was immense—an act of betrayal, a breach of trust, and full of anguish. The choice was clear, but Alice had to try.

"Betray my family, my kingdom, my brother?" Kristen said, incredulous. "You can't be serious. I'm offering you a way out, and instead, you're asking me to betray my people. You haven't even given me a proper reason, so why should I help you?"

Alice looked down at her hands. "I can't tell you my reason, but you have to trust me," she attempted to reason, though her logic felt fragile.

"Trust?" Kristen said, as if tasting the word. With her expression, it was clear she didn't like it. "Trust is earned," she added, jabbing her finger into Alice's chest. "You have none of my trust." Alice looked hurt.

A flash of pain flashed behind Alice's eyes, tugging at Kristen's heart, but she stood her ground. Then, the hurt turned to anger. Anger of being blamed unfairly. "Fine, don't help me. But when your realm falls, don't blame Death. Whenever something bad happens, you blame the darkness. Ever thought maybe the dark was trying to help you, and you were the one who turned it away? No, because narcissism is too hard to let go," Alice said, breathing hard, never breaking eye contact with Kristen.

"Fine, then this narcissist is done trying to reason with you. But you aren't much different from me, remember that," Kristen said in her final words before walking back to her room, leaving Alice behind. Once the door was locked, Alice sank to her knees, holding her head in her hands. She knew she had messed up badly.