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“Yeah, he’s right there and perfectly safe,” Kimi points at Ben, who also ignores him to eye Mal.

“I know he’s bound to King. We need to see both of them, though. You can’t use that. I feel like that’s sacred or something.”I try to soothe it now that it’s frozen at Mitri’s command.

Peacemaker:“What’s happening?”

It sluggishly moves forward to show me two lifelines that cut through the twisting walls around us. They aren’t moving around. Hopefully, they’re asleep. I need to figure out how to tell.

“It was trying to use the tie Mal has with King to locate him, but that means we won’t see GV.” It’s difficult to explain something when you don’t know how it works.

Peacemaker:“So what is that?”

“That would be lifelines leading to both of them. They’re not moving right now, and it might be a good sign for them being oblivious, as usual. We may need to hurry it up, though. I can’t tell if the spark is upset with Mitri or getting tired.”

“Press on. If you falter, I will get you out,”Mitri’s dead tone is actually comforting. The apocalypse is nigh.

“Hey guys?” Kimi asks as we begin moving forward again.

“What? Stop yelling, we’re all right here, you idiot,” Mal snaps.

“I smell something.”

“It’s called sage,cat,” Ben growls back.

“No,puppy, something else. It’s like... Something else.”

“It’s a mixture of herbs, Kimi,” Mal protests. “There are a ton of smells in that thing.”

“Yeah, but does that smell hiss? I don’t remember it hissing before,” Kimi says doubtfully.

“What?” I stop and turn back in confusion. “Smells don’t hiss.”

“This one does,” Kimi insists. “It’s getting louder, too.”

Mal blinks quickly before snapping, “I don’t hear anything.”

“Hearing isn’t your best quality, so you don’t count. Puppy?” Kimi asks calmly and rests his head on Mal’s shoulder.

“All I can smell is the sage bundle, and I don’t hear any hissing,” Ben snarls and shifts his weight on his feet.

I begin to feel dizzy and reach out to grab Mitri by the arm. “Sorry, I’m feeling a little dizzy.”

“It’s too much sage. Your sinuses are getting overpowered,” Ben reassures me, but his words are slurring.

“That makes no sense,” Kimi yawns and closes his eyes. “I will call it stink snakes.”

Mitri falls back a step, and I notice he’s holding more of my weight than I intended. “Mitri?”

Vendetta:“Zaklinaniyesna?”

Peacemaker:“Get out of here!”

“There’s no smoking in this hospital, sir,” Kimi mutters.

Mal falls forward in slow motion, Kimi still on his back, taking Ben down with him.

“Ben!” I try to shout but end up coughing harshly. It makes the dizziness increase until my head begins to throb in pain. Mitri stumbles back against the wall, pulling me with him.

“It is too late,”his mental voice sounds strange and causes a sharp pain to pierce my head.“You will wake first. Adapt. Kill them all, do not hesitate.”