Faint lights flickered above as Hezekiah followed the two from a distance, waiting for them to lose their memory. But nothing happened. Every now and then, Sally would occasionally bring up her mother, and Reed still remembers his daughter.

  If Hezekiah wanted to use these powers effectively to save his sister, he has to know why this is happening. The live feed always showed their location. He also had the live feed display other locations as well.

  The two finally reached the entrance of the hospital, but that's all they found. Collapsed structures and rubble prevented them from going any further.

  Looks like I have no choice but to incinerate it. Must I always fix everything?

  "Hezekiah." A perky voice called.

  The lights went out.

  He swiftly turned his head towards the source of the sound.

  Nothing.

  Pitch darkness enveloped him. A winter chill brushed his skin, like there was an open window nearby. The temperature tanked, his nostrils felt like popsicles. And through the live feed, his breath was visible.

  But he couldn't find anybody around him, only a voice. A feminine one.

  But one thing did stand out, an unsettling strangeness.

  It's one thing he couldn't spot anyone in the live feed. But why is it showing the lights still on?

  "Hezekiah," the voice laughed. Almost sinister. "Trying to find me? I don't mind a game of hide and seek."

  Hezekiah didn't answer. He hastily rubbed his arms and hands to circulate the heat throughout his body.

  What's going on now, dammit!?

  Hezekiah summoned the pen, which momentarily provided him heat.

  Forget it, I'm not risking death.

  He transitioned the pen into flames, and immediately everything began to burn or evaporate. The light of the flames revealed nothing, only the sorry state of the hospital. It didn't take long for the ceiling structure to crumble and disappear.

  "Now, that's no good at all. You may struggle finding me." The voice sounded elusive and enchanting. "Ahh, I know I wouldn't mind playing the seeker."

  Her chuckles reverberated throughout the hallway, seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere simultaneously.

  Hezekiah recalled the flames to not collapse the entire hospital. But significant damage has already been done. Chunks of the ceiling crumbled and collapsed before him as they nearly smashed his head in.

  Fortunately, he was able to evade due to the live feed.

  Too dangerous. Shit.

  His mind raced to figure out the mysterious figure. From Abnas to beings created by the rules. The latter being far more likely.

  "20... 19... Hehehe... 18..."

  Are they serious? Should I wait and fight it out or run?

  Not wishing to spend any more time, Hezekiah took off running. Facing an enemy he can't see wasn't favorable, let alone they somehow knew his name and position.

  There's no getting around it, I have to reach the entrance and clear the rubble. But if those two are still there, then I'll have to...

  "Such peculiar thoughts you have, a bit cold even. You're quite fun. But think you can make it?" The voice echoed. The intrigue in her tone felt rippling. Nearly invasive.

  She knows what I'm thinking?

  "Hezekiah, my dear, I know what everyone is thinking."

  As soon as those words left her lips, a piercing ring assaulted his eardrums, causing him to stumble. He palmed his ears, but the ringing didn't dissipate whatsoever. He tried to think clearly, but its tumultuous noise was distracting.

  His head felt like it was about to burst, but he couldn't stop moving.

  F*ck, where is the ringing coming from?

  Amidst all this, the countdown was far from being drowned out. It wasn't loud by any means, but yet it was heard and understood very clearly. Like it's the foremost layer of sound itself. Impossible to triumph.

  As he was running down the halls, he saw a door fly open before him. Barely having time to react, his foot caught the corner of the door and tumbled against the cracked floor.

  The voice gasped.

  "Goodness gracious, watch your step. Don't make this too easy."

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Hezekiah sprung to his feet, ignoring her reaction. A few seconds remained, he knew he wasn't going to make it in time.

  He checked the door. Only to find he couldn't locate it.

  What...? Forget it! I have to make sure I don't get blind-sided.

  To his left was a short hallway that led to a dead end.

  Hezekiah contemplated, considering the risk.

  Screw it.

  "3...2...1..." The voice paused.

  The ringing ceased. The still air returned.

  Only his rhythmic heartbeat sparsely stirred the quietness. Hezekiah had his back against the outer wall. Just out of the main hallway. Waiting, listening for anything.

  "Ready or not..."

  Her voice sounded more distant, somewhat hollow. Yet still untraceable.

  If I'm correct about who this might be, then I might be able to...

  "I'm already here."

  Hezekiah tensed as a cold brisk coalesced around his neck. Her almost silent breaths were chilling, causing him to shiver.

  Her voice was no longer directionless, omnipresent. But nearby.

  Not even a step away, he could feel her. Almost a handbreadth behind him.

  He had no desire to turn. And he wasn't sure what he would see if he did. Although on his live feed, he saw no one else but himself. Her presence couldn't be mistaken.

  Why doesn't she appear on the live feed? Am I hallucinating?

  "Would you consider that a bad thing?" Her voice was cold, tainted with slyness. "Look within your heart, and ask yourself—"

  He felt a soft hand wrap around his. He briefly twitched, but soon found himself relaxing as his warmth returned to him. Comfort washed over like a refreshing breeze while his mind began to clear.

  "Wouldn't it feel nice to wish the burdensome thoughts away, like they never existed? Would you like that?"

  Hezekiah dwelled on her question, letting the soothing clarity swim through him. He couldn't understand it. The apprehension, tension, fear he held moments ago all seemed to drain into nothingness. Leaving him in a state of calm he has long since forgotten.

  When was the last time I felt like this?

  Moments of peace, the serenity of the times with his sister before the organization, the time his hands weren't stained with blood—all flew to the forefront of his mind. Bringing the past feeling of simplicity to his modern self.

  His vision began to blur. Urgency was waning. Concerns were increasingly growing distant.

  "You've been through enough, Master. Can't we agree on that?" she softly asked.

  Hezekiah wished he could stay in this blissfulness forever. He couldn't think of any regrets if he did so.

  But that's all it was.

  Thinking.

  Feeling.

  Wishing.

  Remembering.

  It didn't change the fact that he still remembered where he was. And the woman behind him, whom he has yet to see, shouldn't be regarded.

  He remained still, no longer allowing the uncautious thoughts to cloud his judgment.

  He changed the live screen to its paper form and re-read one of the rules.

  1. If you see a nurse wearing yellow attire, do not speak to her or answer any of her questions.

  According to the rules, I technically have to see her first before any violation could be considered. But let's not push my luck. Letting my mind drift like that could've been risky.

  The grip on his hand tightened.

  "You think ignoring me makes you safe?" She giggled. "That's cute."

  I'm starting to wish I confirmed my own rules a bit faster. There's no way in hell I'm going to keep doing this.

  He felt her grasp leave him. And the cold air quickly returned.

  Immediately, his subdued perilous thoughts stormed in like a tsunami. His legs became slack, but he quickly stabilized himself against the wall.

  The peace, tranquility, the breeze of freedom disappeared like a dream.

  Shit! What the hell was I thinking? Why did I allow her to be so close!?

  His eyes were wide. His heart thundered against his chest while the familiar chill coated him.

  The presence felt like it shifted. He saw a dark outline of a figure. Its eyes were pure red. No pupils, only penetrating incandescent eyes.

  He transitioned the paper back to its "live feed mode."

  His suspicions were confirmed.

  He looked back and forth between the figure and the screen.

  This doesn't make any sense! I can clearly see her, but she's nowhere to be found on the live feed!

  Her smile was faintly visible. But it looked foul. It was unnaturally wide, that it would make one think twice if they were human.

  "Oh dear, it's adorable to see you struggle." She tilted her head. "You can't find something that isn't there. But only looking deep within yourself can you find answers."

  He was about to retort but stopped himself.

  Is nonsense speech all it spurs out?

  Without warning, Hezekiah sent a torrent of flames towards her. The figure's expression vanished, dark strands of fire encircled it.

  And that's when he saw her. The brightness of the flames revealed her sun-colored nurse uniform as it ate away her flesh.

  "Heh!? Aughh, hot! Hot! Hot! No, my powers!? How? They're ineffective!??—" she frantically swayed away the flames, her body flickered, like she was trying to phase through, but it was futile.

  And her form incinerated to nothingness. Without a single ounce of her remaining.

  The coldness disappeared, and his surroundings got oddly brighter. Like a layer of darkness was removed.

  The quiet hallway returned with the burning smell of fire. Rubble from the ceiling littered the floor, along with collapsed walls and damaged furniture.

  Hezekiah exhaled deeply.

  "What a lot of talk for such an uneventful death. But I guess it makes sense to be vulnerable to the flames. Not even the officers bothered to escape."

  He looked at his floating notebook paper. With a thought, he saw Reed and Sally. Reed removing the rubble piece by piece.

  That's going to take them forever. Maybe I can write a rule to do something about that. It can probably help if I can narrow down what's considered a positive rule.

  After switching the page to its writing format, the sound of piercing flesh echoed.

  His senses grew numb, as a salty savor slithered from his lips.

  His sight smeared as dulling weakness drowned him. He anxiously looked down. And found a hand impaled through his stomach.

  "Hehehe—uneventful, you dare say? My performance was exceptional!" The same laughter traced his ears, causing his posture to spike. "Then why don't you show me how it's done?"