"Exactly. I'd already drawn the outline, but now the picture bleeds with color. Consider my suspicions confirmed."
"Wait, Tyler is a Hyde? Like, an actual Hyde? We were just in a car with him! Oh my god, my heart cannot handle this. This is worse than binge-watching horror movies at three a.m."
Enid seemed more shocked about sitting next to a Hyde than about finding out Tyler was the Hyde.
In truth, she'd never really cared about Tyler. She'd only met him once, after all. So her reaction made perfect sense.
"I'm just glad Tyler didn't transform while you guys left me alone with him," Viktor said, trying to lighten the mood. Then he turned to Wednesday. "Now that we know he's the Hyde, what's the plan?"
Wednesday smiled faintly. "I have a better idea. Though I doubt you'll like it."
The car rolled down the quiet night streets, the moon hanging above as the three of them talked until they finally reached Nevermore.
---
The gates of Nevermore loomed, as imposing as ever. Wednesday parked the car outside and everyone got out as the gate slowly opened up.
Clap, clap.
Suddenly, slow clapping echoed ahead of them. Agnes slowly undid her invisibility, her expressionless smile doing nothing to soften her gaze as it swept over Wednesday, Enid, and finally landed on her brother.
"My dear brother… You promised me, didn't you? The next time you went off, you'd take me with you. And yet…"
"Agnes, I can explain."
She tilted her head, the smile stiffening before it slipped away. "No. No need. You've always been so… charming. People just can't help but follow you, I suppose."
Then, as if nothing had happened, she brightened. "Anyway, have you eaten yet?"
Viktor was sure Agnes was misunderstanding the situation, but he knew explaining would only make things worse. So he simply nodded. "I'm hungry, let's go now."
Then he turned toward Enid and Wednesday. "Want to eat together?"
Enid hesitated, glancing nervously at Agnes. "Uh… are you sure about this? Because your sister is giving me serious 'I might actually murder you' vibes right now. Those glares could kill anyone, okay, well, maybe second place to Wednesday. But still."
"You're good at wagging your tail… almost as good as stealing what doesn't belong to you," Agnes muttered, almost sing-song, though her gaze didn't soften.
"I'm not hungry. Starvation sharpens the mind, something none of you seems interested in." Wednesday turn to leave.
"Alright." Viktor rubbed the back of his head and headed to the canteen with Enid and Agnes. However, Enid didn't seem to appreciate Agnes's words.
"Um, sorry, what? 'Stealing what doesn't belong to you'? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, playing dumb now? How cute. I guess thieves really do pretend best when they're caught." Agnes tilted her head.
Seeing this, Viktor let out a long sigh and stopped between them. "Come on, you two. Anyway, Agnes, Enid was invited by Wednesday, and I was too. So it's not Enid's fault. It's no one's fault."
Viktor gently grabbed Agnes's arm. "Please."
...
After dinner, they all went their separate ways to their dorm.
When Viktor stepped inside his room, he found Jass sitting casually on his bed. The moment he saw Viktor, a wide grin spread across his face.
"Next time, my brother Viktor, you should be more careful."
"What do you mean?" Viktor asked, glancing at him while changing clothes.
"You still don't get it, brother." Jass shook his head. "Viktor, teach me your ways. No, my brother, please teach me your ways!"
"What the heck are you talking about? If you have something to say, just say it." Viktor rolled his eyes.
Jass handed him his phone. Apparently, a new drama had erupted in the Nevermore group chat. Someone had taken a photo of Viktor with Wednesday and Enid, with Agnes standing in front of them. Without context, the image looked… suggestive.
The picture spread through the chat like wildfire, and a new rumor started circulating. Viktor, already somewhat of a legend, had now been crowned "King of Chad." Some people had even gone so far as to change their contact name to that.
"What the heck is this?" Viktor narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected someone to take a picture of them. Opening his phone, he tried to trace the person who sent it, but apparently, the sender had no profile picture and their name was listed as Nsix6.
"Do you know this person?" Viktor asked Jass, who just shook his head.
"What do you plan to do, get revenge on this guy for exposing your secret?" Jass grinned.
"Yes…" Viktor said slowly, staring at the profile picture. This person had been sending pictures of himself to the group chat. First, it was the one where Wednesday carried him, and now it was this one, with Agnes, Enid, and Wednesday all in the frame. Whoever this was, they were becoming more suspicious by the minute.
He clicked into the chat and decided to send a personal message: "Hey, do you have time to meet up?"
Almost immediately, a reply came back: "No." It was followed by an emoji of a cat waving its paw.
Viktor's brows furrowed. "Why do you keep sending pictures of me?"
"Because I can."
"What do you want from me?"
"Viktor, don't you know you are the Child of Dusk?"
The reply came quickly. Viktor frowned at the term again, his fingers pausing on the keyboard. He still had no idea what Child of Dusk really meant, and it felt like everyone just kept throwing riddles at him. What mattered most, though, was that this person was a student at Nevermore, someone connected to the cult.
"I don't know what that is. Why don't you just tell me, instead of tossing me puzzles?"
"Why don't I give you a clue?" the next message came.
Viktor grew serious, glancing at Jass, who was already fast asleep, before lying down on his own bed and reading the message carefully.
"Reality is held by three pillars: the Dawn, the Dusk, and the Midnight. Dawn is the beginning of light, Midnight is the birth of darkness, and Dusk lies between the two. Think carefully, Viktor."
The messages stopped there. Viktor tried to reply, but no answer came. He finally put the phone away, yawning. He closed his eyes… then opened them again, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He couldn't sleep.
Eventually, he got out of bed, grabbed a piece of paper, and began scribbling notes, trying to make sense of the clue. Time ticked away as crumpled sheets piled up around him; nothing he wrote made sense.
He sighed.
"I'm really not good at this. Why can't they just say it instead of playing Sherlock? What's so hard about explaining everything clearly?"
Viktor let out a long sigh, stood up, and glanced at Jass, still asleep. Then he carefully opened the door and stepped out.
---
At Ophelia Hall — Wednesday and Enid's Dorm
Wednesday was busy writing her novel, her finger dancing around the typewriter, while Enid lounged on her bed, giggling at her phone as she chatted with someone.
"Your incessant giggling is either a symptom of hysteria or evidence of something marginally entertaining. Which is it?" Wednesday asked without looking up.
"Look!" Enid held out her phone. "Viktor's trending with a new nickname, 'King of Chad.' Can you believe that? Who even comes up with these things?"
"Fascinating. A meaningless title bestowed by the witless masses," Wednesday said dryly.
"Someone snapped a picture of us, and now everyone's jumping to conclusions! I tried explaining, but nobody believes me. People can be so annoying." Enid flopped back dramatically on the bed.
At that, Wednesday finally turned her head; her gaze was sharp as ever.
"Annoying? Hardly. They're leeches, feeding on scraps of gossip because their own lives are too pitiful to sustain them. Envy masquerading as entertainment."
"Wow. You make it sound like a funeral curse. Which, knowing you, it probably is." Enid gave Wednesday a strange look, but then rolled her eyes. She was already used to Wednesday's grim outlook, so she didn't say anything else.
"And Viktor?" Wednesday asked suddenly after a long silence, her fingers still moving across the typewriter keys.
"Same as me. He keeps denying it, but no one's listening."
The dorm fell silent again, save for the steady clack of Wednesday's typewriter. Enid eventually stood, grabbed her phone, and took a mirror selfie, her usual little ritual before bed. She yawned and rubbed her eyes; tonight had been exhausting, and she was more than ready to sleep.
Then, a sudden knock at the door broke the quiet of the room. Enid turned her head toward it and was startled.
"Is it a teacher? Are they here because we're not asleep yet? Wait, what time is it?"
She glanced at her phone and gasped. "It's midnight! We're doomed, Wednesday!"
The knock came again, louder this time. Enid reluctantly opened the door, only to find Viktor standing there.
"You're still awake?" Viktor smiled faintly.
"Yes. You know, after everything we just went through, I can't sleep," Enid admitted.
"Wednesday?"
"Here. Same as usual," Wednesday replied, not looking up.
Enid stepped aside and opened the door wider so Viktor could see her.
"Can I come in? I need help from her," Viktor said.
"Sure, why not?" Enid replied, moving out of the way.
Viktor walked straight to Wednesday and set his phone down on her table. "Wednesday, I need your help."
Wednesday paused and finally raised her head. "What is it?"
"I have this problem, this puzzle. No matter how hard I try, I can't solve it. But then I thought of you, your unique experience… and I realized you might be able to help."
"If it's just some puzzle game, I have no interest in wasting time on meaningless distractions," Wednesday said, already returning her attention to the typewriter.
Viktor sighed. "It's related to the cult."
That made her pause. Slowly, a smirk curved across her lips. "Now I'm interested."
Viktor showed her the message. Enid, curious, leaned in to peek over his shoulder. Viktor didn't mind; right now, he only cared about getting answers.