The static in Kyle's ear buzzed, then died.
"Liam?" Kyle tapped the comm again, his voice low. "You there?"
Nothing.
"Great, comms are down."Cassie pulled hers out, frowning. "I hope he's okay."
The two of them stood in the right wing of Saint Owen, the hall stretching far in both directions. Cracked walls, peeling paint... the hospital had long since rotted.
Cassie adjusted the twin blades strapped at her back. "Uh, wait that demon Liam ran into… knows you, how?"
Kyle hesitated, his throat tightening. "I don't… I don't know."
"Don't play dumb." Her eyes pinned him, sharp and unblinking. "It said your name, Liam wouldn't just throw that out unless..."
"But honestly, how should I know?" Kyle snapped, louder than intended. His voice echoed down the hall, bouncing back at him mockingly. He rubbed the back of his neck, forcing a shaky laugh. "Seriously. I've never met that thing. And I'm also wondering how a demon knows."
Cassie didn't answer but her expression said enough.
They kept walking. Their footsteps echoed, steady and rhythmic, until Kyle slowed. His brow furrowed.
"Hey." he said, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "You notice anything… weird?"
Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Aside from being trapped in a haunted hospital with demon that know you?"
"Yeah, I mean..." He pointed ahead. "That clock."
Cassie followed his finger. On the wall just past a collapsed gurney, a dusty old wall clock hung crooked, its hands frozen at midnight.
"What about it?"
"We've passed it before." Kyle's tone was casual at first, but his eyes stayed locked on it. "Not once or twice but seven times."
Cassie blinked. "You're sure?"
Kyle chuckled, though the sound was thin. "Trust me, my might be brain's fried but I'm not that bad. There's a same crack in the glass and missing number twelve."
Cassie's hand drifted to her blades. "What is going on?"
Kyle spread his hands. "You've been in this longer than me, how should I know?" His laugh came sharper this time, edged with nerves.
"Don't joke, Kyle."
Her voice snapped and the hallway went quiet again. Cassie's eyes narrowed, scanning the repeating corridor. Then she sighed through her nose.
"We are probably in a domain."
Kyle blinked. "A what?"
"A domain..." she repeated. "Demons do this sometimes, they twist space...creating a space that folds over itself. The size depends on the demon's power. And in closed environments like this? It's very effective cause it covers every dimensionwe leaving us with no exit. But in open spaces, you can escape if you're fast enough before the user enables its technique."
Kyle frowned. "Wait... so it's like what Nia did back on Elmore Road."
Cassie's eyes flicked to him. "She used hers there?"
"Yeah."
Her lips curved into the faintest smile. "Cool... what's it like?"
Kyle's mouth opened, then closed. "Uh... can we maybe focus on not dying first?"
"Right." She exhaled and drew both twin blades in a clean, whispering arc. "Then we kill the demon."
Kyle shifted uneasily. His scythe felt heavier on his back now, though his instincts screamed to ready it. "Yeah, we will but first... we gotta get out of this thing."
Cassie's blades gleamed faintly in the sickly light. "We have to kill the demon to get out, Kyle. Domains expand from the demon's radius, so it's inside here with us."
Kyle glanced around, his mind racing. "Any idea where?"
"Not yet but…" She frowned. "...by the looks of it, we are dealing with a C-rank and it's technique is probably Idle projection cause an actual domain cannot be a hospital."
Kyle tilted his head. "huh?"
"Idle Projection..." Cassie muttered. "A technique that makes victims see what the user wants."
Kyle stopped walking. His eyes darted to the side, then down the hall, then back.
"I think I found it."
Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Already?"
"Yeah." He pointed to the middle of the hallway, where a broken chair lay toppled against the wall.
Cassie frowned. "It's just a chair."
"I don't think it is... i mean, everything else around is always in the same position when we pass by. But that chair? Every time we've looped it's in a different spot or position. It's the only thing that changes."
Cassie stared at him, then gave a low whistle. "I'll be damned. You got sharp eyes, Kyle."
He flushed slightly, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh… thanks?"
She didn't wait. Cassie flash-stepped in a blur of speed, blades drawn.
The chair rippled. It bent and folded like liquid then reformed. A child's body rose from it, pale and fragile, clad in a hospital gown. Big eyes, tearful and lips trembling. She looked no older than ten.
"Help me..." the little girl whimpered, voice fragile. "Please… don't hurt me…"
Kyle froze. Something about her tone clawed at his instincts, dragging guilt and pity to the surface. His scythe hand twitched.
Cassie didn't blink.
In one smooth arc, both blades cleaved. Steel whispered through the air. And the child's head flew clean from her shoulders, body collapsing into threads before it hit the ground.
The domain shattered like glass. The hall blinked back into its true form... blackened walls, floors slick with mold and rot.
Cassie spun her blades once before sheathing them. "Pathetic."
Kyle stared at the spot where the girl had been, his throat tight. He wanted to speak, to question... to argue but before he could, the voice in his head ripped through the skull.
RUN, NOW!!
His vision darkened for half a second, the voice flooding him with dread. Kyle staggered, clutching his head.
Cassie turned, alarmed. "What is it?"
Kyle's eyes shot wide, panic finally breaking through. His voice cracked as he screamed:
"RUN!"
And then the lights above them shattered all at once.