I opened my mouth—more out of social panic than obedience—and instantly regretted existing. Or maybe I should have just killed myself at this point.

I swallowed, trying not to choke on either the food or my pride.

Milena set the spoon down neatly, folding her hands in her lap like a saint.

The silence between us stretched just long enough for my brain to reboot.

"...Why are you suddenly so nice to me?" I asked, half wary, half suspicious. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Her eyes flicked up, unreadable. "Shouldn’t I be?"

"What do you want, then? Would you rather I act like a monster who’s about to eat you instead?"

"That’s... not what I meant," I said quickly, words tripping over each other.

"You weren’t like this before. Back then you were terri—"

I caught myself before finishing my sentence.

Terrifying.

Milena’s smile didn’t waver, but something colder flickered behind it—like she’d just shut a door in my face without moving at all.

Maybe she only acted that way around Selene.

Or maybe this was the act.

Either way, it didn’t comfort me.

She tilted her head slightly. "People change, Kairi."

Huh? What does that even mean?

"That sounds vague," I said. "What kind of change are we talking about here?"

She didn’t answer immediately. She fell into a subtle silence calmly.

Later on, Milena’s gaze lingered—somewhat too calm for comfort.

The kind of calm that wasn’t peace.

Instead, it was static storm. A heavy restraint.

"Change isn’t always something to fear," she said softly.

"Sometimes it’s simply... correction."

Correction. That word lingered like static in my head.

I looked at her, really looked—how her every gesture felt calculated, every breath deliberate, as if even kindness itself was a performance tuned to the right frequency.

Selene used to do that too. Smile like she already knew the next three moves I’d make.

"Correction, huh?" I muttered, leaning back slightly. "So this is you... corrected?"

Her lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "Let’s just say Selene’s influence has faded... for now."

For now.

It wasn’t a threat, but it didn’t sound reassuring either.

I could feel it again—the faint echo of that same cold, coiled presence that used to lurk behind Selene’s every word.

Milena’s eyes softened as if to erase the tension she herself had planted. "Eat, Kairi," she said gently. "You’ll need your strength."

"For what?" I asked.

Her smile deepened. "For whatever comes after the battle with Arthur."

Milena’s voice was soft, almost casual—like she was reminding me to pick up milk on the way home.

"Arthur?" I croaked.

Milena’s eyes didn’t flicker. "Yes, Arthur."

The steam blurred the room.

Helena and Azalea breathed in a slow, joined rhythm from the bed—oblivious or oblivion, I couldn’t tell—while Milena’s presence sat in the doorway like a new law.

"You sound pleased," I said. Sarcasm was the only shield I had that morning.

"Does the Archon enjoy ornamental cruelty?"

She met my sarcasm without flinching. "Nope. I only enjoy faithful outcomes."

There it was again—restraint that could tighten into a noose. Correction that smelled dangerously like trimming away anything that didn’t fit the shape she wanted.

"You’re not making sense," I stated flatly, picking up the spoon again, though my appetite had evaporated entirely. The oatmeal suddenly tasted like ash.

"What does Arthur have to do with you being... nice? And what is this ’faithful outcome’ you’re talking about?"

Milena leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees. The movement was fluid, graceful, yet somehow predatory.

"Arthur is a mere variable, Kairi. A rather predictable one, but a source of chaos and atrocity nonetheless. Selene wants him dealt with, but it falls to me to ensure the process is... clean."

"Clean?" I echoed. "You mean killing him?"

A soft sigh escaped her. "Must you always use such crude terminology? No, not necessarily. I mean neutralizing his influence. Removing the thorn from the side of what is to come."

She paused, her gaze raking over my face.

"And what is to come, my dear Kairi, is order. An order that Selene has spent centuries building. She doesn’t have the patience for distractions now."

Wait, what do you mean by centuries? Is this literal or metaphorical?

My gut twisted. This wasn’t about Arthur; this was about the intricate, horrifying hierarchy I’d somehow stumbled into.

Selene was the center of everything, a distant, terrifying puppet master, and Milena was just a meticulously polished, perfect tool.

"And I’m part of this ’order’?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"You are essential to it," Milena confirmed, the warmth returning to her eyes, yet it felt like the heat of a furnace, not a gentle fire.

"Arthur is a threat because he seeks to claim you for his own purposes, to use you against Selene. My purpose—my corrected path—is to prevent that. To ensure you remain in the fold, where you belong."

I pushed the bowl away with a clatter.

"I don’t belong to anyone. And if I’m such a threat to Arthur, why don’t you just kill him yourself? Why involve me in this battle at all?"

Her smile finally widened, losing its perfection just enough to reveal a sliver of something genuine—a cold, ruthless delight.

"Ah, but that would be far too easy. And Selene rarely chooses the easiest path when a more educational one is available. You, Kairi, need to learn what you are truly capable of. You need to understand the weight of your own existence in this game. Facing Arthur is your final lesson before you take your place. Think of this... niceness... as preparing you for the Finality exam."

"Ah, absolutely. That exam with my life is on the line," I muttered bitterly.

"Indeed," she said, rising to her feet. The static calm returned, settling over her like a mantle.

"But don’t worry. I’ll be watching. And you have my guarantee, Kairi, that the faithful outcome will be achieved."

She walked toward the doorway, her silhouette briefly blotting out the dim morning light.

"Eat," she repeated, her voice soft but final.

"And when you’re done, we begin your ’preparation.’ You have less time than you think."

Then she was gone. The room felt colder, the silence heavier, and the scent of the sweet oatmeal was suddenly nauseating.

I stared at the closed door, Milena’s words echoing:

Correction. Faithful outcome. You are essential.

I wasn’t being shown kindness; I was being fitted for a cage. I had to assume everything she had just done was a calibrated move in Selene’s terrifying game, and I was the unsuspecting piece being moved into checkmate.

The ’battle’ with Arthur wasn’t a choice; rather, it was a deadline.

I leaned back, my head thudding against the wall.

I needed to get Helena and Azalea out of their bubble head, but how?

My entire world felt like it was shrinking down to the size of a battlefield.

I then sighed to myself and said, "Maybe I shouldn’t have lived here at all."