Them

Cleo opened her eyes, slowly, light flooding through. Clouds floated above, red sun in the sky partially obscured a jungle's canopy. A gentle stream trickled nearby, the sound of flowing water massaging her soul, blocking out any other noises which came from afar. For a brief moment, she had forgotten about everything, about the entity, and the theatre, the four demons, and the facing of her past struggles.

Then, as if awoken from a trance, she jumped in a panic. "No!" The entity was nowhere, and the otherwordly dimension, gone, much to her relief. When she got her bearings back, the player realized that she was back in the sixth-floor jungles, in the very spot where she'd been transported away, her mind taken to another plane of existence. Her health, now just over half, jumped back into the green. The fighting was over.

A blue window appeared ahead of her. Congratulations. She stood, staring at it, the rewards a meager consolation for the things she'd endured. Was it worth it? It was a question she'd ponder to herself over and over, never quite knowing the answer. Her soul was anything but calm. At the very least, she'd come to realizations blissfully unknown to her before, a start to the process of fixing herself.

For now, she wanted to go home. It was late, and she was tired.

There must have been a clue, some indication of which apparition was the real inner demon. The clones surrounded Cleo, encircling her. With malice in their eyes, she would notice that they all moved in a counter-clockwise fashion, overtaking each other, trying to throw her off.

However, one of them strayed from the pack, running clockwise. Could it be that obvious? The player snapped toward the target, focusing, anticipating the moment that it would stop stalking in the distance and approach, rusty dagger at the ready.

It broke formation and made toward her with an attack identical to the last, but she countered, ignoring the assailant, and gunned straight for its heart. Her blade, a glistening mass, struck the target with precision and force and of which she'd never delivered before— a perfect hit. The demon's clones dissipated, itself alongside them.

The room seemed to be fading into further darkness. Cleo made to grab hold of something, anything to get her bearings, but the world was fading into obscurity. In the void, alone, she lay there.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 39/60 | EN: 13/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 15/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

ID: 204259 | BD: 10 (Major critical!) <<ST-I>> vs Fourth Inner Demon

• Them hits!
  • (4 + 2) * 4 - 3 = 21 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 39/60 | EN: 9/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 0/45 (-21) | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

"Well struck!" The demon sounded amused, almost delighted. "Now, I'll show you what a real attack looks like!"

The demon bent its knees, lowered its weapon, and concentrated. A clone of itself formed, kneeling next to it, and another. Encircling the player, an army of the demon's clones stood up in unison. "Which one is the real one? How would you tell?"

Cleo stepped back, spinning, trying to follow the real one. "You said no more tricks!"

The clones all started toward Cleo in unison before diverging into separate paths, circling in on her position. She tried to predict which one might take a swing, but her efforts were fruitless and, losing track of the real one, suffered a gruesome stab through the shoulder as the actual demon jumped at her from behind. It leaned in close, pushing the blade further. "And you believed me? Dear, your naivety astounds me!"

Before she could retaliate, the demon was gone, blending into the crowd of clones and disappearing into the distance. Nothing else had attacked, which she'd taken to mean they were purely for looks, created to intimidate. She gathered herself and stood, with numbness in her shoulder, awaiting her foe's ensuing approach. "Alright, then. Try me again."

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 46/60 | EN: 14/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 15/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

ID: 204259 | BD: 5 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Fourth Inner Demon | MD: 7 (Hit!)

• Them misses!
• Fourth Inner Demon hits!
  • 12 - 5 = 7 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 39/60 (-7) | EN: 12/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 15/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

Pleasantly surprised yet entirely expecting the trickster to go back on its word, she signaled her agreement with a nod and prepared for an attack. This time, she led a charge on the demon, which must have taken it by surprise as she made a clean slash across its chest, scoring a critical hit. The foe countered with a wild swing at her arm and chunked the player a portion of health, which she panicked upon noticing.

It was Cleo's lowest health yet, with just over 75% of her life force remaining. Were the game's highest level players not consumed with anxiety from watching their life drain with each attack? A few more yet, and she'd be at half-health, where the dreaded orange bar would come into play. She had potions to remedy that and knew the chances of falling any lower were minuscule, but it didn't shake the thought of impending death.

The demon, bereft of human anxiety or indeed any feelings at all, merely shrugged off the hit. Its health would tell a very different story from its demeanor, but then that was probably the point, for it wouldn't be fear-inducing if it were to quiver so quickly.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 | EN: 17/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

ID: 204258 | BD: 9 (Minor critical!) <<ST-I>> vs Fourth Inner Demon | MD: 7 (Hit!)

• Them hits!
  • (4 + 1) * 5 - 3 = 17 DMG!
• Fourth Inner Demon hits!
  • 12 - 5 = 7 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 46/60 (-7) | EN: 13/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 15/45 (-17) | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

"I would be done with you if you stopped running away."

"What fun would that be?"

Cleo, amused, shrugged. "Fair enough, I guess this keeps the fight interesting. The whole pac-man thing is starting to get a little bit old, though." It disappeared again and reappeared behind her.

"Shall we fight fair and square, then? No tricks?"

She jumped, backing away. It stood still, to her relief, finally staying in one spot for more than a few seconds. Curious as to whether it would honor the request, she asked. "Would you have it in your heart?"

Its purple, solid eyes looked to the floor and then around the void, seeming to ponder the request. If Cleo were ballsy, she might try to use this as an opportunity to strike, but she reasoned it to not be worth the risk. The window of opportunity closed when the assailant raised its weapon. Raising hers in tandem, she gave it a questioning look, to which it nodded. "Alright. No tricks."

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 | EN: 18/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

ID: 204257 | BD: 2 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Fourth Inner Demon | MD: 3 (Miss!)

• Them misses!
• Fourth Inner Demon misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 | EN: 16/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

Its sword aimed forwards, the demon charged in hopes of a piercing attack, but Cleo was fast, stepping aside at just the right time. She attempted to counter with a slash at its chest, but the distance was too far and her dagger swung out of range. Overcalculating the dodge, she stumbled a few feet further than intended and slipped to the floor with a thud. Meanwhile, the demon recovered in an instant and fled further into the void.

Heart racing, Cleo struggled to her feet and recovered her senses, but by the time she could see straight, the fickle demon had disappeared once more.

Whispers reached her ears from every direction, and, trying to spot out a sneak attack from the assailant, she twisted and turned, not allowing herself to be distracted. "Alright, where'd you go?"

One of the whispers grew deeper, louder, forming syllables. Cleo followed the voice to her left and, spotting the enemy in the distance, locked eyes with it. "Got you."

"Do you?"

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 | EN: 19/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

ID: 204241 | BD: 5 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Fourth Inner Demon | MD: 2 (Miss!)

• Them misses!
• Fourth Inner Demon misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 | EN: 17/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

The two came to a stand-still, neither taking a chance to attack the other.

Able to take a closer look at the assailant, she studied its body. The demon was tall, shoulders broad. Its hair was like hers, if not slightly longer. Its eyes were hers but solid, inhuman. Unlike hers, though, its voice was deep and toed the line between masculine and feminine. The weapon that it held, a basic iron sword with no stand-out characteristics, swayed gently, matching the movements she'd made with her dagger.

As she leaned left, so did the demon. And then to the right. In raising her dagger, the demon raised its sword, but when she dropped her arm, the demon's arm hung in the air, weapon pointed forwards. She felt unnerved. This foe was an homage to herself, even mimicking some of her movements, but it was unique enough to be a distinct entity. What was the Entity getting at with this one?

As it stepped forward, she flinched, and then prepared for an attack. The player would have to figure it out in her own time.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 | EN: 20/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

ID: 204238 | BD: 3 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Fourth Inner Demon | MD: 4 (Miss!)

• Them misses!
• Fourth Inner Demon misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 | EN: 18/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

Cleo made chase for the demon, its silhouette standing out among the darkness. She was closing in despite the wound from her leg and, readying another attack, began to focus on the target once more.

"What?"

It ran into the darkness and disappeared. Cleo tried to make chase but slammed into an invisible wall upon reaching the point where the demon disappeared. "How?" There was no visible distinction between the edge of the room and the area she could run in. All around her was the void, no points of reference to know which direction she was looking, and no way to see where the newly discovered wall was.

"Over here."

She spun around and, in the distance, spotted the demon. It was across the room, far away. "Get back here!"

The player made for her enemy again, but it disappeared seconds after she started running.

"Behind you."

It was behind her, waiting in the same spot that she'd been seconds ago. A new trick?

"Ah." The demon laughed. "Clever one."

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 | EN: 21/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

ID: 204237 | BD: 3 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Fourth Inner Demon | MD: 3 (Miss!)

• Them misses!
• Fourth Inner Demon misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 | EN: 19/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

Door number four opened and Cleo passed through, slamming it shut behind her.

The player came out into the darkness, but this time, it was different. There was no floor, no ceiling, no torches lining the walls. There was no furniture from her old dorm room, no living room decor, and no puddles littered throughout a cavern. There was a void everywhere, forever—a vast expanse of nothing.

She tried to feel her way around, sticking an arm out, touching the floor below, jumping to touch the ceiling. Besides the solid plane which she stood on, there were no other sensations to be had, nothing to place her focus onto, no smell nor sound nor sight to be seen. I already hate this.

"I know."

Pain tore through Cleo's thigh as the fourth demon, a white silhouette with purple hair and eyes, flashed into sight, its sword jammed into her leg. The pain was unlike anything she'd felt, sapping a chunk of her hit points, and she recoiled in a panic, kicking the aggressor away. She retaliated with an ST-I, penetrating the demon's arm. It let out a scream which thundered throughout the void and, with a violent yank, freed itself from the player's blade before retreating into the nothingness.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 45/45 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

ID: 204227 | BD: 6 (Hits!) <<ST-I>> vs Fourth Inner Demon | MD: 8 (Hits!)

• Them hits!
  • 4 * 4 - 3 = 13 DMG!
• Fourth Inner Demon hits!
  • 12 - 5 = 7 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 53/60 (-7) | EN: 20/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 32/45 (-13) | DMG: 12 | MIT: 3

"Some things are beyond fixing. We've tried to put our differences aside in the past, tried to be around each other without going for each other's necks. It didn't work out. It's what it is." Cleo, now glaring at the entity, balled her palms into fists. "She was never willing to put her work down for a few hours, so I'm not willing to give her any of my time. She loses out on me, not the other way around."

The entity leaned back into its chair and, for the first time, smiled visibly wider.

"Whatever."

She got up in a huff, grabbing her dagger on the way up. "Enough games. I know what you're doing, and it's not working, alright?" Her frustration showing, she stomped away from the edge of the stage toward the final door. "I'm out of here. Enjoy being on your own again, asshole."

A voice, a whisper, echoed throughout the arena, 'enjoy being on your own.'

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 (Full restore - three posts out of combat) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

"Onto the second demon, then; my mother as a wendigo. Entirely accurate, by the way." She spoke lightheartedly, without second-guessing herself.

She frowned when the realization struck her. "That was the point. You depicted my mother as a monster because, deep down, that's how I see her."

Cleo's relationship with her mother was complicated, broken, and, in her eyes, was as such through no fault of her own. She hated the woman for never having time for her, always being consumed by work, and leaving the parenting to her father. It was a bitterness that grew out of control, went untended for too long, and resulted in chaos whenever the two would clash, which always happened when they shared a room.

"Okay, yes. I hate my mother. We don't get along. We're completely different people with completely different priorities. I accepted that a long time ago, it's whatever."

Despite a lack of words, the entity said all that it needed to with a subtle shake of the head.

Cleo's eyebrows scrunched together, a hint of annoyance creeping in. "What do you mean, no?"

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 16/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

The portal to the third inner demon's sanctum vanished, leaving just one final door when Cleo returned to the stage for the last time.

She chose to rest. Though barely a nuisance, in the end, the previous fight had taken a lot more out of her than she first realized, having to be on high alert for so long. She sat down, legs dangling from the edge of the stage, and set the dagger down beside her. The entity, who sat in the front row just ahead of Cleo, no longer clapped. Its smile, a white zigzag stretching across a void, stared at Cleo with its piercing gaze, and she stared back at it.

She made a cheeky smirk. "Impressed now?" It gave no reaction. While she felt disappointed, she was just glad to talk to something, even if it was like speaking with a brick wall.

"So. The first demon was all about reliving the lowest point of my life, right?" Despite its lack of reaction, she could have sworn that the entity's grin grew wider. "Not the most flattering look for me, I know. I still can't piece together much from back then. It was a blur. I couldn't think, didn't feel. Just existed."

The entity leaned forward. Cleo had its attention.

"And I've worked through it, tried to, anyway. I was close to getting back on my feet, you know, close to getting my world back into order. And then, this." She held out her arms, gesturing vaguely. "This reality replaced my old one. And now, I don't know if I'll ever get my life back. Was that the point, to make that the last thing I remember about the real world, maybe the last thing I'll ever see from the real world?"

The entity tilted its head forwards, and back up, slowly.

"Hm. Jerk."

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 (+3) | EN: 15/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

Again, for a time, there was nothing. The demon was gone, without a trace.

However, this time, she had something: a clue, a possible solution to the puzzle. Just before the aggressor appeared, she had caught it from the corner of her vision, its reflection shifting in the puddles on the floor. Was that the key? It was worth a try. The first time, she'd gotten the drop on it, or perhaps it was luck. The second time, it hadn't given her a chance. She knew what to do the third time.

Eyes closed, she stood, dagger at the ready, her breaths steady. A droplet of water fell from the ceiling and plopped into one of the puddles.

Eyes open, she waited—a second, and then another two. For a moment, there was nothing, but eventually, a sign of activity.

There was little chance for the demon to evade between Cleo's turning, targetting, and executing her attack. The sword art struck true in its heart, a critical attack, and its gaseous body dissipated instantly. The puddles littered across the floor dried up, the torches burned brighter, and the door to the theatre crept open once again.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 | EN: 18/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 16/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204215 | BD: 9 (Minor Critical!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon

• 'Them' misses!
  • (4 + 1) * 4 - 2 = 18 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 | EN: 14/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 0/30 (-18) | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

In the shadows, hiding in the dark, the demon lay in wait. Cleo had only seen it for a moment, a beast with no fur and an almost gaseous appearance, so plainly depicting a wolf or another woodland predator. Its fangs were long, sharp, streaking from its mouth like wisps of smoke, with two red singularities where its eyes should have been. Cleo, glued against the wall, stood prepared, dagger at the ready to strike.

Ten seconds passed. Then, a minute. The player's attention never wavered from the shadows, eyes reading the left side of the room, then the right, then back to the left.

She took a cautionary step forwards, eyes left, eyes right, and then another step. Her slow creep toward the center of the room went on, her checks getting less and less attentive until she stood where she had been before when the demon first manifested.

Is this a puzzle? Thought the player, Or some test of endurance?

A shadow moved in the corner of her vision, a reflection shifting in a puddle on the floor. "The puddles!"

"Ah!" A burning pain shot through her arm as the beast's fangs tore through it, leaving a trail of smoke as it vanished from existence.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 19/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 16/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204183 | BD: 2 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon | MD: 6 (Hit!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Third Inner Demon' hits!
  • 8 - 5 = 3 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 (-3) | EN: 17/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 16/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

Cleo had prepared for the worst, but it didn't seem to pass. The knocking had subsided for what felt like an age but must only have been a couple of minutes, and she let up her defense with an exasperated sigh.

She shifted forwards from her back and into a seated position, pulled her legs to her chest, and planted her chin between her knees. All of the games, the messing around, began to get to the player, and she could all but stare forwards, blankly, waiting, wondering when this would end.

A puddle shifted from the corner of her eye, but she brushed it off, knowing it must have been a drop of water that caused it to ripple. Then, she realized she hadn't heard the sound of water dripping.

Turning in a panic, she could see it for an instant, a monstrous four-legged creature that would phase between tangibility one moment and then blend into the shadows in the next. She had just enough time to target the demon, and, shifting to her feet in a flash, she struck the whimpering beast in the belly. It howled cruely, and disappeared into the shadows, fading from sight. "Aha! Got you!"

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 22/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204183 | BD: 6 (Hit!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon | MD: 3 (Miss!)

• 'Them' hits!
  • (4 * 4) - 2 = 14 DMG!
• 'Third Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 18/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 16/30 (-14) | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

As soon as Cleo spoke out, the knocking stopped. She stood, waiting, ready for it to start up again, but it didn't. A cautionary glance at her surroundings revealed nothing had made its way inside yet, and so, carefully, she crept towards the portal, her back to the wall.

When she finally reached the door and leaned over to twist the doorknob, it didn't budge. Figures. Her attempts to push and pull yielded equally bleak results. After a little more waiting, she grew uneased. Was something wrong? Was the quest broken? Could a quest even break?

Something, perhaps desperation, compelled her to knock on the door.

A heart-stopping bang boomed from the other side, knocking her to the ground. "Fuck!" She scrambled on her back to crawl away, eyes glued to the door all the while. No further noises arose but wasn't about to wait for whatever was on the other side to bust inside and catch her off guard.

When she reached the center of the room, she breathed after a little more waiting, allowing her lungs to relax.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 23/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204182 | BD: 2 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon | MD: 5 (Miss!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Third Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 21/24 (-1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

Cleo spent a few seconds trying to gather her thoughts. She'd anticipated a boilerplate response to what was quite a generic opener, but she wasn't ready for the verbal poetry delivered by Krysta. "Wow." For one so inclined toward the performing arts, she struggled for words. "I know many in the Town of Beginnings that have people like you to thank for saving their lives. So, thank you." It was poor, but it was all that she had. "I'm lucky to have never been in a life-threatening situation before. Not in this game, anyway." Inadvertently reminded of a bad memory, of being hospitalized just months before Sword Art Online was released, she looked away toward the river. As luck would have it, a thicket of Flax wasn't too far away, and the player scored another material for the quest.

Perhaps enthused by Krysta's rousing speech, or maybe she just felt safe enough around the woman to open up, Cleo felt a willingness to share. "I've been thinking about getting out there, you know, away from the Town. But I always get to the gates and then remember that this is real. One lapse is judgement is all it takes, and I'm done for." She paused. Was there a point in saying any of this? "Sorry, tell me if this is weird, and I'll zip it. Did you ever go through anything like that, when you first started out?"

@Krysta

ID: 204177 | LD: 19 + 3 = 22 (Success!) (2/5)

Cleo was ready to tackle her next demon. Loneliness had just edged out over the fear of the unknown, as at least she knew what to expect when facing her loneliness. The room centered around the unknown might just be blindsiding and would be better to fight last, to make sure it was the last bit of nonsense she'd need to endure for the quest.

Door number three creaked open.

Inside was dark, cold, and wet. Illuminated by torches in each corner of the room, she saw puddles scattered across the rocky floor. "A cave?" Water dripped in the distance, creating an occasional splash that would quell the silence now and then.

Intriguingly, there was no demon. Cleo could see the room in its entirety, albeit dimly, and there were no signs of life nor activity.

Then, the door closed, locked itself and stood silent. A knock came from the outside. 

Cleo stood silent for a few seconds before calling out. "Hello?"

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204176 | BD: 2 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon | MD: 5 (Miss!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Third Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 22/24 (-1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

With a huff, she got up to her feet. The fatigue she'd felt earlier was gone, which was a welcomed development, but that meant she would need to get back to the task at hand—fighting demons.

And that would mean choosing which door to go through next.

To her left was a two-panel oak door with a brass doorknob and illustrations engraved into either panel. The top panel depicted a Melpomene mask floating above the silhouette of a lone person, whose tears collected in a puddle beneath them. In the bottom panel, a Thalia mask watched over the profiles of a group of people linked by their arms, dancing or otherwise enjoying themselves.

To her right was another door of similar design but without the illustrations. Instead, multiple question marks littered its surface, varying shapes and sizes. Upon closer inspection, the markings looked as if they had been etched into the door, or worse, clawed.

To deal with her loneliness, or to deal with the unknown? These options were equally as enticing, which was to say, not at all.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 (Full restore - three posts out of combat) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

She rolled onto her side and, both hands to the floor, mustered the strength to push up from the ground. On her knees, she spent some time checking her essential motor functions to make sure nothing had broken. Hands are moving? Good. Neck still turning? Check.

Clap.

Ahead, she saw the formless Entity with its wide, white smile, clapping from its seat in the audience. She grimaced at the sight of it. "You know, you're gonna get blisters if you don't stop showering me with applause." Her little quip had no effect on the being, which annoyed her that she couldn't get any reaction out of it, but didn't surprise her. The Entity's job was to put her through misery, so it was probably pointless to try and get a rise from it.

Two doors remained. They weren't dissimilar to one another, both doors wooden and unassuming, with curious markings that Cleo failed to make sense of from so far away. They were notably different from the first two doors, which were somewhat familiar to the player, so she hadn't a great feeling about what lay in store.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 10/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

Sometime later, Cleo awoke, feeling not the soft leather of the sofa behind her head but hard, cold wood. She groaned, trying to prop herself up, but the stiffness in her back prevented it as she fell to the floor with a clunk. Her muscles ached, or so thought. It was her first time dipping below half-energy and experiencing physical fatigue in-game, so all she could relate her current state to were real-world feelings of exhaustion. Perhaps she was fine, and it was all in her head, mental fatigue induced by the last two fights with her demons. In any case, she couldn't move or didn't want to. As uncomfortable as it was, the floor was more enticing than the idea of getting up, brushing herself off, and getting back to whatever it was that she was doing before.

The second inner demon's domain was gone, and Cleo was back in the Elizabethan theatre, surrounded by lights, rows of seats, and of course, the eternal presence of the Entity. She thought, just for a second, that maybe its applause had come to an end. Was it satisfied with her performance yet?

Clap.

No such luck.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 9/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

As Cleo moved closer to the beast, she saw subtle changes to its appearance. Sharpened claws, shrinking, dulling, became hands. The jagged antlers disintegrated from end to base, leaving behind a pile of ash. Once wolf-like, its legs shrank, the bone structure morphing to that of a person's. The transformation was gradual, lasting long enough so that when it finished, the player couldn't pinpoint exactly when the image of the wendigo vanished and the manifestation of her mother appeared. The woman lay there, wounded, a hand pressed to her neck, and the other extended toward Cleo.

"Myy Cleo..." The dying woman drew a breath that, sounding as if it were near to her last, compelled Cleo to reach across, to hold her mother's hand.

Cleo shook her head, "Stop. Please." She felt the swelling in her throat and began to breathe brief, shallow breaths. 'It's just the game,' the player tried to convince herself. 'She's not real.'

She raised her other hand.

"Sorry."

Slash-

"Ahh..."

Cleo couldn't bear to keep her eyes open as she stuck the final blow, dead in the neck, delivering the demon a swift end.

A final gasp of life was the last thing that she would hear before the game began to delete the cadaver.

When she did her open eyes again, just before the head of the demon faded from existence, she could see the lifelessness of her mother's still body. She would never, ever, have done such a thing to anybody, not least one of her parents. But the finality of it, the lack of closure, knowing that if that were her mother, she would never have gotten to resolve their issues, knawed at Cleo, chipping apart a piece of her soul.

It all felt too real, like too much.

Again, she was alone.

Cleo shuffled across to the sofa, pulling herself over it, and faced the ceiling, eyes closed. She wanted to stay there forever, for as long as the game would permit.

A single tear streaked across her cheek.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 12/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 2/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

ID: 203992 | BD: 7 (Hit!) <<ST-I>> vs Second Inner Demon

• 'Them' hits!
  • (4 * 4) - 2 = 14 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 8/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 0/20 (-2) | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

There was no longer any trace of the beast in that voice. The sound of the wolf, the bear, and the mountain lion, gone, leaving but one thing behind, the human.

"Cleo." The wendigo, the creature, winced, covering its wound with a claw. Its legs writhed in pain, sprawled out across the tiled floor, and Cleo, dagger in hand, stood by its feet.

"Mom?"

She wanted to move, but her legs felt heavy. She tried to move her arms, but couldn't, weighed down by the consequences of her actions, and struck by the realization, by horror, of what was happening, she stood there, paralyzed.

"Oh, Cleo!"

The wounded being, whimpering, held an arm out as if to search for the player's kindness die in her arms. A force moved her forward, step by careful step, to her mother's side. No, the demon. But by that point, Cleo was beginning to struggle to tell the difference.

"... Mom?"

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 15/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 2/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

ID: 203987 | BD: 5 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Second Inner Demon | MD: 2 (Miss!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Second Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 11/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 2/20  | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

A shallow, airy breath trickled out from the room behind, a warning of its approach. Cleo hid, barely darting behind the wall in time to avoid its notice. Her breaths were narrow, her mind racing. That thing, whatever it was, was not her mother. But the pain in its eyes, hazel, like her mother's, was human. And again, familiar.

Could she run? The door to the theatre, to the entity and, just maybe, freedom, was open, unlike in the first fight. The risk of being caught and struck by a force of unknown power was high. No, there wasn't enough time.

Steady, Cleo hid beside the wall, waiting for the beast. She would catch it off guard and try to finish it at once as done with the first demon.

The horns poked through the doorway, then a pair of claws, beast-like feet, and finally, the head.

Slash!-

The shriek of a wolf, a bear, and a mountain lion shook the room all at once as the wendigo fell backward and into the antique coffee table, an explosion of wooden splinters following. Its scream, feral, carried an ever-so-slightly human quality, a sound one might make when life twists a knife in one's heart.

"Cleo!"

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 18/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

ID: 203987 | BD: 9 (Minor Critical! +1 DMG) <<ST-I>> vs Second Inner Demon | MD: 2 (Miss!)

• 'Them' hits!
  • (4 + 1) * 4) - 2 = 18 DMG!
• 'Second Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 14/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 2/20 (-18) | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

Door number two crept open.

This one, Cleo knew before getting close. The front door to her family home. A glass door with a curtain on the inside, obscuring much of the room behind, besides a few inches. Past the hallway and into the lounge, one of the sofas gave just the right vantage point to see the edge of the front door open and close, where her mother would always be sitting—waiting for Cleo to come home from a night out.

Her mother was there. But different. Grotesque, the imitation of the middle-aged woman, had long, jagged horns, beast-like legs, and elongated arms, which scraped against the floor tiles. Wendigo. Cleo thought, feared, with emptiness in her eyes. Is this how she saw her old woman, a reflection of her most authentic, most terrible thoughts?

The unmistakable beast, feral, with pain in its eyes, turned, setting its sights on Cleo.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 19/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

ID: 203987 | BD: 4 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Second Inner Demon | MD: 1 (Miss!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Second Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 17/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2