Harvie opened his eyes.
The ceiling was white. Too white. It smelled like herbs and clean sheets.
"You're awake!"
It was Edna.
She sat beside his bed in the infirmary, her eyes puffy like she had cried. Her red hair was messy. There was a half-eaten apple on the table near her.
Harvie tried to sit up, but his body felt heavy. Like he had run a thousand miles.
"Don't move too fast," Edna said. "You were out for two days. After using that time skill... you collapsed."
Harvie blinked slowly. His head throbbed. He remembered the Flesh Clock. The way its gears turned with screaming faces. The way time bent around him.
[Chrono Fang]...
He used it too much.
"I saved it..." Harvie muttered.
"Yes, you did."
Edna smiled, but it was a small smile. A tired one.
She picked up a wet cloth and gently wiped his forehead. Harvie didn't say anything. Her touch was warm.
Too warm.
He stared at the ceiling again. He wanted to tell her everything. About the Seals. About the rewinds. About Unlamented.
But he couldn't.
The system's warning echoed in his mind:
> "Do not speak of the Unlamented. Or suffer corruption."
Harvie closed his eyes. His heart felt heavy.
Edna sighed and sat back.
"Harvie... do you trust me?"
That question.
He opened his eyes. Turned his head. Met her gaze.
"I do," he said.
But in his heart, he was lying. He trusted her more than anything. But the truth... the truth would kill them both.
Edna nodded slowly.
"Then let me in. Just a little. I know you're carrying something. I can see it in your eyes. Every time you look at someone who almost died."
Harvie didn't answer. He looked away.
"I'm not asking for everything," she said. "Just don't shut me out. Not completely."
He wanted to say yes. But the words wouldn't come.
Outside, it was raining. He could hear the water hitting the windows. A soft sound. Calm.
But inside, his mind was a storm.
He remembered the Flesh Clock's death. The scream it made as he stabbed it with time. The moment he took [Chrono Fang], something inside him cracked.
He could feel it. Like part of him was missing.
Harvie lifted his hand.
His fingers trembled.
Was this the cost of using Seal powers?
"Are you cold?" Edna asked, noticing.
He shook his head. "No. Just... thinking."
She reached out and took his hand.
"Don't think too much. Just rest. I'm here."
Her hand was warm again.
Harvie felt his chest ache. He wanted to hold onto this moment. Just for a while. Before the next danger came.
Before he had to die again.
---
Later that night, Edna had fallen asleep in the chair beside him.
Harvie sat up quietly. He looked at her sleeping face. Peaceful. Beautiful.
He took a deep breath.
He opened his system window.
> [Status: Stable. Mental Fracture: 28%]
It was growing.
He needed answers. He needed to find out why Seal bearers broke. Why the system felt like a cage. Why time rewrote but pain always stayed.
He looked at Edna one more time.
Then closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Edna... but I can't tell you yet."
And inside his heart, another crack formed.