When Alice returned home late that evening, she made her way to Roxanne's bedroom. Pushing the door open softly, she found her daughter sitting on the edge of her bed, her head lowered, her shoulders slouched.
"Roxanne," Alice called gently, stepping inside.
Roxanne looked up at her mother, her crimson eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Mom... I miss Dad," she admitted, her voice trembling.
Alice's heart sank. She moved closer, sitting beside her daughter and wrapping an arm around her. "I know, my little treasure," Alice whispered, her voice soothing yet heavy with emotion. "I miss him too, every single day."
"But I have all this power," Roxanne said softly, looking down at her hands. "Why can't I just bring him back?"
Alice froze for a moment, staring at her daughter's hands. Power? The realization hit her like a thunderbolt. Her mind raced. Did she... ascend to godhood already?
It was too soon. Roxanne was only a child, and they were far from the Athena Plane where such powers should have naturally awakened. This shouldn't have been possible. Not here, not now.
"Roxanne," Alice said carefully, her voice steady but laced with concern, "what do you mean by 'all this power'? What have you done?"
Roxanne hesitated, unsure how much to say. "I... I don't know. I wished for things, and they happened. I made planets collide, I created a black hole, and then I reversed it all. It's like... I can do anything."
Alice stared at her daughter, her mind spinning. This is Akira's blood—his power—manifesting. But how?
She took Roxanne's hands in hers, gripping them tightly. "Listen to me, Roxanne. This power you have, it's too dangerous. You must be careful, do you understand me? You can't let it control you."
Roxanne looked at her mother, her tears replaced by a glimmer of fear. "I didn't mean to scare you, Mom. I just... I just wanted Dad back."
Alice's expression softened, her own emotions threatening to break through. She pulled Roxanne into a tight hug. "I know, my little treasure. But please, don't use that power ever again. It's not just about what you want—it's about what's safe for you. Trust me that there's people who are after that sort of strengh."
Roxanne nodded slowly, leaning into her mother's embrace. "Okay, Mom. I'll be careful."
Alice kissed Roxanne on the head. Before she even realized it, her daughte read dozed off.
"..." Alice looked at her hands. They were shaking.
"I need to connect Athena and Nexus tomorrow....
...Or else Nihila will come and kill Roxanne... And me." Alice said.
X―x―X—x—X―x―X
At the isolated depot, the air was thick with the smell of metal and the faint hum of machinery. Alice and Jessie stood in front of a reinforced observation window, peering into the stark white room where Howard was seated. The man was surrounded by guards, restrained to a degree but left with just enough freedom to interact with his "toy"—a shimmering, iridescent cube pulsating with energy.
"How's the experience going?" Alice asked, her voice calm but her eyes sharp as they observed the eccentric old man.
Jessie folded her arms and glanced at her boss. "He's... adapting," she replied cautiously. "At first, he just stared at the cube like it was some kind of god. Now, he's started talking to it—more like yelling, honestly. His imagination is completely unleashed."
Alice smirked faintly. "And?"
Jessie hesitated, then leaned closer. "It's working. The cube reacts to his thoughts. At one point, he turned it into what looked like a miniature version of himself, cackling wildly. Then it became an impossible shape, something that hurt to even look at. Whatever this thing is, it's pulling his insanity into reality."
Alice hummed thoughtfully, her gaze fixed on Howard as he muttered and gestured wildly at the cube. "Good. Let him keep playing. I want to see just how far his mind can push that thing."
---
Earlier that morning, Alice had woken with a particular thought weighing heavily on her mind. She considered asking Roxanne for help. Her daughter's burgeoning powers could potentially accelerate the creation of the artifact Alice needed—a device that could bridge the gap between realms and draw Akira back to her.
But as she paced in her bedroom, she shook her head firmly. "No," she muttered to herself. "This trial is mine and mine alone. Roxanne has nothing to do with this. This is about proving my worth—not just to Akira, but to Azathoth and the rest of those damned gods."
The thought of cheating her way through this trial left a bitter taste in her mouth. She would succeed on her own terms, or not at all.
---
Back at the depot, Howard was now laughing hysterically as the cube shifted into a chaotic swirl of light and shadow, expanding and contracting as though alive.
Jessie raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it's safe letting him mess with that thing? If his imagination gets too wild, who knows what he might create."
Alice didn't flinch. "Let him. That cube is bound to him alone. Whatever he conjures, it'll be contained... for now. Besides, we need to understand the limits of its power before we move forward."
The cube began to spin faster and faster, its surface gleaming with unearthly energy that radiated across the room. The faint hum turned into a deafening roar as arcs of raw power shot out in unpredictable directions, scorching the walls and ceiling. Howard's laughter echoed above the chaos, a mix of triumph and madness, his voice cracking with the strain of his unbridled excitement.
Visions and memories flooded his mind, flashing too quickly to make sense—ancient horrors, infinite planes, and incomprehensible shapes from realms beyond mortal understanding. His body trembled violently, his words a jumbled chant as he tried to maintain control. "Show me the truth! Show me everything! Give me your power, you beautiful, chaotic—"
Suddenly, a violent surge of energy erupted from the cube. A blinding bolt of light struck Howard square in the chest, hurling him like a ragdoll against the far wall. He hit with a sickening thud and crumpled to the ground, coughing and wheezing, the faint smell of burnt fabric and flesh lingering in the air.
"Curse you..." he growled hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot but still wild with determination. His bony fingers gripped the edge of the wall as he struggled to pull himself upright. "I still can't master you, but I will find a way... I swear it."
The cube, now stable, floated silently in the middle of the room, as if mocking him. Its glow dimmed slightly, as though satisfied with the chaos it had unleashed.
Jessie, observing from behind the reinforced glass, exhaled sharply. "He's going to kill himself if he keeps this up."
Alice, unfazed, leaned forward, her lips curling into a faint smirk. "Good. Let him try. Either he'll break, or he'll push that thing further than anyone else could. Either way, we win."
Alice's gaze remained fixed on the floating cube as Howard's laughter echoed faintly in the background. Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the metal railing in front of her, her mind racing with possibilities.
"If he masters it… if he can truly control it… then perhaps…" Alice whispered to herself, her voice almost inaudible. The faintest flicker of hope danced in her eyes, though it was shadowed by caution. "The Athena Outer Gods… they might finally cross over without tearing everything apart."
Jessie, standing beside her, frowned in confusion. "What are you mumbling about, Boss?"
Alice didn't answer, her thoughts too entangled to notice the question. Her focus remained locked on Howard and the cube. The significance of what lay before her was too vast, too dangerous to put into simple words.
Jessie shifted uncomfortably, glancing at the erratic old man and the pulsating artifact in the containment room. She decided against pressing Alice for an explanation. Whatever this was, it was well beyond her understanding—and she preferred it that way.
"Forget I asked," Jessie muttered, stepping back slightly. "Just tell me what you need done."
Alice finally turned to her, her expression calm but carrying an air of authority. "We wait. Let him push himself to the brink. Either he'll succeed and bring us closer to what we need… or he'll burn out trying. Either way, keep the cleanup crew on standby."
Jessie winced, clutching her abdomen as a wave of sharp pain shot through her. She inhaled deeply, trying to mask the discomfort but failing miserably. "Boss, I... I need to step out for a moment. It's... uh... personal," she mumbled, her voice strained.
Alice arched an eyebrow, her gaze briefly softening as she assessed Jessie's obvious discomfort. "Go ahead," she said curtly, waving her off. "Just don't be gone too long. Howard is unpredictable, and I need someone I trust here."
Jessie nodded quickly, muttering a strained "Thanks," as she hurried off, her heels clicking against the floor. Once out of Alice's sight, she grumbled under her breath. "Of all the times... why now?"
She made her way to the nearest restroom, cursing the universe for choosing such a critical moment to remind her of her mortality. "Outer Gods, insane cubes, and I'm stuck dealing with this," she muttered, leaning against the sink and fishing out some painkillers from her pocket.
Jessie sighed as she rummaged through her bag, pulling out a neatly folded adult diaper. "Always prepared for the worst," she muttered to herself, her face a mix of frustration and resignation. She quickly made her way into a stall, locking the door behind her.
Dealing with the mess, she efficiently cleaned herself up with wipes she always kept on hand, muttering, "Outer Gods and insanity cubes, but here I am dealing with this crap."
The weight of everything she had given up—her dignity, her family, her freedom—pressed down on her, suffocating her, and she couldn't escape it. The coldness of her surroundings seemed to mirror the emptiness she felt inside, a hollow pit that gnawed at her constantly.
"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered to herself, the words barely audible, as though speaking them would make the truth hurt less. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms to try and steady herself, but nothing worked. The pressure was building, the anxiety twisting in her gut. It was all too much.
Her breath became uneven, and the panic crept back in, her heart racing faster with each passing second. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks: She had made a choice. A choice that had bound her to Alice, to this life, to this dark path. And it wasn't just a choice she had made—it was a decision that had been forced on her, in ways she could never have anticipated.
"Why did I do this? Why did I choose this life?" she muttered, staring at herself in the mirror, almost as if hoping for some sort of answer. But there was no one there to respond. She was alone in her mind, alone with the crushing weight of her decisions.
A suffocating silence filled the room, broken only by her shallow breaths. Jessie felt like she was drowning in the aftermath of everything she had given up, and she didn't know if she could keep pretending to be what Alice needed her to be. Could she keep up this facade? Could she continue being the perfect woman for Alice?
"I don't know if I can be enough..." She whispered again, her voice cracking under the strain.
Pressure was at its peak. Howard needed to find a way soon.
X―x―X—x—X―x―X
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