And wait, I did.
As the group went further into the tunnel and became closer to the end of the path that I had perceived earlier, I followed behind, aware of any movements from Alya.
At this point, it was pretty easy for me to determine that...
Alya wasn't necessarily Alya.
Now, that may sound like an oxymoron, but it is true.
Alya isn't the one in control of her body; whether she knows it or not doesn't make a difference.
She was simply a puppet being controlled by the spirit.
Now, that didn't necessarily mean that Alya didn't have control of her body, but it was also possible that the spirit was manipulating her, swaying her actions and emotions through his words.
From her rush to reach the end of the path to her occasion glances at the corrupted figure of Ren, someone who she wouldn't pay any attention to earlier, and her unusual manner of walking.
"can't have a heroine dying, can I..?"