The dried-up rock bed deepened high enough to cover Garry's head. The brooding earth walls loomed, the echoes of agonized screaming and panting still surrounding the two boys. Rocks cracked and crunched under their shoes. Finally, with the lantern's light and creatures long behind them, Garry slowed to a stop. He panted, hands on his knees, and swallowed dryly to regain his breath. Soaru leaned against the wall and hastily breathed, staring into the floor and sees that girl, dead beneath him.

"I..I" Soaru tried to form words, but clamped his trembling lips shut. His shoulders are hunched into his ears, and he stares at his blood speckled hands. He drops his knife and slides down the wall.

Garry sits next to him and places a hand on Soaru's shoulder. "You did what you had to. You, we didn't know."

"I…this." Soaru took a shaky breath. "I have done something you…none of you should forgive me for."

Garry tilted his head, "I doubt that."

"No!" Soaru pushed Garry's arm away. He could still see the redhaired girl beneath him with glazed eyes. For a second, Ib was in her place. Her red eyes were open and dull. A gnash in her head instead of a knife was the killing blow. Blood spilled down her pale face.

Suddenly, Garry spoke. "I know."

Soaru snapped his gaze up to Garry's small, sad smile. "What?"

"Luno put the pieces together, and I caught on. You just confirmed it for me."

Soaru turned away. He would accept whatever Garry threw at him.

"I haven't forgiven you, but I understand." Garry stared at the burns on his hands and, in their creases, he sees the memory of Mary, cracked and burning. "We all have made decisions that we regret."

Garry puts his hands in his lap and turns toward Soaru. "I can't speak for Luno or anyone else, but I don't hate you."

The heat building behind Soaru's eyes pours out and he looks at Garry, past the uneasiness his presence once made Soaru feel, and really sees Garry for the first time.

"Thank you, Garry." Soaru wiped his face and bowed. "I was wrong."

Soaru had been at fault. He'd spent so much time running, afraid of change, that he had forgotten that he wasn't entitled to apologies or friends. He'd forgotten respect. His group of friends had always been unstable. Ib and Garry joining had just been the final push. They hadn't done anything wrong. And Soaru blamed them without ever attempting to bridge the gap because it was easier.

His friends might never forgive one another, but Soaru started to question if that mattered. He still wants to talk to Amelia and Luno. He…He also wants to know Garry and Ib. Garry, who was willing to die to let him escape. And Ib, who risked her life to save him.

'It's strange," Soaru thinks to himself. 'To be protected by people I thought I hated.'

While Garry anxiously tried to get him to sit back up, Soaru made a promise to himself.

"We should get going," Garry said.

Soaru nodded and the two set off down the dried river bank. Garry slowed to keep pace with his smaller companion, who was technically in charge of navigating. Garry tried to remember the list of landmarks Soaru had written down but could only recall that there was one landmark before rock formation.

The riverbed started to decrease in height and Garry was able to make out trees, none of which had a light source, thank God. The rocks in the riverbed started to decrease as well, letting up to lightly damp dirt. The riverbed declined down to Garry's ankles and, if not for the continuing trail of stones, blended into the forest.

Soaru stopped and both stared down at an arrow pointed to the left made from one of Amelia's socks.

"Guess we go that way." Garry said while he gathered the cut-up sock and repositioned it to point down the stream. At Soaru's look, he answered, "the chances are slim, but if Cycloptic Smile is following us, she might follow the arrow thinking that's where we went. I doubt Amelia wants her sock back anyway."

Soaru shrugged and the two walked deeper into the forest.

"Oh, this looks familiar." Soaru said and stared at the three trees that were braided together. The trees looped together close to the ground, unable to stand tall whilst choking each other.

"A left here and we should be close to the grave." Soaru said and Garry started ahead. He plowed through plenty of thickets with Soaru close behind. As Garry pushed through another large bush, the ground underneath his foot gave way.

"Eeeep!" Garry cried as he rode down a small hill on one leg and stuck the landing.

"Are you alright?" Soaru asked. He spotted a safer path down and hurried over.

Garry nodded and stared up at the dim green canopy. Honestly, the trees were starting to look like carbon copies of one another—tall, dark, and creepy. "Lovely."

He walked over to the only structure in the small clearing, a tombstone. It was slate gray and covered in dirt. However, Garry could make out a crown, head, and wings inscribed at the top; along with an inscription that read:

In memory of

Ellen ….

Wife of Weiss Gu…t…a

Mother of Vita Gu…t…a

Aged 38 years

Departed this life

July 16th

6….

The time we spent together was an Eternal Blessing

"This is for Vita's mother!" Garry said. He reread the words and tried to make out the last name. That 'G' name kept popping up and it wasn't a coincidence; however, the stone was too faded to give him the answers he wanted.

"Who?" Soaru asked. He had finally made it down.

"It's a lot to explain. This surname is important, but none of us know what it is." Garry responded. He stood up and noticed something off. The ground around the tombstone was torn up. Where someone had planted flowers, stalks remained, and patches of grass were missing along with clumps of dirt. Garry looked back at the grave's dirt covered front and then back at the ground. Well, he had an idea of where the dirt went.

Soaru came closer and crouched down, staring at a patch of dirt. "Those creatures are only active in light, right?"

"Yeah," Garry replied as he walked over.

"Then where did these claw marks come from?"

Garry blanched at the finger marks in the dirt. He pondered if one of the previous visitors had done it, but he couldn't come up with any reason as to why they would have torn up the ground. Sure, being trapped in some fragment of time wasn't fun, but it wasn't the grave's fault. From the journals, it didn't appear that anyone had come across the grave either.

The snap of a twig had the two diving backwards to hide amongst the trees. Cycloptic Smile emerged into view, peering around with her single eye. She bumped into the grave, steadying herself by griping the stone. Her eye widened, her hand snapped back to her side, and her smile never faded. She walked around the tombstone, her back to them.

It was quiet. The bark dug into Garry's palms. They should leave, he knew, but didn't. There was something stirring in the scene before him and, whether it was curiosity or fear, Garry knew he was about to witness something.

Cycloptic Smile dug her foot into the ground and kicked up dirt at the grave. Each kick became more fervent and wild until she was ripping up grass and dirt to throw with her hands.

"I hate you!" Each word was punctuated by a glob of dirt smacking against the gravestone.

"Fake." Another clump of dirt. "Can't be real…"

The painting threw herself onto her knees and shook, clenching her stained hands in the dirt. "Can't be you."

And she wailed.

Garry flinched at the sight, having a hard time taking it in. This was something private and it scared him. This painting was a monster bent on keeping them trapped forever. She was their enemy. But while she screamed and cried, the smile never left her face. Garry realized that Cycloptic Smile couldn't alter her expression.

Soaru ignored Garry's attempts to get his attention and remained fixated on Cycloptic Smile. She was terrifying. She dragged him into this mess and was trying to kill him. Soaru should hate her. He does hate her. Soaru grips the knife in his yukata. He could sneak up behind her and kill her, she might not even notice him until it's too late. But as he watches her he realizes there's something so pitiable about her. The redhaired girl pops into his mind and Soaru turns away.

The two boys leave the area quietly. Even after they can no longer hear Cycloptic Smile crying and screaming, they remain silent, listening to the crunch of their footsteps in the grass.

The trees in their way started to thin but remained thick in every other direction. The boys kept a brisk pace, keeping a wary eye out. Finally, they came to a depression in the earth that led to a dirt road. Soaru started in and Garry followed, willing to rely on Soaru's memory. This area was strange enough to be memorable, anyway.

The road led into a quarry. Once again, the two were surrounded by large looming rock.

Garry put a hand over his face and sighed. "Great, more rocks."

A small chortle escaped Soaru's nose. "You sound like Luno."

"Good, at least he's funny." Garry lamely responded as they started in.

"His accent helps. It comes out most when he is sarcastic."

The road transitioned into rock before becoming unruly. Branches, dirt, and loose stones started to appear more frequently. Instead of a quarry, the area was more of a strange amalgamation of quarry, a creek bed, and normal forest.

"Well, at least this isn't Wales." Garry easily said after they crossed another branching pattern on the ground, which is indicative of a dried-up creek. "How much further do we have to go?"

Soaru paused. "Down this path and at the fork we should go to the…left." Soaru quickly added, "And there might be a few more turns after, but I cannot remember."

Garry nodded, "Soaru, don't worry too much. I'm sure we're close to finding the others."

Garry had no idea if that was true, but Soaru looked more confidant and that was worth something.

They came across the fork and turned left without incident. The rock walls became crumbled and disjointed the further in they ventured. They came to another split in the road and Soaru had to pause to think. After choosing the right direction, Soaru soon discovered footprints in the dirt. The road had changed back into dirt and, with it, footprints. There were more than a few, which made it difficult to determine if these footprints belonged to their friends, but they followed them anyway.

Garry tripped over a branch but steadied himself on the dirt wall. The dirt was cold and the vertical burns on Garry's fingers pulsed with a dull ache. Great. At least it was only his fingers. Garry knew he had wounds and bruises all over his body, but only the burns hurt. Adrenaline was really something. But it was starting to ware off the longer Garry walked.

After a few minutes the towering rock walls started to decline at an exponential rate. Garry and Soaru followed the path as moss patched the receding stones. Clumpy vines had crawled through the cracks and compacted dirt aggressively replaced the stones. Garry could start to see over the walls as they became more level with his face. The forest was still a dull, haunting green on both sides.

When the dirt walls just reached Garry's knees the path opened. To their left were large rock formations with a few trees. The ground had minor hills and jutting stones. To their right were inclines with green-tinted tiers of stone ledges.

"This is it," Soaru said.

Garry craned his head to look for their friends. They wouldn't have run off to the museum without them. Soaru was the only one who had any idea as to its whereabouts. Garry looked over at Soaru, who had started for the ledges without him. "Hey, wait up!"

The two walked for a few minutes, hugging the path closest to the slabs. Despite the natural beauty around them, the mood felt oppressive. Should they call out? That could attract unwanted attention. But they might find their friends faster.

"Hey, look over there." Soaru said. Garry followed his gaze down to the forest floor where a green rose was just discernable.

"That's Amelia's hairclip!" Garry said and the two took off down the slabs.

At the bottom, Soaru picked up the clip and a peach thread came with it. The thread, unlike the black thread, was anchored to something at the end of its trail. They followed the thread, which Soaru wrapped around the teeth of the clip.

The trail of thread led Soaru and Garry to a small, juniper tree that was growing sideways out of a crack in-between two stone slabs. The roots of the tree were visible, and the neck of the long trunk was twisted at a staccato angle. Soaru smiled. It potted Garden Juniper his father kept.

Soaru reached out and touched the trees puffy, stiff leaves. Japanese Garden Junipers were not native to this area. He had already gathered that this was not the current Nivis Alba, but a past version of itself—Hana Sasada's note said as much—Japanese influences had not even touched Nivis Alba until 40 years from the present when it was bought and restored by a Japanese businessman. But for a few centuries, Nivis Alba was a trade destination. A traveler could have planted the tree or carried the seeds here. But Soaru doubted it. The quarry he and Garry had passed through was also suspicious. Regardless, like the steps he saw to the museum, it didn't fit their surroundings. Perhaps he was just thinking too hard. He untied the thread from the tree.

A scuffle above them drew their attention. Further up the incline, partially hidden by a standing ledge, were Amelia and Luno peering down at them. Amelia jumped up from her prone position and ran down the ledges. Garry tensed when Amelia showed no signs of stopping and braced himself. She barreled straight into him and Soaru, hugging them both.

"Thank God, you're both okay!" she said, managing to keep her voice down. "We were really worried about you guys."

Soaru hugged her back. "I'm glad you're okay."

Garry smiled at Ib and Luno, who had made their way down from their hiding spot. Ib hurried over and Garry met her halfway with open arms.

"I was worried," she said into his shirt.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Garry responded into her hair.

Too soon, they detach from one another. They gave each other another smile, and Ib walked over to Soaru, but keeps her eyes trained on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

"…Ib," Soaru calls to get her to look at him. Her shoulders hunched a little and her lips clamp nervously, but she meets his eyes. "Thank you. I'm grateful you're alright as well."

Ib gave him a shy smile, her gaze still not always meeting his, but it was a work in progress.

Garry hung back and watched. Ib's smile hit his heart and he found himself thankful to Soaru.

"Glad you made it." Luno whispered to him. The smile slid off Garry's face as he looked at Luno's frown. "Sorry, it's just…she's getting worse."

"We caught her shading her eyes a few times." Luno tugged at his singed brown and green scarf absently to fill the empty space. "She said the sun was in her eyes."

Garry's hands tightened into fists and his shoulders tensed.

Luno continued. "You passed the tree. She acted like there was sunlight and she saw the path better than Amelia or I could. She led us through it. Ib…she couldn't see the creatures. Not fully. They flickered in and out for her. She also knew where the grave was. That's how we knew where to go." Luno stared at a cut on Garry's face. "At least we had an easier time. You look horrible, no offense."

Garry put a hand on Luno's shoulder and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm glad you're all alright." Garry looked over to where Amelia was telling Soaru what happened after they separated, with Ib politely correcting her more embellished retellings. He turned back to Luno and said, "Besides, it was a bonding experience for Soaru and I."

Luno gave him a curious look, hesitated, and then opened his mouth.

"I already know." Garry politely interrupted. "Soaru and I spoke a little about it."

"And?" Luno asked.

Garry stared at the ground and then met his gaze. "Are you going to tell Amelia or Ib?"

Luno sighed. "I don't know. At least, I'm not going to say anything now."

Garry shook his head. "I'm upset with him, but I don't hate him. He could have run when I told him to, but he didn't. He stayed and he saved me."

Just as Garry was about to tell Luno about the redhead, Ib's voice gave him pause.

"I'm not Ellen…Can't be Ellen."

The two snapped to attention and looked over at the others. Soaru's eyebrows were narrowed and Amelia was biting her bottom lip, arms useless at her sides. Ib stood between them and was covering her ears with her hands.

"Ib," Amelia said and reached a hand out to touch her.

"Can't." Ib grabbed Amelia's hand. "Can't be Ellen. Not Ellen. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Carefully, Garry crouched down to be level with Ib and took her other hand in his.

"Help me." Ib said, her voice small. Her fingers tightened around Amelia's hand.

"I know," Garry said. "Ellen is dead. I saw her grave and he," Garry indicated to Soaru with his head, "saw it, too. You want Ib to help you, right?"

Ib's eyes were hazy, but she looked at him.

"You need to let Amelia go, okay?"

Ib let Amelia's hand go. Amelia backed up a few steps but remained close. Ignoring Garry's hand on her arm, Ib reached up to her left eye and gingerly caressed the area. She opened her mouth and a long exhale flowed out. Then she opened her mouth again, "It starts like a crack in a teacup, screeches like a teapot, and then shatters like glass."

"We'll fix it." Soaru said. He took a step closer and regarded Ib. "We'll get you back what you lost. Please, let us help you."

The haze left her eyes and Ib blinked.

"What's…going on?" Ib asked, looking at each of them.

Garry recalled what Ib had told him before about Smile and what he had read in Hana Sasada's journal. "I think Smile possessed you."

"Oh," Ib replied before she started to consider his words, "She was talking pretty loudly."

The other four shared nervous looks.

"We need to get going." Amelia said, but her energy was forced. "A painting to reunite, damned souls to save, getting the hell out of Dodge, ya know, the usual."

She turned on her heel, brought her hands together in a clap and pointed them at Soaru, "So, where are those steps to the museum?"

Soaru humoured her by regarding their surroundings and twirling a strand of his bangs. "This way," he said. He walked forward and started to recall, though a bit blurry, the route he had taken. It helped that most of the rock formations were unique and that he hadn't deviated too much from a straight line. There hadn't been too many obstacles for him to run from on his way from the museum to the almost-quarry if he recalled correctly.

Garry gave Ib a parting squeeze on her shoulder before he moved to follow Soaru. Ib followed behind and kept pace with Amelia.

"Does it hurt?" Ib asked her.

"Don't worry, Ib" Amelia rubbed the faint finger-shaped bruise on her wrist and lied. "It doesn't hurt."

The rock formations subsided, and they found themselves back in the forest. The trees were thicker and spaced closer together, but Soaru kept straight. Much of the forest floor was covered in a healthy amount of decaying leaves, which crunch crunched and crinkled under their feet. The muted coloured flowers were tell-tale signs of a late spring. Garry and Amelia each tripped over some tree roots, Luno nearly had his glasses taken by a low branch, and twice Soaru had gotten his haori snagged on a branch.

The trees grew larger, shrubs and thick moss coats started to drown everything in a sea of green, and root networks were everywhere. Ib pulled her hair from the grasp of a low hanging branch and bramble fell out. Next to her, Amelia scratched her hair and twigs fell out. Even Garry was not immune to the dirtiness of nature. His tall frame was constantly being barraged by branches aiming for his face and hair. A few of the branches he pushed away broke off and ended up being the ones Ib and Amelia had to deal with. Ahead of them, Luno struggled to keep the painting safe and Soaru had resigned himself to his fate. They all were dirty, disheveled, and irritated.

"Stupid trees," Amelia muttered and punched a branch away from her. "Are we almost there?"

"Yes." Soaru's answer was a relief to all of them. "It should be right up ahead."

Amelia perked up and increased her pace. "Let's go!"

The leaves were the first thing they noticed. They were on the ground, red and orange and yellow, and the bark of the trees was gray and muted like Winter. They came to an open area where two bare trees stood atop a primitive incline with a cracked stone staircase settled between them. Past the staircase was an arch and then a set of red carpeted steps.

"Finally," Garry said with a sigh of relief.

Luno and Soaru started up the steps when they all heard the unmistakable crunch of leaves. A hand shot out from behind the right twin tree and latched onto Luno's wrist. He dropped the painting and kicked it back to Soaru, who had halted behind him.

Soaru took up the painting, whipped around, and made brief eye contact with Amelia, who started running. Soaru chucked the painting like a Frisbee. He had full confidence that Amelia would catch it. He turned back, wrapped his arms around Luno's waist and pulled. Luno lurched back, striking out at the body connected to the hand with his feet. He tried to reach for the claw hammer in his yukata when he was suddenly let go.

"Got it!" Amelia shouted, grabbing the painting just as Soaru and Luno started to topple down the stairs.

Garry appeared behind them, catching the two in a domino effect. His knees nearly buckled when Luno's back collided with Soaru. He was not wearing the correct footwear for this!

Soaru and Luno regained their bearings just as Cycloptic Smile appeared from behind the left twin tree. In her hands was a lit lantern.

"Amelia, Ib, keep that painting away from her!" Luno yelled right as Cycloptic Smile dropped the lantern.

Garry flinched and pulled Soaru with him to the ground. The burns on his body pulsated as he remembered the last time a lantern was shattered. Amelia had been at the front of that debacle. Her forearm would scar.

Luno launched forward and just caught the lantern as it hit the ground. The glass frame cracked from the stress but remained intact. A weight crushed his left hand and he howled in pain, dropping the lantern, which thankfully did not break. Cycloptic Smile lifted her foot and Luno rolled to the side and cradled his left hand. Two of his fingers were broken.

"Luno!" Amelia and Ib chorused behind him.

"Stay back!" Luno's voice cracked. Damn it, he wouldn't be able to fix his or anyone's rose like this. Damn it. He'll worry about that after he gets the lantern back. "Get the painting to the museum!"

Ib slipped her hand into Amelia's and the girl nodded.

"Garry! Take this!" Amelia let go of Ib's hand to dig through her bag. She pulled out a fire-poker she had taken from the Farmhouse and kicked it over to Garry.

Garry snatched it up swung it at Cycloptic Smile's face. She grabbed the tip and snapped it in half. Amelia and Ib dashed around her while Soaru made for the lantern. Cycloptic Smile whipped the broken piece of iron at him. He dodged, but the impact from her throw had broken the stone where he had been standing. The lantern rolled to the right, closer to right tree.

Luno lunged for the lantern while Garry and Soaru distracted her. He grabbed the handle at the same time the hand did. Luno looked into the face of a creature and pulled away, knocking the lantern from the creature's hand. It rolled to Luno's left and stopped.

The creature tackled Luno to the ground and screamed, clawing for the blond's neck. Luno was unable to block as the monster brought down his talons.

Ib and Amelia had reached the arch, which looked more like a gazebo on the inside. At the center there was an easel and stool. The easel was vintage with a little drawer. It was big enough to fit one painting. Currently, the painting resting against the easel was that of Cycloptic Smile.

Once both girls crossed into the center, the two exits vanished. Amelia and Ib went to opposing exits and banged on the marble but neither of them could get out.

"I can't see the guys anymore!" Amelia said as she peered out into a standard forest landscape. She recognized the two twin trees, but both were spritely and full of green leaves. In fact, from what Amelia could tell, it looked like late summer outside. Nothing was blooming, but nothing was dead either.

Ib glanced around the room but found nothing of note. Amelia started to investigate the easel as Ib looked out at the sunny forest. "You can see the sun, too, right?"

Amelia put the stool back down. "Yeah…and it's summer outside instead of early winter. Ib, when we were outside a minute ago, what did the world look like to you?"

"It looked like it does right now."

Amelia sat down and rifled through the drawer of the easel. Ib walked over as Amelia pulled out a palette still wet with paint, a palette knife, and a blue-smeared apron. She regarded them and looked at Ib. "The world you see isn't the same as how the rest of us. In here, I can see what you've been seeing, but why is that?"

Amelia chewed her bottom lip as she thought. "Why are these here?"

"The world I see is different because I'm living on Smile's time. She sees this world the way it was before she died. Maybe you're seeing how this world is now."

"Ok, but how does that help us?" Amelia asked. She turned and looked outside and then back at the palette and apron. "Are we supposed to paint them together or something?"

"No, those are props, like you said." Ib took up the apron and put it over Amelia's head. "We're going to reenact the moment Smile was painted over."

Amelia blinked. "Ok, but why and how are we going to do that when we don't have her painting?"

Ib paused in positioning Amelia's hands on the palette. "What do you mean? Cycloptic Smile's painting is right there."

Both girls looked at the easel where a blank canvas was waiting.

"It was there a moment ago," Ib trailed off. Amelia shrugged and set down the props to pop Smile's painting out of the frame. She handed Ib the blank canvas and laid Smile's portrait onto the easel. "I was thinking that, maybe, because I'm seeing how Smile saw this world it means that this is the moment before she died, like how she remembers it. If we reenact Vita's father killing her, it would complete the cycle."

"Hmmm…if this is a reenactment, then maybe we need to go through the motions to get Cycloptic Smile's portrait?" Amelia guessed. She did not fully understand what Ib was saying, but if they had to recreate Cycloptic Smile to get her painting, Amelia could understand that. She picked back up the palette and palette knife and held them in her hands.

The board underneath Ib's feet clicked and then she vanished.

Amelia stared at where Ib once was, mouth agape. "No!" Amelia stood up, dropping the props, and scanned the room.

"No, I can't do this by myself." Amelia panicked, her breathing becoming erratic. "I'm not smart like you and Luno."

She sunk to her knees and held her head. "I'm not smart. I can't do this. Damn it."

Amelia waited to hear Ib's voice call out, for Luno to arrive, Hell, even Garry or Soaru would be enough. They could figure out this puzzle and get Ib back. They would make it look easy, and Amelia would laugh and tag along, stumped but blissfully ignorant.

But no one was coming.

Amelia was alone.

'No one's coming to save you, Amelia. You have to do this. Think! What was Ib talking about?' Amelia tried to get her breathing under control by doing multiplication. She started at 9 times 7 and ended with 9 times 24.

Amelia got up off the floor and looked over at Smile's painting.

"Ib sees the world from Smile's point of view, outside I see it from Cycloptic Smile's. But in here I can see from Smile's. Ib's certain we're reenacting the day Smile was painted over. That's why there are props."

Amelia regarded the palette and the palette knife that she'd dropped on the floor. When she had held them correctly, there was a click and Ib had disappeared. She picked them up and looked back over at the painting. Well, if this was a reenactment maybe she had to keep acting.

Amelia stood before the easel with the palette and matching knife in hand. She started to scrape at the blue paint on the palette, but nothing happened. Swallowing down her panic, Amelia stared at Smile's portrait. There was only one of her. If Amelia painted over her and the reenactment went on, wouldn't that just result in two Cycloptic Smile's? She placed Smile's portrait against the bottom of the easel and picked up the props again. She could always put the portrait back if it didn't work.

Amelia scraped the blue paint and tried her best not to second guess her choice in paint colour. The apron was covered in blue paint, so she had just gone with the flow. Amelia moved the palette knife to the canvas and pretended to put the blue on where the background would be.

The easel clicked. But nothing changed.

Amelia bit back a curse and started trying to get the purple on the knife. Cycloptic Smile's outfit was purple-y, she reasoned to herself. But nothing happened. Amelia tried green, blue, and brown, but nothing happened. But when Amelia tried the black paint she heard a voice.

"Vita made a painting and it's alive."

Amelia screamed and dropped the knife. She checked all the walls and even behind the easel but couldn't find the source. Taking the voice as progress, Amelia took up the props and went for the black paint again.

"She's killing Vita. You must do something, sir."

"Repaint her! Repaint her!"

Straight across from Amelia was a pair of red lips on the gazebo's wall.

"It's okay, you're doing the right thing, sir. Vita will get better, that painting understands what's at stake. She's ok with dying for Vita."

"Don't let your sympathy for her face kill your daughter."

Amelia angrily smeared black onto the easel, leaving a few stray cuts on the wood. She scraped out pink and brown, following a pattern she couldn't see. She went through the motions, possessed by rage. Amelia finished the imaginary eyes and cried so hard she collapsed. Wiping her nose, she stared up at where a canvas would be, and then she saw it. Cycloptic Smile, but she still had two eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ellen. I'm sorry, you poor, poor wretch." Amelia said and smeared black over the left eye.

"You did the right thing." The lips said.

"Did I?" Amelia asked and was let go when the easel clicked again.

Ib blinked and found herself in a long room. The carpet and wallpaper were the same shade of white. On the walls on either side of her were identical portraits of Cycloptic Smile.

Ib walked the length of the room, gripping the blank canvas close to her. A shiver slid down her spine as she stared at the identical paintings. It felt like they were all watching her.

'Stop! Don't look at me!' Smile's voice echoed loudly in Ib's head. She covered her ears as they rang and then thought about Smile's clue.

Ib looked at the lines of duplicate paintings. There was something here she was missing. She started to walk and stare at each painting individually. But nothing immediately came to mind. The longer Ib looked, the more the paintings started to blur. Ib couldn't even tell if she had already stared at one or all of them in a column. Ib walked up and down the hallway, but the paintings were all blurring together.

As she made her third down trip, Ib realized something. All the paintings were of Cycloptic Smile, but all of them had two eyes. Just as she realized this,a motion caught her eye. One of the paintings was holding their eye and crying. And then the rest joined in. Ib covered her ears and waited for the noise to stop.

Once it did, Ib turned back to stare at the paintings in the upper right. She couldn't remember which one had moved first, the white room and numerous replicas made it hard to distinguish one painting from another, but she limited it to six, three in the topmost row and three just below that row. All of them were now missing an eye. Ib stared and stared, her eyes beginning to burn from the effort to not blink. Ib blinked and the situation started to feel weirdly familiar, like a case of intense déjà vu.

This was a game, Ib realized. One of these paintings was having a staring contest with her. Ib stared at the two rows, narrowing her eyes to avoid blinking. She flexed her eyes from narrow to wide to distract herself. When she looked up again, the room was different. Instead of white, the walls and floor were cyan and Ib was shorter.

"Focus your eyes and look," she heard herself repeat, but her voice was higher like a kid's. In fact, Ib knew this was her voice when she was around 8 years old. Her dad had plenty of home-movies from when she was 8 and 10 that would attest to that.

A quick movement caught her attention and she peered up at the top most painting on the wall. Her hand reached up and pointed at it. Five seconds later Cycloptic Smile's cobalt eye looked down at her.

The room flickered back to white, but Ib was still pointing at the same painting. She trembled, unsure of what just happened. But she couldn't dwell on it. The painting blinked at her through its slit eye, admitting defeat. Ib stretched out her arms and just reached the bottom of the painting's silver frame. Frustrated with her short stature, Ib used the blank canvas to bump Cycloptic Smile's painting down. It fell hard, and the silver frame cracked open.

Ib carefully pulled out the painting and stared into the face of Cycloptic Smile.

The room clicked.

Ib reappeared in the gazebo, but it looked different. Both exits were back and Amelia was kneeling before an easel.

"Ib?" Amelia turned her head and Ib gave a wave. Amelia stared. "I-I did it. I actually solved the puzzle."

Fresh tears slid down Amelia's face and Ib internally panicked. She hurried over and hugged Amelia, who just sat there. "You disappeared, and I didn't know what to do, but I did the reenactment like you said and I didn't use Smile and there was this voice, and it was horrible. I had to blotch out Cycloptic Smile's eye and he felt so bad when he killed Smile, Ib."

"You solved the puzzle." Ib said. "If you hadn't done that, I never would have gotten this."

Ib picked up the painting of Cycloptic Smile and showed it to her.

"Now, we can reunite the paintings and escape."

"Ib," Amelia said once Ib had gathered both paintings. "If you put just them on the easel it will just make another Cycloptic Smile. She was born from Smile."

Ib nodded and placed both paintings on the floor. What else could she put on the easel with them? Ib looked over at the blank canvas before walking over to pick it up.

"Amelia, how did Smile become Cycloptic Smile?"

"He repainted over her." Amelia said.

"I mean, what were the stages. Did you see what the painting looked like before?"

"No, he was painting, and Smile was there, but she didn't have the braid. I think it was different."

Ib went over all the information she had. Smile was a mental form without a physical body. Her painting is a direct link to how she drowned in the lake. Cycloptic Smile was the physical body. The first part of their unified form that died was their body and then mind. If Ib thinks of it like a timeline, Cycloptic Smile was the final result, Smile was the result from the death of their body, which meant they were missing the painting's original form, which was the whole purpose of the unification.

"I think I got it." Ib said and looked over at Amelia. "Help me get these on the easel."

Amelia placed the blank canvas on the left while Ib placed Smile and Cycloptic Smile after. The two stood back and watched as the paintings started to bleed into one another. Lines of paint started on the new canvas and took the shape of a woman. The lines outlined her chin, mouth, nose, eyes.

From outside there was a scream and both girls jumped.

"That sounded like Luno," Ib said.

Amelia looked toward where the guys were and then back at the paintings.

"Don't worry," Ib said with more confidence than she had. "I've got things here."

Amelia hugged Ib tightly. "I'll be back with the others in no time."

"Hurry." Was all Ib said as Amelia darted out of the gazebo.

Luno was unable to dodge as the creature's talons aimed for his neck. Instead, he brought his broken hand up to try to block his neck. But the impact never came.

He looked up to where a fire-poker was sticking out of the howling creature's shoulder and reacted. He kicked it in its injured shoulder, squirmed out from under it, and dislodged the firepoker with his good arm. Luno turned to where Garry was ducking under Cycloptic Smile's arm, to trip her, which gave Soaru enough time to stab her in the shoulder.

Luno hurried over to the lantern and picked it up. He was useless in a real fight with his hand broken. If he could get the lantern to Amelia and Ib then all they had to worry about was Cycloptic Smile. The monster behind him couldn't move from the tree if there wasn't any light.

'Wait, I can put the fire out.' Luno's burns throbbed but he didn't hesitate and ran down the steps to get out of everyone's range. He opened the little iron door and stared inside at the burning candle. Taking a deep breath, Luno leaned in and blew the flame out.