Chapter 3

“How could that be? You couldn’t have better timing!” I waved excitedly at Zero, then craned my neck to peek behind him. “Where’s Jackson?”

It was actually Zero. I hadn’t expected to run into him again in a Asylum dungeon of all places.

My face felt a little warm. The last time he’d asked me something like that, back at Rose Manor, Jackson had been pressing me down on the bed.

“Missy still misses Jackson,” Zero said with a sigh that was far too casual. He smiled. “Jackson was too reckless on the way in. He stirred up a few little anomalies. He has to finish cleaning up before he can join us.”

Little anomalies.

That had to mean the three loose mental-patient anomalies wandering the halls.

I tried to ask more, but Zero had already switched topics.

“If you want to raise a pet, you should pick something docile,” he said. His gaze never once landed on the pet beside me. It stayed glued to my face. “Or I can train him for you.”

【Training the pet (×) Intimidating a rival (√)】

【He really pretended nothing happened and just stepped on Jackson’s neck for no reason.】

【We should totally award him with Oscars.】

【Zero: As long as I live, all of you are side pieces.】

Zero had barely finished speaking when Dominus exploded into action. His ears sharpened into beast ears, his body shifted, and he lunged at Zero.

As a certified romance-brain, I really wanted to suggest they take it to the dance studio and work it out there.

But before I could say a word, something tightened around my waist. My vision flipped. By the time I registered what happened, I was already pinned against a window.

Jackson pressed his face into my neck and licked slowly. “I missed you.”

My knees nearly gave out. I slid my fingers into his hair, gripping and loosening again as my chest tightened with every breath.

That flutter in my chest felt exactly the same as it had back at Rose Manor.

My lips were captured next. He gave me a gentle breath of air, and that finally snapped me out of the haze. I blinked back to reality just in time to hear Zero sigh softly.

“Missy still has not learned how to kiss.”

At some point he had finished fighting and was already standing beside us. He shot Jackson a disapproving look. “Jackson, you know she cannot handle you. Stop teasing her.”

“When did I tease her?” Jackson nipped at my earlobe and reluctantly straightened. He looked down at me with wounded pride, clearly waiting for my post-event commentary.

I chose survival and changed the topic.

“Where’s Dominus?”

Jackson blinked. “Who?”

Zero, however, understood immediately. He gave me a long, meaningful look. His voice was quiet. “He is gone.”

I nearly spat blood. “You killed him?”

Zero shook his head. “Rules.”

Players must follow the rules.

Anomalies must follow the rules too.

Zero and Jackson appearing here at all was a violation.

A violation demands a punishment.

Only now did I realize how wrong their appearances looked. Jackson’s blood-covered clothes were an unnatural crimson, and Zero’s complexion was ghost-white.

“You two…” My throat tightened for the first time. I wanted to ask why they would risk this. The words would not come out.

“I wanted to see you,” Zero whispered against my cheek. “Missy, I missed you very much.”

Jackson wrapped his arms around me from behind. The blood on his clothes stirred like something alive, but his voice held a lazy smile.

“Relax. We cannot die. Worst case, we just cannot come see you for a while. Annoying, honestly.”

He clicked his tongue softly.

“Good thing I left you a gift.”

With that final sentence, both Jackson and Zero disappeared.

I stood alone in the hallway of the psychiatric ward as the system’s emotionless electronic voice echoed through the air.