what happened after unlocked

chapter thirty-two ~ the mind break

The world slowly came into view one object at a time.

First it was the bed Sophie was lying in.

Then it was the stark white walls surrounding her on all sides.

Then it was the tray across from her, supporting way too many potions and elixirs.

Then it was the dark-haired, round-spectacled elf nearby, bustling through the room, carrying a jar of what looked suspiciously like alicorn feces.

And then Sophie's gaze went to the blonde-haired boy in the bed next to her, skin blotched by bruises and scrapes. He had an unhealthy grey pallor and a sweaty sheen to his skin, and his hair was stuck to his forehead. His breaths were rushed and sounded desperate, and Sophie could barely remember his name...and then it came to her.

She sat straight up and screamed.

"You're awake! Thank god."

The dark-haired elf rushed back into the room, shoved two bottles of slightly pink water into her hands, and snapped his fingers, causing a golden orb to flash over Sophie's head.

Her head snapped up and in all her paranoia, she inched away from the light, wincing as a migraine formed.

"You're, Sophie. You're okay."

Sophie.

That was her name.

And the dark-haired elf...his name was Elwin.

And next to her was Keefe.

And Keefe...Keefe had sacrificed his own safety for something...helped her to finish something...helped to fix a problem that involved an incredibly evil woman...

Sophie didn't even need to think twice to remember Lady Gisela's name...and her cruel intentions.

"Elwin..." she gasped, not caring about how sore her throat was, how much her head hurt, and how much she wished she could just fall asleep again, "What...happened? Did...are Wynn and Luna alive? Is Lady Gisela alive? Are my friends alive? Is Tam alive? Is Alvar alive? Is Keefe alive?"

"Yes, yes, yes..." Elwin hesitated. "Who told you about Alvar?"

"So he is dead!" Sophie yelled. "And Lady Gisela killed him!"

Elwin gave a shaky laugh. "No, she didn't do it. I've been at this house for weeks, without going anywhere else and getting Kesler to run errands for me...and no-one came to this house since then."

"But...but she said she paid this house a visit!" Sophie said, her voice squeakier than she'd meant it to sound. "She must have done it! Keefe didn't kill him! He only hurt him!"

"And...I'm afraid that resulted in Alvar's untimely demise." Elwin shook his head sadly. "I remember when he was only in Level Seven, and I used to attend to his injuries he got doing Elementism...he was such a nice person...well, apart for the fact that he had at least three girlfriends and none of them knew he was dating the others...but apart from that, he was such a nice boy...ruined by his own brother and sister."

Sophie took several deep breaths in and out. After Elwin's first sentence, she'd almost tuned out everything else he said.

Keefe really had killed Alvar.

But how?

Alvar wasn't in such a bad condition that one last blow could take him out...right?

She shook her head, as if telling herself Elwin was wrong would solve the problem.