"Melody."
She didn't respond. Her breathing was slow and even, her body turned slightly towards him, one hand resting near her face on the pillow.
"Melody." He put his hand on her shoulder and shook.
She stirred, blinking.
"W-What? Uh?" She raised herself up on one elbow, squinting at him.
The moment she registered the serious expression on his face, the sleep left her eyes entirely. She sat up straight. "What happened?"
"I got a new quest," he said. "And it's… bad."
"How bad?"
"I have to advance to C-rank within twenty-four hours." He paused. "Or to be more precise, twenty-three hours and fifty-eight minutes."
He could see the timer at the edge of his vision, already counting down the seconds.
"And if I fail… I lose all my stats."
Melody was quiet for a moment. She looked at him, then at the dark window, then back at him. She reached out and placed both hands on his face, her palms cool against his cheeks.
