The silence of the room was heavy, the air still filled with the memory of the arena. Then, the door was open, and Sebastian walked in. He didn't look at the talking sword; he looked at me with a steady, clinical approval, though there was a hint of worry behind his glasses.
"The Queen was right," his voice was steady. "You actually pushed back."
"Pushed back against what?"
"The alternative," Sebastian replied softly. "Most people in your position would have simply... faded. Their forms would have come apart. But you've held onto your shape. You're paying your bill quite well, actually. Every minute you remain coherent is data the Queen can use to refine her treatment."
He paused, adjusting his glasses as he took in my exhausted state. "Rest now. Tomorrow, the Queen will be expecting you in the throne room. We will be having some... company. I believe you will be able to find your way."
The Next Morning
I woke up fully healed, but my brain felt worn out. I was physically fine—no pain, no damage—but mentally exhausted.
"You look like a masterpiece, bro," Saba's voice rang out from the nightstand. "Too bad your face still looks like you swallowed a lemon."
"Shut up, Saba. I need to get dressed," I muttered, forcing myself upright. "Miss Perfect won't like us being late."
When I finally made it to the throne room, I stopped dead. I'd seen luxury before, but Himeno's "throne" wasn't a chair; it was a massive, impossibly plush couch designed for maximum comfort. It looked like it was made of clouds
and expensive silk.
Must be nice, I thought, leaning against a nearby pillar. I'm fighting for my life and she's out here taking royal naps on a piece of furniture that costs more than a kingdom.
The peaceful vibe didn't last. The room stayed loud in the exact way a headache would design if it had creativity. Gira kept yelling like volume alone could rewrite reality. Yanma kept talking like silence was a personal insult. And I stood there wondering if exhaustion counted as a superpower yet.
In the center of the room sat a literal cargo crate transformed into a makeshift cage. Gira Hastie was trapped inside, gripping the bars with a maniacal, cartoonish scowl that made my headache pulse.
"I AM THE EVIL LORD GIRA!" he screamed, his voice echoing off the palace walls. "I SHALL WRAP THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD IN DARKNESS! PREPARE TO KNEEL BEFORE MY OPPRESSION! MUAHAHAHA!"
I winced, rubbing my temple. Why was he shouting?
"Listen, Queenie," a different, equally annoying voice cut through Gira's laughter. Yanma Gast was leaning against a console, trying to look "Top" while adjusting his jacket. He ignored the screaming boy in the cage and focused entirely on Himeno with a smirk he clearly thought was a weapon.
"This whole 'beauty' aesthetic? It's cute. Very high-end," Yanma said, stepping closer. "But it lacks that N'Kosopa soul. You let me overclock your palace mainframe, and I'll give you a light show that'll make your doctors go blind. What do you say? A little tech-collaboration... just between us?"
Himeno didn't even look at him. She was scrolling through a digital chart on her tablet, her eyes occasionally flicking toward me—the silent variable in the corner.
"Sebastian," she said calmly, ignoring Yanma's attempt at flirting. "BJ energy levels are spiking. Is he having a relapse?"
Sebastian, standing perfectly still, glanced over at me. I was currently staring at Gira with a look of pure, exhausted judgment.
"I believe he is simply irritated, Majesty," Sebastian whispered. "He finds the volume of the other 'Kings' to be... suboptimal."
"I didn't say anything," I finally muttered, eyes half-lidded. "Can I go back to sleep or is that against royal law too?"
Himeno's gaze finally lifted from the tablet. Calm. Measured. Annoyingly awake.
"You are late," she said.
I exhaled slowly. "Yeah. Life happened."
Gira slammed the cage bars again. "I AM THE EVIL LORD—"
"Please stop," I cut in without even looking at him.
Gira paused for half a second. Then he continued even louder. Yanma clicked his tongue, still leaning like he was in a photoshoot. "Ignoring the chaos? I respect it. Very 'main character energy' from you, Queenie's project over there."
Himeno didn't react to him. She didn't even grant him the dignity of annoyance.
"BJ," she said instead, her tone shifting just slightly sharper. "Walk forward."
That alone made the room feel smaller. Sebastian stepped aside without a word, like he already knew how this story was going to move. I dragged myself off the pillar. Each step felt like my brain was walking half a second behind my body, trying to catch up out of pure spite.
"Whatever this is," I muttered, "make it quick."
And for the first time since I entered the room, Himeno's expression changed—just a fraction. Not warmth. Not softness. Something closer to interest.
She stepped down from the platform, slow and deliberate, like the room moved around her instead of the other way around. Up close, the difference was worse. Not intimidating—precise. Her eyes didn't just look at me; they measured, weighed, and decided what I was worth in real time.
"You stabilized faster than expected," she said, almost to herself. "No visible degradation. No structural drift."
"Cool," I muttered. "Happy for me."
She ignored that. "Extend your hand."
I stared at her for a second. "...You're not going to explain?"
"No."
Fair enough. I raised my hand anyway. Bad decisions were basically my brand at this point. She reached out and placed two fingers lightly against my wrist. For a second, nothing happened. Then—a sharp pulse. Not pain. Worse. It felt like something looking back from inside me.
I flinched, my shoulders tightening before I could stop it.
"Relax," Himeno said calmly. "You're distorting the readings."
"I'm not doing that on purpose."
"Intent is irrelevant."
Behind me, Yanma let out a low whistle. "Yo... that's wild. He's actually holding it together."
Gira slammed the bars again. "UNHAND HIM, TYRANT QUEEN! ONLY I—"
"Silence," Himeno said. Not loud. Not forceful. Just absolute.
Gira stopped. Not dramatically—just stopped. Even I felt that one. Himeno's fingers lifted from my wrist.
"Interesting," she murmured.
That word again. Not good. Never good. I dropped my hand, flexing my fingers like that would shake the feeling off. It didn't.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
She looked at me properly this time. Not like a subject, not like a tool, but like a problem she hadn't solved yet.
"It means," she said, "you're not breaking. But you're not stable either."
I let out a dry breath, rubbing the back of my neck. "So I'm not dying," I said. "But I'm also not… not dying."
Himeno tilted her head slightly. "If that phrasing comforts you, you may keep it."
Great. I'm being medically evaluated by sarcasm in a dress.
Yanma pushed himself off the console, finally taking a proper step closer. "Nah, that's actually crazy. You're running unstable energy and still standing? You should've crashed by now."
"Good to know I'm disappointing expectations everywhere," I muttered.
Saba's voice chimed in from my side, way too cheerful for the situation. "I told you he's built different. Man's running on vibes and bad decisions."
"Shut up, Saba."
Gira rattled the cage again, because peace is illegal apparently.
"HE IS CLEARLY A MINION OF DARKNESS! RELEASE ME AND I SHALL DEAL WITH HIM MYSELF!"
I didn't even look at him. "You're in a box."
"THIS BOX CANNOT CONTAIN MY TYRANNY—"
"It's containing it pretty well."
Yanma snorted. Himeno ignored all of us again, already thinking five steps ahead like the rest of us were background noise.
"Sebastian."
"Yes, Majesty."
"Prepare the next phase."
Of course there's a next phase. I frowned. "Hold on. 'Next phase' sounds like something I should be concerned about."
"You should be," Himeno said plainly.
"What does it involve?" I asked.
She met my eyes again, calm as ever. "Stress."
I blinked. "That's it? Just… stress?"
"Yes."
"That's not an explanation."
"It is sufficient."
Sebastian stepped forward, already moving like everything had been planned hours ago. "The Queen wishes to observe how long you can maintain coherence under external pressure," he explained smoothly. "Your current state is… promising. But untested."
"Tested how?" I asked.
There was a small pause. Then—the cage door clicked open.
I turned my head slowly. Gira froze mid-rant, eyes lighting up like someone just handed him a script and a spotlight.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
Himeno's voice came, calm and final.
"Survive."