"Alex?" Magnus turned his girlfriend in his arms, shaking her shoulder gently. "Hey. Alex, come on. Wake up!"
Nothing. Her head lolled back, her breathing slow, even, and infuriatingly peaceful. He laid her down on the bed, fumbled his phone out of his pocket, and nearly dropped it before finally pulling up Sofia's contact.
She picked up after a few rings. "Magnus? Shouldn't you be shagging it up with my roommate right now? Why are you calling me? I specifically remember Alex chasing me out of my own room so you two could have the night al—"
"Sofia!" he cut in. "Alex is unconscious! The System did something."
The line went quiet for a heartbeat. When Sofia spoke again, the teasing had vanished from her voice. "What do you mean, 'did something'?"
"It announced a quest. There were conditions about blocking her memories or something. And then it just—there was a beam of light fired from my palm into her head, and she… she just collapsed." His voice cracked a little at the end. "Sofia, I can't wake her up and—"
"Magnus. Breathe! Is she breathing?"
"Yes." His eyes darted quickly to Alex. "Yeah, her chest is moving."
"Okay. Good. Pick her up and take her to the Student Health Center. The infirmary always keeps staff on duty for emergencies like this. I'll meet you there."
"Right. Yeah. I'm going."
He ended the call, slipped the phone into his pocket, and carefully slid his arms underneath Alex's shoulders and knees to lift her. She was warm. Her breathing seemed normal. And reflexively, her body molded itself to his, her head settling neatly against his shoulder while her arm relaxed across his chest.
Magnus blinked — stunned for half a second — then pulled her close, opened the door with his foot, and didn't stop moving until he reached the Student Health Center's infirmary.
The infirmary was nearly empty but way too bright at that hour, smelling of sharp disinfectant and stale coffee. A wall calendar hung above a supply cabinet, and in the far corner, behind a half-drawn curtain, someone slept beneath the steady drip of an IV.
The on-duty doctor had Alex settled on an examination bed within minutes, checking her pupils, pulse, and blood pressure while Magnus stood at the metal footboard, his knuckles white against the frame.
Sofia arrived with Emily and Dash in tow just as the doctor finished up.
"Physically, she's fine," the doctor reported, straightening up and nodding at them. "Vitals are normal, no head trauma, no signs of neurological distress. She likely fainted from exhaustion or sudden stress. She should wake up on her own soon." She checked her watch. "I'll be at the front desk if anything changes."
When she was out of earshot, Sofia tilted her head at Emily and Dash. "Hope you don't mind that I've notified them. Figured if the doctor finds anything… abnormal, they'll be the most equipped to deal with faculty and staff." She glanced at Alex on the bed, then grabbed Magnus's wrist and pulled him out to the hallway. "Let's talk outside so she can rest."
They sat Magnus down on the waiting bench outside; Dash sat down next to him; Emily leaned against the wall, folding her arms and looking toward the front desk; while Sofia leaned against the doorframe, angling herself so she could keep an eye on Alex on the bed and still participate in the conversation.
"Okay, tell us everything," Dash said finally, after checking one last time to make sure they were alone.
Magnus dragged a hand through his hair.
"The System announced the new monthly quest. It has to do with Alex," he said, gesturing vaguely at the screen only he could see. Then he read them the quest description, verbatim.
When he finished, nobody spoke for a moment. The silence stretched as they all worked through the implications of what he'd revealed.
"So, we've confirmed it," Dash finally said quietly, his tone grim. "The System can alter third parties through Hosts when it chooses to." He put a hand on Magnus's shoulder. "Though I am sorry that knowledge had to come at your expense."
"Yeah." Magnus swallowed. "Story of my life at this point."
"How does it work, though?" Emily asked. Her eyes stayed on him, sharp and analytical despite the situation. "Does she only forget about you specifically, or is her whole recent memory compromised?"
"I don't know," Magnus replied helplessly. "She fainted the moment the light hit her, then I took her here as soon as I could. I know as much as you do about that matter right now."
Sofia, who had been watching Alex, suddenly cleared her throat. "Guess we're about to find out. She's stirring."
Emily immediately pushed off the wall and walked over to Sofia. Dash stood up, exchanged a quick glance with his girlfriend, then put both hands on Magnus's shoulders.
"Stay out here for a minute and try to calm down," he said firmly but not unkindly. "Let us establish what she remembers first, then you can talk to her."
Magnus looked up at him, glanced at Sofia and Emily already pushing open the door, and back, then simply nodded.
The Student Council President squeezed his shoulders once, then let go and followed the girls into the infirmary, leaving Magnus alone in the hallway.
They weren't in there for long — maybe five to ten minutes only — but it was still long enough for Magnus to start spiraling. And then…
Footsteps. Quick and decisive and distinctively familiar.
"Chane!" Jordan's voice came loud and clear before he even looked up. "What the hell happened? Why are people saying you carried Reyes here looking like something horrible had happened? And why did Ramirez remove her from the group chats with that cryptic explanation?"
"Jordan, I—"
Before he could even get a full sentence out, the door opened. Sofia immediately turned to Emily and Dash as soon as she'd taken in the scene in front of her. "You two brief him."
Then she grabbed hold of Jordan's arm and practically hauled her away.
"Let go, Ramirez!" Jordan protested. "I want answers."
"And you'll get them." Sofia didn't let go. "But not here. Come on! I'll tell you everything. Just… give them a minute, would you?"
Jordan glanced back at Magnus one final time before Sofia managed to drag her away. Then, Dash and Emily approached him.
"Okay," Emily said. "The good news is that she remembers everything. Everything except you, that's the bad news."
"But she remembers everything else?"
"Yeah," Dash confirmed. "Recent events, her classes this term, who we are, and even the fact she agreed to join the Student Council."
"But nothing about you," Emily said apologetically. "Whatever your System did, it was very targeted and precise. It's like there's a Magnus-shaped hole in her memory." She paused, putting a hand on his arm. "…We tried to tell her about you—without any mention of the System, don't worry—but it didn't go well."
"Didn't go well?"
"She doesn't quite believe us." Dash cleared his throat. "It's… it's a lot. She's still processing everything."
"Can I—" He swallowed. "—see her?"
Emily studied him.
"Go ahead," she said after a moment. Then, as he reached for the knob, she added, "And Magnus? You're not going through this alone. We'll get through this… somehow."
He nodded, then pushed the door open and slipped inside.
Alex was sitting upright on the infirmary bed, phone in hand, scrolling through something. She looked up warily when he entered.
"Hi, you must be Magnus."
Her voice was carefully neutral, polite in the way someone might speak to a stranger whose name they had been told but whose face they hadn't quite placed. Magnus felt the air leave his lungs, as if he were suddenly transported back in time to the week when this all began, after he first got the System and Alex still didn't know he existed.
Except that felt like a lifetime ago — when things were simpler and neither of them had any meaningful expectations, impressions, or prior knowledge of each other — and it was way worse now.
"Sofia said we're supposed to be dating," Alex continued, setting her phone aside. "But I'm sorry, I can't remember who you are."
"I… it's okay," he managed, his voice barely working. "I'm just glad you're okay."
Her eyebrows furrowed for a long moment before she shook her head.
"Sofia showed me the forum threads and social media posts. I seemed to be happy in the photos." She studied him as she spoke, with the kind of gaze that made him feel like he was being judged for a crime he wasn't aware he had committed, and he had no idea what to do about that. "But there's one thing I simply cannot wrap my head around, and even Sofia was dodgy about it." She paused, her eyes locking onto him with laser focus. "It says on the forum that we've been… experimenting—having threesomes with different girls, almost every week. And I'm sorry, but I cannot understand why I would agree to that. I need you to explain that one to me."
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Swallowed hard. Opened it again. But still, no word came out.
She had asked the one thing he couldn't — none of them could — tell her. Because telling her would trigger a failure condition of the Special Monthly Quest. And aside from the obvious consequences of failure, like his own life being forfeited and Alex's memory staying blocked, he didn't want to risk whatever else the System could inflict upon them for violating its conditions.
Alex, of course, could understand none of this now, without her memories. So, she simply frowned at his hesitation.
"You, too, huh? No answer?" she said softly when the silence stretched. "Well, if you don't want to… you don't have to."
Desperate, Magnus looked around the room, searching for any words to salvage the situation — the steady IV drip of the patient in the corner ringing almost too loud in his ears. Instead, an ice-cold wave of déjà vu slammed into his chest as Alex cleared her throat and exhaled as if she'd made up her mind about something.
"Look, you're a great guy," she said, her voice calm and detached. "But I don't think we should see each other anymore. Whatever happened between us, I have no recollection of any of it. And it's in the past anyw—"
"Don't say things you'll regret, Reyes!"
The door swung open. Jordan and Sofia stumbled into the room as if they had been eavesdropping from the other side. Emily and Dash followed a few steps behind.
Both Magnus and Alex turned toward the four people spilling into the room.
"Jordan—?" Alex blinked.
Jordan's eyes darted between Alex and Magnus, her palms clenching into fists at her sides as if she were physically fighting her own instincts. For a moment, Magnus braced himself for the worst, whatever that might be.
To his surprise, her hands unclenched instead.
Then, she strode over, placed both hands firmly on his shoulders, and started pushing him toward the door. "Come on, Chane. We're not staying here listening to Reyes being stupid."
Sofia lingered in the doorway, giving Alex a long, pained look before following them out.
Alex watched them go for a moment, one of her eyebrows arching up in confusion.
Having stayed behind, Dash and Emily stepped up to the side of Alex's bed.
"I'm sure you must be overwhelmed," Dash said, clearing his throat, his tone gentle and diplomatic. "Waking up and suddenly having a boyfriend you don't remember, then finding out all these things that don't quite add up."
"And we're sorry to see you break up with him," Emily added softly. "You two looked good together. And for whatever it's worth, you were happy with him." She paused, letting that sink in before continuing. "But we have to inform you, you're going to see him around whether you like it or not, Alex. Because he's also joining the Student Council."
Dash gave a small, professional nod. "Even if it's awkward, please try to stay professional."