The participants gathered together, crowding around the untranslated hieroglyphs as if collective confusion could produce a translation.
"Aragi, why are you frozen?" Hov called from behind. "We're about to break into the library. Though we haven't figured out how yet."
"The door is too big," Kamiki emphasized. "We won't budge it. It's made like from the hardest metal, we can't break through."
Frankly, options were dwindling with every glance at that door.
Now I finally realized: this wasn't a dream at all.
This was reality. The kind where you suffer defeat even when you were supposed to be the protector. Even when you had to outplay the mistress of this game herself.
I still feel that pain, and not metaphorically. It's as if it still pierces my body.
Are we really back on the second day? Everything felt familiar, like a poorly washed déjà vu.
No mistake possible. I lost to her... in that first night. Gerudo's murder. I couldn't prove Enua's alibi. Though... did I even have a chance? She was playing on her home field.
She revived the victim, and it, returning from the world of the dead, refuted my arguments. As if the game itself rejected my rules. Could it be... that Enua really was the killer?
No. I'll never believe that. Especially when my enemy is the witch. Ones like her have always been... too cunning by nature to just tell the truth.
And then a thought came to mind. Too simple to be false. Too true to be convenient.
The witch spoke through the victim. To deceive, to checkmate. She knew she couldn't refute my words otherwise. And so... she revived the victim. Made it a witness and forced it to say what she needed.
My thoughts cut off abruptly, as if someone hit pause. Someone being Hov. His hand landed on my shoulder.
"You okay? We called you a few times, but you were like... drowning in thoughts."
"Sorry, seems that's exactly it," I exhaled. "I didn't hear you."
"Were your thoughts about how to open the door?"
"Exactly that. Though, judging by the silence, you're out of ideas too."
Yahweh was stubbornly ramming the door with enviable persistence, as if brute force could solve even one logical puzzle.
"Mister Aragi, are you alright?" Morgana turned to me. "You looked... worried."
"And you noticed... Don't worry, I'm fine. I was just... flying in thoughts, but they vanished as soon as I saw a beautiful maiden beside me."
The girl, unaccustomed to such casual flirting, immediately blushed and hastily turned away.
"We have the key," Yahweh spoke up. "But according to Cheryl, there's a spell on the door. It won't let us open it."
"What do we do?" Kamiki asked. "At this rate, we'll never find out what these lines mean."
"I'll try to open it," a voice came from behind.
Voices fell silent. Everyone turned to Cheryl.
"Ahem... we get that you want to help..." Yahweh mumbled. "But you're weaker than all of us, no offense."
"Shut up, Yahweh," Hov threw coldly. "Fine, no other ways anyway. Try."
Last time, Yahweh opened the door. Apparently, the script changes depending on our actions. Though... for some reason, I wasn't even surprised when Cheryl opened it as if it wasn't a puzzle at all.
"Aha-hah..." restrained laughter rang out. "Did you see your face, Yahweh? Turns out you're weaker than a kid whose build is several times smaller than yours!"
"Stop it, I admit. I was wrong."
"Come in already," Cheryl tossed. "We don't have much time, it'll get dark soon."