Alicia clapped once, and a red path lit the black iron tube in the goat‑headed brute’s chest like a firefly trail. The four chains loosened like clever snakes slipping free. The hulking body thudded to the ground like a fallen boulder after rain.

ROAR!!!

Pain hit like a hot brand, and the goat‑head bellowed, a muffled storm under stone. Its eyes snapped open like shutters in a squall. They burned red, like coals fanned to life.

Red eyes, huh… gone berserk… what a headache… The thought sighed through her like wind over cold reeds, the helplessness tucked away like rain behind paper screens.

Alicia kept Demonblade in one hand like a moon-slice of shadow. Her other arm cradled Ling like a sparrow in the sleeve. She wouldn’t let a rampaging hoof find the girl like a careless avalanche.

Well then… I’ll try not to hurt you, she murmured, voice soft as bamboo wind. After all, this isn’t your choice, like a river forced by floodgates.

—— Ling’s Dreamline ——

Where… is this? The question rose first like mist off a lake, then her body followed, pushing up from the ground like a sprout through ash.

She kneaded her temples like dough, then blinked at the blank space around her, a sky-wide sheet of untouched rice paper.

Oh? Little one, did you come to play the game too? The voice drifted from behind like a leaf on a slow current.

She turned. An old man with sparse white hair stood there like winter reeds by a pond. His smile sat on his withered face like warm tea in a cracked cup, gentle without looking strange.

What game? Her words were a pebble dropped into still water, ripples small and wary.

Hide‑and‑seek, he sang, light as a kite tugging thread.

…What the heck? The protest bubbled up like steam from a kettle. I came all the way here to play hide‑and‑seek? How childish, like chalk on a shrine stone.

The elder ignored her misgivings like rain ignoring an umbrella. He barreled on, certain as sunrise, explaining with the calm of a monk counting beads.

That’s right, hide‑and‑seek. If you’re it, you win by catching someone—touch with your hand, like tapping a lantern. If you’re hiding, just don’t get caught, like a fish under lily pads. Simple, right?

Uh… I get— Her reply stumbled like a foot on wet steps.

Ah! I forgot to introduce myself, he said, clapping lightly like a palm over a drum. I look old, but just call me Einstein. You’ll take my place in the game, like a stand‑in under the stage lantern.

Hey! Wait! The protest flew after him like a thrown fan, then vanished as a cold, mechanical female voice rolled from above like iron rain.

The 1,551st game will begin shortly. Contestants, do not move inside the circle of light…

A circle of light dropped over Ling like a halo cast by a well. She bolted to run out, instincts sparking like startled sparrows. The loading bar jerked from 1% to 100% like a guillotine rope snapping.

She shot Einstein a glare sharp as frost, anger and displeasure twinned like twin knives. In his eyes she caught the glint of mischief, bright as a fox’s lantern after a successful prank.

—— Girl in Transit ——

…

Ling looked around at crowns of white hair, clouds gathered on human heads. She didn’t want to admit it, but her hunch hit like a drumbeat. She was about to play hide‑and‑seek with a circle of elders.

Oh my, oh my, why didn’t Einstein come? A man who clearly knew him well tossed the question like a shuttle across a loom.

What could she say? Admit she’d been tricked like a kitten in a sack? That would make her look foolish, like slipping on her own doorstep.

Uh… Mr. Einstein isn’t here right now. Please leave a message after the beep. Beep. Her voice rang flat as a tin bell, playing at a busy signal like a child’s game of phone.

…Well, fine. Since he isn’t here, you can play with us, the man said, words patting her shoulder like a too‑familiar hand. Let’s pick who’s it!

The others nodded like reeds nodding to the wind. They closed in, a friendly corral like sheep around salt. The man’s hand pushed her forward, a soft shove like a tide on ankles.

Alright, palms or backs! he called, and hands came up like a flock of white gulls flipping in unison.

This was pure luck, a coin tossed into a wishing well. Ling shut her eyes and turned her palm up like a begging bowl. No way I’m the only one… right?

She opened them. A field of hand backs faced the sky like dark leaves. Only her palm shone upward like a lone lily.

Alright then, looks like the new little girl is it. His tone had that smackable tilt, like a drum begging for a stick.

Don’t take it to heart. We’re not here just to win, he added, voice smoothing over like oil on water. Turn around, cover your eyes, and count to a hundred. Then you can start catching. When you tag someone, say their name, like a bell naming the hour. I’ll introduce everyone properly after.

Don’t bully elders, she reminded herself, swallowing heat like tea that’s too hot. She stuffed the urge to sock that tone into a drawer like a folded fan. She memorized the names, turned her back like a gate closing, and got ready to play. First target: him. Then, when the game ends, I’m gone like smoke. I’m never touching this again.

One… two… three… four… five… The count fell like beads through her fingers. Midway, she froze, a kink in the stream. Only now did the obvious bite like winter air.

This space was blank as a monk’s mind. No houses, no rocks, not even a bump to hide a shadow. Where could they possibly hide, like birds with no branches?

She let the question drift like ash. No need to solve what tilts in her favor like a tilted board. She had one goal, clear as moonlight in a basin: that smug voice from the introductions. What was his name again?

Right. The name hovering above his head glowed like a neon tag: Volt.