Unknown Location, Unknown Time.

Fire, ashes, and smoke engulf the senses, obscuring vision and choking breath. Collapsed buildings and flickering holograms that once played advertisements now cast eerie, distorted light over overturned cars littering the streets. A person hovers between consciousness and unconsciousness, teetering on the edge of oblivion, yet held back by distant, echoing voices. The voices are indistinct, their meaning barely discernible.

“Remy! Help me get her into our car!” a woman urgently commands.

“Okay! We have to hurry… Oh god, that looks bad. Will she be okay?” replies a man, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

“I’ve patched her as best I could. She has no internal bleeding, just a fractured arm and ribs, and an old concussion that’s keeping her unconscious. We need to get her to a hospital,” the woman states firmly.

“Where and how are we going to take her to a hospital, Ramona? The whole city is in chaos and under quarantine. The hospital might be overrun with THOSE things! I say we leave her and find a way out of this city!” Remy’s voice rises in panic and frustration.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do! She’s our best chance to get out of here. Look at her badge, Remy. It’s a NIX Administrator insignia! She can guarantee our escape, but not in her current condition. Think, Remy!” Ramona counters, her reasoning cutting through his panic.

Their argument is abruptly interrupted when a man appears out of nowhere. “Excuse me, do you need a doctor?” Bartholomew interjects into their predicament. As he looks down at the injured person, he utters a single word before the world goes dark: “Eva?”

***

Alice gazes at the giant art poster displayed outside the building at the rendezvous area. The title above its frame reads, “Gazing into Tomorrow by Gerald Morgan, the greatest masterpiece of the century!” The artwork depicts people looking out at stars, nebulae, and planets.

“What are you thinking, Alice?” Schrödinger asks, matching her contemplative expression.

“The colours are vibrant yet chaotic, desperately trying to evoke emotions from the viewers’ subconscious,” Alice explains monotonously. “The people in the painting are supposed to display curiosity as they look at the stars, but instead, they show nothing—neither pride nor wonder. They pose themselves like they were celebrities, copied and pasted from fashion magazines.”

Schrödinger remains silent, tilting his head pensively as he listens to her critique.

Alice sighs. “My world(s), what has it come to.” She walks away from the art with faint disappointment. “Let’s hope the artist simply lacks imagination or emotion, not the other way around. Otherwise, it would be a pain to solve.”

Her sarcasm is dark because she knows the latter part is likely true. Schrödinger looks back at the art one final time before following her as she climbs a mountain of building rubble, peering into the distance.

“Why is Bartholomew taking so long?” Alice thought, staring into the distance, her agitation and impatience building. With nothing else to occupy her time, she decided to entertain herself with various coin tricks. She effortlessly flipped a coin into the air with her thumb, skilfully catching it in her hand. She then smoothly rolled the coin across her knuckles from one hand to the other, her eyes still fixed on the distance, looking out for Bartholomew. With deft, fluid motions, Alice executed an impressive sleight of hand, flipping the coin behind her hand and seamlessly bringing it back around to catch it. Performing a thumbs-up palm spin, she let the coin spin rapidly around her thumb before catching it again. With a flick of her wrist, she flipped the coin back and forth, finally catching it between her fingers.

“Where did you learn to do that? I don't remember you being so skilful. You used to be so clumsy, scribbling sloppily and carelessly in your writing,” Schrödinger inquired, harshly judging her character.

“Always expect the unexpected, Schrödinger. Maybe you overlooked how 'cool' I am when we first met,” Alice retorted wittily, her spunky attitude undeterred by his cutting words. Schrödinger’s eyes hardened, a monstrous and infernal aura erupting around him. The tension rose, but Alice faintly smiled without a hint of fear, feeling as though the moment lasted an eternity before she rolled her eyes.

“Fine! I was taught how to do it, not ‘me,’ but ‘me’! Okie dokie?” Hearing her answer, Schrödinger reverted to his normal self, his eyes big, googly, and sparkling. He hummed, “Oh! I already knew that. I just wanted to hear you admit what a ‘lame’ cheater you are.” He laughed, and Alice remained unimpressed.

“Sorry, you can't get rid of my adorable eyes right now, unless... you rocket me out of your sight,” Schrödinger grinned wider than before. Alice stared at him intensely, and in the blink of an eye, Schrödinger was propelled backward, his body hitting the destroyed buildings behind him.

“I knew she would do that!” Schrödinger thought gleefully, predicting her move. Unfortunately for Alice, who hoped to rid herself of Schrödinger’s eyes, they remained in mid-air, cartoonishly elastic, pulling Schrödinger back to his original spot. He wasn’t expecting her to be smirking, using her fingers to form a rectangle, looking through it with one eye.

He watched as she tried to close the gap between her fingers, causing reality to crack like an image on fabric, manifesting a thin square shape like a polaroid picture. Alice looked at the content and burst into laughter.

Schrödinger stormed toward Alice and snatched the picture from her hand. It depicted him being pulled back, his body dragged by his elongated eyes. Schrödinger didn’t feel angry but puzzled. He looked at Alice, who was gazing upward.

Above them, a labyrinthine cityscape glowed faintly in the darkness, enveloped by nightfall and an approaching thunderstorm. The cities illuminated the sky like distant stars seen from a space station. In stark contrast, the world they stood in was bathed in the late afternoon sun, which hung at a 45-degree angle above the horizon.

It was clear that the world they inhabited and the world above were reflections of each other, like a two-way mirror. Both realms rotated and moved in synchrony with time.

“I don’t understand,” Schrödinger said, still holding the picture. Normal people would consider it ridiculous or demeaning, but to Alice, “It’s our first time outside since we got trapped in the box. We should capture beautiful and bright moments in this dull and dark place while they last,” Alice explained, gazing upward. She framed her fingers in a camera style, and then squeezed her left eye shut, repeated the process from moments prior. She then finished, “Because I want it to last.”

Another picture manifested and floated to Schrödinger. He grabbed it, seeing cities shifting and luminescence pulsing as if it was alive; it was breathtaking. After a moment of contemplation, he tucked the pictures into his incorporeal body for safekeeping and joined Alice in her stupor. Suddenly, they jolted alert at the appearance of an unknown presence a few feet away. A hooded figure stood there, the upper half of their face obscured, the lower half covered by a black mechanical mask with neon red, serpentine-like lips.

Alice's posture was relaxed, seemingly unbothered by the newcomer's unexpected arrival, but the soles of her shoes were dug into the ground, ready to sprint. "I'm surprised I didn't sense them sooner. How did they do that?" Alice communicated with Schrödinger via her mind.

"The NIX likely developed weapons to neutralize you if you escaped from Athena’s Cube. Remember, they can only see you; I am invisible to them," Schrödinger replied, his gaze fixed on the stranger, whose taunting smile dared Alice to make a move. Every choice she made now was crucial for her survival.

"Before they find out who you are and what you can do, I suggest you eliminate them right here and right—" Schrödinger began, but Alice interrupted, "No... I sense they are very dangerous. There's only one option left." Her fight-or-flight response kicked in, and she dashed away with all her might in opposite direction, shouting a single word at the stranger: "CREEPY!"

Alice was aware the stranger was chasing her, rapidly gaining ground. She sprinted toward the edge and, with a stroke of luck, spotted a skateboard lying on the ground, likely belonging to an art student. Snatching it up mid-sprint, she leapt over the edge and used the skateboard to slide down a slanted building, veering left and right to evade the stranger's grasp.

Seeing a large hole ahead, her eyes glinted with sudden awareness. She performed a 360-degree backflip, using the skateboard to hit the stranger's head face-first on the building wall, and propel herself through the hole. Inside, she dodged obstacles—thrown desks, papers, furniture, and equipment—while crashing through broken doors. Creatures awakened by the commotion began chasing her, intent on making her their next meal. Alice, unfazed but annoyed by her "stalkers," spotted long steel rods used in construction along her path. Kneeling, she grabbed one.

The stranger, now running on all fours, twisted, smashed, and hurled creatures down the corridor, attempting to knock Alice off her skateboard. She dodged their attacks effortlessly, her speed undiminished but her agitation growing. Using the steel rod, she pole-vaulted and spun 180 degrees, catapulting herself toward a window. She shattered the glass with her skateboard, stepping on the edge, and landed on a slanted building in reverse. Steering her skateboard unnaturally without looking back, she watched the stranger continue to close in despite many setbacks.

Turning her head to the right, her eyes scanned the surroundings, zooming in on an SUV about five city blocks away. Inside, Bartholomew was patching up a woman beside him as the SUV headed toward a junction leading to Alice's location. She glanced back at her pursuer, now mere steps away, and narrowed her eyes tediously at the situation.

Alice retrieved an SDN Equipment prototype from her pocket, pressed a few buttons, and tossed the badge behind her. As the pursuer leaped off the building, claws outstretched, Alice said, "Better luck next time, Creepy," and glitched out of reality in the blink of an eye. The pursuer landed and slid to a halt, staring at the beeping SDN badge before it exploded point-blank. The building collapsed, sucked into the explosion, and dissipated moments later.

***

The city's map remained the same, yet some roads now zigzagged and curved like vines, forming into bridges. Eva had awakened from unconsciousness caused by her previous concussion and physical fatigue. Bart had finished diagnosing her and delivered the results. "I've concluded that you are unfit for any physical combat duties for about a week. Even with the help of Medibots Regeneration Bandage, you've overexerted yourself. Your body needs rest to adjust with time," Bart advised. This upset Eva, but she accepted it nonetheless.

"So, you both are NIX Administrators?" Ramona interjected.

"Yes, we are. I am the Administrator of the Medical Sector, and Eva is the Administrator of Intelligence," Bart replied.

"Sweet! We hit the jackpot!" Remy thought gleefully.

"How many Administrators does NIX have?" Ramona continued.

"There are seven Administrators: Research, Medical, Security, Intelligence, Military, Treasury, and Administration," Bart answered.

"Administration?" Ramona asked, confused.

"The Administrator who oversees all the other Administrators," Bart explained.

The occupants in Remy’s SUV were alerted by a sudden explosion at the building where Bart had told them to pick up his friend. Ignoring Ramona's question, Eva opened her Aether Gizmo, a holographic device shaped like a swirling atom, capable of research, communication, maps, and more. Eva tried to contact Tetsuo, Lucy, Newt, and, most importantly, Sasha.

"Woah!" Ramona exclaimed, her expression showing awe.

Remy glanced back at the back seat. "HOLY SH!T! WHAT IS THAT?"

Eva flinched at his screaming, breaking her concentration. Instead of reprimanding him, she shouted, "WATCH OUT!"

Remy turned his eyes back to the road and saw a woman suddenly standing in the middle of the street, her eyes filled with disappointment. Before Remy could hit the brakes, the SUV, travelling at 78 mph, was about 0.5 millimetres away from making her a roadkill. Then a phenomenon occurred: the woman was now sitting in the driver's seat, and Remy was in the passenger seat. Everyone was stunned by her sudden appearance inside the SUV, but Bart snapped out of the trance. "ALICE!" he exclaimed, hyperventilating after nearly seeing her get killed.

Alice shrugged and, without explaining her unearthly appearance, softly said, "Yo, it seems I scared you. Sorry." She then steered the SUV away from Bart’s rendezvous location.

"That was a close call," Schrödinger communicated mentally, disapproving of Alice's recklessness. "Escaping from the likely NIX assassin, daredevil skateboarding down the building, nearly eaten by the Voids, almost caught by the same assassin, and then nearly becoming over run raccoon. I admit you're different from last time but still as clumsy as ever. You nearly gave me a non-existent heart attack."

Alice side-eyed him in the driver's window reflection, her poker face barely concealing a slight upward turn at the corner of her lip. Schrödinger knew he had made her bubbling with amusement, even if she wouldn't show it fully. Then he faded away.

"Your heart is intangible," Alice corrected Schrödinger in her thoughts.

"Um, did you encounter some problem at the rendezvous point?" Bart asked nervously.

"Oh yes, I did. An ‘admirer’ who will be the bane of my existence, and hungry ‘paparazzi’ who greed for pieces of content from me. Don’t worry, there’s nothing I couldn’t handle," Alice reassured Bart.

"But how the hell did you get in our car and switch seats with Remy?" Ramona asked the question everyone wanted to ask.

"Hmmm. A magician never reveals their secrets, but I'll give you a hint:

‘I vanish in an instant, yet time bends to my will,

In a blink, I travel far, though I seem to stand still.

I’m here and I’m there, in a moment I’m gone,

Yet never in two places, but always moving on.

You’ll find me in a heartbeat, yet search all your days,

I’m the master of travel, yet trapped in a maze.

What am I?’

Alice answered cryptically, letting everyone ponder her riddle.

"Oh, come on! You're saying you teleported into my car and teleported me out of the driver's seat? That makes sense, but it's impossible! It makes you sound like one of those freaks," Remy rudely replied.

Alice glared daggers at him, making him gulp. He felt the need to apologize or risk her wrath. "Your answer is correct, but it's not entirely impossible," Alice said, turning her attention back to the road.

"Remy, you're right! There's technology capable of moving long distances without moving at all! Why didn't I think of that sooner? Alice, you used the SDN Equipment, didn't you? But how did you change Remy's location?" Bart exclaimed, piecing the puzzle together. Eva brainstormed furiously until a light bulb in her head went on, immediately understanding Bart's implication, while Remy and Ramona looked lost.

"You are correct, Bart. I used the SDN Equipment you brought. It turns out it isn’t a simple prototype; it can change not just your location but also others'. However, I can use it only once. The SDN Equipment disintegrated after that stunt I pulled," Alice revealed.

"What is SDN Equipment?" Ramona asked, looking at the others.

Eva typed on her Aether Gizmo and displayed what SDN Equipment was. Remy and Ramona were stunned, unable to believe what they saw as Alice continued driving aimlessly.

"The SDN Equipment I chose was faulty. The one I gave you is operational. It didn’t take an engineer to know that it was broken. Luckily, instead of hypothetically killing me, it was useful at least—not that you need all the details, Bart," Alice thought internally. She heard Schrödinger chuckle.

"No wonder you switched Bart’s with yours. How thoughtful," his voice rumbled in her head.

"I was just being careful," Alice mentally replied.

"What do you mean 'those freaks,' and why did you say that to Alice, Remy?" Eva cut Alice off from her thoughts.

"Oh, there have been sightings of entities doing something ‘supernatural.’ At first, it was just a conspiracy theory. Then, eight hours ago, entities began attacking and spreading around the world. So here we are—the entire New York City is in lockdown, and we're trying to keep safe and maybe find some survivors along the way. As for Alice, her eyes creep me out. Don’t get me wrong, but they're so beautiful, like ‘alien’ beautiful."

Alice raised an eyebrow and gave Remy a look that said, "Are you serious?" She took a deep breath as Schrödinger laughed uncontrollably. She closed her eyes, then reopened them, facing Remy with big, sparkling eyes that mirrored Schrödinger’s earlier on the building.

"Remy, I assure you, my eyes sparkle with stars just like innocent cute girls haves in an anime," Alice said in a girlish voice, though Remy heard them as mocking.

"Ahhhh… Nope! You look and sound like Sailor Moon is a man-eater," Remy stated firmly. Shockingly, Alice wasn’t offended. Instead, she became icy cold and replied, "Good."

Her answer terrified Remy. He wished he could switch seats with the backseat passengers, but the three of them burst out laughing, making Remy frown. He then pulled out a 14.6-inch tablet from his backpack and searched on it. Eva and Bart were confused by what Remy was holding. He placed it at the centre for all the passengers to see and pressed play. They saw a video showing nightmarish entities appearing over New York—some as tall as buildings, others the size of small children—attacking everyone with brutal force or unexplainable methods. The video cut short and ended.

Eva murmured, "Voids."

"You guys know what they are?" Ramona inquired.

"Yes, my job is to regulate or exterminate them," Eva answered.

"Well, you guys did a splendid job with that," Remy said, his words intended as condemnation, not praise. Eva knew it. They had failed, and the world was now in irreversible chaos. Alice remained nonchalant but broke the tension with a question.

"I want you all to answer me at the same time: what year is it?"

They were all caught off guard. "Excuse me?" Ramona was flabbergasted.

"You heard me," Alice insisted.

They all sighed. Bart just shrugged when they looked at him for guidance. They gave their answers simultaneously.

"2023," Remy and Ramona answered.

"2203," Bart and Eva answered.

They looked at each other, confused.

"Absolutely not! Today is February 13th, 2023. You both just switched two middle numbers," Ramona said sceptically, referring to Remy and herself.

"Actually, today is October 31st, 2203. Just like you said, you both switched two middle numbers," Bart argued peacefully. Eva's head spun but suddenly stopped when Alice laughed for the first time since they'd met her.