Sanity.

*Sniff*

A noise in the silence.

Mei buried her head in her pillow. Her apartment was completely dark - she had turned off all the lights.

Pete and his friends had had left her at her apartment. They didn't wish to interfere with her sorrows.

Mei let out a wail. Those three only reminded her of Asher more. He was friends with them.

She checked her phone again. No response, but that was expected. Because he was dead. The image of his stiff body, brutally gored and mutilated, convinced her so.

Her last hope began to waver. Her last hope that he could possibly be alive.

"Mmghh..." Shutting her eyes again, she bit down on her pillow.

Mei's mind wandered to Sophie, who loved Asher despite his amnesia. The way she talked about him longingly was so bittersweet.

Now, in hindsight, only its bitterness was left.

Now he was dead, with no chance for him to understand Sophie's feelings.

Her mood dropped even further.

Her arm hung listlessly off the side of the bed, and the strength to lift it quickly drained from her body.

But her soul had strengthened past Bell's death. These two successive losses, these two gashes in her soul, weren't enough to...

Ah, who was she kidding.

She had no reason to live anymore.

"Sophie... I don't want to tell her what happened." Though, maybe the inquisitive little girl would find out on her own.

She didn't want to be alive when that happened.

The bed creaked as she stumbled up.

*Ping!*

Her gaze creaked to her phone. That couldn't be... a notification from Asher?

"I'm alright, Mei. See you soon."

She pinched herself on the arm, hard enough to tear flesh. Alright? How could he be alright?

Was someone else using his phone to text her, raising her hopes up in a sick, twisted game?

A twisted game, someone impersonating her own son for sick pleasure.

But strangely enough, the rope didn't beckon her anymore.

"Okay, dear. Come home safe!"

She cried, ramming her skull into the bedpost. It was all a fake, and she knew it. But she couldn't bear to respond otherwise.

Wait for the veil to fall, for the illusion to break.

A single match of hope lit inside her soul.

She drew a shuddering breath, falling back onto the bed.

...

Something like an hour had passed.

Mei had curled into a ball and was currently stashed in a darker corner of the room, beside the doorway. The bed was too soft for her.

She almost felt alright when she laid on it.

The floor was much better; it made her more uncomfortable.

She looked at her phone. The impostor's texts had been keeping her sanity for a while, as part of her brain hung onto that last vestige of hope.

*Rattle*

Her breath froze as the doorlock in the kitchen rattled. Even with her guilt and sorrow, she still had an ounce of survival instinct engrained in her.

Mei sat perfectly still, hoping for the noise to end.

*Click*

The door opened instead. Someone entered her apartment.

The light in the kitchen clicked on. Indiscernible chatter, from a boy and a girl respectively, came from the kitchen.

Mei's phone vibrated, having been put on silent mode only seconds prior.

It was fake Asher again.

"I'm home, Mei. Where are you right now?"

She stiffened, her mind leapt to all sorts of conclusions.

But they all led to one thing. Whoever was playing that sick joke on her... this wasn't a joke anymore.

Who had she made enemies with over the years?

She couldn't think of any off the top of her head.

The chatter neared the bedroom.

The lights clicked on one by one.

A familiar girl's voice rang out.

"She's not here. Why didn't you ask where she was first?" It was Sophie's unmistakable monotone.

Why was Sophie here?

"I dunno, just never thought to. Can you ask on yours?"

ASHER!

"ASHER!"

Mei attempted to leap to her feet, stumbling to the ground as she felt thousands of phantom needles pierce her legs.

Her breath was forced out into a squeaky yelp as she landed on her stomach.

"Mei!"

Asher rushed to the bedroom, turning on the lights to reveal a disheveled Mei laying flat on the floor.

Her eyes quivered as she looked at Asher's legs and stomach, both completely uninjured. What?

"Asher, how did you..."

Sophie followed Mei's gaze, realizing where she was looking at.

"Your wounds might have been shown in that video she said she saw."

"Y-Yeah! Mangchi showed me a video on his phone. You looked like... I thought you died!"

Sophie lifted Mei up carefully, seating her by the bed. She took one side of Mei while Asher took the other.

Mei's face regained a bit of color as they showered her with physical attention. She breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, she didn't need an explanation at all. Just knowing that Asher was safe was enough for her.

Still, Asher wished to seal up some of the holes.

"Actually, Sophie healed me just in time. I wouldn't be here without her."

Sophie nodded matter-of-factly.

Mei squealed, wrapping her arms around both of them, pulling them into her embrace.

"Asher, isn't she such an angel? And... thank you so, so much, dear..." She nuzzled her nose into Sophie's long blond hair.

Asher locked eyes with Sophie. Both understood the narrative Mei was trying to pull. They could play along for a bit to make her happy.

His eyes softened as he looked at the girl opposite to him.

"Yeah... She really is a blessing."

"-!" Sophie glanced away from embarrassment, surprised at the warmness behind the compliment.

Away from their prying eyes, the corner of her mouth twitched into the slightest smile.

Seeing both of them get together so well, Mei stretched her arms out, plopping against the bed with all the tension in her body released.

"Ashy, I really thought you died... What happened to that Capo though?"

Asher's gaze dropped to the floor.

"Capo Stella died. She was a good woman."

Mei patted his head sympathetically. She didn't feel the same emotions as he did about a Capo's death. But she comforted him nonetheless.

...

Soon the evening came.

Mangchi and his friends had just left, having visited Mei's apartment an hour ago to marvel at their previously believed-to-be-dead companion.

Sophie and Asher were also shown the usefulness of the Hana's forum system, the information all Fixers were given privy to as Mangchi showed them the gruesome fall of Capo Stella.

Although Vivi was open for the entire day, Asher and Mei chose not to go back to the buffet, for obvious reasons.

And besides, they had to welcome a new person into their family.

Through some debate, the two of them decided that the best place for Sophie to stay was with Asher (according to Mei) and Mei (according to Asher).

Mei was surprised that the dependable little girl had nowhere to stay. How had she been living in the Backstreets before?

She thought it was a little strange that Sophie was only now staying with them, when Asher had known her for so long and probably knew she had nowhere to stay.

Mei didn't ponder it much further though. She had a fairly good relationship with Sophie, since they slept together for a night, so she was more than happy to let Sophie join her family.

Today's meal would only be for three mouths. Pete and his friends decided to go back to Vivi, enticed by their magnificent, free-of-charge buffet once again. They should be relatively safe there.

Sophie and Asher lounged on the bed together as Mei prepared dinner. The girl's pale skin hid a comfortable, ember-like warmth, just warm enough to get comfortable. The Fourth Matchstick Flame had long since integrated with her entire being.

Asher leaned closer, glancing at his partner's outfit.

'Cute.'

Sophie had changed into a baby-pink blouse. Her ash covered dress hung in the closet.

"Don't you need to get Mei's number on your phone?" She spoke while staring straight ahead, her gaze unfocused.

"Yeah. Should I just tell her I got a new number?"

Sophie nodded.

The bed creaked as Asher stood up, leaving Sophie to her own thoughts.

She raised her arm toward the ceiling, spreading her hand so the ceiling light basked her milky skin with a radiant glow.

Real skin.

An ecstatic glimmer shone in her eyes, something that not even her flat facial expression could hide.

She vented her true emotions onto a pillow beside her, wrapping her arms around its top and her legs along its bottom. Her cheeks turned a warmer shade of pale as her imagination flowed.

"I'm back - huh?" Asher froze for a moment, unsure why his partner was in such a compromising position. "Sophie, I got Mei's number on mine now. She says dinner is gonna be done in like two minutes."

Sophie glanced at him over the top of her pillow.

They had a staring contest that ended in the girl's victory. Asher turned his head, slightly flustered by her breathtakingly blue pupils.

"Any changes in your plans now that I have a real body?" As she spoke, Asher took a spot next to her.

"I was thinking that you could look after our Office, at least until Pete and his friends can fend for themselves. I want to explore the City some more, especially when I get some new Synchronizations."

"You mean, once you die again." Sophie released her pillow, scooting closer to Asher.

He scratched his cheek.

"Well, yeah."

"...Okay. I'm curious though. What ability did you get to make this body for me?" Sophie used her hands to helpfully trace her body with her finger.

Asher was struck with a moment of confusion.

"Wait, so you didn't see what happened with me and the Fragment?"

She shook her head in confirmation, gesturing for Asher to explain further.

"Well, after I ate my heart... You saw that, right?" She did. "I was taken to that 'Fragment of the Universe' space. It gave me this ability, to create a 'shell' to put your soul in."

"I see. But that's a bit vague, no? Like, can I see your System too? Can we still share our thoughts?"

They fell silent for a moment, testing both questions.

"The System says it can't give you prompts."

"...And it seems our souls are still linked. I think you should learn more about this. What happens when I die? What happens when you die?" Sophie frowned slightly as Asher stammered to find a response.

"-! It just says that- wait, you can just read my mind."

Sophie closed her eyes.

"When you die, I'll be reabsorbed for the punishment mission. I'll still be with you." She let out an exhale of relief. "But when I die..." She froze.

[Cracked Soul - The Synchronization soul becomes inaccessible. As time passes, mental state and status deteriorate as well. If Host wishes to re-obtain the right to use the Synchronization, the Host's own soul will be tested by a meeting with his past self. Revival and mental sanity defenses will be disabled for the duration of the test.]

[Failure and/or ego death is near certain. Do not let this happen.]

"Scary... I'll look deeper into it tomorrow."

Sophie looked into his eyes. Real-life problems were so tiring.

The two of them unconsciously leaned on each other, shutting their eyes in silence.

"Kids, dinner's ready!" Mei called them over from the kitchen.

Dinner proceeded smoothly.

...

Sophie closed her eyes as the sound of pattering water came from the bathroom. Asher was the last to shower; she and Mei had already cleaned themselves a few dozen minutes ago.

Soon, the lights clicked off.

No words were spoken as Asher snuck inside Sophie's blanket. The bed was a bit small for the three of them.

Sophie snuggled in the middle of the bed, spoiled by both Asher and Mei's affection.

The sounds of rhythmic breathing lulled her to a dreamless sleep.

Tomorrow would be the start of her new life.