The Inzomniac raised his head tentatively as Eve entered the chamber.

She waved awkwardly at him, to which he cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

“...Hello?” Eve blurted out after a minute, unsure how to start a conversation.

The air was completely still for a minute, and at first she thought he wouldn’t talk, until his raspy, broken voice shattered the silence.

“Hello.” Was all he said, but it was enough to relieve the awkward tension in Eve’s stomach.

She cleared her throat. “You... You talk, don’t you?”

“...Apparently.” He deadpanned.

“Right...” She took a cautious step towards him, but he immediately shuffled away from her, his eyes narrowing. She stopped. “...So, I want to ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

This time it was Eve who raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting the sudden invitation. “Um... I wanted to ask you...” She reached into her pocket, his eyes tracking her every movement from behind his outgrown bangs. “About this.” And with that, she pulled out the crystal heart to dangle it in the air.

His reaction startled her. At first he didn’t do anything, but stared at it blankly as if processing what was in front of him. Then out of nowhere, he scrambled back until his back slammed into the wall. He stared at the crystal, wide-eyed.

“...Um...” Was all Eve could muster, unable to comprehend the gesture.

The two locked eyes, staring into each other’s souls as the time slowly ticked by. Despite his best efforts to hide his anxiousness, Eve could see he was trembling.

“What’s wrong?” She questioned when the silence became overwhelming. She stepped towards him again, more confident than before.

He attempted to kick away from her, a look of dismay appearing on his face when he bumped into the wall, trapped.

Left with no other option, he emitted a low, threatening growl, most likely praying that Eve didn’t notice the note of terror in the sound.

When she refused to move, he lashed out, kicking at her with his leg and growing more anxious by the second.

Not wanting the situation to escalate, Eve receded, stepping away.

He calmed ever so slightly at that. He managed to pry himself from the wall, staring at the crystal curiously. “...Well?” He spat out, reminding Eve of her unasked questions.

“Why did you react like that?” She inquired, putting her other questions aside.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Eve stared at him blankly.

He stood up, closing the distance between them just as he had done when they first met, seemingly unfazed by the same heart he had scrambled away from minutes before.

“Anything else?” He asked with a tilt of his head, continuing to approach while Eve attempted to regain some distance between them.

“Y-you, uh... That man you were with... he knew I had this. But he never saw it.” She stuttered out, visibly uncomfortable from the proximity of the stranger.

“I see.” He replied, clearly distracted.

Eve felt the cool wall against her back as she was unwittingly corralled into a corner. Her heart sank.

Eve’s eyes widened, and without thinking she threw her arms out, shoving him away.

Her mind went blank.

...

“Is she ready?”

“She is, sir, but...”

...

Stumbling back with a grunt, the Inzomniac frowned at her.

She slowly looked up, and he blinked in surprise at the animalistic glare she gave him. Her eyes were empty, the faint shadow cast by her hair only adding to the intimidating look.

He took a wary step back, catching a glimpse of her hand before it contacted his chest, the sheer force of the impact knocking the wind out of him.

...

“But what, June?”

“I just... I’m a little concerned about her mental state.”

“What do you mean?”

...

He slammed into the floor with a hard thud, prying at the her hands, which wrapped around his throat tightly.

...

“I did some tests in the lab, and I found something... Disturbing, to say the least. She seems to have some kind of... entity inside her.”

...

Her grip on his throat tightened, cutting off his oxygen. He attempted to throw her off, letting out an agonized shriek as she slammed his head into the floor.

...

“What do you make of it?”

“I’m not sure.”

...

What are they talking about...?

Eve blinked her eyes open, feeling groggy and exhausted.She sat up on her bed, the throbbing pain in her head making her wince.

Just like the first time...

“Oh, thank goodness. You’re awake.” Came Emily’s familiar voice from her right.

“Hm...?” She groaned softly. “Emily? What... happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me...” Emily hummed. “You and the Inzomniac got into a bit of a struggle. I’ve never seen anyone fight as ferociously as you did.”

“He... attacked me?”

“Not exactly. You attacked him.”

“What?”

“Yeah... You pinned him down. You! You bashed his head into the ground, over and over... Blood everywhere. It was a mess. I had to clean it up after...” She narrated the story to her, enjoying it a little too much. “I called to you, but you wouldn’t answer. It was like you were a different person! I had to get Greg to help my drag you off.”

“I... attacked him?” Eve murmured, mildly concerned. “Is he alright???”

Why am I so worried about him now?

Emily bit her lip. “I think he’ll be okay... he’s got a concussion and being an Inzomniac he can’t even sleep it off. He’s in a lot of pain, I imagine. He screamed. You must have really scared him to get him to shriek like that.”

Eve shuddered. “I don’t remember any of that... I feel awful...”

“Hey, don’t worry. He’ll be fine... in a while... I think...”

Eve released a breath she hadn’t known she was holding, relieved. “Okay. Thanks, Emily.”

“Anytime.”