It's so boring waiting and doing nothing... Mine sighed, glancing around the dimly lit room.

Silence once again prevailed in the space, the only sound being the occasional drip of water echoing through the hallways. Mine observed Addai checking their surroundings every once in a while searching for unwanted spiders. Mephistopheles stood near the corridor Mine had labeled as number two due to the abundance of stones near the portal, unlike the relatively barren number three.

The air was humid and slightly cold, but it didn't bother the visitors too much. The smell of earth and water gave a faint feeling of comfort, even in the suffocating darkness just a few steps away.

Is he bored as well? Mine pondered, glancing at Addai.

His friend's eyes were slightly puffy from the lack of sleep, and he was resting his head on Mine's shoulders. Addai was surely between dimensions and probably already embarking on the sleep train. His eyes were closing slowly and comfortably...

Mine touched Addai's cheek and his friend reopened his eyes with a grumble. I know you're tired, but you can't sleep like I did. Ah! I have an idea to keep you awake.

Mine adjusted the sleeves of his blouse and, with his fingers, condensed a small orb of mana. This small orb of glowing mana resembled a moon lampshade. He lifted the orb, which floated in the air like a feather, and watched its path until it landed again in his hand. To the touch, it seemed damp just like the environment and it was no coincidence since the energy that Mine condensed there was nothing less than the Vitae extracted from the water in the damp walls along with mana.

Addai tried to touch the orb, which went through his hand as soon as he put his finger on it. Mine chuckled softly as Addai attempted to grasp the orb, which once again slipped through his fingers and circled around him, tousling his hair and leaving a few droplets of water on the tips. Somehow, that behavior recalled Umbra's attempts to grab the feathered toy Addai used to play with her.

Hehe, now you're fully awake. Mine chuckled softly, making the orb float around Addai.

He didn't notice, but that much usage of mana made the symbols on his hand appear as well as the faint vision of the Chronos mask. A little far away, Mephistopheles was watching them. His gaze seemed fixed on something on Mine's head, more specifically on the left side.

"Hey, kiddo," Mephistopheles called out, his voice cutting through the silence with a hint of authority. Mine turned to look at him, momentarily distracted from watching Addai chase the orb. "The muzzle," Mephistopheles continued, his eyes narrowing as they focused on Mine's head, "you still have it, don't you?"

The orb popped on Addai's nose, startling him, and Mine looked away from Mephistopheles's gaze.

"I… yes," Mine voiced lowly, and the Chronos mask materialized on the side of his head, right where Mephistopheles was staring earlier.

"Hm… so we have one more concern on the table," Mephistopheles crossed his arms.

"Muzzle...?" Addai looked at Mine.

Mine couldn't blame his friend for not knowing about it, he had never told Addai those details about himself. He thought it wasn't needed, like a frivolous detail that didn't need to be known or acknowledged… actually, it wasn't that simple, but Mine deceived himself it was as simple as that.

From the curious gazes to the gentle compliments and teasing, Addai had never asked why Mine had such different and apparent features. Maybe he didn't want to bother, or he didn't want to know… but Mine didn't have the answer, once his friend had never told or shown him. It felt natural somehow, and maybe that was one of the reasons why Mine had never explained to Addai the details about an important part of himself.

"…" Mine hesitated and fidgeted, starting to pick the dry skin from his fingers.

"There are no judgments here, kiddo," Mephistopheles said, looking at Mine's fidgeting hands.

Mine looked at the demon and he couldn't help but feel eager to run away from that topic like the other times. It was easier that way, a hard, but easy way to run away from the reality he wanted to forget... but he didn't want to be running away from that anymore.

Mine took a deep breath. "I'm tired of running away from this subject so... Can you lend me an ear? It's quite a long story full of holes."

"Sure, kiddo, we have plenty of time until Younri arrives," Mephistopheles nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry," Addai smiled.

Mine looked at that rare, sincere smile and couldn't help but chuckle a little bit after seeing the faint dimples showing on his friend's face after a long while. Still, there were hints of tension and sadness on his chuckle despite his efforts to pretend happiness.

"So... where do I start? It's all foggy anyway," Mine chuckled darkly, staring at his hands. "Well, I'll start with the main event." He took a deep breath, and the Chronos mask materialized in his hands. "This mask is the reason my mind is foggy. It seals half of my powers, but it also blocks part of my soul."

"And what's the reason behind the muzzle?" Mephistopheles asked with hints of curiosity and concern.

"I was a walking bomb," Mine smiled weakly, almost pitiful. "As you can see, I still can't control my emotions as I should. I like to express myself. I like to feel and suffer the consequences of every and each feeling that crosses my mind and my body's chemistry. It reminds me that I'm alive and not... dead," he said, half angry, half sad. As he took another shaky, deep breath, the colors of his hair strands changed from ashy green to blue. "See? My hair changes colors according to my emotions and, ah, it's not a secret. You all see it perfectly and that's where my biggest flaw lies."

"Chronos beings needs to be composed. We need to be calm, tranquil and shit like this but I am not! Is it wrong to be someone like me?! My Chronos outbursts were and are the worst!!!" Mine growled and his hair colors changed from half green, half blue to full crimson. "I can't be who I am, and I can't be the one they need me to be. So, this muzzle here garantees everybody's safety when I can't control my emotions. But damage is done! Half of my memories were robbed from me! Even my family memories!! All the precious moments that are engraved in beautiful photos I don't remember it!" He started angrily wiping the stubborn tears that rolled down his cheeks.

An uncomfortable silence settled, and Mine spent ten seconds trying to do breathing exercises. Anguished, he began scratching his arms until he noticed his hands touching something warm. Without a word, Addai took Mine's tensed hands and placed them on his arm, warming the cold, hardened fingers that were once soft.

Mine's breathing gradually slowed down, and he finally took a deep, somewhat comfortable breath before continuing his speech.

"I tried breaking the Chronos mask countless times, but all I got was a time in my own Hell," he said, and his hair slowly turned reddish with dark shading. Mine looked at Addai again, with tears rolling down his reddish cheeks, and frowned. "And here I am, in trouble again because of my essence," he chuckled darkly.

Addai wiped the stubborn tears that rolled down Mine's cheeks.

No matter how much he looked at Mine, nothing came out of his mouth but silence. The only thing on his body that moved was his hand, which traced the lines of Mine's cheeks and removed the salty drops that fell. The feeling of helplessness was palpable, but what could he actually do? It was as if he was looking at himself in the mirror, and, for that, he had nothing to say other than offering gentle, calm touches to Mine's warm skin and holding one of his shaking hands, preventing him from scratching himself.

Looking in the "mirror" like that was terrifying... and he knew very well what Mine meant behind the pursed lips and swallowed sobs. His scars knew it very well.

"You've been through some tough mess, kiddo," Mephistopheles crouched in front of Mine. "My advice is shit, but I can tell you something," he offered a napkin, "life can be tough, but you're not alone. Take this dog project for example," he pointed at Addai.

"... Dog...?" Mine muttered, trying to not stammer nor sob, and looked at Mephistopheles.

"A what?!" Addai looked at Mephistopheles as well but oh... he was indignant! What a sudden change in the atmosphere!

"Ya deaf? Ya heard it very well," Mephistopheles argued.

"You insulted me right in the face! Now I need to be chill?" Addai argued back. "And I'm not a dog!" He added lastly.

"You're turning into one," Mephistopheles recognized with a nod.

Mine looked at the bickering duo and noticed how fast the atmosphere changed. Well, he was surrounded by odd events anyway and it wasn't new. He remembered his first day at the university and how he met Lydia and Fani. He remembered Aarush giving him a big potion to make him healthy. He remembered Mr. Shire saving him from overworking...

... and he remembered how the person in front of him - bickering with Mephistopheles like a child - being by his side when he most needed it despite him telling him to go or not asking him to stay.

Those new memories softened the bruises on his brain from not remembering the old pieces his heart longed for. Mine knew, deep down, that what's lost can be found. 

When his eyes met Addai's while Mephistopheles was bursting a row of teasing, he saw what those heterochromatic gems meant: 'Don't lose yourself in the sea of sorrow.'

Maybe Mine could take his own advice. And maybe, just maybe, he wasn't lonely after all.

The clouds on his head slowly faded, making the bright sun reach his mind and face, especially his mouth. Mine faintly smiled and soon chuckled, remembering the feeble promises he made with the childish person replying to the childish bickering from a grown-up adult.

"You two are terrible at giving advice," Mine chuckled, looking at the bickering duo that looked back at him. "But I'll take the most of it wholeheartedly," he faintly smiled, wiping the leftover tears from his cheeks.