They went to the clearing again, same as any other day. 

Alistir noticed how little magic flowed through her today. Something had to be wrong. Molly was being far too quiet to simply be in a bad mood.

[Alistir]: “Alright, what's wrong? Tell me.”

[Molly]: “...”

[Alistir]: “Tell me. Please.”

Alistir thought for a second.

[Alistir]: “Is it about your dad?”

Molly broke right then and there. A single mention was all it took to push her over. She fell to the ground, shaking. That foreign pit in her gut had become overwhelming.

[Alistir]: “I….am so sorry.”

Alistir tried to approach her. It seemed to only make her worse.

This was bad. She was having a panic attack.

Molly fell further into despair. Complex thought had ceased. Her surroundings began to blur. It seemed like it would never end.

Alistir had never had an issue like this in his life. What does one do in this situation? A slight electric spell to knock her out? Forceful stimulation of magic to cancel out the fear? 

Alistir would go for the latter. A shock would simply delay the inevitable.

He started resonating her magic, with extra force provided by him.

Molly felt herself being pulled out of the pit. Now that she can think again-

Now it felt like dangling over a canyon.

The pit tried to swallow her again, almost like it was actively trying to eat her. The longer she was being held up, the deeper it seemed to get.

This was Catch 22. There was no easy way out of here. Alistir would stop, and the moment he did, all hope would be lost.

[Molly]: “ D…don't…stop…”

Alistir couldn't go on much longer. After a half hour of this, he was running low.

She was having a massive panic attack. One that wasn't letting up whatsoever. He should have known that her dad's death would start sinking in. He was so blind to the warnings. Her wanting to learn magic and alchemy, her reading the book, her low mood in the days following that author's death.

Curse that man! He had burdened his daughter not only with his death, but his life's work!

He had to knock her out. It was the only way to stop it. He started preparing the lightning spell. It would only take four seconds to cast.

He stopped keeping her magic circulating to do it.

Four seconds was far too long. One second she began falling into that pit in her stomach. It opened to embrace her. She curled up tightly to hold it, but it was no use. 

Two seconds had passed. She started choking and coughing. Her eyes widened and turnt red. There was no more time. A pounding headache began as the world spun around.

She passed out. The sweet peace of unconsciousness thankfully embraced her, before Alistir could even cast the spell.

—---------------------------

Alistir had failed. Again.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place. Again.

He fell to his knees, exhausted. He smiled as her pained face finally knew peace.

He had to be ready when she woke up. It could be any minute, it could be hours.

He picked her up and carried her home after a few minutes of sitting down to rest.

He looked down at the sleeping Molly. Her face was pale, and glistened from where tears had poured. Her gem in her forehead, completely dark. 

Alistir thought about how this could've possibly happened. What was she thinking about? What scared her?

She woke up after twenty minutes. Alistir was ready with the Resonator as he put her down beside a fallen tree. But something strange began to occur. Her magic organ began glowing brighter than usual.

When Molly opened her eyes, there was no fear anymore. No sadness. Not even confusion.

Alistir was both relieved and confused. Had she forgotten about it? He hoped so.

But what really confused him was what came out of Molly's mouth:

“Hi there! My name's Myllo! And who might you be?”

—-----------------------------

[Alistir]: “What?”

[Myllo]: “Didn't you hear me? My name's Myllo! I'm gonna change the world!”

[Alistir]: “Uh….. what is going on? What's wrong with you?”

[Myllo]: “I'm about as clueless as you are, mate.”

[Alistir]: “What in the hell…”

[Alistir]: “Molly, come to your senses! What's going on?!”

[Myllo]: “Molly? How could you mistake me for her! She couldn't even handle her reason to live!”

[Alistir]: “Her reason?”

[Myllo]: “Yeah! She couldn't handle the burden of changing the world! So naturally, she gave it up, and let me take over!”

[Alistir]: “Take…over? Wha-what do you mean?”

[Myllo]: “What are you, dumb? She's replaced by me!”

[Alistir]: “....hey…..hey…hey-hey-hey”

[Myllo]: “I know, it's sad. But hey, she couldn’t handle it-”

[Alistir]: “WHA…WHA….WHA…”

[Alistir]: “Hhh…Ha….Www…Where… is…she?”

[Myllo]: “Wow, you must really love her. Such a pervert.”

[Alistir]: “G-GIVE HER BACK!!”

[Alistir]: “GIVE HER BACK, DEMON!”

Alistir never thought he would ever see it happen. A demonic possession. It usually looks like a person shaking on the floor during an exorcism, shouting blasphemy. But this…. This is another beast altogether. To say this was bad would be an understatement. This is…sickening. He began to tear up.

[Myllo]: “What? A demon? Me? I'm not a demon!”

[Alistir]: “Don't lie to me! Please… give her back…”

[Alistir]: “She doesn't deserve this.”

[Myllo]: “Hmm… All-right-y. You can have her back.”

[Alistir]: “What's your price? My soul? My magic?”

[Myllo]: “What are you talking about, dude? Why would I need something?”

[Alistir]: “What are you, then?”

[Myllo]: “Page twenty-eight of the Chapter of the Self…”

[Alistir]: “Wha… THAT'S-”

Chapter of the Self, chapter six of the Mechanomicon, was heavily censored, probably more censored than the final chapter!

[Myllo]: “‘If a child undergoes enough stress, the brain will be unable to handle it all. This can cause the person to disassociate, and depending on the severity, can go from zoning out to memory loss, and even the fabrication of new personalities.’”

[Alistir]: “So… that's what you are?”

[Myllo]: “Yeah. She couldn't handle the stress, so she made me in order to contain it.”

[Myllo]: “So yeah. Sorry for the misunderstanding. She wanted to escape, so I took over. That's why I told you she was gone. I didn't mean for it to be taken the wrong way.”

[Alistir]: “I'm sorry, made you?! She just made a new person?”

[Myllo]: “No. She split in half. I took away the emotional burden and memories of her father. She won't remember her father nor her attachment to the Mechanomicon. That way, she won't ever have panic attacks ever again. It all works out!”

[Alistir]: “Phew…”

[Alistir]: “So, where is she?”

[Myllo]: “Oh yeah, right. Here's how it'll work. She will be in control most of the time. Whenever something comes up that needs me, I take over. I'll stay in control until the situation dies down to where she can return. The downside is that her life might get a little… strange… for now on.”

[Alistir]: “You can do that?”

[Myllo]: “I can. With magic! She has built an association between her and her dad. Since she doesn't remember her dad, she won't be able to do magic that well. I will have that association, since I remember the Author being her father.”

[Alistir]: “I… I can work with that..”

[Myllo]: “But don't fret! Once she can emotionally stand up for herself, she won't need me anymore! So, we will hopefully fuse back together!”

[Alistir]: “Alright, I've had enough of you. Give me back Molly.”

[Myllo]: “What… how mean of you!”

[Myllo]: “Well, fine. Nice meeting you!”

[Alistir]: “Thanks, I guess. I hope I never see you again.”