Chapter Seventeen: Another Self

Lily decided to get her hands on that object as quickly as possible, then return to regroup with Aiden and the others to share her thoughts. Yet at the same time, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Dunn had probably already come to the same conclusion. Minds like that were truly enviable.

She dashed past four platforms in one breath before finally sensing that the object she sought was no more than a short distance below her. After exchanging a signal with Camille, Lily reached into her bag for the heavy item Aiden had given her. Unwrapping the cloth, a handgun came into view.

The moment she gripped the pistol, she heard Camille gasp behind her—a reaction that made the corners of Lily’s lips lift slightly. She’d had just about the same reaction the first time she saw it. A Glock 19, standard issue for the British Empire’s police force. Ander had explained it to her, but the finer details had long since slipped her mind; what she did remember was that the gun had four bullets left.

The reason she drew the pistol was simple: Lily had no way to predict what this so-called high-value item would be. Since she couldn’t assess the risk, she’d approach it with the caution of a lion hunting a rabbit, leaving no room for error.

Gesturing for Camille to descend first, Lily kept about four steps between them, all the while paying close attention to any movement in the waiting hall above.

Thunk...

Lily collided with Camille’s solid back, the impact nearly sending her tumbling down the steps. Rubbing her forehead, she shot a glance at Camille’s back. But there was no time to dwell on it—she immediately sidestepped to see what had caused Camille to stop so suddenly. As she stepped past her companion and took in the scene before her, Lily froze as well.

The platform she expected to find vanished abruptly about three meters from the foot of the stairs. Everything on it—the roof, the tracks nearby—had disappeared as well. In their place was a vast circular pit in the earth, its surface sunken. The ever-present, immutable “2.4 Fog” had been forcibly pushed back above this clearing, extending Lily’s field of vision by over a dozen meters.

She saw train cars arranged in concentric circles around the pit, one inside another, layer upon layer, forming a series of rings. At the very center, a patch of ground remained clear.

Because of her vantage point, Lily could just make out something protruding from the middle of that open space. The moment she saw it, she was certain: this was the “high-value” object she’d sensed.

Lily glanced sideways at Camille, and, on a whim, tried to pinch her companion’s arm—only to find Camille’s muscles unyielding beneath her fingers. Camille, snapping back to awareness, looked at Lily with shock still etched across her face, made all the more baffled by Lily’s actions.

“Just checking you’re not dreaming,” Lily explained.

“Oh… all right… but are you sure this isn’t a dream?” Camille stared at the bizarre sight of the vanished platform and the trains encircling something unknown, at a loss for words.

“This really is…” Camille searched her vocabulary for a fitting description.

“Absurd,” Lily supplied.

“Yes, absurd,” Camille agreed with a nod.

“Come on, let’s go see what’s going on,” Lily said, giving the scene another careful look before descending the steps. Camille swallowed hard and hurried after her.

At the very edge where the platform had vanished, Lily crouched to examine the cut where the stone ended. To her surprise, the surface gleamed faintly. That meant the cut was impossibly smooth.

Suddenly, Lily felt a shove—someone had pushed her. Off balance, she pitched forward headlong off the platform.

“Lily!” Camille, only a few steps behind, watched in alarm as Lily toppled over the edge. She rushed to grab her, but in the next instant her face drained of color and her heart pounded wildly—for Lily had disappeared.

——————

When Lily regained her senses, she found herself standing on a golden disc, slowly spinning. The motion carried her body along with it. All around her came the incessant clatter of something hard striking metal, echoing from every direction, mingling with swirling motes of dust.

Lily was bewildered. Wasn’t she at the station, searching for that high-value object? How had she suddenly ended up here? Just a moment ago… just a moment ago…

She realized, with a jolt, that she could not recall what had just happened—as if her memory had been precisely excised.

A chill crept down her spine.

“I hope Camille’s all right… No, I have to find her,” Lily murmured, bracing herself. Once she’d set her goal, she looked around, quickly confirming that this platform belonged to no world she knew. So where was she?

She decided to approach the edge for a better look. For some reason, she felt she shouldn’t get too close—someone might push her off…

The platform was larger than she’d expected. It took her what felt like over ten minutes to walk from where she’d started to the edge. She had no watch, so she could only guess.

As she drew nearer, things gradually came into focus. Herds of horses? She couldn’t be sure, so she went a bit further to get a better look.

Yes, they were herds of horses. But something was off—they all appeared to be carved from wood. Wait… wood?

Lily started, a realization dawning on her. Could this be—?

She spun around, scanning the strange world. As she turned halfway, her gaze locked with a pair of pale blue eyes—calm, with a hint of amusement. A faint smile played on soft lips, scattered freckles lending a boyish innocence to the face.

Lily’s hand flew to her mouth in shock. That was herself!

But the other Lily gave her no time to react. She suddenly raised a hand, reaching through the air toward Lily.

“What is this?” Lily wondered aloud, but in the next moment she crouched down, staring at her own legs in bewilderment. “What are these things? Why are they attached to my body—no, I don’t want them, it’s terrifying!”