Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rat god couldn’t understand

What was making this little rat determined?

So determined to die?

He was going to die anyway; he was destined to die before the next sunrise.

As she watched the little rat rapidly approaching her, she wielded her crescent scythe. No point in keeping that cute rat illusion at this point. Her parasitic form was twitching, rhythmically pumping out magic from the red cysts to summon the ‘nightmares’ All her attempts to kill the little rat, the gigantic top hat, condensed orb of magic, and spike mines, had failed. Her summoned lumps of nightmares were now nothing but a stepping stool for him to maneuver through her beam of deadly light, giving him greater mobility.

To be precise, most of them didn’t actually mean to kill him. It was pointless anyway since he could just rewind a few seconds before to fix his blunder. No, it was to stall Mad Rat. Their battlefield was in her realm, but in fact, that realm of hers was just another illusion, a mental image. Her so-called magic was not strong enough to create another space out of nowhere; it was just the rat’s mindscape, delicately woven by the goddess’ hallucinations and magic. It was convincing enough to trick the rodent while his unconscious body was still on top of a moon-lit building. If she could trap him in her illusion long enough, some stray cat might find this vulnerable rodent and eat it. The location was not exactly favorable, but Rat god could sense several cats roaming not too far, so she decided to take a chance. A plan devised with haste, depended too much on random luck. But plausible, if she could trap this rat to run in circles just like she did before.

Which this stubborn rat was completely obliterating it. The fact that Mad Rat could actually harm her, his sheer willpower and mental defense repelling her, was not expected. It threatened to break the goddess’ realm and reveal where Mad Rat actually was. She had to keep him busy. Still, she sensed a cat approaching. Given a few more time and luck, she would be victorious. Rat god concentrated her magic, giving up her winged-rat illusion and revealing her parasite form, only consisting of granules of cysts and wielding her moon-like scythe, and started to reshape her realm.

A vertical maze with platforms and enemies, with herself in a vulnerable form at the end, just like the last time the rat hit her. The labyrinth was difficult enough to delay him but solvable enough so he wouldn’t try something unpredictable (He was named Mad Rat for a good reason). The false sense of hope that the rodent could give her another blow, along with a convincing defense, seemed to work. The rodent was now trying hard to reach her. A few more seconds and she’ll live, in another cat…

It was that cursed black cat from before.

The cat that refused to eat Mad Rat.

Everything she planned was now pointless.

“Why… why? WHY??”

 It was her nature to lead rats to be eaten by a cat for survival. She, being a parasite, could only live inside another and nowhere else. “This rat was going to die this night anyways! Was that such a great sin? For wanting to live?”

The black cat was nudging Mad Rat, trying to wake him up. Rat god’s illusionary realm was slowly falling apart.

Either way, it was the end of Rat god, by the cat or the rat. She will die that night with the rat. Everything, her deception, her plan, her effort, resulted in absolutely nothing. As if her demise was inevitable…

“No.”

“I won’t just stand here and accept this.” Rat god muttered.

“If the whole world hates me just for trying to survive, then I’ll make sure it hurts. Isn’t that what the little rat wanted? Leaving a mark behind? Well, then, I’ll make my mark on this world. If I die because of those two, then you are going down with me!”

Pure spite was enough to fuel the unhinged parasite. The goddess summoned her clock and unleashed her magic, winding fast. Mad Rat’s mindscape was turning black, and platforms were fading. Mad Rat braced for the fall, but he was just floating near her. As the clock winded faster and faster, it was breaking apart, bits of gears and springs shooting out from it, and cracks growing on its face.

Even Rat god was unsure of what she was doing. A risky gamble, perhaps? It might send them to the past, distant enough for them to lose their memories so that she can start over. Or sending them anywhere where the rodent would not be able to reach his goal. Or just disintegrate, vanish from existence as a consequence of tearing the delicate space-time causality or whatever. But at the end of the day, it didn’t matter. If she could bring those both fall with her, anything would suffice.

The black cat was worryingly staring at the rodent. Suddenly, bright light was emitting from the rat. The cat, startled by the light, ran away. When the cat returned to see what happened, the rat was nowhere to be seen.

Metal island, Bugaria.

Stratos and Delilah were on their ‘vacation.’ More like a forced leave of absence, now that most of the mysteries they relayed were solved by team Snakemouth. They enjoyed sparring with them from time to time, but it was not the same. Hopefully, there were rumors about expeditions to the Eastern lands, and then they’ll surely have a chance to find something interesting (and relaying them too).

“Alright, better get going, or we’ll miss our last boat. And I’m not gonna pay 40 berries for some glorified bed and mushed berry.” Delilah said, emptying her cup of berry juice.

“Sure, but where to? Do you have something in your mind?” Stratos asked, turning away his gaze from the lake, lit by a full moon’s light.

“I was thinking snakemouth den… They say the locked upper chamber is now opened. That place is not related to ancient artifacts, according to the records, but it might have its own secrets!”

“So, you think we should explore there by ourselves? Didn’t Team Snakemouth already search that area, though?

“Well, they did say they went there, but when I asked Kabbu, he seemed reluctant to share about what’s in there… He did mention some of Roach’s experiments but not in detail. I’m sure he’s not hiding something from us, he’s a trusted member of the guild. But then again, it’s not like he was trying to stop other teams going in there, so… Besides, we don’t exactly have anything better to do-

Suddenly, a burst of iridescent light was emitting from the lake’s horizon near the Giants’ Lair. The two insects were stunned, squeezing their eyes shut, and after a moment, when they both peeked to see what happened, they were struck by a thunderous boom.

After everything calmed down, the two insects looked at each other, grinning with anticipation.

“Forget what I just said about Snakemouth den.” Delilah was the first one to speak.

“Take our boat ride, get to the prison through the mines, collect intel from the roaches in the village. That explosion was blaring with unusualness, but it could be some just roach experimenting with those mystery berries….” Stratos swiftly devised a plan with a knowing nod.

“Or, we can ask nicely to the captain to go straight to the Rubber prison. We’re the only passengers on the last boat, and that will be faster too. And if we do find out it wasn’t some berry experiment….” Delilah trailed off.

“Let the other team know, as usual.” Stratos finished.

Team Slackers packed their equipment and started to walk toward the piers.

Chapter Text

“Where… are we?”

Wait, we? Where’s Heart?

He remembered the last battle with Rat god, where she summoned a weird clock and winded it fast. But everything was blurry after that. The rodent looked around where they were. It was dark and seemed like a deserted house. A fridge and a stove were in their sight not so far away, and wooden boxes were lying around the room, including the one they were standing on top of. Mad Rat peered down the box. The floor had huge cracks as if an earthquake has struck the house. Some shadowy figures were shifting around on the floor, and an eerie yellow light was coming out the walls.  Is that an exit? What if this is a trap?  Fear started to creep into his mind as he was alone, in an unfamiliar place.

A Trap.  Mad Rat was suddenly aware of the fact that their last battle was unsettled.  Did they lose? Where’s Rat god? Is this still her hallucination? Or is this the afterlife? Is Heart dead too?  Unanswerable questions were spiraling the rodent into fright

Put your paws on your chest when it’s scary…

Do you feel the beat? That’s where I’ll be.

Mad Rat raised his quivering paws to his chest

thump thump thump...

Those beats, those reassuring, rhythmical heartbeats were enough to calm the rat. That was enough proof that he was still alive. That Heart was still (albeit in a form of organ of his,) alive. Right at that moment, Heart popped out of his ribcage.

“Are you alright? Your heartbeat is pounding so fast… What is going on? …Are we dead?” Heart looked at Mad Rat, worryingly.

Mad Rat took deep breaths. “I’m okay now.” Mad Rat answered, breathing out with a shudder. “I don’t think we’re dead yet. Right now, you’re the proof enough for me that we’re still alive.” Mad rat said.

“Then, where are we? I don’t see that false Rat god anywhere…” Heart asked while feeling his (or their) heart rate calming down.

Indeed, the goddess was nowhere to be found. He still didn’t understand what happened back there when she winded her clock. He was so close to giving her the last blow, but he couldn’t remember if his full body slam actually struck the false god. Were they victorious? Did the goddess somehow erase herself from existence? By disrupting the space-time causality or whatever?

…wait, causality? How do I even know that?  Mad Rat paused, puzzled.

Well, if there’s nothing in our way from rewinding back to morning… does it matter?  The rodent decided to shrug off all those trains of nonsense questions. It wasn’t worth the time to think of such trivial things when his goal was right in front of them. At least, based on what he can see, they were victorious (minus the part where they were sent to an unknown place, but that was able to be fixed easily with their time-winding ability.) 

“I guess this is it… Let’s rewind then. You’re getting out of the lab before that surgery happens” Mad Rat said to Heart.

“You’re really going to do this…? I said I don’t want that, Mad Rat. You’ll die. You’ll die painfully without that transplant!” Heart hesitated.

“And you’ll live. That’s all that matters. Trust me, Heart, I’ve got this” the rodent finished.

Mad Rat and Heart started to summon their clock and started to rewind. The world turned grey and the scenery started to reverse… only to be stopped at the point where they woke up, which was just a few minutes before.

“Of course, it’s never that easy…” Mad Rat muttered. “Heart, am I hallucinating? Can you give me a smack on the face?”

“No, Mad Rat… I don’t think this is a hallucination…”

It was just like the last time when they were in Rat god’s realm. Yet, it was certainly different. Most of the structures seemed safe, without those barbs and vanishing platforms, and no enemies. The whole scene was so realistic. He couldn’t believe the goddess would render such an elaborate hallucination. What was the purpose of this illusion? He wondered. Where was she anyway?

“I guess it’s not over yet.” Mad Rat said to Heart. 

Mad Rat was certain that the false goddess was still there somewhere. And may this be her realm, she was a mere parasite at the end. Residing in his body, her entity was confined within him.

Mad Rat covered his head with both paws and started yelling out of his lungs

“RAT GOD! I KNOW YOU’RE HERE! SHOW YOURSELF RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!”

Team Snakemouth was at the city center, checking the quest board. There were only some minor requests, as usual after defeating the everlasting king. Kabbu saw Team Slackers approaching from a distance.

“Greetings!” Kabbu accosted. “Good to see a fellow explorer this early in the morning!”

“Yeah, you guys are sure good at not living up to your team’s name.” Vi chuckled. “Wow, you look like sh- uh, I mean, tired. What happened?” Vi asked, feeling the glares from Kabbu and Leif.

“Heh, good to see you three too,” Stratos said, sluggishly. “We have a report that might interest you. We were about to put it on the board, but now that you’re here, we can directly relay it to you guys.”

“We didn’t sleep a wink last night.” Delilah yawned. “There was a huge explosion at the Giants’ Lair and we had to investigate there. The explosion riled up the dead landers there so we had to fight our way up to the lift”

“An explosion?” Leif pondered. “We felt a surge of magic last night. Maybe it has to do with that?”

“Probably. It was certainly not a berry experiment.” Stratos paused for a moment, pressing the bridge between his eyes, and continued. “You guys know Roy, right? He said you guys helped defend his crop farm. He was the one who lift us up to the village and told us everything about it. According to his description, the explosion happened below the village, so the roaches are safe. But still, somebody has to go to the site of the incident for further investigation.”

“Oh, and Roy mentioned some ‘shadowy figure’. He said he was concerned about his crops since the explosion happened-“

“Below the village, so the roaches are safe. But still, somebody has to go to the site of the incident for further investigation.” 

“Oh, and Roy mentioned some ‘shadowy figure’. He said he was concerned about his crops since the explosion happened near his farm, but he was cautious to go down the lift to check himself because of that.

An awkward silence swept between the two teams. Leif just felt a trace of magic. Vi and Kabbu just stared at Team Slackers. It seemed like Stratos just interfered in the middle of Delilah’s sentence, repeating what he just said a few seconds ago, and Delilah simply continued, as if nothing happened. 

“…didn’t you already say that?” Kabbu broke the silence, saying to Stratos.

“…Did I?” Stratos paused with a weird sense of déjà vu. Stratos and Delilah looked at each other

“Maybe we’re just so sleep deprived, we just rambled through not noticing anything weird.” Delilah shrugged off. “Anyways, will you take the investigation request? If you’re already busy, I can just let Eetle know.” 

Vi was about to point out it wasn’t just ‘rambling through’, but soon she got fuzzy with the details, and couldn’t point out what exactly was so weird about their exchange. Maybe it was just her imagination, but the sense of unusualness lingered. She turned to Kabbu. “Are we really going to take this? I don’t think we’ll get any reward out of this…” Vi hesitated.

“Vi! We will not turn a blind eye when the roaches are potentially in danger!” Kabbu exclaimed. “Of course, we will take the request. We’ll take it from here.”

“Before you go, you said you saw the explosion, right? When did that exactly happen?” Leif asked.

“Not too far after midnight,” Stratos answered. “We were just about to take the last boat from the Metal island.”

“Thanks. Just as we thought…” Leif trailed off. “You two should really get some sleep. We’ll let you guys go now.” 

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass out at any moment,” Delilah said. “Be careful about those dead landers. They might be still more aggressive than usual due to the whole incident., including that huge one” She warned. 

The two teams bid each other farewell and started to part ways. Team Snakemouth decided to check their inventory before heading to the mines.

….now!

…I know you’re…

….I SAID GET YOUR ASS RIGHT HERE, RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!

Rat god woke up, startled. She was panting due to exhaustion, and her form was staticky, shifting inconsistently between her winged rat and parasite form. She was in an unfamiliar place, and in front of her… was that retched rat.

“What do you want?” She panted heavily. “Where is this place? Weren’t you going to rewind? Are you here just to gloat?” spat the goddess with bitterness.

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who sent us here, to your realm or whatever, with that weird clock of yours! What did you do back there anyway?!” Mad Rat shouted.

Rat god remembered. She remembered she did something to her clock… she remembered how it felt, like something was boiling inside of her. It felt right, It was somehow justified back then, and it was somewhat of a source of her magic. Yet… she couldn’t understand any of it. 

Parasites cannot live outside the host. That was true at all times. Sure, the rat was her intermediate host, a vector to reach her main host, but it was still a host. Killing the rat would mean she’ll die too. It was a simple rule she understood so well, provided by her instincts as a parasite.

Yet her act driven by outrage was the exact opposite, and even though it felt right, she was simply unable to make sense of it.  Why did I do that? It didn’t help my survival whatsoever, so Why?  The act, the intention, the process to reach the act from the intention, everything didn’t make sense. She had absolutely no idea where she was, what she had done, and why she did it.

“I… don’t know….” She slowly muttered, still bewildered by the events that happened and the questions followed by them.

“Great, now we’re in some another dimension where nobody has any idea of!” 

“We’ll find a way out, Mad Rat” Heart assured. 

Another dimension? What’s that about?  Rat god thought.  All this is too weird… Whatever, it wouldn’t matter If I make it out alive. He thinks I somehow made this place, right? Maybe I can trick him to get eaten by a cat! I should use something else this time instead of a cheese hallucination…

Rat god started to scan the area, trying to locate a nearby cat. She sensed nothing.  …That’s weird, mostly there is at least one cat in this range…  The goddess huffed and started to scan in a wider range. That would render her search with less precision, unable to pinpoint a cat’s location, but still can tell its existence. Nothing came up. Wider, still nothing. Rat god was getting desperate. Nothing…. This place, no, possibly this world was utterly cat-less. She tried again, now trying to locate rats. Besides her current residence, she couldn’t find any rats also. They were in a world where there were no cats and rats. Fear crept inside of her mind, and she started to breathe heavily.

“Hey, why are you so quiet all of a sudden?” Mad Rat tried to nudge the goddess deep in thought, his gloves passing through her since she was a mere illusion. 

Rat god stared at the rodent. She had no other choice but to cooperate with her host to get out of this cat-less space. She sighed and started talking. “I’m offering you a truce. I don’t know what I did back there, but evidently, it somehow sent us to this place. And I’m sure we do not belong here. We have to find a way to get back where we came from to- “

“Yeah, you gotta try harder than that.” Mad Rat interrupted. “I’m not falling for that.”

Withstanding irritation, Rat god continued. “We have to find a way back together, that’s what we both want here. I cannot sense any cats here, so I’m just as desperate as you to get out of here. I have no other choice- “

“And how do we believe you? What if this is another trick of yours?” said Mad Rat, cutting in her mid-sentence, again, just to annoy her.

“I just said that’s simply impossible, you stubborn rat! This place, possibly this world, has no cats! There is no risk of you getting eaten by a cat!”

“Oh, I get the cat part, but what if you try to get us both killed?” 

“I’m a parasite! That would mean I’ll be dead too! Why in the world would I do that??”

“That’s not what you said last time! What was it, ‘bring us both down with you’?? How are you going to explain that? How are we supposed to be sure that won’t happen again?” Mad Rat pressed on.

“Th, That’s…! I…!” stammered Rat god, and soon the deflated goddess was lost of words, for she was unable to provide any answers, having utterly no understanding of the event.

An awkward silence followed, soon broken by Heart. “Mad Rat, I get it, I don’t trust her at all just like you, but we share the same interest for now.” Heart paused for a moment and continued. “We can settle our battle sometime later, somewhere else. And I don’t know how this ‘cooperation’ will work, but at least she won’t be on our way trying to go back, right?” Mad Rat gave his heart a nod, considering his words. “And for her ‘incident’… It seems clear that she has no idea what she did or why she did it. And she is fully aware that her survival is dependent on ours. That cannot guarantee something like that won’t happen again, but I think it means at least she won’t deliberately do it again. If we cannot trust her, let’s just say we’ll trust her selfishness- I mean, survival instincts. Heart finished.

The last part of Heart’s words stung the goddess. It was true, she valued her life more than anything else, just like other parasites. She would do anything to keep the rodent alive until it reaches her main host, only to live on. That was the way she lived, and she never gave it a second thought.

So why… why does it hurt? It never bothered me before… 

“Alright, you staying out of our way back is enough for me.” Mad Rat said, turning to Rat god. “So, what now?”

“Maybe that light is coming out from the exit!” The goddess pointed to the strange beam of yellow light, illuminating the place. 

“Heh, that’s what we thought earlier.” Smirked the rodent. “Alright, let’s get going then. Heart, give me a beat!”

Mad Rat jumped off the cliff of wooden boxes. Once they were down to the ground, the source of the light was obscured by tall grass. It was moving back and forth, and it was shining some columns of rocks in a crevasse. The rodent dashed to the top of the rock, to see where the shifting light was coming from…. 

It was a huge eyeball, staring down at them. It screeched after noticing the rodent. it was somehow familiar. The gigantic eyeball soared from the ground. Now, this was so much similar… similar to…

“Mimolette.” Mad Rat blurted. Furious, he turned to the goddess, steeling himself for a fight. “I knew it, I knew this was a trap! You say all those lies just to make me believe you, and you summon this abomination behind my back?!” 

Rat god didn’t respond. She just stared at the eyeball, utterly horrified.

“That… That’s not Mimolette…” the goddess murmured

“What?”

“Run.”

Chapter Text

AHHHHHHHHH! 

The huge eyeball was summoning those… weird creatures, it was a sort of a fusion between a spider and a crab, with only one eye and a pincer. It was far more hideous than Mimolette’s cheese nightmares. Rat god was nowhere to be seen, possibly just hiding back to safety. Mad Rat tried to dodge them and escape from the crevasse, but both sides were infested with other equally hideous enemies. One resembling sticks of bamboo bundled together, and the other looking like a spikey potato with... were those balloons? Still, Mad Rat needed more space to dodge those falling crabs, so he decided to take the risk. There was a toy excavator at the other ridge, with a wooden board on top of its arm. Mad Rat was unsure if the board could handle his weight, but he didn’t have much time to think. However, once he stepped on the excavator’s arm, it flipped by his weight and Mad Rat began to fall into the crevasse. 

Dammit. At least those scaffolds back in the city let me tread on it for a short time… Mad Rat cursed.

When he was just about to rewind back to the stepping stones, The eyeball’s giant claw was dropping a crab at him. That gave the rodent an idea. 

If I can body slam them like Rat god’s nightmares…!

Mad Rat jumped mid-air. The crab was too far away, he couldn’t pinpoint it for slamming. Instinct called for another jump. Now close enough, he tried to direct his momentum to the crab and smack it mid-air. Only to fail due to his lack of sufficient momentum, lost by the second jump. The crab’s claw gave him a loud THWACK on his head, and the world went grey. 

Heart popped out. “Ugh, these creatures are sure strong! How far should we rewind?”

Mad Rat sighed and thought for a moment. The crab was too far to reach the crab for a single jump, and just right for the second jump, but that will exhaust his momentum. Maybe it would be better to just start over? Right before lunging to the board? Still, the rodent was curious if he could smack the crap out of the crab. That knowledge alone would be immensely helpful since now he can fight back rather than just running away from attacks coming from all over the place. He glanced at the crevasse. It seemed no different than the cement walls from the sewer. After carefully revising his plan, Mad Rat opened his mouth.

“Three beats, just to check if I can hit the crab. If that fails, rewind six beats so we can try another route.” 

“Alrighty! Minus three beats coming up!” 

And the rodent was falling, again. 

This time, however, Mad Rat dashed towards the wall of the crevasse. He gripped himself by the wall and kicked the wall hard to charge himself upwards. The time delay, accompanied by upward velocity, rendered the rat near the crab. His mental crosshair was pinning the crab, ready to strike.

“EAT THIS!” The rat slammed himself to the crab’s abdomen. The enfeebled crab was now falling into the abyss. Mad Rat wasn’t sure if his blow actually ended his enemy, but he was still too busy to think of such since he was still in mid-air. His newly acquired momentum from the reaction force of the blow was enough to dash to the other side of the ridge. Mad Rat landed on something that seemed to be a book. 

‘Phew, good thing that now we know we can hit- LOOK OUT!” yelled Heart.

Mad Rat looked up; it was just the ballooned spud slowly approaching him

“Heh, what, that thing? That thing is slower than those red seekers-“

“No, behind you, little rat!” Rat god came out of thin air with a poof.

When the rodent turned to look back, it was already too late. The bamboo bundle, right below the edge of the book he was standing, was already expelling a blob of thick, yellowish paste to Mad Rat. Before he could react, he was already hit, the world turning grey again.

“Ughhhhh, just as I thought I had it going!” Mad Rat groaned with frustration. “How many beats did it take that to hit me? Gotta give that-

“I think I know what you’re trying to do but I don’t think that’ll work.” Rat god interjected.

“And I don’t remember asking your opinion, you freeloader.”

“Now is not the time for you two to fight!” Heart said. “Anyways, that’ll be three beats back. What’s your plan?”

“Meh, nothing fancy. Just dodge, jump, and good ol’ ground pound.”

“Sounds good. Going back three beats back, right… now!”

The rodent was back on the book. He quickly lunged towards the bamboo sticks and soared as the goo came out from the stick, dodging it. He rolled his body tightly and hammered to the ground.

…only to have the whole world turn grey again.

“…Alright, so I cannot hit this one.” The rat concluded.

“How about try hitting the spud?” Heart suggested. There was another beam of light not too far from them, possibly the same light emitting from another eyeball, obscuring the path. Mad Rat and his passengers(?) had to find another way that wouldn’t trigger another eyeball’s crab throwing. But both paths were blocked by enemies, one which the rodent recently learned he couldn’t hit.

“I don’t think that’ll do either. There’s a crab right over us! It seems it’ll fall any moment. Why not go for that?” Rat god said, pointing to the crab.

Mad Rat was about to give a snarky remark, but he chose to just ignore her. Something was telling him she might be right, but then again, why would he trust her? 

The first two moves were just like before, dodging the bamboo’s mucus. But this time, mad rat spined mid-air, charging additional momentum (He still didn’t understand how that worked, but chose not to give too much of a thought.) and dashed towards the ballooned tater, hovering above it. Again, the rodent steeled himself and assaulted from above.

Again, time paused with the world turning into monochrome.

Rat god just floated silently right next to the rat, with a smug grin on her face.

Mad Rat huffed, paying no mind to her, just grumbling internally, and looked up. The crab was already out of the eyeball’s grip and was on its way to the ground. Like the goddess’ prediction, going for the crab was a viable escape plan. 

The rat and its organ looked at each other and nodded. The world briefly went reverse and stopped at the point where they landed on the book. Again. Mad Rat had to save a beat for his jump since the effects of dashing mid-air with insufficient momentum was already well proven by his countless experience (and the death that followed). He zig-zagged in order to dodge the yellow glob and jumped. Three beats like before rendered the falling crab at just the right distance. The rodent pounced at the crab, smacking it. The additional momentum acquired from his assault was enough for him to dash past the eye-beam, landing to safety.

Up ahead, past the cobweb was another ray of light. Just how many eyeballs are there? I just got away from two of those for god’s (no not her) sake! Well, at least the crab throwing has stopped, and this place doesn’t have any bamboo sticks or floaty spuds. the rodent grumbled, tearing the spider webs to make his way. Indeed, minus the shifting searchlight, the space was vacant. In the narrow space between the now obliterated cobweb and a tall rock, there was a tight opening behind the book. Mad Rat dashed to the only exit from the room, only to bonk his head on something.

The rat looked at what he just hit. It was a black, boney pilar. The pilar slowly rose and revealed what was under it. 

It was a claw that looked too much familiar to the rat. A bright yellow illuminated where he was standing, and an ear-ripping screech followed soon after. Yet another eyeball was staring at the rat. Unlike the place before, the room was infested with enemies he couldn't hit, floating spuds were just like seekers, but slower. They were easy to dodge. The bundle of bamboo’s bullet-goo was tricky but manageable. Each firing had the same intervals so Mad Rat could predict when they’ll expel the icky paste with his beat. Crabs assaulting from above was the least problematic, since he could easily smack them and even get additional momentum out of it. However, when all three were there altogether, it wasn’t workable for the rodent.

“If we could, at least, stop that thing from dropping crabs…!” Heart groaned.

“There must be a way to stop it!” Mad Rat had to think fast. The bamboo sticks were too far away to notice him, but the spud and the black claw were slowly approaching him. Mad Rat remembered his fight with Heart. “Heart! Can you do the blood-canon thingy to the eyeball?” 

“Right now? That’ll affect my time rewinding…” The ballooned tater was now right in front of them. The Rat could easily dodge it, but that had a possibility of provoking the bamboo stick, not to mention the crab hovering over the rat’s head. “Okay, here goes nothing...!” a gush of blood burst from Heart. The flow of red bodily fluid hit the eyeball directly. An agonizing shriek quaked through the room, and the eyeball was frantically covering its eye with its claw while trying to wipe off the blood from itself. The released fluid was retrieved by Heart, preventing the rat from fainting by blood loss. Crab-assault was paused at the moment and Mad Rat seized his chance. He was on his way dodging the spuds and bamboo’s bullets. 

The enraged eyeball roared and the ground began to shake. Bamboo sticks were starting to sprout from the ground and spuds were summoned from behind the eyeball. Evading all those enemies was now close to impossible for the rat. Mad Rat frantically looked around, finding a place to escape. He noticed wooden boxes stacked together.

If I could just reach there…! I’ll be safe at least from these abominations! The rat thought.

Eyeball was apparently still pissed, and it started to throw crabs at the rat instead of dropping them one by one. That instantly gave the rodent an idea. He could now just use those crabs as stepping stones to reach the top of the box! It was just like the time he fought the huge, ghost of the culvert (although it was later proven it was just his drawing by Heart)

The rodent was swift in action. He jumped and started to soar upwards to the ridge of the box by bashing the crabs. When he was halfway through it, two crabs were at the same distance from him, one closer to the box. As he tried to bash the crab on the beeline to his goal, Rat god poofed out of nowhere.

“No, no! not that one! It’s- “

The crab shot a spore-like particle at the rat. It hit square in the rat’s snout, making him dizzy. The world turned black and soon, grey when the rat woke up. Time stopped as he felt pain in his sides. Evidently, the crustacean sedated him and pierced his sides with its claw. Killing him in instant.

“I think I got it!” the goddess shouted with realization. “Watch this!” she snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the appearance of the enemies changed. Flying spuds were now red seekers, the untouchable bamboo sticks were now green cactus, and the crabs were turned to either spikey red skulls or the familiar red globous granules. They were all too similar… it was just like the nightmares the rodent encountered.

“Now you can instantly know which one to smack!” the goddess said cheerfully.

“…The nightmares, it was all your doing all along?” Mad Rat inquired, with an accusing tone.

“Well, they are just mere images… mostly…” Rat god trailed off. Feeling uneasy. “But they’re actually hazards that harm and kill you! the goddess huffed. You see, I can sense other living beings or environments that can hurt the host, so I overlayed them with these mirages so you can avoid them without giving a second thought!” The goddess paused for a moment. “I need you to stay alive to transfer myself to the cat, you know?”

Mad Rat grimaced with disgust. Still, he had to admit it was better this way since he could strategize his next move promptly rather than trying to flail his way, smacking and rewinding until he finds the right path.

“It sure is helpful! Thanks, Rat god!” Heart cheered, and glanced at the rodent. “Two beats back would be enough, right? You ready?”

“Sure I am.” 

While the rat was busy ascending himself upwards by selectively smacking now nightmare overlapped crab, Rat god was following her host, dumbfounded. She was never thanked for her deeds, for every act of hers, including this one, was rooted from her own interest: survival. It was understandable, logically, since she was aiding their survivability anyways, and her kind was worshiped by their hosts through the illusions (hence the name Rat god). However, her act other than deception being genuinely appreciated was something new to her.

The rat arrived at the top of the box stack. Enemies other than the eyeball-flung crabs were now unreachable to the rodent. Now he only had to care about the eyeball and its lackeys. 

“Well, should we try the blood canon again? That really seemed to work.” Mad Rat suggested while punching a yellow glob of nightmare/crab.

“I don’t see why not!” and Heart started to pressurize his contents of sanguine fluid.

Team Snakemouth was walking the corridors of the mine that led to the rubber prison. Leif was still pondering about the weird exchange between them and Team Slackers. The waves of magic that Leif felt happened simultaneously, so he just couldn’t disregard it as some mere episode of two sleep-deprived bugs. 

“It’s just…. We never felt anything like that before. We didn’t even know that such magic with a huge range exists!” Leif said while forming and dissipating ice crystals on their hand.

“Well, Venus’ power spans the whole Golden Settlement and its surroundings… Maybe it’s something like that? Kabbu asked.

“Highly unlikely. This one was like… crashing waves. But for Venus, you know her buds are almost everywhere in Bugaria! Her entity is embedded in the soil, and her ability is carried out through the roots as diffusion over a short distance. We know this because that’s what we felt back at the golden hill.” Leif answered. The team reached the end of the tunnel and was now climbing up the stairs.

“Well, who or whatever it is, we’ll find out soon right?” Vi said, tossing her Beemerang up and down. “Speaking of Venus, isn’t it Golden festival soon? Can’t wait to smack some worms after all this!”

“Heh, and we are looking forward to this year’s eating competition. We did easily beat Zasp last time, but We’ve heard he’s quite a worthy opponent when it comes to aphid eggs. Leif chuckled. “Oh, right, Kabbu, didn’t you say professor neolith is visiting the Golden settlement? Is he going to enjoy the festival too?”

“Probably? I’ve heard he’s busy interviewing acolyte Aria to ask some questions regarding Venus, so I cannot say for sure.” Kabbu answered. “Still, it would be nice to say hi to him and mayor- whoa!” 

Kabbu stumbled on the stairs. Leif was about to turn around, only to get hit by Kabbu’s horn. Now Leif was tilting backward, falling. Vi was quick enough to grab the moth. 

“Phew! Thanks, Vi.” Leif said, relieved. “Kabbu, are you alright back there?”

“Y, yes…” Kabbu was slowly standing up, shaking his wrist. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what got to me…” 

Leif suddenly turned his gaze towards the exit up the stairs. He felt the same waves of magic just like in the morning. Is it now affecting Kabbu too? Will he be alright? 

“…as I was saying, He’s busy interviewing acolyte Aria-“ Kabbu suddenly halted. “Wait, haven’t I already said this? That’s weird…” Leif was now noticeably concerned. The same sense of magic, and now the same symptoms? Leif heard a yelp, and something struck his back. Again.

…Wait, again?? Leif was confused by the sense of déjà vu. At the moment he thought he lost his balance, Vi was already holding him, anchoring him to safety.

“Huh, that’s weird. I swear I saw you falling…” Vi said. “Did I just somehow get future vision?”

Leif smirked and was about to thank Vi, but he glanced up at the exit. He felt the same flux of magic as in the morning, and oddly enough, it felt like only a few moments ago. How is this magic going to affect others? Affect us? Will we notice it when it does? 

Kabbu broke Leif’s train of thought. “…I think it would be better for me to head first. I suddenly have this weird feeling about stairs now.” Kabbu said while passing Leif.

Vi grinned and was about to tease the green beetle, but her ‘future vision’ somehow agreed it was a good idea. The bee let the beetle pass her, tossing her weapon up and down, as usual.

That is, until she didn’t feel the beemerang landing on her hand. Sensing something was unnatural, she looked at her empty hand. 

Only to be bonked on the head by her own weapon.

Another sensation of magic crashed into Leif. Is this the third time on the stairs? No… that can’t be right… Leif was still uneasy about the mysterious magic he was feeling since midnight, but he gave up giving too much thought about something unanswerable. Besides, as Vi said, they were on their way to find out.

Team Snakemouth went inside the Giants’ Lair and was heading to the gap leading to the lift. Just like Team Slackers mentioned, the Dead landers were riled up. Muffled noises were coming out beyond the thorny bushes.

 A Venus bud sprouted, and greet them. “Oh, it’s so good to see you right now! I believe you’re here because of the explosion last night, right?” Venus said.

“Correct. Can you tell us something about it?” Leif asked.

“Well, I’m sure your guild members have already told you enough, I sensed their arrival. So other than what they might have told you, hmm… let’s see…” the bud thought for a moment.

“Well, not too much is different, I think. But as you can hear from here, something is causing havoc in there! The thing is, there’s this… presence quite peculiar, something I’ve never sensed before, in the middle of the mayhem over there. I cannot say for sure that the explosion and this… thing are related to each other though.” 

“I feel the presence of three entities, but the vibrations they’re making are strikingly in sync. It’s like they’re sharing a body or something!” The bud turned to Leif as if it was glancing at him. “Well, but then again, I’m not that good at counting, right? Just like the last time back on the hills! Heehehe!” The bud laughed. Suddenly, a huge screech was coming out beyond the bush. The four turned towards the source of the scream, but the bush was obscuring the view, “I’m still surprised how they’re still alive while dealing with the whole Dead landers…” Venus trailed off. “Be careful out there. I would advise you to take the lift, bypass them, and just talk to the villagers…” the bud turned to Kabbu. “But now I guess you’ll head right through, right?”

“We cannot just leave someone in danger!” Kabbu said.

“And they might have the answers we’re looking for.” Leif said. 

Vi glanced over the hedge. she thought she saw something looming over “Hey, Kabbu? I- “

“We cannot just leave someone- wait, didn’t I already say that?” Kabbu said, confused.

Leif and the bud looked at each other.

“Did you feel that too?” the plant asked first.

“Yes. Do you know what that is?” 

“No.” Venus glanced at Kabbu. “Does that happen when you feel this?”

“Yes. We’re not sure how to describe this, but people repeating what they said or did, and the weird sense of déjà vu… it kept happening.”

“It only happened after the mysterious beings arrived, but I’m not certain if they’re the cause of it.” 

“Only one way to find out…” Leif trailed off.

“Are you guys ready?” Kabbu checked their inventory before heading to the small gap among the thorns.

Vi took a deep breath and gripped her beemerang. “I do enjoy kicking enemies’ butts, but those Dead landers make me nervous…” 

“Be careful out there.” The plant said, puffing out her healing fume. “I don’t know if you guys need this, but this one’s on me! It’s the festival soon, so don’t forget to visit me there! Good luck!” Team Snakemouth waved their goodbyes and entered the dangerous lair.

“…What is THAT!?” Vi shouted. There were tons of Dead lander alphas and betas. Fortunately, they were all on the other side of the crevasse. They were all stationary but were focused on something... as if it was waiting for something to fall into their pile. That alone was so bizarre, but Vi was looking at something else.

A creature, huge as a spider, in several shades of grey, covered in fur like that of moths and having an abdomen(?) like dragonflies (big as worms, but the proportions didn’t match; it was far too small than its rest of the body.), little wings(???) attached to its head and atop of that there was a huge hole on its thorax.

Kabbu and Leif were also staring astonishingly at the mysterious creature. It was zig-zagging through the air, charging to airborne Dead lander gammas, and using them as stepping stones to stay airborne. Leif thought its movement defying the laws of physics was on par with Vi’s beemerang. Kabbu was amazed at its formidable power. It was taking down the gammas with a single blow each. He was now a bit doubtful if this creature even needed their help, but he thought the creature couldn’t do this forever and decided to help anyway. But then, a gamma was heading towards them!

Mad Rat was busy striking the right enemies. It was easy now that they were overlayed with familiar Appearance, but setting the course to move around them was not a simple task. The fact that the cover image of the crabs transforming constantly depending on their susceptivity to his attacks didn’t make it easier. (at least the intervals of changing stance were consistent enough to predict them.) He couldn’t do this all day!

Just then, as he kicked a crab to change direction, the now-dead crab’s carapace hit another crab. Like a billiard ball, it changed course and was now being flicked to the other side of the crevasse. Mad Rat noticed the other crevasse, being slightly narrower than the one he escaped from. And on the ridge, there were three creatures, resembling bugs.

“Hey, you missed a spot.” Mad Rat said to the goddess, pointing to the bugs.

“They seem different. Not just the appearance.” Rat god answered. “I don’t think they’re a threat to you. At least for now. They don’t seem to be hostile…”

“And you just sent a crab to those poor bugs?!” Heart yelled. “We have to help them!” He quickly spewed a blob of blood, pursuing the crab. The crab already landed on the other side and was crawling toward the three bugs.

“Did that thing just sent us a GAMMA??” Vi shouted, wielding her beemerang.

“We don’t think it meant to do it; we doubt it if it even noticed us.” Leif said, concentrating moisture into the ground, preparing Frigid Coffin.

“We still have to figure out how to get there!” Kabbu said, steeling himself for a charge.

Kabbu was the first one to strike. The Dead lander raised its leg to stomp the beetle but was hit by a boomerang. It turned to the wielder, Vi, and roared. It was now charging at the bee, opening its claw wide. Only to meet a pillar of ice. The Dead lander was now charging tranquilizing spores.

Vi noticed a drop of red liquid, seemingly from the mysterious creature, falling to gamma. It just splashed to the ground, missing it. The Dead lander turned to see what it was, and tread on it. It was somewhat viscous, like some sort of bodily fluid. Ew. 

Just then, the small puddle burst into jagged crystals and congealed instantly. Gamma was now trapped inside the crystal, its fate unknown. The large crystal almost hit Vi too. Did it try to attack us or the Dead lander? The bee wondered. Vi’s eyes met the creature’s and the creature was giving a satisfactory nod. At least for now, it seemed it wasn’t trying to kill them.

“Nice aim, Heart. But did you really have to make it that big?” 

“Well, I never used it besides you, so I wasn’t sure how strong it would be!” Heart protested, playfully. “You die even for the smallest spike! You know, you’re not exactly a good test subject to hone my skills…”

“Ha! Funny thing to hear as a lab rat!” The rodent snickered. “Well, jokes aside, that huge spike almost hit a poor bug, and am I going to be alright losing such a large amount of blood in the middle of this?” Mad Rat shot back.

“Oh no! Are they okay?” Heart asked, worried. The rat noticed a pink blob (dubbed crab) right underneath him and decided to pound the crab, giving him free momentum for another jump. For the short time earned for hovering, Mad Rat. looked briefly at the bugs. Seeing them unharmed, the rodent gave a relieving nod. “Yeah, they’re fine.” Mad Rat panted. He felt his exhaustion was building up faster than usual.

“Phew! Good to know! Oh, right, your blood.” Heart dissolved his giant spike, and retrieved the fluid. Fresh blood was pumping back to the rat. Rejuvenated, Mad Rat went his way back to the box ridge with perfectly aligned blobs just waiting to be smacked. 

The panting rat gazed upon the infuriated eyeball, catching his breath. He leaned over to see the bottom, finding out the clustered bamboos and spuds. The rodent saw where this was going: the eyeball was trying to tire him to exhaustion, so the enemies below can end him when he couldn’t keep up and fall. Mad Rat needed to do something besides staying high up over the boxes.

“Alright, I’m charging to that thing.” Mad Rat said, determined. Previous attempts of pressurizing and ejecting blood by Heart showed that it was enough to startle it but insufficient to actually give an effective blow. “I don’t know what else can lead us to safety, so it’s worth a shot. Besides, we can just rewind when things go south, right?”

“…I guess we have no other choice.” Rat god said, hesitantly. “They’re strong, strong enough to even kill a normal rat instantly, but I can sense a vulnerability. It’s somehow like Mimolette, minus the fact that it can kill rats for real.”

“So it is a viable plan then?” Heart asked. 

The goddess faltered with uncertainty, but Mad Rat stepped forward. “Only one way to find out!”

Mad Rat waited for a perfect moment, the moment where all crabs were smackable blobs, and leading him to the eyeball while dodging the crabs/ flaming skulls thrown to him. He also kept in mind of the changing intervals, measuring them with his heartbeat. As his prediction was now indicating an action, the rodent lunged forward. Jump, dash, lock-on, hit, dash, lock, hit… step by step, Mad Rat traversed towards the target. He twirled mid-air, earning a short time for locking his aim. The spinning rodent clutched his sides to brace for the impact and dashed towards the Eyeball’s pupil.

A ghastly shriek shook the room. Omega’s claw was swooping around, trying to catch its attacker. The strange creature was heading back to the ridge. Team Snakemouth was on their way, crossing the crevasse. They were watching the unthinkable unfolding above them with awe. Such creature, far smaller than its opponent, fighting back the culmination of horrors of the Giants’ Lair? Maybe it was the chance, the chance to end its reign of terror. Meanwhile, Omega writhed in pain and hit a wall behind it. It shook the room and now the roach village above it was at risk

This mission is going wrong very quickly…!  Kabbu thought. It was supposed to be a simple investigation, but the changing circumstances led to their new objective: subdue the Omega and save the village. 

Omega was blinking its bloodshot eyes, emitting its eye-beam again. It figured the creature was using his lackeys to cross the air and hit him, and now it was flicking gammas from underneath the ridge. That would still threaten the creature, but it wouldn’t allow another strike like the last time. Kabbu was looking carefully at the creature from one jump away from the other side of the crevasse. Bit by bit, the creature was losing altitude. It would soar to the air by kicking the wall from time to time, but overall, it was falling. Falling to a certain demise: the pile of alphas and betas.

“Team! We have to aid that creature! Is there a way to clear the ground?” Kabbu said.

“On it!” Vi said, shooting needles. Leif was creating a rain of icicles. The barrage of needles and ice assailing the cluster of Dead landers. Strangely enough, the Dead Landers were so obsessed with the creature, they didn’t seem to care about their comrades falling down. That resulted in a small patch across the crevasse for the team to tread on. Vi quickly grabbed Kabbu and flew to the vacant area, followed by Leif on his ice crystal. 

“Time to kick their butts!” Vi shouted, steeling herself, and turned her gaze to Leif. The moth gave the bee a nod and froze the bee, shaping it into a huge sphere. “Now!” Leif yelled. Kabbu charged with all his might. The gigantic ball of frost was tumbling through the Dead landers, trampling them. Omega noticed a significant decrease in its minions, but it seemed it decided to deal with them later. Rather, it was devising a new plan: Send gamma directly to pounce this abomination than waiting for it to tire out and fall. Few Dead lander gammas were crawling up the box, trying to assault the creature from behind.

Vi noticed the gamma ready for an ambush. She gripped her beemerang, ready for a clear opening, but the creature zipping around the air was obscuring her aim. Then, she noticed the huge hole in the creature. It was large enough to pass her beemerang through and hit the Dead lander. Vi started to spin, and with all her might, she flung her boomerang. She was sure a single heavy throw was not enough to down a gamma, but it would certainly help the creature.

Mad Rat noticed he was slowly descending. Now that the crabs were thrown from below, he couldn’t smack his way upwards. At this rate, he would meet a certain demise underneath.

“Mad Rat! Look!” Heart cried, pointing right below.

There was a huge ball of ice, big as a baseball, rolling over the bamboos and spuds. That gave him enough space to land. His chance for another blow to the eyeball was now most likely no longer present, but his survival was now guaranteed. Was this the bugs’ doing? They surely were no typical bugs…

“Now we can land to safety! Thanks, little bugs!” Heart thanked them from afar.

Two things were unnoticed by the rat. A crab that was climbing up the wall, preparing its sneak attack, and a certain boomerang.

“Little rat! Behind you!” the goddess shouted.

“Wha-“

“Gah!”

The world turned grey as the rat coughed up blood. 

“Ow…. What was that?” Heart said, confused. It was quite a while since he felt pain from an external force, and even that was from the rat. It was different this time, he noticed a boomerang right in front of his eye. It was clear that he was hit by it, and it seemed like the one the bee was holding.

“What the, we just saved their lives, and this is how they repay us?” Mad Rat blurted angrily.

“No, that’s not it! Look behind you!” Rat god said, erasing her illusions momentarily and pointing something behind him.

The rodent turned around and found the crab, ready to hit him any moment. Given a few more seconds, it was certain that he would be killed. Mad Rat looked at the bee again. The trajectory of its boomerang was leading to… the crab, just past his chest-hole.

“Well… I guess they were trying to help…” Heart said cautiously.

“Hrmph…” the rodent grumbled, wiping blood from his mouth. He knew Heart was making sense, but he was still angry about the sudden heart attack. “Well, what do you think?” the rat asked the goddess.

“Still no sign of hostility towards you… I think Heart is right, they seem to be trying to help you!” Rat god answered. The rat had to acknowledge they intended to save him from the crab.

Mad Rat sighed. “Fine, but what now? We’ll get hit either way!” 

“I think can just move slightly to dodge it…” Heart suggested. It seemed to be a viable plan, so the rat agreed. 

In minus one beat, and heart shifted to the left. The boomerang grazed him a bit and flew past him, heading towards the crab. the boomerang ricocheting back towards him, so now he dodged to the right. While Heart was busy evading friendly fire, Mad Rat noticed the boomerang’s impact enfeebled the crab, since the hallucination shifted from the skulls on flames to the vulnerable blob. The rodent then simply stomped the blob/crab.

Eyeball wasn’t happy about this, and its claw was now going for the bugs.

“They’re being targeted!” Heart cried. “Mad Rat, can up keep up for the next few moments? We have to help them back!” Heart summoned for blobs of blood. Mad Rat was heading to the wall, to save up his stamina. “Urgh, don’t take it too long! Those are my blood after all!” the rat grumbled.

Vi was about to catch her beemerang back from the rebound. But when she was ready to snatch it, it was slightly further than her usual. She acted quickly, giving up the retrieval, and ducked to dodge it. The boomerang grazed her antenna and thrust into the soil.

That’s weird… I’ve used Heavy Throw a lot enough to not do that mistake…  Vi thought.

Leif felt the crashing wave of magic, but he was busy as Team Snakemouth was clearing the remaining Dead landers. They weren’t aware of the gigantic claw above them. Suddenly, Kabbu noticed four blobs falling near them. It was the same bodily fluid that slew gamma before! Four puddles of red were surrounding the team. Clearly, it was the creature’s deed, but why? Why was it trapping them? Vi just helped them for Venus’ sake! Kabbu told Vi and Leif to run.

Just then, a shadow loomed over them. Kabbu looked up and saw the omega’s claw. 

Oh. 

“Wait! It’s safer in here!” Kabbu yelled, skidding and stopping himself.

“Safer?? You saw what that thing can do! Vi cried.

“I am aware! Leif, quick! Use your bubble shield!”

Leif was about to cast a shield for all of his team, but soon it was proved that it wasn’t needed. The red puddle burst into crystals like before, but it was narrower, almost like a pike, narrow enough to leave the team intact. The four jagged red crystals stabbed the claw, and an agonizing outcry soon followed.

Dead lander Omega was paying no mind to both of its attackers. It was trying to pluck out the stuck crystals, scratching its palm frantically. The use of both claws of omega halted the barrage of gammas. Meanwhile, the creature was slipping down the wall, stomping gammas on its way. It was still too far away from Omega for another strike, and now that the gammas were no longer in the air, their chance of success was becoming slim every second. 

Kabbu remembered how the creature was zig-zagging through the air by smacking gammas. That gave him an idea. “Leif! Can you send your icicles up there? We have to make way for that creature”

“We don’t think we can send them up that far…!”

“I can help with that!” Vi said and turned to the beetle. “Kabbu, can you boost me up there? I can fly up there myself, but it’s gonna tire me too soon. I’ll smack the icicles from up there while Leif summons them towards me!”

The beetle nodded and tilted his head down, letting the bee grab it. After a brief moment of charging his might, Kabbu whisked Vi up into the air. Vi skyrocketed and soon began to flap her wings, hovering above them.

“Leif, use Ice rain… Now!” the bee shouted from afar.

Leif conjured a salvo of icicles, sending them to Vi. Vi threw her boomerang to the chunks of ice one by one, sending them towards the imaginary beeline between the creature and Omega, starting from Omega’s side. She hoped they’ll get the idea.

And soon they did. Mad Rat was watching the whole thing.

“What are they doing…? The rat muttered. He didn’t understand what they were up to (Plus the fact that the moth was somehow able to summon ice out of nowhere). 

“Huh, what, what is it?” Heart looked up. He was preoccupied with retrieving the blood carefully, letting the ones stuck in the eyeball stay there while salvaging the others.

“I think I got it!” Rat god exclaimed, pointing to where the icicles were heading. “Look little rat! We can use them to smack it and get across!”

Indeed, the barrage of Ice crystals was becoming like stairs of stepping stones (Stepping ice?) towards the eyeball. When the last icicle was sent near to the rodent, he made haste. 

A kick, a dash, a jump, another kick… bit by bit, the rodent was on its way to the eyeball. After the eyeball finished plucking out the last thorn of blood, it turned its gaze to face the rat, grabbing a crab, no, a cluster of crabs on its claw. The rat was faster, already kicking the last icicle and rolling himself into a ball. Before the eyeball could even react, the rodent plunged to the iris.

A screech, claws flailing, and a collision on a wall. Sets of a unique combination of the three followed one by one. A huge crack was heard, and rays of sunlight were illuminating the area. The abomination staggering and the old wooden wall made a hole in it. Both parties closed their eyes to the brightness, and a huge sploosh was heard. When all of them opened their eyes, Dead lander omega, the eyeball, was nowhere to be seen. Still, the hole on the wall and a stream behind it filled in the gaps.

The Rat fell to the ground. It didn’t hurt him, but he was extremely exhausted. Mad Rat was lying down, his arms and legs splayed out, panting heavily. 

Exhaustion swept team Snakemouth too. Three bugs looked at each other and nodded. Carefully, they approached the mysterious creature.

“Um… Hello!” Kabbu said. “Can you… can you understand us?”

Mad Rat’s ear twitched and got up to look where it came from. Next to him were the three bugs that he saved their lives, saved his life, and helped him bring down the eyeball. 

“Well… now this is new, I’ve never seen a talking bug!” 

Chapter Text

“Huh, well, you must have encountered the lesser bugs! They aren’t sentient like us.” Kabbu explained.

“Oh dear, where are my manners! I’m Kabbu, and this is Vi and Leif. We’re Team Snakemouth from the Ant kingdom’s explorers’ guild!” 

“Heh, I’m Mad Rat. Just a runaway lab rat, as you can see.” Mad rat answered, fiddling his ear tag, only to meet blank stares from the trio. The rodent cleared his throat. "Well, anyways I gotta say, thank you all for sending those stepping ice!”

“And also, for saving your life from the crab?” Heart chipped in.

“That doesn’t count. That boomerang did kill me you know!” the rat playfully retorted, grinning at Heart.

…which only confused the trio of bugs.

“Kill you?! I saw my beemerang going right through you flawlessly!” Vi blurted.

“And who were you talking to just before?” Leif asked

“…Well, the same goes for us too. You have our gratitude for saving our lives!” Kabbu added

Oh right, they can’t see Heart. This is so like back with the mob rats…  Mad Rat thought to himself. 

“Uh… well, that’s…” the rodent stammered, glancing at his organ and the false god. The goddess was just floating right next to him, silently watching as if it was a sort of amusement for her. Mad Rat’s eye twitched with annoyance, but still, he continued. “I see things. Well, that’s why my name is ‘Mad’ Rat after all!” It was technically true, although he was named after his crazy plan to kill the human researcher by Heart. And while Heart was as real as it can be, being his vital organ, Rat god’s ‘image’ was in fact, a hallucination.

The moth seemed content with his explanation, but the bee’s question was still there, unanswered. Mad Rat wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to reveal his time-winding ability to a bunch of mysterious bugs he just met. Sure, they saved each other’s lives, but he was still cautious about such matter. He decided to try flailing his way out evading such disclosure.

“Oh, Uh… I meant  almost.  You  almost  killed me back there.” The rat gestured to his chest hole. “You see this? This is where my vital organs are located. Sure, you managed to fling it right through seamlessly, but even a slight graze would have killed me! And, uh… I was talking to my hallucination anyway, so you don’t need to mind what I said. Mad Rat glanced next to him, only to meet an unimpressed stare from Heart.  Ugh, Fine!  “Still, thanks for saving me from those… crab, I guess.”

“Crab…? Oh, the gamma! yeah, it was nothing.” The bee answered. “To be fair, whatever that red… thing was, that  almost  killed us too!”

“Heh, told you that crystal was too big! And now I’m being blamed even though it was your doing!” the rodent chuckled, then paused for a second, facing the dumbfounded bugs, and simply said “Never mind. Again, it’s just my hallucination.” before the bugs raised additional cumbersome questions.

“Still, nobody got hurt at the end, right?” The beetle said. Mad Rat didn’t seem to agree, but the rodent remained quiet. “It was an honor to slay the horrendous beast, side by side with such a mighty being like you! Now the roaches here will finally live in peace.” Kabbu went silent for a brief moment and remembered why his team was here in the first place. “We were on a mission prior to this though, and it may be related to each other. There was a report about an explosion here in Giants’ Lair last night. Do you happen to know anything about it?” Kabbu asked.

“An explosion huh? Well…. We, I mean, I kinda woke up here, and I don’t even know where I am! I was just wandering around before that eyeball began to attack me, and I didn’t hear any explosions during that short moment.” The rat said while walking towards the hole in the wall. Maybe the scenery outside could give him the slightest clue about his location, but tall grass was obscuring his view. Yet, he could see a skyline of concrete, covered in green from afar. It was all too weird to the rodent. The whole interaction with these mysterious bugs and Hearts reaction showed that this was not a hallucination. Everything he have seen up to that point, the hideous foes, the desolate place, and the terrain outside was too foreign to him. Just like the goddess mentioned, there was a chance this may not be the world he belonged to.

Then Why?

Why does it feel… so weirdly familiar? The warmth from the sun, the smell of the air outside, and even the skyline of the buildings outside look somewhat recognizable if I squint and ignore the overgrown plants… Why does this place feel like… the park?

Were his senses playing tricks again? Was the goddess deceiving him again, masking her true intentions with fake innocence? There was no way the rat could discern either of those two.

“For the last time! I told you I am not tricking you in any way!” the goddess appeared in front of the rat, crossing her arms.

Did she just read my mind??

“So… are you lost?” the blue moth asked before the rat could make some snarky remark to his parasite.

“I- Uh, yes.” The rat answered. “Everything is so bizarre, I’m constantly doubting if I’m hallucinating this or not!” he said, jokingly. “Heck, as I mentioned before, I’ve never talked to a bug like this in my life!”

“A mysterious creature, from lands so far away that it’s filled with only lesser beings…” Kabbu mused

“What, like Tanjerin?” Vi quipped. 

“Transported to here by magic, possibly teleportation…” Leif added, trailing off.

The two bugs and the rat stared at the moth, eyes blinking with silence.

“We can feel a powerful magic radiating up ahead.” Leif started to explain. “We don’t know what kind of magic this is… but We can feel it is surely somewhat… residual? A remnant of some powerful magic. I’m certain it’s the same magic we felt last night.” The moth turned, coincidently towards the floating image of Rat god which caused her to slightly flinch, but soon shifted his gaze to the rat. “And we feel a whiff of the same magic coming from you. you were possibly at the center of potent magic that caused an explosion last night. It fits Roy’s mention of ‘shadowy figure’ near the impact site from Stratos’ report and you mentioning everything is so unfamiliar implies you were teleported here.” The moth thought for a moment and continued. “Of course, this is still just speculation. Perhaps some more information from the Roaches’ elder may be helpful to confirm this.” The moth still had questions regarding the ‘lapses’ caused by a wave of unknown magic. However, it ceased to occur after their encounter, and they had a pressing matter at hand, so he simply remained silent about it for the time being.

“Well then… I guess I should follow you guys for a while to figure my way back, right?” Mad Rat said and all three bugs nodded. The party started to walk deeper into the Giants’ Lair.

“So… you said you’re a runaway lab… rat, right?” Kabbu asked the rodent. “I’ve never seen a rat before, well, let alone a sentient being that’s not a bug! Anyways, are you a something of a scientist then?”

“Are you running away to pursue your research without boundaries?” Vi chipped in, thinking of Patton, the exiled alchemist. 

Pfft!  The rat heard an audible snicker from two places, one from behind and one from below, followed by a soft apology from only one. Admittedly, it was quite funny to think the term was presumed to have a different meaning in a world without lab rats. Yet, the days before he met Heart were not particularly a happy memory in any respect to the rodent.

“…No, I’m not a scientist in any way. I was the test subject.” The lab rat answered, trying to hide his chagrin. Yet his discomfort was noticeable to all. Slight gasps soon followed. It seemed to catch the moth’s attention most of all, but he still remained silent.

“Its… not something I want to talk about, at least at the moment. Now, excuse me for a sec, gotta… talk to my hallucinations.” And the rat slowly trudged, making distance from the rest.

“Isn’t it weird that he can tell what’s his hallucination and what’s reality but still call himself ‘Mad’?” Vi whispered after she found the rat was far enough from hearing her. “Most insane people don’t even realize they’re having hallucinations and all right?”

“Or maybe he’s not talking to his hallucinations from the first place,” Leif replied.

“Then… who is he talking to? An invisible being? Like ghosts?” Kabbu asked, lowering his voice.

“We can’t say for sure… but remember Venus talking about three entities moving in sync? I think she referred to Mad Rat. Not sure how that leads to three beings, but… we can feel something alike, not three, but two. A presence of two bound together.” The moth explained. “We aren’t sure if it’s something he’ll open about though… what if it’s related to his experiments?” Leif shuddered at the thought. His memory of those days in confinement was… sketchy, only bits and pieces remaining, yet none of them being pleasant. 

A few steps behind were the rat and his passengers

“Is everything okay, Mad Rat?” Heart asked, worried.

“I thought I’ve got over it after I’ve decided to forgive the human…” the rat muttered. “I know he didn’t do it on a whim, he definitely wasn’t enjoying it either. Maybe there was a bigger reason behind all those experiments, so big that a little rat like me cannot understand. That’s… that’s why I forgave him, and I don’t regret it! I know I don’t! but… why…”

Heart embraced Mad Rat. “I know, it’s still painful, isn’t it? At the end of the day, that scientist still contributed to your sufferings.” Heart said, soothing the rodent.

“Heart, how come… how come you’re so calm about all this? I still don’t know what you are, but that doesn’t change the fact that you… In a sense, you were killed by the human! Don’t you feel any resentment?” 

“Well, that is true… but then, I wouldn’t have met you, would I?” Heart answered cordially.

The rat silently returned the hug. For the slightest moment, he wondered if this was going to look weird to the bugs, like an embarrassing sight of him trying to hug himself, but thankfully they were far away, paying no mind to him. The fake goddess, awkwardly floating nearby, came into his sight.

“Yeah, then again, if that surgery did not happen, she wouldn’t be in my head and cause this whole mess!” Mad Rat glared at Rat god, releasing Heart.

“Well, if I could choose my host, certainly I would not pick a sinking boat that only has 24 hours left!” the goddess retorted. “You wouldn’t have gotten out of the lab if it weren’t for me!” she huffed with frustration.

“Ugh, whatever.” The rat started to speed up to catch up with the bugs. “I still don’t trust you, but I do believe you that this is not some tricks coming from you. Speaking of which, did you read my mind or something back there? You kinda came out of nowhere when I was thinking if this was your doing and all…” Mad Rat trailed off.

Rat god hesitated for a moment. Just like her host, she did not trust the rat and revealing her extent of power didn’t seem desirable. But quarreling every moment for such trivial matter didn’t seem to be advantageous for their survivability too. She sighed and decided to let him know. “In a sense, yes. I live in your brain after all. But that doesn’t mean I know everything that you think. Only a glimpse of what you sense, feel, and think.” The goddess explained. The more her host understood her abilities, the chances of deceiving the rat would become slim. Still, for this one, in particular, there was no way the rat could stop her from reading the fragments of his mind. Earning even the slightest bit of trust from his host for an exchange of such insignificant knowledge was a sensible, strategic decision.

In her thoughts, that is. Yet she felt… bothered from disclosing her secrets. An inexplicable discrepancy, but negligible enough to the goddess.

“And what about Heart? Can you read his thoughts too?” the rat added.

“…No. I’m inside your head, not your heart, little rat.”

“Huh.” the rat and his heart looked at each other, giving a mysterious nod each other. Just then, the rat finally caught up with Team Snakemouth, near the box where the rat woke up. 

“We’re here. The residual magic feels strongest here.” Leif said to the party. Mad Rat looked up at the box. It was close enough, just some height difference was all, so he didn’t correct the moth.

“Well, it said there was an explosion, but everything here is perfectly intact!” Vi pointed out.

“Roy’s crops are safe too,” Kabbu said, taking a quick look at the small patch.

“And I must be that ‘shadowy figure’, so…” the rat chipped in.

“Which turns out to be a powerful ally, not a threat!” Kabbu finished.

“No casualties, no property damage, no imminent threat… We think we’ve seen enough for the ‘explosion’ part.” The moth examined. “We think we’re good to go to the Roach village.” 

“What about killing the Omega? How are we gonna report that?” Vi questioned.

The three bugs shifted their gaze up to glance the rat briefly, then exchanged looks with each other.

“Let's… think about that a bit later, shall we?” Kabbu answered after a moment of speechlessness washed the party.

“Well then, how do we go to this Roach village?” the rat asked.

“There’s a lift leading to the village at the top chamber of ice here,” Vi answered, pointing to the slightly opened tall white box emitting frosty wind, which looked like a refrigerator.

That… oddly resembles the ones I saw back in my world…  Mad Rat squinted and spoke with uncertainty. “…You mean the fridge?” the trio just gave him blank stares. The rat examined the exterior of the fridge and peeked inside through the crack in the door. “Yeah, this is definitely a refrigerator. I don’t remember seeing icicles inside, but I never saw the interior of it this close from the first place.”  But why is there a fridge here? Are there humans here too? Or something equivalent(?) to humans?  The rodent’s train of thought was soon stopped by the bugs’ stare full of confusion. “Oh… well, that’s where they would store the test samples for the experiment-“ The rat’s explanation paused abruptly, looking down at his chest hole and started to mutter, presumably talking to his hallucination. “They put food in there too?? What for? How do you know th- oh, alright, alright.” He turned his gaze back to the trio and continued. “And also, food. But I never saw that myself though. Nothing but injections and blood samples.”

Leif had so many questions.  They? Who are they? The same rats? Or some… roach equivalent of rats as they are for the bugs? How do they use such gigantic apparatus? Rats are bigger than bugs but still, this ‘fridge’ looks too huge for them to use! And why is this in the Giants’ Lair anyway??  Yet he couldn’t ask any of it since the rat clearly said he didn’t want to talk about it.

Mad Rat and Team Snakemouth entered the fridge through the gap. The bugs didn’t need to defeat the frozen Krawlers since they were easily taken care of by the rodent with a single blow. The cumbersome puzzles using ice blocks were also circumvented by utilizing the rodent’s taller stature, his physics-defying maneuvers (including bashing icicles mid-air summoned by Leif), and his use of additional appendage. (Mad Rat later explained it was his ‘tail’ and not his abdomen.) the rodent absolutely hated the idea of the bugs using his tail as a rope to climb with (they weren’t heavy, so it didn’t hurt him. Nonetheless, he hated it without question.), but when he flattened one of the ‘trampoline mushrooms’ and broke it, he just had to do it. 

During their journey upwards, the rodent saw a round box of cheese. He rushed to the box, filled with glee. The trio of bugs followed soon after, curious about the cause of the rat’s delight. The rat was on his way trying to open the lid.

“What’s that?” Vi asked.

“Cheese! Every rat’s wish! I never knew I would find one of these!” Mad Rat answered, pushing the lid with his feet from below.

“I see plenty other round platforms- I mean containers like that. How did you know this one is ‘cheese’?” Kabbu wondered.

“It says it’s cheese right over here!” the rat pointed to the side of the box, written “camembert cheese”, the same one he saw on the cheese foil he got from the human girl. Leif squinted at the marks that the rat pointed. It wasn’t Bugnish nor Roach.

“And you read that?” Leif asked.

The rat stood up and turned to the moth after the lid was removed. “Well, most rats can’t read, but I’ve kinda picked up some and taught myself bits and pieces. There were a lot of reports and stuff splayed next to my cage so I’ve had plenty of time and materials.” Kabbu seemed very shocked to hear the rodent’s words. He was trembling with excitement. Mad Rat jumped on the box and picked up a triangular foil-wrapped cheese. Given a second thought, he would have found that it was weird to see the same cheese written in human language here, but the rat’s enthusiasm made him go straight to the cheese without a doubt.

“So this… cheese is a rare metal… that should be kept in the cold?” Vi asked, bewildered.

“What? No! check this out!” the rat started to peel off the tin foil from the back. A few moments later, Mad Rat’s face stiffened and began to gag. He quickly covered the cheese with the foil and scurried out of the box, chucked the lid on the top, and sealed it by stomping on it.

“What was that about?” Vi was never confused more than this before.

“…It has gone bad.” The rodent said, deflated.

Meanwhile, Kabbu was talking to Leif.

“We have to call Neolith!” the beetle exclaimed. “This will be the greatest breakthrough of archaeology! I know he’s an expert on roach studies, but this could be the chance to understand the giants!”

“Wait, wait. We don’t understand! Where is this coming from?” Leif said, perplexed by the beetle’s sudden excitement.

“He can understand the giants’ script! Kabbu said. He said he learned it from the giants’ scriptures himself! He was being experimented on  by the giants ! If your theory about teleportation is correct, then there must be giants roaming around, somewhere far far away!”

Oh

“Still, Mad Rat clearly suffered greatly being their test subject. We don’t think we can expect him to cooperate on giant studies-” the moth said tentatively, then interrupted by the rat. 

“Hey, what’s going on down there?” Mad Rat jumped down from the abomination-filled box.

“Oh, you said you learned how to read the Giant’s scripture by reading their reports, right?” Kabbu asked, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“The Giants...? Ah, the humans! Yeah, that’s about right. What about it?”

Leif and Kabbu looked at each other, now nodding confidently. The moth started to talk, slowly. “Well, as you heard us talking before, bugs around here call this place the Giants’ Lair, a place full of peril and huge artifacts. It is sad that giants once lived here, yet we don’t know much about them. Our lore books say they’ve disappeared before our time, only leaving us with unanswerable questions.” The moth glanced at the rat, checking his reaction. “So… um, after we figure out how to solve your problem... if it doesn’t bother you, can you help us understand their history?”

The rat kept his neutral expression throughout the moth’s proposal. Now giving a second thought about the  Camembert cheese , it was quite… peculiar. 

What are the odds of arriving at a world where humans existed, the same kind who used the same language, made the same products like ours, then disappear? I knew it was weird to see the same words from my world! But well, they’re gone here. Good riddance, I’d say. At least the bugs here won’t suffer from being a test subject with messed-up experiments! About their… research project though, am I a valid source? What if the giants’ language and humans’ language turn out to be different? Hmmm…. Every written words on the fridge's contents are noticeable. Sample too small to give a decisive conclusion but better than nothing!

Mad Rat gave a few more moments of thought. “I’ll see what I can do. My understanding of human language may not be enough, but I’ll try.”

“What? What did I miss?” the bee asked, looking around.

“I’ll tell you on the lift to the village.” Kabbu said, heading towards the wooden contraption with the bee.

“I don’t think I can ride that.” The rat said, remembering what happened to the mushroom he jumped on.

“We can shoot icicles on our way so you can use them like before.” Leif said, preparing his ice rain while climbing the gondola.

“Great! Let’s get going then!” Vi said as the wooden gears started to turn.

Three bugs and a rat were arriving at the Roach village.

Chapter Text

“…So that’s why I think we should call Neolith to come here.” Kabbu suggested as he explained to Vi his conjecture of the rodent’s state and prospects in academic cooperation.

“We see the terminus. We’re almost there.” Leif noted.

Up ahead, the roach village was filled with tumult. Scorpions marching towards the edge, roaches scurrying here and there as if… they were preparing for an attack. Surely it was due to the commotion that Team Snakemouth and their new ally caused. Even though the village was at a higher elevation, they had limited information about their surroundings. The largest contributor to such was the fact that the Omega lurked right underneath them. That being said, the area becoming brighter by the light coming from the newly formed hole on the wall was not exactly a good sign for the roaches, for they couldn’t interpret it correctly with so much intel omitted and obscured. The most reasonable action they could take was to defend their homes from whatever it was.

As Team Snakemouth was peeking at the marching scorpions through the wooden gondola, they got the idea soon enough.

“So… what should we do? We can’t just barge in with Mad Rat like this! It’ll make them panic and that’s just hell broke loose, guaranteed!” Vi fretted. Her awe and fascination with the rodent’s mystery were rapidly extinguished with the tension up ahead.

“We just have to explain them. Assure them they’re safe now, as in complete peace, now that the Omega is gone. And tell them about the ‘shadowy figure’ was not a threat, but a friend!” Kabbu said, looking back at the rodent, who was whizzing through the air by slamming his body on icicles. “…It would be better to postpone his arrival, just enough to simmer down their hostility.”

“And how are we going to do that? We cannot keep summoning these icicles!” Leif questioned.

“I have an idea!” Vi exclaimed, wielding her boomerang. “Hey, Mad Rat! Can you bash on my beemerang?” she said, throwing it hard.

“Wh- what?!” the orange weapon was charging towards the rat, fast. The rat’s reflexes screamed to dodge it, and he did accordingly, soaring up high with the thrust he gained from pounding the icicle. Then, he twirled, transferring the upward momentum into a spinning motion, halting mid-air. It was one of the things that the goddess never understood how he completely ignores the laws of physics. Rat god was now more confused as she saw the boomerang was spinning, but not traversing anywhere. Only rotating on a fixed point, just like Mad Rat was doing. The rat soon remembered what he was asked to do, and he hammered his body towards the orange slurry of gyration.

Mad Rat rebounded. But his mental crosshair was still there, ready for another slam. He saw the lack of ice crystals around him and got the picture.

“Okay, keep doing that for a while! We gotta talk to the roaches first!” yelled the bee from afar.

Leif and Rat god, although they didn’t know the presence of each other, was standing side by side, equally shocked at the sight of a rat, endlessly pounding on the perpetually spinning beemerang. Every concept regarding the laws of physics was crumbling in their minds. (Which was quite odd in some way, since the moth would casually break the laws of thermodynamics and the fake god would contort the flow of time itself, given a chance.)

The gondola came to the end, and the bugs alighted. Vi looked back and checked the rodent one last time. Mad Rat was slightly paler than before, either by exhaustion or motion sickness.

“It’s Team Snakemouth! We’re saved!” a roach ran towards the trio. It was Roy. All the other roaches seemed to be relieved by the revelation, and the strained atmosphere de-escalated quickly. 

“What happened down there? We were afraid that the dead landers would invade us, so we were fortifying our village, but then we heard Omega screeching! We thought it was the end of us! I’m so relieved to see you guys came here unharmed!” Roy rattled.

“We totally kicked the Omega’s butt! We did make a hole on the wall while doing so, but hey, now you have more natural light!” Vi exclaimed.

“So that’s why it became brighter here- wait, you did WHAT?”

“That colossal beast is slain. There may still be some dead landers remnant, but we’re confident to tell you that their reign of terror has come to an end.” Kabbu said. “…with a help of a new friend.”

“A new friend?”

“Yes, the ‘shadowy figure’ you described turned out to be a mighty ally for our battle against Omega.” Leif added. “He’s… not a bug though. A mysterious creature perhaps teleported from faraway lands. We believe the explosion last night caused this, and we would like to consult the elder for affirmation.”

“Oh, and your crops are safe!” Vi chipped in.

“Okay, I’ll bring the elder here. Where’s your friend though?”

“Behind the gondola, transcending physics.” Leif said nonchalantly.

“Don’t mind what he said.” Vi cut in. “Hey, Mad Rat! You can come here now!” she shouted.

A figure in gray no larger than a spider, but with a hole in its center, emerged from the terminus. 

“Took… you… long… enough…!” the creature panted, trudged a few steps, and retched. 

“Sorry, but the village was just so tense! We had to let them know it is safe now.” Leif said. As the elder emerged from the hut, Kabbu approached her, exchanged a few words, and headed back to Leif.

“I’ll go down to the entrance for a moment and ask Venus if she can bring Neolith here. As I mentioned before, he might be interviewing acolyte Aria right now, so I believe it won’t take that much. I’ll escort him up here while you do the confirmations regarding Mad Rat.”

“What about me? What am I supposed to do, just wait here while they do their magic stuffs?” Vi protested.

“Well, you can accompany me, if you want!” Kabbu suggested.

“Fine, better be outside doing something!” Vi hopped on the lift with Kabbu. Leif gave them a wave as they descended. When he turned to see the elder, she was silently watching the rodent.

“Ah, we’re sorry to have kept you waiting.” The moth broke the silence. “Mad Rat here saved our lives and slayed Omega not too long ago down there. We suppose he was somehow teleported here, as there’s a hint of the same magic on him and the explosion site. We seek for your wisdom whether if this is true, that Mad Rat is indeed from distant lands where giants roam.”

The word ‘giants’ caused the crowd, listening to Leif’s conjecture, to gasp. Roy, who was right next to the elder seemed shocked. “Wait, giants? What do giants have to do with this?” he asked.

“Because they were there, where I come from” the rodent answered. The elder was speechless by the rodent’s reply, and only her antenna was twitching back and forth erratically. Roy was now getting worried. “Elder?”

“Roy, please go to my hut and bring all the tome of magic and lore books. Take others with you.” The elder quietly requested.

“This is quite… peculiar.” As the elder examined the rat, she turned to face Leif. “Young moth, have I ever said I could feel the presence of ours on you?” 

“…Not exactly from you, but someone in the village did mention they felt a roach magic from us” Leif answered. “But what does that fact have to do with him?”

“I feel something similar… yet somewhat ancient?”

“Rude. I’m not that old!” the rat protested.

“You’re literally less than a day away from your death. Doesn’t that make you old?” the goddess sneered from his left.

“Shut up, that’s not how age works.” Mad Rat muttered as quietly as he could, but still, he was met with blank stares from the roaches.  Ugh, this again.  “That was just me talking to my hallucination, hence the name Mad Rat. Anyways, what do you mean by ‘ancient roach presence’?” 

Roy and a group of roaches came back with a pile of books. The elder rummaged through the pages. “We’ll do this by the book, one by one. Young moth, you claimed he has brought here through a sort of teleportation magic, correct? Our knowledge of magic may have eroded by time, but not all is lost. Although no one in the village can wield magic, still we can discern them when we sense one. The elder pulled out a piece of paper folded in the pages from a lore book. Then, she picked up a thick tome, skimming through the pages. 

“Ah, here it is. Detection of spatial magic. You see, as it was our mission to protect the sapling at all cost, fending off the infiltrators was always a pressing matter at hand. We required every sort of defense to make sure they wouldn’t breach past us without notice. Teleportation magic was no exception, so we have several ways to detect them for fast response.” The old roach approached the rodent, tome on her hand, antenna twitching as if she was trying to sense something from the rat. “Hmmm… yes, there is a slight trace of spatial displacement, but… quite peculiar, this is.” The roach looked up to face the rat. “Do you remember where you were before being teleported to this place, ‘Mad Rat’? Perhaps somewhere around here?”

The weirdly familiar sensation when he basked in the sunlight after slaying the Omega popped into the rodent’s thoughts.  It doesn’t make any sense! But why does it feel like it? Why does it even matter?  “Uhm… no, this place is totally new to me.” He was struggling with how to describe where he was from. Did the goddess’ realm count? That was where he was just before ending up here, but it wasn’t where he belonged to. Mad Rat glanced at Rat god, who was visibly uneasy…  at what? 

“So, you’re saying you’re from somewhere completely different?” the elder asked even before the rat gave his description of his world. “You see, spatial teleportation needs stronger magic for further displacement. That also means the residual magic should be proportional to the distance. What I am sensing from you, even when considering the magic fading, tells me that if you really were sent here via teleport, the starting point is not that far from here.” 

“… which makes no sense, since no giants are roaming near here” Leif concluded. “We suppose you have something else that fits his case? Must be something related to the ‘ancient presence’?” he inquired.

“Exactly.” The roach answered as she pulled out the piece of paper from the lore book. “When the older generations of ours were having… conflicts caused by different opinions of the use of the sapling, a group of roaches proclaimed to resolve the turmoil.” The elder paused and unfolded the paper. “…By harnessing the flux of time. By retrogressing and undoing our mistakes. Of course, as you can see, no one knows what happened to them, and the strife that followed soon after destroyed whatever they have found, except this.” She showed the paper listed with detailed plans. “Should they find a past or a future where we reach peace, they promised to send a herald, with a means to traverse through time.” The roach turned her gaze to the rodent. “Now, Mad Rat, do you not remember how you got here?”

“N-No…” Mad Rat glanced at the false goddess. “I think this is more like a question for you.” He muttered. Rat god was visibly perturbed, the tip of her wings quivering and hands shaking.  What’s wrong with her?  the rat turned his attention back to the question. “I… don’t remember what happened.” A half-lie, as he simply didn’t understand what occurred

“Hm, it is said transient amnesia may occur. A jog of memory might help, perhaps? Have you ever seen others like us?”

“Roaches? Well…” all he could remember was the ‘normal’ cockroaches crawling the walls of the sewers. “No. all the bugs I’ve seen, including roaches, didn’t talk.”

“Ah, the lesser beings. That might explain the ancient presence…” the elder faltered, her disappointment being noticeable. “Well, to be honest, their plan was absurd in the first place. Even though my mother believed in them so much… Still, at least you’ve got your answer it seems.”

“What answers?” the rodent protested. “All I heard was-“

“So he’s an anachronic being.” Leif intervened. “And judging from the fact that he only encountered lesser bugs and interacted with giants…” Leif trailed off, tentatively.

“He’s from the past. Even before the awakening of ours.” The elder finished.

“Well, that’s great! Now that we know what happened to us, we can get back to our time easily, right?” Heart said with delight.

“I’m sorry but…” The goddess began to speak, quivering. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“What? Why? There’s nothing stopping us!” Heart retorted

“If that’s true, why couldn’t you wind back to our time?” the goddess snapped. She let out a shaky breath.  We’re trapped. We’re truly, truly trapped. No point in hiding the truth now. “Face it, we’re in the same world, but in a distant future from ours. Even though I don’t know what happened to us, I know what I can and cannot do.” Rat god now seemed devastated, but still, she continued her explanation. “Upon rewinding time, you need a route and a destination. The route must be continuous, and that’s the reason why your rewinding abilities look like going back in a continuous stream, not jumping back suddenly to the past. But as you know, the path is severed. For the destination… simply put, those are defined with starting point and the route. And as the route to our correct time is absent… “ 

“What’s an ‘awakening’? do you know what happened before that?” Mad Rat asked the elder, trying to divert the subject and ignore the goddess’ exposition. 

“That’s when we roaches became sentient. It is believed that there was ‘the war of flames’ just before that event, possibly causing the disappearance of the giants, and…” the roach looked at Mad Rat and became silent. Only to give him the answer, the one that he didn’t want to know.

“We’d became extinct…?” the rat, last of his kind, muttered. 

“…Only to seal our fate.” Rat god carried on. “Even if we found our route back to our time, there is a point where we cease to exist while tracking back… meaning our destination cannot be established, causing the path to close itself…”

“Say this is some trick of yours right now.” Mad Rat murmured; anger evident in his breath.

“I’m just as stuck as you are… why would I-“

“Say it! Say this is just like one of your realms!! Just like that- that field of cheese! Just like that fucked up place where we fought the last time!” The Rat cried, a torrent of plea, resentment, and despair flooding him.

The bugs around him were watching the rodent’s outburst with concern. Leif seemed to be shocked the most by the revelation. Mad Rat felt their stares, but he paid no mind. The only thing he could see was the winged rat goddess, who seemed equally despondent.

“That was just another hallucination, just like the nightmares… I cannot create or send you to a whole new world. I don’t have such power-” 

“Mad Rat? Are you okay? Your heartbeat is- whoa!”

Before Heart could finish his words, the Rat began to run. Plunged himself off the cliff of the village and dashed towards the hole in the wall. A group of bugs, riding on the lift, were watching him leave the lair.

“Mad Rat! Where are you going?!” Vi yelled.

The rat didn’t answer and kept on dashing through the air.

“M, Mad Rat! What are you doing?” Heart shouted frantically.

“This is all a lie, a big fat lie! This isn’t our world, it just isn’t!”

Yet the sight in front of him was too familiar, only to disprove his outcry. It was the park. The park where he met the wild rat, the park where he met the little human girl. The abandoned buildings, the little creek, and the canopies of trees, all were telling him this was the same park. The rat kept running. Although he had no place to go, like a train on an invisible track, his spurt was far from aimless. Soon, a hole in a brick wall came into his sight.

The hole where he first met the black cat.

The hole that led to the sewers.

“Mad Rat, this place…”

“Yeah, I know.” The rodent panted, catching his breath.

He needed proof. A proof that’ll show he was right, that this place was in fact, not his world.

The desolate sewers were dried up, making the journey easier, but harder to navigate. Still, the rat remembered the maze-like paths of the sewer system like the back of his paws. Soon he arrived at a particular stone brick wall, it was all the same as his memory, minus the overgrown moss.

All the same…

Including the crappy doodle he made.

Heart could feel the rat’s emotion just by his shallow breathing and accelerating heartbeat.

One last hope, hope that they were wrong, crushed by the sight in front of him.

The fact that this was truly his world, the fact that they had no way going back, trapped in this cursed future.

The fact that he couldn’t and never will, save Heart.

Heart wanted to comfort Mad Rat, but he couldn’t think of any way. He just anxiously watched the shivering rat, trembling with fear, hopelessness, and...

Pure hatred.

“This….! This is all your fault!” roared the rodent, clasping his two paws around the hallucination, trying to strangle the goddess’ illusion.

No pressure came to his paws, but the illusion was writhing in pain.

Sharp, caustic pain was surrounding Rat god. the stress and his enmity were harming her, and the rat. She could sense it. Either way, whether she perishes by the rat's bile or his stress harming himself, it was the end of her. she decided to remain silent.

“Are you happy? Are you fucking happy now?! Is this the end you wanted?? Well, congratulations! I hope you’re really proud of yourself-“

“Mad Rat! Please…!”

Rat god winced at another blow of acerbic pain, closing her eyes shut. But suddenly, everything faded. Heart’s plea, Mad Rat’s curse, the suffering.

Mad Rat fell down, his heart was nowhere to be seen.

The rodent was asphyxiating.

Without any intervention, the Rat will die here. He’ll lose his chance to go back to the past and start over. It’ll be, truly, the end.

Even now, her survival was the top priority.

She couldn’t change the fact that they were trapped. But that didn’t mean she would simply give up. The time-rewinding ability gave her an infinite amount of time, time for infinite rounds of trials. She’ll find a way back, and lead her host to the maw of a cat. the sight of the helpless rat rekindled her will to continue. 

It was her determination that gave her the power to wind back time from the start. To get what she wanted at all costs: survival.

“It’s been ages since I did this…” the goddess muttered. and started to pull strings of the little rat’s brain.

A twitch on an eyelid, a jitter on a tail, a jerk on one leg. The Rat was trudging back to the exit erratically. It turned back one last time to see the scribble on a wall. It cocked its head at the weird marks seemingly underlying beneath the moss but soon went back on stumbling its way out.

Controlling the rat manually was troublesome work. That’s why the goddess preferred to use hallucinations. Step by step, that is, if skidding and dragging counted as ‘walking’, she made its journey back to the lair. She had the access to the rat’s mental map, so it was easy to backtrack its way.

When the rat made its way back to the village, (she just used the gondola from the fridge. Thankfully it didn’t snap.) the rat was covered with cuts and gashes. Kabbu and Vi were talking to the elder, with a brown moth next to them. Leif was watching the rat on the gondola.

How do I even wake him up? Guess I should just pretend I’m Mad Rat until he gets up…

Even though the conduct of her way back was far from successful, it was only due to the fact that she never used her ‘feet’. Floating with her illusionary wings or poofing out of thin air was her main mode of action. Besides that tiny problem, she was well experienced when it came to imitating rodents.

Rat god started to talk in an apologizing tone. “I’m sorry for causing all the commotion… I was-“

“What are you?” the blue moth cut in.

“Wh-What? It’s me! M-“

“You’re not Mad Rat.”

Shit.

“What are you talking about? Of course, it’s-“

“We feel a different presence. And it’s not him...”

Wake up little rat! Wake up!!

“There was always another presence within him… we knew it from the start. It didn’t exactly draw our attention… until this presence is now trying to act like him in front of us!”

Rat goddess concentrated and the world went grey.  Why haven’t I thought of this before? I could’ve just rewind before we left the lair!  She rewound back just before leaving the lair. All the wounds on the rat’s body were gone. The concerned stares of the roaches and Leif were there, soon to be turned into a confused blinking.  Would be ideal if little rat just woke up now...!

“So it was you! All the feeling of Déjà vu, it was coming from you all along!” Leif declared.

Shit.

Chapter Text

“Wha…? Déjà vu? I really don’t know what you’re talking about!” the goddess in rat’s hide protested.

“Wait, we were talking to… No, you were… What?” The moth was visibly confused.

Great, his timeline memory is decaying, at this rate, I can keep this feign-

“You… you’re not Mad Rat! Even at that déjà vu, you weren’t him! Is this… no, was that some sort of future vision? We cannot tell…” the moth trailed off, but soon snapped back at the rodent. “What are you? Why are you trying to deceive us? Answer us, you imposter!”

Maybe not. Still, now’s my chance to take initiative. You deal with the time rewind mess, little rat!

“Can’t we do this somewhere else?” the godly rodent whispered, gesturing to the roaches around them.

The moth eyed the elder, who gave him a nod.

“Sorry I couldn’t help you with your… traveler problem.” Rat god said politely, and headed to the gondola with the moth.

“Start talking. Why is there another entity within Mad Rat? What are you, some sort of parasite? What are you trying to do with him?” Leif interrogated.

The mentioning of parasite caught the goddess off guard, but she was able to hide it.

“Interesting choice of ‘internal entity’ you’ve got there. Is it from your personal experience?” The moth flinched at her remark, and the goddess did not miss his reaction.  Oh? Well, this is getting interesting…  “Anyways, to answer your question, it is in my utmost interest to keep this little rat alive.”  For now, that is.  “Mad Rat was asphyxiating shortly after his outburst. I had to take him back here for his safety, and that’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. He’ll wake up soon enough so you don’t need to worry. Now tell me, Leif. Would a parasite prioritize the host’s survival this much?

“You still didn’t tell us what you are. So, you’re in a symbiotic relationship with Mad Rat?”

Tch, persistent, aren’t you ? “Well, yes, in a manner of speaking.” The goddess paused for a moment, feigning a slight annoyance before continuing. “Does my existence really concern you that much? All I’m trying to do is keep this little rat alive here, isn’t that enough answer for you?”

“Well-“ Before the moth could even answer, the goddess in rat’s hide suddenly intervened. “Mad Rat is waking up. Please, do be careful when facing him, as you probably saw from your déjà vu, he won’t react well to the fact that he’s stranded in the future…” she pleaded, her sincerity being fake but hopes half genuine.  Well, my work is almost done here. I have to sever the connection - 

“Wait, so you  do  know what happened earlier!” Leif asserted. The moth was keen enough to notice the fake god’s blunder.

The goddess pulled out herself from the intricate connections within the rodent’s brain.  Phew, That was close! Now that’s not my problem anymore, little rat~ Oh! Right, I’ll block this here for… insurance.  Rat god intercepted the linkage between the rat and his heart, just like she did before their battle with Mimolette. It was a weak blockage, where the rat could simply overcome it by feeling his own heartbeat, but the short time of lack of communication was all the goddess was aiming for.

A bit of catnap won’t hurt you, Heart~

“Ugh… Where, where am I?” the rat woke up and looked around him frantically. He noticed the blue moth and the crowd of roaches near him and realized he was back at the ‘Lair’, the cursed place in time. “I, I left this place… why am I back here? Heart? Are you there?” Mad Rat was panting shallow breaths, starting to panic. But when he saw a familiar winged rat floating next to him, he scowled with bitterness, his fear shifting to anger and spite.

“Excuse me for a sec.” the rodent said to the moth and faced the goddess even before hearing the moth’s reply.

“Why am I back here? Wait, no, does it even matter now? You said it yourself; we’re trapped here. I’ll be drop dead in a few hours now! And you know what? You’ll be dead too! Are-“words filled with rage were spewing out from the rat, only to be interrupted by the floating rat.

“Will you at least let me explain?” the goddess snapped. Silence befell between the parasite and her host. The rat was glaring at her but stayed quiet. Only the light taps from the moth’s step and creaking of pullies from the lift were heard. Leif was heading to the lift, presumably, the other members of Team Snakemouth and the professor have arrived. 

“I should try to keep this short.” The goddess started, eyeing the moth. “I suppose Heart brought us back here.”

The rodent cocked his brow, doubt evident in his face. “What do you mean, ‘suppose’?”

“As I told you before, I’m in your brain, not your heart. I cannot interact with Heart when you’re unconscious. Anyways, you were asphyxiating at the sewers, which most likely took a toll on him. Yet on top of that, he brought us back here! It would be… unwise to call him right now.” The goddess clenched the strings in her fist, hiding them back on her back. 

“How do I believe you? And why does my whole body hurt? It’s like I’ve been dragged on a rocky road or something!”

Ah. So sensory memory is still there, I suppose. Nothing I cannot handle though.

“I don’t see any gashes or bruises on your body, little rat. Probably it’s nothing major. Or just ask the blue moth. I think I saw him talking to you…? Probably it was Heart doing all the talking though...”

“…He can do that?” The rat was still glaring at the goddess with suspicion. He saw Team Snakemouth slowly approaching. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll be dead soon anyways. Wish he woke up soon for our last though…”

The goddess noticed a hint of moisture and some redness near the rat’s eyes. She didn’t understand what it meant, but the fluctuations in the rodent’s mood were still noticeable. Yet, Rat god didn’t pay much mind to such an anomaly. She was internally appreciating her work. Concerns for the rat’s own organ successfully dissuaded Mad Rat from reaching Heart, giving enough time to poison both parties with misinformation, and thus solidifying the goddess’ new mask. The goddess freed the strings from her grip. Should the rat seek for his partner, it would be easy to find him anyway, her blockade being futile. Now that she was safe from being noticed by the bugs, she ceased her control over it. Still, she had to find an exit with her less-than-eager partner.

“So, are you just going to give up? Fine by me, I suppose, just like the last time you  almost  gave up your life to me.” Taunted the goddess. It was true that she could control him just like she did to return the rat to the lair, but considering all the cuts and wounds she got on the rat’s body, the rodent’s cooperation would be necessary.

“What are you going to do? You said it, we’re trapped here. You’re dying just like me!” the rat spat back.

“Trapped, yes. Just like the cage back in our time.” The goddess pauses, trying to read the rat’s thoughts. “Yet you’ve escaped that cage, haven’t you?”

“That’s not the same! That’s…!” a doubt creeping into the rat’s words  just as planned.  “That only happened after the transplant! Yeah, there’s no way-” 

“Have you even tried?” the goddess gave him a mocking grin. “Of course, you haven’t. Always so fast to give up, would’ve been better if you did a bit faster at last time back in our time!”  Hm, annoyance and confusion. My, you’re so easy to read little rat!”

Mad Rat glanced at Team Snakemouth. They were talking to the roach elder with another moth. “Didn’t you say you’re going to keep this short? Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!”

“Well, they seem occupied at the moment, it would be rude to interrupt them now! Anyways, I don’t have any plans right now, but unlike someone, I’m not giving up. I’m not dying estranged from my time. Sure, you’ll still die today, but I’ll still try something, anything! I’ll rewind if I fail. I’ll rewind a million times to find my way out of here!”  A hint of determination, yes! It’s working!  I don’t know what brought us here, and it doesn’t make any sense to me. Maybe there’s something even I do not know about time travel. Maybe there’s a way back home, however unreasonable it seems, just as how we got here.  A trickle of doubt... well yes, that wasn’t a strong argument, but wait till he hears this!   “The drawing you scribbled at the wall of the sewers. You said that was your mark left on your world, right? Now tell me, little rat…  When  did you make that doodle?”

“When I was in the sewers… that’s... not too long after fighting those whatever that abomination was, in the other lab rat’s cage. Why does that matter-“

“Hm, correct, but I rewound time after you defeated Mimolette when you were gazing at the moon with Heart, back to the morning where the transplant happened. Haven’t I?”

“Then… then…!!”

Confusion, well to be fair, I’m just as lost as you are.

“Rewinding back, wiping out every mark you left on this world. I don’t know how this is possible, but nonetheless, I’ll try. I’ll try to decipher what truly happened, I’ll try to figure our way out, no matter how many times I have to rewind!” the goddess declared. I was weird, to the goddess, where she was still tricking her host. Yet her will was truer than anything she created. The unyielding determination was what gave the goddess to turn back in time. She understood that well enough, but something… felt different, as if something was set free in her. Having a pressing matter in hand, the goddess disregarded such feeling and concentrated to read the mouse. A cloudy confusion persisted, which was something that she could understand, but not what she was looking for. Amidst the foggy mindscape of the rodent, something was radiating.

“Why are you suddenly so supportive…?” the rodent asked.

Hope. That’s definitely a hint of hope! Yes, finally! That’s what I’ve been looking for!

“Well, I must go back to our time to live on! I have to lead you to your rightful place: inside of a cat!” the goddess sneered. 

“What if I refuse? I can just stay here and look at the moon one last time with Heart before the end of mine. I’ll be happy enough with that, ‘bringing you down with me’!

Hah! Trying to lie, to  me , little rat? Sure, spite is present in you, but I can feel a trickle of determination too!

“And let Heart die? That poor friend of yours? Unlike you, he had days, no, years to live on, and you would waste his chance to enjoy his own life? Out of spite? Well, isn’t that quite heartless of you, little rat?

The rat was speechless, for the Rat god’s words were true. “Heart will live longer than I will…? Wait, how do you know this?”

That caught the goddess off guard but was able to keep her poise.  How... do I know this?  That little piece of information was just there, inside her since forever, and she didn’t know why. “W-well, I… am a parasite! Of course, I know the physical state of my host!” A half lie, where it was something that she was capable to do, yet something she never did. “Y-You’ve already figured out I was brought into you from that transplant, haven’t you?” 

Rat god felt uneasy. Those… pieces of information in her mind, she never gave a thought about them, it was just there, in her mind at the start.  The start…?  She realized she couldn’t remember anything before meeting Mad Rat. It never bothered her; she had a clear objective and all the instruction and knowledge she needed. But when she questioned the source of the said info, she was absolutely clueless. Her lack of insight into her origin was rendering her deception to be mediocre. A simple question asking whatever happened before her ‘awakening’ would be detrimental to her persuasion.

“Urgh… where… where am I?” a familiar voice came out from the rodent’s chest.

“Heart!” Mad Rat cried.

“I swear I saw Mad Rat leaving that hole!” Vi yelled. “It’s just like when we were climbing up the stairs! It must be some sort of future vision!”

The lift which was carrying three bugs arrived at the top. Kabbu looked around the village and saw a group of roaches gathered around. A roach from the crowd and Leif was approaching them while Mad Rat was at the corner by himself.

“Well, we’re at the top of the lift and Mad Rat is still there…” Kabbu trailed off.

“I… That’s weird, I really saw him leave!” the bee was deflated, her newly proclaimed powers, disproven.

“So… that must be ‘Mad Rat’!” professor Neolith exclaimed, astonished by the sight of an unreported creature, that may have insight about the giants

“Good to see you again, young professor.” The elder accosted them, “How’s your research going? I do hope our last interview was helpful to you.”

“Oh, Hello, elder! Of course, it helped me a lot! I was just about to have an interview with acolyte aria regarding Venus and her knowledge about… um, civil unrest.

“Well, Leif! Did you find anything interesting? Is Mad Rat really teleported here? Are there really giants roaming around in some corner of this world?” Vi asked.

The elder and the blue moth looked at each other hesitantly, then Leif took a glance at the mumbling rat, and started to speak.

“No… Our methods have proven that he wasn’t brought here by any sort of spatial magic. Evidence provided by Mad Rat suggests… that he’s from the past.

“The p-past? Just like-“ Vi cried, only to stop herself at Kabbu’s disapproving glare, still mouthing ‘you’ silently to Leif.

The moth nodded “He’s from the past, way before the awakening of ours… the past when the giants were present. And well, He is… I’m not sure but I don’t think he’s handling the news that well. He has been talking to his hallucination for a while over there now.”

“I… see.” The brown moth replied, noticing the wistful look on Leif.  Is it pity? Or sympathy?  The scholar wouldn’t know, at least for the time being.

“There are… two more things we discovered.” Leif continued. “As Venus mentioned, there is some… sort of an internal entity within Mad Rat. We talked to them while he was unconscious. They were trying to impersonate Mad Rat, and we’ve caught them red-handed. They claim that they’re meant to ensure Mad Rat’s survival… but we don’t fully trust them. We want to discuss this matter with him, but… We’re afraid if such is a sensitive subject to him.”

“Sensitive…? In which term would that be...?” Neolith trailed off. Kabbu, realizing his mistake, reacted with haste. “Ah, it seems I’ve forgotten to mention to you that… Mad Rat was experimented on by the giants. Even his literacy of the giant’s script is a consequence of being in captivity while having the materials in his vicinity of him. And well, he seemed to be emotional about it…”

“Understood. We would need to think of a way of addressing this carefully. Alright, and what’s the other thing you’ve found…?”

“Since midnight, there was something weird happening in the ant kingdom. Feeling of a sense of déjà vu, bugs repeating whatever they’re doing, or bugs claiming they’re having a future vision. It all happened after Mad Rat arrived here.” Leif glanced at the elder.

“How… we didn’t even mention that!” the elder exclaimed.

“Only to prove our point. Elder, all those occurrences we’ve referred to was all from the ant kingdom. Our colleagues were acting strange, and then our teammates were also experiencing such oddity. Whenever that happened, we felt a wave of magic crashing into us. The last time it happened, it was emitting from Mad Rat. We don’t know what it means, or who’s actually doing it, but considering the extent of the magic, we believe this is a more important matter in hand.”

“Well, that… is quite peculiar. What if this also has to do with his… um, experiment?” the brown moth asked, tentatively.

“So the source is from the creature, yet we do not know if it’s his intention to cause it. Also, It could be his internal entity’s doing. If so, how do we verify? Can we communicate with his internal entity?” the roach inquired.

“Only one way to find out…” Vi gulped, watching the rodent with such formidable power, who claims himself to be deranged, with worry, interest, and after a short glance at Leif, sympathy. The place was swept with silence.

 Vi noticed a piece of paper in the elder’s hand. “Oh, what’s that?” the bee asked, trying to change the subject.

“Ah, we’ve thought Mad Rat was… well, it doesn’t matter now, it’s already disproven by him.” The elder replied, folding away the paper.

“Wait, I recognize that insignia! Is that… the society of the tethered wake?” the professor excitedly said, stopping the elder from putting back the folded paper.

The elder’s jaw dropped with shock and stared at Neolith. Blinking as if she heard something inconceivable. “Where… where did you hear that name?” the elder’s voice was trembling. “My mother told me they… they were all gone…! Their discoveries were all destroyed…! Tell me, young scholar, where did you find about them?” 

“Well-“ the brown moth was about to answer her, only to be interrupted by…

“Heart!” the rat’s outcry

Chapter Text

“Urgh…. Wh, where is this place? Huh, we’re not at the sewers? Did we come back? Heart looked up, meeting a worrisome gaze from the rodent and an unreadable smile from the false goddess.

“Yes, we did. Well, I’m pretty certain you did the rewinding part. Don’t you remember?”

Mad Rat raised an eyebrow. “Wait, didn’t you say he was talking to the moth? Something doesn’t add up, how could he not remember what happened before we woke up if he’s the one who did the rewind?”

The goddess simply shrugged. “I suppose that’s what happens when you try to go back in extreme conditions. Remember, you were asphyxiating, giving a lot of strain to Heart at the sewers.” A blatant lie, but Rat god was certain they would never figure it out.

“Besides, if you’re so suspicious, why not just ask the moth?” the goddess glanced at the blue moth, approaching.

“Oh, hey Leif, sorry for causing a ruckus back- what? Oh right, that technically didn’t happen now I suppose? Uh, anyways we- I mean, I was about to ask you something.” Mad Rat accosted the blue moth, followed by the beetle and the bee, with some interruption seemingly from his hallucination.

“Well, the same goes for us.” Leif answered, seemingly uneasy.

The rodent was somewhat puzzled at the moth’s response, but he simply ignored it, having a pressing matter at hand. “So… I heard you uh… talked to my hallucination, right? What were you guys talking about?”

“We thought you were able to converse with your internal- we mean hallucination, No?” Leif raised an eyebrow but continued nonetheless. “We caught them impersonating you, and confronted them. They said they were merely trying to ensure your survival.” Leif picked his words carefully since he was aware that the internal being was also likely hearing what he was saying. “…That’s about it.”

‘Huh, well that sure sounds like Heart.’ Mad Rat was satisfied that everything made sense now. Heart impersonating him was something unexpected, but understandable given the situation. Unbeknownst to him, Rat god was making a silent sigh of relief, seeing her mask was now concrete. “Yeah, I can talk to h-them, but it’s kinda complicated. Anyways, that answers my question. So, what’s yours?”

“Well, um…” Leif was hesitant to ask him about the weird phenomenon, possibly a touchy subject for him, yet the implication of its effects was too threatening to overlook. “You see, we’ve been experiencing this… unusual occurrences, where we would feel déjà vu far more frequently, and bugs repeating kinds of stuff.” Leif paused for a moment, trying to read the rodent’s expression. “And we suspect that you… may have something to do with it.”

Rat god was silently floating next to the rat. ‘Hee hee, what are you about to do now, little rat? This sure is going to be fun to watch!’

Mad Rat crossed his arm and pondered. He still wasn’t sure if disclosing his powers was a sensible thing to do. The rat peeked and looked at the smiling goddess, watching this whole conversation with amusement. The rodent couldn’t understand what was so entertaining about this situation, but her grinning mug was enough for him to show slight annoyance surfacing on his face.

“Ah, of course, you don’t need to answer if it’s er… a tad sensitive subject. Kabbu said, interpreting the rat’s frown as agitation.

“Huh? Why would that be a sensitive subject to me?”

“Isn’t it related to your experiments?” Vi blurted nonchalantly

“Vi!”

“Oh, so that’s why you seemed so cautious!” Mad Rat chuckled, facing the moth. In a sense, it was the consequence of the transplant, which was possibly the culmination of the experiment he was going through. Rat God, however, implied that time-rewinding ability was something intrinsic to all with a strong desire, regardless of the species. Then again, he would’ve never known such if he didn’t meet her in the first place. Mad Rat wasn’t able to draw the conclusion if his ability was drawn from the experiment, but he decided it didn’t matter anyways.

In no sense, his ability was disturbing to him for that reason. Rather, perhaps it was the best outcome of it, minus a certain parasite. Still, why would they approach such a pressing matter tentatively? Is the notion of experimenting with another sentient species so unfathomable to these bugs? If so, then perhaps that’s one good thing the extinction of humans brought to this world. If not… well, some things never change. The rodent inhaled deeply and finally opened his mouth.

“I think those are caused by me, rewinding time. And no, it’s not a touchy subject if that’s what you were nervous about.”

“Rewinding time??!” Vi shouted.

“Wha- What are you doing, Mad Rat?!” the fake goddess blurted. “You can’t just give away your crucial, no, vital information like that!

Mad Rat ignored her and tried his best to imitate the goddess. “What, bugs can’t do that?” A suppressed grin crept on the rodent’s face, taunting the false god. Rat god was now fuming and flew between the rat and the bugs. “What is the meaning of this?! Is provoking me so important to you right now, at this moment? Enough to endanger our goal? Rewind back this instant!”

The rat gestured to the bugs and turned away. Rat god followed, facing him. “Look, I know we have infinite trials, but we can’t do this ourselves. We really need help. You heard them right? They seem to know, or- well, know the guys who knew something about time rewinding stuffs, and perhaps they have some hints to break this time-cage of ours, don’t you think?”

“And what does that has to do with revealing our secrets?” the goddess retorted.

“Well, we can’t hide this forever… Our time rewinding did affect them, and they seem to remember some glimpse of it. Better come out clean If we do actually want their help!” Heart answered.

“And why would they help us? They have nothing to gain from this! Well, perhaps the roaches may find some interest in this, but that’s about it! It’s just like back in the cage, Mad Rat! The cage with other lab rats! Do you know why you failed there? It’s because unlike you, they were contented in the cage. They had nothing to gain from escaping-”

“Wait, Heart said it was all hallucination back there… it was you, wasn’t it? The whole brain… thing.” Mad Rat shuddered at the repugnant image of lobotomized rats. “Why? Why did you make me see that? I knew most of them won’t listen to me, but if even one single rat would-“

“Caused unwanted outcome. You were supposed to escape that cage before that scientist came back. I couldn’t risk that.” Indeed, to the goddess, they were merely additional variables, adding more uncertainties, one that cannot be tolerated in dire circumstances. Same for these bugs. Their goal just happened to be aligned back down there, fighting that abomination. It was something that could be exploited, nothing more, nothing less.

“And that’s… that’s it? Those rats were dead because of… because they might have got in your way?”

“We rewound back, so they aren’t dead anymore- oh wait, now they are- anyways, first of all, I did make their appearance… tad distasteful, I admit it, but I don’t remember killing them…” Rat god sneered. Mad Rat balked at her comment and his heart avoided eye contact, for her words were true. Satisfied with the silence, the goddess continued. “Second, in the end, it didn't do its purpose. I was trying to lure you out of that cage, not start a rampage of murder! I had to save you from asphyxiating and from that human! Do you have any idea how hard it was to get you to the sewers? Let alone handling a half-brain-dead rodent! Lastly, why does this matter to you so much? You barely knew them! They weren't helpful in any sort of way! Sure, their deaths are unfortunate, but you escaped-well, I did that part, thank you very much, your killing spree merely endangered it-anyways! Why do I have to get criticized for something I didn’t even do, which was not my intention by any means, for something so irrelevant?!” Rat god was huffing with frustration by now, and waited for the rodent's response. Surely, if he was so upset about such event, there must be an understandable reason behind it. Something she failed to understand, something that caused her downfall, perhaps? Maybe she could use this knowledge for the next… next.... what? She felt dizzy for a moment and felt a subtle discomfort, an annoying unpleasantness when someone was conscious of their breathing or blinking. Such that should be natural and automatic. She shook her head and faced the rat. Mad Rat was just staring at her, his face covered with shock and horror, in absolute silence. Only the beats of Heart filled the corner of the room. She looked at Heart. Even with his lack of facial(?) features, she could tell that the organ was equally shocked.

"I- you- are you- Gahh!” the rodent stammered. After a deep sigh, he just turned away from her, trudging back to the bugs. He looked at her one last time with coldness, no, pity in his eyes.

“Seems like you're the one who's trapped in another cage than this one of ours. And it's clear that you are... physically unable to get this. Everything is about your chance of survival, isn't it?” He paused. No answer. "That's what I thought. Now I feel sorry for you at this point. It's a meaningless effort, trying to explain something incomprehensible to you.” He simply spat and went on with Heart.

Dumbfounded, the goddess floated there. Absolutely confused, she started to recall the rat's little adventures. There were moments that she just couldn't understand. But she never questioned it, for she was a mere parasite, a passenger eager to escape the tiny vessel to her rightful place. Secrecy was all parasite's virtue of survival. And besides, there wasn't much she could do anyways. The rat was smart enough to countlessly rewind and get to her, masked as his, goal. Sometimes he would dawdle here and there, but she was patient. She only came in to interfere in crucial moments.

Maybe those unimportant moments have the key to her conundrum, the goddess thought. Two prominent shared memories came into her mind. That little human girl at the park and that cursed black cat at the sewers. The false god was now deep in thought, away from her host.

Team Snakemouth was watching the rat talking to himself from afar. They didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the rodent's intense monologue was difficult to ignore. Still, they couldn’t make much sense of the conversation with only one part of the dialogue.

"So… who is he talking to? I mean, I get they have their own consciousness, so are they some sort of alter ego of him?” Vi glanced at the rodent.

"That's the peculiar part,” Leif said. "Venus said she felt three entities, and she can only sense… living things.” The blue moth gestured himself, reminding the goddess’ blunder.

"But she can notice you fine now, No? I don't see the rationale behind this comparison… Can you explain further?” Kabbu inquired.

"Either she was detecting our magic or sensing us as something outside of her 'bug’ category. Anyways, that's the thing. She can discern living beings and species. It should have been unnoticed if it really was a mere hallucination!” The blue moth promptly clutched his wings. Shuddering at the thought. An anachronic being, stranded in the future alone, with a formidable power that can affect the time itself. He claimed himself to be 'mad', yet showed no sign of it; his so-called hallucinations were actual beings. And that beings, possibly more than one, may have access to the rodent's power. He trusted Mad Rat after their battle with Omega, but for the rest? He couldn't say for sure. Were they a threat? He didn’t know. At least Mad Rat seemed to be in control for the most part, so that was reassuring. But most of all… There was something familiar to the blue moth, perhaps something more bothering than the magical risks.

What if they are… parasites?

He wasn't certain what to think about that, but the thought lingered.

"Well, he is in need of our assistance, it seems. Must be about going back to his time, I suppose?” The beetle commented after incidentally hearing the rodent's half-dialogue explaining his disclosure.

"...And how are we going to do that?” Vi groaned. This was supposed to be a simple checkup, but now they were evidently going down the antlion hole. "Are we even capable of dealing with… time travel stuffs?”
Just then, professor Neolith and the elder roach were approaching Team Snakemouth.

"Oh, professor Neolith! I'm sorry for leaving you hanging!” Kabbu apologized.

"Ah, No need to! We were busy discussing my discovery, and I think we found something! Elder, may I...?” After an exchange of nods, the brown moth started to explain. "Remember the relic I gave you after your retrieval of the core?

"Yes, I do! Oh, we forgot to give you an update regarding that, my apologies! It was a key that activates some sort of training simulator, which operates on the data recorded in our explorer permit!”

“Ugh, the cave of trials… love the rewards, but the efforts spent in that just outweigh them too much.” Vi complained.

"Cave of trials, you say? Interesting! Oh, I must see how it works! I knew it was a training facility, but I didn't realize it was still operational. Anyways, that's the place where I found traces of the Tethered Wake. You see, the roaches’ disappearance is said to be the aftermath of a huge strife, that involved the everlasting sapling-“Neolith halted and glanced at the Elder nervously. The roach nodded somberly and let the moth continue. "Erm… and well, some tried to… recreate the sapling, or more likely the virtual essence of it: immortality. Until recent, only two institutes were considered to conduct such studies based on documental evidence. One is said to be located in that cave I mentioned, and the other is said to be somewhere in Snakemouth den.”

Unbeknownst to the brown moth, Team Snakemouth shuddered at the implication of the professor's words. It reminded them of the cold, heartless place which matched Neolith's description a little too much.

“At first I thought the emblem was that of the Snakemouth institute since that was the only context where the emblem appeared in the documents. However, it was at the Cave of trials that I found the same insignia and its name. It could be some sort of inter-institutional subgroup, but the way these emblems appeared was far from something… official. That was all I found, but now I know their purpose. To harness the flux of time...! is that even possible?

"Evidently. Mad Rat said he has the power of rewinding time.”

"WHAT?!”

“Sorry, that took a bit long. So, where was I?” Mad Rat tried his best to hide his chagrin from the exchange with the goddess, as he trudged back to the bugs.

"You can rewind back in time?!” the brown moth blurted with awe. "Oh, my apologies, I'm Neolith, I was told by Kabbu that you have the knowledge of our distant past, so I was going to ask your cooperation for studying giants… but I was informed you're currently in a difficult situation.”

"True.” The rat sighed. "I really have to go back to my time… but my powers cannot reach back. I don't even know how I got here! Where do I even start?”

"Well, about that… I cannot say for certain if this will help your case, but I've found some evidences tracing back the roaches who tried to travel through time. Maybe they might have some answers that can be helpful to you? I'm quite an expert in roach studies, so…”

"Really? You’ll help me?” the rodent perked up, but soon deflated. "It… it's not as simple as it seems. We have a time constraint. I only have a day to live.”

"You WHAT?” Vi and Kabbu both exclaimed. All the bugs surrounding the rat gasped. "How do you know that? Is it because you're stranded here in the future?” Leif inquired.

"Erm… No, probably not. I only had a day even back in my time. How do I know this? I have a heart- wait, do bugs have a heart? Uh, I have an organ failure, and I just know that I have a day left.” But still, that doesn't mean we're done here yet! I can rewind back in time with no limitations. It can even defy death!” Mad Rat gestured his chest hole facing the bee. 'So that's what he meant when he said I killed him!’ Vi thought. Mad Rat continued. "That gives me an unlimited amount of trials, each spanning a day. Of course, as you experienced, each rewind will affect you with déjà vu and all, but I don't think there's any lasting effect besides the mild discomfort.”

"So as long as you're here, we won't get to see tomorrow's morning sun?” Vi quipped.

"That sounds quite antagonizing.” Kabbu pointed out, earning a soft chuckle from the rodent.

"If you put it that way it does sound quite menacing, heh!”

The rodent looked at the bugs' faces around him and then at his own heart. "Look, I have a friend to save back in my time. Sending me back won't extend my life, but certainly my friend’s will. I'm sorry I kinda dragged you all into this, but will you help me? even when it's complicated like this?”

Heart was silent for the whole exchange. He still did not want to go back. Without the transplant, it was certain that the Mad Rat's death was going to be a painful, agonizing one. He wanted to stay with the rat, but going back before the operation meant…

Still, he agreed to go back to their time, just not as far as the rat intended. They had to stop the black cat from eating rats and save the little human girl. Therefore, he chose to go along with the rat's wishes. He was his heart, after all, Of course, he would support mad rat till the end.
'What is she doing there?’ Heart thought, glancing at the strangely quiet winged rat.

‘Why did he save the black cat? It was his natural enemy, just letting it drown was the most strategic option that helped his chance of survival. Why did he save the human girl? She didn't matter. He despised humans before, and that girl was no exception. She did save him from the black cat and gave him cheese, but humans do weird stuffs all the time, so it was pointless to draw meaning from the human's act. An act of reciprocity, perhaps? But he wasn’t obliged to do such! The same goes for the black cat. Maybe that's why it refused to eat the rat, two times even!’ Rat god was having a hard time trying to understand her host. But she felt the necessity of it, for if she could comprehend her host's thought better, then surely she could exploit it, and increase her chance of survival. 'Maybe these acts of kind…ness is some sort of his weak spot? Enough to risk his survivability? Perhaps he does gain something… something that I simply cannot sense. But then… what was that horrid expression of the two? Why were those other rats so important? I don’t get it! We just do everything to live! We are living! None of this would've happened if I could choose another rat! I would be happy inside of another cat already, just like back home-

Wait

Home?

But I was already in Mad Rat when I woke up…

It wasn't… before?

The operation…

It used to be my…

Before the operation…

then…

I'm not supposed to have any memories before my awakening, but then how do I know that…

Heart, the organ

Heart, where I feel, no, used to feel… like home? Does this make sense-

oh…

Oh.

The goddess shot up and stared at Heart. She wasn't supposed to know that piece of information, but it was easily deduced with the basis of her knowledge.

‘You… are not what you seem to be, are you?’ A manic grin crept through her face.

Chapter Text

“Okay, so let me get this straight” Vi said, “You only have a day to live, and can rewind time. You remember everything that happened before the rewind, while we don’t. So we have to find the fastest way possible to take you back to your time, basically speed-running to figure things out with virtually infinite trials, and you’ll fill in the gaps every reset. Correct?”

“…Pretty much, yeah.” Mad Rat answered.

“And we have no way out of this, because you, who are a death-defying being will try anyways until you succeed?”

“Well, um… you don’t need to help me if you’re not willing to. I-“

“No, no, it’s fine, really.” The bee sighed. “I guess the whole déjà vu thing will be a reoccurring inconvenience for a while, whether we help you or not. Then, better get rid of you from our time as fast as we can to get everything back to normal, right?” Vi said, jokingly. She was still reluctant to figure out the whole time-traveling mess for the rat, but she knew so well there was no other way. 

The rat will die at the end of every day, and he’ll come back where they were standing now, trying again. As long as the rodent was breathing, every living bug in her world will, although unnoticed, not move on to the next day. There would be countless déjà vu for all bugs standing, but they will soon forget. Should the rat cease to exist in her time, whichever the case, all bugs will be back to their normal lives, maybe with some rather unusual memory of something that may or may not happen, but that was pretty much it.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Vi said, clenching her boomerang. Team Snakemouth and Professor Neolith took the lift back to the ground level, while the rodent simply jumped down. Not too far after reaching the ground, there was a pink flower ahead, beckoning at the rat. Kabbu noticed but wasn’t sure to reveal its identity to Professor Neolith without the acolyte’s approval. Supporting his assumption, the usually talkative Venus bud was silent. 

Vi saw what was going on too, so she asked the professor to check if there was a route that the rat could take without being seen by other bugs, especially the guards. She added that revealing the rodent’s existence to the others, which was linked to the initial mission of Team Snakemouth, will certainly cause them to lose a considerable amount of time, which was crucial due to the nature of their mission. Kabbu felt he was being somewhat deceitful, but agreed to the bee’s idea.

“Good thinking, Vi.” Leif commended as he saw the brown moth leaving the lair.

“Oh, so you were the one who was causing all the ruckus!” the flower finally spoke.

Mad Rat was startled at the talking plant. “Great, first the talking bugs, and now we have talking plants? Now I’m genuinely curious about what on earth happens in the future!”

“How very dare you!” scoffed the flower, “Who was that speaking among the three of you? And what do you mean by ‘the future’?”

Kabbu stepped in to ease the tension. “My deepest apologies, Venus, but he didn’t know better. This is Mad Rat, a creature from the past, even before the awakening of the roaches! He was somehow sent here, a far distant future for him, and we’re finding his way back to his own time.”

“Is that so…? Hmm, so this Mad Rat is a singular being, then? How strange… why am I sensing three living beings then?”

The rat, his heart, and the parasite made quick glances at each other. They were thinking the same thing: How did she know? How should we react? But even before the three could think of anything for a response, the flower spoke first.

“Well, counting was never my forte, wasn’t it?” the flower laughed, gesturing to Leif with its leaves. “When I first met Leif here, I couldn’t sense him! Even when he was right in front of me! Oh, by the way, I noticed this room became a lot brighter than before…? What did you do back there?

“We slayed the Omega!” Vi said triumphantly.

“Well, actually Mad Rat did the most part, we just took care of its minions and deterred them from attacking him.” Kabbu rectified.

“It still counts!” the bee protested.

“Including killing Mad Rat in the process?” Leif sneered.

“Shut up, that technically didn’t happen!”

While Team Snakemouth told the flower about their epic battle, the rodent let out a quiet sigh of relief. 

Why did that question alarm me so much? They already know I’m hallucinating… I just need to tell them those ‘hallucinations’ are actually living beings!  He thought. He still felt uneasy to tell that simple fact for some reason he couldn’t explain but decided to share his situation more openly with the bugs. He thought of talking to Heart first, just to make sure whether it was a good idea to disclose his existence to the bugs.

But before he could say anything, Rat God came out with a poof.

“Hey, little rat! Can I talk to Heart for a bit? Privately, if you may?” she asked.

The rat blinked with confusion. What was there to talk to Heart, privately? How could that even work-

“Oh, I can handle it. Magic, remember? And I have this feeling that Heart wouldn’t like talking about this matter in front of you…” the Goddess grinned, leering at his organ.

Heart just stared the goddess back, with a puzzled look. Then his pupils soon dilated when realization kicked in. She knew.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it short.” Heart assured him, and followed the floating goddess.

The moth was glancing at the rat when he let out his sigh. He quirked his eyebrow at the rat’s response but soon went back to correcting the bee’s exaggerations.

“And I thought I was the master of deception!” the Goddess taunted Heart with a singsong voice, “Well, sure, you didn’t lie, but still the fact that you hid it from him! THAT YOU ARE A CAT! Ha!”

“How…” Heart said weakly. “How did you know…?”

“Simple, I’m a parasite, you know? I know all about my hosts!”

“So you knew all along? Then why you’re telling me this now?” Heart looked at Rat God, suspiciously.

Of course, she figured it out very recently. But she managed not to show any signs of perplexity. “Just to ask you one of some tiny favors. It just so happens, that Mad Rat is trying to reveal our real existence to the bugs. I want you to stop him from doing that. That’s all, sneaky cat!”

Heart kept his suspicious gaze upon the goddess. It was a rather odd request, something too menial for an exchange for revealing his true identity… no, his past identity. He knew he’ll be dragged along, doing whatever Rat God said, starting from this. Yet, Heart knew he had no choice. Mad Rat hated cats. He couldn’t help it, he was a rat. Even though he saved the black cat’s life… and was somehow saved by it, his instinct was wired to have a phobia of cats. 

Heart didn’t want Mad Rat to hate him.

“Fine…” Heart agreed.

Mad Rat noticed the two’s arrival, still thinking about what kind of matter would they want to talk about privately, but decided to drop it, for it wasn’t his concern. “So, Heart, I was thinking… after that flower kinda noticed you’re presence, can’t we just tell them?” the rodent asked.

“Oh… well… I’m not so sure if that’s a good idea…” Heart glanced at Rat God, and soon regretted it, disgusted by her malicious grin. “We’ve already burdened them enough with all this time travel mess. I don’t know how revealing my presence will help our mission. Wouldn’t it only cause to add more… variables?”

The rodent winced at his last word, having quite a negative connotation in his last conversation with his parasite. Still, he found his heart’s opinion reasonable enough and decided to remain quiet. 

“Oh, how very interesting!” he heard the flower talking, “Yes, he’s quite right about them all! I recognize this insignia, and I knew some of them were working on time-traveling stuffs, but I’m not so sure what happened to them. I guess you’ll have to go there and see it for yourselves.”

“You could have told that to the brown guy when was here, you know?” Mad Rat remarked. “Save him some trouble and all.”

“Well, I assure you, Mad Rat, was it? That the likes of him would rather enjoy a difficult puzzle to solve and figure it out by themselves than to have every answer spoon-fed.” The flower answered. “Besides, mysticism makes a god god, I can’t just reveal myself to anyone!

“Oh, right, Venus here is the goddess of harvest!” Kabbu explained. “Only a handful of bugs met her face to face…”

“A goddess, huh?” the rodent said. He stared, with an unimpressed look, at the floating false goddess silently, and turned his gaze back to the plant. “Well, I suppose at least you look after your followers… I’ve encountered one upon my death once, turned out to be a fake goddess. And yet she is- What?” The rat was about to continue but he shifted his gaze to his chest hole all of a sudden. “I thought that only applied to you! Why do I have to- Alright… if you say so…” 

The flower was having a sort of expression equivalent to bewilderment (even though Mad Rat couldn’t understand how a flower can show ‘expressions’) Mad Rat let out a deep sigh and was about to explain, but the moth noticed his annoyance.

“Mad Rat here see hallucinations, and can talk with them,” Leif said.

“Hence the name, Mad Rat!” Vi added.

“Huh… I see…” the flower made a slight nod. “Well, of course, I look after them, that’s my duty as their goddess! To pretend god you said? Whoever did it, may she have her comeuppance for her hubris!” the flower then perked up, as it sensed something. “I suppose Neolith is coming back here! It was nice talking to you, Mad Rat! You guys too, Team Snakemouth! Hope to see you soon at the festival!”

Mad Rat chuckled and glared at the false goddess. “Yeah, I hope she does.” Rat God scoffed and rolled her eyes. The brown moth arrived shortly after.

“So, I checked all paths leading to the cave, and… well, There’s only one way to get there secretly. But, the thing is…” Neolith paused for a moment, looking up at the rodent, “Can you swim?”

The rat cringed.

It was better than he thought, actually. The water was clear, so clear he could see the bottom of the ‘river’, unlike the waters in the sewer or the little stream in the It was worse than he thought. He wished the water to kill him instantly upon contact, but only a cold, disturbing feeling of the water wetting his fur lingered. They were at the back of the lair, at the hole they made during the battle with Omega. Neolith assumed the river might lead back to the metal lake, which is accessible to the stream near the cave they were heading to. Team Snakemouth brought their submarine to see if it was true, and there they were, behind the hole of the lair. Confirming the professor’s assumption.

Mad Rat was clinging to a piece of wood, floating on the water. Team Snakemouth tied the wood to their submarine with vines and started the engine. Before they departed, the roaches above threw some leaves on the rat, so he can hide underneath. The submarine started to sail forwards, dragging the cargo covered in leaves, with its vine cable hidden underwater. 

A bit too slow, that is.

“Ugh, this going to take ages!” Vi complained. “Why is he so heavy?!”

“Hey! I heard that!” the rodent yelled from behind.

“Shhh! Be quiet! The others will notice you!” Vi yelled back.

“Hmpf” Mad Rat grunted. “Alright, I’ll give you some push,” he said and started to kick his two stubby legs underwater. It was enough to propel the vehicle as fast as its original top speed. The rat still hated having wet fur, but swimming through the unknown waters was, surprisingly, fun. He felt a sudden swerve to the right, and tension on the vine cord. He peeked through the blanket of leaves to see what was going on. Some water striders were approaching them, and it seemed the sub was trying to avoid them, but the unaligned two propulsions hindered making a sharp turn rather hard. Mad Rat instinctively whipped his tail underwater and aided navigation. He noticed some other bugs from afar, but couldn’t tell their expressions. He hoped they wouldn’t care too much about the self-propelling, auto-evading leaves on wood.

Thankfully, they arrived at the shore right next to the cave without getting caught. The entrance was almost the size of a rat, and he pretty much had to squeeze his way in, but thankfully the interior was larger than he thought.

Up ahead was a circular platform. Neolith saw a flickering figure of a roach at the center, which wasn’t there when he first came here to study this place. The roach shot up and looked at the party.

“Incongrų̸̡̱̪́̍͆̓́́͗ence in D̷̬̱̭͙̅̀̈̇̚ata detected! Findinģ̸͇̮̪̝̯̤͚̀̊͘ match...” The roach blared with an alarm

“What is going on?!” Neolith yelped, startled. 

“They use our explorer permit to get data of our encountered enemies. we suppose it’s because you two aren’t registered in our team.” Leif explained.

“3 members matching f̷̹̘̫͕̻̠͑̅̽̎ound. Only registered p̶͈͕̰̿́̈́̃́̚ę̵̧̨͕̰̗̳̫̝̦̝̝̑̓́̓̈͜͜͝͝rsonnel can take the tr̵̼̥̊̏ial. Please leave the plat̶͈̤̬̖̭̻͙͕̠̄̎́ͅform immediately for those ẃ̸̹͉̽̄̕ho are unregistereḑ̵̖͚̭̦̜̙̲̿.”

“Oh…” the brown moth left the circular platform, disappointed, and stood next to the rat.

“I’m sure you’ll see enough from the sidelines,” Kabbu assured him and steeled himself for another challenge. “Alright team, let’s do this!”

“Oh, this is so exciting! The recording crystal used today is readable to the roach’s technology! We may able to reverse engineer their systems! Or, or, at least figure out the mechanisms!” the brown moth shouted with excitement. Watching Team Snakemouth’s battle against the holograms.

“I… I really don’t get it though? What is going on there? What are they attacking? From what are they getting hurt?” Mad Rat was visibly confused.

“Wait, you’re not seeing this? They’re fighting the holograms generated by this whole machinery!”

“Holograms? What holograms? All I see is them fighting something invisible!”

“Huh… that’s peculiar. Maybe the hologram system is incompatible with beings other than bugs?” Neolith wondered.

That little comment from the rat surprised the parasite. She was seeing the holograms fine! Why couldn’t he see what she was seeing?! 

But something was disturbing her more. There were two shadowy figures, floating near the walls encircling the platform. She couldn’t see them clearly, but it certainly was right there. Yet unlike the other holograms, no one seemed to care about its existence. She swore she heard something from those figures, but it was unintelligible to her.

After a while, the three bugs on the platform were panting heavily.

“Seems like… we came here unprepared…” Kabbu huffed. They did not bring their usual set of items for the challenge with them, and the lack of it was making the challenge harder than usual.

“Should have… gone a quick trip… to the city…” Leif agreed, lying down for a quick break

“Wait!” Vi cried, looking at the rat. “Why are we doing this by ourselves? We have a future vision!”

“Huh? What future vision?” asked the beetle, confused.

“Ah, right! Why haven’t we thought of this!” the blue moth perked up. “Mad Rat! He can turn back time! And we can remember what happened for a short time, so we can evade or block the enemies’ attack after going back!”

“Hey, Mad Rat!” The bee shouted. “Can you do your rewind thing?”

“What, right now? To when?” the rat yelled back.

“No, no, not now! Whenever we get hit by an attack! So we can undo the damage and block them!” 

“But how can I tell if you getting hit? I don’t see- whoa!” the rat stopped mid-sentence, now seeing the holograms, after hearing a snap from behind. He knew at instance, he was not truly seeing them, but just another hallucination rendered by the parasite.

“Thank me later,” said the goddess. And kept staring at… something? The rat couldn’t see whatever it was.

The said holograms overlapped with the Nightmares just like back in the battle with Dead…landers, was it? He wasn’t sure why did the goddess overlap the holograms with her own hallucination. The bugs weren’t going to see it anyways. Still, he just ignored it. “Alright! I’m ready!”

Neolith was watching the rat, utterly confused. A few moments ago he couldn’t see them and now he can? What happened at such a short moment? Was he seeing his hallucinations? Wouldn’t that mean he’s seeing something completely different from what he’s meant to?

Not too long after, Kabbu was hit by a wasp, and suddenly, the professor felt a short silence, almost like a discontinuation of time. The beetle was blinking for a moment and swiftly blocked the wasp’s blow on time. The moth concluded that the rat was indeed watching the holograms.

“It’s working!” exclaimed the beetle. “Although, it does feel a tad awkward. You have to think fast to get it on time!”

“We’ll take the most of the blows.” Leif offered. “We can sense magic, so we’ll have better timing. we can use our bubble shield at the precise moment.”

And on they went, evading and intercepting attacks at the most precise moment, mostly done by the moth’s bubble shield. Neolith couldn’t help watching the rat. He was muttering something whenever those cutoffs were happening. A sort of magic spell, perhaps? thought the professor.

Mad Rat was busy, rewinding time whenever he saw the bugs take damage. He and Heart worked together to rewind back to the right moment, because their rewind was not continuous, but was in intervals, linked to his heartbeat. The rodent glanced at the false god, who was still fixated on something he couldn’t see.

“Well, sure, this is more convenient than our previous runs, but how are we supposed to figure anything out of it?” the bee asked while snatching her boomerang mid-air. She was getting used to reading the timing right after the rewind and was now confident enough to pull a heavy throw without worrying to get hit on the returning boomerang.

“The system just started after the buzzer alarmed!” said Kabbu, “Maybe they’ll let Professor Neolith and Mad Rat after we finish our trial!”

“What if it just restarts?” Vi said, worriedly, “I don’t want to do this again for nothing!”

“We can just rewind,” Leif answered bluntly.

Besides the sudden commencement of their trial, everything seemed the same just like the other trials they’d been to. The same enemies, in the same order. Then the team saw the hologram flickering. Then, the whole hologram vanished.

“Huh… now this is new…” commented the bee.

“Filthy, filth̸̟͝y ch̸̟͝ě̴̙aterś̸̝̕! You! A bunch̸̟͝ of chě̴̙atś̸̝̕!” an erratic voice came out from above.

“You think I didn’t notice? Rewind̷͜͝͝ing tim̸̈ē̶̥̓ and undoį̶̳̒ǹ̶̢̖g̴͈̩͆̋ your poor strate̷̘̎g̵̈́i̶̔cal decisions? I thou̵̙͝g̵͖̈͝h̸̟͝t so highly of y̴͚̣̽̕õ̶̤͙ȗ̷͈̺, yet y̴̽̕õ̶u disappoint m̶̮̮͌̾ĕ̸̘̪̍ like this?! Very well then, might as well entertain y̴͚̣̽̕õ̶̤͙ȗ̷͈̺, all of you with som̸̈ē̶̥̓ real chal̴̛͈l̸̓enge!”

The room quaked, and noises of rumbling and whirring filled the room. But all they could hear were those noises. Nothing new came into their sight. The rumbling stopped promptly.

“Seem̷̡̾͊s like y̶̟͕̾͘ou have a stow̵̖̬͑away! Why̶̟͕̾͘ are y̶̟͕̾͘ou hiding there, w̵̖̬͑y̶̟͕̾͘rm? C̴̺͍͊̄ô̵̢m̷̜̗̊̔e̸̲̋ ȍ̸̙͂ù̸͉̀t, c̶̬̀ͅo̶̡͍̍̚m̴͖̣̅͛e o̷͉̯̎u̵̝̓̃t̵͠, ä̷̫́nd̵̪̈̔ p̷͖̎ĺ̴͎a̵y̵̜͐! I know you w̷̤̉e̶͙̍́re doing som̷̡̾͊e̷͚͙͆͆thing in there, I can f̶̙̙͂e̷̝͒͠e̷̟͌́l you!"

None of the words blaring from above were making sense to the party. Everyone was restlessly looking around, trying to locate this mysterious being or preparing for an attack. Suddenly, Mad Rat was illuminated by a beam of bright, bluish spotlight. He screamed and covered his eyes. He felt like he was fainting, but when he opened his eyes, everything seemed fine. A slight slap from Heart (the rat asked for it, just to be sure) and his words confirmed it. Confused, he looked around. The bugs were staring at something on the platform. Rat God was there, near the center of it. When did she get there?

“What on earth is that?!” Vi shouted.

“An enemy! Team, prepare for battle!” Kabbu said, readying himself. “This must be the foe that the roaches conjured, for the means of defense,” he thought. 

Rat God was dazed by the sudden teleportation, but the bee’s outcry was enough to startle her back to her senses. She turned back, only to see the empty floor. 

“Wait…” the blue moth said, calming down his team, staring at the winged figure floating in front of them. “Why does it look like… Mad Rat?”

His words immediately drew the attention of the goddess and the rat.

“You mean you can see her?!”

“You mean you can see me?!” the two said in unison.

Before Leif could respond, the cave rumbled again. Neolith and Mad Rat tried to run into the platform, but an invisible force barred them from entering. In the platform, swarms of silhouettes were emerging. Far too many than the ones she witnessed.

“Shit,” the two said, again in unison.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean? She looks nothing like him!” Vi said while dodging sleeping spores from the Deadlanders.

“I do see what you mean,” Kabbu said to the moth, blocking the spore heading towards the bee. “She does resemble him, the little wings on her head, uh, or ears, was it? And that proportionally small abdo-I mean, the tail!”

“And what’s next, all dragonflies are just fat damselflies?” Vi retorted, flinging her beemerang.

“Vi!” Leif chided. “But still, even if they aren’t the same species, they are aware of the fact that they might be seen alike, and they seem to know each other, no?” 

“I suppose you’re right…” the bee answered, snatching the returning weapon of hers. “Hey, is it me or are they not attacking us that much?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, they really aren’t attacking us, but her” Kabbu pointed at the winged rat.

“Aaaaaaaagh!” Rat god was running away from a barrage of sleeping spores. For some reason, the spores didn’t sedate the goddess, but they still stung her. The goddess was unfamiliar when it came to experiencing pain from external sources, other than her host’s immune system.

Which was why she was freaking out crazy.

“Rewind back, rat, rewind! What’s taking you so long?!” The winged rodent yelled, panicking.

“I’m trying, dammit!” the rodent shouted back. “You’re messing up the beat! And I know it’s you who’s giving me this damn headache! It’s hard to concentrate!”

“How come that is my fault?!”

“Because you’re inside my brain and it aches like hell whenever you get hit! So try not to get hit for at least five goddamn seconds, will you?!”

“I’m trying, dammi-Auugh!” the goddess was hit by another projectile. The rat outside of the arena winced and covered his head with both hands.

“I said try not to get hit!” Mad Rat hollered.

Team Snakemouth tried their best to deter the Deadlanders, but there were too many of them.

“I mean, good for us we don’t need to deal with… that” Vi gestured to the hoard of Deadlanders. “She certainly outmatches your skill in taunting, don’t you think?” and she threw her beemerang to intercept a spore targeting the winged rat. Unfortunately, the goddess flew right towards the bee’s weapon, and unlike the rat, her lack of a decent-sized hole rendered the beemerang to land square on her face.

“Gaaah!” the parasite and her host screamed in unison. “Are you trying to kill me again?” Rat God hissed, irritated.

“Wait, when did I ever try to kill you?! I just met you!” the bee protested but soon met an unamused glare from the rodent outside. “Oh…” 

“We have a feeling rewinding time won’t fix this…” Leif sighed, sending volleys of ice crystals to the pile of Deadlanders. “Whoever did this, they know we can rewind back to time, right? They’ll know we’re… ‘cheaters’, whatever that means, and this will just happen again!”

“Still, it doesn’t make a difference if Mad Rat can’t rewind,” Kabbu said, blocking a projectile.

“Mad Rat! There’s no point in going back!” yelled the bee. “We have to defeat them somehow!”

“And how am I supposed to do that?!” the goddess shouted from above. “I am not meant to… get hit by… these things!” 

“Oh, right, because you’re his hallucination! And that’s what he meant when he said you are in his brain, I suppose?” Vi said.

Leif raised his hand to disprove the bee’s claim, then just shook his head and prepared another barrage of ice crystals. His suspicious gaze did not leave the goddess.

“What are those anyway? Holo-something?” the rodent asked the brown moth while massaging his throbbing head.

“Hologram” Neolith explained. “Well, this one here is far more advanced, but basically it lets you interact with things that aren’t there.” The professor paused. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t see them at first? What changed at such a short moment?” he asked.

“She lets me see it.” The rodent pointed to the goddess. “I kinda doubt what I’m seeing is the same as yours though, can you describe what are they fighting?”

Mad Rat recognized Neolith’s description of the Deadlanders since he fought them back in the Lair. He was still seeing them as the Nightmares though.

“Alright, so you’re telling me that this hallucination of yours, somehow emerged in this arena, and she lets you see these holograms which aren’t meant to work on your species, correct?”

Mad Rat was about to add she was in fact, literally in his brain, but decided to make things less complicated and carried on. “Yeah, pretty much. Got any ideas?”

“These holograms are renditions of data recorded in the permit. It needs to be read from something. Yet, your hallucination, who is clearly not in the permit’s database is right over here… possibly ‘read’ somehow by the roach’s system. Now, I don’t know how that work, but she did… how should I put this… translated those holograms that fit your cognition, right? Doesn’t that mean she can interact with those holograms?”

“I thought that was obvious enough, her getting hit by the spores and all?”

“Well, can’t she throw some punches? These holograms are illusions acting like real, but as it’s bound by the rules of the system, they aren’t invincible. It’s your hallucination, after all, you know what can she do and can’t do the best.

“She isn’t exactly… wait, what did you say? Illusions?”

“Um… yes?”

Something clicked inside the rat’s head. He looked at the now visibly exhausted rat and the not-so-life-threatened bugs. He knew the current façade of the goddess was a mere mask. But is it the same as the bugs? Does this machine know her deception?

“Heart, you can stop trying the rewind.” Mad Rat quietly whispered. “I got an idea.”

“Already stop trying.” Heart said. Secretly, he wasn’t even doing his best in his attempts to rewind. He thought if she lingered here, her existence revealed long enough, her mask will fail to cover her lies. Then he’d be burdened less with the deceiving imposed by the goddess. When the goddess was brought to real life and was able to take damage, he hoped the machine to get rid of her for good. The such desire of his, however, was quickly quenched when the rat was hurting when she did too. “Alright, so what’s the plan?”

“Nothing on our end. It’s all on her hands.” The rat responded. “Guys!” he yelled to the group of bugs. “Can you describe what my… hallucination looks like? I have a feeling you might be seeing something different from what I’m seeing!”

“Huh? So that’s not his hallucination?” Vi was now confused.

“Not likely, from both of their reactions earlier…” Leif said. “Or maybe he sees multiple hallucinations.”

“That fits with Venus’ comment earlier” Kabbu nodded and turned his gaze to the winged rat, who was dashing through the air.

“Uhh… similar to you, with the ears and tail, but with… green hair and purple outfit and hat? Would this suffice?” the beetle yelled back.

“What about her teeth? Are they sharp like mine?” the rodent asked, pointing at his own teeth.

“What are… Oh, um… No? There are only two of those protruding out from the top!” Kabbu answered back.

The goddess was initially befuddled with the rat and the beetle’s exchange, but she soon realized what the beetle’s response implied.

“No floaty particles around her? No holes on her wings or ears?” the Rat continued.

“Nope, nothing that fits your description, Mad Rat! But what does it mean? Is she, not the phantom you see and know?”

“Nah, I know her alright, but it’s just…”

“What they see is in my control.” The goddess skidded mid-air and swiftly turned around. “It’s the illusion I impose on the little rat! They made it into this… Hologram! Which means…”

The goddess snapped her fingers. Suddenly, a blob of green flame fell from nowhere, obliterating the staticy Deadlander. Mad Rat was never so relieved to see his ‘Nightmare’ like this.

The goddess and the rodent grinned at each other, and the goddess soon burst into laughter. (Mad Rat was startled by her sudden outburst) “Hahahaha! So this was all an illusion! Better show you how it’s done professionally! This is what we’re made for!”

She noticed a hoard of Deadlanders right under her feet. She grabbed her purple top hat and enlarged it, enough for her to hide inside. Shortly after, the gigantic hat slammed to the ground, sending pink shockwaves like ripples. No Deadlanders were alive and kicking where the waves swept. 

The shockwave was heading toward Team Snakemouth. Leif was quick enough to put a bubble shield for all of them. He made a slight gasp when he found cracks on his shield.  Just how strong is she?!

“Hey, watch it! You almost hit us!” Vi shouted.

“Oh, my apologies! I wasn’t sure how strong it would be in real life!” the goddess said in a singsong voice. The bee thought she was being mocked, but truth to be told, the goddess was indeed enjoying this.

Everything she did was confined within the rodent’s cognition. It was a mere act, where she knew every outcome of her illusions. Sure, the rat’s response deviated far from her predictions, which led her to this mess, but her powers did not make any difference in the real world. It all happened in the rodent’s brain.

Should he be a normal rat, everything was supposed to be predictable. Like a mathematical function, all the rat’s responses from her inputs were well-defined.

Then the variables came, deteriorating her graph to survival. His wish was a variable. Killing a human? What kind of wish was that? Still, it was somewhat manageable within the goddess’ power. Then came his heart, cutting off her connection with the rat. She waited for another chance at then. Then he did the unthinkable, defeating a cat! And then rescuing it! all sorts of variables, some big, some small, accumulated into this fiasco. It was something detestable, something to be avoided.

But within the roach’s contraption, every act of hers, and every corresponding reaction from her enemies was filled with unpredictable variables, chaos. She couldn’t avoid it, even the slightest movement from her was a real-time accumulative variable.

Her green flame was not meant to set things ablaze. Her shockwave was not meant to make ripples of death. Her glowing blue disc, which she was summoning right now, was not meant to cause gusts of wind to suck all the Deadlanders.

It was something new. It was something real. It was something fun.

A cheery grin crept on the winged rat’s face. Those enemies were still illusions, but it just felt so real. Heck, even the moth’s shield, a real, physical shield unlike the holograms took damage! As she sent another shockwave to the piled enemies in front of her disc, she chortled. She summoned all sorts of hideous Nightmares: red skulls in a blue flame to attack her airborne enemies, and some mix of moving cacti, falling green flames, and jumping wind-up toys for the ones in the ground. She cackled as her minions were decimating the Deadlanders. Every new variable led to a new response. It was no longer a hindrance but rather something she anticipated for a new one. She enjoyed every part of it, the challenge, the trial end error, and devising her creative solution.

Thump

“Huh?”

She flinched at the sudden sound. She looked around, but couldn’t find the source of it. she simply disregarded it and continued her massacre.

Mad Rat just stood there and stared at the goddess, equally impressed and abhorred. First, he was surprised to be delighted at the sight of his old enemies. After that, for a brief moment, he cheered on the goddess’ retaliation. But as her killing spree continued, he wasn’t so sure what to feel about this. The most disturbing thing for the rodent was the goddess’ reaction. Of course, she was enjoying her massacre a bit too much, but it was her laughter that bothered him the most. There was no hint of madness in her mirth. He would know it instantly if he saw one. After all, he knew her true colors. But what was there to enjoy so much about in such carnage? And in a mentally sound way? The rodent couldn’t think of any, so he just stopped thinking too much. Perhaps it was just Rat God being Rat God. Other bugs were having similar, confused expressions on their faces, but unlike the rodent, they just thought she was mad, for to them, she was his hallucination, a product of madness.

The heart was equally shocked as the rodent. Why was she enjoying this so much? This wasn’t supposed to be something new to her. She already fought Mad Rat, and she wasn’t excited this much at then. Now that there were no more diversions, Heart was pinpointing a suitable time for rewind. Right before the Trial? The moth said something about arriving unprepared… then perhaps even before then? He gave some thought, watching the goddess’ rampage with awe, and decided it would be better to let her have ‘fun’. The more she was in the sight of all, the more chance she’ll make a mistake, cracking her mask.

The winged rat was eliminating her enemies so rapidly; Team Snakemouth’s help was no longer needed. They already noticed this and just sat down and spectated her performance. Suddenly, the goddess came to a stop. She was staring at something very closely, but when they tried to look at what she was seeing, all they could see was the cold stone wall of the cave.

“You really gave me a scare back there…” the goddess was talking to… the wall? Leif was now visibly confused.  Was she hallucinating too? Can hallucinations have a hallucination? A halluception?  She continued her conversation with the wall. “I suppose I must thank you, for letting me… experience this. I really do want to savor this moment a bit longer, but we have things to do, I’m afraid. 

She snapped her fingers. Two giant orbs, huge as the winged rat’s size, pulsating in blue and purple formed on both sides.

“You two are responsible for conducting this trial, I presume? Well then, certainly having you gone will abort this challenge, right?” The god shooed the orbs away, with a devious grin. “It was fun, but for now… Goodbye.”

“Wait, what? Abort the challenge? What about our berries?!” Vi protested.

“Seriously, Vi?” Leif chided. From her conversation, he figured out that the goddess was somehow talking to the roaches who create the arena.

“Disconnect her! Disconnect her NOW!”

Before the orbs reached the wall, the winged rodent and her creations vanished.

“Wh-what?!” Team Snakemouth blurted with shock. Even before they were able to process what just happened, the crackling voice continued.

“Well… Now that she’s gone… better give you a fairer punishment for your misdeeds!”

“Fair?! Getting rid of her is fair? Why are we getting ‘punished’ in the first place? Yeah, we got help from Mad Rat over there, but you didn’t inform us anything about what counts as cheating and all! And now that she’s whooping your ass, you just remove her like that? How that’s fair at all?!” Vi was now fuming, while Kabbu and Leif tried to calm her down.

“Silence! We’ve clearly told you only the ones who are registered in the permit may take the trial! Now for your penalty… I present you this for your final enemy!”

All Deadlanders were now gone, and a round silhouette was formed in front of Team Snakemouth. The shadow had stubby limbs and a little horn, all too familiar to the team.

“Is that Tangerin?” Vi scoffed.

“Behold! Your worst nightmare!”

Meanwhile, Mad Rat was watching from afar, unsure what to do. As soon as the ‘disconnection’ occurred, He lost his hallucination-dubbed vision of the holograms. He couldn’t tell what was going on besides the sounds booming from above. He was getting worried.

Not for the goddess, of course. 

Heart shared the same sentiment. “Is she… gone? Just like that? Ha, good riddance!”

“I doubt that… it’s just too convenient to be true. And besides, their power was dealing with illusions, right? Then the parasite might be still in here” the rat said, tapping his head.

“Then what happened to her? What’s going to happen now?”

“I… don’t know. We just have to hope they can deal with whatever-“

“Um, Mad Rat?” the brown moth said from behind. “Who… are you talking to right now? Is she back?”

A blank stare from the rat met with the moth. “O-oh, sorry for interrupting you, I was-“

“No, it’s alright.” The rodent said. He looked down at Heart. Was it okay to reveal a bit more about him now? Heart gave him a slight nod. “The thing is… I see another hallucination. I was talking to him.”

“Oh… then do you know what happened to… does she have a name?”

“Yeah, Rat God.”

“…Quite hubristic, isn’t she?”

“Ha! Sure she is!”

“Anyways, do you know what happened to her? Is she gone?”

Mad Rat inhaled a deep breath. “I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think so. She’s not just my hallucination, you see. She’s...“

Dark. It was dark everywhere.

No, it was bright? Like blinding bright? 

Either way, she couldn’t see anything around her.

“Where… am I? I heard them yelling something about ‘disconnecting’…”

My body… it’s back to my original form?

She tried to look at herself, but nothing came into her sight.

Was she still in her rodent form? Was she a crescent-bearing monstrosity? Was she a mere heap of cell granules? She couldn’t tell. She couldn’t sense anything. She couldn’t feel anything.

She couldn’t feel herself breathing.

She was in the dark.

Alone.

A beam of light was shining from afar. A circle of light, a spotlight was illuminating. She somehow got closer to the light. Did she walk? Fly? Or slither? She couldn’t tell how she got there.

She stared at the white circle under the spotlight and reached out. Her hand with white cuffs was now under the spotlight, which she couldn’t see in the dark. She stepped closer, and more of her appearance emerged from the dark. Now completely under the beam of light, she examined herself. Her outfit, her purple top hat, her little wings, and her tail were all there. It was familiar. Too familiar.

Just like when she first met the dying rat.

The rat was the one under the spotlight at then. But now, she was alone.  What is this place?  She wondered.  I heard them saying disconnecting something… that would be me, presumably. But then… where am I now? What happens to those who… disconnect? 

“Hello…? Anyone there?”

No answer, only the deafening silence filled the space. She couldn’t even hear herself shouting.

“Mad Rat? Heart? Anybody?” now the goddess was looking around frantically.

“I… I’m here… Guys, I…” but nothing ever came into her sight. only the deep dark void surround her.

She was alone. Why would they ever save her?

She was nothing but a deterrent to them.

Deterring what exactly? Their survival?  Her presence did not help nor harmed his chance of survival. The rodent was going to die anyways.

She has never felt loneliness before, it was just impossible, given her nature. Parasites like her always had a host, its mind to interact with, and ultimately, take control as long as it was living. Being cut off from everything like this, being isolated like this was...

something new,

something unknown,

something terrifying.

The winged goddess started to tremble. The place was reminding her first encounter with the rat too much now. She met the rat in a place like this when the rat was…  dying.  

Is this what happens when someone dies? Did I fail?

Am I… dying?

She couldn’t stop trembling. A weak whimper escaped under her breath. A stream of hot liquid was flowing on her cheeks. 

“P-please! I don’t want… t,to die!” she cried. “Mad Rat! Heart! Please! I’m here… H,h- help…” 

Only her sobs were heard.

…wh-

“Huh?”

…are y-

“Mad Rat? Is that you? Please answer me! Is that really you?!”

The fuck you’re doing in there?! Get your ass here right now!

And the world around her turned blinding white.

Chapter Text

“She’s actually…” Mad Rat trailed off.

Come on, Mad Rat! Just let them know what she really is!  Heart was watching from below, anticipating for the mask of hers to break.

Then, the rodent’s ear twitched. It swiveled as if it was trying to locate something. His eyes widened and began to look around frantically.

“Uh… is everything alright?” the brown moth asked, unsure what was going on.

“I… I hear her, but I can’t see her.” The rodent answered.

“he’s back? where?” Heart blurted, surprised by the revelation.

“I don’t know. She’s… wait, is she crying?”

Crying? For what? What does that heartless worm ever have anything to cry for?!  Heart was flabbergasted. All that goddess knew was hurting others, just for her own gain. 

“We-I mean I’ll… be right back.” The rodent left the moth and went to the corner.

“And I thought we got rid of her…” Heart grimaced. “So what’s she saying to you?”

“Well… I don’t think she knows that I can hear her right now. She doesn’t seem to even know where she is. Hold on, I gotta concentrate.” The rat closed his eyes shut, trying to hear her weak, inner monologue.

“She sounds scared? And she’s… she’s afraid of dying. She thinks she’s dying right now.” Mad Rat calmly relayed the goddess’ quiet outcry.

“Ha!” Heart scoffed. “She’s been trying to get you killed, and now she’s afraid of dying? Well, why not just let it be this way? She won’t be a threat to you now, wherever she is now, right? Yeah, that’s it, a quarantined parasite!” Heart was snickering, only to be answered back with silence. He looked up, and met an uneasy look from the rodent, avoiding eye contact.

“Wait, are you seriously-“

“I just can’t stand all the weeping and crying in my head, okay?” Mad Rat blurted. “Besides, you saw her kicking their butts back there, a bit of help from her would be useful…”

Heart silently stared at him, with an unamused glare.

“Man, this isn’t fair! Why the both of you get to see a glimpse of my mind?! Can’t I keep my own thoughts to myself?” the rat huffed. “It’s just… she just wants to live you know? Of course, I am not going to get myself eaten by a cat and make them sick just for her survival in the nearest future- um, or the past… but...”

"What about her manipulating you to that killing spree? Is that justifiable? Because she wanted to live? Snuffing those poor rats because they're variables in her plans?”

That stung the rodent a bit. "I'm not saying they're justified. And you already know she didn't exactly try to kill them, …I was the one who-“

The rat's vision went white followed by a crack. Heart gave the rodent a good smack across his face.

"There, are you still hearing her fake cries?”

"Did you really have to do that while I was talking? A heads up would've been appreciated there...” Mad Rat rubbed his face, understanding the organ's slightly violent methodology. He silenced for a brief moment. "Nope, she's still here, weeping.” The rat glanced at the arena. A sense of urgency was noticeable on his face. "Ooookay, her illusion skills would be really handy for them right now! How am I supposed to reach out to her...?”

The heart sighed, surrendering at the rat's persistence. The rodent was adamant about saving the parasite from her… whatever it was. He looked up at the rodent. "How did you reach out to me before we fought the… what was the name again? Mimollete?”

“I felt your beat. And then I called you.”

"Well… can’t you do the same to her? You are already hearing her crying, so...”

"Hm, guess there's only one way to find that out.” The rat closed his eyes and started to concentrate. Trying to find a certain winged rat in his mindscape. He thought of their first encounter. The dark void with a beam of light illuminating the center.

"You know… I was surprised when you said it would be better for her to be trapped in my head. I thought you were the more of a… pacifist between the two of us?”

"I think that still counts! I don't know what she's going through, and frankly, I don't really care, but she'll live anyways, right?”

"You're right, but still… well, alright, probably pacifist is not the right word here.” Mad Rat peeked an eye open and made short eye contact with his organ. "You were the soft one, back in our own time, well, probably still are, but you sound… colder...? Back there you- um…” the rat trailed off, unsure how to continue his argument. He went back concentrating on locating the goddess.

Truth to be told, Heart was amazed at the rat's sympathetic gesture. On their first encounter, the rat was so full of hate, his last wish was to kill a human! But on the way to his adventure, he decided to save so many lives, even sparing his natural predator and his old enemy. Going further, the rat was trying his best to save Heart. Even if that cost his life, even if that meant he’ll die alone painfully. And now, he was extending a hand to the parasite. Heart thought the rat’s love of life was far greater than his bitterness in them. Perhaps it was because he was living the final day of his one sole life, he appreciated it better than anyone. Even though he may act grumpy and rude, he was a softie, perhaps even more than Heart.

Of course, he’ll never admit that!  Heart smirked inside, imagining a flustered rat spitting out all sorts of expletives, should he confront the rodent with his thoughts. He decided to keep his amazement to himself. Heart was partly correct. There was no way the rat would see himself as the soft one, but unbeknownst to him, should the hypothetical exchange of views in life be to happen, the rat would thank Heart for his change of heart. 

Which was the reason why the rat was uneasy about his organ’s unusual coldness. His enmity against the goddess wasn’t something new, but Heart was the more forgiving one. Maybe there’s something I don’t know? Perhaps something related to their private conversation before? Well, maybe I’m overthinking it. It’s Rat God we’re talking about here after all. Mad Rat dismissed his strange feeling and kept on searching in his mindscape.

“I see a spotlight! It’s just like when I first saw her!” Mad Rat shouted. He inhaled a deep breath and yelled his guts out, startling Heart at the process.

“Rat God! What the fuck are ya doing in there?! Get your ass here right now!

Meanwhile, the brown moth was witnessing Bugaria’s finest team being pulverized by a silhouette of a small bug-like orb.

“What in the blazing sun is that thing?!” Kabbu yelped, dodging the vines protruding from the ground, blasphemously mimicking the true goddess’ prowess. “Leif, still nothing on the spying device?”

“We see nothing! It’s not functioning for some reason!”

“Forget it then!” Vi shouted and started swirling, preparing Hurricane toss. A flurry of orange bombarded the figure, causing it to fall down to the ground.

“Do you think we can pull the stalling strategy?” Vi asked the blue moth. His bubble shield combined with the beetle’s provocation was one of the team’s favored approaches.

“We don’t know how long will we last!” Leif answered, panting with exhaustion. “We already used up most of our equipment, and we don’t have the intel on how strong that thing is!”

“Does it matter? What’s the worst thing it can happen? The trial will end as soon as we defeat, we can go again and try something else!”

“Vi, they said this was a punishment, unfair it may be. I’m not so certain they’ll release us without consequences. Also, rest assured our ‘next time’ won’t have Mad Rat’s rewinding ability.” Kabbu said, blocking a pebble thrown by the shadow. “Speaking of which, what is he doing right now?”

Leif made a quick glance. “He’s at the corner. Talking to his hallucinations, we presume.” As soon as the volley of pebbles ceased, Leif summoned a pillar of ice. Ice crystals formed around the shadowy figure, its movement coming to a halt.

“I know it’s risky, but we gotta do something!” Vi flopped down, panting heavily. “Maybe Mad Rat can bring her back if we stall long enough. He’s talking to her right now, isn’t he? She’s not gone so she can come back and whack the lights off of that thing!”

“The roaches brought her here, and they ‘disconnected’ her.” Kabbu corrected the bee. “She’s still here, but that does not imply she can be summoned back to this arena. Even if she could, they’ll deter her at all costs.” Kabbu sighed.

“We know the risks, but we suppose there aren’t many options given here right now.” Leif paused for a moment, gauging the possible moves his team could take. “We think stalling is a viable one. That thing is quite hardy it seems, better focus our might to give it an actual damage.”

“Well then, stalling it is.” Kabbu grabbed the bee’s hand, helping her stand back up. “As soon as you break the ice, I’ll taunt it.”

Vi readied for another Hurricane toss. However, before she launched her beemerang, the ice around the shadow cracked, freeing the silhouette. Its recovery was too fast than the other enemies they’d encountered.

“Curses!” the unprepared beetle shouted. He felt a rumble from beneath. It was the profane vine attack again. Kabbu tried to block the vine jutting out toward him, but he and the moth was a little too late, letting the vine impale his carapace.

“Aaaaauuugh!” Kabbu cried. Leif was conjuring a bubble shield but saw his efforts were now turning ineffective right in front of his eyes. He missed his chance to retaliate. Still, the bee’s beemerang hit the shadow. Vi was shocked seeing the wounded beetle and ran to him. However, she forgot to retrieve her weapon, which landed not too far from her.

For that brief moment when all of Team Snakemouth was stunned, the shadow screeched and started to throw pebbles at them. with the Team’s absence of Kabbu’s taunt, Leif’s Bubble shield, and Vi’s means of reprisal, they had no choice but to take the blow. Kabbu quietly muttered, while pressing on his wound. “Bit… Master… I…” All three closed their eyes shut, silently pleading the roaches to have mercy.

Sounds of glass shattering echoed in the cave. Startled, the bugs opened their eyes and saw debris of familiar red crystals splayed around them. The pebbles were just behind the red mess, and soon vanishing after flickering.

“You guys okay there?” Mad Rat said, panting heavily for some reason. “I can’t see shit, but it seems it blocked something?” The red debris became amorphous, and clumps of red mass headed back to the rodent.

“The thing you used back in the lairs!” Vi shouted while picking up her beemerang. “It sure did! Can you keep doing it for a while?”

“I’m not sure how long can it last…” the rat huffed. “But looks like there isn’t much to choose.” Mad Rat clenched his fists and steeled himself for another wave of exhaustion sweeping him. “Just give me a word and I’ll make that wall right in front of you.”

“What is this thing anyway?”

“My bl-“ the rat halted, What is a blood equivalent for bugs? Pretty sure it’s gotta be hemo-something… Argh, forget it! “Uh… my body fluid?”

“…Ew”

Not too long ago, after the rat’s fierce shouting in an attempt to bring the goddess back, a flash of light filled the rodent’s vision. Soon after, he saw a familiar figure on her knees. The false goddess, with her outfit disheveled, having puffy eyes-was she actually crying?-just stared back at him.

An awkward silence lasted for five seconds, broken by Heart clearing his throat.

Rat god vanished for a brief moment and came back with a puff, back with the familiar appearance of hers. She may not have any reputation to hold, but still, pathetic looks won’t do good to any species.

“Ahem, glad to see you two again” the goddess started. “As you know by now, they… the roaches, can utilize illusions just like me. Yet, their magic can interact with the real world, as you see over there” Rat god pointed at the arena, where Team Snakemouth was facing the ‘punishment’.

“See what? I don’t see anything!” the rat said, confused. Again, without the goddess’ intervention, he couldn’t see the holograms.

“Oh right, you’re not compatible with theirs. Well, never mind, just know that they’re in a bit of a pickle right now.” The goddess was glaring at something Mad Rat and Heart couldn’t see. “We have more pressing matter at hand.”

“More pressing matter? Like what?! They’ll not going to make it if we-“ Heart was protesting, anxiously watching Team Snakemouth getting battered by an invisible being.

“And this is the way to save them” Rat god snapped. “Whatever they’re confronting right now, it’s conjured by them, and it’s a mere pawn of theirs. If we want to put this to a true end, we must take down the head of it.”

“And I presume you have a plan for that?” Heart leered.

The goddess went silent. “I have to work on that part… but if I can get my way into their system somehow…”

“Yeah, and how will you do that without getting ‘disconnected’?” the rat raised an eyebrow.

“Fine, I’ve got a lot to work on, okay?” the winged rat sighed. “Oh, right! You can distract them while I work my way inside!”

“How are we going to do that? We can’t see shit, you’ll be busy doing your own shit so we’re staying blind, and even if we do get to see what they’re dealing with, we can’t get in there anyways!”

“Well, perhaps you can’t get in there, but probably a part of you can…” The goddess looked at Heart and grinned. “For your lack of vision… I’m sure you’ll find a way.” The three were startled by an outcry. They all turned and saw Kabbu injured. “Better make that fast, I advise you.”

“Heart, do you think you can make the red crystals inside there?”

“Maybe. I’ll try.” Heart proceeded to send several blobs of the rodent’s blood into the arena. Thankfully, the thing that barred the rat and the brown moth from entering the arena did not affect the rat’s fluids.

“Good, that’ll definitely help them. Keep distracting the roaches while I do my work.” The winged rat awkwardly fluttered sideways, then turned back to face the rat. “Oh, and Mad Rat?”

“Yeah?” The rodent looked up, his breath getting heavier every second.

“Well… I…” the goddess was weirdly trailing off.

“Aren’t you supposed to be busy?” Heart cut off.

“Th, Thanks… for reaching me out back there.” Rat god blurted and vanished with a puff.

The panting rat and his organ exchanged looks. “Well… now that’s something new.”

Chapter Text

All lies are different. Their intentions, their methodology, their structure and depth can render myriads of lies. Yet, once the truth is revealed, every detail of deception discloses itself: the why, to whom, and the how. One truth is enough to open the cascades illuminating every little detail of the deceiver.

  And that was what Rat god was looking for.

 Why do the roaches need this illusion? What truth do they need to hide? What is the purpose of their deception? One truth was enough to get all the answers. Furthermore, she'll be able to use it against them further.

  The whole cave was flowing with magic. Even though the parasite's true entity was confined to the rodent, the goddess was able to interact with her surroundings on her own.

Let’s see... Where to start... They said something about the permit… Do they read information from it? Then perhaps… If I could intermingle with the information inside the permit… I might be able to infiltrate into the system! The false goddess stealthily floated near the permit, which was placed on an elevated altar. Blue crystals were emitting a soft glow of cyan, possibly a reflection or a fluorescence of some sort. Rat God was hesitant to touch the permit. What if they see me? What if this is a dead end…?

“Whatever you’re doing, you better do it faster!” Heart yelled from behind. He couldn’t see the winged rat, but he was certain she could hear him somehow. Rat God’s train of thought came to an abrupt halt and pressed her palm to the cold metal in front of her. A sharp wave of chill ran through her spine, starting from her right hand, contacting the permit. Information was flooding into the goddess’ mind. Everything about Team Snakemouth, their adventures, their abilities, their…  what the hell is that? Ah, it’s not important now!  A bit more effort would’ve been sufficient for the goddess to know every nook and cranny about Team Snakemouth, but that was not what she was looking for.  This Arena would not need such information… They know themselves well enough. Then… perhaps it’s about the enemies they summoned earlier? 

Just by her thought alone, illusions of the team’s encountered enemies came into her sight. One by one, the hologram emerged, making a sort of hallway with the imagery of the foes standing menacingly on both sides. At the end of the ‘hallway’, an uncanny red glow was shining brightly. Rat God immediately flew to see what it was. A red spotlight was there, just illuminating the empty spot, unlike the other illusions, the red beam was shining… nothing. The perplexed goddess looked up to see where the red light was coming from. In the mindscape of hers, the beam extended to an endless void, but she was sure the red radiant road was leading to the heart of the contraption. This was how they read the permit.

She stepped forward, but even before she entered the light, her mindscape became black.

And she was back, Heart glaring at her furiously, and Mad Rat panting with a grin- yet his eyes glinted with annoyance.

“Better make haste this time” The rodent was taking deep breaths.

“Wha- why did you rewind? I was just about to enter their system!” the winged rat protested.

A moment ago, right after Heart's angry shouting at the goddess, Mad Rat was watching the arena carefully while gauging his respiration, next to a brown moth.

Heart was still busy controlling the rodent’s blood. The coagulation was not exactly a fitting material for a shield. Every impact from the projectile shattered the crystal barricade, and Heart had to rebuild the fragile barrier constantly. The rodent’s blood was not being retrieved for longer than the last time.  Unusual, but understandable given the current circumstances.  Mad Rat thought. Neolith was watching worriedly at the painfully heaving rat.

“Mad Rat, I don’t fully understand what you’re doing right now, but it’s definitely taking a toll on you. You have to stop!”

“Heart, I think we helped them enough. Can I get a breather?” the rodent muttered.

“I… I can’t!” Heart said, alarmed.

The roaches were no fool. After letting the foreign fluid contaminate their arena, the barrier surrounding it was now impermeable to the fluids too. A red mass was accumulating at the transparent wall right in front of them. The rat’s demise from hypoxia was imminent, now having tunnel vision. Still, Mad Rat managed to ask a question to the professor.

“Would… it be… unwise to… rewind back…?”

“I was going to ask why you weren’t doing it sooner! Whatever this is, it’s killing you, and you said that’ll rewind time anyways, so I do not see why this has to do with being unwise!”

“But… they’ll…”

“They? The ones who’re in charge of that arena? Is that what you’re concerned about?” The moth paused for a brief moment, understanding the rat’s worry. “I am not a tactician in combat, but as a bug in science, I gain information from what I observe. Of course, this means they’ll learn more and more about you as you rewind. We already saw they noticed it, so I suppose it’s somewhat safe to say they retain their memories… Still, they won’t know what they don’t see, right? Um… does that make sense?” Neolith hoped his rambling was helpful to a certain degree. The rodent did say he was invincible… but seeing him slowly approaching death was not a pleasant sight. The brown moth wasn’t even sure if Mad Rat heard his answer.

“That’s… it! Th-“The rodent squeezed out whatever energy he had left to say that response.

And the world went grey.

“What’s taking her so long!” Heart complained, futilely searching for the absent goddess, and then turned to face Mad Rat.

“Okay, what now? They know the rewinds, and now they know our blood spikes…” Heart said thoughtfully. “They’ll think of something to counter that, that’s for sure.”

“But that’s what they know for now. They don’t have the full picture of what we, well, you, to be precise, are capable of! And it’ll stay that way, for a while.” The rat said, gazing at the bugs on the stage. “We have to see what skills that shadow has…”

“And what does this have to do with limiting how I use my- well, your blood?” Heart inquired.

“You did a good job stopping that thing’s attacks with only blood spikes. As Neolith mentioned, if we keep using that, and only that, they’ll never know about the other skills you have!”

“Wouldn’t that be just a disadvantage to us? Sounds like we’re tying our own hands for nothing…”

“That shadow, or whoever controls it, will try to find a breakthrough. Once they think they got past your blood magic, they’ll keep using the effective solution they’ve found. But it’s Team Snakemouth that is taking the brunt of it, so…”

“Our first barrier will render their attack somewhat monotonous, and then Team Snakemouth will be easier to retaliate!” Heart finished. “Alright, I think that’ll work… but what about you? You might have to stay alive longer since she didn’t make it on time, it seems.”

“I’m sure she’ll find a faster way once we rewind. Besides, now that we know we can’t retrieve my blood once past that barrier, we’ll use less blood than before!”

“Sounds like a plan! I’ll rewind to right before she departed.”

“That far? We can just start from the part where you fling my bl-“

“Rewind by hypoxia, it seems, right?” Rat God said, looking around her surroundings. The world was grey. Supposedly, Heart stopped the time flowing right after the rewind. “I found an entrance. It’s the permit thingy on that altar.” The winged rat started to explain, cutting right to the point.

“You sure it’s safe? What if it kicks you out like the last time?” Heart said, glaring at the false goddess.

“Then this ‘trial’ will also come to an end.” She answered flatly. “Still, a bit more time would be a great help…” Rat God glanced at Heart. “You have to do your job better than that.”

Heart was on the verge of fuming at the goddess’  The nerve she-

“ME?! You’re the one who took too long! Do you have any idea how hard it is to balance the survival rate between the two?! I-“

“Then explain to me why we’re here, having your poor rat friend dead from blood loss! You’re the one who’s responsible for his survival, and the longer he stays alive, the more probable for me to find a solution! This is solely your-“

“Alright, alright! That’s enough! Geez, since when I was the arbitrator between the two of you?!” Mad Rat shouted, ending the meaningless quarrel. “They somehow made that barrier impenetrable, so Heart couldn’t retrieve my blood, hence the rewind, okay?”

Rat God made a thoughtful pause and started to speak. “Now that Mad Rat will be low on blood, the remaining blood in him has to do its job far more efficiently. You can help him stay alive a just bit longer. Send blood only to the vital parts of his body. I know, that sounds bad and necrosis is almost bound to happen on the neglected parts. But we can always rewind, and our victory, should we achieve one, will not be forgotten since they retain their memory after going back.” The goddess squinted and peered into the rat’s chest hole attentively. “Perhaps you can even help further by keeping those oxygen levels in Mad Rat’s blood! I’m not sure how your hemalurgy works, but if you can somehow aerate them and put it back through his chest hole, that’ll do some help!” Rat God then turned her gaze to the rodent. “And for you… well, try staying alive a bit more, alright little rat? You need to control your breathing, panicking will make your oxygen demand skyrocket. So keep having steady, deep breaths!”

A short silence swept the time-frozen arena after the goddess’ lengthy exposition.

“…and that’s it?” Mad Rat asked.

“Yup. You can’t exactly get past the barrier, but it’s your blood doing all the work. So…” the winged rat trailed off.

“Well, fine by me! You ready Heart?”

“Ready to go in 3… 2… 1… Now!”

As the colors came back, Rat God disappeared with a poof, and blobs of blood, significantly smaller than before, were hurled into the stage.

“Oh, you came back! Um… or was it just my imagination? I think I saw you… um…” Neolith was confused by the sudden feeling of déjà vu and the fleeting memory. 

“Yeah, we- I mean, I did. You gave me a great help back there!” Mad Rat said calmly, carefully breathing in and out as deeply as he could.

The attack from the silhouette was almost the same as before, which was intercepted by the sanguine spikes. Gradually, the barrage of spores, which was least effective in the presence of the crystalline blood, was fired less frequently.

Of course, that was not unnoticed by Team Snakemouth.

“We thought time-rewinding was pointless by now…” Leif muttered.

“I thought so too! I was wondering why he wasn’t using that cool fluid cannon we saw back in the lair, but it all makes sense!” Vi added.

“Huh? What is-“ Kabbu looked around, still confused by the wound and the rewind.

Leif formed another bubble shield around the beetle. “Thanks to Mad Rat, the shadow’s attack is less diverse than before.” The blue moth explained. “Still, we have to do our part, since his… fluid magic is not the full answer.”

Suddenly, flickering vines protruded from the ground but were soon deflected by Leif’s shield. 

“I guess we gotta figure out how to deal with the vines, right?” Vi flapped her wings, hovering from the ground. 

“Indeed… Can you hold Kabbu? We’ll take the next brunt of it.”

“Ugh, I’m getting tired real fast…” the bee complained, but complied. She heaved and dragged the beetle up in the air. Meanwhile, Leif summoned droplets of water and sent them into the ground around him.

“What are you doing? I never saw you doing anything like that…” Vi inquired.

“We have an idea,” Leif replied. “Mad Rat’s fluid can’t protect us from the vines, so we have to deal with that on our own. And as you know, this will soon be their sole method of attacking us. We can’t just keep using bubble shield, we have to somehow counter it! And for doing such, we have to be more… creative.”

Leif’s antennae twitched as if he sensed something. Vines sprouted from the ground, heading towards the moth to pierce him, but its movement stalled. The vine lifelessly drooped on the ground. The base of the now unmoving plant was white with frost, its section jagged.

“We had to devise a way to neutralize and inflict damage at the same time.” The blue moth explained to the bee who was gently putting down the wounded beetle. “It’s like Frigid Coffin, but triggered by the droplets we planted beforehand. As soon as we sense contact, we just let it freeze at the site.”

“Well, I suppose I should come up with something, right?” Vi watched the shadow charging toward her, soon to be blocked by spiky red crystals. “better make it fast, even.”

“What about you carrying me up in the air while I taunt it?” Kabbu suggested. “Leif will have an undisturbed chance to send that shadow a mighty blow!”

“I can’t fly that fast while holding you!” the bee said, alarmed by the beetle’s idea. “Sure, the higher we are the more time we have before taking the blow, so I might be able to maneuver us away from it, but… that’ll make our course too predictable!”

“Just drop me when you think it’s necessary, then. The provocation is still on me, so the vines will not pursue you. I am capable of withstanding a fall” Kabbu winced as he applied pressure to his wound.

“In that state of yours?” Vi retorted worriedly. “Okay, even if you could, that can make it worse. Your falling trajectory is easier to predict!”

“Let’s see if it works,” Leif said while planting another water droplet. “We’ll make sure to freeze that vine before it reaches you.”

“Doesn’t that kinda cancel out what this plan was aiming for?” Vi said. “It was meant to create an opening for you, but when you’re busy saving Kabbu, you’re using up that chance!”

“That’s the part where your input is crucial.” As soon as he said that, Leif felt a contact on his droplet-mine. He could sense the exact direction the vine was thrusting too. He tilted his body slightly, getting his arm grazed by the vine soon after. “That stings!” the moth hissed.

“What happened? Your ice-mine appeared to be functional… but why didn’t it stop the vines?” Kabbu asked, wincing as the moth clasped his cut on his arm.

“We need to convince it that some of its assault is working, or they’ll start doing something… creative,” Leif answered and went back to Vi. “Anyways… Where were we? Oh, right, your input. If it’s predictable to them, it’s also predictable to us. We can freeze them in time if we already know where it’s headed to. You just need to tell us, or somehow let us know the location before dropping Kabbu.

“Okay, okay. Now it sounds like a plan!” the bee grabbed the beetle and took off.

Rat God stepped into the red light she saw earlier.  This has to be the right course…  She felt as if she was disintegrating, but soon found herself in some sort of void before she began to panic. There was a glowing ribbon of light right beneath her feet, and as she looked around at the vast space around her, she saw networks of light-strand. It reminded her of her host’s mindscape, where she controlled the rodent with a network of strings.  Perhaps this contraption is not so different from the little rat’s mind.  The goddess thought. Indeed, information was read and sent to the glowing strands. The way each strand attached or tied together was in certain logic.  I… don’t have time to skim all this place!

Alright, what do I know right now?  The winged rat started to think.  This place is originally made for… training purposes, hence the foes are read from the permit. There must be a mechanism that binds the illusions to real physics… or something that grounds to reality.  Rat God fluttered and traced the glowing strand. It led to a circular window. When she peered into it, she saw the arena, where Team Snakemouth was battling the silhouette. She noticed a thin red glow within the strand, the same crimson glow she basked into to enter the system. She was certain that the red route was the mechanism that renders the information in the permit in semi-corporal form within the stage, and should she reappear there, she now knew what to do.  But now… that won’t be necessary. I need to find those two roaches…”  

She examined every single strand that was connected to the ‘window’. They definitely had their own form, which was provided by the illusion-generating apparatus, but were not bound by the laws of physics, since one: they were invisible to others, and two: They were floating in the air, effortlessly. The information regarding the two figures must be read from somewhere, so she concluded there must be a mark that indicates such, on one of the strands that leads to the window, while not connected to the logic which binds the illusion to physical laws. Soon enough, the goddess found the correct strand, with two thin blue stripes. She traced it back but faced with a fork. She looked around. One strand was leading to something that seemed to be a chamber, glowing in cyan, and the other was connected to a separate web of glowing strands. The false goddess decided to check the glowing chamber first.

What are you…? What is the truth you’re hiding behind those invisible illusions?

As she stepped into the chamber, she was engulfed with bright light.

She was back at the arena, with the panting rat next to her, again. Mad Rat rewound time back before her departure.

“Third time’s the charm, eh?” the rat grinned. “Ugh, feels so weird getting numb from the ends”

“I’m sure it’ll work this time. I figured out how to materialize at the arena, and I think I found something. You just keep doing this just as long enough as last time!” with her curt remarks, the goddess disappeared, again.

Mad Rat took deep breaths. “Found something, huh? Well, it better be important than kicking their butts yourself!” he glanced at Heart. “Oh, by the way, my breathing is so much easier than before. Are you doing this?” Heart let some of the rodent’s blood into the stage, assisting the bugs while leaving some for the rat. Heart took some amount of blood from the rat, gyrated the blob, and put it back into the rat through the gap in the rodent’s chest. “Yeah, Rat God said something about air-ating…? I’m not sure what that is, but I thought if I shake your blood in the air, that’ll supply some oxygen! Glad to know it’s working!” and Heart went back to his multitasking.

“Wonder what’s Mad Rat doing right now…” Vi glanced at the rat, retrieving her beemerang.

“We thought it was quite obvious…” Leif said, pointing at the red crystals in front of them.

“But he’s not even looking this way!” Vi retorted, gesturing at the rat leaning on the wall, resting. “Maybe it’s his hallucination’s doing!”

“That could be the case…” Kabbu grunted in pain. “I feel I felt some déjà vu, multiple times, even. Did you feel something, Leif?”

“Yes, he did rewind. But we’re not sure why. Perhaps this fluid of his… if it stays outside for a prolonged time, it’s causing some harmful effects to him? So he may have had to turn back in time…?” the blue moth answered.

“Then he must be trying something else this time! There’s no point in repeating the same thing over and over when you know the outcome, right?” the bee said, steeling herself before grabbing the beetle.

“Hopefully the fluid magic would be better staying the same though,” Leif said, planting a water droplet behind the crystals. “It’s certainly not easy to coordinate the trickery against our enemies with the lack of communication,” Kabbu commented, mid-air.

“Wish we had Rat God back in here, she was a great help!” Vi panted, flapping her wings.

“Well… we think they’ll freak out once they see her, and who knows what kind of ‘creativity’ they’ll unleash?” the moth said, activating one of his ice-mines.

Just then, a flickering hologram emerged in the air, hovering right above the center of the stage. It started to take form, and the winged rat was once again back with Team Snakemouth. She was gazing at an empty wall, just like before, but this time, she seemed furious.

“I’ve found the truth behind you.” The goddess said, coldly, and snapped her fingers.

Two holograms of roaches emerged in front of the wall the goddess was staring at. They were utterly bewildered by the sudden exposure of Rat God.

“You aren’t going to ‘disconnect’ me this time. I can disconnect yours, and I’m not saying the strand leading to the window, I’m talking about the one leading to your chamber of… sustenance.

The two roaches’ faces were filled with dread. “Wha- How…” one of the roaches murmured.

“What… do you want?” the other, taller one than the former, asked, admitting their defeat.

“Answers. We just wanted some answers regarding time-traveling before you all started-“

The goddess’ words were interrupted by the roaring silhouette.

“Cease that thing’s aggression this instant! Or I’ll sever you two!” Rat God demanded.

“It’s not us doing it! we don’t have any control over it!” the taller roach blurted with panic.

“And how will you get your answers if you disconnect us?!” snorted the shorter one.

“Seriously?! Now’s not the time to make snarky comments!” chided the tall roach.

Before the winged rat could react, the shadow was already charging at the moth. At the same time, a bundle of vines was ejecting from the ground, going after the bee and the beetle.

“Leif, I’m dropping Kabbu now!”

As soon as the bee was free from the weight of the injured beetle, she was zipping through the air. The vines gave up tracking Vi and were now charging at the falling beetle. But Leif was already prepared, and a volley of ice crystals intercepted the vines one by one. What he was unprepared for, however, was the charging silhouette.

“Leif! Behind you!” Kabbu, now landed on the ground, shouted.

When the blue moth turned around, the assailing shadow was on a stone’s throw, too late to evade or cast his shield. The moth just froze there.

Then, suddenly his vision was covered in red. A geyser of red liquid was erupting from below, and it sent the shadow up in the air. All the momentum the shadow had dissipated. 

“What?! We didn’t know that thing could do that!” One of the roaches shouted with frustration, soon to cover his mouth frantically. Of course, Rat God noticed the roach’s slip-up.

The silhouette crashed at the corner of the arena. Soon, the shadow flickered and disintegrated. Even though some external aid was involved, Team Snakemouth finished the trial, including the secret boss the roaches hid. 

“Well, now that thing is taken care of…” Rat God crossed her arms, glaring at the two roaches. Before she continued, she turned and looked at Mad Rat, panting heavily. Their eyes met and the heaving rodent weakly shook his head. The winged rat nodded in response and turned back to the roaches. “Soon, we’ll rewind, back when the blo-I mean, the red blobs were thrown into here. You terminate this trial at that instant, and we’ll start talking from there. Is that clear?”

The two holograms nodded, dejectedly.

And time began to rewind again.

Chapter Text

Time started to flow again. Soon after, three flickering holograms emerged in the arena.

“Never knew there would be a being other than us who can utilize perception manipulation…” the tall roach muttered.

“So you’ve found your way in through the explorer permit, I see? Quite clever, but don’t you think we’ll kick you out just like last time?” the short roach sneered.

Rat God glared at the roaches silently, with the same furious expression on her face. An awkward silence filled the cave, minus the rat’s panting noises. No one moved a muscle. Team Snakemouth was staring, filled with dread. Their strategies were exposed, and they were out of ‘creative’ ideas.

“As much as I want to continue this masquerade, what we need is answers, and we don’t have that much time.” The false goddess finally spoke. “Of course, I knew you’ll sense which entrance I used. Once you kick me out the trial will automatically end!”

“Ending the trial does not mean we’ll disappear, though.” The short roach grinned. “It means that your battle will be within the rules of… normal battle. You have no idea of the capability of the things we summon! That ‘trial’ was protecting you all from-“ 

“You think I wouldn’t come here with insurance?” Rat God cut his word off. “This is your realm, after all, surely you’ve got your own tricks on your sleeves.” The goddess snapped her fingers, and soon a golden thread, with a weirdly gooey texture, resembling a goopy cheese, appeared around the roaches’ necks. “Should’ve assumed if I could see it, I could tamper it too. That thread leading to your sustenance is wound up to my entrance. Once you kick me out… let’s just say that rope around you explains enough.”

“The hell is going on?!” The rat shouted from afar, letting out a shaky breath. “I thought the fight ended?! Why is that shadow thingy still there, and why am I still suffering from severe blood loss?!” A few blobs of blood were pressed against an invisible barrier.

“Seems like you could control it after all.” The goddess smirked, pointing at the unmoving silhouette while keeping her glare on the roaches. “I really need to keep that rat over there alive… so why not do as I said a bit ago? Or else…” the goddess paused, pondering for a moment. “Mad Rat over there is going to pass out in a few minutes. I can’t let that happen. But I still need you two to get my… well, our answers. So how about this? I kill you two right now, as slow and painful as I can, and rewind back once you two actually die until you actually feel like talking!” with an eerily cheerful smile, the winged goddess snapped her fingers, and the goopy strand started to contract. That is, until sensible members of the team tried to stop her.

“Whoa, whoa, what the heck, Rat God?! Kill them?!”

“Halt! We do not need to take innocent lives just so we could get our answers!”

“We weren’t in danger! The trial stops just before one of us takes fatal damage!”

“This is going way too far!”

“We need their knowledge to fix your problem! We need their cooperation! You can’t force them by threatening them like this!”

Which was basically everyone besides the parasite.

With a disgruntled huff, the goddess made the ring around them disappear. The poor roaches were trembling in fear. The barrier was gone, and the red blobs swiftly entered back into the rodent’s body.

“What’s with all this hostility?!” Mad Rat asked, taking a deep breath. “Does it have something to do with ‘the truth behind them’?”

“Well yes, little rat” Rat God said. “They are nothing but liars, the worst kind, even! Liars that lie to themselves! Those who are no longer able to discern the truth! Just so they could think they are immortal! A disgrace to all living beings!” the winged goddess screamed frantically, only to meet with blank stares. “Alright, so it was probably around the time when Mad Rat’s blobs entered this arena….”

Right after the winged rodent stepped into the cyan chamber, she felt the same disintegrating feeling she felt when stepping into the red light. She was back at the cave, but somewhere separated, as she couldn’t see her host. “Mad Rat? Can you hear me?” the goddess tried to make contact back to the rat, but no response returned. She looked around, and the first thing that came into her sight was a beam of blue light illuminating from above, similar to the one she saw while accessing the permit. ‘This must be the entry point to their… realm!’ she thought. Rat God then landed on the obvious conclusion: if the void space with all those strands was the stage for their little act, the puppeteers' entrance was definitely this one. She looked around, expecting an attack, since these puppeteers were no strangers to magic. But all she saw was just an empty cave filled with humming noises.

Then, the golden strand on the ground came into her sight. It was engraved into the stone floor, shimmering gently. The thin strand of light made a trail in the cave. With no better idea coming into her mind, she followed the trail. The trail soon met a wall in the cave and it was vining upwards. At the wall’s midpoint, the trail was split in two, leading to a blue crystal that was gleaming softly. The cave walls were filled with various minerals, and the glowing crystals made the dark cave resemble a starry night sky. The winged rat flew up to the crystal and examined it. There was something carved in next to the crystal, some sort of foreign language the goddess couldn’t recognize. Maybe these are their names? I saw two of those roaches in the arena, and these two crystals are connected to the window, perhaps this is the true form of the puppeteers? The goddess’ view panned downwards. What she thought to be a stone wall had a weirdly semi-cylindrical convexity. It seemed to reflect light, yet transparent like glass. She kept examining the peculiar wall. Then, she saw a familiar-looking roach, inside the glass wall. She panicked and fell to the ground. She froze, staring at her enemy, yet nothing happened. She carefully flew to the other blue crystal and saw the same glass chamber storing the other roach she fought. She looked around the cave once again. The stone walls were actually glass coffins, each of them having a roach inside. None of them were moving. Wha… what is this place?! Were her enemies just dead roaches? Just a mere reenactment of their old selves? No… their reaction… that was something… something real. The confused goddess examined the roach carefully. She may not be familiar with insect physiology, but as a parasite, she could sense what was alive and not. She couldn’t tell for all of the roaches in the cave, but at least for the two roaches she faced, they were… alive. Barely. 

Their illusions back in the arena, that was their deception. The truth behind it was a husk in a glass jar. That was the goddess’ conclusion. It was not hard to fill in the gaps, once the truth was revealed.

Who were they deceiving? Themselves.

To serve what purpose? To live in a lie. To cloud themselves that they are something… immortal.

How? By dreaming. And deceiving themselves that they weren’t. and then forgetting the deception.

Rat God gritted her non-existent illusionary teeth. A torrent of rage was brewing inside her. If she had a calmer state of mind, she would have acknowledged the ingenious methodology of combining technology and magic of the roaches and tried to see if there was something she could use in the future, which may increase her chance of survival. Her rage would be considered absurd. The fact that roaches were circumventing their demise somehow did not affect her goal after all. 

Yet the anger was still there. An outburst of emotion, which she couldn’t explain its origin. Jealousy, perhaps? Where the roaches have found the way to break the chains of all living beings’ strife, while she had to bear all the arduous efforts just to exist? Or pride? In which the roaches’ deception was an insult to a fellow conniver like her? Where their outstanding deception was used for such a despicable purpose? A bit of both, or none at all, she wasn’t sure, and she did not care.

She felt the urge to wreck the whole wretched place, but as a mere extension of hallucination, she couldn’t inflict any physical damage. All she could do was perceive magic. With a figurative shaky breath, she flew back to the blue spotlight and went back into the realm of strands. On her way to the window, she stood on the three-way fork and looked back at the strand leading to the truth. She paused for a moment, and looked at the glimmering red light afar, the entry point she used. An idea popped into her head. She grabbed the gleaming strand, the one leading to the blue spotlight, and took it with her. It was mysteriously malleable. She carried it all the way back to the red entrance and tied a knot with the strand. Should she be kicked out by the roaches like the last time, her entity on the strand shall cut through the two roaches’ strands, severing them from the chamber of glass and their realm. Satisfied with her backup strategy, the goddess flew to the window. She peered in and saw a shadow charging at Leif. With a sense of urgency, she plunged herself through the window.

“And that’s the truth” Rat God finished, still maintaining the glare to the roaches.

“So the roaches… they weren’t gone?” Neolith muttered, excited by the academic prospect that the fact held.

“You really think these conniving hermits will cooperate with your inquiry? They are mere husks of their now non-existing past” the winged rodent spat.

“Of course, that’s all you see…” the short roach spoke. “You lesser beings, well, although I’m not sure what even you two are, won’t even understand the true meaning this whole contraption holds for us! And yet you’re so quick to judge our decision, without having the whole picture! Well, not that you’ll ever understand…”

“We are not blinded by our own illusion, we are fully aware of our current state.” The tall one said. “We are here waiting, waiting for the herald of…”

“Although I don’t know what kind of creature you are,” the short one interrupted, pointing at Mad Rat, then turning their gaze to the winged rodent. “I know what you are. And all of your speech, it’s quite baffling to hear from a being like you. You are no different from us after all.”

“No different?! NO DIFFERENT?!!!” Rat God was yelling her lungs out, should she have had one. “At least I’m real, and I am alive, not a husk on the brink of death in a glorified coffin! You insulted all living beings! We are not the same-“

“Are we really though?” the short roach cut her off. “It may seem different to you, but living our life is our top priority, just like any other alive beings, and we used our deception as its mean of doing so. Just like you. Well, then, again, what would a mere living machine, a lesser being like you ever understand the difference between surviving and living? At least we do not harm others like you, you parasite!”

Like after a crack of thunder, an ominous silence filled the arena. Everyone was looking at the winged goddess with wide eyes. Rat God was just floating there silently.

She was exposed. Her truth was revealed, just like the roaches’.

Several unblinking eyes were looking, no, piercing through her. She couldn’t read anything from those eyes around her. Most of them were filled with shock, Mad Rat’s were… well, it wasn’t something new to him, so he didn’t seem as shocked, but still seemed surprised by the roaches noticing it. A bit of surprise, a bit of realization, and a bit of betrayal, mostly coming from the blue moth for some unknown reason. Covertness was all parasites’ virtue, should a parasite be discovered, its end was usually death. The rat has already figured it out, yet he was too weak for his immune system to get rid of her. She was in Mad Rat, and the other bugs knowing her true identity were supposed to have no effect on her.

Yet the eyes, the pairs of eyes (minus Heart’s) looking right through her were putting the goddess in a flight or fright mode, giving a false alarm to her state. Should she have had a clearer understanding of her situation, she wouldn’t be panicking and hyperventilating like now. Adding a bit more, to that, the parasite was getting her needed nutrients and oxygen from the rat anyways. Her imaginary hyperventilation meant nothing, not that she noticed it anyways. She felt her disguise crumbling what did she look like to others? Was she still the winged rodent, the hallucination she was using to her host? Was she the hideous, distorted form with holes? Or mere granules of cells and cysts? She couldn’t tell. 

“So… how does that help on our time travel again?” Mad Rat broke the silence. Unlike the panicking parasite, he was unfazed during the whole ordeal. 

“Oh! You said something about a herald, right?” Neolith pulled out a piece of paper, the one he got from the roach elder back in the Giants’ Lair. “Does it have anything to do with the ‘Tethered Wake’?” he showed the two flickering holograms the insignia on the paper.

“How… Where did you even…!” the short roach muttered.

“But you could already reverse time, right? I do not see what they might have to offer…” the tall one trailed off.

“Well… it’s complicated.” Mad Rat said and proceeded to explain their predicament. The roaches seemed to be astonished at the rare sight of an extinct species of their time. But for some reason, they seemed to be hesitant to help the party.

“It’s just…” the tall roach started. “I’m uncomfortable giving off our information, you know? Thing like this happens when we’ve clearly tried to get away from foreign contact. Ever wondered why your permit was compatible with our system? While it was fun to engage with bugs from outside like you, it’s sometimes painful to see our technology pirated like that. Your kingdom is built on top of where we once stood, and you bug just scooped whatever there was! Our own ideas, our inventions… Even from this quest, surly you’ll learn about us, and of course, you’ll implement something useful to your own, if you find one. Honestly, I can’t blame you for that, I know, but it just… still irks me.”

“All that complications will resolve if you were actually out there, like a normal living being!” Rat Got spat.

“How about this? While it is a bit unpleasant to see you lesser beings taking our ingenious inventions, I am quite interested in your rewinding powers, to be honest.” The short roach said and turned to face the brown moth. “A true academic would never miss the chance to quench their curiosity, I suppose? Even if that means you’ll have to give up something… Yet, scientists like us are somewhat desperate for others to recognize our inventions! And, well, as that parasite said, it’s our price to pay living in here.

The goddess’ eye twitched at the short roach’s remark, but the roach continued.

“Still, since you aren’t from this world- uh, timeline, I’m a bit doubtful if you can navigate this place or time adeptly. How about a test? If you could retrieve us something from a distant past, We’ll happily help you from there.”

“Seems we don’t have much of a choice…” the rodent muttered. “Fine, what is it you want?”

“A passcode of one of our colleagues, Rana. She used to work in the facility located in the Snakemouth den… which I presume you are familiar with, given your team name?” The roach, however, was staring at the blue moth. The roach’s mouth was grinning, but their gaze on their eyes was cold. Leif stared back at the roach.

“Rana’s passcode? How is that practical? We could just ask her! I mean, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you give her an understandable reason…” the tall roach trailed off.

“It’s just a test you know? And they mentioned they couldn’t rewind further than their first arrival here. They have to find a way to go further than that! I’m sure Rana knows something about time travelling, so her findings can help them. Besides, if they don’t figure it out, it proves their ability can’t provide the answers we want! It’s a perfect test!”

“Wait, what if we rewind?” Kabbu asked. “How will you know all this happened? Surely we do not want to go through the same trial, that would be unnecessary!”

The roaches looked at each other. “Hm, you’re right. But don’t worry! We’ll give you this code to reach us, upon using it on the receptionist! Let’s see… well, since you technically passed the trial, the hidden trial, even, so… PUSHROCK! Just yell PUSHROCK while putting in your permit and we’ll come out to see how in the world you got the code without even finishing the trial. We’ll hear you out and you can fill in the gaps.

“Okay..?” Team Snakemouth was puzzled at the weird choice of code, but they decided not to ask any further.

“Ah, another one! We didn’t get your names!” Vi shouted.

“You’ll get it once you finish your job.” The short roach said and disappeared from the arena.

“Hrmph” the bee pouted. “What’s with all the secrecy?!”

“Maybe it has to do with their… well, I can’t say for sure what caused it, but… the reason there aren’t many roaches around here?” Neolith carefully suggested. “It’s natural for them to be cautious.”

The party was walking to the exit.

Heart was glancing at the winged rat from time to time. Rat God noticed the organ’s weird behaviour.

“What is it?” Rat God finally said, annoyed. “Aren’t you happy now? Now that everyone knows my true identity? Is this not what you wanted?”

“Oh! Um, but doesn’t that mean you’ll…”

“What, expose yours? Well… while I do find that idea entertaining… a deal is a deal, sneaky cat! The goddess said the last part quietly enough so that the rat wouldn’t notice. Still, it was fun to watch the organ’s frantic expression on his face with limited expressivity. “That, does not mean my list of favors is done yet! I did say one of some tiny favors, you know!”

“Oh, right, sure…” Heart trailed off. “Well, actually I was thinking something else.” Heart paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. He made some distance from the rat and finally spoke, cautiously. “I was thinking… since you need to live in a cat to survive, and You were inside me before the transplant… Why do we even need to fight? We’ll just let Mad Rat rewind back before the operation and you’ll still live, right? So how about a truce? Not just like the current temporary one, but a truce, until we rewind back to the operation?”

Rat God was speechless. Why she did not think of it before? Surely that was the most effective and guaranteed way for her survival! And yet… there was something off. She couldn’t point it out, there was no sign of trickery here, and all the cat’s reasoning was sound. She knew it in her head, but there was something deterring her, a weird feeling making her hesitate.

“But that’ll mean you’ll have to…”

“Sure Mad Rat will… see I’m a cat…” the organ solemnly trailed off. “B, but it’s the only way! It’s his last wish and we won’t need to fight! Tha-that’s enough for me!”

“You don’t really want this do you?” the winged rat raised her brow. “If you're ever trying to trick-“

“No, I don’t!” Heart shouted, then frantically looked around. Mad Rat was looking back at the two, raising his brow. Heart awkwardly waved at him and said everything was fine. “I don’t. I don’t want to see Mad Rat suffer. I don’t want to leave him. I don’t want him to hate me, alright?! But I’m doing this because… because that way we won’t need to fight after going back to our time. I still don’t agree with Mad Rat, but he’s determined to save me… So this is the only way to offer him the tiniest bit back. At least he won’t die multiple times fighting you once more!”

Rat God was so ready, so ready to decline the feline’s offer if she could find any sign of deception behind his suggestion. That irksome feeling was still there, and given the chance, she would’ve happily turned the cat’s offer down. Yet the determination of this cat gave her no choice. It was the logical path to her survival. And her inner instinct was rather chastising her for this irrelevant quarrel.

“Alright then…” She reluctantly agreed. There was still something bothering her she couldn’t just tell.

Heart and Rat God was silent until the party was out of the cave.

None of them seemed happy with their agreement.

Meanwhile, Team Snakemouth was also experiencing a similar awkwardness. It was, unnoticeably caused by Neolith.

“So, Snakemouth den they said? You already explored there, right? Have you seen this ‘roach facility’ they mentioned?”

“Yeah, of course, it was-“ Vi was about to answer.

“Vi!” Kabbu chided.

“What?” Vi said and then met an uneasy stare from the blue moth. “Oh…”

“Is there something wrong?” the brown moth asked, confused.

“Nothing! But… uh, let’s see if Mad Rat needs rewinding first! The sun is already setting!” Leif said, strain noticeable in his voice.

“Sure…” Neolith answered, bewildered.

And the rest of the team stayed quiet while Leif approached Mad Rat.

Chapter Text

Leif walked along with Mad Rat, briefly looking back at the other moth. After seeing they were distant enough, the blue moth let out a small sigh.

“Mad Rat… there’s a little request we’d like to make.”

“Hmm? Why are you being so nervous?" The rodent then noticed the rather conveniently spaced distance away from the rest of the party. “…Is this request something that should be kept secret?” the rat raised his brow.

“Well, only to Neolith. Kabbu and Vi already know about this.”

“And what ‘this’ may be…?”

“Erm…” the moth fidgeted, somehow trying to locate the parasitic hallucination he couldn’t see. “We don’t think it’s a good idea to tell you the whole thing right now, but we think right after the rewind we should go to the roach facility they mentioned without Neolith.”

“What? But he’s the expert! How are we going to figure out what we’re looking for without him?!” Mad Rat blurted. That earned some curious stares from behind him.

“Shhh! Not too loud!!” the moth said and gave the rest of the party a reassuring wave. “There’s something we can’t… disclose to Neolith at the moment. We’ll tell you what that is once we arrive at the facility, but we somehow have to convince Neolith not to follow us.”

“That sounds complicated…” Mad Rat groaned. “Why is deceiving your own friend back there so important to you?”

“Deceiving?! Now, that’s a bit of a stretch…” Leif trailed off but soon met with the rat’s callous smirk.

“Yeah, sure. I had a conniving parasite inside me long enough to sense something was going on. As you saw earlier, she can use illusions to trick me and do stuff I wouldn’t do in my usual senses. If there is anything I learned from her, it’s all lies starting with controlling information’ the rat confronted. An awkward silence settled between the rat and the moth. “I know you aren’t trying to sabotage my escape, and honestly I’m very grateful that you’re helping me…” the rat’s expression softened. “I’m sorry if that was too… unfriendly, perhaps that was a sort of knee-jerk reaction on my part, given the… history of mine, but excluding professor roach-expert there? How is that not detrimental to figuring things out? Why is this information that you’re hiding from me and your friend there so important?”

Leif’s icy cold gaze was still trying to locate the winged abomination. “We can’t tell you for now, like we said before, but we will definitely tell you when we feel safe to disclose our… secret.” The moth let out a little sigh. “Let’s just say for now it has some connections with our concerns with your unwanted passenger there.”

“Hm? Oh, her? What’s so concerning about her?” Mad Rat asked.

“You have a being inside you that has no other interest than its own survival. It’ll do anything to continue its existence, probably even control you… There’s always the risk that thing will ruin your escape, you know? And in such an appalling way!”

“True, true” Mad Rat snickered while glancing at his sides.

“This… this is serious! We know you’ve been with that parasite for a handful of time by now, but a day is not enough to back up your confidence!” the moth protested, frustrated by the rodent’s carelessness.

“One day might be too short, but one truth is enough to see right through this little worm in my brain.” Mad Rat answered. “I know what she’s up to, and you’re correct about her obsession with survival. Funny enough, that’s what we are counting on for now… She can’t survive in this timeline. She needs to go back as much as I want!”

“What if that’s a trick? What if it’s a mere puppet trying to earn your trust? We have this feeling that there might be more than one hallucination you interact with. What-“

“Oh, Heart? Nah, he’s fine. He’s my heart after all!” After meeting with an unsatisfied gaze from the moth, the rat realized how unkempt his reasoning might have seemed to the moth. “Oh, um… he’s my organ, vital one, even. The one that pumps my blood so –wait, you don’t know what that is, Uh…. What do you call your body fluid that starts with hemo-something?

“Hemolymph?”

“Yeah, that, that’s blood for us rats. Anyways he pumps my blood and keeps me alive!”

“…Is seeing your own organ as a hallucination, and also interacting with them common amongst rats?”

“Oh, no, he’s not my own heart, at least originally. I don’t know how Heart is being himself while also being my heart but I’m not sure if that matters?”

“You’re starting to live up to your name now. How does that make any sense?”

“Oh, that’s easy, I was awake during my heart transplant!”

“Y-You WHAT?”

“Yeah, I was partly awake, and didn’t feel that much pain thanks to anesthesia, but man, I don’t want to experience that ever again!”

“W, wha- We don’t even know where to start now. Okay, so you see hallucinations, two to be precise. One is a hallucinogenic parasite residing in your brain, which can use illusions that can trick your senses, the other is your vital organ with foreign origins… How is that normal? How do you even… function?”

Mad Rat let out a huff, annoyance surfacing on his face. “Well, I suppose that’s what they wanted to know from all this freaking experiment, huh? Funny you didn’t mention my chest hole here, not dripping with blood and all.”

“We thought that was- We, we didn’t mean-“ Leif stammered, realizing he went too far. “We’re sorry. It’s just so hard to believe all of what you said is true. We’re sorry you had to go through that horrid experiment.” Leif apologized. “It’s just… so outrageous that we thought all of that might be your parasite’s scheme or something. How are you sure you aren’t hallucinating right now?”

“Oh, Heart keeps me sane from those!”

“…And you trust Heart?”

“Well…”

Of course, the conversation between the rat and the moth was not fully between the two. Rat God and Heart were silently listening.

“Yup, he’s definitely lying.” The winged rat said nonchalantly. “Heh, seems our little rat also noticed it! I knew it! There’s something fishy going on around that moth!”

“Well, at least I don’t think he’s trying to stop us or anything. As we explained earlier, the sooner we’re gone from this timeline, the better for all of them, right?” Heart quirked his nonexistent brow from the Goddess’ unusual enthusiasm. “Perhaps there’s something dangerous for the professor to encounter there? You know, I can’t say for sure but he wasn’t there when we were fighting that eyeball back in the shed….”

“Warning your friend upon such risks isn’t deceiving, sneaky cat.” Rat God deadpanned. “It’s just a harsh truth. No need to go around like that.”

“At least he’s sharp enough to be wary of you.” Heart let out a weak chuckle from the moth’s assessment of the parasite.

“Hmpf, it’s just empty words. What can he do anything about it? I-it’s all true even. Can’t argue much about that either. Of course, my survival is a top priority! That’s true for all living beings! Will I control Mad Rat for my continuity? Given the chance, undoubtedly! Will I ruin our escape? Why would I? Besides that, all true words about me. Nothing I can do about it, so why should I be offended by it?”

Unbeknownst to the goddess, the moth’s appraisal was in fact giving the winged rat a bitter aftertaste. Just like Rat God convinced herself, his words were all true yet bore no weight; There was nothing the moth do about it. Logically, his words meant nothing. It was supposed to carry the same gravity as the white noise around her surroundings.

Yet… there was just something caustic in those sentences. The little things. those little things that have been bothering her. Things so insignificant that aren’t even worth the goddess’ attention, yet nonetheless annoying, like the little rat’s immune system contesting. (or more like an attempt to fend her off)

“At least this rat is smart enough. Well, too smart and too lucky for my benefit though.” Rat God commented. “Still sensible enough not to take that paranoid moth’s words seriously. Why is he so cautious of parasites? I am not even compatible with his species! There is no other species left in this world I can survive in!!”

“He’s just being cautious you know…” Heart said. “I assume bugs can get parasites too? Then it’s not so strange to stay vigilant, especially when there might be one as… Well, um.. something just like you!”

“Oof, someone ran his mouth a bit too much there, didn’t he? That does make me a bit curious though, what kind of experiment would require transplanting a perfectly good feline heart to a rodent?”

“Not sure about being ‘perfectly good’, since well, you’re here. A contaminated sample like mine makes the study invalid!”

“Of course it’s perfect, for me! And who knows, perhaps that was what they were studying about!”

“That implies I was intentionally infected for the purpose of the experiment. If that’s the case, I’m sure you have some memories before that? before you were in my heart- wait, what is he-”

Fortunately for Rat God, Heart’s attention shifted back to the conversation on the moth’s last dialogue, forgetting what he was talking about in the process. The winged rat did not have the answer to the organ’s inquiry. Up to that point, she kept ignoring the pestering question, regarding it as inconsequential to her goal. But how minuscule it may be affecting her quest, the nature of the question, being unsolvable and the lack of an answer for it was now posing a risk to her masquerade. That alone was enough to draw the goddess’ attention.

Where was I before Mad Rat? Why can’t I remember anything before meeting him?

Heart gulped as the rat started to trail off. What was he going to say? Would his response be honest? Does he know we’re here, listening to what he’s saying the whole time?

“Well of course I trust him! He’s my heart after all. Not only he keeps me alive, but also he keeps the parasite’s trick at bay so yeah, he saved and is still saving my life constantly!”

"Even when you don't know what he really is?"

"Yes." Mad Rat said promptly. "I trust him with my life. Even if I don't know what he is, that does not matter now."

He trusts me..! He trusts me with all his life! Yet… yet here I am hiding, hiding what I truly am… Perhaps he's right. The fact that I'm a cat may not matter…!

“Um hey… Mad Rat?” 

But just as Heart spoke, fear and doubt crept into his mind.

What if this trust is a mere outcome of my current situation? Does he trust me, Heart the cat? or heart the organ? Heart was hesitant, his pupil dilated but unable to focus on anything.

“Besides, I’ll get to see him face to face when all this is done! I’ll have that question answered as soon as we leave here!” the rodent said optimistically.

But I don’t want to go back…! There’s nothing left for me back there! I don’t miss the cold alleyways! I don’t miss the loneliness! I’d rather…!

Heart’s trail of thought ended as the rat shifted his gaze to him. 

“Even though he doesn’t want to reveal himself, it’s fine. I’m sure he has his own reasons. I just want to make sure he’s fine when we get back there.”

A warmth was blooming inside Heart. Does the rat care? Does the rat truly trust me? even when I’m a cat? If that’s so… perhaps… I might be able to hope again. I might be able to dream again. I…

The sun was setting behind the rat. The sky was transforming into stunning myriads of hues, gradients of orange, pink, and blue. The rat was obscuring the sun, and the rays of the setting sun were radiating behind his silhouette. Mad Rat’s smile was surrounded by the beaming light like a halo. Heart was silently watching the whole magical moment.

I might be wanting to live again. Heart thought.

“So, where were we? I thought we were originally talking about the rewind??” the rat said, turning back to Leif.

“Right, we digressed, it seems. Apologies for the careless remark earlier. But… If it helps… we’d say our experience might have some similarities…”

“Oh…” the rat murmured. “OH.” realization kicked in on the rodent. A bitterness surfaced on the rat’s face. “I thought if there was one good thing resulting from the disappearance of humans, it would be no more suffering like what I’ve been through… I guess history somehow repeats itself.”

“Unfortunately it seems so…”

“Okay, now I understand why you tried to ditch your professor friend earlier. But still, If we go there without him, how are we supposed to know what to look for? You said your team went there before, right? Anything coming into your mind?"

"Erm… Not exactly… but there might be something we missed on our first journey."

Mad Rat sighed and thought for a moment. "Wait, where did the professor find the insignia thing again?"

"He mentioned he's hypothesizing it's an inter-institutional between…" Leif trailed off for a moment and soon shot up as he realized something

"inter-institutional as in the joint effort between Snakemouth den and the one in Cave of Trials!" the moth exclaimed. "Wait then how did he know Snakemouth Den was involved?"

"Neolith! Where in the Snakemouth den did you find that insignia?" the rat shouted. Neolith stepped closer to the two.

"Oh, there was this document where the two were mentioned. they seemed relevant to each other…"

"This document you're speaking about, where did you find it?" Leif cut in.

"Oh, that? there's nothing much to see there! It was this small chamber found in Snakemouth den, a new archaeological site found after the flood! Oh right, you caused that flood, during your quest to find that first relic! But yeah, I documented pretty much everything I've found there. The room was so small I didn't even need to make a request to the guild!"

"Oh… so you've figured everything out about that place?" Mad Rat said, trying his best to hide his disappointment.

"Well… I only made records of my findings, so there are some things I still can't figure out, for now." the brown moth said. "There was this huge crystal resembling the ones that the guild uses. It was so heavy I couldn't move it, so I left it there. Besides that, there were only books and documents… now archived in my study."

"Neolith, we think that's the place we should go to investigate." Leif said. "We'll tell you about this 'roach facility' in due course, but there were no signs that connect to 'time rewinding' there. That chamber, more likely, that crystal may be our closest lead to the secret inter-institutional society."

"Are you certain about that? How could you tell if there weren't any-"

"Leif can read Roach," Vi said, nonchalantly.

"Wait what? Really?"

"V-!" Kabbu was about to chide the bee, but soon met with her nudging towards Mad Rat and the setting sun. All these little slipping details was not going to matter once they go back. All they needed to do at that moment was to convince the brown moth to go anywhere but the facility. Fortunately, they came up with a logical reason at the last moment. The green beetle was still nervous about revealing pieces of truth about the blue moth, but it wasn't going to matter in a few moments.

Neolith saw the bee's gesture too, but he interpreted it as how little time the rat had. "Oh, I suppose it's time to go back! Alright, if you say so, we should check that giant crystal there first! but promise you'll tell everything about the facility!"

"Of course we will. In a proper time and place…" Leif said. Which is not in the nearest future… he thought to himself, silently.

I still have some time before though? Mad Rat thought, wondering why the bugs were rushing. "Alright, just keep thinking about our battle at the arena and our plans to go to that chamber near… What was the name again? Ah, Snakemouth den! I'll try my best to fill in the gaps. Heart! you ready?"

"Where to? Right before they sent Neolith?"

"Yup!"

"Here it goes in 3… 2… 1..!"

Mad Rat watched as the time rewound. He was rehearsing how to explain what happened at the party. Before he could go through all the events that happened, they were already back in the past.

The brief silence caught the rodent off guard, meeting with blinking stares from the bugs.

"Think fast, little rat!" Rat God shouted, alarming the rat.

"Oh! Uh… where were we… the chamber! No, the Arena! Den of trial, was it? We fought that silhouette, met the roaches who happened to be nearly dead, they said they'll help us if we find some passcode, we planned to go to the chamber in Snakemouth cave!" The rat rambled. "Um… I think that's pretty much it? Oh, I had to swim, hated that, never happening again. Is this enough? Do you guys all remember?"

“We… did not get any of that.” Leif said, trying to decipher the rodent’s babbling.

“I remember some glimpse of it though… The site near the Snakemouth den, that I know for sure… Something tells me we’re supposed to go there?” Neolith said, uncertainly.

“PUSHROCK!” Vi blurted. “I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but it feels important!”

“Oh, yeah the code we need to use at the arena!” Mad Rat remembered. “Okay… I think that’s all there is. So, how are we supposed to go to this site you're talking about?” the rat said to the brown moth.

“Wait… how did we take you to the cave of trials again?”

“You brought this underwater vehicle to the hole we made on the wall, and then you dragged me all the way there while I hid under some leaves.” Mad Rat paused as an uncanny feeling was surfacing. “Wait, are you-”

“There's… really no other way, I’m afraid…” Neolith chuckled nervously. “that river goes all the way back to Snakemouth den!”

The rat groaned.

Chapter Text

"…And we have to do this every time??!!" Mad Rat complained, trying to shake off the water on his fur.

"I'm afraid so…" Kabbu said, alighting from the submarine. 

Team Snakemouth arrived at the origin of their name, Snakemouth Den. They thought they'd explored all the nooks and crannies in the den, but as Neolith put it, it appeared they missed a spot. The flood they caused a few moons ago revealed a grotto, small and hidden well enough for the team to not notice. The brown moth led the way, entering a little chamber. Just like the professor explained, the room was empty, minus the huge crystal in the middle. The air in there was musty, not distinguishable if it was due to the lengthy time the room went through or the recent water damage. Moss and glowing fungi covered the walls. The luminescent glow from the fungi was bright enough to fully illuminate the room.

“So what is this thing exactly?” the rat asked, seeing his own reflections on the many facets of the crystal.

“That is a bit of a work in progress for now!” Neolith answered with a timid smile. “I did log all my findings here, but translations are yet incomplete” Neolith opened his bag and rummaged through his documents. “I skimmed through most of them and brought the important ones that seem to be crucial for translating other papers here…” The moth held a pile of documents. “And the rest are incomplete. I was going to work on it after the interview…”

“Well, two is better than one, right? Leif here can help you with that!” Mad Rat said, matter-of-factly, earning shocked expressions from Team Snakemouth.

“Wait, you can read roach?!” The professor was surprised as well. Without hesitation, the brown moth was combing through his unfinished transcript and culled out a few papers. “Here, can you translate this? it’s unfinished work, and there are too many technical jargons for me to comprehend them swiftly” Due to his enthusiasm for finding help for his work, Neolith didn’t seem to care how Leif knew Roach. Leif glanced, no, glared at the rodent while reading the papers, but after Vi nudged him and reminded Leif that the brown moth will forget after a rewind, he sighed and went back to work.

“We keep seeing this “enhancer” term a lot here,” Leif said after a considerable amount of time. “but it doesn’t say anything about what it enhances…” Everyone looked up at the giant crystal. Vi spoke out next. “Can’t we just find out? Maybe it’s similar to the healing crystals!” and gave the crystal a good smack with her Beemerang. 

A surge of energy rippled through the bee, giving her a tingling feeling like she just swallowed a mouthful of shock candy. Besides that feeling she never wanted to experience again, nothing happened in particular.

Leif and Neolith started to splay out the documents and were now trying to get the whole picture of the enhancer. The two Roach speakers soon figured that the papers mentioned using it, but the ‘how’ part was missing. Even the said mentions were quite obscure in their purpose.

Vi and Kabbu were resting next to Mad Rat, leaning against the crystal. Watching the two moths discussing back and forth.

“How come he doesn't question Leif knowing roach??” Vi whispered. “Shouldn’t a bug sharp like him already realize something weird about that?”

“Perhaps it doesn’t matter to him. For Neolith, Leif's useful skill is more important than his skill’s origin. As long as he can help translate swiftly and correctly, and as you can see, he’s doing both well, how he learned Roach is just a minor detail.

“Or maybe he does know it's weird, but just decided to stay quiet?” Mad Rat said. “You know… it's plausible and…" Mad Rat paused and looked at the bugs next to him. Did they know? They said they are a team, so they should know his past, right? "He has a troubled past. Perhaps Prof Neolith thinks it's somewhat related, and as you said, since it's unimportant, He might be thinking it's better to ignore the 'how' part…."

The two bugs just stared at the rodent. utterly shocked.

"Ah, shoot, You guys didn't know? Um, forget what I just said. No, you know what? I'll just turn back and you will all forget-"

"How??" Vi almost shouted. "How did you know that?! Did he tell you?"

Oh. That's why…  "Yeah. He didn't trust Rat God here" the rat said, tapping his temple. "She got in here because of an experiment… and he said he went through something similar."

Vi slowly leaned over to Kabbu and whispered. "Do you think he knows the… ya know…"

"I assumed the roaches are the ones who did the experiment on Leif… well, he's fluent in Roach, just like I can read Uh, Giant's script!" 

"...I can't say for sure." Kabbu whispered back.

Mad Rat was getting nervous.  What are they whispering to each other?? Did I say something wrong?? Should I just go back a few seconds ago??  

Rat God was watching the whole conversation silently, floating in front of the rodent. She was enjoying watching the little rat squirming in uneasiness. Within the premise of their objective being unhindered, Rat God seized every chance to provoke her host. Just then, like lightning, realization struck the goddess.  Leif was experimented on by roaches. Roaches are ancient creatures, their civilization ruined by some unknown past event. A past spanning several generations. Then… of course the logical conclusion is Leif being far older than he seems. Perhaps the experiment was about longevity? something that increases one's lifespan tremendously? If so… That knowledge would be terrifically advantageous to my survival!  She now had to somehow acquire his secret… 

"If Leif was experimented on by the roaches… doesn't that mean he's super old?? he doesn't seem any older than Neolith there…" Huh, seems like our little rat thought the same thing too!

Vi and Kabbu glanced at each other promptly. "Uhh…. that's…." Vi stammered.

"It's not our place to say. It's Leif's past, and thus he should be the one telling you, not us. Like you mentioned, it's a troubled story… please do understand…" Kabbu finished.

"So he doesn't, in any timeline we've been through." Vi concluded.

"For now, that is." Kabbu whispered.

"What? Do you think Leif will ever…?"

"It's a decision he'll make, I cannot guarantee anything about it."

"Um Hello? Guys? What are-" Mad Rat watched the two bugs whispering. What made it so hard to answer a simple question? He was interrupted by the two hard-working moths.

"Mad Rat! Can you rewind back to the lair? I need some documents I left in my office!" Neolith shouted.

"We're stumped here, we can't make any more progress with so little information," Leif added.

"Sure I can! Wait… does that mean I have to swim back all the way here??" The rat perked up then soon deflated by the horrors of getting his fur wet, again. "Can't you just go retrieve it yourself?"

"We're in a time restraint, you know! It'll be almost sundown by the time I go back and forth!" The brown moth answered.

"Ughhhh, fine!" Mad Rat pouted and leaned on the crystal, throwing his head backwards in annoyance. He looked at Heart and gave him a little nod. Time stopped flowing as the world turned grey. 

"Ow!" the rat cried. A surge of energy was flowing through his back like static electricity. He didn't apply force like the bee did before, yet he was experiencing the same consequence. reminding himself not to be in contact with the crystal ever again, he looked up, expecting a familiar sight back in the lair.

But he was still in the grotto.

"Uh… Heart? why didn't we go back?" the rat asked, looking at the huge crystal behind him.

"I don't know! I rewound it back for sure!"

"Is it because of that shock?" Mad Rat wondered. "Sorry guys, I'll try again- wait, where is everybody??"

The rodent and his heart looked around frantically. The bugs just vanished without any trace. the splayed documents? gone. For some reason, they were tidily ordered into a neat pile. Then again, the pile was way more bigger than it would fit in the brown moth's bag. It was then they found that the room was not the same as they entered. Piles of documents on the table that weren't there before, a board of leaflets fixed with little pins, some of them connected with strings, 

a blackboard with complex formulas written, and a portrait of… a roach? The portrait was vandalized with scribbles here and there.

Just as the rodent finished surveying the mysterious change of place around him, the door (there was a door??) behind him opened with a creak. A roach walked inside, perfectly unfazed at the presence of the rodent.

"Um… Hello?" Mad Rat greeted awkwardly. "We're… I mean, I'm not an intruder, just lost…" 

The roach completely ignored him and kept walking past him towards the portrait on the wall.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Mad Rat turned around and reached out to the roach, only to see his hand go right through the insect like a ghost.

"Wha- what the fuck?!" the rodent yelled and retracted his hand away. "Is that a ghost?!"

Trembling in fear, the rat silently held his breath and watched the roach. the roach turned around in front of the portrait. and extended a pointer in its hand. The roach tapped the portrait with the pointer. 

"If they're a ghost, how can they grab stuff and tap things?" Heart asked, confused.

On Heart's remark, Mad Rat reached out and tried to pick up a paper on a desk. his gloved hand passed through just like before.

"Are we a ghost?! Are we dead?!" the rat gasped.

"I'm sure you're here for the passcode, right?" the roach said, thankfully interrupting the rodent's panicking.

"Can you… see me? Why did you ignore me earlier?"

The roach did not answer and carried on. "I know this is an… unconventional and cumbersome way of keeping passcodes, but it's for the sake of our group's security." She picked up a round device on the desk and started to wind it. It was a timer.

The roach pulled a string dangling from a ceiling, and a small window on the top of the wall was revealed, showing the bright moon outside. "This is today's sequence," the roach said, and started the timer. She started to tap the scribbles on the portrait with her pointer, at about 10-second intervals. Mad Rat and Heart just stared at the roach's mechanical and precise pointing, dumbfounded. for a few minutes, the tapping on the painting went on. The rat finally stood up and stepped closer to the portrait. The scribbles looked like some foreign language. Was the roach pointing out the passcodes one by one? To whom? This room was empty beside her!

Nonetheless, Mad Rat tried to memorize one of the scribbles. He thought perhaps the professor and Leif would interpret for him. The rodent desperately hoped for something to write. 

"So… this is the passcode or at least a clue that leads to one." Heart said. "Oh, are you trying to memorize that? Hold on, I might be able to help!"

Heart pulled out a blob of rat's blood. "open your palms" he said and started to copy one of the scribbles. The limited space of the rodent's glove and the viscosity of his blood allowed scribbling a few words. As Heart finished copying the scribbles, the metronome-like tappings stopped. Mad Rat turned and looked at the roach.

"And that's it for today. See you some other time!" the roach said and headed outside.

She stopped right before the entrance. "Oh, and if this is your first time here… or, well, first time now… just use the same method coming here- um, now. Proceeding works similarly like retrogressing!" and then she left the room.

"That…s definitely about time traveling, right?" Mad Rat said, trying his best to keep his palm open, not to ruin Heart's work. "It must be a system of passcodes for time travelers like us! And she said how to progress, so this must be a distant past!"

The rat leaned against the crystal again. "I don't exactly know how this works... Can you figure out how to get back to our time?"

"Wait, are you abandoning Team Snakemouth back there??" Heart asked. "You promised to help them with human writings!"

"Huh? Oh, I haven't thought of that… I meant back, no, front(?) to Team Snakemouth! And I don't think going back to our own will work anyways, when we're in this ghost-like state…"

"Fair. Let's see…"

As Heart tried to use his time-rewinding powers, The surge of energy from the crystal flowed through him. As time stopped flowing, something felt familiar. It was like when Heart was selecting when to go back. But now the options were only going forward. He couldn’t for some reason, go back in time that much, only to the point where the two, presumably, arrived.

Time started flowing again and familiar faces were in front of them, blinking silently.

“Uh… Mad Rat? Are you listening?” Rat God said, concerned at the rodent’s sudden and unusual state of trance.

Mad Rat opened his palm and checked if Heart’s copy was intact. He then stood up and walked straight to Neolith. “What does this say?” the rat asked.

“Huh? I thought you were going to-" The brown moth glanced at the rat's glove. "Where did you-? What is this red stuff?” Neolith said and started to read the rat’s copy. “... 'look in the eyes 6?’ Where did you get this?” 

“I tried to rewind, a bit too far back though. That crystal caused it, I think.” Mad Rat explained. “It seems that enhancer lets our time rewinding further back! Even beyond one’s existence!”

“What?!” Rat God was alarmed. “That’s impossible! I wasn’t there! How did you rewind without me?!”

The rat continued, ignoring the parasite. “This whole room looked different, not old and still in use! Uh… was there a portrait amongst your findings here?”

“I did find a picture frame, but the canvas inside was severely damaged… I’ll have to try to restore it. I didn’t even know it was a portrait!”

“There were several scribbles on it like I copied here.” Mad Rat said pointing his glove. “She said something about a passcode system, too!”

“Wait, she? you met someone back there?” Vi asked.

“Oh, well, we didn’t ‘meet’ her exactly, but more like watching her. She was a roach! And we were in this- ghost-like state! we couldn’t interact with anything besides looking at what happened there. Still, she mentioned how to go back ‘forward’, She definitely knows time traveling, and I have a feeling this… passcode system is only for those who can rewind back!” The rat wiped off his blood from the glove. “Quick, Is there a paper and something to write I can use? I’ll copy the whole thing from there.”

Leif and Neolith watched as they gave him a piece of paper and a pencil. Mad Rat touched the crystal and blinked. To the brown moth and Team Snakemouth, That was all that happened. But the little rat came back with a paper full of Roach written on it. 

“There, I copied everything on the portrait!” 

Rat God was floating next to the rat, blinking with confusion. The Rat just went back in time with a possession with him, yet she was not sent back with him?! How was that supposed to work? It was something unprecedented, betraying everything she knew about time manipulation. The evidence was right there on the rodent’s paw, the paper, empty a second ago, now filled with words she and the rat couldn’t understand.

“Let’s see…” The two moths started to examine the copy.

“Look in the eyes, 6.”

“Look at the tarsi, 7.”

“Look at the abdomen, 3… and it keeps on going like that… a part of a bug’s body and a number assigned to it. Seems like the numbers and the instructions make up the passcode!” Professor Neolith concluded.

“But wait, did you say it was a passcode for Time travelers? I do not see how this functions… What does going back time have to do with this?” Kabbu inquired, pointing out what the rat said earlier.

“I’ll go back there and try following the instructions. hold on a sec.” And in a second, Mad Rat came back, now the paper he held was added with lines and arrows.

“It forms a loop!” Mad Rat said. “The instruction, I kept following the portrait, but the instructions made a loop, a full cycle. So the portrait itself cannot give you the code!”

“A passcode for those who can turn back time…” Rat God pondered. Even though she was perturbed by the exclusion in the rewind, she had an objective to achieve. “Was there a way to tell the time?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I almost forgot about you. Mad Rat grinned, appreciating a short moment he had back there without his unwanted guest in him. “Yes. she pulled out the curtains up there…” the rodent said as he pointed at the window above them. The rat was slightly confused at the lack of sunlight coming through the window but continued nonetheless. “And she set the timer before tapping on things with the pointer.”

Team Snakemouth didn’t hear the hallucination’s question, but the added information was enough to figure out what it was about. 

“What if it’s a decoy? Maybe the order of that roach tapping the numbers is the true passcode!” Vi suggested. 

“Or it could be the starting point of the instructions,” Leif added. “Then it’s no longer a loop. It’s a single series of numbers with a start and an end.”

“Or perhaps both? Kabbu said.

“Now I see it.” Rat God remembered the little rat saying ‘passcode system’. There wasn’t a single passcode they had to retrieve. This roach, Rana, she assumed, made an array of passcodes for only the ones who can turn back time could access. If such is the case…

“We cannot figure out the passcode by ourselves.” the goddess concluded. “There has to be an input! A starting time or sort! Little rat, can you rewind to some other time, a day or two away from where you first arrived in the past?”

“She did say ‘see you some other time…’ Hmm, alright I’ll try!”

Of course, it was technically Heart doing the job. And sure enough, they were able to go to some other time in the past. They were able to tell from the different moon phase; it was a full moon, unlike the crescent moon they had seen before. and the roach’s tapping order seemed different. The scribbles on the portrait differed too. It backed the goddess' theory. If they were to get Rana's passcode, they required input.

“Heh, it’s just as bright as we saw from our timeline…” Mad Rat said, remembering his time on the top of the tower. Feeling relieved by figuring out about the passcode, plus the fact that his time constraint was now virtually gone for now, he felt like a weight on his shoulders dissolving. “Uh… hey Heart? Do you think we…”

“Go see outside, what is it like in the nearest future from ours?” Heart said. “Well… I’m still uneasy being in this… ghostly state, but I’m just as curious as you are!”

And off they went, to see the city they once remembered.

The outside was… less green than in the ‘distant future.’ But the skyline of the concrete buildings was closer to what the rat remembered. Sure, on the places where the ant kingdom's building will stand in the incoming future, roach buildings were here and there, but those did not exactly draw the rat's interest. The rat took the same path during his outburst. The same path that took him to the park. It was weird seeing the park lacking trees than before, but he was able to recognize it. 

Heart was amused at the fact that the park was more familiar in the distant future, with the foliage and lively trees, contrasting from what he was seeing now. As they passed the park and entered the city, familiar buildings, now abandoned and forsaken, with the pipes and signs being all rusty came into their sight. Heart felt an eerie feeling creeping all over him, recognizing the signs on the building, as it was the same sign he saw back in his days in the alleyways.

'When did all the humans… disappear?'  A question, a question that he did not perhaps want to know the answer to, crept into his mind.

'No, it must be nothing… Maybe that store just happened to stay in business for a very long time! Maybe the owner's son, no, great-great-grandson succeeded the business!'

"I know we already saw the moon back there," Heart shifted his attention as the rat spoke. "But do you want to see at the top?" Mad Rat pointed at the building he climbed on his timeline. 

"Y- yeah, sure…" Heart answered, still bearing the uneasy feeling.

The journey upward was swift, as the rodent remembered all the scaffolds and beams (except the falling ones, which were now absent) that could aid his ascent. Heart was still thinking about the end of humanity, and was surprised when the rodent woke him up from his stream of thoughts. Up at the vantage point, with the full moon illuminating the vacant city underneath them, the city was… cold and dark. None of its neon signs shining, none of its sodium-orange street lights flashing the streets, with the full moon's light being the only light source, the city once Heart roamed was now… dead. 

Which is going to happen in the not-so-far future…

"Well, that was fast! how did you get up here so quickly?" Heart asked.

"Oh, the scaffolds were pretty much the same as my last time climbing up here! ya know, before when we fought Mimolette and all…"

The  what ?

The scaffolds. Those were the fleeting things humans made around the constructing building. They never last. they aren’t meant to be there permanently. If Heart could recall correctly, even though he did not pay much attention, the scaffolds were gone within a few months.

Then why are they still here? they're supposed to be gone after the construction- renovation- whatever the humans were doing here, which shouldn't last that long.

The only logical conclusion was…

Oh no…

Was everything they achieved back there… in vain?

The crappy doodle…

The black cat…

Even the little girl..?

What's the point of going back?

Heart's blood ran cold.

Chapter Text

How much time did he have?

days? weeks? A month or two at tops.

None of it will matter. In the end, everything will be gone. By…. whatever happened to the humans. Saving the little girl? What's the point if she is going to disappear? The same goes for the black cat.

Then… What's the point of going back?

Is there even a place to go back for him?

“Hey, you okay there Heart?” Mad Rat nudged him and awakened Heart from his train of thought. Heart felt himself beating faster than usual, and tried to hide it from Mad Rat.

“Nothing! I mean, Yeah, everything is perfectly fine!” Heart stammered. “It's just… Um, This is the city I used to live in… and now it's just this empty heap of concrete, I think I got a bit emotional…”

“Huh…” the rodent muttered. “All I've known was a small cage in a dark lab…”

“Well, I can't say it's the same, but, Don't you want to see what it's like, or well, going to be in a bit more detail?” Heart was taken aback by his own sudden suggestion, yet it seemed like the only way to go somewhere, anywhere, anywhere that would not lead them to a certain end. “You know, you only had a day back there, but here, we have loads of time to explore!”

The rat thought about it. He had a mission to do, but the time spent in this future-past did not affect it anyway, and he was in fact quite curious about the time and place he had never been, and perhaps never will experience. “Okay, but why don't we do it after checking the roaches? We'll have to get input from them first to complete their request anyway.”

“Sure…” Heart trailed off, still trying to process his rather shocking findings. Mad Rat noticed Heart's lack of enthusiasm than usual but shrugged it off. thinking he was still feeling nostalgic.

Rewinding time within the locus was still available to them, so the two just wound back time before leaving the chamber. And the consecutive rewind, now assisted with the crystal, took them back to the Team Snakemouth's.

“We're Back! And you were right, the combination changes on a different day!” Mad Rat said, confirming the goddess’ hypothesis. “Now we only need to know the input, just as you said!”

There was some time before sundown, but the rat decided to rewind back to the lair. The fact that the Cave of Trials was located around the middle between the Giants’ Lair and Snakemouth den, in respect of the waterways, meant the rodent had to swim a pretty much equal distance. With a familiar re-explaining, now with an additional piece of information involving red stains on the rat's glove, and also a familiar trip to the cave, now with the rodent’s incessant whining(now that he knew the bugs won't care about a certain wooden debris floating around), the team headed into the cave.

“Alright… So how does this code work? do we just holler "PUSHROCK” or…?” Mad Rat asked, while still trying to shake off water from his fur.

“That is what they said, but…” Rat God confirmed, but there was something uneasy about the plan. “They said they’ll come and see how we know something we shouldn't. Do you think they’ll just calmly come here and ask us how we know that stuff? I'd be wary of the beings who hold such important information out of the blue…”

“Like how they figured you are a parasite?” Mad Rat smirked. Leif seemed to be shocked at the rat's  apparent  monologue. Rat God flinched at his sudden disclosure, triggering her survival instincts upon exposal, lesser than the time at the cave, but enough to annoy her.

Mad Rat was surprised at the blue moth's stare upon him.  Didn't I…? Oh, seems like I forgot to tell him in this time.  He then soon told the party about his true condition, about Heart, and his unwanted parasite. Kabbu and Vi listened to the rat attentively and understood why Leif partly showed his truth. 

As Vi put the team's permit, Mad Rat mentioned Rat God's concern. The fact that their use of forbidden knowledge in respect of time was certainly something that would draw the administrators’, presumably the tall and short roach duo, attention. But drawing attention in this case did seem to be an alarming one, and their  curious approach  was not guaranteed to be welcoming. 

The three bugs steeled themselves while the rat and the brown moth left the arena. As soon as the receptionist’s ghosty hologram emerged, Vi shouted “PUSHROCK!”.

There was nothing but silence. 

The jittering hologram said nothing and soon disappeared. Mad Rat was looking at Rat God, who was staring at something, just like before.

“I knew this was going to happen.” The winged rat sighed and fluttered towards the permit. “I'll be back soon!”

And the two familiar voices blared in the chamber, accusing the bugs with various remarks regarding their ‘cheating’ and whatnot. Vi and Kabbu tried to explain that they got it from the roaches, and they already technically finished the trial. Their excuses were silenced, not by the roaches though, who were now in a similar fate as before.

“Do we have to do this every time we get here??” Rat God emerged from behind the roaches, their holograms now fully exposed by the winged rat. There were two goopy-looking noose around the roaches, just like before.

“Waste my time further and I'll end you right there. We've been through this, although evidently, you cannot remember. Yes, I know you're both just a husk imitating the living, Yes, I know you see right through me and figured I'm a deceiving parasite. You two asked for Rana's passcode and we're here to give it to you, just like you asked back there. PUSHROCK was supposed to be the password for you two to figure out that we are something different and not cheating… but it seems like now non-existent you two were too dumb to figure that in the past you would be this dumb.”

Rat God's lengthy but curt recap was enough to calm the two roaches. (To be precise, her magic-laced goop noose did most of the calming part) The tall one broke the silence first.

“Rana's passcode? why would that be useful to us?? we could just ask-”

“Wrong answer.” Rat God snapped her fingers and the yellow amorphous ring started to contract.

“Yes, it is! it's just the thing I- we need! now please tell us the code and we'll do our end of the bargain, whatever it was!!” The short one frantically begged.

“Wrong again. If you knew how her passcode works, you're the one who should be giving us the correct input.”

“Wh- Wha… Oh! I get it! I get it now! Please!! Let us free and get rid of this thing this instant!! 

“Seriously, we can do this without the murdery bits you know?” Mad Rat commented from behind. “I get you loathe them so much, but is this really necessary?”

The yellow ring soon vanished, and the winged rat gave a satisfying smirk. “I wasn't going to actually kill them anyways! Can’t get useful information from dead roaches, you know?” As the three bugs on the arena approached the trembling roaches, the goddess made a quick flight to her host. “I know this is nothing but a puppet show, but that sure felt good! My illusions actually bearing weight and all…” For some reason, she felt she had to explain that. 

Mad Rat wasn't certain where her enthusiasm’s origin was. Sure, she was genetically programmed to murder other living beings to continue her existence, but there was something different about her current mirth. The rodent pondered. The goddess’ enthusiasm was giving him the creeps, but it also felt somewhat… familiar?? He wasn’t certain if the said glee was from her attempted murder spree, or the illusions materializing. 

Killing other living beings was… in a way, essential for her survival. It was her nature. It was how she was genetically programmed to do so. Something she did not have control with. Killing was a step towards her goal. In some sense, threatening the roaches was an effective means to achieve her goal. Was her frenzy similar to that of his, when he was heading to kill the human?

Then again, she was enjoying her illusions bearing weight. Did it not before? it surely controlled his behaviour, at least for a while. Did bearing weight mean the illusion doing its job well enough just as her intention, or literally affecting something… real by itself?

But the roaches… can one say they are real?

Mad Rat shook his head. his train of thought seemed to derail now. Why do I care so much about that worm inside me? she’s just a parasite, better off dead! But whenever he saw her smiling, while doing her… rather unpleasant work, It reminded him of something a bit too much to his comfort.

The first time he saw the real moon from the top of the building… sure, it was a lot smaller than he expected, but it was the real one he ever saw outside his cage. However lackluster it may be, it bore meaning to him. And after that, whenever he backtracked his journey, his time under the goddess’ spell seemed so similar to her behaviour. Of course, he was her carrier and puppet, pulled by her illusions, but before Heart elucidated him from it, all he saw was his goal and nothing else. Only after he broke free from her illusion, did the scenery of the park, the twisting alleyways and the neon signs that lit the nightless city come into his sight. only after that, he saw the true moon.

Then perhaps… her illusion 'bearing weight' was her moon, in a sense.

All her hallucinations conjured to lure the rat only existed within the rat’s perception. Certainly, it did its job, but that was it. It was nothing close to real. But now, in a virtual space it may be, it was as true as she could get.

That was Mad Rat’s conclusion. Just like he was trapped in the goddess’ mirage, Rat God was a prisoner within him. All her actions’ effects never truly got outside of him. Now for the first time, she was outside of him. Although that moment happened to coincide with the murderous circumstances, Mad Rat was able to see it. Behind the eerie feeling, he felt… sympathy.

Uncertainty remained as her unique way of expressing her freedom, even though the said freedom was unbeknownst to her, did align with the parasite's goal. Mad Rat couldn’t disregard the possibility that there was in fact, nothing unusual. Perhaps Rat God was just glad that she could approach her goal one step closer, and nothing more.

As the rat saw the roaches scrambling trying to find what she wanted (Rat God was still annoyed at this, they were the ones who asked to find such, how could they not know much about what they were supposed to retrieve?) He chuckled, thinking it was ironic that the warden who trapped him in her hallucinations was physically trapped in him.

The rodent’s snicker was not unnoticed by the blue moth. Leif blinked and looked around the arena. All he could see was the parasite's representation terrorizing the poor roaches, and the rat was finding it funny? Was he actually himself or was he in control of the parasite residing in his brain? 

“Did this happen before? Were they hostile just as they did before?” Leif asked the rat, taking the longer route not to make it blatantly obvious. He masked it as an assumption and rationalization of the rat's rather seemingly cold-hearted demeanor.

“Hm? Ah… Uh, yeah, it was way worse, they almost got your green friend there!” Mat Rat answered, breaking his sporadic sniggering. He noticed the moth was watching him laughing from before and turned pink with embarrassment. “Well, still, I wouldn't say they deserved that! It's just… Looking at her enjoying this a bit too much reminded me of something”

“And what would that be…?” the blue moth glanced at the floating rat in the arena while pressing on the inquiry.  Is she aware of his thoughts? He said his organ kept away from her lies, but she might be tapping on his thoughts!  The parasite seemed to be preoccupied, speaking with the roach holograms, seemingly annoyed by their existence, as she scoffed and snorted at every slightest breath they made.

“The world I knew was a cage in a dark room, waiting for my slowest death. Even after escaping my cage, I was under her false guidance, accompanied by the hallucination she conjured. I was trapped in the world she created, thinking all my doings were my own, while doing her bidding.”

Leif was listening attentively while keeping an eye on the parasite. Thankfully, it seemed the self-proclaimed goddess was paying no mind to her host.

“Only after Heart punched me out of her prison, I was finally able to see the real world outside. Can't say it was all great, the moon wasn't as bright or big as I expected, but it was something, for once, I finally saw with my own two eyes!” The rat watched wistfully at the winged rat. “She seemed to feel something similar, now that she has the world, the real world where her magic can actually do something.”

“Well, we'd say the ‘real’ part is debatable…” Leif pointed out as the holograms flickered.

“Heh, true! but still, all her powers were just movements of strings attached to me, until now. Her magic was never meant to extend outside my very being, you know? I mean, what would be the point of it? She can only exist inside me, and she only needs to control me and nothing more. And yet you saw her being so… fine, it was unnecessarily cruel, but it was her first thing to interact with her own magic outside me! All this time, I thought she was the warden of this prison she built to keep me on hold, yet she was the one trapped inside me! Isn't that funny? the jail she thought she was in charge of was a shackle holding herself!” 

Leif, as a bug who fused with a parasitic fungus (or the other way around; he couldn’t tell), gave a thought to the rat's analysis. Of course, he was different, even though he was partly cordycep. He wasn't tricking or mind-controlling another entity. His thoughts were his own, his actions were his own. Should the cordyceps leave the bug, then Leif will be no more. Therefore, the warden-prisoner comparison wasn't befitting to him.

…or was it?

The blue moth pondered, trying to rationalize in the shoes of a normally functioning parasite. Would a parasite have the desire to mingle with the outside by itself?

…

There was absolutely no reason to. Everything was provided by the host, and if it was the mind-altering kind like Rat God, its power would be tailored to affect its host, which would suffice. There was no advantage of stepping out of the designed function it had. When no information regarding it was given. No normal parasite would even dare try it. Yet the goddess did not hesitate to take matters into her own hands, exposing herself in the process. 

“That is quite odd…” Leif mutterd. Her obsession with survival aligned well with that of parasite's but her means of showing it seemed off. And feeling ‘liberated’ out of her ‘home’ was definitely not that of the parasites.

“Tsk… those dead roaches…” Rat God floated back to the rat, clearly not happy with whatever they discussed. “Hm? What are you guys doing there?” The winged goddess quirked her brow as she saw the rest of the team seemingly… watching her?  Ah, well, Those conniving roaches are the key to our escape… Of course, they want to know what's our next course!

 “Ahem, they said the input changes every time whenever they try to use… Rana's… something, I don't know. They… well, the short one said he wanted the whole combination.”

“What, so he wants us to copy everything from each and every day or-” Mad Rat's jaw dropped as he didn't even have a grasp of how many different days he had to travel.

“Yes… unfortunately.” the winged rat sighed. “Oh, wait, it doesn't matter to me, since it's you two who's doing all the work! I don't get to travel back! Ha!”

“The short one, you said?” Vi asked. “Did you get his name? And what about the tall one? why wasn't he there?”

“I do not know, but it seemed the short one was in charge. He was the one who wanted the whole passcode so bad, while the tall one did not understand its usefulness. Just like last time, he implied they could just ask Rana to get the code themselves… which I highly doubt at this point.”

“What about the code they gave us? Is it completely useless?” Kabbu said.

“It was meant for you guys to use it in the first place. for a different purpose. So in the sense of communicating them regardless of the rewind, yes, it's useless”

“Oh! wait! I have an idea! There's a possibility that you won't need to record all the combinations!” Neolith perked up. “He said the input changes per every request, right?” The goddess nodded while smirking at the rat's elated face full of expectation of averting such huge work upon him. “If the outcome of each input request is predetermined, you can just remember that few passcodes corresponding to them, right? You won't need to do the whole thing!”

“That's a great idea!” Mad Rat said, relieved at his diminished workload.

“Yeah… I thought of that” Rat God trailed off. “The thing is… there's the possibility that the query may be randomly generated, and the secondly…” the winged goddess seemed uneasy about something, looking at the party hesitantly. “He said he'll lend one of his technologies that'll tremendously assist our journey if we retrieve the whole thing.”

“And how do you know if this tech will actually help us?” Heart said. “Also, weren't they supposed to tell us their relation to time-traveling?”

“He said there's a way to… extend this projection outside the arena,” The floating rat said as she gestured to her flickering hologram. “Retaining my abilities, even! You saw how effective that was! He said the rendition of magic is just as effective as it was in the arena, surely it'll help! And about time traveling? They said something about searching artifacts and parts from here and there, I didn't ask for details, but again, I'll be more useful!”

Vi and Kabbu gulped at the thought of the goddess’ unmatched power. They were skeptical if bestowing such power to the parasite was really a wise idea.

Meanwhile, Mad Rat and Leif glanced at each other. It was clear she wanted it, the freedom, the means to ‘exist’ outside the rat, a notion unfathomable for a normal parasite to think of.

“See? There's something… different!” Mad Rat whispered.

“And you're seeing this as a sort of a weakness which you can exploit, We assume?” Leif whispered back.

“Hmm? Exploit? Ehh, not really, I just thought it was interesting enough to explore it, but I don't see how to use it.”

As the winged rat was silently waiting for answers, fidgeting nervously.  What are they whispering?! Hmpf, you think I can't figure it out? Let's see what you're thinking right now!”

As the goddess tapped the strings connected to the rat's mindscape, she felt a tide of emotions from the rat. He was… sympathizing with her? He saw he was no different than her? In what context??? Her attempt to read the rat only made her lost in bewilderment. Why? What was he equating something with hers? 

While the two weren't able to draw a decision, Heart filled in.

“I think we should try getting the whole thing, Mad Rat.”

“Wait, really? We don't even know how many days there are to check!”

“The only way to tell the date in the chamber was the moon phase. I’m guessing there's only going to be 30 days to inspect.”

“Oh” Mad Rat thought for a moment, acknowledging his lack of astronomy knowledge. ”Still… You sure? You know-” he said glancing at the floating rat.

“Hmpf! I was nothing but helpful throughout this whole journey!” Rat God protested. “Even your heart friend agrees!”

“You seem to be oddly eager about this, you know?” the rat smirked. “Are you really that frustrated that you just have to take it into your own hands? We have an infinite amount of time, and nothing is chasing after us!” With an implying look, the rat stared at the winged rat. “Or is it something else?”

Meantime, Heart perked up as the rat pointed out the infinite time they had. As long as the night of that particular day did not come, they had another world to explore, perhaps not endless, but far longer than any other rat or cat’s life expectancy.

Their story did not need to end. They could go explore and live on until they saw everything.

The chamber they went to had its purpose, but the world outside? 

Heart was satisfied with his own answer.  We can stay… We don't need to leave…

“Before we get the passcodes…” Leif started, assessing the now confused parasite. “How are you sure he'll keep his end of the bargain after the rewind?”

“Oh, that's for certain! I can feel he reeeeally wants the full set. I'm sure the offer will still stand regardless of the rewind.” Before the others could add their concerns, the goddess continued. “And I'm well aware they'll be cautious if we just barge in like last time. He showed a way to approach him, without activating the arena! After we get all the codes, we can summon him, only him, and it's done!”

“How will we be able to carry the information? Do we have to check all 30 days every rewind?” Mad Rat asked, letting out a huge sigh at the thought of the repetitive work he might have to do.

“I'll memorize them! you just focus on retrieving them without a single error!” the goddess answered.

Memorize  all  of them?! She must be joking! there's no way she can memorize- Perhaps it's one of her abilities? memorizing information in an instant?  Leif thought, shocked by her proposition.

With no more loose ends found in the plan, the team went their way to Snakemouth Den, now with the rat's regretful whines, something about him avoiding being in water, if he did not choose to rewind before, added on their way.

“So… how does this work? I know I can rewind to another date, but I'm not so sure if that'll be one-day increments…” the annoyed wet rat asked, trying to shake off the water. 

“Remember when we saw the moon at the chamber, it was there, right?” Heart pointed at an opening above, seemingly obscured by something. “I think that thing shows the moon of the day and tells us the date!”

The two borrowed a pencil and papers from Neolith and rewound back. Thankfully their possessions stayed with them, saving his glove from being slathered in blood.

Upon rewinding back, Mad Rat figured the crystal didn't just allow them to go back further, but there was something akin to a temporal bookmark. He was unknowingly using it upon rewinding back to the predetermined time: just before the strings of tapping started.

After copying three days' worth of the tappings and scribbles of Roach, Heart suggested exploring around a bit more.

“Aren't you curious? What was it like outside? not just the city, but the world beyond? I know it's… different, but still!” 

Mad Rat was surprised by the sudden eagerness of Heart but nonetheless agreed to see what lies beyond the city.

Unfortunately, Their first journey headed east was a collection of barren fields, a shallow river that the rodent refused to cross even in his ghost-like state, and the only interesting thing was a bamboo grove somehow survived whatever happened in the future.

but Heart did not give up. This was their ticket, should they find a place to stay, to ‘survival’ of the two. On the 10th day, he suggested again, now northward, only to meet a jagged mountain range like a folding screen, and the rat's refusal to continue the trek. 

Around the 15th day, Heart had to practically beg the rat to explore outside.

And around the 20th, as their surveying went close to an end, Heart's begging finally came to annoy the rat.

“Why do you want to go outside that much? w- you'll be able to see it for yourself once we're over here!” He painfully swallowed the word  ‘even though I can't’  in silence. “You'll get to see the real thing! not this… deserted place.” The rat gave a longing sigh. “At this point, you're pretty much stalling our work, you know?”

“Perhaps I am. Once we find our place in here, we can stay-”

“You- what? You really were stalling?? and what, stay? stay here? why would I- you- what??” The rat uttered in shock, surprised by the heart's revelation.

“We might be able to stay here, Mad Rat, together! We don't need to be separated-”

“In this fake world? In this ghosty state?” Mad Rat was furious, furious at the Heart's plot not only to hinder their escape but to sequester them in the timeline they did not belong to. “This place, this world is not ours! We don't belong here! Why would you ever think that's a good idea??” Mad Rat was aware of the eventual departure he had to face with Heart, but he thought Heart's life outweighed it. He did not understand why he would endanger, no, throw away his future just to pretend to be with him. 

What's the meaning of the world, as real as it may be if you're not there?  Heart thought quietly, silently listening to the rat's outburst.  I'd rather play pretend if that means we can be together!

“Wh- what about the little girl? She'll be dead if we're not there in time! Do you really-”

“It doesn't matter” Heart spat as he tried to hide his pain saying such.

“What…?” Mad Rat was shocked at his organ's cold-hearted words. “How… how could you say-”

“It doesn't matter because she'll be dead anyway!” Heart shouted. “None of it will matter! the city? the girl? it'll be all gone, Mad Rat!  I'll  be gone! the empty and barren lands outside we've seen? that'll come in… I can't say for sure but in a month or two at most! All of us will be dead by whatever happened in the future! So yeah, none of this, not me, not the girl, nothing matters! I'd rather live in this lie with you than face whatever catastrophe happening in the future!”

Mad Rat was clutching his non-existent chest, while only the heart's beating filled the silence in the room. Heart felt a sensation of falling, a rendition of the rodent's emotional state, he presumed.  I was just as shocked as you are now… I know-

But soon heart felt something cold, something caustic surrounding him. A flurry of mixed emotions that the rat was currently feeling. A bit of despair here and there, that was predictable. But there was something he did not foresee for the rat to feel. And an utterance from the rat elucidated him.

“You… sound just like  her …”

Hurt

Betrayal

And sadness

The two stared at each other silently. Not too long after, the rat turned around and went back making records, scribbling on the paper. His jaws were tightly clenched, and his pencil quivered erratically.

Dark stains appeared on the sheet of paper he was holding.

Chapter Text

Something was wrong. She could feel it.

For some unknown reason, the parasite was excluded from the rewind. What she could see was the intermissions of each surveying session. The first few ‘days’ seemed normal. Then she saw a hint of disappointment from Heart, and then the rat. Another few days later, annoyance was clearly visible on the rodent's face.

And now… it was so weird,  Rat God never saw Mat Rat… being like this.

During the short in-betweeners, when the rat gave the goddess the records and took a new sheet of paper, He would give some snarky remarks, something about her weird obsession with acquiring the ‘projection’ a poke and a prod from time to time, but now… He seemed utterly aloof, just like a cold machine doing its designated job. She paused her memorization and looked around, assessing the others' reaction to the rat’s erratic behavior. Nobody seemed to notice it. To be fair, the interim only lasted for a few seconds. Perhaps it was more of an educated guess, considering she had a mental connection with her host after all. The glimpses of emotions she was feeling through the connection were… far from pleasant, but she couldn’t exactly pinpoint what was wrong with it. 

Another piece of paper piled up next to her, with… two soggy stains?

“Mad-”

The goddess stops as the rodent returns to her sight. Something was wrong. very, very wrong. Mad Rat came back and forth, adding stacks of paper next to her. During the short time, Rat God watched carefully at her host. his slumped, dejected shoulders, his head hanging low, trying to hide his face, and the glistening moisture apparent on his gloves…

He was crying.

“Are you finished?” an utterance, devoid of his previous jests, hints of strained voice, was heard. The goddess quickly finalized her memorization and turned around to face the rat. The disturbing, cold expression of his was still there, which was so jarring to see such from the usually hot-headed rodent. What happened back there? What caused this little rat to change so… drastically? Rat God thought. Then she realized the unnaturally wider gap between Mad Rat and Heart, and the atmosphere between the two trying to avoid each other. 

Something happened between the two.

But… what? She had to figure it out 

“Oh! um, almost!” The goddess said, trying to buy some time. “It won’t take long! I’ll let you know when I’m ready for the reset, while I… work something out.” Rat God stressed as she glared at Heart. Mad Rat wasn’t looking and he trudged his way back next to the crystal, not even looking back to his organ. At this point, the bugs also noticed the rodent’s lethargic behavior, but the rat's dismissive smile and nods were enough to evade their inquiry. 

Rat God tapped into the mental connection between her and her host. Such an attempt was risky when he was alert, as she could encounter his mental barrier, but to her surprise, there was no resistance. It was as if he lost any will to continue… Now the winged rat was alarmed, as it was the rat’s determination that held all her escape plan in motion. Whatever happened back there, it needed to be fixed.

You… sound just like her… echos of the rat’s voice rung through her mind

It was the first thing she perceived as she snooped on his memory. It was something… powerful? She never experienced such vivid traces in his memory… although there wasn't much to read from him besides from his recent adventure.

Her? That must be me I suppose… the goddess thought. But why did it leave so much impact on Mad Rat? 

“NONE OF IT WILL MATTER!” Rat God winced at the sudden booming sound of… Heart? 

What… what is going on…? Were they fighting? For what? And how did that… break him?? torrents of questions trying to figure out the rat’s sudden gloom filled the goddess’ mind. But amongst those questions, there was one prominent blaring in her mind.

Is that what he thought that sounded like… me? But… how does that…?

“I'd rather live in this lie with you than face whatever catastrophe happening in the future!”

So it was his doing… Why, you little… It didn’t matter to the goddess anymore, what exactly happened, the context, or anything. The conniving cat rendered her host in such a state, and he was the one who should fix it. 

Thankfully, tapping into the rat’s mind didn’t take long. The goddess’ pause feigning her memorization worked just long enough to trick the rodent.

“Alright, I’m done! Before we rewind back… may I have a word with Heart? It won’t take long”

Mad Rat stared and slowly swiveled his head to his heart. with no words coming out of his mouth, he just nodded. The rat she had known would’ve given her a weird look with growing suspicion, but there was nothing in his empty gaze.

A few steps away from the crystal, the winged goddess asked dryly. “What did you two do back there?” Heart was avoiding eye contact. “That wasn’t a question, by the way. You know I have a mental connection with Mad Rat, and I’ve been sensing… these from him not too long ago. Whatever it is, you have to sort it out!” 

“How do you sort out an imminent catastrophe?” Heart scoffed. “You know what? you’re not getting away with this either! You’ll be dead too anyway!”

“Yes, as per our agreement, I’ll be dead confined within you, which comes in… a few months?” Rat God smirked. “Enough for me to continue my existence! That’s more than enough time to go on another cycle-”

“What’s the meaning of it if your… progeny will die?” Heart was baffled at the parasite’s facile acceptance of the incoming end for all.

“Simple, I did my part already. It’s their strife to live on! No point in me worrying some other’s matters!” A sound logic it was. For a parasite, that is. Heart ruminated at the roaches’ assessment of the parasite. Perhaps it was true, she was nothing but a machine built for survival. The difference between living and merely continuing existence couldn't be clearer than this.

“Of course you won’t understand…” Heart sighed. “You’re just a worm in his brain after all.”

“Well then! I assume you wouldn’t mind me revealing what you are to him then, hm?” The goddess grinned slyly. “It won’t matter anyways!” Rat God parrotted his words she saw in the rodent’s memory. She carefully tried to read the organ’s hidden expression, not that there was much to read from him though. “That’ll make things easier! He’ll break further, realizing the very thing that was keeping him alive and sane was his natural enemy! I can gain full control from there and just direct his actions of my own will!  He’ll be sequestered in his mindscape, doing… whatever he’s doing right now, sulking like that! Or better, I can just trap him into my illusions while I do all the escaping work! Just like the way it should be!” With an exaggerated cheerfulness, the parasite intentionally spilled out her plans. Heart’s brows furrowed, staring at the smug goddess. It was working! Truth be told, while she was in fact able to bend all the rodent’s actions to her will, doing it directly was never an easy task. Coercing Heart to sort everything out was the easiest way for her.

“I… I won’t let you! We had a deal!” Heart protested. True, he was devastated at the fate that befallen him and Mad Rat and was utterly hopeless, but he did not want to spend his last moments with his friend trapped in the grasp of the parasite. He wanted Mad Rat, not a puppeteer impersonating and exploiting the rat’s physical form.

“A deal, you said?” the goddess sneered and gave Heart a piercing glare. “You do have the gall to say that while trying to pull something like that back there? What’s the point of it? Wanting to live in a lie, being together with him? When you’re fully aware you two will end up back here in the chamber after a definite time?”

“Then what’s the huge difference? At least I’ll have more than a day back in that place…” Heart retorted. The winged rat gave him a smug grin, implying she could change it, in a worse way for him.  “Alright, alright! I’ll… talk to him…” Heart said as he turned to gaze at the rat. Slowly floating towards the rodent, he took a sheet of paper on the table, written with rat’s records, and made a small smudge near his… teardrop marks. Before approaching Mad Rat, Heart gave the goddess a bile glare.

“The roaches were right, by the way.” Heart spat. “You don’t know what living is really like.”

Rat God merely scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Hey… Mad Rat? Rat God mentioned one of the records is incomplete.” The organ showed the page with the smudge. Of course, the rodent saw right through it and used it as an excuse to rewind one more time. He was aware of the tears he shed, and he made sure to avoid writing on it. One thing unclear was if using the records was Heart’s or the parasite’s idea, but he paid no mind to that, just like the two of them said before, none of it ever mattered.

He rewound back to the past, some random time not necessarily the one matching the smudged record. He picked up the paper from his organ, and squinted on the markings, and corrected the damaged record.

“There.” Mad Rat said without even looking at Heart. “But I suppose we’re not back here for that. So, what did she want now?”

“She told me to… sort this out .” Heart said truthfully. “I don’t know what she gains from this, quite the contrary, from her implication of her controlling you directly… Heart paused and looked at Mad Rat in his eyes. It was no longer the cold, beady black eyes he saw after his outburst. There was a warm glint, somewhat inviting Heart to ask: What about you? What do you want? Heart struggled to choose the right words, he still thought seeking an escape was now meaningless, but he did not want to hurt the rat. As Mad Rat saw the organ’s hesitation, he let out a little sigh.

“How did you know? the catastrophe?” Mad Rat asked.

“Huh? Oh…” Heart faltered at the rat’s sudden inquiry. “The scaffolds you trod when you climbed up that deserted building. Those scaffolds aren’t meant to last more than a couple of months, that’s how…”

“So you did not exactly see it with your own eyes, I take it?” the rat said dismissively. “Can’t believe that worm is the one who told you to set things straight between us…” he muttered. “You know what? Maybe it’s best for us to just give up and let Rat God do her thing on her own. That’s what you said, right? nothing will ever matter! I have only a day to live anyways, so why not give it to someone who cares about it the most?”

“That’s not caring! she’s merely using you! I don’t want your last days to be in such vile hands! I just wanted to be with you, in peace!” Heart cried.

“By trying to trap me in another place where I don’t belong? Well, isn’t this familiar…” The rat crossed his arms, giving a light huff. “I told you I’m sick of going in circles! I want to go forward! to be something! to leave a mark in this world, albeit how short time I am left with!” tears started to well up in the rat’s eyes once again. “Do you think I’m not sad about us getting… separated?”

Even when you know what I really am? The thought arose in Heart’s mind but he painfully smothered it. “So you’ll leave me to die alone? facing whatever happens at the end?” Heart refuted. “Maybe things are easy for you now that you’ve made terms with it, but I’m not ready! I don’t want to accept it, Mad Rat! Why!? Why do you have to leave me like that? It-It’s… unfair… Heart’s words were becoming unintelligible by his growing sobs.

Mad Rat tried to wipe off his seemingly unending tears. “Because it’s just the way it is! None of this is fair!” the rat cried. “At least you’ll live long enough to see what happens! I too want to stay longer with you! I want to see it by myself, even if it kills me because it means I’ll get to live until then! I’d do anything for another day, no, even a minute would suffice! But… but… I just can’t! There’s no way of avoiding my death and you know it!” he paused to wipe another tear. “No way of avoiding it… while keeping you safe and alive…” the rat trailed off. “You’re the mark in this world I want to leave… If I’m going to die anyways, I don’t want to bring down another with me…” the rat clasped Heart’s hand, making his organ flinch a little by his sudden movement. “So live on, Heart. go see the world for me, to the heights no other rats have ever been to. Perhaps this might come as somewhat demanding… I still don’t know what you are, and what your life was like before this whole thing, but I’m certain it’ll be better than dying inside of a sickly rat!” The rat was now pretty much kneeling. “So please, in this short, miserable life of a lab rat, let my one last selfish wish come true! Please be my mark on this world!” he pleaded.

Heart was dumbfounded at the rat’s remark, considering his wish to save him, Heart, as ‘selfish’. Perhaps it was in some way, as his wish meant he had to wander around the harsh alleyways of the city once again, as it meant he had to show the rat that he was his natural enemy. Perhaps there was some similarity with the parasite’s own motive, as both of them weren’t able to see their desire come to fruition, yet they pursued them nonetheless, while the one who is left behind… has to see a certain demise. To one, it was careless, while to the rat… Heart was by no means thrilled by the rat’s decision, but he just couldn’t label it as ‘selfish’ or ‘careless’.

Heart clasped back with his other hand. “I… I’m still not happy with all this…” he said as he looked into the rat’s teary eyes. “But I understand now” Heart leaned forward and embraced the rodent. “I’m sorry for calling it meaningless earlier…”

Mad Rat returned the hug. “In a larger sense, you might be right, it is meaningless. we’re gone and those bugs are the ones who rule the world here. But any days, hours, or minutes you stay… or last longer than I do, means the world to me”

A couple of minutes passed. and finally, the two broke from the embrace. “So, you still not going to tell you what you are, or your life before getting trapped in the lab?” Mad Rat gave him a little smirk. 

Heart let out a nervous chuckle. “I’ll… tell you when I’m ready.” 

“Make sure you do before I find it by myself!” The rat chortled, as he wiped his face one last time. “So… I guess things are ‘sorted out’ ? Now that I think of it, why would she want us to reconcile here?”

“Oh, coming here was my idea, I didn’t want her to know all the details of our conversation.” Heart answered. “But for the ‘why’... I’m not sure but you know how she is like whenever she sees something getting in her way! She seemed to notice your… state of mind and perhaps thought it was affecting her way to achieving her goal. She seemed to even know some of our conversation during our outburst!”

“Huh… So my mental and emotional state affects her somewhat?” Mad Rat wondered. “I mean, sure she’s in my brain and all, but… do you think it goes both ways? Is there a way to affect her, like she affects mine?”

“It might be a possibility… but I don’t think it is worth the test.”

“Yeah, you’re right…” The rat picked himself up and walked to the crystal. “Still can’t believe she’s the one who told us to mend things up… Oh, then did you tell her too? the catastrophe?”

“I did, and she didn’t seem to care.” Heart shrugged. “As long as she can continue her existence and… procreate , she doesn’t care if the world is on fire. Then again, her world is just the host who’s infected, so…”

“Huh, I guess that’s what they meant when they described her as a ‘living machine’”

“I was thinking the same!”

And with a flash, the duo were back in the chamber with Team Snakemouth. The bugs were slightly confused at the sudden change in the rat's mood but didn’t ask anything.

Rat God was floating silently, and with a knowing smirk, she flew towards the exit.

Everything worked out in the end, in the way she wanted.

… you parasite!

Things were now in motion, closer to her escape, closer to her survival.

… ever understand the difference between surviving and living?...

Then why…

…What would a mere living machine, a lesser being like you ever understand the difference between surviving and living? At least we do not harm others like you, you parasite!

Why were those words so disturbing?

Chapter Text

Mad Rat made haste and rewound back to the Giants’ Lair. He knew that the bugs noticed his erratic mood change and was somewhat embarrassed to explain it all. Even without the haste, once he rewound, they were bound to forget it nonetheless. It was merely setting things a bit faster.

“Huh? Why are we back here?” Vi’s fleeting memory rendered the bee to notice the change in scenery. “I thought you said… Uh… Is it done then?” The bee soon realized what the rewind implied.

The rat turned his gaze to his hallucination. Rat God seemed like she was recalling her memorization, and soon enough she nodded to the rat.

“I guess it is” Mad Rat answered. And before all of Team Snakemouth and the professor's memory fleeted away, he filled in the gaps.

Of course, that also meant he had to take the same submerged route to the arena. By now the rodent thought he'd get used to getting wet, but the cold lingering feeling of sogginess proved him otherwise. But there was something that bothered him more. Although the heart-to-heart moments earlier between Heart did clear things up between them, Mad Rat was still somewhat disappointed that the said moment was derived from the goddess’ nudging. There was an impression that his organ was doing whatever the parasite told him to do, which itself doesn't necessarily demean his friend's sincerity, but there was a concern arising from that very fact.

Is Heart going to be truly free after everything?

What's going to happen to that parasite?

Indeed, that was something he never gave a thought to until now. He knew the parasite came along with Heart during the transplant, but didn't see the implication of it then.

…He would stick to the plan. Heart was going to survive and live on, no matter what.

But leaving him with that parasite in tow… he felt like he was being irresponsible, unintentionally unloading that pesky worm to Heart. 

That is, if Rat God was in fact inside Heart before the operation.

There was a slight possibility that the parasite was introduced into him and his organ during the surgery. Perhaps the organ was contaminated before the… extract, or perhaps it was the surgical instruments. No research facility would let that happen, but his memory in the facility failed to back that up. What was that place anyw- Gah, I'm getting distracted! It was a very slim odds, but he was just too hopeful for it since it meant his rewinding wouldn't leave his friend in such ailment. The expected value coming out of that conjecture was just too high to ignore.

Of course, even if it wasn't, the future was not that dreadful. Even if Heart harbors the parasite within him, he'll remember all her tricks and her unwavering desire to lead her host to felines. He was smart, and surely he would be able to counter her schemes.

…Of course, the rat wasn’t so sure what his organ's original species was. All the speculation above was made upon the assumption that Heart was another rat like him. He couldn't say what would happen if Heart was another species than a rat.

Then came a thought: what would happen if Heart was a cat?

An absurd thought, so absurd it was just for entertainment at that point, but interesting nonetheless, as the parasite's obsession was met under such circumstances. He did not know the effects of the parasite on felines, just like any other species outside his, but one thing certain was that the parasite, with its goal accomplished, wouldn't use hallucinations on its host. Considering the fact that the powers of Rat God were mostly mental manipulation via hallucinations, Heart being a cat would probably be the safest option among species, assuming other pathological effects were the same. It would be the most convenient condition in his mental simulation.

Only if it wasn't so preposterous.

“Mad Rat? Are you alright? You've been really quiet for so long…” Heart halted his train of thought. He looked around, finding himself and the metal contraption still on the water, and turned his gaze to Heart. “Ah… Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking what would happen to Rat God after we rewind back before the transplant.” the rat said flatly. Heart was petrified at the rodent's remark, but was able to keep himself look calm, thanks to the lack of expressive facial components. He was able to, surprisingly, continue the conversation without the rat noticing his accelerating heart rate. “What… about it?”

“Well, I don't know where it came from. Maybe you had it inside you before you were captured by those humans, or maybe it was the humans who somehow put that thing into you before putting you in me with full intention, or perhaps it happened during the transplant…” 

That was a possibility Heart did not think of. But certainly, she was inside before, right? Why would she accept the deal, if she was uncertain of her origin? Heart felt like he was walking on thin ice, and left no comment on it. But was it alright to discuss such matters when she was right next to them in earshot? Slowly, Heart glanced at the winged rat, and met with a piercing glare. Just an intense glare, hard to tell the sentiment behind it. As the goddess noticed Heart, she pulled her gaze away. Weird… Heart thought, as there should be nothing shocking with the rodent's conjecture about the parasite.

Au contraire, Rat God never felt so disarrayed. She thought her path after their journey was set in stone. She'll live on inside the cat, the definitive host of her kind, leaving herself safe and sound. But the possibility that telling otherwise was never good news for her. After everything she went through, should she end up in another strife for survival, she was going to lose her mind.

The most frustrating thing about the situation lay in her inability to recall before her encounter with the rat. Was she really injected into the cat? Then rewinding and letting Heart escape did not ensure her survival. Perhaps she was trapped and asleep in a cryogenic vial. Perhaps she somehow got in contact with the rat in an uncanonical way. Too many variables were giving her a headache.

She again recounted the memories of her journey. It proved her immaculate memory, but yet failed to recall anything before meeting the rat.

Where was she from? It was the question, the key to all of her planning. Failure to provide an answer would leave her whole strategy in the haze of uncertainty.

And nobody around her could give her the answer.

Was she deceived by that conniving cat? Was this the caveat she failed to see through? It was so unusual to see the cat bring up such a deal with her. Her piercing gaze before was trying to catch the slightest deception, but the organ was equally shocked and tense, trying his best not to be noticed. He knew too well what the rat’s conjecture would extend to. Which was the string attached to him for her to pull.

Oblivious to the exchange of intense glares behind him, Mad Rat kept thinking. There was no way the parasite would willingly disclose her past, as she thought every bit of information was prone to be used against anyone. She mentioned the parasite residing in his brain had a sort of mental connection. If she could tap part of his thoughts through it, why can’t he? Perhaps it wasn’t totally impossible, he just did not know how for now, just like how she taught him time rewinding.

He didn’t want to pry Heart, as he made himself clear he'd tell the truth once he was ready. But Rat God, on the other hand… She read him plenty of times without him knowing for so long already! Even if she becomes aware of it, what can she do? 

Thus the rat started to concentrate, trying to find a way to read her memories through the connection he assumed to have access to.

Fortunately, Rat God was too busy with her own thoughts to notice what the rat was doing. 

Unlike the silent storm brewing in the back, inside the metal sub, the bugs were in relative peace. Minus the concerns arising from the parasite’s goal: Obtaining a physical form free from her host. There were… dissociated, sporadic impressions here and there, backed up with Mad Rat’s explanation from earlier, that the parasite, with her in the form of her choosing, kicked the roach's asses–borrowing the rodent’s words, who then claimed it was actually Vi’s. And she was now so sick of sitting in the back seat, that she wanted to put her personal input, provided by the Roaches’ technology.

Maybe she, and even the rat, were able to convince them before, but the eerie feeling was telling otherwise. Logically speaking, they were not supposed to have any impression of her, since in their memories, they never even met. But for a short moment right after the presumed rewind, there was an intense feeling… something close to a threat.

And the fear all four felt spoke volumes.

Was this really a good idea? Certainly, the parasite won’t harm them, since she had the full intention to leave the place (or time, to be precise), but Mad Rat on the other hand…

Excluding Professor Neolith, the fact that she was a parasite was more concerning to the three.

There wasn’t much they could do. They’ll see for themselves soon enough, even with the simmering sense of uncertainty.

Again, it was relatively peaceful than the trio at the back.

In the arena, the goddess instructed Team Snakemouth to put their permit on the altar, which was relayed by her host. The illusion of the goddess touched the permit and once again, she was in the Roaches’ contraption. The virtual space was now familiar to her, like the back of her palm, and she went straight to the chamber where the fake corpses were splayed out. 

She saw the glass chamber with the familiar short roach in it. She tapped it, and with a ping, the chamber illuminated in light blue.

The goddess lowered her voice and leaned close to the glass. “This is not our first encounter…” she said and gauged his reaction. The short roach opened his eyes and looked at her, and gave her a light nod, signaling her to proceed. “I got the full set of Rana’s passcode… as an exchange for the technology of yours.” her words met with a squint and a tilt of the roach’s head. as if he was unsure what she was specifically referring to. She wondered why he would stay in the chamber without conversing with her normally outside, but she proceeded. “As you can see I’m here, I have a way to utilize illusions, The you from another future mentioned there was a way to extend this illusion to a reality, rendering with a physical form”. Another squint, with more uncertainty. as if he was uncertain to bestow her such a power. He was hiding something again. The goddess was growing frustrated, but she took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. This was, in fact, a ‘side mission’ to aid her true goal. Yet there was something so compelling about obtaining this. Then, another familiar figure came into her sight, the tall one from before. The short one’s every action explained the reason behind it. It was his proposal that led to this arrangement, which she hadn’t noticed then, but it was done in the tall one’s absence. The goddess smirked but provided a detailed explanation for the short one to understand the full picture. Their earlier encounter, her discovery of their truths, their disclosure of hers, and her true goal shared with the rat.

The roach seemed to be shocked at the illusion’s words, but above all was fascinated by the fact that she was from the past. Including the fact that they were sent to the future by a mysterious force, denying everything the roach, and even this parasite knew about time travel. This was the reason why he and his partner had to help them together.

And the extension technology was to be given by him. Privately.

The roach in the glass gave her an eager nod and then gave her a shooing gesture. She complied and made her leave. 

Outside in the arena, as the facility came back to life, instead of the usual receptionist the bugs met, and two roaches descended and hovered in the air.

“Greetings, Team Snakemouth! We’re delighted to see you once again, this may be your first time actually seeing us, but we’ve seen your adventures through the permit!” The tall one accosted. “My name is Lawrence, and I heard you folks are on quite an unusual quest!”

“We’ve heard you're on a mission aiding these–I mean, this time traveler, correct?” the short one followed. After seeing the bugs nod, he continued. “It seems it would be in our best interest to support your adventure, for we have our own unquenchable curiosity about the powers of time travel!”

“The Tethered Wake?!” Neolith exclaimed.

“Ah, so you know! That’s better, saving us from explaining everything!” The short one exclaimed. “Oh, I’m Raoul by the way. We’ve been waiting for our herald for too long, we are in need to look for them. But alas! Our extension is bound within this area!” Unnoticed by anyone, the goddess twitched at that remark, silently protesting against their faux-vitality. “You’ll need to head to the research facility back in upper Snakemouth den and reconnect with us from there. Then we’ll be able to extend ourselves in this form there for your guidance.” The mentioning of Upper Snakemouth did not bode well with Leif, and the roaches seemed fully aware of it. Lawrence gave Leif a wink, seemingly only to him, for the others somehow didn’t notice. “I’ll leave the instructions to… the one who awoke us!” Raoul said, eyeing the floating rat. “Until then!” and the two vanished.

That…s it?!

As soon as the Goddess thought she was tricked, Raoul came back. “Thought I left you? Heh, I am a roach of my word…” and presented the winged rat with a white box.

“Extend your projection here… and it’ll do its magic!” he instructed.

After a small flick of her magic, she was seen by everyone in her violet top hat and murine form. She flapped her wings made a slight ascent, and glided gracefully back on her feet. She touched the rim of her top hat, feeling the velvet texture. The sudden gust in the cave was felt through her skin, and shivers traveled up to her spine.

With a curious and anticipating grin, she concentrated her magic on her hands, and summoned an orb, flinging it to the stone wall of the arena.

It made a huge explosion, filling the cave with dust.

After the dust and coughs settled down, Mad Rat and Team Snakemouth looked at each other worriedly, but there was no coming back.

Rat God was still silent, turning her head to look at the genius who let it possible in awe. 

“Heh, Glad to see this in actual use for once!” Raoul chuckled but then let out a soft sigh. “What you just tested demonstrates the very core of this invention. While your… hallucinations are a mere image, an empty hull, this can fill in the presumed gaps to fit the functionality that's absent! Such a shame there aren't many who can benefit from this technology…” the roach trailed off.

“...Thank you.” the goddess bowed, beaming with gratitude. The very reason she sought this physical form was to achieve her goal more effectively. There was a purpose for this; it was only a means to an end.

Yet at that moment, she didn’t care. She wanted to forget everything and savor every aspect of her new form. Perhaps it was the unique situation of her mission, where time meant so little, and a bit of dallying didn’t matter much.

Mad Rat, on the other hand, suspiciously watched the goddess and the roach. The same roach who had been defensive about showing his work was now so eager and willing to present it.

What did that passcode mean to him? And from what Lawrence said earlier, clearly, Rana was well and alive. Why would he need such from them when he could just ask her? There was something very unsettling about this.

Guess he’d see it for himself soon…

At least, unlike before, the parasite's excitement wasn't so disturbing.

It even felt… good? 

Now that was strange, nothing too alarming, but strange nonetheless.

Chapter Text

Mad Rat regretted agreeing to Rat God’s plan. Sure, he knew the risks, but…

"Whoa!"

It wasn’t what he had expected in the slightest.

"Did you see that?"

Their unlikely alliance had formed out of a shared, temporary goal, so he hadn't worried much about jeopardizing his return.

"Over there!"

What he regretted now wasn’t the plan itself, but…

"Hahahah! This is so much fun!"

The goddess, now with a form of her own, couldn’t stop marveling at the smallest things—like a falling leaf. Even Team Snakemouth felt like they were babysitting a curious infant.

An infant who could fly and wield unimaginable magic. Even Vi, normally the wildest of the group, was watching the ascended goddess with caution.

"Do we… really need her here all the time?" Vi whispered to Mad Rat.

"I don’t know how to undo this, and I’m not even sure I can. Maybe she can, but..." Mad Rat gestured to the floating, chaotic figure. "Do you think, even if she knew how, she’d do it willingly?"

"No... but I don’t get it. Why is she so excited about all this? You said you saw her in that form before!"

Mad Rat sighed. "Maybe that too was just her hijacking my brain, her magic messing with my senses." Annoying as she was, seeing the goddess so elated, so curious about the real world, stirred mixed feelings inside him.

When he had escaped, traveling through the park by day and the city streets by night, revenge had been his only focus. But thanks to the goddess’ ‘distractions,’ he had glimpsed moments of life outside his cage. The sunlight filtering through the trees, the moon rising above buildings, the taste of real cheese—things he would have missed entirely in his obsession with revenge. If he hadn’t been so consumed by it, maybe he would’ve seen more in his short time. 

Now, watching her experience the world with such wonder and curiosity, it struck a chord. As much as he loathed her, there was something too familiar in the way she marveled at the little things. A feeling he couldn’t quite shake, even though she was his greatest enemy.

...A small part of him couldn’t help but feel grateful to the parasite for giving him the chance to escape his cage.

He watched as the winged rat zoomed around. At least she wasn’t blowing things up with her magic.

Of course, Rat God was reveling in the experience of a lifetime—possibly the only lifetime she’d ever truly had. Everything was so vivid, so real. When she was just a parasite, all she’d needed to do was hijack her host’s senses. The sensations had been secondhand, filtered through Mad Rat, a distant, spoon-fed awareness of the world. But now, everything was hers to feel directly—the warmth of the sun on her skin, the metallic scent of the damp cave, the crisp wind brushing against her. Everything.

Her world had expanded beyond anything she could have imagined. As a parasite, she hadn’t even known such sensations existed, let alone dreamed of experiencing them. And yet, here they were.

So much new information flooded her mind. She knew that when the time came, she’d be able to craft an inescapable illusion using everything she was feeling now. She could—

She skidded to a stop in midair, hovering just above the stream where the submarine and the makeshift raft were docked.

"Go… back…" she murmured softly.

“Hey! Wait for us!” Mad Rat’s voice called from behind, as he struggled to catch up.

She had a mission. A goal. All of this—these sensations, as fascinating as they were—was just a distraction. An asset to be exploited later, to make her illusions even more convincing...

A slight discomfort crept into her mind, but she brushed it aside. She had work to do. It couldn’t be that important.

...Right?

Later, on the raft, Mad Rat and Rat God kicked at the water, helping the submarine tow them along. Hidden beneath the leaves for cover, Mad Rat couldn’t understand why the goddess found swimming so entertaining. Maybe it had something to do with her having no fur on her limbs? He rolled his eyes and kept pushing.

The rat’s suspicions weren’t far off. The goddess, overwhelmed by new sensations, was immersing herself in the experience. The coldness of the stream, the weight of the water as she kicked and pushed with her wings, the momentum that followed—each moment was a revelation. The earlier discomfort in her mind was fading with each stroke, replaced by pure joy as she discovered new ways to interact with the world.

In the sub ahead, a different kind of uneasiness was building.

Leif was unusually quiet. He wasn’t the most talkative type, but this silence was unsettling. Finally, Vi decided to break it.

“What’s going on, Leif? You’ve been acting weird ever since Rat God got her… form back there.”

“Oh... I-We’re fine, it’s just…” Leif trailed off into an awkward pause. The blue moth’s fist clenched and unclenched repeatedly, a gesture neither Vi nor Kabbu had seen before.

He was clearly not fine. Kabbu, surprised by Leif’s use of first-person, quietly stared at him. Before long, Leif realized the others—Professor Neolith included—were all watching him with concern.

Leif sighed. “It’s just… we don’t...” His words faltered. He couldn’t pinpoint what was bothering him. The discomfort was real, but the source remained elusive. His hands kept moving—clenching, releasing. Was this motion a remnant from the moth’s body? Or something tied to the mycelium within? Why was he even thinking about this now?

“Is it... because Rat God has a new form?” Kabbu suggested, his voice low, keeping the words vague enough for the professor not to notice. It was a logical connection, tied to the timing of Leif’s reaction. Leif nodded weakly, but it didn’t feel like a complete answer.

“While I don’t know much about the physiology of Mad Rat’s stowaway,” Kabbu continued, “this is probably her first time experiencing the real world, outside of her usual host.” It was an obvious observation, but it didn’t soothe the knot of unease in Leif’s mind. “She’s in a place—this world—that we take for granted, a place no parasite like her has ever been.”

Something clicked inside Leif—a flicker of memory, one he couldn’t fully grasp. Maybe it was from one of the many rewinds, or maybe something else. There was a familiar feeling, tied to the fate of parasites like her. Parasites like him.

“Warden of her own prison…” Leif muttered under his breath.

“Hm? Oh, because she’s technically still trapped in him?” Kabbu caught on quickly. “I suppose you’ve thought about this before?” The insight seemed to clear some of the fog clouding Leif’s mind. He made a decision, his expression resolute.

“We think we’ll have to talk to her. Privately, if possible,” he said.

“Is that really a good idea?” Vi asked, her voice tinged with caution. “If you’re planning to... you know…” She let the thought hang.

“We think it’s a matter directly tied to that concept,” Leif said curtly.

“Just remember,” Vi warned, “once you tell her, there’s no going back. I can’t say for sure, but... she doesn’t give off a good vibe.”

The party arrived at Snakemouth Den, disembarking from the sub. Mad Rat and Rat God followed, stepping off the raft.

While Kabbu kept Professor Neolith occupied, Vi and Leif whispered among themselves, trying to figure out how to involve the brown moth without revealing too much about Leif's secret.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Vi admitted, trying to hide her nerves. "The whole area is open! Even if we manage to divert him now, how do we stop him from figuring it out later? It’s inevitable—he’s going to find out eventually. What’s the point in delaying it?"

"We don’t need to worry about that," Leif replied calmly. "Even if he fixes the crystal and uncovers the stored memory right now, we don’t mind. All we need is a moment alone with Rat God. Just the two of us, in private," he whispered, glancing over at the brown moth.

Vi sighed. "That depends on what we’re actually doing here, and right now we don’t even know. The only thing I can think of is splitting into two groups, with you and Rat God together. We’ll tell Neolith we need someone who understands Roach in each group so we can separate you two. As for Rat God... I’ll figure something out once she clarifies things."

"That should work for now," Leif agreed, before heading back.

Leif felt reassured that he didn’t have the intense sensation he experienced when first exploring the upper Snakemouth Den. Back then, blurting out random Roach phrases (if they even were Roach) would’ve attracted too much attention, and Vi’s plan to split the group would’ve fallen apart before it began. 

What unsettled him, though, was the presence of the cordyceps-infected bugs wandering the facility. It might give them an excuse to stop the professor from recording everything, but splitting up now seemed riskier than ever.

Fortunately, a blue crystal stood just behind the gate to the facility. Rat God projected her magic toward it, just as she had done at the altar in the arena. 

Once again, she found herself in a mindscape—a virtual space, perhaps created by the roaches to preserve their illusory existence. But this time, the strands in the space were not glowing, making it difficult to discern their weave or logic. “They told me to reconnect them… but how do I—oh!” Rat God noticed a glowing star in the distance. It was the only thing shining brightly, and she instinctively knew it was her goal.

Grasping a nearby strand, she flew toward the star, which grew larger the closer she got. As she neared it, the star revealed itself as the terminus of another bundle of strands, with two roaches standing at the end. They held a lasso, and as soon as she approached, they flung it toward her. Though she instinctively wanted to dodge, the lasso transformed into a strand like the one she held, linking itself to the end she was carrying. 

Blue light shimmered, spreading from the newly connected strands and reaching back toward where she had started. As she admired the glowing network, she suddenly felt a tug. She turned, just in time to see a wave of strands hurtling toward her, sweeping her away into the void.

In an instant, she was back in the den, reunited with her host and the rest of the party. Two figures emerged from the blue crystal behind her.

“After all these years…” Lawrence mused wistfully, before turning to the adventurers he was tasked with guiding. “Ah, yes, we have an untimely anomaly on our hands! So, where do we start…”

Mad Rat raised his gloved paw. “You know we can rewind time, right? We just need to figure out how to go further back—like, a couple hundred years or so.”

“Well, if it were that simple, we wouldn’t be faking our death-life-whatever it is, right?” Raoul chuckled, eyeing the floating Rat God, who responded with an annoyed grunt. Being grateful for her new body was one thing; cheating death was another matter entirely.

“Alright, alright.” Lawrence cleared his throat. “The thing is, rewinding time… it doesn’t work quite the way you think.”

“Well, I don’t understand how it works anyway, so what’s the big deal?” Mad Rat smirked.

Lawrence sighed and explained, “What I mean is, even though it feels like you’re rewinding time, you’re actually sending information back. It’s more like overwriting your past self’s memories with experiences from the future.”

“Wait, if rewinding sends memories back, what was with the ghost-like thing when we went to get your passcode?” Mad Rat asked. “There weren’t any ‘us’ to rewrite back then!”

“You went... where?” Lawrence looked puzzled, and Raoul, quick to catch on, stepped forward, trying to mask his unease.

“Ah, Rana’s office. They must have gone there,” Raoul said hastily. “But you’re right. The ‘sending memories’ explanation doesn’t work when there’s no recipient in the past. What you experienced is what happens in those cases—you send... well, for lack of a better term, we’ve agreed on ‘consciousness.’ So, you end up in an ‘observer state,’ unable to interact with the past but still able to see portions of it.”

“So all we need to do is use that crystal thing again but go further back?” Mad Rat asked.

“Wait, I didn’t get sent back!” Rat God protested. “Don’t even think about leaving me stranded here!”

Mad Rat and Heart exchanged a look, far too obvious in front of Rat God, as if silently asking, and why should we care?

“It would be unwise if you think that’s a good idea,” the goddess warned, her glare fixed on Heart. “Especially for you.”

Lawrence, still confused from Raoul’s interruption, interjected, “Wait, what exactly did you do in Rana’s office?”

“There was this huge crystal in there!” Vi said excitedly. “Mad Rat took care of most of it, but I still remember getting zapped by it!”

“We—I mean, I—went back and entered that ‘observer state’ you mentioned, gathered some information, and used the crystal to return here,” Mad Rat explained briefly.

Raoul let out a quiet sigh of relief, but Rat God wasn’t fooled. She rolled her eyes, irritated by his clumsy attempt at deception.

“Ah, the unrefined one, it must be,” muttered the tall roach. “While I’m curious about the consequences of you being stranded here, that’s not really a problem. The old crystal can only send one rewinding entity back. But with our latest enhancer, which is somewhere in this facility, Rat God here can rewind in sync with Mad Rat, and both will be sent back together.” 

Mad Rat and Rat God exchanged glances. It was clear that Mad Rat and Heart was considered a single entity when it came to rewinds. They kept quiet, waiting to hear the rest of the roach's explanation.

“So, all we need to do is find your newer version of this enhancer to send the both of us a couple hundred years back?” Rat God asked.

“There are some concerns about this plan,” Lawrence admitted, “but for now, yes—that's our primary objective.”

“For something you said wasn’t going to be simple... it actually is?” Mad Rat quipped. “In the end, we just rewind a bit further, with the help of that enhancer! Heh.”

“Where exactly is this enhancer?” Kabbu inquired.

“...No clue,” Raoul replied dejectedly. “But it looks similar to the crystal you saw in the office, just smaller, denser, and with clearer cuts.” As he spoke, he projected a hologram of a cobalt blue crystal.

“Before we start searching, what happens to our physical bodies once we truly go back?” Mad Rat asked, turning around.

“That’s the ‘not-so-simple’ part,” Lawrence admitted. “I’ll need to run some calculations.” With that, the tall roach and his shorter companion disappeared back into the void.

“Ugh, it’s never easy, huh?” Vi complained, tossing her boomerang up and down. “Alright, let’s split up so we can get this done faster!”

“Split up? But it’ll be dangerous inside with all the—” Kabbu started, but after glancing at Neolith and Leif, he caught on. “Ah, yes, the situation calls for it!”

“Who’s taking her?” Mad Rat gestured at the floating Rat God, who had already begun exploring on her own.

Leif raised his hand without hesitation. “We will.”

Vi jumped at the opportunity. “Great! Leif can read Roach, Rat God can blow things up, and both of you can fly! Perfect duo for checking those hard-to-reach areas. That leaves the rest of us!”

“Wait, you can read Roach?” Neolith asked, startled by the revelation, but Vi wasn’t having it.

“Yeah, you can ask him about that later. Right now, we’ve got a crystal to find, and this place is huge! So let’s get moving. I suggest you two start with… that room over there! We’ll check the places we can reach on foot first.” Without further explanation, she dragged the bewildered Neolith and Mad Rat toward the opposite side.

"That was a bit too obvious, wasn’t it?” Rat God snickered as the others disappeared into the distance.

“Blatant obviousness is about as subtle as Vi gets,” Leif replied with a chuckle. “But at least it worked.” He conjured a floating ice platform beneath his feet. “Come on, we’ll show you the place she meant.”

Their flight was unimpeded, thanks to the fact that the cordyceps-infected bugs below had lost their ability to fly. Still, Rat God was horrified by the grotesque figures shambling beneath them. “What… what are those?” she asked, passing a zombified beetle. “They look like bugs, but I can’t feel anything alive in them!”

Leif hesitated before responding. “Those are bugs infected with cordyceps… a parasitic fungus.” The air grew heavier as another silence fell between them. Soon, they arrived at a chamber filled with test subjects, each confined in glass tubes.

So this is why you separated me from Mad Rat, Rat God thought, her eyes scanning the imprisoned creatures. Hearing about these horrors was one thing, but seeing them firsthand—it was overwhelming. She let out a deep breath, feeling an odd sense of relief. 

The goddess blinked, puzzled. Why am I glad the rat didn’t see this?

Leif watched her closely. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. A private conversation, free from the others, where he might finally get answers—though answers to what, he still wasn’t sure. Something gnawed at him, a festering emotion he couldn’t fully define. He inhaled deeply, trying to organize his turbulent thoughts.

His time in the upper Snakemouth Den had felt like closure. He had accepted that he was Leif, once a red moth, once a Roach-touched cordyceps. He was true to himself, and that was supposed to be enough. He had new friends, a new purpose. But now, being back in this facility stirred memories of his old life—his failures.

He had failed as an explorer, a husband, and a father. He had failed as a test subject. Everything here was a stark reminder of that. While he had grown adept at pushing those thoughts away, this new parasite—Rat God—challenged him in ways he hadn’t expected. She had broken free from her host, transcending her original purpose to survive, and now enjoyed a freedom and completeness no parasite should ever know. She lived, truly lived, while he remained an incomplete fusion of identities.

Leif couldn’t ignore the jealousy bubbling inside him. He wanted to know what it felt like to be whole, to have no loose ends. But could she understand that? Could she grasp what drove him to this point if he revealed his true nature?

He wasn’t sure what answers he sought, but he finally knew what he was feeling: envy. She had attained something he never could, and she’d done it with such ease.

“So… what’s it like, living for the first time? No, I mean—what’s it like being the first parasite to actually live?” Leif’s words came out sharper than he intended, laced with a bitterness that didn’t go unnoticed by Rat God.

Taken aback by the sudden hostility, Rat God turned to face him, her retort forming on her lips—then she stopped.

She stared at him, then back at the Zombeetle specimen, and then at him again.

Her expression slowly morphed into a manic grin.

“Liars… deceivers… I’ve been surrounded by them all this time,” she cackled, her voice thick with mockery.

"Alright, I’ll play along. You clearly wanted me here, just the two of us. So, tell me—what do you really want from me?”

Chapter Text

“I must say, I’m impressed.” Rat God mused. “I thought I was the master of deception, yet it was here all along, and I never even noticed it!” and she let out another manic laughter. “Ha… what a twist! Before I answer your question, I should ask you this first, now that we know each other’s true identity, Is this Leif who’s asking or is it you ?”

Leif was puzzled but soon realized what the goddess was implying. His face quickly turned pale as its implication was so clear. How… how did she figure it out so fast?! 

“We… did not deceive anyone… at least knowingly…” Leif was grasping for words. “We only recently discovered our… true nature with our teammates.” Leif regained his composure and confidence as he spoke. Just like Vi said before, he never faked anything. He stayed true to himself since waking up. White tendrils started to creep out from the cracks on his carapace. “This is us asking. A cordyceps fused with a moth, that is what we accepted.”

Again, feeling a certain presence and making sense out of it through logic was clearly different from actually experiencing one. The floating rat watched the moth’s revelation in awe. But soon her face distorted with a twinge of disappointment and soon bursted with cackling laced with mockery.

“Hahahaha!! A true master of deception indeed! You even deceived yourself!” It took a moment for her to settle down. “Hah… Accept , you say? Well, I’ve never heard a dead insect could express one’s opinion…”  

Rat God’s words struck him like a cold wind. Leif opened his mouth, his voice steady but low, as if he was convincing himself as much as her. "We may not be as we once were, but we live. We feel, we think, we choose. Through the memories and the sense of identity Leif imbued to us, We accepted our fate.”

The goddess’ mocking expression faltered, shifting into something closer to frustration. “Ah, self-deception at its finest,” she spat. “You lied to yourself to the point you cannot even discern the truth. You’ve become an insult to beings like us. That moth—your supposed ‘self’—was a tool. Now, you’re confused, reduced to a puppet by the very tool you should’ve used. A joke! No wonder your creators abandoned you, failed to recognize you as anything but a discarded experiment. Had you been successful, you’d walk alongside them, or at least deemed important enough to be caged like a prized asset.”

Leif’s response was sharp, cutting through the goddess' tirade like ice. “And yet here we are, the ones still standing, while your so-called ‘important ones’ rot away, long forgotten. It seems that even in failure, we outlasted them. They are gone, and we still remain.”

The silence that followed was thick with the weight of truth. The two stared at each other, neither yielding, the words unspoken heavy between them.

Finally, Leif sighed. “We’ve digressed,” he said quietly, though his frustration was evident in the flicker of his eyes. “You asked what we wanted. We’ve told you already: we want to know what it’s like to live. You’ve tasted freedom from your purpose. You’ve seen this world with your own eyes, outside your instinct. So tell us, what is it like to live? Outside your objective?”

Rat God was visibly confused. “My objective? But it’s not done yet?”

Leif's calm mask wavered. He fought to contain his rising frustration. “You’ve transcended what you were. You marvel at this world, at the smallest of things. Isn’t that more than what a parasite can dream of? You’ve lived free, even if just for a moment. Doesn’t that mean something to you?”

The goddess' gaze darkened, her lips twitching. "It was... eye-opening," she admitted slowly, though her voice lacked conviction. "But it’s nothing more than that. A tool to make my deceptions more convincing. Nothing else."

But even as she spoke, her words rang hollow to her own ears. Deep down, she knew something had shifted within her since the moment she gained her form. She had tasted something more—something that gnawed at her core. It was a desire she refused to acknowledge, something she feared would unravel everything if she let it surface. She bottled it down as if even just the little thought about it would come out with a horrendous outcome.

Leif scoffed, his antennae twitching with disbelief. “The roaches were right about you. You’re a machine—surviving but never truly living. They gave you a chance to be more than a parasite, and you squandered it. You think you’re free, but you’re a slave to your own instincts. That’s all you’ll ever be. We pity you, Rat God, for there is no point in explaining something you’re incapable of understanding.”

His voice had grown colder with each word. He had been foolish to seek answers from her. She wasn’t capable of living, only surviving. That’s all she’d ever do.

Rat God’s eyes narrowed, her smile thin and sharp. “At least I’m not pretending to be something I’m not,” she retorted, her voice cold and dismissive, though something flickered behind her eyes—an unease she couldn’t shake.

The words hung in the air between them, the tension palpable, neither of them willing to back down.

The two went back on searching in silence. Finding nothing, Leif no longer felt the need to be in that cursed room. He left, leaving Rat God behind, and made his way back to the main hall. As he entered, the rest of the group looked up. Vi caught his eye and silently mouthed, Is it over?

Leif gave a weak nod, his expression betraying his exhaustion.

The party resumed their search for the crystal, moving to the upper floor. As they ascended, Leif found himself walking beside Mad Rat, slowing his pace deliberately.

"So… did you get what you were looking for? From her?" Mad Rat’s voice was casual, but his eyes were sharp, as if already knowing the answer. Leif blinked in surprise, thrown by the rat's intuition. Mad Rat had figured it out—he knew Leif hadn't stayed with Rat God for the search. How much does he know? Leif wondered nervously. He had never told Mad Rat about his true nature, never felt the need to, especially since he himself was still grappling with it. But Mad Rat, once a test subject like Leif, seemed to sense more than he let on.

"Unfortunately… no," Leif admitted with a sigh, his frustration bleeding into his words. "It’s so… frustrating! She has all these opportunities, all that potential, and she just… throws it away. Wasting them on making her illusions more convincing, or whatever! She’s still the same. Still just a parasite." His voice carried a heavy weight, the bitterness of disappointment.

Mad Rat’s gaze drifted toward the hallway, the one leading back to the room where Rat God still lingered. His expression softened, his eyes thoughtful. "Maybe," he said quietly, "but I think something’s changed."

Leif narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by that? You really think she’s capable of change? She mocked us, Mad Rat, her ‘moon’ was nothing but a future resource for her wretched plan!”

Mad Rat gave a faint smile, though his eyes were distant. "I can’t explain it, but…" He tapped his temples lightly. "She’s in here, y’know? And I’ve got this… feeling. No—it's more than that. I know something’s different since you two talked. I don’t know what you guys talked about, but… I get these flashes sometimes—thoughts, emotions—but it’s all mixed up. It’s like… she doesn’t know what to do with herself. She’s afraid of something… something inevitable… yet she chose to ignore it.

Leif crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall, processing what the rat had just said. "And you think that’s enough? That some vague feeling means she can change?" He scoffed, though there was no malice in it. "Mad Rat, that parasite wants you dead. She’ll do whatever it takes to survive. And you still think she’s some tragic figure in need of saving?"

"Hence the name Mad Rat!" the rodent chuckled, winking as if trying to ease the tension. "Trust me, I’d be just as skeptical as you if she was inside my head all the time. But she’s not. I’ve got Heart to keep me in check, to fend her off if she tries anything." He winked again, this time addressing Heart silently. "The thing is… I don’t know. Maybe she’s still planning something awful, maybe she’s waiting for the right moment to lure me into the jaws of a cat. But there’s something more to her now. I can feel it. And it’s not just survival anymore."

Leif remained silent for a moment, considering Mad Rat’s words. Could it be possible? Could the goddess actually be experiencing something beyond her need to survive? Or was this just another layer to her deception?

"I don’t know," Leif said finally, his voice quiet. "Maybe you're right. Maybe she is capable of more. But I wouldn’t count on it, Mad Rat. Parasites don’t change. They just… adapt."

Mad Rat’s smile remained, a little sadder now, but no less convinced. "Maybe. But I’m telling you, something’s different. Whether that change is for the better or worse… I guess we’ll find out."

Aaaargh, nothing here either!" Vi's shout echoed from up ahead. Leif and Mad Rat hurriedly caught up with the rest of the team, where Vi buzzed irritably above the catwalk. "Are they sure the crystal is here? It's been centuries! What if it's already been destroyed—or stolen?"

Rat God floated into view, joining the group. Her gaze briefly flicked toward the blue moth and the rat, narrowing in suspicion before she let out a scoff. "Found nothing on my end," she announced dryly.

"We should consult the roaches," Kabbu suggested, his voice calm but laced with growing frustration. "We're getting nowhere."

"I hope they have something helpful this time," Vi muttered, her wings fluttering with impatience.

The group made their way back toward the entrance, where the glowing blue save-point crystal stood. Rat God hovered nearby, motioning Leif and Mad Rat over. Both appeared weary from their own efforts, their frustration palpable.

"The crystal’s still here, I’m sure of it," Lawrence said as he glanced at the readouts on his screen. "We’re picking up signals, but without full clearance, it’s been hard to pinpoint exactly where. But it is here."

Raoul tilted his head in thought. "And you're certain you’ve searched everywhere? Every stone turned?"

Firm nods from the party confirmed their thoroughness, but the roach’s expression remained thoughtful. "Hmm… strange," Raoul muttered, trailing off.

Then his face lit up. "Wait! Were there any moving platforms or conveyor belts inside? Or pneumatic tubes?" His excitement grew when met with puzzled stares. "I’ll be right back!" In a blink, he vanished, leaving the group in stunned silence before reappearing just as quickly, now holding something.

"I’ve got the blueprints!" Raoul declared triumphantly. "If you didn’t find the crystal anywhere else, it must be in one of these five locations!"

"Five?" Vi exclaimed, exasperated. "Where?"

Raoul projected the blueprints in a glowing hologram, highlighting concealed conveyor systems that might carry the blue crystal. "The conveyor belts aren’t fully visible. You’ll have to split up and go to five different rooms where you can access them. Then, you’ll need to activate the powerline to turn on just the conveyors. Watch carefully as the belt moves—you might only have a moment to spot the crystal before it passes by."

Vi and Mad Rat raised their hands.

"Should we be worried about enemies jumping out?" Vi asked, cautious.

“That…might be a possibility," Lawrence responded, scanning the projection. "Anything smaller than Vi’s thorax height could get through."

Mad Rat followed up. "How long does a full cycle take? Can we finish this in one day?"

Raoul looked uncertain. "Hard to say. The speed isn’t mentioned, but increasing the output too much might knock the crystal off the belt. It’ll take several tries, and you may need to use your rewind ability to adjust the speed safely."

The group headed to the power station, an area that even Team Snakemouth hadn’t visited before. With Lawrence's hacking, they gained access to the underground station. Inside, the generator lay in disrepair, neglected for years. Neolith deciphered the Roach text on the instrument panels, eventually finding an emergency power switch. When he flipped it, instead of reviving the machinery, a trap door behind them opened.

"Plug in the emergency generator here…" Neolith translated aloud. They found the generator in a dusty corner—a rectangular box with a cord hanging from its top. Kabbu and Mad Rat hauled it over and plugged it in. The generator clunked and slid open, revealing what looked like a treadmill.

"So… what now?" Mad Rat asked.

"It says to convert mechanical motion into power…" Neolith read slowly, eyeing the treadmill-like surface.

Realizing what needed to be done, Kabbu stepped up and began running. But the belt did not budge, leaving the green beetle to proceed forward.

“Is something jammed in the machinery? why is it not moving?” Mad Rat hopped on and walked around trying to find if something was stuck inside.

This time, however, the belt started to move, and the machine, the whole panel came to life. the rat could feel the belts slipping back as he stepped forward.

“I guess Kabbu was too light!” Vi quipped.

Snrk… the winged rat smirked. The rat glared at the goddess and let out a scoff.

Leif and Neolith were on the panel. They were making sure the power was only being sent to the conveyor systems. 

“We think you should speed up more than that!” Leif shouted back.

“Faster than this..?” The jogging rat said, panting. “Heart, can you give me a beat? I don;t know how long are we going to do this…”

“On it!” Heart said.

Now the rat was running on all fours. It just felt like sprinting through the lab, minus the lack of scenery change.

It also resembled the lab rats on their wheels back in the lab. Rat God was giving him a mocking grin, as she too noticed this.

“Don’t.” Mad Rat growled quietly. “Not another word"

Leif’s shout interrupted the brewing exchange. "That’s enough speed! Keep it steady!"

As Mad Rat ran, Kabbu noticed a conveyor belt high above. "There’s another opening up there. Neolith, can you keep an eye on it while we check the upper floors?"

"Of course!" Neolith replied, his eyes following the catwalk conveyor.

The rest of the team went back up to the ground floor and splitted up. Rat God was once again back in a room full of specimens. Below her, a conveyor belt coursed steadily through a wide gap. It moved slowly, debris and old junk passing along, just as Raoul had predicted.

Then, unexpectedly, she spotted it. A cobalt blue crystal, softly glowing, nestled among the debris. Its light shimmered, just as the roaches had described. Without hesitation, Rat God snatched it from the conveyor.

Rat God grinned triumphantly as she held the shimmering blue crystal in her hand, the object that would finally allow her to rewind time and return to her original timeline. Soon, she would leave this future behind, return to the moment where it all began, and survive as she always had. She soared down the dark corridors of the facility.

But something caught her attention—a faint, warm glow seeping through one of the narrow ventilation shafts above. An orange light, unlike anything she had seen before, flickered through the cracks, casting long shadows on the walls. Curiosity pulled her upward, her wings carrying her gracefully toward the source of the light. She squeezed through the narrow passage, feeling the cool air rush past her face. As she emerged from the vent, Rat God found herself high above the facility, on a rocky outcropping overlooking a vast, desolate concrete skyline. And there, on the horizon, the sun was setting.

In her genetic programming, of course she ‘knew’ what sunsets were. Time progression was one of the key elements for mental manipulation of the host. She even rendered one herself when tricking her host back in her timeline.

However, it was her first time to actually see it through her own eyes.

The sky was ablaze with color—deep, molten oranges and fiery reds bled into soft hues of pink and violet. Golden light spilled over the jagged hills, casting a warm, ethereal glow on everything it touched. Clouds, bathed in the sun’s final rays, were painted in hues of lavender and rose, their edges lined with silver. It was as though the world itself was burning, not with destruction, but with life, with an intense beauty that Rat God had never imagined possible. She slowly made her descent at the top of the den where the facility lies beneath. She thought she knew the world enough to render a convincing illusion. But this… this was different. This was the sun—a real, living sun. It was beautiful beyond words, a sight that filled her with something unfamiliar, something unsettling.

Her chest tightened as she realized she had never truly seen the world before. Not like this. Not in all her long, parasitic existence. She had always looked at the world as something to be used, a resource for her survival. But this sunset—it was more than just light. It was alive. It was a fleeting moment of beauty that demanded nothing in return, that simply was .

The warmth of the sun’s dying rays kissed her face, and the chilly evening wind ruffled her fur. A strange feeling swelled within her—something she could neither identify nor control. It gnawed at her, tugged at her from the inside in a way nothing had ever done before.

Was this what it felt like… to live?

For the first time in her existence, Rat God felt the weight of the body the roaches had gifted her. The sensation of the air on her skin, the way the wind tousled her fur, the subtle hum of her wings—all of it felt real . She was no longer just a parasite clinging to survival. She was something more. She had a body, a life—a chance to experience the world as something other than a mere invader. And she had never realized just how precious that was.

Then, a realization struck her like a blow.

If she returned to her original timeline, she would lose all of this. She would be reduced back to what she was before—a parasite, trapped in a host, incapable of feeling, incapable of living . This body, this gift from the roaches, would be gone. And with it, so too would go any chance of ever seeing something like this again.

She stared at the fading sun, her heart racing. Did she really want to give this up?

Rat God had always been driven by survival, by the need to continue, to outwit, to deceive. But now, as the sky darkened and the stars began to twinkle faintly above, she wondered if survival was enough. If going back to her timeline, her host, her endless cycle of parasitism—if that was what she truly wanted anymore.

A part of her screamed to return, to finish what she had started, to fulfill her purpose. But another part, deep inside, whispered that maybe—just maybe—she could stay. Delay the inevitable, if only for a little longer.

What would it hurt… to see the sunset one more time?

She knew where to find the crystal. She wasn’t endangering her mission… for now. She was still in control of everything—except for the tears rolling down her cheeks. She brushed them away in frustration, but they kept coming, blurring her vision of the sunset.

"One more day," she whispered to herself. "Just another day, and then I’ll go back. I’ll definitely go back for sure."

She lied to herself.

Chapter Text

Rat God slipped quietly back into the main hall. The day was winding down, and soon enough, Mad Rat would need a break. Before leaving, she tucked the blue crystal into one of the abandoned pneumatic tubes—a meaningless act, for now, but it gave her a sense of control, knowing where it would be for the future.

One by one, the bugs and Mad Rat emerged from their designated search areas, signaled by the halted conveyor belt.

“No luck,” Kabbu said as he joined Leif and Vi. “Is the day already over? It’s difficult to feel the passage of time in this place.”

“Maybe next time,” Mad Rat sighed, wiping sweat from his brow. “At least now we know where and what to look for,” he added, sounding casual, though his words felt slightly strained.

As he spoke, Rat God noticed a brief, sidelong glance from him—sharp, focused, as if searching for something unspoken between them. His face still bore suspicious streaks, as though tears had mixed with the sweat. That glance, combined with the marks, stirred something within her, a faint pressure in the back of her mind, but she couldn’t quite place its meaning.

Mad Rat took a deep breath before collecting his thoughts, as he needed to remind the team of the progress once they went back. His gloved paw pressed lightly on his chest, and soon the world froze and faded into gray. Time started to flow backwards.

Mad Rat and Rat God explained the events to Team Snakemouth, her illusion projected beside him, filling in any details he missed. For her, slipping back into her illusory form felt… strange. It had been the only form she’d ever truly known—the shape she controlled with the same precision and efficiency, even when her original self was a collection of cells drifting inside the rat’s brain. This form had always been enough. It was functional, practical. She had never given it a second thought.

But after giving a taste of what a real corporal form can provide her, being back in that floating ghost in her host’s head was so… dull and gray. Her surroundings felt like nothing but shapes. meaningless shapes of mere imitations. She couldn’t stand it even a second of it. A sense of sorrow and confusion crept over her. This illusion had once been her normalcy. The physical form she had briefly possessed was supposed to be nothing more than a transient distraction, as she had coldly declared to Leif. Yet now, that illusion felt unbearable.

With an uneasy turmoil brewing within her, the parasite projected magic once again. She was in virtual space. She followed the cyan light, into the chamber full of glass tubes, where the ‘roaches’ were. and tapped on Raoul’s cylinder. The conversation between the two was more brief, stemming from the goddess’ impatience.

With the similar pleasantries, introductions, and explanation of their mission, the whole team embarked to the Snakemouth den. Just before they left, Raoul emerged and handed her the white cube—a necessary tool for their journey but also the very object that had set her on this diverging path. As she held it, Rat God couldn’t help but feel a spark of something unfamiliar. Was it a relief? Elation? The object represented her survival, but now it meant more than that. Don’t get attached. It’s a tool. Like everything else. Use it to survive, nothing more. It felt like her instincts were chastising her for her joy.

Back on the raft under the leaves for hiding, Rat God found herself once again stroking the water with her hand, propelling the vehicle forward. The sensations—the coolness of the water, the weight of it against her fingers, the way moisture clung to her skin—were as vivid as they had been before. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, warming her in a way that filled her with renewed wonder. Stop enjoying this. Focus. The mission. The mission is all that matters.

Yet, something was different this time. Mad Rat, seated nearby, was uncharacteristically silent. He had been quiet before, but now, his occasional glances toward her carried a weight she couldn’t ignore. She could feel him observing her, trying to read her, but she wasn’t ready to acknowledge it. For now, she let herself enjoy the sensations of the moment and pushed his gaze out of her mind.

When they reached the upper chamber of Snakemouth Den, Rat God once again reconnected the strands of magic, calling the Roaches back to the facility. Together, she and Mad Rat outlined their search plan: he would power the conveyor belts while the others stood ready at their assigned spots. 

As she explained the strategy, Rat God noticed the disappointed expressions on Leif and Vi's faces, especially Leif’s. The private encounter with the blue moth, the one whose fragmented identity reflected her own struggles, would not happen—at least not now. She couldn’t help but scoff at the thought.

Standing before the conveyor belt, Rat God watched as it hummed to life, the debris above slowly shifting. Soon enough, the crystal—the key to rewinding time and returning to her original timeline—emerged. Her hand darted out, snatching the crystal from the belt. But unlike before, the triumph she had once felt was absent. She stared at it, but there was no surge of satisfaction.

Good. Now go back and finish the mission. Survive. her instincts hissed, a sharp inner command urging her forward.

She shook her head, trying to clear the noise. She still had time, she still had control. A little sidetracked "research" wouldn’t disrupt her plans too much, would it? After lingering a bit, she tucked the crystal into one of the pneumatic tubes for safekeeping and crept back out to the main hall.

There was still plenty of time before sunset, and with her usual agility, she slipped into the vents, heading for another of her secret excursions.

The clear cerulean afternoon sky greeted her when she emerged. Feathery cirrus clouds floated above, and in the west, the sky had already begun its transformation—deepening with shades of orange as the late afternoon sun dipped lower. It was another breathtaking view, and as always, her instincts whispered harshly, Stay focused. Finish the mission.

She pushed the voice away, forcing it out of her mind with all the strength she could muster. Yet despite her effort, the tears came anyway. Slowly, quietly, they rolled down her cheeks as the sun began to set, painting the clouds in brilliant hues of coral and lavender.

She stood there in silence, watching the sky shift from day to dusk, yet unable to understand why the tears wouldn’t stop. Was it the view, the very reason for this rewind? Was it from her inner thoughts colliding with her desires? Was it from the realization that she had to keep this masquerade to keep the status quo, to see this beautiful view just once more? She stood in the stillness, watching the sky fade into navy twilight, the stars beginning to twinkle faintly above, while her mind wrestled with itself.

Meanwhile, at the lower chambers, Mad Rat was running on the treadmill. He felt he became just like the mob rats, running on the wheel mindlessly, and gave a bitter smirk. The memories back in the lab were still vivid in the back of his mind. No matter how far he was away, either spatially or even temporally, he could never fully shake the feeling that he hadn’t truly escaped. But for now, keeping his legs moving and his heart pounding helped drown out the intrusive thoughts.

Suddenly, something strange washed over him—emotions that weren’t his own. A flood of confusion, doubt, and... a twinge of guilt? It was foreign but familiar, and there was only one possible source of such an intrusion: the parasite in his brain.

He wiped his forehead, thinking it was sweat, but his vision was still blurry, and the moisture clinging on his gloves was lower than where he thought it would be. Tears. He growled under his breath and wiped his face again roughly, trying to clear his eyes.

"Hey, you alright?" Heart appeared in front of him, his concern cutting through the noise. "What’s going on? You’re… crying?"

Mad Rat huffed, wiping his face again, pretending not to notice the tears. "It’s just sweat, Heart," he said quickly. "Nothing to worry about." But as the words left his mouth, he knew they weren’t true.

A few moments later, the day came to another close. The others regrouped, each one showing the usual signs of fatigue and disappointment. “No luck…” Kabbu muttered, breaking the silence, his voice tinged with frustration.

“Again…” Mad Rat added quietly, his voice more subdued. His eyes shifted to Rat God, who was carefully avoiding his gaze. There she was, standing right there, but it was clear she was hiding something. He could feel it—not just from the mental connection, but from the way she carried herself. But what was it? He wasn’t sure.

Whatever it was, he chose to let it go for now. Rat God wasn’t reckless. She might be deceptive, but she wouldn’t jeopardize their common goal. At least… that’s what he kept telling himself. Maybe he was being paranoid. After everything that had happened, it wasn’t exactly easy to let his guard down around her. But for now, he let the matter slide, uncertain of what her game was… but unwilling to confront it just yet.

Another rewind, another explanation. Rat God’s illusionary form was becoming more and more unbearable. A creeping fear began to gnaw at her—what if these repeated rewinds distorted her sense of normalcy beyond repair? What if her indulgence compromised the very goal she had clung to for so long? Her instincts, always sharp and clear, continued to scream at her. This is ridiculous, this is nothing but a distraction. Find the crystal, finish the mission.  

Kicking the water to propel the raft felt more laborious than before, each movement heavier than the last. And the rat’s sideline glancing didn’t help either. Does he know? she wondered. Could he sense the inner turmoil gnawing at her? It felt as though he was seeing right through her carefully constructed facade. Perhaps the discomfort was not coming from being exposed, but something else… As their gaze met by a split second, a memory emerged. The memory of what she had done—of trying to lead Mad Rat to his death. She had almost succeeded. She could have been free of him, continuing her parasitic existence, surviving as she always had. But now, something twisted in her chest when she thought of it. Why does it matter? she asked herself. I did what I had to do to survive. I would do it again if necessary.

…Right?

Another concealment, another excursion. Another nightfall, and the following stream of tears. It was so fascinating how the same view of each sunset—those hues of orange and pink bleeding across the sky—never failed to captivate her. Rat God’s hands flexed around the crystal, and she felt that uncomfortable tightness again.

You’re hesitating. Why? her instincts snarled. You know what needs to be done. Just take the crystal and go back. Finish the mission.

But she couldn’t.

Her instincts screamed. You were happier before. Back when you didn’t care. Back when all that mattered was survival. She tried to push the discomfort away, but it remained.

Another descent, another running on the treadmill. Another emotional encroachment, and the following stream of tears. Now it was too explicit to ignore.

"She’s stalling," Heart said, cutting through his thoughts. "She’s not looking for the crystal anymore, she’s just delaying."

Mad Rat frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the ceiling where he imagined Rat God must be, doing anything but actually searching for the crystal. His voice came out quieter, more reflective than Heart expected. "Maybe. But I don’t think it’s just stalling…"

Once again the party converged in the main hall. “No luck…” Kabbu and Mad Rat said in unison. “Once again…” the rat added softly and turned his gaze to the floating rat, who seemed visibly alarmed. Through her weird reaction and the steady flow through the mental connection, he was feeling guilt. He was surprised at the fact that the parasite was even capable of feeling such emotion, but still bewildered on what she was guilty about. 

“We gotta do something about this, Mad Rat.” Heart said, edged with concern. “We’re enabling her by doing nothing! She’s a parasite, she’s manipulating you!”

“I know,” the rat sighed. “But this feels… different. She’s hesitating. I can feel it.”

Heart was quiet for a moment, before replying, "Just be careful, Mad Rat. Don’t let her fool you again."

Mad Rat gave a small nod, though the unease lingered in his chest. "I won’t. But I need to understand what's really going on with her."

Third rewind, it was. Another chance to see the breathtaking view while her inside was tearing her apart. Another chance for him to get closer to the truth. Rat God wasn’t the same. Guilt wasn’t just lingering—it was becoming a constant companion.

You’re failing your instincts , her inner voice growled. You were supposed to be better than this. A parasite doesn’t feel guilt. A parasite survives.

She pressed her lips together, trying to shake off the weight in her chest. But even her instincts couldn’t drown out the growing voice inside her.

You were happier before. Before you had this ‘life.’ You had a mission, a purpose. This body, this awareness—it’s ruining everything. You’re weaker for it.

Mad Rat’s presence brushed lightly against her mind, and their eyes met. He was watching her silently, clearly noticing the change in her with each rewind. She was quieter, slower, more distant. Her once-certain movements were hesitant now, and Mad Rat felt her inner conflict bleeding through their shared connection.

As the party separated to their assigned positions, Mad Rat prepared for another round on the treadmill. An idea began to take shape in his mind. He approached Professor Neolith, interrupting his scribbling with a quiet question, before heading off to his post.

Meanwhile, back in the upper chambers, Rat God waited for the conveyor belt to start moving. The familiar hum of the machinery kicked in, but something was wrong—the belt was moving backward. Panic shot through her. She leapt onto the belt without a second thought. She couldn’t let anyone find the crystal. 

The tunnel was tight, but thankfully high enough for her to crawl through. Debris stabbed at her knees, the sharp pain shooting through her legs. She gritted her teeth, ignoring her instincts, which were screaming louder than ever. It doesn’t matter who finds the crystal! You’re losing control!

 The pain and the inner hissing was hammering her head, but Rat God pushed forward, undeterred. Soon enough, she spotted the faint blue shimmer of the crystal nestled among the debris. She snatched it up and began to crawl backward, determined to keep the masquerade intact. But the belt was moving too quickly. She struggled to keep up, her movements slowing as the belt carried her farther away. The goddess sighed and stopped crawling, and hid the crystal in her pocket. She laid down and made a mental note to find the crystal before the belt moves in the future. 

Why did the conveyor belt go backwards in the first place? she questioned. It was Mad Rat. of course it was him. But could she really blame him? She wasn’t searching for the crystal anymore—she was only delaying, trying to steal another sunset. Deception was second nature to her, a casual tool for survival. But this deception… it felt different. It was tearing her apart.

A blinding light suddenly filled her vision as she neared one of the openings. Great, just what I needed. She expected one of the bugs to find her, and quickly started coming up with some silly excuse for being stranded on the belt. But unlike her expectation, it was the blue moth who came into her sight.

“Oh…” She muttered, with a twinge of annoyance.

“What are you doing there?” Leif asked, his tone genuinely surprised.

“Just fell into the conveyor belt, that’s all.” she snapped. 

She floated back to the platform next to Leif, and saw him straight to the eye. After her last encounter with the imposter, even looking at the abomination felt repulsive. She knew what he wanted. A pathetic validation. “I know what you’re thinking,” Rat God said curtly. “And this conversation already happened in a previous trial.” She began to walk away, dismissing him.

“Oh? That makes it easier for us then,” Leif said, unfazed by her coldness. “So… what’s living like?”

Rat God whirled around, ready to lash out, but no words came. She froze, her retort caught in her throat.

She was living in a loop full of lies. She knew she couldn’t keep this up, yet whenever she saw what she wanted–each beautiful sunset–in every rewind… it was worth it. It always was. She never thought she'd value anything more than survival, yet there she was, conflicted.

Just like that cat who hid himself and once tried to trap the Rat.

Just like the cordyceps who hid themselves in a dying moth.

“It’s… it’s…” she trembled, but no meaningful words would come out. She was falling apart under the weight of her own lies, and Leif’s simple question had pierced her defenses in a way she wasn’t prepared for.

“I have to go,” she blurted out, voice tight with tension. “I can’t leave my spot unattended.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and hurried from the room, her heart pounding as she fled.

“Huh, well that sure changed something.” Mad Rat smirked as he wiped the tears from his face. It was far too early for sundown, yet the tears kept flowing. That, in its own way, confirmed his suspicion. Rat God had found the crystal in the previous rewinds, but now that the crystal was headed in a different direction, she was doing something different too. It wasn’t the most flawless logic, but the flood of emotions he felt pointed him toward that conclusion. She was stalling, there was no doubt about that now. But why? Why was she hesitating?

"She’s really struggling this time," Mad Rat thought aloud, though he wasn’t sure if he was speaking to himself or to Heart.

Heart’s voice was quieter this time, less harsh but still guarded. "What do you think she’s struggling with? Survival is her instinct. She’s still trying to prolong this."

Mad Rat frowned. "It’s more than that… If it really was about survival, this stalling seems contradictory, right?” He kept running, his legs burning as he powered the treadmill, but the weight of Rat God’s emotions still pressed on him. He hated it. Hated that he couldn’t just block it out. Hated that a part of him was starting to understand what she was going through.

"She’s scared of going back," Mad Rat said, his voice lower, more thoughtful. "She doesn’t want to lose this… life she’s got now. I don’t think she wants to be just a parasite anymore."

Heart’s tone softened, more hesitant now. "You think she’s capable of change?"

Mad Rat scoffed, though it lacked his usual bite. "Hell if I know. But I’m starting to think she’s not as heartless as she wants everyone to believe."

Mad Rat’s steps slowed as he neared the end of the run, his legs burning but his mind elsewhere. He couldn’t quite explain it, but despite everything, he was starting to feel for Rat God. Damn it, he thought, wiping his face again. I don’t want to feel sorry for her. But here we are.

At the top of the facility, Rat God was watching the sky burning its last colors before night was falling. She cherished this moment more than anything, enough to fight her own instincts and quell the incessant internal screeching. But as the last ray of sunlight dipped below the horizon, her inner turmoils began to rise like the stars dotting the twilight. Once again there was the voice chiding her. Once again the masquerade would continue. Once again, she would endure this until the next trial, the next rewind, the next sunset.

You were happier before , her instincts whispered again. You didn’t feel this. You didn’t have to deal with these emotions. Now look at you. Weak. Afraid. Lost.

Maybe her instincts were right. Maybe this had been a mistake all along. But… she couldn’t give it up. Not yet. Just one more day, she silently pleaded. Please…!

A memory surfaced, from the back of her mind.

It was the first time Mad Rat was watching the moon, the real moon. He seemed a bit disappointed from the view, but oddly enough, that gave him the courage to move on. “Maybe death is just the same, no big deal!” were the rodent’s words. it strengthened him, given him the will to keep going, to face death with open arms. To give up life for the sake of meaning. Rat God just couldn’t understand, but she knew it was a pivotal moment of the rat’s resolve.

That moment meant so much to him. enough to come up with a resolution no living being should be able to even think of. The source of his unyielding determination.

It felt… similar to what the sunset meant to the goddess.

And oh, how she tried to take that moon away from him… to take his life from him…

Her hands clenched into fists, and she dropped to her knees on the cold floor of the rooftop.

It was an emotion no parasite could ever harbor, but there it was.

The guilt.

She couldn’t escape it. She had come so close to destroying something precious to him, and now, as the sunset faded into night, she realized the weight of what she had almost done. The emotions she had once discarded as useless were now flooding her, overwhelming her.

And the worst part?

She wasn’t sure she wanted them to stop.

“She’s not here!” Vi shouted as the party regrouped, all present except for Rat God.

“I’ll go look for her,” Mad Rat said flatly, glancing up at one of the vents.

“Mad Rat,” Leif said softly, stepping forward to stop him. “We saw her lying on the conveyor belt earlier. She said she dropped there by mistake and went back, but... we got the feeling that wasn’t the full story.”

“Huh,” Mad Rat replied, feigning indifference. “That is weird.” His voice was casual, almost dismissive, but inside, a clear picture was forming. 

With swift movements, he wall-jumped into the vent system, navigating it effortlessly until he emerged at the rooftop. Before he even saw her, he could hear the quiet sobs. He hid behind one of the vents, peeking out cautiously.

There she was—Rat God—on her knees, sobbing softly into the twilight air. Mad Rat had come to confront her, to catch her in whatever scheme she was brewing. But something about the scene before him stopped him cold. It didn’t feel like a trick. It didn’t feel like deception. Tears began to well up in his own eyes, spilling down his face.

“Just another day… I don’t want to… lose this,” he heard her mutter between sobs.

She was scared. Scared of going back. Of returning to her original timeline and giving up her physical form.

In a way, it was like losing her life.

Heart’s voice echoed softly in his mind, full of understanding. “I was once scared like that…”

Mad Rat stayed silent for a moment, processing everything. "She’s doing what I did,” Heart continued gently. “She’s trying to hold onto this timeline, just like I tried to hold onto you.”

Mad Rat’s gaze softened as he wiped his face. He understood now—more than he wanted to. Rat God wasn’t plotting some grand betrayal. She was afraid. And her fear wasn’t that different from Heart.

“We should go back,” Mad Rat finally said, his voice quiet but firm. “She’ll understand.”

With a heavy heart, he closed his eyes and initiated the rewind, pulling them all back into the cycle once again.

Thus came the fourth. Rat God was confused to find herself in the past from the sudden rewind. Thankfully the tears were gone, and with a quick thinking she carefully read the rat’s face before saying anything. The masquerade had to continue, just to see another sunset.

“You were taking too long, whatever you were doing… there. So I took the liberty to rewind back here.” Mad Rat said, with his usual snark embedded in.

“Where were… you? No, what was that place?!” Vi Vi blurted, turning toward the empty space where Rat God was invisible to her, right before her flickering memory of the now unhappened timeline decayed into nothing.

“Probably nothing important,” Mad Rat cut in curtly, before Rat God could even think of an excuse. “We didn’t find anything, so that’s what we should focus on.”

Of course, the master of deception was always prepared for a convincing lie, but the rat’s dismissiveness rendered it unnecessary. Strange… she thought. It almost felt like he was covering up for her. Perhaps it was just his frustration of finding the crystal, she thought and another pang of guilt hammered her guts. 

And yet… his eyes were not glimmering with accusation. Rather… there was a warmth of understanding. Perhaps such an impression was coming through the mental connection, she did not know. 

Still, she had a cube to get from the roach. Again she went into the virtual space. When she tapped Raoul’s glass and explained her situation, everything seemed the same as before.

“You do seem troubled…” Raoul made a comment. “Never expected to see such a wistful face from a… parasite like you.” Rat God frowned, her irritation flaring at his thinly veiled mockery. Alarmed by her reaction, the roach quickly continued. “I mean… It's a good thing! I can sense you’ve been rewinding from all those temporal residues, and I can tell there were some… significant changes, right?”

Significant, yes. But was it a good thing? She wasn’t so sure anymore.

Later, on the raft, Mad Rat was unusually quiet. Normally, she would catch him glancing at her every now and then, suspicious, wary. But today, he seemed genuinely preoccupied—almost as if he was trying to enjoy the swim. That in itself was strange, considering how much he hated the damp water clinging to his fur. Rat God, on the other hand, was troubled with her internal torrent of voices, too much to enjoy the sunlight seeping through the foliage.

You’ve lost focus, her instincts hissed. You used to be better than this. You were efficient. You didn’t care. And now look at you—pathetic, confused, hesitant.

At the facility, as the team splitted up to reach their designated search spots, Rat God quickly jumped onto the conveyor belt, reaching for the crystal. It was within arm’s reach, and after securing it, she darted back to the platform, fearing it might start moving like last time. Oddly enough, the belt moved slower this time.

She hid the crystal in one of the pneumatic tubes, and slid out for another excursion–the fruit of this masquerade.

Meanwhile, at the lower level, Mad Rat was now practically strolling on the treadmill.

“Are you sure this is enough speed for the search?” Professor Neolith asked, raising an eyebrow. “At this rate, only a short length will be covered.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing,” Mad Rat smirked. “Maybe we failed last time because we were too reckless. Maybe the crystal got knocked off the belt,” he added nonchalantly.

“Are you really sure she is feeling guilt from all that?” Heart asked. “You really think she regrets it?”

Mad Rat hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. I do. She’s not just stalling anymore. She’s trying to figure out how to move forward. And she doesn’t know how."

“Is there even any way for her to ‘move forward’? Heart sighed. “We can’t keep letting her do this! We have to go back at one point! And… without that cube thing, it means…”

“We’ll find a way.” the rat said, full of determination.

As the sky set ablaze once again, Rat God stood atop the facility, watching the white clouds transforming into patches of orange and periwinkle. The elation from the view always justified all the laborious work to even be in this place even for such a brief moment. Tears again rolled down her cheeks, but it held weight this time.

She swallowed hard, staring at the sunset for what felt like the hundredth time. I wasn’t confused before because I didn’t care. But now... now I care.

The admission hit her. She cared . She cared about this life, about this body. And, as much as she cherished her own existence, she could no longer weigh Mad Rat’s life any less.

Mad Rat’s presence in her mind was different now—more curious, more probing. He could feel the change in her, the growing conflict. She could sense his worry, his subtle understanding. He knew she was struggling. Just like she was able to see the glimpses of his mind, the rat somehow learned to take a look at hers. Taking control of information was a crucial part of deception, and while that should have unsettled her, it didn’t. Instead, his warmth was oddly comforting.

Her instincts, however, were far less forgiving.

You should go back. Take the crystal and go back. This guilt, this hesitation—none of it matters. It’s making you weak. Now your host can even read you! Enough of this nonsense. Finish the mission. Survive.

But her thoughts rebelled. Survive for what? For another endless cycle? For more deception?

Her instincts hissed angrily, but she couldn’t push away the truth anymore. I’m not happy. I wasn’t happier before. I didn’t know what happiness was.

Her instincts lashed out, trying to force her back on track. You don’t deserve this life. You’re a parasite. You don’t deserve to live like this. Finish the mission.

She closed her eyes, the guilt nearly suffocating her. Maybe I don’t deserve it. But I want this life. I want to live, not just survive.

Her instincts snarled one last time. This guilt, this hesitation—it wouldn’t have happened if you had stayed true to your purpose. You were better off before. You were stronger when you didn’t care.

As the world around her darkened and twilight stars began to twinkle above, Rat God dropped to her knees, sobbing quietly. She gazed at the stars, their light filling the void around her, and for the first time, she admitted to herself: I’m scared. I don’t want to lose this. But I don’t deserve it either.

Mad Rat’s presence lingered in her mind, patient and kind. He could feel her fear, her guilt, but he didn’t push her. He was waiting for her to make the next move.

And for the first time, Rat God didn’t know what to do.

“Just… one day more…” She pleaded weakly.

Later, Rat God returned to the main hall, regrouping with the party. She kept her face composed, masking her turmoil, but Mad Rat watched her silently, noticing the slight redness around her eyes. He scratched his head, pretending not to care, but the truth was gnawing at him.

“No luck…” Kabbu said, sounding dejected. “How many times have we rewound already?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Mad Rat responded, his gaze still lingering on Rat God. “We’ll find a way. No matter what.”

Vi opened her mouth, about to ask what he meant by "finding a way"—wasn’t the crystal what they were looking for?—but the thought blurred before she could fully form it.

Mad Rat rewound back, and was doing his “filling in between rewinds” routine. Right after finishing it, he looked at Rat God, and gave her a firm nod.

Rat God didn’t know what it meant, but nodded him back and went on to wake up the roaches. Was he reading her? She felt a sudden sense of anxiety. It seemed without the corporal form, her instinctual voice spoke more volumes. Or was it something else? She couldn't tell, but was eager to delve into that form once again.

Knowing the rat also had the connection somehow quelled her inner voice. I was… comforting, and she was able to enjoy the little swim along the stream once again. She was still unsure of all this… Maybe she wanted to believe the rat cared for her. It felt… vulnerable, but at the same time, relying on her host, emotionally, that is, gave her a sense of clarity. Maybe… just maybe, even after all her crimes against him and heart, if he can show her kindness… perhaps that could mean…

You think you deserve this?? After what you did to him? 

Now he can read you like an open book! You’ll never deceive him ever again! And you call yourself a parasite?

The voices returned, tearing her apart.

Shut up! she screamed internally. I never asked to be born like this! I don’t want this! I don’t want to kill him just to keep surviving in that oblivion! She shook her head furiously, trying to drown out the chaotic thoughts.

Mad Rat, silently watching her, noticed the internal battle raging inside her. His gaze softened with concern.

Everything unfolded as it had before—Mad Rat powering the treadmill, Rat God hiding the crystal, and the rest of the party oblivious, each stationed at their assigned spots.

“Got any ideas?” Mad Rat panted as he kept up his pace on the treadmill.

“We have to face her. We can’t keep dragging this out between just the two of us,” Heart said, his voice serious, pulsing through their connection. “Are you sure about this? She tried to kill you, you know.”

Mad Rat hesitated, then shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m even considering it,” he admitted, breathless. “But a part of me… maybe I’m grateful to her. For giving me the chance to escape the lab, to see the outside world, and for the ability to rewind time. And like it or not, she’s changed—she did that all on her own.”

“Well, technically without that cube she wouldn't have…” Heart muttered.

“Eh, sure, but the roaches didn’t plan that outcome,” Mad Rat interrupted. “And besides, she’s the one who sought out a way to extend her magic into the physical world. She got more than she bargained for, sure, but she did initiate it.”

Heart was quiet for a moment. “So… when are you going to confront her?”

Mad Rat wiped away tears he hadn’t realized were falling. “This is our cue.”

Before heading to the vents, Mad Rat made his way to the  room Rat God had been assigned to search. His steps quickened as he pushed open the door, scanning the room for any sign of her. The conveyor belt slowly carried debris, but there was no sign of the crystal.

Without thinking, almost like he was on autopilot, Mad Rat’s gaze turned toward the pneumatic tubes. Something drew him there. Opening the small door at the tube’s terminus, he found it—the crystal, glowing with a soft blue light.

Normally, he’d be furious—ready to storm off and confront her about her deception. But now… there was something else. That same gnawing feeling he had felt through their connection, the guilt that had bled into him, the doubt that had wormed its way into her mind.

Mad Rat’s grip tightened on the crystal, and with a heavy sigh, he made his way to the rooftop. If Rat God was anywhere, it would be there, trying to avoid everyone else.

And sure enough, when he pushed open the door to the rooftop, there she was. Rat God stood at the edge of the facility, her gaze fixed on the horizon. The sun was setting, casting a warm, orange glow over the concrete skyline. For a moment, she looked almost… peaceful. Almost like she was just another creature taking in the beauty of the world.

Mad Rat stepped forward, the crystal still clutched in his hand. She didn’t notice him at first, too caught up in her own thoughts, but when she did turn and see the rat, her eyes widened in shock.

"I… I didn’t…" she stammered, clearly caught off guard. "I didn’t find anything."

Mad Rat raised an eyebrow, the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He opened his gloved paw and tossed the crystal toward her, and she caught it reflexively, her hands shaking as she did.

"You didn’t find anything, huh?" His voice was casual, but there was a sharpness to it that cut through the air. He crossed his arms, watching her carefully.

Rat God’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she realized her mistake. She, the master of deception, had slipped up. It was a rookie mistake, one she never should have made, and she could feel the weight of it pressing down on her. She glanced at Mad Rat, expecting him to scold her, to call her out for what she had done. But instead, he just stood there, watching her.

He didn’t say anything. No accusations, no anger. Just… watching.

"Why aren’t you mad?" Rat God’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke, the crystal clutched tightly in her hands. "I lied. I’ve been hiding the crystal. You know I’ve been stalling the rewinds. Why aren’t you furious?"

Mad Rat let out a short, dry laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, trust me, I am mad," he said, his voice rough. "You’ve been lying, stalling, pulling all your usual tricks. You think I don’t know that? I’m not an idiot." Mad Rat’s smirk faded, and his eyes softened as he watched her wrestle with her own guilt. He crossed his arms, stepping closer but keeping his distance. 

"But," Mad Rat continued, his eyes locking onto hers, "you’re not the same as you were back then. And you know it." His voice softened, though the sharpness in his gaze remained. "I’ve been feeling it for a while now. You’re confused. Torn. Scared. I can feel it. You’re stalling because you don’t want to go back. You don’t want to lose this body, this life you’ve got now. And honestly? I don’t blame you for that."

Rat God blinked, her throat tightening. She wasn’t used to this. She wasn’t used to anyone understanding, to anyone seeing her for anything other than the parasite she was. "I…" She swallowed hard, struggling to find the right words. "I don’t want to go back. I… I don’t know how to face it. Going back means I lose everything. I go back to just… surviving."

Mad Rat stayed silent, watching her unravel.

"I don’t deserve it," she muttered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don’t deserve to be here, to be alive. Not after everything I’ve done. I’m a parasite. I should go back. I should finish the mission, but…"

"But you don’t want to," Mad Rat finished for her.

Rat God nodded weakly, her whole body trembling now. "I’m scared, Mad Rat. I don’t want to lose this. I’ve never… I’ve never had this before. I never knew what it felt like to actually live. Not until now."

Mad Rat let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his forehead with his gloved hand. "Yeah, I get it. More than you think." He glanced at the horizon where the last rays of sunlight were disappearing. "I’ve only got a day, too. You know that. Every day, I have to rewind or I die. And even then, it’s not real living, is it? It’s just... borrowed time."

He turned back to her, his gaze soft but unyielding. "You said you don’t deserve this life. But who the hell decides what we deserve, anyway? I spent my life trapped in a lab cage, waiting for revenge on that human who did this to me. And you know what? I almost got it. I almost killed him. I just... decided not to."

Rat God blinked, speechless, unsure how to respond. His words were sinking into her, slowly breaking down the walls she had built around herself.

"I’m not saying I’m forgiving you," Mad Rat said, narrowing his eyes. "And I’m not saying we’re even close to being okay after everything that’s happened." His voice hardened, but there was no malice in it. "But I’m willing to give you a chance. To figure things out. Just like you gave me and Heart a chance to make amends with each other.

She swallowed hard, her mind swirling with guilt, fear, and… something else. Something unfamiliar.

"One more day?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "Just… one more day?"

Mad Rat gave a faint, almost tired smile. "As many days as you need."

Rat God stood there, staring at him in disbelief. The crystal felt heavy in her hand, but his words… they were heavier. She could feel the raw sincerity behind them. No lies, no deception. Just… time.

For the first time in her existence, she felt hope. Not for survival, but for something more. Something she couldn’t quite name yet.

"Thank you," she whispered, barely audible.

As Heart passed by, he gave her a glance, his voice low but firm. "Don’t make him regret this." But even as he spoke, there was a flicker of hope within him as well. He couldn’t quite believe it—the same rat who once harbored so much hatred for the world was now offering a chance to his worst enemy. Maybe, just maybe, revealing his true identity wouldn’t be the catastrophe he feared. After all, Mad Rat lived up to his name.

And with that, Mad Rat and Heart turned away, leaving her alone with the fading light of the sunset.

Rat God watched them go, clutching the crystal close to her chest. The guilt still weighed on her, but for the first time, it didn’t consume her. For the first time, she didn’t feel entirely alone.

Chapter Text

One more day, she said, and the time for her to move forward had to come at the end. After the sincere moment in the sunset, and the subsequent rewind, Mad Rat and Rat God did their routine explanation to the bugs and roaches. and were now on their way to the Snakemouth den.

“So, care to tell me why I have to get my fur wet again just to ferry everyone to the den?” the rat grumbled, his paw stroking the water to propel the raft. “We’re not even looking for the crystal anymore, and they would’ve agreed to take you there without all the lying!”

“And let them know unnecessarily?” Rat God shot back, her tone curt. “The roaches don’t need to know this, and neither do the bugs.”

“I mean, they might suggest some ideas, no?” Heart chinmed in, “And besides, we can always reset and they won’t remember a thing.”

Rat God did not answer. Truth to be told, she was still struggling with the concept of ‘opening up’ to others. She did not see the merit of it, while the risks of it seemed too vast, how illogical it may be. She was still a parasite, and her old ways of thinking clung to her like a second skin, refusing to let go and start anew. For parasites like her, every move she made had to be a deliberate and delicate deception. One single truth was enough to tear down the thoughtfully towered up lies. Veracity was vulnerability, and frankness was a straight road to her frailty.

Thus led to her unresolved confusion and hesitation. Why would the roaches, the bugs, or anyone for that matter, help her achieve her goal? They gained nothing from it. Her desires added unnecessary complications to their shared objective: to aid the collective ‘banishment’ from this timeline. With the crystal now in hand, her needs were irrelevant stalling–even though it was unrecognizable to them–but still stalling all the same.
And yet, amidst this confusion, one question burned brighter than the rest:
Why is Mad Rat helping me?
His actions upon her most vulnerable state spoke volumes. He did not condemn her, but understood her. He saw through her lies and stalls far earlier yet let her continue for another day. How could he be so confident? So certain? How could he trust her—her, of all beings—after everything she had done to him?

Nothing ever made sense to her. To trust… it was such a foreign concept, so much so when her mannerism was built upon to exploit it, the trust of her hosts… And now she had to depend on it, on the very thing she’s been using to trick him.

It felt like a sick joke. The false goddess trembled inwardly, fear gnawing at her resolve. Perhaps this was all another deception, another scheme. What if Mad Rat had given her this chance only to deny her at the last moment? What if this was his revenge, his way of reducing her to… that… detestable thing again?

Questions after questions, speculations after another entangling like a growing web. Every possibility, every countermeasure she devised, only fed her growing doubt. tangled torrent of thoughts tormented Rat God. and yet she kept pushing the raft, for she had a sunset to see.

The masquerade continued. Rat God, holding the humming crystal in her paws, was waiting at the top of the facility, while Mad Rat was meaninglessly running on the treadmills, and the bugs searched tirelessly for something they would never find. Though the rat had granted her as many rewinds as she needed, she was determined to come up with something—be it a proposal, a surrender, or an apology—by this very sunset. If she couldn’t decide now, she wasn’t sure she ever would.

The odds kept coming out as inconclusive. Mad Rat and Heart's goal did not align perfectly with her additional objective, yet here they were, offering help. The possibility of such being a trap was still there, yet judging from the rat's past actions, he wasn’t that cruel to substantiate such conjecture. And yet, she hesitated—not out of fear of a trap, but out of desire. She wanted this life, a life she had never experienced, more than anything.
But the next step felt fragile, impossibly so. One wrong move, and she could lose it all. She sighed, as the sunlight began to bleed into hues of orange. Perhaps if she had a glimpse of the rodent's mind… of why he would help his enemy, it would give her clarity. The winged rat concentrated on her connection, her powers as a parasite. Now that the rodent also was aware of such, evidently from the previous rewinds, this move also meant the possibility of him noticing her probing his mind. It was also a reminder that she was in fact a parasite at heart, yet she swallowed it away and reached out.

Meanwhile, in the lower chambers, Mad Rat continued his treadmill routine, panting heavily. Truth be told, he regretted offering her "as many rewinds as she needed." It meant endless swimming, running, and explaining to their bug allies—all to humor her extended masquerade. Heart, perched within him, seemed to sense his frustration.

“Already having second thoughts?” he quipped.

Mad Rat groaned, slowing his pace slightly. "Ugh, maybe a little. But I’m a rat of my word, so I can’t back out now." He paused, glancing at the still-moving belt. "Then again, why am I running, anyway? We know she’s already found it." He abruptly stopped the treadmill and jumped off and started to climb upstairs.

“Mad Rat? what's going on?” Professor Neolith turned from the dashboard, startled by the rat’s sudden halt.

“She already found it by now” the rat curtly answered and continued upwards.

"Found it? When?" Neolith blinked, bewildered. But then it struck him—Mad Rat hadn’t said this time. "Wait… you mean in previous rewinds?" he murmured, realization dawning.

Then why didn't she rewind the first time she found it?

On his way upstairs, Heart was giving Mad Rat a sidelong sidelong glance, uneasy about the rat breaking the charade. Perhaps now was the chance for Heart confess his own secret, to end his masquerade as well. He had gained confidence in Mad Rat’s ability to forgive—even if the truth was that he was a cat. Yet no words came out. Fear, habit, and hesitation won out again.

“What is it?” Mad Rat said, noticing Heart’s silence.

This was the moment. Everything would be okay. Mad Rat would understand. He always did.

But no words of truth came. Instead, Heart forced out something entirely different, something sharp and thoughtless to fill the void.

"Can’t we just… rewind already? Why does she deserve this? We’ve humored her long enough." Heart muttered, spitting out heartless nonsense just to cover his suspicious silence.

"We just gave her the first rewind she actually asked for, and now you’re already talking about payback? Really?” the rat scoffed in disbelief. “you’re the one who teased me for having second thoughts!”

"I’m not stopping you," Heart muttered, trying to backpedal. “I understand she gave you a chance before, to see a world you never meant to see. I know you're grateful for it, but it's just… that was all to lure you, Mad Rat! it's not the same thing! Why does she even deserve such happy ending when-”

The next words did not leave Heart. It was gaining clarity. It was not fear of being tricked again by the parasite. He was on the same page in that part like the rat. Countless times Heart had rationalized his actions. Countless times he told himself he would stand by Mad Rat no matter what. After all, he was literally Mad Rat’s heart. He was supposed to be his partner, his protector. But then again...

Mad Rat will die with meaning, just as he wanted.

While he will live with nobody, alone in the dark.

Even after his failed attempt to trap them in the borrowed timeline, even after seeing the pain he had caused, even after drawing tears from his friend… Heart still wasn’t ready to face the inevitable. And he hated himself for that.

“When she tried to kill me? Yeah, I'm not over with that." Mad Rat said suddenly, breaking the silence. "But think about all the lives we'll be able to save, when she's not actively infecting other rats.” The rat gave heart a glance and his face hardened a bit for a moment. “Well, only a few months, but still…” he trailed off. “It'll be another mark of mine left in the world I lived in!”

"And who’s going to notice? Those lives saved won’t even know it was you. They won’t know they were supposed to die because of some parasite and a cat. What’s the point?" Heart said, rather coldly than he thought.

"You’ll know. And if Rat God sticks around, she’ll know too." A small, almost defiant smile tugged at his lips. "So yeah, I guess I’ve got my reasons."

Heart blinked, stunned by the rat's response. Was this really the same brash, embittered rodent he’d met in the lab? A soft chuckle escaped him, though it carried an undertone of sadness. Another thought crept into his mind: would the goddess still be around? When the very chain linking them together was destined to break?

Would he resent her? It would be meaningless, for in such a future, she wouldn't be the cause of the rat's demise. Yet history between the two would certainly be there. Heart decided to think about it quietly, as he noticed the bugs emerging from their designated search spot.
"Did we find it?" Vi asked, gliding down from a nearby catwalk.
"Eh… sorta," Mad Rat replied, brushing off the question. There was no need to complicate things right now. A rewind was inevitable, and soon he’d have to explain the updated plan anyway. But for now, he had a different reason for halting the treadmill and gathering everyone.
“Sort of? So are you going back to your original timeline? Are we here to say farewells?” Kabbu inquired, tilting his head.

“Well, I still have to help you with your Giants’ script and all, right? gotta do my end of the deal!” He turned toward Leif, his expression softening. "And I’ve got a feeling you’ll want to see something… about Rat God. While I don’t know exactly what it is, I know you’ve been trying to have private conversations with her in past trials."

Leif’s antennae twitched, surprised. Before he could respond, Mad Rat glanced toward the vents above. "So, uh… can you fly?"
Leif conjured a block of ice beneath himself, lifting off the ground slowly. As the ice ascended, he looked at the rat curiously.
Mad Rat turned to the rest of the party. "We’ll be back shortly. It’s… complicated."
Vi crossed her arms, giving him a knowing look. "Yeah, I figured. He told me."
nodding back, Mad Rat jumped towards the vent, and soon caught up Leif right before the door leading to the rooftop.

"Your private conversations…" Mad Rat said, halting before opening the door. "They didn’t go well. Not even once. And honestly? Facing her doesn’t seem like a good idea right now." He nudged the door open just enough for Leif to peek through. "Just watch from here. That’s all you need."

“I know you're there” Rat God's voice rang through the crack of the door.
"Well, shit," Mad Rat muttered, pushing the door open fully.
The goddess turned, her eyes narrowing as they fell on Leif. "What’s he doing here?" she snapped, her voice dripping with disdain.
"I thought you knew?" Mad Rat replied, signaling Leif to head back down the vents. Reluctantly, the blue moth obliged.
"He wanted to talk—"
"I know," Rat God interrupted sharply. "It’s happened already. That pathetic—" She bit her tongue, unable to finish the insult. For all her disdain, she couldn’t condemn him. At their core, they were too similar—parasites bound by their nature, yet struggling against it.
Nonetheless, her pride as the master of deception and the wretched lie of pretending something that he wasn't was too great to fully quell her animosity.

Rat God cleared her throat and turned away to see what she'd been waiting for. Sky turning ablaze seemed to have such a magical effect on her, calming her and then sending her into a torrent of emotions.

She couldn’t shake the memory of what she had seen earlier when probing his mind. His actions weren’t born of deception but of genuine intent. He was helping her because it gave meaning to his death. Such an unfathomable concept, it was. She was there struggling to live, to truly live, and there he was, silently accepting his death, only to seek ways to improve the death of his.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. From the corner of her vision, she saw Mad Rat doing the same. He wasn’t pushing her, and wasn't demanding answers. He was simply waiting, trusting her to make her choice.

Trusting others felt utterly foreign to her. She wasn’t designed to place her faith in anyone. Her existence revolved around making others trust her, only to exploit them in the end. She thrived on self-reliance, an irony for a parasite, but her control over her hosts had always been rooted in deception, not dependence on their will. Relying on others was a risk, and trusting them was an even greater one. Yet now, she had no other choice. This was not something she could achieve on her own. She wanted this—desperately, more than anything. And if it meant changing her to the very core of her being, she was willing to accept it, if she could truly live.

“I think… I'm ready.” Rat God said. “Stop the time. we have to talk for a long while.”
Mad Rat gave her a small nod, his expression serious. "Heart."
The flow of time stilled. The vibrant orange hues of the sunset faded to a pale, lifeless gray.
“First of all, We… should think of a way to take this… extension back in time” the goddess started.

“Which gives you this life” Heart added."But how exactly? This is the roaches’ tech, and they won’t just let you take it for nothing."
"Maybe we can offer a trade…" Mad Rat mused aloud.
"And trade what, exactly?" Heart asked. "They’re just waiting for their herald and bound to nothing else. What could we possibly have that they’d–”
Rat God’s wings twitched as she clenched the crystal tighter. "Then how am I supposed to go back?" she snapped, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "There’s no way for me without this!" Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and continued, her voice quieter. "Perhaps… there is something they want. Something we can uncover. We have infinite chances, after all."

"That’s assuming they’d even consider handing over their tech," Mad Rat interjected with a sigh. "You saw how protective they were of their tech even when their kind is pretty much no more. It's not just the tech getting out of their sight but also out of their time, the past, and who knows what'll cause that!”

Heart’s voice grew quieter, almost as if he were thinking aloud. “Yes, the past, the past that will no longer exist. Those roaches said they emerged from the ruins. Even if their tech is sent to the past, Nothing will exactly change.”

“At least we can assure that part” Rat God sighed. “If there is anything they want to exchange, how valuable it may be, we can acquire it somehow. We have infinite trials, and infinite resources, after all.”

Mad Rat scoffed. "Infinite trials, maybe, but bound to a single day. That’s not exactly the kind of optimism I’d bank on."

Rat God smirked faintly, regaining some of her composure. "You’re forgetting who’s making the suggestion. I’ll handle the negotiations. Besides, we don’t need to seal the deal right away. A simple nudge might be enough to start."

“We're sharing this to Team Snakemouth” Mad Rat said firmly, cutting through her confidence. "Not just our new objective, but our approach to the roaches. They deserve to know."

"What? Why?" Rat God snapped, her tail flicking in irritation. "They don’t—"

"They do," Mad Rat interrupted sharply. "They might have insights we’re missing, and we still need their help. This isn’t going to hurt our plan in any way! Why are you always so defensive about this?"

"Relying on others always carries risks, Mad Rat," Rat God countered, her voice icy. "It’s best to keep our cards close. I understand they could be helpful, but when it comes to approaching the roaches—"

"What, you think they’ll spill the beans or something?" Heart interjected with a scoff.

"Indirectly, perhaps," Rat God shot back. "But fine. We can always adjust what we tell them after a rewind, so whatever. It’s not worth dwelling on right now." She let out a weary sigh.

“So that's it for now? are we ready to go back?” Heart asked.

“One more thing” Mad Rat said. “We need to know what exactly happens after getting that cube thing and rewind back. They said this is an extension of yours, so obviously we'll have to rewind before the transplant. Otherwise, you’ll die with me. But the real question is… what happens to you? And to Heart?"

Rat God’s ears twitched, her tail flailing as unease settled in her chest. Her gaze flicked to Heart, who looked equally tense. Their eyes met briefly before Heart hastily gestured an "X" with his gloved hands and averted his gaze.

Mad Rat’s voice softened, but it carried a weight that couldn’t be ignored. "Do you even know where you were before the transplant?" Mad Rat asked the dreaded question.

"I… I don’t know…" Rat God admitted, her voice small. She felt her body deflate, a sinking feeling spreading through her as despair gnawed at the edges of her mind. The possibility of everything they’d worked toward being rendered meaningless loomed over her like a shadow.

“Then we should be prepared of that too, I guess.” Mad Rat said, flatly. "We’ll find a way. Maybe… you won’t need to come back with us after all."

Rat God’s ears twitched at his words, and she opened her mouth to question him. But the frustration gnawing at her—the unanswered question of where she had been before the transplant—overwhelmed her urge to speak. There was nothing she could do about it, no clarity to grasp. “I hope so…” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

One last glance to the gray sunset, and the time was moving backward.

Chapter Text

“You want to what??” Vi’s voice cracked with frustration. “This was supposed to be a rescue mission! Not a side quest for... for parasite soul-searching!”

Kabbu, ever composed, didn’t seem bothered by the new developments. He was surprised, sure—by the truth of the parasite and her growing desires—but he was also thoughtful. 

“Well… I didn’t expect this turn of events,” he admitted. “But if it means helping someone find their place… I believe we should try.”

Just like Mad Rat promised, they told Team Snakemouth everything—even the parts Rat God had hesitated to share.

And for Leif…

“Don’t even think about it. We’re not the same,” Rat God growled. Her words came through Mad Rat’s mouth, but the venom behind them was clearly her own.

Leif only offered a faint, knowing smile. He didn’t press. Vi and Kabbu, however, exchanged glances and tried their best to act like it hadn’t happened. Anything to keep Neolith from catching on and asking awkward questions.

“Ugh, I guess we have no choice,” Vi huffed. “But you seriously think the Roaches are gonna give you their tech? You want to take it back to a timeline that existed before theirs?”

“It does sound dangerous,” Kabbu agreed. He adjusted his stance thoughtfully. “We’ve read enough history to know the risks. A single change—one misstep—could unravel everything. The emergence of bug sentience, society, all of it. It’s like that plot twist in Bug Rangers Season 3— ”

Kabbu caught himself rambling, cleared his throat, and fell silent.

Mad Rat blinked, confused by the sudden reference. “...Right.”

Then he glanced down at Heart and smirked.

“Well, we won’t be messing with much of the future,” the rat said. “Turns out this world might not be around long enough for it to matter.”

Silence dropped like a stone.

“...What do you mean?” Neolith finally asked.

Mad Rat exhaled through his nose, his voice flat. “Some of the Giants’ relics weren’t built to last… but they’re here. In this era. Which means they survived the apocalypse—barely.”

“How long do we have?” Vi asked, her voice more cautious now.

Mad Rat hesitated. “…A month. Maybe two.”

Vi opened her mouth to respond—but faltered. Her wings drooped. She glanced at her teammates, then looked back at Mad Rat. “Then… what’s even the point of going back?”

She immediately looked regretful. “Sorry, I mean—I shouldn’t have asked that, I just—”

Mad Rat noticed a strange absence—then realized what it was. Neither Kabbu nor Leif had chimed in with their usual reprimands. Evidently, they were wondering the same thing.

“It’s okay,” Mad Rat muttered. He glanced off to the side, toward some indeterminate point in space. “Still longer than a day.”

And then, softer: “I told you. I have someone to save. Even if they only get a few more weeks… that time means something. Every second counts.”

Heart let out a small, quiet sigh. Mad Rat didn’t notice.

But a certain winged rat did.

The moment passed in silence, and slowly the bugs sat down, each folding into thought. The situation was clear: they needed a way to send the outsiders back to their perishing timeline. But more than that, they needed a method to preserve Rat God’s physical form—something the Roaches wouldn’t likely allow.

“It’s not like they’ll just hand over that kind of tech,” Vi said, frowning. “Even with restrictions in place. It’s their legacy. ”

“They have every reason to be protective,” Kabbu nodded. “We’re talking about carrying it across time. Who knows what paradoxes that could trigger?”

Leif furrowed his brow, lost in thought. But Vi suddenly perked up, something clicking in her mind.

“Wait—if they sent an expedition through time, right? One that never came back?” she asked.

Leif turned to her. “Yes…?”

“Then why haven’t they arrived here already? Couldn’t they have chosen to come back to this exact moment? Or sooner? That’s how time travel works, right?”

“…Go on,” Leif prompted, narrowing his eyes.

“If they didn’t come back, maybe something bad happened. Something big enough to stop them from returning—or from saving their people like they planned.”

“And how does that help us with negotiations?” Rat God’s voice came through Mad Rat, cautious.

“We offer them what they lost,” Vi said. “We go back. We find out what happened to that expedition team. We finish their mission.”

“A temporal reconnaissance,” Leif murmured, his expression lighting up. “Of course! That’s a brilliant idea, Vi.”

Vi beamed. “They might be more open to trading if we give them something in return. Especially something they thought was lost forever.”

Rat God was silent. But for the first time, her silence felt thoughtful—contemplative, not guarded.

Mad Rat gave a small nod. “Sounds like a plan.”

Rat God’s projection lingered before the ancient altar, where Team Snakemouth had placed their exploration permit—an unassuming object, yet the key to traversing the Roaches’ virtual space. The ethereal glow of the permit shimmered in her eyes, but she turned her head before stepping forward, casting a glance toward the rat behind her.

“Little rat,” she said softly. “May I speak with Heart for a moment? Just the two of us.”

Mad Rat stared at her, his face unreadable for a long beat. Then he gave a quiet nod, stepping back.

Heart narrowed his eye, leering at the winged parasite with suspicion. He crossed his gloved arms tightly but followed without protest. “Is this another favor I’m supposed to owe you?” he muttered.

To his surprise, Rat God shook her head. There was no smug grin this time, no sly tilt of her voice. “I wish I could press you with it,” she said. “But this isn’t that kind of moment.”

That alone was enough to throw Heart off-balance. The parasite—this master manipulator—was faltering. Her projection flickered slightly, not from instability, but hesitation. He saw it clearly now: the faint tremor in her voice, the way her wings curled just slightly inward, like a creature cornered by something not physical, but emotional. Embarrassment? Dread? Shame?

Whatever it was, she looked small for the first time.

“I must ask you this…” she began, voice barely above a whisper. “Please—answer honestly. I know how strange it must sound coming from me. But I need to know. Just to be sure.”

She didn’t finish the thought immediately. She stood there, eyes cast downward, fighting through the storm of emotions churning inside her—emotions she didn’t even have words for. Was she afraid of the answer? Or afraid of needing to ask at all?

Heart blinked, stunned by the shift. For all the bitter exchanges and sharp jabs between them, he’d never seen her like this. Vulnerable. Honest.

He had prepared himself to keep his distance, to snap back at whatever trick she had up her sleeve—but now, the harsh reply caught in his throat. Her voice wasn’t laced with deception. It was… fragile. Sincere.

“…Alright,” he said, voice more level now. “What is it?”

He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. But her openness demanded his attention. If the world was truly unraveling around them, then even a parasite deserved that much.

The silence that followed felt like an eternity before she finally asked:

“Before you were caught… wherever that place was… did you ever prey on rodents?”

Heart could hear the blood sloshing in him from the silence.

He was a heart. He had no lungs to gasp, no stomach to churn, no throat to tighten. But the sensation still came—like a knot twisted deep inside his essence, something rising up to be expelled and yet trapped in place. Blood rushed through him, and he could feel its motion—too hot, too loud, too wrong. The sensation of blood circulating in him was growing erratically.

Noticing the awkward silence, the false goddess exhaled with a longing sigh. “I… understand you might be troubled by this, but just… we need that information so we know what we exactly need to go back with everything we want.” Heart did not answer.

Rat God touched the permit, and once again, she was in the Roaches’ virtual space, leaving Heart behind with his thoughts.

A shimmer of static veiled her vision, and once again, she slipped into the Roaches’ virtual domain. Cool digital currents rippled in the air, data weaving like slow-moving light around her. She was back in the chamber, in front of Raoul’s glass.

Reconnaissance was the bargaining chip they'd settled on. Their one solid offer. But that didn’t mean Rat God wasn’t going to test the waters with a few tricks of her own.

She approached slowly, carefully.

“Raoul,” she said smoothly. “We’ve met before—though not for you.”

That got him. His eyelids twitched, just slightly.

She smiled, voice like silk.

“You haven’t logged it, I imagine. That’s understandable. My host—he possesses a unique ability. Time rewind. Not a simulation. Not projection. Rewind. The same day, again and again, with full memory retention.”

The flicker in Raoul’s expression confirmed her guess. She pressed forward.

“That means there are versions of you I’ve already spoken to. Versions who may have made… arrangements. Which brings me here.”

She paused, letting her words settle.

“I have Rana’s passcodes. Full set.”

His eyes snapped open.

Finally.

Raoul stood perfectly still, but tension filled the space around him. His fingers lifted slightly against the inner wall of the cylinder, as if debating whether to activate something.

Rat God kept her expression calm.

Manipulation of assumed information, projecting confidence through fabricated continuity. Exploiting his limited awareness of the rewinds. It was the easiest way to ensure deception in her current circumstance. If he couldn’t confirm whether this conversation had already happened, then doubt became her weapon.

But Raoul didn’t react as expected.

He didn’t panic. He narrowed his eyes.

She could see it—the skepticism forming behind them. He was already dissecting the claim. The logic. The probability. And most dangerous of all, the technical inconsistency.

He wasn’t buying it.

“If you're worried about paradoxes or causality breaches, rest assured—our original timeline has a strict expiration date,” she said, her tone more measured now. “Your tech wouldn’t persist long enough to change any consequential events that may detriment your kinds’ existence.” 

She could see the short Roach was still unconvinced. He had a perfect appraisal of their own tech, and he knew the goddess was overselling her deal.

Tch.

Fine. Plan B.

“And if that’s not enough…” she added, tone shifting now from smug to pragmatic, “we have something else. Something we’re prepared to offer in exchange.”

Raoul’s eyes remained locked on hers. Interested. But unmoved.

“We’re willing to assist you. To help locate your expedition force,” she said, carefully, shaping the next words with precision. “A sort of... temporal reconnaissance.”

There. Planted.

For the first time, Raoul’s expression shifted. Subtle, but unmistakable—a flicker of surprise. And then something else. Wariness. Doubt.

Rat God held her posture, calm on the outside, while silently watching his eyes. The bluff had landed. He was thinking it over, just as she’d hoped. He didn’t know this conversation hadn’t happened in another timeline. And with her mention of Rana’s passcodes, the illusion held just enough weight.

Even if this Raoul had never agreed to any of it before, the mere implication that another version of him had—one tied to her knowledge of Tethered Wake—was enough to destabilize his certainty.

It was a lie. Of course it was. No such agreement had ever existed.

But for all his calculating brilliance, even Raoul couldn’t be entirely sure of what he didn’t know.

And still... his eyes lingered on her.

Suspicion. Deep and rooted. Something about the way she delivered it wasn’t quite clean. The logic lined up, but something… something didn’t feel right to him.

Even so, she’d said the right words.

The expedition.

Tethered Wake.

She was speaking the names she shouldn’t have known.

And she had Rana’s codes.

After a long moment, Raoul finally gave a slow nod. Not a yes, not a no. A ‘we’ll talk.’

Then he raised one hand and pointed behind her.

Rat God turned. A cylindrical apparatus stood there, humming faintly with inactive power. She blinked, puzzled, then looked back at the roach.

Raoul tapped the glass.

A gesture. Simple. Precise.

Outside.

She gave a small nod, expression unreadable, and stepped toward the machine.

Deal... not accepted. Not yet. But the game had officially begun.

Back outside, the short time Rat God spent striking her deal felt like an eternity to Heart. The facility pulsed around him, faintly—an ambient hum like a distant heartbeat, too slow, too calm for the chaos roiling inside his chest.

"Before you were caught… have you ever preyed on rodents?"

The words echoed in him, again and again. Not an accusation. Not a weapon. Just… a question.

And somehow, that made it worse.

She hadn’t asked to hurt him. She hadn’t said it to shame him. Just to know. Just to understand.

And yet, it cut deeper than any barb laced with spite.

He hadn’t answered.

Not because he didn’t know how.

But because he didn’t want to hear it out loud.

Of course he had.

He was a cat.

A stray.

A mangy, discarded scrap of fur and bone that clawed his way through life because no one else would do it for him. He had hunted. Rats, birds, anything he could catch. Not because he wanted to—but because he had to. It was survival.

He remembered the way his claws sank in. The way his jaw closed around something small, terrified, twitching.

The way the light left a body.

He remembered too much.

And it hadn’t mattered.

Not back then.

Not when he didn’t know what rats were like.

Not when they didn’t talk, didn’t cry, didn’t smile.

Not when they didn’t sound like Mad Rat.

But now…

Now it was different.

Now, he was a heart.

Not just any heart.

Mad Rat’s heart.

The one beating in the chest of someone he would’ve hunted.

The one who saved him.

Who spoke to him.

Who joked with him.

Who trusted him.

Who believed in him.

His only friend.

His dearest friend

And the one he was going to lose.

That was always the plan.

Mad Rat would get his final day. His closure. His meaning.

And Heart would live on.

Alone.

An organ without a host.

A cat with no place left in the world.

He wasn’t supposed to have a future. Not as a cat. Not as a transplanted heart. He was just an accident that happened to keep ticking. A leftover piece of someone else's tragedy.

Even now, even with all this time he’d stolen—beating beside Mad Rat—it still didn’t feel like it belonged to him.

But…

He wanted to keep it.

He wanted more.

He wanted to believe in the impossible—that maybe, somehow, this life could last.

But the timeline would snap back.

And there would be no Mad Rat in that alley.

Just the echo of who he used to be.

The soft scrape of claws on cracked concrete. The cold bite of wind between trash bins. The taste of guilt still lingering in the back of his throat.

And he’d be alone again.

He curled his gloved fists and squeezed them tight. The lights around him pulsed gently. The world didn’t care about the storm in his chest.

Mad Rat would find out eventually.

What Heart had done.

What he was.

Who he used to be.

And when he did…

Would he still smile?

Would he still say, “I’m glad you were with me” ?

Or would he flinch?

Would he back away?

Would he realize he’d spent his last day with the very kind of monster that once stalked him?

"...Damn it," Heart whispered, voice raw.

Because he didn’t know the answer.

And worse—he didn’t know if he could survive either one.

A shadow loomed overhead.

“You alright?”

Mad Rat was there, watching him, concern soft in his eyes. That look—the one that always said I see you, and you’re not alone.

Heart opened his mouth.

But the words stuck.

He couldn’t say anything.

Not yet.

So he just looked down and nodded.

A lie, small and silent.

But the heartbeat continued.

Chapter Text

Awkward silence filled the arena. Not because of Rat God’s absence, she had already returned, floating quietly beside Team Snakemouth.

The trial had been activated, but unlike the previous times, nothing responded. No projection, no mechanism. Just stillness.

Rat God seemed slightly perturbed, but not alarmed. The Roaches would arrive soon. They always did.

What truly blanketed the area, however, was the tension humming between her and Heart.

Heart, distant. Closed-off. Barely meeting her gaze.
Even Mad Rat had picked up on it now—and his patience was thinning.

He let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but whatever it is, talk it out. In private.”

“Huh? What do you mean by—?” Rat God blinked, confused. To her, this was just post-negotiation downtime. Nothing more.

But then Heart stepped forward, gently halting her words with a small nod to Mad Rat.

“Was it that obvious...? Heh. Sorry. It won’t take long,” he said, before heading off toward the edge of the platform.

Once they were alone, Heart turned without ceremony.

“I did,” he said.

She tilted her head. “Did what—?”

“I... preyed on them. Rats.”
His voice trembled as he admitted it. Not in shame, but in something deeper. Something heavier.

And in that moment, Rat God felt a warm surge of relief blooming quietly in her chest.

It wasn’t joy. Not exactly. But confirmation.

A validation of a theory she hadn’t dared say aloud.

If he had preyed on rats before he lost his body… if her presence within him predated the operation, then perhaps she wasn’t a contaminant after all. Not a glitch introduced during surgery, but something native to him, dormant she may be.

That mattered.

Because if she had been part of Heart—not Mad Rat—then maybe… just maybe… she could persist. Even through a rewind. Even in a new timeline.

Maybe her newly manifested form wouldn’t simply vanish.

It wasn’t a guarantee. But it was a chance.

And for her, that was enough.

But despite the revelation, she said nothing. No sigh of relief. No grin. No celebration.

Because Heart was staring at her. And his gaze—

His gaze was unbearable.

A quiet, searing grief. Not accusatory, not angry. Just... tired. Wounded.

The kind of pain that didn’t come from being judged—but from judging oneself. And knowing that maybe… you deserved it.

She could justify it a thousand ways. A cat, preying on rodents, it was nature. Survival.
This wasn’t shameful. It was expected.

So then why did he look like this?

Why did the truth seem to hurt him more than any lie ever could?

She had no answer.

Not even her vast, detached logic could produce one.

“…I see,” she said at last, voice flat. “Then I suppose no change in plans is required.”

And yet her words hung limp in the air, like fabric too heavy to lift.

Something had clamped her voice. Not physically. Not logically. Something else.
Something she couldn’t name.

There was no cruelty in her words. No superiority. Not even the veiled smugness Heart had prepared himself to fight against.

Just silence.

Measured. Sterile. Resigned.

And it threw him.

He had steeled himself for a jab—a too-cold remark, something clinical and parasitic. He was ready for that.

What he got was... absence.

Not indifference.

But restraint.

It startled him more than any rebuke could have.

He couldn’t name it. But he felt the difference. In her tone. In her stillness.

It wasn’t understanding.
But it was something close.

He gave a nod.

And, after a moment’s pause, so did she.

No further words were exchanged.

For now… that was enough.

While the two were heading to the corner of the arena, the rest of the group lingered in the middle of the arena, waiting for the trial to activate. It didn’t. Instead, the air above shimmered with ambient static.

Vi shifted on her feet, arms folded. “Sooo... are we not gonna talk about the whole ‘emotional tension you could slice with a knife’ thing?”

Kabbu gave a small cough, ever the diplomat. “I believe they just needed a moment, Vi.”

“Yeah, but they’re always like that,” Vi whispered loudly. “I mean, those two are practically oil and water. Or maybe oil and... sadness.”

Leif, who had been watching the pair from the corner of his eye, finally turned to Mad Rat. “What’s going on with Heart?” he asked. “He’s been off ever since we left the Giants’ domain.”

Mad Rat exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s dealing with... something. Personal. I can’t really explain it. Or maybe I’m not supposed to. It’s not mine to tell.”

He paused, gaze lingering on the corner where the other two stood. “But it matters. More than he lets on.”

Kabbu nodded slowly. “Sometimes the wounds we don’t speak of cut the deepest.”

“Ugh,” Vi groaned, “you’re doing the wise bug thing again.”

“Is it wrong to empathize?”

“No, just... ya know. Can’t we do both? Empathize and also maybe do something more useful while we’re at it?”

Mad Rat gave a dry smile. “You sound like someone I used to know.”

Vi blinked. “Was he annoying?”

“Extremely.”

Vi smirked. “Sounds like someone cool.”

A chuckle passed between them—light, fleeting, but not meaningless. It didn’t dispel the weight in the room, but it made it bearable.

It struck Mad Rat how strange this all was. In terms of real time, he’d met them only hours ago. And yet the warmth, the familiar banter—it felt like a bond that had taken root long before. Maybe it was just perception. Or maybe grief and absurdity sped up the clock on friendship.

Either way, they didn’t seem to mind.
And for the first time in a long while, he didn’t either.

He closed his eyes—not to rest, but to focus.
He kept wondering: if Rat God could tap into his thoughts, his instincts... could he do the same to her? Could he reach whatever part of her still lingered inside him?
It was a long shot. And with her always hovering near, he’d never had a real chance to try. But now... maybe.

He had no idea how to begin.
So he did what he always did when the plan ran out.
He reached.

A pulse. A faint pitter-patter. Maybe it was just the strain of focus.

…But Heart is right there with Rat God—

Mad Rat’s thoughts flinched—and then the moment shattered with sound.

A pulse of static crackled overhead, and two figures emerged atop the arena—Raoul and Lawrence—accompanied by a cylindrical apparatus that let out a soft hiss as it stabilized.

“So…” Lawrence began, arms crossed as his gaze swept over the group. “You’re offering to go out there in our stead. To track down what happened to our…”
He hesitated, choosing his next words with care. “...our expedition.”

“In exchange for our tech,” Raoul finished, stepping forward. “And bringing it back—to your... collapsing timeline.”

Rat God nodded. “Yes.”

Lawrence gave a dry, crooked smile. “Well, if nothing else, there’s little risk of being conned. Not much of a refund policy when your whole world’s on borrowed time.”

But then his expression sobered. “That said… I’ll be honest. We don’t actually have the tech you’re asking for.”

A flicker of alarm passed across Rat God’s face—but before it could fully form, Raoul interjected smoothly.

“The ones who departed on that mission—Tethered Wake—they used the very method you’re referring to. Their logs and departure signatures suggest a functional model. We just… don’t fully understand how it worked.”

“But that’s where you come in,” Lawrence added, tapping a tablet awake. “You get us the right fragments—logs, visual records, artifacts—we might be able to reconstruct it. I assume you are aware of extended time rewind observation, if what Raoul told me is true?”

He was met with bewildered blinks, even from Mad Rat. Raoul mouthed ‘Rana’s code’ from behind him, which Rat God failed to notice.

“Rana’s code??” Vi echoed, half-curious, half-bored.

“Yes, we’re aware,” Rat God replied, smoothly stepping in before Lawrence could probe further. Her tone was neutral, but firm—deflective by design.

Lawrence tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as he turned to Raoul. “But... how does that explain how they were able to rewind further than normal?”

“It was part of a trial,” Rat God cut in, cool and clipped. “One tied to a past thread... of yours. One that granted us access.”
She didn’t elaborate. She didn’t need to.

The implication was enough.

The set of codes—and their origin—weren’t meant to be public knowledge. Certainly not something Lawrence was supposed to possess. This part of the deal had always been between her and Raoul. And whatever Raoul had omitted, Rat God wasn’t about to volunteer.

Raoul gave an innocent shrug, as if absolving himself of responsibility—blaming some alternate version of himself in another time, another thread of possibility.
“I see… well, the deal is about the reconnaissance, so I suppose it doesn’t matter how you pull it off—so long as you do.”

Rat God’s gaze flicked toward the unfamiliar object they’d brought. “What’s that cylinder you brought with you?” she asked, a subtle edge in her voice—an echo of their earlier exchange.

“Ah, yes!” Raoul brightened, gesturing toward it with theatrical flair. “One of the key components that will solidify our agreement. A temporal recorder—capable of preserving information across timelines.” His tone grew smug. “That way, this deal remains intact, no matter how many times your rat rewinds.”

Rat God blinked. “Wait—so you’re saying I won’t have to re-negotiate every single time?”

“Exactly,” Lawrence chimed in with a satisfied nod. “Your friend has a… limited cycle, doesn’t he?” he added, a knowing glint in his eye.

Rat God’s fur bristled—but only slightly. She kept her expression neutral, but inside, she flinched.
How does he know? That time limit was never discussed, at least not in the current timeline.

Her mind raced. That changed things. Drastically.
Now that the deal was sealed—across all rewinds—she’d lost a key advantage.
If a handful of relics or Roach-era blueprints had been enough to reconstruct their time-travel tech, she could have offered more in future loops—used hindsight to strike a better deal.
But with this recorder in place, the terms were locked. Immutable.
The mission to locate the Tethered Wake was no longer a bargaining chip. It was an obligation.

Still… she wasn’t done scheming.
There were always loopholes. Always a way to bend truth at the seams.
It was just a matter of detail—and timing.

Mad Rat stepped forward slightly, gesturing to Team Snakemouth. “So… can they join us? Help out with the mission?”

Raoul raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t tried yet?”

Mad Rat shrugged. “I’m the only one who can rewind time. Well… me and Heart, technically.”

“Interesting…” Raoul muttered. “I’ll have to look up on things for that matter. Wait here for a moment.”

He glanced at Lawrence, who gave a silent nod—then blinked out of existence, leaving a shimmer of static in his wake.

Another silence settled over the arena.

Less tense than before, but still weighted.

Though Rat God and Heart now stood apart without confrontation, something subtle lingered— a hidden aloofness in the air.

Mad Rat waited.

Not just for the Roaches to return.

He kept glancing at Heart.

Something was off.

What had happened between them? What could possibly have passed between Heart and that parasite—quietly, urgently—without him?

Was Heart threatened? Manipulated?

And if so… how could he have been the one to pull Mad Rat out of her hallucinations?

He looked again.

Heart wasn’t watching her.

He was staring at the far wall—distant, hollow, as if still somewhere else entirely.

Mad Rat’s thoughts tightened. Doubts stirred in his chest.

But…

He trusted Heart.

With his life.

And Heart had promised.

“I’ll tell you everything. When I’m ready.”

So Mad Rat waited.

And trusted.

And hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long.

Two figures materialized again with a burst of static. Raoul and Lawrence returned—alongside the same cylindrical device from earlier.

“I’ll be honest,” Lawrence said, rubbing the back of his neck, “time travel wasn’t exactly in our job description. We’re not experts.”

“But,” Raoul added smoothly, “the ones who left us behind also left enough material to work with. Notes. Fragments. A few strange artifacts. Enough to piece things together.”

“Anyway,” he continued, turning to Rat God, “yes—we do have a way to send your team back. Same method as before. You can observe the past directly for clues.”

“Originally, time rewind was restricted to a single entity,” Lawrence explained. “But with a little help—”

“Wait, singular?” Mad Rat cut in, brows furrowing. “But both me and Heart went back last time.”

Raoul looked at them both for a moment, then gave a brief, cryptic reply.
“Can one of you exist without the other?” He turned to Rat God before she could interject. Mutually, that is.”

Heart inhaled softly at that—like something in him had quietly clicked.

“So you two together accounts as a single entity when it comes to time travel.” Raoul explained. “But anyways, it seems like our vanguard had a similar problem, the ones who can rewind were limited. They still found a way to bring their companions with them though.” The short roach gave the rat a glance. “I suppose you know about the ‘extended’ time travel, using the enhancer, hmm?”

“Yeah, he explained it was more like sending our ‘consciousness’ in an observer state, and then overwriting our memory” Mad Rat answered, while gesturing towards Lawrence. “I guess with some extra gadget you have we can extend that to others, too?”

Lawrence nodded—only to be interrupted by an incoherent scream of joy.

“SO I GET TO SEE THE PAST?! With my own EYES?!” Professor Neolith had practically burst into the conversation, wings flaring with excitement. “The artifacts! The fragments! They were glimpses—educated guesses at best! But now—now I can see the truth itself unfold! At the very heart of the Roach facility!”

Mad Rat and Rat God shared a look: Should we tell him?

They didn’t have to. Raoul was already grimacing. “Uh… just so you know, whatever you learn back there resets the moment Mad Rat rewinds. You won’t retain it.”

A visible flicker of disappointment crossed Neolith’s face—but only for a moment. Then he beamed again, unshaken.
“A fleeting vision... like a dream at the edge of waking. Fine by me! Perhaps I can’t publish what I see—no evidence, no reproducibility. But to witness it with my own eyes…? That’s enough for me.”

Mad Rat couldn’t help but smile. The enthusiasm was too contagious. “Alright then, what do we have to do?”

Lawrence straightened up. “Simple. Everyone participating just needs to be in direct contact with the enhancer crystal when the rewind triggers. It’ll carry everyone back to the chosen point in time—uh, however you triggered it before.”

He glanced sheepishly at Raoul. “Like I said, we’re still not fluent in... temporal mechanics.”

“Direct contact,” Rat God repeated, raising a hand. “Does using the cube—my extended projection—count for that?”

The roaches froze. Tablets came out. Swiping intensified.

“Right,” Raoul muttered, “you’re a magi-tech entity-soon-to-be… I assume you weren’t pulled into the ‘extended’ rewind?”

She nodded.

“And I presume you can’t... detach from your host in order to touch the crystal directly—?” He trailed off as both Heart and Mad Rat visibly cringed.

Lawrence quickly cut in. “Wait! Found something. There is a way. You can use your holographic form during the rewind sequence. The only catch is timing—you’re treated like an enchanted artifact, so the process will send conscious entities first. You’ll follow a fraction of a second later.”

“A delay?” Mad Rat asked. “We’ve never noticed that before. The jump always felt... seamless. Just a memory overwrite.”

He glanced toward Rat God. “But if there’s a gap, even a small one… what happens during that moment? When we’re already gone and she hasn’t left yet?”

Swiping. Scanning. Silence.

And then Lawrence spoke again—far less confident.

“Uh, you’ll be fine…” Lawrence glanced at Rat God, and then to the rest. “It mentions… suspended animation, but—“

“Apparent death, huh?” Mad Rat translated.

“Only for a second! No adverse effects recorded in prior runs,” Raoul added quickly. “You’ll be fine.”

Rat God exhaled slowly. “If that’s our best option, then so be it.”

She turned toward the cylinder. “Is the agreement ready?”

“Ah—yes.” Raoul approached, unrolling what looked like a translucent scroll. A stylus emerged, softly glowing. His signature was already at the top.

“This document preserves our pact across all rewinds. No need to renegotiate.”

He passed her the stylus and the projection cube.

“Good luck,” he said quietly. “You’ll need it.”

Rat God glanced at the shimmering space at the bottom. She made a small mark. —her version of a signature—and gave the faintest curve of a smile. Not warm. Not cold.
Just calculating.
“I guess we’ll see about that.”

Chapter Text

- Team Snakemouth will travel into the past to investigate the fate of the lost team known as Tethered Wake.
- In return, the Roach Faction will ensure the safe transfer and reformation of Rat God in her intended timeline.

- Team Snakemouth will retrieve any relevant logs, artifacts, or information that may help reconstruct the lost time-travel method.

- Once the mission is complete, the Roach Faction agrees to assist in returning Rat God into her proper timeline. This return includes the preservation of her mind, awareness, and identity. If direct return proves impossible, an alternative method will be arranged to ensure that the being known as Rat God can continue to exist as she understands herself.

Signed:

Raoul

Rat God

The false goddess relayed the terms they agreed upon to Team Snakemouth. the iridescent contract sliding neatly into the cylindrical Roach apparatus. The device shimmered—once, twice—and with a low, resonant hum, it locked in place. A faint pulse rippled outward like a dropped pebble in water. The pact was now sealed across every reachable rewind Mad Rat might trigger.

Mad Rat scratched behind his ear. “That’s one hell of a clause for something that sounded like ‘let’s borrow your fancy rock.’ Was all that really necessary?”

Rat God tilted her head, a faint gleam in her eye—not quite amusement, not quite pride. “Of course. Semantics are the teeth of deception. Leave your terms vague, and someone will chew through them.”

She cast a pointed glance at the two Roaches still hovering nearby, watching her with a mixture of awe and trepidation.

“…Besides,” she added coolly, “we’re sailing waters even I don’t understand. I won’t leave a single word unguarded.”

Lawrence gave a short huff, clearly less thrilled by the meticulousness. “Still… specific enough to bind, flexible enough to maneuver,” he muttered. “Things would’ve been far easier if you'd agreed on just ‘the cube.’ Now we’ve got to dig into sectors we barely mapped ourselves—so that we can absolutely ensure your ‘preservation’!” he sighed. “Better start combing the archives… Raoul, you do the briefing.” Then, with a flicker of static, he blinked out.

Raoul blinked. “Briefing? I don’t even—ugh. Fine. Wait here. I need to figure out where to even start.” And he too vanished, cursing under his breath.

The now empty arena was met with awkward silence.

“Can’t wait to depart!” Neolith beamed with anticipation

“Do we even know where—or when—we’re departing to?” Vi asked, arms folded, her tone skeptical but not dismissive. “I mean, what if we pop out into some era where all your... knowledge is useless?”

“The more mystery, the better!” Neolith beamed. “Worst case, we rewrite the entire historical canon. But what use is a truth built on error?”

 “Ugh, am I the only one who’s not thrilled of all this?” Vi muttered. She checked the empty arena once more, and turned to Rat God. “So uh… you’re not gonna rewrite that clause into something… evil, right?”

The floating rat flashed a grin. “Define evil.”

Vi groaned. “Semantics. I meant—something that benefits you unfairly.”

“I could,” Rat God replied, her expression unreadable.

“Which is definitely evil by default,” Mad Rat said flatly.

 “You wound me,” she said, mock-offended. “After all we’ve been through—”

Heart cut in, voice sharper than usual. “This entire mission only exists because you asked for it. If betrayal was your goal, you’d already done so and we’d be dead.”

Rat God’s expression softened for a brief moment, flickering with something like guilt—or maybe just awareness. “That would be counterproductive…” She murmured.

She then looked at the whole team, so lively with anticipation of the upcoming adventure. Such a… odd scenery, that she couldn’t still yet understand, even when she was utilizing it.

Their eagerness. Their camaraderie. Their willingness to help her—a parasite, an unknown—without any tangible reward. Neolith’s zeal, yes, that she understood. But the others? Even Vi, with all her snark, didn’t sound reluctant so much as teasing.

It wasn’t duty that drove them.

It was something stranger.

She was there floating, watching them chatter. She was there yet not part of, just like a parasite. Time hadn’t passed that long, in the perspective of the bugs, but perhaps the repeated rewinds have left some mark, or remnant of familiarity, thus their exchange with Mad Rat resembled to that of a friend, even when they technically just met.

Friend…

There were moments in the past journey, Mad Rat encountering others. The cursed black cat, the little human girl…

When her hands were directly on the little rat’s neurons, however, the encounter was ended with a pile of rodent corpse.

The former was illogical madness, the latter, desperate, but calculated.

Yet the illogical one saved the rat at the end, as the black cat refused to consume him.

There was always someone—something around the rat

Technically, the same could be said for her too, as sole parasite was not survivable.

But why was it so… different?

Something was blooming inside of Rat God, or perhaps drowning her from the outside; she couldn’t tell.

If it was desire, she didn’t know what she desired.

If it was fear, even though she couldn’t name it, at least it wasn’t something of unknown, for she had a familiar experience before.

When the Roaches severed her connection. When she was in the void. The memory still haunted her. She didn’t know if she feared erasure… or irrelevance.

Then, Heart’s voice snapped her out of it.

“What, plotting something already? They’ve only been gone for one minute.”

She blinked, startled.

“Raoul is back” Mad Rat said, his voice neutral, but there was a twinge of concern in his eyes. Rat God noticed it. Through the connection she felt it, the concern was pointed to her. Even when all signs told him to be cautious of the parasite, he was yet concerned of her.

Ever so illogical.

Raoul came back with a flash, a brass contraption floating next to him. “It says this is what they used to set temporal and spatial coordinates,” Raoul explained, gesturing. “This one’s a prototype, but I’m confident it’ll work.”

The device was shaped like a curved frame, its arms forming an arch. Two rotatable knobs protruded at each ends, resembling a time-stop watch.

“You place the enhancer crystal here, set the timestamp, and initiate. I’ve already tuned it to a few seconds before their departure.”

He hesitated. A flicker of unease crossed his usually confident face.

“The logs should be close by. I’m not directly in their system, so you’ll have to search the room yourself. But the trail begins there.”

Vi squinted at the machine. “Okay, but… by ‘room’, you don’t mean another one of those whole Roach death-facilities, right?”

 “Considering the rewind does not require much that much space or instruments, we think it’d be unlikely… but then again, this specific crystal we’re using was found in the old facility… Why was this there at the first place? It… didn’t seemed to research temporal rewinds there…” Leif said.

Raoul’s antennae twitched. His expression stilled. “Perhaps… you’ll find that out too,” he said quietly, and passed the frame to Mad Rat.

The rat slotted the glowing crystal into the frame with a soft click.

The rat installed the shimmering crystal into the brass frame. “Alright, paws on me, let’s go back in time!”

The rest of the team, minus Rat God extended their appendages to the crystal. The world went monochrome, and began to rewind.

“Well, see you in a moment!” Mad Rat said to the winged rat.

Rat God gave him a nod, and then…

To the others, it might have been a momentary blink of light.

To Rat God, it was a horror show in slow motion.

She saw it—every one of them. Mad Rat. Heart. Vi. Kabbu. Leif. Even the excitable archaeologist. All of them stiffened, jerked ever so slightly—then slumped, limp around the crystal like discarded marionettes.

Suspended animation, the roaches had called it. A harmless technicality. Just a delay. A footnote. But to her eyes… it was death. Apparent or not.

She had seen Mad Rat’s body die before. But not like this. Not all of them. All at once. As if a plague had passed through the crystal in a breath and snatched every soul away.

A chill spidered up her spine. Then—something deeper.

It started low in her chest, like a bad chord vibrating out of tune. A discomfort. A wrongness. A pressure pressing out, then in, then everywhere.

Not a mild alarm. Not a warning.

Dread.

Failure.

Impending doom.

Her instincts howled—and this time, she couldn’t override them with logic.

She looked down.

Her paws.

Holes.

Spreading.

Rotting.

The same holes resembling Swiss cheese that had torn open in her confrontation with Mad Rat—when she had revealed her true nature.

Only this time… it wasn’t under her control.

No. No, no—this wasn’t her doing.

She staggered, trying to shake it off, wiping frantically at her limbs, as if scrubbing away an illusion.

But when her claw passed through itself—

When there was no claw at all—

Her breath caught.

She jammed her fading finger into one of the holes, irrational, desperate, trying to prove it was fake—just a glitch, a trick of light, a hallucination—

But it was there.

Real.

And her mind, so meticulously constructed, so precise, so anchored—

Cracked.

She screamed silently into the void pressing in on her.

The mission—she hadn’t finished it.

She had failed.

Failed to complete her purpose before her host ran out of time.

But… but he wasn’t dead!

He wasn’t dead!

This was procedural—just a delay—A quirk of Roach technology! Just a moment’s lag between departures! She knew this!

But her body refused the knowledge. Her instincts refused. Something inside her had already decided: This was the end.

A moment later, the world shifted again.

With a flicker of light, the team reappeared in front of her—animated, alive, and grumbling about dust in their noses or disorientation.

Mad Rat blinked at her expression.

“What’s with that face?” he asked. “You see a ghost or something? We were only gone five seconds.”

She said nothing.

Her paws were whole again.

No holes.

No static.

No proof.

Only a faint, echoing hum in her chest—like something watching from inside her own thoughts.

She filed the moment away.

A glitch.

An anomaly.

It would not happen again.

…Probably.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Mad Rat asked again, his smirk faltering as he stepped closer.

Rat God turned to him. She tried to say something casual, something dismissive. A smile—it was meant to come. Something light.

But her mouth trembled. Her jaw felt disconnected. No words formed.

She was aware of it—the weight of eyes turning one by one. Mad Rat’s. Heart’s. Leif’s. Even Vi’s usual impatience quieted to concern.

“…It’s nothing,” she finally managed, barely audible.

No one believed her.

“I suppose it’s a... transient side effect. From the delay,” she added, voice steadier now, though her eyes still didn’t meet theirs. “I’ll acclimate. Eventually.”

That seemed enough to redirect their attention—just barely.

Mad Rat didn’t press. But he didn’t stop watching her, either.

Just as Mad Rat informed from his former experience, they were the one in spectral form, detached from the time line. Mere observers. None of them cast a shadow, and none were seen. Not by the handful of Roaches bustling around in the room, not by the world they now traversed.

Team Snakemouth stood silently, adjusting to their surroundings. The room they found themselves in was no larger than the trial arena, yet it overflowed with information—screen terminals flickered with data streams, whiteboards were scrawled with dense equations, bookshelves bowed with ancient tomes, and cabinets lined the walls like silent sentries.

“I don’t remember seeing this kind of structure anywhere in the kingdom…” Kabbu said.

Neolith was already darting about with frenetic glee, his notepad half-filled before anyone else had spoken. “I’ve never seen a structure like this documented—anywhere! This could be the very headquarters of the Tethered Wake!”

“We think Raoul said something about spatial coordinates,” Leif recalled, examining the flickering floor panels. “Maybe this facility isn’t in normal space.”

“Figures,” Vi buzzed, floating up to peer at one of the cabinets. “Why leave your biggest secrets lying around where people can find them, right?”

“So,” she continued, “we’re looking for time-travel logs, yeah? That’s what we’re here for, right? Must be in this room somewhere.”

She zipped from corner to corner, scanning each shelf with a frown growing more dramatic by the second. “Seriously, there’s way too much junk here. Who files this much?”

“At least we won’t have to search a whole facility,” Kabbu offered with polite optimism. “One room is better than ten.”

“Still a pain,” Vi muttered.

Neolith began to interject—ready to protest that every scrap here might be historically invaluable—but cut himself off with a long, controlled exhale. He went back to scribbling, grumbling happily to himself.

“There are labels on some of these,” Kabbu said, squinting at the closest cabinet. “Do you see anything that says 'time travel logs’?”

“There!” Leif pointed to a tall, narrow cabinet at the far wall with a padlock.

“Well, that was fast,” Vi quipped, already moving toward it. “Now we just need to—”

She reached out to the padlock,only to see it pass right through.

“Oh,” she deadpanned, blinking at her intangible limb. “Right. Ghost rules.”

Without hesitation, she pressed her face straight into the door.

“Uhhh… nope. Can’t see a thing. It’s pitch black in here! Do you guys have any lights?”

Kabbu handed her the permit, the only usable light source they had.

Vi squinted as she hovered it near the cabinet. “Weird… It’s glowing, but it doesn’t light up anything inside. Like it’s bright, but it’s not casting light?”

Leif frowned. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

“So we’re just here to look, but we can’t touch. Or shine. Or open,” Mad Rat muttered. “Great. Guess we’re gonna need the Roaches’ help again.”

“Well,” Kabbu offered gently, “we knew this might happen.”

“Still lame,” Vi huffed, folding her arms.

“And short,” Mad Rat added. “Shortest time-travel mission I’ve ever been on.”

Everyone was sprawled on the floor.

“Ugh, why are we on the ground?” Vi groaned, wings twitching as she sat up. “And why does my mouth feel weird? Tastes like… copper.”

“Suspended animation,” Rat God answered coolly, brushing off her wings. She didn’t look at them when she said it—her gaze lingered on the strange silence within herself.

She glanced toward the floating Roaches hovering by the monitor. “The cabinet with the temporal logs is locked. And we couldn’t read anything else either. No interaction.”

“Just as I feared,” Raoul muttered, pinching the bridge of his snout before summoning a dense, brick-like device. It looked like a fusion of a graphing calculator and a magical rune slate, humming with soft teal light.

“This,” he declared, “is a Causality Calculator, integrated with a localized overrider.”

Blank stares.

“It lets you interact with the past in a small radius,” he clarified, “but you must monitor the causality meter at all times. Never let it exceed the red zone.”

Team Snakemouth nodded, slowly absorbing the idea—but the implications remained elusive.

Raoul continued. “You won’t just be ghosts anymore—you’ll be seen. Heard. Able to affect things. But anything you do will ripple through time. Small nudges might be fine. Larger disruptions…” He trailed off. “Let’s just say we’ve never tested what happens if the meter maxes out.”

“A time paradox,” Kabbu said grimly.

“Or worse,” Leif added.

Heart slowly opened his mouth “If we can interact with the past, isn’t that just basically living in the past? What’s stopping us using that device, just the three of us with the cube and go back to ours? We can rewind back far enough with the enhancer crystal now, and we won’t be a temporal ghost using that, right?”

Rat God turned toward him, mildly surprised. “So, in other words… what’s stopping us from stealing the calculator and enhancer crystal, abandoning the mission, and leaving before fulfilling the deal—is that what you’re saying?”

She sounded intrigued. It was a sound idea—just not one she expected from him.

“What?! No—!” Heart nearly tripped over his words. “I mean, yes, I want to get back. But I—I meant we could help them, just without having to fully replicate the Roaches’ exact methods! We could… cut a few corners, right?” Rat God gave him a long, unreadable look, then relayed his question to Raoul—carefully, diplomatically.

Raoul merely snorted. “I wish it were that simple.”

He tapped the side of the brick-like calculator. “The overrider isn’t a time machine. It lets you interact with a projected layer of the past.”

He gestured toward Rat God. “Same way you operate. You’re not fully there in the conventional sense. Not to mention the possibility of you accounted as temporally unaligned anomaly, which then even if you think you’re interacting in your original timeline, since it’s not truly ‘you’, the meter will rise and who know what’s going to cause that.”

“You’re saying it won’t work, or just that it’s dangerous?” Mad Rat asked.

“Yes,” Raoul answered bluntly.

Vi groaned. “I don’t like any of this time travel mumbo-jumbo. Can’t we just break the lock and grab the files?”

“You could try,” Raoul said, nodding toward the meter. “But if one of the Roaches notices—if they so much as glance your way, and it wasn’t supposed to happen? Boom.”

He didn’t clarify what boom meant, but the way everyone leaned back said enough.

“Besides,” Raoul added, “why break the cabinet when you can phase through it? You only need to let light reach inside—just override your hand and a light source. That’s it.”

“But what about the files?” Neolith asked. “They’re probably stacked. We can’t flip through pages if we can’t touch them.”

Raoul nodded. “Interaction via override allows that. Pass your hand through the cabinet, override just your hand and the light source. You’ll be able to flip the pages.” He paused, pulling out a small bar-shaped device. “Here. I’ll attach a scanning module to the calculator. It’ll record what you see without you needing to memorize everything.”

As he clipped the scanner onto the device, he gave a final warning. “Be precise. Override only what you need. If you, say, phase your torso into a locked cabinet and override it by accident...”

“Straight into the red zone?” Vi winced.

“That,” Raoul said, grimacing, “and possibly something worse.”

He turned his eyes to Neolith. “Good luck out there. And don’t bring anything back with you, professor.”

Neolith flinched. “I-I wasn’t planning to—”

Raoul gave a knowing smirk. “We’re both bugs of science. I know how tempting it’ll be. But you can’t outrun a timeline collapse. So think of everything as radioactive. You’re there to observe and record. Nothing else.”

And with that, they were ready to leave—for real this time.

And once more, Rat God saw the light drain from every pair of eyes in the room. She remained behind in the present while their souls snapped backward like taut cords released. Around her, the arena turned silent, weightless, and wrong.

The bodies dropped, and so did the warmth. And for those five eternal seconds, she was a parasite in a dead host again. Her awareness intact. Her purpose unfulfilled.

 She knew the physiological shock caused by the ‘apparent death’ of her host would also cause her own biology to act out. She knew it was procedural—an artifact of the delay. She had braced herself.

But still, the feeling returned. Not just dread—but betrayal. Not from others.

From her own form.

Her skin—if she could call it that—began to granulate, not from physical harm, but refusal. Her own body was rejecting her. Refusing her commands. Her paw twitched when she asked it to still. Her limbs rippled unnaturally when she tried to hold stillness.

She forced herself to breathe. “It’s nothing,” she told herself. “A side-effect. A transient glitch. My body will catch up.”

And yet the moment stretched, twisted. Her instincts screamed: This isn’t a glitch. You don’t belong here. You’ve already failed.

She bit her tongue. Endured.

She could survive five seconds of hell. For now.

What she could not understand in any way was…

Why did her own body seemed to reject her? Why wouldn’t it listen to her?