Chapter Text
The inside of the Hollow is surprisingly quiet and peaceful. The suspicious silence envelops them. Wise looks around, seeking for any danger, but he sees nothing. No ethereals, no humans, no anybody, and just two of them. The Hollow now is an empty space without someone's presence. But, it seems like not only the living beings were not there — even the garbage isn't, only bags. Like if they are in a vacuum fencing them off. Maybe, it is usually that serene, and two of Phaethon are just luckless.
Meanwhile, Nicole searches for something valuable, rummaging the corners and all trash bags. "What a bad day, there's nothing costing my attention..." Demara declares with an unsatisfied tone. "Not a single denny," she complains but then fastly recalls the mission and speaks to her proxy. "So, what about the address?" the girl inquires, keeping up with him. A breeze travels, gliding in their direction, swaying Nicole's ribbons. Demara's pink hair slightly swings on the wind, she smiles and looks at Wise.
"It's nearby us, follow me," the guy answered, glancing at her too. They didn't go in a Hollow together before, and it felt so awkward. It was Eous going in Hollows and Belle controlling him after all. All that time, Wise was sitting in the Random Play, working, cleaning, buying food. Briefly, he did mundane things, his sister did cool things. Proxy glimpsed at Nicole and started his way forward to the destination. Worries didn't want to leave Phaethon's head, filling his mind. Firstly, the Port Elpis was deserted, and now the Hollow is, and Fairy didn't notice anything. That was COMPLETELY strange.
Proxy leads his customer through the debris. Around them two are broken buildings, dust, and the worst — ether-polluted air. Though, Wise has a higher ether aptitude than before, so it won't bother him, but he still fears a corruption or any diseases caused by ether. For a long time, Phaethon siblings were not immune to that strange virus, and the fright of Hollows is still there with them.
These strange situations scare proxy to death. He loses in anxious thoughts, not thinking straight. Wise says nothing and walks forward until he feels a punch. The hit is not that strong but still enough for proxy to feel pain. He stops and glances at the right side from whom he got the knock. Nicole stands there with a worried and angry face at the same time, staring directly at Wise's eyes, as if she tries to investigate and explore his mind.
"Manager," the pink-haired girl said slowly. "IF YOU WANT TO BE SCARED THEN BE IN THE OTHER PLACE! NOT NOW!" the Cunning Hares' leader shouted aggressively and banged proxy's head. She glimpsed at Phaethon and immediately turned away, trying not to show her face. Yes, Nicole was mad, because WHY would he choose to be nervous NOW?! But the second reason was that she was anguished by his state. Demara knew, Wise wasn't in Hollows for a long time and it would be a headache for him, but still dragged him here. She just now realised how egocentric it was. Notwithstanding it, Nicole didn't want to apologise yet wanted to make amends for her selfish behaviour later.
The Cunning Hares' leader's words were a... curative sober up? Yeah, probably something like that. But proxy couldn't say anything as Fairy interposed. "Mentally unstable brother of my master, cheer up," she uttered. Maybe, AI's tone wasn't that bad, because now Phaethon was glad about her insulting jokes and unbothered voice. He gradually calms down.
Suddenly, Nicole and Wise hear a loud noise coming from the back. They turn away, seeking a source, but it's not necessarily. The bunch of Hollow raiders dashes at them, reaching them as fast, as proxy and his customer doesn't manage to do anything. Some of the outlaws slide from the slope made of ruins. Dust soars in the air that much, that the urge to sneeze gets over the Random Play holder.
"You're so fucking insufferable," Demara states, snatching Wise's hand tightly. She, hoping he will be okay, flees with him. Nicole's heart beats very quickly, mostly because she worries about proxy, and, obviously, because she wants to leave the Hollow alive. Then the girl hears his frequent breathing, knowing damn well Wise just CAN'T run a long distance. The Cunning Hares' leader pushes him to the corner on garbage bags for the soft landing. Rapidly, she grabs her suitcase, activating the weapon mode.
"I thought the guy was the one who would fight," one of the raiders said, sneering. He was buff and huge, and had a clean-cut face. The others were dressed in ether-proof helmets, not showing their faces — but probably they were grinning too. Some of the criminals held crossbows, some had crowbars, and the only raider without a mask clinched a knife. The cutter seemed not sharp but still enough to hurt someone if the owner used some force. The others' weapons were super flimsy though. The outlaws looked as if the nobleman came with his serfs.
Wise slumps to the ground on some sacks. Empty sacks. So it doesn't really help. He groans of mild pain, thinking about getting some bruises. Proxy peeks at Nicole, checking if she's okay, but she motions her hand, conveying him to not protrude. Phaethon returns to the corner, staying silent, until Fairy speaks.
"I don't know how to atone for my mistakes," she comments robotically and then continues "I didn't notice them in time. I'm a bad assistant." The sorrowful chords pierce proxy's heart and...
"Fairy. Turn off the music," he utters with a serious tone. "It's not the time for jokes," Wise sighs. As he says, now is a dangerous condition. The Random Play's manager thinks about a backup. Who can he call? His mind simmers up.
Nicole analyzes the situation, regarding the raiders. There's only seven of them, including the leader. But she doesn't even finish her inspection, a group of other Hollow raiders appears. Around twenty criminals are ready to fight her. That's not quite fair... The Cunning Hares' leader starts panicking, because HOW THE HELL WILL SHE DEFEAT THEM?! She hears a beautiful singing. "Is this heaven?" is the first thought on her mind.
But Wise recognises the voice. "Is that..." he tries to say and gets interrupted quickly.
"Astra," Evelyn uttered.