Chapter 24: Lady Iberis
"…"
The bishop pondered for a while, but then calmly continued.
"You shall not condemn yourself, Alice. You are under no obligation to take responsibility for all the humans in this world… whose lives are lost. Those lives that were there, they are gone, they are lost. That's all there is to it."
"…"
"What can you do with a life that is lost forever? Alice."
The question was asked silently, and Alice turned over and grasped Jack's hand tightly.
"… Nothing can be done…"
After much thought, she responded in a soft voice. Jack nearly uttered something, but swallowed it down and glanced at the bishop.
"Rather than regret, grieve, and fear what has happened, it is crucial to grasp and deal with the present and the future. Especially for you, the… angel."
"Please tell me…!" Alice asked, interrupting the bishop's words. "What is an angel? Why is the Nightmare after me? What is the thing within me?"
"…"
"I understand nothing… I'm scared, extremely afraid…"
Alice's tears dripped to the floor. After patting her head, Jack leaned back on his crutches and looked at the bishop.
"At the very least, you know certain things which is why you sent to our aid, did you not?"
"Indeed. But the information I possess is only fragments…" The bishop said this nonchalantly. And then she turned to Alice and proceeded. "What we call… Angel is the being whom we refer to as 'Alice'."
At the cryptic answer, Alice stared up at the brain of the pillar and struggled to speak back.
"What do you mean? I, I am here alone! I am the only one in the world!"
"You are one of the terminals called Angels. There are countless 'Alice' in this world."
Brutally calm, the bishop continued.
"Countless… Alice?"
Jack cast a pained look over the stunned girl.
"Not identical, of course, but Angels are beings that share almost the same form. They have access to the outside air and are capable of seeing Nightmares. They do not suffer from collapse disease and can use their mysterious powers…"
"…"
"Where do Angels arise from and why do they appear? We don't know. The only thing we know for sure is that Angels appear in this world with the power to counter Nightmare. You know that, don't you?"
Alice held out her hand, the opposite of the one holding Jack's, and directed a trembling gaze at it. "I am.. there are others of me…?"
Her simple question was blurred greatly by her agitation.
"Angel, that is…"
"Go and fetch Iberis."
When the bishop mentioned that, Philrain, who was about to speak, raised her eyes to the brain as if she had been played.
"Bishop…!"
Philrain was confused, but the bishop remained resolute in her voice.
"We need to get Iberis to meet with this girl. Bring her here."
"Yes…"
With a nod, Philrain vanished into the elevator in the back.
"Iberis…?"
The bishop explained to Alice, who repeated the unfamiliar words.
"There is another Angel in this shelter."
"What…?"
She let out a huge yelp of surprise. Even Jack's eyes widened as he watched the bishop.
"I see… So that's the strange feeling I've been getting since I got here…" Raffi muttered softly at Alice's feet.
"Nightmares apparently evolve when they absorb the blood of you, the Angels, into their bodies. That is what Iberis shared with me before."
There was a ding, and the elevator door opened in the direction from which Philrain had left. Alice looked there and was stunned into stiffness. Philrain entered the room, pushing a wheelchair with a rattling noise, and glanced up at the bishop with a bewildered expression.
"Lady Iberis has been brought…"
"Good. Iberis, may I have a word with you?" The bishop spoke gently to the girl in the wheelchair.
The girl referred to as Iberis slowly opened her eyes and gave a small cough.
… She had no legs on either side of her. Although she was wearing a skirt, that part of her body was completely devoid of anything.
It was a girl who resembled Alice in appearance. She had blond hair and brown eyes. Her height; her eyes; her body; everything was practically the same. The only difference was that Iberis, as she was called, was missing her legs and was dressed in a hospital gown. She was also oddly gaunt.
Only her eyes sparkled like a glistening bird of prey. With those piercing eyes, she looked at the dazed Alice and snorted mockingly.
"… What? It's been a long time since we've had a kindred spirit, yet you seem quite unreliable."
Alice deflated when she was addressed in a high-pressure manner. Iberis frowned when she caught sight of Raffi at Alice's feet.
"…"
She was about to say something, but gulped it down and looked up at the bishop.
"So…? What do you expect me for?"
Even though she had the same appearance as Alice, she was intimidating.
To the dumbfounded Alice, the bishop said. "This is the Angel, Iberis. She lost her legs protecting us when she engaged the Nightmare that attacked here before."
"Please don't make it sound like it's my fault…" Iberis retorted vexedly to the bishop. "This is what happens when you guys are too inept at backing up."
Philrain, who was pushing her wheelchair, shrugged deflated.
"Iberis… that's…"
"What are you stupefying about…? If you want to be dumb, any monkey can do it."
Iberis, who had disregarded the bishop, spoke sternly, and Alice jerked and backed away. The girl in the wheelchair tilted her head as she witnessed the bizarre situation.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone