章 16: An Angel who can kill Nightmares
"You can see Raffi…?"
Alice questioned, and Philrain gave a nod as she opened the medicine bottle in the cupboard.
"Yes. Crystal clear."
"…"
Raffi stood up silently and moved to sit down between Alice and Philrain. He then opened his mouth oppressively.
"I don't need to be called a cat by a Replicant."
"I apologize if I offended you. I meant no disrespect."
With a smiling countenance, Philrain turned and approached Alice. She offered her a pill in the palm of her hand.
"It's a headache remedy and a pill that will allow you to fall asleep easily."
"T-Thank you…"
She took the pill, puzzled, and placed it on the food tray.
"I think you should take the headache pill now."
When Alice took the cup from Philrain's hand, Raffi said in an uncharacteristically low voice. "Alice, stay alert. This is a Replicant."
"Eh…? A replicant…"
"An imperfect human. They're afflicted with a disease."
Raffi answered simply, and Philrain smiled at him before nodding.
"As expected of a Nightmare attached to an Angel. You certainly know your stuff."
"Nightmare…?" Alice repeated Philrain's words and regarded Raffi before her eyes. "Raffi, you are a Nightmare…?"
She uttered in a trembling voice and backed away from the cat, disentangling herself from him. Raffi looked sideways at Alice, then said to Philrain in a bitter voice.
"Would you please refrain from sending unnecessary… fear into Alice?"
"But a Nightmare is a Nightmare, right? For my part, I'm wondering why the sensors aren't detecting you and…"
The sound of scraping metal could be heard. Wherever it originated from, a long needle, similar to an ice pick, was exposed on the sleeve of Philrain's dress. With a smile plastered on her face, she positioned the needle towards Raffi and sat back.
"Though I'm more interested in why you're with an Angel."
"Stop!" Alice hurried up there and glanced up at Philrain. "This is Raffi. He's been protecting me. Don't be so angry…"
"…"
Raffi sighed and shook his head at Philrain, who was still smiling and refusing to withdraw the weapon. "Good grief… I never thought I'd run into a Replicant here…"
"Raffi, what's a Replicant…?"
Alice asked timidly, and Raffi replied softly.
"They're human being born with the collapse disease. In exchange for having their bodies affected by progressive erasure, they are capable of seeing Nightmares."
"I am a priestess. I'd appreciate it if you don't call me a Replicant, Nightmare."
"A Replicant is a Replicant." Raffi retorted. Philrain glared at Raffi in abhorrence for a while, but seeing the frightened look on Alice's face, she put the needle away again to the sound of metallic clanking. Then she bowed deeply to Alice.
"I'm sorry, Angel. I have frightened you. Whoever you are accompanied by, be it a Nightmare or a cat, they are my friends. They are welcome here."
"Doesn't look like I'm being welcomed by any means…"
Disregarding Raffi's venom, she pulled a round lump out of her pocket. Alice gasped when she spotted it. It was the Hatter's eyeball.
"When you were rescued, you had this in your pocket. It's part of the Nightmare. If you don't mind, I'd like to know what happened."
Philrain advanced and put the eye in Alice's hand. She then gazed down at Raffi and settled down next to him.
"Please have a meal while you're at it. As for the Nightmare… Oh, they don't need to eat…"
"What a sarcastic woman…" Raffi spat. Alice watched Raffi, holding her chest against her clothes.
"You're a Nightmare, aren't you…?"
"I'm not trying to conceal it from you, Alice. I'm an Original Nightmare, too. However, I'm working separately from the Hatter and the others, and I'm on your side."
"The Hatter didn't know about you?"
"…"
Instead of addressing the question, Raffi ensured that Alice had tucked the hatter's eyeball into her pocket and shifted over to curl up in her lap.
"I have no hostile intentions. You do understand that I have no intention of making things difficult for Alice, right, Replicant?"
Philrain snorted lightly and then shrugged her shoulders. "… I understand. I'll leave it unreported."
"That would be helpful."
"The Hatter… perhaps you guys were attacked by the Hatter?"
In response to the question, Alice nodded.
"Yeah… this is that person's eyeball…"
Taking the horrifying prosthetic eye in her hand, she held it out to Philrain. She gasped and pressed her hand to her mouth, staring at it for a moment.
"What a surprise… I didn't think there would be an Angel who could kill the Original Nightmare…"
"I, I didn't really…"
As she started to speak, Alice suffered a throbbing pain in her head. She raised her voice and suppressed her head.
The Hatter's head slipping out of place. The startled look of despair plastered on the Hatter's face. Black liquid spurting out.
All of these things flooded back into her mind at once.
"Angel! Take your medicine…!"
Philrain supported her and she received the pill. She swallowed the pill with water. Then she drew in a breath and pressed the corners of her eyes.
"I…"
She finally managed to squeeze her voice out.
"I killed the…? The Hatter…"
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