Chapter Text
It had been a few days since the adventure that essentially broke whatever spirits the players had left. Ragatha had made it a habit to randomly rotate between being with everyone, rarely leaving anyone alone for more than a few hours. At first, everyone would just sit in silence, too stunned or upset to speak, but over time, small conversations began to form. Slowly, the days became better, but never the same. There were no more adventures; just activities like puzzles, books, and other hobby materials would appear in the main room. Caine was never around either; no one had seen him since their last adventure. Not long after the “escape from the circus adventure”, Ragatha had been plagued with a burning sensation that someone was watching her. Only for her to be alone with no one around her.
Although there were moments where Ragatha swore she saw Caine around the corner or in the distance, no one else ever saw him. She would try to get their attention, but by the time she could, he would be gone. At first, she chalked it up to these so-called digital hallucinations that Caine used to talk about, but now it was just starting to get on her nerves. That day, the group decided to take a walk through the halls to look at the paintings while playing a game of "I Spy" in a poor attempt to pass the time. Ragatha wanted to say something, but had chosen against it. How could she explain that the painting's eyes kept following her as if studying her every movement? Would they even believe her if she told them that she had locked eyes with 10 paintings in the past hour? At one point, she couldn’t fight back and turned to look back at the hallway, and there he was, watching her. He was expressionless, only bringing a finger to his head as if to shush her before disappearing.
He knew that she knew.
Was he taunting or threatening her?
It didn’t matter; all Ragatha knew deep down was that she couldn’t ignore him anymore.
…
The night had become worse for the group. It was very clear that abstraction could happen at any moment, and nighttime was the only time everyone was left alone for long periods of time. Ragatha wasn’t sure how it started, or who it was really for, but she made it a habit to check on everyone throughout the night, dragging a pillow along with her. There had been times when she had been found asleep on the floor by their beds or outside their rooms. More often than not, she would wake up covered in a blanket by Pomni or eventually led to bed by Kinger while being lightly scolded for not sleeping before she would sneak off again. But this night had gone so far. Before either could notice, she slipped out and headed to Jax’s room and gave it a light knock. After a moment, Jax opened the door, and the two stared at each other. She had never gone into his room; he never invited her in, but for once, the pair had a silent agreement. After a few moments, he spun around as if to show her there was no sign of abstraction and sighed heavily.
“Go to sleep, Rags,” Jax commanded groggily, and she nodded her head before Jax closed the door on her. Ragatha stood there for a moment, debating what she wanted to do next.
Ragatha had considered returning to her room instead of completing her round. Something held her back, and she could no longer stand it. It was more intense during the night, as if she could feel a presence looming over her as she slept. Especially when she was doing her rounds, once Ragatha had fallen asleep outside Kinger’s pillow fort, and she swore that someone was looming just above her. Well, in actuality, she had always felt that since her arrival, but part of her was afraid to admit it had always been there.