Evelise lurched forward, reaching for something with shaking hands. Sid reacted quickly, pulling open his inventory.

"Oopsie— my bad! Inventory: Bottled Water!"

A bottle of water materialized in his grasp. He twisted the cap open in a hurry and handed it to her. Evelise grabbed it and drank desperately, gulp after gulp, as if trying to rinse something rotten from her mouth.

But then her eyes widened. A strangled sound escaped her throat, and suddenly she lurched forward, vomiting all the water back onto the table. Sid jumped to his feet in shock.

"F*ck! What’s happening to you?!"

When it finally stopped, she was left trembling, gasping for air. Her skin was pale as paper, her eyes wide with panic. Sid quickly crouched beside her, placing a hand on her back and another on her arm, trying to steady her.

"Hey— hey, easy! You okay? What happened? You don’t like food like this? But I tasted everything mysely, the food, the water— nothing’s wrong with it!"

Evelise clutched her throat, eyes wet with tears, every breath ragged and strained as if her body had rejected even the air itself. Sid tried to keep his tone light, desperate to calm her.

"Easy, girl... whew. I mean, judging from your looks, you probably grew up with a silver spoon. Canned food doesn’t exactly compare to what you’re used to, huh?"

His weak attempt at humor hung in the air, but she didn’t laugh. Her trembling only grew worse, and the look she gave him wasn’t disgust... it was fear. Her fingers shook, but she picked up the spoon again, as if trying to prove something to him, maybe to herself. She hesitated, then forced another bite.

The result was the same. She gagged, spitting it out again as tears welled in her eyes.

"Evelise, stop!"

Sid said, alarmed.

"Don’t force yourself. You’re just making it worse—"

But she didn’t stop. She tried one more time, trembling, desperate to eat, desperate to be normal. The spoon clattered from her grip as her body gave up. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her voice came out small and broken.

"Why... why does it taste like this? I... I used to eat this..."

Sid froze, staring at her. His mind struggled to make sense of it, food that should’ve been safe, good, now tasting foul to her. He’d seen hunger, sickness, fear but not this. She looked at him, eyes wide and red, confusion and grief tangled in her face.

"It’s all wrong... it’s all... wrong..."

Sid’s breath caught. Something about her reaction... her trembling, the tears, the horror. Sent a chill crawling up his spine. He stayed crouched beside her, not sure what to do. Her shoulders shook with each breath, her tears dripping onto the wooden floor between them.

The half-eaten beans still steamed faintly between them, the faint scent filling the small room. Sid stared at the bowl, then at her, helpless. He had seen death, decay, and monsters but not this. Not the sound of someone breaking from the inside out. Evelise’s voice came out cracked, fragile.

"What is happening to me... why can’t I eat... why is my body rejecting it?"

"Rejecting it? How? What do you mean?"

"It’s like it’s poison to me. Everything tastes rotten. Even the water..."

Sid shifted, trying to keep his tone calm.

"You’ve been through hell. Maybe your body’s just... catching up."

"No, no! My body—F-father..."

Her hands trembled as she clutched at her chest.

"Why did my life turn into this? If— if I had just listened to you, Father, maybe everything wouldn’t have become like this. I—"

Her words broke apart into sobs. Sid’s throat tightened, but no words came. He could only sit there, watching her cry herself empty. His mind spun, trying to make sense of it.

"Why is she saying things like this? Is this another forced cutscene? A scripted emotional trigger from the system? Come on, system— there’s gotta be a dialogue option here! I’m not good at this..."

"Father... Mother... I’m sorry... please... please help—"

Sid’s heart thudded in his chest.

"Why does she sound so genuine? Her feelings... they’re too real. Damn it. Or... is this real? What the hell is she talking about... her father? Her life? She’s not supposed to have a life..."

The flickering oil lamp filled the room with a dim glow, casting long shadows across their faces. Outside, the wind whispered through the broken windows. The warmth of the little flame did nothing to soften the weight pressing on them. Evelise’s cries slowly quieted, her breathing evening out as exhaustion finally took her. She drifted into sleep, tears still glistening on her cheeks.

Sid sat there in silence, staring at her. The system, the world, even the sound of his own heartbeat— all of it felt suddenly distant. Only one thought lingered.

"She’s not supposed to feel like this."

He let out a quiet breath and slowly reached forward. Evelise had slumped sideways, her face buried in her arms, her body still trembling. He hesitated for a second, then gently lifted her head and set it down on his lap.

Her hair, silvery and soft, slipped through his fingers like fine silk. She didn’t move, only breathed in shallow, uneven gasps, her tears still wet on her cheeks. Sid stared at her for a long moment, unsure what to do next.

"Man... you really are a handful."

He muttered softly, brushing her bangs away from her face.

"You throw attitude, you don’t listen and now... you’re breaking down over a can of beans. But... I guess I can’t blame you for that."

He leaned back slightly, his eyes tracing the faint rise and fall of her chest.

"What are you, really?"You’re not acting like an NPC. Hell, you’re not even acting like an AI. The way you cried, the way your body rejected food... that wasn’t programmed behavior. No script I’ve seen ever made a character hurt like that."

He brushed his thumb gently over her ear, the way someone might soothe a restless cat. Her breathing steadied a little.

"You said something about your father. Why? Why did that come up now? Are those real memories? Or... are you remembering a life that doesn’t exist in this world?"