Pavela ignored the Gatekeeper.
She was still focused on controlling her physical body in reality.
She saw Eleanor's figure disappear completely from her sight.
She waited another thirty seconds, confirming that Eleanor wouldn't suddenly turn back.
Then, she manipulated her arm to raise.
And pressed the close button for the cockpit door.
The hydraulic system emitted a low "hissing" sound as the heavy tal hatch slowly closed, completely isolating her from the outside world.
Click.
The hatch locked tight.
The seal was complete.
Then, Pavela could finally let go of all control.
"Aaaaaaaaaah—!!!"
A scream erupted within the sealed cockpit.
She slid down from the seat.
Curling into a ball.
Rolling around in the narrow space.
Her forehead slamd against the edge of the console.
Her shoulder banged against the seat bracket.
Her knees struck the cabin wall.
But she couldn't feel any of this physical pain at all.
Because the agony transmitted by her nervous system had completely overwheld everything else.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts—"
She gritted her teeth.
The words were squeezed out from between them.
Her fingers clawed at the floor.
Her nails screeched against the tal surface.
Sweat rolled down from her forehead.
Soaking her collar.
Soaking the floor.
She could feel those vines.
Writhing within her spirit.
Taking root in her consciousness.
And those endless whispers.
"Shut up—!"
Pavela scread.
"Everyone, shut up—!"
She buried her face in her arms.
Curling herself up even tighter.
Like a wounded small animal.
The soundproofing inside this cha was indeed excellent.
No matter how much she scread.
Nothing could be heard outside.
So she could now scream in agony without any reservations.
...
On the other side, within the ntal Space.
Pavela stood up.
And stretched.
"Whew—"
She let out a long breath.
"I can finally relax a bit."
"This ti's return backlash is indeed unpleasant."
"If it's not necessary in the future, I'd better not use this move."
"Or, should I ask the Doctor to modify the design again?"
"To see if there's any way to alleviate it."
The Gatekeeper floated to the side.
Its void form, constantly disintegrating and reforming, vibrated slightly.
"...You're actually thinking about a next ti?"
"Of course."
Pavela moved her shoulders and sighed.
"Pain is pain."
"But after all, that form is my strongest one right now."
"I'll inevitably have to use it in the future."
"If I don't think of sothing now, I'll have to suffer again next ti."
"But, that's for later."
She seed to think of sothing, and the corners of her mouth began to curl up slightly.
"Right now, I just want to get through this wave of pain quickly, then go find Eleanor to collect a bit of 'Pavela Concern Tax'."
"Since everyone knows about my relationship with Eleanor now."
"Then I don't need to pretend to be so noble gentleman anymore."
The Gatekeeper was silent for a mont.
"...That's a dangerous thought."
"What's dangerous about it?"
Pavela said.
"I just want to give my sister a hug."
"It's perfectly reasonable for a younger sister to seek comfort from her older sister when she's hurt, right?"
"...Really?"
The Gatekeeper's voice was skeptical.
"Why do I feel like you're trying to—"
"Stop, stop."
Pavela interrupted him.
"Don't judge my noble intentions with your petty mind."
"Alright."
"If there's nothing else, I'm getting ready to leave."
"Wait, wait, wait."
The Gatekeeper quickly stopped her.
"There is sothing, there is sothing."
Pavela stopped.
And turned around.
"What is it?"
"You don't want to keep you company and chat, do you?"
"I don't have the ti for that."
"No."
The Gatekeeper's voice beca uncharacteristically serious.
"I didn't pull you into the ntal Space just so you could soothe your girlfriend."
"Sothing's gone wrong with your ntal Space, and you need to handle it yourself."
Pavela was stunned for a mont.
"Sothing's wrong with the ntal Space?"
"What kind of problem?"
The Gatekeeper's void form vibrated.
As if sighing.
He raised his void form.
Pointing toward the black tower in the distance.
"Look over there."
Pavela looked in the direction he pointed.
It was that black tower that was forever collapsing and forever being rebuilt.
However... sothing seed off.
It seed like sothing had changed.
Pavela narrowed her eyes and looked more closely.
This ti, she saw it clearly.
It was those agonized faces originally embedded in the tower walls that were different.
Those distorted faces screaming silently.
They had changed.
They had beco more detached.
So had beco half-skulls struggling outward; while everything below the neck was still buried in the wall, the heads had completely protruded, mouths gaping wide as if screaming.
Others even had their upper bodies exposed, hands clutching the edges of the tower wall, seemingly trying to crawl out desperately.
The entire tower wall looked as if countless people were struggling frantically to crawl out of the wall.
She was taken aback.
She had been to the ntal Space of the Path of the Tower many tis, but this was indeed the first ti she had seen such a situation.
"...This"
"...What's going on here?"
Pavela pointed at those struggling souls.
"Weren't they quite well-behaved before?"
"It's fear."
The Gatekeeper answered Pavela's question.
"These souls on the surface, they are afraid."
"So, they are trying to escape this tower at all costs."
"Fear?"
Pavela raised an eyebrow.
"They're already dead, what could they possibly be afraid of?"
"Hmph..."
The Gatekeeper let out an ambiguous snort.
"There are far more things to fear after death than while alive."
"While alive, at most you fear death."
"But after death, you fear being devoured, being forgotten, and being trapped sowhere forever."
"In short."
"Right now, so rather special circumstances have arisen inside the tower."
"I hope you can go inside the tower to take a look and handle this anomaly."
Pavela stared at the black tower.
And began to think seriously about it.
To go, or not to go?
To be honest, she didn't really want to go.
At least not right now.
She was still in the painful period of the backlash.
Her real self was rolling around and screaming in the cockpit.
Staying in the ntal Space would undoubtedly prolong this period of agony.
Although the flow of ti in the ntal Space was different from reality, her consciousness staying here ant her physical body in reality would continue to endure the torture of those vines and whispers.
This was not what she wanted.
She wanted to end this quickly.
And then go find Eleanor.
Hug her.
Nuzzle her.
And collect a bit of 'Pavela Concern Tax'.
But...
This anomaly really couldn't be left unaddressed.
After all, this was her own ntal Space.
If anything went wrong, she would be the one to face the consequences.
The Gatekeeper specifically pulling her into the ntal Space to handle this issue indicated that it was quite serious.
If left unchecked, who knew what it would develop into?
Pavela frowned.
Suddenly, sothing occurred to her.
Wait.
If there's a problem inside the tower.
Shouldn't the Gatekeeper be the one to handle it?
Didn't he claim to be ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the warden of her ntal Space?
Managing the souls in the tower and handling anomalies—wasn't that his job?
Pavela turned her head.
And looked at the Gatekeeper with a suspicious gaze.
"Sothing's not right."
She said.
"Aren't you the Gatekeeper?"
"Shouldn't you be the one handling this kind of problem?"
She paused.
Her gaze beca even more wary.
"Could it be that you didn't et your quota for temptation today and are trying to dig another hole for ?"
The Gatekeeper's void form vibrated violently again.
As if he were choked up.
"...Listen to you."
His voice sounded sowhat helpless.
"I admit, the matter with Lev last ti was indeed my fault; I had my own agenda."
"But it's really not the case this ti."
"This really is a problem that requires your attention."
"Is that so?"
Pavela crossed her arms.
"Then tell , why does it need to be this ti?"
The Gatekeeper was silent for a few seconds.
As if hesitating over sothing.
But eventually, he only let out a long sigh.
"Fine."
"There's no point in hiding anything anymore."
"Let's put it this way: that tower is no longer under my jurisdiction."
"Inside that tower, the ones in charge now are a bunch of old perverts who don't listen to reason."
"Every ti I go over there, they beat even harder than you do."
"...?"
"Old perverts who don't listen to reason? And they beat you up?"
Pavela's interest was piqued.
"Care to elaborate?"
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