’This room feels so hot. Why is it so hard for me to breathe?’

Serena complained as she tried to take a deep breath. But her insides were burning, making her feel faint.

She tried closing her eyes to get rid of the feeling, but it only got worse as more and more time passed. It was so bad that she was swaying on her feet.

Thankfully, she had the wall behind her, which helped her balance a little better than before.

’Serena, my dear Serena. I won’t forgive you for abandoning me. How dare you tell your mother you do not want to listen to her.’

The voice in her mind was loud enough to give her a headache. Serena wanted to immediately clutch her head and bash it into the wall to stop the noise.

She also wanted to take that medicine that would knock her out and make it impossible for her to hear her mother’s voice.

’You want to get rid of your mother’s voice? How ungrateful of you. I worked so hard to provide for you and raise you until now, and this is the end result? Why do you want to betray me?’

The voice asked, and Serena lightly tapped her head against the wall behind her. It quieted the voice for a few seconds, and that felt like bliss.

She wanted to do it again and again until she could make that voice stop. But she did not even get the chance because Rin came to her side and stood beside her.

"Are you alright? Or is it your headache that is bothering you again?"

Rin’s concern felt sweet, but it was not something Serena wanted. She was afraid that she would end up leaning on him and become dependent on him if he offered her more help.

And that was not something Serena wanted for herself.

"I am fine. I think I am tired. I just want to rest my eyes. I think I will go to my room and get a checkup afterward."

Serena told him as she pushed herself away and headed toward her room faster and faster.

Meanwhile, her mother’s voice was getting stronger, and so were the system notifications.

[Your corruption level is over 50%.]

’Come back to me so that I can teach you a lesson.’

[Your corruption level is over 55%.]

’You ungrateful brat! How dare you do this to me? Do you think anyone else will accept someone as rotten as you?’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

[Your corruption level is over 60%.]

’I took pity on you and helped you out as much as I could. But I should have known you would be like your father. Ugh, I should have gotten rid of you as soon as I could.’

[Your corruption level is over 65%.]

The corruption was rising, but Serena could not even hear the alarms among the notifications she was getting.

Her mother’s voice was so loud that it was drowning everything else out. It was even making her sway on her feet, and concentrating on anything was hard.

"I am-"

Serena started to speak, but the voice in her head was so loud that she could not even hear herself.

She was so distracted that she did not even notice when someone came up behind her and placed their hands over her ears.

That touch was so unexpected that Serena felt her mind go blank. The voice tormenting her stopped as well, and the system messages finally went silent.

"I am sorry for touching you without consent, but it looked like you needed this. I can give you more medicine if you want."

Rin offered, and Serena placed a hand over his to feel his warmth.

It felt incredible to have a moment of peace after what she had gone through, and Serena felt something stir in her heart.

She wanted to turn around and accept Rin’s offer. She wanted to reach out to him and tell him that she wanted him beside her for tonight and beg him not to leave.

There was so much she wanted to do with him, and her heart was beating crazily in a way that told her that she considered Rin to be more than a friend.

And yet, despite all this, Serena decided that it would not be right for her to drag Rin into her troubles. So she slowly lowered his hand and decided to give him a sad smile.

"I am alright. I don’t think I will need your help tonight. You should focus on recovering as well."

Serena told him as she walked past him and toward her room.

[Your ascension into a calamity will begin in a few hours. Please say your final words to anyone you want to within that time.]

That message could not have been clearer, and Serena felt peace rather than dread.

Finally, her existence would come to an end, and in a way where she would not be the one ending her life.

It felt liberating and-

Someone grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She looked behind her, only to see Rin looking at her.

"Serena, are you sure you are alright? You don’t look that good. If there is anything I can do to help you out-"

Rin asked in a worried voice, and Serena felt stunned. A disbelieving laugh escaped her mouth at Rin’s actions before she sighed and pushed his hand away.

’What a nice person. But I don’t want to drag him into my mess. I guess I am going to ask that pink-haired girl for a favor after all.’

Serena tried to force a smile onto her face, but she was shocked to feel a genuine one forming instead. She could not help it. It was just so calm and peaceful when she was with Rin.

"I am fine. There is no need to ask me again and again. But if there is one person you should worry about, it is that succubus. I have a feeling she is having a hard time as well."

Serena pointed toward Teressa before she left.

She recognized the symptoms of corruption, so she knew that the succubus was going through the same thing. But she was not as far along as Serena was.

"That succubus can still be saved. But as for me...I am long past the point of no return. All I want now is to sleep before this world makes me rot from the inside as well."