"…Why do you keep getting up?"
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
I just stood there… barely.
Breathing.
Refusing to fall.
Mal's eyes hardened.
"Fine."
He stepped forward.
Fast.
Too fast.
I tried to move—
CRACK.
Everything went dark.
…
Silence.
Heavy.
Endless.
…
My eyes opened slowly.
The ground felt cold beneath me.
My body ached… worse than before.
I stared at nothing for a moment.
Then I spoke.
"…I got beaten again."
Quiet.
Flat.
Like I expected it.
A pause.
Then—
A small sound escaped me.
"…heh…"
It grew.
"Heh… heh…"
Then louder.
I started laughing.
Not loud.
Not crazy.
Just… wrong.
Like something inside me had shifted.
Like I was starting to understand something I shouldn't.
My eyes slowly sharpened.
"…Good."