She's whimpering softly, oblivious to your presence.

[[Proceed to 2A.]]

You decide to continue looking for that apartment rental… er, psychotrauma center. You don't need to talk to the girl to return the book, now that you know Dr. Grace Vaya is a he.

[[Proceed to 2B.]]

"Hey, are you alright?"

She parts her hair with her fingers, screaming as soon as she sees you. She cups her hands and covers her face, Sliding downward, she lays down on the ground, and curls into the fetal position.

[[Choose between 3A (Nudge her gently) and 3B (Leave her alone).]]

The lobby has a hotel-like ambience to it. An extravagant chandelier dangles overhead, illuminating the receiving area. There are many lounge chairs scattered around, reminiscent of a hotel's dining area. As an empty reception desk takes your attention, you feel a gentle tap on your shoulder.

[[Choose between 4A (Look behind you) and 4B (Ignore it).]]

As she crosses her arms over her chest, you notice that she is shivering. You pick up her coat, and drape it over her torso.

You hear the anguish in her cries. It seems like she needs to grieve - you understand why she refuses to acknowledge your presence.

[[Choose between 5A (Ask her what happened), 5B (Help her sit up), and 5C (Leave her alone.)]]

It's too risky to get involved with strangers like her. Besides, isn't that blood on her coat? What if she witnessed a murder… or even committed one?

You decide to continue looking for that apartment rental… er, psychotrauma center. You don't need to talk to the girl to return the book, now that you know Dr. Grace Vaya is a he.

[[Return to 2B.]]

"I see you must have been looking for a receptionist. That would be me. I just returned from my break." He looks at you closely, his eyes lighting up as though something caught his attention. "Oh, how may I be of assistance to you?"

[[Choose between 6A (Inquire about apartment rentals), 6B (Volunteer information about the girl), or 6C (Return the book).]]

Before you can even make another step, you feel another tap.

[[Return to 4A.]]

As expected, she does not respond to you with words. She shakes her head and slams one of her palms into the ground.

[[Proceed to 5B.]]

She supports her weight to the best of her ability, and brushes her hair away from her face, once again. Examining your face closely, she gestures to the ground and traces "Thank you" with her index finger, beside her.

You wonder if she might be hard-of-hearing, or unable to speak. She looks like she could use some food or water, but you have neither of those on your person at the moment. Taking out a marker and a piece of paper from your bag, you begin to write: "Let's get you somewhere safe."

She nods and slowly tries to stand up, following after you as you search for the apartment rental building. No, you mean the psychotrauma center. You hear a thud behind you, and notice that she tripped. One of her boots slipped from her foot. You help her up after she wears her boot, and put one of her arms over your shoulder as you continue walking.

[[Proceed to 7.]]

She's too incorrigible. You'll just waste your time if you try to gather more information from her. You decide to continue looking for that apartment rental… er, psychotrauma center. You can always tell the people there about the girl's location, since they know how to handle people like her.

[[Return to 2B.]]

Yes, the apartment rental business may be a front for the psychotrauma center, but you wonder if there is some truth to the operation.

"We cater primarily to those who may not have the necessary financial documents to fulfill most apartment rental applications." Wayne motions for you to take a seat. He then sits facing you as soon as he sees that you're settled down. "These rentals can be for free, if the homeowner decides to rent out to an indigent, so as long as the tenant keeps their room in good condition. If the tenant has a source of income, they can pay their rentals according to their budget." He pauses and appears to scrutinise your apperance. "You don't seem like you're really here to rent an apartment, though. Do you have any other business with us?"

[[Proceed to 6B (Volunteer information about the girl), 6C (Return the book).]]

"Oh, so you're the person who called earlier! Thank you very much for your help." Wayne digs for something on his pocket. "You said something about a book, right?"

[[Proceed to 6C.]]

"Thank you. This is definitely the book that the girl was holding earlier." Wayne flips through the pages, and finds that a page with a large heading reading "Storge" has a few bloodstains. He finds the page with the Saheric writing, and looks at you again. "I'll make sure this book is returned to Dr. Vaya. I think I should look for that girl and bring her here, first. Just stay here if you need to rest, you can get water from the dispenser behind the reception desk."

Wayne leaves the book under the reception desk, and heads out of the door in a rush.

[[Proceed to 8.]]

The lobby has a hotel-like ambience to it. An extravagant chandelier dangles overhead, illuminating the receiving area. There are many lounge chairs scattered around, reminiscent of a hotel's dining area.

Alerted to your presence, someone from the reception desk runs towards both of you. The tall, lanky man with an olive complexion takes the girl by the shoulders, and promptly seats her on the nearest chair. The girl is wincing, probably from spraining her ankle. You notice that the man has a nameplate above his shirt pocket reading, "Wayne".

He turns around to face you. "Were you the person who called earlier? Thank you very much for bringing this girl here." He examines her for a few moments, and takes a bandage from his pocket for a small cut on her hand. "Just wait here. I'll get something for both of you to eat and drink."

You remember that you still have the book with you. You hand it to the girl, who quickly takes it from your hands and bows, a smile spreading to her cheeks. She flips through the book, running her hands gently against a blood-stained page with a large heading reading "Storge". You hear her heave a sigh as Wayne reemerges from behind you with bottled water and croissants for both of you.

Wayne takes notice of the book, and makes a few gestures. The girl responds with similar hand movements, which he responds to with a nod.

All of a sudden, you hear a loud shriek from overhead.

After a few minutes, you see Wayne re-enter the building with the girl. With one of her arms over his shoulder, Wayne supports her as they walk towards you. He promptly seats her adjacent to you. He examines her for a few moments, and takes a bandage from his pocket for a small cut on her hand. "Just wait here. I'll get something for both of you to eat and drink." The girl winces.

You hear her heave a sigh as Wayne reemerges from behind you with bottled water and croissants for both of you. The girl looks at Wayne and performs a few gestures. He responds with similar hand movements, and walks to the desk to take out the book you returned, handing it over to her.

All of a sudden, you hear a loud shriek from overhead.

You could swear you felt the ground tremble for a few moments. The chandelier overhead swings gently. The girl quickly runs to the back of the lobby. Both you and Wayne chase after her as she ascends through a flight of stairs.

She stops at the foggy second floor hallway, where a dark-skinned man with disshelved, bright red hair and deranged eyes is trembling in fear. He is wearing a shirt that reads, "I Want to Believe." The air is dense and rather suffocating.

"I saw it! I saw a bright light…"

Wayne approaches the man, holding both of his wrists. "Okay, calm down and tell me what happened."

The man babbles for a few moments as he brings his gaze to the ceiling. "The valiant knight has returned! He came to save those of us withering in this battlefield. Bathed by light was he as the ground shook! It was a spectacle to behold, purging this wasteland with holy brilliance. Then… the epitome of manhood. It was great. It was gargantuan. It was unlike anything else my eyes have been graced with seeing!"

Wayne takes out a gun-like object from his pocket and pushes a button as he raises it to the level of the man's forehead. You hear a faint beep.

"You're not running a fever. But it's impossible for anyone to smuggle any prohibited substances here." Wayne shakes his head. "I wonder what really happened here."

"He approaches!," the man yells before he lets out his impression of a wolf's howl, his pupils constricting. You see a figure approaching all four of you from the distance. The fog dissipates and reveals a elderly man with a mild limp donning large glasses and a white coat. A look of surprise spreads on his face as he runs closer to the girl and cups her cheeks.

"Bella?" The older man embraces the girl, who nods and returns the gesture.

Wayne asks, "Oh, she's the daughter you were talking about, Doctor?"

"Yes, Wayne."

"YOU! You who are not of this world! And this dame too! Vanquish the evil that has plagued our land!" The man with bright red hair points at the older man, who you now presume to be a doctor of some sort.

"If you'll excuse me, Doctor, I think I need to take Nikki back to his room. Do you know where his attending physician is?" Wayne takes the man with deranged eyes by the arm, and escorts him further down the hallway.

You can hear Bella sniff faintly. The doctor lets go of her and looks at her with what you sense to be relief and a familial kind of love. This then changes into a look of concern.

"Bella, what happened to you -- why are your clothes bloodsoaked?" In response, Bella signs a few gestures to the doctor.

"No, it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself for it. I'm also partly responsible…" Bella frowns as she fidgets with her hands.

"We'll find him, okay? We won't stop until we see him again. But there are people who need us right here in Centropolis. After we render surgical services in next week's event, we can go to Saherimos."

Bella wipes her face, seemingly relieved.

"You can take a bath in the office first. I think some of your clothes are still on the luggage."

The old doctor then diverts his attention to you. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's the first time I've seen my daughter in a few days. I'm Wilhelm." He extends his hand to you, presumably to shake hands. After you exchange pleasantries, Bella takes your hand and signs something to you.

Wilhelm then says, "We'll head to the Survival Memorial after Bella freshens up. I think she wants you to join us. Is that fine with you?"

"As you may have heard earlier, Bella is my daughter. We're not related by blood; I adopted her due to an arrangement with her biological parents."

"Arrangement?"

"Her parents were in a situation where they could not raise her on their own. They told me it would only last about four years, but when they did not come to pick her up, I raised Bella like one of my biological children. Her biological parents are still very much alive, and Bella knows them, but she does not see the need to return to them."

"I'm a surgeon by specialisation, so my services are not always needed here. Ever since the first time I visited Centropolis, I've always volunteered wherever I can extend medical assistance to those who need it most. I'd like to involve my children more, but only Bella is receptive to this."

A woman wearing a hospital gown interrupts Wilhelm for a few moments. She's asking him when she'll be allowed to eat solid foods. He tells her that she'll have to stick to a clear liquid diet for a little longer. He then continues his conversation, now appearing to be more like a monologue, with you.

"Bella is a surgeon, like me. It's supposed to be her first time to volunteer here at the psychotrauma center. It seems she may need their help more than they need her, for now. She's blaming herself for things that are beyond her control."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you anything specific. Bella might not want others to know about it."

"You might not believe me even if I explained everything. He's definitely overreacting to something, but he's not crazy."

"Okay, okay." He puts down his drink, having finished it. "I must have startled that man you saw in the hallway earlier. The one who kept talking about light and evil. I was close to finishing an operation on him when I had to avert a crisis. His anesthesia wore off earlier than expected, thanks to a shortage in the medications we use to induce it. Needless to say, he and I did not take to it very kindly. Thankfully, I was only stitching him up at the time."