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For the first time in years, Three heard unrecognizable footsteps.
She turned towards the light, casted through the metal bars of her home. It burned her eyes, and for a moment she could only see white, but the silhouette before her needed no detail to be recognized.
"…how did you get in here?" Her voice was dry and raspy from lack of use, and it made her skin crawl. Another side effect of it. She closed her eyes and willed the feeling away, but she could not escape as usual. She had company over, forcefully. She sighed. "What do you want- or, wait, what does Four want?"
Four was the only she would let visit her. It was rather strange that he would even bother sending someone else, knowing that she wouldn't answer, but… he's got some competition going on now. Or something like that. He's probably busy with his own problems. Does he even have problems? Three can't remember any problems. Last time she checked, they were just happily playing with their magic in the number playground. Urgh, she's probably just remembering some weird dream again. It's fine, she's playing ball with Four and X now. Oh, and there's Six! Maybe they want to joi-
"I found a door, seriously. Are you any better, Three?"
The pain came back at once. It was warping her, sickening and decaying. She would never be better. She could feel it coming back again. They needed to go away.
"NO. What do you want?!" It came out more aggressive than she intended. It made her feel so disgusted and awful, but this wasn't Six. This was not HER Six. She curled up in her blanket, the warmth doing nothing to soothe her shaking. Maybe if she stopped responding then they'd leave her alone. Six wouldn't do this, right?
"Hey, calm down. My friends met One, and-"
No more words were heard. Glass shattered in her mind, the shards piercing into her thoughts and ripping her away from herself . Reflecting her somewhere new.
Three felt the familiar grass of the playground underneath her body. She felt the slightest bit dizzy, the feeling suddenly intensified as blue yoylelite magic shook her rapidly.
"Hey!!! Three?!? You good there?! I'm so sorry, I'm still honing this magic stuff-"
"Oh! I'm fine One, don't worry about it! It's just a rubber ball, anyway. Ow, okay, stop shaking me!"
The two laughed together, at peace, as usual.
Three stood before them, shaking from the pain of her shattering flaring up. and yet, she was smiling. Her old demeanor. Six held out their hand, signaling the contestants to stay back, as Three finally spoke in her cheerful, naive voice.
"Oh, her? Go tell her I said hi! We can play later, if she wants! I've just gotta… rest for a moment!"
The concern on Six's face was rather… complex. It was as if they knew, yet did not know the extent. "Oh, uh, okay! Come on guys, let's go" Six spoke in a rapid manner, far off from their usual tone. The contestants behind them wasted no time walking off, and Six slowly shut the prison bars. They hesitated, eyes always trailing back to the red number that was now facing away. Far away. Six couldn't stop themself from whispering a small sendoff as they left.
"I'm so sorry, Three."
It was hours later that Three found herself in her other home again. The one with no grass, no friends, and pain. Why did she even come here again? The playground was waiting for her.
She could not recognize the severity, the risks, or the danger she was in. Because she did not hear it. Something else within her had taken that burden.
The burn of the bearer's tears lingered on her cheeks. But that didn't matter.
There was truly no point in staying, when she could go where she was loved.