"Okay, so, I think I’m about to shit myself."

Now that he actually had to move, not just think about it, not just plan around it, not just pretend it was something for later, Blake felt his heart slam against his ribs at a speed that genuinely didn’t feel healthy.

It wasn’t just fast, but loud, so loud not only he could hear it, but also everyone else.

All day, he’d been clinging to Myles.

Not even in such a subtle way.

Extra hugs, longer touches, leaning into him just a bit more than usual. It had started as an excuse for himself... he has to throw off suspicion for later, but he did more to make everything feel normal before he went and did something incredibly stupid.

So, he’d just been anxious, to put it bluntly, and has been trying to calm himself down.

"Myles, I love you. Bye."

That’s what he said before getting off the bus.

And now... now that he had time to actually think about it, Blake couldn’t help but cringe internally.

Was that too much? Too sudden? Too... loaded?

It sounded like the kind of line someone said before doing something dangerous.

Or worse, before not coming back.

"Okay, nope, not thinking about that."

He shook his head slightly, trying to push the thought away before it could settle too deeply.

Because really, the issue wasn’t just about possibly running into one of Myles’ teammates.

Or accomplices.

Or whatever the hell they were supposed to be called.

That part was already bad enough.

But worse was, of course, running into Myles himself.

The thought alone made something in his stomach twist unpleasantly.

"No. No, okay... if he’s there, if he’s in the base I’m planning to find, then I’ll just go somewhere else. Yeah. That’s easy. That’s really easy. I’ll just leave. Simple."

He repeated it.

Again.

And again.

Like saying it enough times would make it true.

He didn’t exactly have the luxury of backing out now.

So instead, he forced himself forward.

"Spoon, give me the mask."

[ Yes, Dear Host. ]

The mask appeared in his hand, and Blake let out a slow breath, already moving toward the closet with a kind of reluctant determination.

With this mask on, there was no version of this where that didn’t end with him immediately becoming UD’s direct... what?

Enemy?

Suspect?

Target?

Probably all of the above.

And being both Alfred and Myles’ problem under the same identity?

Yeah, no.

That was outright suicidal.

"Too hard..."

The moment the mask settled onto his face, his body shifted, expanding, stretching into something bigger, broader, heavier.

The suit appeared, making him look like a celebrity going to an event.

So, first step was putting on a stretch out shirt on.

"It’s obvious. I mean, come on, it’s obvious I’m wearing something underneath. Anyone with half a brain would notice this."

Still, he didn’t exactly have better options.

So he also grabbed one of the biggest jackets he owned and shoved his arms into it, forcing the zipper up as far as it would go, and it helped, although marginally.

Still, not enough to actually make him feel confident about it.

Frankly, he looked ridiculous.

Like someone who had tried way too hard to hide something and ended up doing the exact opposite.

And moving was worse.

Not impossible, but definitely restricted.

"Spoon."

[ Yes, Dear Host. ]

"You’ll help me escape like you always do, right?"

...

Silence.

Blake stared ahead for a second.

Then narrowed his eyes slightly.

"...Right. Of course."

He clicked his tongue, turning sharply and stomping over to the bedside table.

"Ah, you son of a—"

The drawer slid open with more force than necessary, and he pulled out a balaclava, immediately pulling it over his head.

The mask underneath caused it to stick out in unnatural ways, creating odd shapes that definitely didn’t belong on a normal human face.

But Blake didn’t stop there, since a cap went on next.

Then the hood of the jacket.

Layer after layer, piling on until...

"...Huh."

He turned slightly, catching a glimpse of himself.

"I look a bit too ridiculous."

That was an understatement.

But, if anything went wrong, if he somehow failed at sneaking around despite literally having a skill for it, then that wouldn’t be on the outfit.

No.

That would be on him.

"Love tracker."

The map appeared, and Blake leaned in slightly, scanning it with more focus than before.

Myles wasn’t nearby.

That alone made something in his chest loosen just a little.

But the relief didn’t last long.

Because that didn’t mean he was safe.

Not when there was a possibility of teleportation being involved.

"I swear to god..."

Stepping out of the apartment, Blake took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he tried to steady himself.

"I’ll sneak for my lover."

...

The bus ride felt longer than it should have.

Or maybe it just felt that way because Blake couldn’t stop looking at his own reflection in the window.

The glass wasn’t perfectly clear, slightly smudged, faintly reflective, but it was enough for him to see himself.

And honestly, he didn’t like what he saw.

Blake grimaced slightly, eyes narrowing as he leaned just a bit closer.

The layers.

The bulk.

The awkward proportions.

Everything about it screamed suspicious.

’I look like I’m about to rob a convenience store.’

A pause.

’Badly.’

He let out a quiet breath, shoulders relaxing just a fraction.

’I’m really grateful for this skill.’

Because despite everything, despite how obvious this should have looked, not a single person on the bus paid him any attention.

No stares, no double takes, nothing.

To everyone else, he was just another passenger.

Just background noise.

It was strange, even after using it so many times.

The bus eventually slowed, the familiar sound of brakes cutting through his thoughts.

This was his stop.

The one closest to the mountain.

Blake stepped off, boots hitting the ground as he immediately became aware of the difference.

There was way less noise, and less people.

Just, more space.

’Okay.’

Now came the part he couldn’t skip.

Walking.

The forest wasn’t right there, it never was. Instead, the path stretched ahead, slowly transitioning from pavement to dirt, from dirt to something less defined.

And with every step, his heartbeat got worse.

Louder.

Heavier.

Until...

[ Fear Is For The Unloved! (C) activated ]

"...Ah."

Blake’s hand immediately came up to his chest, pressing hard as if that would somehow calm the frantic rhythm beneath.

His eye twitched slightly.

"I’m... more scared than I thought."

That wasn’t great, actually, that was pretty bad, because he’d expected nerves.

He’d expected a certain type of anxiety, since he already had to do this before, just in a slightly different context.

Like something instinctive, as if his body was trying to warn him.

But now, it was like that time, at the abandoned building, the first and last time he had to do something more plot related directly to Myles.

’...phew, still, I’m used to it, so it’s disappearing pretty fast.’

He pulled up the tracker again, staring at it longer this time, as if memorizing every detail would somehow make this easier.

It helped him move s little better.

One last breath.

Then, he finally stepped into the forest, and the shift was immediate. The air felt cooler and everything looked way darker and heavier, somehow.

The sounds changed too... not gone, just different. Leaves rustling, branches creaking, something moving somewhere that he couldn’t quite see.

Blake moved carefully, each step deliberate.

He tried to picture it, the base.

The exact point he had marked in his mind.

It had to be here, somewhere.

"...Right."

He walked deeper and deeper.

Every small noise made him freeze.

Crack.

He stopped instantly, body going rigid as his eyes darted toward the sound.

Nothing.

Just a branch shifting.

A rustle to his left... again, he froze, barely breathing.

A small animal darted past, disappearing almost instantly.

’I hate this.’

His voice was quiet, almost swallowed by the forest itself.

It didn’t really help that it fit the villain vibe so accurately: full of trees, layers upon layers of them, making visibility a constant issue.

He blinked.

’...Why did I even think that? I must be feeling too comfortable for a moment.’

He stepped forward, and Blake immediately hissed, jerking slightly as something ripped skin off his ankle.

"Agh!"

He looked down.

It was a flower with thorns.

"...Seriously?"

Blake bit his lip, ignoring the sting, and kept moving further, deeper.

He slowed, then stopped and frowned.

There was... nothing, just more trees and ground.

More of the same.

’No, this is where it should technically be.’

That wasn’t right, he knew Myles had been here.

He was sure of it.

Blake turned slowly, scanning his surroundings again, more carefully this time.

Still nothing.

No sign of anything unusual.

"Did I mess up?"

The doubt came quickly.

But he didn’t let it settle.

Because out of everything he could doubt, it wasn’t that.

He called out the map again, comparing it carefully.

Cross-checking.

Replaying the memory in his head.

"...No."

This was the place. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

’It’s hidden.’

Of course it was, there wasn’t supposed to be anything on the surface, he already considered the possibility.

And he wasn’t standing on it, not directly.

He just had to...

’Just search around more. Calm down, you moron.’

Blake glanced around one more time, the forest stretching endlessly in every direction.

Then he took another step forward.

And kept searching.