A beat passed between Chie and Ronzonius before the latter finally scoffed and turned on his heel sharply:

  “Let’s go save your precious friends.”

  And without another word, he started walking straight toward the nearest jar (Juniper's), already reaching for the lock mechanism like nothing else mattered more than getting them out first…

  The lock gave way with a sharp click, and the glass lid of Juniper's jar slid open with an eerie creak.

  For a moment, nothing happened, then Juniper burst out in a frenzied rush of limbs and panicked gasps, stumbling forward before nearly collapsing onto the floor from sheer exhaustion.

  "Oh God..." Chie dropped to her knees immediately, wrapping her arms around Juniper's shoulders in the biggest hug possible as relief flooded through her.

  She could feel tears pricking at her eyes again but didn't care, burying her face into Juniper's shoulder and squeezing tightly, like she'd never get the chance to hold anyone dear to her again.

  "Hurry up, do Alice next!”

  Ronzonius didn’t waste a second, his fingers already working on the lock of Alice’s jar as he shot Chie an unimpressed look over his shoulder.

  "Yeah, yeah, bossy little thing, aren't you?" He muttered before adding under his breath: "...Cute."

  But then? Another loud CLICK echoed through the chamber, and this time it was Alice who tumbled out in a disoriented heap; gasping for air and blinking up at them both with wide eyes still full of fear…until they landed on Chie’s face. Then? Her expression softened into pure relief too.

  "C-Chie…?”

  Chie's own expression softened too at the sound of Alice's voice, her own relief growing as she gently pulled away from Juniper and turned to pull Alice into a second hug.

  "I'm here. I'm here," she found herself repeating softly, arms wrapped tightly around the other girl's smaller frame and running her hand down her hair in an attempt to soothe her. "You're gonna be okay, okay? We're getting you guys out of here…"

  "And lastly...Noel," Ronzonius said, unlocking the glass jar with one last click.

  Noel's eyes fluttered open, weak and disoriented, but alive, as she slouched forward against the edge of her glass prison. Her breath came in shallow gasps, face pale as if she’d been drained dry…but when Ronzonius yanked the lid off completely? She collapsed straight into his arms with a pained whimper.

  Chie was at their side instantly, one hand hovering over Noel’s forehead to check for fever while other reached out to brush sweaty strands of hair from her face gently:

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  "Hey...hey! Stay awake! You're safe now!"

  But Noel only managed a weak groan before going limp again in Ronzonius' hold; clearly still far too exhausted to fight consciousness just yet.

  Meanwhile behind them both? The debris where the Collector had been buried started shifting violently…

  Ronzonius’ entire body went rigid as the air itself seemed to warp from the sheer force of that snarl.

  The debris? It exploded outward in a violent burst, sending shards of broken glass and chunks of rubble flying across the chamber, revealing none other than…

  The Collector.

  Now barely recognizable under layers upon layers writhing black tendrils like living shadows fused straight into their very flesh; eyes glowing an unnatural crimson now while mouth stretched impossibly wide into something far more monstrous than human should ever be able to achieve…

  And then, they spoke again: "You dare steal what is MINE?" Their voice wasn't even theirs anymore but layered over with dozens others screaming at once instead.

  Chie stumbled back in horror beside Ronzonius (still clutching an injured Noel close protectively), her breath hitching sharply at sight before her own fists clenched tightly too despite fear racing through veins right now:

  "Like hell we did!" She spat out defiantly instead!

  The Collector let out a shriek of pure, unbridled rage, black tendrils thrashing wildly like live wires as they launched themselves toward Chie and Ronzonius with terrifying speed.

  Ronzonius didn’t hesitate. With one arm still cradling Noel protectively against his chest, he swung his free hand in a wide arc, sending an explosive wave of aura straight into the Collector’s path, forcing them to halt mid-lunge with an agonized howl as their shadowy limbs recoiled from impact. He hurried to Chie and—while holding out Noel:

  "Here!" He commanded while already backing up himself toward the nearest exit now; eyes never leaving the monstrosity currently writhing just feet away: "Take her, Juniper and Alice...and RUN!"

  Chie hesitated for only a half-second before nodding sharply, holding the disoriented girl bridal style while Alice and Juniper tagged along.

  Chie’s blood ran cold as she saw the Collector lunge, her instincts screaming at her to move.

  But Ronzonius was already there, slamming into them headfirst with a roar of his own. His aura flared violently around him like a shield, forcing the Collector back just enough for Chie to dart past with Noel in her arms.

  Ronzonius didn't stop though, he kept going straight through them, using every ounce of momentum he had left before twisting mid-air and landing hard on one knee behind where they now stood…glowing brighter than ever despite his injuries clearly taking a toll.

  He wiped it away roughly then spat out between gritted teeth:

  "You wanna fight? Fine. But you’re not getting your hands on anyone else."

  The Collector recoiled slightly, tendrils curling inward defensively as if sensing danger for the first time tonight...while Chie scrambled toward exit line behind Juniper & Alice who were helping each other up now.

  Noel groaned weakly against chest still; fingers twitching faintly against fabric clutched desperately onto shirt sleeves meanwhile...

  Chie's mind and heart were both racing now as she carried an injured Noel closer to the exit than ever before.

  Juniper and Alice stumbled ahead of her, both supporting each other as they tried to make out shapes in the darkness ahead...

  But before anyone could even make out anything, the Collector let out an inhuman shriek from behind: "Where do you think you're going, you little fools?!" Their tendrils shot out again, this time in the direction of Juniper and Alice's backs like deadly whips!

  Chie whirled around just in time to see those tendrils hurtling toward the girls, her heart leaping into her throat as she watched with horror.

  She knew she had to do something, anything, to save them…but what could she even do right now? She still had an unconscious Noel in her arms and was completely drained herself from everything thus far.

  Time is running out fast.