Frank closed the heavy basement door, the bolts sliding shut. He walked upstairs to find Sophie getting dinner ready.

  "Oh, Frank. You're done already?" she said. "I thought you would stay a bit longer."

  "Yeah. I thought so too," he said, walking into the kitchen. "Hey. So, the kid downstairs... he didn't kill your father."

  Sophie stopped.

  "He killed the other priests," Frank continued, his voice flat. "But not your father. I'm still going to get you the person who did, Sophie."

  She was quiet for a long moment. "Okay, Frank," she said, her voice hard. "But when you get him... let me see him."

  "I will."

  She turned back to the stove, but she wasn't really seeing it. "You know... the day I was asking my father about the other world, I was going to take my vows. But I wasn't able to do it."

  Frank just looked at her. "I don't know what you mean by 'vows'."

  She let out a small, bitter laugh. "No. I guess you wouldn't."

  She turned the stove off.

  "I think... I think I won't be able to go to a church again. Not after what I've seen."

  "So, what are you going to do after we get your father's killer?" Frank asked. "You going to live a normal life?"

  "Yeah," Sophie said, looking into the distance. "I think I will. Maybe marry a gentleman, have some kids, and maybe... live a happy life. One that wouldn't be burned."

  They ate dinner in silence.

  Afterward, Frank drove to the bar. He had to search for his old keys.

  "I haven't been in this car for ages," he muttered, turning the engine over.

  He drove to the bar. The moment he walked in, he saw him. Daniel. He was half-naked, dancing on top of a table while a group of drunks cheered him on.

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  "Get off that table, kid," Frank's voice cut through the noise.

  Daniel squinted at him. "Why should I? Are you my father or something?"

  "No," Frank said, his voice flat. "But I'm just saving you from the rejection you're going to get... if the girl that you love ever sees what you're doing."

  Daniel froze. The music still played, but he immediately, and awkwardly, got down from the table.

  "Hey! What are you, his dad?" one of the drunks slurred. "We were having fun!"

  Frank looked at the man. "Stop bringing the sorry kid into the abyss, you drunk."

  He turned back to Daniel, "Hey, kid. Let's get you some clothes."

  "Okay," Daniel said.

  "Hey, man... thanks for what you did in that bar," Daniel said, "I don't know why you'd do this for a total stranger, but thanks. Anyway."

  Frank looked at him, with eyes that saw too much looking through him.

  "Because I see the old me in you," Frank said, his voice quiet. "I see a person who would love his family... and would do anything for them."

  He looked away, and a single tear escaped. He wiped it away like it was an insect.

  "But don't let that family become the only reason you're alive," he said, his voice flat. "Or when they're gone... there will be a hole. And that's all you'll be. A hole that's alive."

  Daniel was silent for a second. "Damn, man. I didn't know you were that deep."

  Frank's "void" mask snapped back on. He gave a bitter, one-sided smile. "Yeah. Even I'm amazed at what I say sometimes."

  Frank raised his glass and downed the rest in a single swallow. He set it down hard against the wood.

  He clapped Daniel on the shoulder, the moment over. "Anyway. Let's grab you some clothes.”

  “What style do you like? Or... what style do you think that girl would love?" Frank smiled.

  Daniel's face lit up. "Lucy... Lucy would like a man with a beard, who wears classic clothes. Someone who doesn't talk much."

  He smiled. "Just like her father, she says."

  "My daughter always told me she liked my beard... and my style of clothes," Frank said, his voice distant. "Some coincidences these are."

  He looked at Daniel. "Anyway. Why didn't you confess to her yet?"

  "I... I didn't have the courage," Daniel mumbled. "And I don't have enough time."

  Frank raised an eyebrow. "All you do, Daniel, is drink and sleep. Where is this 'don't have time' thing coming from?"

  "It's not like that, Frank. It's... it's a bit different."

  Frank sighed, his "void" persona returning. "What do you mean? Like she's in another world, or something?"

  Daniel, who had been looking at the floor, snapped his head up. His face was pale.

  "How did you know?"

  Frank froze. "What?"

  "I said, how did you know she was in a different world?" Daniel stood up, his chair scraping. "Are you an illusion? Are you from my sister? Not again! And here I thought... I thought I finally found a real person."

  Frank stood up, his eyes going cold and sharp. The investigation was back on.

  "One second," Frank said, his voice flat. "Who is your sister?"

  "What?"

  "What is your sister's name, Daniel."

  "Why do you care?"

  Frank took Daniel’s shoulder grabbing him with all his might. “Just answer the question, Daniel.”

  Daniel’s face became pale. The pressure on his shoulder. This wasn’t an illusion. It was real.

  “M-Maryal.”

  Frank's blood went cold. He stared at Daniel. Maryal. The name from his basement. The name John had screamed.

  "The Sister," Frank whispered.

  He looked at Daniel—the "love for Lucy," the talk of a "kingdom," the "prince" he'd heard about from John. It all slammed into place.

  "You're the Prince."

  Daniel looked terrified. "What? No, I am no- “

  “Stop lying it won’t work on me anymore .”

  “How... how did you know all of this?"

  "So. You are Daniel," Frank said, his voice a low growl. "The Prince of the Glass World.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “What are you doing in bar drinking until you can’t remember your name.”

  “Why haven't you fixed what your sister has done to me?"

  "What... what has my sister done to you?" Daniel whispered.

  "She took my daughter," Frank's voice was shaking with a cold rage. "She took my daughter as a toy, just to get you in a loop. She did all of this so you can't get the Glass World back in place."

  "What are you saying?" Daniel stammered, backing away. "My sister... she wouldn't do that..."

  "She..."

  But Daniel's eyes went blank. He just... stopped. His body went limp, and he collapsed, falling off the barstool and onto the floor, unconscious.

  Daniel’s head slammed on the ground and the last thing he saw was frank running to catch him but the room faded and the palace was in sight.

  "I Am Your Friend." (But in this world, can you really trust anyone?)