Alice felt a rush of hope coursing through her at that look on Dark Future Noel's face.

  She recognized her. She knew who she was.

  She swallowed hard, gathering her courage once more before speaking up gently, taking a cautious step closer to Dark Future Noel: "Noel, please...you have to fight whatever has taken over you. I know it's hard, but you need to remember who you really are--we miss you. Please...come back to us."

  Alice's words seemed to hit Dark Future Noel hard, her expression faltering for just a second as she met Alice's gaze again.

  Her eyes held a look of…pain, like she was fighting an internal battle within herself now...between that cold, cruel, Dark Future version of her…and the real Noel that she used to be.

  After a long, tense moment, Dark Future Noel finally spoke, but her voice came out in a strained whisper: "...I don't...I don't know who I am anymore…”

  Alice's heart broke at Dark Future Noel's words.

  It was so unfair. Their friend, someone who always used to be so confident, so determined…reduced to feeling lost, unsure of who she even was. It was heartbreaking to hear.

  She took another tentative step forward, reaching out a hand towards Dark Future Noel. "You do know," she said quietly, her voice trembling. "You're Noel. You're clever, strong, and kind. You have a big heart and a sharp mind. That's who you are.”

  There it was again, that flicker of recognition in Dark Future Noel's eyes.

  It was like watching a battle playing out inside her head as she tried to reconcile the two versions of herself...the cold, cruel version she had become in this Dark Future…and the original, real Noel that Alice was reminding her of.

  Dark Future Noel's shoulders slumped ever-so-slightly at Alice's words…as if some of the weight she was carrying was starting to lift.

  Dark Future Noel's breath hitched, her expression shifting from conflicted to something like... relief.

  For a split second, the cold mask shattered completely.

  And then, just as quickly, the familiar fire returned to her eyes as she suddenly lunged forward, wrapping Alice in a tight embrace before pulling back slightly with an almost tearful smile: "I remember you."

  Alice let out a choked sob—relief, joy, disbelief all tangled up in one as she returned the embrace fiercely.

  Sóley stumbled over from where she'd been watching this whole exchange with her own stunned expression before tackling both of them into an equally desperate hug, her voice thick with emotion too when she finally spoke: "You absolute idiot...welcome back."

  Dark Future Noel—no, just Noel now—laughed weakly at Sóley’s words, still holding onto Alice tightly like she was afraid letting go meant losing herself again.

  But then…her grip loosened slightly as her gaze flickered over both of them before settling back on Alice with a small smile: "...Thanks for not giving up on me."

  Alice’s breath caught, Noel was coming back.

  The thought sent a wave of relief through her, but she didn’t dare move yet…just in case.

  Instead, she kept her hands up slightly in surrender before speaking carefully: "We missed you."

  Noel's eyes went soft at Alice's words, and the tiniest flicker of her old self shone through again.

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  Then, as if to confirm something to herself, she let her eyes flicker over both girls again, still holding on to them carefully.

  When her eyes finally settled back on Alice, there was a glimmer of mischief in them: "...Missed me, huh?”

  Alice couldn't help but chuckle at the familiar playful tone in Noel's voice, it was really her again.

  She nodded before replying gently: "You're back to your true self. Of course we missed you.”

  Noel felt a rush of warmth at Alice's words, it felt…good to be remembered.

  She let out a soft laugh before replying, a hint of her old self in the way she spoke: "...Well, aren't you both just the sweetest?”

  Sóley, still holding onto Noel like she was afraid she'd vanish again if she let go, shot Alice a teasing look before chiming in with her own sarcastic remark:

  "Yeah yeah, just don't get used to the sentimental crap."

  But there was no real bite behind her words…just relief. Pure and simple.

  Alice couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Sóley's sarcastic remark, her heart feeling lighter than it had in ages.

  She gave Noel one last tight squeeze before finally pulling back slightly, just enough to meet her gaze with a fond smile: "We'll never get used to it…because you're always gonna be worth the sentimental crap."

  Noel chuckled, her own smile softer now.

  She held onto them both for a moment longer before finally letting go too, stepping back and taking in their tired, bruised forms.

  Her voice was much gentler once again as she said: "You two look like a mess. We should go find that artifact that mystery woman wanted so we can get out of here. I know you two have to be absolutely freezing despite your auras protecting you from this cold."

  Alice nodded in agreement, her eyes still glistening with relief and happiness at Noel’s return.

  "Yeah," she said softly, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from Sóley's bruised face. "We should get moving before this place completely collapses around us."

  Sóley let out an exhausted sigh but managed a weak smirk nonetheless: "Can't argue with that logic...though I kinda hope the floor doesn't give way while we're walking on it. The whole place's made conpletely of ice."

  Noel let out a small, amused huff at Sóley's comment before glancing back down the hallway they'd just come from, where the ice was indeed cracking and splintering in places.

  She sighed but nodded firmly all the same: "Then we move fast."

  With that, she took off toward their destination without another word, leaving Alice and Sóley to scramble after her before getting left behind entirely.

  Alice and Sóley let out loud sighs at the same time, sharing a tired but amused look before following after Noel as quickly as they could manage.

  The whole ice hallway was cracking and shivering behind them, but neither of them paid it any real mind as they raced after their friend, just wanting desperately to get out of this place as quickly as possible.

  Noel led them down hallway after dark, icy hallway, not once hesitating as she took sharp corners or leaped over large cracks in the floor without looking back.

  The ice seemed to creak and groan beneath their feet, the entire place feeling ready to cave in at any moment.

  Alice and Sóley did their best to keep up with their newly-returned friend, but it was a struggle.

  The ice cracking behind them was making them both nervous, and the cold was starting to get to them as well…

  Sóley's voice was strained when she spoke up, her breath coming in quick, short puffs: "Noel, hey, hold up a second, would you?”

  Noel skidded to a halt at Sóley's words, turning back with a slight frown.

  She studied the two girls for a moment, and she noticed how they were both struggling to stay upright and how their teeth were chattering from the cold.

  She sighed, her expression softening a bit as she waited for them to catch up. "You two look like you're at your limits," she said bluntly. "Are you sure you can keep going?”

  Sóley took a deep, ragged breath before replying, her voice still shaky but with a stubborn edge to it nonetheless:

  "Yeah...yeah, we can make it..."

  Alice, who was shivering quite badly, glanced over at Sóley worriedly before adding in a voice full of determination: "We'll be fine. We're not giving up now when we're so close—"

  Alice was cut off by the floor beneath her cracking open, making her fall through it and into the ballroom below. Her scream echoed through the grand ballroom as she fell, her hands scrambling for purchase on the crumbling ice.

  Noel and Sóley both screamed at the same time as their friend fell. Noel's eyes went wide as she realized Alice had fallen into the ballroom below, the main chamber which was where the artifact could be found, but where all the ice pillars had fallen from the fighting, making the place a veritable minefield for any unsuspecting person stupid enough to go there.

  Sóley was already running toward the hole where Alice had fallen, panic making her voice shake worse than the cold when she called up: "Alice!!! You still alive?!”

  A faint voice, pained and gasping, came back up from below, and Alice's face popped up at the edge of the hole a second later. She was covered in scrapes and bruises, and clutching her side…but she was alive.

  However, a familiar voice from an old friend bounced off of the icy walls, making Alice freeze in recognition…

  No...

  Alice's eyes widened in pure, unbridled fear as a cold, familiar voice echoed through the room—a voice that she hadn't ever thought she'd hear again...

  "Look what we have here…”