**Chapter 12: The Cracks Begin to Show**
Emily pushed through the last few hours of her shift, exhaustion creeping into her bones. The hospital halls were a blur of movement—patients, doctors, beeping machines. The long hours never bothered her before, but tonight felt different.
Something was wrong.
Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for a chart. Her mind felt detached, spinning in a way she couldn't control. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed too loudly, the sounds of the hospital echoing in her ears like a distorted radio. Her body felt light, ungrounded.
A manic episode.
Deep inside her mind, Eli, the Gatekeeper of her system, stirred.
**"We have a problem."**
The system's internal space flickered as Eli took control for a moment, his voice reaching the other alters.
**"She's slipping. Something triggered her."**
Demi, ever the protector, responded instantly. **"Can you stabilize her?"**
Eli's presence wavered. **"I don't know. It's strong. We need to be careful."**
Emily tried to steady herself, but the energy surging inside her felt uncontrollable. Her thoughts raced, her emotions erratic, and her skin tingled with an unbearable sensation. The hospital, her coworkers, the world itself—it all felt like too much.
Kia's voice snapped her back.
"Em?" Kia was suddenly at her side, her expression full of worry. "You don't look okay. What's going on?"
Emily tried to smile, tried to say something reassuring, but the words stuck in her throat. Her heart pounded against her ribs like a war drum.
Kia's panic deepened as she grabbed Emily's arm. "Hey. Look at me. Breathe. You're scaring me."
Emily's vision swam, and for a brief second, she wasn't sure if she was in the hospital or somewhere else entirely. The past and the present blurred together in a dangerous spiral.
Eli's voice echoed in her mind again. **"We need to switch. Now."**
But before he could pull her back, the weight of the episode crashed over her, and everything around her went black.