An unknown amount of time later Alphonse heard a knock on his door. He got up and reluctantly walked over to his door. "Who?" He asked.
"Min Li and Sarah." Min Li responded. Alphonse opened the door slowly.
"What?" He asked.
"We received information saying we can exit the bunker. The battle is over and we won!" Min Li said with a smile.
"Does everyone know already?" Alphonse asked.
"Yeah, we actually called a meeting, but you didn't answer your door, we figured we shouldn't bother you though..." Sarah responded.
"Have they left yet?" Alphonse asked.
"No, but they will be soon, why?" Min Li asked.
"I'm not leaving yet, get me when the others are gone." Alphonse said as he closed the door swiftly.
"You can't just stay here! You have to check with the inspector soon!" Sarah yelled through the door.
"Just have me go last." Alphonse responded, though his voice was hard to hear through the door.
"Our point is that we can't come and get you after we've checked with the inspector!" Min Li said.
"Okay, then come get me before you check with the inspector." Alphonse responded swiftly.
"You know you're taking recluse to a whole new level, right?" Min Li asked.
"A true recluse would go off and live in the mountains secluded from society, don't lump me with those anti-social loners." Alphonse said monotonously.
"Says the anti-social loner!" Min Li responded quickly. Sarah looked at Min Li.
"Let's just come to get him when there are only a few people left." Sarah said with a sigh, signifying she has already given up on this negotiation. Min Li sighed, then nodded in resignation.
"Alright..." Min Li said as she walked away from the door. After a few moments, Sarah knocked on the door.
"You know you can't be afraid forever... You have to get over it someday, else it'll come back to bite you." Sarah said gently and quietly, though Alphonse heard it clearly. Sarah walked away slowly.
{She's right.} Prism said.
'I know she is... But it's hard for me to get over a fear like this... I managed to ignore it for a while, but once I became more comfortable, it started to overwhelm me... In times of emergency I can ignore it better because my mind is on high alert...' Alphonse responded, though he knew it was partially an excuse.
After a while, Sarah knocked on the door. "There are only a few people left." She said. Alphonse opened the door.
"Alright..." He said quietly as he entered the hallway. Sarah and Alphonse walked down the hallway and entered the main room, where just a few people remained, including Min Li and Edrit.
"Hey! You finally left your room!" Min Li said with a smile. Alphonse began to turn and walk the other way. "Wait, Wait! Okay, that was rude, don't go back, you won't be allowed to leave without checking with the inspector." Min Li said.
Alphonse stopped and turned around. "Fine." He said as he walked into the main room. "I need to get back to training as soon as possible anyway..." Alphonse mumbled. "Hey, Min Li." Alphonse said. Min Li turned to face him.
"What?" She asked with a confused expression.
"Do you... Nevermind..." Alphonse said as he walked to one of the corners of the room. Around 28 minutes passed, and soon enough Alphonse was called up to the exit. He walked to the door and looked at the inspector.
"I just have to ask a few questions and make sure you aren't injured." He said. "First off, what is your cultivation level?
"Third step physical enhancement stage." He responded.
"Is there anything you think we could improve upon in this bunker?" He asked.
"It doesn't matter to me, so long as there is something to eat and drink, I'm fine." Alphonse said.
"Right... This one is weird..." The inspector mumbled then cleared his throat. "Last one, then I'll check for injuries. Did you experience any disputes or anything of that sort?" He asked.
"I mostly kept to myself, so no." Alphonse said blandly. "Also, I am not injured, so you can skip that portion." Alphonse said as he walked away.
"Right... Well, I guess you can go, you were the last one, so my job is done." The inspector said as he stretched a bit. After a little bit of walking, Alphonse was back on the surface where Min Li, Sarah, and Edrit were waiting.
"That was fast... What did you respond with?" Min Li asked.
"I responded with how I thought..." Alphonse said while standing still. "I'm going to my place. I need more training." Alphonse said as he briskly walked passed the three of them. Within only a few moments Alphonse was no longer in their sight.
"Jeez... We wait here for him, just for him to walk right past us." Min Li said complained with clear annoyment.
"Even so... It's been a while since I've seen him this happy... Ever since coming here... He's had a brighter air to him." Edrit said.
"That's him happy?" Min Li asked.
"Ah... He hasn't told either of you much has he?" Edrit asked.
"I know some of what happened... But extracting information from him about his past is... Well, difficult..." Sarah said.
"It's understandable... What happened to him... I'm just glad the damage was repairable, even if only partly..." Edrit said solemnly.
"I'm quite curious as to what he has been through. In all honesty, I want to know what makes him interact with people the way he does." Min Li said.
"Ah... I can explain it, but I would rather do so elsewhere..." Edrit said.
"Okay, then let's go to Sarah's place, it's in the outer sect and close by." Min Li said. "Ah, sorry for nominating you Sarah, but you two aren't allowed into the inner sect!" Min Li said swiftly.
"No, it's fine, I don't mind." Sarah responded with a light expression.
...
"That isn't all of it... But I don't know the rest..." Edrit said as she took a sip of tea.
"That was... A lot..." Min Li said.
"Now I feel bad... What I said to him when we were just joining the sect... It probably hurt him a lot..." Sarah said as she looked down with a slightly teary look.
"I should probably talk to the sect leader about this... I think it would shed a lot of light onto Alphonse's mindset and help the leader guide him..." Min Li mumbled to herself
...
'Prism, how long do you estimate I can go without being interrupted?' Alphonse asked.
{A few hours at maximum.} Prism responded.
'That's awfully low, isn't it?' Alphonse asked as he sneezed.
{If I properly analyzed Everyone you know, then I predict that Sarah will be here soon.} Prism said.