"Is she—" Risále asked quickly as she quickly shifted Nia from Hyunwoo's arms into her own. The man winced, the adrenaline seemingly leaving him to feel the aftermath of the pain in his leg. Nia quickly let him lean against her, pulling herself together after passing out in the middle of the battlefield.
"She's losing too much blood," Hyunwoo said, "She passed out and we couldn't wake her up, she needs a doctor now, or—"
He was interrupted by someone making their way over to him, "Hyunwoo, Nia, are you both—Oh, Jesus fuck," Bella cut herself off, going pale as she took in the sight of Val in Risále's arms, "Okay, fuck, give her to me and go find Auntie Li, tell her that we need emergency doctors immediately and to prepare for surgery."
"I already told them," They turned to see Fenix moving towards them, "You said she was shot, I assumed that she'd need surgery so I let them know. Come on, let's go," He seemed to be struggling to keep his voice even, and Risále could tell that seeing Val in that state was truly scaring him.
Moving Val to the medical bay was almost a blur, all Risále could do was try to keep her hands steady as she gently placed the girl on the gurney, doctors quickly took over and moved Val past the heavy white doors.
The doors slamming closed felt too much like a final verdict.
"Risále," She could faintly hear someone calling her name and she blinked, "Hey, hey, it's okay, can you look at me for a second?" It took her a few moments to recognize that it was Kaedan, still covered in blood and the crown was lopsided on his head, "Alright, that's good. You're doing great. Can you breathe for me?"
She nodded, almost on autopilot, and tried to take a deep breath. She couldn't keep it up though, and with a shaky voice, she spoke, "I couldn't feel it," The words came out hoarsely, "I couldn't feel her pulse."
Kaedan took a pained breath before pulling her into a tight hug, "It's…It's going to be okay. It's going to be alright," He whispered against the top of her head, but it seemed as though he was trying to convince himself more than anyone.
Xander and Lumina burst into the room, "Is she—"
"In for surgery, are you both okay?" Mina asked, moving over and putting her hands on Lumina's shoulders, checking her for injuries, "She didn't do anything to you, right?"
Lumina shook her head, "We're fine, we didn't get to kill her but that's not important. How is everyone else?"
Mina replied, "Kaedan and Owen got here a few minutes ago, they're both fine. Fenix and I have been holding things down back here and helping in the medical bay as far as much as we can. Risále's…She's still exhausted but she's still up and moving, at least. Hyunwoo and Nia…Well, Hyunwoo's getting his leg treated but I'm most concerned about Nia right now," She lowered her voice, "It seems like she's turned off her emotions to cope but…"
"She passed out in the middle of the battlefield from the mental strain, of course, it's worrying," Xander replied, "Hey, you guys haven't happened to see—"
Just as he was about to speak, two people walked in that Risále didn't entirely recognize. She did notice, though, that they looked awfully similar to Lumina and Xander, but also that both of her friends had tensed up.
One of the two newcomers, an older woman, quickly moved to Lumina, checking her over, "Oh, Jiali, you're alright! I was so worried, I thought that something might have happened to you!" She pulled Lumina in for a hug which the latter didn't seem to enthused about.
"Lumi, is this…" Mina ventured carefully, and Lumina nodded. As the older woman pulled back, "Oh. I suppose…I wish we could have met at a better time but I'm Lumina's girlfriend, Mina Rowlock."
"Your Highness," The woman replied, bowing to her, "It is an honor to meet the Princess of Sector 2. I am Minri Liu, Jiali's mother. This is my husband, Zhang Liu," She gestured to the man near her.
Mina seemed about to respond but Lumina cut her off, "I'm sorry, but I have no intention of allowing you to be close with those I care about if you don't apologize to Xander for what you said," She glared at her mother and father.
"Jiali, we've only just found each other again, can't it wait—"
"Hold on," Kaedan stepped away from Risále, now joining his husband, "What do you mean by 'apologizing'? What happened, his gaze moved to Lumina's parents, "I apologize but I do not have the same patience that Mina has, even if you are my in-laws. What did you say to my husband?"
The woman's eyes widened and she looked at Xander, "You never said that you were married to…"
"I never had the chance to tell you," Xander shrugged, "After all, how was I supposed just drop that news on you when you've made it very clear you don't want anything to do with me?"
"W—Well, I never—That is…" Lumina's mother stuttered before making a noise of anger, turning on her heel, and walking out of the medical bay. Her husband, though, did not immediately follow her.
He looked between Lumina and Xander. For the first time, he spoke, "I'm sorry," He said softly, his eyes focused on Xander, "I—She's always been like this. I'll try and talk to her. I don't think this is a good time but perhaps later, we can talk again."
Lumina didn't respond, but Xander gave him a weak but genuine smile, "That would be nice," He replied quietly, almost tiredly.
Zhang turned and left the medical bay, and Xander immediately collapsed against his husband, "Hey, hey, easy there, what happened? What did they say to you, are you okay—" He fretted but Xander shook his head.
"Not now, Kaedan. Please," The door opened and Bella walked in. It concerned Risále that she had never seen the woman more distressed than she was at the moment, "Bella, are you alright—"
"Fenix, Owen," She said, trying to keep her voice calm, "Can you talk to Nia? I think…I think she's fully disassociating. Hyunwoo tried but he's…The wound was worse than he made it seem. He's out cold."
The two boys quickly nodded, "Yeah, sure, of course," Fenix murmured, gently putting his hand on her shoulder, "But you need to take a moment—"
Bella shook her head, "I'm fine, just—Have any of the doctors come out to say anything?" She asked.
"Not yet," Mina replied, but the concern in her voice was palpable, "Is that bad? Should they have said something by now?"
"Yes? No? I don't know, I'm just," Bella gripped at her hair, "Uncle Gong is dead," She said, and silence fell around the room, "We've lost so many people and I—This is my fault, isn't it? If I hadn't said that we should split up, I at least could have been here—"
Lumina moved over to her quickly, "Hey, no, it's not your fault," She said firmly, "We knew what getting the Wings would mean—" Her eyes widened, "We did get the Wings, right?" She asked.
Bella nodded and pulled the object from her pocket.
Something didn't feel right to Risále.
"...Can I see that for a second?" She asked, and her voice cracked a little bit from the disuse. Bella seemed to finally notice her standing alone and held it out to her. Taking the object in her hand, something about it felt…Wrong. Somehow, the weight, the actual key part of the Wings, wasn't what Risále thought it would be. Somehow, the wiring didn't seem to work the way it should.
Oh, Apocalypse's voice said in her head, almost with a tone of horror, oh, God, no. You're fucking kidding me. It's a—
"...Fake," Risále muttered, and everyone's attention snapped to her as her hand trembled, "This is a fake," She looked up, "I've…I remember what the real thing looks like. What it feels like. This wiring isn't—It's not even real wiring, it can't be connected to anything."
"What are you saying?" Bella asked hoarsely.
Kaedan looked around, "I'm not doubting you, Risále, but with something like this, it's best to get more than one opinion, yeah?" He said, but it was clear he was trying to keep his voice steady, "We should…" He blinked, "Guys? Where are Leon, Chaewon, and Elliot?"
Now that he had called attention to it, the three were noticeably absent, "Chaewon was with Hyunwoo and me but she split off when she saw Elliot and Leon," A voice replied.
Nia was standing in the doorway, and Owen and Fenix were right behind her, "I'm sorry, we tried to get her to rest but she wouldn't—"
"It's a fake?" She asked.
"Apocalypse thinks so as well," Risále replied, turning the object over in her hands, "They—They knew we were coming, clearly, so they must have…"
Bella took a deep shaky breath, "No wonder you guys got in so smoothly. This was…This was meant to be a brutal slaughter. They must have already had the Wings, they were just using this opportunity to hurt us. I knew this was a bad idea but…Fuck, I should have called this off immediately—"
"Stop," Risále said, her voice firmer than it had been the past few minutes, "You couldn't have known what would happen, and blaming yourself is not going to do anything. None of us could have known. We all went into it knowing there was a risk and that this might not succeed. This was our worst expectation, just not the exact way we predicted."
"Risále, you don't get it," Bella was hyperventilating now, "If this was a fake, then that means everyone that got hurt, everyone that died, it was all for nothing. And I'm the one who gave the okay to go through with it, it's my fault that Val—" Her voice broke and Risále felt her heart shatter.
She pulled the taller woman in for a hug and felt her go slack, and Risále knew she was the only thing holding Bella up, "I know," She murmured shakily, "Trust me, I do get it. I know what it's like to be responsible for destroying the lives of so many people."
Apocalypse took a pained breath, Hey, look, it's not your fault. I don't blame you— (A)
Not now. Please. (R)
She seemed to leave it be, and Risále was secretly thankful. She didn't have to go back and forth with Apocalypse about what was actually her fault and what wasn't. Besides, her main concern was— "They're still not back," She said, meeting the others' eyes over Bella's shoulder.
"I can—" Kaedan gently helped Xander sit down, "I can go look for them—"
Just as he began to say that, though, the doors leading into the medical bay swung open, and there stood two familiar figures. Leon had Chaewon's arm around his shoulders and an arm around her waist, and it seemed that he was the only thing holding her up. As for Chaewon, there seemed to be almost no awareness in her eyes.
"Jesus Christ, Leon, what the fuck—" Kaedan stepped toward them and paused when he saw the state Chaewon was in, "...Where is he?"
There was a moment of pure, tense silence, and then—
It was almost like watching a mountain collapse during an earthquake. Leon's legs gave out from under him, and he and Chaewon went crashing to the ground. Kaedan scrambled to catch him but only barely managed to stop him from hitting the floor. Leon was heaving deep, uneven, uncontrolled sobs, the tears streaming down his face. It seemed like he had been holding it back until the moment the question had been asked.
Kaedan didn't need more than two seconds to understand.
His eyes widened and he almost scrambled back, "No…You're not…You have to be wrong, he can't be…"
"I'm sorry," Leon forced out, "I'm so sorry."
"No, you have to be wrong," Nia said, and there was an almost hysterical edge to her voice, "He—He promised me. He said that he would tell me about our past, he wouldn't just—He can't be—" She laughed in disbelief, "He can't have just—He wouldn't just leave—"
Fenix stepped towards her cautiously, "Nia, let's—Let's sit down for a second, okay?" He said quietly, and his voice cracked.
She didn't fight as he helped her sit on a chair, before collapsing into the seat next to her. It seemed as though he was only just beginning to process what Leon had been saying. Owen stood completely still, but his face looked like it was going to break into sobs at any minute.
"How?" A voice asked hoarsely, and Kaedan turned to see that it was Xander. The expression on his face was…There wasn't a word in the English language to describe an expression so filled with despondent pain.
Chaewon didn't seem to have fully regained awareness, but she seemed lucid enough to have processed where she was and forced herself to stand up, making her way to Risále. She gripped her by the shoulders, "He said that he wouldn't really die because he's like the White Lotus members here. Was he lying?"
"I—I…What—" Risále stammered, but quickly realized that Chaewon wasn't really talking to her, "Apocalypse says that he wasn't lying. If he really is like the other White Lotus scientists, then—He shouldn't have died. But I…Apocalypse says that at the least, she's sure he's not stuck here the way that she is."
Leon spoke up, sniffling from over Kaedan's shoulder, "Apocalypse…She really doesn't know, does she?" He said softly, "I'd thought there was a chance you know but he was right. You really didn't know."
"She doesn't know what, Leon?" Risále asked, her mouth going dry.
"Why she's stuck here," Leon took a deep, shaky breath, "It's her punishment. The White Lotus punished her for killing herself by trapping her here," He looked at the others, "It's not just her. This happens to anyone who tries to…"
Owen looked like he was going to be sick, "Oh, God…"
Kaedan shook his head, "What happened to Elliot?" He tried to steady the conversation back to the topic they were on, but he couldn't stop himself from shaking.
Leon exhaled, "He said he could save Val," He choked out, "If Val dies, then it really is the end. There's no saving her. Elliot said that if he could escape, he could probably save her right before it was too late. But he couldn't save her while he was still…" Leon didn't complete the sentence, wincing, "He…He figured out what happened to Apocalypse and knew he couldn't take that route, so he had to have someone…k—kill him."
"God….Fuck, you're not serious…" Xander said, and Lumina tightened her grip on him as he stumbled. Her face was wet with tears as well, and the way she was squeezing Mina's hand seemed borderline painful.
"Was it…" Kaedan asked hesitantly, "Was it the White Lotus?"
Leon shook his head slowly, "Elliot said that it seemed like the White Lotus knew about him because they were avoiding killing him on the battlefield. He tried but it…It just didn't work and he said we were running out of time. So, he grabbed the only person who knew about him—" He cut himself entirely, breaking down in Kaedan's arms.
The older man realized what Leon was saying, "Oh, God. Oh, dear God, you're not saying that he took…He took you?"
"I—I was the only one who knew that he—He wouldn't really die. It would have taken the least time to c—convince me, so I—" Leon cried, "I didn't want to do it, I really didn't but he said that if I didn't we'd really lose Val forever! He said that—He said that it would…It would hurt but it would be worth it if it meant Val could live."
"I'm sorry," Xander was by his side immediately, pulling him into a tight hug, "I'm so sorry, Leon."
Kaedan inhaled, "You…You had to…Did you kill him?"
This set Leon off again, "I'm so sorry," He sobbed, "It should have been me, I should have…I wasn't strong enough, I'm so, so sorry. I should have done it," Both Kaedan and Xander realized that he was looking past them.
He was looking at Chaewon.
She smiled back at him shakily, "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself I just stood by."
The first to connect the dots was Bella, and she looked at Chaewon with horror in her eyes, "No, you didn't…"
One by one, the rest seemed to realize what had happened, and the entire hallway was silent as they all processed the horrible information they'd been given.
Risále felt Apocalypse pushing to take over her body and let the other woman take control. She took Chaewon by the shoulders and turned her, "Why did you—God, Chaewon, you can't keep doing this to yourself! It's going to break you!"
Chaewon stared back at her before speaking slowly, "Elliot said he remembered you. He remembered everything," Apocalypse lurched back, her eyes widening, "He didn't tell me anything. He said that I'd find out soon anyway. He said he's sorry he…He's sorry we couldn't save you."
"...Fuck," She whispered, "Why didn't…He could have asked me. I would have understood, it—It didn't have to be you, not again!"
"He said he was sorry we couldn't save you, but that's not what he meant, was it?" Chaewon pushed a bit further, "He meant that he was sorry that we killed you—I killed you, didn't he?"
Apocalypse looked like she'd had the wind knocked out of her, and for a moment, her eyes met with Kaedan's, who looked just as panicked, "I…"
"You used to work at the White Lotus, before all of this," She gestured, stepping closer, "You were…You made me coffee, sometimes. You helped run the café in the front of the building, didn't you?"
"How do you…I didn't think you'd remember so many details…" Apocalypse said softly, her eyes wide.
Chaewon's breath stuttered, "Oh. Oh, God," She jerked back, "It was you, wasn't it? You're that girl."
"Chaewon—"
"That's what he meant," She was breathing faster now, "When he told me not to blame myself. It's my fault you're here, isn't it? They told me to choose between you or Leon, and I chose to save him,"
Leon's eyes widened, "...What?"
Apocalypse shook her head, "I never expected you to choose me. How could I? If I were in your place, I would have done the same thing."
"Still, I…I was the reason you were in here. I got you killed."
"What are you talking about?" Leon forced out, "What do you mean that you chose between me and her? What are you saying?"
Chaewon spoke again, slow and quiet, "They wanted me to let them transfer you to another sector when you were around nine or ten years old. I refused, and as a punishment, they told me that they would either force you into the initial stages of their plan or her. I…Chose to let them take her. And now, she's here. She's here, and she's dead, and it's all my fault—"
Apocalypse shook her, "It's not your fault!" She said desperately, "You said it yourself, you were forced into making that choice! The White Lotus are the only ones we can blame!"
"Even so, my actions led to your death!" Chaewon shouted back, "And in the end, I was the one that pointed a gun at Elliot and shot him!" The room was silent after that, and it only took a few seconds for Chaewon to fall to her knees, "I killed him."
Slowly, Xander stood up and moved over to Chaewon. Then, without a word, he put his arms around her and hugged her tightly, "I'm so sorry," He whispered, and they could all hear that he was crying as well.
Xander had known Elliot for nearly as long as Chaewon had.
He moved away and in front of Chaewon stood Nia. The girl knelt down before wrapping her arms around Chaewon's shoulders, not saying a word and simply burying her face in her shoulder. There was nothing she could say that could convey the shared loss they both felt.
Looking around, no one else was in any better state. Lumina was barely holding herself together, just enough to keep Xander from completely falling apart. Mina held Kaedan tightly as the man finally let himself feel his own emotions and grief, the pain of losing one of the few best friends he still had left. Fenix was by his sister's side, who still seemed in a shellshocked state, and he knew that Bella was blaming this all on herself and that no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't going to be able to convince her otherwise. Owen was trying to calm Leon down, who was now struggling with the new information that was just revealed to him. Chancing a glance over Leon's shoulder, though, he froze.
"Oh," He whispered.
None of them had noticed when Hyunwoo had entered the room, standing right outside the doorway, completely silent. He was leaning on the wall, and it could be seen that his leg was bleeding through his bandages.
Leon turned to see him, and his throat went dry, "...Hyung," He croaked out.
"I'm so sorry, Leon," Hyunwoo whispered and tried to step towards him. He winced in pain at moving on his leg and Mina made a sound of alarm.
"Hyunwoo, wait, you can't be moving on that—" The warning was too late though, and his leg buckled under him.
Leon scrambled to catch him, managing to soften the landing but the moment his hands reached Hyunwoo, he was gripping at him tightly, pulling him closer as if he could be safely buried between his ribs. Hyunwoo didn't say a word, holding him tightly as well, but Leon could feel the tears against the top of his head.
All of their attention was caught by the door opening towards the surgical room, and one of the doctors stepped out, removing his mask.
Bella stood up quickly, "How is she?" She asked, her voice trembling.
"...She's not dead," The doctor replied, and someone choked back a sob of relief, though it was clear who it was, "But she's not exactly alive. Comatose. I have to say, Mirabella, I'm not sure what happened," He sighed, troubled, "She flatlined five times. We officially declared her dead for two minutes before her heart started up again. This—I don't think this can even be called a miracle, it's just—"
"It worked," Chaewon whispered, "Oh, God, it worked. He saved her. That…That has to be it, right?" She asked, looking at Risále.
"I…I think so? It's me again, Apocalypse isn't here," Risále clarified, "But from…From what I know, yes, that…When someone is close enough to death, you can…" She trailed off, almost seemed lost in her own thoughts.
The doctor shook his head, "Either way, we can't—With what just happened, we can't say for sure whether she'll wake up or not, but we'll keep an eye on it. We've got the bullet out and we're trying to transfer blood for the amount she's lost. Getting her stable before we go back to Ground Zero. Does anyone have an A-positive blood type?"
Hyunwoo looked up, "I do, you can take it from me—"
"Absolutely not," Mina glared at him, "You've lost too much blood as well," She looked at the doctor, "I have A-positive."
"Any blood conditions, anemia?"
"No, I'm all clear."
The doctor nodded, "We'll ask for you in a bit. All we can do now is hope for the best and that…Whatever miracle saved her, it keeps performing."
As the surgical room door swung closed behind him, the entire room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "Oh my God," Nia whispered, "She's not dead."
"And if…If Elliot is the one who saved her, then…" Leon looked at Chaewon, "He escaped. He made it out."
Chaewon seemed to fully collapse against Nia at this point, her body loosening as though the tension was cut in a tightly pulled elastic.
"Oh," Risále said faintly. There was a gravity in her tone that seemed to pull everyone's attention to her, "...I didn't…"
Leon stood up and approached her cautiously, "Risá?" He asked softly.
Her eyes met his, and for a moment, he felt a horrible dread creeping up from deep in his soul, "I remember everything."
He flinched, "E—Everything? You mean—"
"None of this is real, is it?" Risále asked, a soft hysteria in her tone, "This place…This…It's not the real world, is it?"
Pure silence.
Leon stared at her, "How did you…" He said slowly, "How are you able to say that? I've been—I've been trying to say it for so long, how can you just say that it's—"
"A simulation?" Risále asked, her voice cracking, eyes tearing up, "I don't know, I just…I was thinking about it before when I was saying how Elliot could have saved Val and it just…Popped into my head. Elliot can get her out of the simulation if she's close enough to death because the simulation pod would disconnect from her vitals the moment it sensed them failing."
"Oh, God, you do remember," Leon jerked back, "But how are you able to say that it's a…Simulation," His eyes widened and he clapped his hands over his mouth, "What the fuck?! I—I've never been able to say it before—"
Risále's eyes shifted red, and Apocalypse spoke, "I don't know how she can say it either but I think—I think it was because of me? You did something different when you put her back in at the beginning of this reset and that was why I was able to program my consciousness into her head—"
"What the fuck is happening?" Kaedan asked roughly.
"I think Risále was the trigger," Hyunwoo said softly, "She never truly realized it was a simulation before, did she? This is the first time she's actually figured it out. Maybe that's why we're able to talk about it now."
Realization dawned on Leon, "It wasn't because of me," He turned to Apocalypse, "The system itself is dying. That's why I was trying to get us to move quicker. If we don't escape before the system dies, we get trapped in here forever. If we die in the process, we end up like you except our consciousnesses won't stick around—Oh God, I'm so glad I can finally tell someone," He sobbed with relief, "I don't know what activating the formation will do exactly but it's a way to basically eject everyone from the simulation instantly."
"And you've just…Had to carry all this information alone this whole time," Xander murmured, "God, Leon, that's…"
"If the system is breaking down as fast as you're saying," Apocalypse spoke slowly, "Then we need to start planning our next move sooner rather than later. We're really running out of time."
Bella took a deep breath, "I'll—I'll start putting together a plan. We've…We've got the location for the Twin Blades of Misery. I'll…Have to consult with the others to figure out what to do about that—"
Hyunwoo stood up, flinching a little at the pain in his leg, "No," He said, almost harshly, "Bella, this is too much, even for you. You can't take all of this on yourself again—"
"I have to!" She yelled back, her words ringing through the room, "I can't just sit back, not when this all happened under my instruction! I can't—" She bit back a sob, "I have to do something—"
Leon shook his head, "He's right," He said softly, "You can't—None of us are in fit shape to do anything right now. You need to take a second, Bella. Besides…We're not the only ones who lost people. I can't—" He took a deep breath, "—I can't imagine asking Auntie Li to come back to work tomorrow, not after…"
Bella didn't have a response to that and simply let Leon tug her in, hugging her.
It was Apocalypse who spoke up, eventually, "Two months. We'll take two months to recover. But we can't take any more time than that," She said softly.
And with that, she was gone, and Risále was left to deal with the sudden influx of questions she had from her own new revelation. She knew now was not the time to ask them, though, and held back.
"What exactly is this?" Owen asked her softly, "Why are we here?"
Risále shook her head, "I couldn't tell you why they wanted us in here. No, why they want everyone in here. But I can tell you what this is," She took a deep breath, "Simulatory Reincarnation System. Simulation set to 'Eternal Restart'."
She looked at them all.
"Simulation Setting: Stronghold."