Epilogue: Forever In Pain

I wonder how knowing death around the corner makes them feel. Do you think they lie, cheat, and kill to avoid it? Or, do they try to live an honest life?

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Location: Hospital, Winquix

Echo slowly opened his eyes, and felt the soft sheets of the hospital bed on him. He also felt a cast on his left leg.

Echo: What happ-

She-Beast: Inex! Thank the ancestors, you’re awake!

He felt She-Beast quickly embrace him.

Merchant: He's awake? Fecking finally.

Runaway: We’ve been sitting here for two hours waiting for you.

Eraser: Happy birthday, Inex!

Echo: What?

She-Beast: Eraser we didn’t go to the birthday party, and I’m glad we didn’t.

Echo: Why? What happened?

Merchant: Turns out someone poisoned the drinks, had people barfing their breakfast, lunch, and dinner up on the floor.

Runaway: I dropped by Magma and Fog’s room, and she’s been stabbed. Whatever happened there was planned.

Eraser: Well, I’m glad all of our friends are alive.

Runaway: Barely. Maria and-

Echo: Run, did you check up on everybody?

Runaway glared at Echo through his mask.

Eraser: Runaway, I knew you cared about everyone!

Runaway: I do not!

Eraser: You do.

Runaway: Do not.

Eraser: You do.

Eraser and Runaway bickered while Merchant laughed at the two of them.

She-Beast: Inex…Oni-

Echo: Barry?! Where is he?

She-Beast: He’s alive, barely.

Echo: Where is he?

She-Beast: Look to your left.

Echo looked to his left, and saw another hospital bed where an unconscious Oni slept.

She-Beast: Do you know how hard it is to lie to medical professionals about names and relations?

Echo: Is he gonna be okay?

She-Beast: After they had ten nurses and five doctors operate on him, they say he might never wake up. He’s in a coma right now.

Echo felt something tug at the bottom of his stomach and he felt a sob coming. He felt She-Beast touch his hand and guide his head away from Oni’s form.

She-Beast: Listen to me. Tonight, I did something that angered my ancestors.

Echo: What?

She-Beast: This.

She-Beast quickly connected their lips and the other boys went silent. Echo and She-Beast sat on the bed kissing each other while Merchant and the other boys slowly exited the room.

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Death is a powerful force. It can cause a lot of decisions, and, when faced with it, you can do things you never thought possible.

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Location: Averin Ballroom, Winquix

The ambulances were evacuating the last of the poison victims and a nurse was dealing with a very famous, and annoying, reporter.

Kelley Mann: What happened here, sir?

Nurse: You’ve asked that question for the past three hours. Leave us alone we need to get these people out of here.

Kelley Mann: If you just-

Amino: Help! Help! Please, help!

Nurse: What was that?

The two people ran into the ballroom to see Amino with a tattered dress dragging four bloodied unconscious bodies behind trying to get to the ballroom exit.

Amino: Help!

Nurse: Ma’am what happened?!

Amino: …I chose Rook! I chose him, I don’t care about the files! Just get him out of here, save him!

The nurse had no idea what she was talking about but yelled for backup as he grabbed Rook’s bloodied body, and Amino started blabbering about a computer and how she used her dress to stop Rook’s bleeding.

The men get all of the bodies on stretchers and Kelley stands at Amino’s side. She looks down and sees blood just above her waist.

Kelley Mann: Mrs. Salvador, we should get you checked out-

Amino grabs her arm, and a fire enters her eyes that Kelley hasn’t seen before.

Amino: Mann, help me. Help me air all of them out. You’re the best reporter of the sector. I know you can help me, help me stop The Commission.

Kelley Mann: The what?

Amino opened her mouth to respond, but all the energy drained from her as her knees buckled and she fell into Kelley’s arms.

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All of this pain leads into nothing but…nothingness. We die, even though we tried our best, and leave everything behind.

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Location: Hospital, Winquix

Yua looked over her love’s unconscious body and a sigh escaped her lips.

Hina: She’ll be fine.

Yua jumped. She forgot Azami’s sister was in the room.

Yua: We need to put a bell on you.

Hina: You will do no such thing. How is she?

Yua: The doctors say she will be fine, but she’ll be out for a while.

Hina: Ugh! We need her.

Yua: She’s not some soldier for you to throw at a problem! She’s a human being!

Hina rolled their eyes and sat down with Scimitar on their back.

Hina: We need her. I can’t sleep knowing my siblings are in that basement. I need to beat her.

Yua sat down next to her.

Yua: Azami, alone, can’t solve that problem. You can’t just put it all on her, you two need to work together.

Hina looked at the unconscious Ronin and a million thoughts raced through their head.

Hina: Maybe…you’re right.

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Maybe the death of the people they cared about made them not care at all. Maybe, they’ve grown numb to loss and the idea of it. I know I have.

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Location: Averin Ballroom Parking Lot, Winquix

Error slowly opened his eyes and observed his surroundings. He was in a different position than he was when he passed out. He felt something constrict his right arm and tried to pull it free, but the force grew stronger as he tried to resist it.

Rakesh: Magnets.

Error looked up and saw the boy that has been antagonizing him for most of his night. Next to him, sat the boy he grabbed as a hostage.

Boy: How does it feel to be constrained?

Error: You little brats, let me go.

Rakesh: You- I don’t know what happened back there, but you know something.

Error: Of course I do, I know everything.

Rakesh: So you admit you know my father?

Error: I never said anything of the sort, but it might.

Rakesh: What?

Error: The Instance.

As Error said that, a woman’s voice could be heard across the parking lot.

Star: Pluto?! Pluto Theodore Tremor, come on! We’re leaving.

The other boy looked in her direction and sighed.

Pluto: That’s my cousin. I’ve gotta go, but thank you for saving me.

Rakesh: You’re a Tremor?

Pluto: Yea. Wasn’t it obvious?

Pluto looked at Error.

Pluto: My auntie is going to hear a lot about this.

Error: Tsk.

Pluto ran off, and Rakesh focused back on Error.

Rakesh: What’s this Instance?

Error: It’s an annoying malware in my system that seems to know more about your past than I do. It also seems to get stronger in your presence.

Rakesh: What does that mean?

Error: It means that I need your help in getting rid of it, and, by you helping, I’ll learn everything about your father from it as much as possible.

Rakesh: How do I know I can trust you?

Error: You can’t, but I am your only option.

Rakesh thought for a moment before speaking again.

Rakesh: Okay, how do we start?

Error: Like this. Help! Help, a crazy fan has kidnapped me!

Rakesh looked at Error in disgust before hearing a set of heavy footsteps approaching.

Error: Visit me in Murkum.

Rakesh nodded before running away as two Safe Haven guards came into Error’s view.

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Now, I wait to see what they do. With all of the pain and death that’s happened tonight, I wonder how they will move forward.

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Location: Tremor Games HQ, Winquix

Nebula sat down at her desk with bloodied hands and looked at a computer screen. On it was a singular contact that she swore she would never call again.

Nebula: I hate this.

She reluctantly pressed the call button and the line rang for a moment. More than a moment, really. Nebula couldn’t blame her, after how long she’s avoided her it was certain she would ignore her-

Then, she picked up.

Nebula: Hello, sister.

Eclipse: Nebula Elise Tremor! You have the gall to call me after how long?!

Nebula: Eclipse…

Eclipse: No! I won’t let you talk your way out of this. When Pluto gets home, I’m coming down there!

Nebula: Eclipse a person very close to me has…passed.

Eclipse went silent.

Eclipse: Nebula…why are you calling me?

Nebula: He was murdered, and it was planned. I need to figure out who did this, and-

Eclipse: Nebula, no. I know where this is going.

Nebula: The lies we told our family must come to an end. I need you to carry out the final procedure.

Eclipse: Nebula…those implants could kill you.

Nebula: I don’t think legs are that lethal.

Eclipse: You know it’s more than that.

Nebula: And, you know, I don’t care. Will you help me…sister?

Eclipse went silent for a moment.

Eclipse: I’ll be there within the week.

Nebula: Good. It’ll be nice to see you again.

Eclipse: I guess. Goodbye, Nebula.

Eclipse hung up the phone and Nebula sighed. Her eyes landed on the photo of Recruiter that sat next to a photo of her family. The photo of her mother, father, brother, and sister allowed a certain amount of emptiness to enter her. She stood from her chair and looked out her office window and saw the bright city landscape of Domovoy.

Nebula: I’m going to avenge you, Recruiter, just give me time. I will kill that damned assassin.