Info
Well fuck it, I guess it's a polycule now
Ascension
Kat sat alone in her office on Base Beta with the lights dim. The room was devoid of sound, save for the clacking of keys on her computer. She worked vigorously, reviewing database entry drafts in need of revisions before being uploaded. She took a sip of her energy drink as she typed up the corrections in an email. The silence was interrupted by a sudden, firm knock on her office door. It startled her slightly, but she immediately composed herself.
“Come in,” she responded monotonously. She turned to the door to see her dear friend, Eden G., standing in the threshold. She smiled warmly at Eden, happy to see her after what felt like ages. "Hey Eden. What brings you to my humble cubicle today?"
Eden smiled, rolling her eyes as she sat down on the edge of Kat's desk. “Hi, Kat. Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to ask how you were doing,” Eden said softly. "And boredom. Mostly boredom. Doing anything interesting?" Her short, pink hair glistened in the dim light that shone in from the hallway. The sight of her caused a sudden feeling of euphoria to wash over Kat, though she acted aloof, sighing and kicking at the wall to send her swivel chair spinning at nauseating speeds.
"God, I wish. I'm fixing grammar errors, Eden. Even with all of my prestige and experience, I still find myself stuck here at this desk, reminding our esteemed employees that the word 'level' does not need to be capitalized unless referring to a specific one. And if one more person capitalizes the word 'wanderer' like a proper noun, I swear to God I’m gonna delete the whole database,” Kat retorted slyly.
Eden giggled as she sat down on the edge of the desk, facing towards her friend. “How much more do you have to do?”
“Uh, probably around four or five more, I think. Why?”
“Well, I really think I’m on the verge of something big with this 'dark one' entity. I just finished interviewing your brother about it, and it was incredibly valuable to my research! It feels like I'm scratching on the door of one of the biggest secrets this place has, but I just can't seem to break through yet…”
Kat leaned back in her chair as she listened to Eden info-dumping about her latest exploits. Talking with her was one of the only things that could bring up Kat's mood these days. Eden was just one of those people—the kind that would brighten up any room they were in. Listening to Eden excitedly talk about her passions made Kat feel much happier than usual. Most were not used to her smile, but Eden awakened a certain feeling within her that was hard to describe. “I’m looking forward to revising your article. I actually get surprised when I find a typo or a grammatical error because of how much you proofread them before you send them to me.”
Eden laughed. Kat scooted over and made room on the edge of her chair, allowing Eden to happily sit next to her and lean towards the screen. “I think you and the author forgot a comma a few sentences up,” Eden teased.
Kat lightly slapped her on the shoulder, laughing. “Oh, shut up! This thing is the only thing keeping me going right now, I’m not perfect,” Kat responded, shaking her energy drink. Eden's smile seemed to defeat all the tiredness within Kat’s body. They silently stared into each other’s eyes for a while, lost in their thoughts.
Eden finally broke the silence. “Hey, Kat— you know, I was just thinking… I was talking with River the other day, and ze mentioned that it's been a while since we've all had a chance to hang out. We’ve all been so busy with M.E.G. stuff that it feels like months since we’ve just…chilled out together, y’know?”
Kat straightened herself in her seat, wheeling her chair back towards her computer. “Yeah, it has. Ever since ze started researching that new level…” She went quiet for a moment. “…it's been nearly impossible to reach hir. River has been away for so long, some days I find myself having trouble even remembering what ze looks like. I try to picture hir face in my mind, and I just… can’t. Is that weird?” She looked up at Eden with a sad expression. "I just… I just don't know, Eden."
Eden nodded solemnly, sliding off of the desk. She took Kat's hands into her own, looking her in the eyes. “No, it happens to me a lot too. Time is so weird here, that mere days start to feel like years.”
Kat smiled again, looking down at the floor. "I know… it's just… I'm so tired Eden. Of all of it. I don’t really know how to say this, but I find it hard to be happy when I’m in charge of so many people’s well-being in this place. My brain is constantly overflowing with everyone else's problems, and I can never seem to fix any of them. Hell, I can barely find reason to even wake up in the morning. Sometimes I wish I could’ve just grown up a normal girl and never experienced any of this." She sighed before looking back up at Eden. "But you… you make it worth it. Every single day. When I remember your smile, all of those things go away. You always find a way to clear my skies." Kat and Eden both blushed. Kat placed a hand on Eden’s face, cupping her cheek. “I… really care about you, Eden…”
“Kat…” Eden smiled softly.
Kat put her arm around Eden’s shoulder, as Eden sat in herself on Kat's lap, placing her hand on the side of Kat’s face. “I’m not used to being this open with someone, but… I-“
Eden clamped her hand over Kat’s mouth before she could finish. Kat’s eyebrows arched in surprise and slight confusion.
“Kat, I appreciate the sentiment, but…”
“But what?” Kat asked, concerned.
“Well… you’re too late,” Eden responded, still smiling as the room fell silent.
“W-what do you mean?” Kat asked, lowering her hand from Eden’s face.
Eden started to laugh. “Oh, Kat. You really like to joke around, don’t you?” Eden giggled, as Kat’s demeanor slowly filled with horror. “I would have been over the moon if you told me that a month ago. But now? Why would I ever want to be anywhere near you? Why would anyone ever give a rat's ass about someone as useless and rotten as you?
“E-Eden… What are you talking about?” Kat asked, a tear falling from her face.
Kat suddenly felt a sharp pain in her gut—a wet tearing sensation that felt like she was being ripped apart. She looked down in horror to see Eden slowly pushing a bloody kitchen knife into her abdomen with her free hand. She fell to the floor, coughing up a sickly combination of phlegm and blood. "Eden… why?" She looked up at the still-smiling face of the M.E.G.'s head field researcher, now with pink skin, glowing purple eyes, and a black cloak in place of her previous clothing. Eden's smile grew wider—twisting and stretching as if it were trying to escape her own face, her body appearing to rapidly deteriorate as the skin around her mouth began to rip open.
"Oh Kat, are you stupid?" A distorted, garbled voice emanated from the walking corpse of her friend. "Did you really think you'd be forgiven for your sins that easily? Please. You led River to hir death—you led me to my death. All because you couldn't walk away. All because you had to satisfy your own selfish urges of curiosity."
"E-Eden… What are you even—"
“You killed the two people you cared about the most. Two people whom you loved deeply because of your own selfishness… and only now you have the audacity to care?” A torrent of insects burst from Eden's skull, quickly swarming all around Kat like hungry piranhas. “Such a shame you couldn’t have come to your senses when it mattered.”
Kat's heart pounded faster and faster as purple light surrounded her, and the insects began ripping into her body. All she could hear over the sound of her own screaming was Eden's sadistic laughter echoing through her brain.
Kat gasped as her eyes shot open and she sat up in bed, hyperventilating and drenched in cold sweat. Her eyes quickly darted about her dark room, and she instinctively felt at her chest, inspecting for wounds. All she felt was her heart still beating fast. After a moment, she allowed herself to exhale in relief, slumping back down in her bed. A nightmare. Typical.
Of course. Silly me. Why would I be allowed nice things? Goddamn it…
She got out of bed and opened her curtains, letting the bright light of [[[Level 11]] into her room. She stared down upon the infinite city in somber silence. It had been a week since Eden went missing to chase after River in Level 404. Ever since that phone call, Eden’s harsh words echoed in her mind. The vitriol and anger haunted her, leading her to question who the one in the wrong really was.
The familiar ping of a text notification dragged Kat away from her ruminations. What is it now? She wondered, slipping on a new pair of clothes as she checked her phone. Oh shit—an emergency meeting at Base Beta? I'm going to be late! Kat grabbed her keys, barely having time to lock the door behind her as she fled from her apartment.
Walking down the streets of Level 11, a dark aura emanated from her expression, slightly perturbing pedestrians who passed her by. Her eyes were wide and her face was deadpan, showing no emotion at all — yet, somehow, it was clear to several people she had a lot on her mind. Her long, purple hair hung in front of her face, a little more unkempt than usual. Her stride did not break as she walked purposefully towards Base Beta, her hands in her pockets and her back slightly slouched. Many pedestrians who passed by her were offended by her unbroken path, surprised at the lack of consideration for others.
Finally arriving, Kat walked into the large, spiraling skyscraper and used her fingerprint to enter the door. As she passed through the lobby, some of the front desk staff and secretaries warmly greeted her, but she ignored all of them. Everyone knew Kat was no stranger to the cold shoulder, but something about her demeanor today seemed off — more so than usual. She stepped into the elevator with her back still turned to the door, clearly avoiding eye contact with said lobby staff. She stared at the elevator wall blankly as she ascended to the top of the skyscraper, breathing deeply through her nose. Her expression seemed frozen in an intimidating, deadpanned scowl.
As the elevator finally opened, she was greeted by a small group of people waiting to step inside themselves. She very quickly exited, not giving them a chance to step out of the way, causing her shoulder to even harshly brush against one of them. The woman scoffed in anger at her rudeness, but Kat did not respond to her. As she walked down the hallway, a familiar voice called her name.
“Kat! There you are.” Kat slowly turned around, her expression unwavering as she saw her brother, Justin. “Sorry for short notice, but the council is meeting in the conference room in the next few minutes. Everyone’s gonna be there. We need to discuss… you know.”
“No, Justin. I don’t know.” Kat replied sarcastically. “What is the purpose of this meeting?”
Justin hesitated, almost as if trying to carefully choose his words. “Uh… River and Eden. We need to… figure out what to do moving forward.”
Kat was silent for a moment, her deadpan expression still not changing. She took a deep breath in what Justin assumed was frustration and annoyance, but he was unsure due to her unclear body language. “Okay. Let’s go,” she eventually responded. The two walked to the conference room in silence. Justin, more than anyone, was used to Kat being a stoic, cold-hearted leader and was by far the best at being objective and not allowing emotion to cloud her judgement. Despite this, Justin was good at knowing how much of that was her typical demeanor and how much was her hiding that something was bothering her. He considered questioning her, but was afraid of the answer and held his tongue.
The two eventually entered the room, greeted by the six supervisors and Overseer C, Andrew, at a large round conference table. They all turned their heads towards the pair, smiling. Justin giddily greeted them, but Kat did not respond nor change her deadpan expression. The two overseers joined the table next to Andrew. The group all engaged in some standard small talk, but Kat silently stared down at the table, completely tuning out the entire room. Her intense expression was extremely noticeable to everyone in the room, causing some concern and discomfort.
“Alright, then. I’m sure we all know why we’re here,” Justin said, finally breaking the silence. Kat sat up slightly, finally tuning into the conversation once again.
“Do we ever. Every single interaction I’ve had with the public has been something relating to Eden and River. The M.E.G. has never endured such a devastating loss during its existence, and they’re looking to the council for guidance,” Tomas chimed in. The group all looked down at the table somberly. A sense of defeat and hopelessness emanated throughout the council.
“Has the database been updated to reflect these things?” the Effluvium asked quietly. The wisps that made up his body formed into a hand to read his tablet, clicking around to arrive at their database entries.
“I’ve taken the liberty of updating their profiles to reflect their… uh…” Somalia paused for a moment. “…new statuses,” she murmured, as if treading thin ice with every word. Kat didn’t move, but her eyes looked up from the counter and at Somalia with a gaze that felt like a knife to the heart. Somalia noticed this and felt a chill run down her spine.
“I’ve been working on planning a memorial event for the two recently. I think it’ll be appropriate given just how crucial and well-known they were to the group and our image,” Verne said somberly.
"…To fill their spots as quickly as possible to ensure productivity doesn’t falter too much. Kat? Are you even listening right now?"
The Overseer jolted upright in her seat, the papers on the meeting table scattering in front of her. "I was just—"
"Don't make excuses, Kat." Replied Gavin. "River and Eden have been missing for weeks. It's only logical for us to assume they've passed. If we don't act now, this could tear apart the foundations of the M.E.G. even more than it already has."
A thick silence fell upon the room. While the coldness of Mason's words was not without merit, everyone at the meeting table knew how close the three were.
“I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of potential candidates to replace Eden’s position as Head Field Researcher. We should also consider promoting a junior archivist to fill River’s as well,” Quonqax signed. The Faceling slid a copy of a well-organized list full of profiles of several Base Leaders, Junior Archivists, and Senior Field Researchers that were eligible to fill the two vacant spots to each member at the table.
“Thank you. We should work to fill their spots as quickly as possible to ensure productivity doesn’t falter too much,” Jana responded.
The table fell silent for a moment as everyone subtly kept glancing at Kat, who was much more reserved and stoic than usual. The group had been pretending not to notice, but the atmosphere was thicker than concrete. Everyone knew how close Kat was to River and Eden, but she never elaborated on the details of their relationship to anyone for what was assumed to be professionalism. Something was different, but nobody could tell exactly what.
“On that note…” Verne quietly mumbled. “I understand many of us were incredibly close with these two. How has everyone been holding up?” Almost everyone turned to Kat, waiting for her to answer. She scowled at everyone, glancing back and forth to each individual person.
“I was never very close with River, but Eden… I considered her such a close friend. I couldn’t believe when I’d heard the news,” Justin responded almost immediately, ignorant to the subtle hint to ask Kat if she was okay. The room was awkward and silent for this. Kat sighed in frustration.
“Screw it, I’ll just ask. Kat, what’s the deal? Everything okay?” Gavin bluntly asked.
Kat locked her piercing gaze onto him, taking slow, deep breaths. “The M.E.G. will be okay. People are replaceable, and we must not lose sight of our ultimate goal to sustain this group until we get out of this place,” Kat finally responded coldly. Gavin, while typically quite aggressive, had a very concerned and shocked expression on his face from her response. Justin placed his hand on Kat’s shoulder.
“Kat, it’s okay to tell us how you’re feeling,” Justin responded sympathetically. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “If everything isn’t alright, we won’t judge. I know how close you were with th-“
“As I said,” Kat interrupted, swatting her brother's hand away. “The M.E.G. will be alright.” Her speech was monotonous, yet subtly strained. Her voice almost seemed to break at the end, but she cut herself off and took deep breaths before allowing herself to show any visible signs of distress.
“Katherine. I’ve been around long enough to know you’re not okay,” The Effluvium responded. His wisps flew around him quickly as they quietly whispered to each other.
Kat slammed her hand on the table and stood up. “I thought we were having a meeting, not a therapy session…"
Overseer Justin gave an obviously forced laugh, trying to break the tension. "Well… that's awkward. Mason is right though, Kat. We need to move on—I know how hard this is for you, but it will be a lot easier if you address it head on." His flat and noncommittal words fell upon deaf ears, as usual.
In a sudden outburst of rage, Kat kicked her chair over, startling some of the supervisors.
"Ever the rational one today, aren't we?" Mason chided.
"If you’re all gonna waste my time with small talk and emotional interrogations, I have no reason to be here!” Kat boomed back. "If this is how you all really feel, then fuck you. I quit. Find yourselves a new Overseer. After all, I'm just a position, right? Who gives a fuck about the person in the chair as long as they keep cranking out their daily paperwork — because that's what really matters, right?!"
“Kat, wait! I-“ Justin stammered, standing up from his seat.
Kat placed her hand on the doorknob, slowly turning back to face her brother. “You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong,” She muttered. “People are replaceable. The M.E.G. will survive…” She quickly exited the room, slamming the door behind herself and shoving her hands into her pockets as she stormed down the hall.
Kat struggled to collect her thoughts as she raced down the hallway, breathing a little heavier and faster than she was in the meeting. She had really been trying to take things one day at a time — to at the very least accept the passing of her friends. While some days were better than most, today had been completely awful from start to present— and she could barely hold herself together.
She found herself bursting through the access doors to the rooftop—the wind from the elevation blowing the welling tears from her eyes. She ran and hid behind a wall on top of the roof, tears now streaming from her eyes. She covered her mouth, sniffling and whimpering as she tried to hold in her emotions. She waited for a moment, trying to be as quiet as possible to avoid being heard. When she confirmed she was alone, she finally broke down a bit, but still tried her best to stifle her emotions. She dug her fingers into her hair, hyperventilating. Despite her two friends going missing two weeks ago, she had not cried or been visibly upset to anyone, even in private. She lied on the ground alone, trying to collect herself. She could not speak or even think, as her emotions were so intense that it clouded everything. She held back her tears with all of her might.
"Why… why do I have to go through this? What the fuck is wrong with everyone—with this world?"
Kat stared at the sunrise over the city skyline, sitting herself down on the edge of the roof. She sighed, remembering the days where she would sit right here with River and Eden, listening to the two go on and on about their plans for the future of the M.E.G. It all felt so long ago…
Kat felt herself getting misty-eyed. What I wouldn't give for just one more day… She let out a deep breath, staring down at the streets below. Humans and Facelings dotted the sidewalks—tiny pricks of blackness moving like the water of a stream. How do they do it? How do they all live so normally knowing that it could all just end? Eden would know. River would know. They could always see the bright side of things…and right now, they'd be telling me to stop taking it all for granted. Kat blinked the second wave of tears out of her eyes.
“Kat! Kat, please tell me where you are!” A nearby voice exclaimed. Kat knew it was Justin again. He was just too caring. She was supposed to be the strong one; the protector and leader both the group and her family. She could not falter. She reached into her pocket and grabbed her wallet and pocket knife, revealing the blade. She threw her wallet off the roof, causing it to fall to the ground of the city. With her other hand, with all of her might, she stabbed the knife through her hand, penetrating all the way through to the other side and in-between her bones. She roared in anger and pain, alerting Justin to her location. Justin emerged from around the corner.
“K-Kat! What happened to you?” Justin exclaimed, immediately noticing blood gushing down her arm and dripping onto her leg.
“I-I’m sorry Justin. My stomach wasn’t feeling good, so I went outside to get some fresh air, and some guy mugged me and stole my wallet. It all happened so fast, I-“ Kat stammered.
Justin stood there silently. “Kat, you can’t fool me. I know that’s your knife. You’ve had it since we were kids. Plus, you seem like you’ve been crying a lot longer than just a few seconds. Please, talk to me…” Justin calmly responded.
Kat tensed up defensively into the fetal position, covering her face. “N-no! Nothing is wrong, Justin! Just get away from me and don’t look at me!” Kat screamed.
“Kat…” Justin whispered softly. “You’re such a weakling.”
Kat looked up in shock and confusion at Justin, who was now smiling at her. “W-what?” she stammered.
“You claim to be the strong one, and yet here you are: crying and throwing a tantrum like a baby. Do you really think someone as weak and pathetic as you deserves love?” Justin asked, laughing.
“No… not again… you’re not real…” Kat whispered. She pulled her knife from her hand and stabbed it into her thigh as hard as she could, causing her to wince in pain again. She looked to her side where Justin was once standing to see that nobody was there. It was another hallucination. Kat hyperventilated and dug into her hair once again, dripping blood down her face. She pulled the knife from her leg and threw it to the side in the direction of the ledge. As she bled profusely on the ground, she tried to take deep breaths to come to her senses. After what felt like an eternity, she finally calmed herself to an emotionless, catatonic demeanor. She sat stoically for a while, emptying her mind and thinking of nothing. She eventually stood up carefully, limping towards the ledge to grab her knife. After retrieving it, she froze in place upon hearing another familiar voice.
"Kat?"
She looked up in front of her to see none other than River hirself sitting on the edge of the building. Hir eyes were blocked out by grey pixels and distortion.
“Kat, I’ve missed you so much. It’s so great to see you again,” ze said softly.
Kat stepped backwards in silence, wiping her eyes dry and blinking a few times. This couldn't be real.
"No… I’m not falling for it this time. Y-you aren't River. River is dead."
The figure before her shook its head sadly. "Death is just a state of being, Kat. I'm just as real the air you breathe."
Kat shakily arose to her feet. "H-how? Why are you doing this?"
"Because I want you to know how I—how Eden and I feel. We can't bear seeing you like this…"
"I-I'm sorry… it wasn’t my fault… I-I didn’t know…” Kat stammered incoherently.
“Shhh. Don’t tell me why, Kat. You don't need to say anything. I understand it wasn’t your fault.”
“Y-You do?”
“Of course. It’s because you loved us, right?”
“W-What?”
River's face twisted into a manic smile. “Fine, you. Do you want me to spell it out? You push away everyone you love because of your own selfishness. You even pierce yourself with your own blade to justify what you feel, knowing you shouldn’t."
Kat stared silently.
“How sad I never got to tell you how we really felt. I was so close, but so far. Lost and lost, forever wondering, right? You can't bear to lose a loved one — God forbid — but you don’t really want to live, do you? So you isolate yourself. You left us to rot away in limbo, because you couldn't stand the idea that you might be getting attached to someone. You left us scared. Lonely. To die feeling nothing more than abandonment and fear.” River's smile grew, hir body seemingly glowing with ethereal pastel light. "To think I ever loved you… just makes me want to punch your face." River suddenly stepped forward and raised hir hand to punch Kat, causing her to brace for impact. After feeling nothing, she looked up once more to see River simply standing there.
"You might as well do the only thing you can, Kat. Make things right."
Kat stared silently, River's words infecting her mind like a virus. "How?"
River hovered in the air, hovering over the street below. "Jump."
Kat peered over the ledge to face the city below her. The wind blew across her face as her blood dripped to the ground below. "J-jump?"
River smiled warmly at Kat, extending a hand towards her. "You left us on our own. Abandoned us. We've been alone for what feels like ages, Kat. You owe this to me — to Eden. Set things straight. Join us — we can finally be together again. We'll forgive you."
Kat stares out over the horizon, standing in silence for a few minutes.
“You’re right. I don’t want to live in a world without you. I… can’t live without you.” She smiled again, the memories of her two dear friends flashing in her mind. The thought of seeing them again flooded her thoughts. A sudden sense of euphoria rushed over her. Kat smiled widely and closed her eyes. She saw Eden and River reaching their hands forward, beckoning for Kat to approach them. She placed her knife in her pocket and extended her bloody hand toward them. She leaned forward to reach the — closer, closer, — before losing her balance. Taking a step forward, she fell off the side of the building, falling with her face to the ground. She felt herself flying in the air, the wind blasting in her face. She did not open her eyes as she fell, only envisioning her friends’ faces. The sound of the air hitting her rapidly descending body was the only thing she could hear. It was only a matter of time until she could finally-
“Well, I definitely didn’t expect that. That was much easier than expected.” A low voice suddenly rasped, startling Kat out of her trance. The sound and sensation of rushing wind immediately ceased. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the ground below, still feeling like she was falling. Despite this, the ground didn’t seem to get any closer, and she didn’t feel the wind hitting her face either; she was floating. She tried to turn her head to look towards the sound of the man’s voice, but was unable to turn her head. In her line of vision, she saw a Curabitur bird suspended mid-flight, and realized that she was somehow frozen in time. Kat was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say.
“Nothing to say for yourself? I have seen many leap to their own demise, believing it to be what they truly desire. The regret, shock and fear that they feel midway through never fails to amuse me. And yet, I feel that you may be the one of the few who truly understands what you were doing, no?” The invisible voice continued.
“W-what…?” Kat stammered in confusion.
“Ah, I imagine that you may feel somewhat confused. After all, few have the chance to commune with one so objective before their own imminent demise.”
Suddenly, Kat snapped out of the euphoria and realized what she had done. She gasped and started breathing heavily. “I don’t know who or what you are, but please… just let me keep falling…” She weakly muttered with resignation.
The voice cackled dryly. “So prideful and hard of heart, even unto the end, are you not? Just like Eden, just like River…and even another whom I once knew. He had an attitude just like yours. So naive, so full of misplaced vitriol… and it still sickens me.”
Kat felt the pit in her stomach grow even deeper at the mention of their names. "How do you know their names?"
The voice laughed once more — a creaky wheezing sound causing Kat to cringe. "How do you think, dearie? They both wandered somewhere they didn't belong, and someone had to pick up the pieces. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say."
Kat scowled harshly as she held back tears once more. “Are you getting revenge for someone we killed? Torturing me for your own demented pleasure?”
“Why do we do anything, dearie? If you are to die, why continue your persona of an emotionless husk? Why jump off the building? Why start the M.E.G. and run it with such brutish power? Why allow your friends to d-“
“Stop!” Kat boomed again. The two were silent for a moment. “If you’re just going to patronize me, at least let me look at you.” Kat quickly felt her ability to move return to her. Still suspended in the air, she pushed herself to an upright position with a swimming motion and looked to her right. The being who had been talking to her was completely concealed with a dark black cloak. It was impossible to make out any of his features beneath the darkness. Even his hands and feet were tucked into the darkness of his garment. Deep dread set into Kat, upon realizing that before her stood none other than the black-cloaked figure from her nightmares.
“I have dwelled within this this reality for trillions of lifetimes, and yet the beauty of this specific realm never ceases to amaze me. The 'indomitable human spirit' persevered and found a way to survive in such a horrible place as this. Even in a desolate, infinite city, you all still found a way to find some form of peace and harmony. It’s a reminder than even in a sea of chaos and destruction, a light still exists deep within,” the cloaked man rasped. Despite his underlying chaotic energy, his demeanor was rather calm and focused in this moment.
Kat scoffed. “Don’t kid yourself. I expected hell to be full of burning fire, not mono-yellow wallpaper.”
The figure began to cackle almost maniacally in reaction her statement, as if he had heard one of the funniest jokes ever. His cloak twitched and vibrated from his intense laughing. “You, River and Eden were quite similar. All so caring, yet tough and stubborn until the bitter end. They always say history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme…” he replied softly. Kat’s heart dropped at the mention of their names once more, and she placed her hand over her face, attempting to bottle her grief again. “You really cared for them, did you not? Despite trying so hard to be distant and professional, you could not contain your true feelings for them.”
Suddenly, Kat stopped crying, and stared at the cloaked being once again. “Who — what are you?” She asked firmly.
“Just a forgotten man, who no longer matters. Many fear not the idea of death, rather being forgotten one day — whether it be some days, years, decades, even centuries. Few have the privilege of persisting past death in the memories of those who they cared about. To imagine a world where you still exist, but nobody knows who you are… your accomplishments, your likes and dislikes, your experiences, your impact on the world.” The figure finally turned towards Kat and revealed a faint, purple glow underneath his hood. “Is that truly what you desire? Do you truly wish you exist in a world where you are but a forgotten spectator? A world where everything you did, all your input and influence, and your mere existence is worth nothing? Despite how important you are — or rather, were — everything moves on without you.”
Kat clutched her hand over her mouth once more, breathing heavily and trying harder than she ever has to bottle in her feelings. Neither of them talked for a moment.
“Another thought…” the figure continued. “Indeed, eternal damnation is a horrid fate, but is life really considered freedom and free will? Are we truly free, or all slaves to a higher power? River wanted to find that out so badly, that ze sacrificed hir own life to figure it out. Hir simply confirmed what everyone already knew, did it not?”
Kat lowered her hand. “So that’s what this is about? You’re here to taunt and mock me for killing my closest friends, my…” Kat paused. “That’s what you want, don’t you?” she snarled.
"Tsk. Your personal life and feelings mean almost nothing to me. Your life will be over for me in the blink of an eye, and is merely a drop in the bucket in the history of this reality,” he muttered. “Nevertheless, I always find it so fascinating when one such as yourself is so powerful, and yet still lacks the power to do what it is that they truly want. You’re one of the most powerful people in this place, and yet the things you desire most: your friends, your happiness, and your life before here… all are things you cannot obtain. Furthermore, a mere push or suggestion was all that was needed for you to throw it all away. Is one truly strong and powerful if they’re so willing to lose all they have built? You were so strong for a brief moment, but in the end, just another pathetic weakling who didn't care enough to save the ones they loved.”
Kat finally broke and burst into tears. She could not hold herself together anymore. She spent the next few minutes crying without interruption from the cloaked man. Kat couldn’t remember the last time she cried, much less this much. More tears dripped from her eyes, falling mere inches before they too froze in place. "Shut up. You have no idea what it's like to lose someone you love, only for the world to spit in your face for being the only one that gives a damn."
"Ah, yes. Ever the persecuted hero, are you? You want people to commend you for throwing a temper tantrum at a mere fact of life? Please. Don't make me laugh. You're only in this situation right now because you couldn't put your own selfish desires aside."
"I can't live in a world without them. I don't want to." Kat replied through gritted teeth, attempting to stifle her crying.
The figure scoffed. "Do not deceive yourself. You should not drag everyone else around you down into Hell simply because you refuse to pull yourself up. Have you never paused to consider that there are many who indeed care about you? Those that repeatedly tried to reach out, only for you to isolate yourself? You need not pretend to be strong around them and push them away. The strongest are those who keep their loved ones closest and know to confide in them. Acknowledge your shortcomings and push forward no matter what. Think about all the work you've left unfinished—all the great things you've helped build, doomed to rot under the weight of gross incompetence. All because a scared little girl could not bear the weight of reality."
Kat looked up at the figure. "But… why? Why are you doing this?"
“When you go on in your life, you will not remember me nor this conversation, but you will be a changed person. We have met before, and I have been watching you with quite a lot of interest. No organization has ever succeeded as much as M.E.G. has, and it would be a severe tragedy to everyone to lose yet another integral member.”
“Are you like, a guardian angel or something?” Kat cynically scoffed.
The figure finally lowered his hood, revealing a charred black skeleton with crimson purple eyes that shone like flashlights. Kat gasped, to which the being laughed impishly, contorting the bones that made up his jaw into a crooked grin.
“Most of the angels I knew are dead. I would merely prefer to see how this all plays out. Burning in Hell for all eternity can grow rather boring at times, and everyone needs a bit of entertainment, do they not?” He giggled like a child in a way that perturbed Kat, before lifting his hood once more and turning his head back to the distance.
“So… uh… You gonna put me down or what?” Kat asked. The man thought for a moment before nodding.
“Before I do, know that getting me to care about anything or anyone is an accomplishment in of itself. You may forget me, but learn to find joy even in a sea of eternal suffering and torture, will you?”
“Y-yeah…” Kat replied, confused. “Wait. You never told me your name.” The man laughed, this time quietly.
“I am nothing important…merely a forgotten relic of a bygone age. All I ask of you is that you not throw away everything that you have built, as i once did. There is a good reason that I am forgotten. Do not waste your life, too.”
Before Kat could respond, her eyes began to shut. Suddenly, the wind blasted against her body again as screams distantly echoed in the distance. She felt the wind rush faster and faster before it all stopped. She opened her eyes and looked upward to see herself surrounded by horrified and shocked people. She sat up to see Base Beta in front of her. She looked around, slightly dazed and confused.
“She’s alive?” someone in the crowd exclaimed.
“How could she have survived a fall that high?! Unscathed?” another shouted. With confusion, Kat felt around her body inspecting for any injuries whatsoever. Unbelievably, she had not even a scratch present on her. Suddenly, Overseer A burst from within the crowd ran forward towards Kat. Without even saying a word, he descended onto his knees and hugged her tightly. Kat froze.
“D-Did I-“ Kat stammered.
“Please don’t leave me. I can’t lose you…” Justin interrupted, hugging tighter. He began to cry slightly. Kat slowly and hesitantly lifted her hands up and hugged her brother back. At first she leaned into his shoulder and did nothing. Slowly, she felt her eyes begin to water. For a reason she could not understand, she didn’t feel the need to hold it in this time. The crowd watched as the siblings embraced tightly, crying into each others’ shoulders. Some of them began to dissipate as to avoid awkwardness.
“I’m sorry,” Kat whispered into his ear.
“You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Kat’s eyes widened as the tears flowed. “Just promise me you’ll never do that again, okay?” Justin replied softly. Kat nodded silently, tears still dribbling down her cheeks.
“I promise.” Wiping their tears, they lifted their heads and smiled at each other silently.
“Man, I knew you had thick skin, but jumping off a building unscathed is kinda next level!” Andrew crudely interrupted from within the audience. Kat glared at him for the poor joke, causing him to awkwardly laugh and walk away.
“I’m still a bit confused, to be honest, but you don’t need to tell me anything until you’re ready. You can talk to me any time you need. Don’t hesitate, please,” Justin said sincerely.
“Thank you for caring about me so much, loser,” Kat replied slyly, her eyes still watering a bit.
“Of course. You’re never alone, Kitty Kat,” Justin joked in reply, snickering. Kat punched him in the shoulder jokingly before coming to her feet and following him back into Base Beta. It had been many years since Justin had seen her smile this long. Somehow, despite his confusion, he was filled with the hope that regardless of everything going on, even if just for a moment, everything would be okay.
