Val Pov(first person point of view)
Didn’t plan.
Just ran.
“WOW-WOW-WOW-” I gasped between breaths as Eclipsara dragged me down another hallway at full speed. “THIS IS-THIS IS NOT IDEAL-”
“I KNOW!” she snapped, yanking me around a sharp turn. “I DIDN’T PLAN FOR THIS EITHER!”
Something slammed into the wall behind us.
BOOM.
Chunks of the sterile white surface cracked and scattered.(Chunks: Pieces broken off something. Context: Parts of the wall broke into pieces when it was hit.)
“WHY DOES IT HAVE AIM?!” I shouted.
“I TOLD YOU IT SHOOTS THINGS!”
“YEAH BUT I THOUGHT YOU MEANT LIKE-SLOW THINGS! NOT-WHATEVER THAT WAS!”
Another impact-closer this time.
We both flinched mid-run.
“…wow,” I wheezed.
“…wow,” she echoed.
We kept running.
Then-
“I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING TO US-” I said, voice cracking slightly.(Voice sounds shaky or breaks from stress or emotion. Context: He’s scared and out of breath, so his voice isn’t steady.)
“I KNOW, RIGHT?!” she shot back. “LIKE WHAT DID WE EVEN DO-”
“I DIED!”
“I KNOW YOU DIED!”
“AND NOW THIS?!”
“EXACTLY!”
Another projectile slammed behind us.
We both screamed-
“AAAH-!”
-and then, somehow-
We both started tearing up.
“I DON’T WANNA DIE AGAIN-!” I choked out dramatically.
“I JUST GOT YOU BACK-THIS IS SO UNFAIR-!” she yelled, equally dramatic.
We kept running-
Both of us half-crying now-
“This is so tragic-!” I gasped.
“This is the worst day ever-!” she added.
Another explosion behind us.
We both snapped out of it instantly.
“WAIT-NO TIME FOR CRYING!” I shouted.
“YEAH, WE CAN CRY LATER!” she agreed.
We ran faster.
“…schedule it.” I added.
“AFTER WE’RE NOT BEING SHOT AT!”
“DEAL!”
The creature let out another warped-
“…heheh-!”
Eclipsara twisted mid-run, still dragging me with her.
“EXCUSE YOU?!” she snapped, pointing aggressively behind us while still running. “WE’RE BUSY RIGHT NOW! SO WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP SHOOTING, DANG IT?!”
I pointed behind us while running.
“YEAH-OH COME ON! THAT’S JUST RUDE AT THIS POINT!”
“…heheh-!”
Another projectile answered.
“IF YOU LIKE SHOOTING, FIND SOMEONE ELSE THAT’S NOT US!” Eclipsara shouted. “GO FIND A DIFFERENT TARGET!”
“…heheh-!”
And yes-another projectile.
“IT DID NOT LISTEN!” I yelled.
“IT NEVER DOES!” '
We turned another corner-hard.
My lungs were burning now.
Everything blurred together-
Until-
Eclipsara’s head snapped upward.
“…Wait.”
“What-WHAT-” I gasped.
“The vents.”
I blinked mid-sprint.
“…What about the vents?!”
“I recognize this!”
“…HOW?!”
“I’LL EXPLAIN LATER!”
That was not reassuring.
She tightened her grip on my hand-somehow even more-and suddenly picked up speed.
“THIS WAY!”
She pulled me through one turn-
Then another-
Then a third so fast I almost lost my footing.
“WOW-OKAY-YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING-THAT’S GREAT-” I panted.
“YES I DO-JUST TRUST ME!”
“I DO-I’M JUST ALSO DYING-AGAIN-POSSIBLY-”
“NOT ALLOWED!”
“OH OKAY THANKS THAT FIXES IT-”
Another projectile hit behind us.
Closer.
Way too close.
“FASTER!” she snapped.
“I AM GOING MAXIMUM SPEED!”
She didn’t respond-just pulled me harder.
Then-
A door.
“There!” she said.
She didn’t slow down.
Didn’t hesitate.
She slammed into it-shoved it open-
“IN-!”
We practically(basically) fell inside.(Context: They almost fell into the room because they were moving so fast)
She yanked me through-(Pulled hard and suddenly. Context: She grabbed him and pulled him quickly into the room.)
Spun-
And slammed the door shut behind us.
Silence.
No impact.
No laughter.
Nothing.
Just-
“…hah… hah… hah…”
I bent forward slightly, hands on my knees, trying to breathe.
“…Hah-hah-okay-” I wheezed. “WOW.”
“…Yeah,” she breathed. “Wow.”
A beat.
Then, still panting-
“…it didn’t even listen to my suggestion.” she added, sounding genuinely offended. “I told it to shoot someone else instead.”
I blinked, still trying to recover.
“…You realize.” I said between breaths. “if it did listen… it would probably go after Mira since you said someone else whos the only other person here besides us.”
She froze.
Mid-breath.
Blink.
“…Oh.”
A pause.
“…Good point.”
“…Yeah.”
“…Okay, never mind.” she muttered. “It can keep ignoring me.”
We stood there for a second-
Trying to recover as both kept breathing hard.
Eclipsara straightened slightly, still catching her breath, and looked around.
“…Yeah.” she said. “This is it.”
I blinked.
“…It?”
“The resting room.”
I looked around.
Simple.
One couch.
“…You’re sure?”
“Mm-hm.”
She took a step forward.
“…This is where I brought Mira.”
I straightened slightly.
“…Wait-when?”
“…After she saw that room.”
A pause.
“…The one full of dead scientists.”
I blinked.
“…Oh.”
A beat.
“…Oh, snap, there’s a room full of dead scientists?”
“…Yeah.”
“…That’s-uh-that’s not great.”
“Nope.”
“…Wow.”
“…Mm-hm.”
We stood there for a second longer.
Both breathing hard.
Still recovering.
Still very aware that something absolutely awful was outside.
And somehow-
That wasn’t even the most immediate problem anymore.
I turned my head slightly.
Eclipsara was right there.
Close.
Closer than before.
Her long black hair-messy now from running-fell unevenly around her shoulders(Not straight or balanced. Context: Her hair is messy and not neatly arranged.), the yellow-tipped ends brushing against her torn jacket. The fabric was still shredded across the back(Shredded: Torn into rough strips or pieces. Context: Her jacket is badly ripped.), edges rough and jagged like it had never been properly fixed.
(Edges: The outer sides or borders of something. Context: The torn parts of the jacket where the fabric ends. Jagged: Rough, sharp, uneven edges (not smooth). Context: The ripped jacket looks messy and harsh, not cleanly torn.)
Her breathing was heavy.
Fast.
Her chest rising and falling sharply.
That restored arm-her left one-looked whole, but something about it still felt… off.
Like it hadn’t fully settled into reality yet.
And her eye-
That one visible red eye-
Locked onto me.
Hollow.(Empty, lacking emotion, like something is missing inside. Context: Her eye looks like there’s no warmth-just emptiness or intensity(anger). How it looks visually: Eye wide open. Not blinking. No warmth. Feels like she’s staring through him, not just at him.)
Focused.
Still angry.
Very angry.
I opened my mouth.
“…Okay.” I started carefully.
She moved.
Fast.
Her axe hit the ground with a dull thud.(A low, heavy, not sharp sound.)
Before I could react-
She shoved me.
Hard.
“-Whoa-!”
I fell back onto the couch, landing flat.(Falling straight onto your back or body fully. Context: He hit the couch without catching himself.)
And before I could even process it-
She was already on top of me.
Straddling me.
Pinning me down.
Her hands pressed firmly(Strong, steady pressure) against me-one near my shoulder, the other bracing against my chest-keeping me from getting up.(Bracing: Using something for support or pressure to stay steady. Context: Her hand is pushing against his chest to keep her balance and hold him down.)
“…!”
She didn’t say anything.
Not a word.
Just-
Stared.
That same hollow, burning stare.
Unblinking.
My brain caught up slowly.
“…You’re still very mad, aren’t you?” I said quietly.
“Yeah.” she replied immediately.
Her expression didn’t change.
Not even a little.
Flat.
No hesitation.
Well, that confirmed it.
I let out a small breath.
“…Yeah. That tracks.”
Silence.
Her gaze didn’t soften.
Didn’t shift.
Didn’t move.
“…I’m sorry,” I said.
Her expression didn’t change.
At all.
“Sorry isn’t good enough,” she said quietly.
Not loud.
Not shouting.
But sharp.
Controlled.
Her fingers pressed slightly harder against me-not enough to hurt, but enough to remind me I wasn’t going anywhere.
“…Not with everything that keeps happening to you,” she continued, her fingers pressing a little more firmly into my chest, “and not with everything that keeps happening to us.”
A pause.
Her eye narrowed just slightly.
“Sorry doesn’t fix that.”
I didn’t interrupt.
Didn’t argue.
Because… yeah.
That was fair.
She wasn’t wrong.
She leaned down a little closer.
Still not raising her voice.
Still careful.
Because something out there was listening.
Her head tilted slightly(Leaned a little to one side), hair shifting with the motion-falling forward more this time, strands slipping around us. It felt like a curtain closing in, framing her face, surrounding me. I could still see her eye clearly- (Strands: small pieces of hair. Slipping around us: moving and falling naturally. Context: Her hair falls forward and surrounds them, creating a closed-in feeling. Framing her face: Hair surrounds her face like a border.)
But everything else felt… enclosed.
Focused.
Judging.
“I’m not even going to make you promise anything.” she said.
That made me blink.
“…You’re not?”
Her gaze didn’t waver.
“No.”
A beat.
“Because I don’t trust you to keep it.”
Ouch.
She didn’t stop.
“I already said everything.” she said quietly.
The words came out flat.
Controlled.
Like she was forcing every emotion into a shape sharp enough not to break apart.
“I already yelled at you.” she continued. “I already told you what was wrong with what you did. I already explained why I was angry.”
A pause.
“And somehow I’m still not done.”
Her fingers pressed harder into my chest.
Not enough to hurt.
Enough to keep me there.
Enough to remind me this wasn’t over just because we’d technically already had this conversation once.
Her eye narrowed slightly.
“Because the more I think about it…” she said slowly, carefully, “…the worse it gets.”
I stayed quiet.
That seemed safer.
“You woke up alone.” she continued. “You saw me and Mira injured. You saw both of us unconscious. Recovering.”
Another pause.
“And instead of resting like a normal person for five minutes-”
Her grip tightened slightly.
“-you decided to explore an entire nightmare facility by yourself.”
I opened my mouth carefully.
“…We already talked abou-”
“Shut the hell up.”
Immediate.
Cold.
Sharp enough that I stopped talking instantly.
Her expression didn’t change.
“You do not get to interrupt me right now.” she said calmly.
Which honestly sounded worse than yelling.
Her hair shifted forward slightly as she leaned closer, dark strands slipping around us and blocking more of the room from view.
“You wandered around a place full of monsters.” she continued. “Alone. Exhausted. After literally dying.”
Each word came out clipped.
Precise.
Controlled anger barely held together.
“And why?” she asked quietly.
I hesitated.
“…I just wanted to understand things myself.”
“I know.”
Immediate.
Flat.
“And that’s the problem.”
Her eye stayed locked onto mine.
“You thought if you mapped the place out first…” she continued slowly. “…if you learned the routes, figured out the floor, understood everything before we woke up-”
A pause.
“-then you’d finally be useful.”
My stomach tightened.
“You thought if you handled everything yourself first.” she continued, “then you wouldn’t be a burden when we got up.”
I looked away slightly.
Big mistake.
Her hand immediately grabbed my jaw and turned my face back toward her.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you.”
Quiet.
Controlled.
Absolutely furious.
I froze.
“You looked at two injured people healing because of medicine you gave them,” she said, voice tightening slightly beneath the calm. “and somehow your first thought was still that you needed to earn the right to ask us for help.”
The words hit unexpectedly hard.
“…Is your self-hatred seriously that bad?” she asked.
The question caught me off guard enough that I actually blinked.
“…What?”
“You heard me.”
Still calm.
Too calm.
That awful calm that sounded more dangerous than shouting.
“You really thought disappearing alone was better than inconveniencing us.” she continued quietly. “You genuinely decided wandering around a death maze by yourself was the more reasonable option.”
Her fingers tightened again against my shirt.
“You didn’t even wake us up.”
I swallowed quietly.
“That’s not because I hate myself-”
“SHUT. UP.”
The words cracked through the room instantly.
Not loud enough to risk attracting something outside.
But sharp enough to make me flinch anyway.
Her breathing had gone uneven now.
Angrier.
Real anger slipping through the cracks.
“You don’t get to decide what this looked like from my side.” she snapped quietly.
Her eye burned into mine.
“If you had done something reckless because you were curious, I’d still be angry.” she admitted. “But this?”
A sharp breath left her nose.
“This was worse.”
She leaned even closer.
Close enough that I could feel the heat of her breath now.
“Because you genuinely believed you were helping us.”
Silence.
“You looked at yourself,” she continued quietly. “looked at us injured and exhausted-and decided the solution was for you to disappear before we had to deal with you. Tryning to fix things before you think you became a possible problem to us.”
That one hurt.
Badly.
I didn’t answer.
Couldn’t really.
Her expression tightened slightly for the first time.
Not softer.
Almost worse.
Angry and hurt tangled together.
“And then I woke up.” she said quietly, “and you were gone.”
Each word landed carefully.
Like she’d replayed the moment in her head over and over already.
“I looked around and you weren’t there.”
Another pause.
“And I realized I had absolutely no idea where you went.”
Her jaw tightened.
“I can’t predict you.” she admitted quietly. “I can’t trust that you’ll stay where you’re supposed to stay. I can’t trust that you’ll still be there when I wake up.”
I exhaled slowly.
“…I wasn’t trying to punish myself.”
“SHUT. UP.”
Again.
Immediate.
Her hand slammed down beside my head against the couch hard enough to make me jolt.
“You keep trying to explain it in a softer way!” she snapped quietly. “Like changing the wording somehow changes what you did!”
Her breathing sharpened slightly.
“You still left!”
Another breath.
“You still disappeared!”
Silence crashed back into the room.
Heavy.
Compressed.
The room suddenly felt too small.
Her gaze never left mine.
“And you know what the worst part is?” she asked softly.
I didn’t answer.
Didn’t think she wanted one.
“You genuinely thought you were being responsible.”
A humorless laugh escaped her.
Short.
Sharp.
“You thought pushing yourself into danger alone was somehow the mature option.” she said. “Because apparently being ‘useful’ mattered more than staying alive for a few hours.”
I swallowed quietly.
That red eye stayed fixed directly on me.
“And every single time I calm down.” she admitted softly, “I remember another part of it.”
A pause.
“And then I get angry all over again.”
Silence.
Then-
“You scare me.” she said quietly.
That caught me off guard more than the yelling had.
Her expression stayed hard.
“But the problem is…” she continued, voice lowering slightly, “…you scare me in the most exhausting way possible.”
A beat.
“Because you don’t even realize when you’re doing it.”
Neither of us spoke for a second.
Then her fingers slowly curled tighter against my chest again.
Measured.
Intentional.
“And that means eventually.” she continued quietly, dangerously calm again, “I’m going to have to do something forcefully.”
I blinked slightly.
“…Forcefully?”
“Mm-hm.”
Completely serious.
“You clearly cannot be trusted with your own safety consistently.”
A pause.
“So eventually I’m going to have to start making decisions for you.”
My stomach dropped slightly.
“…That sounds concerning.”
“It should.”
No hesitation.
No softness.
No joking.
“You wander off.” she continued calmly. “You ignore yourself. You throw yourself into dangerous situations because you think being useful matters more than staying safe.”
Another slight tilt of her head.
“So if you won’t stop yourself properly…”
Her fingers pressed firmly against my chest again.
“…then I will.”
Silence.
Then-
“And that’s why,” she continued, her voice dropping slightly, “the chains idea is starting to sound better and better.”
I blinked.
“…That again?”
“Mm-hm.”
Completely serious.
“A cage too.”
“…Great.”
“You think I’m joking,” she said flatly.
“…You literally just said cage.”
“And I meant it.”
That… does not help.
Her eye didn’t leave mine.
“At this point,” she said quietly, “I’m genuinely running out of non-forceful options.”
A pause.
“Because talking clearly isn’t working as you don’t listen properly.” she said. “You don’t think things through. You just go.”
Another small pause.
“And then things happen… you’ll do it again.”
A beat.
“…Accidentally.”
Another.
“…Like you always do.”
Silence.
Neither of us spoke for a moment.
The room was quiet again.
Too quiet.
Still holding me down.
Still watching me.
Still… upset.
Still very, very mad.
I let out a slow breath.
Then-
Carefully-
I moved one hand.
Slow enough not to startle her.
Just enough that she could see it coming.
My right hand lifted-
And rested gently on her head.
She didn’t stop me.
Didn’t flinch.
Didn’t pull away.
So I patted her head softly.
Her hair was still slightly messy beneath my fingers-soft, but uneven in places, the strands shifting lightly with each small movement.
She didn’t react.
Didn’t pull back.
She just… let me.
“…I know,” I said quietly.
She didn’t respond.
Just stayed there.
Listening.
“I know I’ve caused you a lot of stress,” I continued. “With everything.”
A small pause.
“With how I act.”
Another.
“With what keeps happening.”
My hand stayed on her head, gently brushing through her hair.
“…And I’m sorry,” I said again. “For all of it.”
I took a slow breath.
“For the things I’ve done… and the things I didn’t think through.”
Another breath.
“…For putting you in a position where you had to react like that.”
Silence.
She didn’t say anything.
Didn’t interrupt.
Didn’t move.
Just-
Stayed there.
Listening.
“…You didn’t overreact.” I added quietly. “I get why you did.”
I didn’t pull my hand away.
Just kept it there-
Resting against her head.
Slow.
Steady.
“…You’re right,” I said quietly.
Her eye didn’t leave mine.
That red gaze still locked in-
Even as her hair framed us both, surrounding my view like a curtain closing in around that single, judging eye.(Everything around feels closed off and tight. Context: Her hair blocks the outside view, making the moment feel intense. He can mostly see her eye, but the rest of his vision is blocked by her hair.He can mostly see her eye, but the rest of his vision is blocked by her hair.)
“…I probably won’t be able to stop myself every time.”
A small pause.
“…There are going to be moments where I just… act.”
I exhaled softly.
“…But I can do better than before.”
That made her fingers tighten slightly against my chest.
Just a little.
“…I can try to tell you first.” I continued. “Before I do something. Before I go somewhere.”
Another breath.
“…More and more. So this doesn’t keep happening.”
For a second-
Nothing changed.
Then-
Her hands moved.
Not away.
One of them left my chest-
And gently took my hand off her head.
I blinked slightly-
But didn’t resist.
She held it.
Both of her hands wrapping around mine.
Firm.
Careful.
Like she was making sure it stayed there.
And then-
She pulled it closer.
Resting it against her cheek.
Nuzzling into it-just slightly. (Nuzzling: Gently pressing or rubbing against something (usually affectionate). Context: She presses his hand into her cheek slightly, showing a softer side.)
Her hair brushed against my wrist as she did, soft strands shifting and catching against my skin, warm and uneven from the run. Her cheek was warmer-steady, grounding-but the way she pressed into my hand felt… conflicted.(Grounding: Something that makes you feel real, calm, stable.)
Not soft.
Not fully.
Just… there.
She didn’t look away.
Still watching me.
Still sharp.
Still… thinking.
“…You could lie.” she said quietly.
A pause.
Her grip tightened just a little around my hand.
“…And what if that just leads to something bad again?”
Her voice dipped.
“…Like before.”
A beat.
“…Like you dying.”
Silence.
I swallowed.
“…Then I’ll make it up to you.”
Her eye flickered.
“…What?”
“…If I mess up.” I said. “If something happens again.”
I shifted slightly beneath her, but didn’t try to get up.
“…You can ask for anything.”
A small pause.
“…A favor. Whatever you want.”
That-
Yeah.
That was the wrong thing to say.
Her expression snapped.
Not loud-
But sharp.
Her grip tightened hard around my hand.
“…So what?” she snapped, her voice low but raised just enough to cut, restrained anger leaking through(She’s trying to stay calm, but her anger is still coming out in her voice.). “Take a favor and you expect me to just brush it off like that?!”
Her head tilted slightly as she spoke, and her hair shifted with it-dark strands falling forward, framing her face unevenly. The yellow-tipped ends flicked across her cheek, partially shadowing that one visible red eye.(shadowing:partly covered in darkness. Context: Her hair blocks some light, making her eye look darker and more intense.)
That eye-
Still locked on me-
Looked sharper now.
Hollower.
Angrier.
“…Like that fixes it?!” she continued, her voice threatening to rise before she forced it back down again. “Like there isn’t a scenario where you don’t come back?!”
Her eye widened slightly.
That hollow look deepening.(Hollow: empty, no warmth. Deepening: becoming stronger. Meaning: Her eye looks even more: empty distant intense. Like she’s sinking deeper into that emotion like anger)
“…Like it all just gets brushed away?”
Her hands tightened around mine.
“…Like there’s some version of this where nothing bad happens?”
Her grip trembled-
But didn’t loosen.
“…Like there isn’t a version of this where you just-stay dead this time?!”
That one landed hard.
“…And I’m just supposed to accept that?!”
Silence hit hard after that.
I didn’t move.
Didn’t pull my hand away.
Just let her hold it.
Let her vent.
Then-
“…No,” I said quietly.
That made her pause.
Just slightly.
“…I’m not asking you to brush it off.”
A breath.
“…And I’m not pretending that outcome doesn’t exist.”
Her gaze stayed locked on mine.
Searching.
“…I know it can happen,” I continued. “I know I can mess up that badly.”
A small pause.
“…I already did.”
That landed.
Quieter than her words-
But heavier.
“…I’m not saying ‘it’ll be fine,’” I added. “Because it might not be.”
Another breath.
“…I’m saying I’ll try to reduce how often I put myself in that position.”
Her grip on my hand steadied slightly.
Not looser-
Just… less shaky.
“…And if I do mess up,” I continued, “I’m not asking you to forgive it instantly.”
A pause.
“…Or easily. I know it doesn’t just go away.”
Another.
“…I know you’re not just going to forget it.”
Her eye narrowed just a fraction.
Listening.
“…I’m saying you don’t have to hold back on how you deal with it.”
That got a reaction.
Small-
But there.
“…If you’re mad, be mad.”
“…If you want to yell, yell.”
“…If you want to make it my problem later, do it.”
Another breath.
“…I won’t run from that part.”
Silence.
Longer this time.
Her cheek was still pressed against my hand.
Her fingers still wrapped around it.
“…I’m not asking you to trust me completely right now,” I added more quietly. “Just… enough to let me try.”
A beat.
“…And if I fail that…”
I exhaled.
“…then yeah. You can ask for any anything.”
That made her pause again.
Her eye flickered slightly.
“…Do you truly mean it? Anything?” she repeated.
“…Yeah.”
I let out a small, tired breath.
“…Whatever that means to you.”
A small pause.
“…If that’s what it takes to at least… ease some of this.” I added quietly. “The anger. The stress. Everything I’ve caused.”
Another silence.
This one-
Different.
She didn’t snap again.
Didn’t argue immediately.
Her grip on my hand shifted slightly-
Her thumb brushing faintly against my skin.(moving lightly across. Context: A soft, small touch while she’s thinking.)
Thinking.
Processing.
Then-
“…I might not choose chains.” she muttered.
Her voice was quieter now.
Still tense-
Still edged-
But lower.
“…At that point.”
A small pause.
Her eye didn’t leave mine.
“…I might… or will be extreme.”
I blinked.
“…That’s… vague.”
She didn’t elaborate.
Didn’t explain.
Just-
Stared at me.
Waiting.
I exhaled slowly.
“…Alright.”
A beat.
“…I’ll accept that.”
Then-
Very slightly-
She leaned into my hand again.
Still holding it.
And this time, the movement was more deliberate-
A small nuzzle against my palm.
Not as tense.
Not as sharp.
Still conflicted-
Still carrying everything she’d just said-
But softer than before.
Her eye slowly closed as she leaned into my hand.
Like, just for a second-
She let herself rest in it.
She didn’t let go.
Didn’t pull away.
Just stayed there-
Close.
Holding my hand against her cheek.
Still real.
Still here.
“…Val,” she said quietly.
Her voice… different now.
Softer.
But fragile.
“…Are you actually alive?”
A pause.
Her fingers pressed more firmly around my hand, like she needed the answer to anchor her.(make her feel stable, real, grounded)
“…Or is this just another dream?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“…I’m alive.” I said quietly.
Another breath.
“…I’m here.”
Her fingers trembled.
Just slightly.
Still holding my hand against her cheek-
Eyes still closed-
Like she was trying to feel the truth of it instead of just hearing it.
“…I know you said you’d accept it.” she murmured.
A pause.
Then-
“…Swear to me.”
Her voice cracked.
Just a little.
“…Swear it.”
Her grip tightened again.
Not aggressive.
Not controlling.
Just-
Desperate.
“…Swear that you’ll tell me.” she said, her voice breaking more now(her voice is getting more unstable. Getting closer to crying fully.), struggling to stay steady. “Before you do something. Before you go somewhere.”
Her breathing hitched.(breath suddenly stops or stutters Context: She’s overwhelmed and struggling to breathe normally.)
“…Swear it to me.”
Her eyes were still closed-
But now-
Tears slipped out anyway.
Quiet at first.
“…Swear.”
I didn’t look away.
Didn’t hesitate.
“…I swear.”
That was all it took.
Her eyes opened halfway-
Half-lidded-(eyes partly closed)
Glossy.(wet or shiny with tears)
And then-
She broke.
A sharp inhale-
And suddenly she buried her face into my jacket.
Her grip on my hand shifted-
Pulling it in-
And then she wrapped both arms around me.
Tight.
Too tight.
Like if she let go-
I’d disappear again.
Her body pressed fully against mine as she collapsed into me, clinging, shaking-
And then the crying came.
Not quiet.
Not controlled.
Raw.
Messy.
Ugly.
Everything she’d been holding in just-snapped.
A broken sound tore out of her, muffled into my jacket as her shoulders shook violently.
“I h-hate this-!” she choked out between sobs, her voice cracking apart. “I hate everything that happened after you died-I hate it-I hate all of it-!”
Her grip tightened even more.
“I hate this place-I hate this stupid, broken place that keeps trying to kill us-!” she cried, words tumbling over each other(words coming out fast, messy, overlapping. Context: She’s not thinking clearly-just letting emotions spill out.). “I hate the rooms-I hate the blood-I hate the things in here-I hate that it doesn’t stop-!”
Her fingers clenched into my jacket.
“I hate that every time something happens-it’s worse-I hate that it keeps taking things from us-I hate that she took you-!”
Her voice cracked sharply on that.
“I hate that I couldn’t do anything-I hate that I wasn’t fast enough-I hate that I wasn’t there-!”
She shook harder against me.
“I hate that you keep getting hurt-I hate that you don’t think-I hate that you just go-I hate that I can’t stop you-!”
Her grip tightened again-
Almost painful.
I wrapped my arms around her immediately.
Holding her just as tight.
One hand coming up to her back-
Rubbing slowly.
Steadily.
“…I’m sorry,” I murmured.
“Don’t say that-!” she snapped, her voice suddenly rising, sharp even through the tears.
She pulled herself closer-
If that was even possible-
Her grip tightening like she was trying to anchor me into place permanently.
“Don’t say sorry-!” she cried into my jacket, her voice muffled but louder now. “Just-promise me!”
Her hands clutched at my clothes.
Trembling.
“…Promise me you won’t do this again-!”
I didn’t interrupt.
Didn’t pull away.
Just held her.
“…Promise me you won’t just go-!” her voice climbed higher, breaking harder. “Without thinking-without telling me-!”
Her words started collapsing into each other-
Messy-
Desperate-
Panicked.
“Promise me you won’t just disappear again-!”
Her grip tightened again.
Almost painfully.
“…Promise me-!” she cried louder, her voice cracking into something raw and uncontrolled. “Don’t do that-don’t leave-don’t just go like that-!”
Her face pressed harder into my jacket-
Her voice muffled-
But louder.
More frantic.
“Don’t-don’t go away again-!” she screamed into the fabric, her voice breaking completely now. “Don’t do that to me-!”
“If you die again-!” she choked out.(speaking while crying or struggling to breathe) “If you disappear again-!”
Her voice cracked violently.
“I-I’ll-”
The sentence fell apart into sobbing before she could finish it.
But it lingered there anyway.
Unsaid-
But heavy.
That edge.
That intensity.
That something deeper underneath everything else.
Fear-
Twisted into something sharper.
Something possessive.
Something that didn’t want to let go again.
“I don’t care-!” she choked out, words tumbling over each other. “Just don’t-don’t do that again-don’t leave me like that-!”
Her entire body shook against me.
“I don’t want you gone-!” she screamed into my chest. “I don’t want you gone-I don’t want you gone-I don’t want you gone-!”
Each repetition came out weaker.
More broken.
Like she’d been holding those words inside herself for far too long.
I tightened my arms around her slightly.
Tears soaking into my jacket.
Her breath uneven.
Shattering.
“I can’t-I can’t do that again-!” she sobbed, her voice cracking apart. “I can’t go through that again-!”
Something unsteady-
Slipping through the cracks of her fear.
“You’re not allowed to just disappear like that.” she choked. “You don’t get to just leave me behind-”
Her voice broke again-
Completely.
“I won’t let that happen again-!”
She just collapsed into it.
All of it.
Fear.
Anger.
Grief.
Relief.
Everything tangled together as she cried into me, shaking, clinging, breaking apart without holding anything back anymore.
I didn’t say anything.
Didn’t try to interrupt.
Just held her.
One hand rubbing her back slowly-
Steady.
Grounding.(calming, stabilizing)
The other keeping her close.
Letting her cry.
Letting everything come out.
She clung to me like I was the only solid thing left.
Like if she let go-
I’d vanish again.
And I just stayed there-
Holding her-
As she cried into me,
Falling apart completely.
After a long while-
The crying finally started to ease.
Not all at once.
Slowly.
Piece by piece.
Eclipsara still clung tightly to me, her face buried against my chest, arms wrapped around me like she still didn’t fully trust reality not to take me away again if she loosened her grip even a little.
But the violent shaking had calmed.
The sobbing softened into quieter sniffles.
Uneven breaths.
Small hiccups.
Her fingers still twitched against my jacket every now and then-
Like she was checking I was still there.
Still solid.
Still alive.
I kept one hand against her back, rubbing slow circles between her shoulder blades.
Quiet.
Steady.
The room stayed silent for a while after that.
Just breathing.
Just warmth.
Just… recovering.
Then eventually-
I squinted slightly.
Still holding her.
“…Okay.” I said slowly.
She didn’t move.
“…so.”
I narrowed my eyes further.
Tilted my head like I’d just uncovered a deeply disturbing conspiracy.
“…I’m starting to think…”
A pause.
“…this place?”
Another pause.
“…kinda sucks.”
Silence.
She froze slightly against me.
“…Like-hear me out,” I continued seriously, fully committing now. “I don’t wanna jump to conclusions too early…”
Another pause.
“…but I’m noticing a pattern.”
A sniffle escaped her.
“…snf…”
“…There are monsters.”
A beat.
“…There are dead scientists.”
Another.
“…There are things shooting at us.”
I slowly looked upward.
“…and I’m beginning to suspect…”
A dramatic pause.
“…this is not a five-star experience.”
Her shoulders twitched.
“We just got chased by a weird laughing creature that SHOOTS PROJECTILES-”
A small pause.
“-while we were screaming, crying, and scheduling emotional breakdowns mid-sprint.”
Another pause.
“…And somehow-”
I looked back down at her, still completely serious.
“-we survived that.”
I narrowed my eyes harder.
“…That feels illegal.”
Silence.
Then-
Eclipsara slowly lifted her head.
Blinked once.
Twice.
And then-
She completely lost it.
A loud burst of laughter exploded out of her.
“H-HAH-WHAT?!” she gasped, laughing hard. “WHAT KIND OF REVIEW IS THAT?!”
“I’M JUST SAYING-!” I shot back immediately. “IF I COULD LEAVE A REVIEW RIGHT NOW-”
She laughed harder.
Actually wheezing now.
“This place has TERRIBLE service!” I continued dramatically. “The staff is hostile, the lighting is terrible, and I have been attacked MULTIPLE FREAKING TIMES ALREADY-”
She snorted loudly.
“-AND NOBODY OFFERED SNACKS IN THIS CRAZY LAB PLACE!”
That destroyed her.
She folded forward against me laughing, one hand covering her face.
“STOP-!” she choked out. “STOP THAT’S SO STUPID-”
“UNPROFESSIONAL!” I declared dramatically, emphasizing the word like I was personally betrayed by customer service.
I pointed accusingly at the ceiling.
“THERE ARE NO BATHROOMS! WHAT KIND OF PLACE HAS NO BATHROOMS?! THIS FACILITY IS AN ABOMINATION!”
I pointed another direction.
“NO KITCHEN WHERES THE FOOD!”
Another point.
“NO EXIT SIGNS EVEN!”
I narrowed my eyes.
“I GIVE THIS PLACE ONE FREAKING STAR! ACTUALLY, NO-I CHANGE MY MIND. ZERO STARS.”
I opened my mouth wide dramatically like I was delivering the most important speech in all history.
“THIS ESTABLISHMENT HAS FAILED ME EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY, SPIRITUALLY, AND GASTROINTESTINALLY!(Related to the stomach and digestion system (stomach + intestines).)”
“DANG IT, YOU’RE RIGHT-!” she laughed breathlessly, tears still on her face but completely overtaken by laughter now. “THIS PLACE IS AWFUL-!”
“And honestly?” I added seriously. “The customer support here is nonexistent. PLUS...WE GOT SHOT AT!”
“TWICE!” Eclipsara says, joining me.
“MORE THAN TWICE!”
“…Actually yeah that’s fair.” Eclipsara said, closing her eyes while nodding like some wiseman.
“…wow.” I said gravely, shaking my head slowly. “Unsafe work environment.”
That sent her into another wave of laughter.
Louder this time.
Real.
Bright.
After a while, the laughter softened into smaller giggles.
Then quieter breathing.
“…snf… okay… okay…” she wheezed(She’s laughing so hard she can barely breathe properly, making broken “haaa–hah” sounds.). “…that was stupid…”
“Accurate.” I corrected.
She huffed another laugh.(A short burst of breath, like a small laugh or tired exhale. Context: She’s calming down but still amused-a small leftover laugh.)
Then her expression softened slightly.
Eclipsara sniffled against my chest.
“…Sorry,” she mumbled.
“…For what?”
“…Everything.”
“…That narrows it down absolutely none.”
A tiny laugh escaped her.
“…I yelled a lot,” she admitted quietly. “…That might’ve been why it found us.”
A pause.
“…Also… I shouted at you a lot.”
Her hand shifted slightly against my jacket.
“…Even though it was kind of my fault too.”
I shook my head slightly.
“…It’s okay.” I said quietly. “I get it.”
And I did.
Even if-
Yeah.
Internally-
That version of her had genuinely scared me.
Not because she’d hurt me-
But because she sounded like she was actually breaking apart.
And somehow that was worse.
A pause.
Then-
“…You got scared.”
I froze.
“…What.”
She lifted her head slightly.
That familiar gremlin look slowly creeping back onto her face.
“…You have the ‘oh no she scared me’ face.”
“…I do not.”
“You do.”
“…I absolutely do not.”
She narrowed her eye suspiciously.
Then suddenly-
Full drama mode.
She gasped loudly, slapped a hand against her chest, and started patting my head exaggeratedly.
“Oh nooo.” she said dramatically. “Did scary angry Eclipsara frighten poor little Val?”
“…Wow.”
I stared at her.
“You’re really doing this right now?”
“I’m sooo sorry,” she continued dramatically, still patting my head. “Unfortunately, I cannot promise I won’t yell at you again if you do something catastrophically stupid.”
“…Wow.” I said flatly. “Not even slightly sorry.”
She tilted her head.
“Correct.”
“…You’re a menace.”
“You’re welcome.”
Then her expression softened slightly again.
“…Youknow you don’t have to hide it.” she said quieter.
I paused.
“…My words hurt you.” she admitted. “…And I scared you.”
A small pause.
“…Sorry.”
That one was real.
“…It’s okay.” I said softly.
And it was.
Because I understood.
A quiet moment passed.
Then-
Eclipsara’s eye narrowed again.
“…You know.”
“…Hm?”
“That creature sounded really stupid.”
I blinked.
“…What?”
She immediately straightened up and made the WORST imitation imaginable in this awful deep gravelly voice:
“…hehehh…”
I stared at her.
“…That is NOT what it sounded like.”
“Yes it did.”
“It sounded horrifying!”
“No,” she said confidently. “It sounded like it was desperately holding in a fart while trying to be intimidating.”
I snorted immediately.
She leaned closer, fully committing now, face scrunched up horribly.
“…hehehh…” she groaned in this deep miserable voice. “S-sorry-just gonna-shoot at you real quick-hehehh-I’m SO constipated right now, man…”
I slapped a hand over my mouth.
She pointed dramatically into empty space.
“…Been holding this dump for like THIRTY FREAKING YEARS man!”
I broke instantly.
Actual wheezing laughter.
She pointed weakly into the distance like the imaginary creature.
“Life’s rough, you know? Boss won’t let me take bathroom breaks…”
I completely lost it.
She kept going.
“…heheh… WAIT-DON’T RUN-! I NEED DIRECTIONS TO THE NEAREST TOILET-!”
I laughed so hard my chest hurt.
“STOP-!”
“THE PRESSURE IS MAKING ME HOSTILE-!” she declared dramatically.
She suddenly pointed off dramatically like she was introducing the creature at a beauty pageant.(A contest where people present themselves dramatically (poses, speeches))
I wheezed harder.
Then she suddenly gasped dramatically and pointed at nothing.
“Oh dear heavens,” she said in the voice of a horrified old lady. “That poor creature!”
I buried my face into my hand laughing.
She placed a hand against her chest.
“It hasn’t taken a proper dump in thirty years…”
I folded forward laughing.
“There are no bathrooms large enough for him in this facility!”
That somehow made it worse.
“OH, THE HUMANITY!” she cried dramatically.
I wheezed so hard I almost fell off the couch.
“We need to help him,” she continued heroically. “Not fear him!”
“PLEASE-”
She closed her eyes dramatically, brushed her own hair back like some legendary warrior, and raised one hand toward the ceiling.
“LET THIS BE A LESSON TO ALL!” she declared in a grand heroic voice. "NEVER HOLD A DUMP FOR THIRTY YEARS!”
I completely collapsed laughing.
“OTHERWISE-”
She pointed dramatically into the distance.
“YOU TOO SHALL BECOME A FOUL CONSTIPATED CREATURE!”
I couldn’t breathe anymore.
“CURSED TO WANDER THE HALLS!”
She struck another heroic pose.
“SHOOTING PROJECTILES OUT OF PURE GASTROINTESTINAL SUFFERING!”
At that point we were both gone.
Completely.
Laughing so hard neither of us could stay upright properly anymore.
At one point Eclipsara laughed so hard she accidentally inhaled weirdly and started choking on her own laughter.
“HAH-KH-ACK-”
“…OH MY GOSH-”
She smacked her chest dramatically while laughing harder.
“IT’S KILLING ME TOO-”
“THE CONSTIPATION CURSE-”
That somehow made both of us laugh even harder.
“This place is RIDICULOUS-!” I gasped.
“I KNOW RIGHT!!” she laughed.
“…Okay but honestly?” I wheezed. “Running from it was kinda funny.”
Eclipsara pointed at me dramatically.
“SEE?!”
Then immediately switched back into heroic narrator mode.
“We may laugh now…” she said solemnly. “But remember this lesson well…”
She closed her eyes again dramatically.
“…Never ignore your body’s needs.”
I was already losing it again.
“For if you do…”
She pointed into the distance dramatically.
“…you too may become a terrifying poop monster doomed to wander hallways forever!”
“THIS CREATURE WAS NOT EVIL AFTER ALL!” she declared dramatically.
She pointed upward like she was revealing the secrets of the universe itself.
“IT WAS A VICTIM OF A SOCIETY THAT REFUSED TO INSTALL PROPER BATHROOMS!”
I folded over laughing again.
“THINK ABOUT IT!” she cried. “THIS FACILITY HAS EVERYTHING!”
She started counting dramatically on her fingers.
“SECRET LABS!”
Another finger.
“MONSTERS!”
Another.
“WEAPONS!”
Another.
“HORRIFIC SCIENTIFIC ABOMINATIONS!”
She threw both hands upward.
“BUT NOT A SINGLE FUNCTIONING TOILET?!”
I wheezed into my hands.
“THIRTY YEARS!” she yelled. “THIRTY YEARS OF SUFFERING! THIRTY YEARS OF CLENCHING! THIRTY YEARS OF WALKING THROUGH THESE HALLS THINKING ‘TODAY MAY BE THE DAY MY STOMACH EXPLODES!’”
I couldn’t breathe anymore.
She pointed accusingly at the ceiling.
“THIS ENTIRE FACILITY CREATED ITS OWN FREAKING VILLAIN!”
Then she gasped dramatically.
“Oh my gosh.”
I already knew this was going somewhere terrible.
“What if...” she whispered, horrified. “the projectiles aren’t projectiles.”
I stared at her in absolute horror.
Then immediately started dying laughing again.
“NO-!”
“THEY ESCAPE THE BODY AT HIGH VELOCITY-!”
“STOP TALKING-!”
“THE CREATURE IS FIGHTING FOR ITS LIFE!”
I collapsed once again on a couch I was already laying on, barely conscious from laughter.
She placed a hand over her heart dramatically.
“THIS IS WHY BATHROOM ACCESS IS A RIGHT FOR EVERY BEING!”
Then she pointed upward one final time like the ending narrator of a dramatic documentary.
“AND THAT-!”
A dramatic inhale.
“-IS THE IMPORTANCE OF TOILETS IN THIS WORLD!”
She pointed aggressively at the floor.
“THIS ZERO-STAR FACILITY COULD HAVE AVOIDED ALL OF THIS WITH ONE PROPER BATHROOM!”
I cackled so hard I almost fell sideways off the couch.
She cackled with me.
Full gremlin mode achieved.
Eventually-
The laughter softened.
Into smaller laughs.
Then quieter breathing.
Then lingering smiles.
She stayed close.
Still holding onto me-
But calmer now.
“…We have a lot to talk about, huh?” she murmured.
“…Yep.”
A pause.
Then simultaneously-
“…Wait.”
We both froze.
“…Are we forgetting someone?” I asked slowly.
Her eye widened.
My stomach dropped at the same time.
“…Oh crap.”
“MIRA.”
We stared at each other.
Then-
Eclipsara slowly made the worst possible expression.
One eye unfocused slightly.
Mouth twisting into a deeply awkward grimace.(A twisted, awkward facial expression. How it looks: mouth uneven. face that means: “this is bad and I know it” face Context: Eclipsara KNOWS they’re making a bad decision.)
She gave a tiny thumbs up.
“…Ehhhhhh… she’s probably fine.”
I stared at her.
“She’s smart.” Eclipsara added weakly. “And… sleeping.”
“…Hopefully.”
“…Probably.”
Silence.
We looked at each other again.
“…We can talk first,” she said slowly.
A beat.
“…Yeah,” I nodded. “Mira wouldn’t mind.”
“…Yeah,” she agreed immediately. “Definitely.”
Another pause.
“…She absolutely wouldn’t mind.”
“…Yeah.”
Silence.
We both nodded very seriously.
Sharing exactly one brain cell.
“…We are making a mistake, aren’t we?”
“…Absolutely.”
“…Yeah.”
Neither of us moved.
“…You know what?” Eclipsara muttered. “Let’s stay here and talk a little longer.”
“…Yeah.”
Still not moving.
“…Probably.”
Pandasaurus, just letting you know that for some reason your comment got accidentally deleted when I was trying to delete a separate comment about the upcoming chapter update. I thought the delete button had lagged, so I pressed it multiple times, and it somehow ended up deleting the entire comment section instead. Sorry about that-I did not mean to delete your helpful grammar comments at all. That was completely unintentional, and the comment I was trying to remove had nothing to do with our conversation here.