Memories bled across the hours... Everything Kazuki hated, everything he warded away struck him. And he was all alone... His mind was a swirling mess of heat. Memories dragged him down, their claws clutching at his corpse.

His body was opened up, so many times. They replaced whatever he was with someone different, steel for flesh made manifest. It felt so cold... So freezing... They took out his heart, his lungs, his stomach and his spine... All broken.

Dreadful memories clawed at Kazuki’s mind, scratching away his sanity with each second in his trance of pain. Agony. Agonising wrath burnt across his scarred carcass.

No. This can’t be. Mind-numbing. Fear. Kazuki felt fear. A billion visages flickered through his mind: the burning wreckage of P-1; Noah’s final act; the blazing inferno surrounding the Eden Initiates as their carcasses were strewn across the warehouse; Archius crying over a near-dead corpse; the blood on Kazuki’s own hand; the nameless dossiers and graveyards Kazuki filled with bodybags after Clandestine operations; the cheers of the original Heimfall; and the silence of death that surrounds them after each mission; to the gunshot Kazuki placed in Matt’s head.

Everything flashed through his mind in a singular moment. The wrenching thoughts of his past made their presence known. He was guilty. Guilty beyond a doubt! Guilty of so much death, all in the service of one contract.

So much death, yet Kazuki lived.

Warmth encapsulated his body. Something was wrong... This wasn't supposed to happen. Why... Why does he feel warm? Kazuki slowly opened his eyes, the cold air around him stabbing into his skin. For a split moment, faces blazed around the walls - dead men and women.

Kazuki stood idle, watching his past play out… He saw as the naïve, one-eyed boy who tried to do things justly. The silhouette spoke loudly, refuting the world around him to the cheers of his peers.

Then, reality crushed under him, and the squelching of flesh placed the thought in Kazuki’s mind: what if Justice need not apply? That question answered itself, as Kazuki saw the silhouette of Archius, crying and shouting over a dying corpse…

The past was a bitch, showing him this now of all times… Every mistake Kazuki made, small or big, his fault or another’s, was simply a product of injustice. There was no justice. None in this galaxy…

How many more have to suffer for Eliza to learn that… The thought came into his mind irrationally, before being washed away in a sea of blood. His blood.

Snapping awake, Kazuki’s eyes ignited into a golden blaze.

His eyes dashed around, feeling watched…

Nothing… It was just him. He placed a hand to the brim of his nose. Ugh… He must be seeing things again. Sleeping never gave him respite. Neither did waking up or falling asleep.

No matter what, Kazuki’s mind will always remind him of the dead.

Wait… Was he asleep? But he hasn’t scheduled it for a while?

No... that's not right. Impossible. That wasn't possible, he thought. Kazuki's body sat up, coughing... His cybernetic lungs clocked to life.

The hairs on his skin were upright. Sweat dripped down his neck. Something was very wrong. His defence system was clocking on for a job.

Why were his organs clocking to life? Sitting idly, Kazuki placed a hand up to his head... He touched the burn marks across his face and the cracks beside his lips... His hand shot down to his torso.

Based on touch alone, Kazuki thought his wounds had fully healed. "What?" Kazuki asked himself...

He sprung to his feet, rushing towards the mirror. He unbuttoned his shirt. The bandages were still there. But... something was wrong. He ripped the bandages off, expecting searing pain.

It tickled... slightly. There was no pain. No agony. Why?

His golden eyes glared at his wound. It had fully healed, leaving a large scar in its place amidst the plethora of old burns and scratches. That was the only thing left of the Gunrunner Op on him.

How long has he been asleep? Kazuki had no idea... He only takes one hour of rest, but... why can't he remember anything? He grabbed hold of his head, rubbing his temple hard. He looked back to his bed. Wasn't there... something beside him?

Pills?

PIlls. Halolazil? It was Halolazil, right? No... Kazuki rushed towards his bedside, his breathing increasing in intensity. Fuck... Fuck. FUCK. What the fuck?! His movements slowly became sluggish, as he pulled his holophone out of his pocket. The phoenix key chain clinked for a moment.

He pressed it on. It's only been a few hours... He released a sigh of relief before his half-crazed eyes stared up at the date. He’s been clocked out for the whole day.

In that amount of time, anything could have happened. His memory does not lie. Who... Archius?

"Yousef..." Kazuki's voice bit off the name with a harsh rasp, as his lungs started to overclock. Pain seeped into his stomach from his mind.

Where’s Eliza?! Is she safe?

His artificial heart bled out. He was dying... No... what? Logic fought against his anger. But it wasn't enough; his heart was bleeding. He was dying.

Was it all just in his head? No. He could not be fooled by deception.

This was real.

Those were the conclusions that Kazuki held to be true.

He can't die here, not here, not now, he cannot, THIS IS NO TIME TO SUCCUMB TO HIS WOUNDS. He slowly pressed his hand against the door.

However, his body failed him. It didn’t want to move… His breathing was uncontrollable, his eyes took in every detail around him. He was closer to death than all his subordinates and peers. Even so… Why? Why does this feel so weird?

Was this fear? True… Unaltered fear?

The door phased open, his hand landing directly on Archius’ chest.

Stolen story; please report.

“Woah?” Archius murmured. Archius…

It’s him. It has to be him! Those pills. Illogical logic formed within Kazuki’s head.

Fuck the investigation.

Fuck Archius.

Fuck them all.

He couldn’t keep a hold of his head. Was he panicking?! No. Yes. Yes? No? No matter.

Doesn’t matter.

This room is to be his grave.

That. He. Knew.

Clenching his fist, Kazuki dragged Archius into his room.

“Woah.. Woah… Woah?” Archius started chuckling. “Look, I’m flattered, but you’re like the COMPLETE opposite of my—”

“The poison.”

Archius stopped. He looked perplexed. The pills… They poisoned him. Why?! Kazuki gritted his teeth, with the door phasing close.

Lifting Archius up, Kazuki’s desperate golden eyes bled essays to Archius. Fists started to close in on Archius’ neck.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Archius tried to keep his voice hushed.

Eliza was none the wiser as to what was going on. Kazuki’s breathing was out of control, huffs of steam exhaling from his mouth and exospine, all in a chaotic rage.

“You… poisoned… me…”

Archius placed his hands on Kazuki’s, trying to pry the dying man off him. That was not going to work. He will get an answer.

Instinctively, Kazuki’s hands tightened, reaching up to his throat. He’ll choke every answer out of Archius.

“KAZ!” Archius kicked him in the leg, but the Contract-Breaker did not relent. “Get the JIRI off me! What the fuck are you talking about.”

They were lucky the walls were soundproofed.

“THE PILLS!” Kazuki shouted a rage booming out from within that rattled across Archius’ ears.

Archius quickly started gasping for air. Just then, Kazuki’s arms failed him. Kazuki took a step back. Archius was holding onto a pen, with some… fluid dripping out from it.

“You…”

“The pills?!” Archius asked with an exasperated and exhausted voice. “They were sleeping pills! It’s not poison! Jiriki hell!”

Kazuki didn’t buy it. This feeling… This was beyond whatever he had felt before. This dread… The impending doom approached. He knew it was poison.

This much was true. No less.

Kazuki’s voice rose, "You... poisoned me!"

Then, Kazuki’s legs dropped. He fell to the ground, as Archius slowly rose, pressing up against the door, shifting to the wall. He flicked his pen back into his pocket. “It’s… short lasting, few minutes…” He was catching his breath.

Sedating Kazuki did nothing to convince him.

Kazuki slowly pressed his legs up, pushing his back against his bed. He… couldn’t move his arms. However, each attempt at the movement of his muscles gave way to more pain. It was excruciating, Kazuki thought.

That didn’t stop him from trying.

Powering through, Kazuki’s body adapted to the poison, slowly moving his arms. “You…. Why… Pills… No…?”

He could barely form words, his breath turning from gasps to mere rags, more steam pouring out from his mouth.

”Lycrantimo Flowers!” Archius answered. “It was just pills made with them… They help with sleep, alright… I just thought you deserved some rest. This… is the last fucking time I look out for you, alright?!”

“Do you know…” Kazuki paused. He.. couldn’t tell Archius anything. His mind was slowly regaining control of itself… And the dread that Kazuki had memorised to perfection faded.

His eyes dotted around the room, before landing directly on Archius. What…? Did the flowers have any side effects?

“Then… why…?” asked Kazuki.

Archius shrugged. “Why what?! You tried to choke me!” His eyes peered down at Kaz.

”I…” Kazuki didn’t know how to explain it. Why… did he feel that dread?

“Why was I dying?” Kazuki wasn’t too sure. His memory never fails him. Yet… why does he feel so strange? The dread meandered in and out like a plague… “No… I wasn’t dying?” Rechecking his vitals based on instincts showed no apparent threat.

No. Impossible. Heart rate higher, yet no discernible threat present.

“You sure as hell weren’t! You’ve survived tank and artillery shells, it’d be lame if you just had a heart attack and died!” Archius snarled, his voice lowering back down to a normal volume. “But… you felt like you were dying, right?”

Kazuki regained control of his arms, slamming them against his head. Agh…

Archius looked down at Kazuki, the two exchanging pitiful stares. Kazuki didn’t need a mirror to know how awful he looked. Then, Archius slid down to the floor, opposing him.

“Kaz… you… ever talked to someone?” Archius raised an eyebrow. Then broke the tension instantly. “Who the fuck am I kidding, you never tell me shit, why would you tell anyone else?”

”What?” Kazuki let off a single word. “Just… not… a word to anyone… Got it?”

Archius shrugged. “Yeah. I got that part when you choked me,” he said. “You really don’t wanna talk about it?”

Kazuki remained silent.

A moment of silence passed between the two, with Archius cracking his knuckles. Archius took something out of his pockets, a chocolate bar. Cracking it 30/70, he offered the smaller bit for Kaz. “Want this half of the chocolate bar?”

“Fuck you,” Kazuki jeered, taking the chocolate bar. Archius’ grip on the bar was weak, far weaker than what he’d usually grip when giving something to him. He waited a moment, before chowing it down. “That wasn’t laced, right?”

Archius smirked. “Sadly, it was, you’re going to feel like you’re in the Eye of the Eclipse…” He then ate his larger portion of the chocolate. “It’s just chocolate. Helps the brain, or at least I convinced my brain to think so.”

Gaslighting his own brain, how typical of Archius, Kaz thought.

Kazuki’s head drooped down to face the floor. Even with the chocolate, he was a mess… Still, he had to pull himself together. Too much is on the line for him to feel dread and fear. “Everyone before us dead, do you think they’d smile seeing us here?”

The look in Archius’ eyes made Kaz uneasy. What did he infer? “The dead don’t smile,” Archius said. “You should talk about it, you know? I’m sure your family must have one hell of a therapist, given your family’s… mental quirks.”

Stay strong. Kazuki forced himself to move, shifting and locking his head towards Archius. “No.”

These secrets are for him to bear alone. There is not a soul who’d care why he’d feel dread. None alive. Kazuki’s eyes skidded to the side, with its emotionless glare shifting its attention away from Archius.

It’s too late for him. Kazuki clenched his fists.

“Kaz… you really are a book, sometimes,” said Archius. He chuckled. “Chin up, you can trust me.” He took out a small water cannister from his pocket, gently lobbing it at Kazuki. It bounced off his head before he caught it.

Kazuki downed it.

He trusted Archius with his life if he was capable of thought - that was. Still, there were things even Archius must not know. Secrets he must know utter to him.

Only three know the true secrets he holds dear.

A knock came at the door. The door phased open, Eliza’s head poking through. Her pink hair and a pale freckled face peered down at the two of them. Eliza’s hair was done up in a half-up style. A blood-red flower ornament held it in place.

They were sitting on the ground. Kazuki’s fist relaxed.

“Umm… Did I… Was I interrupting something?” asked Eliza.

One of Archius’ green eyes glanced at him, telling him to take the lead in this. Kazuki bit onto that lever of trust fully. He was thankful, to say the least. Kazuki’s golden eye carried that thought…

“Nothing… We were talking. What is it?” asked Kazuki.

Synthia propped out onto Eliza’s shoulder. ‘The Jin brothers. They have called for us,’ she said, nodding at Kazuki.

The AI gave a sympathetic look to him. Don’t give him that… Kazuki nodded, standing up. “Alright then…”

Eliza glanced down to Archius, then back to Kaz. For his part, Archius merely saluted.