My head was splitting, and my body ached as if I had been run over by a steamroller. Annoying red flashes flickered around me, only intensifying my migraine. I was disoriented and couldn’t understand where I was at the moment.

Ouch, why does everything hurt so much?!

The objects around me blurred, but gradually, over time, the picture became clearer. I realized I was sitting in a chair, with a control panel of some advanced vehicle in front of me, lit up by flashing red warning lights.

An airplane? But why would I be in the cockpit? I don’t understand anything.

Through the large windshield, I could see peculiar vegetation with thin, tall trunks and long, massive tropical leaves, some of which had fallen and were blocking the view. It was gloomy outside, but not dark. Sparse raindrops tapped against the glass, breaking apart and spreading in strange patterns. There was a weird feeling, as if time was moving slightly slower than it should. Or was it just the drops? And then it started to dawn on me...

"Emma..."

The voice sounded like thunder out of a clear sky, and I immediately held my breath, afraid to move.

Did he just...

"Evie, please answer," Neight's weary voice repeated softly, coming from the radio in my helmet.

Did I imagine that? Maybe it's because I haven't fully come to my senses? He couldn’t have called me by my name. My real name...

As unsettling as it was, I didn’t dwell on those thoughts. After everything that had happened, it could have just been my imagination. A hallucination.

"Yes... Looks like I’m alive," I replied. But as soon as I forced the words out, I felt a sharp pain in my throat, and instead of my usual voice, a harsh rasp came out. It seemed I had lost it after all that screaming...I heard Neight exhale in relief.

"I’m glad," he responded briefly, then added, "That was a bit of a rough ride, huh? We’re lucky the gravity on this planet isn’t like Earth’s. We were on the edge."

I froze again, feeling a sense of deja vu. I didn’t even know how to respond.

"How are you? Can you move?" Neight broke the silence, not waiting for my reply. His voice sounded unusually anxious.

Slowly, I tried to move the fingers on my hand, just barely flexing them. Each movement was accompanied by discomfort and pain, but I found that I could move them. Gradually and carefully, I began to assess the condition of my body. My fingers bent, my palms moved, my elbows were fine... Yes, everything hurt, but overall, I was okay, if that’s what you could call it. At least I was alive.

"Yeah, I think I can. I seem to be in one piece, though I’ve been better."

"That’s good."

I slowly and cautiously turned my heavy head toward Neight, and what I saw didn’t please me. He was sitting, slumped to the side, leaning against the back of the chair, holding his right arm. It looked like he was trying to stay perfectly still and was barely breathing, taking only small, shallow breaths. Seeing him like that made a lump form in my throat, and I felt something tighten inside me. It hurt to look at him. Panic started creeping in.

No, no, no... Not this! He's hurt, and it's serious! What should I do?! Is he dying?! I'll be left here all alone! This is the end! No, I have to do something! the thoughts raced through my mind.

"Evie," Neight said heavily, "I actually need your help."

"Y-yes, of course. I'll help," I stammered, fumbling with my belt buckle, my fingers trembling.

"Just don’t rush... Your body might still be in shock, so you might not be able to gauge your strength. Try standing up slowly."

How can he be so focused when he’s seriously injured? Maybe it’s because he’s not an ordinary person? What is he?

The fact that Neight could think clearly and give me instructions calmed me down a bit. It probably wasn’t as bad as it seemed at first glance. Slower movements didn’t cause as much pain compared to when I rushed. I unbuckled my belt, took off my helmet, and felt a sense of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted. I took a deep breath and finally felt alive. Carefully standing up and regaining some balance, I slowly dragged myself toward Neight.

Damn, my legs hurt like hell.

Even though I only had to take a few steps, it felt like torture. Nearly losing my balance at the end, I grabbed onto the back of Neight’s seat. It swayed slightly, and I thought I heard him let out a quiet whimper. Afraid that I had hurt him, I immediately began apologizing.

"S-sorry! Did I hurt you? I’ll help you right away."

The first thing I decided to do was remove his helmet so he could breathe easier. While I was doing that, I felt an intense pressure inside, terrified I might make things worse. I had to act slowly and carefully. At last, the helmet came off, revealing Neight’s face. One look at my unfortunate companion, and I dropped the helmet from my hands. It crashed loudly onto the metal floor and rolled off somewhere, but I didn’t care. Neight’s face, usually calm and composed, was now contorted with pain and suffering. He was breathing slowly through his mouth, taking shallow breaths as if each one hurt him. His lips quivered slightly from time to time. His dim amber eyes, half-closed, gazed at me, pleading for help.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Looking at Neight, my heart clenched, and it seemed like I was ready to burst into tears at any moment. But I couldn’t allow that. Now was not the time to break down. Things were really bad, and I had to act immediately. I rushed to unbuckle him from the seat so I could give him first aid.

"No... wait," he unexpectedly stopped me. I looked at him in confusion. Our eyes met, and it seemed like his face regained some seriousness, becoming more like its usual self. But the pain still lingered in his eyes. The eyes never lie.

"Go to the control panel," he said.

"What?" I didn’t understand. "Wait, why?"

"We need to run a diagnostic on the ship... I can’t do it myself right now."

His words left me stunned.

Is he crazy?! A ship diagnostic at a time like this?!

"Neight, you’re delirious. You’re injured, and the first thing we need to do is take care of you. The rest can wait," I tried to respond as calmly as possible. He frowned in displeasure.

"Run the diagnostic first, and then you can help me," he insisted as I carefully freed him from the straps, avoiding his injured arm.

"No. You first, then the ship. We need to prioritize."

"Right... And running diagnostics is more important right now. Our lives depend on the ship, and if there's something wrong, we need to fix it as soon as possible... I can wait."

But he just won't give up.

"I'm not doing this right now, end of discussion," I snapped.

"No, you will do what I say," he raised his voice. "That's an order!"

His words shocked me. I was overwhelmed with frustration, despair, and confusion over what the right thing to do was.

Who does he think he is?! I'm trying to help him!

I recoiled from him, biting my lip and clenching my fists. My vision blurred with tears.

"Neight, you... you..." I couldn't find any polite words to continue. "Fine, have it your way... But if you end up dying, it's your own fault!"

Without looking at him again, I turned to the control panel. Sniffling and wiping away my tears, I tried to calm down and focus. Before me was a keyboard for entering commands. Above it, on the built-in screen, a red "Warning" sign flashed, signaling problems. Several indicators were lit on the panel—some green, while others showed errors. I had no idea how to operate any of this or what these sensors meant.

"Tell me what to do," I said, my voice heavy with resignation. I just wanted to be done with this absurd task.

"Press 'Enter'... You'll see the terminal on the screen."

"Yeah, I see it."

"Now type the command 'sudo check LSS'... All the words are separate, everything except LSS in lowercase."

I obediently typed on the keyboard, entering the command as he dictated. Once I executed it, a small progress bar appeared on the screen at the top of the panel and began to fill slowly.

"Done. Is that it?"

"No, there are a few more..." Neight said and began dictating the next ones.

Stay calm, Emma, stay calm. This maniac should know his limits, right? I tried to keep myself from exploding while following his instructions.

Neight dictated the commands slowly, giving me time to enter them without making a mistake. With each new one, different lights lit up, or progress bars appeared on the screens.

"That was the last one," Neight finally exhaled.

After finishing the task, I was afraid to turn around. I was scared to see his exhausted face again, his eyes filled with pain. I was terrified that, during this wasted time, he had gotten worse. I wasn’t used to seeing this. I wasn’t mentally prepared for situations like this.

"Evie... Help me stand, please..."

His words brought me back to reality, and I immediately turned to look at him. Despite all his efforts to stay calm and composed, his gaze pleaded for help. Just a few minutes ago, I had been angry with him, but now my only desire was to help him as quickly as possible and ease his suffering. I didn’t want to see him like this. I wasn’t used to seeing him like this...

Gently taking him by his left arm, I let him lean on me as he rose from the seat. Now that I was so close, I could hear how he gritted his teeth, making pained sounds with every movement. As soon as he stood up, he wobbled a bit, trying to keep his balance, but I held onto him, refusing to let him fall, no matter how difficult it was for me. Once he found his balance, his first glance went straight to the control panel, and I instinctively looked there too. On the small screen displaying the status after the first command, a green, fully filled progress bar was glowing. Below it, a message popped up, signaling the successful completion of the check.

"The life support system is intact... That's good..." he mumbled under his breath.

Doesn't he ever think about anything else? Even in a situation like this, I thought, feeling more resigned than angry now. His stubbornness was just part of who he was, apparently.

"Listen, you need to lie down. There has to be a med kit or something on the ship, right?"

"The capsule..."

That one word sent a chill down my spine. Ever since I woke up, I hadn’t dared to go into the lab, and honestly, I still had no desire to. That place made me uncomfortable. But I knew I had no choice now. I had to help Neight get there.

"Can you walk?" I asked cautiously.

"I think so..."

We slowly shuffled toward the exit of the control room. I still supported him by the arm, silently encouraging myself as I fought against the pain and exhaustion. It was hard to walk. After all, Neight wasn’t exactly light, and I had to push through my own limits. But I couldn't give up. I wouldn't.

If I collapse, if I fall, Neight will fall right after me. I just have to hold on a little longer. Just a bit more... Stay strong...

We passed the first hurdle when we made it to the door.

"You can open it... You have access..." he said painfully, his words barely audible. It seemed like he was getting worse, or maybe he just didn’t have the strength left to pretend everything was fine.

We can't waste any time. We need to get to the pod as soon as possible!

The descent down the stairs was its own challenge. Several times, I felt myself lose balance and was on the verge of tumbling down. But in those moments, it felt like Neight was somehow helping me stay upright. I marveled at how he still had the strength to do that. Fortunately, we made it without incident and reached the lab—well, as safely as we could under the circumstances.