The world around Sasha and Elise wavered before their eyes as if dispelled. They returned to a dusty master bedroom with late morning light shining through the windows. It blinded them after wading through darkness for so long.

The living armor stood in front of them, staring in silence as its head sagged forward in depression. It made no movements but, through its visor, something watched without a doubt. An eye beyond their physical plane of existence peered through.

Major spoke up from Sasha’s hip, relieved. “We have been released and returned to the manor. I can sense everyone else’s signatures, and a faint one within the armor too. This was the culprit; the spirit of a man or machina bound to this home by negative energy. A ghost.”

It was easy to tell Sasha was disturbed beyond reason. She couldn’t formulate her thoughts enough to respond. The screams wrung out by The Apparatus filled her head in a way much worse than the lonely streets of Low Monestate. Her face had been wiped utterly blank by emotional and mental exhaustion.

Elise held her hand tight, facing the armor alone. “I think I understand what this all is now.” She questioned it. “You showed me the truth to help prepare us to face the king, didn’t you? To protect me? Father, is that you?”

A low red light shone from its visor. It only had the strength to whisper. “Four years have passed since. The king nears his goal.”

Major warned Elise, “The spirit’s soul is flickering. Its ki has been extinguished. It’s about to vanish. Make your peace while you can.”

Elise nodded to the dagger, releasing Sasha’s hand. “I appreciate it.”

She approached and embraced the armor. “I’m here. Don’t worry. Leave it to us. We’ll destroy King Andre and what he has created.”

The light in the armor’s eye wavered. The suit’s metal trembled under her touch. “I lacked the courage, but you are different.” It stiffened up and gave a little. “Thank you and stay safe. You’ve grown… tall. If only your mother could have seen you again.”

“Father, where is she? Tell me before it’s too late.”

“Grief took her not long after you left. Life afterward was a downward spiral. It was entirely my fault.” The armor collapsed into pieces at Elise’s feet. An empty helmet looked up at her. An ethereal wisp raised from it and spirited away, drawn toward the light of the windows. It left them.

“Father?” With a pale face, Elise got to her knees to sift through the lifeless pieces of the suit. Despair rattled both her and Sasha. They shared the fog and sting that came with it.

Major spoke up bluntly. “He’s gone.”

“To where?”

“Yellen, the lands which all souls return to.”

Elise collected herself from the ground. She sniffled with a red nose, wiping emerging tears from her eyes. “I-I wanted to tell him that I forgave him.”

Sasha shook her head rigidly in shellshocked disbelief. They’d only dipped their toes into the hell that was The Apparatus. What would it look like down there now four years later? Her face curled up in absolute disgust. “Monsters. I’ll rip all of them to pieces. Those mother fuckers will feel pain not even their victims knew.”

A wave of fear came over Elise. She’d never seen Sasha filled with so much animosity. So much hatred. Of course, her feelings were similar, but this was an unexpected new side.

Simon opened the door, indifferent to finding them. “Oh… Sasha… Elise…” It was difficult to tell through his mask, but he was disturbed and excruciatingly tired too. Everyone was put through the wringer.

Elise had other priorities. She gave them a farewell wave before leaving. “I’m… going to go look for my prince.”

Simon cleared his throat. He and Sasha stood there in utter quietness together until she yawned. Her yawn made him yawn, and then her again. He scratched his head. “Were you two put through hell too? I won’t lie, it’s still got me shaken.”

She nodded. “I’m too tired and beat down to explain, but hell would be a vast understatement. I can’t stop thinking about it.” The chills came back. With them, her blanking out face.

“Still struggling to move?”

“A little bit.”

He offered her his shoulder. She accepted without a second thought. They walked the halls with their arms over each other. “You look tired. Let’s get you to sleep. I found a serviceable bedroom. No spider webs or ruined sheets.”

She avoided eye contact but found the gesture to be sweet. “I would like that. Thank you. I’d die this second if it meant I could get some sleep.”

“You stole the words right from my mouth.”

“Take me there, my steed.”

“Steed?” He spoke under his breath, “Strange woman.”

“Sorry. I’m spouting nonsense now. I didn’t even feel this bad when I was imprisoned in your sanctum. At least I wasn’t forced to wear a fucking maid’s dress there.”

“If it helps any, Sasha, that dress suits you. I’m confident you’ll charm all our enemies into switching sides.”

Sasha side eyed him, bewildered. Did Simon of all people just try to tell a joke? With that deadpan demeanor?

“Elise said the same thing. You two don’t have any taste.” She looked at him for his reaction, but the mask hid too much. It frustrated her. She tugged on it. “Hey, take it off. We’re comrades, aren’t we?”

“Access denied.”

“How am I supposed to understand you without being able to see your face?”

He ignored her.

She pouted. With a sigh, he obeyed, sliding the owl’s mask off to reveal his eyepatch and light beard.

His obedience tipped the scales of Sasha’s mood toward her usual brightness. Positive trash was still trash though. She mumbled, “Call me strange, but I think you’re better this way, Simon. You should let people see your face more often.”

“And why is that?”

“Well, erm, you’re handsome.” A subtle blush went across Sasha’s face.

“Umm, thank you. The only woman to ever compliment me was my mother.”

Simon guided her down halls way too bright for her eyes going on baggy. Her straightforwardness caught him off guard.

He opened up to her a bit. Almost sounded lighthearted. “I shouldn’t judge others for strangeness though. I’m weird. For one, I don’t need this.” Simon flipped up his eyepatch to reveal a completely working, mundane eye. No scars or anything.

Sasha stared at him. “Ehhhh? Why do you wear it then?”

Embarrassed, his answer was weak. “Because it’s cool.”

She let out a snort of a laugh. He continued. “And I don’t sleep in beds. I sleep under them.”

Sasha raised her eyebrows, fascinated. He wasn’t lying. What a weird guy!

“The hell is with that? An owl thing?” she asked.

“Not completely. I lost a dumb bet as an owlet. Sleeping under my bed for a week was the punishment. When I got down there, I realized that it just felt safer. After the whole thing ended, I stayed under the bed every night despite being made fun of for it. A few weeks later, an owl went crazy in the middle of the night and strangled all of my roommates to death. He never saw me. Sasha, I’m still alive because I slept under the bed.” He shared this with a resting smile. How could such a dark thing be nostalgic?

“I’m sorry about that. Sounds traumatic.”

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for. Reality is traumatic. The world is ruthless with no gods to protect us.”

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“It is. Living means enduring horrors you never earned or deserved, but that’s not right. It isn’t fair. I can’t accept a world like that.”

“How would you change it?”

“Just say I used my wish to erase the concept of violence. What would happen to war? Murder? Rape? We’d all live in peace, wouldn’t we? People would still hate and argue, sure, but nobody would hurt each other.” Sasha stopped herself, deep in thought. “Look at me. I’m acting like I know the answer.”

“Perhaps you do. The more time I spend with you, the more confident I am that I made the right choice.”

The right choice? Sasha got shy. “Uh, thank you, but… what I’ve been through is nothing compared to what is happening right now under that castle.” She shivered again. They didn’t stop. How did the images of The Apparatus revolt her vision and mind so horribly?

“What exactly was down there?”

Sasha opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her heart accelerated to fight or flight speeds. Realizing that she ran the risk of a panic attack, she focused on calming her breathing with her hand on her chest. “I can’t tell you just yet. Just know that it’s worse than what you’re imagining.”

Uncertain, he sighed. “I won’t push then.”

Simon opened a door in the hall. He led her into a guest room with a single king-sized bed. It was stripped of everything. He scratched his beard, taking a knee next to it.

He pulled blankets from the tight space underneath. “I forgot that I made it for myself. Let me fix this.”

She stopped him with the light touch of her hand on his shoulder. “It’s fine. Leave it like it is. I’m curious.”

“Are you sure? This isn’t normal.”

“Are any of us normal? Why not?”

He resigned and scooted aside. “Go ahead then.”

Sasha had to lay chest down to crawl under there. She inched up to rest her head on a pillow. The sheets under her reminded her of her shed’s carpets. Firm and homely. Troll’s Treasure was a special place, but the mattress in her bedroom was too soft. She never felt like she deserved such comfort. “This... I think I can see the appeal of this, Simon.”

He recoiled in surprise. “That’s unexpected. Rest well then. I’ll be around.”

She reached out, grabbing his wrist. “Are you leaving? Not going to join me?”

“I didn’t plan on it.”

“Are you not tired?”

“I am. Just figured I’d find another hole to curl up in. Wouldn’t want to intrude on your personal space.”

“Don’t go. Stay. It’s fine.” Dread shook Sasha’s voice. Simon finally recognized her fear.

“I get you,” he mumbled, dropping down to join her. “Excuse me. Coming through.”

“You’re excused.”

They laid next to each other, staring up at the wooden boards of a dusty bedframe. As crazy as the previous night was for both, it didn’t take long for them to daze off together. Simon snapped awake not even an hour later though. Sasha twitched in her sleep. Although subtle, he heard crying too.

He tapped her shoulder. “Sasha? What’s wrong?”

She didn’t respond.

Whatever she went through in her dreams looked horrible. Witnessing it as a bystander overwhelmed Simon with guilt. He pondered a course of action. Leaving her alone would’ve been cruel. Her fear was exactly why she’d asked him to stay. Falling back asleep wouldn’t happen either.

But to just lay here and watch this?

Simon scooted up behind Sasha and hugged her from behind. He nestled his face behind her neck and arm on her side. When he was a kid and fearful of the dark, his mother did something like this to ease his nerves. It always worked. Sasha soon calmed down. She let out a deep exhale as she relaxed and loosened up, melting into him. Simon was relieved, but something didn’t make sense.

If Sasha were asleep, why did her heart race so fast? It was so strong that he could feel it through her back. This stirred something complex in him. It sparked a flame.

There, wrapped up with her, a wave of clarity washed over his mind. Next came butterflies in the stomach and warm fuzziness throughout his body. His composure utterly shattered. Not even his near-death experiences rattled him this badly.

These feelings were foreign. What in the world was this?

Sasha moved slightly. It made him jolt. Her hand slid up his bicep and forearm before landing on his. Their fingers hesitantly intertwined together. She softly asked, “Aren’t you brave? Feeling me up when I’m at my lowest?”

His mouth dropped. Shock!

Simon defended himself, letting go of her. “Not at all, and that wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to comfort you.”

She squeezed his hand tight. Her tone shifted to sarcasm. “That’s no good, Simon. I’ve caught you red handed.”

“You don’t sound very angry.”

“Really? You know, I’ll have to punish you for this.”

“For trying to help you?” He leaned up a little, catching a glimpse of Sasha’s turned away face. Despite her watery, irritated eyes, she brightened up with a shy smile. He realized the obvious and sighed out of relief.

Sasha was fucking with him.

She nodded. “Let’s see. I’ll let you off light with this order. H-H-Hold…” She froze with her words stuck in her throat.

“Hold?” Simon asked.

“Hold me closer. Would that be okay with you? Or… no?” Her voice filled with anxiety.

“Ah…” Simon obeyed without question. His arm returned around her and pulled her inward. His beard rubbed against the back of her neck. She tensed up in response.

He asked, “Couldn’t you have opened with that? No need to be so roundabout.”

“Easier said than done. I’m not good at this kind of stuff.”

“I get it. Trust me.”

Neither had gotten so close to another person. Sasha turned toward him, burying her head under his chin, and rested her palm against his chest. Her other arm wandered around his waist. She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eyes. “This is scary.”

“Why?”

“Bad things happen to the men that care about me. Leave. It’d be smarter. Don’t involve yourself with me.”

Her conflicting actions and words threw him even more off his game. His heart could have blown up right there. He whispered, “Never. I’ve already decided to follow you.”

“Promise?”

“With all my heart. I don’t care what adversity awaits.”

“Then don’t die. I won’t forgive you if you do.”

“I’ll try my best. Focus on your goals. Leave the worrying to me.”

Sasha snuggled into Simon as she drifted off to sleep. He was reduced to becoming her stuffed animal. Staring up at the boards wide awake, Simon resigned himself to his fate with bloodshot eyes. What man could sleep if they were in his shoes?

He laid there in silence, controlling his breathing and thoughts to avoid becoming too excited. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin the moment. He focused on imagining the most ugly, unattractive things he knew like ghouls and Al Yara. Ironically, when he did pass out, he had nightmares about them.

When Simon flickered to his senses, half a day had passed. Sasha was gone. He had a resting giddy grin and renewed confidence; so much so that he felt like he could punch a hole in the sun. It was as if he had been reborn.

It was dusk. Warm, orange light poured in through the windows, filtered by dense curtains.

He stretched, donned his owl’s mask and Snake Eater, and left toward the living room where everyone’s voices bounced from. Isaac, Elise, and Sasha sat with their machina on the leather lounge chairs surrounding a coffee table.

Simon sat next to Sasha on a couch, attentive. Her cheeks were rosy. She avoided eye contact with him.

He questioned her, impulsively putting his palm on her forehead to check her temperature. “You look red. Feeling sick?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I feel fine but thanks for worrying.”

“Don’t mention it. Where is Abdul?”

The air in the room was bleak and pensive. Everyone was forced through their worst horrors, after all. Mentioning Abdul’s name somehow made it even grimmer though.

Isaac was the one who spoke up. “I think he’s had some sort of mental breakdown. When I ran into him, he ignored me and locked himself in his bedroom. He looked depressed.”

Major spoke up from the table. “I knew this would happen if he remembered.”

The other machina next to the dagger eyed it. If they were verbal too, what kind of small talk would they make?

In some way, everyone had changed. Isaac lost his confidence. He gazed aimlessly down at his feet with a slumped posture. Usually when he and Elise were together, nothing could keep him from being his old chipper self. This was different.

Elise lay next to him in bitter contemplation, her head on his lap. She poked his deadpan face to not much reaction. Her family, the Allards, had unfinished business with the king. She’d made a promise.

Isaac leaned back, staring blankly at the ceiling. “I’d appreciate your father more for his favor if we didn’t have to feel his wrath. That bad trip was far worse than any nightmare I’ve had. It was just a bad trip though. Nothing else. It wasn’t reality, right?”

Major sighed and said, “You shouldn’t expect human reason from a vengeance-obsessed spirit. He didn’t know our souls but recognized Elise’s. That’s why you all were treated as enemies. This wasn’t a normal spirit either. It was bonded to a machina that died with him. Silent Hill was its name, wasn’t it?”

“Bound to our contracts beyond death? Unbelievable.” Isaac leaned forward. He rested his chin on his knuckles and strategized. “So, Andre has constructed a copy of The Apparatus under Castle Hemmer, and four years have passed since? What in Yellen would it look like down there now?”

The topic stirred Sasha’s emotions up. With a glare and cold tone, she said, “I don’t care what it looks like. We need to destroy it and everyone responsible. Let’s leave as soon as possible.”

“No. Be patient,” Isaac demanded. “I can see that you’re angry, but we have no clue what we’re up against. If we were to rush in all fired up, we’d die.”

Elise added, “The king’s machina is bad news too. That maid Ashley said that he could know anything about a person after collecting a piece of them. If he completes this condition, it’s over for us. There would be no hiding. Just like my… father.” She solemnly hushed.

Simon shook his head. He looked to be the least daunted of anyone there. “Sure, there isn’t much room for error, but do you know what we do have over them?”

Sasha tilted her head, intrigued. “What exactly?”

“The information advantage. Our enemies know nothing about us. We know their plan, secret, and King Andre’s power. If we keep it this way while increasing our advantage more and more, they should never be able to catch up. They’ll never be able to fulfill that condition. We should win.”

The confidence impressed Isaac. Looking a little less worried, he said, “I never thought of it like that. How would we build our information advantage though? That’d take some big risks, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course, but I’m a professional. This is my game. I’ll go in alone and come back knowing everything we’ll need to succeed in one fell swoop; things like entrances and routes, keys, and guard schedules. I won’t leave a trace either. They’ll never know I was there.”

Sasha tensed up at the thought. Her stomach dropped. Was Simon serious? He wanted to go in there alone?

Elise got suspicious. “But here’s the real question: Could you do it without fucking up, getting caught, and being read by King Andre?”

“You’ll just have to trust me. Have I ever slipped up? Yes, but I’ve also performed countless missions perfectly for Rath Ghul.” Simon looked at Isaac, asking, “Would you rather rush in there all fired up, knowing nothing?”

Sasha voiced her nervousness, “But it’s dangerous. I’d rather us fight together. I can’t control or protect anything out of my reach.”

This put a tinge of pain in Simon’s heart. “Sasha…”

Major chipped in to the surprise of everyone, “Unlike most of you wallowing here in doubt, Simon believes in himself. If you ever want to achieve victory or the next level, you must believe that it is possible with all your heart. Even when it seems foolish. The second you lose faith in yourself, you fail. Find that faith.”

This slapped Isaac right in his pride. Frustrated, he agreed with the dagger. “Damn it. You’re right.” He gave Simon a respectful nod. “Let’s see what you’re made of then.”