Chapter 11: Second Chance

Ivory would undoubtedly be wary of the gaps in her memory—those missing pieces would gnaw at her, driving her curiosity and suspicion. That, in itself, would become a powerful motivator, inevitably leading her into conflict with the Union.

When I resuscitated her, I quickly manipulated her perception, clouding her awareness of me. It gave me the precious seconds I needed to gather what I could before disappearing into the night.

There was no time to gather all of Lois’s bloody remains, but I couldn’t leave her entirely behind. I spotted her fallen eyeball amidst the gore, picked it up, and then made my way to the lamppost where I’d left her body. Gently, I lifted Lois into my arms, holding her as if she were still whole, still alive.

I walked away, blending into the shadows, leaving Ivory to fend for herself.

“You’re going to be fine, Lois,” I whispered, even though I knew I was lying to both of us. I couldn’t give up hope, no matter how foolish it seemed.

As I moved, I projected my power outward, forcing any conscious mind that might notice me to forget my presence and my burden entirely. My focus now was on avoiding the CCTVs and any digital equipment that could capture my image. As long as I did that, I would remain invisible in this city.

One of the few things I appreciated about Kane City was its lack of technological surveillance. It made slipping away so much easier.

I arrived at Lois's apartment on the very edge of the slums after hijacking a car I found parked on the wayside. It wasn’t the first time I’d had to resort to petty crime to survive in this world, and thankfully, my skills weren’t too rusty yet. I abandoned the car a few blocks from her place, careful not to draw any unnecessary attention.

This was my third time in her apartment, and I could understand why Lois had chosen this place. It was cheap and low-key, just the kind of place someone like her would hide out in. If word ever got out that Lois was the infamous Ebony Knight, it would all make sense. In the game, the Ebony Knight was a mysterious anti-hero, constantly jumping from one planet to another. The developers had never fully explained her motives, only that she was a product of the Dome project, on the run from the World Order, and locked in an eternal struggle with her arch-nemesis, Ivory.

Why was the Ebony Knight always running? She could have easily joined any number of factions opposed to the World Order.

“I reckon she just wanted a life,” I muttered to myself, the realization settling heavily in my chest.

I could sympathize with that. Knowing that this girl, who had been through so much, had fallen in love with me… it was a strange, bittersweet thought.

Or maybe, I was just deluding myself.

I gently frisked the headless Lois, found her key, and entered her apartment. It was surprisingly cozy and spacious, a stark contrast to the harsh reality of the slums outside. I slumped down on the medium-sized sofa, setting Lois’s body beside me with care. Numb from the events that had unfolded, I picked up the remote and turned on the TV, letting the noise wash over me as I tried to process everything.

“There is still hope,” I whispered to myself, the words barely audible over the dull hum of the television.

There had to be a reason why Lois had always been so reluctant to let me spend much time in her apartment. Knowing what I did about the Ebony Knight’s lore, it made sense that she would have an underground base hidden somewhere nearby. It explained why she had chosen to live on the edge of the slum, where she could remain low-key while still maintaining access to whatever secret lair she had set up.

I glanced around the apartment, my mind racing. “Where is the entrance?” I muttered, half to myself, half to the silent room. “There has to be something.”

Pushing aside the numbing fatigue that threatened to overwhelm me, I stood up and began searching. The walls, the floor, the furniture—there had to be some clue, some hidden mechanism that would reveal the entrance to whatever base Lois had kept concealed.

I stared at the remote in my hand, my mind combing through everything I knew about the Ebony Knight.

In the game, she had never revealed her civilian identity in any of the cinematics, but there had been one scene, buried deep within her story mode, where she used a remote just like this one in her underground base. It had looked so ordinary, so mundane, yet it had been the key to something far more significant.

I turned the remote over, prying open the battery compartment and removed the batteries. "This is how you're supposed to do it, right?" I murmured to the empty room, my fingers tracing the code I remembered from the game—10-25-07.

It had always been assumed to be Ebony Knight’s birthday, and I think it wasn’t far off.

As I entered the code, the TV in front of me began to shift and transform, deconstructing itself to reveal a digital handprint recognition pad. My heart raced as I lifted Lois’s lifeless hand and placed it over the scanner. The device hummed softly, and after a tense moment, a hidden passageway opened, leading underground.

I didn’t waste any time. Gently cradling Lois’s headless body, I descended into the passage, the air growing cooler as I ventured deeper. The lights flickered on as I entered her hideout, revealing a labyrinth of advanced technology and half-finished gadgets. It was a testament to Lois’s genius, her mastery over both superpower science and technological innovation. The Ebony Knight had always been portrayed as a jack of all trades—versatile, adaptable, and capable of incredible feats, even if she wasn’t the absolute best in any single field. Yet here she had been, ambushed and defeated by Ivory so easily.

I couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration and anger at the thought. This world was no longer a controlled fighting game; it was real, unpredictable, and far more dangerous. Being eliminated through assassination was a very real possibility, something that the characters from the game—including Lois—were not fully prepared to handle.

But I wasn’t about to let that be the end of her story.

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As I carefully laid Lois’s body on a workbench, I began to scan the room, looking for anything that could help. The room was filled with the tools and materials she had used to push the boundaries of her own biology and enhance her abilities. If there was any chance of bringing her back, it would be here, in this place she had created.

"Stay with me, Lois," I whispered, as I began my search. "We’re not done yet."

The Ebony Knight’s limited healing factor had always been a point of intrigue in the game, roughly around a tenth of an average regenerator. It explained how she could walk off injuries that would incapacitate a normal human being, but it was nowhere near enough to regenerate a limb, not to mention her head. That was beyond the capabilities of even the most advanced powers in this world. As I scanned the room, my eyes landed on her power armor.

The design made it easy to see why most players and even those in this world assumed the Ebony Knight was male. The armor had a knightly aesthetic that leaned heavily into a masculine frame. It was sleek, a hybrid of light and heavy armor, designed for both mobility and protection. But right now, the armor was the least of my concerns.

I continued searching the room, trying to recall every detail of the Ebony Knight’s inventory from the game. There had to be something here that could help. After a few moments, I spotted a series of potion bottles filled with a dark red liquid. I picked one up, holding it to the light as I remembered the game’s lore.

"This is it," I muttered to myself.

The potion in my hand wasn’t just any health potion. It was unique, crafted from the Ebony Knight’s own blood cells and enhanced with nanotechnology. This potion was designed to exponentially increase Lois’s healing factor by ten times its normal rate. It was practically a miracle drug, but with one crucial limitation—it only worked on Lois, the Ebony Knight herself.

I hesitated, the bottle feeling heavy in my hand. The potion was powerful, but was it powerful enough to bring Lois back? Regrowing a head was a feat that defied even the most advanced regenerative abilities. The rational part of me, the part that had analyzed every detail and planned every move, told me it wasn’t enough.

But I had to try.

I moved quickly, uncorking the bottle and carefully administering the potion. It was all I had, the only hope left in this grim situation. As I watched the liquid disappear into her body, I felt a tightness in my chest, a gnawing fear that this might not be enough.

I stared down at Lois’s lifeless form, the potion already coursing through her veins, yet no signs of life returning. The urge to pour more potions down her throat gnawed at me, but I knew better. Overdosing her could lead to something far worse than death. I’d seen it happen in the game—one of the bad endings where the Ebony Knight overdosed on potions, turning into a psychotic monster on a killing spree. It was a nightmare I didn’t want to recreate in reality.

"There must be something I can do," I muttered in contemplation.

But what else was there? I thought back to the game, to the tag team matches where characters could combine their abilities in what was called a ‘superpower synergy.’ It was a mechanic that allowed characters to amplify each other’s powers. My power was to make people forget, while Lois’s power was to remember everything. It wasn’t exactly the most compatible combination, but it was all I had.

"Here goes nothing," I said, more to myself than anyone else, as I grabbed Lois’s cold hands.

I concentrated, feeling the familiar pull of my power. My ability was to make people forget, but what could I make Lois forget that would help her in this situation? If I made her forget the concept of death, her body might react unpredictably, perhaps even erasing her survival instincts entirely. I needed to be careful. This wasn’t a game where I could reload a save if things went wrong.

My mind scrambled for an answer, something that would give her the strength to come back. What if I had her forget the pain, the trauma of her last moments? Would that be enough to trigger her body’s natural defenses, to make her fight for life?

But even as I thought it, I knew it was a gamble. There was no manual for this, no guide to follow. I was venturing into uncharted territory, playing with forces I barely understood.

"Please, Lois," I whispered, willing her to come back. "Please don’t leave me here alone."

Two days had passed since I began my desperate attempts to revive Lois, and finally, real results were beginning to show. I clutched her cold, lifeless hand in one of mine, while the other rested on a laptop, scouring the internet for any scrap of information that might aid in her recovery. I had done everything I could think of, and now, my efforts were paying off.

Lois’s body was slowly regenerating. Half of her skull had already formed on the left side, a grotesque yet hopeful sight. Her healing factor was weak while she was unconscious, but thankfully, my power was aiding her. It was a strange and grueling process, but I managed to make it work.

The internet had been a lifeline in this hellish ordeal. The idea I landed on was unconventional, even dangerous—I had to make her body forget decay. It was a reckless gamble, one that nearly cost Lois her chance at recovery. Her body couldn’t simply forget to decay, as decomposition was a result of bacterial activity. So, I pushed further, using my power to make the bacteria themselves forget they existed. It was a brute-force solution, and it drained me to the point where I was teetering on the edge of insanity.

I couldn’t afford to lose control now, not with everything I had at stake. The hideout was stocked with enough food and water for emergencies, which was fortunate because I wasn’t leaving until I knew Lois was safe.

I’d connected her to a breathing apparatus, rigging it directly to her trachea at the base of her chest cavity. It was crucial to keep the carbon dioxide from building up inside her, or her body would rot faster than I could force the bacteria to forget their job. Since Lois didn’t have a head, I couldn’t simply use her esophagus without risking complications in the regeneration process. I wasn’t a doctor or a scientist—I was just someone desperate enough to try anything. Somehow, through a mix of luck and Lois’s latent regenerative abilities, it was working.

“You’re doing great, Lois,” I murmured, though I knew she couldn’t hear me. It was as much a reassurance to myself as it was to her.

I had reduced myself to the bare essentials for survival. I drank water from mineral bottles, and when nature called, I relieved myself in those same bottles. I refused to eat anything solid, avoiding the need for bathroom breaks altogether. My world had shrunk to the confines of this hideout and the singular mission of bringing Lois back to life.

I was nothing if not dedicated.

Two more days passed, and Lois’s head had fully regenerated. The sight was both miraculous and terrifying. I watched in disbelief as the area around the breathing tube I had embedded began to bleed profusely. Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to stay calm, using my ability to steady my racing thoughts. With trembling hands, I removed the breathing apparatus entirely, my heart pounding as I waited for the worst.

But Lois was healing.

I continued to administer the potions, carefully adhering to strict intervals. I couldn’t afford any mistakes now. This Lois looked different from the one I had known—her beautiful brown hair remained, but the familiar freckles that once dotted her face were gone. I realized she must have added them herself as a form of disguise or perhaps as a stylistic choice. It seemed Lois was capable of limited shapeshifting, altering her appearance to suit her needs. Her ability likely extended to changing her proportions, hair color, eye color, and even skin tone.

Seeing her heal was a relief like nothing I had ever felt. Finally, after hours of anxious waiting, Lois opened her eyes.

“Lois!” I cried, unable to contain my emotions. I hugged her tightly, feeling like I had the world in my arms again. “I… I didn’t know… I am so sorry…”

As I held her, it hit me—despite everything, despite all her secrets, I still loved her. It wasn’t blind love, and it wasn’t naive. It was something deeper, something unshakable. She was the first real connection I’ve had in this world, and I wouldn’t give it up anytime soon.

“H-huh? E-excuse me… But who are you?” Lois’s voice was soft, confused, like she was waking from a long, disorienting dream.

“What?” I pulled back, staring at her in shock.

“Where is this?” she asked, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings, her confusion deepening.

I felt a sinking dread in my stomach. “Lois… don’t you remember?”

She looked at me with wide, innocent eyes. “And who am I?”