As Moxie walked closer, his boots scraping against the cracked ground, he stood over Insanity, his figure looming above like a dark shadow. For a moment, he said nothing, just staring down at Insanity who lay beneath him, bloodied but still defiant. Moxie’s expression was cold, devoid of the usual calm serenity he carried, his eyes filled only with purpose.

"You think death matters to me?" Moxie said, his voice low and controlled, but carrying the weight of finality. "I don’t care if you live or die. I have something I need to finish... something far more important than you."

Insanity blinked, disoriented from the loss of blood but still grinning through the pain. "You... think you’re better than me? Above death?" he coughed, spitting blood. "You can’t escape it forever."

Moxie said nothing more, his gaze hardening. But before he could make another move, something shifted in him. His vision blurred, and without warning, everything went dark. His body remained standing, but his consciousness faded as if a switch had been flipped.

Insanity, still sprawled on the ground, looked up in confusion. "What...?" He managed a weak laugh, trying to push himself up but succumbing to the blood loss. The laughter faded, and soon, Insanity’s own body collapsed, leaving both of them unconscious in the aftermath of their brutal clash.

Hours passed, though it felt like an eternity. When Moxie stirred awake, the pain in his arm was gone. He blinked, disoriented, feeling the once-severed limb restored and his wounds completely healed. Confused, he tried to move but found something was different—he was no longer on the battlefield.

Looking around, he realized he was in some kind of containment field, a shimmering, powerful bubble holding him in place. Across from him, Insanity was in a similar bubble, though awake, glaring at his surroundings.

"What... happened?" Moxie muttered to himself, his voice hoarse. His mind raced, trying to piece together the events leading up to this moment. The last thing he remembered was blacking out over Insanity’s beaten body.

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"About time you woke up," a familiar voice echoed through the room. Moxie’s head snapped toward the sound, and to his shock, it was Liza, standing in the entrance of the room.

"Liza?" Moxie’s eyes widened, the normally composed Null caught off guard. "What... what are you doing here?"

But it wasn’t just Liza. She wasn’t alone. Beside her stood a group of individuals, all of them wearing pristine uniforms, their eyes sharp and filled with knowledge. Moxie could sense the intelligence radiating off them. These were no ordinary people—they were known across the world as the finest minds, geniuses in their fields. And somehow, Liza was standing at the head of the group.

Even Insanity, who had been mostly silent, couldn’t hold back his confusion. "What... is this? Where the hell are we?"

Liza crossed her arms, looking between Moxie and Insanity with a calm demeanor, as if none of this was out of the ordinary for her. "I suppose you’re both wondering how you ended up here." Her tone was matter-of-fact, as though she had expected this all along.

Moxie shook his head in disbelief, still struggling to process the scene. "Liza... who are these people? And why—"

"Why am I connected to them?" Liza finished for him, smirking slightly. "Let’s just say, while you’ve been off training and fighting, I’ve been... building some connections of my own. Important ones."

Moxie’s normally stoic expression faltered. "But how—"

"You’ve always underestimated me, Moxie," Liza said, her voice tinged with amusement. "Just because I wasn’t in the spotlight like you, doesn’t mean I haven’t been preparing for what’s coming."

Insanity, still trapped in the bubble, was far less patient. "Enough with the reunion," he snapped, his voice dripping with irritation. "What’s your game? Why are we here? Let me out and I’ll finish what we started."

Liza shot him a look, unimpressed. "You’ll be let out when it’s time. For now, both of you need to cool off." She turned back to Moxie, her eyes softening slightly. "Trust me, Moxie. Everything will make sense soon. But for now, just know that there’s a bigger picture—one even you haven’t seen yet."

Moxie’s mind was still racing, but he forced himself to remain calm. This was no longer just about him and Insanity. Something larger was at play, and for the first time, he wasn’t the one in control of the situation. He trusted Liza—he had to. But even he couldn’t shake the sense of unease creeping up his spine.

What had she been planning all this time?