Chapter Text
Awareness came back to Them in a flash.
They opened Their eyes to see ruins and smoke, fire and death.
The space around Them was destroyed beyond any recognition, nothing left of it but blackened stone and smouldering ashes.
Regardless of where They cast their gaze, there was nothing left alive.
An unending trail of corpses laid heavy upon the land, battered and broken bodies with twisted limbs and empty eyes staring accusingly towards the heavens.
The sun cast her burning rays upon the land as if attempting to light it all ablaze.
They did not recognize the fallen warriors.
They did not recognize the ruined city.
They did not recognize the person standing beside Them.
Eventually, They asked:
“Are you satisfied?“
The person did not answer.
Instead, she merely stood, quietly, and continued gazing across the battlefield.
Undeterred by the silence, They continued:
“You know this is nothing but the beginning. For your ambitions, you will have to sacrifice the lives of countless more, friend and foe alike. It does not matter what intentions you have, or how much good you will bring to your people. You will be hated by the world, despised as an evil that brings nothing but death and misery wherever it is. Is this a path you are willing to walk?“
The person turned towards Them.
They could not remember her Face.
They could not remember her Voice.
They could not remember her Name.
They could see nothing but a faceless shade, blurry, an unfocused picture.
Regardless, They still heard her response clearly.
“You are right. The wars to come will mercilessly consume the lives and dreams of many many more. Armies will be vanquished and cities will be turned to ash. Before long, we will tread on the bones of those swallowed by the storm. But in order to fulfill my dream, in order to bring peace to my home, I am willing to accept the responsibility for my sins. And of course, as long as I have you at my side, I know that we can create the future we both wish for. So I ask you again, will you help me?“
They did not respond. Instead, They closed their eyes and silently walked away.
“-ctor!“
“Doctor!“
The Doctors eyes shot open underneath their mask. Blearily,they were greeted with the concerned face of a small, brown haired cautus standing infront of them. Frowning, she continued to talk.
“Doctor, are you alright? You did not respond to my earlier question.“
Ah. They blinked, trying to make sense of their surroundings. They were in a small, worn down room, furnished with little more than a bed, a table and a few shelves near the wall filled with books and papers. The couch they were currently seated on was covered in a fine layer of dust. They tried to recall their dream (memory?) from mere moments ago but it was already fading, little more than unfocused pictures and a deep feeling of regret.
Instead they focused on their more recent memories, in an attempt to make sense of their confusion. They remembered their awakening from the Sacrophagus, the hasty escape from Reunion, the fight with Mephisto and Crownslayer and finally, Ace and Nearl coming to their rescue.
It was at this point that the individual known to the world as “The Doctor“ realized that they had not yet responded to Amiya‘s query and had instead, been completely ignoring her for however long they were spaced out for. Said cautus was still looking at them expectantly.
“Sorry Amiya, I was lost in thought. Must have dozed off earlier, it‘s been exhausting and my head is still a bit fuzzy.“
Upon hearing the Doctor‘s response, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.
“I understand Doctor but we can‘t rest just yet. We still have to get everyone out of Chernobog safely, including you. Please make sure to take care of yourself. Your wellbeing is important to me.“
They hesitated for a moment. Having been awake for little more than a day, without any memories and immediatly having to command and work with people they did not know or could not remember knowing was….strange, to say the least. Not that anything about their current situation could ever be called normal. While they were still hesitant to trust Rhodes Island just yet, if there was one thing they could believe without any doubt, it was that Amiya seemed to genuinely cared about them. Even though they had no idea just what they could have done to deserve such a thing.
“I will Amiya, don‘t you worry.“ They paused for a moment, mind steadying itself and shaking of the last vestiges of their prior confusion. “Now where exactly are we? Last I remember we were still moving through the alleyways in order to avoid the riot.“
“We momentarily took refuge in an abandoned building in order to regroup and rest for a moment. We still have a long way to go in order to reach the exfiltration point. But Doctor, are you sure you‘re alright?“
“I‘m fine. More importantly, we need to keep going. The situation is only going to get worse with the way the riot has already escalated. The longer we wait the harder it‘ll be to make it out safely. We can‘t waste any more time.“
Amiya nodded. “Right, we‘ve had time to catch our breath.“
She grabbed her communicator. “Ace, we are moving on, make sure to get all our operators ready on your end. We will be relying on you to protect everyone while Nearl clears us a path.“
The Doctor stood up. Though a small part of them wanted nothing more than to stay and rest, they surpressed it. The shadows of memories still lingered in the corners of their mind but they knew they could not afford any distractions, especially not in hostile territory. In order to command and protect the lives of the people entrusted them, they had to be nothing less than completely focused on their task. And so they left the room and with it the remnants of their dream behind.
Amiya watched them go, concern visible in her blue eyes before she steeled her resolve. She would protect the Doctor, no matter what and with renewed determination followed them outside where the others were already waiting for her.