Out of the infirmary

The infirmary doors slid open with a soft hiss, and Randy stepped inside, striding over to Eight's bed. Eight looked up, half-squinting in the light, ready to ask a question. But before he could open his mouth, Randy spoke.

"Good news—you're cleared to leave," Randy said, a smile spreading across his face as he met Eight's gaze.

Eight blinked in surprise. "Really? That's great." A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as he sat up, stretching out his stiff limbs. "I was getting tired of lying around."

"Figured you would be," Randy chuckled, watching as Eight eagerly removed the wires and sensors connected to him.

As Eight swung his legs over the side of the bed, he glanced up at Randy. "So… anything I should know?"

"Just to take it easy at first," Randy replied, nodding with approval as Eight rose to his feet, steadying himself. "Everything should be in place. We'll do a full check later, but you're good to go."

"Finally," Eight sighed, relief in his voice. He took a final look around the empty infirmary before heading toward the door, the faint sound of Randy's footsteps fading behind him.

As Eight stepped through the infirmary doors, relief washed over him—until he almost collided with someone standing just outside. Startled, he stumbled back a bit, glancing up to see a familiar face.

"Slow down, man," a steady, amused voice said. "The doors aren't going anywhere."

"One!" Eight's face broke into a grin. "It's so good to see you!" He took in his friend's appearance and then blinked in shock. "Wait… your hair, your eyes…"

One's eyes were a striking shade of gold, and his hair had deep burnished highlights, richer and darker than the bright gold of Three's. The effect gave him an air of strength and focus, something almost regal, and as he met One's gaze, Eight felt a sense of calm leadership that seemed to radiate from him.

One smiled, reading the surprise on Eight's face. "I know. You're not the first to stare. Come on—let's walk and talk." He gestured to the corridor ahead.

Eight nodded, falling in step beside him. They moved down the corridor, the walls lined with panels of dark metal and faintly glowing blue strips running along the ceiling, casting a cool, eerie light. The sound of their footsteps echoed softly off the polished floor, giving the hallway a hollow, almost ominous feel.

"So, I'm guessing you're wondering about the implants," One said after a moment, glancing over at Eight. "Three told me you don't remember much about what happened or why we're like… this."

Eight nodded. "Yeah, it's all pretty hazy. I don't remember much of anything past training."

One stopped for a moment, glancing down the hallway as if choosing his words carefully. "Honestly? I don't know what these implants are, either. But we'll find out tomorrow. The Chairman wanted to wait until you were out before telling us anything, so he's holding a session then."

Eight's brow furrowed, questions bubbling up, but One held up a hand. "Let's not worry about that right now," he said with a reassuring smile. "We can focus on that after we get you back up to speed. Do you remember anything before… all this?"

Eight thought for a moment, pressing a hand to his temple as he concentrated. "The last thing I remember was… stepping on a grenade trap. In a forest. Then… nothing."

One nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. "I see. Well, it's time to jolt your memory a bit." They had come to a large door at the end of the corridor, which slid open with a low hiss.

One turned to Eight with a smirk. "One more thing—everyone's changed, looks-wise. So try not to get too shocked when you see the others."

With that, he stepped through the doors, motioning for Eight to follow.

As Eight stepped into the room, a wave of warmth and nostalgia hit him, flooding him with a sense of belonging. The room was spacious yet cozy, with bunk beds neatly lined against each wall. Each bed had its own set of drawers and a small shelf filled with personal items. The lights were dim, giving the room a soft, amber glow, and a large rug stretched across the center, scattered with pillows and a couple of blankets that looked well-used.

There were five people in the room: two girls and three boys. Some were lounging on the lower bunks, absorbed in small tablets, while others leaned against the walls, reading. Eight opened his mouth to greet them, but One beat him to it.

"Hey guys, look who's back!" One announced, gesturing to Eight.

All eyes snapped up in surprise, and in seconds, everyone rushed over, expressions of relief and joy lighting up their faces.

"Eight! It's so good to see you—alive and well," Three said, pulling him into a hug. He seemed to say what everyone was thinking, as relief washed over them all; there had been real worry about whether Eight would recover, especially after the injury and the implants.

One by one, they all came up to embrace him, sharing quick words of welcome and the occasional playful pat on the back. Finally, everyone had greeted him—except for one.

"Oh, come on, Six!" Eight said, giving her a gentle, teasing smile. "Not going to give me a welcome-back hug?"

But to his surprise, Six didn't look up. Her eyes stayed fixed on the ground, her expression distant. She looked uncomfortable, avoiding his gaze entirely.

Eight felt a pang of confusion. Six had always been one of his closest friends; they all felt like family, so seeing her like this hit him hard.

Just then, he heard a quiet cough nearby and looked over to see Three, who subtly shook his head, giving him a look that said, "Let it go."

Before Eight could ask why, the door slid open behind him. He turned, and his breath caught.

A girl stepped in with long black hair streaked with silver, her gaze catching his as her silver eyes glinted in the low light. Her face was familiar, yet changed. She looked exhausted, with faint dark circles beneath her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in days.

"Four…?" he murmured, not fully recognizing her until she gave a small, tired smile.

Her face brightened with relief, and she rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him. The exhaustion faded momentarily from her expression, replaced by pure joy.

"It's you… you're really back," she whispered, holding him close.

After Four finally pulled away from the hug, she and Eight settled at one of the nearby tables, the atmosphere shifting as the rest of the group joined them.

"Great, now that we're all here," Eight started, glancing around at his friends, "I just want to say how happy I am that everyone is doing okay. These past few months have been rough for all of us—some more than others." He looked meaningfully at each of them, feeling the weight of their shared experiences.

"But now we have a bigger problem," he continued, his gaze falling on Eight. "It turns out our brother here doesn't remember anything that happened while we were in the forest."

"What?" Eight interrupted, his voice rising in disbelief. "Wait—months? Just how long was I unconscious for?" Confusion flooded his mind, memories of watching everyone leave the infirmary flashing before him.

Three sighed, glancing at the others before explaining. "Yes, you saw everyone leave and you talked to me, but that was during the first month. After that, you kept drifting in and out of consciousness. To be more precise, you were out for about two months after the rest of us left."

The news hit Eight like a bullet. He had thought he'd only been in the infirmary for a week at most. The realization that he had been unconscious for so long made his head spin.

Seeing Eight start to wobble, Three quickly reached over, placing a steadying hand on his back. "Easy there," he said softly. A moment later, a gentle stream of pulses flowed from Three's hand, reaching into Eight's heart and helping it beat steadily again. The pulses also connected with his mind, easing the dizziness that had taken hold.

After a few moments, Three removed his hand, sitting back down with a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. "You okay?" he asked, concern etching his features.

Eight blinked, processing what had just happened. "That… felt incredible," he said slowly, still trying to wrap his head around it. "I don't even know how to explain it."

"It's a little trick I've been working on," Three said, his voice lightening a bit. "But right now, we need to focus on getting your memories back. You missed a lot while you were out, and we need you to remember everything that's been going on lately." But the first thing we should tell you is what happened in the Training session and how we all ended up in the infirmary in the first place.

Eight nodded; finally, he would learn what happened to him. "Alright, let's do this."