First Briefing

Yui lowered his hand slowly, his expression unreadable as the voice continued, "Elias Kael, keep up the good work. Yui, you're dismissed. A medical expert will attend to the facial wounds. Elias will run the obstacle course tomorrow."

Elias let out a long breath, his body sagging slightly as the tension lifted. Yui glanced at him one last time, his expression colder than ever. "Get used to this feeling," Yui said quietly before walking away.

"Hey, I can still keep going!" Elias called out, brushing off the dirt on his suit. "I barely feel a thing!"

"Yeah, well, that's just the suit taking the hits for you," Yui replied flatly, turning away. "And besides, it's just about drained. When the Chairwoman says to stop, you stop."

"The Chairwoman?" Elias blinked, confused. "Wh-who is that?"

Yui shook his head, offering no answer. Without another word, he walked through the door Elias had come from, heading down a long corridor. The faint sound of his boots echoed until he reached a sliding door labeled Temporary Corridors. Stepping inside, Yui found himself in a room almost identical to Elias's but slightly larger.

He dropped down onto his bunk, the neatly made green sheets barely shifting under his weight. Undoing the uniform, Yui flexed his wrists, wincing slightly. Red burn marks laced his skin where the springs had wrapped around him.

"That bastard," he muttered under his breath, his tone carrying both irritation and faint admiration. "I've never seen something so stupid… actually work."

˚₊‧ʚ🐞ɞ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧ʚ🐞ɞ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧ʚ🐞ɞ‧₊˚Meanwhile ˚₊‧ʚ🐞ɞ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧ʚ🐞ɞ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧ʚ🐞ɞ‧₊˚

Elias sat on a makeshift stretcher, his body aching from the beating he'd endured. A nurse with long black hair tied back neatly under her cap moved efficiently, dabbing his face with a swab. Her voice was calm as she asked, "Wow, what did you do to piss him off? He's always been on edge, but this... it's almost like he wanted to hurt you."

Elias shrugged, wincing slightly as the antiseptic stung his cuts. "Who knows? I don't think he's a bad person, though… Who knows what he's going through?"

The nurse tilted her head, intrigued. "Really?"

Elias glanced at her. "Really what?"

"He kicked you around the arena for a solid ten minutes, and you're not mad at him?"

Elias paused, considering her words before shaking his head. "Well, I mean, I'm annoyed, I guess, that he lashed out like that. But honestly? He just showed me how much stronger I need to be. Some people probably want things to go back to 'normal,' whatever the hell that is… but I don't see that happening. I think things are only going to get crazier from here."

He caught himself, sighing. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to start ranting."

The nurse chuckled softly, her eyes crinkling above her mask. "No worries, really. I've seen a lot of people die over the years. It's refreshing to hear the thought process of someone who's strong enough to keep moving forward."

As she spoke, the door opened, and Oliver walked in. His disheveled appearance caught Elias off guard—his uniform slightly askew, his hair out of place. "Hey! What the hell happened?" Oliver demanded, his voice sharp. "I told him not to injure you!"

Before Elias could respond, the nurse straightened and gave a polite bow. "Good afternoon, First Lieutenant Oliver Yuikaba. Things got heated, but the session was successful in the end. He's just about cleaned up and ready to go."

Oliver exhaled heavily, brushing a hand through his hair. "Well, I suppose that's satisfactory then," he muttered. "Apologies for my... less-than-composed response."

Elias studied Oliver, noticing the weariness in his eyes and the exhaustion in his tone. It wasn't just him—everyone seemed to be running themselves ragged.

"Regardless," Oliver said, his voice steady, "let's get over to the Warden for a debrief like he requested. After that, you'll be released for the evening."

Elias nodded, thanking the nurse for her time as well as the other staff before heading to change. He slipped back into his green-on-green tracksuit, the material feeling much more comfortable compared to the uniform. Walking alongside Oliver, he broke the silence.

"So, what was the point of wearing that suit earlier if I was just going to change out of it?"

Oliver glanced at him briefly. "The suit was meant to track your heart rate and other metrics. It was originally intended for the obstacle course, but since you didn't get to that today, its use was delayed. Another time."

Elias hummed thoughtfully but didn't press further. Soon, they arrived at a door labeled Warden Geras. The same woman Elias had seen earlier sat at her desk, typing away at her terminal. She glanced up as they approached.

"Ah, welcome," she said crisply. "The Warden is waiting for you inside. Please wait out here, Lieutenant Oliver."