Chapter 8: Sacrifice and Survival

Retsuki stood at the crumbling edge of the hospital's exterior, his glow dim and erratic, like a flame fighting the wind. He exhaled slowly, his voice hollow but resolute.

Retsuki: "Let's get out of this hospital."

Marten glanced at him, his face carved with exhaustion and lingering frustration.

Marten: (Flatly) "About time."

Verena, still shaken, nodded silently. They moved cautiously through the alleys of Yorktun, the oppressive gloom of the city pressing down on them like a physical weight. The streets were alive with a different kind of danger—the infected. Their distorted forms lurked in shadows, their twisted whispers echoing in the distance.

The city had changed. Once a bustling hub of culture and humanity, Yorktun now bore the scars of despair and decay. Buildings crumbled under the weight of neglect. Propaganda posters plastered the walls, their slogans mocking the reality around them: "ELEVATED ORDER IS YOUR SALVATION."

The infected stumbled through the streets, their movements jerky and erratic, like marionettes controlled by invisible strings. Some clutched at their faces, their expressions locked in grotesque masks of fear, rage, or despair. Others stared, their hollow eyes following the team's every step.

Verena: (Whispering, clutching her sketchpad tightly) "They're everywhere... They weren't this many before. Were they?"

Marten: (Grimly) "The Ketuinkin spreads faster than the Upbringers let on. They're losing control of their weapon."

Retsuki's light flickered as he turned toward a distant crowd of infected. They were gathered around a propaganda speaker, its voice droning endlessly: "Resist chaos. Embrace order. Obey the Upbringers."

Retsuki: (Softly) "They're trapped in their minds, fighting battles they can't win. And the Upbringers feed on it."

Marten's hand tightened around his blade, his knuckles whitening.

Marten: "Then we need to keep moving before we end up like them."

As the group turned a corner, the air grew colder and heavier. A sound—a faint metallic clinking—echoed from the shadows. Alitha stopped abruptly, her eyes narrowing.

Alitha: (Sharply) "Wardens. They're here."

A second later, the shadows erupted with motion. Figures in dark, angular armor stepped into view, their faces hidden behind featureless masks. The Wardens moved with cold precision, their weapons raised and their voices amplified by their suits.

Warden Leader: "Rebels. You are to be detained by order of the Upbringers. Resistance will result in termination."

Marten snarled, drawing his weapon, but Alitha stepped forward, her hand raised to stop him.

Alitha: "No. We don't have time for this."

Marten: (Furious) "We don't have a choice!"

The Wardens opened fire, their energy rifles lighting up the alley with bursts of cold, sterile light. Retsuki surged forward, his energy flaring brightly as he deflected the shots, his movements quick and fluid. The alley became a battleground, chaos erupting in every direction.

Amid the fight, Alitha's eyes locked onto one of the Wardens. Her breath caught in her throat—she recognized him. A former comrade. A reminder of her past life, the weight of her betrayal.

For a moment, she froze. The Warden hesitated, too, his weapon lowering slightly as though he saw something familiar in her face.

Warden: (Softly, almost human) "Alitha...?"

The hesitation was brief. Another Warden shouted an order, and the moment shattered. Alitha shook her head, her expression hardening.

Alitha: (To herself) "No turning back now."

She moved purposefully, her blade flashing as she confronted the Wardens head-on. Her movements were precise and lethal, but there was no mistaking the pain in her eyes. Every strike reminded her of what she had been and what she had lost.

Retsuki's glow faltered as he fought to hold the line, shielding Verena and Marten. He turned to call for Alitha, only to see her standing in the middle of the fray, surrounded by Wardens. Her stance was defiant, but the odds were overwhelming.

Retsuki: (Desperate) "Alitha! Fall back!"

She didn't move. Instead, she turned to him, her expression calm but resolute.

Alitha: "You need to go. Now."

Retsuki: (Shouting) "No! We'll fight together!"

Alitha: (Firmly) "You don't understand. If they catch you, it's over. Go, Retsuki. That's an order."

Marten grabbed Retsuki's arm, his voice urgent.

Marten: "She's buying us time. Don't waste it!"

Retsuki hesitated, his light flickering dangerously low. Alitha met his gaze one last time, her eyes filled with sadness and determination.

Alitha: (Softly) "Don't let this be for nothing."

Before Retsuki could respond, the Wardens closed in. Alitha charged forward, drawing their attention away from the others. The last thing Retsuki saw was her figure disappearing into the chaos, her blade flashing as she fought against impossible odds.

The group fled, their steps echoing through the empty streets. Retsuki's light dimmed to almost nothing, his energy drained not by the fight but by the weight of what had just happened.

When they finally stopped, Marten rounded on him, his face twisted with anger.

Marten: "This is what happens when you hesitate, Retsuki. This is what the Upbringers do! They take everything!"

Verena stepped between them, her voice trembling.

Verena: "Stop it, both of you! We can't fall apart now. Alitha... she wouldn't want this."

Retsuki didn't respond. He stared at the ground, his fists clenched, his glow faint and erratic.

Retsuki: (Quietly, but with a terrifying edge) "I'll save her. No matter what it takes."

Marten scoffed, his voice cold.

Marten: "She's gone, Retsuki. You saw what happened."

Retsuki: (Looking up, his eyes blazing with light) "She's not gone. Not yet. And if the Upbringers think they can take her, they're wrong. I'll tear their entire system apart if I have to."

The group fell silent, the weight of his words hanging heavily in the air. The road ahead was darker than ever, but in Retsuki's glow, there was a spark of something terrifying: a promise of vengeance.

The air was thick with silence as the team stumbled into the hollowed-out ruins of an abandoned library. The shelves stood like skeletal remains, their books long gone, consumed by time or the Upbringers' purges—faint moonlight filtered through shattered windows, casting jagged shadows across the room. No one spoke; no one could.

Retsuki's glow had dimmed to the faintest flicker, his energy barely holding. He stopped in the center of the room, his voice low but commanding.

Retsuki: "We're not gonna save her yet."

Marten's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Marten: "What?"

Retsuki: "Y'all are exhausted. Sleep. In a few hours, get up, and we'll find a way."

Marten opened his mouth to argue, but Verena grabbed his arm, shaking her head. Her face was pale, her eyes hollow, but there was a quiet understanding in her expression. Marten let out a sharp breath, his frustration boiling below the surface.

Retsuki sat down against a crumbling pillar, his back straight, his light casting faint, eerie patterns on the walls. He didn't look at them; his gaze was fixed somewhere far away, his jaw tight, his hands trembling just enough to notice.

Verena: (Softly) "We can't just leave her..."

Retsuki: (Cutting her off, his tone cold and final) "Sleep. That's an order."

His words left no room for argument. Marten stormed off to the far side of the room, pacing like a caged animal. Verena hesitated, her gaze lingering on Retsuki before she slumped against a wall, pulling her knees to her chest. The tension in the room was suffocating.

Time passed in silence, broken only by Marten's restless footsteps. Verena eventually drifted into an uneasy sleep, her body betraying the exhaustion etched into her every move. Retsuki remained seated, his light pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.

But inside, he was unraveling.

Alitha's final words echoed in his mind, each syllable a dagger twisting deeper into his core. Her defiance, her sacrifice—it was all for him. And now she was gone, swallowed by the Upbringers' machine. He clenched his fists, the faint hum of electricity sparking around his hands.

Retsuki: (Muttering to himself) "I could've stopped it. I should've stopped it."

The words tasted bitter, like ash. He felt the weight of failure pressing down on him, suffocating him. He wasn't human, but the ache in his chest felt all too real. He closed his eyes, but he saw Alitha's face behind his lids—determined, fearless, and then gone.

Marten's pacing grew louder and more erratic until he finally stopped and turned toward Retsuki.

Marten: (Bitingly) "How can you just sit there? How can you tell us to sleep when she's out there, probably dead, because of you?"

Retsuki's eyes snapped open, his glow flaring briefly before dimming again. He didn't respond immediately, his voice calm but laced with an edge.

Retsuki: "Because running in there now gets us all killed. And I'm not losing anyone else tonight."

Marten: (Sneering) "How noble. But you didn't care about that when you let her stay behind."

Retsuki stood slowly, his frame radiating quiet menace. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

Retsuki: "You think I don't care? Do you think this doesn't burn me alive from the inside? I didn't 'let' her do anything. She chose to save us."

Marten's fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. Verena stirred, her eyes fluttering open as the tension in the room thickened like a storm cloud.

Marten: "And now she's gone. Just like everyone else, we've lost, just like Paragus. You think you're some beacon of hope, Retsuki? You're nothing but a glorified weapon. And you don't even work right."

The words hit harder than any blow. The room was silent for a moment, the weight of Marten's accusation hanging like a noose.

Retsuki: (Quietly) "You're right."

Marten froze, caught off guard by the admission. Retsuki's glow dimmed even further, barely illuminating the space around him.

Retsuki: "I'm not enough. I wasn't enough for Alitha, for Paragus, or this city. But I'll tell you this—when I go after her when I burn down whatever hellhole they've taken her to, you can stand with me, or you can get out of my way."

Marten opened his mouth to respond, but Verena's voice cut through the tension.

Verena: "Enough."

She stood shakily, her hands trembling as she glared at them.

Verena: "We've all lost people. We've all made mistakes. But tearing each other apart isn't going to bring her back."

Her voice softened, her gaze turning to Retsuki.

Verena: "She believed in you. We all do. So stop blaming yourself and start thinking about how we will get her back."

The room fell silent again, but the air was different now. The weight hadn't lifted, but it had shifted, becoming sharper and more focused.

Retsuki sat back down, his glow steadying just enough to illuminate his face. He looked at Marten, his expression unreadable.

Retsuki: "Sleep. Both of you. I'll keep watch."

Marten hesitated, then finally sat down, his shoulders slumping. Verena returned to her corner, her movements slow and deliberate. As they drifted into an uneasy rest, Retsuki remained awake, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.

He reached into his core, feeling the energy that powered him, the spark that made him more than just a weapon. He thought of Alitha, her laughter, fierce determination, and final stand. The ache in his chest deepened, but so did his resolve.

Retsuki: (To himself) "I'll find you. And I'll make them pay."

The promise hung in the air, electric and unrelenting, as the city outside stirred with new dangers.