2:10 AM — Ascension Gala, Second Floor: Sovereign District — Shirley's POV
The office doors closed quietly behind them.
For a moment, no one moved.
The grandeur of the Sovereign District stretched endlessly before them.
Deep crimson carpets muffled every footstep.
Towering marble columns supported ceilings painted with scenes Shirley couldn't even begin to understand.
Portraits of unfamiliar rulers watched silently from gilded frames.
Crystal chandeliers bathed the empty corridor in warm golden light.
It was beautiful.
And completely lifeless.
"…It's too quiet," EBS whispered.
Michonne nodded once, "They've cleared this floor."
Shirley frowned, "How can you tell?"
"There should be attendants," She looked toward several abandoned serving carts lining the hallway.
"Security, workers, someone. There isn't."
Her hand tightened around the hilt of her katana, "They've intentionally left this place empty."
A chill ran through Shirley's spine. "…For us?"
Michonne didn't answer. She simply started walking.
The others followed.
Their footsteps echoed softly through the endless hallway.
Shirley couldn't stop looking around.
Everything here screamed wealth. Although Shirley had been on the Sovereign District floor before, he had not seen this area. The paintings. The marble. The gold. The polished wooden doors.
It looked less like part of an airplane…and more like an entire palace someone had somehow built inside one.
"…How is this even possible?" he muttered.
EBS looked around just as nervously, "I streamed in mansions bigger than my apartment…but this…" She shook her head, "…This doesn't even make sense."
Michonne spoke without slowing, "Money stops making sense after a certain point."
They rounded another corner, nothing. Another hallway, nothing. Another intersection, still nothing.
Not a single Smiley. Not a single attendant. Not even another bloodstain.
Shirley's eyebrows slowly lowered. "…Where is everyone?"
"I don't know," Michonne's answer came immediately.
"…And I don't like it."
Just then, a dull metallic clang echoed somewhere far below.
The three froze.
Another sound followed, muffled. Like something heavy being dragged across tile.
Shirley's heartbeat quickened, "…Did you hear that?"
Michonne had already turned toward the nearest staircase. "…Entertainment District."
Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. "He's still down there."
For a brief moment, none of them spoke.
Every second they waited…was another second Tucker remained alone with August.
Michonne slowly drew her katana.
The blade gleamed beneath the chandelier light. "…We're done searching. EBS you know what to do."
She looked back at the two of them. "…Let's end this."
Without another word… Shirley and Michonne descended toward the First Floor.
Toward August.
Toward the beginning…
…of the end.
2:13 AM — Ascension Gala, First Floor: Entertainment District
The stairway ended in silence.
Michonne descended first, one careful step after another, her katana still sheathed but her hand never leaving its hilt.
Shirley followed close behind.
The Entertainment District stretched before them.
Rows of unconscious passengers covered the polished casino floor, slumped over gaming tables, collapsed beside slot machines, lying motionless beneath glittering chandeliers.
It looked less like a luxury gala…and more like the aftermath of a massacre.
Michonne suddenly raised an arm across Shirley's chest.
He stopped immediately, "…What?"
She pointed toward the center of the room, "Over there."
Shirley followed her gaze.
A woman with disheveled black hair sat alone against one of the bar stools.
She kept glancing nervously around the room, biting at her fingernails until they nearly bled.
Her entire body trembled.
"…That's D1," Michonne whispered, "Diamond's first-in-command."
Shirley's eyes widened, "…Her?"
As if sensing them, D1 looked up. Their eyes met.
For a brief second, fear flashed across her face.
Then, hope.
It vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
The nearby bathroom door creaked open. Heavy footsteps echoed across the floor.
August emerged. Three Smileys followed behind him without a sound.
Shirley blinked, "…Does he seriously bring bodyguards into the bathroom?"
Michonne didn't even look at him, "Quiet."
August wasn't alone. Something… Someone…
Dragged across the polished floor behind him. A body. Held by a fistful of white hair, the figure barely moved.
Glass remained embedded in one side of his face. Blood smeared across the floor wherever August pulled him.
His once-pristine bartender uniform had been reduced to torn fabric soaked crimson.
His blue eyes remained half-open. Empty. Lifeless. Shirley's breathing stopped, "…Tucker."
The word barely escaped his lips. Michonne glanced toward him, "That's your friend?"
He couldn't answer immediately. His eyes never left Tucker, "…Yeah, August did that to him…" His voice shook.
Michonne's expression hardened, "Looks that way."
A cold anger settled behind her eyes.
Then, one of the Smileys stopped walking. His grin widened.
Slowly, he raised a finger. Pointing directly toward the staircase.
He tapped August's shoulder. August paused, then turned. His eyes met theirs almost instantly.
A slow smile spread across his face, "…Well, there you are.""
Michonne's eyes widened, "Damn it. We've been spotted."
She reached toward Shirley, but he was already gone. His cleavers flashed free from their sheaths.
Every ounce of hesitation, every trace of fear…
Disappeared the moment he saw Tucker.
"You…" His voice trembled with rage, "You did that to him!"
He exploded forward.
The floor cracked beneath his first step as Strength Presence surged through his legs barely controllable.
Michonne stared for only a fraction of a second.
"…Kid!"
She drew her katana in one fluid motion and sprinted after him.
Across the Entertainment District, August simply watched them approach.
His expression held no concern.
Only amusement.
Only pity.
Only anticipation.
2:15 AM — Ascension Gala, Third Floor — EBS's POV
The sounds of battle faded behind her.
Steel clashed. Someone shouted.
Then, nothing.
EBS swallowed hard as she slipped through a narrow maintenance corridor beside the staircase.
"Just keep going…"
"Don't look back."
Orders echoed inside her head.
"Reach the cockpit."
"No matter what."
She reached the staircase leading upward.
It wasn't like the others.
A thick chain had been wrapped around the entrance, fastened together with sheets of rusted metal and loose wiring.
Almost, like someone wanted to make sure nobody ever came up here.
"…Seriously?" She tugged on the chain.
It didn't budge.
Another distant clang echoed from below.
Shirley. Michonne.
They were buying her time, "…Okay…"
Her eyes landed on a narrow opening where one of the metal sheets had peeled away.
Barely enough room for a person, "I can fit."
Probably.
Taking a shaky breath, she squeezed herself sideways.
Immediately, "Ah!"
Jagged metal sliced across her thigh. She bit down on her sleeve to stop herself from crying out.
Warm blood trickled down her leg, "…Keep moving…"
One painful shove later, she stumbled onto the third floor.
Silence. Complete silence.
EBS slowly looked around. "…What…"
The luxury was gone. No chandeliers, no marble, no polished walls.
Instead, dust coated nearly every surface.
Thick cobwebs stretched from ceiling to ceiling, hanging like forgotten curtains.
The wooden floorboards looked rotten beneath layers of grime.
Old crates sat stacked against walls that had begun peeling decades ago.
Broken furniture lay abandoned wherever it had fallen.
The air smelled stale. Like nobody had breathed it in years.
"…This…" She whispered, "This is still the same plane…right?"
A loose floorboard creaked beneath her shoe. The sound echoed much farther than it should have.
EBS immediately froze.
Nothing.
She kept walking.
Every step produced another groan from the ancient floor.
The hallway stretched endlessly ahead.
Only a handful of dim emergency lights still functioned, flickering weakly every few seconds.
Everything between them disappeared into darkness, "Why would anyone even have this place…"
She hugged herself tighter.
Then, a faint tap.
She froze.
She slowly turned around. Nobody. Only darkness.
"It's just the plane…" She laughed nervously, "Old planes make noises."
She turned back around. Three steps.
This time, behind her. Much closer.
Her breathing stopped. "…Hello…?"
Nothing answered. Only the faint buzz of dying lights.
EBS gripped her pocketknife tighter, "…Don't be stupid."
She spun around. Still…nothing. "…I'm imagining things."
She continued forward.
The hallway eventually opened into another corridor.
At the very end… A reinforced steel door. Above it hung faded lettering.
"COCKPIT"
Relief flooded through her body, "I made it…"
She hurried toward it. One hand reached for the handle.
Just before touching it, a strange feeling crawled up the back of her neck.
Like someone, was standing directly behind her.
Watching. Waiting.
EBS's fingers stopped inches from the handle.
Slowly, very slowly.
She began turning around.
2:18 AM — Ascension Gala, First Floor: Entertainment District
Steel screamed against steel.
The clash echoed through the abandoned Entertainment District, drowning out even the distant hum of the aircraft.
D1 stood frozen. She couldn't tear her eyes away.
Just a few feet behind the fighting, August calmly swirled the wine inside his glass.
As though none of it concerned him.
As though this entire battle were simply another performance.
One Smiley already lay motionless across the polished floor.
Two remained.
One rushed Shirley. The other charged Michonne.
The Smiley swung his steel pipe with terrifying force.
Shirley's cleavers barely caught the blow.
The impact shot through his arms. Before he could recover,
The Smiley drove the end of the pipe into the side of Shirley's head.
His ears rang, his vision blurred.
"…Ghk—!"
He staggered sideways. The Smiley advanced without hesitation.
Without emotion.
Still smiling.
Shirley planted one foot against the floor, "Not again."
Strength Presence surged through his arms.
He rotated both cleavers until the blades sat perfectly parallel.
The Smiley swung once more.
This time, Shirley stepped inside the attack.
Two silver flashes crossed through the air. Blood exploded across the floor.
A deep horizontal wound carved across the Smiley's torso.
The smile finally dissapeared.
The steel pipe slipped from lifeless fingers. The body collapsed with a dull thud.
Shirley breathed heavily, "…One."
Across the room, Michonne remained perfectly composed.
The Smiley assaulted her relentlessly.
Left, right, overhead.
Each swing of the metal pipe carried enough force to shatter bone.
Yet every strike met only empty air.
She flowed around each attack with effortless precision.
Patient.
The Smiley overcommitted. Just slightly, "There."
Her katana flashed once. The blade pierced clean through his chest.
The Smiley froze. Blood spilled from his lips.
Michonne met his eyes without expression.
"…Rest."
She withdrew the sword in one smooth motion.
The body collapsed.
Blood splattered across the polished blade.
With one practiced flick of her wrist…
The crimson scattered across the marble floor.
Silence.
Only Shirley and Michonne remained standing.
Their eyes lifted together. Toward August.
He hadn't moved, he simply took another sip of wine.
"…Finished?" he asked almost lazily.
Before either of them could answer, footsteps.
Five Smileys emerged from deeper within the Entertainment District, steel pipes resting across their shoulders, identical smiles stretched unnaturally wide.
They marched forward in perfect synchronization.
Michonne slowly lowered her stance, "We're not done."
Shirley tightened his grip around his cleavers, "Guess not."
Five more enemies.
And August…
Still hadn't lifted a finger.
2:20 AM — Ascension Gala, Third Floor: Cockpit — EBS's POV
Slowly…
Very slowly…
EBS turned around.
Nothing.
The hallway remained exactly as she'd left it.
Dust floated lazily through the stale air. Cobwebs swayed almost imperceptibly.
She let out the breath she'd been holding, "…See? You're just scaring yourself…"
Then, her eyes drifted toward the far end of the corridor.
Something stood there. A figure. Almost completely swallowed by darkness.
Too far away to make out.
It didn't move, it didn't breathe. It simply stood there.
EBS's heart nearly stopped, "W-Who's there?!"
No answer.
The figure remained perfectly still.
"…No…" She backed away instinctively before suddenly spinning toward the cockpit door.
Her trembling hands grabbed the handle, "…Come on…"
She twisted it. Locked.
"…Please…"
She pulled harder. Nothing.
She slammed her shoulder into it once, twice.
On the third impact, The door slowly busted open.
EBS stumbled inside and immediately slammed it shut behind her.
The cockpit was silent. Except for the quiet hum of machinery.
Two pilots sat before an endless sea of glowing instruments.
Neither turned around. Neither acknowledged her.
"Excuse me?"
No response.
EBS slowly stepped closer, "H-Hello?"
Still nothing. One of the pilots slowly adjusted a lever.
The other made a slight correction to the steering controls.
They acted mechanically. Almost automatically.
"…Sir?" Her voice became smaller, "…Ma'am?"
They continued flying.
Finally…
One of them slightly turned his head.
EBS froze.
His face…
His cheeks had sunken so deeply they clung to his skull. His skin stretched tightly across protruding bones.
Dark circles surrounded empty, lifeless eyes. His lips were cracked beyond bleeding.
He looked, starved. Not for days, for months. Perhaps longer.
EBS looked toward the second pilot.
She looked no different. Both of them were horrifyingly thin.
Their uniforms hung from bodies that barely seemed capable of remaining upright.
"…Oh…" EBS whispered, "…What happened to you…?"
The pilots said nothing. Their eyes returned to the windshield.
Hands never leaving the controls.
As though nothing else in the world existed.
EBS slowly approached them.
"…Excuse me…"
"…Could…"
"…Could you land the plane?"
Nothing.
"…Please?"
No response. She swallowed.
"…There are people getting hurt…"
Silence.
"…Please…"
"…Just listen to me…"
Nothing.
The only sounds were the steady beeping of instruments, and the engines carrying the aircraft forward.
EBS's voice cracked.
"…Please…"
"…I'm asking nicely…"
"…Please land the plane…"
Neither pilot even blinked. It was as though she wasn't there.
Her eyes slowly drifted toward the pocketknife in her trembling hand.
Michonne's words echoed inside her mind, "Threaten the pilots if you have to."
Her grip tightened.
She looked back at the two skeletal figures. They weren't monsters. They weren't Smileys. They weren't even fighting back.
They just, kept working. No matter how much she begged. Her hand shook violently.
"…I…"
Tears welled in her eyes.
"…I can't…"
She slowly lowered the knife. Her knees gave out beneath her. She collapsed onto the cold floor.
"…What am I supposed to do…?"
The cockpit remained silent. The pilots continued flying.
And beyond the reinforced glass…
The plane never changed course.
2:25 AM — Ascension Gala, First Floor: Entertainment District
Silence settled over the Entertainment District once more.
Five more Smileys lay motionless across the polished marble floor.
Broken steel pipes rolled to a stop.
Blood slowly spread between shattered tiles.
Shirley stood among them, breathing heavily.
A thin stream of blood trickled from a cut across his cheek before dripping onto the floor beneath him.
His arms trembled from exhaustion, yet his grip around his cleavers never loosened.
Beside him, Michonne remained standing.
Her breathing had grown noticeably heavier.
Fresh scratches covered her arms and shoulders, and crimson droplets stained both her face and the edge of her katana.
Neither of them looked away from August.
Shirley stepped forward.
"…Why?"
His voice echoed through the District, "Why are you doing all of this?"
He gestured toward the thousands of unconscious passengers surrounding them, "You kidnapped every single one of these people. You stripped away their freedom. You locked innocent people in cages."
His voice grew louder, "You call them criminals… but half of them didn't even know what they were walking into!"
"What could possibly make all of this worth it?"
He dusted invisible wrinkles from his suit before looking directly at Shirley.
"…Interesting."
A faint smile crossed his face, "When I mailed those invitations…you and Tucker Riley were nobodies. Unknown. Insignificant. And yet…"
He glanced toward the bodies of the fallen Smileys, "here you are."
He chuckled quietly. "…Remarkable."
Shirley's jaw tightened. "You still haven't answered me."
August slowly began walking. Not toward Shirley, but through the rows of unconscious passengers.
He spread one arm toward them, "People fascinate me. They believe they're progressing. They believe every generation becomes wiser than the last."
He looked back at Shirley, "…Tell me What has actually changed?"
Shirley frowned, "…What?"
August laughed softly, "Forgive me. You wouldn't know. You've never studied history."
His eyes narrowed. "Empires rise. Empires collapse.The powerful rule. The weak obey. Again. And again. And again."
He placed a hand against his own chest, "The world has never belonged to everyone. It belongs to those capable of shaping it."
His smile slowly widened. "…The chosen."
Shirley took another step forward, "…You're insane."
"No."
August answered almost immediately. "I'm honest. "The world has always had rulers…and those born to kneel. You simply happened to be born among the latter."
Shirley's grip tightened until his knuckles turned white, "I'll never kneel to anyone."
August tilted his head, "…You already do."
Before Shirley could answer, glass exploded somewhere behind August.
Everyone turned.
The infirmary doors burst open. A shower of glittering diamonds scattered across the marble floor.
A woman stepped through them.
Bandages wrapped tightly around her abdomen. Fresh blood seeped through the white cloth.
In one hand, she carried the doctor's severed head.
Without even looking at it, she let it fall.
The skull collapsed beneath her heel, "…Still preaching about your perfect world?"
Diamond's voice was cold. August's smile finally disappeared, "…Diamond."
Across the room, D1's eyes immediately filled with tears, "…Diamond!"
Shirley's eyes widened as well, "…You're alive…"
Diamond smirked. "Barely."
She continued walking. Each step echoed through the Entertainment District.
"You honestly thought bringing thousands of criminals, politicians, business leaders, people who know far too much, onto one plane, wouldn't eventually explode in your face?"
Michonne slowly moved beside Shirley.Her katana lowered into a ready stance, "Looks like your little performance is over."
Shirley stepped forward as well. "It ends here."
Now, August stood surrounded.
Shirley.
Michonne.
Diamond.
Some of the strongest people aboard the Ascension Gala.
For several long seconds, no one moved.
Then, August laughed.
Genuinely.
Louder, and louder.
He leaned casually against the nearby bar. Poured himself another glass of wine.
The three instinctively stopped advancing.
"…Me?" He laughed again,"You truly believe, this is where I lose?"
He raised the glass. His smile almost looked…peaceful.
"…Perhaps." He admitted. "…Perhaps my perfect world, was never meant for me to witness."
He swirled the wine thoughtfully, "But one day, someone will finish what I started."
He emptied the entire glass in a single drink.
"…Until then…"
His thumb slipped into the inside pocket of his jacket.
Click.
A tiny button depressed.
For half a second, nothing happened.
Then, hidden vents throughout the Entertainment District sprang open.
Behind chandeliers, inside gaming tables, beneath the bar, within decorative pillars, even inside stacks of gambling chips.
A pale gray gas flooded outward.
"…No—!" Michonne's eyes widened.
Shirley immediately held his breath.
Too late.
The gas spread impossibly fast. His vision blurred. His legs suddenly felt impossibly heavy. His cleavers slipped from numb fingers.
Diamond staggered, "…What…"
Even she couldn't stay standing.
One by one, bodies collapsed.
D1 crumpled beside her chair. Diamond fell to one knee, before finally collapsing.
Michonne tried taking another step. She only managed one, then darkness swallowed her.
Shirley fought harder than anyone. His breathing became ragged. His knees buckled. "…I…"
His vision narrowed. Across the room, August remained perfectly still.
Untouched.
His grin slowly returned.
The last thing Shirley saw…
…was that smile.
Then…
Everything went black.