Leo sat on an empty train. Well, relatively empty, that is.
Looking through the window, he saw the lights of Augustine dance and shimmer.
Each and every one of those lights were powered by an Eidcore.
He looked down at his shoes, or further below them.
The very train he sat on was powered by that same basement of corpses.
Strangely enough, he felt no strong emotions for the matter. But he felt like he did.
Perhaps the knowledge was too much and now he was experiencing something he simply couldn't comprehend.
All that lingered was a tightness in his chest. That was the only proof he had that showed he wasn't truly indifferent to what he saw.
He thought of the lights of his apartment, the cheap coffee maker, and…
Maria.
That same old escape had resurfaced, just as it always did.
If he couldn't find solace in the system he served, then she would always be there for him to fall back on.
At the very least, the excuse held more merit in this case.
If it weren't for those Eidcores, nothing could power the equipment that Maria's life hung off of.
He had already "accepted" that he betrayed Charlotte's promise, but he continued to try and sugarcoat his own reality.
Bargaining followed every step of his life as a Reveur.
There was no way around it. He was wrong on every front.
Charlotte was right, and so was Caspian.
That uniform made him just as bad as the Cryptids, and his sword truly owned him.
It felt unbearable, understanding the reality of what exactly he was doing and not being able to do anything about it.
Throughout the justifications, this was the single one Leo truly believed in.
There was nothing he could do. He was completely powerless.
In a way, he was right.
He was unbelievably lucky in the first place, being hired as a combat professor despite his dishonorable discharge.
There was absolutely no way he would get hired anywhere if he gave up again.
Even if he could find some sketchy place, it was impossible that it would pay enough for him to take care of Maria.
The idea of running away had come to his mind, just as it did when he talked to Rachel last.
Except this time, it wasn't satire.
This wasn't the first time he had thought of this.
He had been told that the outside world was filled with monsters. Monsters outside and inside of walls. Monsters with human faces. Monsters with families.
Technically, it wasn't impossible.
It's not like anyone there could stop him.
The problem arose at whether or not they could treat Maria as Augustine does.
If they were as backwards as King Henrik said they were, how could he guarantee they would have the medical equipment to take care of her?
The simple fact is that he couldn't.
All that was left to do was hope. Hope that she could get better someday.
Until then, he would have to continue as a Reveur.
He would have to watch as his own men are dragged into the ICF and never seen again.
He would have to watch as the people of Section One were torn apart and destroyed, just because they weren't seen as valuable.
The last time he defended them against the Druid, Henrik had relayed a warning to him via Caspian.
They all told him that those people simply weren't worth the risk.
And now, he would have to force himself to think that way.
Leo looked at his hands as he slowly curled and straightened his fingers.
His breathing grew heavier and heavier.
He was scared. Deathly scared.
Scared of becoming an instrument of war again.
Scared that Maria would never get okay, and he would just be stuck in that wretched uniform.
Scared that he was only just now understanding and knowing these things.
He closed his eyes, calming himself down.
He thought of his older days as a Reveur.
Then, a suspicion grew.
He was once the Grand Reveur of Augustine, just beside Henrik in power.
So how did he not know of any of these things?
Why did Caspian seem to know everything while in the same position he was in?
Two theoretical answers came to mind after a bit of contemplating.
First, it was possible that Henrik held something over Caspian.
Leo thought about it, imagining Caspian in a similar situation to him.
Not that Caspian had a daughter, or a sick one, but something tangible that Henrik could hold over him to demand compliance.
Second, perhaps Henrik was simply stronger than Leo had given him credit for.
Anyone experienced with Somnia could sense it within others and roughly gauge their strength.
Because of this, Leo had never considered that Henrik might actually be a competent fighter on his own.
He had always seemed like an unremarkable man. Maybe that was the point.
It seemed unlikely, but he had to make some sort of sense of these things being held from him.
There was another third answer though.
One that felt so bitter in his mouth that he didn't even want to acknowledge it as a hypothetical.
Maybe, Henrik knew how unstable Leo would grow to be. How foolish he would be. How impulsive he would be.
If that was the reason, then Henrik surely did dodge a bullet by keeping him in the dark.
Even without Maria being held over his head, Leo felt as though his mind would tell him what he was doing was wrong.
He would feel the urge to revolt, but never truly mean it.
Someone was erratic as that couldn't be trusted.
Finally, the train came to a stop.
Leo stood after a moment, making his way through the tight sets of chairs before exiting.
If there was one good thing to come out of today, it was that he had caught the train on the way back.
That way he didn't have to walk another two hours just to get back.
With Abel Benenson's documentation in hand, he entered the Headquarters.
Caspian stood there, as if waiting for him to enter.
The two stared at each other for what seemed like forever but Leo held out the paper.
"Done."
Caspian looked down to the paper and back up to him once more. He took the paper.
His eyes held a small guilt within them. As if he was silently apologizing for making him witness the inner workings of that damned facility.
He sighed after a moment.
"Took you long enough."
His attempt at slight sarcasm failed to lighten the mood.
Leo remained silent, his eyes wandering off. Clearly distracted in thought.
"Got another job for you."
He exhaled in exasperation.
"What now?"
Caspian slightly turned, nudging him to come.
Leo walked up and stood beside him.
Just beyond, stood a familiar figure.
Leo's eyes widened.
A young man with light-tan skin and short brown hair stood there, fitting himself into a Reveur uniform.
He turned, his face lighting up.
"Professor Morwyn! Look at me! I made it!"
Leo stared on in horror, trying his best to conceal the outward display of this feeling.
He broke his silence after a bit.
"Desmond…?"