The meta pod opened with a hiss, a breeze of frigid air swept past. Missio sat in it with his arms crossed, his expression indifferent but also one of relief. He drew a sharp breath and stepped out of the cold pod, rubbing his hands against his cold coat. Right then, Krishna rushed towards him and grabbed his shoulders.
"Damn you! Why did you have to be so petty?" Krishna said while shaking Missio.
Unexpectedly, Missio's eyes darkened. A deep shadow cast itself over his face. Krishna's eyes widened and he froze, realizing what he had done, he stopped but it was already too late. Missio opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His hands shook uncontrollably, and he fell to his knees. His breath became ragged as cold sweat rolled down his face. His pupils gleamed with red light. He clutched his head in agony if he wanted to crush his own skull.
Missio remembered. He remembered a woman wearing a white dress with golden accents, who had black hair. He saw her kneel in front of a cross inside of a church. Faint prayers could be heard from her. She lifted her head and turned towards Missio. She had dark eyes and a gentle face. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out…or rather, Missio couldn't hear it.
Krishna gasped and comforted Missio. Henry and Eira dropped to their knees. Henry held his hand and Eira rubbed his back. Then, Krishna whispered in a faint voice.
"You're safe. It's okay. They won't come back. You don't have to see it again. It wasn't his or your fault. Remember…Remember her embrace, her warmth."
As he finished, Missio started to calm down. His breath became steady, and he looked relieved. He let go of Henry's hand and stood up. His expression returned to normal. Missio locked eyes with his best friend. His pupils gleamed with red as he stood up.
"Are you stupid? What kind of friends forget my triggers? Huh! Only friends like you!" Missio angrily shouted at Krishna.
Krishna's lip slightly curled with agitation, but he quickly calmed himself down and stood up. He locked eyes with his partner and said with a stupefied face.
"I'm sorry. I just… forget sometimes, y'know. Also, I have a good reason. You literally absorbed my fleet which I had been working on for months."
"Idiots! All of you idiots! Why did I even become friends with you?" Missio scolded.
He turned and stomped out of the room. He swung his arms heavily and clicked his tongue. Krishna and Eira locked eyes and sighed.
"He's having mood swings again," Eira said.
"We'll just have to deal with it," Krishna shrugged.
As they were about to follow him, all the other meta pods opened with a hiss. An immense wave of ice washed over the group as they huddled together. The gamers inside sat up with confusion, hugging themselves for warmth. The lights of the room turned on and illuminated the dark space. Then, the ticket inspector went forward and said in a hoarse voice.
"Attention everyone! Evacuate the premises at once!" he shouted.
Panic arose amongst the people as they rushed outside. Alarms and sirens warned the nearby civilians to run away as well. Screams of terror could be heard from the panicked gamers as they rushed outside, pushing themselves. Their fear was clear on their faces. The group also followed the evacuation warning. Krishna pulled his sleeve, checking the time on his mechanical watch.
'2 am?! It's been 3 hours, but we only played for a few minutes! Definitely, chaos fragment behavior.'
As they stepped outside, a small tremor shook the earth. Civilians fell to the ground while the lucky ones stood up. More sirens flared, intensifying the panic amongst the civilians. The trio grabbed onto the wall and balanced themselves.
"Everyone! I'm Enforcer Henry from the Black ops division! Please go this way!" Henry shouted.
The people followed his orders without question and ran in the direction he was pointing. Henry controlled the chaos with diligence until everyone was evacuated. Instantly, a loud crack sounded and when Henry turned around. There was a massive dark rift opening behind him. He scowled and ran towards his friends who were trying to catch up to Missio. The roars of chaos beasts could be heard in the distance as the special ops division came to the scene.
***
As the sun dipped past the horizon, a vibrant pallet of red, orange, yellow and pink covered the sky, dazzling one's eyes. Missio stood in front of the gate, facing his friends.
"Forgive me for the…uh…things I said at the station." Missio said in a low voice while scratching his head.
"Nah, It's okay. I got used to it." Krishna retorted.
"Don't worry. People make mistakes." Eira said while looking away.
"Yeah, we're adults now. We won't blame you from something so small." Henry stated awkwardly.
"Anyways, Bye-Bye!" Krishna said while turning away.
Henry and Eira also said their goodbyes. Missio thanked them and waved as they strolled back to their homes. He entered the mansion and was saluted by the guards wearing polished armor. He stepped inside his home and was greeted by Lilla.
"Hello, my lord. Did you have a pleasant day?" Lilla asked.
"Yes." Missio replied while taking off his shoes.
He took off his coat and handed it to Lilla. Sitting down on the bed, he rested there for a while. After a few minutes, Lilla approached and said solemnly.
"My lord, Victor is waiting for you in the other room."
Missio nodded without saying anything. He stood up and walked to Victor's room. He stepped into the room and saw Victor sitting in a chair. He had blonde hair and green eyes, wearing glasses. He wore a black coat, black pants and a white shirt. His hair was cut in the same style as Missio's.
"Copied my style, I see." Victor noticed.
"I just thought…it looked good…" Missio muttered as he sat on the couch.
"Okay, then. Let's begin today's session." Victor said while twirling his pen.
They were in a small room with a chair, couch and a table. Victor crossed his legs and rested his hand on the notebook he had.
"So~, how was today's trip?" Victor asked.
"Well, it was nice…except for that part." Missio answered.
"Really? and what was 'that' part?" Victor inquired.
"Um…I kinda…got a little angry…at…uh…Krishna." Missio murmured.
"Why did you get angry?" Victor questioned.
"Because… he shook me?" Missio replied.
"Ah, yes…It triggered a bad memory, correct? No worries, mood swings are normal for traumatized patients. Anything else?" Victor asked.
"…No." Missio replied.
"Good. Then, let's continue to the next part of this session, shall we?" Victor questioned.
"…Okay." Missio acknowledged.
"I'll leave the floor to you." Victor said, drawing a sharp breath.
The next instant, Missio broke down in tears. His body trembled uncontrollably, his hands shook violently under Victor's gaze. His voice was cracked and muffled. It almost made Victor cry, but he couldn't let his composure down. Tears rolled down Missio's face as he hugged his pillow. He coughed and his hair covered his scarlet, sorrowful eyes. Then, he said in a hoarse and sorrowful voice.
"It because of his fault. Why couldn't he listen to her prayers? Why do they leave us in the dust? Why are they so incompetent? Why? Why? Why? They shouldn't be worshipped if they cannot protect even their believers. He didn't listen when she cried out when she begged and…and…"
As Missio continued to break down, Victor sat beside him and patted him on the head. He pulled him closer to his chest, Missio's tears dampened his clothes, but he ignored it. On the verge of tears, Victor said in a deep voice.
"It's okay… Even if he didn't help you, we will — we're here for you. Always."
With that Missio fell unconscious in Victor's arms, Snot and tears covering his face as he snored.