Looking at that woman, it felt as if she had taken a bullet into her heart. Suddenly, her eyes grew flooded with her tears, but she held them back in great power I've never seen. I admired her courage, her stability and her great memory. I valued those eyes that had seen death, fear and the great apocalypse, I'm in awe of the pleasure of talking to her.

"So, there's a plan after all? Or was it all just absolute chaos?" I said, my hands grew tired of holding the recorder but my mind knew no rest, I pushed myself through.

"Who would've known there was nay plans?" She said, "Those pulling the strings kept the act in motion without anyone's knowledge. They read the script, played the puppets and set up the play for the public eye." She said, drowning in her chair. "There was only one person who could've stopped everything, but that person chose the easy way out." She continued.

Ilusia.

There she lied, on the cold ground embracing her failure in disgrace. She had passed out for almost an hour, having hit her head strongly on the table behind her led her head to be injured.

"What was it that kept you going, Merit? Is it hope?

You knew no hope.

You could only rely on possibilities and the false hope they create. And as long as someone punched you, you kept walking because you feared the pain. Courage? You're good at pretending you have any. You're just as hopeless as those little tin soldiers awaiting the sky to unfold for a joy. Wake up, Merit. You never knew yourself, how would you end up knowing the world?"

Merit hushed that voice keeping her paralyzed on the ground. She felt her bones shattered and her head dizzy, but what hurt her the most was her heavy heart that almost broke her stone chest apart.

"Redemption! Redemption! Redemption!" They chanted as a choir in the streets as Merit took a look to find the sky clouded with airships. Merit couldn't dare to look underneath the window where Ross and his gruesome corpse lied. The blood on her had dried but her tears were fresh and warm, her teeth were chattering as the word redemption kept growing louder and louder in her head. Merit's little mind couldn't comprehend what had just happened, how the man she once took shelter in his arms had seen her as a monster, how he died despising her and how he could even pull the trigger so easily with no hesitation. A man with great ambition and vision died like a lunatic bound to a wheelchair and a future of praise he could never enjoy.

Merit stepped back slowly, grabbing a water bottle and pouring it on her bloody face and chest where small pieces of Ross's brain were stuck. Merit was terrified to look at herself, and was even more terrified to go downstairs.

"FUCK! Get off me, g-get of-f me." She cried heavily as she cleaned herself, trembling in fear and cursing life, wishing to be eaten by the ground and somehow disappear.

"I n-never had a c-choice." she trembled as she grabbed a cloth and dried herself. "H-how d-do you expect me to k-keep going?" She cried as she tried to pick her bag away from Ross and leave before someone come to check on Ross.

As Merit hastily ran out of the room, she heard a strange twitching sound on the ground, she decided not to investigate but she heard her name, she knew who it was.

"It still lives." Merit sighed, looking over Mechi who somehow still managed to function.

Ilusia's suburbs.

He has been away for not so long. He's the embodiment of misused power, but he was finally reaching the end of the trail Merit had left behind, Viktor won't have mercy on the little girl when the time comes.

Underneath a dim lamp light in a street in Ilusia's now empty suburbs, Viktor stood clicking his shoes in bright tone and whistling along its rhythm. He was alone, anticipating someone. He hadn't aged even a bit, its the same pale face that never shows any sign of humanity, just odd expressions that keep everyone out of his way.

"Here you are!" Viktor said in a fake cheerful tone as his companion appeared in the far distance.

"Come, come! Hurry!" Viktor continued clicking his shoes while whistling louder and louder as the companion became at a safe distance from him.

"Just as annoying as you've always been."

The dim light dawned on the man's face showing his identity, it was the infamous Ghostman who terrorised The Black Hats ever since his arrival. He had held the camera in his hand carelessly and kept tossing it into air like a coin in order to play with Viktor's nerves, but Viktor was completely unaffected.

"I might be annoying, but I'll never be a traitor..Cain." Viktor said, smirking wickedly and starring into Cain's "The Ghostman" eyes. They were as cold as this winter night, starring back at Viktor in obvious despise.

"A traitor, huh? So bold of you to assume I'd have followed your trashy organization in the first place, I've always been loyal to only one person, you know that..Viktor." Cain said.

"I see, I see. Still delusional as usual, so full of yourself, aren't ya?"

"Viktor, have you forgotten what are you? You're just as useless as this piece of crap I'm holding. You're Willies' toy, and Willies is Maynard's toy, you're at the end of the chain. Don't dare to talk to me in such tone."

"And its just you and me now. Willies is gone, Maynard only watches. Its just us, so why bother challenging us when we all have the same goal?"

"What goal? Chasing a kid with a camera? What a joke."

"Oh..I see..So they haven't told you anything, poor little Cain."

Viktor was offending Cain by all of his gestures and words, but that last sentence sent both men into a short interval of silence eventually leading Cain into stepping closer to Viktor with a strong frown.

"What do you mean?" Cain said.

"Well, I'm not allowed to say anything, you know, after all, I'm a toy." Viktor smirked as he eyed Cain who suddenly rushed against Viktor crushing him against the lamp post and holding him tightly from his collar.

"Speak, you rat!" Cain threatened Viktor who kept laughing inciting Cain to tighten his grip around his neck.

"You know the rules! You know the fucking rules, big boy! Hahaha! You wanna kill me? Do it! I dare you to do it! As if its possible for any of us to EVER DIE! Have you forgotten, Cain? Have you forgotten who we are..

What we are?"

Cain relaxed his grip around Viktor, slowly letting him down as he exhaled angrily, "What are they hiding from me?" He asked, this time in a begging tone that made Viktor feel much empowered than before.

"That camera you're holding it, its the reason behind all this chaos." Viktor said, Cain eyed Merit's camera and looked back and Viktor, "Why?" He asked.

"Some brat managed to capture a blackout, she somehow tied the dots and you know what happened next." Viktor said.

"It got into their hands?"

"Yes, it did. For five long years. But its useless now, all the photographs have already been exposed, keep it or destroy it they all now know."

"Are they completely aware?"

"Not really, but they're getting there, at least she is getting there."

"Its that stupid kid chasing Corelight, am I right?"

"Yes. Its her, Merit."

The two men kept looking at each other, both can read each other's thoughts. Cain was a hothead who knew no boundaries to his anger, he followed orders and accordingly acted violent, and now that he knew that the camera is indeed useless, he tossed it to Viktor who quickly caught it.

"This is just a memento of our war, Ghostman." Viktor said, Cain sighed and looked around the empty streets and the flashing white lights of the approaching airships.

"Corelight is out of my reach, but not out of hers. She'll end everything." Cain said.

"Shouldn't you stop her? Isn't that why Maynard sent you?"

"Maynard sent me to kill Menda once and for all, chasing Corelight was the secondary mission, I couldn't believe that the situation is so complicated like that. You should've handled it earlier."

"We? The black hats? What a nice joke!" Viktor laughed, "Willies is gone, there's no one to push the button, everyone is out there finishing their last job, but I, I still take responsibility for letting that brat go, I won't let things fall into rubbles, I can't." Viktor said. "You and I are the same. The only difference between us is that you always believed you had free will, and I knew I was a toy. Here we are at last, why not cooperate? We do chase the same goal after all." Viktor said, approaching Cain who stood still, processing Viktor's proposal and his bitter words, after all, Cain does have feelings, strange enough for someone who never had a heart.

"Huh? What do you think?" Viktor said, pushing Cain into his little game, Cain looked Viktor deep in his eyes, "This one last time, Viktor, only this time." Cain said, Viktor smirked showing he had won.

"I find Corelight and take her home, you kill that girl and we clean the mess, by the time we're done, the rebels will be long dead and gone." Cain said, Viktor nodded and as Cain decided to leave, he stood midway and looked back at Viktor who quickly went back to his rhythm.

"Is she aware of Corelight?" Cain asked.

"No, she still thinks its a location..Poor idiot."

Ilusia's streets.

He walked slowly among the stone crowds like a programmed robot. He knew his destination, his mind is no longer distracted, he's calm and determined, aware of his surroundings. His wrinkles faded away yet his grey hair remained, but those familiar eyes is the only constant trait in his varying shape. He wouldn't stop, he wouldn't take a glance at the airships swarming the sky, turning the once grey sky into a crowded parkway for the grand steel wonders. Its all familiar to his heart yet strange to his eyes. It rebels with his memory and whatever is real of it, but he wouldn't dare to give in to this internal war, he wouldn't surrender to his curiosity to watch the statue people soak themselves in the false hope of redemption while standing underneath the shade of a thousand flag belonging to the rebels, the ones he had always believed in.

He arrived at last, his eyes were chasing the flickering light in Ross' room. The boy, Andres, knew Ross was inside as well as Merit. His heart was eager to see Ross once more and hopefully convince him to stop his plan, but he was unaware of the bloody sight he will witness, and the different Merit he will see.

After five long years, the two distant friends would finally meet.

Andres rushed upstairs, but once he stepped feet into the hallway, his heart sunk deep into his chest. He felt strange pain, he was unable to translate his feeling anymore, the damage the mutation caused him can never be undone.

He slowly walked to the room, his ears caught the sobbing of a young girl that was quite familiar to him, but his brain can't connect the dots yet.

Andres soon found himself inside the bloody room, facing Merit's back who was holding Mechi in her hand while crying in agony, his eyes drifted into his father's dead body and his scattered brain, and underneath him was his favorite gun, he had understood everything, and he, he felt a great sting of pain.

Andres slowly walked towards Merit who wasn't aware of his presence. He gently tapped on her shoulder, alarming her to his presence, once she turned around she screamed as loud as she can.

"WHO ARE YOU!" she cried, punching Andres in the guts, he was unaffected. Andres needn't to say a word, all he did was look her deep in her eyes and she knew right away who he was. She gasped, and he came closer to her, gently wrapping his arms around her as she was shaking hysterically. She didn't resist nor did she say a word, instead, she wrapped her arms around him and fell deep into his warm hug, in all the terror she had experienced, Andres let her feel safe for a moment as the world crumbled outside their circle, he soothed her pain and avoided looking at Ross.

Merit kept crying for few minutes till she got a grip of herself and pulled herself out of Andres hug who was calmly reassuring her and gently pressing her head against his shoulder, she could finally gather words and speak but she trembled.

"I don't know If I should ask about Ross, a part of me knew this will eventually happen." Andres said, diverting Merit's head away from looking at Ross.

"Its-its m-my fault.." She trembled, he sighed and took a piece of cloth to cover Ross' corpse, he offered her a hand to get up but she grabbed Mechi quickly and handed him to Andres.

"Take it, you're the only one who deserves to have him." She said as she got up. Andres held Mechi who was silent yet functioning.

"Why do you think I should have it?" He said, he was about to throw it away when Merit held his hand quickly.

"Ross..Ross programmed himself in-inside th-this.. He is a replica of Ross.." Merit said, Andres eyes Mechi in confusion and soon in sadness, but he soon gave him back to Merit.

"He wanted you to have it, not me. I don't want it." He said, opening Merit's hand and putting Mechi back.

"I don't deserve it-"

"So much has happened these last five years, just looking at both of us I can tell nothing is the same as before, we have no time left, are you ready for this?" Andres said, putting his hand on Merit's shoulder and gently reassuring her.

Merit took a deep breath and she quickly got her sanity back, her shocked eyes turned fierce and vengeful, Merit had lost her innocence that day, and she'd never be the same anymore.

The two companions left together with a thousand story to tell along the way, Merit had finally found the only person she could trust, and at last, she can see the full picture of this bloody war, and as Ross' last words resounded into her ears, she fought her demons to brush them all off. Merit is aware of who's the enemy and who's not, she knew she wasn't the enemy, at least in this battle.