"I trusted her vision more than anyone because I knew she always picked the right path without any guidance." The lady said, I brought my chair closer and listened carefully.

"Was she that smart?" I asked, she looked away for a second, starring at the television beside her.

"No, she wasn't. I'll admit, but she was righteous, and that made her so much more than just a thief with a knife." The lady said, looking back at the ground with a depressing tone.

"Do you think she made the right decision? You feel so sympathetic towards her, which is unusual." I asked, my question somehow made her smile.

"There's no right choice, there was nothing for her to choose from, I sympathise with her for her own misfortune, the misfortune we've caused." She said, still eyeing that turned off television.

"I understand your emotions..But she was wrong, look at what she caused." I said, disagreeing with her, because I knew I was on the right path.

"We must take accountability for what we made." She said, "And now, its just payback time." She continued, I breathed heavily but held my recorder steadily.

It was the last chapter now, the end I've been anticipating for many sessions, the truth that I was dying to hear, No..No, I was truly going to die it I don't hear this truth.

The end.

Merit and her companions walked through the smelly sewers among the underground refugees. Young children played, unaware of the chaos above them. Some decided to lighten the burden and took out their violins and guitars, and beautiful music played that took away all the resident fear in all those petrified hearts, the music touched everyone and changed the atmosphere into a light one, but it didn't touch Merit's heart, perhaps she felt so low that even the brightest of tones would never reach her ears, those ears that have been accustomed to the screams of death and pain.

What have you become, Merit?

"We're almost there, any last words, Merit?" Elijah said, looking back at Merit who frowned at his question, "Last words?" She inquired, no longer able to withstand his terrible attitude.

"You know she's going to kill you, before you kill her." Elijah said, Andres pinched him, "Can you just shut up and walk?" He said, pushing him forward, "I don't want to kill her." Merit said, Lydia sighed and comforted her, "Maybe we can reach another solution." She said, soon, Elijah laughed loudly alerting all those in the sewers.

"Its kill or be killed." He said, "If you don't kill her, Ilusia will be done for, don't you know she controls The Titan?" Elijah said, Merit's eyes widened at the thought of fighting such a powerful being, "What's she?" She asked Elijah who stopped walking.
"I don't know, they never told me, but we will find out." He said, "She might be the most powerful being in this universe." He continued, "But also, the smartest." He said in a serious tone. "So, Jen didn't tell you anything about her, huh?" Elijah asked, Merit nodded.

"Jen is useless." Merit sighed, "He just gives me the slightest of clues and vanishes into thin air." Merit continued, Elijah laughed and walked again.

"This jen guy, who's he?" Andres asked, "uhm, a guide I guess?" Merit replied, realizing that she, herself, doesn't even know who's he.

"Andres, may I have a word with Elijah?" Lydia suddenly said, Merit raised an eyebrow in confusion but Andres didn't hesitate, he let go of Elijah who calmly went to speak with Lydia.

"That guy is a mess, he's injured badly but he doesn't even act like it." Andres spoke to Merit concerning Elijah, "Yeah he's not human, I'm sure of that." Merit said, "Lydia smashed his head to pieces and look at him, its like nothing happened." Merit continued. "You've a wild adventure when I was gone." Andres laughed and so did Merit, "I wouldn't call it an adventure, it was ..traumatic." She continued.

"You know, Forger would have been proud." Andres said, and those words hit Merit into her heart, that name echoed in her head and that sentence warmed her heart, someone was proud of her, but if only he was here to see it.

"I'm sure Ross would have been proud of you too." She told Andres who gave her a half smile but didn't feel that much affected by that sentence, "The old Ross, the one before I was kidnapped." He said, "He..he wasn't in his right mind when he took that decision.." He continued. Merit shook her head in agreement, "He knew many things, more than we all know." She said, "What did he say?" Andres asked, Merit shrugged and evaded the question, "I don't really-r-remember" She trembled, and Andres understood.

"Perhaps he wasn't good like we thought." Andres said, and Merit sighed and refused to discuss this subject.

"Screw you, Elijah!" Lydia shouted suddenly, to which Merit responded quickly by turning over facing them, "Is something wrong?" She asked, and Elijah just glared at Lydia silently, "I'm not a robot, if that's all you think of me!" Elijah shouted at Lydia who didn't say anything, "Are you a robot?" Merit asked, pissing him off more.

"I have a heart you dumb fucks!" He shouted again, and the rest of the group laughed at how offended he is, and soon, they just walked to the exit, breathless and unaware of what awaits them behind that huge wooden door.

A new life awaits, or a shocking reality, a gamble that only the oblivious takes without understanding that fate doesn't care about justice or feelings, life never valued those who owned it, and after all, the assumption that light wins over darkness is debatable.

Heart of steel or flesh, blood or molten liquid, eyes of clarity or of wires, which one knows better? Which one sees the truth?

Upperground Ilusia.

The Group arrived in front of the door leading to the surface and let Merit take the initial steps outside. Merit's were heavy along the way but as soon as ah found herself reaching what she has been seeking for years, an answer for the camera's mystery and a fulfilment for Jen, her steps became lighter and quicker, Elijah followed her quickly and jumped by her side, leaning towards her ear as they reached the smoky light of the noon near the wreckage of the titan's wrath.

"Whatever happens with her, the choice you make decides everything, everything, Merit. I trust your vision"
Elijah said, unlike his smug attitude he sounded sincere for the first time yet smiled a broken smile that Merit felt that it was a bad omen.

"I can't trust my decisions anymore, Elijah. I am afraid there's something about me that after all that long journey I still can't figure it out, I'm afraid of what I'm about to do, although it may be the right thing." Merit spoke in an unsettling tone that gave out her tangled emotions to Elijah who couldn't reply, but could only tap on her shoulder gently.

"This wasn't our battle, we're..young, they sold us, but also we've come this far, we're able to solve this, you're able to solve this." Elijah said, Merit smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Hopefully.." She sighed.

"Until we meet again, Merit." Elijah said, pointing his finger to whats beyond the wreckage where Corelight and Viktor were sitting, upon seeing Merit Corelight jumped out of her seat in strange fear, Merit felt confused realising that Corelight looks like a young woman, and acts like one.

Merit looked back at Elijah in confusion, "Are you going to run away now?" She asked, he stepped back and let Andres and Lydia speak to Merit, he sunk to the background and stood silent. The world around Merit became as silent as him, only Elijah was visible to her with his serious eyes, that 180 degree personality shift and that goodbye was another bad omen to Merit, but, it wasn't the right time to discuss anything.

"You got this, Ice head!" Andres said, repeating her nickname gave her when they were just children, a name only Forger and Andres knew which made her smile warmly, Lydia walked closer to her and also Merit doesn't feel comfortable around her, Lydia wrapped her arms around Merit tightly and spoke few words into her ears.

"You and I are two sides of the same coin, but you always beat me because you could act and I could only follow, you've showed me the world I failed to see, Thank, you. Merit. Once this is over, I'll make amends." Lydia said, Merit slowly hugged her back and felt a little bit of light bursting in the dark heart that carried so much resentment till it became bitter and black, Andres looked at Merit and smiled, "We've got your back, you're not fighting this alone." He said, and she looked at all of them including Elijah who still didn't even flinch,  she Finally felt loved, she didn't feel alone and hated, that was enough for her to fight that battle and come out of it alive.

In Liberation square, Corelight came out and stood in the midst of the wreckage, looking at Merit with bloody red eyes, Merit can see her lips whisper Cain as her long grey hair danced in the wind and flames around her, Merit looked at her in the eyes and took a last look at her companions, bravely, she walked towards her only to find Viktor standing behind her with his hands in his pocket and a large grin that made Merit frown.

"Did you..kill him?" Corelight said, Merit sighed and nodded. "He fought well, for you." Merit said looking at Corelight's blue eyes that looked so much in pain, only a human can comprehend such pain and grief a loss, what were these beings?

Corelight sighed, took a hold of herself and came closer to Merit, warning Viktor to stay back as he was following Corelight with his steel hands all visible.

"So, you've come to kill me, just like he told you?" Corelight said, Merit walked even closer.

"Yes, but you'll have to answer my questions first." Merit said, taking out of her pocket printed photographs to which Viktor starred at in anger.

"How do you still have these?!" Viktor shouted, Corelight ordered him to stay silent.

"What are those? What happened in these photographs and why can I hardly remember them?" Merit asked with a loud, serious voice tone that alerted her companions who can now hear the conversation.

"If I were you, I'd just choose to die in peace, oblivious to all this mess." Corelight crossed her arms and talked as loud as Merit talked.

"And I don't need your opinion." Merit shouted, "Tell me, what are these?" Merit said again, stressing her words and making Viktor even more furious.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Corelight sighed, "For fuck sake Corelight just kill the kid!" Viktor shouted, "Too bold of you to speak, baldie. Haven't you learned your lesson?" Merit replied to him, mocking him. He charged at her which Corelight just twitched a finger of hers that made Viktor be dragged back by a silent force, stripping him to a light post.

"You damn bitch! Let me down!" He screamed, Merit smirked at him and Corelight just muted him by another finger twitch.

"Now we can talk." Corelight said, "Get over with it!" Merit said, unable to wait any longer.

Her heartbeats were quicker than a drumbeat, she felt her legs shake for a moment but mustered her strength and stood tall.

"Well, Merit, the masters can't keep the simulation safe from hackers, so it glitches." Corelight said as she starred at Merit's face awaiting her reaction which was nothing but a blank one.

"Simulation..? Masters? Cut the crap!" Merit shouted angrily.

"I told you, you shouldn't have asked." Corelight said, somehow she looked pitiful for Merit's shock.

"Explain whatever you're saying and don't try to trick me"

"You're just as real as I am."

"Huh?"

"We're all inside one big simulation, Merit, none of us is ..real."