Act 30 - Formulated Hearts

...

A strong ray of light was blasted onto the Esper's eyes. As his eyelids retracted, there was a blur in his field of vision. Of course, it was quite difficult to see when such a bright illumination was there, blocking the way. When his eyesight cleared up, all he could witness was a plain, white ceiling. He attempted to sit up, curious about where he was, and how he was able to survive the bullet. However, a scorching spear of pain jabbed at his body. The strings inside of him were tugging at his heart tightly once again, adding a heavy load. He muttered a curse, the recollections of the previous event with Exotic replayed in his head quite clearly.

"Where the hell am I...?" he sighed, glancing around the room.

Without getting up, he noticed another cot beside the one that he was laying on. They seemed to have been one of those white hospital beds, which made it evident that they were in a medical center of some sort. On that other cradle was a Deadly Chaser, rolled onto his side with his back facing towards Add. From where he was, he was unable to distinguish whether he was awake or not.

The Diabolic Esper averted his gaze another time, as he spotted a crowd of people with relieved faces as his eyes met theirs. Elsword, Aisha, Rena, Raven, Ara, Elesis, and even Lu and Ciel. He wasn't one to party, socializing with others, though oddly, he was somewhat happy that there were people that actually cared. Unless they were solely there for Chung, then that defeated the purpose of thinking about such things. He seemed to have slightly softened, though it was hard to tell whether it was because he genuinely changed, or because it was simply the injuries speaking.

One last time, he attempted to search for anything else he missed, as it was a challenge judging by his position. In the corner of his eye, he saw the Angel and the Devil sitting together silently. Eve and Exotic. Together. Right beside each other. What on Elrios was that?

The tranquility of the group was soon broken by Rena, who piped up with joy after realizing that Add was conscious. "He's awake!" she gave a sigh of relief, wiping a tear from her eye with a tissue provided by Raven.

"A-Awake?! Kuhh... that hurts. Add!" Prince Seiker immediately sat up (as he was not asleep after all), though because of the sudden rush, pain was inflicted from Exotic's setup. A splat of red stained the white sheet on the crib, though he smiled despite his suffering.

"You were out cold for over twelve hours already, Add. Haha... we would've thought you actually died or something." Elesis chuckled. "Even Chung over here regained consciousness sooner, but I can't blame you after enduring all that chaos."

---

Chung had woken up an hour or two before Add had, and even then, the entire gang was there to visit the duo. They were all concerned. They all felt anxiety because of what transpired. They all cared.

Soon enough, Add gradually forced himself up, though he clutched his shirt at the agonizing discomfort from doing so. He pointed at Exotic and spat. "Tell me why the She-Devil is here. And what occurred after we passed out, while you're at it."

Chaser replied with a laugh, followed by more coughing. "Well, apparently she came because she was 'bored' again, though she won't be bursting into violent outrages anymore, according to Rena. After we fell unconscious, Eve came to the rescue. She was notified by Rena (who was too busy to attend the emergency), though our Elf had already called an ambulance. Luckily, the medics made it in time, which is why we're here now, treated by Nasod technology. Isn't it ironic? The same devices that almost killed us are now saving our lives..."

Prince Seiker found it quite odd that the Empress and Nemesis were able to get along so well, despite Exotic's havoc, though it all worked out, somewhat. He looked at his buddy, who seemed to have calmed down after the explanation, even if it was a tiny bit.

The door swung open, as a feminine Nasod with short pink hair holding a clipboard entered, dressed in a nurse's attire. "Bang~! Myu from Cobo Service reporting for duty~! I see that both of our patients are doing well! The Cobo Team will do anything to meet your needs and satisfaction!"

"Ah, speaking of Nasods." Rena began. "Another model of 'Eve' is being made, to my knowledge. She will be somewhat similar to Exotic, though with a lower killer-intent and has 'good' intentions, despite being just as heartless. From the information I have, they are creating the Battle Seraph Code, and the Nasod will be named Electra. Perhaps she'll be a useful ally to you guys in the future." she smiled. "Don't worry, nothing will be able to replace our Empress Eve, though scientists love conducting experiments, don't you agree?"

"More Nasods... more codes..." Add mumbled, a spark igniting in his eyes.

He chuckled to himself. Chung knew that the Eve he cherished was irreplaceable. The Code: Empress was his first and last crush, someone who he adored even more than his precious Silver Shooters.

After conducting a few brief checks, Myu had left the gang alone, skipping off with a pep in her step. She was likely one of the most emotional Nasods there were.

"One last thing. Eve, Chung, Add. You'll be excused from school for the next little while to recover, but Eve is just going to be here to speed up the process. I'm sure you two would enjoy it with her company here, after all. Plus, she's intelligent enough to 'skip' the next little while." the Elf added.

"W-Wait! What about our projects? I refuse to accept a 0 if we are absent for the presentation!" Add glared.

"A-Add! We're both suffering like this, and you're still concerned about your grades..?!" Chung asked, surprised.

---

The Empress abruptly stood up, approaching both of the hospital beds. She stood their quietly for a moment, though tears began running down her cheeks. She started to cry. Eve had a desire. The desire for her friends to get well soon.

"M-Miss Eve..?!" the Prince's eyes widened, he had never seen her express such emotion before.

"One last thing before we proceed, I swear. I forgot to mention this earlier, but, because of Exotic's setup, Eve's emotion circuit had been awakened at the intense sight of both of you being hurt so severely. Maybe it was the Queen of Destruction's plan after all, or maybe it was just all a coincidence." the Wind Sneaker elucidated.

Add was speechless. Those were the exact emotions that he had seen years and years ago; the ones that he had coldly shut away. He was the cause for the disappearance of the Empress' emotions. But they had returned, as if the heavens were giving him a second chance. Admittedly, he found interest in it now.

Rena turned towards the large group. "Please exit to the main hallway for a second. I need some alone time with Eve, Chung, and Add. Thank you."

They obediently obliged, as they were escorted out into the halls, though Lu whined about it as she was dragged away by Ciel.

~

"Eve. Now that you have your emotions... Are you ready to decide? The true half missing from your heart?" she inquired, the mood immediately swinging over to the more serious side.

"...Yes." the Empress responded, wiping the overflowing tears from her eyes.

Both boys' hearts skipped several beats. She was actually ready, which was a huge shock. Sweat formed on their palms, they were definitely not expecting the turn of events. Tension built up in the room. It was dead silent, as they anxiously awaited for her prolonged answer.

" . . . "

Eve quietly whispered a name; a name that was too inaudible to be heard despite the silence.

A faint glow touched all three of their hearts, whether it be formulated or real.

f i n

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