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Rebuild and Rehab - Mentality
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Feb 13, 2018 2:15:15 GMT
Isaac looked down at his feet, kicking them back and forth aimlessly. "I mean, I could just not get in over my head next time," he said. "But, hell, I think we both know me. If someone I care about's in trouble, there's no way I could turn my back on them. Like it or not, these things are gonna be burning a hole in my bandanna until I get cured or run out." At least Isaac knew how incorrigible he was. It probably didn't give Iko any confidence about letting him go, but honestly was the best policy.
He was so honest, that when Iko mentioned hating himself Isaac let out a bitter laugh. "Ain't that the truth," Isaac said, glad Iko had picked such a perfect word to describe the bitterness he felt over the day's events. "Its why I need to see them again, you know? Right now I've only got myself to answer to, and I can't say myself's too happy with how things panned out. I guess if I can see Alicia and Mitsuko, I can figure out how to make this up to them properly." There was a heaviness to Isaac's voice, as if he was sinking into a metaphorical hole. At this point, the wait for Dr. Mikemon's surgeries finishing was interminable.
Maybe it'd be easier to feel this way if Iko's advice wasn't always so good. The wolf seemed hell-bent on having the right words to say at all times. Isaac found himself unable to avert eye contact with Iko as he listened. The answer was that everyone was weak? Seriously? It was hard for Isaac to picture, especially with some of the incredible feats of heroism that he had witnessed in the Digital World. At the same time, there was some major truth to it. Everyone needed others in their lives to be at their best. It wasn't just for strength of might, but also for strength of character. Bonds mattered, and Isaac knew there was nothing for him to gain from cutting himself off from others.
Yet, did others stand to benefit from his with theirs?
"Well, yeah," Isaac said. "But its hard not to feel like I've just been making things worse. Like the D-Reaper. Could you imagine how much easier it would've been if everyone didn't have to try and save me first? Or today. Maybe Mitsuko could've held Alicia off on her own, even found a way to talk her down. She's got a knack for reaching people. Instead, she's in the hospital. I don't want to be holding anyone back. Not anymore. I'm just . . .
I'm really scared."
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Post by darkblade on Feb 13, 2018 3:26:57 GMT
True - Isaac would always be the first one to run in the line of fire to save someone. But in that case, perhaps the pills were a liability, something the Doctor should never have recommended for Isaac's own protection? "So long as you keep using them just for that purpose, well, that's about all we can ask." Luke gave an agreeing nod to Iko's smile: what kind of person would just leave an option on the table if they could save someone? Especially someone important?
Still, just because Iko understood Isaac's plight, didn't make it a manageable one! "Well, all we can say now is that the two are here. It's the best place they can possibly be, really." Iko didn't know exactly how much that would assure him, but gosh darn it, it was the truth! Then again, the two really didn't have a basis to say this, other than that Mikemon was a doctor.
Was he even good at emergency stuff like this?
Fortunately, at least some of Iko's words managed to get through to him. Everyone was weak, and needed support - but before it could settle right on in, Isaac's own voice cut right back, demeaning himself further. Why was he always the victim? Fortunately, Iko had already known of the D-Reaper from their past fusion, the wolf giving a sigh.
"You really think it would have gone better if Maia was caught instead?" With Isaac's emotions thrown out of whack, he might have gotten in just as much trouble if he were the one caught in the first place. That said, the last words finally struck home.
He was scared. "... I am, too."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Feb 13, 2018 3:46:00 GMT
Iko's tone seemed surprisingly understanding, even if the slightest bit hesitant. Naturally, Isaac found himself shaking his head. "There's no way I'm using it for anything but," he said. "I've got two of these left. You really think I'm gonna waste one of them on, like, pushups or something? Heck no." It was actually a tempting idea, if it was even possible, to try and moderate the effect of the corruption. However, with how limited Isaac's resources were, it would have to be a pipe dream. He wasn't quite up to going out into the world and training, but if he was it'd have to come down to NeoDevimon or Impmon doing the legwork.
Not that he was the only one doing this legwork. Isaac sighed as he thought about Alicia and Mitsuko's current locations. "You've got that right," Isaac said. "And the fact that I didn't wake up in a waiting room is a good sign, too. If I got rushed to an actual room, then there's no way they were left behind. I just really hope whatever happened to them isn't too much work for the doctor to work with. Alicia was like a demon possessed back there." Ironic choice of words, eh Isaac?
Thankfully, Isaac's word choices were finally shut down once and for all. Isaac's newly orange eyes flared a maroon color as he practically rocketed back up into a proper sitting position. Even with how weak and noodle-like his limbs currently were, his hands still made a loud banging sound as Isaac audibly slammed them down onto the arms of his chair. "Don't. Even. Fucking. Say that." he snarled, using this PG-13 establishment's legally allowed 1 f-bomb per film. Thankfully, he cooled down after this little outburst, eyes returning to their salmon orange as he looked apologetically at Iko. "Sorry, sorry, I just . . . god, no. I would never want her, or anyone else on that mission, to get hurt. I just wish I could've comforted her on that mission instead of getting her worried sick.
Ugh, you're right. I'm kicking myself way too hard on this one." He smiled weakly as he came to his conclusion. "I mean, it's not like I hurt anyone back there, right?" he asked. Isaac was clearly still scared. Terrified, even. However, he could tell Iko was fed up with his rock bottom state just by the harshness of the question. Isaac needed to be brought back to earth, and it was better Iko did it now than wait for it to fester further first.
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Post by darkblade on Feb 14, 2018 1:12:20 GMT
"Too much for him to work with? From what I've seen from that weird cat, Isaac, I wouldn't be surprised if he actually dealt with demons before." Iko gave a light smirk, trying to lighten up the mood a little more. True, it might have been a handful for the doctor to deal with - but that's why they were here, right? Because someone here would be able to handle the 'handful' that they would have been! "Though I would honestly say you're probably in 'waiting' for something yourself..." Considering those eyes, the Mikemon might have to chew Isaac out about something.
That thought quickly left the window, though, as Luke flinched at Isaac's response to Maia even hypothetically being in that situation! Despite that, Iko didn't back down, crossing his arms as he flipped the 'Maia' switch. As Isaac finally backed down, that weird tinge of red finally leaving his expression, Iko actually managed a small chuckle. "I get that. You're lucky the Stingmon wasn't here to hear you, though... he might have made you throw something into the Doctor's swear jar." He motioned his head towards the jar that sat on the receptionist's desk - why did they even have that thing, anyway?
Still, Isaac seemed to convince himself of one thing: at the very least, he didn't mean to hurt anyone, so he could tell himself that he didn't! And as Iko didn't know much about it himself, the wolf gave a shrug. "You probably roughed up one of them at least, but they'll be fine." He wasn't going to say that the damage wasn't partially his doing, but was he to blame? That was more up in the air.
"For now," Luke cut in, "You should probably at least settle in. Might need a more relaxing point to talk about, at least, if you can't quite get yourself to sleep?"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Feb 14, 2018 1:22:27 GMT
"Good point," Isaac said. "We're in, what? The second biggest city in an entire world full of monsters? Frankly, I'd be surprised if there was something he hadn't seen by this point." The D-Reaper, or at least an infection of this magnitude, seemed to be one of those things. However, Mikemon had done a damn good job of isolating causes and cures, so even that didn't seem outside of his reach. Digital medical school seemed even more strenuous than the real thing, if this was the kind of knowledge that it built.
Less expected was the swear jar. "Swear ja- what?" Isaac said, turning over his shoulder to see what Iko was talking about. Sure enough, there was a jar with a few Digizoid coins sitting in the bottom. "Seriously!? Jeez, that better not be on any of the operating tables," Isaac grumbled, wondering just how much of a racket that would be. At least his point was made abundantly clear, though. The understanding laugh from Iko made sure of that. The way Luke flinched showed that Isaac could still muster up a spark of life, too, even when trapped in such a weak, fatigued state. It was better than being a grey blob of blah, that's for certain.
Then again, a spark of life wouldn't be that good if it lead to his friends being hurt. Isaac sighed as he looked at Iko. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that," he lamented. "God, how am I going to face them now . . ."
Maybe Isaac wouldn't have to for a while. The way Luke made it sound, he was a bit on the back burner. Considering Mikemon did all he good for the infestation prior, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Nevertheless, Isaac found himself dreading the possibility of sleep. "Do I have to?" he asked, but he already knew that if he didn't drift off now Iko would force him to get some rest. He grumbled slightly, but nestled a bit more deeply into his chair and tried to drift off to sleep.
He had a bad feeling he wouldn't like what he saw.
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Post by darkblade on Feb 15, 2018 2:45:01 GMT
"I dunno - remember, he said he'd seen nothing like your case before. The Digital World might be small, but its facets can get quite confusing." Which made it wild that anyone even licensed as a doctor out here in the first place - its definitely beyond the wolf's understanding, at least!
But as Isaac fumed about the swear jar, Luke shot back a chuckle. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. The cat explained it himself: apparently he used to have a bit of a swearing problem, and Stingmon thought it would cause them to lose patients. So one day, the big brought it in, and it's just been a running joke between them." It perhaps wasn't the best note of confidence for a doctor to have a foul mouth - it implied that the Mikemon was quick to anger or frustration - but both he and the wolf could only imagine how hard it was to get the cat to go along with it.
Soon enough, though, Isaac would follow along with their suggestion, and finally get some rest - real sleep, unlike that lucid, unconscious state that he was dragged in with. Iko gave a nod, and moved over one chair to get him some space, while keeping the Impmon close enough to watch over. And slowly, he would drift off...
But, Isaac's mind was far from just his own at this point. Inside his data were the fragments and totems of several spirits, of different levels of corruption, as well as the corruption of the D-Reaper itself. It was natural for him to dread sleep at this point, but it also made his ventures into his dreaming mind quite vivid, and quite varied. Floating in this black expanse, for example, the Impmon would hear a faintly familiar 'thumping' noise, and an echoing ricochet - much like a basketball bouncing off a hard surface.
Correction: a tennis ball off of a brick wall. Off in the distance was a hard tennis court, the familiar, goofy SkullSatamon practicing his volleys with his staff-turned-racquet, playing solo with a brick wall across the court. Just to add to this surreal scene, was the presence of a D-Reaper's Searcher, observing this occurrence from the center like a line judge. Heck, the entity even made a slight 'clicking' noise every time the ball ricocheted, intently following its motion like an attentive, happy kitten.
"Eh? Ah, you're back!" Catching the ball in his free hand, the red skeleton turned to face the Impmon, bending down at his hip to match the Impmon's height. "Never thought you'd come to my quarter, of all places. What's up, looking for me?"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Feb 15, 2018 3:15:47 GMT
Isaac blinked as he found himself in SkullSatamon's tennis void. Frankly, he didn't even really know that SkullSatamon had such a lingering imprint in his body, let alone enough presence to fully manifest himself in his thoughts. He could've been a dream, but at this point Isaac had enough spirits in his head that he was willing to take SkullSatamon manifesting at face value. Whatever the case, it seemed like SkullSatamon was preparing hard for a tennis match against Luke that may or may not have ever been on the cards. It was such a surprisingly cute and funny image that Isaac could barely hold back a bit of laughter.
Once it recovered, he figured that he might as well introduce himself. After all, this was technically the first time he met SkullSatamon on his own. The two had previously fumbled for control of the same brain, but now he was here in the flesh. Or, rather, bone. Might as well be polite, right? "Hey there," he said once his surprise calmed down a little. "Seems like you've been . . . keeping busy. Still trying to get one over Luke, or just enjoying the game?"
The fusion was quite friendly, too. Certainly more agreeable than NeoDevimon was. "Was I? I mean, I might've been," Isaac admitted, honestly not sure quite how he ended up getting here. "It's been one hell of a day. An escape from it all sure is a nice change of pace. I mean, for starters, not a bit of D-Reaper around here."
Wait, what was that tracing the path of SkullSatamon's ball? Isaac wrinkled his nose in frustration. "You know. Except that," he added.
Oh well. No more dwelling. He dwelt more than enough while awake. Now it was time for, apparently, tennis. "Can't say I expected you to pop up, either, Isaac said. "What's it like? I mean, I know you're a fusion and all, so you're probably used to a bit more company than this."
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Post by darkblade on Feb 16, 2018 0:20:17 GMT
"Eh, busy enough! I just gotta thank Luke for getting me into this game - keeps it easy to entertain myself in here!" Well, the SkullSatamon half-answered Isaac's inquiry, at least, all with the same SkullSatamon charm that had been in full force when he was first called. It was probably better not asked how he was even here - the fusion likely wouldn't have known the answer himself!
As the conversation carried on, the spirit took a seat on a nearby bench (was that even there before?), resting the racquet off to the side. Resting his hands on his knees, he looked down at the Impmon, giving a small laugh. "Oh, don't worry, I've seen it! Ya had a rough one from start to finish. Wish I coulda stepped in myself, but without that wolf I'm just kinda..." He rocked his right hand, giving a shrug. "Here, is all. And, what, him?" The SkullSatamon looked to the Searcher - already staring at the two of them - and all the Ultimate could do was laugh! "All he does is watch, like its the most interesting thing in the world. My own fan, he even-"
"The wall has a lead of 57 Games to 3." The buzzing sound of the Searcher quickly echoed out, a twitch appearing in the skeleton's eye. "Does... that... ahem!" His stellar record aside, he decided to address Isaac's question in proper:
"Eh, its fine. Quieter than I'm used to - most of your other spirits are 'over there', and NeoDevimon can't take a joke for the life of him. So I gotta keep myself entertained, watch over what you're doing, and think up new tricks! Ya'know, the normal stuff." Normal for him, maybe! "And ya got a good set of friends over on the other side of this, don't ya? Eh, I wouldn't worry too much, they all seem like troopers..."
Well, maybe, but if the SkullSatamon had seen what actually happened...
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Feb 16, 2018 2:56:43 GMT
It seemed Luke really did just spark the love of the game in SkullSatamon. Considering how boring it must've been in the non-corrupted spaces of Isaac's head these days, Isaac couldn't exactly blame him for hunting after hobbies. "Gotta say, I'm a little shocked there's whole tennis court in my head," Isaac admitted. "But something tells me I'd be in for a surprise if I saw half the stuff that you guys set up in here." Isaac had a feeling from dealing with Antylamon that spirits weren't content to just sit around looking pretty. There probably weren't, like, entire rooms in his head that the spirits lived in like some giant mansion, but there was probably a lot more going on upstairs than he envisioned.
Of course, judging by the bench that Isaac could've sworn just showed up seconds ago, this could've all just been there because of spur of the moment willpower. Isaac wasn't sure. Frankly, he didn't want to risk experimenting. Instead, he focused on how different the fight would've gone if SkullSatamon was there. He was untested, but Isaac felt some major power behind some tennis swings. He could've easily been the equalizer that was needed in that fight. "Certainly better than whatever happened to Devidramon," Isaac admitted, humoring SkullSatamon's thoughts about stepping in. "Hey, maybe next time we'll see what you can do, eh?"
Would there even be a next time at this rate? Isaac wasn't sure, but it was really hard to be grumpy around SkullSatamon.
Especially when it turned out he was losing a fight to a wall. That got Isaac laughing again. "Hey, that's not so bad," he managed to say as he recovered. "I mean, I don't even know how you get a ball past the wall, so you're already doing better than I am." Seriously, the thing covered the whole court! It was unstoppable, right?
If SkullSatamon, who was watching the whole thing, thought his friends were okay, then maybe this'd be fine. "They're really something, aren't they?" Isaac said. "Alicia, Iko . . . heck, Mitsuko might've always been closer to Elliot, but her too. I don't know where I'd be right now if not for them. God, I really hope I can check on them soon."
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Post by darkblade on Feb 17, 2018 21:21:27 GMT
"Eh? How is that surprising?" The SkullSatamon tilted his head: "You know what a tennis court is, right? Of course it can be inside your head, then! How do you think anything comes up in here, anyway?" That... well, that may have been a good point, but the thought that everything that Isaac had ever learned or envisioned may exist up here might not have provided the most settling of thoughts!
Still, the energy in this mental space seemed pretty upbeat, all things considered. Isaac was smiling and laughing, miles and miles away from the thoughts he had earlier regarding Alicia and Mitsuko. Whether it was mulling over how he would have done in the fight ("Heh, you can count on me!") or how to win against a wall ("Sometimes, you just gotta hit it hard enough to knock it over!"), there seemed to be nothing to the SkullSatamon's boundless positivity.
"Mm? Well, if the wolf is that confident, I don't think you have to worry too much about how they're going to end up. Though..." the skeleton tapped his chin, "It seems whatever that red stuff is really clogs what that flying demon sets out to do. I mean, sure, ya stopped the two of them before one would have overtaken the other, but he has quite a warped idea of 'helping'..."
Oh yeah, this definitely wasn't what Isaac wanted to hear. Thankfully, it seemed he was staying away from the more telling details. "Sheesh, when he's at the wheel, you just gotta get ready for a ride!"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Feb 18, 2018 6:27:28 GMT
On one hand, SkullSatamon raised a very astute point. This was his mind! Anything he thought of could be here. It wasn't like it was a huge exertion to remember a hot dog, or the color blue, or the names of the past three Presidents. On the other hand, did this mean that his spirits had access to everything Isaac had ever thought about? Could they see all of his hopes and his fears? The times when he embarrassed himself the most? His thoughts about Maia? All of them!? "You're right. I mean, this is my brain and all that," Isaac said, stifling the bit of blush creeping up on his face. "So, can you guys basically bring up anything you want? Can I basically bring up anything I want? Holy crap, did I just solve dreaming?" Isaac could have published this info and made millions, provided "a skeleton man made from the incarnation of me and a wolf's mentor-student relationship told me how to lucid dream" was an acceptable answer.
Frankly, Isaac was kicking himself for not thinking about this DNA Digivolution thing sooner. SkullSatamon was apparently strong enough to knock down walls with nothing but a tennis ball. Maybe that was a good sign, though. It foreshadowed a strong, healthy bond with Iko if their weakest fused form was able to kick up that much power. Any further Digivolutions that they strove for together would be more than capable of surviving the D-Reaper purification process. All Isaac had to do now was discover the key to unlocking them.
He even agreed with Isaac that the destruction he wrought wasn't that bad. However, he added quite a cryptic statement that left Isaac a little uncomfortable with outright trusting that. Warped? That wasn't even close to a good word to hear! Isaac paled a little as he listened to SkullSatamon's description, especially when SkullSatamon insisted on being so vague about it! "Warped? Ride?" he asked, the more lighthearted timbre to his voice fading promptly. There was no way that this could mean good things. "Come on, don't scare me like that. What are you talking about?"
No chance in hell this would be good news.
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Post by darkblade on Feb 18, 2018 21:38:45 GMT
Could the spirits bring up anything they want? The SkullSatamon gave a shrug! "I guess so! Though, it kind of helps if the stuff we bring up doesn't think at all. A ball is a ball no matter how you look at it, but more complicated stuff... eh?" That last point was said with the SkullSatamon giving a light 'so-so' wave. As for the second part, he just laughed! "What, this feel like any dream you've ever been a part of? I'm here, talking to you. As far as I'm concerned, all this is 'really happening'. Dreams are more, like, random firings of the brain and stuff."
As strong and stable as the SkullSatamon might have been, Isaac's troubles soon reared their head again as the skeleton's words put him back on edge. He didn't think it was much to say, honestly - perhaps he thought Isaac already knew what happened? After all, he was the one fighting, and it would have made sense if he could remember it in more than just bits and pieces" "I, um, figured that you would already know! Sheesh, now this is a touch awkward..." That aside, just what could he say? Well, since the Impmon asked...
"Well, Devidramon relied on his more feral side, near the end. Like watching a beast lash out once he was put into a corner. The angel and yourself was more-or-less able to stop that big metal dragon from eating the lot of ya, but as that holy one used that gate to try and keep ya away from the fight... well, something snapped. Gonna be honest, you landed a pretty nasty hit on that white-haired girl." The more 'joyful' tone that the SkullSatamon was known for was completely absent as he explained this, the skeleton idly scratching his neck at those awkward words.
"Though, that's what a whole group is for, right? Another was able to help patch it up onsite, and then ya'll came here to finish fixing it." Collateral damage was something that was common in the Dark Area, so there was little panic in the SkullSatamon's words. Heck, it might have been completely natural to him!
But... probably not to Isaac.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Feb 23, 2018 3:09:05 GMT
Tennis courts were on the table. Creating sapient life wasn't. That made sense. Still, what were the bounds on that kind of thinking? If Isaac was to really focus, would he be able to make Jurassic Park a reality inside of his head? One way or another, Isaac would solve the secrets of his personal dreamland.
Or, was it a dreamland? It seemed like Isaac was knee-deep in reality. The reality was just also in his head. "So I'm just inside of my head right now?" Isaac asked, quite clearly confused. "Can't say I've remembered this happening to me before. So is there a reason why I'm here, then? Or did you just want to say hi?" With how friendly SkullSatamon was, Isaac really couldn't rule anything out.
Then the friendliness gave way to awkwardness, and Isaac found his reason staring himself in the face. When SkullSatamon got cagey, Isaac figured that he meant Cybercursedramon or Angemon took a nasty hit. It was a Digimon battle, after all. Shit happened. Then SkullSatamon mentioned the "white-haired girl", and Isaac found the color draining from his already white face. "Mitsuko?" Isaac asked, voice pitifully small.
The panic started to set in. Isaac's chest rose and fell rapidly, and he started looking around as if he was a caged animal. "I . . . shit, I need to tell somebody . . . I mean . . . oh god . . ." he said, constantly starting to move but stopping midway through. The poor kid was completely lost in his moral quandary.
He finally looked back up at SkullSatamon, looking as if he had shrunk before the demon. "What did I do to her?" he asked, barely audible.
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Post by darkblade on Feb 24, 2018 2:03:42 GMT
Was there a reason Isaac was here? Well, that was a curious question, wasn't it? "Well, of course we're inside your head! But, it's hard to say why you're here... perhaps that poor Impmon was trying to rest and he had to pull you along inside for the ride? Or maybe you're just trying to pull yourself so far away from the rest of the head that - poof! - ya just showed up at where things were quiet?" Quiet, except for the loud impact of a tennis ball against a wall across a vast, expansive void, but Isaac probably understood!
That said, Isaac wasn't much for 'happy conversation' for much longer. As soon as the SkullSatamon mentioned the 'white-haired girl', the Impmon knew exactly who he was talking about - even if the red skeleton didn't. "Mitsuko... that's her name?" Muttering that to himself, he looked down as the imp's eyes started to dart around. He needed to tell somebody? "Um, I hate to tell ya this, kid, but everyone who was there already kind of knows about it." The tone was slightly awkward, but it seemed to be enough for him to settle in...
... Just for him to ask that. Oh boy, talk about putting the skeleton on the back foot! "... Well... to put it bluntly, you stabbed her through the stomach..."
Yeowch. Blunt as a brick.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Feb 25, 2018 20:41:02 GMT
"What."
That one word hung in the air like a lead balloon, bouncing around the walls of the void and the walls of Isaac's mind. How did he do that? Why did he do that? Why didn't anybody tell him until now? Hell, why was he here? Only a monster would do something so horrible to an unarmed trainer, especially one as sweet and innocent as Mitsuko. Frankly, all Isaac wanted to do now was vomit. Even now his chest was heaving again, this time not from nausea but from pure disgust at himself.
He looked at SkullSatamon, the wall, the Reaper's scout, the inky black ceiling of the void, even his own hands. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. There was only the strangled gasp of someone who had no idea what to say, or even what to think.
Then he squeezed his eyes shut, turned around, and ran. He didn't know where he was going, or why he was going, but he knew that he wanted to be anywhere but here right now.
Hell, he didn't even want to be anywhere.
Did he even deserve to, after this?
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