Chapter Text
The second the elevator reached the top and opened, Damon sped out and went to Alpha Sanctuary, Eva clinging onto him for dear life.
Once he made it to the emergency room, he immediately stopped, for someone unexpected was there.
Mara, the killing game enforcer.
She looked up at Damon, her gaze relaxed, but still intimidating to him.
He then recalled what Tozu said.
“Are you…going to treat Eva?” he asked.
Mara gave a nod, and gestured to the hospital bed she was standing next to.
Damon went over to the hospital bed to place Eva down. Feeling the movement, Eva whimpered, and clung to Damon tighter.
“Eva, please… You need this…” he softly insisted.
Slowly, Eva opened her eyes to look at Damon. Tears were still running down her face.
“I’ll be back, okay? You just need to endure this, and I swear I’ll be back,” Damon said with softness and with what little conviction he had left in him.
Eva looked down at herself, wincing at the sight of her injuries. She was in no position to fight.
Eventually, she let go and let Damon put her down on the bed without further resistance.
Damon backed away then looked up at Mara. “I assume you want me to leave so you can do the surgery, don’t you?”
Mara nodded again.
Without hesitation, Damon turned around and began for the door. As he opened it, he looked back.
Mara was gathering equipment for the procedure, and Eva…
Eva was staring at him sadly.
Damon’s expression softened. He didn’t really want to leave Eva like this, but he had no choice.
“I’ll be back. I promise,” he whispered before leaving.
That was the last thing Eva heard before she felt a prick in her neck and everything went black.
Damon sulked back to his dorm room, visibly exhausted.
When Damon closed the door behind him, he simply leaned against it and slid down on the floor, sitting on it.
So much had happened all at once.
Wolfgang’s death, the investigation, the trial, Eva’s reveal, and him saving her from death.
He was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Yet to him, it was all worth it in the end.
He saved Eva. She would live.
…
Damon looked down at himself.
Eva’s blood was all over his blazer. Not wanting to wear it any longer, he took it off and placed it in the laundry basket in the bathroom. Now standing up, he dragged himself to his bed, plopping down on it.
He risked his life…to save the one person that thought like him. That understood him.
…That betrayed him.
In spite of that, he chose to save her.
When he ran into the elevator, only one thought consumed his mind.
He needed to save Eva.
Damon was never one to focus on his emotions, with the exception of using emotional appeal to prove Diana’s innocence. So…why?
Why did he save Eva?
…
With doubt and exhaustion swallowing his mind whole, Damon fell asleep.
Tozu Theater!
Tozu: Have you ever reflected on your life choices? As in really reflected on them?
Tozu: You may have made some choices that you regret now, others that you believe with utmost conviction were correct.
Tozu: And some…that are ambiguous to you.
Tozu: For example, this morning, I had to choose whether to wear the mask I’m wearing right now, or an exact replica of that mask.
Tozu: You might be thinking, “Well, they’re the same, aren’t they? So it doesn’t matter!”
Tozu: Well, contrary to your assumptions, the two masks were different.
Tozu: The one I’m wearing right now is the one I’ve been using for years, and the other was brand new.
Tozu: Since the old one had yet to wear out, I chose to wear it, but was it wise?
Tozu: Because for all I know, this mask could crack at any second! But at the same time, these masks are well made, so it would probably take some years before that happens.
Tozu: To be frank, I believe the reason we have choices we are uncertain of…is humanity’s short foresight.
Tozu: Which is why, society has rules for just about everything.
The curtains close and the screen fades to black.
*ding dong, bing bong*
“Good morning, my amicable student friends! It is now 8 a.m.!”
“Before I leave, there are two things I wish to announce!”
“Firstly, for successfully completing the class trial, I have opened up a new area for you all to explore!”
“Secondly, Eva Tsunaka has survived the surgery, and is currently sustaining her injuries! She is believed to fully recover within four day’s time!”
“That is all for now! Goodbye!”
*Click!*
…
Damon slowly turned over on his back and lifted himself up with his elbow.
Did he hear that right? Eva survived?
Damon let out a sigh of relief. Eva survived. She would be okay.
Though right now, even though he wanted to visit her, he still felt tired. But then, he remembered what he said to her.
“I’ll be back. I promise.”
He made a promise.
He knew he would regret it if he didn’t keep his word, so after grabbing an identical looking blazer and putting it on, Damon left his dorm.
Though he would be stopped short by a certain cosmetologist at his door.
“Diana?”
Diana looked up at him, bringing her hand down. “Oh, Damon! I…um…was gonna check up on you. No one had seen you since you left the trial room yesterday, so…”
The debater cleared his throat. “I’m…well enough. I was just going to leave.”
“To visit Eva, right?”
Damon blinked in surprise. “How did you…?”
Diana rubbed her arm nervously, smiling softly. “I was gonna visit her too. To check up on her. I was gonna ask you if you wanted to come with, but it seems you planned on doing so, anyway.”
Damon then remembered the trial.
Right, considering what happened, Diana’s actions were understandable.
“…Alright. I’ll go with you.”
Diana smiled. “Really? Thanks!”
And with that, the two went off to Alpha Sanctuary.
When the two arrived to the ER, Damon opened the door and was met with the sight of Eva in a hospital gown and bandages covering her limbs. She seemed to be asleep, having her glasses off and placed on the table next to the bed.
Not wanting to wake her up, Damon slowly closed the door.
He turned to Diana. “Eva’s asleep. We shouldn’t bother her.”
Diana nodded. “Okay!”
As the two turned to leave, they heard footsteps approaching them.
It was Ingrid.
“There you two are!” the blacksmith exclaimed. “Damon, are you okay?”
“I’m…fine, Ingrid,” the debater replied. “Just checking up on Eva.”
“She’s asleep, so we were just planning to leave,” Diana added.
Ingrid nodded. “I see… Anyway, could you come to the dining hall?”
Damon sighed. “Tell them that I don’t regret what I did.”
Ingrid shook her head. “It’s not that… Tozu’s there.”
Damon and Diana blinked. Tozu? What could he want?
The blacksmith continued. “He said that he wanted to talk about something, but he wouldn’t say what. Oh, and he said this, he would tell Eva what he wants to tell us once she wakes up, so you don’t need to worry about her being out of the loop.”
Damon sighed. If Tozu has something he wants to say, it’s likely important. “Alright, lead the way.”
Ingrid turned on her heel and led him and Diana to the dining hall.
When they arrived, the others immediately locked their eyes on Damon.
After what he did, it’s understandable, though he can’t say he’s fond of the attention.
And sure enough, true to Ingrid’s words, Tozu was there, standing in the kitchen.
He looked at the newcomers. “Good, good! You’re all here now. Now, let us begin.”
“As I said in the morning announcement, I’ve opened a new sanctuary for you all as a prize for succeeding in the class trial. Bravo, I must say! Furthermore, Eva Tsunaka is currently in the emergency room sustaining her injuries. I have Mara monitoring her health, so no need to worry. Speaking of her, however…”
Tozu locked eyes with Damon, then began to stride over to him. “Damon Maitsu, I cannot believe you! Running head first into an execution, and saving her, the blackened? Do you not realize what you had done?”
“She has blood on her hands! She is responsible for the death of a student, yet you chose to run in and save her from her deserved punishment! You could’ve died, you know?”
Damon remained silent, glaring intensely at the host.
Tozu sighed. “I suppose I should congratulate you for your noble deed. After all, this is the very first instance in which something like that happened. As promised, I had her treated, and in exchange, I would choose what happens next.”
“Killing you would be a waste of a good participant, and attempting to execute her again would be costly, so instead, I’ve decided to add some new rules to the list!”
As if on cue, several high pitched beeps rung in the room.
“Go ahead. Read them,” Tozu said ominously.
Hesitantly, everyone opened their trinkets and opened the Rules and Regulations.
~~~
11. Should a Blackened Student survive their execution, they will be allowed to live and be treated for any & all injuries. They will also be considered “Decrepit”.
12. Decrepit Students will be given a period of time to recover. The length of the recovery period will vary depending on the injuries and their severity.
13. During a Decrepit’s recovery period, Students are not allowed to kill them. Decrepit will also be excused from Class Trials should any murders occur during their recovery period.
14. Once a Decrepit’s recovery period is over, they will be discharged and continue participating in the Killing Game.
15. If a Decrepit kills, the Spotless will be given more clues about the murder case. If a Decrepit is killed, the same disadvantage will be given to the Blackened, albeit to a lesser degree. None of the clues will be major.
16. Spotless are not allowed to interfere with an execution. Any Blackened must attempt to survive on their own.
17. If the spotless are the ones who lose the class trial, then they too will be given the chance to survive their executions. Multiple can survive at a time. The Blackened will still be granted release.
18. Spotless who survive their executions will not become Decrepit. Only Blackened will become Decrepit if they survive their execution.
~~~
The students closed their trinkets and looked up at Tozu.
“Quite interesting, no?” he asked. “I had a lot of fun making these rules.”
“Why are you prohibiting us from killing Eva while she’s recovering? That seems a bit unfair for any potential blackened,” Eloise said.
“Nothing in life is fair, my dear. I don’t want the murders to be easy, hence you are forbidden from killing any recovering decrepit. Besides, it would be a waste of effort treating someone only for someone to kill them,” Tozu stated.
“Is that everything you have to say?” Wenona asked.
“There are two last things!” Tozu chirped. “Though I will not allow you to bring any harm to Eva, I will at least allow visits, of course monitored by Mara. Secondly, I’ve cleaned up the crime scene in the boiler room. Don’t want a rotting body, after all.”
“Adieu, my friends!”
And with that, Tozu walked out the room without another word.
Damon processed the information he and the others just received.
New rules were added to the killing game, rules that changed everything.
Now that executions were survivable, that meant a lot of new possibilities.
A blackened could survive their execution and kill again to escape, or a blackened could win the class trial and still be able to leave, possibly leaving others behind to continue the killing game.
Either way, the blackened could still win.
Everyone looked at each other. They all realized the same thing.
The game had changed entirely.
Just then, Desmond cleared his throat. “Everyone. Right now, these new rules don’t mean anything to us until another murder happens. For now, we have other priorities. One, the new area unlocked for us. And two, Eva’s condition.”
Desmond turned on his trinket and opened the map. “According to the map, the new area is called Beta Sanctuary. Once again, we should explore it like last time.”
“And what about Eva? Even though she’s recovering, she shouldn’t be in the dark, right?” Cassidy asked.
“Who cares about her?” Grace asked.
Everyone turned to Grace, shocked at her statement.
“Sorry?” Desmond muttered.
“You heard me! Who cares about the mathlete? She killed Wolfgang!” Grace shouted.
“Grace! Don’t say things like that!” Diana screamed, not liking where this was going.
The golfer immediately locked eyes with the cosmetologist and pointed at her. “Really now? You, of all people, should be mad at her! She literally used you for her murder plot!”
She then pointed at Damon. “And you! She used you too, but you saved her?! How the hell does that make any sense?!”
“Grace, stop!” Diana yelled. “I know what Eva did, and I know that her actions can’t be justified, but at least she’s alive so she can atone, rather than dying guilty!”
Grace scoffed. “Whatever. I’m not gonna be in the same room as these apologists. You all can investigate the new area together or whatever, but I’m going alone!”
Grace then began to leave for the door, shoving Damon aside.
Diana reached a hand out. “Wait, Grace—!”
But Grace had already stormed out.
Diana looked down, saddened.
Ingrid went up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Diana. It’s not your fault.”
Diana looked up at Ingrid. The blacksmith gave a reassuring smile.
Diana smiled back. “Thanks, Ingrid.”
“Let’s just hope Grace doesn’t get into any trouble…” Desmond commented.
Grace went directly to her room after she left the dining hall. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it.
She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a familiar sheep lapel pin.
Wolfgang’s sheep lapel pin.
Grace curled her fingers around it and held it close to her chest, closing her eyes. She could feel the cold metal against her palms.
A single tear went down her cheek. “I’m sorry, Wolfgang…”