Chapter Text
"Sigma-! Be strong!"
I could faintly make out the sound of the detective shouting out my name, hearing being the first sense I regained after Nathaniel had struck me in the chest. It burned from his ability, my breath being labored and strained from the hit. I felt the detective's hand on mine, likely preventing me from falling, as I couldn't feel any ground beneath my feet. I opened my eyes again, the clouds now directly below me instead of the casino's power box.
"Atsushi! Are you alright? You can't let Sigma get away."
That voice must be from the man from special opps, I figured, as it came from the receiver that the detective still had. Atsushi. At least I now knew the name of the person currently holding me up. The special opps man must think that Nathaniel was trying to save me, rather then eliminate me first. I was naive to believe that the Decay Of Angels offered me anything other then certain betrayal when I no longer served to be useful. As much as I desired to feel grateful for their efforts to prevent me from my death, I understood the only reason they took such measures was to get the information out of me that they needed. They would surely dispose of me after they got what they needed. This fact irritated me. Not only was I going to lose the casino, I was going to be used again. I told myself that I'd rather die then lose the casino, I'd rather die then be used again. But now, I was facing both at the same time, and I had no idea how I could handle it. I glanced to Nathaniel, raising his finger towards Atsushi, now. The detective would surely die if knocked off from here, simply because he decided not to let go of me. I attempted to pry his fingers off my arm, but his grip only tightened in response to my attempts. Although me and Atsushi were supposed to be on opposing sides, I'd feel bad if he died pointlessly while trying to save my life.
"Atone for your sins."
Against the winds rushing against my ears, I could make out the dull voice of Nathaniel. Atsushi must have been hit by his attack, as I heard him grunt, and he lost his grip on the ledge. The detective still stubbornly held onto my own arm, though I couldn't understand why. He could easily have lifted himself up if he released my arm, but instead chose not to. Both of us flew back as Atsushi completely let go of the ledge, and I closed my eyes. If only he had let go of my arm, then perhaps he could have survived, I thought. If only I-
"ATSUSHI! TRANSPORT!
The voice of a woman interrupted my thoughts, and my eyes snapped open. I couldn't see anything except the clouds beneath me, but soon enough a bubble from an ability user appeared around me. The deep blue sky turned into a bright checkered flooring in an instant, and I crashed onto it. I lied there for a moment, confused whether I was alive or not. I heard relieved sighs of the Atsushi and the women who had supposedly saved us, but I didn't feel relieved in any way. I didn't understand what was happening, I was going to lose the casino, and these people were planning to torture me until I told them where the page was. But I wasn't planning to resist, anyways, as Nathaniels attack had already proved that the Decay Of Angels no longer cared for me.
"Looks like we were able to make it."
Said the voice of the girl, as she sat up. I finally brought myself to raise from the floor as well, and I glanced around the area. The room was odd, it was very vibrant, almost in a childlike manner. The walls seemed to go on forever, yet appeared as a deep pink. There were bows, eerie clocks, and general equipment to be seen in a young girls room scattered about. It looked like a play area, yet felt so out of place when compared to the previous endless sky that he was on the verge of falling into. I could see a door on the other side, and my mind was finally able to clear for a moment as I observed it and thought back to how I got here in the first place. The two Hunting Dogs mentioned a gifted with an ability to create a pocket dimension, and this has to be it. I hadn't expected to be one who would experience being in it, however, as they spoke as if I would be the one harmed by it.
"Thank you. You saved-"
Atsushi spoke his gratitude for the girl's action of saving us from out deaths, but he cut himself off as his expression suddenly shifted into one of fear. For a brief moment, I didn't understand what he seemed anxious about. That was, until, I found myself falling backwards onto the ground. The pain of my body crashing against the ground was what I felt first, before the seering pain on my forehead suddenly shot through my body. I attempted to move my hand up to feel the wound, but I was completely frozen. This sensation was familiar, I knew that much, but everything was happening so quickly that I couldn't remember what it was. I once again tried to move my body, but it wouldn't listen. I could only feel the pains within, the aches that wracked it. I focused in these feelings, I wanted to understand. The striking pain in my chest finally reminded me of what of was feeling. It was from the previous attack from Nathaniel, and my forehead felt the same way. If Nathaniel was the one that struck me in the forehead just now, how did he get in here?
I now realized that I must have closed my eyes as I was trying to understand what was wrong with my body, since I saw nothing but darkness. Though as I opened my eyes to search for Nathaniel, I realized they already were open. I simply was unable to see. Pain wasnt the only sensation I felt in my body now, as I could feel just how lightheaded and dizzy I was, I could feel the blood dripping down from my forehead onto the floor. I couldn't remember if I had always felt lightheaded. I attempted to move my body again, but once again it failed. I still couldn't move. When I was struck earlier, I regained control of my body much quicker, right? I couldn't remember. Atsushi was shouting something, but the voice seemed to grow more distant. I couldn't remember what his voice sounded like. I didn't know whether the detective was moving away from me, or if it was a trick of my own mind. My ears were ringing, but I couldn't remember if they always had been.
Something was irritating me, but I couldn't remember what it was. I wondered if I was going to die, or simply losing consciousness. I couldn't remember the difference.