"Is brother going to be okay?" Luna asks, peering anxiously out the window.
"Yes, your brother is going to be okay," Sara says, sitting on the edge of the bed and smoothing the sheets.
"It's been forty days since I've seen him. They only allow me to talk to him," Luna says, her lower lip trembling before she breaks into a sob.
"Let's go outside. Maybe the fresh air will make you feel better," Sara suggests, standing up and heading toward the door. She raps her knuckles against the wood.
"Yes? What can I help you with?" a P.O.C. member asks, appearing in the doorway.
"We want to go outside for a while," Sara says, her hand already reaching for the handle.
"Fine. You know the rules: no running, and don't try to lose the agents following you," the P.O.C. member warns, stepping aside and swinging the door open.
Elsewhere, agents 005, 004, and 002 stride toward Helios's white room.
"Do you think he's still alive?" 004 asks, his voice laced with nervous tension.
"Yes. He won't die knowing we have his Luna and Sara," 002 replies confidently.
"Does he even remember what they look like?" 005 asks, her tone piqued with curiosity.
"Maybe not. That's why we have this," 002 says, pulling out a locket. He clicks it open to reveal a small, worn picture of Sara and Luna.
Inside the sterile room, Helios clenches his head, his knuckles white. He is dressed in crisp, new white clothes. "When is this going to end? Why am I doing this? Should I just give up?" he whispers to the empty air. The room is cleaned every day by people who always wear white; even the walls seem to press in on him.
The door hisses open. "Morning, Helios. It seems you made it," 002 says, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Has it... has it really been forty days?" Helios asks, his bloodshot eyes widening with a flicker of desperate hope.
"It seems being a Seeker helped a lot during those days without food," 002 remarks, stepping fully into the room.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Helios?" 004 adds. Helios shifts his gaze toward him, his expression hollow and void of emotion.
"It has," Helios rasps, his voice cracking from disuse.
"We will ask you a few questions before the new training begins," 002 says, taking a notebook from 005. "What is your full name?"
"Helios Vaelthorne," Helios says. He tries to stand, but his legs buckle, and he collapses back onto the white mattress.
"Why are you doing this?" 002 asks, peering down at him.
"To get Luna and Sara back... from the King," Helios says, his voice gaining a sudden, sharp edge of motivation at the mention of their names.
"And why are you here?"
"To learn how to become a commander for the war," Helios says, using the wall to painfully haul himself to his feet.
"Do you remember what Luna and Sara look like?" 002 asks, leaning in.
Helios screws his eyes shut, desperately searching his mind. He can see their shapes, the way they moved, the silhouettes of their bodies—but their faces are a blur, erased by the trauma of the last forty days.
"No... why can't I remember them?" Helios gasps, panic rising in his chest. "Remember... remember... REMEMBER!" He begins slamming his forehead against the wall, but the surface is padded with a mattress-like material.
"Hold him back! We don't want him sustaining more brain damage," 002 commands. 004 and 005 quickly grab Helios's arms, pinning him still.
"The King has a gift for you," 002 says, holding up the necklace and clicking it open.
Helios lunges, wrenching himself out of 004 and 005's grasp. He tries to walk, but his balance fails, and he falls to the floor. He begins crawling frantically toward 002.
"As you can see, these are pictures of Sara and Luna. If you do well in your training, the King says you can see them," 002 says, dropping the necklace into Helios's reaching hand.
Helios clutches the metal to his chest, curling into a fetal position as tears finally spill from his eyes.
"Are we sure he's okay?" 004 asks, looking down at the broken man with a flash of genuine sympathy.
"That doesn't matter. We only need to finish the mission the royal family gave us," 002 says coldly. "Take him with us. It's time for the next task."
004 helps support Helios's weight, hoisting him up to walk.
"Should we let him rest for a bit?" 005 asks, watching Helios struggle to keep his head up.
"No. We only have four years. We need to make this quick," 002 retorts.
They lead him to a different chamber, where 004 secures Helios to a heavy chair. 002 exits and reappears behind a thick glass observation window.
"Welcome to your next stage of training. In this simulation, you will be placed in a war for the next two years and nine months," 002's voice echoes through the intercom. "Don't worry; if you die in the fake world, nothing will happen to your physical body—though your mind may suffer."
"The way this works is simple," 004 explains, checking the sensors. "You will be placed in a pocket of space-time where time moves faster. Once inside, a hallucination ability will trigger. It will feel exactly like the real world. We will freeze time around your physical body here so it doesn't age."
"You can keep the necklace," 002 adds, his finger hovering over a control panel. "We wish you luck, future Supreme Commander." He presses a button, and the room begins to distort and ripple.
Back in the garden, the sun is beginning to rise, turning the sky a soft gold as birds chirp in the trees. Luna sits on a swing, her face clouded with worry.
"Luna, you shouldn't be sad. Your brother wouldn't want that," Sara says softly, patting the girl's head.
"Is brother still alive?" Luna asks, looking up with large, mournful eyes.
"Yes. Helios is still alive. You will see him in a few years," Sara promises.
"What if I forget what he looks like? Or what if he forgets us?" Luna whispers, fighting back a new wave of tears.
Sara sits on the neighbouring swing and pulls the girl into a tight embrace. "Don't worry, Moon. Helios will never forget us," Sara says firmly.
I don't know if he's okay either, Sara thinks, her gaze hardening with fierce determination, but I need to be strong for Luna's sake.