Solaris stared at a white wall.
His right eye twitched slightly.
Solaris raised his corresponding hand and scratched it, all without breaking eye contact with the wall.
His mind was blank. His soul was cool, but his body was shaking.
Solaris felt like crying; he felt like hurting something; he felt as though a mountain of weight was pressing him into the chair he sat on.
But at the same time, he felt nothing; he wanted to do nothing.
Slowly a thought bubbled in his brain, then another and another, as his sense of self slowly regained a foot hold solaris began to think.
I'm good at nothing; I shouldn't do anything, murderer; I shouldn't exist. And those who don't exist can't do anything.
All I am is a murderer.
Murder is a habit.
"Anyways, Solaris, that's what happened, pretty cool, right?"
Solaris blinked.
That's right, there's someone else in her with me.
I almost forgot he followed me; what a good friend.
What was he saying, though?
Solaris turned his head to the smiling Lucian, then blinked once more in confusion.
"Huh... oh yeah, really cool."
Lucian shook his head.
"You totally weren't listening. Come on, man, what's wrong? You can tell me anything; we're supposed to be best friends, remember?"
Solaris stared at him blankly.
Best friends... yeah... what was I thinking? I can tell him anything, right?
As Solaris was about to explain it, he closed his mouth.
I can't... murderers like me don't deserve to pass the burden of this knowledge onto anyone else.
Solaris feigned a sigh, then spoke.
"I'm not sure what's wrong with me; I just felt fear of returning to that place, and I guess that just made me snap."
Lucian stared at Solaris, his face contorted as though he was trying to think of a reason that this could have happened.
Logically, of course.
"Perhaps you have PTSD?"
Solaris looked up from the floor and asked.
"Why would I have that? I've never been to war?"
Lucian shook his head, then spoke.
"You can get it from almost anything; it doesn't have to be just wars."
Solaris frowned slightly.
Lucian extended a hand and patted Solaris on the back.
"Look, man, I really want to help, so please just let me know what you need, and I've got it."
Lucian flashed a bright smile.
Solaris stared at him for a moment, then spoke.
"Can I be alone for a while?"
Lucian smile dimmed ever so slightly, then he spoke.
"Of course, buddy, I'll go hang out with my girlfriend, but if you need me or anything else, don't be afraid to ask."
The door to the break room slammed shut as Lucian left.
"Girlfriend?"
Solaris was confused but wasn't in the mood to pursue an answer.
Instead, he just leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling.
With his mantle dismissed back onto the intricate tattoo on his shoulder blades.
Solaris felt the AC wind blowing down onto his chest.
The cool breeze felt nice, so Solaris moved his chair away.
Solaris Gunther doesn't deserve to feel nice... I don't deserve to feel anything...
Solaris stared at the ceiling for a long, long time before he eventually fell asleep.
***
A soft glow emanated from Sami's hand as she removed the wounds plaguing the second-in-command, Arias, the absence.
She grabbed her disembodied arm and then, as blood poured onto the ground like an open bottle of wine, she reattached it.
The girl below her gritted her teeth as the nerves reattached, as her bones reassembled, and as the clothes she wore restricted themselves.
Sami stood up and extended a hand, intending to help Arias to her feet.
Arias hesitated for a moment before grabbing it.
But in the end she took it and was helped to her feet.
The girl bowed in gratitude, then walked back down the dark corridor and disappeared.
Sami looked over at Solaris, his single eye staring a thousand yards.
Sami smiled and raised her hand to her mouth, removing the circular lollipop, and then moved her other hand to the candy.
The once soft glow her hand emanated was not filled with crimson and darkness.
As well as ensuring pain.
Sami moved the light atop the candy and watched as the candy was slowly smashed, cut, and then destroyed.
The darkness in the light dissipated ever so slightly, but it was still present.
Sami sighed and rolled her sleeve up. While no one was watching, she gritted her teeth and placed the orb of light onto her shoulder, pressing her hand into it.
Pain shot across her entire body, and her arm was removed from her torso, but a moment later it was where it was supposed to be, and the pain was gone, leaving only memories.
Approaching Solaris, who was being comforted by Ember, Sami crouched down and placed her hand on his eye.
After a moment, she removed it and covered her own. As he opened an eye, she lost one and then regained it.
"Dismiss the cool mantle, Solaris."
Sami had not seen the mantle yet, so she wasn't familiar with the light healing properties it had.
So when Solaris dismissed it and revealed no wounds other than those done to his eye, Sami was shocked.
"Well then, that's better than last time, Ember..."
"Is he okay??!!!"
A voice of a young man resounded from just behind Sami, startling her.
After taking a moment to regain her composure.
Sami spoke.
"Yes, physically, it appears he's fine, but something else is wrong with him. He hasn't blinked this entire time, and his entire body was shaking violently. Not to mention, his left eye is now incandescent. And, to be honest, I have no idea why that could be; I've never seen that before..."
Ember turned to her, his pupils engulfed in an incandescent fire.
Sami coughed and corrected herself.
"Well, not on Him, at least."
Her cheeks flushed a little at Ember's burning gaze.
"No...now then, um, go ahead and take him to a break room, and let him rest. Put up a no-entry sign as well."
Ember lifted Solaris up and carried him to a break room just as Sami had instructed.
Lucian followed, asking nonstop questions to Ember about whether Solaris was going to be okay.
After setting him down in a chair and placing a sign on the door, Ember stood at the threshold and finally answered.
"I hope so; I hope he will be okay. I can't lose another."
With that, Ember left the room.
Leaving Lucian and Solaris alone in the silence.
After a moment, Lucian began to talk, and talk and talk some more.
Starting with random fun facts to more interesting topics.
After some time, the light that had been missing from Solaris was reignited, and he rubbed his eye.
"...I was just as shocked as I'm sure you are. I mean, she's so pretty, and she likes me; she even kissed me during one of the rounds. Then she asked me out; apparently I have a girlfriend now. I mean, look at me: a few days ago I had no one; now I have a best friend, a scary girl who seems to like him, and a beautiful girlfriend. Anyways, Solaris, that's what happened. Pretty cool, right?"
Lucian smiled at Solaris. In an attempt to cheer him up, he even threw in the fact that he thinks Selen likes him.
Solaris moved his head, looking him in the eyes, his eyes still sporting a thousand-yard stare.
"Huh... oh yeah, really cool."
Solaris turned and began to stare at the floor again.
Lucian blinked and saw Solaris and himself talking about PTSD.
After a short talk about the chance that Solaris has PTSD, Solaris told him he'd like to be alone, prompting Lucian to leave.
As Lucian left the room, he let out a heavy breath.
What can I do? I'll find Selen... Ania should know where she is.