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How could I be so stupid?
Weisz swiftly made his way through the passageways of the unfamiliar dimension, stepping over bits of broken hospital material and peering through the window of each door. He held his gun up, on guard for anything that might pop up in front of him unexpectedly.
And I let him out of my sight too. Blazes!
The space itself was like a maze, each hallway nearly identical to one another. It ought to be easy to get lost, so he made sure to scan the surroundings and proceed with caution, looking out for things that may not be as they appear. He had already shamefully fallen for one hologram, and he wasn't keen on falling into the same trap.
You're pathetic, Weisz. Absolutely useless.
Just then, he heard the low murmur of voices coming from further down the hallway on his right. He turned, approaching quietly, as to not give himself away to the possible enemy lurking within the shadows.
However, as he got closer and the voices became clearer, they became suddenly familiar to him. A certain voice that filled him with relief.
Shiki?
He let his guard down and shuffled to the doorway, but as he did he noticed the faint sound of clicking and a pitter patter of metal tapping the floor coming from the exact same room.
As he turned the corner to see what exactly was going on, his eyes met with a large robotic insect that had snuck up behind a now terrified Shiki. His face became white as a sheet as he got an up close look at it's beady eyes and pincers.
"B-BUG?!"
Weisz wasted no time aiming his gun and firing at the creature. Surely the Demon King could handle himself in nearly every situation - but even after years of training, insects were still is downfall. That this simulation had them crawling about was likely no coincidence.
As the bug fell to the ground, Shiki's head snapped to the direction of the door. His eyes lit up when he saw Weisz, and grinned as he called to him.
"Weisz!"
A wave of relief crashed over his body hearing Shiki say his name. Seeing that smile again. The thoughts that were swirling around his mind moments ago were now pushed to the back.
"Are you alright?" Pino looked up at the blonde, a worried look on her face. Suddenly, he remembered the injuries that covered his body, and he became quite sore - head pounding and the taste of blood on the edge of his lip.
"It doesn't look like it to me," Happy interjected.
Weisz lowered his weapon and took a deep breath inwards, "It's not as bad as it looks. My protection matrix blocked most of the bullets."
The three of them were relieved to hear that, though he wasn't deserving their concern in the least. It was his own fault he ended up this way, and it was damn near lucky he hadn't ended up worse. Though, maybe that's what he deserved. He shook his head.
"Still…I messed up," he frowned, frustrated with himself. "I really am pathetic."
Honestly, he should have known better. It was stupid of him to fall for such a bloody lie - Weisz was never one to allow emotions affect his decisions and somehow Killer had gotten under his skin so easily . He clenched his fists.
"I let him trick me with a hologram of someone who can't possibly be here…"
Saying it out loud drove it in harder, his face flushed with shame. He looked down at the ground, too embarrassed to make eye contact. Such a careless error was proof enough for himself that he was unworthy of his captain's trust. Shiki didn't need someone as weak as him, in fact he deserved much better than Weisz could give him.
Just then, he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder - it was firm, but reassuring. He looked up, Shiki's face more serious than usual.
"It's okay, they used that same trick on me."
"But I-"
Shiki's lip curled up into a soft smile as he squeezed Weisz's shoulder, "It's okay. Whatever happened, you're safe now. Pino and Happy are safe. We're going to find Rebecca and turn things around. Together."
Weisz's eyes widened. He really shouldn't be so surprised Shiki was staying positive under such an uncertain set of circumstances. After all, it was his M.O. Maybe he was right, though. Instead of moping, he ought to be doing what he could to get them out of this mess. Perhaps there was something. Something only he could do.
"We need to hurry and find Rebecca so we can get out of here," Happy cried, visibly worried about his friend.
"Is there even a way to get out of here?"
A chill ran up Weisz as he put the pieces together. "Leave it to me."
It had suddenly occurred to him how exactly this dimension worked, and if his ether gear allowed it, he might just be able to get them all out of here and back to safety. If things went accordingly, he could certainly redeem himself.
"You have a plan?" Shiki tilted his head quizzically.
"I think I've got this place figured out," he smirked, a shred of confidence returning to his being. "I'm gonna remodel it. The whole dimension."
Shiki beamed so brightly, he nearly blinded Weisz. "Of course! There's no one I trust more than you, Weisz!"
The blonde blushed at the sudden praise, clearing his throat to keep himself together, "Right. Let's move, then."
He had Shiki to thank for clearing his mind and instilling a new shred of hope in his heart. He put his shortcomings behind him, and focused on the goal in front of him. This was something only he could do. They were all counting on him, and he would do his best no matter what - for his friends, and for himself.