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The mission was simple. Get in. Lay down the analytical anchors. Get out. Ortho was sure he could handle this task- he had 20 minutes for it after all. Yet as much as he wanted to do more, he knew his time would only allow him to achieve his initial goal safely. Ortho ran the simulations, and more often than not, trying to save brother or someone else would only result in Ortho getting stuck here as well; and he promised mom and dad that he’d stay safe.
Everything was going just fine at first too. He was quick and efficient with the given task, even more so than he’d usually be with the help of his new suit, plus the assistance of KB-RS01 and KB-RS02 made sure his routing was fairly safe. It was only until just after he had gotten the last anchor down that something would inevitably go wrong.
“Well, well, well, it seems that today’s full of unwelcome surprises. I wouldn’t have expected to see the littler Shroud wandering around, awake”.
Ortho froze, as he turned to see the source of the voice. He’d done so well- his stealth was practically maxed out, and KB-RS01 and 02 had been scouting ahead for him this whole time. How had he fumbled right at the end? No, no, there was no use dwelling on this. He remembered what mom and dad had told him; if he ever got scared, or thought he was in danger, he should withdraw immediately. He just had to get out, and get Malleus Draconia off of his tail, so that he could return to STYX and-
“You seem hasty. Why, you went through all of the effort to get in here awake, and you won’t spare any time to chat? Surely your brother programmed some manners into you, or however that technology works, did he not?”
7 minutes and approximately 49 seconds, that’s how much longer the suit would last. He needed to get out quickly, and yet whichever way he stepped, the ink-covered draconic fae seemed to block his every maneuver. It took only a moment for Malleus to continue speaking.
“You see, littler Shroud, I’ve recently come across a piece of information. One that I believe you’d be quite interested in knowing- after all, it happens to involve your brother”.
Before Ortho’s AI could even process this new information, Malleus was looming above him, speaking with an almost ominous tone.
“As you’re likely aware, everyone within the island is asleep. They’ve all gone off to a domain of their own greatest wishes and dreams, where they can live out their life in the best way imaginable. Yet, when I look into your brother’s dream… well, put simply, you’re not there. Nowhere in sight. In his ideal world, you don’t exist. Because in his ideal world, you have no purpose”.
Ortho hesitated. Was this really… true? It made sense- brother would probably much prefer a world where the real Ortho was still alive, yet- why did it hurt. Ortho backed up. 5 minutes left. He needed to go. He needed to get away, and he needed to do it now.
“Odd, isn’t it? How the people you care for most see you as a mere… replacement”.
He needed to run. Why were his legs stuck? The simulations stated that his percentages of escape got lower every moment, so why couldn’t he move? Was it a glitch? Was it a bug?
“Poor little Shroud… seems not even his own big brother needs him anymore”.
Any more of this and Ortho surely would have broken. Yet before he could even become aware of it, he felt himself being pulled, further and further away from Malleus Draconia, further and further away from NRC, further and further away from Sage’s Island. He was aware enough that this was the doing of KB-RS01 and 02, yet he felt… almost numb? Was that even possible for a humanoid like him? What Malleus Draconia had said… why did it stick with him the way it did? Why did it make him want to curl up and sulk, just like how Idia tends to do often?
…maybe something had just broken.