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Never before have they encountered a nevron like this. Even Verso, with his decades of experience on the continent, doesn't recognise the creature. It floats above the ground on a wide cylindrical body, its circular center above this is framed by its bladed arms, like curving branches.
The nevron blocks their path, and they have no choice but to fight it. Gustave, Sciel, and Maelle lead this round of combat. They are certain they can defeat it with their skills and coordinated attacks, but the nevron is fast. Throughout their expedition, flying nevrons have all proven to be harder to land a hit on, quick, agile, and with an aerial advantage.
Gustave takes a shot at it with his pistol, which lands at its glowing core, what they assume to be a weak point. The nevron recoils for a moment, sinking closer to the ground, giving Gustave a chance to get a hit in with his sword. It seems to deem him as the greatest threat amongst them, attacks now targeting him with greater intensity. Its arms swing towards him. Physical attacks are simple enough to dodge and parry, and while its focus is on Gustave, Maelle and Sciel get in a few hits of their own.
Surely it won't take much more to finally put it down. With another shot to its core, Gustave hopes to keep it's attention on him. It's working, not once has it aimed its blades towards his companions. It lunges towards him, and he readies himself to parry another flurry of attacks, but its arms remain raised. Gustave wonders if his timing is off as he's waiting for the arms to start to lower before countering the attack. He knows he has to time it just right, or he'd be better off dodging.
It must be a different attack, he realises too late. Before he can react, the base of the nevron expels a puff of golden powder. Gustave is blasted with the dust, inhaling the contaminated air. He stumbles to the ground, coughing and gasping for air as the particles scratch his throat like sand. Overcome with a sudden dizziness, he struggles to find his bearings. His head is pounding and his legs feel too weak to stand.
"Gustave!" Maelle calls out with concern, then changes to a more offensive stance. "Leave it to me!"
Filled with determination, she dashes towards it. Closing the distance between herself and the nevron isn't easy when it's backing away. Before she can get close enough to land a hit, it quickly flees into the distance.
Sciel grabs Maelle by the shoulder before she can go chasing after it. Lune is quick to tend to Gustave's injuries, not that there is more to heal than a few scrapes from when he fell to the ground. The dust in the air has already dissipated. If any had remained, and if they had the right equipment, Lune would have delighted to take a sample and analyse it. Seeing as that is not possible, the best she can do is observe any effects it has on Gustave.
The soreness of his throat is washed away with a healing tint, and pain in his head has subsided, but a wave of tiredness washes over him. Even though Lune has helped him to his feet, he has hardly enough energy to walk.
"Verso! Monoco!" Lune calls over to the pair who were too busy observing and discussing the nevron to get involved. The lack of feet on the nevron was probably enough reason alone for Monoco's disinterest in the fight. "Can you two help get Gustave back to camp?"
Knowing that a request from Lune is more an order than a request, the two of them make their way over to assist.
"Is there something wrong?" Maelle asks, worry resounding in her voice as she looks over to see her brother bracing himself against Lune to stay upright. "Is he going to be ok?"
"He'll be fine, just needs some rest to recover his energy," she assures the teen. Lune can only hazard a guess, but seeing that Gustave isn't reacting badly, like coughing up blood, and only exhibits signs of exhaustion, she assumes his life is not at risk. A healing tint and a good night's sleep is all she can prescribe for now. "Whatever he inhaled must be having an effect on him, but it'll wear off eventually."
Verso takes Gustave's left side while Monoco supports him from the right. Together they help him slowly walk, dragging his feet in the process, as they head back to their camp. His head bobs as he struggles to keep his eyes open. He looks like he could pass out at any moment, but constant nudges keep him awake, allowing his feet to move enough in his half awake state that they don't have to wholly carry him.
Upon their return to camp, they immediately lay him down on his camping mat. Sleep takes over the moment his head touches soft fabric.
Maelle covers him with a blanket and sits by his side for the remainder of the evening. She figures if he is too tired to write in his journal, she should take on the duty. Making notes of their experiences that day, and penciling a crude drawing of the nevron they had encountered in the corner of the page, she hopes her work receives his approval in the morning. Letting out a yawn, she tucks the journal back into Gustave's bag and lays down to rest on her own mat only a couple meters away from his.
As the sun rises, so does the group. All except Gustave who remains in slumber. Yesterday had really drained him, so they decide not to disturb his sleep, allowing him longer to recover. Meanwhile they make breakfast and discuss plans for the day ahead. When breakfast is served, Maelle ensures Sciel sets aside a large portion for Gustave, claiming he will probably wake up really hungry after sleeping so long and needs to get his energy back.
She goes over to where he sleeps to wake him, but he doesn't respond to her call. Letting out a huff, she crouches beside him and gives his shoulders a shake.
"C'mon, Gustave, you can't sleep all day." She pulls at his good arm. "Wake up."
He doesn't even stir.
"Gustave!" There's panic in her voice, and she shakes his shoulders with more vigor. "Gustave, wake up!"
Her raised voice catches the attention of the rest of the camp. Verso and Sciel are the first to rush to her side to see what was wrong.
"He's not waking up." Tears run down her cheeks. "Why won't he wake up?"
Sciel pulls her into a hug while Verso taps on Gustave's cheek in an attempt to coax him awake.
"He is breathing," he announces, reassuring them that he is still alive.
"We could try pouring a bucket of water on his head," Monoco suggests as he approaches them.
"Can't risk him choking on the water while he's unconscious," Verso says, rejecting the gestral's idea. If it doesn't work, accidentally drowning the man would do them no favours.
"Let me try something," Lune comes forward with a small vial in her hand. She gets to her knees beside them cradling Gustave's head, and wafting the open vial beneath his nose. The smelling salts have no effect on him.
Grabbing his right hand, she gives his wrist a painful pinch. No response. She lets out a defeated sigh. Knowing no other way to try to wake the man, she turns her attention to Verso.
"That nevron must be the reason for this. Whatever those spores did to him, this is more than just exhaustion. Have you truly never seen one like it before?" Her desperate, yet stern, voice demands answer. Knowing Verso has already concealed information from them, she doesn't put it past him to withhold other details.
"I'm sorry, it was a first for me too, encountering a nevron like that." Verso frowns. "Maybe the effect will wear off and he'll wake up on his own later."
"And if it doesn't?" Lune lashes out. "If Gustave doesn't just wake up from this? He won't have long before he-" She doesn't finish her sentence, conscious of Maelle's presence, she doesn't want to say right in front of her that Gustave will die if he doesn't wake up. If he's unable to drink in his unconscious state, they may only have a few days before the dehydration takes him. "We have to find out more about that nevron."
"Perhaps," Sciel speaks up. "Some of the gestrals might know something about it? It could be worth going back to the village and asking around."
"We're a little far from the village." Lune looks down at Gustave. "And we can't all go, some of us will have to stay."
"How about Sciel and I go?" Verso suggests, knowing better than to volunteer Monoco for a trip to the village, and assuming Maelle would want to stay by Gustave's side. "Esquie can get us there and back quickly."
"It's worth trying," Lune agrees.
The two of them depart on Esquie, making their way across the waters and towards the village. The first gestral worth asking is Golgra. As chief, she should be familiar with any nevrons that have caused the gestrals trouble.
After explaining their situation, thankfully Golgra seems to know vaguely what nevron they are referring to. She tells them of a gestral that fell into an unwaking slumber for months before finally waking up on their own. They don't have months to wait for Gustave to wake. With no more information to share, she directs them to the residence of the gestral in question.
They make their way to the home of the gestral. He confirms that the nevron they describe is the same one he survived an encounter with. He tells them that after fighting that nevron, he had the best rest and slept for months. They press for new information, desperate for any hint that could help them wake Gustave sooner. The gestral claims to have dreamt of many glorious victories in battles against both gestrals and nevrons, accomplishing feats he could only hope to achieve in reality. He says it's a shame the dream came to an end, but after defeating that nevron in his dream, he awoke, and only then realised the whole series of events had just been a beautiful dream.
"So you awoke when, in your dream, you defeated the same nevron that put you to sleep?" Verso asks for confirmation.
The gestral nods.
Now they understand why Gustave can't wake up. He won't wake until he defeats the nevron in his dreams.
They rush back to Esquie, but evening is already approaching by the time they return to the camp.
Gustave is, unsurprisingly, still asleep. Attempts to force him to drink or eat have been futile in his unresponsive state.
Sciel explains what they have found to the others, but even with that knowledge, they feel helpless. The gestral said he didn't realise it was a dream until he woke, that, in typical gestral fashion, he dreamt of combat, and sought to defeat the nevron in his dreams. If the dreams align with their desires, Gustave certainly isn't dreaming of nevrons.
"It's not like we can go into his dream and defeat the nevron for him," Monoco says, thinking out loud.
"Or maybe we can," Sciel replies with a smirk.
"I just said we can't," Monoco grumbles, crossing his wooden arms.
"What are you thinking, Sciel?" Verso asks.
"If the dreams are connected to the nevron, then perhaps they're all connected somehow. If the nevron puts us to sleep, and we know we're in a dream, maybe we could control this dream world and find Gustave, tell him how to wake up."
"That's too risky, we don't know enough to know if that'll work," Lune argues.
"We have to try something," Maelle protests. "Can't we just kill the nevron outside the dream?"
"We have no idea if that'll work either, and then we lose our option of trying Sciel's plan."
"Then we try Sciel's idea," Maelle insists. "I just have to let the nevron put me to sleep, right? Then I can get Gustave back."
"I'll do it," Verso interjects, placing a hand firmly on Maelle's shoulder. "I can't die, it's less risky if I go. If Sciel is right and the dreams are connected, I'll bring him back, I promise."
Everyone is in agreement that letting Verso enter the dream is the best approach. If Gustave's condition deteriorates before they wake, then they can, with caution, try defeating the nevron in the hope that it will wake them.
With little time to spare, he makes his way back to the area where they fought the nevron previously. Monoco accompanies him. Someone has to drag him back to camp once he's under the nevron's sleepy spell.
Finding the nevron again doesn't take long, it's not travelled far from where it was before.
Verso gracefully dodges its attacks, getting a few hits in just to rile up the nevron. As soon as he is hit by the same blast of powder that hit Gustave earlier, Monoco helps pull him away from the fight, avoiding being affected by the pollen himself.
Verso was tired before engaging in the fight, so it doesn't take him long to succumb to the forced slumber. Monoco has to carry him for most of the trek back to camp. When they return, he is placed on a camping mat at Gustave's side.
Verso can hear music, a piano is being played. A familiar tune, one he used to play all the time. He opens his eyes and looks down at the keys beneath his fingers, feels the ivory and ebony beneath his fingertips, and realises it's him playing.
He's sitting at the grand piano in the opera house, dressed handsomely in a black suit accented with gold. Looking out at the audience, he sees his family in the front row. His parents are smiling with pride at their son's accomplishments. His sisters sway slightly to the tune. A blissful moment, far from reality, something Verso could only dream of having.
His eyes cross the audience once more. Fingers never betraying him despite his concentration drifting away from the piano. It's like he could stop thinking altogether and the perfect performance would never falter. His eyes wander across familiar faces, the expeditions he's met across his too long life, all alive in the audience, enjoying his performance. Eventually they settle on one person in particular. Gustave. Lune and Sciel are sitting beside him.
That's right, none of this is real. It's all a dream, a beautiful dream of a life he, or Verso, could never have. A life where everyone is alive and happy. A life where he can play the piano without disapproval. It fills him with a joy he hasn't known in years, but he knows it's all fake.
Perhaps embracing this false happiness is something he would have welcomed had he discovered it under different circumstances. A false paradise where he can live out his desires and ignore the life he's suffered. It would only make him a hypocrite. Besides, he came here with a purpose. He cannot indulge himself in this fantasy when he has a promise to keep.
He stares at Gustave. He knows that's not the real one. The real Gustave would be in his own dream, experiencing his own desires, not here. He has to find him, and if Sciel is right about the dream being connected, it should be possible.
The audience stands with applause when the performance ends. After taking a bow, Verso retreats to backstage. Gustave isn't here, of that he is certain, so he needs to keep searching his dreams and find a way to him. A door appears before him, a portal of pure white, like a blank canvas ready to be painted. He cannot see where it will lead, but he can only assume it will take him into another dream. Taking a final glance back at the stage, he steps through the door.
He finds himself back on the stage, about to start a new performance. His love for music and his want to keep playing for a while longer has forced his dream world into a loop where he can keep playing forever if he so desires. If that's the case, then perhaps he can change his dream by focusing on other aspirations.
It takes a large amount of willpower to defy what the dream wants. A huge pressure weighs down on him, as if forcing him to finish the concert, but he knows not how time does flow in the dream. Another hour spent playing could be a day of slumber for all he knows. Of course it could be the opposite, a few days may appear to transpire over the shortest of naps. A risk he cannot take.
Taking his hands away from the piano keys, he rises from his seat, not daring to look at the audience. He walks backstage once more, but this time he doesn't look back, doesn't think of how good it was. He thinks of Gustave and hopes that's enough for him to reach him within these dreams.
Going through the portal door once more, he sighs with relief when he sees that it has not taken him back to the stage. Instead he's on a familiar cliff. The place he first made his presence known to this expedition. The place he saved Gustave's life when he was so close to letting the man die. A decision he's decided he does not regret.
Though his presence may bind Maelle Alicia to the canvas, he's grown fond of the brilliant man. He doesn't remember the last time he encountered someone so kind and honest, naturally charming and funny. Not like Verso who struggles to distinguish which parts of himself are genuine, and which are masks used to hide his ugly truths. It's like Gustave is the polar opposite of himself, and it's as if that's what draws Verso to him so fondly.
He also cares for Maelle so deeply that Verso is almost convinced he would be willing to sacrifice anything and everything for her, and perhaps that is the devotion he needs to ensure Maelle Alicia will leave the canvas when all is said and done. Until that time comes, he will be grateful for the remaining time they have.
Near the edge of the cliff, throwing a rock into the distant waters, is Gustave, dressed in his expedition uniform. His golden armband fluttering in the wind. Verso realises he too is wearing his usual expedition getup.
It almost looks like they're back in their reality, but Verso knows it's still a dream he needs to get Gustave out of. He walks over to him, watching him pick out another rock to throw.
"Gustave, I've found you." He places a hand on his shoulder.
Gustave turns to him with a gentle smile, the glow of nearby lanterns illuminating his face. He's beautiful, Verso thinks.
"Yeah, you have," Gustave replies as he lets the stone fall from his hand. He snakes his mechanical arm around Verso's waist, resting his hand against his lower back. The contact is muffled by the thick layer of Verso's coat. He brings his other hand up over his shoulders, runs his hand through Verso's hair.
Leaning into him, bringing their faces close, Gustave kisses him tenderly.
It feels good, Verso's first thought as he leans into the kiss, their bodies pressed together.
It's odd, Gustave had never shown interest in him like this before. He had never even reciprocated his occasional flirting. Each comment either makes the man a little flustered, as if trying to remain humble upon receiving a compliment, or goes over his head as if he doesn't realise Verso is trying to win his affection.
It doesn't make sense, but this is a dream. Of course, this isn't the real Gustave, Verso realises. Although rock throwing is one of his favourite pastimes, he wouldn't be dreaming about a useless hobby in the place he had a near death experience. Not when the dream could provide anything you desire. This is nothing but a creation of the dream based on Verso's own desires.
The kiss deepens, Gustave's tongue swipes across his lips before finding its way into his mouth. He knows it isn't real, but it still feels good. He's kissing him back with desperate hunger. He can feel his face flush with heat as he wonders if the dream has accurately captured the way Gustave feels and tastes. Would he allow him the chance to find out?
He tries to remind himself that this is just what the dream wants, to trap him here, and he's losing himself to this sweet dream, to the taste of Gustave on his lips.
He feels Gustave tug at his clothes, trying to take his coat off. This is wrong, using Gustave's image like this. He needs to stop before it goes too far. Not just because it's unfair on Gustave, but because Verso believes he doesn't deserve this, not when he wishes to bring upon the destruction of the canvas and therefore everyone in it. Dream or not, he cannot allow himself this closeness, this intimacy.
Verso eventually pulls away from him. "I'm sorry," he whispers, not daring to look at this image of Gustave in the eyes.
As he steps back, inching closer to the cliff edge, he sees a portal door has appeared at the bottom of the cliff. Without a second thought, he throws himself off the cliff and into the next dream.
He finds himself in darkness. The oblivion he longs for has found its way into the forefront of his mind. It was only a matter of time, for thoughts of death, though unachievable for him, are constantly lingering.
Dim lights, like stars in the form of splattered paint above, illuminate him, alone in the nothingness he stands in. A single white petal drifts past his vision. Looking down at his hands, and watching as another petal peels itself from his palm, he realises it came from himself. His body is slowly coming apart, erasing him, bit by bit.
There is no pain. If anything, it's peaceful, finally embracing the death he's been chasing for decades. He wants to let it happen, perhaps dying in the dream will grant him death in their reality, or keep him trapped in sleep forever. Or perhaps it will wake him, and his promise to Maelle will be broken.
Once again, he reminds himself that he's here to wake Gustave, he cannot allow himself to fade away like this. By the time he regains focus on his task, his body is half gone, fragmented.
He looks around for a way out, but there's nothing there. He needs to concentrate on controlling the dream. He draws out the small part of himself that wishes to live, trying to find an ounce of hope to cling to to keep himself together. He thinks of Lumière and days before the fracture. Anything joyful he can grasp onto to change the dream. He thinks of Alicia, he thinks of the piano. Even being cast into that performance once more would give him a chance to start again.
He can see a door appear in the corner of his eye. He turns and lunges for its white glow before his gommage is complete.
He finds himself at the piano once more, but this time in his family's manor. Clea is playing an accompanying piece on the harp, while Alicia is simply watching and listening with a bright smile on her face. He plays a cheerful melody he hasn't heard in years. Not since Alicia was little.
The applause from Alicia when their small concert comes to an end brings a smile to his face. The dream is a memory of happier times, one from so long ago that he's not sure if it's one of his or Verso's.
Once more he remembers this is all just a dream. He doesn't allow himself to linger in the joyful presence of his sisters, it's not really them after all, but excuses himself and finds his way to the front door of the manor. He needs to focus on his task of finding Gustave, the real one, the man who is trapped in a dream of his own.
No more distractions, no more getting lost in his own mind. All he wants now is to find Gustave's dream. He opens the door to a portal of swirling colours and steps through.
He finds himself in a room he doesn't recognise. Sitting at a dining table on the other end of the room, casually dressed, smiling and laughing, with coffee and pastries between them, is Gustave and a woman he's never met.
Verso looks out the window and can see the monolith in the distance, bearing no number painted upon it, and no paintress before it. Then he looks back at the couple who haven't yet noticed his presence.
There's no doubt in Verso's mind that this is Gustave's dream, which means the Gustave in front of him must be the real one. The woman with him must be the one he has spoken of before, about their love, about her gommage. Sophie, the woman Gustave stood no chance of sharing a future with, through no fault of his own, but by the uncontrollable circumstances of their lives in this fractured canvas.
It makes sense, Verso thinks, for this to be what Gustave desires. A normal life with the woman he loves, with no gommage threatening their peace or future.
It seems cruel to have to pull Gustave away from this beautiful fantasy, but it must be done. He cannot stay, it'll kill him if he does.
Verso walks over and places a hand on Gustave's shoulder, startling the man. Gustave and Sophie both look up at him with confusion.
"Verso, what are you doing here?" Gustave casually asks, as if Verso's presence wasn't so unusual, just currently unexpected. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."
"Gustave, do you know this is a dream?" Verso gets straight to the point. "It's time to wake up."
"What?" Gustave chuckles. "It certainly feels like a dream. Not only defeating the paintress, but everyone coming back as well." Gustave trembles beneath his touch when he looks upon Verso's solemn face. His own smile falters. "It happened didn't it? We won, right?"
Verso shakes his head. "This isn't real, the journey isn't over yet. This place might offer you everything you want, but Maelle is waiting for you to wake up."
Gustave stares at him, a tear runs down his cheek. As if pieces are falling into place, all the nuances that made things too good to be true are finally explained.
"Yeah, Sophie is gone, isn't she?" He eventually says.
"I'm sorry." It's all Verso can offer as comfort while Gustave takes in the reality of their situation. "But we have to wake up."
"Gustave, what's going on?" Sophie asks. "I'm right here aren't I?"
Gustave stands, and wipes his tears. His focus is now fully on Verso, he can't bring himself to look at the dream's creation of Sophie. For what is supposed to be a blissful dream, it is truly cruel, forcing him to part with her again.
"So this is all a dream," he says with acceptance. "And you're the real Verso? Not the one from this dream?"
He internally cringes at the irony.
"Yeah, I came to get you out."
"How do we get out?" Gustave asks
"The nevron that put us here should be lurking in the dream. We find it, kill it, and it should wake us up."
"And how do we find it?"
"The dreams show us what we want most. We have to want to find the nevron, then the portals should lead us to it."
Gustave nods in understanding and they walk to the door. Verso takes his hand in his. "So I don't lose you again," he smiles and reaches for the handle with his other hand. "Just think of fighting the nevron." He opens the door to bright white.
Sand between their toes, they open their eyes to reveal a gestral beach. Evidently, one of them was indeed not thinking about fighting the nevron. Standing hand in hand, wearing nothing but their swimsuits, they take in their surroundings. Maelle is taking on the volleyball challenge, Monoco cheering her on, but clearly not interested in getting his bristles wet. Sciel and Lune are relaxing by the water, laughing, watching Esquie swim around.
It all feels as real as the other dreamscapes, Gustave could have believed for a moment that he was back in reality, enjoying an afternoon unwinding from these treacherous weeks of fighting nevrons.
Verso turns to look at Gustave who looks away in shame. "Sorry, I couldn't focus."
"It's ok," Verso comforts him, knowing all too well how difficult it is to control the dream. "We'll try again."
"I was thinking," Gustave continues, needing to get the thoughts out of his system. "About how I don't want to lose anyone anymore. When we went through the portal, I suppose the thing I wanted most was for us to all be happy, and together. So the dream became..."
"It's ok," Verso repeats. "You don't need to explain. Though I was thinking you just wanted to see me shirtless."
"That's not-" Gustave says, flustered, attention now drawn to Verso's bare chest. He quickly looks away. "I wasn't-"
"I'm only teasing you," Verso says with a grin.
"Anyway," Gustave clears his throat and meets Verso's gaze. "I still haven't thanked you for coming here to rescue me."
"You can thank me when we're awake, now let's get out of here." Verso keeps a firm grip on Gustave's hand.
They take a moment to clear their minds, blocking out any thoughts unrelated to fighting the nevron so that they can wake from this dream. Focussing on defeating the nevron until it becomes what they both desire most right now, a doorway appears. Together, they step through the white portal.
With the nevron finally before them, they release their joined hands and summon their weapons. Blades in hand, their escape feels close. The nevron strikes first, lunging at them with greater speed than when they had fought it before. Verso shoves Gustave out of the way and parries the attack. They dodge the next few attacks and prepare to fight back.
Gustave, now more attuned to the tempo of the fight, raises his gun and fires multiple shots at the nevron, marking their foe. Verso dodges another attack, then parries another. The attacks have all been physical. He wonders if the dream nevron could still use its ability to put them to sleep here, forcing them to dream within a dream. He resolves to not find out.
Gustave gets a few hits in with his sword, and his arm crackles with energy, emitting a purple glow. The next attack comes for both of them. They parry it together. In their teamwork they give the nevron no chance to escape. Following up with an overcharged attack, red sparks burst from Gustave's metal arm and breaks the enemy's stance. Verso takes advantage of the enemies stunned state to deal the finishing blow.
The nevron fizzles out of existence and the ground shakes as the dream begins to fall apart. The sky cracks and the scenery fizzles out of existence. Gustave grabs Verso's arm in a fearful panic. Verso rests his hand over Gustave's. His calm expression a reminder that they've achieved what they needed to, and the destruction of this dream world, as scary as it may seem, is simply a necessary step for them to return to their reality.
Gustave regains his composure, embracing the chaos as the world turns to darkness around them.
They open their eyes to the orange glow of the sky as the sun grazes the horizon. It's not immediately clear if it's sunrise or sunset, but the sight of Maelle sitting beside them struggling to keep her eyes open hints at the latter.
Gustave reaches for her and weakly taps her hand, still feeling a little sluggish from just waking. Her eyes shoot open, as if his touch had sent a shock through her body, she's suddenly wide awake.
"Gustave!" Maelle cries as she throws herself at him before he can attempt to sit up. "You're awake."
He wraps his arms around her and gently pats her on the back. Verso is beside him, shifting to sit up. As soon as Maelle relinquishes her grip on Gustave, she leaps at Verso, throwing her arms around him.
"Thank you, Verso. You brought him back." The hug doesn't last quite as long but it's just as affectionate.
"Of course," he replies, watching Gustave join him in sitting up. "I promised I would, didn't I?"
"How long were we asleep?" Gustave asks.
"Two days," she replies. "Well, only one day for Verso."
A sound like thunder roars as Gustave's stomach grumbles. It's not surprising given he's gone so long without eating.
"I knew you'd be hungry," Maelle declares as she gets up. "I'll get you something." She dashes off to fetch them some food and tell the others of their waking, briefly leaving the two of them with only each other's company.
"We really made it back," Gustave smiles at him. "Thank you, for coming to get me, for not leaving me behind."
"Anytime," Verso says despite knowing where this journey is leading them.