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Search and Rescue Team at the Continent...
"It's true! It's fucking true!"
"He's immortal!"
Verso weakly opened his eyes, back into a torture scene he wished he could escape from. His hands were tied in chains behind his back and held by Claude and Louise, while Dion and Julie watched him sprung back to life. He had been pierced to death by Dion's sword. Blood drenched his Expedition Zero uniform, but nothing hurt more than this betrayal.
He looked at Julie, pleading, "Julie... Please! I'm telling the truth! The Paintress is not the one gommaging us. She is protecting us! She is the solution! Believe me!" He sobbed, tears on his eyes.
Julie did not relent. "You can use your charm all you want but I'm no fool, Verso. Tell us the truth!" Her cold eyes did not even falter at the sight of his tears and pain. "Do it!"
"What do you mean? Julie!" he asked in panic. Claude gagged him and they proceeded with his torture. De-nailing, flaying, stabbing, torching. The gag muffled his screams of agony and he only ever looked, begged, pleaded to Julie trying to appeal to their love - if there ever was any, or at all.
The bloody gag would be removed so he could speak again, and he had only told them the truth. Why won't they believe him?
"We're... paintings... in a Canvas... world," he said in between his coughing of blood.
"You're mad," Julie scoffed. "I can't believe I fell for you."
"The truth... The truth..." he repeated, delirious of the pain. Every part of his body was either bleeding or torched.
Louise asked, "What if he's telling the truth?"
"You must be crazy too," said Dion, shaking his head at her.
"He knows something about the Paintress. That much we can gather," said Julie.
"He is covering up and protecting the Paintress, he's already our enemy!" said Claude.
In between their talk and Verso having a rest, a movement was heard from behind the tree line they were in. Claude, Dion and Louise immediately went to check, while Julie watched Verso.
"Verso, what happened to Expedition Zero? Did you betray them? Are you the ones who wiped them out?" asked Julie.
"The Paintress is the solution... not the problem..."
After awhile, Claude, Dion and Louise came back with another captive that made Verso jolt in terror. His Alicia was brought in front of him.
"Alicia!" he said in fear as he tried to move against his restraints. His open wounds just bled more.
Alicia looked at him and shook her head. (I'm sorry!) She immediately went to look for him after feeling a hunch that something terrible might've happened. She wanted to hide some more and wait for an opportunity to free him but she couldn't bear to hear his muffled screams.
"Your sister?" asked Claude, shoving her down the dirt. "Is she immortal too?"
"No! Don't bring her into this! She had nothing to do with Expedition Zero!" Verso tried to stand to lunge at Claude and was held back by both Dion and Louise.
Dion grabbed his hair in place. "Just watch!"
"If you must torture someone, torture me! Let her go!" Fear apparent on his eyes.
"What if... she's the Paintress?" asked Louise.
Claude held Alicia down the dirt and brandished a dagger.
Julie finally showing a tinge of guilt said, "I can't watch you torture anymore." She went back to the Expedition Camp nearby.
"Please don't hurt her! I've told you everything! Please!" Verso continued to plead.
Claude stabbed Alicia's hand. Alicia cried and couldn't even scream from the pain because of her disability.
"Unforgivable!" Her tears, her groan, her blood, it was too much for Verso to bear.
"Unforgivable!" Something within him snapped. His eyes cold, his tears stopped.
"Unforgivable!" Something within him died, and a killer was born. "I'll kill you all!"
With a speed of light, he vanished from his restraints and pushed Claude off Alicia. Claude was stunned with his speed and watched as behind Verso, Dion and Louise's head fell off. It was then that Claude realized he couldn't feel his feet and his body was already separated from the kneecaps. He raised his hand to summon his sword but Verso quickly sliced his hands off. Now, he was screaming in pain and agony as Verso watched.
"Help! Help!"
Verso didn't want to give him a quick death. He left him to suffer for what he had done to Alicia. He turned towards Alicia who had already stood-up to check her hand. He kissed her on the forehead.
It was then that Renoir finally appeared.
"What happened?" he asked, seeing the corpses of 2 Search & Rescue, and a dismembered one who already fainted from blood loss.
Verso looked at Alicia, "Stay with Papa."
Renoir held Alicia's hand and called Verso, "Son! Don't let anyone escape!"
Verso nodded. He wasn't planning to.
He walked towards the Expedition Camp in search of Julie. In that camp, he slaughtered each and everyone who interacted with the Search and Rescue Team until only Julie remained. He turned to face her at last, soaked in the blood of those he had killed - his own blood included. Nothing but rage in his eyes. They clashed, Verso overpowered her and stabbed her in the chest. And as he gently put her down, their last words...
"Traitor..."
"Forgive me..."
The camp was set ablaze so no trace of the carnage would be left behind. It was then that Verso's hair fully turned to white due to this tragedy. He walked home along with Renoir and Alicia, and finally turned his back on Lumiere and the Expedition.