What did they do to you?

I'll get you out of here.

ANSWER ME.

Why did you agree?

Was everything a lie?

...

It's my responsibility.

* * *

The room was dark and cold, almost similar to the night's atmosphere beyond these whitewashed walls. Silent breaths of air were barely audible, the elemental's chest barely moving, her lips were pressed into a thin line, eyes serenely closed. Her right hand clasped a golden device, laying outside the blue cotton sheets on her abdomen.

Air's tired eyes were laid upon her.

Even unconscious, she wouldn't let go. The shade of gold reminded her of someone she barely knew. Someone she was aware of his existence, but never interacted directly in the past.

She rested her head on her palm, her elbow planted firmly on the wooden desk.

The day's events had left them bamboozled. Taufan and Thorn managed to get them out of plain sight, but it was still a huge surprise when Air showed up in her doorstep with Petir in her arms, with Api greeting her while he was drinking scalding chocolate. Fortunately he had mastered sufficient self-control to not spit on them.

It never ceased to amaze her. The fact that someone who she was afraid of, who she admired, was smaller in size than her. They had aged and moved on, but Petir did not. She never had in these three years, and correspondingly, Air had taken more responsibility than she should've.

And she thought she was the lazy one.

Sighing, Air laid her arm on the table, her limb pillowing her head delicately. Her silky hair ran down the table, dangling off the side in a fluid grace. Staring at the electric elemental's sleeping form, her eyelids drooping, the world before her vision blurring, her consciousness fading into haziness.

Her eyes closed gently, and she allowed the bliss of long-awaited slumber to overtake her, unconsciously wishing for a dreamless night.

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the darkness. The next factor was the stiffness of her right hand, her fingers cracking as she released the device from her grip. Her back was cold against the soft mattress, despite the warmer under the cotton.

Petir felt as if her body was on fire. Her condition was perfectly fine, yet she envisioned a world of fire. Her reality had burned down right in front of her, just like that.

People said that victims from a coma would struggle to recall the events that occurred, but she had no trouble. Every single detail of their sacrifices was laid out for her in screaming colour. It was like she was still there, witnessing the deaths of Tanah and Cahaya again, again and over again.

She laid there, dejected. Her eyes were fixated on the blank ceiling, blurred to black due to the absence of illumination.

Despite her chaotic mind, her thoughts were drawn to a blank. Everything seemed to be in a soundless movie, moving in high definition and accentuated emotion, and she was trapped, forever reliving the same moment.

Cahaya's final words were burned into her mind. I can't let you fall in danger. She would rather face a hundred Bora-ras than allow this to ever occur. If she had a choice between facing a fate of their deaths or remaining under Bora-ra's eternal manipulation, she would have chosen the second option millions of times to come.

Maybe crying was able to heal people. But not her.

Unconsciously, she lifted her upper side off the bed, causing the bed to creak and the device to fall off the bed, creating dull clattering from metal against the wooden floorboard. The pain in her right arm seemed so much like a fever dream, something that only happened in fantasy.

Eyes falling to the ground, she caught side of gold. It reflected next to no light, but it stood out amongst the hazel floor. The smooth surface mirrored her face, her expression blank and tired, even if she had freshly woken.

Was this really her?

Petir's mouth hung open slightly, inhaling cold air that entered her mouth and brushed against the sensitive surface of her throat. Her mouth was dry, and her lips chapped.

Mustering up the courage she desperately needed, her body leaned forward, her arm outstretched. Her fingers soon caressed the surface of the watch, the cold temperature contrasting against her warmth. As she gathers the resolve she deprived, she took the accessory into her palm, the edges pressing into her skin.

The cold metal alerted her of its presence. As she lifted it up, her caramel eyes fell upon the piece of technology that was once her restraint, now a separable scar of battle. She rotated her arm slightly, revealing the faint, blank inked lightning on her forearm, another irreversible memento of her loss.

Despite all of this, she didn't feel anything. Her mind was blank, and so was her heart. All she did was clasp both hands on the watch, and pressed it against her beating heart, her back hunched over and her head lowered.

No tear fell from her eyes. All that's left in a room was the soundless breathing of an elemental who's forced into a role she's not meant to play, and a broken form of a shattered elemental who was powerless to piece herself together.

* * *

To say Angin was worried, it would have been an understatement. No matter how late the night was, he couldn't, and wouldn't succumb to the embrace of sleep. Every little thing was a bomb. He tried to isolate himself from Daun, in fear of lashing out at her, but nothing seemed to work.

He was getting worse, and he knew it.

He just didn't know how to stop it.

Ever since the loss in the tournament, it was like nobody was paying attention to him. Sure, Petir's reappearance was important—and they even located her underwater for some ungodly reason—but no one bothered to check on him. They were aware of the painful sacrifices he had made for his training. All the lengths he went just to master the art, every reckless act just for the sole purpose of training—they were all wasted. Gone. Burned in flames. All because of one person.

Time flies.

Too fast.

He laid on his balcony floor, the tiles cold in spite of his clothes. Both eyes staring at the endless night ahead. There were no shining stars, no bright moon, only the infinite darkness.

Next to him, lay a bottle of pills and a water bottle. The warm water had longed cooled, for he was hesitant to consume the latter.

The faint resonance of cars' engines echoed in his head, the vehicles floors below their apartment. It was the only indication of his presence. Cold wind ruffled his hair, kissing his skin.

Deciding to recover for the sake of his friends, he pushed himself to sit upright with his elbows, the cuts on his forearms stinging on the contact of freezing tiles. He uncapped the medicine bottle and shook two white pills into his cold palm, the miniature drugs rolling in his hands.

Moving as swiftly as he was able to, he clapped his hand over his open mouth, harshly bringing the bottle up to his mouth and gulping the cooled water down, along with the anti-depressants that he was supposed to take hours ago.

* * *

Will everyone stop?

Will they stop hurting each other?

Will everyone be okay?

Daun's feet was cold on the wooden chair, her balance shaky as she held onto the rope that was connected to the ceiling. Her eyes fell on the space between the loop, as if she was able to see the world beyond.

One move. It'll all be over.

A forgotten tear fell from her cheek, dripping to the floor beneath her. She lifted her head into the circle, the rough texture of the cord piercing into her skin.

She could feel her body lurch forward, her feet stepping into air—

She stopped.

Everyone's still waiting for her.

She regained her footing on the chair's surface. Chiding herself of her foolish actions, she untied the rope and returned the chair back to her desk, hiding the cords under her bed.

She couldn't bring herself to throw it away. Not yet.

Wiping the tears from her face, she decided that she would try to sleep it off. She had a full day of trying to cheer everyone up tomorrow that would end in flames. Her facades had become a mask that had latched onto her expressions. She was a lie and the lie was her. There was no escaping the truth.

Prying the blankets aside, she slipped into the warm embrace of her bed, the softness unreal in her touch. She laid her head on her pillow, tucking her curly hair from her face and pulled the blanket over herself.