Game RP Haunted by You (FaeWhisperer)

[Kastellanos]

The flashing of the police lights reflected off the door as Kassidy approached the hospital, her steps slow and deliberate. Her bright blue eyes locked on the building, its silhouette etched with painful familiarity. The newly promoted detective hesitated at the entrance, the weight of the gun in her hand grounding her even as the acrid stench of blood assaulted her senses, creating worry in the pit of her stomach. Something in the back of her mind screamed that this didn’t seem right.

Memories surged like a tidal wave, unbidden and unrelenting. Her scars tingled a phantom itch that pulled her back to the nightmares she’d tried so hard to forget. Stay focused. Find Kidman, Oda, and Castellanos. Kassidy repeated within her mind, clinging to the task at hand. Her knuckles whitened as she tightened her grip on the weapon, taking one last breath to steel herself before stepping into the building.

Kassidy curled into a ball, clutching her burnt arms as panicked whimpers escaped her lips. She had been crying on and off for two days, only stopping when exhaustion pulled her into nightmare-filled sleep. The explosion had come out of nowhere, a violent, senseless act that no one could explain. It was not how, why, or anything that could be found or explained to it. It left Kassidy feeling like a monster.

The burns and scars on her skin were grotesque reminders, and no one had the heart to tell her if anyone from her training squad had survived. Not that she had asked. Words felt trivial, meaningless. Her tears returned, spilling down her cheeks as her small frame trembled like a leaf caught in a storm. The thoughts churned in her mind relentlessly, dragging her deeper into despair.

She barely noticed the doctor approaching her, his questions cutting through the haze like distant noise. Her red, swollen eyes met his blankly, uncomprehending as he tried to pry an answer from her. Looking away, her eyes settled on someone else, someone that seemed to stare back...

“Hello? Please make yourself known!” Detective Kontarini’s voice echoed through the empty hospital corridors as she stepped inside. The eerie silence was broken only by the steady tap of her boots on the blood-smeared tiles. Her gaze darted to the floor, her stomach twisting at the sight. She bit her tongue, forcing herself to look away and stay composed. None of this had been mentioned in the call, but she could still hear the terror in Oda’s voice as he reported something big, something bad, almost like a monster was charging him? Kassidy’s chest tightened, the fear clawing at her as she forced herself to keep moving deeper into the hospital. She needed to find them, she had to.

“Joseph? Seb? Juli?” Her voice wavered, trembling with the panic bubbling inside her since she arrived. The fear that her colleagues were gone clawed at her throat, but she pushed forward, desperate to find any sign of life. “Anyone?” Kassidy used one hand to reach for her radio, turning on the button and jumping at the sharp sound of static that shouldn't be there before turning it off quickly. Instincts told her to run and leave this place, her mind was starting to panic as she looked around, eyes scanning the bodies as more flashbacks seemed to try their luck at escaping into the front of her mind.

"What the hell happened here? Who could have done this?" Kassidy muttered to herself out loud, trying to fill the quiet with her own voice as she needed to think, need a plan of action before stepping blindly even more into the hospital than she already had.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

For our readers: If you want to understand this rp, you must read these two links provided: (I basically sum it up in my first post but a deeper dive is here)

Ruvik (important background link)

Ruvik

"I know what you crave, what you fear..." ―Ruvik to Sebastian. Ruben Victoriano, better known as Ruvik, is the main antagonist of The Evil Within, the secondary antagonist of The Assignment and The Consequence, and a minor character in The Evil Within 2. He is a thin, sharp-featured man who is...

theevilwithin.fandom.com

What STEM is (link)

STEM

The STEM system is a machine capable of linking together the brains of human beings, completely immersing them in a shared mental world. Connected subjects' brains are also used as additional memory and processing power, with each connected person making STEM more powerful. The simulated...

theevilwithin.fandom.com

Optional read:

The Evil Within

The Evil Within

The Evil Within, also known as Psychobreak (サイコブレイク, Saikobureiku?) in Japan, is a survival-horror video game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was directed by Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil & a former Resident Evil 4 director. The game...

theevilwithin.fandom.com

This is an overview into the actual gameplay itself - what’s going on in the story alongside our characters we are rping, not a required read but a recommended one

---

Ruvik, had not calculated having his own consciousness assimilated into the very thing he was working on- STEM- a system where he could create an imaginary world where he could live with his deceased sister Laura. After losing her to a fire- and him, having burns all across his body in the result of his sister saving him—he couldn’t bear it any longer. The pain of not having her there with him was driving him to take unprecedented measures. And the physical pain of his injuries, he wanted those to be gone as well. His body never could regulate his temperature when he was a physical being after being so terribly injured— so he had further thought that if his consciousness was in STEM, his brainwaves directly controlling it, he could be free of this pain that tortured him night and day.

Yet the organization he worked with became greedy. The doctor he had worked with became greedy. Both betrayed him and tried to force him to hand over his own work, the very project he had spent years of his life on making and perfecting! The Doctor had even worked on helping him acquire human subjects to experiment on and stabilize STEM, and these test subjects are what interested the organization MOBIUS to intervene and want what he had made.

But when Ruvik refused, that didn’t stop MOBIUS from doing what they wanted. MOBIUS had tried acquiring other patients to see if they would be compatible with STEM, and even when they found one- a patient named Leslie- they still demanded Ruvik reverse the process of him being the only one able to control STEM with his brainwaves. Ruvik refused again, and this time, it cost him his life. The organization he had worked closely with had subdued him and ultimately killed him- taking his brain, hoping that it would act as a core for STEM while they continued their research.

But MOBIUS made a fatal mistake when they put his brain at the center of STEM. Instead of stabilizing, STEM initially let Ruvik’s full consciousness take over - and from there he was able to create hellish landscapes with various levels, and any test subject used was initially killed by Ruvik within STEM - since Ruvik had full control over his own influence within STEM unlike the alive subjects being sent in subconsciously.

Yet, when MOBIUS had realized this, they took his brain out of the core, and essentially thought they had gotten rid of him- which didn’t work. So they devised another plan and wanted to use more sane individuals on the project to get rid of Ruvik once and for all, and that’s where the detective police had come in- MOBIUS planned on using them inside of STEM to complete the eradication of Ruvik.

Yet Ruvik wasn’t expecting Dr Jimenez to defy his orders and try to use the wireless STEM system to somehow ‘prove’ himself to MOBIUS. Proving that he could stop Ruvik. But by using the wireless system, it had begun to bend the dreamscape within reality, and everyone within the area of Beacon Mental Hospital got dragged into STEM unwillingly. Yet the process was slow in doing so- and with a small window of where reality and dreamscape blurred, Ruvik had seized that opportunity and went to kill the first squadrons of police force who had arrived to the hospital first, and wounding Jimenez in the process.

When the detectives arrived on the scene, STEM had finally completed taking over reality in its entirety without the detectives noticing and Ruvik began to hide in the shadows of the hospital to see what they would do. And once he realized they were trying to save Jimenez— it took Ruvik in a mere matter of seconds to send two of the detectives, the Doctor and the patient Leslie to a different ‘level’ of reality, and eventually capturing the third detective and sending him to a separate reality as well. From this, Ruvik began devising a plan, knowing if he wasn’t careful, that one detective known as Sebastian- would be a problem for him later. So, to avoid them being a problem, Ruvik would toy with their psyche to their bitter end.

But what he wasn’t expecting, was a fourth detective.

Upon inspecting further, it seemed as if he had seen a ghost at first, because..this woman looked eerily similar to his sister Laura, although that couldn’t be. Ruvik hadn’t made her to look like that within the dreamscape world. He was making sure the twisted form of his sister he had created would help him further antagonize the others who dare try and stop his plans on using STEM.

But the burns on her flesh- ones that looked they came from a fire— perhaps some part of his subconscious made her look like that? But he wouldn’t have made her into a detective, that’s for sure. Yet he..had to know more of who this woman was.

Stepping out of the shadows, his hooded figure began approaching the woman, seeing that she was armed. But he knew those bullets in her gun wouldn’t harm him. It was only physical fire that could harm his very being inside of this dreamscape world.

 

[Kastellanos]

"H-Hey! Stay back!" Kassidy yelled, her voice trembling slightly but sharp enough to cut through the silence. She saw the figure step out from the shadows, moving toward her, and her entire body tensed. Her smaller frame became rigid as she took a cautious step back, the rush of fear pounding in her veins. Despite the adrenaline, she forced herself to clamp her jaw tightly, determined not to let the panic overtake her. This was what she was trained for—to keep her head clear, her instincts sharp, and her fear in check. Running wasn’t an option. Raising the pistol in her hand, Kassidy aimed, adjusting her stance as she prepared for a warning shot if it came to it.

"I'm Detective Kontarini with KCDP!" she shouted, her tone blending fear and authority. Her words came out rough, teetering on the edge of terror, but her stance didn’t waver. The burn scars on her arms itched fiercely, a sharp and unwelcome reminder of her past. The pain was familiar, but its intensity tonight gnawed at her focus. Even so, she kept the pistol steady, her trembling arms betraying just a fraction of the effort it took to hold it. "Now stay back and raise your hands where I can see them! That’s an order!"

Kassidy’s eyes narrowed as she analyzed the figure moving toward her. She scanned for weapons, her gaze raking over his appearance for any clue of his intentions. Then she noticed his burn scars, like her own. Something in her chest stirred, a flicker of sympathy she quickly forced down, even if she tried to not feel it, her mind seemed to decide to trust the man before questioning him as she should have.

"I'm here investigating what happened," she told him, her voice firm but cautious. Despite his approach, the man didn’t seem threatening. Some reason, her mind found him familiar, but she couldn't remember why he would be. Slowly, Kassidy lowered her weapon, but her grip didn’t loosen, and her body remained tense. Even if he wasn’t a danger, that didn’t mean she could let her guard down. Not yet. "I can’t say whether this place is safe or not, but I need you to come with me. We need to get you somewhere secure."

Kassidy looked around quickly, questioning her own decision on what to do. This was far from anything she had trained for, but she knew what she had said made sense. Whatever the threat there was was unknown, and if there was civilians still in the area, it was part of her duty. AT this moment, the radio roared with static, a familiar male voice calling out on the other side and Kassidy answered immediately at the sound of a frantic Joseph Oda on the other line.

"A..one ..ere? ..ello? Cast...?" His voice broke through the static, sounding frantic and panicked, fueling the same feelings in Kassidy as she picked the radio up from the belt around her waist and held it close to her ear, taking her eyes off of the stranger and lowering her gun.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Ruvik continued to approach Kassidy, something in him stirred- like an air of familiarity, but he wasn’t quite sure on why he felt this familiar stirring, but perhaps it was because she looked like his sister. The moment she raised her gun and told him to raise his hands, he didn’t comply- yet this time he stopped approaching her. His blood stained hood hid most of his face as his piercing yellow eyes fell on hers. He could practically taste the fear rolling off of her, something he quite enjoyed.

Before he could act and subdue her, she told him this place wasn’t safe, and that he would need him to come with her. She would be able to tell he was not expecting this, as he took such a small step back that if she hadn’t been trained on noticing the smallest of details- she would’ve missed it.

Could she not see his tattered robe? The shoes missing off of his feet- the ripped trousers he wore, all covered in splatters of blood? Was she blind, or just too stupid to realize the threat was right in front of her?

It was only then when her radio roared alive with static, and for a brief moment- one of the detectives he had sent away was able to get through to this woman. Showing that his hold, his influence on him had slipped ever so slightly- all because of this woman in front of him had distracted him so.

He was in a fight for his survival and he currently had the upper hand, but one could guess that he now had two weaknesses.

Fire, and those that remind him of his sister.

Reestablishing his grip on the world, he reminded himself that although this woman looked similar to Laura, she was not her in any way. Although he had to admit he did falter the moment he saw her like this, and not the way he had created her in this dreamscape. So closing his eyes he made it so her radio would outright die, for no reason, figuring cutting off communication between her and the others would be best.

 

[Kastellanos]

“Joseph! Are you there?” Kassidy’s grip on the radio tightened as she tried to make out Joseph's frantic voice through the static. Her pulse quickened with each broken word that came through, fear and panic gripping her heart. Something was off about the situation, something was telling her to stay alert as the dead air filled her with unease.”Joseph, I’ll find you, don’t worry…”

She glanced back at the man, still standing eerily close, his blood-stained appearance impossible to ignore. His figure loomed from afar, and despite her training, Kassidy couldn’t shake the sensation of discomfort. She swallowed hard, realizing she was in uncharted territory. She had no idea who this man was or his intentions, but the air between them was thick with unspoken tension. Her stomach twisted with a cold sense of foreboding. She glanced up at the man in front of her, but he hadn’t moved, still staring at her with those unsettling eyes. Kassidy felt a pang of doubt and questioned if she had miscalculated the man and her judgment.

“I don’t know who you are, but you need to come with me,” she said, the words sounding almost like a command. Her eyes scanned his ragged appearance once more, the bloodstains soaking through his clothes, Kassidy shook her head, trying to push past the doubt. She couldn't afford to lose focus now. Taking a slow breath, she refocused her attention on the man in front of her, her finger still poised near the trigger of her weapon, but not yet pulling it. Whatever came next, she needed to be ready. "You're not safe here."

“This place... whatever's going on, it’s not going to end well. I’m trying to help you,” she continued, trying to sound reassuring despite the tension in her voice, this wouldn't have been the first time her kindness had led her into scary or dangerous situations. Her years as a rookie officer were a long tale of trusting those she shouldn't, it seemed to be a lesson she hadn't learned yet.

“Listen to me,” she said, taking a step closer, her voice unwavering. Her words seemed to hang in the air, and Kassidy’s brow furrowed. There was something off about this entire situation, something she couldn’t quite place, but she had no choice but to push forward. “If you know anything about what happened here, you need to tell me. I can help you, but you need to trust me.”

“Just come with me. We’ll figure this out together. Please,” Kassidy repeated softly, her voice tinged with desperation as it sounded as sweet as honey, trying to come closer to lead the man outside and to the cruiser she had brought. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

 

[FaeWhisperer]

When Kassidy examined his figure, he took this moment to glance outside of the hospital doors that were still open- seeing the affects of his mind on the world. The hospital was completely cut off from any other outside sources, and it would be made entirely impossible without some manipulation from his part for Kassidy to leave.

Any hope of escaping this place would ultimately seem futile. But he figured he could play her game a bit longer. He remembers when him and Laura used to play games and he had quite enjoyed them. And how her words would offer fake sympathy to him, knowing that it didn’t matter in the end. She would end up being his plaything once he finally decided to move from his current position in the room.

Ruvik had only hesitated this long due to what she looked like and he still had to remind himself that it wasn’t Laura. And Kassidy, not knowing this, would just see him manage to move towards her ever so slightly before he was fully up right next to her, his face examined hers for a moment, before he leaned back and he spoke this; “help me?” He asked, and gestured towards outside, “I think you’ll need my help escaping this place.. if you want to survive.” He warned, not toying with her just yet. But he was about to.

And before she could blink, the scenery around her changed, twisted- like the walls itself were closing in on her, before expanding again. They were soon in the hospital ward- a familiar area- to which Ruvik hadn’t planned on bringing her there. Yet when she would examine the room, she wouldn’t find him there.

Then a door would open, and a watery like figure would appear to walk in the room, dressed in a white button down shirt, brown pants and black shoes. The figure was bandaged from head to toe, and he had a chart in his hands. “What?!…” his voice spoke, as he began to read her chart. He went to a bed, but no one was there. “No. It can’t be.. she mustn’t be here…!” he exclaims angrily next, setting the chart down before moving around and facing Kassidy who was in the room. “Why would Jimenez bring her here..?!” He sounded even more upset, and as the watery figure walked through her disappearing, before she would notice that same hooded figure from before was now standing in the doorway.

Ruvik himself was surprised at the memory he had witnessed. He didn’t remember who he was talking about, but it had to have come out for a reason. Who was this woman?! Why was she causing such memories to form? He should focus on other things, like toying with the other detectives he had sent to other levels of this dreamscape. Kassidy would yet again find him right up next to her, she didn’t even have to blink for him to be there. “Tell me…why did you come to the hospital..?” Such an odd question. But he had to know. He did know that MOBIUS had manipulated the KCPD to send out individuals to come and eradicate him, but perhaps this woman didn’t know of such motives. If that was the case, he could use her to his advantage.

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy’s breath hitched as the room twisted violently around her, the walls rippling like they were alive. Her knees wobbled, nearly giving out, and she grabbed the edge of a nearby bedframe, her fingers trembling against the cold metal. The blinding white walls and the suffocating air made it hard to breathe, her heart pounding so loudly it drowned out everything else. How had she gotten here? Just moments ago, she’d been by the hospital doors, the hooded figure lingering in her periphery. Now, she was here, in this sterile, oppressive ward that felt too much like the one she’d never wanted to see again. The antiseptic smell hit her like a wave, sharp and intrusive, dragging her back to the worst moments of her life. She could almost hear the faint hum of machines, the soft murmur of voices just beyond the door. Her stomach twisted as the memories surged forward, unrelenting and vivid.

She had woken up in a place like this once, barely alive, her body wrapped in bandages, her skin raw and burning from the explosion. Her fingers hovered over the bedrail, and at that moment, she could feel it again, the weakness in her hands, the pain that had consumed her body, the endless struggle to move, to breathe, to exist. Her scars prickled as if remembering alongside her. The nurses’ whispers echoed in her mind, low and pitiful, as though she weren’t meant to hear. Kassidy shook her head, trying to push the voices away, but the weight of it all pressed harder on her chest. Her hand brushed the rough, uneven skin of her neck, trailing down to the scars hidden beneath her sleeves. She’d spent years hiding the damage, covering the reminders of what the fire had done to her. But here, in this place, there was no hiding.

Her breathing hitched, tears burning at the edges of her vision. The past clawed at her, refusing to let go, and no matter how hard she tried to shake it off, the memories wrapped around her like smoke, suffocating and inescapable. Suddenly, the watery figure appeared, and Kassidy let out a startled gasp, stumbling back a step. The figure looked… wrong, its body distorted and shimmering like it was made of liquid, yet somehow solid enough to be real. It was bandaged from head to toe, its voice sharp and angry as it muttered and flipped through a chart, looking rather familiar as she stared wide-eyed at the apparition.

“What… what is this?” Kassidy whispered, her voice shaking as her eyes darted toward the door, half-expecting the hooded figure to step through. But her legs felt like lead, her body frozen in place as the watery figure moved, slamming the chart down and barking something about Jimenez as her body shivered like a leaf in the wind.

“Dr. Jimenez…What about him?” she repeated softly, her voice trembling, speaking about the doctor who once treated her still seemed to trigger fear in her chest. But the figure didn’t answer her. It just moved erratically, like it was unraveling before her eyes, before finally dissolving into nothing. The silence that followed was deafening, and Kassidy could feel her chest tightening, her pulse thundering in her ears. She turned sharply toward the door, and there he was. The hooded figure.

Her heart dropped, fear coursing through her veins like ice water as she watched him, his form dark and unmoving. He was like a shadow, so still that it was almost unnatural. And yet, in the blink of an eye, he wasn’t in the doorway anymore. He was next to her. Kassidy gasped sharply, stumbling back so fast she nearly tripped over the bedframe behind her. She gripped the metal railing for balance, her hands trembling as she stared up at him, her breath coming in short, shallow bursts. He was so close now, his presence suffocating, like he was pulling the very air out of the room. Kassidy couldn’t answer right away. Her mind was racing, her thoughts spiraling out of control, and her voice finally broke free, though it trembled as much as her hands.

“I-I don’t know,” she stammered, her words rushing out in a panic. “I-I-I was called by another detective for help! The last time I was in a hospital, it wasn’t because I wanted to be.”

“I was… I was in an explosion,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her breath hitched again as the memories surged forward, refusing to stay buried. “It-it burned me. I didn’t even think I’d wake up after. And when I did…” She trailed off, her eyes filled with tears, remembering the pain, the trauma, all of it, even to this day it affected her despite how hard she tried to keep it from holding her back. Kassidy was sure this had to be a dream, this place couldn’t be real, none of this was real, it couldn’t be, it had to be a dream, that was the only solution that made sense. “Who are you? Wh-What’s happening, why am I here again?”

“I don’t understand,” Kassidy whispered, her voice cracking as the words spilled out, shaky and uneven. Her wide, tear-filled eyes stayed locked on him, desperate for some kind of explanation. “Why am I here? Why are you here? What do you want from me?”

Her breath hitched again, a sob threatening to rise in her throat, but she swallowed it down, forcing herself to keep talking. “This… this has to be a dream,” she said, her voice trembling as much as her hands. “It has to be. None of this makes sense. It’s not real! it can’t be real!”

“Please,” Kassidy whimpered, her voice breaking into a plea. “If you’re trying to scare me, you don’t have to. I’m already terrified. You win. Just… just let me go. Let me wake up. Please.”

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Ruvik was not expecting that kind of reaction from this woman, or response. So she was completely innocent. Or so, he chose to believe. The way her response was completely different from how others perceived him- shooting their guns and trying to eradicate him from this world he had fought so hard to stay in. And hearing her plead, beg for him to ‘wake her up’ he looked up and into something she couldn’t quite understand or perceive.

“You…can’t,” he says next, but then walks away from her, figuring it was best to do so. “I mean, I’m not sure how you are able to.. as I haven’t found a way out myself,” he explained further but knew his exact reason on why he hadn’t left the dreamscape world. It was because he no longer had a physical body. And he wasn’t sure how long he would have before his consciousness would slip away or be replaced. But he was currently making it very difficult for it to be so.

Kassidy would notice that he kept his fair distance from her now, as he examined her thoroughly this time with that intense gaze in his eyes- examining the burns on her body. But to him, Ruvik couldn’t but help notice the way her burns were on her body.. it reminded him of one patient that had been admitted to this hospital for his experiments, that had been caught in…his thoughts trailed off.. wait. Why did he remember that patient? Was it because his and their injuries were so similar? But as Kassidy had mentioned there had been an explosion she was caught in, it unknowingly had triggered that part of him to remember more.

His head hurt from all of this, and it caused the scenery to change once again. This time to an unfamiliar area, and Kassidy would notice she would be in a jail like cell, on a bed with a metal frame. The door to the cell was closed, and she would be able to see someone on the other side calling for her name. It was a woman who was calling her, and upon inspecting further it would be a nurse. At least Kassidy was in a relatively ‘safe’ place, she was no longer in that hospital ward, even if she was dreaming. But what would that strange man mean she couldn’t wake up? What would he mean that he hadn’t found a way out yet? This would not bode well for her partners.

Ruvik was on the other side of the wall where the nurse was passing through. She was a common figure in his life, always helping out the patients that had been admitted to the hospital, helping them cope with being here longer than expected. She passed by Ruvik’s dark hooded figure and scolded him, “you know, scaring isn’t the way to make friends,” and Ruvik just glared at her, knowing it was part of his subconscious that was telling him that, even if it did come to him by this method.

Kassidy, would soon find that the metal door was unlocked, if she cared to explore the new surroundings.

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy’s head spun as the world shifted violently around her again, the suffocating hospital ward dissolving into something new. The cold bite of metal pressed against her back as she found herself lying on a thin, uncomfortable cot, her fingers brushing against the rigid frame beneath her. Her pulse pounded as she forced herself upright, her breath coming in shallow, uneven gasps. The air smelled stale, heavy with something she couldn’t quite place, and as her vision cleared. She was in a cell, or what she assumed was a cell.

Before she could fully process what had happened, she heard her name. Her head snapped toward the bars, her heart leaping at the sight of a woman on the other side, a nurse. Kassidy’s stomach twisted. She didn’t recognize her initially, didn’t know if this was another twisted illusion meant to break her further. But the nurse’s voice was clear, calling for her like she knew her. Kassidy swallowed hard, her throat dry as she spoke, talking to herself as she tried to keep her mind in order.

“Where am I?” she muttered to herself, her breath uneven, moving to sit up and heading towards the metal door. “What the hell is going on?” Kassidy already knew the answer, this was still his world, his game. And if she couldn’t wake up, that meant she was trapped here, just like him. Panic was coursing through her views, pain bites inside her mind at her brain in the worst headache she had ever experienced. Everything that had happened was affecting her, it didn’t help that the lack of caffeine wasn’t helping her either.

Moving to the large door, Kassidy tried to open it and was almost shocked that it wasn’t locked and stepped out of the cell she had been in. Standing there, looking at the nurse and strange man as she stepped out into the hall. Her throat felt tight as she finally stepped out, her boots clicking softly against the smooth tiled floor. The air carried a strange weight, thick with something she couldn’t name. This placer felt different from the last. It wasn’t the cold sterility of the hospital, nor the suffocating presence of something lurking just out of sight. It was… still. Isolated. The walls were aged, yellowed, lined with dark wooden paneling. An old desk sat near the far wall, stacks of worn-out files littering its surface. The dim glow of lamps cast long shadows, flickering as if the light itself was uncertain.

Kassidy turned slightly, her gaze drifting over the rows of metal-barred cells, most of them empty. It was like some old asylum. No, something older than that. The scent of aged paper and faint antiseptic lingered in the air, mingling with the faint crackle of an unseen radio playing a warped, classical tune in the distance. It should have been comforting. It wasn’t.

Her fingers trailed absently along the smooth, curved edge of a wooden chair as she walked past, her brows furrowing. There was an odd sense of familiarity as she had stepped into a place meant to hold memories, but none of them were hers. Still, she couldn’t ignore him, even if she was trying to.

“You said… I can’t wake up,” she murmured, barely above a whisper. Her voice wavered slightly, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. Kassidy stopped a few feet away, glancing at him from the corner of her eye before quickly looking away, her grip tightening on the fabric of her sleeve, tugging it over her burns in a habit she was far too used to doing. “And that you haven’t found a way out either.”

“Does that mean…” She hesitated, then exhaled quietly. She swallowed, shifting uncomfortably under the weight of his silence. “Does that mean we’re trapped here?”

The question lingered in the air, and she instinctively glanced down, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve again. She hated how small her voice had sounded just then. She wasn’t used to feeling this uncertain, or this scared. Her gaze flickered back to him, her expression cautious but laced with something softer.

“Who… who are you?” she asked, hesitant. Kassidy shifted on her feet, unsure if she had said too much or if she wasn’t asking the right questions. But she needed to understand, needed something solid to hold onto in this strange, shifting world. Her mind whirled with questions for the man. “Did you bring me here? Or are you just as lost as I am?”

"And what about you?" Kassidy's eyes shifted to the nurse, this new person seemed strangely calm in this place, but the smaller woman couldn't tell if she was like the strange man. Her eyes studied the nurse, questioning who she was, a question burned in the back of her mind, wanting to be asked about what she meant in what she said to the man. It was an odd statement and yet, seemed quite personal, like she knew the man well and hoped perhaps she had some answers.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Ruvik’s eyes flickered towards the movement across the room, and his gaze settled on Kassidy who was grounding herself to this ‘reality’. The moment she approached he seemed to tense up ever so slightly, yet it wasn’t from fear. At her questions though, he didn’t know exactly how to answer her without confusing her further, yet perhaps he had no choice.

“To answer what you’ve asked… is a most difficult thing.” He began, moving his position and going to one of the walls to look up at a distorted portrait of him and his family. “Unlike you, I cannot wake up,” he glanced over to her, “but I want to, and I’m sure you do too… but how you came here, is something that I’m not controlling,” he began to explain further. “Trapped, yes- but we need a key,” he looked back to the painting. “I’m searching for that key,” he tells her next, moving and heading towards one of the mirrors, glancing in the broken glass to see his reflection. “And that key is difficult to procure, as…others continually get in my way,”

In his cryptic responses, perhaps they didn’t resolve anything to her, but when he was asked his name, he seemed to tense up slightly again, before responding. “Ruvik,” he said shortly, but heard her ask the nurse and the nurse just tilted her head before giving a droned out response, “What about me? There is nothing different here, only what you create it to be,” and she turned to walk behind the desk and sit there on the chair provided.

Ruvik looked at Kassidy again and he noted how she was touching her arms here and there. “You…came here by accident,” he said suddenly after a bit of silence permeating the air. “Those burns… how…what..happened to you?” He was diverting from the conversation on getting out of here, and now asking something personal to her, but he had seen these before, on himself and one other patient that had been admitted to Beacon Memorial Hospital, but that memory itself was fragmented and he had a hard time remembering.

 

[Kastellanos]

“A key?” Kassidy muttered under her breath, her gaze locked onto the man in front of her. She adjusted her stance instinctively, always ensuring she was facing him, her body tense, eyes scanning him like he might disappear or make a sudden move. She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but something was unsettling about his tone, something deliberate.

She barely had time to dwell on it before he spoke again, offering his name. That caught her off guard. She hadn't expected an answer, not from him. He didn't seem the type to hand out personal details so easily. Yet, there it was. Kassidy hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding slightly, though she wasn’t sure if it was acknowledgment or just a reflex. Still, her focus remained sharp, cataloging every shift in his expression, every nuance in his voice.

Then came the question. The one she always hated.

The moment he asked about her scars, her body seemed to freeze. Her grip on her arm tightened involuntarily, and she turned her gaze away, suddenly finding the far wall much more interesting. A dull, phantom ache pulsed along the length of the scars hidden beneath her sleeve, like they had a memory of their own and the itching started again as they tingled.

“The short version?” she murmured, her voice quieter now, talking about it always made it feel real.

"I was training at the police academy. We were in a van, packed in for an exercise. Everything was fine, we were joking and nothing seemed off about the van. It was just another drill, nothing unusual." She paused, exhaling sharply. She swallowed hard, the memory slamming into her like a punch to the ribs. "Then, out of nowhere, the van exploded.”

“One second, I was sitting there, listening to my instructor go over protocol and trying to get everyone to shut up. The next? I was on the side of the road, barely conscious, my ears ringing so loud I couldn’t even hear myself scream, but I could see everything.” She let out a humorless chuckle, though there was no real amusement in it. “I remember laying there, wondering what was frying, who was grilling outside that early in the morning? No one was, it was me.”

“I woke up in Beacon a few hours later, covered in burns and stitches, doctors talking like I wasn’t even there. They said it was trauma… something in my brain just... shut down.” She took a slow breath, steadying herself. “I stopped talking for a while. A couple of months, actually. Took a while to get back into things and get back into the police program.”

Kassidy's gaze lifted back to him, her eyes searching his face, trying to read something in his expression. The question lingered in her mind and on her tongue, hesitant yet insistent, before she finally uttered the words.

“What about you? I-I… it’s okay to ask…” Her voice wavered slightly, and as soon as the words were out, she looked away, suddenly uncertain. Her heart pounded against her ribs, but not just because she had dared to ask. No, it was something else. Something about him reminded her of someone. Someone important. Someone she should remember, but she couldn’t and that, more than anything, sent a chill through her.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Ruvik watched how she tensed up, before giving him what seemed to be the short version. Yet as she explained what happened…it didn’t seem very short in explanation to him. That annoyed him slightly, but he shifted himself back and leant against the wall, listening regardless. It was only when she mentioned she had been admitted to this very hospital they were stuck in, did the mirror he had stared in earlier began to shatter a bit more.

He had closed his eyes, but upon opening them, Kassidy would get a glimpse of something in them. Perhaps…compassion? Empathy?? Regret..? Whatever it was, it would feel all too familiar for her. Yet when she asked about himself he turned his head down and was staring at the floor. “I too was in an accident..” he mostly lied. “But I survived, and have fought for my life and freedom ever since,” he didn’t want to exactly tell her how he got these burns. He was certain she would see them soon enough. She was after all, inside of his mind.

The glow of the broken mirror became brighter when he walked away from it, and it would feel like something was pulling her to look at it, if she so wished. “In this world, you can control how you feel, these phantom pains..” he murmured out as walked next to her, his body coming eerily close and yet, there…wouldn’t be fear this time, but a presence of something else, someone familiar to her, oddly enough. “I’m sure you’ve noticed, this isn’t reality,” but he knew she was smart enough for that, and it had already been explained so.

As he passed by, a faint glimpse of those hospital beds again would show up in both of their minds and who was seen was a man covered in bandages, was walking by the beds once more. A name was spoken, and it sounded like Kassidy’s. The man almost sounded apologetic to her, but as he had sat on the bed, that’s all the memory would lead them to, before Kassidy would find herself in a village house of sorts, with the sounds of gunshots in the distance. It sounded like Sebastian and Joseph..!

But Ruvik…

Was nowhere to be found. He had disappeared after talking to her, and so had that nurse. She would have to reorient herself yet again.

“Hurry up Joseph! They won’t stop coming!” Sebastian’s voice demanded and it seemed like a hoard of zombies were after them.

Wait.

Zombies?!

 

[Kastellanos]

The fractured mirror behind Ruvik glinted ominously, its cracks spreading like veins, tugging at Kassidy with an almost magnetic pull. But she resisted the urge to look, her focus anchored on him instead. When Ruvik stepped closer, the air shifted subtly, no longer cold, but thick with something else, something familiar. Her heart fluttered unexpectedly, a feeling both foreign and intimate as if echoing emotions she’d once had for someone she couldn’t quite remember. Then it hit her, a flash of memory, unbidden and sharp. A man in bandages, his dark, haunted eyes meeting hers with a gaze that felt like it reached into her soul. The image flickered and faded as quickly as it came, leaving her breathless, her pulse racing.

“This isn’t reality,” Ruvik murmured, his voice low and distant, yet the words vibrated through her body, resonating in her chest like a tremor. Suddenly, the world shifted. Kassidy found herself outside, emerging from a crumbling village house into chaos. Her eyes darted across the nightmare unfolding before her—Sebastian and Joseph were fighting desperately, Sebastian’s gun flashing with each shot, Joseph’s axe slicing through grotesque creatures. Without thinking, she sprinted toward them.

“Seb! Joseph!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. Relief flooded her face for a brief second, until she realized just how much danger they were in. The smile vanished as she ducked and weaved through the monstrous horde, adrenaline surging in her veins. Sebastian’s eyes snapped to her, wide with shock. He stumbled back, nearly losing his footing, before rushing toward her.

“Kassidy?! Oh my God, where have you been?” His voice was a mix of relief and worry, raw and real. He grabbed her arms, pulling her into a tight, desperate hug. She clung to him just as fiercely, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. Both seemed to comfort the other with their presence, Kassidy didn't know what would happen if she found or heard that something happened to any of the three, especially if anything happened to the man holding her closely. “I didn’t even know you got into this hell…”

“Kassidy! Get behind us!” he barked, motioning frantically. Joseph’s reaction was less tender but no less genuine. His sharp gaze locked onto her, axe still gripped tightly. He stared, shock flickering across his face before he snapped back to reality.

She obeyed without hesitation, darting behind them as the terrifying screams of the haunted grew louder, closing in. Her heart thudded violently, a drumbeat of fear and adrenaline, her eyes wide as she hadn't come across anything like this. True, Ruvik wasn't normal, neither were his abilities, but he didn't harm her or attempt to. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Joseph’s muscles tense as he swung his axe with ruthless precision. A flicker of admiration sparked inside her, but she shoved it down. This wasn't the time to gush over the man like she often did. Sebastian, always quick to notice, tossed her a pistol without a word. She caught it instinctively, realizing only then that her own weapon was gone. Her hands trembled, but she forced herself to aim, squeezing the trigger. The shots rang out, hitting one of the creatures clawing toward Joseph.

“This way!” Sebastian shouted, pointing toward a narrow path. They ran, breath ragged, dodging twisted bodies and jagged claws. Kassidy fired over her shoulder, each shot striking a creature and clearing a bit of the horde. Joseph stayed close, his axe swinging like an extension of himself, clearing their path with brutal efficiency. Wave after wave of creatures came, relentless and ravenous. Just when Kassidy thought they couldn’t hold on any longer, Sebastian spotted an old shack hidden beneath overgrown vines. They sprinted for it, hearts pounding. Joseph was the last inside, slamming the door shut with a final, echoing thud.

Silence followed, broken only by the sound of their heavy breathing. Kassidy leaned against the wall, chest heaving. Sebastian stepped closer, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. His voice was low, soft and a soft comforting slime that Kassidy found herself copying. “You did good, kid. We made it.”

The warmth of his words seeped through her like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. A fragile comfort in the nightmare they were trapped in. For a brief, precious moment, she felt safe. She even dared to feel… hope.

“Where have you been this whole time? We didn’t think you were here,” Joseph’s voice cut through the stillness, sharp and demanding. Kassidy froze, his words hitting her harder than any creature’s claws could. Her throat tightened, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond. The words tangled in her mind, too heavy to speak. Slowly, almost mechanically, she rolled down her sleeves, trying to hide the scars etched into her skin. But Joseph’s eyes had already found them, his gaze burning with questions she wasn’t ready to answer. Her own eyes dropped to the floor, searching for the right words, but nothing felt right and she had no idea where she could even start. "What have you been doing? Have you seen anyone else?"

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Sebastian looked up, and motioned to Joseph silently, giving him a glance that told him to roll back on the questions, fearing Kassidy would spiral again, and they didn’t need that happening in the slightest. “Don’t worry about the details,” he speaks, reassuring Kassidy, like he always did.

He had always found Kassidy to be like the daughter he and his wife had lost long ago— Kassidy even resembled her, more so than he cared to admit. So it was only natural that he took on a father like figure for the young rookie. “We’re just glad that you’re safe, even if we don’t know how you got here with us,” he speaks a bit roughly this time, peering out of one window and cursing under his breath.

“Looks like there’s more of them,” he mentioned to both Kassidy and Joseph now, and he noticed Joseph was still on edge. But he didn’t blame him, especially after he had turned into one of those..things. He watched as Joseph was clinging to his axe a bit tighter than he should’ve but didn’t say anything of the sort.

As he was looking out at the few bridges they would have to cross, he saw that hooded figure again, the man who had sent him to this plane of reality. Ruvik — he had since learned the name, and seen some of the memories. But still, the memories he had witnessed didn’t make sense. He would have to ask Dr Jimenez more questions and hope they would find answers. But as of right now, he was tracking down both the doctor and Leslie.

When he caught sight of Ruvik, as soon as he he saw him, he was gone again and he knew that man there had some strange, terrifying powers. Powers that bullets wouldn’t touch, and he couldn’t understand how to defeat such a foe. But as of right now, Sebastian wasn’t aware that it was fire that could hurt Ruvik- much like that lady with the long limbs he had dealt with just a few hours before catching up with Joseph.

 

[Kastellanos]

Joseph's knuckles whitened around the handle of his axe, his gaze flickering between Sebastian and Kassidy. His instincts screamed at him that something was off. He could feel it in the way Kassidy's eyes darted just a little too quickly, the faint tremor in her voice masked by false reassurance. Joseph had always trusted his gut, and right now, it twisted like a knife in his stomach. Before he could dwell on it, Joseph's sharp intake of breath snapped him back.

“Seb,” Joseph hissed, pointing towards the bridge ahead. There, standing motionless amidst the fog, was Ruvik. His hood shadowed his face, but the faint, malevolent glow of his eyes pierced through the haze. The air grew colder, heavier as if the very reality around them recoiled from his presence.

Kassidy's breath hitched. “Ruvik…” she muttered softly, her heart clenching in her chest at the sight of him. Kassidy was feeling a sort of kinship, being they both had suffered to flames, but deep down she knew it was something else and ignored the fact that it was. She glanced at Sebastian, seeing the look in his eyes and on his face, wondering for a brief moment what had happened between him and Ruvik or if they had even crossed paths. Ruvik disappeared all too quickly, leaving the small woman to sigh softly to herself.

“Stay close,” he ordered, voice low and firm. Sebastian’s heart raced, but he steadied his grip on his revolver, but Kassidy didn’t seem afraid. In fact, her stance relaxed slightly, Joseph's eyes grew wide at the revelation as he looked down at her, watching her tense up at the sounds of one of those creatures in the distance instead.

“What the hell are these things?” Kassidy questioned the two, drawing a sharp glare from Joseph, obviously, she had stirred his suspicions.

“You haven't run into monsters before?” Joseph asked harshly, his voice cutting through the thick air. Kassidy glanced up at him, feeling the full force of his glare.

“No… I hadn't. I-It’s-” Kassidy's words faltered, her voice trembling under the weight of fear and confusion. She swallowed hard, she had never been the one to lie and was never good at it when she dared to attempt to. Sebastian glanced between Joseph and Kassidy, his mind racing. He couldn’t afford division in their fragile group, not now. But doubt had already planted its seed, and Sebastian knew it would only grow.

“Let’s move,” he muttered, leading the way across the bridge, his mind haunted not just by the monsters lurking in the dark, but by the unsettling question of whether one was walking beside him. “Let’s head to the tower for now, we might get a lay of the land from there and figure out where the hell we are.”

The trek to the tower was tense, the silence between them shattered when grotesque creatures lunged from the fog. Their distorted faces twisted with rage, limbs jerking unnaturally. Sebastian fired precise shots, each bullet finding its mark, but they kept coming. Joseph swung his axe with brutal efficiency, the blade cleaving through rotting flesh, blood splattering across his face. Kassidy hesitated, fear anchoring her feet before she forced herself to keep going, shooting at each monster and trying to not slow the group down.

Adrenaline surged, silencing doubts and fears with each vicious blow. Breathing heavily, they pressed on, the tower looming closer. Its silhouette jagged against the ashen sky, with each step they grew closer and closer. Kassidy had no time to think, only focused on the moment and surviving, making sure her colleagues survived. However, when a rare spare moment seemed to present itself, it led right back to Ruvik and trying to figure out why he was familiar.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Upon reaching the tower, Sebastian was overlooking the lay of the land, trying to figure out their next course of action. He briefly glanced to Kassidy, thinking of the way she had said Ruvik’s name. He was uncertain if Ruvik had already put an influence over her, and he didn’t like that one bit. The protective dad side of him started to show and as he took a glance to Joseph, he turned to Kassidy for a moment.

“Are you doing alright kid? I know this world can be disorienting..” he started, wondering exactly what was running through her mind. Even though he was on edge lately because of how quickly everything was changing around them, he knew that she must be frightened from all of this as well. Not to mention if she had encountered Ruvik, he could only hope that Ruvik hadn’t done anything to her. “You..I overheard you mentioned this.. Ruvik. Did he harm you?” He asked next, his eyes looking over her arms for a moment before looking back up. He could hear more hoards in the distance, but he figured Kassidy wouldn’t answer much and he hated he had to ask.

“He..appeared before me a few times, nothing I do here can touch him,” he explained, looking at his gun. “It’s like his body isn’t even there, perhaps it’s just an illusion and his body is somewhere else..?” He questioned mostly to himself. Blanking for a moment he could hear Joseph asking him a question but he wasn’t sure what exactly he had said.

Kassidy, if she had been paying attention- would get a glance at seeing Ruvik again. His malicious eyes did not hold malice for her though, more like a question he wasn’t sure on how to ask. But even so, if he was there for mere moments, that meant he would disappear once more. If Kassidy remembered she would know he was searching for a key he said, the key to his escape.

The only way she would find answers would be getting close to Ruvik again, but Sebastian— if he catches any sort of intel would immediately stop her from doing so. He saw Ruvik as a dangerous person. And the way he manipulated this world was even worse, in his own opinion.

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy shifted uncomfortably under Sebastian’s watchful gaze, his protective tone wasn’t lost on her, and for a brief moment, it almost made her want to tell him the truth. But she couldn’t, not yet. She forced a small, shaky smile, hoping it looked convincing enough. Something inside her told her she shouldn't tell Sebastian about Ruvik and what she knew, not that she would enjoy lying to the man she viewed more as a father.

“I’m fine, Sebastian. This place is just.... I'm fine,” she replied, her voice soft but steady, though she could feel the faint tremor beneath her words. Disorienting was an understatement for everything she’d seen lately, but she wasn’t about to let that show. When he brought up Ruvik, her heart skipped a beat. She felt his eyes flicker to her arms, searching for signs she didn’t want to reveal. Her mind raced as she listened to him, knowing their experiences with the man were wildly different, but something inside her spoke again, telling her that Ruvik wouldn't hurt her.

“Ruvik?” Kassidy repeated, acting confused as she tilted her head slightly. The lies slid off her tongue too easily, but it left a bitter taste behind and a feeling in her stomach that made her want to throw up. After all of this, she promised herself she wouldn't lie to Seb ever again. “Oh… no, I don’t really know him. I think I might’ve just overheard his name somewhere from someone, but I’ve never met him. He hasn’t done anything to me...”

She shifted her weight, glancing toward the distant sounds of the approaching hoards, desperate for the distraction. “I’m more worried about whatever’s out there,” she added quickly, trying to steer the conversation away from Ruvik. But even as she spoke, she couldn’t shake the feeling of those piercing, questioning eyes lingering at the edges of her mind. A thought crossed her mind, one of helping Ruvik and getting them all out of there, it didn't seem like a dangerous idea, but there was no knowing if such a solution was possible.

“Where have you been, Kassidy?” Joseph asked, his tone even but edged with suspicion and something about his seemed off... The distant groans of the hoard were growing faint, but the silence between them felt louder. Joseph’s eyes narrowed slightly, his sharp gaze flicking from Sebastian back to Kassidy, his curiosity wasn’t just casual, it was the kind that dug beneath the surface, searching for cracks.

Kassidy’s heart jumped, though she masked it with a quick breath. She couldn’t tell them the truth, not about Ruvik, not about the way his presence still felt like cold fingers at the edge of her mind. So she forced a casual shrug, her words sliding out with practiced ease.

“I found a weird safe room, I guess,” she said, her voice steady, though she kept her eyes slightly averted. “It had a mirror and like little rooms, oh and that nurse. It was tucked away in the hospital. I don’t even remember how I got there. The place felt off, though. The walls were flickering, like they were glitching, and everything kept distorting. One minute the door was there, the next it wasn’t.”

Joseph exchanged a glance with Sebastian, she could feel it in the way his jaw clenched slightly, but during all of it, something was off with Joseph. Kassidy couldn't tell what exactly, but now when there was no danger present, she could tell, causing her to glancing questioningly at Sebastian, hoping he would explain.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Sebastian listened to Kassidy and somehow, he wasn’t convinced with her answer, but he wouldn’t pry further. He figured if she wanted to tell him she would, especially since he knew she could tell him practically anything. He had always promised he wouldn’t get mad or upset at her for doing things she definitely wasn’t supposed to be doing.

And that was mostly true.

But if it had to deal with a psychopath murderer— he might change his reaction just a little bit. After all, the bastard had already threatened him and his partner’s life, and Sebastian could tell that Kassidy had questions, and unfortunately he didn’t really have answers. Well, none that she probably wouldn’t already figure out by now. But either way, he cleared his throat and moved to sit on a crate. He looked up at Kassidy.

“What you’ve described… we’ve experienced that too, just.. different versions of it, I guess. Whatever it is, I’m certain it’s whatever Ruvik wants us to see.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “The man is a literal psychopath and I cannot imagine what he would have done to you, if you had encountered him at all.” He takes a look at Joseph. “Joseph here came in close contact with Ruvik and now, he..” how could he put this lightly?

“I’ve been infected,” Joseph finished off Seb’s words, his own being cold and filled with hatred as the words practically rolled off of his tongue in a fit of frustration. But the hate was not directed towards anyone, if anything, it was directed towards this thing called Ruvik.

“But I don’t know if it’s because he’s toying with me, or if I’m actually turning,” he clarifies now, mentioned that he wasn’t contagious. He just hoped he wouldn’t go crazy like he did back on Sebastian. And he knew although he was cold and offstandish around Kassidy, he didnt want to send her spiraling with the thought of him being infected.

But maybe that would be unavoidable at this point. He honestly wouldn’t know what to do if Ruvik separated them all again.

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy had been doing her best to keep her expression neutral, to not let anything slip, but the second Joseph said the word infected, her composure cracked. Kassidy’s face fell, her heart feeling as if it fell deep into her chest. Her arms loosened from where they had been crossed over her chest, her eyes widening as she snapped her gaze toward him.

“What?” The word left her mouth before she could stop it, her voice sharper than she intended. Kassidy’s heart stopped beating for a moment as the men spoke, her eyes looking to Joseph with concern when he spoke about being infected.

“I-Infected, like you are becoming one of those things?” Kassidy questioned, her throat feeling like it was closing up. She was sure that Ruvik wasn’t this monster that did it on purpose, right now she was questioning things. Kassidy’s stomach twisted, her mind racing with a thousand different thoughts at once. “How-how long?” she asked, her voice quieter now. She wasn’t sure she wanted the answer.

Joseph shrugged, but the tension in his shoulders gave away more than he probably realized. “Since we got pulled into this mess.”

Kassidy inhaled sharply, her fingers twitching slightly at her sides. She didn’t know what to say. Joseph was infected? That was bad-really bad. Her first instinct was to step closer, but she hesitated. Not because she was afraid of him-he’d just said it wasn’t contagious, but because she wasn’t sure if he even wanted her concern.

Sebastian watched her reaction closely, his expression hard to read. “That’s why we need to be careful,” he said, voice firm. “Ruvik doesn’t just kill people. He breaks them, gets inside their heads. Turns them against each other if he can.” He glanced at Joseph. “We’ve seen what it can do.”

Kassidy swallowed, her mind still struggling to process it all. “Is… is there a way to stop it?” she asked, forcing her voice to stay steady. She didn’t want to believe it, but she hadn’t been through anything close to what they had. Her heart raced in her chest as she realized that she needed to be careful with both them and Ruvik, knowing they wouldn’t be too appreciative of learning she lied or learning the fact that she had come close to trusting Ruvik to an extent.

Joseph’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know.”

And for the first time since all of this started, Kassidy felt something cold creep into her chest. Fear, real fear. Because if Joseph did turn, if Ruvik was really playing with him like some twisted puppet… what would happen to all of them? Was she infected? What was he planning? Too many questions raced through her mind again, leaving her to stare at the ground, trying to get her mind straight before they all decided to go back to their travels.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Kassidy would feel a hand on her shoulder, “All we do know, is that if we kill Ruvik— we may just end up getting out of here alive…” Sebastian tells her now, not fully aware of what his words would mean to her in this moment. He also knew that he would need to find Leslie, he would be their direct key out, once Ruvik was destroyed, but even he didn’t know what to make of that.

He looked at Kassidy once more before moving over to Joseph. “We need to cross those bridges,” he says next, looking towards the location where they would have to run. “Once inside I’m sure we can find a better way to get to the main core of what exactly Ruvik is,” he says, unaware of what would be lurking for them before they would make it to safety.

“But we’ll only move when you’re ready,” He reassures Kassidy, knowing that taking in what they had mentioned about Joseph would be fearful for her, yet it was something she would have to accept for now, since there wasn’t a real cure for this, unless they killed the source of the infliction.

Jospeh’s jaw clenched bit tighter at Sebastian’s words. “We can’t linger too long. You know he’ll find us if we do,” Kassidy would hear him say. But what didn’t make any sense was that Ruvik- at least towards her, didn’t seem to have this malicious intent. He did however mention how people kept getting in his way— did those people consist of Joseph and Sebastian? If it did perhaps maybe she would find a way to convince Ruvik to not harm them.

Like that would even work.

Kassidy would then feel that same presence from before. Yet this time, it felt much closer, although it held that strange, warm feeling of familiarness. Something was telling her to brace herself, and to be on guard. It was like it was warning her of a possible trap up ahead. But why would Ruvik want to do that? If his intention was to harm and maim— surely he wouldn’t tell her of his plans, even if it were to merely be on guard for what may come next in this twisted hell.

 

[Kastellanos]

“I’m ready,” Kassidy said, though the weight in her chest threatened to betray her resolve. Kassidy took a deep breath, steadying herself as she looked toward the tower. Its twisted structure loomed ahead, jagged edges reaching into the sky like the broken bones of some long-forgotten beast. The air around them felt thick, and suffocating as if the world was warning them to turn back. But she couldn't afford to hesitate. Not now. She turned to Sebastian, her expression firm.

“Alright. Stay close.” Sebastian studied her for a moment, his sharp eyes scanning her face for any sign of doubt. When he found none, he gave a small nod and the twinge of a smile. Without another word, they pushed forward, their footsteps echoing eerily in the silence. The broken bridges leading to the tower stretched before them, swaying slightly under the faint, unnatural breeze. Kassidy felt the boards shift beneath her boots, the wood rotting from years of decay, threatening to collapse with every step.

Sebastian took the lead, his stance tense, eyes scanning the darkness for movement. Joseph followed close behind, his fingers twitching against the grip of his ax. Kassidy, bringing up the rear, couldn’t shake the feeling crawling up her spine. It wasn’t just the eerie stillness of their surroundings or the ever-present sensation of being watched, it was something deeper. Something she couldn’t explain.

Sebastian glanced back at her. “You alright?” he asked, his voice low but firm.

Kassidy hesitated before answering, her fingers tightening around her weapon. “I don’t know… something feels off,” she admitted, eyes flickering to the shadows shifting along the edges of their path. She didn't want to say too much, that she knew the feeling around her and possibly them, had to be Ruvik and that this whole time she had been keeping a rather careful look for even a glimpse of the mysterious man. “More than usual.”

Joseph exhaled sharply. “That’s because we are being watched,” he muttered, adjusting his glasses. His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “We always are. You’re just noticing it more now.”

Kassidy frowned but said nothing. She had noticed it before, but this time it felt different this time, it was stronger, closer even.

“Stay sharp. We don’t have time to figure out what’s wrong, we just need to get inside.” Sebastian slowed his pace slightly, keeping his voice low, glancing back at the others, and getting a silent nod from Kassidy.

“Preferably before something finds us,” Joseph added, causing the woman to glare at him, silently scolding the man not to think so negatively.

“We need to cross these bridges fast. If we linger too long-” Sebastian nodded, his gaze flickering toward the tower.

“We’re dead,” Joseph finished for him, his voice grim. Kassidy took another steadying breath, forcing the unease in her gut aside. They didn’t have the luxury of stopping to question the feeling gnawing at the back of her mind. Right now, the only way was forward. The tower loomed closer, its gaping entrance like the maw of some monstrous thing waiting to swallow them whole. The air around it felt heavier, pressing down on her shoulders as they stepped onto the final stretch of the bridge, noting how empty it seemed to be of those monstrous creatures they had run into earlier.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

As the tower loomed closer— suddenly Kassidy would feel it become even further away. Like running in a dream and achieving getting nowhere. Yet Sebastian and Joseph were making progress. Why was she the only one being left behind?

The answer was simple. Danger purposely lurked ahead and that is where Ruvik didn’t want Kassidy to end up, so if that’s something he could manipulate, he would. And as if the world around her melted away, she didn’t fall through the floor this time but ended up by a large, grand staircase. The hallways and inner connecting doors were apparently abandoned, and she would be able to feel that same presence from Ruvik again, only this time when she would look up she would see a ghostly watery figure again. It was definitely Ruvik, but as she would note, he was slowly pacing back and forth. He seemed to be anxious about something, and Dr Jimenez appeared from a closed door located on the upper floor and spoke to Ruvik, “She’ll be fine, I made arrangements that the hospital will continue your research and help heal ms Ka-” he would say to him the end part was cut off, but Kassidy would see Ruvik give a light sigh of relief from Jimenez’s words. But who was the ‘she’ they were talking about?

And why did this place feel so familiar? Surely it wasn’t the place she had been able to come stay at after the doctors at the hospital discharged her and Ruvik had taken it upon himself to administer her medical care and help heal her wounds….but of course, that memory still had to be discovered.

And just like that the water ghostly figures disappeared again and a door on the upper floor opened. Ruvik would come through and..he was dressed differently than before. He was wearing a white shirt with brown slacks and black dress shoes. His appearance to Kassidy seemed less bloody than before and although he had bandages wrapped around his body, he had blonde hair on top of his head. Surprisingly so, considering he was a total burn victim. He stared down at her from the top of the staircase, trying to remember who she was. She had felt so familiar to him, and with her being this close he could dive back into the hidden memories once more.

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy’s body tensed as the doctor emerged, speaking to Ruvik. His words were cut off, but the name lingered on the edge of her mind, just out of reach. The feeling that settled in her chest was something she ignored yet again, trying to steel herself and her mind. The figures vanished and her gaze shifted quietly to the sound of a door creaking open above, and this time, Ruvik stepped out.

Ruvik looked… different.

Gone was the blood-streaked horror she had seen before. Now, he looked like a human being . A white shirt, brown slacks, polished dress shoes. Blonde hair. Bandages still clung to his body, but the change was undeniable. And he was staring at her, making Kassidy’s heart hammer away in her chest as undoubtedly there were feelings there, feelings that seemed deeper and older than just what seemed the last 24 hours.

Something pulled at the edges of her mind, a truth she couldn’t quite grasp. But right now, that didn’t matter. Kassidy swallowed hard, her voice unsteady as she finally spoke, she had to ask, she needed to speak or these questions would whirl around in her mind forever it felt like.

“What the hell is going on?” Her hands curled into tight fists at her sides, though it wasn’t just fear making her tense, it was something else. Something Kassidy didn’t want to name.

“Why am I here?” Kassidy demanded, though the moment the words left her lips, she realized part of her wasn’t sure she wanted the answer. Her heart pounded, and despite everything, despite knowing she should be terrified, despite knowing what he was capable of.

“What’s going to happen to Joseph and Sebastian?” The words came out quieter this time, her throat tight. Ruvik felt familiar. The way he looked at her felt familiar. Kassidy took a hesitant step forward, her pulse hammering in her ears. She didn’t know why, but she felt like… she knew him. Nothing made sense, she was sure that her sanity was slipping as she looked at him, her eyes blazing as she stared.

He had pulled her away from Sebastian and Joseph, dragged her into this place, into his space. She couldn’t think straight, too many questions, and the most prominent ones slipped from her lips without care. “Why separate me from them? Why not just kill me?”

The last question slipped out before she could stop it, and a shiver ran down her spine as soon as she said it. Because he could have if he wanted to. Her hands curled into tight fists, the faintest tremble running through them. She tried to ignore it.

“Please… don’t hurt them.” Kassidy took a slow, tentative step forward. Her voice was quieter this time, almost hesitant, like saying it too firmly would somehow shatter this strange, delicate moment between them. At this point, her mind drifted to the two she had been stranded from, Kassidy couldn’t let anything happen to them and if she had this weird connection to the one who could prevent it, she had to use it. “Sebastian and Joseph. They don’t have to be part of this. You don’t have to hurt them….”

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Ruvik listened to Kassidy as she began to question why he had separated her from the others, and he had given a silent look in reply for now, as he truly did not have those answers. The reason why she was here was because of her own personal feelings, however deep down they may be.

“I didn’t bring you here,” he clarified, and somehow Kassidy would sense that was the truth. “As for your friends..” he trailed off and knew that he had been toying with them. “I won’t kill them,” he half promised. “But I cannot guarantee their safety,” he explained and turned away from her as she continued to walk up the stairs.

“What I am more curious of is who you are..” he spoke and had heard her say why he didn’t just kill her- but to that question, there were a lot of different answers he could reply to her with. As for now, he didn’t answer that for her. “Somehow you’re manipulating this world almost as easily as I am,” he said, seemingly fascinated from that fact. If that was the case then him and her had shared memories, for whatever reason.

When he gazed upon her again, that sense of familiarity became stronger, and he turned to go through one of the doors, into a library, and Kassidy would see more ghostly figures, but this time this one looked like her? And it appeared she had been trying to reach a book but it was just out of her grasp, to which Ruvik had appeared beside her and grabbed it for her. He then teasingly held it out of her reach.

Ruvik looked at the scene before him, these memories seemed sporadic and none of them laid in a specific order—But the way things were going, nothing really did a ‘specific order’ in this dreamscape world.

He knew only three things- one, to get out of this place. Two, to find the key to do so. And three, that this woman in front of him meant something to him, but he wasn’t entirely sure as to why, and he was going to find out.

 

[Kastellanos]

Her chest tightened, emotions warring inside of her, confusion, worry, and guilt. Even as she turned her gaze away from him for just a moment, trying to process what he was saying, her heart pounded against her ribs. He said he wouldn’t kill them, but that wasn’t enough. If something happened to Joseph or Sebastian, she would never forgive herself, for a moment her jaw clenched tightly at the mere thought that sometthing had happened to them.

But then he spoke again, shifting the focus onto her instead, and her gaze snapped back to him, eyes narrowing slightly. His words unsettled her, not because they weren’t true, but because she agreed. Somehow, she had been manipulating this world, bending it in ways that should have been impossible. And yet, it was nothing compared to the storm of conflicting feelings, thoughts, and questions within her small body. Kassidy opened her mouth, ready to say something, but Ruvik was already moving, disappearing through one of the doors. Her stomach twisted, and she hesitated for only a second before following.

And then, the world cracked open. She saw them yet again, ghostly remnants flickering in the dim library light. A girl reaching for a book, too small to grasp it. A man at her side, taking it effortlessly, only to hold it just out of reach with a teasing cruelty, not malice, but something else. Something strangely familiar. The impact of the memory was immediate, like a bomb detonating inside her chest. Her heart both fluttered and plummeted into her stomach all at once, her breath stolen away as she stared too hard at the scene before her.

"W-Wh… Bu… You can't be, I-I…" Her head whipped toward him, her throat tightening, words failed her. They slipped through her grasp like sand, vanishing before she could catch them. But she knew. She knew. The sterile scent of the hospital filled her senses as if she had been thrown back in time. The feeling of bandages tightening over burned flesh. The quiet hum of machines. The loneliness, the silence, until he had come.

She remembered how he had seen her as more than just a patient, more than just a broken girl in a hospital bed. How he had spoken to her even when she wouldn't respond, never pushing, never forcing, only offering a quiet, steady presence in a world that had felt so cruel and suffocating. He had encouraged her, soothed her, and treated her as if she were human when no one else had. She had fallen in love with him, wordlessly holding onto him to keep him from leaving, waving to get his attention, and even following him around a handful of times. Tears pricked at her eyes, the weight of it all crashing over her.

"R-Ruvik?" His name trembled on her lips, the scene around them shifted, and suddenly, it wasn’t just a flickering remnant anymore. It was real. The hospital. The bed. The burned girl who had been too afraid to speak had been her, and the man who had sat beside Kassidy, his voice the only thing tethering her to the present when she had been drowning in silence, that had been Ruvik.

"You were there…" Kassidy's legs felt like jello beneath her weight, her entire body trembling as the realization snk in, overwhelming and shattering all at once. Kassidy’s breath came out panicked, the sheer weight of it all suffocating. She could see them so clearly now. Herself, fragile and damaged, and him, the man she had once trusted. The man who had once cared. The man she had loved. Her voice was barely above a whisper, shaking, raw. "I-I remember now… Yo-You took care of me. You.."

Her breath hitched again, the words breaking.Her voice cracked with the weight of it, her entire body wracked with emotions she couldn’t contain. "You were the only one who saw me as… as me."

Tears streaked down her face as the heartbreaking reality slammed into Kassidy full force. The man she had once loved had become a monster and despite the horror, despite the pain, despite everything, her heart still ached for him.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

As he continued to survey the scenes, it was if neurons began to fire off in his brain at the sudden realization. Of course the memories didn’t make sense, these were Kassidy’s memories..-! As if he had been looking through them, observing her perspective behind glass doors. Yet all of that was shattered in the instant Kassidy recognized him, saw past who he was and remembered him from an earlier time.

Kassidy had gotten caught up in his experiments, and Jimenez had the bright idea to bring her in anyways, given her resemblance to Ruvik’s dead sister, Laura. When Ruvik had first saw her all those years ago, it had been in the hospital, and he had stopped Jimenez, asking why the girl was here. When he heard the reason and saw her burns, he immediately had felt guilty. As if Laura herself had been sitting there. So he had tried to make amends for it, tending to her, speaking to her and keeping her company. All the while he had noticed she had seemed to have a fond attachment towards him, to which he had been hesitant at first, yet welcomed later.

As the scene shifted around them, he knew what happened next, he had specifically requested Kassidy move into his mansion, underneath his continued care while he continued his other experiments in his basement. He knew Kassidy should never come across them, and so he had hid them quite well from her. She had never questioned where he went, or what he did in his free time. But he did begin to spend more and more time with her, helping her rehabilitate further than he had been able to. And her burns, although severe, through his help and treatment, had healed quite well.

When Kassidy brought him to the present, he froze in his tracks, the scene shifted around them once more and brought them back to his library. He soon looked at his hands, remembering briefly of why they parted- Kassidy would be returning to the police academy and Ruvik, had been summoned to Beacon Memorial Hospital, and he had known it was due to Jimenez’s request. Ruvik wanted to continue on his ‘research’ but had no idea of what fate laid out for him.

“Kassidy..” Ruvik’s voice spoke with that tender tone to it, the rough edges smoothed out. He took a step closer, but hesitated. “I’m sorry,” he apologized immediately. “I hope you understand that..I’m doing this for my freedom.” He explained, and went into great detail of how he had been tricked, and killed- permanently putting his consciousness into where they were right now. He was trying to find a way out, and he hoped Kassidy would be able to help him.

“I understand if you don’t want to help me,” he said, turning from her and glancing back up at the book case. He waited for her response. He honestly still didn’t know how to act around her. When he was living, she had been younger than him, by quite a lot. But now she was much older than he had remembered and honestly, wasn’t trying to look at her like that.. but, he couldn’t help it. She was beautiful, and it made his cursed heart tighten ever so slightly in conflict.

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy’s breath shuddered as she tried to wrap her head around what Ruvik had revealed to her. Ruvik was dead this whole time, not just missing, not just trapped, he was dead. Her head shook on instinct, her body rejecting the idea even as he stood right in front of her, it didn't make sense as she stared at him with new tears forming in her eyes. Kassidy's face twisted in pain, her chest tightening so hard it hurt. She fought to hold back the sob, her nails dug into her palms, her whole body trembling as tears spilled down her cheeks, dripping from her chin.

“I’ll help,” she said, the words slipping out before she even had time to consider them, but she meant it. Even if there was no logical way out, even if this seemed impossible, she wasn’t going to leave him here alone. Kassidy wiped at her face with the back of her hand, trying to pull herself together. Her feet moved before she could stop herself, closing the space between them. Hesitation flickered in her chest, but she ignored it, reaching out with trembling fingers.

Slowly, carefully, Kassidy let her hand brush against his, as if she needed to feel that he was real. That he was really here, standing in front of her after all this time. Her heart pounded, her breath uneven as her fingers finally curled around his. His skin was cool beneath her touch, but it was solid, it was real. Kassidy didn’t know what she expected, maybe for him to pull away, maybe for him to remind her of all the reasons why this was wrong, but she couldn’t stop herself.“I-I’ll help you get out of here,” she whispered, her voice softer now, more certain. “Please, Ruvik… let me help.”

Kassidy's throat tightened making it hard to speak, her voice weak but desperate, she needed to know. “You… you don’t have a body anymore?” The words felt foreign on her tongue like saying them aloud would make them true. “Then how are you supposed to get out of here?”

Silence stretched between them as she processed what that meant. If he was only a consciousness now, trapped in some digital nightmare, then escape was impossible, wasn’t it? How would he escape, be free if he didn't have a body? Could he really escape? So many new questions seemed to take over in her mind as she looked down for a moment.

"Do y-you have a plan to get out? D-don't you need a body?" Her stomach twisted painfully at her feelings, at her thoughts, about the whole situation. Kassidy inhaled shakily, forcing herself to look at him again. Even now, even in this place, she still saw him the way she always had. The sharpness in his features, the intensity in his eyes, it sent a familiar warmth curling through her chest, the same kind she had tried to bury when she was younger. It was never anything more than a crush and she tried to keep it that way when she was younger, Kassidy knew he was much older than her and there was no way he could have felt the same way for her.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Ruvik couldn’t bear to look at Kassidy, especially when she began to break down due to the fact of him being, well, dead. He continued to look away from her face, not able to face the reality himself. It had only been a few weeks since he had passed, but if it hadn’t been for Jimenez’s attempt at trying to stop him, shut down this dreamscape world he had made- he knew he would have never seen Kassidy again.

And as the fact laid there, he remembered that he had originally made this world to see his dead sister Laura, and live with her in the world that he created. But the agency Jimenez had worked for wanted the world as a training testing ground, and tried to hijack Ruvik’s work. And that’s exactly why they had killed him, and ended up using his brain to stabilize the world. But he had come back with a vengeance, and ended up killing those who tried to stop him.

With Jimenez’s attempt at trying to enter the dreamscape world, reality and the dreamscape world accidentally bled together, and that’s how both Kassidy and her team had gotten swept up into the aftermath.

Ruvik suddenly was taken out of his thoughts as he heard Kassidy say that she would help, and a wave of relief washed over him. In the end he had seen making a world with him and just his sister had been futile, and decided he would instead try to leave. But that hadn’t been easy.

Until..

Leslie had been caught up in it as well.

Leslie had been another patient at the hospital, and his mind was almost- if not identical to Ruvik’s— in brainwave’s power capacity— and similar trauma that Ruvik had experienced— so, he had been the only one to have some type of power over the dreamscape world and had been able to shift it at his own will too.

When the agency found this out, they figured they could replace Ruvik with Leslie, and also figured out that Ruvik could be expendable.

So Leslie’s physical body was his key out. He knew he had to transfer his consciousness into Leslie’s body no matter what.

Upon Kassidy moving closer, Ruvik was hesitant for her to approach him. He wasn’t sure if he could even handle her to even be near him at this point- yet he stayed where he was, and his eyes soon turned towards her and her face. He noticed she too was hesitant to reach out, but when she did, he could feel her hand finally touch his. As if she was confirming he was actually there.

At first, he didn’t respond to her touch, as if he was made of stone, but the moment she asked if he had a plan to get out, he looked down towards the floor and nodded his head slightly. “Yes,” he spoke, and she would be able to tell he was worried about his plan executing.

His voice was trembling. “Do you remember Leslie?” He asked her, soon elaborating on what his plan was. He needed to transfer his consciousness to Leslie’s body. But unfortunately Joseph and Sebastian had been preventing him from getting to Leslie. Not to mention those who were sent in here usually had intentions of wiping him out completely.

He finally looked her straight in the eyes, his unusual yellow staring back, but they head a softness to them, even if it was subtle. He then chose his next words carefully, but laced with the harsh reality she would have to face if it came true. “I swear to you, I will not kill your friends. But, if I do not figure something out soon, I can guarantee that they will kill me.”

Killing- putting an end to Ruvik’s consciousness forever, meant Kassidy wouldn’t see him again, ever. They would have to find Leslie and figure out a way to transfer Ruvik over to his body. But that also meant sacrificing one person over for the other.

Before Kassidy would be able to speak, he moved his hand and held hers properly, before he leaned forward and slumped over Kassidy’s shoulder, pressing his face into the crook of her neck, and resting there for a few moments. “Please forgive me,” he whispered out to her, his warm breath gently tickling her neck. He hadn’t had intentions of her discovering him the way she had earlier. Showcasing what kind of monster he truly was, and it would only get worse from here. But if he could at least get her to forgive him in some way…

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy's stomach twisted at the thought, but she couldn’t focus on that now. Not when she could see the weight of everything pressing down on him, the quiet tremor in his voice as he spoke. Kassidy had seen him ruthless before, unwavering in his resolve and this was something else entirely. She silently nodded, wondering what would happen, or if it was possible that he could take over Leslie's mind like he said. As selfish as it seemed, Kassidy only cared that he was able to escape and if he had to steal another's body doing so, she would help ensure it happened.

Kassidy opened her mouth to say something but before she could, she felt his hand tighten around hers. Kassidy’s breath caught in her throat as the warmth of his body pressed against her, his face burying into the crook of her neck. He wasn’t cold, not like she expected. He was warm, his breath tickled her skin, and the way he slumped against her, the way he whispered those words. The small woman was sure she would melt right then and there as a flame seemed to light itself in her stomach.

A shudder ran through her, her hands instinctively lifting before hesitating midair. Her entire body was tense, frozen in shock. She never would have excepted such an action, for him to seek forgiveness or to be so tender, but here he was, clinging to her, as if she was the only thing keeping him tethered.

And maybe she was...

Her chest ached a deep, consuming pain that spread through her like wildfire. Kassidy couldn’t take it anymore. Slowly, carefully, her arms wrapped around him, pulling him close in an embrace. Her touch was tender as she did so, her skin pricking into goosebumps and her heart racing as she did so. She just held him, her fingers gripping the fabric of his coat as if he’d slip away if she let go, her face buried into his shoulder as she could feel her face turning darker and darker shades of red at her actions. Such a bold move like this wasn't something she did often.

“I’ll do whatever I can to get you back,” she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion, hoping that it wouldn't be clear what most of these emotions were. “I swear it, Ruvik. I won’t let them take you away from me.”

"I don’t care what you’ve done, or what they say about you. I know who you are. Or at least… I know who you were to me." Kassidy's voice wavered slightly, she let out a shaky breath, suddenly terrified of what she had just admitted. Even if it was true. "And that’s enough for me to fight for you."

After a moment, Kassidy let out a weak laugh, shaking her head slightly as her body shook slightly at her laughter. "I just found out you’re dead, and I’m standing here, making promises like I can actually fix this." A smile spread along her face as she enjoyed the feeling of this moment, the feeling of him being so close and knowing he in some sense wanted her. A hand has absentmindedly been rubbing his arm, trailing up and down, stopping as soon as she realized what she had been doing before resuming as if seeing what his reaction to all her actions would lead to.

"I don't ever want to leave your side again." The words had slipped from her lips before her mind realized it, yet Kassidy didn't let the feeling of fear linger as she would have normally don't. After all that had happened to her, Kassidy doubted there wouldn't be much she was scared of after this.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Ruvik welcomed Kassidy’s actions, even though he too was still a bit hesitant. He had only ever been close to one person in his life, and that person had sacrificed herself to save him. Instinctively, Ruvik suddenly wrapped his arms around Kassidy’s small frame and held her close.

He didn’t ever want to lose someone else like that, especially Kassidy. Kassidy at first had reminded him too much of his sister, to which where his own unhealthy obsession was suddenly reignited. He had eventually made sure it had been him and only him who was the only male she had contact with.

But as time went on, he soon had divided the two in his mind, realizing that Kassidy was entirely different but either way, her presence was welcoming and cheerful, something he hadn’t had in a long while.

Even now, he couldn’t remember how long it had been since he was ‘permanently’ forced into this dreamscape world, and to have Kassidy here with him, made his uneasy and twisted mind settle down just a bit. And, he wouldn’t be open or as friendly to anyone else, and Kassidy would be able to note that, as towards everyone else- especially in the hospital he always had seemed cold and distant.

And just hearing her words, made the tension he had been holding in let up just a bit, but the fact that he needed out still stood. He would have to track down Leslie and, well, kill his brain- aka make him brain dead but keep his body physically alive, and transfer his consciousness into Leslie.

He even let her continue rubbing on his arm, her touch was soft and tender, and Kassidy would see him shift a bit and pull away from her ever so slightly, his face looking down straight at hers. “Thank you..” he said in a soft tone, and then the scene around them shifted again, but this time, they were back in Kassidy’s old bedroom. “How about you get some rest first, before we decide on our next course of action?” He suggested, and finally pulled away from her.

He had not been expecting her to be as warm as she was. And the way her body had been pressed up against his, made him nervously adjust the cuffs of his sleeves. He had been able to feel just how soft everything was about her, but he couldn’t deny how he felt. He had been for the longest time, but now he wouldn’t have to.