Chapter Text
The tunnel from ANAKT Garden is mossy and narrow, the walls seemingly pressing in on them. The only sounds are their hurried footsteps and the distant whirring from the guards nearby. Ivan's heartbeat pounds in his ears, but he keeps moving. One foot in front of the other. Fast. Steady. Don’t look back.
He’s spent his whole life learning how to act normal, how to be someone worth staying for. Don’t mess this up now. The exit is close- he can smell fresh air. A small gap in the structure, barely wide enough to squeeze through. It’s real. They can actually leave.
They’re running through the fields of meteors, the red fire burning in his eyes once more. He remembered this, from before Unsha. He remembered that light, the hope of something better. Turning, he expects to see Till right behind him. But their hands slip apart, and Till has stopped.
Ivan’s stomach twists before Till even says anything. He already knows. No.
"...I can’t." Till’s voice is quiet, uncertain- but firm. He’s looking back. (He’s already gone.)
Ivan’s fingers twitch. His lips curl into that easy, practiced, pathetic smile, but inside, his chest is caving in. "This is the only way, Till. You know that."
"I can’t leave her."
Ivan’s breath comes sharp through his nose. Of course. Of course. It’s Mizi, isn’t it? It’s always been Mizi. Not that he hated her- Mizi was his best friend. A ray of sunshine in the world of darkness that loomed onto them all. But to refuse freedom, something Till valued dearly, for her? It doesn’t make any sense. Wasn’t this what you wanted? His mind is screaming, his fingers clenching into fists. Yet his body feels like it’s locking up, begging him to stay.
Till turns back toward the facility, and something in Ivan fractures. He doesn’t call out. Doesn’t argue. What would be the point? Till’s never chosen him before. Why would he now?
But his legs- his legs don’t care about any of that. They move . They force him forward, toward the gap, toward the outside. His chest is tight. He’s dizzy. He feels sick. But he doesn’t stop. The air outside is sharp and cold. It burns his lungs. His fingers grip the metal edge of the vent like a lifeline, like an anchor. He turns back, half-expecting- half- praying - to see Till following. But there’s nothing. Just darkness.
His body keeps moving. Step. Then another. And another. The outside world stretches before him, vast and unknown. But it doesn’t feel like freedom, no- his mind is still trapped in the tunnels, watching Till disappear. His legs tremble, but they refuse to stop. Why? His mind asks, What’s the point, if Till isn’t here? If no one is here?
His body answers, You’ve taken his will as your own. There is nothing left for you there now. After all, something is innate about the desire to be free. It’s the most powerful urge Ivan’s ever felt.
He barely registers when he stumbles, his knee scraping against rough pavement. His breath shudders. His hands clutch at the ground like he can hold himself together. His body keeps crawling forward, even as something inside him screams to turn back . Even as his heart begs, please, let me stop.
But he doesn’t.
Because at the end of the day, he is just human.