Chapter Text
Time had slowly become irrelevant to him.
There was no daylight cycle here.
No atmospheric conditions or rules.
No seasons.
Nothing.
Nothing that told him how long it had been. Nothing that told him how long away they had been away from home. How long they had been trapped here. He didn't like to think about that too often, it just made things worse. But Talon never stopped talking, and Winsweep had grown quiet in the recent days.
At least, Nox assumed they were days. He went off of how tired he felt, which probably wasn't very accurate anymore. Things just stretched on, and with that, their attempts of freedoms.
Each time was the same. Him and Blake—occasionally Talon would be with them—would make it so far, only to starve in Level Two, unable to finds the chute. As for the many times they found the chute, the password had been scrambled, the Grandgousiers' made it difficult to traverse the terrain, and they can't stay down there forever, because a few hours, they suffocate from lack of oxygen in the driving suits.
Nox wanted to slap himself, hating to think about all the failure. But he didn't. Moving his hands meant disturbing the water's surface, and that felt too much work.
So Nox just floated.
Flat on his back in the crystal-clear water, arms drifting at his sides, eyes half-lidded as he stared up at the hanging algae and fractured beams of light. The surface barely rippled beneath him. For a moment, if he stopped thinking, it almost felt peaceful.
Almost.
But then the thoughts came back again. Louder this time, unable to be ignored for long. The loops. The failures. The endless attempts at escape that always ended the same way. None of this would have happened either. It was Blake. Blake's ideas. Blake’s persistence. Blake’s obsession with pushing forward, with finding something—anything—Against RAT.
And the only place it had gotten them was here.
It had gotten them stuck.
Nox exhaled slowly, letting himself sink just a little deeper into the water before kicking lightly to stay afloat.
I should’ve stopped him.
The thought came uninvited, as always. He dwelled on the thought again, what his life would look like if he never followed Blake into the End Portal. He found himself in Oceana, usually. This time was no different. He always had a strange connection with Diansu, one he couldn't describe. He was sitting with Diansu, sharing a drink, talking about his new plans for Elysium and expanding territory.
And Nox listened to him every time, wishing it were real.
But it wasn't.
A faint sound broke through the quiet, pulling him from his misery—the echo of footsteps in the corridor.
Nox stilled.
He rolled onto his side, then dipped beneath the surface, the water swallowing the noise of the world above. With a few quiet strokes, he moved toward the edge of the pool nearest the chute and surfaced just enough to see.
A figure passed by an opening in the wall, a hallway back towards the main room. Nox barely saw them as they passed, but the familiar red and black could only be of one person.
Talon.
He didn’t stop. Didn’t look. Just kept walking, like he hadn’t even noticed the room.
“...Talon?” Nox called, voice low.
No response.
Talon disappeared down the corridor, his footsteps echoing until the silence swallowed them up. Nox frowned, pushing himself up further out of the water until the footsteps returned. He ducked below the water again, coming up a second later to see if it was Talon again.
It wasn't Talon.
Nox's eyes narrowed, his teeth showing as a growl escaped his throat.
Blake.
He walked slow, more cautious. He had that way he walked when he wasn't quite doing something important. He didn't look like he was going down the chute. His shoes splashed lightly as he crossed the shallow stream, stepping into the larger chamber. He looked straight in front of him, not turning his head to look around—He had seen it all already.
Nox watched him approach the chute, sinking lower to avoid being see.
Blake stopped at the edge, leaning forward, eyes staring down the chute.
Something twisted in Nox’s chest.
Months of this.
Months of following him.
Months of getting nowhere.
Before he could think better of it, Nox pulled himself silently from the water and stepped up behind him. His hands stretched forward, anger flaring up in his eyes.
“Get your mind out of the clouds!”
He shoved.
It wasn’t hard. Didn’t need to be, really.
Blake lost his footing instantly. But there was a brief moment—just a flicker—where he twisted, like he might catch himself, then he vanished over the edge. A second passed. Then two. Then three. Then—
SPLASH!
It echoed violently through the chamber, waiting for Winsweep to shout at him for pushing him. But that didn't happen as soon as he thought it would. Nox raised an eyebrow, stepping forward, looking down.
“...Blake?”
No answer.
The water below rippled. Then stilled.
No movement.
No resurfacing.
The silence hit harder than the fall.
“Blake?”
Still nothing.
Something cold crawled up Nox’s spine, seeing a dark shape floating motionless in the water below.
“Blake!”
Panic snapped in.
Without another thought, he dove.
He seemed to float in the air for a moment, then water swallowed him whole, dragging him down to the bottom of the pool. The light from above fractured quickly, beams cutting through the depths in uneven shards.
The chlorine stung his eyes so much, he was forced to close them. But nox knew what was at stake, opening them again, feeling the painful burn that sunk deep into his body. He struggled in the water for a moment, arms swinging out, legs kicking. He made contact with something. He stopped, seeing Blake’s body drifting lower until it hit the bottom with a soft thump.
Nox steadied himself, pushing harder, lungs already burning as he reached him, grabbing hunder his arms, then hauling him upward with as much force as he could manage.
Come on. Come on
They broke the surface in a violent gasp.
“Fuck!” Nox choked as he struggled to keep Blake’s head above the surface. “Blake, you can’t—you can’t be eating that much algae—come on—!”
Nox dragged him toward the edge, shoes scraping against the tile as he forced Blake’s weight up and onto the shallow ledge where Level Two began, the darker tunnels stretching out behind them like an open maw.
“Blake?”
No response. His chest wasn’t moving.
“No...”
Nox dropped to his knees beside him, hands hovering for a second before pressing down hard against Blake’s chest.
“Come on!”
He pushed again.
Then again.
And again.
Water spilled from Blake’s mouth, but his body remained slack.
“Talon!” Nox shouted, voice cracking. “TALON—!”
He pressed harder.
“Don’t—don’t do this, come on! Please!”
His hands shook.
“Talon!” he screamed again.
A shadow moved above and a second splash followed after a few seconds. Talon surfaced nearby, paddling over onto the ledge. “What happened?”
“He’s not breathing!” Nox snapped, barely able to get the words out. “I—I didn’t—he just—” His voice broke.
Talon didn’t hesitate, dropping beside Blake and pressing two fingers to his neck.
Nox kept going. Compressions. Over and over and over until it felt like his arms would give out.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out, the words spilling out. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...I didn’t—I was just joking... I—I—”
His hands slipped slightly against Blake’s soaked shirt.
“I blamed you, okay?!” Nox’s voice cracked sharply. “I blamed you for all of this! for Neverend, for getting stuck, for—for chasing RAT like it was gonna fix anything—” Another compression. “But I was wrong, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have—”
His vision blurred. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, weaker now. “I’m so sorry...”
His hands slowed. Then stopped altogether. His body twitched, fear running down his spine. Nox didn't know what to do. Didn't know what to think. There was only one thing he was certain of: He just killed Blake.
His body hadn't poofed away either. Nox killed his greatest friend for good.
"Fuck..." Nox sank to his knees, tears stinging his eyes. "Oh Blake... I did this..."
— — —
Talon’s expression shifted suddenly.
“Wait.”
Nox froze. “What?”
“I felt something.”
Hope snapped into place. Nox couldn't believe it. Talon leaned down, pressing his ear closer, checking again.
“Yes,” he whispered. “There’s a heartbeat,”
“Then why isn’t he—?!”
“Move.”
Nox pulled back just enough.
Talon cupped a handful of water in his palms and splashed it hard across Blake’s face. “Come on.” He spoke, voice calm as ever. “Breathe, Blake.”
Nothing.
Again.
Another splash.
“Blake!” Nox cried. "Wake up, idiot!"
For a second, nothing changed. Maybe Talon was wrong, maybe it was just their imagination.
"Wake up, Blake," Nox gently shook his shoulder, wanting to cry again. "Wake up... Wake up..."
Blake’s body jerked violently, as a sharp, ragged gasp tore from his throat as he shot upright, coughing hard, water spilling from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. He rubbed his eyes hard, sucking in another breath like he’d never had it before, panic flooding every movement.
Nox stared.
Talon grinned softly.
Blake shielded his eyes, staring at them. At Nox. Nox couldn't believe his eyes, relief filling him. He wanted to hug Blake. Nearly did before he spoke.
"Where. . . where am I? W-Where's D-Diansu?"
Nox looked to Talon, confused. "Diansu isn't here, Winsweep. I think you messed your head up when I pushed you—"
"Y-Y-You pushed me?" Blake gasped, blinking over and over. "Where am I?"
"Um... The Chute. The entrance to Level Two," Talon replied, just as confused as Nox felt right now. Surely Winsweep would be okay, right? Surely he would come to his senses in a moment. But it only spiraled when Blake spoke next.
"You're alive, Talon?" He whispered.
Talon tilted his head at him. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"Are you okay, Blake?" Nox asked after a few moments of silence. Blake looked up—eyes hollow, shaking. Then he moved.
“No—Blake, wait—”
The splash cut him off. Nox lunged forward, diving in after him, but Blake fought and pushed Nox away. He surfaced for air, going back down. His arms found Blake, wrapping around his body, pulling him up. But he was too late. Winsweep drowned
— — —
“Blake, stop—!” Nox grabbed his arms again, dragging him up, but he tore free, clawing his way deeper into the crystal pool. “Don’t—!”
Another plunge. Another ripple.
Winsweep drowned
— — —
“We’re not doing this—you’re not!” Nox hauled him to the surface, gasping. “Look at me—just look at me! Please, Blake!” The moment Nox loosened his grip he slipped under again. “Blake!”
The name echoed against the white tile walls. Nox dove, hands grasping in the clear water, unable to make it in time.
Winsweep drowned
— — —
“Why are you doing this?!” Nox shouted, voice breaking.
Water splashed against his face.
No answer. Only the sound of him going under again.
Winsweep drowned
— — —
Nox’s hands were shaking now. He pulled Blake up, coughing, barely conscious from the lack of air, but he wasn't about to stop.
“Please,” he whispered. “J—Just stop.”
For a moment, Blake stayed, eyes locking with his. Then he dove again, slipping from his grasp.
Winsweep drowned
— — —
Nox didn’t even think anymore. Just reacted.
Dive.
Grab.
Pull.
Breathe.
Repeat.
Each time slower.
Each time harder.
Each time he almost didn’t make it back up in time.
— — —
“I can’t keep...” Nox choked, dragging him up again. “I can’t keep doing this!”
Blake didn’t respond. He didn’t fight anymore. Didn’t resist. He just let himself fall away again, and the water settled faster each time. Like it was getting used to him. Like it was waiting for him.
And Nox watched him every time, unable to stop him. Feeling like it was all his fault.