Disclaimer: I do not own Grand Chase or any of its characters, but I do own this story!

Chapter 1: System Error

Everything felt extremely vivid … brilliant flashes of white and green filled her vision.

Smell of medicine was strong from the hospital hallway. It all was distorted and faded …

Arme wasn't sure if she was conscious. It all felt so faint … and dream-like… from a distance, she could hear a faint voice calling out her name.

Who was it?

She could feel herself breathe.

Everything was so serene … and awfully white.

The hallway was blurred around her… was she being carried?

Something was attached to her arm … but she couldn't be sure.

She couldn't feel anything, couldn't hear very clearly …

Her eyelids felt heavy … blackness was clouding in …

She was very, very sleepy.

She was slowly nodding off … but she suddenly remembered …

Her handsome boyfriend reaching his hand out to her …

The Ferris Wheel they rode together …

Had she forgotten something in between?

"La…ssie…"

Those were the only words she could manage to mutter softly…

Was she tasting … blood in her mouth?

She thought she felt warmth on her hands … but she was too tired …

'Everything will be clear when I wake up …'

She slowly nodded off to sleep …

… And never woke up again.

Absurd.

It was all very, very absurd.

Perhaps fate was something even science could not account for … but why did it have to be … her?

Had he not calculated every perspective of this master plan?

The annoying machine's vibration was echoing throughout the waiting room as the silver haired boy, slouched down on the waiting bench, restlessly counted each seconds that passed by. It was past midnight in the emergency room, and the scent of medicine was strong everywhere. His once neat hair was now disheveled. Brilliant white fluorescent light was showering on him from the ceilings. It was awfully late and awfully bright. Exhausted, the boy could feel himself slowly nodding off to sleep.

"Damn it all!" He suddenly shouted and shook his head to keep himself awake. Wild pulsing rage was running through his veins. What the hell happened? He never planned to end up waiting in the emergency room for hours and hours … he was supposed to drop off Arme at her house after the best day of his life, and perhaps she would lean over and kiss him good night before he drove off to his house, reminiscing the dream-like Saturday of their first date …

Totally messed up wasn't a sufficient description of his screwed up weekend …

Anger, confusion, frustration and worry worked over him like a tidal wave. Vexed and exhausted, he had even lost track of time … what time was it? More seconds passed … minutes … hours …

Suddenly, the door opened and the doctor walked out. Immediately, the silver haired boy leaped up from his seats and walked towards him. The doctor silently stood there for a while and shook his head with a look of sympathy.

Lass felt his heart skip a beat.

With despair, he faced the floor, shaken with anguish. He felt himself shudder. The man in the white coat walked past him and stopped abruptly. He paused for a moment, and let out a sigh.

Why the hell did all this happen?

"Are you her relative?"

He said nothing.

The doctor sighed and stared up at the white ceiling. Lass wondered how many situations exactly like this the man in the white coat had to put up with every day. The doctor kicked the air and slowly let out his words.

"It's not over."

Lass abruptly turned around and stared at the white coat, considering the things the previous phrase could possibly mean.

"She isn't dead yet."

He could feel prayers building up inside of him.

"… but I do not think we can keep her for a while longer …"

God,

"I'm not saying she will never get better … but,"

If you really do exist,

"… we would need a miracle."

Please save her.

The man in the white coat walked out of the waiting room.

I will do anything.

And he did mean exactly that.