The rose is gone.
Scattered petals and an empty stem are what Ib finds in the room. Mary's game of Loves Me, Loves Me Not clearly over. There is no vase to heal the rose now, to bring back what it once was. When she returns back to the hallway, she finds Garry 'sleeping' peacefully, a lighter in his hand. Guilt crawls up her spine as she stares at his lifeless form. She shouldn't have allowed him to go through with that exchange.
She takes the lighter into her hands, and with newfound determination, her brain whirs, already formulating a plan for her escape; let not Garry's sacrifice be to waste.
The warmth of the fire and the ashes that swirl in the air stirs something in her heart. She feels as blue as the color of the roses that were scattered across the hallways. Tears escape her eyes as she realizes she is alone now. Both of her companions gone, all due to her own actions. She weeps for the loss of someone so dear to her heart. The memories of them wandering through the gallery to find an exit flashing through her mind. She keeps his lighter in her pocket, a remembrance of the warmth he used to exude.
It's quiet as she walks through Mary's toy box. As if all of Guertena's masterpieces knew there was nothing more to live for. She finds the pink house at the center of the toy box. Unlocking it, she goes down the stairs and finds herself in the real gallery. It's as quiet as the toy box was. She wanders through, taking one last look at all the paintings and sculptures before heading towards the room that surely held her exit. The faint smell of smoke follows her and attaches itself to her clothes, reminding her of what she lost in this world. She misses him dearly. He was like an older brother to her, caring for her and guiding her when her young mind couldn't comprehend what exactly she was seeing happen in front of her very eyes. She wants to see him again, to apologize to him for all that she's done and tell him that she misses him. She stops in her wandering. She's here.
"The Fabricated World"
She looks on curiously, wondering just how she'd be able to cross over to the gallery on the other side. Suddenly, the frame of the painting disappears before her very eyes, allowing her a chance to escape. She prepares herself to leap into it, but a voice catches her attention.
"Ib! There you are. You ran off so suddenly and I was looking everywhere for you. I said I'd catch up, didn't I?"
It's him. Garry. Suddenly, you're hesitating to jump into the painting.
"Come on, I think I found an exit out there. Let's check it out together."
She looks at the mural on the wall then back to him, feeling a heavy weight finally lift off her shoulders. So he really was just sleeping back there. She walks to him and takes his hand. It's strangely cold, but it's real. He's there right in front of her. She follows him out of the room with the mural and back to the gallery. Of course she trusts him and doesn't want to leave him alone.
After all, "he" did catch up to her, like he said.
