Hello, readers! Much love to you all. First up, let's address my mistakes. ThePurpleRose pointed out to me that I used the word "worlds" to describe Tethe'alla/Sylvarant...which is wrong. They're not worlds yet. Oops...my bad.

Enjoy!

When I offer you survival,
You say it's hard enough to live,
It's not so bad, it's not so bad
How do you know that you're right?

~ The Killers, 'Confessions of a King (Bling)'

"Are you okay?" Martel was shaking, clutching Yuan's hand like she'd never let go. The color had drained out of her face. "Martel?"

"Mithos," she whispered. Suddenly, her knees buckled. Yuan grabbed her, supporting her as she struggled to stand.

"He'll be fine," Rachel said soothingly. "I went through the same thing. Just think, it's only a hand. It could be worse."

Yuan looked at Martel. Her normally calm face was racked with fear and desperation. He squinted at the hospital.

"How long ago did it happen?" he asked Rachel.

"Only ten minutes ago," she said. "He put up quite a fight. Kicking and screaming the whole way. They had to bind his hands."

"Good for him." Yuan lifted Martel up onto her feet. "We might still be able to save him. Martel, are you listening to me? You have to listen to me."

Rachel shook her head. "Look, this was bound to happen. It happens to all of us, that's why we're here. You'd be best to just let them finish and help him through it."

Yuan ducked down so he was eye level with Martel. "Hey. Hey. Look, it'll be alright. Mithos will be fine."

Martel was shaking, her eyes flickering around. "No, no, they can't take him…I was supposed to go first, they said I would go first…" She seemed to be muttering to herself. Her eyes locked onto Yuan, and determination flared in her face. "I'm going to go save him."

Rachel squawked, "What? You can't!" and Knot shook his head sadly. Yuan looked at her intently.

"You're sure?" She nodded, letting go of him. "I'm going with you. Does anyone know how long the cutting takes?"

"Do you know what will happen if they catch you?" Rachel asked briskly. "They'll kill you, all three of you."

"And what happens if you do rescue Mithos, eh?" Knot nodded at Yuan. "You can't hide from them."

Yuan took a deep breath. "I have a plan. Just…trust me, okay?" Everyone stared at him, nonplussed. "Please. If the plan works, we might be able to get help for everyone else."

Silence. Finally, Knot said, "Depending on how long his physical takes…you might be able to get to him before they start cutting."

"Knot!" Rachel scolded. "Don't! What if they get caught?"

"Wake up," Knot snapped. Rachel looked like she'd been slapped. "The well is dry. The food is running out. More and more cuttings are happening. How long do you think it'll be until they just decide to let us starve? If they think they can make it, then who are we to stop them?"

"The physicals, how long do they last?" Yuan questioned, while Rachel glared at Knot.

"Well, mine took about a half an hour. Mithos was putting up a fight, so they might have to restrain him. That'll take longer."

Yuan turned to Martel. "It's now or never. Are you sure about this? Once we get inside, there's no coming back."

Martel set her face and nodded. "I'm ready."

Yuan turned on his heel. "Alright, then. Well, guys, it's been fun. We'll see you on the other side."

"Good luck," Knot said firmly, shaking Yuan's hand. He gave Martel a quick hug. "Hurry up and get outta here."

They both nodded and set off at a run towards the hospital. Sand kicked up, caking their already dirty legs. It took less than a minute for the pair to reach the entrance, where Martel suddenly pointed.

"Look at the sky!" Yuan turned and saw a large, heavy black cloud. "There's a storm…it's headed right for us!"

"This is a good thing," he said. "The well will fill back up, hopefully."

"Hopefully," she murmured. Yuan went to open the hospital doors, but Martel stopped him. "Wait, what's the plan?"

"Um…I don't have one."

"You said you had a plan!" Martel said, narrowing her eyes. "Why did I bother following you here if you don't know what you're doing?"

"Would it have made a difference?" Yuan asked curiously. "You were ready to rush in anyway."

Martel sighed. "So, what now? We can't just waltz in there and grab him. Obviously."

"Maybe we can," Yuan said slowly. He motioned for Martel to follow and pushed open the doors.

Just as when he'd first come here, the pristine room was empty and chilly. Behind the glass, at her lone desk, sat the receptionist, flipping through a pile of papers. She glanced up and nodded. Yuan strode over, with Martel trailing behind him.

"You know this is wrong." The receptionist looked up from her work and tapped her ear, indicating that she couldn't hear him. She then pressed a button and her voice came through the speaker.

"How can I help you?"

"I said, you know this is wrong," he repeated. "So that's why I'm going to ask for your help."

"Yuan, what in the name of Origin are you doing?" Martel hissed.

She gave them a wry smile. "Through the door on the right."

Yuan dragged a confused Martel through the door, where the receptionist met them on the other side. "In here," she muttered, opening a door. Once they were inside, she locked it.

"So, can you help us?" Yuan asked. She sighed and leaned against the door. "Please?"

"You took a risk coming in here," she said.

"With no risk comes no reward," Yuan stated. "Where do they do the cuttings?"

"…Down the hall. There are three floors of operating rooms." She hesitated. "I can't stay in here too long. They'll get suspicious."

"Who are 'they'?" Martel asked. "The doctors?"

"They're everyone who isn't one of us," she said. Martel looked even more confused. "Trust me. They are the bad guys."

The receptionist quickly unlocked the door and returned to her desk. Yuan grabbed Martel's hand and pulled her as he ran down the hall.

"How did you know she'd help us?" Martel asked.

"I didn't," he panted, moving faster. "Damn, I don't see any doctors."

"Through there!" Martel pointed towards a large, swinging door. "Why did you do it, then? Just walk in and demand help?"

Yuan shrugged. "She seemed like a nice lady. I followed my instincts." They stepped into a brightly lit hall lined with a dozen doors. He whistled. "Damn."

"There are so many rooms…" Martel murmured. "Where is he?"

Yuan reached out and gripped the first doorknob he saw. "Let's give it shot. One door down, right?" Martel nodded, and he opened it.

Inside was an even brighter room, empty of people. Yuan slid inside and examined everything. There was a metal gurney, complete with restraints; a tray beside it with menacing-looking instruments; a few machines and monitors that looked so advanced, Yuan couldn't begin to comprehend how they worked; and a small metal door in the wall. Yuan carefully picked up one of the tools. "A scalpel," he muttered. "Good. We can use this."

"Yuan, what do you think is down here?" Martel's voice echoed back at him. She was leaning into the small door, which held a metal chute.

"It looks like a garbage chute," he mused. "We'd better keep moving."

"Right. How many scalpels are there?" she asked.

"Five. We should take all of them, just in case we lose or break one." He pocketed three and handed the other two to Martel. "Let's get back out there."

They continued down the hall, opening doors to find empty operating rooms. They pocketed another scalpel for Martel, and then started just flinging doors open and checking. All were devoid of people, Mithos or anyone else.

"We still have two floors to go!" Martel said, her hysteria growing. "How are we going to find him?"

"Calm down," Yuan said firmly. "Wherever Mithos is, doctors will be, right? So we just need to find the only door that has doctors near it."

She nodded, but didn't look any more at ease. Her hands were still shaking; without thinking, Yuan took them in his own. "Mithos will be fine," he asserted, sounding much more confident than he felt.

"You're right," Martel sighed. "I have to stay calm. Can't panic. Got it."

Yuan led the way upstairs to the next floor. He quickly looked out into the hallway: no doctors in sight. "He must be on the third floor," he hissed. She nodded and followed him.

At first glance, the third floor was as empty as the other two. Then Yuan caught a glimpse of a nurse, all in white, bustling along the floor with some sort of cart. He motioned for Martel to follow, pulling out one of his scalpels as he opened the door and slipped in.

It became apparent immediately that Mithos was here; there were muffled noises coming from down the hall. Shouts and screams, cries for help, thumps and thuds against the wall told Yuan that Mithos was putting up one hell of a fight.

"Come on!" he hissed. The duo snuck down the hall to the last door on the right, listening as the yells became more distinct.

"Get your hands off me!"

"Hold him down!"

"Get the sedative! Nurse! Nurse!"

"Gah! He almost got away!"

Yuan prepared himself and waited. Martel bobbed nervously beside him. "Let's go," she hissed as Mithos let out a loud shout and hit something, probably a doctor. Yuan put his finger to his lips.

"Almost," he whispered. "Get ready to charge in."

A few seconds later, he heard one of the doctors shout, "Go get another nurse, we don't have enough hands!" The door creaked open and Yuan quickly tackled the person to the ground, struggling before he got a good hit on the side of his head.

"Go!" he yelled at Martel, who dashed inside. There was a scream, followed by Mithos crowing his sister's name. Yuan stood and followed, leaving the other man on the floor, dazed.

Inside, he quickly took in the situation: two doctors, one nurse. One of the doctors grabbed for his neck; he retaliated with a swift kick to the knees, which sent his opponent sprawled on the ground. The nurse stared at him for a few seconds before running out of the room in fear. Yuan knocked the doctor unconscious with a kick to the head. He turned and stood to see that Martel had violently slashed at the last doctor in the room. He was groaning on the floor, clutching his face.

"Mar-Martel! Sissy!" Mithos threw his arms around her. "Sissy, I didn't think you would come…"

The doctor Yuan had tackled came through the doorway, swinging his fists wildly. Yuan, without thinking, plunged his scalpel directly into his neck. The man staggered away, grasping wildly as blood poured out. Finally, he gasped and sunk to the ground, not breathing.

"Oh, no," Martel said softly. "Oh, no, I think you killed him."

Yuan was panting, adrenaline coursing through his body. Martel gave him a fearful look. "What?" he asked, a little too harshly. "Did you think it was going to be harmless? Did you think we could avoid killing our enemies?"

"I…I don't like…things like that," she said quietly. "I'm a healer."

"I know, I know, but…" Yuan sighed. "I'm not."

The room remained still and silent before Mithos suddenly said, "Aren't we leaving?"

"Yeah." Yuan shook his head to clear it. "Let's move. We need to get out of here before alarms start going off."

So the trio took off, Mithos never more than a few feet from Martel. He seemed to be fine, but his sister kept giving him sideways glances. As they ran through the first floor hallway, lights started to flash. A cool female voice, which Yuan recognized as the receptionist's, made an announcement.

"Attention, medical personnel. All medical personnel are advised that a subject has escaped. He is believed to have accomplices. Please be aware that this is not an emergency situation. We are simply asked to re-acquire the subject and perform his procedure. Appropriate measures will be taken against his accomplices. That is all."

"'…Not an emergency…" Yuan repeated. "She's covering for us. We have to move."

The door at the end of the hall opened, and they heard the receptionist's voice, abnormally loud. "I don't know, I think they went through here. I was running these papers up to Dr. Mins and they must've snuck in."

"Move!" Yuan shoved his companions into an operating room. Heart pounding, he listened as they began bursting into the other rooms, looking for them. He indicated the chute. "Martel, do you think we can slide down there?"

She hesitated, opening the silver door and staring down. "…We can fit, but Yuan…I don't know where it leads. What if it goes to the incinerator?"

"Then it's the lesser of two evils. I'll go first." He hoisted himself up and put his feet in. "Hey, Martel? You're religious, right? Do me a favor."

"Yuan, maybe this isn't the time," she said anxiously.

"…Pray for me." Hoping she was wrong, and the chute didn't lead to a fiery death, he dropped down. He landed hard on smooth metal with a grunt. A few seconds later, he heard Martel fall beside him, then Mithos.

"Where are we?" she whispered. Her voice echoed slightly in the empty room. "Is this…the garbage?"

"…This is where they throw amputated limbs," Mithos said quietly. "I heard one of the nurses talking about it."

"Ew!" Martel shrieked. "That's so disgusting! What happens to them?"

"Let's keep going," Yuan said. "There's got to be an exit around here somewhere."

Their footsteps echoed in the empty, metal room. Yuan could smell the faint tinge of blood, its metallic odor masked by industrial cleaner. There was a faint light coming from one corner of the room; groping and stumbling along, they all headed towards it. Finally, they stepped into a warm room, where Martel was proven to be right: a huge furnace took up most of it.

The incinerator looked like a large steel drum, with a spiral metal pipe sticking up out of the ceiling. The control panel indicated that it was shut down. There were some dried blood stains smeared on the door of the combustion chamber.

"Ugh…" Martel shut her eyes. "It's a good thing my stomach's empty, otherwise I'd vomit."

"Over here!" Mithos called from behind the incinerator. "There's a door, but it's locked. Sissy, what should we do?"

Martel looked around anxiously. "Maybe there's a way we can…I don't know, melt it? What do you think, Yuan?" She glanced around. "Yuan? Any ideas?"

"We should blow it up," Yuan's voice called from behind the incinerator.

"I think you're crazy," Mithos answered. Martel shushed him.

"I don't blame you," Yuan grunted, "but look." He reappeared, holding buckets. "Cleaning solution. If we can use this as fuel, we can create an explosion big enough to destroy the incinerator and blow off the door."

"I still think you're crazy," Mithos muttered. "I don't feel like being blown up today, thanks."

"Yuan, are you sure that'll work?" Martel asked uncertainly. "It seems a little, I don't know…"

"Crazy?" Mithos piped up. Martel shot him a look.

"I was going to say, dangerous." She picked up one of the buckets of cleaning solution. "Besides, how would it work? Would we just dump cleaner on the furnace?"

"Nope." Yuan tapped the control panel. "We dump it in the furnace. Then we turn it on and our incinerator becomes a giant bomb."

"You're insane," Mithos confirmed.

"Maybe so. Do you have a better idea?" Yuan folded his arms at their silence. "Thought not. Listen, you two go back into the other room. I'll try to set up the furnace."

The siblings did as he asked, heading to the farthest corner. Mithos was shaking. "Martel," he whispered, "Martel, we'll be okay, right?"

She squeezed him tight. "Of course. Yuan knows what he's doing."

Mithos mumbled, "No, he doesn't," but she didn't hear him. Yuan's footsteps echoed quickly across the darkness.

"Alright, the machine is warming up. Any second now." He slid his arm around Martel's shoulders in comfort. Mithos narrowed his eyes and pulled her closer to himself.

There was a burst of light, a loud blast, and a surge of hot air. Yuan rushed forward, heading for the flames spurting out of the doorway. "Come on!"

"Wait!" Mithos yelled, grabbing Martel's sleeve. "How are we going to get through if it's surrounded by fire?"

Yuan froze. "…Shit!"

With a loud squeak, the rest of the dark room was flooded with light. Someone had opened another door. "What happened?" a voice shouted. "What-oh! Someone, get down here! The incinerator's malfunctioned!"

More footsteps thundered through the room, headed straight for the flames. They didn't even notice the three prisoners making their escape out the door, up the stairs, and across the sea of sand.