AN: Well, here is the next chapter! We're going deeper down the rabbit's hole. This one is a bit of an experiment (in changing points of view, briefly), so I want to see how it turns out. Regardless of that, I have another interesting thing planned for the upcoming chapter so stay tuned!

AccessBlade: Haha, well everyone has their flaws after all :p. Avoiding reality is often a bad idea, but you got a point it can be nicer to take in than the cold the truth. Hahaha, yeah I understand. Yeah, shouldn't believe in a person like that. That's probably lesson learned.

Cocoa. Quack: Indeed! Heh, yeah their reactions will be interesting. Thanks!

THE real assistant : Well, we'll see haha. And yep, he'd never admit that XD. Thanks, I did my best with this chapter since I've been thinking of it for a while!

OBSERVER01: Heh, yeah it was surprising. Well, let's see if your theory is correct.

Cranky Kong: Haha, yeah that wouldn't happen. I actually have a lot of things planned. It could be.

Gilgamesh The King of Heroes: Haha your first idea is more right. It'll be explained this chapter lol.

Dark Murcielago: Thanks! Don't worry, this chapter will put it into perspective haha.

The Forgotten Reader: Lol well, I've had this planned for a while, so it was going to happen... well, I suppose that is a good thing haha.

CallmeEevee: Thank you so much! If you could point out the errors that would be nice.

Guest: Here it is!

Lilac Winters21: Thanks! That is the mystery, indeed... all will be answered with time!

Hope you guys enjoy! Thanks so much for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing!

I had never seen anything like this before my entire life. We began running and behind us, the world was falling apart. I turned around to look in fascination at this dream scape or rather nightmare breaking down.

"Don't look back," he said tugging me forward.

I gave it one last glance and turned ahead. It was unfathomable how I could have just died not too long ago there. However, the possibility was still present seeing how quickly the place was crumbling behind us.

In front of us was a bleak looking area- the sky was dark, the winds were howling, and the ground was dry like sand. It was a barren wasteland. Not a single thing was alive. Why did it seem like looking forward was just as awful as looking back? Both sides didn't seem promising. I frowned.

"Am I going to really make it?"

"You have to believe you will."

"But this looks so...empty and hallow."

"Sometimes the path you choose isn't going to be red roses and sunshine, but you're still alive. And that counts."

Suddenly, I started to feel out of breath and winded, as a result I tripped over my own feet and hit the ground, face down in the dirt.

"Ugh..."

I tried pushing myself up, but I still was trying to recover from the impact. I guessed I had been running faster than I thought. My heart was pounding hard, feeling as though it were prepared to rip out of my chest as there was no indication that it was going to slow down.

I felt hands around one of my arms, attempting to bring me up to my feet.

"You have to keep moving, Lyn."

"I know, but I feel like shit," I said feeling the heat rising to my face and this dizziness taking my body captive.

"Don't focus on that pain," he demanded.

I grunted.

"If it helps to transition easier, sit up first."

"Alright..."

May 23rd, Time?

Prosecutor's Office, Room 404

(Sit up. I need to sit up.)

My eyes were slowly opening. The light was flooding in, and the smell of blood was present and very close. I moaned. I had never felt like such utter shit my entire life. I wanted to move- no, I needed to move. If I laid down like this, I'd just knock out again and I didn't want to.

I took a breath and made the resolution to try to get myself up. If I could at least prop myself upwards, it would help me stay awake longer. Or I hoped. Didn't have much else to do at the time unless I wanted to lie there pathetically.

Slowly, I tried to move my arms from their position being under me. Everything felt heavy so it took a little longer than what it normally would, but I slid them out from beneath. Then, I positioned my arms in a push up position, trying to move myself off the ground.

I gritted my teeth, closing my eyes doing my best to push past the hurt. This whole deal made me regret not practicing push ups more often. I wanted to cry feeling the sting from the cuts. But I had to ignore it as I moved on to part two of sitting up. I would have rolled over, but with the knife in my back and the amount of blood I was losing would make that an incredibly terrible idea.

I pushed up my right leg and had it bent, while my left leg was on the floor. I figured if I could get into a squatting position, I'd be okay after I set my lower half down. I took a breath, trying to get myself ready for the other leg. My arms couldn't hold up for too much longer so it would be quick.

(Here goes nothing...)

I forced my left leg up- putting myself in a squat. It was a bitch. I bit my lip as I stretched my right leg out immediately. My arms didn't have much strength at this point, so they sort of gave in on me. My left leg, was underneath me again. Annoyed I tried, sliding it out from under me with the help of my arms so I didn't cut off the circulation to that leg or whatever else I could have cut off considering I was pretty cut up already. Thankfully, with a little bit of force, I pulled it out and left it stretched out.

I took a huge breath of air. Goddamn. That hurt, and took way longer than it should have. But at least I was up. I felt perspiration dripping off of my face. Drenched in sweat and blood was my favorite experience. Not.

I was feeling pretty tired after that exertion. I think I was weaker than before, though I wasn't certain if it was from the little exercise or the fact that blood was leaking from me like a facet. I tilted my head back, shutting my eyes. It'd only be for a second...

Time ?

Location?

"What are you doing?" Edgeworth snapped. "Are you really going to fall asleep now?"

Asleep? I noticed I was standing up at this point. The last thing I remembered I was sitting on the floor here. It seemed...I was in two places at once. I felt like I was switching between worlds...

"Standing idly does nothing. Move."

I felt sluggish. I still hurt so I was moving a bit slower, but still moving at any rate. I didn't know what to do next, though. With every step I took, the more shaky I felt.

Edgeworth was pushing me along impatiently. The world here, still looked awful as I remember. The bombed out world, collapsing in on itself. Yep. Nothing changed. I wanted to keep going, but I sort of just wanted to sleep. Everything was tiring. Everything was effort. Things were hurting and I just wanted-

"Move it!"

"Jeez! I'm sorry, I'm trying, but I'm tired...I'm not full of life like you are, you know!"

He looked at me directly, with that cool gaze that just glazes over you.

"Lyn," he started with irritation. "If you stop now, you'll die. Wake up."

"But how? It's hard..."

"Think. Breathe. Do anything to keep your eyes wide open. If you don't then you'll be guilty of the abandonment you've been so afraid of."

I cocked my head in confusion. "What? Who would I even be abandoning?"

"Could you really forget about the detective?" he asked me.

I gasped. That was right.

(Gumshoe...I asked Gumshoe to come by!)

That was my one shot. If I could hang on until he arrived, I'd make it. I'd survive this shit. He'd take me to the hospital and they'd stitch me up or do whatever medical procedures needed to be done. I could rest. I'd live to tell the tale. I felt a little more excited by that notion, and more energized.

"Exactly. Would you really want him to find you dead? Would you want to be a victim?"

I shook my head furiously. "No way!"

"And in the same light, you'd be abandoning me as well. I'm keeping my end of the bargain, so you do likewise to maintain yours."

That's right. I couldn't leave. Giving into the tiredness would be cheap. It would go against what we were working on maintaining. It wouldn't be fair to anyone. I couldn't stop now, I had to live.

"I understand," I nodded. "I won't let you or Detective Gumshoe down!"

I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of a smile, that was being hidden.

"Good," he pulled up the collar of his coat. "In that case, my work is done."

"Huh? Where are you going?"

"I am going nowhere, as this is your mind and your creation. It's you who must be going."

I frowned. "But...this place is falling apart? What'll happen to you?"

He gave his trademark smirk. "There is nothing to worry about. I'll be fine. It will be resolved when you do your part."

"But-"

"I believe in you. I'm nothing but a guide. It's you, who is doing the work."

I heard a crumbling sound. The sediment and soil was starting to break only a few feet away. The falling sky with it's shattered glass pieces didn't look too hot either.

I bit my lip. I honestly, didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave him, in this mess I had created. It seemed wrong and unjust.

He looked behind him for a moment and turned to me once more.

"It's time."

I fiddled with my thumbs, keeping my eyes on him the whole time. I started to walk away, but I found myself turning around and going back to him.

"Lyn-"

And without really thinking about it, I just walked up to him and hugged him tightly around the waist. I buried myself in his chest, with my head down. Edgeworth said nothing. At first he didn't move a muscle, but within a few seconds he reciprocated slowly wrapping his arms around me. It was strange- I hadn't expected him to feel so warm. He normally seemed so cold, but this was warming. It was tight, but not to the point of pain. I felt protected and safe in that moment, before he eventually pulled away.

"So, I guess this is goodbye."

"Rather, goodbye for now," He said confidently. "I'll see you around."

May 23rd, Time?

Prosecutor's Office, Room 404

My eyes snapped open. I gasped, taking in all of the air I could. I think it was from the shock of coming back. It felt like I had been flung back into my body, from another realm. I was back in my office, chilling in a pool of my own bodily fluid. The smell was really making me feel sick. Once we found the bastard who did this, I'd be sure to make him clean all of this shit up.

I was sitting upright, as I had been before...sleeping? I was unsure of what that was, but whatever. It was in my head and I did get the solutions and motivation I needed to try to ride this situation out to till the end.

I hated being in my office alone on a regular day, but I now I really hated it. Being alone and left to die in the middle of the night was not my idea of a good time. The only consolation I got for right now, was that Gumshoe was coming. Thank God I had called him right before any of this happened. I'd be really fucked otherwise. I don't know why he always got labeled as useless because he was always saving my ass. Fuck what everyone else said about him; I'd raise his salary ten fold at this point, if he made it in time.

I didn't really know what to do in the mean time. I just knew I couldn't close my eyes for too long. It sucked. I wanted to move, but it hurt to do that unnecessarily. I was left with my own thoughts. And it wasn't too ideal, because I was nervous. I tried to ignore the what if scenarios, and focus on the positive outcomes, but it was a little challenging to say the least.

(Maybe, I should focus on breathing. Might as well practice mediation while I still have the chance.)

I decided to take deep breaths- though, not too deep since I was worried about the knife lodged in at the base of my neck- and empty my mind. I could focus on the breathing and nothing else that was bothering me. Hopefully.

It was a bitch to get used to, but after what I guessed what was a few minutes, I stopped thinking of any bad stuff and thought of breathing. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but to me it seemed like an eternity of just sitting and breathing. I was starting to lose hope.

Was it a waste of time? I was starting to feel colder... I wasn't sure how much longer this could last.

(Well, I could think of the good times I had while living. It was very cool to be put here, but I guess it's over. I gave it my best shot. Sorry, Mia...)

I was closing my eyes, planning on sleeping. This time forever.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Ms. Doom, sir? Are you in here?"

I gasped. Of course he would arrive as soon as I gave up!

I did the best I could, to be loud. "Yes! Yes...please come in I need help..."

The door opened. The sight of Gumshoe was enough to make me cry, if I had the energy. His mouth dropped open, as soon as he saw the condition of the place and me. His horror remained.

"M-Ms. Doom! W-what happened?!" he said running over to me.

I laughed. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was out of relief. "It doesn't matter now...just take me to the hospital. I don't know if I'll make it."

"Hey, don't talk like that! You're going to be okay, I'll make sure of it!" he said trying to console me in this antsy fashion.

"There's so much blood. You're covered in it..." Gumshoe was visibly disgusted. He saw the knife sticking out of my back. "My God..."

The poor man was just appalled. He shook his head.

"I'm glad you're here- it was so lonely..." I said crying a little.

Gumshoe frowned. "I'm going to pick you up, okay? I'm going to get you to the hospital in a flash. I'd call the paramedics, but it would be too slow. You're going to be okay!"

"Thank you," I said slowly rubbing my arms up and down.

The detective glanced at me for a moment and removed his huge jacket and draped it over me. Then gingerly, he bent down and put a hand under my legs with another on my back, away from that knife. The next thing I knew, Gumshoe was running with me in his arms out of my office and down the stairs as quickly as he could.

I didn't think he ever stopped running. I just felt myself being bobbed up and down. I'd shut my eyes for a moment or two and I felt like we'd be in a new location every time I did. This time I heard a door slam and noticed that I was no longer hovering in the air, but now placed on something like a cushion. I opened my eyes and realized that I was inside a car, set on the backseat. Gumshoe was at the wheel revving up the engine. Faster than I knew I could ever do, Gumshoe backed the car up in reverse, moved out of his parking place in the garage, and was on the main street in a flash. Everything was moving so fast, probably faster than the speed of light.

"See, Ms. Doom, we're going to make it," he said in an attempt to be encouraging.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "We'll make it..."

"The docs will fix you up, we'll find the person who did this, and then you'll crush them in court!"

"Yeah..." My eyelids were getting heavier by the second.

"Ms. Doom?"

"Eh...?"

"Ms. Doom, you have to stay up...Ms. Doom!"

Whatever else he was saying I don't think I heard. I stayed up for as long as I could, but eventually my tiredness won out and I went into shut down mode, closing my eyes.

May 23rd, 1:56 AM

Hickfield Clinic, Intensive Care

I found myself entering the intensive care unit of the Hickfield clinic. This was definitely not how I was expecting to spend the night. Nurses and doctors were in a buzz, moving briskly past me handling emergency patients, wheeling them into rooms on beds, I'm assuming for surgery. I cringed, being reminded of the similar situation that had occurred with Franziska. However, this sounded far worse than a bullet to the shoulder.

I had received an unexpected call in the middle of the night:

"Detective, what do you want at this hour? I hope it's important or-"

"It's terrible, sir! It's Ms. Doom, she- she-"

"Calm yourself, detective. What happened?"

"She was stabbed!"

"...WHAT!?"

"I-It was terrible! There was so much blood- the knife was in her back and-"

"Calm down! Is she at the hospital?"

"Yes, sir. I drove as fast as I could to the Hickfield Clinic. She's in intensive care right now. They told me to wait outside, so I'm in the waiting room."

"Stay where you are, detective. I'll be over as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir..."

To be honest, that entire exchange made me feel ill, leaving me with a huge sensation of apprehension gnawing away at my insides. The detective had sounded so unnerved- and based on his description, I could not entirely blame him. Of course, the proper handling of most situations required a calm and level headed approach, but even I felt some anxiety.

The front desk was located in the center of the room with a few nurses sitting at their desks writing, typing and answering phone calls. I told one who I was and who I wanted to see. I asked if I could obtain information on Lyn's status: What the nurse explained to me was that she entered in critical condition- still alive, thank God, but not in terribly good shape. The surgeons had prepared and began operating immediately upon her arrival. And that was all she could disclose to me. Since there was no more to be said, she directed me to the waiting room down the hall and to the right.

May 23rd, 2:10 AM

Hickfield Clinic, Waiting Room

The waiting room could only be described as sterile. Everything in the room was white- down to the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. The bright lights illuminating from the ceiling did no favors either. It was a large space, with numerous chairs lined up in rows. It was virtually a ghost town, except for the familiar man sitting in one of the metallic chairs alone.

"Hello, detective."

"M-Mr. Edgeworth!" he said bobbing his head up in surprise. He immediately sprang from his seat and ran over to me saluting. "Boy, am I glad to see you, sir! Everything's been...well..."

He sighed despondently, shoulders slumping.

"Let's start from the beginning." I said folding my arms. "What exactly happened?"

Detective Gumshoe sighed again.

"Ms. Doom called me asking me to pick up some case files at her office earlier tonight. And by the time I arrived- it was awful! The place was a mess, just blood everywhere. Ms. Doom was sitting on the floor, in her own blood, with a knife sticking out of the back of her neck. I was so scared, that I thought she was dead right then..."

He frowned. "But she was talking a little. So, I moved as fast as I could. I grabbed her and drove down here. I tried to keep her awake, but she passed out...the docs took her in to operate, but I don't know what's happening now."

I furrowed my brow. "Did she say what happened? Or who had done this?"

"I tried to ask, but she wasn't in the right state of mind," he stomped on the floor. "Who could do something like this to Ms. Doom?!"

"Indeed, that is the question," I mused. "We'll have to ask later when Lyn wakes up."

The detective frowned, putting his head down.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"But sir, how do we really know that Ms. Doom will wake up? You didn't see what- whoever had done to her did. It was bad. What if I didn't make it in time?"

"That won't happen- so it's best you remove the idea from your mind," I said determinedly. "We need to be grateful that you were there to bring her to the hospital. You probably saved her life."

"You really think so, sir?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Though, I question your habits at times, detective, you're always there when it counts."

Slowly, Detective Gumshoe raised his head upward, the frown slowly turning into a grin.

"But right now, if we want to help Lyn, the best thing we can do is look into why this happened," I tapped a finger against my arm. "I assume you called for backup?"

He nodded. "Yes, sir. Boys should be covering the scene and looking into it right now."

(I should probably investigate the scene to see what I can discover. Whoever did this wanted her dead...and probably for a reason. But they won't get away with it on my watch.)

"Very good," I said. "I think I'm going to investigate the office."

"Alright, sir! Let's go-"

"You need to stay here."

"But I can help with the investigation!" he pouted.

(Aren't you too old for pouting, detective?)

"It's better you remain here at the hospital incase we get any update on Lyn's condition. The last thing I heard was that she was in critical condition and in the middle of surgery. And if she wakes up, someone should be here to see her."

The detective seemed reluctant, but sighed.

"Okay. I'll keep you informed, sir. But if you need help with the investigation, I'll be there on the double!"

"Thank you, detective," I bowed and started my journey out of the hospital and to the Prosecutor's office.

May 23rd, 2:36 AM

Prosecutor's Office, Room 404

As expected, the room was crowded with police officers. They acknowledged my presence and saluted and after I informed them of my intentions to investigate, which was fine so long as I didn't disturb evidence.

It was again, another all too familiar scene as I recalled recently how a man was murdered in my office- and how I was threatened there as well. I would be the first to admit how violating that felt, and I could only imagine how terrible Lyn felt during the whole attack.

I grimaced viewing the state of the room. What stood out most was the droplets, trails, puddles, and smears of blood left next to the bookcase. Detective Gumshoe wasn't exaggerating how much of the red fluid there was present seeping through the cracks in the wooden floor. I was certainly accustomed to seeing blood, but this was disgusting.

(Hang in there, Lyn... We'll get to the bottom of this.)

I turned my sights to the bookcase, considering this was where most of the blood had accumulated. Everything looked in order, except for an empty space at the bottom of the shelf. It appeared that a case file was missing.

(Was she attacked for particular files?)

The problem was, I couldn't determine which file had been taken considering the entire book was removed. I asked the officers if they had turned anything up, and they found nothing inside or outside of this room. I double checked to make sure to see if anything was overlooked, but I too found nothing resembling a case file.

(Which files? And why?)

When my office was disturbed, files relating to the smuggling ring were taken. Prosecutors have all sorts of case files- even ones that they didn't personally work on in the confines of their offices. But whatever it was, must have been very important for this person to nearly take someone's life over it.

I rubbed my temples. I'd have to keep it in mind and come back to the train of thought later. Without anything to go on, I'd be walking in circles and wasting time. I decided to move on to other parts of the room. I observed the desk, sofa, and shelf -everything else seemed to be in order and relatively undisturbed. The trauma mainly transpired around that bookcase area.

(So, they knew what they wanted and left. There's no indication of a search.)

Just as I walking back to the bookcase, something shiny caught my attention. It was a small glint of light coming from underneath the desk. I bent down and reached under, grasping the object. Pulling it out, they were a pair of thin wired circular framed glasses. It was odd, because Lyn didn't own a pair like them. I handed them over to the police for a forensics test.

(Could this be from our perpetrator?)

If it was it could help to identify them considering they didn't appear to leave anything else on the scene. Nothing, unless one wants to consider the weapon left in Lyn's body. That too was odd; why wouldn't they take the knife with them? If there wasn't anything (or hardly anything) to link you to a crime- no hairs, fibers- why leave weapon behind like that?

It seemed the more I discovered, the more questions I'd gain as a result. However, that wasn't going to deter me from discovering the truth. I loathed criminals, especially ones that hurt friends. And not to mention, the ones that desecrate lawful places like this. Because of that there was no way I was going to let Lyn down. I'd solve the mystery no matter what.

Evidence:

Prosecutor's badge: With this, I can prove I'm a prosecutor. Dunno why we don't wear them on our lapels like defense attorneys though.

Magatama: Magical sacred charm that should allow me to communicate with Mia.

Profiles:

Maya Fey: Age 19. It looks like we're good friends based on what I know.

Miles Edgeworth: Age 26. My mentor? Likes giving me lectures. It seems we're on good terms.

Detective Gumshoe: Age 33. My favorite friendly neighborhood detective.

Larry Butz: Age 25. This guy is insane, how does he even exist?

Raymond Shields: Age 35. The sassy defense attorney I've faced in court.

Judge: Age ?. Old timer judge. No one know his real name.

Mia Fey: Deceased. I guess my guide or inspiration to keep surviving this place, until that very fatal day.

Phoenix Wright: Age 26. The man I'm supposed to be saving, who whooped my ass in court.