The days and nights that passed were all the same, silent and dark. Lea didn't know anymore whether he'd been there for days or weeks. There were no more footsteps on the stairs; no more noises anywhere. He was completely alone, and had no idea if or when that would change. The hooded men seemed to have forgotten that he existed, and he really wasn't sure whether that was a blessing or a curse.

One thing he did know, he had not eaten or slept, other than fitful dozing, since before the whole ordeal had begun, and he could fully feel the effects now that there was nothing else to focus on. He was too weak to do much other than lean against the wall and let his mind drift. When he did sleep, it was filled with terrible dreams. When he was awake, he found himself on more than one occasion imagining the demise of the Superior and his minions. The black shadow of rage and sorrow that had been creeping into his heart unnoticed for the first several days had taken a stronger hold now. Between that and the maddening silence of the dungeon, his mind was becoming a very dark place.

He missed Isa. There had not been very many days since they were just kids that the two of them had not been together. At school, they were always in the same class, though many a teacher had separated their desks in an attempt to keep them under control. In their free time, they were nearly always hanging out together, eating ice cream, sparring, and generally getting into mischief of one kind or another. Lea had always hated being alone. Until now, however, he had never realized how truly terrible loneliness could be.

Then suddenly, there they were again. The footsteps. Lea came quickly out of his half-conscious state, his heart speeding up. It was happening at last; they were coming for him. For a moment he wished selfishly that he could have Isa with him, to be at his side through whatever was coming. Then he shook his head, dismissing the thought. It was better this way. Isa had been through more than enough as it was, he didn't need to have had to support his friend, too. Whatever was about to happen, at least Lea knew that Isa wasn't suffering anymore.

For the first time, the footsteps stopped in front of Lea's door. He looked up, and nothing in the world could have prepared him for the familiar face that he saw there.

"Isa?" he gasped. "How...?" A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. This could not be possible. Yet there was his friend, alive and well, standing right in front of him. "You're okay!" he finally managed to exclaim, joy flooding through him.

"Isa is dead," the man looking through the bars stated coolly. "I am Saix."

Lea felt like his heart stopped beating. "What do you mean?" he stammered, completely confused. "You're Isa, you have to be..." For the first time, he noticed the changes to his friend's appearance. He was wearing a black coat that matched all the rest, and his once blue-green eyes now flashed gold. The cut between his eyes that he had gotten from Xaldin's lance had somehow become an x shaped scar. But the face, the stance, the long blue hair, the voice, the mannerisms, all belonged to Isa. What kind of cruel joke was this?

Swinging the door open, Saix walked inside and began to unlock the shackles from Lea's wrists. "The Superior has need of you," he stated, still stoic.

Lea felt all of the life that seeing Isa's face again had brought draining out of him. "Isa, no...please...you can't do this."

"Isa was weak and foolish," Saix replied, "And as I said before, he is dead. Now come." He pulled Lea to his feet, but Lea immediately collapsed back to the floor, unable to stand. Crossing his arms, Saix sighed, then reached down and grabbed Lea again, this time throwing his arm around his shoulders and lifting him around the waist. Then he began to half-drag, half-carry him out of the cell and through the dungeon towards the stairs. Lea felt very little inclination to help with this process, since he didn't think he was going to like how this trip ended, but stumbled along slightly just to keep from falling to the ground again.

"I don't get it," he panted. "How could you do this? How could you become one of them, after what they did to you? Are you really going to take me to them? This is me, Lea, your best friend, remember? You know what they're going to do to me, don't you? Do you really not care anymore?" His questions were met with silence. "Did they brainwash you? That must be it. They must have brainwashed you into thinking you're this other person, and that you're one of them."

"You never have known when to stop talking," Saix finally broke in.

"Aha!" Lea exclaimed with a glimmer of hope, trying his best to stop their march in its tracks. "You are Isa, I knew it!"

Shaking his head, Saix adjusted his grip and began hauling Lea up the stairs. "You never have listened, either. I may share Isa's memories, but I am not he."

Lea let this sink in for a moment, still bewildered. "You...share his memories?" They finally reached the top step and paused to catch their breath. "So then, even if you're somehow not him, you still remember me. You remember us, and all of the things we did together. We've been best friends since we were eight. We've always been there for each other, no matter what. You're gonna tell me that doesn't mean anything to you now?"

Saix turned and looked him straight in the eyes, never changing expression. "It means nothing to me."

The words hit Lea like a punch to the stomach. Dropping his head, he allowed himself to be pulled forward once more, and said nothing else for the remainder of the walk. The shadow settled back over him, even darker than before. He didn't even care about dying at this point, if that's what awaited him, he just hoped that it would be over with quickly.

When they entered the laboratory, all the black-coated men were there, just like on the first day. It seemed like ages ago that he had last stood here, side by side with Isa, and he had never really expected to do so again. He certainly had not ever thought that it would be Isa holding him captive the second time around. Lea looked around the room at the faces that haunted his dreams at night, seething with hatred, wishing he had the strength and the means to take them all down right then and there.

"He doesn't look quite so fiery today," the one-eyed man laughed. The two scientists glanced his way with only mild interest, then returned to their books.

"Yes, he is ready," the Superior spoke up, crossing towards Lea and Saix. For the first time, he had his hood down, and Lea found himself looking at a stern face with amber eyes and long, silver hair. He looked straight into those eyes, expecting to see evil there, but instead they just looked empty. Just like the others, he realized, and just like Isa's. "It is time to extract his heart," the Superior finished.

Despite what he had told himself earlier, that he didn't mind dying, Lea felt afraid. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, but at the same time happening way too fast. The others gathered around as if they were about to witness an exciting spectacle, and their voices sounded far away. Reaching out his hand, the Superior let loose a stream of electrifying light, which struck Lea's chest and gripped him, lifting him slightly off the ground. Waves of energy pulsed through his body as the same light and dark aura he had seen coming from Isa's cell began to envelope him.

He felt Saix leave his side and watched him join the rest of the onlookers. Lea could feel himself fading rapidly, but he couldn't help staring at the face of his friend, which was still completely void of emotion. No matter what Saix had insisted, Lea still fully believed that at least part of his friend was in there somewhere, which only made his betrayal worse. It stabbed at him deeply, much more painful than whatever was being done to him right now. As a final surge of power shot through him, a single tear slipped out of each of his eyes, lingering on his cheekbones until everything around him went dark.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it (in a heartbreaking kind of way). This piece is a bit darker than the stuff that I usually write, so I'd love to know your thoughts.

My other, ongoing fic can be found here: s/12878011/1/The-Chosen-Four .