An update? From me? Who would have guessed? :D

Anyways, a quick recap for everyone who can't remember what happened:

-Ninten is inside the Nowhere Islands V-game, but inside of that he went into Mary's mind, and inside of that he's in some dark realm that symbolizes her depression (yeah it gets confusing)

-Ninten was fighting Mary so that he could try and buy time to save her, while Mary wanted to kill Ninten inside the game because he promised not to come back if he did. Mary doesn't want Ninten suffering any more than he already has.

-The last chapter ended with Mary stabbing Ninten.

Well, enjoy the chapter! :)

Review response: The Arisen: We'll see if Ninten gets saved... either by someone else or his own doing. :)

Mary let go of the dagger buried in Ninten's chest and stepped away. Ninten stumbled backwards, his vision swimming. His consciousness started to drift away. Did death feel like this, or was this just his mind getting booted from the V-game?

"I'm sorry," Mary said. "Your grandmother just wants what's best for you, Ninten."

Ninten wrapped his fingers around the dagger's hilt, holding onto his last grip on reality.

"Leave the PSI company behind. Forget George and I ever existed. You're too good of a person to try and save the world like we did."

Ninten yanked the dagger out of his chest, gasping as his mind grew fuzzy, floating upwards out of his body.

"Grandma." Ninten's voice sounded hoarse in his ears. "We need to get you out of here."

Mary's hands fell to her side. "No, I need to get you out of here so that you don't have to stare into the darkness any longer."

Ninten walked forward, hunched over with a hand over his wound. "I want to look into the darkness side by side with you."

"If you can't even fight back against someone trying to kill you then there's no way you'll stand a chance against my Magicant trying to crush you."

Ninten gripped the dagger in his right hand as he walked up to Mary.

"Caring about someone isn't weak. I could hurt you if that really were the right thing to do."

"I'd like to see you try."

"You would?"

"Well, I know you don't have it in you to-"

Ninten slammed the dagger into Mary's stomach.

"Mm." Mary took a deep breath. "You're always full of surprises."

"I told you." Ninten could hear his words slur. "Caring about people isn't a weakness. Now let's get out of here together."

Mary stepped forward and pressed a hand against Ninten's chest. She muttered an incantation and dull green specks flitted off from her fingers before dissolving in the darkness. Ninten's vision started to clear up, but when he stepped back he nearly tripped and collapsed to the ground.

"My PSI hardly works here," Mary said. "That should keep you alive for a bit longer, but you're still dying."

"Well thanks for elongating the pain?"

"I can stab you again if you want." Mary's eyes narrowed. "But the only way we can get out of here is if you think of something that I haven't tried yet."

"I still can't promise that I'm in the best mindset right now."

"If at any point you'd like to abort this quest, you can take the dagger out of my stomach and slit your own throat. Or you can ask me to do so if you don't have the guts."

"How many people do I have to stab to convince you that I'm not a coward?"

"Not a coward." Mary ran a finger over the dagger's hilt. "Sane. Only broken people like me can bring themselves to end their own lives."

"Well maybe I'm broken too." Ninten glanced around at the emptiness. "George trapped you in here by your own request, right? What if you told him that you wanted out?"

"First of all, I still don't really want out. And why would George let me be free when he could keep me chained here?"

Fair point, given that this was George.

"Are you dying too, grandma?"

"If this body of mine fails, I'll slip into the darkness until I get a new one." Mary held a quivering hand up to her face and smirked. "Not a big deal."

"Has it happened before?"

"I thought that you wanted us to get out of here."

"Grandma, if I can't understand your situation then I don't think that I can help you escape."

"I don't have time to tell you about the past 95 years of my life that led me here before you bleed out."

Ninten made a move to shake his head, but when his mind started to spin he sat down instead. He cupped his wound with one hand while bracing himself on the empty floor with the other.

"Ninten." Mary stepped forward until she towered right over him. "I can end the pain if you want."

"George locked you here because you asked him too, but you're just as powerful as he is, right?"

"More powerful, once. But it's not like I can lock him away from here."

"But could you use your PSI power to break free?"

Mary flexed her fingers, and a single spark flew off from the center of her palm before fading into the darkness.

"Guess that's a no." Mary smirked.

"Okay, but why?"

"I don't have any emotion to draw on from the PSI realm."

"But from my classes I learned-"

"That you need to clear your mind and be empty to use PSI, right? That's only because you need to make room for your spirit to enter your body. As you might imagine, it doesn't work when my spirit itself is drained."

"I'm not sure how much I buy into this whole spirit thing."

"You would have believed it when I put my spirit into your body. And if you still don't, then I guess we're stuck here."

Ninten fell flat on his back and closed his eyes. "So if we could find some way to heal your spirit, then you could break free?"

"Aww, are you going to try and give me a therapy session?"

"Are you making fun of me?"

"I just don't think you understand, Ninten. I'm glad that you're so optimistic, but a few minutes can't fill a void created over the course of a lifetime."

"We have to try something."

"I think it would be more useful for me to lie down like you and wait to die."

"Come on, grandma." Ninten opened his eyes and sat up. "You can do this. I'm here for you."

"If you think that all I needed was emotional support to feel whole again, then you must not have listened to a word I said." Mary met Ninten's gaze. "You'll understand later what it's like to lose everything you have, and then to watch as the world takes away parts of yourself that you didn't know were there."

"Maybe, but until then I'll work to help anyone I can. But if you honestly don't want to crawl out of his hole, then I doubt we could get you to a good enough mental state to break free."

"I…" Mary drew in a breath. "I don't know, Ninten. I want to escape if it will make you happy."

"I know I can't understand exactly what you're feeling, but I'm here for you, all right?"

Ninten stood up and extended a hand out towards Mary. She reeled away from his fingers as if they were knives, stepping back and bringing her hands up to defend her abdomen.

"Please, grandma." Ninten leaned forward. "Things will get better. I promise."

"If I escape, then you escape." Mary reached out, and then hesitated. "I have to do this for my baby boy."

Fingers quivering, Mary took Ninten's hand in her own. She looked up at him with the eyes of a beaten dog.

"Why is it still so cold?" Mary said.

Ninten felt Mary's pulse through her palm, a surge of warm blood that pressed up against his skin.

"I can't even cry." Mary turned away, but gripped onto Ninten's hand more tightly.

"Grandma, I've got you." Ninten placed his other hand on her shoulder. "You just need to feel good enough to get out of here and then things will get better."

"Why try and use me to escape now? It feels like you're only here to torment me for my sins, holding what I can't do over my head."

"I care about you. I believe that we can make it through this together."

"Then you've learned nothing."

Mary squeezed down, and Ninten squirmed as his fingers overlapped each other. He pried Mary's fingers away with his other hand and wiggled out of her grasp, rubbing the bruises on his knuckles.

"I'm sorry," Mary said. "This keeps going in circles, doesn't it? I want you to save me, I lose hope, I lash out at you and try to hurt you."

"It's not your fault."

"I'm just a monster. You know that people with mental illnesses aren't any more dangerous than regular people, right? If I'm hurting you then it's because I'm a bad person."

"I want to save you."

"You never change, do you? I see now why George was having second thoughts about you leading the PSI company. People with steadfast ideals are terrible at changing the world."

"Look down at your stomach."

Mary's eyes glanced down towards the dagger hilt sticking out of her shirt.

"I have it in me to inflict pain," Ninten said. "I have it in me to kill. I'll break any boundaries I need to. But the dirty secret is that I don't usually have to."

"There are no boundaries you can break to save me." Mary grasped the dagger hilt. "I'm sorry, Ninten. It's pointless. I don't think that you'll understand unless you want to go through what I'm feeling right now."

Ninten paused. "Is that a possibility?"

"I could switch parts of our minds," Mary said. "Just like how I would have used your body as a vessel for my spirit, but just not all the way. A part of you goes into my mind, and a part of mine goes into yours. That way, you could experience the emptiness firsthand."

"Okay, let's do that."

Mary took her hand off of the dagger hilt. "Ninten, I'll be bringing you into a state of severe depression. It's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

"I would never want you to force depression on someone you hate. Do it for love instead."

Mary frowned. "Are you delirious?"

"I showed that I can hurt someone I love." Ninten gestured towards the dagger in Mary's stomach. "I think it's time for you to do the same."

"I already tried to kill you." Mary took a step back. "I won't go any further."

"I thought that people with steadfast ideals were terrible at making a difference, grandma."

"But why? You'll be hurting yourself for no reason."

"I'll see what it's like to be you. And then once I turn back to me, I'll have a better idea of what you need."

Mary looked down at the wound in Ninten's chest. "You might bleed out before then."

"So make it quick."

"You're honestly not going to back down on this, are you?"

Ninten grinned. "You know it."

Mary grunted and extended a palm forward. "Fine. But for the record, you're an idiot. PSI Soulstealer."

Ninten closed his eyes and braced himself for the emptiness to come.

Ninten hugged his arms, trying to wring the last bit of warmth from his hands. To his knowledge, the world hadn't actually gotten any colder, so this feeling must be coming from inside.

He had expected the cold to be sharp, frigid. But instead there was an absence. Maybe cold was the wrong word. In middle school he had learned that there was no real coldness in the universe, just heat and the lack of it.

He understood now how it felt to be without warmth.

Ninten looked around at the emptiness. The background could have been white, blue, or a tangerine sunset and it still wouldn't have reached inside of him. He felt his back hunch over. For a moment, he wanted to flail in the darkness forever, miles away from anyone who cared.

The next, he didn't even have the willpower to struggle. Ninten sat down on the invisible ground, looking into the black.

If only he could cry right now.

"Ninten, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this."

Ninten continued to stare in the darkness.

"This isn't right. I can't do this to anyone, much less my own grandson."

"This," Ninten's voice sounded distant in his ears, "Is how you feel."

"I know, it's hopeless. We need to go back."

"How did you have the willpower to try and kill me?" Ninten exhaled slowly. "I couldn't force myself to stand up if my life depended on it."

"I just saw that you were going down the same path as me and George." Mary put a hand on Ninten's shoulder. "That you were trying to take on the world alone. I couldn't let it devour you like it did to us."

"So you tried to kill me," Ninten glanced up, "Out of love as well."

"I don't know if any words could apply to what I did." Mary met Ninten's gaze. "My eyes must looked that empty the whole time, didn't they?"

Rhetorical question or no, Ninten continued to stare at the darkness, this time with Mary in view.

"Why does your pain feel so good, Ninten?" Mary shuddered, closing her eyes. "I can taste the hope getting crushed again and again. I…"

Glistening tears came to Mary's eyes. "Why is everything so beautiful? People who write poetry about the emptiness must see the same way."

"Grandma."

"I know. I have to let go. These feelings were never mine to experience. Back I go."

"Grandma, it's okay."

"Welcome back, Ninten. PK Soul-"

The world phased out of existence, cutting off Mary's final word. Colors swirled around Ninten, banishing the darkness, until they finally coalesced into a full scene.

Ninten was sitting down back on the soaking deck as salt drifted in the air above the waves crashing into the side of the building. George stood near the entrance to the deck, leaning on a wet table, smirking.

"Mary was right, you know," George said. "You're a massive fucking idiot."

Ninten leaned back onto the wet railing, feeling the damp wood dig into his back.

"Why would you ever want to take what she's feeling upon yourself? Stupid."

George strode over in his business suit and slapped Ninten across the cheek. The sting felt distant, like it couldn't possibly belong to Ninten. George grabbed onto his chin and tilted it up, inspecting Ninten's face.

"Do you know how many people are born as gifted with PSI as you? If only your powers had been granted to someone who wouldn't throw it all away." George shoved Ninten's head back. "But these days, all you kids are brats."

George released Ninten's head and stepped back, frowning. The silk sleeves of George's suit flapped in the breeze as he stood still. Ninten brushed his bangs aside before sitting up straight.

"I can't tell if you're real or not," Ninten said.

"Who even knows what's real down here?" The corners of George's mouth twitched upwards. "God, it's just like talking to her."

"I suppose that's what happens when I have part of her soul in me."

"There is no such thing as a soul." George's eyes narrowed. "PSI spirits are often misunderstood. There is nothing spiritual about them. Just a mess of code that results in a being too complicated to decipher with current technology, just like your body."

Ninten shrugged. "Didn't you send the cops after me, anyway? Why bother even talking to me?"

"A bluff. One that got you properly riled up. It warmed my heart a bit when you said that you wished that I were still alive so that you could strangle me. It's always nice knowing that your great-grandson is starting down the same path of success that you did."

"You're sick."

"Technically, you are the one who can now be diagnosed with a disease until Mary takes her soul back. Why let her break you, Ninten? Her bleeding heart makes her frail. She was never fit to serve on the UN or act as a spy during World War II. Leave her behind and I can show you how to truly change the world."

George extended a hand towards Ninten.

"I can't tell if you're sexist or just an asshole," Ninten said.

"Ahh, there's the hatred." George licked his lips. "Yes, give me more."

"Are you actually a Sith or something?"

"You'll never make it in the business world without loathing, Ninten. Anger is a fire that will keep you warmer than the largest hearth. Disgust will push you to save the world."

"Nope, you still sound like a movie villain."

"When you blew up at me for threatening to lock you up, I could tell that it wasn't because of anything that you would suffer. You were angry that I was feeding rape culture by adding more fake reports that would cast doubt on all of the actual times people have been assaulted, isn't that right?"

Ninten grunted.

"See, and this is more of a reaction than you gave Mary, who did her best to love you. The only thing that can cut through depression and emptiness is the burning passion of hate. So go on, Ninten. Change the world. Go fix the rape culture that I perpetrated. Dig yourself out of this hole and watch me wither away so that you can take over my company. But do so with a heart simmered by anger. Because when the hardest nights hit you, those feelings will be the fuel that keeps you going."

Ninten closed his eyes, hearing the distant sound of waves crashing on the shore and imagining the spray of white water.

"How about this?" George said. "If you kill me right here, I'll release the lock and bring both you and Mary out of that prison. But you have to enjoy watching me squirm in pain."

Ninten felt metal in his hand and opened his eyes to see the same dagger that he had used to stab Mary.

"I assume it won't be permanent," Ninten said.

"Otherwise I couldn't really release you from the prison." George cocked his head and smiled. "You said that you wanted to strangle me alive. Now's your chance."

Ninten tossed the dagger into the ocean. "No thanks."

"Well, you can always stop by in the office later, since the cops aren't actually chasing after you," George said, "Anytime you actually care about getting your great-grandmother out of her cage."

"I'd kill you if it would save Mary," Ninten said. "But I couldn't do it with anger in my heart."

"Your self-righteousness will wear down eventually." George ran a hand through his hair. "It does for everyone."

"It's not about thinking I'm better than everyone else," Ninten said. "Hating the world just tires me out."

"Well, not everyone can live in such a tranquil world as yours. Back in my day-"

"People suffered. People still suffer. I'll do my best to help them. I understand why they might be angry at the world. But me wearing myself out by screaming into the void doesn't help anyone."

Ninten stood up, looking George in the eye.

"I'll get Mary out of wherever you locked her," Ninten said, "But I won't do it by hating you. Caring about her is enough."

"Good luck with that. Without my prodding you would have curled up into a ball and stayed in one spot until you bled out."

"Don't take too much credit." Ninten forced an empty smile. "I just figured out how to get Mary out of her prison."

George snorted. "Come see me again in the office after you fail Goodbye."

With a wave of George's hand, the world started to spin around Ninten. Colors swirled before eventually fading, leaving Ninten alone with the emptiness. He looked down at his hands and wondered if even bedsheets looked so pale.

He reminded himself that he had promised Mary to leave the Nowhere Islands V-game forever if he died here. He only had one chance left before he bled out and got barred from seeing his great-grandmother ever again.

Time to make it count.

Mary appeared in the emptiness, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.

"What happened after you vanished?" Mary said. "I thought that you might have died in here, and kept the depressed part of my mind with you."

"George whisked me away," Ninten said. "It doesn't matter."

"I should think that it does."

"What matters more is that I think I figured out how we're going to escape this prison."

Mary blinked, and then raised an eyebrow.

"I have to pass my heart onto the Dark Dragon," Ninten said.