How long had he been running? Constantly going forward, never looking back, trying to escape the inescapable… He'd never thought about what would happen if he stopped. There wasn't time. Would his feet ever give out? The rest of his body? His mind? If he ever got caught, then…

"Vash."

That same voice again. It was always following him, never far behind. He knew it all too well. A part of him always wanted to call back, to turn around and greet it with a smile. But the rest of him was too scared to try. There was only one way that could end. No matter how much he wanted things to change, he just had to keep running… Keep running… Keep running…!

He rounded a street corner, ignoring the faces of the people he saw. He couldn't get them wrapped up in any of this. He just had to keep moving. His breath was constantly trying to catch up with him as he ran through a town square. The ominous presence he always felt was suddenly… far off. It didn't feel like it was peering over his shoulder. For a moment, Vash dared to believe he had gotten away, that he could rest. As he slowed his pace and looked around, he dared to take in the sights. People hardly seemed to pay him any mind, but some did give him strange looks. Not that it was anything new. Yet he couldn't even focus on them. He honed his senses, trying to see if he was well and truly in the clear…

"Vash."

Vash's eyes widened as he turned, sweat dripping down his face. There it was again… And this time, he could see it too. The silhouette of the voice… his brother. His cold, judging eyes, his even and piercing expression… Vash barely took a glance before he was sprinting again, desperate to get away.

He pushed through a crowd, too afraid to even stop to say "Sorry!" The confused mutterings and stares didn't even bother him. He just had to get away. That's all that mattered!

Before he knew it, he found himself out in the sand, surrounded by remnants of ships long abandoned. He didn't even remember being out this far… When had he gotten here? In a panic, he slid into one of the ship remnants. The steel wall that acted as a shelter from the harsh sun gave an eerie quiet. He stumbled into the sand, sitting on it as he retreated back into the shade. He panted as he just sat for a moment, scanning… Maybe he could relax now… But not too much. Who knew when‒

A laugh cut through the air. A chill ran down Vash's spine.

"How long can you keep playing this game?" Nai… His face was only obscured by the ship's window and the hood on top of his head. An unsettling smirk rose on his face as he turned towards Vash.

Vash felt himself freeze in place. This was a game to him? Or did he think Vash was the one playing games? Steeling himself again, Vash gritted his teeth and clamored out of the ship, sprinting out into the sand once again.

Nai sighed. "Stop. This is childish."

Vash hardly heard the words as they echoed from behind him. He just kept his eyes forward, refusing to slow down.

"You can't keep this up forever."

Vash bit his lip, closing his eyes for a moment as he went.

"You know what needs to be done."

Stop it…

"You have to give in."

Stop it…!

"It's the only way to atone."

"Stop it!" Vash cried out. He crumpled to the ground, covering his head with his hands. He slammed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitability of what came next…

Everything was… quiet. All he could hear was his own heavy breathing. Even the wind had gone still against his coat. He dared to unfurl himself from the ground enough to lift his head. When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by… books? A winding hallway of shelves filled with various literature. Something about it felt… familiar. Nostalgic. He slowly stood up and gazed at the books. How had he gotten here? He didn't remember visiting a place like this recently. No one had nearly this many books since the Fall.

Around the corner, he felt something urging him to go forward. It wasn't the same as Nai's voice. It was… gentler. Kinder. He carefully started to step forward.

He quickly found out that what he thought was a simple towering hall of books was actually a labyrinth. The corridors weren't terribly narrow, but there wouldn't have been much space for another person. The ceiling was much taller than him, but he could still see it. While it felt good to be able to walk, he still couldn't shake the pain of the solitude he felt. Was there really no one else around? Not even Nai? He couldn't tell if that was better or worse…

The shelves seemed to be filled with all kinds of subjects, some of which Vash recognized: religious texts, historical accounts, famous poetry and fictitious works. All of it, no matter the subject, fascinated him. Especially when‒

A soft giggle filled his ears. It felt… comforting, somehow. He followed the sound until he wound around another corner. There, he was met with an ornate red door. Determined to go on, Vash carefully twisted the knob.

"Did you like that story, Vash?"

"Yeah! But… Did the bad guys really have to die?"

"The hero seemed to think so."

There was a pause. Vash could see his younger self pout.

The woman sitting with the boy put a finger up to her chin. "Hm… What if you write your own ending?"

"...Huh? Really?"

The woman nodded with a smile. "Of course. We don't have to accept things at face value. We can always change things to make them better. Here…" She set the book aside and stood from her chair. The younger Vash watched in wonder as she gathered a few pieces of paper and a pencil. She sat back in the chair and placed them on the table in front of him.

"There. Now, you can write whatever you want, and we can put it in the book as the 'official' ending!"

"But… Is it really OK? Won't that ruin it for the next person who reads it?"

"They don't have to know." The woman winked. "It'll be our little secret."
The younger Vash smiled and laughed. The woman laughed with him as he picked up the utensil and set the paper down, eagerly setting to work.

The silhouettes slowly faded, giving Vash the full view of the room.

That's right… Vash had been here before. With Rem. She would always read stories to him and Nai. The two empty chairs sat in front of him now, giving him a warm and familiar glow. He almost felt himself choking up as he walked forward towards them. He missed those days… What he would give to have them back. He gently ran his right hand over the top of the chair where Rem's silhouette had sat. A small smile rose on his face as he let himself get absorbed in the memory.

After a moment, he looked over to the back of the room, noticing a faint white light shining on the ground. He dared to walk forward. It felt like it was drawing him in, coaxing him to get closer. As he approached the light, he noticed the shape of an object nestled in the center. It slowly started to fully shape itself, revealing a tiny… jewelry box? Treasure chest? It was painted red and gold, with an emerald encrusted on the top. Vash knelt down and gently picked up the box. The latch was already undone. He used his thumbs to flip the lid open.

Nestled inside was… a key: a red key with elegant craftsmanship. Before Vash could even move his hand to pick it up, a memory flooded his mind.

The young Vash picked up the same key in his hand and stared at it curiously. "This is for me?"

"Yes." Rem knelt down by his side. "It's very important. I think it could lead you to many wonderful places."

"But… What does it unlock?"

"Many possibilities. Any door you want to open, this," Rem poked the key, "will let you do that."

The young Vash raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've seen any doors like that."

Rem smiled and placed a hand on his head. "Not yet. But you will. And when you do, I know you'll do wonderful things with it. You can do anything you set your mind to, Vash."

Vash's eyes widened as the memory continued to echo, the sound of Rem saying his name bouncing off his brain. Before he knew it, he was placing the key in his hand, staring at it intently.

Vash… Vash… Vash…

"Vash."

Nai's voice snapped Vash back to reality. Vash spun his head to the right to see his brother standing next to him. Panic started to set in again. But he couldn't move… he just stayed frozen there, clutching the key in his hand.

Nai smiled and crouched next to his younger brother. "You're still holding onto that hope, aren't you?" He let out a wry laugh. "You don't need trinkets to get what you want. You already know what you need to do." He stared intently into Vash's eyes. "All you have to do is act, and you'll be forgiven. You won't have to be alone anymore."

As Vash listened to his brother, the anxiety swirled into… relief? No… numbness. Like all the pain he had felt up until this moment was just fading into a void.

"Nai…" His eyes seemed to glaze over as if he was going into a trance.

"You won't have to apologize anymore. You won't have to run anymore." Nai reached out his hand…

Wait, no… This wasn't right… The path Nai was telling him to go down led to…

Vash shook his head, his eyes coming back into focus. He scrambled to his feet, the key pressed into his right palm.

"No, that's not… That's not what I want!" He insisted.

Nai let out an exasperated sigh and rose to his feet. "How long are you going to lie to yourself? You can't go on like this. I only want what's best for you."

"You're wrong! There… There has to be another way!" But what other way? Even Vash was having a hard time picturing it. There had to be a release, a way to make up for what he'd done… This pain, this guilt… There had to be another way to fix it!

"There's only one way this can end." Nai's expression was grave, his eyes piercing into Vash. "I won't let you live like this anymore."

Running on pure instinct, Vash started to sprint again, dropping the box with a BANG! It had barely hit the floor before he was running around corridor after corridor, weaving through shelf after shelf. There had to be a way out… There had to be a way he could fix this!

The ominous presence of his brother pressed against his back, but he didn't dare look back. He could only go forward. Surely, if he just kept running, he could find something better! He wouldn't have to sit with this pressing weight, this neverending solitude and grief anymore. There had to be a way… There had to be!

After what felt like ages, he finally saw something at the end of a long hall: a door. Vash ran straight up to it, expecting it to be unlocked like the previous one had. But the knob resisted him. Examining it further, he found a keyhole. Was this it? Was this finally his chance?

He looked over his shoulder, still feeling that Nai wouldn't be far behind. His brother's daunting words pressed into his mind, nagging at him like a mosquito. He couldn't give in… That was all he could think about as he gripped the key and twisted it into the lock.

This had to be it… This had to be the release he was looking for… The way he could finally be forgiven…!

With barely a step into the door, the floor tumbled out from under him. He felt himself begin to fall, watching the near emptiness sprawled out before him. It looked like there was a small ledge of some kind just below him… If he could just get his feet on‒

Suddenly, his fall was cut short… but not by the ledge. His hands instinctively went towards his neck as he felt something threaten to cut off his air.

"Gah… Gck…!" Vash choked as his face twisted in horror. His fingers served as his only barrier between his neck and the rope that was inexplicably tied around him. His shoes scraped against the ledge as they desperately tried to keep their hold. The perch was precarious, barely enough for him not to fall completely.

Why…? Why was this happening? How did this happen? Wasn't this supposed to be his chance, his own path towards a better future? Why was this the only opportunity he could seize?

"It's OK, Vash."

Vash kept his eyes focused towards the ledge, trying not to lose focus. But he glanced up slightly as he saw the unmistakable form of his brother come into view, farther down into the large empty room around him.

"You don't have to struggle anymore." Nai's smile was… gentle. Pitying? Cruel.

Vash's eyes started to beg with his brother, trying to say the things his mouth couldn't. He just wanted the pain to be over… But he didn't want to die. Why was Nai just standing there? Why wasn't he helping?!

"Just let go. We won't have to listen to anyone anymore. You and I can finally change the world, just like we wanted."

Change the world?

No… Not like this. This is never what I wanted!

Vash wanted to scream, but he could only struggle in agony, tears coming to his eyes.

"You knew deep down that this was the only way it could end." Nai turned to the side, giving an almost sorrowful look. "That's why you ended up here. If you had just accepted it, it could have been fast, painless… That's why you have to let go. Stop fighting it!"

…Was this really the only outcome? Had Vash been so blind this whole time. No… No. He wouldn't accept that. There was no way he wanted this. Who would ever ask for this?!

He continued to struggle, holding himself by a thread as the toes of his boots teetered dangerously to the edge. He pulled against the rope, hoping he could somehow loosen it and get himself free. He just had to keep trying, keep hoping…

Time became irrelevant. His vision was going blurry. How long had he been at this? How long would he have to stay like this? Why did it have to be like this? Occasionally, he would look over at his brother, hoping that something would change. But Nai just stood, watching, waiting, his face determined yet grieving.

Somewhere along the line, as Vash continued to struggle in vain, he realized something… maybe this was what he wanted all along. Maybe this was the only way he could repent and release the guilt he felt. He couldn't have imagined it any other way. Even all those years ago, when he ran away for the first time, all he wanted was to die. The spark he felt in his heart that pushed him onwards… Maybe it was just a farce. He never should've listened. He should've just given up. Nai was right… Why hadn't he just listened? Why had he stubbornly gone along pretending everything was fine? There was no escaping this. Sooner or later, his penance had to come.

Vash's eyes began to dim in a daze as he looked towards his brother one last time. "Please… Help…"

That was all he could manage before he gave in. His hands fell to his sides as his feet slipped out. The sickening sound of the rope swaying back and forth was the only thing filling the air for several moments.

Soon, Nai's triumphant laughs broke the eerie quiet, echoing in the vast chamber.

"It's alright, Vash." He said softly with a smile. "I'll make things right. You'll be alright now. You'll see."