Between Realities

I feel like I missed something important...

(M) Shadow Sabre/Dark Elite POV:

I slowly opened my eyes to find a birchwood ceiling above me. Confused, I sat up only to be swallowed by an immense pain. Grunting, I looked around the room I was in. It had colorful walls, and an Allium was in the corner in a flowerpot, with the word "Remember" on a birchwood sign just underneath it. Strange... I thought. I'm getting a sudden feeling of deja-vu...

Slowly and weakly, I got off the half-orange-half-green bed I'd woken up on, and I stumbled to the door. I could make out faint chattering voices below me, and when I opened the door, I saw a winding staircase that went up and down from where I was. Something about the voices seemed vaguely familiar, and in a good way, so I carefully went down the stairs. What I found at the bottom shocked me, and I thought I was seeing things for a moment.

"Elite! You're awake!" an all-too-familiar non-Steve said happily, getting up from the couch she was sitting on and walking close to me. As I backed away cautiously, I saw M next to where she had been, and I was very confused.

"Am-... Am I dead? Hallucinating? What in the world is going on here?!" I asked, clutching my head as I felt a sudden wave of pain.

Dopple gave me a concerned look. "Well, I came back just in time. I found Twisted attacking you and M, so I- uh- well, I didn't get rid of him, but he won't bother you guys for a long while. Once he was gone, M and I brought you here, to my place. And don't worry, it's perfectly safe here."

I looked at Dopple doubtfully, then a sudden realization came over me. Wait- M and Dopple brought me here? But why would he do that? I could never make it up to him for what I did to his people... I suddenly felt light-headed, and the world started spinning again.

"...Tell me what hurts," Dopple said softly, stepping closer, her concern filling every part of her gaze.

I stumbled forward, the only thing stopping me from hitting the ground being Dopple herself. She caught me quickly, helping me stay upright. "Everything..." I muttered, still clutching my head.

"Let's get you seated," she said with a calming smile, leading me to a chair near the couch she and M had been sitting on. I surprised myself, deciding to not fight against it. I was much too exhausted to defy anything at this point. "I'll be right back," Dopple said as she walked into a separate room.

I heard the light clatter of something, then froze up as I heard a voice. "Th-thank you... for earlier..." it said timidly. Looking around, panicked, I tried to figure out who it was, remembering hearing two voices when I woke up. But the only other person in the room was M, so I came to the conclusion that I was losing my mind. When I met M's gaze, though, I saw a strong determination in them, as well as, and this greatly surprised me, a joy. "...O-oh, right... I guess you wouldn't know. I can talk again thanks to Dopple..."

My mind, once again, filled with a million questions. Wait, what?! You can talk again?! Maybe I really am hallucinating... "I'm losing it..." I muttered to myself, my hand still brought up to my head. I had a major headache, and that wasn't even the worst of it. I really hoped Twisted's craziness wasn't contagious.

"Alright, guys, I have a surprise for you!" Dopple said enthusiastically, hiding her hands behind her back as she walked up to the both of us. She happily pulled out two bowls of something. "Tah dah! 'Dopple's Special Stew'! It's my own recipe!"

She handed one to M, who took it without the slightest hesitation, then reached out the other to give to me. I paused, unsure of what to do. You can trust her, Elite. You should know that by now. "I-... Thank you?"

I held the bowl in my hands and smelled it, being pleasantly surprised. It had a savory scent that filled me with a warmth. Glancing at M, I saw him eat some of his own, his expression lighting up. After a few moments, I decided to give it a chance. It melted in my mouth, and to my surprise, I looked down to see my scars from the previous battles fading, as well as my headache. Hmm...