Arknights: (Winter's Arc)

(Chapter 23) - Last Hope

For 6 days after meeting Ch'en and W, Timewatch didn't appeared again for some reason.

Ace and Scout began to wonder as well on why he shut himself up in his room... "Damn, what's with him?" Scout sighed as they were still staring at his locked door... "Beats me, whatever he is doing, it is not healthy at all..." Ace said as je could already imagine what the hell Timewatch is doing...

"Can't this be..." The two somehow read each other's mind, the nods... FrostNova  closed her eyes and stayed silent.

Inside his room, we can see how messy it was... "What time is it?" he sluggishly checked the time... Ahh 3:00 PM, damn it still haven't eaten for 2 days..."

He was too focused in finding the cure that he even forgot to take care of his body.

Eye bags were all over him. and due pulling an all-nighter. The blood pressure of his was low capable of making his immune system weak... "I will not give up, i have to..." He stood up but fell immediately.

"Get up Ryo! I still haven't done anything yet for her!" Starting to encouraged himself. he took a glass vial and smashed himself with it. not getting bothered by a wound in his head...

"Steven must have finished the patrol. Yelena-san please stay here for a while, we'll go and here their reports first..." Ace said. The Cautus nods and stayed at her spot.

Timewatch was now full awake, then stood up and checked his experiments that he made... "It's still sloppy. this prototype can only slow down the infection for a day..." He sighed dejectedly.

"I'm running out of time... If i didn't came up with a solution..." He trails off when Yelena's smile came across his mind...

"Was i like this before... i wonder?" Ryo wanders off trying to remember his other self memories. But all he could recall is his time as a doctor in Rhodes Island...

"I didn't do of what was right back then."  That was the only thing he said when he met him at the dirty Reality Marble...

"There's no thinking about it." Wiping off the blood in his face, he goes for another round...

FrostNova again was tapping her fingers at the slender arms of her still waiting...

"If only he could have installed some windows." She thought of... then again it will invade your privacy, plus it's a room...

Unfortunately earlier, they even tried to budge the door  it didn't work for it was made by the strongest rare metal you can't find in Terra. It's titanium, neither her Arts even worked...

"Ugh. what is that idiot doing to himself?" Yelena wanted to slap him for the worrying he has made...

Ryo's POV

Guh! What is this?!

I felt a sharp pain all over my body. What's happening to me?! My veins somehow turned to ice... Limb by limb. my arms and legs lose some strength.

Damn it... i can't give up just yet!

My eyesight was now getting blurry, the pain all around me got stronger...

"Ahh..." I fell to the ground, thus my limit has been reached...

"Maybe I'll... take... a nap... for... a... bi..."

I let darkness consume me... darkness huh? In my whole life was nothing but a void... Devoting my life for money by taking other's lives...

Yet my gut tells me. Something inside me is worse than that...

"It is true of what you thought... Ryo-kun~"

Opening my eyes i saw myself standing inside a beautiful garden. Looking around i try to track where that voice came from...