Even before Isaac opened his eyes, he knew that something was terribly wrong.
Every single fiber of his body screamed in pain. His head throbbed as if someone were smashing a sledgehammer against his skull. His arms and legs felt heavy and battered, his chest burned with every breath, and his stomach... his stomach was probably the worst of all. Deep inside him, a dull, stabbing pain pulsed relentlessly, making him flinch even in his half-asleep state.
He didn't know what had happened.
He only knew that it hurt.
Slowly, he tried to open his eyes.
Instantly, the light from the ceiling lamp pierced his pupils like a glowing blade. Reflexively, he squeezed his eyes shut again and let out a quiet groan. Everything was spinning. His stomach churned in protest. For a moment, he couldn't even tell whether he was lying down or falling.
"Noc..." The word barely left his lips, yet in his ears it sounded as though someone had placed a loudspeaker right beside his head. "Ugh..."
He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, yet the pain was slowly but surely forcing him awake. Why couldn't his stupid body just let him keep sleeping until this damned pain finally faded? He didn't want to feel pain anymore, and he certainly didn't want to get shot again.
Hadn't there already been enough of all the bullshit happening around him?
"You should probably keep your eyes closed," a female voice said beside him.
Isaac flinched slightly when the woman spoke. Every word felt like another hammer blow against his head.
"...who...?" he began, but stopped himself. He knew that voice very well. "...Ashe?"
His own voice sounded rough, hoarse, and unfamiliar. As though he hadn't spoken in days. His thoughts drifted through a thick fog. Every attempt to grasp them caused them to blur and slip away again.
"That's right, Isaac," she said calmly. "I've treated your wounds, although I still think a real doctor should take a look at your head injury. You should stay lying down."
"What happened...?" he murmured wearily. "Where's Noctis...?"
He had to pause for breath. Even this brief conversation was already exhausting him.
For a moment, Ashe didn't answer.
"He's not here, Isaac. Do you remember anything?"
Isaac swallowed hard.
"Do I remember anything...?" Isaac began.
If only he weren't in so much pain. Still, he tried.
He remembered wanting to make himself a coffee because he had been too tired to focus on his work, but he hadn't wanted to go to bed either because he had been worried about Noctis. He had seen Benedict, and then...?
Isaac pressed his lips together.
Then they had been attacked. The rest... was a blur. He was certain he must have fought back; otherwise, his body wouldn't feel so worn down and broken.
He tried opening his eyes again, but gave up the moment the bright light started burning painfully once more. He dry-heaved. His head felt as though it were being fed through a meat grinder.
"It's blurry..." he murmured in a fragile voice. Then he let out a shaky breath. "Can you get Noctis? I want to see him..."
As he waited for an answer, a growing sense of dread settled in his chest. Part of him already knew that something was very, very wrong.
"Oooooh, Isaac, baby, he won't be able to come," Ashe replied in a regretful tone.
He flinched as her hand ran through his hair.
Her touch felt wrong. Ashe and he had never been close enough for that kind of contact. A hug in greeting, or when she had cried, had been fine. This, however, went far beyond the boundaries of the relationship they had shared until now.
The touch felt possessive and seemed to fuel his nausea even further. He didn't want her touching him like this. There was only one person he allowed that kind of intimacy from, and Noctis apparently wasn't here.
"No one is coming, because you're in a place where they won't be able to find you."
Her words slowly sank into his consciousness. He must have been hurt worse than he'd thought. Had she just said that he had been kidnapped?
"You're starting to understand, aren't you?" she asked gently. "Are you in pain, Isaac? I don't want you to suffer. After all, you're the only one I have left."
He didn't understand—no matter how hard he tried to focus on Ashe's words. Isaac wanted to brush her hand away, but instead sucked in a sharp breath as pain shot through him. At the very least, he still remembered that he didn't trust Ashe.
She withdrew her hand. Footsteps moved away, and then he heard something clatter.
"I turned off the light. Try opening your eyes again," she said. A moment later, she returned to his side.
Isaac tried once more, and fortunately Ashe had indeed switched off the ceiling light. Only the small bedside lamp illuminated the room now. Even so, it was difficult to make anything out. Everything remained blurred, the room still spun around him, and the nausea immediately worsened.
"Shit..." he cursed quietly.
"Are you feeling nauseous?" Ashe asked with concern.
Isaac nodded cautiously, but even that small movement was rewarded with a fresh wave of pain and nausea.
"It'll get better soon. I've given you something for the pain, the nausea, and a sleeping pill," she promised. "You suffered a concussion when you hit your head on the edge of the table."
A concussion, then? That makes sense...
Isaac let out a relieved sigh as the pain medication began to take effect. It didn't take long before a pleasant heaviness settled over his body. He kept his eyes closed. If he opened them, everything would just start spinning again, and with them shut, he felt as though he could drift back to sleep.
Once again, her hand gently brushed through his hair, and he felt as if that touch alone might lull him into slumber.
"Let me tell you a little story while you fall asleep," she began in a soft, gentle voice.
Isaac could feel the drowsiness pulling at him.
"There once was a girl. She was smart. Much smarter than most of the people around her."
Her fingers continued to glide through his hair.
"And she had this unbelievably idiotic friend. He was chaotic. Forgetful. Stubborn. Sometimes so stupid that she wanted to strangle him."
A shaky breath escaped her.
"But she liked him anyway, no matter how foolish he could be. He was lovable, hopelessly forgetful, and always there whenever she needed him."
Isaac opened his eyes just a sliver—barely enough to make out her face. Ashe was smiling, and yet tears streamed relentlessly down her cheeks.
"Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly receptive to all the attempts she made to get closer to him. It... took a long time before he discovered the same feelings for her that she'd been harboring for years. But they were making progress. She overheard him talking about it with his beloved brother. She heard about his plans and could hardly wait for the day he would finally confess his love to her."
Her voice faltered every now and then.
"But before he could tell her... he died."
Isaac closed his eyes again.
"...Noah..." he murmured.
Ashe sniffled.
"But he didn't die from an illness or an accident. No," she continued. "He was murdered by someone the girl had known for years—a man she respected and had always admired for the devotion of his clan."
Slowly, he realized where this was heading.
Though his consciousness was gradually slipping away under the influence of the sleeping pill, he still understood enough.
"Ashe..." he murmured.
She wiped her nose.
"The girl was devastated. Suddenly, the idiot she had fallen in love with was dead, and all that was left of her best friend was a trail of blood far too large to ignore. So she started reviewing the security footage until she found the culprit. Moz." She broke into tears, but a note of determination crept into her voice. "She decided to take revenge and began making plans. She already knew the location of the man who had ordered the murder. But how was she supposed to take on a group of trained killers by herself?"
She gently stroked Isaac's cheek.
"Can you imagine what she did?" she asked.
Isaac merely pressed his lips together. He didn't want to hear the rest of her story.
"She looked for someone who could do it for her, and it didn't take long before she found him," Ashe continued. "The only thing that man wanted was you, Isaac. Just you and no one else."
"...So that's why you betrayed me?" he murmured.
Ashe sighed.
"I didn't really betray you. I saved you, Isaac. Because he intends to wipe out the entire Webster Clan, and I certainly won't stop him from killing the men who took away the person I loved."
So she was willing to sacrifice an entire clan for Noah?
Isaac wasn't exactly a fan of Vincent himself, but wiping out the entire clan wasn't right. Not considering the work they did. By now, he understood why the Websters did what they did, and if someone intended to exterminate the clan, that would include both Noctis and himself.
He brushed her hand away. It was becoming harder and harder to stay awake.
"Get out," he snapped.
He opened his eyes, and although the room was still spinning around him, he fixed her with a look of pure contempt. His voice dropped to a threatening hiss.
"...I will never forgive you if you so much as lay a finger on Noctis. And you'll have to kill me too. Because I'm a Webster as well."
"I know, Isaac," she replied calmly. "But you'll be the only one we won't kill."
She stood up and kissed him on the forehead.
"The two of us will stay together," she said with a smile. "After all, we're all we have left."
Once again, she ran a hand through his hair.
"HE has plans for you, and I fully support him," she continued. "Noctis will never find you, and he deserves to die as well."
She laughed softly.
"If you knew everything he's done... oh, Isaac..." she said with an amused smile. "You'd be disgusted. You should stay with me and do what HE says. Then we can live a peaceful life. After all, HE promised that you'd never have to fight again."
Isaac didn't want to think about who HE was.
By now, he had a pretty good idea of what had happened. He remembered the men from the Viper Syndicate he had fought against. His hands trembled, and the panic building in his chest was no longer something he could ignore.
At the same time, the sleeping pill was taking hold.
He could barely keep his eyes open anymore.
"...I know what he does..." Isaac murmured drowsily.
He shot Ashe one final look of utter contempt.
"...and he'll come. If he gets his hands on you, he'll destroy you."
She smirked, but another laugh joined hers—a voice that immediately sent a cold shiver down Isaac's spine.
He caught a glimpse of someone stepping up behind Ashe just as the man's face was illuminated by the bedside lamp. It was as though time froze. His heart seemed to skip a beat, and in an instant, his worst fears became reality.
"Levi..."
"Good to see you again, Isaac," he said casually. "You have no idea how long I've been looking forward to the day you finally came back to me."
Isaac blinked, but he could no longer keep his eyes open.
"I gave him a little sleeping medication," Ashe explained.
"Oh, I see. Well then, let him get some rest. He's taken quite a beating, after all..."
But while they were still talking, Isaac's consciousness slipped completely into sleep.
He could no longer fight it.
His final thoughts were of the man he loved and the hope that he would still be alive when Isaac woke up again.
Noc... please be alive...
...please hurry...