Chapter Text
As fireworks lit up the night’s sky in a sparkling rainbow explosion, the robotic female voice that was sure to haunt the survivors’ nightmares spoke up:
“Now, all the surviving players will be given a choice. Please select whether you will accept permanent residence in this land or if you will not accept it.” As she repeated the offer, Arisu watched the blaze of colour above. He couldn’t believe they’d done it. They finally had a way out.
They were going home.
But first, a decision had to be made—
“I don’t want it,” Aguni whispered, staring at, but not seeing, the fireworks. The colours were muted and blurred through his failing vision, but his answer wouldn’t have changed regardless. Why would he want to stay when this world had taken so much from him?
A whimper caught his attention, and Aguni rolled his head to the side. Tears stung his eyes as he spotted Heiya crawling towards him against all odds. She should have been dead. Aguni was so glad that she wasn’t. With the last of his strength, he reached out, taking her hand and helping her closer, until she was snug against his chest, where he could keep an eye on her.
“I…” she gasped between the pain, “don’t want it!”
He wrapped his arm around her. They would face what came next together.
Kuina could only see bursts of light from where she lay on the alleyway pavement. Once, she had loved fireworks. She didn’t feel like she was missing anything by not having a good view of these. After everything, she was sure she would never enjoy the displays of colour again.
Her body shuddered as she gasped through ragged breaths, but she didn’t hesitate to say, “I don’t want it.” It was slow going turning her head to look at An—beautiful An—who could no longer speak for herself. Kuina couldn’t leave her to rot, though, not in this senseless, cruel world. It hurt to reach out, but she didn’t whimper as she did just that, brushing her fingers against cooling flesh as she fought to wrap them in the tightest grip she could manage. “Let’s go back together,” she said, her smile sad as she clung to An and the last of her hope.
Chishiya stared at the celebratory fireworks and felt… nothing. No relief nor disappointment. Perhaps it was the two bullets that had ravaged his body, but he just felt tired. So very tired.
“I… don’t want it, I think,” he said, surprising himself. His answer felt right, though, even if it was different from what he might have given in the past. Chishiya thought he might give living another shot; he wasn’t sure how he felt towards Arisu for changing his mind set on that. He’d dwell on it later; for now, raising his voice slightly, he called out to Niragi, “What will you do?”
Niragi was silent for a long time. So long, Chishiya wondered if he’d died. It was about time Niragi died, really. He’d been a thorn in Chishiya’s side for too long. “I don’t want it,” Niragi answered finally.
Oh well, Chishiya thought. If he was allowed to hope for redemption… they were both different kinds of evil, after all. Perhaps he could change. Perhaps they both could.
If there was one thing that they both enjoyed, it was a challenge.
Arisu turned to his best friend, offering Usagi a smile as he took her hand in his own. He waited for her to speak first. He wanted to be sure she’d changed her mind. He wouldn’t leave her behind. He’d lost too many people he cared about. He wouldn’t lose her as well.
“I… don’t want permanent residence,” Usagi said, looking more at peace than Arisu had ever seen her.
“I also…” he paused, smiling at her and squeezing her fingers before continuing, “don’t want it.”
That should have been the end of it. They had all made their choices and, as such, each player who had rejected residency awoke disoriented in hospital, dreams of death and pain slipping from them like water through fingers. Each was struck with a new sense of purpose and a realisation of just how lucky they were to be alive. Their brush with the meteor—their near-death experience—had given new meaning to their lives. They were going to survive, but, more than that, they were going to live.
Unbeknownst to them, the Borderlands wasn’t done with them yet.
There was still one card they had yet to play.
And the Joker was the wildest card of them all.