68 The Cure

Asher opened his eyes.

"-!" A universe of twinkling stars surrounded him, very much like in the 'Fragment of the Universe' punishment mission.

He gripped the Overseer's skeletal hand tight as they floated in space, afraid to be separated in such a place.

With a twirl of a finger, they began to shoot forward into the beyond.

"Now where is she..." The Overseer mused to himself as they slowed down. He seemed to be searching for something in the area.

Asher looked around him, but he couldn't see anything remarkable. Just some stars far away.

"There it is!" Somehow, the Overseer saw something that he wasn't able to see. The skeleton slashed his hand across the air, ripping a small opening they could crawl through.

"Go along now, kiddo."

Asher put both his hands on the edges of the torn space. Instantly, his skin felt a jolt of electricity, turning his arms numb.

Before the numbness spread to the rest of his body, Asher pulled himself headfirst through the hole.

A flash of light later, he found himself on the floor of a dim room, lined with red brick walls.

An empty desk loomed in front of him, with the Shi Association emblem engraved on it.

Suddenly, the room turned pitch black.

He felt a scythe's blade run down his neck, tickling his skin.

"Which unlucky soul is this?" A woman's voice echoed behind him, in front of him, below him, above him. In the pitch-black space, only the glint of the scythe's blade could be seen.

Just as he was about to respond, Asher's mind was taken back to reality. The Overseer's hand rested on his shoulder.

"I brought him here, Yujin."

Section 12's Death lounged behind her desk. Her close-cut hair hung to her collarbones. The pupils of her eyes were pure black.

She used a small knife to pick at her nails, a glimmering expression lingering on her gaunt face.

"It's you. State your purpose."

The Overseer twirled his finger, and the four parasitized by Elena surfaced from the ground. They lied frozen on the ground, with only their eyes able to move.

The four of them collectively gave Yujin a piercing glare as a dark smile surfaced on Death's lips.

"I see. But why the kid?"

"The kid's name is Asher, and he got all his little friends here parasitized. Considering you're healed up from last time, you have a way to separate the vessels, right?"

Yujin tilted her head, gazing into Asher's eyes with a hollow stare, seemingly prying past all of his secrets.

"Now why should I do that?"

Asher bristled as Yujin's voice turned dull and mocking. But the Overseer held him back, speaking before Asher could.

"Stop joking around."

"...Ruins, huh." The Director's nose twitched as the smell of cherries touched her senses. But to her nose, it only smelt like death. She raised her gaze above.

'At least twenty thousand. At most one million.' High body count. An illusion of the Ruins.

Seeing Death's still doubtful face, the Overseer leaned into Asher's ear.

"Transforming into your other suit should do the trick, Asher."

The Director's ears perked up. Another one?

Yujin stared attentively as Asher's clothes changed, the makeup on his face disappeared, and even the way he stood became less feminine.

When the transformation was complete, Asher's wooden sandals and kimono had disappeared, instead replaced by translucent fairy wings, and a crisp blueish green suit.

"Hm. But does it do anything other than-"

Asher punched himself in the stomach, bending over as his breath was forced out of his lungs. He was absolutely desperate to cure Mei.

Yujin's pupils swirled as a miniature fairy popped out of the egg the boy held in his hand. It floated in the air, tittering in joy.

There were no enemies nearby, so it simply smiled and bowed to each of them.

"May I?"

Yujin turned to Asher. A wicked scythe appeared in her hand, extending nearly half the length of the room. Its blade shone in the dim light, as long as Asher was tall.

Asher nodded his head.

"Sure, but don't expect any... thing..."

The fairy began to screech in agony, and blood burst from her mouth and eyes. She turned towards Asher in tears, pleading with him for any relief from her pain.

Her incomprehensible shrieks abruptly stopped when she crumbled into dust.

Yujin smiled faintly.

Asher suddenly felt really bad about himself.

As he looked up, Death sat back down. Her scythe was nowhere to be seen.

"Okay. I'll save your friends."

The guilt of sacrificing one of his fairies was washed away, as the hope that Asher was waiting for nearly blinded him.

It was so close...

Through the period of a single day, Asher's mind had broken so many times that even this small hope restored his crumbling sanity. It gave something for him to hold on to.

The hope that, soon, everything would return to normal.

...

Yujin ignored Asher as he giggled to himself, instead turning to the four bodies lying on the ground below her.

"With this, your existence will truly end. Last words?"

Mei laughed, her expression relaxed.

"You're a bitch."

Yujin chuckled, like she was conversing with an old friend. She gestured toward the side, where the Overseer stood silently.

"Let's go."

The Overseer tugged on Asher's sleeve to pull him out of his thoughts. Asher looked up as the Overseer pointed to the door, where Yujin was already waiting for them.

Four portals handily pulled Mei and the others into the ground as they left.

A long hallway extended beyond them, sparsely furnished by a few watercolored plants and wilted paintings.

This was the 'VIP' hallway that Valentin pointed out to Sophie in that tour that he did a few days ago.

As the Overseer and Asher followed behind Yujin, a few Fixers greeted them out of courtesy. Even fewer knew what the hidden symbols on the Overseer's coat represented, and couldn't help but wonder what a Fixer as strong as their own Director would be doing in such a place.

They approached the middle of the Association.

Yujin pointed down the far left hallway, where the lounge and medical ward lied.

They went deeper and deeper until they reached the medical hall. But instead of stopping at a room, Yujin continued until she reached a hidden elevator at the end.

She pressed the button, and Asher began to see an inkling of where this was going.

Inside the elevator, there was only one floor option. Floor four. So this was what the Overseer's riddle meant.

As they descended, Asher asked a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"This... thank you so much for doing this for me, Director. How do I repay you for this?"

Yujin made a depreciating gesture with her hands.

"No need. Helping you will eliminate a Star of the City. And I guess there is an element of revenge, too." she added as an afterthought.

Yujin flinched as Asher suddenly hugged her from behind.

"Thank you so much... thank you..." Asher sniffled as he buried his face into Death's uniform.

In heart, before anything else, Asher was still a child. Yujin and the Overseer... He was so thankful for their help, for allowing part of his normal life to return to him.

Because what if they didn't help? What if Mei, one of the first people he had ever met in this life, was torn from him, turning into a Star forever?

Nobody would greet him when he came home. Nobody would comfort him when he got sad. Nobody would be there for him at night, listening to whatever troubles he had...

And Pete, Aiko, and Mangchi. They were his Fixers, and he could tell that Sophie's soul had taken a liking to them. Through only a few days of interaction, he could call them his close friends.

Yujin glared at the Overseer as he took great delight at her discomfort. But neither of them interrupted Asher as he sobbed. They were sentient beings too, and each knew the benefits of releasing pent-up emotions.

Yujin's pitch black pupils softened slightly as she turned her body, tucking Asher's disheveled hair behind the boy's ears.

By the time Asher came to his senses, they were already on the fourth floor.

"S-Sorry, Director."

The Overseer rattled. Yujin made her face expressionless as Asher gazed at her with tearful eyes.

"It's fine. Here is our destination."

The Director stepped to the only door in the empty hall.

Room four. It swung open noiselessly.

Inside was a single white bed, spotless floors, and two cabinets for clothes. A doorway leading deeper inside revealed a bathroom. Not only was this the Director's medical bay, but it was also where she slept at night. It was symbolic, as her quarters were situated below the medical ward.

"We have arrived. Who should we cure first?"

Mei rose from a portal on the ground. The Overseer understood Asher well enough to know that although Pete and his friends were important to him, Mei ultimately came first in priority.

Yujin nodded.

Elena snarled, but the shattered space still contained her in such a way that she could not even use her blood vessels, much less move. Her host, weak, and her blood vessels, faint.

"Asher. Are you fine with a little blood?"

Asher nodded at Yujin's strange question. Indeed, he wasn't squeamish to blood. But why did she ask?

He paled as Yujin swiped her hand across the air, her scythe appearing in her hand.

The Director exhaled.

A hint of panic flashed in Mei's eyes as the air turned oppressively heavy.

Dammit, Elena thought. Even a measly Grade 3 host might have allowed her to fight back, might have allowed her blood to escape. But right now... there was seemingly no hope of surviving this time.

With a whirl of Death's scythe, Mei's head was removed from her body.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU-!" The Overseer pulled Asher into his grip, choking the air out of him.

Asher's eyes reddened with rage as Yujin continued to slash apart Mei, rending her body until the only thing that was left was a pile of bloody pulp.

Even with all of his strength, Asher's pitiful struggles didn't phase the Overseer at all.

"Asher, stop! Just watch!"

Yujin's pupils swirled as she dropped her scythe, pointing at the space above the mutilated body. A sphere of light slowly became visible, floating toward her finger.

With a swish of her hand, the puddle of flesh flew from the bed, splattering onto the floor.

The mutilated remains of Mei began to coalesce into a familiar figure...

Asher gasped as Mei's body was slowly formed from the puddle of flesh until her entire body emerged.

Yujin pointed at Mei's body again, and the sphere of light on her shoulder slowly floated down to fill it.

When the orb was completely absorbed, Mei gasped and twitched, a moan of pain escaping her lips.

What remained on the bed was a few shreds of tattered clothes, as well as a writhing mass of blood vessels, exposed to the open air.

Yujin clenched her fist, and the blood vessels dissolved into dust with an agonized but faint screech.

And that was it. Mei was cured.

The Overseer released Asher as he saw relief wash over the boy's face.

Asher rushed forward, hugging Mei tightly in his arms.

"Mei! Mei, how do you feel?!" He cried in joy, pressing his body onto hers. Mei smiled weakly, the pain of being sliced to pieces wasn't too bad, as it happened in a flash. Even that slight pain, however, was washed away as Asher hugged her.

Her son, going through so much effort to save her... She kissed his forehead.

"Better than ever~ But let me dress first, okay?"

Asher froze as he realized Mei was naked. Her skin pressed against his suit as they embraced each other.

He released her, embarrassed.

"R-Right."

Compared to Asher's stutters, Yujin and the Overseer were incomparably more professional.

Yujin wordlessly handed Mei a black linen gown, allowing her to go to the bathroom and change.

"Let us continue with the process. I believe I can handle three at once."

Pete, Mangchi and Aiko rose from the floor.

The blending began. Asher tried to keep his stomach together. He looked at Yujin, which was a mistake. The Director's eyes were so coldly apathetic to the gore that he nearly heaved.

The minutes passed.

Mei, with Asher's plead, stayed in the bathroom for the process.

And so, through the whirl of blades, they were cured. The three of them, being teenagers, were magnitudes of times more embarrassed than Mei when they saw each other's bare bodies.

Aiko shrieked, attempting to hide her skin from Asher, Mangchi, Pete, and the Overseer, but that ultimately just drew more attention to herself.

The Overseer handed Aiko a light blouse, surprised that Yujin's closet had such a girlish outfit.

"Believe it or not, I am not attracted to children." Aiko squeaked a timid apology before swiping the clothes from his hand and rushing to the bathroom to dress herself.

Mangchi, being of darker color, could hide his blush better than Pete could.

...

Through a slightly confusing process, all the cured patients wore some of Yujin's spare clothes, a variety of androgenous outfits and distinctly feminine blouses.

Asher turned to Mangchi, patting him on the back.

"You tried to warn me. Thanks."

Mangchi looked at him, a ghost of a smile surfacing on his lips. Asher could have immediately used his knife, but he instead tried to save them.

Perhaps he had treated his Captain's friend a bit too harshly.

Yujin coughed in the corner.

"Alright, time for you all to go now."

"Eh, how can we repay you? You saved our lives..."

The Director cut Mei off before she could continue, merely shaking her head. Nothing they had to offer could help her at all, so she didn't bother asking them for anything.

"No need. Overseer, take them away."

The Overseer snapped his finger, and the five of them sank into the portals on the floor. The skeleton stayed behind, having some other business with Death.

"Something on your mind, Yu?"

They sat on the couch together, their eyes staring away from each other. The atmosphere was uncomfortably comfortable, comfortably uncomfortable.

"...That boy looked like your sister. Do you have any long-lost brothers? Could've been a happy reunion."

She glanced at his face to probe for a reaction, until she realized that she was trying to decipher the emotions of a skull.

"Meh, probably not. The person who birthed me died pretty early on. Maybe we really are related somehow, though. But how's your crew?"

Yujin tore her gaze away as the Overseer looked at her.

"Same as ever. Want to get some dinner?"

"Bruh. Look at me and say that again."

Yujin giggled lightly. Without looking, she inserted her fingers into his empty eye sockets.

"Why did you sign up for that R Corp sham? Now you've become..."

Her voice trailed away as she glanced at him, staring into his hollow eye sockets. They were surprisingly pleasant to look at.

...

The Director laid on the Overseer's lap, poking past the skeleton's eyeholes absentmindedly.

They just had a nice, long chat. It had been a while.