Chương 22: 22-Reconciliation

{REBOOTING… DONE} {ESTABLISHING REMOTE CONNECTION… DONE} {REMOTE CONNECTION ESTABLISHED} {RESUMING "descent. mp4"…} {Ellie}: {Sorry I had to do that. That explosion would have stopped you from reading this. … John is okay; I can detect his data. Though Onarius… … … I'm a bit worried…} [00: 02: 57: 13] [VIDEO FEED IS COMPLETELY OBSCURED BY SMOKE] ELLIE: > HEAVY COUGHING {Wait, why has my name changed?} JOHN: yelling EL?! > FERVERENTLY RUSHES TOWARDS ME Are you okay? ELLIE: > COUGHS weakly Yeah…

JOHN: > HELPS {me} UP AND INSPECTS ME > SIGHS slowly Well, you appear unharmed. ELLIE: > NOTICES JOHN'S SUNGLASSES ARE DESTROYED > FRANTICALLY COVERS JOHN'S EYES panicked HOLY SHIT DUDE! How long did you see without those?! ONARIUS: weakly Long enough to make him corrupt, if it weren't for the fact this cell is safe for humans. > HEAVY COUGHING ELLIE: > RUSHES TO ONARIUS WITH JOHN [VIDEO FEED SHOWS THE ROOM COMPLETELY DESTROYED. ALL MINI-SPIRES ARE GONE. BLUE VEINS ARE ABSENT. VIDEO FEED SHOWS ONARIUS SHOWS ONARIUS ON THE SIDE OF THE HALLWAY ENTRY CLUTCHING HIS SHIELD.] ONARIUS: > STARES BLANKLY AT CELL ELLIE: > EYES FOCUS ON ONARIUS WHILE SLOWLY GOING UP TO HIM WITH JOHN panicked Onarius?! Are you okay?! ONARIUS: > DEEP SIGH weakly Yes… ELLIE: > ATTEMPTS TO HELP ONARIUS ONARIUS: weakly Don't. > HASTENED BREATHS JOHN: whispering Do as he says. ELLIE: > FRANTICALLY INSPECTS INJURIES whispering He's hurt though. ONARIUS: weakly I'm just resting.

ELLIE: > RETREATS ONARIUS: > BLANKLY STARES AT DESTROYED CELL mumbling 150 years… 150 years of appeasing him, and it's over… ELLIE: > NERVOUS SMILING Yeah, dude, it's over. Christopher is gone, man. ONARIUS: > LOWERS HEAD mumbling … So too are the ones that I fed to that beast… > TURNS TO ELNA, GUILTY softly The things he said, he wasn't lying. ELLIE: > SADDENED slowly I know… ONARIUS: > DEEP BREATHING very slowly Were it any other cell, an explosion like this would have of course caused a prison break.

> COUGHING ELLIE: > FEVERENTLY SHAKING HEAD exasperated Why would you design a cell just for that then?! ONARIUS: > STARES AT JOHN BLANKLY AND NODS JOHN: > SIGHS AND PULLS OUT DESTROYED SUNGLASSES TO {me} See these? ELLIE: > NODS WITH A RAISED EYEBROW JOHN: Aside from the bottom level, these were to just correct my vision. ELLIE: > CONFUSED What does that have to do with anything? JOHN: > SOFT SMILE softly This entire tour was for you.

ELLIE: > TURNS TO ONARIUS, VERY CONFUSED ONARIUS: > HEAVY COUGHING WITH A SOFT SMILE softly Ellie, for a very long time, I wanted you freed. That was not possible until John here showed up. ELLIE: If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. > SQUINTS AT JOHN So, you used him to do what exactly? ONARIUS: slowly Touch your forehead gem. ELLIE: > DOES AS TOLD > SCRATCHES THE GEMSTONE, WHICH FALLS TO THE GROUND > EYES WIDEN, DUMBSTRUCK You knew this would happen?

ONARIUS: > NODS CONTENTLY weakly Elna… You have been a good friend to me. You have given me awareness, compassion, and self-reflection: things Ned does not have. You have always helped me, always been patient with me, and always treated me as an equal. I wanted to, of course, return the favor, which, of course, had not been possible until now. ELLIE: So that means-? JOHN: > NODS softly You can finally get out. ELLIE: > STARES AT ONARIUS, CONCERNED exasperated What about you?!

ONARIUS: > SMILE FADES WHILE POINTING TO HIS GEMSTONE weakly The chain that has bound me to him is still here, and, he will of course, take his frustrations out on me. This may be the last time you see me as myself. > SIGHS mumbling After what I did, this is the fate I deserve. This prison will be my tomb. ELLIE: > EYES WIDEN frantically Don't say that! ONARIUS: > SHAKES HEAD softly Ellie, there are so many things I have done that if I told you, it would make me feeding that demon look like breaking a cookie jar.

> SIGHS softly I do not want you to be raised by a monster like myself… > POINTS TO JOHN softly … He is to take care of you. JOHN: > KNEELS BEFORE {me} gently We talked a bit, and he agreed that you can't stay here. And I do not want you here, in this place alone. > SMILES gently You deserve to be with people who will not treat you like a tool, like Ned did. ELLIE: > SADDENED meekly But Onarius… ONARIUS: > BECKONS {me} TO STOP softly My time is over. Ned will know what will happen, and he will be here soon.

ELLIE: > TEARS BUILD UP IN EYES So, this is goodbye then? ONARIUS: > SLOWLY NODS AND GETS UP, STARING AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE ROOM gently Yes, it is… ELLIE: > TEARS ROLL DOWN EYES But I don't know if-! ONARIUS: > COMES TO ME, AND HELPS ME UP, SMILING gently John is a very good man, and the family you will have with his other will be blessed. [ODD NOISES HEARD IN THE VERY DISTANCE] ONARIUS: > SNEERS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NOISES I want you two to get far away from the Eldrigital Void.

That means returning to the Physical Layer. You are no longer bound here and can travel freely without Ned's intervention. > POINTS TO JOHN'S MOVEREC slowly John, that recording, keep it with you as Ned knows where you are, and he will follow you once he realizes you escaped with Ellie. That video must be released. JOHN: It will be done. ONARIUS: > SHIVERS very slowly You two know as much as I do that if Ned finds either of you, it's over.

ELLIE: > NERVOUSLY NODS [NOISE OF ANGRY, DIGITIZED RUSSIAN SCREAMING HEARD IN BACKGROUND, GETTING LOUDER] JOHN: > LOOKS ABOVE exasperated What the hell was that?! ONARIUS: > SHIVERING WHILE STARING ABOVE whispering Ned, he's searching… > EYES INTENSIFY AT JOHN exasperated I don't know when Ned will search your home, John, but you will need to get him somewhere that Ned cannot reach you or Ellie. Ned, of course, has your computer's ID and location due to your interview; he'll destroy it along with the two of you.

JOHN: > DISAPPOINTED Without my PC, I can't release the video. WeVid updated their TOS to be very sensitive to device ID's to prevent scam content, they told me during the 2025 WeVid Con. And if I get a new one, WeVid will get pretty pissy over that. ELLIE: > CREATES A BRIEF, PHYSICAL IMAGE OF A PC I'll create a copy of a computer once we get away. I saved everything regarding it.

JOHN: > SUSPICIOUS ELLIE: > GUILTY embarrassed I was kind of curious about your equipment, as I've never really interacted with a computer built for video editing. ONARIUS: > GLARES AT ELLIE exasperated Ellie-! ELLIE: > GUILTY ONARIUS: > SMILES AND CHUFFS gently Thank you. JOHN: > NODS IN AGREEMENT We'll be driving, so we'll have to get far away from my home. ELNA: > CONCERNED Where to then? JOHN: My boyfriend's house. Good distance away… > TURNS TO ONARIUS, CONCERNED awkwardly Does Ned know about-?

ONARIUS: No, he does not. [NOISE GETS LOUDER {Judging from the amount of angry words I'm hearing, Ned is pissed}] ONARIUS: > GRABS AXE AND SHIELD QUICKLY > TAPS AXE 3 TIMES ON THE GROUND [VIDEO FEED SHOWS DIGITAL PORTAL APPEARING {this is safe to look at}] ONARIUS: > BECKONS DUO TO PORTAL frantically Ned is on his way; he is very angry. I'll keep him busy long enough so you can get away as fast as possible.

> TURNS TO JOHN COLDLY frantically Do not wait: take only the clothes on your back and anything you need to thrive. > PUTS A HAND ON {my} SHOULDER, CONCERNED Keep Ellie safe. JOHN: > NODS I'll make sure Elna is safe, I promise. ONARIUS: > SMILES AND RETRACTS HAND softly I know you will… JOHN: > BEGINS TO HEAD TO PORTAL WITH {me, holding my hand} ONARIUS: > STOPS {us} TERRIFIED One more thing… > TURNS TO SHIELD AND GIVES SHIELD TO {me} gently Keep it safe.

There will be a lot more people worth protecting in the coming years, you'll need that… ELLIE: > DIGITIZES SHIELD > CALMS AND HUGS ONARIUS WITH TEARS ROLLING DOWN softly I'll miss you… ONARIUS: gently I know… > LETS GO OF {me} AND WIPES TEARS OFF gently Save your tears for those who you will come to see as family. > FORMS JOHN'S KNIFE {that's completely black} AND GIVES IT TO JOHN JOHN: > INSPECTS KNIFE AND LOOKS AT ONARIUS SUSPICIOUSLY exasperated What the hell did you do to it?

[NOISES GET LOUDER {I can now hear Ned's voice. No, I won't play what he says-because I don't understand Russian}] ONARIUS: > FRANTICALLY LOOKS ABOVE whispering It's important to cut the "weeds" out of the "garden" JOHN: > INSPECTS KNIFE AND NODS Thanks for remembering it. ONARIUS: You're welcome. > TURNS TO {me} Ellie, if you would please? ELLIE: > SIGHS AND DIGITIZES KNIFE [NOISES ARE GETTING {dangerously close}] ONARIUS: frantically Go! I'll keep him unaware of your escape.

JOHN: > GOES THROUGH PORTAL ELLIE: > TURNS TO ONARIUS, SMILING SADDENLY See you later, pal… ONARIUS: > NODS AND SMILES Likewise… ELLIE: > GOES THROUGH PORTAL WHILE LOUD ELDRIGITAL SOUNDS ARE HEARD GETTING CLOSER {END VIDEO} {CLOSING FILE… DONE} ELLIE: {At least time and space are acting normally now (even though my perception is far faster than John's, or any human). So, uh, I'm still transmitting this quickly} …

Still one more thing I probably should record before we go radio silent; just to let you know we'll be fine. … That was too close. If I stayed for a few seconds longer, Ned-Oh God… I don't want to think about that. … Sorry… I don't know what to think after- … Forget it. I need to move on. Onarius wouldn't want to let me dwell on these thoughts. One more video, and that's it. …

Oh yeah, I probably should create a new file just so that you can view it (and it won't interfere) with John's video} {CREATING FILE "sunshine. mp4"… DONE} {OPENING FILE…}