Chapter Text
Phoenix's night had ended like any other, getting himself ready for bed and feeling his weight sink into the soft and comforting mattress. As the cold air settled in and his eyes started to feel heavy, he fell asleep knowing the day ended as it should. Drifting off into a dream space, he felt his weight shift entirely as if he had just been taken away from his physical form. This was an enjoyable feeling for him, to be freed of his duties, even if it was just for the night. As he finally fully falls asleep, everything goes dark and he floats off into his perfect dreamland. A mysterious energy flows throughout his apartment and everything suddenly changed from a night of good sleep, to something he had never believed could even happen. He forcefully opens his... eyes? Everything around him has changed and he feels a lot more liquid than he had felt before. Wherever he is, this definitely isn't looking good.
Adjusting to his surroundings, he notices he has lost a lot of bodily functions and could only let out a ripple effect in his soupy state. He tries to speak, but all that comes out are bubbles, he has no need to breathe, no need to eat, all he wants is to be freed. Bubbling and making as much noise as his new state would allow him, he feels something metallic drop into him, making a clink against his container. "It's getting cold." A voice mutters from above and settles down into a chair, letting out a long sigh as they relax. A hand reaches down, grabbing the handle of the spoon dropped in not too long ago, lifting it up as Phoenix feels a bit of life leave with it. He lets out a scream, making bubbles erupt from the bowl, spilling over the sides, hurting more than anything he's ever felt. The man is shocked, letting out a gasp and talking aloud. "Who's there?!" The man shouts, shooting up from his chair and quickly getting to his feet. Phoenix recognized this voice, this was his good friend Edgeworth from back in school and rival in court, for the most part anyways. Looking from above, Edgeworth was still taken aback, grabbing a plastic container and transferring Phoenix into it and sealing it tightly with its lid. His vision was obscured with little to no light getting in, and slowly but surely, everything faded to black and he could not see anything around him.
Cold, alone and trapped for longer than he could ever know, Phoenix was just wishing that everything would end and he would just get soaked away, dried up or sent into nothingness. Trapped in such a terrible environment and there's nothing he can do but hope for something new to come, for something to change. Knocks have been heard everyday outside of the fridge, hope filled him each time noises were heard from the outside, but it's like everything was just taunting him, knowing he yearned for it to be over. Many days passed, or what felt like days, nothing new had happened and the room had been quiet. A small creak from the door was heard and heavy footsteps were heard from outside his container. "What do you mean he's been missing?!" Shouted Edgeworth, "Someone like him doesn't just vanish out of thin air." Phoenix called out for him in his head, hoping, that somehow he'd sense that he was here. Nothing had happened and all movement stopped, slow breathing could be heard, although muffled through the fridge. Slowly, the door opened and Edgeworth peered in, "I'll have to look for him myself. They're not doing a good job on their own and obviously need someone like me to help." Muttering to himself, he grabs the container Phoenix is contained within and pulls it out, popping the lid off into the sink. The microwave is popped open, the container gently being slid in, while the door is slammed shut and the timer being started. The spinning looks slow, but feels so fast as if everything within him is burning up, feeling as if he's at a boiling point, bubbling and sizzling at the heat being cast upon him. As the final seconds pass and the timer goes off, the container is pulled out and the contents of it poured into a thermos, it's incredibly dark in there and it keeps bringing back the hot, boiling sensation to him. The cap was screwed on, leaving him in total darkness with nothing but himself and the heat returning to him every few seconds.
For a while all that could be heard was the shuffling of feet and the heavy breathing of Edgeworth making his way through the cold and foggy Winter. The canisters lid popped open and light flowed in, the thermos was titled above Edgeworth's mouth already, bit by bit Phoenix felt as if his very being was being torn apart as he left the container and entered the mouth of his friend from long ago. Whatever vision he had split into two and whenever his mouth had finally closed, he was in the thermos again, being lower than he had before. If there was anything he could do, just anything, he'd do it and free himself from this torture. The lid of his enclosure was left slightly open with a sliver of light seeping in through the cracks, allowing him to see the walls of the black container. All sound from the outside had stopped, breathing slowed and the shuffling of feet fainted. A few minutes passed, then a phone starting ringing and then static rang throughout the container. "Hello?" A faint voice from the phone called. It was a bit before Edgeworth spoke, but when he did it was shaky. "I'm at the apartment, is this really where he last was?" Edgeworth kept his voice calm, but Phoenix knew he was worried, not knowing where he was. "I'm certain, it's the building he lives in, it's worth a check and I'm sure you can deduce what happened here. I'll leave it to you, Miles." The voice faded and the phone clicked as the call ended. Edgeworth's feet tap with each step against the concrete, reaching the entrance of the building and making his way in, letting the door slam behind him.