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The moment he saw Ulrich and Merel leave to Antarctica on that helicopter, Enigma couldn't leave the chance to wave a goodbye to Ulrich, making sure for a safe expedition under his ever so growing pressure of the "Storm".
"...Ulrich?"
He'd turn around to Enigma after he said his name, standing there while holding his suitcase.
"If you come back.. will you find a final solution to the "Storm"?..." Enigma continues, his voice shaking in uncertainty.
"...I'll wait and see Adler. Don't worry, it will all be in vain." Ulrich promises, chuckling a little bit, before waving up his hand to Enigma, who followed too.
"See you later, Adler Hofmann." Ulrich replied.
"See you later, Ulrich." Enigma says back, before finally seeing Ulrich enter the helicopter with Merel, closing the door, and with that, proceeding the helicopter up into the sky, away from the landing.
Enigma's eyes soften as he sees it getting smaller and smaller, hoping to not all at worry for anything soon.
This was hell on Earth, who knew it would go like this for the two?..
At the moment, Ulrich and Merel were cornered by the remains of the "Flood". It was known to dissolve and destroy anyone's body when come in contact of it, so it was despairingly unavoidable.
In a hasty pursuit, their boots tap down on the snowy floor, trying to run away from the current that was behind them. But no matter what, it always kept on catching up with them, almost like a disease that couldn't be cured.
Until.. Ulrich, getting closer to Merel, gave her his suitcase he had with him before leaving.
For Merel, she was taken aback by this, as she was worried it would be lost by her, but Ulrich dismissed her worries, as he would try to defend himself against the "Flood".
"MEREL! Go on without me, I'll handle this by myself."
"But—"
"I know! Just keep it!" Ulrich replied, cutting her off as electrical currents were summoned around him, cornering his attention to the "Flood" as he tried to power it away with his Arcanum power.
It was, however, yet all in vain, as the "Flood" was resistant to whatever he had against it, grabbing through around him and overwhelming his vulnerability, the electrical currents still flowing across his body as Merel looks back just for a split second...
Only to be met with Ulrich getting taken away in the center of the phenomenon, reaching his hand out to her.
Seeing this, she hastily grabs onto Ulrich's hand down across, trying to desperately pull him out of his entrapment.
However, bits and pieces of his resolve crumble, he doesn't have much time left but to say his last farewells, and so, he desperately did.
"MEREL! Take the suitcase and go back to Laplace! Tell Adler that I'm—..."
And then—
!!!
Red and black spikes overcoated his body, as his hand let go of Merels, piercing through his face, his left arm, and his body overwhelming with static and his lower torso now gone, only replaced with what was left of it.
What both of them didn't know, however, was that it also consumed what was around them. It was like a colony of bugs, eating the last scraps of food.
Melting. Melting was the word that overtook everything in this moment. Yes.
Melting.
Melting..
Melting...
Melting....
Melting.....
Melt... ing...
...
In the office, Enigma sweats hastily as he's rest his hand on the forehead of his face, his yellow eyes hopeless and cautious. It had been all too long since Ulrich was supposed to come back, but would he come back? Or maybe... he was dead?...
No.. that can't be possible, Awakeneds can't die by natural causes nor during the "Storm", it was small, yet understandable knowledge around the Arcanist community.
He had to be alive, it was impossible for him to—
The door slams open, and Enigma's hand lowers as his eyes look to the Laplace researcher.
"RESEARCHER ADLER HOFMANN! Come quick! Merel is back!"
...Merel? But.. why her only? That can't be... it was supposed to be her and Ulrich on this mission, unless if he was still there and the researcher didn't tell him?...
But nonetheless, Enigma didn't make haste on what was wanting for him to happen, so what was he waiting for? So, he'd get out of his chair, following the researcher to the center of Laplace's inside building.
What he saw was..
Oh...
What he saw made his heart shatter.
A crimson color of blood painted the floor where the now passed out Merel was, clutching the same suitcase Ulrich had as researchers circled around her panickingly while the medical personnel picked her up on a stretcher, carrying her over slowly to the infirmary.
Enigma's eyes widen as the personnel with Merel passes next to him as she lets off hold of an.. oddly familiar yellow ribbon piece.
Enigma feels and notices the piece she was holding, and it finally came to him as it hit him like a truck.
He could imagine Ulrich's now dead body, black, bloody fluid leaking, the left of his hand now entirely gone as his right was limp. Most of his entire physique gone. But most important of all, his shattered head, his ferrofluid bleeding down as it eerily laid there.
Ulrich was gone.
He was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.
They didn't achieve anything from this. And will all, for sure, never will endure through the "Storm" ever again.
At that moment, everything became loud for Enigma as he stood there, the commotion of the crowd of researchers that came into the center of the building, unmoving.
Nothing would ever be the same.
Nothing would ever move on from this.
And for sure;
Nothing could've prepared them to lose one of their most important researchers.
<"Adler, to keep the da— ta safe, I locked it down like I usuall— y do.">
<"You know how we did it back in the lab?—">
<"...">
<"Looks like I probably won't be making it back this time.">
<"Hope you and everyone from Laplace make it through the "Storm".">
<"Take care, Adler.">
Enigma turns off the recording in pure despair, why did the world take Ulrich, not him?
Why wouldn't it be himself instead? Not Ulrich... anyone but Ulrich.....
No.. no...
Soft tears streak down out from Enigma's eyes, getting glazed and glistened from what he had to hear.
First Greta, then the former researchers, and now Ulrich, was all taken from him. Would he ever be so happy in this lifetime once everything was over, in forward to the 2000s?
...
Enigma finally releases the burden he was carrying;
And bangs his fists on his table, crying and covering his hands in his face.
One more day was all he needed left to live.
One more day, could he have solidified his friendship to the Awakened.