Chapter Text
★
Everything is happening so fast, one second Till is on stage, he’s pretty sure Luka is winning, there is loud cheering echoing in his ears – obviously it's not for him.
Ivan’s name lingers in his head the whole time; his face, is it up on the screen behind the stage, or is he imagining it? It feels as if he’s been everywhere since he died, always there, reminding him that the only reason he’s still up on that stage is because he sabotaged himself for Till.
His contestant, Luka, lifts Till’s chin up with his hand, a smile spreads over his face, it lacks any emotion, he sees Ivan in place of the man with golden, dead eyes, even now, the eyes miss something Ivan had, but Till can't pinpoint it.
He feels dizzy, unsteady, he’s pretty sure he sees pink hair in the corner of his eye, and a hand, reaching out – it’s her, he could tell no matter how different she looked now.
He reached for Mizi’s hand, fingers outstretched, almost brushing hers—
And then the sound cracked through the stage like a whip.
For a second, he didn’t register it. Just a jolt, like something had snapped inside him—sharp, wrong. Then the heat bloomed in his side, spreading fast, messy, and real. His breath hitched. His legs folded before he told them to move. The lights above spun as the floor surged up to meet him.
There wasn’t even time for pain, not really. Just confusion—then the weight. Heavy and immediate. He hit the stage hard, the echo swallowed by silence. Luka won.
Everything was slipping sideways—his vision, the lights, time itself.
Till blinked, trying to keep his eyes open, the stage swimming in and out of focus. Shapes moved through the smoke and shadows—figures climbing onto the platform, fast and low to the ground. Not aliens. Not staff. Rebels. Beside him, Mizi dropped to her knees. Her voice was tight, frantic—he couldn’t make out the words, but her hands were on him, shaking, grounding. Her face was pale, lit in flashes by the dying stage lights. She looked like she was trying not to fall apart.
Till’s eyes were on this other girl, clutching her stomach, red blooming through her fingers like spilled paint. She locked eyes with Luka—something between fury and disbelief carved into her expression. For a second, the world shrank to that look. Then someone dragged her back into the dark.
The lights above flickered violently—and then went out.
Only noise remained. Shouting, footsteps, static from the speakers. Somewhere in it, Till felt his body being pulled, or maybe just falling again. He couldn’t tell anymore.
The sound hit like a wave—gunfire, alarms, shouting from every direction. Something exploded behind the stage, too close, sending heat and smoke rolling through the space like a living thing.
Till barely registered being lifted—arms under his shoulders, dragging or carrying him, his boots scraping against the floor. His vision stuttered with every step, light flashing in bursts: red, white, orange. His heartbeat thudded in his ears, drowning everything out.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees this girl again. Her eyes locked onto Luka with something fierce—sharp and knowing. She didn’t speak. Didn’t shout over the noise. She just looked at him, like she was making sure he saw her. Then, with a grimace, she raised her free hand and made a small, deliberate gesture.
A flick of the fingers. A tilt of the head.
Follow me.
Fuck, he thinks everything hurts, his ear ringing, but at the same time, questioning why would they take that bastard with them, where are they even going, he has so many questions. They spilled into separate vehicles, engines already roaring to life in the dim light. Till barely registered the jostle as he was eased into the backseat, his head finding Mizi’s lap like a fragile anchor amid the storm. Her fingers tangled gently in his hair, steadying him, even as his vision flickered.
Through the blur, he saw someone else climb into the vehicle — a figure moving fast, tense, but his attention snapped back to the driver.
That girl again, she looks really familiar.
Blood seeped through the fabric wrapped tightly around her midsection, but her hands gripped the wheel with a fierce determination that defied her pale face. She didn’t say a word. Didn’t wince.
She just started the engine, eyes fixed forward, driving them through the darkness.
“It’s okay,” she said quietly, voice low but firm.
Till blinked, throat dry. “She’s… hurt. How can she even drive like this?”
Mizi’s gaze didn’t waver. “Hyuna knows exactly what she’s doing. If she didn’t, we’d already be dead.’’
Hyuna Hyuna Hyuna
He knows that name, of course, she lost her round during the 49th season of Alien Stage but escaped.
‘’Where… are we going?”
Mizi’s eyes flicked to the dark road ahead, her tone steady but urgent.
“To the base. The other rebels are there too.”
Till allowed himself to close his eyes for now.
★
Till’s eyelids fluttered open, heavy like curtains drawn against the light. The sharp scent of antiseptic was the first thing that hit him—a sterile contrast to the chaos he'd left behind. Above him, the ceiling was a blank, unyielding white, humming softly with the steady pulse of lights.
His body felt oddly lighter, the burning pain in his side dulled by bandages and care. Someone had already treated his wounds. The edges of the room came into focus: sparse, functional, but safe.
Mizi sat nearby, her face a calm island in the storm. Relief and exhaustion mingled in her eyes as she watched him stir.
For the first time in hours, Till let himself breathe.
Till blinked up at the white ceiling, the sterile lights humming faintly overhead. His voice came out dry and cracked. “So we made it.”
Mizi chuckles.“Yeah. Somehow.”
Mizi sat nearby, elbows on her knees, a distant look in her eyes.
“You were out cold. We thought we lost you in the truck...''
‘’You’re not getting rid of me again,’’ he chuckles. ‘’What about uh...Hyuna?”
‘’Oh, she’s fine, she is a stubborn one’’ Mizi says, leaning back on her chair.
Till turned his head again, slower this time.
“What about Luka?”
Mizi didn’t answer right away.
Her gaze dropped to the floor, fingers threading together, knuckles white. Then she sighs.
‘’I think he’s somewhere else around here. He didn’t seem to want to talk to anyone except Hyuna, and then he looked irritated when she didn’t want to talk to him…yet I guess. I mean, it’s kinda funny you should have seen him looking like a lost puppy, kicked in the corner. He acts all high and mighty, and the moment he came here, he didn’t know what to do. I don’t know, I don’t think his place is here with the rebels, but the moment Hyuna saw him, she just gestured for him to follow us. I know they have some kind of past together, she hasn’t told me the whole story.’’
‘’Damn, you don’t like him too huh?’’ Till chuckles.
Mizi shrugs. ‘’Maybe some other day I’ll tell you the story, I guess you didn’t watch round five’’
Till doesn’t comment on that, for now, he’ll keep his opinion for Luka to himself, he’s tired, and he doesn’t want to spend his time hating on a man he doesn’t deserve his attention. He is finally free, no collar, no Urak, he’s with the rebels and, most importantly, with Mizi. Everything should be fine now, or at least he thought so...