Trapped In Elysium: A Virtual Reality Nightmare-Chapter 109: You love me

"So we’re the next pawns set to die..." Marcus groaned, running a hand through his hair as he paced around the fire, boots crunching against the dry leaves. His voice was thick with frustration, a raw edge that none of them had the strength to blunt.

Sophia crossed her arms tightly over her chest, her foot tapping anxiously against the dirt, while Eleanor muttered under her breath, clearly just as furious. Even her calm, soldier-like demeanor was cracking. The betrayal ran too deep.

Only Jason sat still, surprisingly composed, his sharp eyes glinting faintly in the firelight. He leaned back against a tree trunk, staring into the flames like he was solving some impossible puzzle in his mind.

Borik sat there, frowning heavily, shifting uncomfortably on the ground. He looked like he was trying to piece the whole thing together himself, but the more he thought, the deeper his frown etched into his face.

"I don’t believe it," Borik finally said, shaking his head stubbornly. His voice was rough and defensive. "The dwarf clans... we don’t scheme like that. We’re not part of some grand plot. We just want to save Elysium, that’s all! We fight to protect the land, I swear it."

Marcus turned sharply to him, eyes burning. "Is that so?" he snapped. "Is that how y’all been doing it? Making someone from every group sign a blood contract so they’re chained to the mission whether they like it or not?"

The moment the words left Marcus’ mouth, everyone went quiet, the accusation hanging there like smoke.

Borik hesitated, face tightening. His gaze dropped to the fire. He didn’t say yes... but he didn’t say no either. Instead, after a long, heavy pause, he gave a small, reluctant nod.

A bitter laugh escaped Marcus as he threw his hands up. "Fantastic. Real noble of you."

Sophia stepped forward then, voice sharp. "And what if Elysium isn’t even dying? Huh? What proof do you even have, Borik? What proof did your so-called leaders show you?"

Borik looked up at her, eyes wide, his mouth opening... but no words came. He looked at Sera as if hoping for help, but she only stared at the ground, her hands clenched in her lap.

The dwarf scratched his beard roughly, his shoulders slumping. "I... I don’t know," he muttered. "I never saw anything with my own eyes. We were told. The elders... they said signs were there. Strange weather. Crops failing. Magic weakening. But... but I didn’t see it for myself."

Sophia’s lips pressed into a hard line. Eleanor shook her head with a grim look.

Mariel, standing quietly near Liam, watched it all with guarded eyes.

Jason finally spoke, his voice low. "So basically... you believed them. You staked our lives on a story you were told."

Borik didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. His silence spoke loud enough.

The fire popped, a sharp sound in the silence.

Liam finally straightened up, stepping closer to the center of the group. His face was calm, but there was steel behind his voice when he spoke.

"Maybe Elysium really is dying," he said, scanning every face, even Borik’s. "But don’t you all see it? Whether it’s dying or not... it doesn’t matter. It’s a grand scheme. Someone’s pulling the strings behind the curtains, using our fear. Using our hopes."

Borik opened his mouth as if to argue, but he closed it again, visibly struggling.

Sera hugged herself tightly, and Von said nothing, for once not even a quip or a joke on his tongue.

"We’re not just fighting for our lives anymore," Liam said quietly. "We’re fighting to figure out what the hell we’ve been dragged into. And if we don’t keep our heads clear—" he jabbed a finger toward the darkness that loomed beyond the firelight, "—that city’s going to swallow us just like it swallowed everyone else before us."

Nobody answered him.

The night pressed in around them, thick and heavy, and for the first time since stepping into Elysium, the group truly realized just how deep into the unknown they had come — and how fucked they really were.

"We have to come together, face the tests... and do our best to triumph. If not... we’ll crumble and die faster without achieving anything," Liam said, his voice low and rough with the weight of it all.

The fire crackled in the background, throwing dancing shadows across the worried faces of the others, but Liam didn’t wait for a response. He turned away from the group, his footsteps crunching lightly over the dried grass and fallen leaves, and made his way to a lonely tree at the edge of their little camp.

He sat heavily at the base of the gnarled trunk, letting his head fall back against the rough bark, staring up at the black sky freckled with distant, indifferent stars. His chest was tight, his mind spinning so fast it felt like it might shatter. Flustered. Frustrated. Confused. Every emotion he’d tried to shove down since arriving in Elysium was clawing its way to the surface now.

Was there even a way out of this? Or were they just another story... another set of bones that would be swallowed by the ruins?

The sound of footsteps snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts.

Sophia.

She approached quietly, hesitating for a moment before finally lowering herself down beside him without a word. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, staring ahead into the dark jungle as if trying to pierce it with her gaze.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence between them wasn’t heavy though—it was the kind of silence that spoke louder than words, the kind that only came when two people knew each other too well to need constant noise.

"Are we going to make it?" Sophia finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I’m scared... I’m scared of dying."

Liam turned his head slowly to look at her. Her face was half-hidden by shadows, but he could hear the real fear in her voice, the kind of fear that made your bones cold and your heart beat wrong.

"There’s no shame in being scared of dying," Liam said after a moment. His voice was steady, even if inside he was just as scared. "I’m scared too. Fear is part of us. It’s what keeps us alive."

He paused, watching as she hugged her knees tighter.

"And we’re going to use it," Liam continued, his tone firm. "We’re going to use that fear to push ourselves harder... to complete this mission. Not just for us, but for everyone."

Sophia didn’t say anything at first. She just nodded a little, the movement slow and shaky. Then, without warning, she leaned over and rested her head gently against Liam’s shoulder. Her hair smelled faintly of smoke and jungle flowers, and for a brief moment, Liam closed his eyes, allowing himself to just feel the weight of her there.

"There’s something I should tell you," Sophia murmured against his arm, her voice so soft it almost got carried away by the night breeze. "In case we don’t make it back."

Liam’s chest tightened. He turned his head slightly, looking down at her, though she kept her face hidden.

"What’s that?" he asked carefully.

Sophia shifted a little but didn’t lift her head. He could feel the tension in her body, the way her fingers fidgeted nervously against her knees. She was struggling, wrestling with something inside her.

After a long moment, she shook her head slightly, her hair brushing against his arm. "I... I don’t know how to say it," she whispered.

But Liam knew. Deep down, he knew. He had known for a while now, even if he hadn’t let himself think about it too much, too scared of what it might mean in a world where death was always just around the corner.

He smiled faintly, a small, tired smile, and decided to take the step she couldn’t.

"You love me," Liam said, his voice steady but gentle.

Sophia didn’t move for a second. Then slowly, she nodded against his shoulder, and Liam felt her breath hitch slightly, like she was holding back tears.

He didn’t say anything more. He didn’t have to. He just sat there with her, under that tree, while the jungle whispered and the stars stared silently down at them—two lost souls clinging to each other in a world that was crumbling beneath their feet.