"Archer, are you okay?" Hina's voice trembled, her face etched with concern as she watched him, the cigarette smoldering between his fingers.
"Tch," Archer muttered, his only response, his gaze fixed on the floor, pain radiating from his hunched form like a silent scream.
The grizzled man cleared his throat, his tone gruff but edged with impatience. "Now that you've got what you came for, mind leaving? I was in the middle of something." He swung the cabin door open, gesturing for them to exit.
"Oh, sorry, we're going," Hina said, her voice soft but firm. She reached for Archer's arm, tugging gently. "C'mon, Archer."
Archer remained still, a statue carved from sorrow, unmoved by Hina's efforts. His voice broke, raw and anguished. "Why am I so stupid? Why did I choose to remember all this?" Each word dripped with self-loathing, his heart laid bare by the weight of Hayate's death.
Hina froze, her eyes softening as she glimpsed the human beneath Archer's cold exterior. "What do you mean, 'choose to remember'?" she asked, her voice a gentle probe into his pain.
Archer dropped the cigarette, its embers fading on the floor as his eyes stayed locked on the ground. "I wanted to run away," he whispered, his voice cracking. "From this pain, from my fate. I gave myself a choice… and I still picked the wrong answer." Regret clawed at his words, a desperate wish to escape the destiny that haunted him.
"Run away?" Hina's tone sharpened, annoyance flaring in her eyes. "Like you ran from us? Now you want to run from yourself?" Her words cut deep, a challenge wrapped in frustration.
Archer's gaze lifted slightly, pain swirling in his eyes. "I didn't want to run," he said, his voice low and strained. "I had to. Everyone I love dies when I'm near them. My mom, my dad, my best friend… now Hayate, and probably more of the Code. I can't stand it." His voice wavered, a confession torn from a soul drowning in guilt.
Hina's expression softened, pity mingling with her annoyance as she stared at him in the heavy silence. "Do you think we'd just sit back while our friend—our family—tries to destroy himself?" she said, her voice firm but laced with warmth. "Why are you so selfish, Archer?"
Archer's head snapped up, meeting her gaze, shock flickering across his face. "Selfish?" he echoed, his voice rising. "Everything I've done was for you all. I left so I wouldn't hurt—"
"So you'd die for us but won't let us die for you?" Hina cut him off, her words a blade that silenced him mid-sentence.
Archer stood speechless, her truth piercing the armor he'd built around his heart.
Hina's eyes softened, a comforting smile breaking through her frustration. "Let us die for you, Archer. That's what family's about, right? All for one, one for all." She extended her hand, her gesture a lifeline in his storm.
Archer bit his lip, his eyes glistening as he grasped her hand, pulling himself up into her embrace. Her warmth enveloped him, a balm to his fractured soul.
"Archer…" Hina whispered, her voice tender as she held him close.
"How heartwarming," the grizzled man drawled, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Now can you two get out of my damn cabin?"
Hina laughed softly, wiping her eyes. "Yeah, sorry, we're leaving." She guided Archer out, her hand lingering on his arm.
Outside, the crisp air of Hierro's Peak stung their faces. "So, what did you learn at V.I.P.E.R.'s headquarters?" Hina asked, her tone curious but gentle.
Archer's brow furrowed, his voice heavy with uncertainty. "I don't remember… but I think the Joker does."
"Joker?" Hina tilted her head, confusion knitting her brow.
"Oh, I never told anyone," Archer said, a faint spark of life in his voice. "That's the Third Emperor—my past life. He's the one with this twisted ability, 'Feel Your Pain.'"
Hina's eyes lit up with a teasing glint. "So, he's like your secondary memory storage?"
Archer managed a weak chuckle. "I guess you could say that."
"Secondary memory storage?" a voice scoffed, and Archer found himself back in the soul chamber, the Joker standing before him, his presence both playful and imposing.
"Hey, Joker, good to see you," Archer said, a light chuckle escaping despite the weight in his chest.
The Joker vanished, reappearing inches from Archer's face. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone half-annoyed, half-amused.
"Don't play coy," Archer said, a hint of defiance in his voice. "You know what I want. You see the world through my eyes."
The Joker sighed, his shoulders slumping. "What happened at V.I.P.E.R., huh? It's a long story, but most of it's not important now. You'll remember it in time—let it simmer."
Archer's patience thinned. "What about the Prophecy?"
The Joker's lips curled into a sly grin as he turned away. "That's where it gets interesting." He paused, savoring the moment. "There's a twist."
"A twist?" Archer's voice rose, curiosity igniting. "What kind?"
"All locations with the Prophecy's secrets? Erased from existence," the Joker said, his tone grave. "Everyone who knew anything about it? Wiped out along with them."
Archer's shoulders sagged, disappointment bitter in his throat. "So I learned nothing? What a waste."
"Not quite," the Joker said, drifting back to his floating throne at the chamber's heart. "What you learned next made it worthwhile."
Archer's eyes narrowed, his heart quickening. "What was that?"
The Joker settled onto his throne, his grin widening. "Only four people left in existence know the Prophecy. Two are government higher-ups, one's an unknown entity, and the last…"
He paused, his gaze locking onto Archer's. "She's eluded V.I.P.E.R. for thirteen years, hiding on one of the Eight Earths.""She?"
Archer's voice trembled, a spark of hope flickering in his chest.
The Joker's grin softened, his eyes glinting with something like pride. "Her name's Rachael Saiten."
"Mom?" Archer whispered, his voice breaking as shock and longing crashed over him, his heart torn between disbelief and a desperate, aching hope