Deep inside Heritage Basestation, in a white sterile room, was a man lying on a bed. Nearly a week ago, he had collapsed abruptly, and in the absence of information that might have informed the medics and doctors about what he was suffering from, the concerned authorities could only quarantine him in a highly-secret area within the secretive Heritage Basestation itself.

They had good intentions, but even these doctors would have thought twice before sending him here if they knew the reason behind his blackout.

Divine retribution. Specifically, from the Human God Anren, whose automated punishment had knocked him unconscious through sheer pain, for failing two consecutive tasks. Elsewhere, it might not have been a problem, but the patient — the legendary hero Gemini — was conducting espionage in the middle of hostile territory.

If his identity was discovered…it wouldn’t end well. Not that the currently-convulsing Gemini would know this. Cries had broken the silence of the intensive care ward once the man started to move.

“He’s snapped the restraints again!”

“Hold him down, make sure he doesn’t get injured!”

Men in white rushed in and piled onto his limbs. White vapour escaped from their mouth; it was evident that holding him down, even in the frigid climate of the intersection where Orb and Heritage met, was tough work. One could only admire just how dedicated the doctors and nurses here were to their patients.

The spasm ended, and for the first time ever since Gemini was sent here, a groan leaked out of his mouth. Drool spilled out, but as his nearly-shattered mind finally pieced itself together, intelligence returned to Gemini. He squinted as light reflected from an impossibly-white wall blinded his newly regained sight.

Under the eyes of eight people in white, who had relinquished his limbs, Gemini sat up slowly. “W-where am I?”

A collective sigh went around the ward. One of them, clearly more senior by dint of the sheer white on his head, stepped forward. “Welcome back to the world of the living, brave soldier.”

“You’ve worked hard, hero.”

Gemini’s heart skipped a beat as similar sentences serenaded him. By the looks of the, these doctors here were beastfolk, which immediately ruled out the possibility that he was back in the Southern Continent.

In that case, they were most likely thanking him for his identity as a spy. He looked around slowly. Now that he had regained much of his senses, the cold was beginning to make him wonder. The Southern Continent was the warmest landmass on Orb, so the chill did not make any sense whatsoever.

“No need to worry, hero.” The seniormost doctor patted his back. “You managed to hold your pain in until you returned to camp, so your squadmates are safe. You’ll be seeing them in due time.”

Gemini nodded mutely. He was planning on a vanishing act the moment he found out where this odd place was, so Gemini wasn’t all that keen on replying. Sure, Ark City was a nicer place for his sanity and soul, but so long as he remained bound to the Human God, there was nothing he could do about it.

The hero could only shake his head inwardly, and then muttered in his mind, “Status.”

The familiar azure screen appeared in his mind’s eye, but as he turned to look at it, static clouded the display, and the screen shattered like glass. Gemini froze at the sight, and then repeated the simple ritual again.

This time, nothing came up.

Fear filled his heart. The system had been the sole constant in his life on Orb, and as frantic, senseless thoughts filled his mind, Gemini thought about his main body.

There was a very nebulous connection. His consciousness couldn’t return; his main body was pretty much a glorified paper weight. Fatigue set in as consecutive shocks overwhelmed his mind, waves of black battering at his consciousness.

Under the eyes of everyone present, the former hero slumped onto his bed once more, his breathing pattern once again following a regular beat.

“Are you alright?”

The senior doctor shook his head. “It’s a rather common ailment that plagues soldiers on the battlefield. Some of them lose all vitality, burdened by the lives that had ended by their hand. Others lose the will to live, having seen their close ones died in the battlefield. In his case, it’s most likely the former.”

He looked down at a piece of paper. “According to Sergeant Wayne, he had returned from killing humans. Rabbit-type beastfolk are very sensitive to violent acts. Perhaps, the only thing that had supported him to join the military was his own conscience, which eventually turned against him.”

“Chief, you mean to…”

“Station him as a sentry here.” The doctor nodded. “It’s for his own good, and frankly, I think he deserved it. The amenities here are far better than in Ark City himself, and there won’t be any violence here. Besides, the Congress won’t need to answer any awkward questions when they can just reveal the truth to him.”

“That’s a good idea, but will the Congress agree to it? After all, he did come from the surface. His clearance level is too low.”

“The Congress has no reason to begrudge a soldier-in-need.” A voice interrupted the doctors’ conversation. “Humans, beastfolk…even if they were spies, they would never be able to get information out about what we’re doing here, without leaving the Intersection. Besides, every single Continent has their own entry in Heritage too. There’s no reason to covet ours and fight all the way here to claim it.”

“That’s…a good point, Senator Sylpheed.” The younger doctor nodded his head, and looked at the unconscious Gemini on the bed. “Knowing the soldiers who’ve been stationed here, the newcomer will most likely like this place. The South has always been too hot, after all.”

“That’s the right way to go about it,” the senator said. “After all, Congress’ mindset has shifted after Lecturer Gaius’ immense harvest. Our preparations to leave the Five Lands for good are nearly complete. Most of us now support race-blind policies — if a human was willing to do so much for us, why should we discriminate against them? And besides, this lad here is a beastfolk. So what if he’s just an ordinary soldier? That doesn’t make his life any less valuable.”

“If only the Southern authorities thought this way,” said the chief doctor.

“There are a lot of ‘if only’ sentences in this world, and I believe that the Southern authorities are beginning to go ‘if only we didn’t attack the beastfolk’ around now.” Senator Sylpheed waved his hand languidly. “The Central Continent is being pinned down by the North, so they can’t even send any troops over to help the South. The East-West Alliance are forcing the Southern forces back step-by-step. It won’t be long before the Divine Ladder is in sight.”

A moment of silence passed, one in which the people assembled in the room stared at the soldier lying on the bed, digesting the implications of what the senator just said.

“The Basestation Guard will get him settled in when he wakes up.” The senator nodded at the doctors once more, and then left the sterile ward.

“He should wake up in a day or two,” the chief doctor added on. “We’ll let the Guard take it from there.”

“Let’s go, then.”

The group filed out of the ward, leaving the sleeping Gemini there alone.