The sound of a heart rate monitor was the first thing that Chess heard as he rises to consciousness. The sound of a second heart rate monitor is the second thing he heard as he opens his eyes to the sight of metal walls with fluorescent lights keeping the windowless room lit. His eyes did not move, but his thoughts did. And so did the memories.

What...happened?

"Mmm..."

His entire body feels like it got a sunburn, both inside and out. His memory gave the answer; it was most likely the radiation he got from...

...

Wait...

How did he get here then? To the hospital?

"Chess?"

His head turns slowly to find a familiar-looking ferret.

"Ah?" His voice is weak and sickly, but it held the tone of recognition.

The ferret...it's Fame! What's he doing here?

"Hey, Chess. Didn't think you'd be here." Fame is wearing scrubs as his paw holds a pole that upheld an IV drip, its tube stuck into his forearm. "You alright?"

"Hhhhh..."

Chess looks to himself, seeing that his clothes had been removed for those same scrubs that Fame is wearing. So far, he looks fine.

"Uhhh..." Chess slowly nods, believing he's okay. If Bishop went out of her way to cure him, then he should be fine. However, he also notices that his chess pieces aren't with him. Even their transparent apparitions aren't there in his extraspatial inventory.

"Haha, that's good," Fame chuckles. "Scott's also been keeping tabs on you too, and he explained everything to me."

"You are...very stupid, you know that?"

Fame poked him on the nose to emphasize his stupidity. Chess could only chuckle, if only for flattery.

"Ehehehe, yeh..."

"I mean, if I were there I would've just...well, I wasn't so I can't really say much anyway. But besides that...I think you did the right thing. It was stupid of you, that still stands. But still...you did what you thought was right." Fame sighs.

"Mhmm." Chess nods, though he has enough strength to sign a bit.

[FS-PIECE WHERE(Q)]

"From what Scott told me, she's talking to Bishop right now. That whole thing happened after Bishop healed you. But since that was radiation she had to deal with, it will take a bit of time to fully recover. You won't be staying here long."

"Ah."

"Still...did you...hear what happened?"

...Right...Ratland, he heard Ratland was destroyed. Chess signed that too, and he could see Fame's face visibly shake.

"Yeah, Ratland was destroyed. But..."

Fame's words die in his mouth, leaving ASL to translate for him. Even as he signed, he looked away shamefully.

[FS-REINA TAKE POSS:MY BROTHER. IX-SHE SHOOT IX-ME.]

Chess's mouth drops slightly in realization. Reina did that? That...might explain why Fortune might not be with him at the moment. But to think that the rabbit kidnapped his brother wasn't something he expected. And as if to prove his point, he lifted the scrub to show that his body has a faded scar where a piercing wound can be seen, both front and back.

"From what I know," Fame puts down his scrub shirt. "She knew about Fortune and his fortune-telling powers. She went to look for him so that she could give more power to Scarlemagne. And now...he has more power than before..."

From what his tone sounds like, Fame seems like he's blaming himself for letting it happen. But Chess knew he couldn't do anything, not against Reina and her chess pieces.

[IX-YOU TRY EVERYTHING IX-YOU COULD]

"I know...I couldn't do anything against her. But..." Fame sighs. "I could have done more."

[IX-SHE ALMOST KILL IX-YOU. IX-YOU LUCKY]

". . ."

Fame didn't say anything, but Chess can see that there are many...many words that he wants to say but reason all but kept them walled from their right to be spoken. However, a lion fair folk walked in, looking to Fame.

"Fame? Some people have come to see you."

"Oh, is it Amy and Brad?"

The fair folk adjusts himself before speaking. "It's...Vain and Fortuna."

Chess immediately notices the shift in Fame's face. It turned...dark. The Timber Cat has seen that face on many other fellow felines. It's that kind of face when the one thing you don't want to happen...happens. Chess has an idea of who they might be, since they're related to Fame, after all.

"Umm...?" Chess had to ask, just for clarification.

"Yeah, they're uh...my parents."

As if on cue, in stepped Fame's parents. In almost every aspect, it was like seeing Fame and Fortune, all grown up (save for the fact that Fortune would have to be female in that context). Fame shared his father's coat, the same light brown towards the inner body, and the darker brown outward. Fortune shared his mother's coat, the same as Fame, but with white gloves.  Their eyes are the same as well, but there's an air of repose and...hubris...to them. Vain wears a formal suit and attire, wearing an embroiled monocle on his right eye. Fortuna, on the other hand, wears a fancy red dress, almost shaped like an Olympian goddess robe. On her head lies a bouquet of roses, thorns and all.

And upon seeing their son, their faces change like someone flipped a switch. The father shudders and rushes over and hugs Fame, almost tackling him over by accident.

"Oh! My sweet boy!" Vain's voice quivers, the elderly age potent within it. "I thought we lost you for good!"

"I...what?" Fame looks confused at the hug.

"Huh?" Chess is confused as well.

"Are you hurt? We came here as soon as we heard about your name in the hospital," said Fortuna.

"Just got shot, but...I'll be fine," Fame manages to get Vain off his back. "Sorry, I just...I didn't actually expect you to come here for me."

"Why wouldn't we?" Vain chuckles. "We're still your family, after all. Even if you did...run away."

Fame laughs, a bit nervously. Chess can tell that he wasn't exactly convinced. "Sorry but...last time I remember, you're never this cheery unless there's massive profit to be made."

Fortuna is the one to laugh, but Chess can hear the restrain in it. "Well, that is correct, yes. That's actually why we came, to talk."

"It's an investment in the future, son. And I suppose that you've learned a bit since your time away."

All 3 ferrets sit down, and Chess kind of did the same out of reflex and back onto his own bed. Fame sat on his own bed, while Vain and Fortuna sat on nearby chairs. The Timber Cat found it strange why they were keeping their distance rather than sitting together, but he didn't have enough time to think about it when Vain starts talking.

"Your mother and I are investing our assets into the future city of Aurum."

Fame blinks, perhaps out of surprise. "You...you know what they're doing, right? They're taking all the gold they can get to build it."

"Yes, we are aware," Fortuna nods slowly. "But, when the city is constructed, we have been promised a rather high position in the city. Commerce management, if I've heard. Our hands will be in every single service imaginable in Aurum and beyond."

Fame didn't say anything, and they continued regardless.

"But...we still want you around."

Vain is the one who said that, and Fame turns to him, eye to eye.

"Even with your rather ridiculous dream and silly little profession of reading people's palms, you are still a part of the family, the heir to our business."

"And when your time comes to pass the torch, Fortune will be the next heir," says Fortuna. "I..expect that you'll have your own heirs later down the line. Someone from a rival business, if you can."

"So...will you both come back to us?"

Fame goes silent for a while, deep into consideration. Chess sees that his eyes glance over to him, and Chess gestures to-

"Why are you looking at him?"

Chess looks to see that it's Vain who said that. Apparently, he's been eyeing Fame, reading his very movements. 

"He has nothing to do with this," Fortuna adds. "Look at us, not him."

Fame's face immediately turns sour. "You never changed...did you?"

Both ferrets blink like deer in headlights. Fortuna speaks first. "I-I'm sorry it came out that way. What I'm saying is-"

"Don't. Say. Anything."

Both ferrets shut their mouths, to which Fame continues.

"Did you...ever...think, that this kind of behavior is exactly why we left you?"

The sudden pressure, the anger. Chess can see that whatever words Fame's parents wanted to say some things, many things. But Fame's anger is keeping their words shut in their throats.

"It's your greed, your desire to keep shiny things in your pockets, it kept you two from seeing what Fortune and I dreamed of doing."

Fame got off the bed and stared down at his parents. But from the tone of his voice, they weren't his parents. Not to him.

"Have you...have you ever seen the look of the friends that you bought for me? Have you ever felt the feeling that the only reason that everyone around you is talking to you, is only because they were paid to do so? They could care less if we died, right in front of them, because you paid them to be there."

Vain tries to speak. "We did it because-"

"You could grow up as a normal person. Don't give me that crap," Fame scoffs. "You just needed us to be mentally stable enough to inherit all your gold and not waste it on luxuries."

"Don't twist our words like that-"

"I'm not twisting bullcrap," said Fame, his anger rising. "Because when you weren't scolding us for not dreaming your dreams, it was always about why we were born in the first place. So, unless you got a good reason for showing your face at me again...I NEED YOU TO GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, BECAUSE I MIGHT SLUG IN THE FACE YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!"

Fame fumes on, in angered silence as he sits down on the hospital bed. The once gentle faces grow cold. From what Chess could guess, Fame had seen through them and saw no reason to continue their facade.

"Yes...you are right about that," said Fortuna. "All of it, actually. You and your brother were born for one purpose one only. And that...is to carry on the legacy of our family."

"And so were we," Vain adds. "And our parents, and our parent's parents." He leans in. "You may not like it now, but this whole issue of dreams has been with our family for generations."

"I wanted to be a painter," said Fortuna. "It was what my dream was. But I had a legacy to protect."

"And I wanted to be a singer," said Vain. "But my future said otherwise. Now, I know that you wanted to be a fortune-teller, but no amount of dreams can replace wealth. I...assume you can attest to that."

Fame sighs, mulling over his memories before he answers. "There...were some bumps in the road, here and there."

"Then you understand-"

"But," Fame stops Fortuna from completing her sentence. "I had a family with me."

"What kind of family?"

"Ratland," Fame suddenly seemed very casual. "Was my family. Your investment destroyed my home and everything it stood for."

"Sometimes assets have to be liquidated to-"

"Oh shut up," Fame interrupts them again, sighing in defeat. "I'm...I'm done. Just go."

"But-"

"Go."

Both Vain and Fortuna look a little shocked before they masked something. Chess could only catch a glimpse, but he definitely saw it.

They masked the feeling of...regret.

"Right. We'll see you someday," Vain stands. "You're going to regret not coming back."

Fortuna stands as well, and soon the two leave. Fame sighs in relief, shifting on the hospital bed.

"You...think I said the right thing?"

Chess sees the ferret turn to him for answers. He could only look away in silence, thinking to himself the answer to the question.

Was everything he said...the right answer?

It was something that he couldn't imagine. After all, Chess had never been rich before but he's never had a father figure that controlled him as such.

Not like Yumyan Hammerpaw, nor his father in the Chessboard Burrow.

Chess could only shrug.

"I...just hope I did the right thing."

*  *  *

Fortune woke up from a  dreamless sleep, his eyes waking to a ceiling of fanciful marble. He was inside Scarlemagne's palace, in a vacant room that Reina had put him in. For any other Mute, it was likely the grandest thing they would see in their years. But to Fortune, it was merely a sad memory that held familiarity.

After all, it was Vain and Fortuna that had provided him with similar walls, ceilings, and a soft silken bed. 

Though...as of now, he's more a prisoner than a mere honored guest to the greatest power in all of Las Vistas.

On a table stands a crystal ball which stood lonely amidst all the niceties that were provided to him. It was a simple reminder that he was there for only one purpose, to tell a fortune, to see the future.

...Just like...Vain and Fortuna were.

Fortune sighs, feeling the ironic sense of deja vu, finding himself right back in a place where he and his brother tried to escape. He felt like he wanted to cry, but he stopped himself, only shedding a few tears. 

He has to be strong, even in the absence of Fame.

The sudden sound of a turning doorknob forces him to look at the door. In stepped Reina, her black and white dress matching her dutch rabbit coat. Her stormy blue and grey blurring eyes zone down on him. Fortune could only stare back.

"You are awake."

Fortune nods as she places breakfast on the bed next to him, sitting down and simply looking away. Fortune could only accept it as he ate it silently. It tasted good, but it was a brief respite from his constant thought of the purpose of his presence.

"Do you need anything else?"

The sound of her voice was distant and flat, only saying words as she needed to say, with zero emotion behind them. Even though Fortune did sign her his requests, it was clear that she was the one in control, and deemed which ones are to be enacted.

If anything, she seemed more machine than Mute. And it made Fortune wonder what caused her to be as such.

Fortune shook his head, and Reina brought a chair to sit before the crystal ball. It was a sign that his special talent and service is to be given, and Fortune responded as such by taking his side of the table, before the crystal ball. A brief second later, Reina manifests a slip of paper from an unseen pocket. Since his time here, he realizes that the paper is more or less Scarlemagne's questions. Ever since she brought him here, he'd been bombarded with question after question from the tyrant. Though he's too busy collecting gold for his city, so he often relays his questions to the dutch rabbit.

"What are the chances that there will be Mutes that will rise up against me?"

With how her words came out, it's clear that she's simply reading what Scarlemagne had written. After all, she's not very articulate with her words, rather just going straight to the point.

Fortune places his paws on the crystal ball, closing his eyes. The futures around him are a blur, his mind filtering events as he looks forward to seeing the conglomerate image of many predictions narrowed down into one possibility. As the colors smudge and combine, a single pane of a future remains.

He sees blurred images of Mutes fighting Scarlemagne, resisting him in one way or another.

The young ferret returns to the real world, nodding in confirmation of the question that is asked. His head feels a bit warm from the prediction.

Reina nods and continues on to the next question. "Will the coronation proceed as planned?"

Fortune looks into the future and finds the coronation playing out before his eyes in brief moments. For the most part, it does look like everything's going as intended. Thus, Fortune nodded in confirmation. Though now, his head feels warmer than before, getting a slight headache.

"Will Chess become an ally to me once more?"

The ferret blinks and looks at Reina. She looks much more considerate now, almost leaning in expectantly. And from the sound of her voice...it is a question that she's invested in; it was her question. Though the question suddenly came to him.

What does she have to do with Chess?

Rather than questioning her, he decided to just...play along for now. There was no use in resisting because he was replaceable but simultaneously the most accessible. And he knows that Scarlemagne will dispose of him if he's more trouble than he's worth. 

So he dives back, looking into the blurring collage of futures once more. Like a sea of fishes, they swarm around him in the hazy ocean of possibility. But somehow...this one was a bit different from the rest. The sheer quantity of futures was surprisingly larger this time around, and it made him wonder what was exactly going on with Chess for his future to be as such.

But as like before, the many futures swim together, becoming a swathe of colors mixing and mashing together until one single future remains.

A future where he can see Chess and Reina holding hands...

...

So...that future does come true...

Fortune looks to Reina before slowly nodding. Reina's hardened face softens, her eyes drifting elsewhere as she's lost in thought. But unfortunately for him, that sudden fortune-telling, especially with how far off into the future it was, took a lot out of him. He sighs exhaustively, head thudding on the table. He closed his eyes, just wanting to focus on breathing.

However, the feeling of a cold metal hand suddenly causes him to jump, seeing Reina having placed her armored hand on her. With a bright violet glow, his sudden head pains fade away. Her face looks gentler, perhaps relieved at the prediction that Chess will be by her side once again.

"Just a few more predictions, then we can go outside."

The mute ferret sighs, feeling relief that he'll eventually head out of his cage.

*  *  *

Once Chess had fully recovered, he was quickly dismissed. He gave his goodbyes to Fame, hoping that they'll see each other again one day. And he was introduced back to Piece and the chess piece, which have been scrubbed clean of radioactive particles from their innards and externals, all thanks to Bishop no less. 

However, Chess did have some questions, being unconscious throughout everything and all.

"Piece?"

"YES?"

"How did you get me to the hospital?"

"BOTH BLACK AND WHITE CHESS PIECE SETS CONTAIN S.O.S. EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS WHEN THE OPERATOR IS IN DANGER. BISHOP RECEIVED THE SIGNAL AND SENT LONG-RANGE COMMUNICATIONS TO OUR TEAM OUTSIDE OF THE WASTE STORAGE AND DRAGGED YOU OUT.  THE SURROUNDING SECTOR OF THE HOSPITAL WAS EVACUATED BEFORE WE WERE TELEPORTED IN VIA NAME POINT. FROM THERE, BISHOP CLEANSED THE AREA AFTERWARD, HEALED YOU, AND REPAIRED THE SEMI-SYNTHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM THAT YOU DAMAGED DUE TO CONFLICTING ORDERS."

"I damaged that? Was that why there was a pain in my head?"

"YOU ARE LUCKY THERE WAS NO REAL DAMAGE TO YOUR BRAIN."

Piece moves herself to pinch Chess's cheek.

"Ow ow ow!"

"DON'T DO THAT AGAIN."

"Okaaay..."

Piece then stops pinching him. Chess rolls his eyes, but is glad for her concern. He resumes a formal rigid stance as the last remaining patients were being treated on the island for the day. The sun was about to set as many of the humans, Mutes, and fair folk had taken themselves to leave and rest, save for those who are on night shift. 

The entire hospital citadel had been working constantly, more than usual at least. With how they're busy taking care of the day's in-roll of patients and the Scholars writing down everything they can in their records for future references (thanks to Piece also containing a database and using him to write the books really fast), things are finally concluding. 

No patients resided on the island, the runes glow softly as the emission of frost particles reflect the remnants of sunlight as it passes beyond the horizon. Small lights are spread across the area like fireflies as people talk amongst themselves. 

"The time has come."

Chess turns to Bishop, her bishop piece before her. 

"I think...we're ready. I'm ready to step down as the Panacea."

There wasn't any grand celebration. Either from concentrating on what may come next, or simply too busy to do so, no one seems to be paying much attention. Even then, Chess does feel worried. The bishop piece is a tool that can cure almost any ailment, and he's about to take it away.

[HOSPITAL FUTURE OKAY(Q)]

"It's alright, we're going to be okay. You already know the plan, and everything's going well."

Even though Chess knows, he's still worried. 

[IX-ME TAKE AWAY IMPORTANT PIECE. IX-ME WORRY]

"I understand...but it's going to be okay."

The bishop piece glows softly, almost coaxing Chess to take it at last. Bishop continues talking, giving her reasons.

"Things will be different without the bishop piece in place, but nothing will change now that we are prepared. We're finally prepared for this time of departure. My authority of the bishop piece will soon become yours, and I will be demoted to a simple permanent resident of the hospital."

Chess feels worse now, feeling as if he's removing someone else's specialty. But it seems Bishop easily reads his face with how sullen it looks.

"It's okay, you can take it. After all, every other chess piece user has done the same so far. I'd frankly be a horrible team member if I couldn't do my part."

Chess nods slowly. Even though she admits it, he still doesn't like the fact that his goal would make things harder for them. But just like before, Bishop gives him some final words of encouragement.

"I know you're worried. So, maybe there's something you can do. Scarlemagne is the one causing all these injuries to make Aurum a reality, right? So, if you manage to stop him, we won't have this influx of new patients."

The simplification of events stayed in his memory more than his own worry, looking up to the tree that is Bishop.

"Think you can do that?"

Chess nods, a bit more energetically. "Mhmm."

"Good. Please, take it. You will have many enemies standing in your way. But as long as you have this, then you can keep moving forward, no matter how hard it gets."

The bishop piece shines brighter, and Chess finally listens to the beckoning of the call. As he touches the chess piece, voices converse in his head as a new voice is added to his flock. The pillar of light is small and gentle, like a guiding star in the middle of the night. And as the bishop piece appears in his inventory, Chess takes his leave.

And as he leaves, no ceremony was held. People went on with their work, their lives, unassumingly. But Chess can feel the tension in the air. Perhaps the people of the hospital know they are stepping forward into the night, into tomorrow, on their own for the first time. They have to be brave and professional about it. It won't be a hospital if they were anything else.

Past the buildings of gold and silver, past the people, and into the forest he went, the fog dissolving the sight of the hospital as he marches onward. And as he finds himself at the edge of the forest, he looks down to find a small piece of folded paper.

He opens it up and reads it.

When this is all over, I'll come and meet you. Do good out there, Chess.

Scott

Chess smiles a little and folds the paper again, putting it in his flannel shirt pocket before heading back.