Chapter 142: "Stay With Me"

Without wasting another second, Jordan hurried across the chamber until his hands found the lever mounted on the opposite wall.

"Ariana," he called, wrapping both hands around the handle. "I’ve got mine. I’m ready."

Aren tightened both hands around her own lever. The trembling had become noticeably worse.

"A-alright. I’m r-ready too."

Jordan drew a steady breath.

"On three?"

Aren managed a faint smile as she began counting.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

Together, they pulled.

CLACK.

Unlike the previous attempts, this time something changed immediately.

Deep within the walls, heavy machinery groaned to life as though awakening from a long slumber, accompanied by the hiss of compressed air rushing somewhere behind the stone.

Hiss... clunk... hiss...

Moments later, directly above the glass display case, a small square panel flickered to life.

A timer appeared.

5:00

Immediately, it began counting down.

4:59

4:58

...

Soft green light spilled across the chamber, cutting through the darkness for the first time since they had entered.

In that eerie glow, they finally saw what the glass case contained.

Resting at its exact center was a brass coin the size of a palm, its serrated edges gleaming beneath the green illumination.

Jordan squinted against the sudden brightness, still puzzled.

"...A timer?"

"I... I think..." Aren said through gritted teeth, straining every muscle to keep the lever held down, "w-we have... to keep holding these... until it reaches zero."

Her breathing grew even more uneven.

"O-Otherwise... t-the lock... won’t release."

The tremor in her voice made Jordan turn toward her.

The moment he did, his heart lurched.

Only now, beneath the green light, did he truly see the full extent of her condition.

Her face had gone deathly pale.

Her eyes were unfocused.

Sweat glistened across her forehead despite the freezing air filling the chamber.

Both of her arms trembled violently as she struggled to keep the heavy lever depressed, while her knees quivered beneath her as though they might give way at any moment.

Jordan’s voice cracked with panic.

"Ariana! Hey! Stay with me! Just hold on a little longer!"

She managed to lift her head.

"It’s... fine, Jordan." A weak smile tugged at her lips. "I can... still hold it."

Jordan wasn’t reassured in the slightest.

Every passing second now felt unbearably slow.

His gaze darted helplessly between the timer and Aren’s increasingly fragile figure, cursing himself for being utterly powerless.

He wanted to rush to her, hold her upright, somehow keep both levers depressed by himself.

But they still had no idea what the timer actually controlled. If either of them let go now, the entire mechanism might reset.

That would only make all of her suffering meaningless.

Forcing the panic back down, he made himself speak calmly instead.

"Alright."

He swallowed hard.

"Then... keep talking to me. Keep talking, Ariana."

Aren blinked slowly.

"T-Talk?" she asked weakly. "What... do you want to talk about?"

Jordan’s mind raced for something — anything — that might keep her conscious.

"L-Let’s talk about..." He let out an awkward laugh. "The places you like."

She tilted her head weakly.

"The places... I like?"

"Yeah." He nodded quickly. "Around Borgata. Tell me where you want to go... so I know where to take you."

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"For our date."

Aren couldn’t help smiling.

She still didn’t understand why Jordan insisted on calling a simple outing a "date," but there was something about the word that felt... cute.

It was almost as if he had given something so ordinary a special name just to make it feel...

Entirely theirs.

The thought alone made her cheeks warm despite the fever burning through her body.

Eager to brush the feeling aside, she decided to tease him instead.

"I-I... I haven’t even lost the bet to you yet, Jordan. I might still... b-beat you... in the final round."

Jordan laughed.

"Not a chance. I’m not letting you win."

"Oh?" she challenged softly. "You sound... awfully confident."

"I am awfully confident that I’m going to take you on a date no matter what," he replied without hesitation. "When I win, I’m taking you everywhere."

Aren chuckled weakly.

"...E-Everywhere?"

"Everywhere."

His smile softened.

"Any restaurant you want. Any café. Any park. I don’t care where. I just want to spend time with you." His voice grew gentler. "So... you should probably start thinking about where you want me to take you."

Aren remained quiet for several seconds, though her smile never faded.

’Come to think of it...’

’I don’t even know that many places in Borgata yet.’

’All this time, I’ve only stayed at the Sartori estate... baking, making ice cream, training for the Castellano Club.’

Suddenly, losing the bet to Jordan and letting him show her around Borgata didn’t sound like such a bad outcome.

"H-How about... you tell me where you want to go instead?" she asked softly. "You said... you’d take me to places you like as well."

Jordan felt his ears grow warm despite everything happening around them.

"That one’s easy." He smiled sheepishly. "I’ve... already planned the whole day."

Aren blinked.

"Y-You’ve got... a full plan?"

His voice somehow remained steady as he described it.

"We’ll start with breakfast somewhere in Bellini District. Then we’ll wander through the shopping streets until lunch. If we get tired, we’ll find a café. If we feel like walking again, we’ll go somewhere with flowers."

His smile widened.

"And if you’re still not tired by evening... I’ll steal you away for dinner."

Another small laugh escaped her.

"...That sounds like... a very expensive plan."

"I can perfectly afford it."

She laughed again.

The timer continued its relentless countdown.

0:25

0:24

0:23

They kept talking.

Gradually, however, Aren’s smile began to fade.

Her fingers had become slick with cold sweat, and the fever burning through her body was draining the last of her strength.

Suddenly, her grip slipped.

"Ah—"

She caught the lever again in time, but only by forcing another agonizing burst of effort from muscles that had already reached their limit.

Jordan noticed immediately.

"Ariana."

She didn’t answer.

Her breathing had become ragged.

Both arms trembled harder than before.

0:10

0:09

Jordan’s pulse hammered.

"You can do it."

She nodded weakly.

"Y-Yes..."

Her fingers slipped again.

She forced them back into place.

0:05

Jordan kept his voice steady despite the panic clawing at his chest.

"Hold on, Ariana! Just a little longer. You’ve done so well. You’ve got this! Stay with me!"

She bit down on her lip until it bled.

’I’ve gotta hold on.’

’Come on.’

’Hold on, Aren.’

’Hold on...’

Every muscle in her arms screamed.

0:03

Jordan leaned his full weight against the lever.

"Three seconds!"

0:02

"Just two more!"

0:01

"One more!"

0:00

Hiss!

CLACK!

Heavy gears thundered somewhere inside the walls.

A heartbeat later, the thick glass display case swung backward with a heavy mechanical click.

Then—

CHUNK!

The brass coin dropped free.

It struck the floor before rolling noisily across the concrete.

At that exact same instant, Aren’s strength finally gave out.

The handle snapped upward as her knees buckled beneath her.

As consciousness slipped away, the last things she heard were heavy footsteps thundering toward her and Jordan’s frantic voice echoing through the chamber, just before a pair of strong arms caught her before her head could strike the floor.

"Ariana! Ariana!"