"I'd guess a day at most," he replied. "Beyond that..." He sighed, and his eyes darkened. "I doubt I'd be of much use anymore."

" will you die? "

"You should go home." Isiea decides sternly. "We can do this on our own, and you're no use if you're deathly sick the whole time."

The wind picked up, smelling of ozone and some other weird, chemical scent. A drop of rain hit the edge of the pipe, and a tiny wisp of smoke curled into the air. Except for his slow breathing, Ash was perfectly still, as if he feared that any sudden movement would scare them away. He shivered, right before his ragged intake of breath. "I can't go now. I've promised, and I'm bound to it. And as for dying...I don't know."

" please don't die. "

"Ash, you're going to die if you don't go. I'll take you back to where Ares is, and we'll be back once we've got all this bull[poop] with Machina fixed."

"We can't go back. That trod was only one-way." He couldn't promise anything about not dying. A few more drops of rain hit the ground, hissing in the silence.

" then you just stay here. "

She sits down next to him with a sigh. "Does it hurt?"

"I cannot just stay here. It won't make a difference." He didn't know what Isiea was referring to, so he didn't answer.