Last Time: A Hololive Story

The void was always the same: endless, suffocating darkness with a faint, echoing hum that felt more like the ghost of sound than sound itself. Gura awoke there again, the phantom heat of the explosion still clinging to her skin. Her chest heaved as she sat up, fists trembling with the residual fury of her failure.

That mine. Her own mine. She buried her face in her hands, her words muffled by frustration. "Seriously? I didn't even step on someone else's trap—it was mine. My trap!"

Her voice cracked, the exasperation folding into a bitter laugh. It was absurd, really. She'd calculated everything, down to the millisecond, only to be undone by her own oversight.

A slow clap echoed through the void, the sound sharp and mocking. AMESS materialized out of the darkness, reclining on an invisible chaise as if she were a theater critic witnessing a particularly entertaining performance. "Bravo, Stinky. Truly, you're your own worst enemy."

Gura's glare was sharp enough to cut steel. "Don't start."

"Start? Oh, I'm finishing." With a flick of her wrist, AMESS conjured the moment of Gura's demise, the image frozen mid-detonation. Gura's horrified expression stared back at her, a perfect tableau of shock and regret.

"Turn it off," Gura snapped, looking away.

"Why?" AMESS smirked. "It's a masterpiece of irony." She leaned forward, her tone faux-sympathetic. "Oh, poor Gura. So close, yet so... boom."

Gura surged to her feet, her voice trembling with anger. "Enough. I don't need your commentary."

AMESS arched an eyebrow, unbothered. "What you need is patience, my dear little shark. You can't brute-force your way through every problem."

Gura jabbed a finger in her direction. "Just send me back to Bookmark 1. Now."

AMESS sighed theatrically. "Fine, fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Back to the Present

The desert night greeted her like an old enemy—its biting wind stung her cheeks, carrying the metallic scent of impending conflict. Gura didn't pause to strategize. She was a storm in motion, a whirlwind of anger and recklessness as she sprinted toward the enemy camp.

The guards at the gate barely had time to shout before she was on them, her blade carving a path through flesh and armor. Her strikes were brutal but wild, each one a scream of frustration made tangible.

But brute strength came at a cost.

One guard's spear clipped her side, sending a shock of pain through her ribs. Another's blade grazed her cheek, the sting of the cut mirrored by the hot trail of blood running down her face. By the time she reached the camp's center, her breaths were ragged, her body a patchwork of bruises and gashes.

The Masked Woman emerged from the shadows, her dark armor glinting under the faint moonlight. She surveyed Gura with an air of disdain, her voice dripping with mockery. "This is your plan? Charging in like a cornered beast?"

Gura laughed, though it came out as more of a pained wheeze. "Not my best work, huh?" She pulled out the detonator, her finger hovering over the button.

The Masked Woman's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I absolutely would." Gura grinned, her blood-streaked face a mask of defiance. She pressed the button.

The explosion was deafening, a fiery inferno that consumed the camp in an instant. As the heat and force tore through her, Gura closed her eyes, her last thought a bitter curse: Not again.

Back to the Void

When she awoke, the void was quieter than usual, its oppressive stillness weighing heavier than before. AMESS stood nearby, arms crossed, her smirk absent for once.

"Well?" AMESS prompted, tilting her head.

Gura groaned, sitting up slowly. "Fine. I get it. I screwed up."

AMESS raised a single eyebrow. "And?"

"And…" Gura sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry for being a reckless idiot. Happy now?"

"Getting there," AMESS teased, her smirk returning.

Gura rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a small laugh. The tension in her chest loosened as the absurdity of it all settled over her. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"And you're stubborn," AMESS shot back, snapping her fingers. "But that's what makes this fun."

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Gura didn't dive straight into another attempt. Instead, she sat in the void, cross-legged and silent, letting the weight of her failures settle without pushing them away.

"How long have I been here?" she finally asked, her voice quiet.

AMESS's tone softened, a rare gentleness creeping in. "Time here is... complicated. But in your mind? About two and a half years."

Gura blinked, the enormity of it sinking in. "And back home?"

"Not even a blink." AMESS smiled faintly. "They'd never even know you were gone."

When Gura finally stood, her mind was clear, her anger tempered into quiet determination. She turned to AMESS, her voice steady. "Alright. Let's try this again. Bookmark 1."

AMESS gave an approving nod. "Back to the grind, eh? Don't forget—imperfection is the spice of life."

Gura snorted. "Yeah, well, I've had enough spice to last a lifetime."

As the void dissolved, Gura felt a calmness settle over her—a sense of balance she hadn't known she needed.

Back in the desert, she recorded a message on her AME device, her voice carrying the weight of lessons learned. "Hey, future me—or whoever ends up hearing this. I've realized something. Rushing through life, through battles, through anything... it doesn't work. Turns 1 through 35 taught me that the hard way. Maybe this turn won't be perfect, but I'll face it with patience."

She smirked, before flipping off the device with mock seriousness. "And AMESS? You're still a jerk."

Sliding the device back into her pack, Gura crouched low, scanning the camp with calm, calculating eyes. She moved with purpose, her steps deliberate, her strikes precise. This time, she wouldn't be undone by impatience or missteps.

As the first guard fell silently to the ground, a quiet thought echoed in her mind: This time, I'll get it right.