As he said this, Bai Yu stepped forward and gently cupped her face, speaking softly with a mild smile.
"You killed all those innocent people to survive. You helped break down the walls and killed your own comrades to survive. So this one last time, to survive, how about leaving the choice to someone else? Think about it. Wipe the blood on your hands onto the clothes of someone who can help you."
Bai Yu made Annie look into his eyes. Their gazes met, and he could see the uncertainty and fear in hers. Everything, everything had been for the sake of going home. But that did not mean she felt nothing about the blood on her hands. Her desire to return had simply been stronger.
At some point, a cut had appeared on Bai Yu's hand. Blood slowly seeped out, and he very gently smeared it onto her cheek.
The touch of blood on her face felt like the blood of the dead splashing against her cheek. Her eyes slowly widened, and her breathing grew heavier. Fear seemed to seep out of her mind, little by little.
But Bai Yu turned away then. Rather than wait for her answer, he made the decision for her.
"In a few days, I'll have a place ready. Kill Bertholdt, and we'll be comrades. Then, even if the whole world turns against you, I'll stand in front of you. Look around you, at all those dead souls trying to drag you down to hell."
As Bai Yu's final words fell, Annie abruptly raised her head, but he and Xiate had already vanished.
"I-Instructor Bai Yu..."
Her bewildered voice echoed through the cramped, oppressive space. Now, she seemed to see dead souls in the darkness around her, staring at her with hateful, vicious eyes.