In retrospect, it shouldn't have been surprising to catch a glimpse of Break amidst all the chaos. If Oz had thought about it (if he'd thought at all) before running into the fray, he might've expected it. Time-hopping and world-hopping, an enemy being an empire in control of the whole world - these are all things that make the playing field nothing like what he's ever seen, a far cry from the fights they'd seen in Reveil. It's not the same leaps any of them are used to making, joining wars and battles against such a numerous enemy. Complacency isn't something Oz would've said he's been afflicted with during his stay in Exsilium, but it only took a matter of minutes for the sense of safety he's (absurdly) built here to shatter.

(Still, some things are horrible and familiar, regardless of world: the smell of blood as it spills and starts to congeal, the look of burnt wood and burnt flesh, the quality of air so burdened with smoke that just breathing in seems to take a gasp.)

It's as he moves closer that he sees Elliot, breathes a brief sigh of relief as Break waves him out of the fight, because it's not like Oz can't join in Elliot's absence so he's not fighting alo -

- it only takes the length of time from one heartbeat to the next.

He's not aware of the way he stills, mid-step; how his breath catches in his throat and for a second he doesn't breathe as if he's the one who was just shot; how his thoughts bunch together and jumble and lose meaning altogether; nor the way the quiet suggestion to destroy, whispered in his ears the whole time, suddenly becomes a shout.

The way nearby remnants of a building (if it can be called that) that had been hiding some UE snipers explodes into dust, though - it's almost satisfying.

(In another moment's retrospect, it's not even close to satisfying.)