Months have passed by. Months full of the same old fight: an attack, an attack, attacks endlessly. One of the Lyoko Warriors no longer could stand the daily fighting; after all, there was more than just fighting against X.A.N.A. in life. Or at least there should be.

X.A.N.A. had kept the group on their toes with its daily attacks. One day, when the day's attack had been neutralized, this Lyoko Warrior met her limit and said, "I can't take this any longer! Attacks, attacks without an end! I'm resigning and leaving Kadic!"

"No! Mary, don't!" William cried out. He did not want to lose the friend he could trust absolutely. He did not feel that he could trust anyone else so unwaveringly.

"I can't do anything else anymore. I'll go mad at this rate. Forgive me," Mary said, hardly feeling any remorse, and left.

"We have to stop her! We need her, we need everyone here! And X.A.N.A. follows her everywhere even if she leaves us! She doesn't fare against it alone if it attack her!" Sophie said, anxious.

"I'll go after her," William said and hurried after the girl.

Mary had just gotten to the school from the sewers when William caught her. However, Mary did not notice him nor listen even though William tried to talk to her. She did not want to hear a single word about Lyoko or anything at all anymore.

William grabbed Mary's hand so that she would not get to go any further.

"Mary, if you leave, you'll be in trouble with X.A.N.A. if it attacks you. It'll follow you everywhere, no matter where you go. Even if you leave the group, it'll still follow you," William said. Reminding about the matter felt like his only straw. With Mary, appealing to friendship might not necessarily work. After all, the girl had fared alone on Lyoko for years.

"I'll do fine against X.A.N.A. even if it strikes me from behind. I can no longer take the fight against it when each day we have to go to Lyoko and back because of an active tower. I can't take it anymore. There has to be more in life than fighting," Mary said. William let go of her hand. He tried to find something he could still appeal to. Then he remembered what Sophie had said.

"Mary, we need you. We can't do this without you. Don't leave," William said hoping that it would be enough. If only feeling that she is essential in our lines would be enough!

"I can't do anything else, because it's not good to lose your mind just because of a stupid computer program. When I leave, I leave the past here and forget Lyoko, X.A.N.A., everything that's related to this life, completely everything, and start a new life without dangers. And you get the place of the strongest Lyoko Warrior back to yourself, just as it's supposed to be," Mary said. "After all, I was never supposed to end up on Lyoko in the first place, you know it yourself as well."

After a brief consideration, William realized that he could do nothing to stop Mary. The girl had made her unwavering decision.

"Well, then I guess I have to forget everything you did to help me, too. That you supported me when the others pushed me away, everything about you, absolutely everything," William said, his voice breaking.

It took a while for Mary to realize what William had said, but when she did, he had already left.

"I'm a hopeless moron!" Mary huffed, frustrated by her own weakness. Realizing now that she could not leave, that she could never leave and leave it all behind herself, she returned to her room. There she collapsed onto her bed and pulled the blanket over herself, hoping that it was all just a nightmare. At the same time, however, she knew that it was all too real.

Although, she did see nightmares as well after falling asleep as well. In those dreams, the past on Earth and the past on Lyoko blended into a sadistic mess which made no sense.

Even deep sleep did not give her a break from fighting that night.

/Code Lyoko (c) Moonscoop, Lyokostar story series and its original characters (c) Me/