Idom waited for a few minutes before he finally spoke."It seems he's really gone this time…" he murmured, then paused, glancing upward. "Well—who knows. Maybe he can still hear me from somewhere."
Silence filled the office, heavy and cold.Something enormous was coming. He could feel it.
Aliana—once a victim of terrorism—was now about to declare war on multiple nations. With Zigeyr's help, victory seemed likely… probably inevitable.Probably.
That single word lingered like poison in his mind. Because Idom didn't know the full extent of Zigeyr's power—nor if even a god could survive the flash of nuclear fire.
But even if Aliana triumphed, he wasn't happy. He'd built his career on principles, on ideals. Now he was just a man following orders from something beyond comprehension.
Then his phone rang.
He frowned and took it out—it was the head of his family's security detail.A cold unease gripped him as he accepted the call.
"What's the matter? Is everything alright there?"
When the rebellion began, he'd sent his family abroad to keep them safe. Now that peace had returned, he'd been planning to bring them home.
"Sir, there's a huge problem! The Miss has been shot—shot in the stomach! She's in the hospital right now, all guards are securing the area!"
"Huh—what?" Idom froze, mind blank for a few seconds. Then panic hit him all at once.
"W-Who shot her? Is she alive? What about Ria? Are both of them safe!?"
"Sir, Miss and the child are stable," the guard replied quickly. "But… we don't know who did it. It's strange—she was in the kitchen when it happened. There was no angle, no window, no possible line of fire. The villa's fully guarded. There's no way anyone got in."
Idom's hands began to tremble.He forced himself to think rationally. A spy? Maybe someone within the guards… yes, that must be it.
He was about to speak—then stopped.A horrifying thought struck him.
His throat went dry."...How many bullets?" he asked quietly.
"Sir?"
"I said—how many bullets were found?"
The guard hesitated. "…Five, sir."
Idom's hand slipped from his desk. His eyes widened in horror as everything clicked. His breath came shallow.
The five bullets.The ones he had fired at Zigeyr.The ones that vanished—leaving no wound, no mark, no trace.
Now he knew where they went.
He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth until blood filled his mouth.