"…Wake up… rise and shine…"
Deep within the darkness beneath his eyelids, a mysterious male voice called for him to awaken. Buckwick slowly opened his eyes. The blurry image gradually faded, becoming clearer and clearer.
"…elder sibling … he's awake…" The sound of footsteps echoed on the floor as Enshis rushed into the room. Buckwick opened his eyes and saw the two of them, Willow and Enshis, standing before him.
"…Are you okay?…" Willow asked.
Enshis grabbed Buckwick's shoulders. Enshis's eyes were filled with intensity, but Buckwick's gaze remained dull, as if he wasn't fully conscious.
"…You know, don't you?!… You know who they are!!!" Enshis's heart was pounding, as if he was afraid of something. "…You know how that bullet got here!!"
Willow's eyes widened when she heard what Enshis said. Buckwick, however, pushed Enshis away from him.
"…What are you doing?!!"
Buckwick didn't meet their eyes. He picked up his short jacket, stood up, and put it on, as if to walk out. When Enshis saw this, he chose to lower his head. But Willow held Buckwick's hand tightly.
"…Where are you going?…"
Buckwick glanced at her. His eyes were cold and sharp as a blade.
"…Give me the Serlanium… I'm going back to the university…" Buckwick's words were filled with a chilling coldness.
Enshis turned his head slightly.
"…Willow, let go of him…"
Willow looked at Enshis with a slight tremble.
"But…"
"…Let go of him!!" Enshis's sharp, trembling shout startled her. Buckwick turned back abruptly, his eyes seeming to conceal something deep within his heart.
"…They're people from the secret organization that supports the university… I absolutely hate them…"
Enshis unconsciously held his breath, his eyes wide with shock.
"…Oh my God… how did you know?… that they were from the university…"
Willow's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and a single tear rolled down the side of her face. Buckwick took a step closer.
"…I've seen the weapons they use… in the warehouse…"
Enshis looked at Buckwick with a serious expression.
"The university is their place, so why are you taking the Serlanium back?"
"The university is under their control… but it's the safest place… Professor Klass… can help us…" Buckwick looked at Enshis, then turned abruptly to look at Willow, who stood motionless, her body rigid as if she were a stone statue.
Anchis whipped around to face Willow and ran towards her, but his eyes were still fixed on Bakvik.
"...Could you repeat that?"
Bakvik flinched slightly.
"...Professor... Klars..."
Anchis swallowed hard. He clutched Willow's shoulder tightly, staring intently at Bakvik, who remained still, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness.
"His real name... Tell me his real name..."
His left hand held his head as he thought of something. His breathing was fast and shallow.
"Ka..."
Just that one syllable caused the eyes of both siblings to widen. Willow's tears began to stream down her face without warning, while Anchis gritted his teeth.
Bakvik slowly removed his left hand from his head and looked at the two siblings who were staring at him without looking away.
"...Kawor Lienna..."
Willow's face turned red. She covered her eyes and nose with both hands as her tears flowed like a pure waterfall. Anchis clutched her shoulder even more tightly. His face was cold, but his breathing was fast and shallow. He gritted his teeth. Willow looked at her brother, her eyes filled with tears.
"...The Doctor isn't dead... Brother... The Doctor isn't dead..."
Bakvik heard and saw what they were saying, but he stood still without uttering a single word. Anchis slowly pushed Willow away and walked towards Bakvik.
"...You're his student, aren't you?"
"In a way, yes... but in a way, no... because I only transferred a month ago..."
Bakvik held his head, grimacing in pain. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth slightly. It was as if this were a side effect of using his ability.
Anchis said,
"...I guess it's not too late. We used to be students at that university, just like you."
After his headache subsided, Bakvik slowly backed away until his back was against the wall. He crossed his arms tightly and looked at Willow and Anchis.
"...You two are both knowledgeable and highly skilled... Anchis, your skills are the foundational course for survival at the university... So I knew from the start that you two were once from the university."
In the dimly lit room with the three teenagers, it was quiet, even though deep down, all three of them were shaken. Suddenly, Bakvik's expression changed slightly. He stopped in his tracks, and his once cold lips parted and tensed.
"What's wrong with you?" Dinshin saw Bakvik's change in demeanor. He quickly walked closer to him.
Bakvik grabbed the doorknob and turned it violently. He ran out of the house in a panic, his movements clumsy. Outside, the sky was a deep gray. Bakvik ran forward amidst the thunder that roared and shook the ground.
"Follow him!" Anchis turned to Willow. She nodded slightly.
He ran past the many people walking along the street. When they saw him running like this, they all moved out of the way in surprise. Bakvik ran for his life, as if he didn't care who he bumped into along the way. He reached the bridge where he had once met Anchis. The sound of his footsteps echoed against the wet stone ground of the small alley. He ran back to the large tree in the middle of the city, which was now beautifully decorated with lights. People were laughing and playing at the local festival. Bakvik's breathing was fast and shallow. Anchis and Willow ran after him. They saw him far away and ran to catch up, but they couldn't.
...He reached the front of an old building covered in beautiful flowers and plants. It looked like a long building with many rooms for rent, like a home. He ran up the stairs. His heart was pounding. He was panting, and his strength was failing him. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and stomach. He held hisstomach with both hands and headed for the door to Room 1. He pressed the doorbell, but there was no answer. The door wasn't locked. Bakvik pushed the door open and rushed inside.
"They... don't deserve to live in the first place..." The voice of a mysterious man echoed. His voice was deep, as if it didn't belong to a normal human. Bakvik chose to hide behind the wardrobe. The sound of a mysterious wave, cold and bone-chilling, filled his nervous system
. "Fwoosh... Fwoosh..."
"The people at the university... will never let you get away with this!" Sela's eyes trembled. Sweat covered her neck and face. A mysterious man in a dark, hooded robe held his left hand on Sela's shoulder, gripping it tightly as if to crush her.
Bakvik's hands clasped his head. He gritted his teeth tightly. The side effects of his ability were taking their toll, like a double-edged sword. The mysterious man's face came closer to Sela's, almost touching hers. Sela stared at him defiantly, without fear.
"...Your face is so beautiful, like a jewel in a field of snow..."
His left hand gently touched Sela's cheek.
"...Still! You're all just trash..." He raised his right hand, pointing it at the mirror behind him. A dark, black fog came from his hand, which had long, sharp claws. The dark fog seeped through the mirror. The clear glass turned black, and its reflection vanished. He let go of Sela's cheek and clenched his fist. The mirror behind them shattered into a fine dust. Bakvik didn't see what was happening, but he knew how dangerous it was. The tip of the man's claw touched Sela's soft cheek, slicing it and leaving a small cut. She still stood her ground, refusing to be afraid. He tightened his grip on her shoulder as if to make her a part of him. But in the face of death, she glanced at the door. Bakvik's hand slowly moved, revealing just his fingertips so she could see and know that someone was there. She then spat in his face.
"...You lowlife... don't touch my face..."
He stared at her eyes. His face was shrouded in a dark, black fog; it was impossible to tell what he truly looked like. His claws grew longer, and a thick black fog filled the room. Sela's face trembled. Her breathing became erratic, as if she were about to die.
"...Only she can change everything... just get rid of her..."
Sela looked up at the old cabinet. There was a knife on top. She gritted her teeth, staring intently at the knife. Her heart pounded erratically. Blood came out of her mouth for no reason. Suddenly, the knife floated up and shot towards the door as if it were her ability. Bakvik, who was hiding, grabbed it. He rushed forward towards Sela, who was being held by the mysterious man. Sela was weak. Her vision was blurry, and she felt like she was about to faint. She only saw Bakvik rushing towards her in a blur.
"Ah..." As he ran, Bakvik said something to himself, as if it were an unfinished word. His hand clenched tightly, his muscles tensed. He held the knife firmly and ran forward to slash at the mysterious man's shoulder. But on the other side of the building, a different mysterious man in a black coat stood in the shadows. In his hand, he held a wooden carving of a faceless person. He squeezed it until it turned to dust. The wood fragments slowly fell to the ground.
The knife in Bakvik's hand was useless; it couldn't cut him, as if he were made of solid steel. The knife bounced off and embedded itself in the wall. The figure whipped around. Sela slowly fell from his dark embrace, unconscious on the floor. With eyes of utter horror, a deep crimson color, like blood flowing, appeared on the mysterious man's dark face. Bakvik's eyes widened. He slowly backed away from him. The feeling Bakvik had was that this mysterious man was greater in both power and physique, but at the same time, this feeling gave Bakvik a chilling shudder.
He ran to support Sela, who was lying there unconscious. Bakvik held Sela's shoulder tightly. This mysterious figure of death seemed to have no consciousness, as if it had vanished, leaving behind only a mindless body, like a demon. A mysterious fog enveloped Bakvik. Everything felt slow, as if the room had been slowed down. Bakvik's body slowly started to crack, just like the mirror had before.
Suddenly, a brilliant white light appeared. The dark, black power exploded from the figure's body. Everything, the chairs, the tables, and the sofa, was instantly shattered. The lives of the three of them were now in the balance, in a matter of seconds. Bakvik uttered the same word he had spoken before and always did.
"Ah... Al..." It was as if his words were unfinished. He supported Sela, pressing her down to the floor while he was on top of her. They were thrown from the room and landed in front of the door. Bakvik coughed up blood. His tears flowed without him crying. His breathing was fast and shallow.A hollow, eerie scream came from the mysterious figure, a wail so chilling that it seemed to come from the abyss. "Arghhh... Arghhh..."
A brilliant, mysterious light emerged from the man's face. He was scorching hot. His body was covered in cerulean flames. He turned back towards the building across the way where the mysterious masked man was standing in the shadows. His eyes were filled with rage. His cerulean-colored, bloodshot eyes looked at the mysterious man who always seemed to appear.
The mysterious man with the masked face then used both hands to mockingly
"wipe away fake tears," making fun of the mysterious man who was now dying and slowly disappearing in the hot flames.
Everything vanished in a flash. The dark atmosphere returned to normal. The man in the mask's body began to turn translucent and then faded away, leaving behind only a pile of crushed wood on the ground.
Stay tuned for the next episode