The twins stiffened at first, mistrust twitching in their shoulders.
But the warmth was real—steady and unshaken—and little by little, they clung back, like frost-bitten hands seeking a fire.
The man in white saw his advantage trying slipping away.
He wasn't being pushed yet and couldn't push, either.
He knew he was in tough spot.
Then, his lips curled into a snarl. He pressed something inside his pocket—and
Whooshhh.....!!...
The smoke started leaking and the lab began to collapse.
---
Vice commander stoped on his feet, still. The man in white seeing the chance took advantage of momentary distraction and
pushed the vice commander away, fleeing.
Smoke hissed from cracks in the walls. Dust fell like snow.
"Go after him," Elias ordered without looking back, his hand tightened around kids in his embrace.
The vice commander lunged after the fleeing man.
While Elias, concentrated mana on his feet to increase his speed, he tightened his hold on the children and bolted for the exit.
They coughed in the smoke, faces buried against him, trusting him in a way they hadn't trusted anyone in years.
Why???....
Because what else could they even do except it.
"Collapse! Now!" Elias's voice rang through every knight's earpiece. "Everyone, out!"
They burst into the cold air outside just as the building groaned and fell in on itself.
Elias glanced down at the blonde boy—heartbeat faint, barely there.
In the game, this boy had never been mentioned again.
But here, now… he was still alive.
Maybe it was because Elias had been here this time.
Maybe it was just chance.
It didn't matter to him, he was happy to save one more life no matter how it changed the story...this is his life..his real life, and he holds the key to his own fate, he will rewrite it....
The twins didn't know the full truth yet.
None of them knew what the experiments had really done to them… or what they would become.
But for now—
they were warm.
They were held.
And they were alive.
And right now, that's what matters the most.....
---
Outside:-
Everyone escaped, the guards were unconscious and held captive. No way they will die so easily.
Everyone was outside seeing the lab collapse in front.
And then, Elen and Leya peek out from his embrace, their lips had a smirk displayed as they saw the guards unconscious in front of ruined lab.....
Leya's fingers dug into Elias's coat and Elen didn't let go of his warmth even for a second.
Blonde boy's eyes was half-lidded, and then closed again.
The forest was hushed, the only sound the crunch of boots against frost-hardened ground.
In Elias's arms, three small bodies rested—two identical in form and spirit, and one whose golden hair caught the faint silver of moonlight.
The twins were silent, their breathing shallow, their fingers curling unconsciously into the fabric of his coat.
The blonde boy, however, shivered faintly with every exhale.
His body was light—too light—and Elias could feel, even without touching his skin, the fragile pulse of his soul. The blade and the injected poison hadn't just wounded him—they had pressed against that core until it strained and cracked.
"Will… it be all right?"
The question was quiet, hesitant. Elen asked.
Elias knew what he was talking about he didn't reactuch and replied in gentle yet genuine voice.
"One day," he said, "you'll all wake up, and it won't hurt anymore."
The words settled over them like a blanket. For the twins, it was something to cling to. For the blonde boy, it was the final comfort before his soul gave way. His eyes were closed, his breathing eased, and he slipped into a deep, strange stillness—not death, but something like a dream from which he could only wake in fleeting moments.
Elias's hold tightened slightly. He could feel it—the boy's soul wasn't gone. His own mana, pure enough to reach such depths, would heal it. Slowly, but surely.
By the time they reached the tree line where the horses waited, it was clear they couldn't return at their usual pace.
The children's bodies were too weak to endure the ride, and the blonde boy's state demanded care. Elias ordered the carriage prepared, its interior layered with furs and heated stones to keep the cold away.
As they settled inside, Elias pulled three small vials from his belt—potions of his own making.
He pressed one into each twin's hands and tipped the last carefully between the unconscious boy's lips. The twins drank without protest, though their wary eyes never left him. He didn't mind.
Trust was not given easily. It shouldn't be.
When he looked down at the boy again, he paused. "I don't know your name," he murmured. "But until I do, I'll call you Lucien."
The syllables felt right—steady, dignified, and warm.
The boy, even in his sleep, seemed to breathe more evenly, and though he gave no outward sign, something in him clung to the name.
Elias rested back against the carriage seat, the twins pressed close to his sides despite themselves. They still glanced at the white blindfold covering his eyes, as though trying to understand why someone who could not see felt safer than those who could.
They didn't know why they wanted to believe him.
Perhaps it was human nature—perhaps it was something else entirely.
Outside, the vice commander approached. "We've lost the trail, my lord. "
The vice - commander who was behind the man in white figures something a miss.... someone helping him though he couldn't pinpoint , he got near Elias and whispered in his ear...
" My lord, there was a black smoke around him... feeling strange I return"
" You did great Vice - commander, it is better to be safe then dying for no reason " Elias replied in a hushed tone.
Elias's tone was calm but left no space for doubt.
"Leave no one inside. Post men on the perimeter. The cameras will record any movement. I'll return in three days." Elias ordered them all.
Vice- commander nodded, saluting, and began giving orders to the rest of the knights. The carriage wheels began to turn, pulling them slowly toward the capital.
Inside, beneath the quiet hum of the road, three children slept against him.
One day —Elias promised himself, they would wake without pain.
---