Later that night, the tension in the air was thick. The room was quiet—too quiet—as they all sat around the table, a warm meal laid out in front of them. But no one was eager to eat. Not yet.
Mary glanced across the table at John, her eyes filled with disappointment and worry. She had seen this moment coming the second he acted in the streets.
Mary: "All you can do is eat. You and food. All I asked you to do was not fight. Just one thing. You never learn."
She sighed.
Mary (softly): "Things don't always work out the way you plan. That's life. You just have to follow your path—the one that favors you. That's yours, okay?"
John didn't look up from his plate. His appetite was gone, replaced by the heavy weight of guilt and frustration sitting in his stomach.
John: "I can't just stand and watch them... helpless... treated like animals."
Mary: "I know it's hard," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "But it has to be done. Sacrifice must be paid. You know the saying—no pain, no gain."
John stood up abruptly, pushing back his chair with a screech.
John: "I need some air."
Mary: "Where are you going?" she asked, already knowing she wouldn't get a real answer.
John: "Just… out."
Kido: "John—"
Kay: "Let him go," she interrupted gently. "He wants to be alone."
As John left the room, silence followed. No one touched their food. No one said a word. The atmosphere had shifted, uncertainty crawling through the air like fog.
---
Meanwhile, at the palace...
Don, the ruler feared by all, paced the grand hall with a furrowed brow. His boots echoed loudly against the marble floor as he turned to his right-hand man, Shadow.
Don: "What's going on?" he asked, his voice cold and sharp. "I feel a disturbance… and the people are whispering."
Shadow, a deadly, calculating man dressed in black armor with a red royal crest, stood at attention.
Shadow: "My lord, a rumor is spreading like wildfire. The streets are talking. They say a boy—powerful, high-ranked—is here. Some call him the new lord of the weak. They believe he's the one who will challenge your reign… perhaps even take your throne."
Don stopped pacing and turned slowly to face him. His eyes narrowed.
Don: "Is that true?" he asked, venom in his tone.
Shadow: "It's ridiculous. No man has the power to rival yours. But if someone is foolish enough to try, I'll be the first to strike him down. I swear it."
Don leaned closer, his voice low but deadly.
Don: "Send spies. I want eyes on every corner of the slums, the markets, the gates. If there's even a grain of truth to this rumor… you know what to do."
Shadow: "Yes, my lord. I'll do everything in my power."
He lowered his head with unwavering loyalty.
Shadow: "I'll put my life on the line. Consider it done."
Without another word, he exited the throne room, joined by four towering guards in black cloaks. They moved like shadows through the palace, fast and silent.
As they reached the stables, Shadow spoke again.
Shadow: "Find him. I don't care if he's a boy or a beast. I want him—dead or alive."
He paused, his voice darker now.
Shadow: "And listen carefully—if you mess this up, if this kid survives and the rumors grow… you already know the price. Your heads. Your families. Everything."
The men nodded in silence and vanished into the night.
---
Back at the safehouse, John leaned against the wall outside, staring at the moonlit sky. His hands were clenched into fists.
He hated feeling powerless. He hated doing nothing while others suffered. His whole life felt like it had led to this moment, and now he was being told to sit back and wait?
John (thinking): How do they live like this? Walking past injustice like it's normal?
A soft breeze brushed through the alley, carrying with it the faint sound of children laughing somewhere nearby. It hit him hard—joy, in the middle of chaos. It reminded him why he couldn't ignore it all.
---
Inside, Mary sat alone, staring at the untouched food. Kay sat beside her, gently nudging her shoulder.
Kay: "He doesn't understand yet. But he will."
Mary: "He needs to. Or we're all in danger."
Kido: "You saw what he did today. People praised him. But so did Don's spies, probably. We can't hide him forever."
Anna: "We never could."
---
Later that night, Mary walked to the rooftop, where John stood alone.
Mary: "You were right."
John looked over, surprised. Her tone wasn't angry this time.
Mary: "What they did was wrong. You helped. That matters. But we live in a world where help comes at a cost. The moment they saw your face, we stopped being hidden."
She stood beside him, her eyes scanning the same stars he'd been watching.
John: "I made enemies for myself today."
Mary: "I've made enemies all my life."
She looked at him with something between admiration and sadness.
Mary: "I'm just scared we'll be the ones who pay for it.
You have to promise me to listen to me. I know you are the head of this mission—without you, this means nothing. All our efforts will be nothing.
You have to know in and out who to trust and who not to. Although, no one is trusted. John, you understand?"
John: "Yes."
Mary was about to leave, then John called out.
John: "Mary, thanks for watching out for me out there. Thanks for having my back."
Mary: "It's what it is. I had to do it. That's my duty. You don't have to thank me."
Mary walked out, saying to herself, "He needs to grow up, or he will get himself killed—and this mission will be over. And I will not let that happen."
She walked toward the others.
Mary: "Keep an eye on him. Protect him at any cost."
Make no mistake.