In front of the glass door of the advanced operating room, 09 stood with ron. The faint blue hospital lights reflected on the sterile corridor walls, creating an atmosphere of tension and fear. 09 was lost in a whirlpool of dark thoughts, his eyes fixed on the door as if trying to see through it, while his hands trembled slightly. Endless questions swirled in his mind: "What exactly happened? Is she still alive? Did we arrive too late?"
While 09 was immersed in his grim thoughts, ron coughed deliberately, as if trying to snap him out of his trance. Then he sighed with clear annoyance:
"Are we going to stand here forever? Weren't you in a hurry earlier? I ran like crazy to get here because of her, so what are you waiting for now?"
09 exhaled deeply, then slapped himself hard as if punishing himself for his hesitation. He shouted loudly, releasing all the negative emotions that had been suffocating him:
"No more hesitation!"
He knocked on the door firmly before pushing it open and stepping inside.
"Is she okay? I brought the healer!" 09 said, his voice breaking with tension.
lia was fully occupied finishing the procedure, her hands moving with precise speed despite the obvious stress on her face. She didn't lift her head as she said:
"Let him come quickly! Her condition is critical, and her heartbeat is dropping gradually!"
ron replied coldly:
"I need some time to create a circle and perform the rituals. I don't have ordinary healing abilities… I belong to a completely different class."
lia turned toward the voice, surprised by its childish tone. She stared at him in disbelief, as if asking: "Is this the healer we've been waiting for?"
ron furrowed his brows:
"What's with the staring? I am already fifteen, not a child!"
lia smiled with bitter sarcasm, trying to release her tension:
"Hard to believe, you look like a six-year-old."
ron sighed with boredom:
"I am grown-up, and I won't be drawn into your provocations."
lia shouted as she continued her work:
"Just hurry and do what you need to do!"
ron replied calmly:
"Give me three to five minutes."
09 glanced between them, doubts gnawing at him. He approached lia and said firmly:
"I'm going to check something. Take care of her." Then he turned to ron and shouted:
"Just hurry with your rituals!"
He left, clenching his arms tightly, a spark of anger blazing in his eyes.
ron began drawing his circle step by step, muttering obscure words in an ancient language. Then he turned to cloe, lying on the table, and let out a biting laugh:
"Yesterday she acted arrogant… today she's just trash that will perish without me!"
lia glared at him angrily:
"What are you saying, boy? How can a healer take pleasure in others' suffering?"
ron slowly lifted his head, his voice trembling like a taut string on the verge of breaking:
"Do you know, lia… I used to think the orphanage was hell… but it was only a gateway to the real hell."
lia's eyes trembled, but ron continued, his eyes shining with cruel coldness:
"After I received a zero grade on the test, the orphanage authorities sold me to slave traders. There… I learned the true meaning of pain."
He lowered his voice until it became a venomous whisper:
"It wasn't hunger or fear or brutal beatings… it was the daily rape… deliberate bone fractures… sleep deprivation… working until collapse… being turned into a doll to be crushed for others' amusement."
He clenched his trembling hands and continued:
"I watched children being crushed before me… some were weaker and died quickly… others were devoured by human monsters far worse than any creature."
cloe gasped quietly, but ron smiled bitterly:
"I learned one lesson: humans are worse than any monster. No mercy… no compassion… everyone wants to survive, even on the skulls of others."
He looked at her with steely eyes:
"Yes… I stole food from weaker children and watched them starve… I had to kill and eat those who shared my pain. Do you know why? To stay alive… just to prove I wasn't as weak as they thought."
He paused, then whispered:
"So don't ask me to sympathize with anyone… I paid the price for my past empathy… now it's time for others to pay."
ron raised his hands high, laughing like a madman. His insane laughter was quickly cut off by a heavy sigh, then he said hoarsely:
"You can't blame anyone for what they do or even think… we are all children of hell. It's impossible for anyone to come out of there with their mind intact."
He smiled a twisted smile and added:
"Stop pretending to be virtuous, lia… just be who you really are."
lia spoke in a voice trembling with sadness:
"I understand… everyone suffered as you did. But that's no excuse to wish others the same pain."
ron laughed again, as if her words were a joke.
lia said sharply:
"Just finish your rituals quickly! If she dies, 09 will kill us both! Don't think your power or position will protect you!"
09 stood near lia's lab, biting his lips until blood appeared. Urgent questions raced through his mind: "Is he the culprit? If not, who could take cloe down like this?"
He knocked on the door in vain, then broke it open violently. He wandered through the lab illuminated by blue lights until he found kyle asleep in the preservation machine, his body wounded and his hand restrained by metal clamps.
09's anger ignited instantly, and he raised his fist to smash the machine, but two hands grabbed him firmly from behind.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" fyle said.
09's eyes blazed with fury:
"Are you standing with him? Is that your position?"
fyle sighed:
"You know I don't want to oppose you, but you're acting recklessly!"
09 shouted:
"Did you choose him over me? Will you fight me for this killer?"
fyle released his grip and turned away:
"Do whatever you want! But what if he's not the culprit? Did you see what happened? Is this how you repay lia, who saved cloe? Imagine realizing that saving her cost your brother's life!"
09 froze, cloe's words echoing in his mind. He clenched his hands and said:
"So what should I do then? Pretend nothing happened?"
fyle answered calmly:
"I also believe he's the culprit… but leave it to moathan. He will decide after cloe wakes up."
At that moment, kyle opened his eyes nervously: "Has my secret been exposed? Did lia fail to hide the evidence? Should I escape?" Then he sighed slowly:
"She's skilled… she'll find a way out. But should I stay here waiting?"
09 and fyle entered the operating room with heavy steps. They were met by cloe, standing on her feet, leaning on one of the medical machines. Her face was pale, eyes sunken, but her gaze burned with anger and humiliation.
09 approached, attempting to calm the situation with a faint smile:
"cloe… thank God you're okay…"
But she completely ignored him and left silently.
At the door, dani was waiting, leaning on the wall with a mocking smile. He grabbed her arm:
"Your mission was canceled because of your hesitation. We successfully drew the monsters away ourselves. So your task is over, and now you must undergo investigation to see how this happened."
Inside the room, the truth gradually became clear. Everyone realized that the situation had been orchestrated from the start. lia's eyes filled with tears as she stepped toward dani, her hands trembling:
"What did you do?! How many lives were lost because of you?"
dani responded with shocking coldness:
"I'm just a subordinate. Anyway, soldiers need training, especially the new ones. And it's essential to kill these monsters near the cities. You don't know when they might attack. What we did was killing two birds with one stone."
cloe's face flushed with anger:
"How can you reveal secrets in front of everyone?" She drew her sword in a lightning-fast motion.
dani smiled mockingly:
"Don't think I'm like those soldiers. Cross your limits, and I'll send you to hell immediately."
Then he laughed hysterically:
"I don't know if he's the culprit or not, but he crushed you and proved you worthless!"
09 quickly grabbed dani's arm:
"dani, this isn't the time…"
But dani violently shook him off:
"cloe will be restrained and investigated! And you, fyle, go arrest kyle!"
cloe aimed her sword directly at him:
"Do you have any legal authorization for this?"
dani smiled devilishly:
"I hope 09 helps you too, because you alone aren't capable of this fight."
The two took combat stances, the room charged with lethal energy, waiting for a single spark to ignite a fierce battle.