Dorian walked down the hospital hallway with killing intent boiling inside his chest.
Every step echoed with a single thought: I will kill him again. Not just kill, this time, he would tear him apart. Cut every piece. Burn what remained. Make sure nothing of him existed in this world anymore.
His grip tightened around the knife hidden beneath his shirt as images flooded his mind, blood, screams, fire. He welcomed them.
Before he could reach the room, several people stepped into his path.
"Are you Dorian?" one of them asked.
Dorian stopped.
His entire body trembled with rage, but he forced himself to breathe. Slowly. Carefully. He swallowed it down.
"Yes," he said, his voice low and tight. "What's wrong?"
The man in front spoke calmly, almost rehearsed. "We're from the company. We've been observing your sister's case for quite some time."
Dorian's eyes narrowed. "What company?"
The man ignored the question. "After a thorough investigation, we've reached a conclusion."
Dorian felt his heart pound. "What conclusion?"
"You," the man continued, "are the reason your sister ended up in that situation. Your actions, your neglect, your instability, you pushed her to that point."
Dorian laughed. It came out sharp and broken. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Therefore," the man said evenly, "we've decided to revoke your custody. Your sister will be transferred to a different family. A more stable environment."
For a moment, Dorian couldn't hear anything else.
The hallway tilted.
"What… did you just say?" he whispered.
"Custody has been reassigned," the man repeated. "This decision is final."
Dorian stepped forward. "You think you can just take her?"
"Please remain calm..."
"Calm?" Dorian snapped. "You come here, tell me I'm the reason she died, and tell me to stay calm?"
Another man beside him spoke. "Sir, this is for her own good."
Dorian's breathing turned ragged. "Who the hell are you people? You watched her? From where? From behind a desk? From a screen?"
He pointed at his own chest. "I searched for her. I bled for her. I killed for her."
The man adjusted his glasses. "We understand emotions are high, but..."
"You understand nothing," Dorian growled.
The man glanced at his notes. "Custody has already been approved. She will be placed with the individual in room 206."
Something inside Dorian shattered.
"What did you say?" he asked quietly.
"Room 206," the man repeated. "He and his wife have agreed to take her in."
The knife was in Dorian's hand before anyone could react.
In one smooth motion, he stepped forward and slit the man's throat.
Blood sprayed across the white floor.
The other two froze in horror.
Dorian didn't even look at the body as it collapsed. He was already running.
Someone shouted. Someone screamed. But Dorian didn't stop.
He sprinted down the hallway and slammed into room 206.
Empty.
"What?" he muttered.
A nurse nearby gasped at the sight of the blood on him. "S-Sir?"
"Where is he?" Dorian demanded. "Where did the man in this room go?"
The nurse hesitated. "Oh, him? He was so happy earlier. He said he and his wife were adopting a new child. He left to pick her up."
Dorian's stomach dropped.
"She's in this hospital?" he whispered.
"Yes," the nurse said nervously. "He said it was fate. That everything aligned perfectly."
Dorian turned and ran.
He didn't hide the knife anymore.
He didn't care.
As he sprinted back toward his sister's room, one thought screamed inside his skull: I was too late.
He noticed something strange, no alarms, no guards chasing him. He had just killed someone. No one stopped him.
But there was no time to think.
He burst into the room.
Empty.
"No… no, no, no!" he screamed.
He tore through the room, knocking things over, screaming her name, his voice breaking.
Then--
The ceiling exploded.
Debris crashed down as something massive descended.
A grotesque figure emerged: tentacles where arms should be, a twisted human torso fused with horse-like legs, a face that refused to settle into anything recognizable, neither human, nor beast, nor monster.
Dorian fell to his knees.
"Vision!" he screamed in relief. "Thank God, you came!"
Tears streamed down his face. "They took her. Someone took my sister. I'm losing my mind. Please, help me find her."
The creature's voice echoed unnaturally, layered and wrong.
"Dorian," it said. "Evil forces have taken your sister."
Dorian slammed his fist into the floor. "Then tell me where she is! I'll kill them all!"
"There is a price," Vision replied.
Dorian looked up, eyes wild. "Anything. I don't care."
The creature leaned closer.
"You must make a sacrifice."
The room grew cold.
"What sacrifice?" Dorian asked.
Vision's tentacles twitched.
"Your humanity," it whispered.
And Dorian didn't hesitate.