"Who are you to decide whom to punish?"
Ivan's voice came out sharper than he expected, cracking through the dead silence of the hallway. His brows pulled together, creating a deep line between them. His eyes narrowed with a mix of disbelief and fury. His jaw tightened so hard the muscles twitched beneath his skin.
He sucked in a slow breath, trying desperately to hold himself together. But Ryaan he knew exactly what he was doing. He was pushing him on purpose, testing him, purposely trying to drag out the anger Ivan spent years trying to cage.
The hallway around them felt frozen. The fluorescent light above flickered, buzzing weakly, throwing long, shaky shadows across the walls. Not a sound, not a footstep, not even a whisper of movement existed just two men standing inches apart, staring into each other's eyes like they were fighting without even lifting a hand.
Ivan's breathing grew shallow. Ryaan's expression, in contrast, remained calm… too calm. His face showed no guilt, no shame, only a chilling confidence that made Ivan's skin crawl.
Ryaan lifted his chin slightly and spoke as if reciting a title he earned.
"Protector of humankind."
Pride dripped from every syllable, as though he truly believed he was saving the world.
Ivan's nose flared in disgust.
"No… you're a monster who enjoys watching people die before your eyes."
Ryaan's smirk appeared instantly, sly and mocking.
"People?" He tilted his head. "Criminals. They are criminals. I killed my father yesterday. Do you think that makes me a villain? I did it because no one else has the courage to take responsibility."
Ivan's throat tightened. His hands unconsciously curled into fists.
"What? Responsibility?" His voice trembled, cracking at the edges.
"Responsibility," Ryaan repeated, softer this time, almost gently. His voice held no remorse, no hesitation, just cold certainty. "Criminals never stop on their own."
"You're a psycho," Ivan breathed out, barely able to keep his voice steady.
Ryaan's faint smile widened, eerie and calm.
"You need me."
"I need nobody!" Ivan snapped back. "Especially not a monster who killed his own father for his own sick pleasure."
"Call it whatever you want," Ryaan murmured as he stepped closer, their chests almost touching. "But remember this criminals never feel pain… until you silence them."
Ivan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.
"Silence them?" he echoed in shock.
"Yes." Ryaan's tone turned colder than before. "I killed my father because he was waste material. He deserved it. And deep down you know it too, right, Ivan?"
Ivan stumbled slightly as if the floor shifted beneath him.
His entire body stiffened.
His fingers trembled uncontrollably.
A cold shiver crawled down his spine.
Ryaan's words didn't just enter his ears they wormed their way into his mind. They wrapped around his thoughts, twisting them, poisoning them. He felt something dark bubbling up inside, something he didn't want to acknowledge.
> Criminals never feel pain.
It would be nice to silence them all…
Ivan squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block the words, but they echoed louder. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. His hands pressed against his skull like he could physically stop the thoughts from entering.
"Stop playing with my mind…" Ivan's voice cracked. "You stop it!"
His restraint snapped.
Ivan punched Ryaan with full force. His knuckles slammed into Ryaan's jaw so hard the sound echoed through the hallway. Ryaan's head swung to the side. His cheek flushed red almost instantly. The punch definitely hurt himbut Ryaan didn't react like a normal person.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
He wiped it casually with the back of his hand.
Then he laughed.
A low, taunting, disturbing chuckle.
That reaction terrified Ivan more than anything else.
"He's playing with me… playing with my head… calm down… calm down… Ivan calm down…" Ivan whispered to himself, voice trembling so badly the words barely came out.
But Ryaan's voice kept spinning in his skull like a cursed echo he couldn't shut off. It kept looping, growing heavier, suffocating him from the inside out.
Ivan pressed both hands against his temples. The headache began stabbing behind his eyes. His breaths shortened, chest tightening painfully. His vision blurred, eyelids squeezing shut as if darkness was safer than looking at Ryaan's smile.
He couldn't get Ryaan's voice out.