I've lost track of how many hours I've been sitting beside Jennifer.
Still holding her hand, my eyes stay fixed—shifting only between her face and the monitor above her that displays her heart rate. I deliberately avoid looking at her chest. Every time I see that iron cable protruding from it, the guilt claws deeper into me.
I had returned to the Health Facility immediately after Mrs. Rauss took Lily into custody. I didn't know where they took her—and frankly, I didn't care. But judging by the worry on Bruno's face, her detention wouldn't be gentle. That's why he'd been trying so hard to cover her actions.
Still, whatever Lily's facing now couldn't possibly be worse than what she tried to do.
"I'm sorry, Baby," I whisper—for the umpteenth time.
There are too many things I need to apologize for.
She was abducted—used as bait—just so they could pull me back into the organization. And then… I exhale heavily. If only I had known… that bowing my head that day would lead to this… I would never have done it. Never.
But maybe the worst part…
I broke my promise.
Even though I refused to rejoin the organization, I still agreed to do a mission for them.
It's for her sake, a voice inside me argues. You had to. To save her.
Still… I promised her I was done with them. That we were free.
Another long breath escapes me.
Gently, I stroke my index finger across her cheek. "I'm sorry, Baby…" I whisper again.
"Excuse me, sir…" a voice calls from behind.
"Yes?" I answer, turning my head.
"You've received a message from the North Wing Tower. They said they need you to come there."
I frown at the woman delivering the message.
"They said it's about your mission," she adds, sensing my confusion.
"Oh… right," I mutter once I realize what it's about. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, sir," she says with a small nod, beginning to turn away.
"How's Paresh?" I ask before she can leave.
The question stops her in her tracks. She gives me a thin smile.
"He's getting better, sir. We managed to stop the corrosion." Then her gaze drops. "Although…"
Her voice softens. "He'll only be able to breathe with one lung for the rest of his life."
"…I see," I say quietly, the only words I can find.
She nods once and walks away, leaving me standing there—stunned.
Paresh.
He was the one who stopped Lily. The one who grabbed her left hand before it could touch Jennifer.
Everyone in the Health Facility knows what Lily's left hand can do. A single touch to bare skin… and it's over. What happens next depends entirely on her intent. Poison—like what she used on Daniel, Andy's boyfriend. A heart attack—like what she used on Andy. And on me.
Corrosion… That's what she had planned for Jennifer.
But Paresh stopped her.
And so he received it instead.
The corrosion ate away part of his lung. Destroyed half his liver. Thankfully, the scientists here acted fast—fast enough to stop the spread and save his life.
But still… he'll never be the same.
-
Once again, I drive to the North Wing Tower—the place I once called basecamp.
This time, I use the intercom and wait for someone inside to let me in.
"Death!!" Fred exclaims excitedly as he opens the door to welcome me.
"I need to talk to Sara," I say as I step in.
"She's in the tower," he replies, a little awkward now. This is the third time his warm greeting has been met with cold indifference. It's not that I'm mad at him—I just don't want to act like I'm part of the team again. Because I'm not.
"Thanks," I say curtly before walking deeper into the house.
The house sits at the base of the tower. At the back, there's a narrow spiral staircase leading to the top. If you're not used to it, the climb could make you dizzy. I remember counting once—there are 1,288 steps.
At the top, the staircase ends at a shutterless domed window that displays the night sky. There, I find Sara.
She's sitting in the corner of the window, legs dangling over the edge, just like always. This is her favorite spot. She comes here often—whenever she needs to think… or to heal.
"Hey, Scott," she says when she notices me. I'm surprised she calls me by name—my current name. The Royal Knights usually call each other by their soul-bound creature names. We all know each other's real names, but rarely use them.
"You left me a message about the mission," I say, getting straight to the point.
"Yeah, I did," she nods. "But… let's talk about that later."
She pats the spot next to her. "Come sit for a while."
Of all the girls in the team, I've always liked Sara the most. She's only a year older than me, but she's wise beyond her years. She's the team's big sister—even to Albert, who's two years older than she is.
"It's my birthday," she adds when I don't move.
"Happy birthday," I say at last, stepping forward and sitting beside her.
"Thanks." She grins widely, then turns her gaze out the window.
"I've always loved the view here," she murmurs, mostly to herself, as she brings a thin rolled paper to her lips.
I've never understood what she sees in it—especially at night.
From here, all I can see are treetops from the forest, and a barren desert stretching dozens of miles beyond. Sure, there are stars—but the sky is usually covered in fog. Even the moon struggles to shine through it, let alone the stars.
"What do you want to talk to me about?" I ask. "Besides the mission."
"Nothing," she says, glancing at me briefly before returning her gaze to the view. "I just miss you."
She pulls another thin roll from her front pocket and hands it to me. "Here, have one. You look tense."
I accept it. I have to admit—I am tense. And tired. I lean in as she offers a light.
"It's been chaos here since you left," Sara says, leaning back against the wall.
"Really?" I ask, starting to feel the smoke relax my body.
She nods. "Everyone was heartbroken when the news came."
"What news?"
"That you were killed by Mila," she says.
I frown, and she chuckles. "I never bought it. Not for a second. I mean… I knew you had something special with her. There's no way she'd kill you."
"You've always been the smartest one," I say.
She shrugs. "It's my gift."
"But no one else believed me, of course. And I couldn't exactly say it out loud. Everyone was furious. Especially Lily. All she could think about was avenging you."
She takes a drag from her roll before continuing.
"Still, it helped. We pushed Mila hard. Backed her into a corner. Her organization collapsed. She went into hiding with nothing left."
"I read she died two years ago," I say.
Sara nods. "I heard that too. And this time, I believe it. Her body was in the coffin for two days. It was definitely her."
"And me?"
"To the world, you were pronounced dead in a war in Country I. Your body was destroyed. Your face was unrecognizable."
"I see…" I exhale slowly, letting the smoke slip from my lips as I stare into the misty distance.
"So what really happened?" Sara asks, turning toward me.
I shrug. "I'm not entirely sure."
I take another inhale before speaking. "All I remember is fighting her bodyguard. Then she shot me with a stun gun. Next thing I knew, I woke up naked on top of a dumpster. No memory. Recently I found out… my appearance had been changed. Even my voice."
"That makes sense," she says with a few thoughtful nods.
"How does that make sense?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's just say… if you weren't her son—and if you weren't that special—you'd already be dead."
I don't respond. But I know she's right.
And I know I can't let Mrs. Rauss find out I haven't gotten my ability back.
Not yet.
We fall into silence for a while, letting the smoke and night air calm us both.
"Did you get the procedure?" I ask eventually.
Sara shakes her head. "Nope. Madam wouldn't allow it."
She chuckles. "Guess she's afraid I'll outsmart her."
Her laugh makes me laugh. So we laugh together.
"How about the others?" I ask.
"They all got it," she replies.
"What are their capabilities?"
Sara inhales once more before answering.
"Well, you know Gila's. And I guess Viper's too. Bruno can teleport… and trigger explosions from nothing."
As expected, I say to myself.
"Fred? Charlotte?"
"Fire—he can turn into binary form. Enter physical systems. Pretty cool, right? And Black's the coolest of all. She can possess people. Literally enter their minds and take control."
Sara takes one last drag before snuffing it out on the floor.
"I'm glad you're back, Scott," she says with a warm, genuine smile.
"I'm not—"
"I know," she cuts me off, sighing as she exhales. "I wish you were…"
She reaches to her side and grabs a yellow folder—the kind I'm all too familiar with. She hands it to me.
"Your mission," she says softly, before turning back to the view.
I open the folder.
And just like that—the calm I had vanishes.
The name of the target written inside wipes away every trace of peace the smoke had brought me.
QUICK QUIZ:
Before you read the next chapter, can you guess who is the target ? Leave a comment below