###chapterX:chatterd illusion**
No one understood why he
"Where are you going?" someone whispered, confused.
"Should we just follow her?" another voice asked uncertainly.
____________
Zero sat, his head hanging low. Something warm was running down his cheeks. He instinctively wiped at it, but then he paused—these were tears. His tears.
The realization hit him like a smack to the face. He remembered everything—the stories he heard the day before, the pain in each of their voices. And now, as he lifted his head, he finally saw their faces for the first time. His heart clenched.
There was the blind man, with two empty hollows where his eyes once were. A girl sat beside him, one of her hands missing. His gaze shifted, and then he saw June. His breath caught in his throat. June, who had no legs.
The tears he had tried so hard to hold back came flooding out. He thought about the cruel irony—June, sitting there without her lower half, in the center of it all, a broken reflection of the very loss that haunted him.
Zero fought to control himself. He forced the tears down, though it took every ounce of his strength. Then, shakily, he stood up. His voice trembled as he shouted, "How was I ever your hero? Answer me! I'm no hero, I am... I am..."
The words broke, and he collapsed back into his seat, defeated. "I am no one," he whispered, his voice hollow, barely audible.
Then, cutting through the heavy silence, a voice came from the side. "I can hear it cracking."
Zero turned his head, startled. There was K, standing on the side, as if he had been there the whole time, roaming around in his usual way.
Zero let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "Of course," he muttered, "now I'm hallucinating you.
---
Yearwelv began speaking, his voice calm yet pointed. "I see now that your eyes are finally open... but I can't see," he said, gesturing to his own sightless eyes with a hint of dry humor. "You know, because of... well, this." He pointed to his empty eye sockets and then sighed. "But you... you finally noticed others' struggles, didn't you? You noticed."
He then pointed to himself—the blind man. "You noticed me, losing half my sight. You saw the girl with no hand. You saw June, with no legs. But..." he paused, shaking his head slightly. "You didn't notice the burn marks on the four in front of you."
Zero blinked, confused. But before he could respond, he saw K moving around the room, silently lifting the shirts of each of the four people Yearwelv had mentioned. Zero's eyes widened as he saw the same burn mark on each of their right shoulders. But it wasn't just a random scar—it had a shape, incomplete but unmistakable.
"Is that...?" Zero started to ask, but Yearwelv cut him off.
"Yes, an uncompleted shape. Do you know why they never finished this art?" Yearwelv asked, his voice now heavy with meaning. He stepped closer, his tone lowering to almost a whisper. "Because of you."
With that cryptic statement, Yearwelv left, leaving Zero in a state of confusion and uncertainty, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of everything.
Jan smiles softly and says, "I don't know if you noticed or not, but..." He lifts his shirt sleeve, revealing the burn mark on his shoulder. "Mayo, Juls, Auggie, and I—we all have the same thing." He pauses, glancing at the others. "But that doesn't matter how. You're our hero. Just know that we see you as one."
Mayo then speaks up, her voice gentle but firm. "If you really want to know why then I'll tell ya... it was the day you stopped crying. That was the day they thought they made you stronger. And because of that, it was also the day we stopped crying. Our misery ended because of you."
She looks at him earnestly. "If it weren't for you, we all would've lost something more than we already had. Even those of us who lost the most—they would've lost even more if it hadn't been for you."
---
Everyone nodded in agreement, their heads bowing slightly as they reflected on Mayo's words. E spoke up next, his voice carrying a thoughtful tone. "Yeah, Zero, you changed us—at least, you changed me. When I was younger, I remember feeling angry all the time. I used to think, 'What did I do to deserve this?' But then I saw what they did to you. My anger shifted—I started wondering, 'What did you do to deserve all that?' That day, I realized I was angry for the wrong reasons. If it weren't for you, I might've become aggressive or worse. So, thank you, Zero."
On the other hand, Zero couldn't understand why they were saying these things. He didn't feel like he'd done anything significant. But instead of replying, he just sat there, quietly looking at everyone.
Meanwhile, Dr. Pill was in another room, her focus interrupted by an urgent phone call. The voice on the other end informed her that K had destroyed two government facilities, and his next target was the village. "The attack is expected at dawn," the voice warned. Dr. Pill muttered to herself, "We have only a few hours to stop him."
She reached for the microphone, ready to call it a day and relay their orders. But just as she was about to speak, she hesitated. Dr. Carla, standing nearby, tried to interject, urging her to hurry, but Dr. Pill hushed her, demanding the report. Dr. Carla, stunned by her abruptness, handed over the file.
- **E (Object 5):**
E's intense anger is reflected in his fire power. Initially, his rage manifested in destructive flames, and despite his struggles with anger, he continues to wield his fiery abilities with significant force. If he could gain better control over his anger, it might benefit him greatly by enhancing his precision and overall effectiveness with his powers.
Dr. Pil smiled. "The theory is correct."
"What theory?" Dr. Carla asked.
"The theory about their abilities," Dr. Pil replied. "I initially thought this report was misleading, but the writer believed something profound. For example When E was talking about his anger, the writer noted that at one moment, E felt like he wanted to burn everything around him. The theory suggests their powers are tied to these intense emotional moments, not just granted at random."
Dr. Carla looked intrigued. "So, you're saying their abilities come from their emotions?"
"Exactly," Dr. Pil nodded. "The writer called it 'illusion power' because he thought it stemmed from within, like an illusion tied to their mind rather than something purely external."
"So if they control these emotions..." Dr. Carla started.
"They could control whatever they wish," Dr. Pil concluded before turning to the mic. "Everyone, head to the green room. We're done for today."
---
Zero didn't know what the green room was and stood confused for a second. Jane noticed his hesitation and explained, "It's just the meeting room. If we're all being called, it must be something serious. Let's go."
As they began walking, Zero couldn't help but glance at Jane again, remembering what he'd seen earlier. She caught his look and gave a small smile. "My ability... it's something like generating," she said casually, without going into detail.
Zero was left with more questions than answers, but Jane didn't elaborate further. They all continued toward the green room, with the mystery of her ability lingering in the air.
---
The meeting had concluded, and Dr. Pill firmly ordered that the seven should sleep in the same room as the 23. Her instructions were effective immediately. As the seven and the 23 settled into the room together, a tense silence hung in the air.
"Can you shut up? Stop thinking, stop narrating,I just want this night to be peaceful. I can't bear another headache."
Summer, Winter, Spring, Yearwelv, and Septim approached Zero. He sighed internally. "You wouldn't stop, would you?" Winter asked, seeming to pick up on his frustration. "What?" . "Nothing,"Zero replied
"We just wanted to ask what your opinion is about all this," Summer said casually.
Zero shrugged. "I don't know. K destroyed the arena, ten government facilities, and now he's targeting the village. To be honest, I don't really care about all that. He tried to hurt me and my brothers, so that's why we'll stop him. I mean, they will stop him—not for the village."
Spring chimed in, smirking slightly. "If it were up to me, I'd wait for him to destroy the village first, then capture him. It'd be for the best if that garbage place were gone."
Zero gave a slight nod. "Agreed," he muttered.
The group left, leaving Zero alone with his thoughts. i wish if you leave to.....
---
K was headed to attack the village, moving up the schedule. This made Dr. Pill jump from her office, striking fast. **"She'll be here in a second,"** Zero muttered to himself, almost mocking the urgency of it all. **"As if..."**
Before he could finish the thought, Dr. Pill burst into the room. **"Gather around!"** she commanded.
Zero glanced up, a thought crossing his mind, **"I wonder if these voices really belong to me..."*
---
**"Okay, everyone, there's no time to rest. K is attacking the village as we speak. Follow your leader, D, and Zero, you're good at observation—look for any weaknesses and inform your team. I hope you all succeed."**
Dr. Pill's voice was urgent.
The team gathered around R, holding hands, preparing for teleportation. Everyone took a deep breath, their legs feeling like they were anchored to the ground.
They all shared a strange, indescribable feeling—one that lingered in their minds, making it even more terrifying. The worst part was that they couldn't talk about it, not under these circumstances. So, in an attempt to calm themselves, they tried to understand it instead.
And then, without realizing it, their thoughts aligned. No words were spoken, yet they all wondered the same thing: "it's like..... it's like...."
"It's like… a weird feeling in your throat."
They froze. That wasn't just a passing thought—it was something spoken aloud. Slowly, they turned their heads.
It was Zero.
He had voiced exactly what they were all feeling. And in that moment, the fear loosened its grip, replaced by a quiet relief. They weren't alone in this.
Without even meaning to, Zero became something more in their eyes—not just a hero, but someone who understood them on a level beyond words. He had reached into their deepest, unspoken thoughts and pulled them into the light.
And all of it had happened with nothing more than a single sentence.
**"One last thing,"** Dr. Pill added, **"capture him alive."**
With that, R initiated the teleportation, and the team vanished from the room, their minds still processing the urgency of the situation..R teleported them outside the village border, and they held hands for a few seconds before letting go. However, Zero thought to himself, *I guess we're all still afraid of the village after all. R couldn't teleport us inside the village, and the fact that we were holding hands, even though R can teleport all of us—and even the whole room—at once… it means we're definitely still carrying a scar around our hearts.* He paused, reflecting. *I call it the fear of losing. In the end, it turns into hate—a hate that will either fuel you to keep moving or make you burn the whole place down. And both are considered progress.*"…Wonderful analysis, as always," a voice said. Zero turned around and saw K. He whispered, "Now you're talking. What do you want? Why are you inside my head? You and… forget about that. You're still annoying."
K laughed. "I see you can analyze everyone but yourself. It must be difficult not understanding what you want from yourself. Anyway, stop distracting yourself and focus. They'll be discussing the plan soon."Everyone gathered around D, who sensed the intense and uncomfortable feelings colliding in the air. He began to think about how to make them comfortable and realized that only a well-crafted, perfect plan could put them at ease. After that, a speech would be necessary to dispel the doubts they felt. As he started to formulate the plan, he pondered who would be the best person to deliver it.On the other hand, Dr. Pill and Dr. Carla were sitting together in the cafeteria, chatting over two cups of coffee. Dr. Carla asked, "Why is D the leader?"
Dr. Pill sighed and opened a report. "Let me explain." She turned the page to reveal:
- **D (Object 6)**: D's calm and reserved nature hides his inner struggle with anger. His ability to control and manipulate water is enhanced by his internal conflict, using his anger as a source of strength. His calm exterior masks the turbulent emotions he manages, allowing him to utilize his water power effectively. This balance between his external calmness and internal anger reflects his complex emotional landscape.
Dr. Carla looked at Dr. Pill, confused. Dr. Pill said, "You understand from that, his calmness mixed with a bit of anger. That's why I chose him. he's flexible like water—able to think under pressure or in any situation. His anger issues make it easier for him to hit or cause damage with his ability. And don't be mistaken; even though he has anger issues, you can't provoke him easily."even if he's angery all the time
Dr. Carla said, "Okay, I kinda understand where you're coming from. What will happen to the seven after they catch K?"
Dr. Pill replied, "They will be executed due to the Arena accident. Someone has to take the fall. I believe we've extracted everything we need from them, and they've mastered their abilities. It's becoming hard to control them. We have 23 new candidates, and we'll take a better approach thanks to the Seven helping us understand the dynamics."
Dr. Carla wondered, "What if they're defeated by K? What happens then?"
Dr. Pill answered, "It would be better for them. At least they would leave as heroes. But if they win, it means they're dangerous and need to be terminated. We don't want him to develop further."
Dr. Carla asked, "Who?"
Dr. Pill said, "You'll know soon…
TO BE CONTINUED.....