BANG!
The crash thundered through the surroundings, startling everyone present. The sharp sound of metal against metal rang out throughout the entire room.
As all heads turned, they focused on the man who had suddenly gone crazy, his expression tight and his knuckles pale as he raised the chair again, ready to bring it crashing down onto the precious equipment.
"Hey!"
The captain's voice thundered across the surroundings, freezing everything in place. Even the hum of the machines seemed to quiet down.
Sonorous?
I took note of the information as the researcher stopped whatever he was doing, and blood began leaking out from his nose and ears.
Almost a moment after, he snapped out of it as his blank expression returned and his grip over the chair loosened.
Blinking rapidly, he looked around, taking note of everyone's attention on him. The chair slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor.
"H-huh? What...? Why is⎯"
BANG!
He was never able to finish his words. Without a second thought, I activated [Trait Transfer] as my body melted onto the ground and I appeared behind him in the time it took for someone to blink.
Reaching for the back of his neck, I smashed him down onto the table.
"Huek!"
The impact rattled the equipment nearby. Ignoring his scream, my eyes narrowed.
"What were you doing? Why did you suddenly go crazy? State your purpose."
"A-ah... I...!"
I continued to press my hand against the back of his head, making it impossible for him to speak as he struggled to get his words out.
"I... akh...!"
"Enforcer."
A voice suddenly reached me from behind.
When I turned back, I saw the security captain staring at me with a grim expression, his gaze shifting to the man in my grasp.
The lines around his mouth were tight. His hand rested near his side, not quite reaching for anything, but close enough that it made it seem like he was about to.
He looked extremely angry.
"Let me handle this. He's under my jurisdiction, and for something like this to happen right under my nose, I take full responsibility."
"...."
I didn't move immediately.
Instead, I stared straight at the security captain as he maintained his expression over the man in my grasp. The silence persisted for the next few seconds, the tension in the air as thick as it could be, broken only by the faint whirring of the ventilation above us.
Eventually, I let go of the man's neck and moved back.
Just before moving away, I gave the security a stern warning.
"Make sure to handle this well. This isn't the first incident that has occured to day. Investigate this properly and make sure you extract all information."
"...Leave it to me."
Without saying anything else, the security captain moved to where the man was. His expression changed subtly, and his gaze shifted towards me after a brief moment. Realizing why, I shrugged my shoulders.
"I didn't intend to go that hard; however, considering the situation, this was something that I couldn't control. He should wake up soon. Bring him out of this place."
"...Yes."
With a low whistle, several other people moved in as the security captain reached for the man and escorted him out. As he was about to leave, the captain looked at me, holding my gaze for just a moment longer than necessary.
"I'll be going for a short moment. Please look after this place for me. If you have any troubles, ask the engineers here, and they will immediately help you look out for the situation."
"Alright."
I nodded and didn't say anything else. The captain nodded back and escorted the suspect out of the room. The door sealed shut behind them with a soft, pressurized click.
As they left, the place fell silent, all eyes locked in my direction. I didn't mind the stares. They didn't really bother me as I began moving forward, heading towards the control panel again. I started to check the logs once more as the hologram cast a blue light across my hands.
I did this for a few seconds before I felt the stares subside.
It was only when I was certain that nobody was looking that I brought my hand to my face again and wiped away at my mouth. When I looked down, I caught a glimpse of the red that stained it.
I placed my hand over the table and tried to keep myself balanced.
'...My nodes are already quite messed up. I probably shouldn't strain them any further.'
The strain my body undertook when I held the knife back in Malia was real.
The toll that my mind took was quite heavy.
But that wasn't really what made things difficult for me.
Normally, someone who was in the Fourth Order or below couldn't use two nodes at the same time. This was the universal truth about those in the Fourth Order.
But it really wasn't because they couldn't do it.
It mainly had to do with the fact that it put a heavy strain on the nodes.
If someone of the Fourth Order used two nodes at the same time, there was a good chance that their nodes would crack. This was why most people at the Fourth Order or below never tried.
I was different, however.
My nodes were already shattered, and to be honest... I wasn't one to care about the damage that my nodes had sustained. Reaching into my pocket, I popped a pill into my mouth as I felt a cool sensation wash over me.
It almost felt refreshing. However, the sensation washed away rather quickly as I was left disappointed with the result.
Having taken quite a lot of them, they no longer had much of an effect on me.
'I should get to the Fifth Order as soon as possible.'
It wasn't hard for me to reach the Fifth Order. I already had most of the stuff collected, and even if I didn't, I could always ask the Guild Master for it.
'After this is done, I'll make sure to reach the Fifth Order. At this rate, I really might lose myself.'
Things were already bad enough as they were.
"Hoo."
Nevertheless, taking a deep breath, I looked up. The air in the room tasted faintly of metal and recycled air.
My lips curled faintly as I looked around me.
'Looks like the sacrifice wasn't for nothing.'
The Enforcer's ability was to teleport. While I couldn't teleport, I did use the Realmwalker's ability to make it seem like I had. This was probably what made the security captain'trust' me with this place. As things stood, he probably had no suspicion about me.
This was all I needed.
'Now, I should probably get started.'
I looked around me, taking note of everything that was happening as I pressed my hand against the table in front of me.
At the same time, I activated Mr. Jingles' ability and had him connect with the electrical system of the place. Somewhere beneath the floor, something faintly hummed in response.
Watching as everyone got busy with their work, I crossed my arms while staring at the data in front of me.
Eventually, as someone passed me, I nudged them with my head.
"Hey."
"Yes, sir?"
They stopped the moment I called for them as I nudged at the data in front of me.
"I need help with this. Can you explain to me what is happening?"
"Ah, this..."
The engineer walked forward, taking a look at the data. As their eyes scanned the entire thing, they began to explain the same situation that the captain had.
I pretended to care while nodding before eventually asking, "I'm curious about something. How does this entire system work? I was given a brief overview by the security captain, but I never paid much attention to it. From what I'm aware, this is the work of an item, right?"
"Yes, indeed."
The engineer answered.
"Everything routes through the transmitter. It interfaces directly with the facility's sensor network, aggregates the environmental and biometric data, and runs continuous diagnostics against the established thresholds. Any deviation outside acceptable parameters gets tagged, timestamped, and pushed to the log feed automatically. There's no manual input required on our end."
"I see. And it oversees everything, doesn't it?"
"Well, not quite everything."
The engineer explained.
"There are certain places that are more sensitive than the rest, so naturally the transmitter's range doesn't reach them. Especially with the doctor's recent research."
A fervent look appeared on the engineer's face as he spoke about the doctor.
"The moment the research fully comes out, it'll be massive for the entire world."
"Haha, of course."
I laughed.
My curiosity was piqued.
"Looks like you're quite excited about his research."
I scanned the engineer from top to bottom.
"Why is that?"
"Why?"
The engineer blinked several times. He seemed confused by the question, but the confusion merely lasted a few seconds before his face became heated again.
"The doctor's research will undoubtedly revolutionize the entire field. For decades, we've struggled to maintain structural stability within our nodes. They grant us extraordinary capabilities, but they are inherently unstable. Every activation places stress on the node's pathways, and excessive output can cause irreversible degradation. That's why we're forced to operate well below our theoretical limits. Most of us spend our lives carefully managing accumulated damage, but chronic node deterioration carries more than physical consequences. The neurological strain alone has driven countless operators into psychological collapse, self-harm, and, in the worst cases, suicide."
I listened in silence.
All of this was true. I myself was very well aware of the side effects of node damage.
If the doctor's research truly...
"Hm."
I cleared my throat, trying to bring my thoughts away from the matter.
"Where is it located?"
"Pardon?"
"...The transmitter."
The engineer froze. It was the kind of reaction that didn't come from confusion. It came from something akin to realization.
In that instant, I realized that I had probably misspoken as I watched his face change, the color draining from it slowly.
'Ah, I shouldn't have asked that.'
For just the briefest of moments, I lost focus. All the talk about the doctor's research had made me forget about my current situation.
However, I didn't panic. Instead, I reached for my pocket, retrieved a small bell, and showed it to him.
His face froze the moment he caught a glimpse of it, his eyes locking onto it the same way the previous engineer had reacted.
My node strained further, the pain so sharp it nearly made me wince, but I paid no attention to it as I drew a cold breath and pressed onto the notification that appeared before me.
'Good thing he's just a regular human. I would've had a hard time otherwise.'
I put the bell into the man's pocket and patted him on the shoulder. However, my expression nearly changed as I watched his eyes shake; the dullness that was supposed to be present in his eyes was not quite there.
'...Ah, well... this is a bit troublesome.'
I only had a few seconds.
My pulse was steady, but just barely. The room felt tighter than it had a moment ago.
Without wasting a single moment, I asked him my question.
"Where is it?"
His lips parted, and his eyes shook more fiercely. The tendons in his neck stood out faintly.
"T... T..."
His lips shook, and his voice came out thin. Barely more than a whisper.
However, he seemed to be fighting it, some part of him pushing back against whatever had taken control of his mind.
My eyes narrowed as my ears strained, my heart drumming inside my chest as I continued to look at him.
"Ta... ta..."
Ta...?
My heart pressed tighter against my chest.
I strained my ears further.
Around us, the soft ambient noise of the lab continued.
Keyboards clicked, the fan of the machine, and the soft voices of a few engineers.
It all started to feel loud.
But I paid no attention to it. I couldn't, as I kept my eyes locked on the man before me.
His lips continued to shake. His eyes gained even more clarity as my heart pressed tightly against my chest, my control over him slipping further and further as my hand reached for him.
If he couldn't say anything, then...
"Tabl..."
His eyes snapped out of it before he could finish his word, his eyes widening in alarm as he looked at me.
And then...
He began screaming at the top of his lungs.
"INTRUDER! THERE'S AN IN⎯"
His shout stopped halfway as I reached for his face and covered his mouth, my palm pressing hard against his lips. His breath came hot against my skin as his muffled shouts continued to echo.
"MHHH! MHHHH!"
All heads simultaneously turned in that moment.
But it was already too late.
Flick!
The lights flickered off.
Darkness took over the surroundings.
After which, a soft tune began to play in the air as I retrieved a pair of sunglasses and placed them on.
"...Ugh."
-x-X-x-
From the moment the lights turned off, I knew that I had a fraction of a second to react. With numerous people inside, anyone could sound the alarm at any given second.
The moment that happened, I knew that I'd be done for.
Therefore...
Swoosh!
The first thing I did was cancel my disguise, including that of the Conductor, as I recalled him back. With the monitoring devices down, there was no need for the Conductor to remain in room 57.
I was also not alarmed about removing the Conductor from there since I knew that there was nobody in the room. But even if they were, it wouldn't really matter since I was almost done with this area.
Most importantly...
'It's really taking a strain on my nodes.'
Though faint, I could hear them. The subtle, yet ever-present, cracking sounds coming from deep within my head.
'Ah, this is not good.'
I really was pushing myself with this entire thing.
Despite this, I couldn't stop.
I needed to see this through to the end.
For me to live...
I had no choice but to keep going.
And⎯
"Ha."
Covering my lips, I just barely stopped myself from chuckling.
'Ugh, now is really not the time.'
Kek!
Despite the situation I found myself in, I...
I was quite enjoying it.
Unsummoning the Conductor and dropping my disguise took less than half a second. The moment I did, I activated another one of my nodes.
[Trait Transfer: Time Freeze]
"⎯⎯!"
A sharp pain hit the back of my mind the moment time froze.
In that instant, I nearly stumbled forward, only barely catching myself against the table before I could fall. Taking a few deep breaths to steady myself, I heard a voice call out from behind me.
"You're... doing too much."
I didn't need to look back to know who it was.
I smiled in response.
Too much...?
"This is merely the bare minimum."
At least, for what I wanted to achieve.
"....."
Kyle didn't take my words kindly, his expression tightening as he spoke, "I know that I've decided to work with you, and that you're not the same Seth that I know, but if you keep going this way, then..."
"Then, I die."
"That's not⎯"
"That's exactly what's going to happen. You saw it yourself. This isn't just a simple situation."
I cut Kyle off before he could continue to waste my time.
"I'm currently a target. A very attractive one. I'm doing all of this to make them understand..."
I paused, my lips pressing together as the pain took the words out of my mouth.
When I looked back at Kyle, I kept my mouth shut. I realized rather quickly that I didn't need to elaborate further.
Taking another deep breath, I lifted my head and looked around me. It was dark, but with the sunglasses I could see everything.
My gaze hovered over the numerous people in the room, none of them aware of the fact that time around them had frozen.
A dark figure emerged from beneath the ground.
The Realmwalker's expression was anything but kind, but I paid no mind to its expression as I nudged my head.
'Go.'
SPURT!
Blood spurted in all directions as a figure tumbled across the ground, time no longer frozen for them.
Kyle's expression changed at the sight.
"Wait, what are you...!?"
"Cough."
Bringing my hand to my mouth, I wiped the blood that lingered across my chin before shifting my attention back towards the table, ignoring Kyle's shocked voice as the Realmwalker moved onto the next engineer.
One by one.
'I'm curious. Is the object that he was referring to inside of this thing, or is it actually the entire table?'
I pressed my hand over the table, feeling its cool metal touch. I quietly scanned the entire thing before a figure appeared next to me.
"It's over there."
Mirelle's figure stood next to me as she pointed towards the center of the table.
"...I can feel it."
Mirelle's [Warden] Decree heightened her sensitivity to anomalous energy. Even so, the sunglasses proved invaluable, allowing me to pinpoint where the primary source behind everything converged.
'Looks like she's in her child form.'
Her form varied based on my condition. Normally, she was an adult, but there were times when she'd return to her child form. Given the current state of my nodes, it made sense.
"Alright, then."
I didn't waste a second. Activating one of my nodes, a dark film spread across my entire arm as I brought it crashing down with all my strength.
BANG!
The table folded quickly.
At the same time, Mirelle giggled as my surroundings wavered. The pain inside my mind only intensified, but I forced it down and looked around before settling my gaze on a certain cube nestled within the broken table.
'It should be that.'
I reached for the cube and pulled it away from the table.
Halfway through the motion, I stopped, taking a few breaths as my surroundings wobbled even further. I wanted to take another pill, but I knew that it would have no effect as I put the cube away and turned to face my surroundings.
"....."
Every single one of them was down.
Blood painted the floor, the walls, even the faces of people who hadn't been given the chance to realize what was happening. At the far end of the room, the Realmwalker stood in silence, waiting.
Kyle hadn't spoken in a while. When I looked at him, he was still staring at the bodies. Not at me. At them. Like he was counting.
"You..."
His voice came out a moment later.
"I'm sure you've seen it for yourself," I said, before he could find the rest of what he wanted to say.
"These people kidnap and experiment on others. Rowan's sister is currently being experimented on. It's fine if you want to reprimand me, but ask yourself whether they can even be called people in the first place."
The words came out clean and even. They always did when I needed to sound righteous.
I didn't actually care about any of that. I got rid of them because leaving them alive would've made things more troublesome. Kyle didn't need to know that, so I gave him the version that would get through his head.
But in the first place... I didn't kill them all.
I couldn't kill them all.
"....."
Kyle didn't respond.
He looked at me in silence, his lips opening before closing again
He nodded a moment after. It was a simple nod, and yet, it bothered me more than I expected.
"....."
I took that as good enough.
'Right, we're just cooperating. That's all there is to it."
I took another deep breath, time around the room resuming as I had the Realmwalker dispose of all the bodies present. The strong smell of blood lingered throughout the room, overtaking everything. It was pungent and strong.
Looking at the ventilation, I knew I didn't need to worry too much about the scent spreading beyond it.
"Anyways..."
I turned my attention back towards the door.
"With the surveillance system down, I should be able to move without any more problems."
This was the greatest hurdle. With it gone, I could now do as I pleased, as my appearance changed once more, and I became the Enforcer again.
'I should probably hurry up. There's not much time.'
I didn't know when the security captain would return. But thinking about the doctor, a growing sense of unease settled in my gut as I moved toward the door.
It wasn't even the captain that bothered me.
The Doctor was a different problem. Something about him sat wrong in a way I couldn't place, and I'd learned a long time ago not to ignore that feeling.
'Maybe I should get rid of him.'
Just as my hand reached for the handle, my entire body froze. The handle shifted on its own, and as the door swung open, a familiar face appeared on the other side.
"Enforcer...?"
He blinked a couple of times before stepping back.
"You're leaving?"
"Oh, captain."
I answered a moment after, my jaw tightening.
"...You're back."
My mind flashed quickly.
Taking note of the security captain, I moved slightly, obstructing his path forward.
I spoke at the same time.
"I presume that you're done."
"Not quite."
The captain replied, settling down as he stared at me.
"I'm just coming back here to gain access to the footage so that I can review it. I'm trying to understand what has happened, and in order to do that, I need to get a better look at the entire situation."
"...Understandable."
I nodded in understanding.
His words did make a lot of sense.
But I still didn't move. The captain's head turned as he took a step to the side, trying to enter the room behind me. However, I still didn't budge.
"Enforcer...?"
"There's something that I'd like your help with."
The captain didn't respond immediately. His eyes moved over me slowly, glossing every part of me as though he was studying me. I could see the trace of confusion on his face.
A second passed.
Then two.
"...What is it?"
His words eventually reached me as I answered right after.
"There's something off about the entire situation. From the security cameras to the weird behavior. There's a good chance that the two things are tied together. I'd like your aid in the investigation."
The captain paused for a moment, his gaze shifting to the area behind me. A flicker of hesitation marred his features, but his face eventually settled.
"How can I help?"
"I'd like you to go back to where Osvald is located. We lost connection with the room once more. I was just about to go investigate that area, but since you're here, it's better. There's another place that I need another check."
"Understood."
The captain didn't argue much.
Perhaps because in his mind I was no doubt the Enforcer, he turned around and headed in the opposite direction of where I needed to go.
I stared at his disappearing back. He didn't look back. He just walked until he turned the corner and disappeared entirely.
I waited another second before moving.
Something about the way he agreed so easily didn't quite sit well with me. Perhaps it was indeed because he didn't suspect the fact that I was the Enforcer, or maybe it was because I was being paranoid...
But whatever the case was, I was quick to move as I turned to face the opposite direction, my appearance shifting into something else. With no surveillance system active, I no longer needed to care about my actions.
As the sound of my steps bounced off the walls of the long corridor, I walked ahead without looking back.
Having gotten a good look at the outline of the entire'laboratory', I now knew where I needed to go. Although I didn't quite memorize the entire layout, I did memorize where I needed to go as I turned the corridor to head straight.
But just as I had⎯
"....."
My steps came to a sudden stop, the air around me seemingly shifting.
The white coat was the first thing I noticed, fluttering with each unhurried step he took forward.
Behind him, two guards followed in perfect formation. I felt a sense of oppression coming from their bodies.
I pressed myself to the side, as far as the wall would allow.
Step. Step. Step.
The sound cracked off the walls.
Their bodies drew closer.
I dropped my head, fixing my eyes on the floor, watching the edges of my own vision blur as I forced myself to breathe slowly.
Each second stretched and pulled into what felt like minutes.
As they drew level with me, the rhythm of their footsteps seemed to bleed into my own chest, matching the frantic knocking of my heartbeat for beat.
I didn't move.
I just let them pass.
And they did.
Or so I thought.
The footsteps stopped.
The silence that followed was worse than any sound that could have come after. It pressed in from all sides, and within it I felt a gaze settle on me like a hand placed slowly on my shoulder.
It simply stayed, hovering over me as though it was carefully analyzing me.
I kept my head down.
And then, barely above what felt like a whisper, the doctor's voice broke the silence.
"And where might you be headed?"
The doctor's soft voice lingered in the air, the silence that followed feeling incredibly oppressive as I lifted my head to stare at the doctor, taking note of his curled lips.
I answered almost immediately.
"I'm headed for Sector 3."
"Sector 3?"
The doctor tilted his head, the gears in his mind turning as he seemed to think about the direction of where I was headed. And then, as if realizing something, he asked, "From what I'm aware, Sector 3 should be in the opposite direction. Why are you headed this way?"
I stood still, calmly processing the doctor's words.
But then...
"Pardon?"
I tilted my head while staring at the doctor.
I then pointed in the direction of where I was going.
"If I cut through Block C of Sector 2 and take Corridor 117, I can bypass the main route entirely. It connects directly to the northern entrance of Sector 3. Shorter by at least three minutes."
This much was true.
I didn't quite memorize the entire map, but I had memorized the way that I needed to go in order to get back to Sector 3, where Rowan's sister was located. From what I understood, Soran was also located there, meaning that I had to get to Sector 3.
Shifting my attention back to the doctor, I caught the tail end of his smile fading. The air between us felt heavier than it had a moment ago. I held his gaze just long enough to seem unbothered, then lowered my eyes.
My actions were neither too fast nor too slow.
The silence that followed felt as though it would last forever.
Thankfully, it didn't.
Eventually, the doctor smiled.
"You're right."
His smile was pleasant, almost friendly, as he raised his hand and pressed it against my shoulder.
The touch was light. Casual, even.
But it made my entire body tense.
"This place is quite big, so I tend to forget. It's good that you know the way."
He patted my shoulder a couple of times. With each pat, I could feel the beat of my own heart increasing as I lowered my head further.
"In that case, I'll be leaving."
Retrieving his hand, he started to move away, heading in the direction of where I had come from. Most likely, he was going to the monitoring room. Considering how I had called for him, this was only normal.
Despite knowing this, I didn't move. I kept my head lowered and mantained my position, my hand slowly reaching for my chest.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
Sweat trickled down the side of my face as I thought back to his look, and as I clutched my shirt, I found myself smiling.
"This guy..."
I bit my lips, trying to suppress the sudden urge that took over me.
But it was hard as my toes curled inward.
Images flashed inside my mind, and for a moment, I almost turned back and headed straight for the doctor.
'No, not yet.'
It wasn't time yet.
Collecting myself, I thought back to the situation.
The doctor was going to reach the monitoring room soon. When he did, he was probably going to see the state that it was in. Although I had cleaned up most of the stuff, the monitoring devices were completely shut down, and with no one inside, I was certain that he'd understand immediately that something had happened.
Things were probably going to get quite troublesome soon.
Since that was the case⎯
'I'll need to pick up my pace.'
And so I did.
-x-X-x-
The quiet echo of the steps resonated across the surroundings as the doctor moved in silence, the bodyguards following from behind as they arrived before a certain door.
Staring at the door, the doctor's thoughts drifted to the man they had just met a moment prior, before he shifted his attention back to the door.
To Tok!
With the back of his knuckle, he knocked a couple of times before moving back, waiting to receive an answer.
But⎯
"....."
Even after a couple of seconds had elapsed, there was no reply. There was no one to open the door for him as the doctor's head cocked in confusion.
"Did they not hear me?"
He brought his hand forward, knocking a couple of times again.
To Tok!
However⎯
Just like before, he didn't receive a single reply.
The doctor paused for a moment as he reached for the handle of the door, his head turning towards his two bodyguards as they looked at each other.
The air around them shifted.
Without further ado, the doctor pulled out his badge and scanned it onto the side of the wall before pulling the door open.
Creak!
A subtle creaking sound echoed the moment the door opened, cutting through the silence that had settled around them.
The doctor took the lead, his voice echoing out.
"Pardon my intrusion. Since no one was answering, I took the liberty of opening the door myself. I hope I'm not..."
The doctor's words fell halfway as he stared at the insides of the monitoring room. What should've been a room filled with people busy at work, overseeing the entire laboratory, was filled with nothing but silence.
There was not a single soul in sight.
Every chair was empty, and in particular, the table in the middle was completely broken.
Alongside the sight lingered a thick, iron-like scent. It didn't take long to realize where it came from as the door creaked further open, revealing a carpet of crimson spread across the floor. Numerous bodies lay scattered throughout the room, each one turned away from the entrance.
"....."
Staring at the room, silence followed for a second.
Until⎯
"Pftt."
A certain laugh shattered the silence, the doctor bringing his hand to his face as he suddenly started cracking up. The guards behind him looked at him with startled looks before the doctor recovered as he looked back.
"We've been had."
He muttered, taking out a small communication device, his eyes still scanning the empty room with something that looked almost like amusement.
"And here I was wondering why I was thinking about him. I guess he slipped right through our noses."
His eyes swept across the room as he stepped through the blood, his reflection rippling across the crimson beneath his feet before he carefully made his way over the bodies. Partway through, his head tilted. Spotting something among the corpses, he stopped and nudged one of the guards next to him as they brought them to him.
Receiving the items, his head tilted further.
"How peculiar..." He muttered, unable to make sense of the items. Shortly after, the line of his communication device connected directly with the security captain as he spoke, "There's been a breach. Shut down the entire laboratory. We've... got a rat in our midst."
***
WHEEE! WHEE! WHEEE!
I expected to be found out the moment I crossed paths with the doctor. Honestly, there was no way for me to stop him from realizing that something was wrong. I had already bought enough time, and with the monitoring devices shut down, I had achieved what I wanted to achieve from the start.
Hence why I wasn't too bothered about the sudden sirens that blared across the surroundings, red flaring in all directions as the entire place became rowdy.
'Honestly, it doesn't even matter.'
Activating the Realmwalker's ability, I sank into the ground, the world around me changing completely as I donned the sunglasses, feeling a certain chill press against me from all directions.
With the blaring around me completely gone, I proceeded to run completely unobstructed.
"....H-ha."
Although there was no one to stop me, each step that I took felt heavier than the last.
Not just physically.
There was a dull, grinding ache pressing against my mind with every stride. It started becoming harder for me to think.
To make matters worse, subtle cracking sounds followed as I moved ahead, but I ignored the pain and continued to head in the direction of where I needed to go.
"...Do me a favor and see if there's any anomaly around. I don't think I'll be able to fight in this state."
Rushing ahead, I spoke to one of the figures that appeared next to me.
The Conductor's voice followed.
"There are a few troublesome ones ahead. I would be worried if I were you."
My steps almost faltered.
"But they're all locked up, so even if you move past them, you'll be fine."
I clenched my teeth, nearly feeling the urge to attack the Conductor, but I just barely held myself back, considering my current situation.
Of all the times to mess with me...
Even worse...
I found myself chuckling.
"Hehe."
The Conductor chuckled alongside me.
"Kakaka."
Turning down the corridor and following the path that I had memorized, I found myself back in Sector 3. Familiar with this area already, I rushed ahead and headed towards the recovery rooms.
'If I'm not wrong, Soran should be here.'
I had already checked beforehand in the monitoring room, and as I arrived in the recovery room area, I was greeted with numerous rooms labeled with numbers across both sides. Long rows of them, stretching further than I would've liked, each door identical to the last.
I gave the surroundings a quick scan before cancelling my skill. The world bled back into color, the red emergency lights washing over everything as the sound of people crashed back into my ears all at once.
"Lock down this area! Make sure that no one passes here!"
"Do not let anyone pass here!"
"Check this area too!"
I didn't change my appearance this time. Not because I didn't want to, but because I physically couldn't. The moment I tried to activate my node, it simply refused to listen to me.
'Fine, it doesn't matter.'
In fact, it seemed like all of my nodes refused to listen to me. They were so exhausted that even if I were to pop a pill at this moment, it probably wouldn't do a thing.
I had no choice but to put this at the back of my mind as I looked around the room, Mirelle, the Realmwalker, Mr. Jingles, the Conductor, and even Kyle, spreading out to look across each room.
Thankfully, while I couldn't use my nodes, I could still summon my anomalies, and while having them act still put a strain on my nodes, I could handle this much.
"Look for Soran. She should be here some⎯!"
My words came to a sudden stop when I heard the sound of footsteps coming from ahead.
It wasn't just one person.
My heart skipped a beat.
I could already see the shadows stretching around the corner, growing larger with each second.
Realizing my situation, I instinctively tried to use my nodes, but right as I did, a sharp pain tore through me, and my knees nearly gave out entirely.
'A-ah, right...'
Step! Step! Step!
"Check this area! Make sure to check every room! The doctor said that he might be here somewhere."
The voices were getting louder.
My eyes swept across the corridor, looking for something.
Anything.
A door.
A corner.
Anything at all.
And just as I was struggling to think of a solution, a certain voice reached me.
"I've found her."
My head flicked in a certain direction, my eyes settling on Kyle as he pointed at a certain door.
"She's here."
I didn't waste a single second, rushing towards the door as I reached for the handle and pulled. It opened with a simple click, no obstruction, as I heard the soft chime from Mr. Jingles ring inside my head as I threw myself through.
Heading in, I closed the door behind me.
Clank!
"Haaa... Haaa..."
Taking deep and heavy breaths, I stood by the door, back pressed hard against it. The sounds outside were still there.
From footsteps to voices as orders were being barked from one end of the corridor to the other.
I didn't move.
I just listened, waiting for them to pass.
A certain darkness greeted my sight.
When I turned my head, my gaze fell on the figure lying on the bed inside the room. Numerous tubes ran from her arms and chest, connected to machines that beeped in quiet and steady intervals. She looked smaller than I expected. Fragile, even.
A stark contrast to the loud and boisterous version that I was accustomed to.
I stared at her for a moment longer than I needed to.
Then I drew a long breath of my own, feeling something loosen in my chest that I hadn't realized had been wound tight this entire time.
'Alright.'
I pushed myself away from the door.
'...I finally found you."
Holding onto my head, I walked closer to the Team Leader.
I could still hear the rushed sound of footsteps outside, but I paid no mind to it as I stopped before Soran.
To be honest, I wasn't quite sure if what I was about to do would help, but considering my situation, it was better to try than nothing.
'Well, it's not like it works on me anymore.'
I reached into my pocket and retrieved a familiar pill, opening the Team Leader's mouth and placing it directly inside.
'From what I gather, the doctors must've stabilized her nodes. This should be of some help to her. Although an Emblance Shard would probably do the trick, I kind of need that myself.'
"⎯⎯!"
There was an immediate reaction the moment I popped the pill into the Team Leader's mouth.
Her entire body started to spasm as strange sounds escaped her lips.
For a brief moment, her eyes snapped open.
I pressed my hand against her mouth, preventing her from making too much noise.
'It wouldn't do us any good if you made too much noise.'
I looked outside, making sure that nobody had been startled by the sound.
Only then did I loosen my grip over her lips as I felt her body starting to relax as well.
"Let's get rid of this stuff too."
I grabbed the numerous wires attached to her body and pulled them away.
I didn't quite know what they were, but she wasn't going to need them any longer as I felt the Team Leader's consciousness return.
Warmth returned to her shortly after, and as her eyes opened once more, I smiled.
"Been a while, Team Leader."
"....."
A momentary silence stretched after my greeting as the Team Leader blinked a couple of times, her gaze settling on me as she tried to make sense of the situation.
Her eyes glossed over my entire body before shifting toward the surroundings, and as everything settled inside her mind, her lips finally parted.
"Did..."
Did?
The Team Leader's voice was hoarse.
Staring at her, I paused for a moment before taking out a bottle of water and handing it to her.
"Here."
I could see that she was thirsty.
Sure enough, the moment I handed her the water, she immediately reached for it and started to drink, barely managing to lift herself up.
I helped her a bit, and after she finished the entire bottle, she rubbed her head while groaning slightly.
"...Where is..."
She stopped.
"No."
Looking back at me, she asked,
"Did you get kidnapped as well?"
Hm?
I blinked twice.
Did I get kidnapped?
Well, not really.
I mean, yes.
But it was something that I had chosen myself.
In that case, was I really kidnapped?
"Yes."
I still went along with it.
It wasn't like I could just say that I had purposely gotten kidnapped.
"I... see."
Soran nodded, rubbing her head once more as she shifted her attention back to me.
"You... fed me something. What was that? My mind... it feels fresh. No..."
Soran stopped while closing her eyes.
I didn't say anything and simply observed her.
When her eyes opened again, a look of shock spread across her face.
"My nodes..."
"...I'm also somewhat shocked."
I rubbed the side of my head.
"I remember being experimented on with some stuff, and some of the cracks that I had sustained somehow healed. I'm not quite sure what happened, but it seemed like they were experimenting on our nodes."
"...."
Soran didn't reply.
Her gaze fell onto her hand as she clenched and unclenched her fingers.
The more she did this, the faster she became, until she eventually shifted her attention back to me.
"It's not perfect. I can still feel that I'm not quite the same as I was in the past... However, it seems like I am better than I was before Malia? This is strange."
I could see the confusion on Soran's face as she tried to figure out what was happening, but I quickly interrupted her as I tapped her on the shoulder.
"Team Leader, this might not be the time to think about that stuff. There are more troublesome things that we need to take care of."
I pointed at the door, and it was only then that the Team Leader finally realized in what sort of situation we were in as the loud sound of the sirens reached her ears, and her head flicked in my direction.
"You..."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"It wasn't easy for me to get to you. I kind of disabled and broke their monitoring systems, and disguised myself as some of their people? Even took care of everyone in the monitoring room? They're not quite pleased."
"....."
Soran's lips parted, but the words that she seemed to want to say never managed to come out of her mouth as she eventually closed her mouth and reached for my shoulder, patting me several times.
She even went as far as whistling.
"As expected of the man that I've chosen to marry. Not bad."
She brought her thumb up as if saying,'Good job.'
"....."
Was it bad of me to say that I felt flattered?
Ehm.
I cleared my throat and prepared to say something else, but right in that moment, several muffled shouts coming from outside reached both of our ears.
"Check every room here! They might be hiding there!"
"...Be fast! Don't overlook anything!"
I exchanged glances with Soran.
Neither of us said a word.
We didn't need to.
She was already moving before I could even gesture, lowering herself back onto the bed, picking up some of the wires, and doing the best she could to make them stick.
I slipped beneath the bed frame, pressing my back flat against the cold floor as she drew the blanket up to her chin.
The shadow beneath the door grew.
Clank!
The door swung open, and with it came the heavy thud of boots. There were three, maybe four sets? I wasn't quite sure.
They spread out immediately, covering every inch of the room. I turned my head slowly, just enough to track their feet from beneath the bedsheet.
"Check every corner of this room. The patient here is rather special. Make sure not to harm her."
"...Understood."
I rubbed my head, trying to curb some of the pain inside my nodes. It was making it hard for me to think.
The footsteps drew closer. One pair broke off toward the glass window that allowed one to overlook the room. Another swept along the far wall. The third moved directly toward the bed.
I could even hear their muffled voices as they scanned the room from top to bottom.
Eventually, they stopped.
They stood right in front of me.
They were close enough that I could see the dried mud caked into the grooves of their soles.
I pressed myself flatter against the floor, my cheek nearly touching the ground, and did not move.
A bead of sweat traced down the side of my face.
Normally, this would've been nothing. I could've suppressed my presence entirely, slipped through the gaps, or even used the Realmwalker's abilities.
But I was now crippled.
My nodes didn't work.
I was just a man lying on the floor, completely visible to anyone who bothered to look.
But just in case something did happen, I had the Realmwalker ready to act. I could at least do that much.
'Not yet. Wait...'
This was a last-ditch attempt.
If I used it here, Soran would see. And if Soran saw...
'She'll probably realize.'
She was there in Malovia, after all.
I drew a small breath.
The boots moved. The guard above me drew a small breath, and I could hear the faint creak of his knees as he began to crouch.
"There's nothing here."
"...Not here, either."
"I'm checking under the bed."
The words made the entire room freeze over.
My entire body went stiff.
In the space of a single heartbeat, I ran through every option available to me and found each one worse than the last. From the Realmwalker to a direct confrontation, I didn't have many options.
Pressing my hands against the floor, I prepared to move when⎯
".....?"
The scenery before me shifted completely.
The boots that had been facing me were gone, replaced by two bodies lying on the floor, their heads lolling at weird angles. All sound around us seemed to have disappeared completely as well.
Click!
The door clicked shut on its own.
I remained where I was, struggling to understand what had happened.
A few seconds passed like that, until the bedsheets suddenly pulled open and a head peeked from above.
"...Boo!"
I didn't react.
Soran's face changed as she clicked her tongue, and she released the bedsheets.
"I'm starting to have second thoughts about us."
So it was her...
-x-X-x-
Pat. Pat.
"Well...?"
Soran patted the side of the bed as I climbed out from underneath. She stared at me and patted the bed again.
"What are you waiting for? Sit down. What? Don't tell me you're shy? This isn't the first time that the two of us have shared a bed. We've slept with each other. This much should be nothing for you."
I sat down without much complaint.
To be honest, my head was pounding. I was struggling to keep myself together. The constant ring at the back of my mind wasn't making things any easier for me.
'I really exerted myself quite a lot.'
It was going to take a bit of time for me to recover.
No, not even...
'I probably need to reach the fifth order and gain access to the shop in order to recover.'
As things stood, I was no different from a cripple.
"Anyways, what's next?" Soran's voice pulled me out of my thoughts as she scooted closer to me, "I probably bought us a few minutes, but as things stand, it won't be long until they figure out that something happened here."
"Ah, right."
I reached for my phone and showed it to the Team Leader.
"This is...?"
"It's a photo of the layout of the entire laboratory. We're currently in Sector 3, which is where the patients are being held. I need you to go right here."
I pointed at a corridor that wasn't far from where we were.
Soran tilted her head in confusion as she drew closer to the phone, getting a better look at the layout.
"Here? For what reason? And..."
She paused, taking a good look at me.
"How did you get your hands on this?"
"I was running around here and there trying to find a way out and... it's a complicated story. Can we talk about this later?"
Soran's eyes squinted, but she then pointed at the screen.
"This is where the exit is located?"
"No?"
"What? If we're not going to the exit, then...?"
"That's because I need you to rescue someone. Rowan's sister, to be specific."
"Hm?"
Soran blinked a couple of times, tilting her head as she turned her attention back to me. Her eyes flickered for a brief moment as she asked, "What do you mean Rowan's sister? Did she get kidnapped as well?"
"Yes, pretty much."
Soran's lips shut as she muttered to herself, "Some weird taste these people have..."
I didn't say anything as I studied the layout myself. I hadn't memorized the entire laboratory because there was no need to. All I really had to do was take a photo, which was exactly what I did.
Soran shifted once more.
"Judging from the way you talk, you're not going to go with me?"
Lifting my head, I glanced at the pair of dark eyes staring right at me. The usual playfulness within them was gone, replaced by a strange glint.
I opened my lips, but soon closed them.
In the end, I just smiled at her.
Pretty much.
There was still something else that I needed to do.
*
From the very start, I had never taken Soran and Rowan's sisters' appearance into account. I didn't come to this'laboratory' because of them.
I had come with a different goal in my mind.
'Message.'
I was here to send a message.
This was my goal, and I didn't lose sight of it.
"Do you have the layout memorized?" I asked while changing into the pants Soran had taken from the guard. They were somewhat baggy and dark, but somehow still managed to fit.
"Yes, yes," Soran replied shortly after as she tied her boots.
At the same time, she started complaining.
"You've already said it ten times. I'll go rescue Rowan's sister while you take care of whatever you need to take care of. Once we're done, meet again over here. But why should we meet over here? Don't you think that it'll be hard for us to escape if we get back here?"
"Don't worry about that."
I placed the black hat one of the guards had been wearing on my head, pulling the brim low to shadow my face.
"I have it all planned out."
After a brief adjustment, I made sure it covered as much of my features as possible.
"Take care of Rowan's sister and come back here. That's all you need to do, and if you want to rescue someone else or cause chaos, feel free to do so."
"Oh, don't worry about that."
The Team Leader sat up from the bed and gathered her dark hair into a neat bun. Once she was done, she slipped on a similar dark hat, lowering it enough to conceal much of her face.
"I'll make sure to cause as much chaos as possible~"
"...Good to hear."
I smiled and reached for the door. Looking back, I saw that the bodies had all been taken care of. As the door swung open, the loud blare of the sirens washed over us once more. Without exchanging a word, we stepped out at the same time.
WHEE! WHEEE!
As expected...
Coming out of the room, we were greeted by the sight of numerous guards looking around. The entire place was in chaos, and, lowering our hats, we both moved together.
Since the person they were targeting was just one person, with the two of us moving together, we aroused no suspicion as we moved past the guards while checking out the surroundings.
Eventually, when we reached a junction, the two of us exchanged a glance. Soran then peeled away from me, heading down a different corridor while I continued in the opposite direction.
'Okay, I need to be more careful now.'
I looked around me.
There was no one around, and taking several steps forward, I looked around before entering one of the nearby rooms.
It was dark, but I didn't bother putting my sunglasses on.
Instead, I opened up the system shop and looked around. I had already memorized most of the items, but there weren't many items that were useful for my current situation. Mainly because their side effects were simply too much.
But it didn't matter. I already had an idea of the items that I wanted to purchase.
Having already bought the items before, I knew exactly what they did, and I didn't hesitate to buy them. Immediately, two items appeared before me, one resembling a piece of candy while the other was a certain serum that I immediately downed in one go.
"Uekh."
I cringed the moment I downed the two items, an overwhelming sense of sweetness hitting the back of my throat, followed by another powerful taste that felt eerily similar to gasoline.
For a moment, I almost thought I was going to puke.
Thankfully, I was just about to hold myself back before coming out of the door and heading straight ahead.
WHEEE! WHEEE!
The blare of the sirens felt louder as I moved, sweat pouring down the side of my face as I paid attention to everything that was happening around me. It was just as I was about to turn a corner that I heard the sound of multiple steps rushing my way.
I froze for a moment, but only for a moment, as the next words made me smile.
"Turn back! I think I found something."
After which, the footsteps that were coming my way headed in the opposite direction.
'As expected, it works.'
The first item that I bought.
[Luck Halo]
: A glowing, ring-shaped candy that hums faintly before dissolving on the tongue. For five minutes, probability subtly bends in the user's favor — dice roll high, doors open easier, and bullets seem to miss. Once the effect ends, misfortune equal in weight to the gained luck immediately follows.
It was something that I was quite familiar with as I continued to walk ahead, following the path that I had memorized inside my mind.
My current goal was simple.
Head for Sector 1, where the doctor's office was located.
There were a lot of important things over there. Would be a pity if someone destroyed them.
And...
'...I just don't like him.'
Thinking about the doctor, I picked up my pace.
'I really don't like him.'
-x-X-x-
One of the main reasons why I headed to the doctor's office was because of my node situation. It wasn't because I wanted to destroy whatever he had stored over there.
That came later...
While it certainly would have been fun to do that, it mainly came down to the fact that the doctor's research had something to do with nodes.
'Given how he's managed to heal the Team Leader, then I'm sure that he might have some things that might be able to help me out. I might also figure out a way to not rely on the system in order to heal my nodes.'
This was one of the more important aspects.
Ever since hearing about his research and seeing the results he had managed to achieve with Soran, I became intrigued. Especially when taking into account how bad my current situation was.
The only other alternative was to reach the Fifth Decree, but that would take me time, and time wasn't what I had at the moment.
Tik! Tik!
Looking at my watch, I walked out of the room.
The sirens still blared in all directions as I moved ahead with my hat lowered.
The distance to the office wasn't very far.
I just needed to navigate through several corridors before reaching it. However, that was easier said than done as the moment I turned one of the corridors, I was suddenly met with the sound of numerous footsteps coming from behind.
I didn't panic, shifting my attention to the watch.
'Fifty-seven seconds.'
I made sure to note the number inside of my mind before picking up my pace.
"Check this area!"
"I hear footsteps ahead! Check!"
I didn't bother with the noise behind me, moving even faster than before. In fact, I was almost running now as I moved across the corridors and looked to my left and right, imprinting every detail of the path inside my mind. Every turn, every doorway, and every little detail was carefully noted.
"Hey, you!"
A guard suddenly caught up to me.
"What are you running for?!"
Then, another.
"Hey! Stop!"
It didn't take long for several guards to spot me as I moved past them, including the one behind me. The moment they recognized me, they broke into a run and gave chase. Voices crackled over their comms as they relayed my position, alerting anyone nearby while I continued forward.
I didn't bother with them, running straight ahead while taking note of each guard positioned along the corridor as I followed the path to the doctor's office. Their faces, equipment, and locations were quickly committed to memory as I passed by, all while the sounds of pursuit echoed behind me.
"Over here!"
The entire time I ran, I didn't bother looking behind me even once. As I turned another corner and prepared to enter the branching corridor that led to branching corridor leading to Sector 1, I was surprised to see several guards arriving from the opposite direction, as if they had been waiting for me.
They spread out across the hallway the moment they saw me, cutting off the path ahead and leaving me trapped between two pursuing groups.
At the same time, I could feel their nodes churn as they dashed towards me at incredible speeds.
Seeing this, I stopped moving.
'I guess this is the end of the line for me.'
I raised both hands.
"Alright, I give up."
The guards paused for a moment, at a complete loss regarding my actions. But just as they were about to reach me, I raised both of my fingers.
"Sike~"
And soon⎯
Swooosh!
My surroundings shifted completely as I found myself back in the previous room, my back pressed against the wall beside the door. I drew a cold breath, my hand shivering as I stared at the empty vial in my grasp.
The realization of what had just happened slowly sank in, and for a moment, all I could do was stand there in silence, feeling my pulse hammer against my chest.
"Haa."
A constant ringing sound echoed inside my head as I stared at the empty vial, my surroundings swaying from left to right.
It felt as though I had drunk a whole bottle of alcohol.
"....Mph."
The room refused to stay still, the walls seeming to tilt and bend at the edges of my vision while the dizziness worsened.
I tightened my grip on the vial, trying my best to keep myself balanced.
"I hope I didn't lose any important memories."
I put the vial away, taking another one out.
[Fate Draught]: A silver vial that smells of ozone. Drinking it lets the user foresee a single, near-future event within the next ten minutes. He will lose a memory of the same duration.
To be honest, I didn't quite want to use this item.
Especially since the consequence of using such an item came at the cost of my own memories. It was an incredibly useful item, despite the price that had to be paid for its effects.
I had bought it some time ago for the Malovia mission, but I had never gotten the chance to properly use it. Now that I finally had, I could already feel the toll it was taking, even if I couldn't tell exactly what memory I had lost.
And it was good that way.
Still...
"It's not like I have much of a choice at the moment."
Without any powers, this was the only thing I could do to reach the doctor's office. Drawing another breath, I brought the potion back to my lips.
The same benzene-like taste hit my tonsils, nearly making me wince as I swallowed it and put the item away.
After which, I brought myself up and reached for the door.
'Alright, let's try this again.'
***
"This is so odd."
Soran walked calmly across the chaotic corridors. Even as the sirens blared around her, she didn't seem concerned in the slightest, occasionally whistling to herself as though she were taking a casual stroll.
While the guards rushed from place to place and alarms echoed through the halls, her pace never changed, and the relaxed expression on her face remained completely undisturbed.
Moving ahead, she managed to overhear a conversation.
"How long do you think it'll take before the monitoring systems are back up? At this rate we'll never find them. Especially since they were able to get past the monitoring systems without getting identified."
"Don't ask questions and just move. Try to take note of anyone that might seem suspicious."
Two shadows stretched across the floor ahead of her before their owners turned the corner and stepped into view. They faced her directly, their silhouettes growing clearer beneath the corridor lights as they blocked the path forward.
The Team Leader's expression remained much the same.
With the same nonchalant air, she continued walking forward.
Just as the group was about to take notice of her, their entire bodies froze.
It was almost as if time itself had come to a standstill. Mid-step, mid-breath, they remained perfectly motionless, their expressions locked in place as Soran casually passed by them without so much as a glance in their direction.
Oddest part...?
They were the only ones frozen.
The sirens continued to blare throughout the facility, and the rest of the world carried on as normal as Soran calmly walked past them.
Her finger pressed lightly against the brim of her hat as she turned the corner and followed the exact route Seth had pointed out to her.
Similar scenes occurred throughout the way.
Every time Soran was about to encounter someone, they would freeze on the spot before she could reach them.
It was only after she had moved away that they resumed what they had been doing, completely unaware that anything had happened.
To them, no time seemed to have passed at all, and they continued on their way without taking note of the strange interruption.
'This really does feel odd.'
Soran inwardly muttered as she clenched and unclenched her fist. It had been so long since she had been able to use her powers this comfortably. While she could still feel the strain on her nodes, it was nowhere near as severe as it had been back in Malia.
The familiar sensation almost felt foreign now.
Even now, she remained careful not to push herself too far, though the ease with which she was moving made it tempting to do otherwise.
She almost felt reborn.
'I wonder what he gave me. Was he the one who healed me? Or was it due to the experiments that they carried out on me?'
The Team Leader wasn't quite sure why, but whatever the reason, she was extremely pleased with the situation.
She didn't waste a single second taking advantage of it, freely using her powers as she moved toward her destination completely undisturbed.
No one noticed her presence, and anyone who came close was dealt with before they could even react. As she continued forward, she eventually reached an area lined with windows on both sides of the corridor.
"Hm?"
Guards stood at every corner and intersection, making the area a lot more guarded than the previous.
But just like before, everything froze the moment Soran stepped in, and her gaze swept over the surroundings.
As she walked forward, her eyes couldn't help but drift toward the figures visible through the glass windows lining the corridor. Bodies occupied each of the rooms on display, some lying still while others were positioned in ways that made her frown.
For a brief moment, her focus lingered on them as she took in the unsettling sight hidden behind the glass.
Soran's eyes flickered as she witnessed everything.
"Did they do something like this to me as well?"
The scenes before her weren't exactly pleasant. There was a lot of gore and blood being shown, with tubes and robots working on the bodies lying on the metal table. Seeing the scenes, Soran almost had the urge to free them all, but thinking about her task, she stopped herself and appeared before a certain room where her gaze fell on another one of the patients.
This time, it seemed to belong to a young girl that the Team Leader had seen in the past.
"You must be Rowan's sister."
Soran's hand pressed against the glass.
"...Looks like I'm in the right⎯"
"Who are you?"
Soran's words were suddenly cut off by a deep, rough voice. The unexpected interruption startled her slightly, causing her to turn her head toward the source.
Her gaze fell upon a man dressed in a uniform similar to her own, though his appearance carried a noticeably more refined and pressuring air.
Blinking a couple of times, she realized rather quickly who she was dealing with.
"You must be the security captain, correct?"
Her lips pulled into a smile.
"I did hear about you from my fiancée. It's nice to meet you."
-x-X-x-
While she and Seth were changing, Soran had been given general information on who to watch out for and who seemed to be the most dangerous within the laboratory. From what she understood, the person she was most likely to encounter in Sector 3 was the security captain, who appeared to be rather strong.
Seeing him standing before her, completely unaffected by the'Time Freeze,' Soran couldn't help herself.
She started to smile.
This...
'I really am rusty. I don't know how to feel about this. Oh, dear~'
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Soran remained largely unconcerned, even going so far as to make small talk.
"You're right on time."
She tapped the glass separating her from Rowan's sister.
"Be a dear and open this door for me. I'm only going to grab her real quick and leave."
"....."
The captain didn't say much else, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her intently. Feeling his intense gaze, Soran's brows furrowed in response. For a brief moment, a trace of disgust flashed across her features.
"I've made a commitment to someone else. No other man will enter my⎯"
She was never able to finish her words. Halfway through her sentence, the security captain moved. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out what appeared to be a gun and immediately fired several shots in her direction.
BANG! BANG!
The sound exploded in all directions as Soran remained where she stood. Reaching forward, she lightly tapped the air, causing the bullets to freeze in place before her.
Her head tilted.
"Sentinel? Hunter? Hmm."
She began to muse, trying to figure out the security captain's decree as his body disappeared from her sight.
Soran blinked as she looked around, unable to spot any trace of him anywhere.
That quickly changed a moment later as he appeared to her right, gun pointed right at her waist.
BANG!
Soran raised her hand to block the bullet, but to her surprise, it came from the opposite direction.
"...Oh."
Realizing that she had been tricked, Soran didn't panic.
Time froze between the two of them as she stepped forward, barely dodging the bullet. She attempted to follow up with an attack of her own, but the captain seemed capable of moving through her time freeze.
In the next instant, he raised his gun and pointed it directly at her face.
"Wow!"
Soran exclaimed in surprise, but since the start, her eyes were always focused on the security captain. Never once did she pay particular attention to the bullet or gun. It was almost as if the captain was all she could see.
BANG!
The bullet shot forward, racing toward Soran's forehead as she found herself unable to move in time.
Everything moved so fast that it seemed like she wouldn't be able to stop the bullet even with her abilities.
But just as the bullet was about to reach her forehead, she snapped her fingers, causing it to freeze in midair.
Though somewhat surprised, the captain was quick to react, repositioning himself once more to shoot at her.
Or at least, he tried to.
To his utter shock, his body moved on its own, retreating alongside the bullet as it traveled backward through the air, all the way back into the barrel of his gun.
Shortly after, the captain's gun lowered as his body moved backward. He repeated the same motions he had taken to reach that point, his eyes widening in shock before he nearly screamed, "Time Reversal?!"
"Bingo!"
Soran smiled as her hand reached toward him. Already aware of where he was going to move, she grabbed him by the neck and winked at him.
"You didn't say it, but you didn't have to~"
Soran teased as her lips pulled into a gentle smile.
"Like this skill of mine?"
***
Tik! Tik!
Time ticked like usual.
I tossed the vial in my hand and got out of the room.
Entering the familiar corridor, I counted each step in my mind, taking note of the time while keeping my thoughts clear of any distractions.
'One, two, three, four, five, six...'
Once I reached a certain count, I came to a complete stop as the sound of numerous footsteps echoed ahead. The corridor opened into a T-junction, with the main corridor stretching beyond it.
That was where I needed to go, but it was currently filled with people.
Their footsteps overlapped into a constant stream of noise, making it clear that crossing now would be impossible without being noticed.
But I already understood this.
A dark figure appeared right before me.
"....."
The Realmwalker didn't say anything as it stared at me, but I could practically feel its death glare.
I dismissively waved my hand.
'Come on, just die a few more times. I'll pay you back later.'
The Realmwalker's hand shot forward, reaching for my neck, but I swatted it away before pointing toward the distant corridor. It paused for a moment, its attention shifting in the direction I indicated and then back to me.
It really did seem like it wanted to strangle me. So much that its entire body started to shake.
But eventually, it did as I asked.
That's right, run.
Run like the meat shield that you⎯
Ehm.
After a brief look my way, it turned and began running in the opposite direction at full speed, its footsteps rapidly fading into the distance.
Its actions immediately grabbed the guards' attention, prompting a series of shouts from down the corridor. Their voices rang through the corridor as they dashed in the direction of the Realmwalker.
"It's headed down Corridor 117 and is moving straight toward the end of Sector 2! Guards stationed in Corridors 118 and 119, block all possible retreat routes!"
One of the guards shouted, his voice echoing through the corridor as the alarm was quickly relayed to the others.
"Hurry!"
They didn't waste a second and organized themselves quickly.
I pressed my back against the wall and waited patiently as the guards rushed past the main corridor before turning right. They completely missed me as I remained where I was, my gaze never leaving the watch on my wrist.
Even as their footsteps faded into the distance, I kept my eyes fixed on it, calmly counting down the seconds.
'Ten more seconds.'
One, two, three...
I counted quietly in my mind. Eventually, another series of footsteps echoed through the corridors, moving past the main corridor before turning right in pursuit of the Realmwalker and the other groups.
The sound gradually faded into the distance, leaving the area far quieter than before. Only then did I step around the corner and make my way toward the main corridor.
'Should I call them careless, or is this all because of Luck Halo?'
It wasn't like I was hiding all that well, but with everyone's attention fixed on the Realmwalker, nobody thought of looking my way.
'Probably the Luck Halo~'
I counted each step carefully in my mind, matching the count to the time displayed on my watch.
Every second accounted for as I made my way down the corridor. Eventually, I reached the room I had been aiming for. Without hesitation, I reached for the handle, opened the door just enough to slip through, and quietly stepped inside before easing it shut behind me.
Not long after, more footsteps followed as several figures moved past where I was.
"Over here! Cut through this section! Make sure to trap it completely!"
I waited for the sounds to fade completely, listening until the last traces of footsteps and distant voices disappeared into silence.
Only then did I leave the room and continue on my way. Moving at the same pace as before, I made my way toward Sector 1, passing through the corridors without drawing any attention.
A short while later, I finally crossed into the sector and stepped inside.
Sector 1 wasn't much different from the other sectors, but if I had to make one observation, it was that it felt far more deserted. There were noticeably fewer rooms compared to the other sectors, and the corridors themselves seemed quieter.
'Then again, a lot of the guards did move away to chase after the Realm⎯'
Ah.
I reached for my head, feeling a sudden sharp pain.
'...It's dead.'
My left eye twitched as I continued ahead.
Various signs and terminals lined the halls, giving the impression that this was a place where information was gathered, stored, and managed rather than where active operations were carried out.
"This should be the place."
I stopped before a certain door, with a metal plaque by the side that read [Dr. Veyra]
I immediately reached for the handle.
But⎯
Click!
It was locked.
"....."
I wasn't surprised by this. This much was within my expectations as I closed my eyes and thought about my next steps.
"Okay, I can do this. Right, I should be able to.'
This was more out of encouragement than anything else.
I brought my hand toward the keylock, my second node churning as I activated [Trait Transfer]. A dark film immediately spread across my entire hand, coating it in a thin, shifting layer of black.
"⎯⎯!"
The moment it appeared, a sharp wave of pain surged through my body.
My knees nearly gave out beneath me, and for an instant, I felt as though I might collapse right there in front of the door. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to endure it, refusing to let the pain interrupt what I was doing.
The dark film slowly extended from my fingertips and slipped into the keyhole.
Like a living substance, it flowed through the mechanism and spread across the components hidden inside, coating every part of the lock's interior as it worked its way deeper.
The entire process took less than a second as I turned the key and the door unlocked.
Click!
"Ukhe...!"
I canceled the skill almost immediately, but the damage had already been done.
The backlash hit me instantly, sending violent spasms through my entire body. Pain tore through every nerve, and warm blood began to trickle from my nostrils and ears.
Drip! Drip!
Fighting to stay conscious, I forced myself to reach for the handle and push the door open.
My vision blurred, and every movement felt heavier than the last, but I staggered inside nonetheless.
With the last of my strength, I pulled the door shut behind me.
Clank!
The moment it clicked closed, whatever was keeping me upright gave way. My legs buckled beneath me, and I collapsed onto the floor in a heap, blood staining the ground as my head continued to feel as though it was being split open.
It had never been this bad.
For several moments, all I could do was lie there, struggling to endure the aftermath.
"....!!"
The pain was so sharp that I didn't even have it within me to scream or say anything. The only thing I could do was lie on the floor, spasming endlessly.
And to make matters even worse⎯
Clank!
The door opened again only moments later, breaking the silence that had settled over the room.
Through my blurred vision, I saw a figure step inside.
The hem of a white robe fluttered gently as he moved.
I couldn't make out the details of his face in my current state, but I knew exactly who he was as he paused just beyond the doorway, looking down at me where I lay sprawled across the floor, blood still seeping from my nose and ears.
"Well."
His smile still reached me despite the blurry mess that was my vision.
"...Looks like I've found the rat."