The silence between us felt thick in the warm, sterile air of the medical suite.
I reached out and tapped the control panel on the side of the capsule. The glass canopy hissed softly and slid back, revealing Lina. She looked so small as she sat slowly against the plush pillows, her pink hair tumbling over her shoulders in messy waves.
In my mind, a quiet stream of data flowed constantly. Deep within my blood vessels, my swarm had already surpassed fifty thousand active clones, methodically cleansing my system, consuming microscopic waste, and preparing for a leap to millions. Managing it felt as natural as breathing, a silent rhythm running alongside my human thoughts.
"Amar..." Lina's voice barely rose above a whisper, hoarse and shaky. She pulled the soft medical blanket tightly to her chest, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the fabric. Her wide eyes sparkled with unshed tears, never leaving my face. "Why?"
"Why what, Lina?" I asked softly as I sat back down in the plush armchair beside her bed, keeping my distance to avoid overwhelming her.
"Why everything!" Her voice cracked, and a tear escaped her lashes, tracing a path down her cheek. "Why the money for the orphanage? Why the academy? Why did you kneel in front of me yesterday? Why did you cry like your heart was breaking?!"
She pressed her palm against her left cheek, her lower lip trembling.
"I thought... I thought you were like every other spoiled noble in Lock Night City," she sobbed, her shoulders shaking. "I thought you were using the children to force me into your bed! I thought you hated me because my parents were branded traitors! But then... you slapped me when I offered myself to you... and you threw away millions of star coins without even blinking just so I wouldn't be talentless..."
She raised her head, looking directly into my eyes with desperate confusion.
"Who am I to you, Amar? Why do you look at me like... like you've known me forever? We hardly talked before two months ago! You look at me like you're searching for someone who died!"
Her words hit me hard. A familiar ache bloomed in my chest.
Because you did die, Lina, I wanted to scream. In another world, on a dark street in New York, under the crushing weight of a runaway truck while you tried to save me.
But I couldn't say those words. How could I explain reincarnation? How could I tell her that I was an orphan from Mumbai who became a biotech engineer on Earth, died beside her, and was reborn in this strange, martial arts-dominated world? If I told her the truth now, she would think I was crazy or worse—a stranger wearing Amar Roy's face.
Deep in my chest, a sudden burst of energy rippled from my core. My swarm of fifty thousand phages twitched in response, briefly speeding up through my bloodstream. I forced my breathing to remain steady, suppressing the physical reaction with discipline.
"Lina," I said, my voice lowering into a steady tone that carried a firm authority. "You don't need to understand everything right now. You don't need to know all my secrets."
I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on my knees, locking my eyes with hers.
"All you need to know is this: I will never let anyone hurt you. I don't care about your family's past. I don't care about the empire calling your parents traitors. To me, you are the only person who matters in this world."
"That doesn't make sense!" she cried, frustrated tears streaming down her face. "It's not normal, Amar! You're acting like a madman! You're acting like..."
"Like a Yandere?" I said quietly, a faint smirk touching my lips.
Lina froze. Her eyes widened in shock, and her crying stopped instantly, as if someone had pressed pause on her emotions.
That single word—an old joke from our past life on Earth—had slipped out before I could stop it. In our previous life, she used to tease me whenever I got too protective, calling me a Yandere during our dates in Central Park.
"W-What... what did you just say?" she whispered, confusion knitting her brow. "What kind of word is that?"
I quickly caught myself, softening my expression as I stood up from the armchair. "Nothing. Just an old phrase I read somewhere."
I moved to the side of the bed and reached out my hand. For a moment, she flinched but didn't pull away. I gently wiped away a fallen tear from her cheek with my thumb. Her skin felt warm and alive, pulsing with the dangerous power of her newly awakened talent.
"Rest, Lina," I whispered, tracing her cheekbone softly with my thumb. "The Sunflower Orphanage received fifty thousand star coins this morning. The children will have food, clothing, and protection for five years. No one will threaten them again."
She gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief and relief. "Fifty... thousand?"
"Yes," I replied with a faint smile. "So stop worrying about debts, stop worrying about sacrifices, and stop thinking of yourself as a plaything. Starting today, you are a student at Golden Star Academy with an awakened talent. And I will stand by you as you reclaim everything this world tried to take from you."
She stared at me, her chest heaving, completely speechless. The fear in her eyes hadn't vanished, but the cold, defensive wall around her heart had cracked.
Before she could ask more questions, the double doors of the medical suite hissed open.
Ronald stepped inside, holding a sleek black suit bag and shoes. Behind him, Dr. Keller followed with a tablet that showed the morning's schedule.
"Master Ryuk," Ronald bowed. "It is 7:00 AM. Your transport has been prepared for Golden Star Academy. Miss Lina's custom uniform has also been delivered and cleaned."
I stepped back from the bed and turned to Ronald. "Is the perimeter clear?"
"Yes, Master. Chief Vane's officers finished their report, and the local news feeds have been quieted," Ronald said smoothly. "However, Vice Principal Rosette has called an urgent assembly at the academy auditorium for 8:30 AM. Arthur and his family's representatives are expected to attend."
A cold smile spread across my face.
Inside my bloodstream, my status panel flickered into view, silently updating its numbers in real-time.
=====================================================
SWARM STATUS PANEL
=====================================================
[User]: Ryuk (Amar)
[Main Form]: Human (Apprentice Stage)
-----------------------------------------------------
[CLONE SWARM MATRIX]:
- Active Bacteriophage Clones: 125,400 / 1,000,000,000
- Current Colony Stage: Micro-Cluster (Tier 0)
- Swarm Processing Capacity: Stable & Expanding
-----------------------------------------------------
[EVOLUTION PROGRESS]:
- Replicating Phase: [0.01254%]
- Next Growth Milestone: 1,000,000 Clones
=====================================================
Over a hundred thousand microscopic clones were now swimming silently through my body, waiting for my command.
"They called an assembly, did they?" I murmured, taking the suit jacket from Ronald. I looked back at Lina, who was watching me with a mixture of awe and lingering confusion.
"Get dressed, Lina," I said softly, my voice returning to its calm, dominant cadence. "Today, we're going back to school."