"It's your deadline."
Sovereign hovered above them, hands clasped behind his back.
Conrad stood silently beside him.
Sovereign's mere presence alone had already defeated all three of them.
Nixon laughed bitterly, blood spitting out with every chuckle.
He smiled through the pain. "Looks like it's the end of the road, huh?"
"I was hoping you two had some kind of plan," Sovereign said. "You could've at least killed Conrad before running."
Conrad frowned.
Sovereign exhaled. "But oh well. I would've found you anyway."
His expression suddenly brightened. "John. I didn't expect to find you here." He chuckled. "Not in this specific place, of course."
"You know what?" He sighed. "You can go. I'll let you off the hook."
"And what will you do to these two?" John asked.
"Why would you care?"
John released Knox and walked away without another word.
Nixon exhaled. "If I'm going to die, might as well speak my heart out, right?"
Sovereign shrugged.
"Fuck you. I mean it — seriously, fuck you," Nixon said. "Right now I'm supposed to be scared shitless because I'm literally about to die. But for some reason, I really don't give a shit anymore!"
Nixon laughed. "You're this all-powerful god who could destroy the world or wipe out humanity in minutes. Yet you can't kill John? What, because of some stupid bullshit you call the 'Natural Order'? Fuck you!"
Even Knox was shocked by his words.
"He was right there and you let him walk away! You're no god. If you were, you'd actually do something instead of just watching everything like it's entertainment."
"I never said I was a god."
"You act like one, dipshit! You order people around, kill the ones who are afraid, and let the brave ones live. Is that why I'm still alive? Kill me then! Fucking kill me, asshole! I don't give a fuck anymore!"
Nixon exploded with rage, throwing punches at Sovereign with everything he had. It did nothing.
"You live for your own amusement! You don't care about anyone but yourself! The reason you won't kill John yourself isn't because of the 'Natural Order' — it's because you want to have fun! You see the world like it's your personal movie where you control everything! I've always known that from the way you act! You're bored of your own power, so you use it to watch others suffer for your entertainment!"
Sovereign stayed quiet. For the first time, he looked... unsure.
"What do you want?" he asked calmly.
"I would've asked you to let me live, but now I'm begging you to kill me! Because whether I live or die, my life will always be the same as long as you're alive!"
Sovereign didn't respond. He was completely lost in thought:
Why am I so desperate to prove someone wrong? This isn't who I am. I live for my own amusement.
Why should I care if someone is right or wrong about me? They mean nothing.
He growled in anger.
Damn it! Why am I so desperate to prove someone wrong?!
The entire tunnel shook violently as he punched the wall in rage.
He threw a punch at Nixon but stopped at the last second, slamming his fist into the ground instead.
"Why can't I fucking do it?! Arghhh!!!"
Then, in a blur of sheer speed, Sovereign vanished right in front of their eyes.
A long, awkward silence followed.
Knox let out a shaky breath. "What the fuck just happened?"
Nixon chuckled, then burst into loud, maniacal laughter. "Don't you see it, Knox?! This is the first step toward our dream!"
Conrad decided to fly away, not out of fear, but uncertainty.
---
Everyone in HEX was unusually quiet that day. Sovereign was acting very strange.
His foot tapped restlessly on the floor. His breathing was heavy. His fists remained clenched tight.
Then, suddenly, he stopped.
"Ashley," he said. "Fire Knox and Nixon. Not just from HEX — ban them from ever getting a job again."
That was the only thing he could do to calm his racing mind.
"Why... Why do I care?" he kept questioning himself, over and over in his head.
---
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Benjamin walked over and opened the door. It was John.
"Get the fuck out of here—"
Benjamin suddenly thought of Hannah. He paused, then nodded and let John inside.
"Thank... you...?" John said, surprised.
The moment Hannah saw him, her eyes lit up. She rushed over and jumped into his arms.
"John!" She hugged him tightly. "Oh, John!"
He hugged her back. "Hey, Hannah! It's only been like two days or something?"
"I thought you were going to die!"
He pulled away and showed himself. "Well, look at me!"
Aya watched from a distance. She no longer felt jealous — just uncertain about what she felt.
John joined the rest of the group, talking and laughing with everyone. But he still hadn't looked at Aya once.
A few hours passed.
"Alright, lad. That's enough now. You get out of here," Benjamin declared.
"What? He's got nowhere safe to stay!" Hannah protested.
"Right, but he's got somewhere to stay, doesn't he? And unlike you, Hannah, this chap is stronger than three of the strongest cunts I've ever met. He'll be completely safe."
Hannah stood up. "Don't you need someone as a shield to protect you?"
"I've got you."
She gritted her teeth. "If he's going, then I'm going too."
Benjamin exhaled. "Cool your jets, guv. I was just joking."
"You were?"
"No. But he can stay."
---
"You sure this is safe?" Knox asked, worried.
Nixon scoffed. "Who cares?"
They walked through the scanners and were immediately rejected.
"You've been fired from HEX and are banned from ever getting a job again," the security guard said.
Nixon chuckled. "Well, can't you see that I'm injured?"
"You're also banned from ever entering HEX."
Nixon laughed bitterly.
"That bastard..."