“What’s this? Is this our accommodation? Everyone’s gathered here!”
Kicking the bars in irritation, May’s annoyance prompted Sen, who was crouched in the corner, to begin explaining calmly.
“This is a prison. It seems to be located underground in the interior of Batian. And the Chokugen Faction is… a group I used to belong to…”
“Oh, got it! You explained that earlier! Why is this kid so timid now?”
Like an encyclopedia spewing out definitions, Sen poured out all the information she knew.
“It’s okay.”
Trying to act like it didn’t faze her, but Rin could see that Sen was feeling down, so she went over and held her hand tightly.
The reason Sen felt this way was that she believed she had some responsibility for bringing everyone here.
After all, it was the Chokugen Faction that had captured everyone in this prison, and she had been part of that faction.
Looking at Rin’s gentle grasp, Sen made a silent vow.
‘I have to save everyone here, no matter what.’
She had betrayed the Chokugen Faction, but since being captured, her life was practically forfeit. So, she had to save at least the lives of others.
Now Sen admitted that this was not just a simple mission.
‘I want to save them.’
She genuinely wanted to save them.
For some reason, that thought came to her, and it felt immensely satisfying as a final goal before ending her short life.
“More importantly, what are they planning to do by capturing us?”
Ares muttered as he gripped the bars and scanned the outer corridor. He was checking if anyone was around, but he felt no presence.
Perhaps due to the anxiety, his voice tone returned to its original youthful tone.
“I don’t know. Damn, I wonder if Lucia is okay?”
Seeing May worry about Lucia, who had escaped to the cathedral even in this situation, Ares asked unwittingly.
“May has changed a lot, hasn’t she?”
“Huh?”
“You’re different from before.”
“……”
Feeling a strange embarrassment, May tilted her head. Wasn’t it the boy she had a crush on before?
Living in those naive days (which was just a few months ago), she would have tried hard to impress Ares even in this situation.
“Hmm.”
Slowly leaning against the bars, she stuffed her hand deep into the pocket of her hooded jacket. The last candy wrapper’s texture could still be felt at her fingertips.
She swiftly pulled it out, expertly unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth while looking at Ares.
“Huh.”
“What’s wrong?”
Ares, feeling something might be stuck on his face because May was staring at him, touched his cheek. May nodded at him.
“It’s funny when I think about it.”
“Huh?”
In liking someone, appearance was certainly an essential part. Though May’s thoughts hadn’t changed on that, she recognized some differences compared to a few months ago.
‘To think I was trying to like someone based only on their looks.’
It was impossible to love someone just for that.
Was that ever true love in the first place?
She wondered if it was more about a desire to possess things like luxury handbags or rings that others wanted.
‘Well, it’s hard to say now.’
Unfortunately, even May, the owner of that feeling, could no longer define her emotions. They seemed to vanish like stains washed away.
“You’ve got eye boogers.”
“Huh?”
Chuckling, May pointed it out, and Ares turned, surprised, to check his eyes. Without any hesitation, May sighed, turning her gaze elsewhere.
‘I haven’t seen you for a few days, and I already miss you.’
Watching May biting her candy, Rin wore a chilling smile.
“Not allowed.”
“What?”
“You have no chance to interfere.”
“Huh?”
May could hardly comprehend what Rin meant. Just as she was about to argue angrily, Ares warned everyone.
“Someone’s coming.”
The group stilled, suddenly quiet, their gazes drawn toward the bars.
In this underground corridor made of brick, footsteps echoed distinctly, but the figure held their pride and remained silent.
A man with a white hood covering his face. Unlike the other man who followed him, his hood bore a red mark denoting his status as a Boss.
“Sen, long time no see.”
“Boss.”
Releasing Rin’s hand naturally, Sen stood up and slowly approached the bars.
It wasn’t a good situation for small talk, so Sen jumped straight to the point.
“I understand, but why did you capture the others too?”
“You’ve become quite talkative. Did you think I would answer that?”
“……”
“Not giving the betrayer immediate death is to execute you in front of everyone. The process of extracting your insides alive and throwing them to the pigs will be witnessed by you and everyone from the Chokugen Faction.”
The Boss spoke ominously about Sen’s future, but the two girls shouted back angrily.
“Ew, do you wash your mouth before saying stuff like that?”
“You really speak carelessly.”
May and Rin reacted with irritation. However, no one in the cage was ignorant of the fact that no matter how ferocious the mad beasts barked inside, it would all lead to an end.
Though obscured by his hood, one could tell from the slightly raised eyes that the Boss was smirking.
“Your treatment will be decided soon. The Client has plans to strike a deal with someone regarding you.”
“Deal?”
Ares echoed back, feeling a noose tighten around his neck at the word, to which the Boss nodded.
At this point, Sen couldn’t help but wonder about the reason the Boss had come here.
“Isn’t it against the Chokugen Faction’s rules to pry into the Client’s affairs?”
The Boss was probing what purpose the Client had in mind by employing them, which fundamentally contradicted the principles of the Chokugen Faction.
But the Boss stood firm.
“There are no eternal allies or enemies in the Chokugen Faction.”
“……!”
Sen, having once been part of the Chokugen Faction, instantly understood what his statement implied.
‘That means there’s another Client behind the one who told you to kidnap us.’
Even though this risky act could break the existing Client’s trust, it seemed he had substantial backing.
“Daniel McLean.”
Realizing that they had no intention of speaking up, the Boss revealed his cards first.
The unexpected name left everyone stunned.
“The Client’s trade target. All I know is that he soloed the Tudogs, but do you know anything about him…?”
“Hey.”
Cutting off the Boss abruptly, May kicked the bars hard.
“Shut your mouth before I rip your lips apart. Who do you think you are mentioning someone’s name?”
Supporting her outburst, Sen added a comment.
“You’ll get nothing about Daniel from us.”
“I’m not…”
Ares hastily raised his hand to say something, but Rin’s fist struck his abdomen just in time, causing him almost to spit out his dinner.
Honestly, Ares wanted to escape even if it meant selling information.
“No, I was just joking!”
As he sent surrender signals toward Rin, he had no choice but to lock his mouth shut.
Realizing there was no more information to extract, the Boss decided to leave, but a more serious atmosphere hung in the prison.
“Shit.”
May couldn’t help but curse under her breath, and though she quickly covered her mouth, she followed up with another curse.
“Shit.”
It signified that the situation was spiraling to a worst-case scenario she didn’t desire.
“……Shit.”
Sen quietly echoed her sentiment.
Since Sen usually didn’t curse, she tried it out, wondering if it would relieve her frustration, and found it oddly satisfying.
“Sen! Don’t say that carelessly!”
“You make cursing sound cute.”
Rin and May displayed entirely opposite reactions.
Rin blocked Sen’s mouth from trying it again with her hand.
“Trading with Daniel? With our lives?”
Ares murmured to gather the situation as May and Sen’s expressions grew darker.
But at that moment, Rin raised her hand.
“Hey, I know a way to escape the prison. And I can take you all with me.”
As she released her hand from Sen’s grip, Sen immediately muttered a “Shit,” and Rin glared at May for teaching something weird to Sen.
“Okay, what’s the method?”
May, who had just acknowledged she taught Sen something bad, urged Rin to hurry up.
Rin slowly undid the lower buttons of her hoodie, just enough to make Ares’s breath hitch a little.
“Where are you going!”
“Ugh!”
With May’s swift jab to Ares’s eye, he rolled on the ground in pain. Grateful, Rin pointed at the mark drawn on her chest.
“This mark was given to me by the God of Death. I can put people in and out of it.”
“You can put people in and out?”
“Are you a human drawer?”
With shocked expressions, Sen looked bewildered, and May shrugged, bewildered.
But Rin sighed slowly, pouring her powers onto the prison floor.
“Sorry, but I’m going to drag you away forcibly.”
“……!”
“Hey! Wait! Just a second!”
“My sister! My sister!”
Sen and May tried to distance themselves from Rin, but in this cramped prison, there was nowhere to escape from the black energy.
“I can’t let Daniel be harmed. No one can have Daniel. I’m sorry for you all.”
With unfocused eyes, Rin slowly reached out her hand.
“To me, Daniel is the most important.”
In an instant, the deepest darkness on the continent reached out toward the three people.
*
In the shadow of a building that couldn’t let in sunlight, a girl with black hair revealed herself, soon followed by the black energy flowing from her chest, which began to take human form.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
“Ugh! What the hell, you crazy bitch!”
“……”
The three who had been engulfed in darkness once again appeared in an alley in Batian. Except for the unconscious Ares, Sen and May were breathing heavily.
Though there was no pain, witnessing themselves melting away took a lifetime for them to experience. Of course, it was something they never wanted to experience again.
Not only that, being trapped inside Rin felt indescribably grotesque.
“Ugh, ugh!”
Just as May was about to slap Rin’s face, Rin, dripping with cold sweat, leaned against the wall and began projectile vomiting.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Not understanding what was happening, May’s hand instinctively went to pat Rin on the back.
Rin, having coughed up enough, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and tucked her hair back behind her ears, which was sticking with cold sweat.
‘I was so burdened because of Ares.’
Even with Claire and May’s worried voices nearby, Rin’s gaze was firmly fixed on the unconscious Ares.
It had always been difficult to hide her body in darkness, but because Ares had been chosen by Helios and bore an imprint, it caused her headaches and dizziness.
Thanks to that, she hadn’t escaped the hotel where the prison was located.
Rin took a deep breath, speaking to the others.
“That hotel was the prison we were trapped in. First, take care of Ares. Let’s escape…”
Crash!
Even in this urgent situation, Rin couldn’t help but turn her gaze when a noise interrupted her speech, drawing her attention.
The window on the highest floor of the hotel shattered, and as someone wrapped in curtains fell out, it was surprisingly someone they recognized.
“Boss?”
The man, whom they had just met in their prison, the Boss, fell from the window, his body twisted grotesquely while he writhed in pain.
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