Ash shook his head, his tone matter-of-fact. "No idea. How would I know who you are the first time we meet?"

Zwei's disbelief was written across her face. "Then why did you attack us?"

Ash's reply was calm and unbothered. "Seems like you attacked me first."

Zwei’s cheeks turned crimson as she stammered, "I… I was only trying to take your knife!"

"Oh," Ash responded nonchalantly. Clearly uninterested in pursuing the topic, he gestured for them to focus on the present.

"Listen," he continued, his voice as cold and detached as ever, "I don’t care who you are, but if you don’t cooperate, I won’t hesitate to use your lives as a warning." The sharp edge in his tone was unmistakable. Despite his calm delivery, the words felt like the bite of frost, seeping through their defenses and cutting straight to the bone.

Fear settled over the two captives like a heavy shroud. Zwei, usually composed, found herself trembling slightly, while the young Master could only stare at Ash, his forehead glistening with cold sweat.

"What do you want us to do?" Zwei asked, her voice quivering despite her efforts to appear brave.

Satisfied that his warning had sunk in, Ash pressed on, his tone indifferent. "Are there any other survivors aboard this ship?"

Zwei hesitated, then shook her head. "No. Everyone else is dead—only the two of us are left." Her lips, as captivating as they were defiant, parted to speak, but Ash remained utterly unaffected.

"Where exactly is this ship stranded?" he asked.

"That… we can only find out in the control room," she replied truthfully.

Ash stood up, brushing off the dust from his tattered clothing. "Then let’s go to the control room."

"Could you at least untie us?" Zwei pleaded, her wide eyes shimmering with an almost theatrical vulnerability. Her flushed face would have disarmed most men, but Ash remained oblivious. Instead, he found himself wondering why she was blushing at all.

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The Master, meanwhile, was mesmerized by Zwei’s display, his lips parting slightly in awe before he snapped back to reality.

Ash dismissed her suggestion with a shrug. "No need for that."

Before they could protest further, Ash grabbed each of them by the back of their restraints. To him, their weight was negligible, though the Master nearly yelped in surprise. His complaints quickly died on his tongue as Ash’s grip tightened. Zwei’s attempt at charm had failed spectacularly, leaving her feeling both defeated and wary of the man carrying them.

Despite her years of rigorous training, Zwei couldn’t help but feel a pang of unease. Ash’s casual strength and unshakable composure made him an enigma, and her earlier confidence had given way to growing trepidation.

The Master, however, fared far worse. His pampered upbringing had not prepared him for the uncomfortable sensation of the fibre rope cutting into his skin as Ash carried him like a sack of potatoes.

"Which way to the control room?" Ash asked curtly.

Zwei glanced at the young Master, silently urging him to endure. "Through the green door on the left. Turn right, walk twenty meters down the corridor, and then enter through the yellow door," she explained.

Ash nodded and began walking, but then paused mid-step. Rune might be awake by now, he thought. If Rune woke up and didn’t find him, it could lead to complications.

"Change of plans," Ash muttered, turning towards the staircase instead.

"That’s not the way to the control room!" Zwei cried out.

"I know," Ash replied with a casual shrug.

The abrupt motion sent the two captives bouncing slightly in his grip, their heads spinning from the movement. Gritting her teeth, Zwei silently cursed her bad luck while the Master groaned audibly.

Ash strode swiftly through the corridor, using the fibre rope tied along the walls to navigate. In mere minutes, they arrived at a sealed safety door.

It was closed. Ash distinctly remembered it being open earlier. "Why is this door shut?" he asked, his sharp gaze fixed on Zwei.

After a moment to collect herself, Zwei answered, "The corridor beyond this door was damaged. The system automatically sealed it to prevent decompression."

"How do we open it?"

Her voice rose in alarm. "You can’t! It’s a vacuum out there. You’ll kill us all!"

Ash cocked his head, confused. "A vacuum? So what?"

Zwei stared at him, her mind reeling. Was this man serious? "Without a pressure suit, exposure to a vacuum will kill you in seconds!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with exasperation.

"Why?" Ash pressed.

Her incredulity deepened. "Without air to breathe, your blood vessels will rupture under the pressure difference. You’ll bleed out in seconds!"

Ash scratched his head. "I don’t get it. I walked through there earlier without a suit, and I’m fine."

The revelation left Zwei and the Master utterly speechless. The implications were horrifying. Was this man even human?

As their imaginations spiraled, Zwei found herself recalling old tales of feral tribes that lived in the most inhospitable regions of space. Could Ash be one of them? A predator in human form?

Fear overtook them both. The Master’s pale face mirrored Zwei’s as she whispered a silent prayer, hoping it wouldn’t be their last.