Chapter 82: The Ball Is in My Court

Giving Sky a nod, Hazel wished for Sky to live a long, happy life as she silently watched Sky leave her sight and head back to camp. Hazel knew this action more or less sealed her fate, and she wasn’t angry with Sky, but still, knowing death was near, she zoned out after that. Feeling a chain wrapping around her body at some point, Hazel continued just to sit there, unresponsive.

Back then, Hazel’s body was still fighting to keep her alive, but she had already lost hope. Her memories from then onward were a blur. Whether it’s because there’s nothing to remember, or Hazel’s mind didn’t want to remember… she hasn't got the faintest idea.

Hazel was confused by her whereabouts after waking up in a small bedroom. Wondering where she was, she attempted to whisper a question to herself, only for her voice to come out hoarse and frail as a throbbing pain riddled the back of her throat.

Gazing down at the ground, Hazel brought her fingers to her neck, softly tapping the front of her neck right underneath her jaw. With each individual touch, her face grimaced as brusque tremors of pain radiated just around the point of contact.

“You should drink some water. It’ll help,” says a deep voice from across the room.

Looking up, Hazel immediately recognized it was Zeris by his body type and hair, but he wasn’t wearing his mask. On the other side of the room, Zeris was leaning against an open doorway with his arms folded, one foot against the door. Gaping silently at him, Hazel only became more confused, desperately trying to recall what had happened, but she couldn’t.

Zeris then tipped his head to his right, eyeing the space beside Hazel. Turning to her left, Hazel noticed her backpack resting against a wall about a foot away. Glancing back at Zeris, he nodded, and Hazel slowly reached out to the bag, swiftly grabbing the canteen slotted in its' side pocket. Unscrewing the cap while keeping an eye on Zeris, Hazel slowly raised the canteen, setting the rim of the lid between her lips. As the chilled, crisp water ran down her parched tongue and throat, her body rejoiced and subsequently smothered the curt nudges of pain she felt with each gulp.

Delicately lowering the canteen from her lips and screwing the cap back on, Hazel slowly placed it beside her, all while keeping her eyes on Zeris, who hadn’t moved.

“See? Better?” he says.

Hazel croaks, “Where’s… Vio… let?”

Dropping his foot to the floor and unraveling his arms, Zeris pushes himself off the doorframe. Walking over toward Hazel, Hazel slowly moves away as Zeris sits on the bed a few feet away.

“I see no reason to sugarcoat it... Violet is no longer part of this world.”

Hazel’s gaze drops in shock from receiving such a straightforward and harsh response.

“Did you… kill… her?”

“No, I saved her,” he replies, Zeris’s tone reflecting his firm belief in that statement.

Hazel meets his gaze again, and Zeris's expression agrees with his words. Exhaling a quick, cool breeze out her nose, Hazel doesn’t allow herself any time to mourn, her mind trying to determine what she should say or do next to stay alive.

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“Why… did you… not kill me… as well?” she asks, her voice warming up.

“Because…” Zeris hums for a moment. “I saw potential in you.”

“Is that why… I’m here now?”

“Yes, you could say that.”

Hazel pauses for a moment, recollecting her thoughts.

“Where are… we?”

“That’s complicated to answer. Just think of this place as my home, though.”

“Okay. Wait… what about… the others? Are they still…” Hazel drifts off.

“You’ve been out for only half a day. Right now, it’s pretty early in the morning. As for the others, most of those you remember are still alive. I know you’re most concerned about Sky. Don’t worry, she’s shaken up, but she’s safe and sound back at your camp.”

Her brows knit in confusion, “What…? Why do you care… about how I… feel? Won’t you just… kill everybody until… there’s one left… anyway? Don’t spare me… this nice guy act… you’ve already killed… so many…”

Hazel pauses, her throat straining from irritation, “How about we… just get this... over with…? You already have… Ace… and only one… can live… so… why don’t you just… kill me now…?”

Silence fills the room as emotions stir within Hazel. After a few seconds, Zeris breaks eye contact and scoffs, shuffling his feet on the ground before fixing his attention back on me.

“I don’t kill for sport, kid. Everything I do is for a reason. Everything,” he emphasizes as his eyes narrow. “You have no idea what the outside world is like. You have no memories of it. Those I’ve killed… those I’ve saved here… would only be ripped to shreds and further dehumanized by the wrath of the real world. I’m saving them from entering a life that’ll be ten times worse than the ones they’ve lived so far.”

“I don’t blame you if you can only see me as some murderous monster, but I’ve grown to accept who I am and what I’m doing. Whether you accept that too, is something out of my control. What was it you asked me earlier?” Zeris rhetorically asks. “Yeah… I think that’s what it was. To not play the nice guy act… yeah, that was it. Now, let me ask you a question, and think carefully before you answer. I’m not going to kill you. Because I see that you have hidden potential yet to be awakened.”

Hidden potential?

“Now, I can continue speaking with you as I am now, treating you like a person and playing this so-called ‘nice guy act’ as you labeled it. Or…”

Jumping off the bed, Zeris quickly morphs into a giant beast resembling the monster Hunter said he saw on day one. Towering over Hazel, Zeris’s crawling, transparent skin encases the outline of his skeletal structure as his body glows a mesmerizing violet color. Her eyes widened with terror; Hazel shuffled herself away as Zeris walked toward her, saying in a distorted voice,

“Would you like me to speak to you like this?”

Continuing to push herself back, Hazel collided with a wall and looked back in fear that she had nowhere else to go.

“Dikai,” he mutters, manifesting his twin daggers. Immediately hurling both blades directly at Hazel, Hazel instinctively tucked her head, and the daggers lodged themselves into the stone wall behind her, making a loud snapping noise as cracks formed along the wall's surface.

Lifting her gaze, Hazel realizes the connected chains were strung up like ropes on either side of her. Zeris’s strength allowed them to uphold their position firmly. They slowly move closer together, starting to compress and squish Hazel’s body as Zeris walks up in front of her, eliminating any possible escape route she could have used if she had acted sooner.

As the chains painfully brought Hazel’s arms to her sides, Zeris asked, “So, do you want the nice guy? Or this one?”

Darting her eyes back and forth between Zeris and the chains, Hazel takes a moment to compose herself, telling herself that she’s not in any danger.

He said he saw potential in me, so this might just be a test. If that's the case, the ball is in my court. Depending on my answer, I can potentially gain something out of this. Or, my answer will make me lose something equally as valuable…

So... what should I say?