Lyon POV:

I wiped the tears away from Jasmine’s cheek as she smiled at me cutely. A funny feeling had swept over me ever since she had kissed me by surprise. My heart thumped louder and louder the more I looked at her.

Jasmine was always pretty, but she suddenly looked even more dazzling. The shape of her lips, her long eyelashes and the way her hair framed her fa—

‘Now wasn’t the time for this.’

I sighed inwardly as I let go of her hand. This type of atmosphere really had a way of pulling you in, and I wondered if I had spent too much time living together with her.

“I’m going to check on Len and Marina.”

She nodded her head and popped a lollipop in her mouth. The deep shade of red across her cheeks remained while I smiled to myself as I saw her signature habit—it meant that she was feeling better.

I walked towards the door when my feet came to an abrupt halt.

“Thank you, Jasmine. You put your life on the line to bring them back safely. You’re incredible.”

I glanced back and saw her lips curve upwards while her face went an even darker shade of red. Jasmine's eyes shimmered faintly as they narrowed down to thin slits. She parted her lips and emphasized the movement of her tongue, expertly twirling around the lollipop inside her mouth.

“As if those scrubs could stop me~”

I smiled at her words, spun around and left quickly. I knew exactly what that face meant, and I didn’t intend to stick around to find out what she would do next. It was already hot enough in that room.

I needed to apologize to Ness too, but she had yet to return downstairs, so I continued to make my way to Len and Marina's room.

I walked down the hallway and saw Ness just as she was closing the door to their room. We made eye contact while the gap between us gradually closed.

“I’m glad.”

Her lips rose slightly as she examined me closely.

“The look in your eyes is back to normal.”

I reached for her hand and held it tight. I felt guilty for making Ness worry when I could have told her what had happened.

“I’m sorry for making you worry, Ness. Thank you for taking care of Len.”

Ness shook her head while her lips spread into a bright smile that highlighted the freckles across the bridge of her nose.

“Thank you for coming back.”

The corners of my mouth rose as she let go of my hand and walked past me. I had truly met some wonderful people in a place that many would call hopeless. You really can’t judge a book by its cover when each page is different.

I stood in front of the door for a few minutes before I raised my hand and knocked.

“C-come...I-In...”

Marina's hand rested against Len's forehead as I closed the door behind me. She looked tired, but tiredness alone couldn’t stop her vibrant smile from shining. Her pure, baby blue eyes lit up as she quickly glanced back at Len.

“S-Sis, L-Lyon's... H-here...”

I watched Len's eyes open slowly. She looked around the room before her gaze stopped on me. Her face was pale, and her amber eyes unfocused.

My eyes narrowed at her condition; bandages wrapped around her head as the duvet hid the rest of her damaged body from view. Only now did I realize that Copycat wasn’t exaggerating when he said Len barely survived.

“Lyon...”

There was little strength in her voice, and I could have sworn it sounded weaker than earlier. Her bandaged hand poked through the bed sheet, beckoning me to come over.

‘We need to let her rest.’

I decided to say what I needed to quickly. I sat down beside Marina and held Len's hand carefully. Her amber eyes shone as she examined me while a faint smile appeared on her face.

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“Len, I’m sorr—”

“Not your fault...”

She gripped my hand tightly while she whispered. I saw the strong conviction in her eyes and nodded my head in response as the tension in my heart eased slightly.

I organized what I wanted to say in my head when Len abruptly spoke again.

“Say it...”

Her head had turned to face me, and she had narrowed her eyes.

“I want to train Marina.”

I didn’t skirt around the bush and got straight to the point at hand. Len stared at me silently for awhile before nodding her head. She shifted her gaze towards Marina.

“Marina...Go and learn... from Lyon. No matter... what others call you... No matter what others... say about you... Do not let it show on your face...”

She let go of my hand and slowly rested it against Marina's cheek.

“You are strong... Brave... And courageous... But most importantly... You are... My little sister... I’m sorry... I didn’t do better... For you...”

“D-don’t... S-say... T-that...”

Marina placed her hand against Len's as I watched Len look back at me and smile.

“She’s in...Your care... Lyon.”

I nodded my head and placed my hand on Marina's shoulder. I knew it hurt to see Len so weak like this, especially when she’s always been a symbol of strength and support for her, but Len needed to rest.

“I’m tired...”

Marina was going to speak, but I stretched out my hand to stop her. I placed Len's arm by her side and stood up.

“Get some rest. I’ll check on you in the morning, Len.”

Her lips curved upwards as she whispered. I couldn’t make out her words, but it was fine; I could always ask her later. I left the room with a reluctant Marina and headed downstairs.

“I know it’s hard, but don’t worry. Len will be alright.”

“R-right...T-thank... Y-you...”

I rubbed Marina’s small back gently as a faint shade of red spread across her cheeks. She really was a strong person.

We passed Ness, and I told her what I was planning. She also thought it was a good idea, though it may take a long time to see any results. I knew what she meant, but it was a start.

I held open the basement door for Marina as she flushed even more at my gesture. She whispered her thanks while going down first.

She seemed determined to learn, and it made sense after what had happened tonight. I was about to follow after her when my head throbbed violently.

‘She is dying.’

My feet froze. It was the same voice I heard back when Copycat trapped me in his illusion ability. I instantly spun around and dashed back up the stairs—I wasn't taking any chances.

‘?’

I reached the door in a flash, but it refused to open; someone or something was pushing against it. The force binding the door shut was strong enough to the point that I was physically incapable of opening it.

“Len?!”

I called out her name, but no reply came. I activated the Mark of a Pantheon and ripped the door off its hinges. I threw it behind me as I charged into the room just in time to see Len's bandaged hand fall limply off the bed.

“No!”

My heart raced as I arrived at her side and quickly checked her pulse. It was erratic. I thought Copycat had healed her, and didn’t Ness say that she was stable?

“Ne—“

My words were interrupted by her pulse weakening at a rapid pace. There was no time to call anyone else.

‘The voice!’

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on hearing that strange voice once more. If it was them, maybe they’d have a solution. It was a long shot, but it was my only shot.

‘Help me save Len!’

My internal cries were met with the deafening sound of silence. I shouted again and again, but the result was still the same. Len's pulse was seconds away from disappearing completely, and I was going to have to be the one to tell Marina that her sister had died in my arms.

‘Just this once. Let it flow.’

‘!’

The voice made its presence known as my eyes shot open. My fingers fanned out over Len’s motionless body while I felt... Ki moving away from my fingers. It spread out, covering her in a thin layer similar to that of a transparent white sheet that contained a faint blue hue.

I didn’t try to understand what was going on. I just let it happen.

I just let it flow.

A flash of light enveloped the room, revealing to me Len’s condition in extreme detail. There was a foreign, black substance in various parts of her body that squirmed. Some joined together, creating thick clots, while others split apart in order to infiltrate more of her body. It raced through her bloodstream, rushing towards her heart as it broke through her weakened internal defences with ease.

Len had been poisoned.

I closed my eyes, and my Ki moved. I felt the foreign substances in her body be slowly purified as the damage done to her internal organs gradually repaired itself.

“Keuk!”

A sharp pain interrupted the calmness of my mind as my blood splattered against the bedsheets. Was I using my own life force to forcefully heal Len? Or was it the extent of this... technique?

I didn’t know, but it hadn’t even been a minute yet, and an abundant amount of poison still remained inside her body.

‘So be it.’

I ignored the pain in my chest and stared at Len's face. Blood spewed out of my nose as the blood vessels in my eyes popped loud enough to be audibly heard. Tears of blood ran down my cheeks while my hands trembled.

A few minutes passed, and the damage to her organs had been mostly healed. I moved on to getting rid of the poison.

I tried my best to separate my mind from my body—severing the electrical connection between nerve and brain. However, as each minute passed by, I was brought back to the reality that my body was breaking apart.

My vision became increasingly blurry while the blood drained away from my face. I watched the colour return to Len’s complexion as the corners of my mouth rose slightly.

Ten minutes had passed, and her organs were completely healed. All that remained was a quarter of the deadly poison that appeared to realize it was being targeted. It moved erratically, making it harder to grasp its location as it bounced through Len's body, aiming for her brain.

“Ugh...”

Blood gushed out of my mouth while I used everything that I had left inside of me. My fingers flexed as a small shockwave erupted out from my hands like seismic waves. They spread over Len’s body, obliterating the remaining dregs of poison and completely purifying her insides in the process.

My lips curved upwards weakly as I looked at Len through bloody eyes.

‘Thank you.’

I thanked the strange voice for helping me. I didn’t know what or who they were, if it was some sort of power I had within me, or if it was the Mark of a Pantheon, but it didn’t matter. I fell backwards as the light in my eyes began to fade.

Len was safe now.