??? POV:

I placed Gia's body in the darkest corner of the room and sat down beside her. Now was a good time to think over what my next step should be; I hated unaccounted variables, but I was a capable person.

‘Solina being here is a big problem.’

If I escape with the Amplifier, she'll immediately report to the Ruler of the South. I was glad that I had changed my approach to a stealth one; if we had made a scene at the entrance to the building complex, she would have instantly stepped out to confront us.

‘The Pentagram. Does that mean each location holds one Royal Guard?’

I folded my arms as Gia's head flopped onto my shoulder. It was a plausible theory, yet I wasn’t convinced. I understood the Amplifier's value well, but if it was me, I wouldn’t reduce my most valuable assets to mere caretakers.

‘Merchandise... Hmm...’

That’s what Solina had called the Amplifier. If I took the literal meaning of the word, then that meant the Ruler saw the Amplifier as a product, not a tool—there was a big difference between the two. A product was to be sold, a tool to be used.

‘So then, who would be the buyer? The other Heavenly Kings?’

It was unlikely; that would only weaken his own power among them. This left me with one other viable option: Inner Astril. I knew District 2 had been making deals with those on that side, which could mean it wasn’t the District Leader's personal decision to go down that route.

The pieces of the puzzle slowly began to fall into place while I deliberated over it more. I leaned back against the cold wall as Gia's face fell onto my lap.

‘Is the Ruler trying to take over all of Outer Astril?’

Maybe he wanted to be a true King and not just one in name only. If my theory was correct, then taking the Amplifier would have a huge effect on every district in the South. I needed to make further adjustments—it still wasn’t time yet.

Gia's eyes opened slowly, and she looked up at me with a short smile. Thankfully, no one had passed by during the ten minutes she was out for, and even if they did, no harm would come to her.

Andre was currently going after someone named Esmeralda, and I was simply hoping that this Esmeralda person would still be with the Amplifier.

I looked down at Gia, who was pretty much back to normal and recalled that the Amplifier was actually a woman, not a man. It was an insignificant detail to me at first, but what would be the purpose of spreading such misinformation?

I put aside this line of thought for now as it still didn’t seem too important. I imagined it was a low-effort attempt to reduce her value within Outer Astril.

“Thanks. I’m good now.”

I placed the back of my hand on her forehead and checked her temperature; Gia was indeed fine. I nodded my head, and she reactivated Cloak after getting up.

***

Len POV:

I was surrounded by a sea of black as I fell. Occasionally memories would flash by, showing me the lives I had taken—the lives I had ended without any remorse. Guilt washed over me, but I accepted it; that was the life I had chosen to live until recently.

In order to keep Marina safe... In order to protect her and provide for her, I had dyed my hands in darkness and blood. She was my family, so I would look after her.

My descent abruptly stopped and a warm, fuzzy sensation wrapped around me. It made me feel safe and calm while my eyelids suddenly became heavy.

I struggled to keep them open when a small light appeared in the distance. I narrowed my eyes, observing it closely as it took on the form of a woman with waist-length blond hair. She walked towards me slowly, gradually shrinking the gap between us while my eyes widened in shock.

“Mum...?!”

Tears flowed out of my eyes as I stretched out my hand towards her, but she knocked it away. Her lips formed a soft smile while she looked directly into my eyes, and that's... That's what made it hurt more.

‘...’

I had forgotten that I wasn’t her real child.

I didn’t know who my real parents were, but she took me in. She put food in my stomach and clothes on my back. She gave me a home, and she gave me a family, yet her dying words...

“You are not my daughter.”

...rejected me. It was so painful. Why did she have to be so cruel?

“It’s not your time yet, Len.”

Her skin was slightly more aged than I remembered, but she still looked incredibly young. She also still had that same gentle smile on the day she died. I didn’t agree with how she lived her life, but I still loved her.

“Go back and tak—”

“What did I do wrong?”

I wanted to know. Though the tears streamed down my cheeks, though my heart ached, somehow I was calm; something was helping me stabilize my mind as I floated in the darkness.

I stared at my mum, waiting for her to answer. She looked at me and smiled gently while she stepped forward.

‘!’

She pushed me with both of her hands, and I began to float upwards against my will. My eyes bulged as I desperately reached out to her, clawing away at the darkness to try and close the gap that grew larger and larger.

“You? Silly child. Go back and take care of Marina...”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Mum!!”

I screamed while I fought against the darkness harder than before. I wanted to get closer to her; I didn't want her to leave again.

She continued to watch me with a gentle smile as a single tear escaped her eye when a flash of light swallowed me whole, and my eyes flashed open.

***

The first thing I saw was the ceiling. I stared at it for a while as I wondered whether or not I had a dream. For some reason, I felt like I had met my mum.

‘Tch.’

I clicked my tongue as I dispelled those silly thoughts. Meet my mum? She wouldn’t have wanted to see me again anyway.

I let out a yawn and belatedly noticed the condition of my body. There was no pain, no loss of strength, and no feeling of something eating away at me from the inside.

‘!’

The thick smell of fresh blood drifted into my nose, making my eyes narrow as I instantly sat up. There was blood splattered all over the bed sheets, but not a single drop of it seemed like mine.

My wounds had been completely healed, and the sticky bandages that clung to me tightly had begun to unravel themselves. I turned my head to the side, and my heart plummeted to my stomach.

‘L-LYON!!’

I dashed the bedsheets against the wall as I bolted to his side. His body laid motionless in a pool of blood, and... It looked like he wasn’t breathing.

My hands trembled violently while I bent down, unsure of what I should do. I placed my hand against his cheek, but the warmth had already left his body. It was cold, and his lips had turned a purpley blue colour while his eyes remained firmly shut.

“...”

No words came to mind. I just sobbed loudly as I stroked his forehead gently. I knew that healing was possible with Ki, but what he had done, could it truly be called healing?

He had sacrificed his own life in order to save mine, but in the process, he had left me with a wound that would never close.

“You.. Idiot...”

I placed my forehead against his when something strange occurred.

‘!’

I abruptly moved back and saw the blood on the floor begin to squirm. The blood splattered across the bed sheets rose and converged together in the middle of the room, creating a spinning vortex akin to a tsunami.

The tapered end of the large blood tsunami stabbed into Lyon's chest. I watched the sea of blood rush inside of him as colour gradually returned to his face. His lips returned to their normal pinkish colour while his heart thumped loudly before quietly beating away again.

The whole scene had happened in an instant, and I was left staring at Lyon dumbfounded by what I had just witnessed.

I couldn’t believe it. I doubted my eyes, but there was no mistaking it. Lyon had just revived himself? Was that even possible? I placed my ear against his chest, double-checking his heart was truly beating away normally. I examined his body carefully but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Had I made a mistake in my judgement due to my intense emotions? Maybe his heart was just beating so quietly I couldn't hear it? But then... Why was his body so cold at the time?

I didn't know. I didn't have any answers. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked down at him.

‘Lyon... Who are you really?’

***

??? POV:

We had descended a few levels beneath the building complex, and the architectural design changed. The floor was replaced with the hard earth, and torches illuminated the dark tunnel ahead of us. The Amplifier appeared to be held in a dungeonesque prison, and the number of guards had drastically decreased as a result.

After a couple more minutes of walking, Andre's large frame came into view. His tantrum had subsided a long time ago, though the frustration was still present on his face. It looked like he had just finished talking to someone.

I signalled to Gia, and we moved to the side of the tunnel. Andre turned around and began to walk back the way he had came, however, he wasn’t alone.

‘That must be Esmeralda.’

The base colour of her hair was dark, but it blended into a dark green hue as it reached the ends. She wore high heels, and her hand rested on the sword hilt of a long scabbard attached to her waist.

“You’re a snitch.”

“...Shut up.”

Andre's face looked gloomy as he walked past us. He gently rubbed his swollen face while Esmeralda’s lips curved upwards slightly. We watched the two of them disappear into the dark tunnel before proceeding.

‘This was perfect.’

We moved swiftly as we checked the various prison cells that came into view. The majority of them were empty, some held young girls and boys, while others had blood stains splattered all over the walls.

Gia moved toward the children, but I grabbed her hand and shook my head. We weren’t here to save some kids; we needed the Amplifier. She glared at me and ripped her hand out of my grip.

Gia furrowed her eyebrows while staring at them before we eventually continued on. It’s not like I couldn’t understand how she felt, but in life, there were things called priorities.

Regardless of what else was going on here, I only had one goal, and that was securing the Amplifier.

We reached the end of this floor and headed down again. The torches were sparsely spread out, making the overall lighting much darker compared to the previous floors.

In response, Gia splayed her hand. She was detecting the temperatures in the nearby vicinity like a heat sensor. Even if the Amplifier's treatment had been harsh, she should still be in better shape than any other prisoners they were holding.

A minute later, Gia looked at me and nodded. It seemed the Amplifier was on this floor. She lead the way as I followed behind her.

We turned the corner and arrived at a large cell. A person was slumped on their knees staring at the ceiling. Gia removed Cloak, and their eyes slowly fell on us as the torch illuminated her face.

It was the Amplifier.

“...”

Her black hair contained natural yellow highlights paired with dark yellow eyes that almost glowed at times. She stared at us silently while I forced open the cell and stepped inside. Gia stood guard at the entrance as I made my move.

The smell of vomit stung my nose, but I ignored it. I crouched down in front of her and moved my fingers to check her pulse.

She didn’t move away as she continued to observe my actions carefully. I examined her body using my Ki and felt that nothing was amiss.

‘Good. I’ll be able to take her away without any issues. It might be wise to keep the Ki restraints on her for now.’

I severed the chains binding her to the wall but left the shackles on her wrists and ankles. She remained on her knees despite having her freedom of movement restored.

“...What do you want? You’re not saving me out of the kindness of your heart. I can tell. You plan on using me too.”

“How observant, but you’re a little off. Anyway, we’ll be taking you out of here now.”

Her eyebrows crumpled together, and I walked past her to check on Gia. She seemed tense all of a sudden, which made me concerned.

“She’s coming.”

The fighting spirit in her eyes awakened while I quickly expanded my senses to the limit and felt three strong Ki's heading towards us at a rapid pace.

I clicked my tongue and grabbed hold of the Amplifier. I could only teleport with one person at a time, and the distance I could cover wasn’t as far as I’d like.

“Gia, wait here for me.”

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and smiled.

“Gia. Don’t—”

She dashed into the dark tunnel as I felt the veins on the side of my head bulge slightly. I flicked my two fingers towards the ceiling, and the scenery around us spun. The stone cold slabs of rock that surrounded us were replaced with a half-built building complex.

We stood in the middle of the street as the dozens of Vices posted outside charged at us. I held the Amplifier close to my side as dozens of elemental attacks flew at us from every angle.

“Inverse.”

I fanned out my fingers on both sides as their attacks flipped backwards like the reflection of a mirror. My Ki boosted the strength of the reversed attacks by several-fold, blowing away the guards as a result. The recoil differed on what was inverted, so I didn’t suffer much this time.

‘!’

I jumped back with the Amplifier as a flash of light descended from above. The sword struck the earth, where I had previously stood, shattering it into pieces. I watched the blade glint as it quickly entered the scabbard.

The dust cleared, and a woman wearing high heels stood before me.

“I’ll be taking that back.”

She pointed at the Amplifier, who glared at her with fierce eyes. My lips curved upwards slightly because this was also within my calculations.

“You should have brought Solina with you. You’re incapable of stopping me.”

“You rate yourself too highly.”

She stomped the ground, and the earth cracked beneath her feet. It had been a while since I had flexed my muscles—she'd make for a solid warm-up. I turned my attention to the Amplifier, who was staying by my side voluntarily.

“Wait with the man you’re about to meet. I have no plans of using you the way you think.”

I pointed my finger at her forehead before she could answer. Esmeralda didn’t waste any time either as a flash of light headed towards me, cracking the ground beneath it.

“Displace.”

The Amplifier vanished, and I spun around just as Esmeralda's blade was about to reach me.

“Inversion.”