Holder POV:
Beads of sweat formed on my brow as I focused on the impossible task in front of me. Brunaulf's heart had started beating again, but I knew it was only a matter of time—this was beyond my ability.
I glanced at Gunnar, who was gently stroking Ven's cheek. He had carefully lined the bodies up close together in a row, making it easier for me to examine their condition.
“H-Holder... Will... Will Ven make it?... What about the others?... You’ve just been healing Brunaulf for a while now...”
The light in his eyes flickered in and out as he spoke. He was unable to tear his gaze away from Ven. Lissandra stood on standby, but her expression gradually became worse as she watched the battle unfold ahead.
“Right now, Brunaulf's condition is the worse. If the others are on death's door, then Brunaulf has one foot inside already.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration. The Senior Vices were certainly dying but compared to Brunaulf, they were in a more stable condition; if I could even call it that. Denise was in the worst state, followed by Triste, then Ven.
'This won’t work...’
The others would progressively get worse the longer I spent trying to resuscitate Brunaulf. I examined the places where their bodies used to be when something caught the corner of my eye.
‘!’
A syringe with a dark red liquid was hidden beneath the rubble to my right. It was a KED, but not the old kind that they had mainly used on the Blood Hounds; this was the revised version. I had seen it a couple of times in the past, and apparently, it drastically reduced the Hounding effect, but that wasn’t the important part. If the rumours were true, it could also temporarily increase your ability level.
The problem was how severe the side effects would be. All KEDs had side effects; there were no exceptions to this rule. I glanced down at Brunaulf, whose face had become more pale than a few seconds ago, and made my decision.
“Vice Lissandra, I can’t save them like this. I need Isabelle to boost my ability.”
Lissandra peeled her eyes away from the battle and walked towards me. Her gaze swept over the Senior Vices before resting on me. I knew what those eyes meant, but my resolve wouldn’t be shaken this time.
Bringing Isabelle here was an extremely reckless thing to do, but it was necessary. With her help, I could do this.
“I can only keep Brunaulf alive for 5 more minutes—that’s the limit.”
It was a lie. I could only keep Brunaulf breathing for two more minutes. I watched her release her Ki as her lips curved upwards slightly.
“I’ll be back soon then. Keep them alive, Holder.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
Her body flickered, and I felt her presence quickly vanish. It wasn’t a lie. If Isabelle was here, I wouldn’t need to do what I was about to do. I gulped as I moved on to the next step of my plan.
“Gunnar, spread out the bodies for me carefully. Make sure the gap between each one is equal.”
“R-right...”
He looked at me strangely but quickly complied with my request. I watched him turn his back away from me, and I immediately dashed forward. I grabbed hold of the KED and sprinted back towards them. I was able to complete this motion in the span of a few seconds.
I felt Gunnar’s stern gaze rest on me, but it didn’t matter now. I pulled the KED out of my pocket and placed the needle against the veins on my forearm.
“What do you think you’re doing, Holder? Are you trying to go berserk and kill everyone?!”
He grabbed me by my top as his veins bulged on his forehead.
“Trust me, Gunnar.”
That was all I had to say. I didn’t break eye contact with him and soon felt his grip loosen. He glanced at Ven before looking back at me.
“Don’t mess this up.”
I nodded my head while he gave me some space. My hand trembled as the needle drew closer to the veins on my arm. I knew the addiction, the pain, and the ecstasy that came with this drug—it wasn’t an easy thing to overcome or resist.
‘I’m sorry, Frida.’
The District Leader told me to save him no matter what, and so I was going to give it my all. I bit my quivering lip hard enough to draw blood as I plunged the needle into the vein. I pressed down on the syringe, releasing the dark red liquid into my bloodstream.
“!”
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My pupils dilated as the blood vessels popped around my sclera. I felt the rush of pleasure accompanied by a source of power I couldn’t contain. My Ki exploded, and I instantly fanned out my fingers.
“Cure!”
The green light flashed over the Senior Vices as an orange hue mixed with it while I felt my ability go beyond my imagination. I could feel Brunaulf's condition becoming more stable while the Senior Vices gradually distanced themselves from death’s door.
“It’s working... You’re doing it, Holder!”
The bright smile that appeared on Gunnar's face became blurry. Darkness crept in from my peripheral vision as my head started to throb. My arms began to convulse, interrupting my ability to heal.
'I knew you’d come back. You can’t resist it. This time, you’ll lose your mind for good.’
The voice of darkness whispered into my ear while a warm embrace pulled me in. I could barely make out Gunnar screaming my name as I wobbled. I felt blood pour out of my eyes while the pleasure numbed the pain.
‘I said, NO MATTER WHAT!’
I heard the District Leader's voice echo in the back of my mind and my fingers reflexively fanned out while the darkness consumed my sight.
Frida's soft smile flickered in front of me as we spent time talking to each other while the children played around us. The image quickly faded while a green and orange light separated itself into two paths as I forced them to intertwine together.
A power beyond my comprehension seeped into my body, causing violent tremors to run through my very existence. I ignored my shaking arms, and I ignored the muscle spasms happening all over my body as I slumped forward with my hands out.
“Can do it...”
‘Give in. You’ve always been useless; that’s why you were abandoned. Give in to the pleasure and forget about everything. You will never need to care about how people see you again!’
It roared in my ears, threatening to drag me back in. It wasn’t wrong. I had been abandoned by my family when I was 8 years old. I was a shy person who always struggled to socialise with others. I didn’t know what I should say, so I kept to myself.
Time passed by, and I grew older, but these things don’t simply get better with age. I tried to push myself by getting involved with the Organization, but that was an even worse mistake. The family that had abandoned me somehow found me again. They pestered me day and night for money, for food, for clothes—I wasn’t a human to them. I was just a resource...
“I... Can do it...”
I mumbled the same words over and over again, reciting them like a mantra.
The District Leader... I saw how he treated his allies and heard how he even had mercy on his enemies. I had agreed to stay with him because I wanted to start over.
I wanted to try again.
It was warm. District 4 was such a warm place. Strangers checked on you and tried to get to know you. They took care of one another...
A faint silhouette appeared within the darkness far in the distance. Its light gradually drew closer, revealing its form. I could point out that phenomenal figure from millions. I could point out that hair and that soft smile no matter how many people were lined up in front of me. I knew. I knew it was Frida.
She smiled at me while placing her hand over mine.
“Holder, the problem is that you don’t believe in yourself. Since it’s difficult for you to do it, I will do it for you. I believe in you, Holder.”
I had confided in her rather unexpectedly one day. Frida just made me feel at ease, and before I knew it, I was telling her things that I had never told anyone—I was opening up.
A strong orange light emanated from our hands, tearing away the darkness. A surge of power swelled up inside of me as the image of Frida disappeared.
“Cure: Luminescence.”
A dome of orange light surrounded me along with the Senior Vices. Green Ki sprouted from my chest, travelling along my hands and attaching itself to the sides of the dome-like tree branches. Blue leaves adorned the tree-like structure as the veins on my forehead bulged.
‘I won’t let you down.’
***
Lissandra POV:
I narrowed my eyes as I bolted through the red mist. I recalled the way the District Leader looked at me, and I felt bad. I didn’t want to act this way; I wanted to be more vocal and support him, but I couldn’t this time.
I needed him to grow, but at the same time, I hated seeing him get hurt. If I had stepped in with his battle against Storm, overpowering him together wouldn’t be an issue. However, in order for that person to move, the Leader needed a better result than taking out Solina.
I bit my quivering lip as I second-guessed my decision. The pain in his eyes was accompanied by the fierce rage that consumed him while he fought. That wasn’t him. He would lose if he fought that way.
‘...I hate this feeling.’
The red mist didn’t affect my senses because I was immune to these kinds of things. Well, even if I wasn’t, my Ki was strong enough to force the mist away, so it made no difference to me.
I sensed a relatively powerful Ki heading towards me at a fast speed as I approached the boundary of the red mist. They dashed in front of me, creating a mist-free area of space that circled around us.
“The name's Archie. I’m ranked 16th among the Royal Guards. Though you don’t look like you’re part of Enigma, I can’t just let you leave.”
I didn’t understand why they felt the need to introduce themselves. Maybe it was an ego thing? Regardless, I didn’t have the time to deal with this.
I ignored him and continued running. He cut in front of me, throwing a kick toward my face. I let out a sigh as I saw him move in slow motion.
“Seung: Jeondo.”
I stepped forward as his motionless body dropped behind me, followed by blood splattering everywhere around him. He probably couldn’t even comprehend how many times I had hit him in the span of 5 seconds.
I sprinted forward and broke through the red mist. I reached District 4 in no time as I navigated through the network of alleyways with ease.
“Vice Lissandra, is there a problem? How can I help?”
Jess, who worked on border patrol with Miles, quickly reached my side. Her eyebrows quivered faintly as she looked at me with a hint of concern.
“Gather all the Vices available. Don’t worry about the rest. You’re doing well here.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
She bowed her head and darted off in another direction. I increased my speed, arriving at Isabelle's room in no time. I pushed open the door in a hurry and was greeted with an unexpected sight.
A long piece of black fabric was laid out on the table. Isabelle wore a pair of small glasses as she gently threaded a strand of blue thread through the hole of the needle.
“The Senior Vices are in danger. Let’s move.”
She looked at me wide-eyed but seemed to quickly grasp the situation. The yellow highlights in her black hair shimmered from the window light, and she immediately put the sewing needle down on the table. Isabelle moved the black and blue fabric to one side as she quickly got to her feet.
“Lead the way, Vice Lissandra.”
Over 30 Vices were waiting for us downstairs, and as soon as they saw me, they bowed their heads.
“You all have one mission: protect Isabelle.”
“Yes, Ma’am!!”
We set off immediately. Isabelle was in the middle of the Vice's formation to ensure maximum safety. All that was left to do was make it back to Holder in time.