"He's... you're part of Culling?" Kit asked incredulously, her mismatched eyes beginning to spark with hurt.

"I am. And I sincerely apologize for the pain my associate here has caused," Dr. Malek replied, bending down to pick up Thaddeus. "However, I was not expecting Sero to get this far. He's clever when he puts his mind to it, although it seems he wasn't fully prepared."

"Sero... he trusted you!" Amaya sobbed, her voice breaking as she clutched at the Scholar's head. "He trusted you, and you betrayed him!"

Dr. Malek chuckled humorlessly as he prepared to walk into the portal. "I betrayed Sero? If anything, I believe it was the world who betrayed him, sending him through so much pain."

"That doesn't make any sense," Kit growled, her eyes glowing white. "And it seems like I'm going to have to take you in as well."

"I'm well aware of your abilities, Kit," Dr. Malek glanced over his shoulder. "But even with the concept of a paradox, are you able to deal with a dilemma?"

"What?" Kit began to ask what the doctor meant but then his eyes glowed black with power.

"I don't... feel too good..." Thomas suddenly gasped, doubling over in pain. The three women turned to the boy in shock, watching as a black aura began to envelop him.

Dr. Malek's eyes softened with a sad but determined look. "Kit, I'm afraid you won't be able to take me in after all. I suggest you focus on the boy, who's ready to explode from the mana bomb I implanted in him."

"Wait!" Before Kit could use her Cat Paradox, Dr. Malek had slipped through the portal, leaving the three to deal with Thomas's situation.

Elizabeth dashed over, her hands glowing with what seemed like white synthetic mana. "I can help contain the mana bomb, but we need to move fast!" She held her palms out towards Thomas, and a protective barrier of mana appeared around him. "Kit, can you help me?"

Kit nodded, her eyes still wide with shock and anger. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, then placed her hand on the barrier of mana. "Alright, I've got it. We all believe that Thomas is okay, right?"

Amaya and Elizabeth nodded, but the boy didn't seem convinced as the black aura grew denser.

"Help me!" Thomas cried out as the pain grew more intense, his body beginning to convulse violently. "I can't... breathe..." Kit and Elizabeth struggled to keep the mana bomb contained, but it was becoming increasingly difficult as Thomas's body began to tear itself apart from the inside. Amaya leapt to her feet to help, her mana adding to the barrier.

"Thomas, just believe! You're okay!" Kit shouted as she fought to keep the mana bomb contained. But it was no use; the pain in Thomas's voice grew more desperate, his body convulsing harder and harder. "Fuck, my will can't overpower his!"

Elizabeth was forced to let go of the barrier, her hands burning with the effort. "Kit, I'm sorry, I can't hold it any longer!" she gasped, her eyes wide with fear.

"No!" Amaya shouted, watching as the black aura ripped Thomas's body apart within the barrier.

It was over in seconds, as if time itself had slowed down to witness the horror of Thomas's death. Kit felt like she was drowning in a sea of despair, her lungs burning from the effort to keep him alive. Amaya was sobbing uncontrollably, her body shaking with the force of her grief. And even Elizabeth, who had been trained to face such situations with calm detachment, couldn't help but be affected by the loss.

With a sickening squish, Thomas's body exploded inside the barrier then was quickly sucked into the black aura which imploded on itself and disappeared. Only a charred black spot on the ground remained as the barrier faded away.

Elizabeth crumpled to her knees, her hands still glowing with mana as she fought to control her tears. Amaya collapsed, her body racked with sobs as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Kit stood there, her mismatched eyes glazed over, her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe.

"What... the fuck..." Kit swore quietly for the second time. "Why didn't... my Cat Paradox work?"

"Empress, the area has been secured- Damn, what happened?!" Jack exclaimed as he and Yelena caught up with the group, looking horrified at the scene before them. "Y'all alright?"

"No, we're not all right!" Amaya yelled, still sobbing uncontrollably. "Casey's gone, Sero's barely hanging on, and Thomas is dead because of that bastard Dr. Malek!"

Elizabeth shook her head, trying to clear it of the haze of grief. "We... we need to regroup and figure out what to do."

"Our radars picked up help coming this way," Jack confirmed to Elizabeth. "ETA is 5 minutes. We'll be on standby for your orders, Empress."

Elizabeth nodded, standing up as she composed herself. "Thank you, Jack. We need to prepare for whatever comes next. Kit, Amaya, please help me tend to Sero."

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Sero awoke the next morning in the association infirmary, disoriented and in pain. He blinked, trying to get his bearings straight as his memories came flooding back. He let out a soft groan and grimaced as he recalled being stabbed by the Culling members. The last thing that came to him was seeing Kit dropping down.

Slowly, he realized his right hand was being held by something soft and warm. As he turned, he found Amaya sleeping next to his bed, her head resting on his leg. Both of her hands grasped his tightly, as if afraid of letting go.

"Amaya?" he whispered.

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Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled weakly. "Hey, Sero. You're awake."

Sero looked down at her, feeling a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Amaya. You didn't have to stay."

"Of course I do," the Spellblade replied, sitting up. Sero noticed that she continued to hold his hand in hers. "You've been getting in near-death situations with or without me there, so now I have to make sure you don't ever do that again."

She gave him a weak smile, then looked away, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Besides, I couldn't leave you alone. I mean, I know we... we don't really see eye to eye on some things, but you're still my friend, right?"

Sero's heart ached at the uncertainty in her voice. He squeezed her hand gently and smiled reassuringly. "Of course I am, Amaya. I've always considered you a friend, no matter what." He paused, thinking of what he wanted to say next. "And I... I want you to know that I'm really sorry. It's my fault this happened. If I'd been stronger, if I'd been faster..." His voice trailed off, his guilt overwhelming him.

She shook her head, brushing away his apology. "You can't think like that, Sero. You did what you could. That's all that matters." Her voice wavered slightly, but she held herself together. "Besides, we're here now. We'll get through this together."

Sero smiled weakly, feeling a surge of gratitude for her understanding. "Thanks, Amaya." He paused, looking around the infirmary. "Where's Kit?"

Amaya glanced away, unable to meet Sero's eyes. "She's in an emergency meeting with the alliance. Sero... what's the last thing you remember?"

"Huh?" Sero blinked. "I guess... Kit coming to rescue us. Why?"

The Spellblade took a deep breath before informing Sero of everything that had happened after, from Kit's dominating rage, the arrival of the A.R.E.S. Unit, Dr. Malek's return, and finally, Thomas's demise.

Sero listened with growing horror and rage, unable to believe what had transpired. He felt a knot forming in his stomach as he realized that their fight against Culling had just become so much more personal. "So what happens now?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He struggled to hold back the hurt and fury after the confirmation of Dr. Malek's betrayal.

Amaya sighed, her grip on his hand tightening. "We prepare for whatever comes next. The alliance will need to decide what to do about Dr. Malek. And we'll have to find a way to protect ourselves from Culling, now that they know we're onto them."

Sero fell silent for a moment, digesting the information. He let out a slow breath, trying to steady his racing thoughts. "I'm going to need some time to process all of this," he said finally.

Amaya nodded in understanding. "Take all the time you need." She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Sero turned his head to look out the window, watching the clouds drift by. The world seemed to have shifted on its axis, and he was struggling to find his footing. He thought about his father's death, Casey's kidnapping, Dr. Malek's betrayal, and both his near-death experiences. Each event was like a punch to the gut, leaving him reeling.

"If you don't mind... Sero, I want to talk about what happened before. With the... brutal way you dealt with the Culling members," Amaya started, hesitantly. "I mean, it's not that I'm judging you. I understand why you did it. But I think... maybe there was another way. Maybe we could have stopped them without resorting to..." She trailed off, searching for the right words.

Sero turned his head to look at her, a weight settling heavily in his chest. He knew what she was trying to say. He understood that his actions had been brutal, savage even. But he couldn't help but feel that he had no choice. They had taken everything from him, and he refused to let them continue to hurt others.

"You know what I'm scared of the most?" Sero asked her quietly. "That even though it seems wrong, I don't feel any guilt or remorse. Logically, it makes sense to me that people who do these things need to be stopped, for good."

He paused, swallowing thickly. "But what if that part of me is just as twisted as they are? What if I'm no better than them? Because honestly, Amaya... I don't know if I could have done anything else. Had I known that Thomas was going to die regardless... I might have just killed them all."

Amaya squeezed his hand again, her grip reassuring. "I don't think that's true. You're not like them. You didn't enjoy what you did. You were just trying to protect yourself and the people you care about."

She paused, considering her words carefully. "I know it's hard to believe right now, but there are ways to stop people like that without becoming them. There are ways to make sure they never hurt anyone again without losing a part of yourself in the process."

Sero looked away, his eyes unfocused as he tried to process her words. "I wish I could believe that," he said softly. "But I've seen too much. I've lost too much."

Amaya leaned closer, resting her head against his shoulder. Her weight was comforting, and for a moment, Sero let himself feel some of the tension ease from his body. They didn't speak for a while, just sitting there together in silence.

Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Sero and Amaya looked up to see Elizabeth standing in the doorway, her expression grave. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to brief you two on the decisions of the alliance's meeting," she said.

Sero sat up straighter, pulling his hand away from Amaya's grasp. He felt a slight guilt as he caught a hint of disappointment in her eyes, but he knew they needed to focus on the task at hand. "Sure, what's up?"

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Elizabeth gave them a quick run-down of the meeting, which ended with an increased patrol of the 25th Zone, enforced curfews, and the promise of more resources to track down the missing children. As she spoke, Sero felt a gnawing sense of responsibility in his gut. He knew that he needed to step up, to make sure that everyone stayed safe and that Casey and the other children were brought home. But he also couldn't help but feel like he was in over his head.

Amaya sat up straighter, her eyes focused intently on Elizabeth. "What about the Culling?" she asked, her voice quiet but steady. "They're still out there, and they're not going to stop just because we've increased patrols. We need a plan to take them down for good."

Elizabeth shook her head. "We know very well of the threat that Culling poses not just in the 25th Zone, but nationwide. However, since we can't track them down directly, this is all we can do for now."

Sero frowned. "What about the Culling prisoners we have? Can't we use them to get more information?"

"We've exhausted them already," Elizabeth answered with a sigh. "Even after resorting to... unconventional methods, there isn't anything else we can get out of them besides what we know already."

Sero scowled. "Well, they deserve worse. They're monsters."

Elizabeth and Amaya glanced at him, their expressions sympathetic yet unyielding. "It's not that simple," Elizabeth said, her voice gentle. "Even if they are monsters, we can't take the law into our own hands. The alliance has to decide how to proceed, and until then, we have to follow their lead."

"The Ascendants Association and Pentagram I understand, but you're telling me that the Janitors are willing to let these people get away with what they've done?" Sero asked incredulously.

"Gregor did express his displeasure, but he was willing to lower his head in order to cooperate with the other two powers," Elizabeth quietly explained. "We cannot afford to have any more bloodshed."

Sero nodded reluctantly, understanding the necessity of their situation. But it didn't make it any easier for him to swallow. "So, what can we do now?" he asked, determined to focus on the task at hand.

"You, Sero, need to rest. Dante casted a vote to decide what to do about your reckless behavior in trying to chase after Culling. The Pentagram and the leaders of the Ascendants Association have agreed that... you need to be sidelined from this operation," Elizabeth avoided his gaze.