He had only eaten half of the food on his tray. He looked at Emma with slightly furrowed brows; determination filled his gaze.

– I’ll go right away! Where should I meet him?

– Easy there, tiger. You still have time before the meeting – Emma replied, gesturing with her hand. – Tyx hasn’t even arrived at Iovem yet.

Black nodded slightly, sitting back down, his head lowered.

"She’s right, I need to calm down, and I’ll have to come up with a plan."

He raised his gaze, staring at the oval object at the top of the cafeteria. A constant red light pulsed rhythmically.

"First, I’ll have to act like a Convergent; after all, they’re certainly watching me closely. Then, when I get the chance..."

– Are you okay? – Emma asked, looking directly into Black’s eyes.

The smile and body language from before had shifted; her tone no longer carried its previous lightness.

– Ah, yes, of course... – Black replied, diverting his eyes from the camera to look at Emma.

– You’re different. Usually, you’re so serious, but today, you even smiled. – Emma’s words carried a tone unlike her usual demeanor; she seemed emotionless. – It’s strange because I haven’t seen you smile in months, not even a forced smile like today’s...

"Why would Emma be keeping an eye on me? I knew I was being watched, but not by the 'cool instructor.' I must’ve let my guard down."

Black carefully picked up the plastic utensils, trying to cut a piece of egg. His hands trembled as he attempted to avoid breaking them.

"I’ll have to improvise."

– I’m usually alone in the cafeteria, so it’s nice to have company... – Black said, staring at his food and trying to force a smile.

– Hmm...

Emma kept looking at him; her expression was no longer a mystery. Unlike before, her face was now completely blank.

"She knows I’m lying; she’s been observing me closely this whole time."

Black stayed still for a moment, then looked Emma directly in the eyes, abandoning the attempt to smile and gripping the utensils firmly.

"I guess I have no other choice. Maybe I can confuse her the same way I feel confused."

– Have you ever felt lost, Emma?

– Why do you ask? – Emma replied, resting her face on her hand and tilting her head slightly, her gaze sharp.

– Do you know what it feels like to be a raging animal? To feel like everything around you is a containment cage? – Black’s voice grew more serious as he stared at the utensils, which were slowly showing signs of damage from the pressure of his fingers. – Do you know what it feels like to be a threat to everyone?

– I do.

"Huh?"

Black instantly looked at Emma, who now bore a sad smile, her head slightly lowered.

– You know, Black, the world once made me believe I was a monster. – Her face slowly slid off the hand supporting it, revealing a nostalgic smile. – But here, I met people who showed me I was more than what the world thought of me.

Emma reached out and grabbed the broken plastic utensil Black had snapped earlier. It was split in half, with only a thin layer of plastic holding it together. Then, a faint supernatural yellow glow appeared in her pupils. A dark form emerged from the shadow beneath the utensil, seeming to leap onto it, wrapping around like cotton threads until it completely covered it, transforming it into a sleek, black utensil.

– I’m not your enemy, – she said, offering the black utensil to Black as the glow faded from her eyes. – I just want to do for you what someone once did for me.

"Can I really trust her?"

Black let go of the utensil he was holding and slowly reached for the black one, hesitating at first. But when he looked at Emma, her eyelids slightly drooping and her genuine smile in place, he decided to take it.

"I don’t know, but honestly, I’m tired of always being alone."

He noticed the utensil was now sturdy; it didn’t break under his grip. He then looked down slightly.

– I just remembered something...

Emma straightened her posture, though her expression remained unchanged.

– Did you remember something about who captured you?

Black shook his head slightly, placing the black utensil on the tray and staring at his right hand, opening and closing it.

– No, I remembered someone who I think was with me before.

– Someone you know? – Emma asked, leaning slightly forward and studying Black’s expression.

– Yes. I’m not sure who she is, but I feel like she changed my life... – Black’s voice sounded frustrated as he ran his hands over his forehead, pressing against his eyes.

Emma continued to observe him, her gaze lowering as she caressed her own hand while listening to his words.

– I don’t know why I can’t remember... – he said, removing his hands from his eyes and looking at Emma again, his gaze now resolute, his fists slightly clenched. – But I have to find her! I promised... I promised I’d never forget her!

Emma looked at her own hands, running her left thumb across the center of her right palm. Then, she clenched her fists as well, took a deep breath, and looked at Black.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

– It’ll be okay. We can help you find her when you’re ready.

Black slowly furrowed his brows, wrinkling his nose and gritting his teeth.

– What do you mean!? There’s nothing wrong with me! – Black responded, slamming both fists on the table. – She needs my help! I have to find her!

He felt a faint ringing in his ears, glanced around, and saw some attendants retreating at his outburst; they all quickly left the cafeteria. Emma, however, seemed only to empathize with his situation.

"Why am I so powerless!?"

Black’s breathing grew faster; his fists began to bend the table slightly, and the ringing intensified.

"Why couldn’t I save her!?"

– Black!

He snapped back to reality at Emma’s raised voice, her worried gaze fixed on him. Realizing what he had done to the table, he slowly withdrew his trembling hand as the ringing subsided.

– I have to help her... – he said, his voice weary, his head lowered.

– And how do you plan to do that!? You can barely control your own emotions and lose control so easily! You need to understand you can’t make reckless decisions! – For the first time, Emma raised her voice, standing as she leaned her hands on the table. – You want to help her!? Then first, help yourself!

Black also stood, leaning his fists on the table and locking eyes with Emma. – And what do you think I’ve been trying to do!?

– he shouted, throwing the food tray against the wall, creating a loud crash.

He then turned his back to Emma, staring at the floor and shaking his head.

– I’m trying... but I don’t even know where to start...

Silence enveloped the room; they both stood still. Black remained motionless, his fists trembling, his breathing rapid. Emma looked at him, sighed, then sat back down, picking up a napkin that had fallen from the tray and wiping the spilled milk on the table.

– You know, Black? I used to know a girl... – she said with a faint smile, crumpling the napkin in one hand and placing it on the table. – At first, I hated her; after all, she was the complete opposite of me: elegant, remarkable, sociable, and a good person. And I was just a resentful girl who couldn’t see past the wounds that refused to heal.

Black slowly turned his head but kept his back to her. Emma looked at the screens on the ceiling that simulated sunlight, her gaze distant.

– I had only just left my teenage years, but I had already been under the care of the Convergents for a few years. My supervisor could never fit me into a team of helpers because, even though I wanted to help, I was angry... – A faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she gently pressed her thumb into her hand. – I always ate in this cafeteria because it was never crowded; I was always running away from everything. Then, one day, she happened to come here. I think she was escaping the social media reporters who were always after her. Hehe...

She then clasped one hand over the other, smiling as she stared at the gesture. Black sat down again, facing away from Emma, his head low, elbows resting on his thighs.

– I still remember what she said to me that day: “Before you try to do something for others, you must recognize you need to do something for yourself.” – Emma said, opening a broad smile and shaking her head slightly. – At that moment, I hated her even more, thinking she saw herself as superior. But later, I realized she only wanted to help me, and in the end, she was the one who always stayed by my side.

Black slowly looked over his shoulder at Emma, turning slowly until he sat sideways on the bench. Emma could only see half of his face.

– You know what it’s like to have someone important, – he said, still looking down and staring at the screens on the ceiling. – that’s why I can’t just sit still!”

– I understand how you feel. When we meet someone capable of changing our lives, we want to do everything for them. – Emma replied, closing her eyes and intertwining her fingers.

– And what happened to her? That girl, I mean. – Black asked, fully turning his face toward Emma.

– She was murdered…– Emma’s interlaced fingers tightened as she spoke, and a slight tremor in her lips became evident.

“Damn it, so Emma isn’t just the cheerful instructor. She’s lost someone too.”

Black diverted his gaze from Emma as he noticed, for the first time, her furrowed brows as she tried to maintain a smile overshadowed by discontent.

– I’m sorry.

– So am I. – she answered, taking a deep breath and sighing as she looked away. – But in the end, I share some of the blame; if I had thought before acting, maybe she’d still be alive.

Black turned his gaze back to Emma, now fully facing her.

– What do you mean? – he asked, his eyebrows slightly raised.

– It doesn’t matter anymore, – she said with a forced smile, meeting Black’s eyes again. – I just don’t want you to make the same mistake I did. Believe me, I want to help you.

“I really can’t do much... I’m in a place I don’t know, in a situation I can’t control.”

Black lowering his gaze again to the napkins dirtied with the food he had spilled, observing the milk splattered on the floor after throwing the tray.

“And if I act foolishly, I might drag others into this mess.”

– So, what do I do?

Emma paused for a moment, biting her lower lip with a dissatisfied expression.

– Follow Tyx for now; he knows what he’s doing. – she replied tersely, briefly closing her eyes.

– You don’t sound very confident about that. – Black said, crossing his arms and furrowing his brow.

Emma stood up, pointing toward the exit with one hand. Black looked at her but soon stood as well, facing her.

– You’ll find that a lot of people have something against Tyx. – she replied, walking behind him and gently pushing him toward the door. – But even I admit he’s good at his job.

Black gave a slight nod as she guided him to the door. Along the way, he glanced at the oval object and noticed that the constant red glow had disappeared. He squinted slightly.

– So that’s it? – Black asked, raising an eyebrow and arching his lips slightly.

– For now, yes. Go to your quarters; I asked for some more casual clothes to be delivered for you. Put them on and wait for me there!

Emma said, pushing Black out without giving him a chance to reply. She closed the door behind him, leaning her back against it and resting her head on its surface.

– What a mess I’ve gotten myself into... – she murmured, pulling a slim device resembling a smartphone from her pocket. – You’d want this, wouldn’t you, Evelyn?

She gazed distantly at a specific table in the farthest corner of the room. Then, she dialed a number, crossing one arm to support her elbow and holding the phone to her ear.

‘Umbra, any progress?’

The voice on the other end sounded clearly displeased. Emma closed her eyes and slightly shook her head.

– I couldn’t find out anything; he still doesn’t seem to remember anything and appears willing to follow Tyx. – Emma replied, making a gesture and opening her hand.

The supernatural glow returned to her pupils, and from the shadow of her hand, the black utensil appeared, which she twirled between her fingers.

‘I heard he got agitated; the servants left the room, and when they checked the cameras, they had “mysteriously” stopped working.’

– We just had a friendly chat. He got worked up at one point, but you know how young people are; always throwing things to create dramatic effects. – she said, glancing at the oval object on the ceiling. – As for the cameras, it’s always good to request preventative maintenance on these things.

‘You’re starting to sound like that idiot Tyx. Emma, this kid is involved in something big, something that doesn’t just concern his life but possibly hundreds or thousands of others. You can’t seriously think Tyx is capable of handling this.’

– And why do you think that? He’s a Defender too, isn’t he?

‘You, of all people, should know... Tyx is like a fox: cunning enough to hunt a rat, but not to deal with a wolf.’

– I understand, Conrad, so we need a dragon to deal with the wolf? – she asked sarcastically.

'What I mean is that Tyx won’t make the right decisions. For starters, that kid should never have become a Convergent; it’s a mistake, and you know it! He should be under our care, but in a controlled manner!'

Emma closed her eyes, gripping the utensil in her hand tightly and curling her lips.

– Evelyn wouldn’t want us to imprison someone...

"Damn it, Emma! Evelyn died precisely because we made that cursed mistake of trusting and giving freedom to someone we didn’t know! And here you are, about to make the same mistake again! How many more people have to die before…"

Hearing this, she hung up the phone, letting the utensil and the device fall to the floor. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, sliding down the door until she was sitting on the floor. Then, tears began to stream down her face. She wrapped her arms around her knees, crying silently.

The utensil lay on the floor, surrounded by those black tendrils that were now slowly unraveling, revealing the broken structure of the object.