For the first time, Wren noticed something strange.
Lilia wasn’t looking at the officer anymore.
Her eyes had shifted toward the doorway, and her tiny hands were trembling as she clutched the hem of her oversized clothes.
It wasn’t ordinary reluctance.
She looked frightened.
But why?
Wren narrowed his golden eyes.
"What’s the problem, girl?" the officer asked impatiently. "Why are you making such a fuss over this?"
?"Nothing..." Lilia stammers quickly, her voice dropping to a whisper as she looks up at the officer.
?The officer’s expression softens just a fraction, though his eyes remain sharp and guarded. "Lilia, you know I have to talk to this big brother for a moment. And besides... you know they will be waiting for you."
?Lilia bites down hard on her lower lip, her small hands clutching the frayed edges of her oversized rags.
?For a moment, she seems entirely torn, ready to obey out of sheer instinct. She even takes a small, hesitant step toward the open iron door.
?Then, she stops dead in her tracks, turning her head back toward the paralyzed Wren with a look of quiet stubbornness.
?"Can I... can I come back after lunch?" Lilia asks timidly, looking back up at the guard.
?The officer stares down at her, caught completely off guard. A strange, tight, forced smile stretches across his face as he tries to process the request.
?"Right, right... sure, you can come back. Now off you go, kid," the officer says, gently nudging her forward.
?With one final, worried glance back at Wren, Lilia hurries away, following the other guards out of the cell as the heavy iron door slides shut behind them with a definitive, echoing clang.
The moment the iron door slammed shut, the officer’s forced smile vanished.
He turned toward Wren, his expression becoming cold and businesslike.
"Now then. Since the little girl has finally left, we can get down to business."
Wren stared at him silently.
Business? What business could you possibly have with someone who can’t even move?
?"So, Wren... I heard all about those stories. You challenging Hudson and everything..." the officer begins, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low hum. "...Even though I specifically told you to keep your head down and not cause trouble."
?Wren lies paralyzed on the stone floor, his eyes blinking in pure confusion.
?Keep my head down? What is he talking about? Wren thinks, his sluggish mind racing. I’ve never even seen this guy before in my life.
?Before Wren can manage to spit out a word of defense, the officer slowly reaches down to his tactical belt, unbuckling a heavy sheath and drawing a small, razor-sharp dagger.
?Without a hint of hesitation, he presses the cold steel tip flat against the center of Wren’s chest, right over his frantically beating heart.
?"Wren... why don’t you explain to me why you were running your mouth to the Faction Heads?" the officer whispers, his eyes cold as ice.
?Meanwhile, far down the dimly lit stone corridors, Lilia descends the deep, winding stairwell.
?The path is narrow and grim, illuminated only by a few flickering, dying magical bulbs stuck into the damp walls. She walks entirely alone, her small footsteps echoing softly in the silence.
?At the end of the hall, she reaches a heavy, reinforced steel door. Her small hands shake violently as she raises a fist and knocks twice.
?Tap, tap.
?"Who’s there...?" a raspy, tired voice calls out from behind the steel.
?"It’s... it’s Subject 093," Lilia stammers, her voice trembling so hard the words barely make it out.
?The moment she gives her designation, heavy locks slide back, and the door groans open. A researcher lets out a weary sigh, stepping aside to let her pass.
?"Oh, oh... there’s our Lilia. Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting ages," another voice pipes up as she steps inside.
?A tall, bald man dressed in a crisp white lab coat steps into her field of view, his arms loaded with stacks of messy reports and evaluation papers.
?"I... I’m sorry, it was nothing..." Lilia stammers, keeping her head bowed low.
?"Right, right. No time to waste then. Let’s get started, shall we? Are you ready, Lilia?"
?Lilia doesn’t answer. She just stands there, her tiny frame shivering.
?"Lilia, I’m talking to you. Are you ready to begin?" the bald man asks, his tone growing sharper.
?"Y-yes..." Lilia whispers, blinking back fresh tears.
?The researcher turns on his heel, walking down a long, sterile corridor lined with towering glass cylindrical tanks filled with bubbling fluids. Lilia follows closely behind him, her head pressed down, her eyes staring fixedly at the cold floor. She doesn’t have the strength to look up at any of it.
?The man stops in front of a fresh tank, scribbling notes onto his clipboard before checking the others one by one.
?Finally, he stops in front of an empty, open containment tube, glancing back over his shoulder with a chillingly indifferent smile.
?"Get in, Lilia."
?Without a single word of protest, Lilia steps forward and climbs inside the glass cylinder.
?The heavy hatch slams shut immediately behind her with a loud, mechanical hiss. The moment she is sealed inside, thick, toxic-green liquid begins pouring from the overhead valves, rapidly filling the tube around her.
Lilia pressed both hands against the glass.
The green liquid rose past her ankles, then her knees, swallowing her small body inch by inch.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Please... please let it be over quickly this time.
Outside the tank, the bald researcher adjusted his glasses and examined the readings on a nearby monitor.
"Subject 093. Age: eight years. Physical condition: deteriorating. Mana absorption rate remains abnormally high."
He paused, studying the fluctuating numbers.
"Yet the results are still disappointing."
He tapped his pen against the clipboard.
"Increase the concentration by five percent."
A young researcher standing beside the control panel hesitated.
"Sir, her previous session ended with severe tissue damage. If we increase the concentration again, her body might—"
"Did I ask for your opinion?"
The young researcher immediately fell silent.
The bald man adjusted his coat.
"We’ve already invested considerable resources in this subject. If she cannot withstand a minor increase, then perhaps she’s finally reached her limit."
He nodded toward the control panel.
"Proceed."
The young researcher swallowed nervously before pressing the button.
Inside the tank, Lilia’s eyes flew open.
A sharp, burning sensation spread through her limbs.
Her tiny hands immediately curled into fists as she struggled to keep herself from screaming.
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
The liquid seemed to crawl beneath her skin, filling her veins with thousands of burning needles. Her chest tightened, and her breathing became increasingly difficult.
She wanted to cry.
She wanted to beg them to stop.
But the words refused to come.
Instead, she pressed her forehead against the cold glass and stared at the blurry figures on the other side.
Big brother...
For some reason, Wren’s face appeared in her mind.
His golden eyes.
His tired voice.
The way he had tried to reassure her even when he couldn’t move.
I’m... I’m fine, little one.
Lilia’s lips trembled.
He had been hurt so badly, yet he had still tried to comfort her.
She hadn’t even managed to stay beside him.
"I’m sorry..." she whispered, though the sound never escaped the tank.
Tears floated away from her cheeks, disappearing into the green liquid.
"I’m sorry, big brother..."
Outside, the bald researcher glanced at the monitor.
"Oh?"
His eyebrows rose slightly.
"Interesting. Her readings are increasing."