“Hey, you!” the Warden barked, stepping into the damp cell and glaring down at the prisoner.
“Some detectives are here to see you.
Whatever they ask, you better answer them straight.
Otherwise, you know what happens…”
“Ah, come on now!
Let us do the talking, Warden,” Sunny interrupted gently, stepping forward to ease the rising tension.
“Fine.
I’ll just sit right here, but make it quick,” the Warden grunted.
He dragged a creaking wooden chair into the corner, wiped a fresh layer of sweat from his forehead with his stained handkerchief, and settled down with a heavy sigh.
Sunny approached inmate 489 at a measured pace, with Yuxuan lingering silently right beside him.
The prisoner remained crouched on the cold stone floor, his hands tightly clasped over his head, shivering violently against the damp chill.
“Neil,” Sunny began softly, crouching down to match his height.
“Do you know anything about ‘Null Tangent’?”
The moment the words left Sunny’s lips, Neil snapped.
He shrank backward, his eyes widening in pure, unadulterated terror.
“N-No!
No, no, no, no, no, NO!” Neil shrieked, his voice cracking into a ragged sob.
“I don’t know anything!
I know nothing at all!
Stay away from me!
Everyone is going to die!
Everyone!
No one escapes—no one!
It is coming!
HE is coming!
He won’t spare anyone…
not even you!”
A suffocating dread filled the small room.
Neil’s throat convulsed as he gasped for air, his hands clawing at his own neck as if he were already being choked by an unseen force.
“Who is coming?” Sunny pressed, keeping his voice firm despite the chilling air.
“Who is among us?”
“He is coming!” Neil rasped, staring past Sunny into the dark corners of the cell.
“The God of Darkness…
the embodiment of Death…
the Infinite!
HE IS COMING!”
Neil’s eyes rolled back slightly as he muttered frantic, broken phrases under his breath, repeating names that sent a sudden frost through the tiny space: “The God of Darkness…
ENDWEAVER…”
Endweaver?” Sunny repeated, narrowing his eyes.
He reached into his coat, his expression darkening.
“I see…
so you really do know something.”
Sunny leaned in closer, his gaze locked onto the terrified inmate.
“Where is he, Neil?
Where is he hiding?”
Before Neil could answer, his body went rigid.
His breath caught in his throat with a horrific, wheezing sound.
He raised his hands to his neck, his fingers digging into his skin as if trying to rip away an invisible rope.
His eyes bulged, blood vessels bursting in the whites of his eyes as he thrashed on the stone floor.
“What’s wrong with him?!” the Warden yelled, jumping up from his chair in alarm.
“He’s being silenced!” Yuxuan shouted, stepping forward instantly.
“Sunny, look!”
Without a second thought, Yuxuan instinctively reached inside his coat and pulled out a clean, silver-trimmed Tarot card from his sleeve.
In one swift, fluid motion, he flipped the card through the air, sending it flying across the cell.
The card struck the center of Neil’s forehead, sticking to his skin like a seal.
Sunny acted just as fast.
Reaching into his jacket, Sunny pulled out a sleek, metallic lighter and flicked the wheel.
A bright, golden flame burst forth.
Sunny held the flame beneath a small incense stick, ignited it, and extended his palm toward the choking prisoner, making a precise hand gesture to weave an intricate spell circle in the air.
“Phoenix Flare!” Sunny chanted aloud.
A brilliant burst of warm, radiant light erupted from Sunny’s hand, enveloping Neil in a protective aura that pushed back the creeping, invisible dark energy choking the life out of him.
The oppressive weight in the room lifted instantly.
Neil collapsed onto his side, gasping wildly for air as oxygen rushed back into his lungs.
The Warden stood frozen, his jaw dropped in sheer disbelief.
“W-What was that?!
Was that…
sorcery?!”
Sunny snorted softly, slipping his lighter back into his coat pocket.
“Sorcery?
Don’t be ridiculous, Warden.
That was basic scientific resonance.
But…” Sunny turned his gaze toward Yuxuan, his eyebrows raised in genuine surprise.
“Yuxuan…
what was that move you just pulled?”
Yuxuan remained calm, casually adjusting his glasses.
Just a defensive seal.”
“A seal?
From a Tarot card?!” Sunny stared at him, bewildered.
“Wait…
don’t tell me you used a Shadow Path Potion to enhance your reflexes?”
“No,” Yuxuan replied coldly.
“I told you, I don’t use potions.”
“Then how in the world did you move that fast?!” Sunny exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief before turning his attention back to the unconscious inmate on the floor.
Sunny walked over, knelt beside Neil, and placed his open palm directly onto Neil’s forehead.
A faint, soft blue glow emanated from Sunny’s hand, covering the prisoner’s face.
“Memory Eraser—20 Minutes!” Sunny declared firmly.
A subtle ripple of light passed over Neil’s face, smoothing out the agonizing terror that had consumed his expression moments ago.
Neil let out a long, quiet sigh and sank into a peaceful, deep sleep.
“What did you just do?” Yuxuan asked, watching the glow fade.
“I removed his memories of the last twenty minutes,” Sunny explained, standing up and brushing the dust off his trousers.
“If we leave his mind like this, the shock will destroy him completely.
Besides, we have what we need.
We’re heading back to Headquarters now.”
“Back to H.Q.?” Yuxuan questioned.
“What about the lead on Neil?”
“We got the name,” Sunny said, his tone turning serious as they turned toward the door.
“Endweaver.
That’s our target.
Mr.
Javier needs to know about this immediately.”
Yuxuan walked beside him into the hallway, his mind racing.
“Are we going to drive back?
That took us hours.”
Sunny grinned, pulling a small, glowing compass-like device from his inner pocket.
“Drive?
In this rush?
Not a chance.
We’re using a Space-Time Fold.
It links space and time directly—simple, easy science.
Destination: Suiban Sub-Headquarters.”
Before Yuxuan could ask another question, Sunny activated the device.
A flash of brilliant white light swallowed them whole, warping the corridor around them before vanishing into thin air, leaving the Hullsperk Correctional Facility silent once more.