"Ughh...uhhh..."
Muffled groans filled the air.
Tears streamed down Vincent's face.
He struggled to breathe.
A lump stuck in his throat.
He couldn't swallow, nor breathe.
He drowned in guilt, tears, and regret.
"Aghhhhhh..."
He broke, crying out loud.
Images flashed in his mind.
Tearing demons apart, tearing humans.
Sensations returned to his mind.
Disgusting sensations.
He wanted to vomit.
But no vomit came up to his throat.
His body has gotten used to it.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Desperate cries filled the night.
Cries begging for help.
Begging for salvation.
The memories flashe.
"Curse you..."
He slammed his fist into the ground.
Saliva drooled down the corners of his mouth.
He struggled to speak.
Tears drowned him.
"CURSE YOU....DEMON!"
Hatred flashed in his eyes.
Hatred for himself.
"I regret it..."
Pain surged from inside.
Pain as if his soul was tearing.
"I regret releasing this cursed virus!"
"I SHOULD HAVE JUST DIED BACK THEN!"
His heart skipped a beat.
It reacted. It protested.
Protested his lie to himself.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He struck his head.
His face twitched in disgust.
He despised himself.
Memories of Aurielle flashed before his eyes.
The dying people in the hospital that day.
"IF ONLY YOU DIED!"
He screamed.
"They wouldn't have suffered such a fate..."
The gruesome death of Aurielle flashed.
Such a cruel fate.
Her own grandfather, the person who loved her the most, devoured her.
And it all happened because of his cursed existence!
His neglectance!
He lost her!
But he lost something even more precious.
His fear turned reality.
He lost his humanity.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!"
Thud! Thud!
He smashed his head.
Warm, wet line slid down his forehead.
Violet, cursed blood.
"JUST DIEEEEEEE..."
His voice begged.
He smashed his head and stopped moving.
Only his body shook as he cried.
He was a coward.
Afraid to end his life...NO!
It was no longer a matter of fear.
What to fear?
Pain?
It was temporary, fast.
He endured pain several times greater.
He loved his life.
He wanted to live.
Why should he give his life for others?
Would anyone remember his sacrifice?
And would anyone care even if they knew of it?
He was just a monster.
They would hate him, curse him, despise him!
They would have wanted to end him with their own hands.
So why should a monster die for them? Die for ungrateful people like that?
He wanted to live.
Finally, he was no longer haunted by his past debts. His past addictions.
He was free!
Why die!
Vincent hated those thoughts.
He hated himself.
Not that he didn't dare sacrifice himself for the greater good, he didn't want to.
'That old man...'
He remembered the elder.
The elder who persistently chased him. Battled him. Wanted ot end him.
'He did all that for the greater good,'
The tears poured out.
Tears of compassion, awe.
'He even sacrificed himself for humanity,'
Vincent wanted to meet him. Talk to him.
'Is it worth it?'
He wanted to ask.
He wanted a guide.
For deep fear shrouded his heart. Fear of himself.
Fear of his cursed existence. Fear of turning into that monster.
He didn't want to hurt humans. He didn't want to kill them.
He didn't want ot consume them.
Despite his monstrosity, he still wanted to be human.
And he knew his cursed existence brought pain, suffering, and fear.
He knew it
But couldn't end it.
He didn't carry grand aspirations as the elder.
He didn't want to die.
.
.
.
Vincent cried; he grieved.
He grieved what he had become.
All the memories of being the Progenitor, all his sins since the start of the madness, everything played in his mind.
He cried for hours.
"Aghhhhh..."
He exhaled.
Determination flashed in his eyes.
Since he wasn't willing to die...only one option remained.
"I swear I'll protect everyone I can!"
But this time, he spoke no empty words.
His heart grew steady.
It didn't shake.
He spoke sincerely.
'Join the military?'
A thought flashed in his mind.
"No,"
Vincent shook his head.
"I am a monster. MY blood is too unnatural."
He was too eye catching.
One mistake, one cut, and it was all over.
A sea of questions.
'Not to mention,'
He frowned.
'They have seen my violet blood,'
If they saw it again, it wouldn't be strange to connect Vincent to the Progenitor.
He only had one choice.
Return.
Return to the hospital.
Return to the person who accepted him. Livia.
The rose outside.
The rain stopped.
Vincent stepped out and walked towards the outskirts.
.
.
.
The night was almost over.
Lucian also woke up.
He had exhausted himself.
"Commander, what will we do with our injured brothers?"
A soldier asked, looking at the people lying on the ground.
Their faces sweaty, their clothes covered in blood.
They were in pain.
The commander and the others improvised to stop their bleeding.
A difficult decision fell on him.
If he doesn't abandon them, they will slow them down.
But if he does, the moral will shake.
The soldiers will lose trust in him.
His position as commander will crumble.
The commander gnashed his teeth.
There were only 19 injured people.
Two died throughout the night, leaving 17 alive.
'They could die at any moment,'
Everyone could see it.
But even so, abandoning them would shake him.
"If only we had stretchers..."
He muttered.
"I can carry them,"
Lucian spoke.
'That's right,'
The commander's eyes flashed.
'He can carry them with barriers,'
Immediately, another possibility opened.
'I doubt those demons will return,'
He analysed.
The path ahead held little danger.
'The only danger is that monster,'
The Progenitor flashed in his mind.
Fear shrouded his heart. Fear and uncertainty.
'No! It escaped. I can't rule out the possibility that something even more terrifying waits deeper.'
The decision turned even more difficult.
'Abandon them...or risk complete annihilation. Possibly of both groups?'
"Hooo..."
The commander breathed out.
He cleared his mind.
"Commander, let's abandon them."
A soldier suggested.
"Yes, Commander. We have a long way before us."
"NO!"
Determination flashed in the commander's eyes.
"Lucian,"
He glanced at him.
"Take a group of 30 people and depart. Go back. Return to the vehicles."
"You mean..."
Lucian glanced at him, uncertain.
"Even if the group of demons returns, I'm confident we can defend,"
He glanced at his sabre.
"And if we meet that monster again, even if it's our entire group, I don't think we'll survive,"
Lucian nodded.
The soldiers around agreed.
The risk was great.
But if things didn't go well, it was annihilation either way.
'If we meet that stronger monster deep down, it'll be meaningless even if our group is intact,'
A monster capable of making the Progenitor escape, he couldn't even imagine it.
And if Lucian's group meets the Progenitor, it would be bad luck.
But the commander's arms were tied.
Deep down within the city, nothing was certain.
He could only leave it to fate.
"Lucian, when you reach the vehicles, send our brothers back for treatment. Then, with the remaining people, bring the vehicles closer. As much as you can,"
Lucian nodded.
If they did indeed reach the laboratory, they would need the vehicles to transport equipment.
The commander assigned 30 people to him, including the two young men who were not soldiers.
The Commander recognized their abilities.
They would be a great asset back in the base.
Especially the one with multiplying ability.
With him, there is no need to worry about running out of bullets or gear.
Lucian summoned barriers, and they departed, carrying 17 people back.
The Commander and the rest of the group also departed.
They amounted to less than a hundred.
But fearlessly, they moved deeper into the city.
Little did the commander know that the danger of the Progenitor had disappeared.
As for the stronger monster, it didn't exist.
The Progenitor escaped because Vincent regained control.