"The winner of this match is Team Fo—"
The staff member stopped mid-sentence, the words catching in his throat.
Down in the center of the arena, Luhas's lifeless body twitched. Slowly and unnaturally, he pulled himself up from the blood-stained stone floor. The gaping hole through his chest knitted together in seconds, the torn flesh closing back up as if time were reversing.
"Who said this is over?" Luhas muttered. His voice was low and quiet, but thick with anger.
He casually raised his hand and flicked his fingers together with a sharp SNAP.
Instantly, Marim and Joon regained control of their bodies, collapsing straight onto their knees. Horror washed over their faces, tears streaming down their cheeks as they trembled.
"Eliminate yourself now," Luhas ordered, his voice completely flat.
Up in the spectator stands, the audience fell into utter confusion.
"Why are they crying?!"
"They probably realized they're completely powerless against him."
"Isn't this kind of the same as what happened in his first match?"
"No, in that match he was a lot more serious when he crushed the opponent team."
Down on the stone, Marim and Joon forced their shaking bodies to stand. Like hollow puppets controlled by invisible strings, they turned and walked right out of the arena boundary.
They didn't stop there. With empty, glossy eyes, they kept walking, stepping straight past the boundary and disappearing into the darkness of the exit tunnel.
The referee blinked rapidly, shaking off his shock before shouting into his microphone. "That was strange, but... the winner of this match is Team One!"
The crowd exploded into wild cheers.
"The final match will start tomorrow at the exact same time!" the announcement echoed over the stadium speakers.
Lucia and Rey silently exited the stadium concourse, stepping out into the cool evening air. On their way back to the clinic, Rey suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning toward her.
"Yo... I have a plan," Rey said, his usual playful manner dropping for a second.
"What is it?" Lucia asked, narrowing her eyes.
Rey stepped closer, leaning in right next to her ear, and whispered his scheme in a low hush.
Lucia's eyes widened in total shock, her breath catching in her throat.
...
Deep dark.
Lynx found himself sinking into an endless, quiet void.
Far beneath the abyss, he looked down and saw a reflection of himself. It was his own soul trapped in endless pain, carrying the weight of countless curses and the delicate, heavy balance of the Will.
"Did I die?" Lynx muttered into the dark.
The reflection slowly looked up, its eyes cold, unblinking, and hollow.
"L, Y, NX...," the reflection spoke, its voice echoing from everywhere at once. "In this entire creation, who could ever truly understand us, except ourselves?"
"There are many mysteries," Lynx said quietly, staring down at his bound soul. "Too many complex situations we're already forced to endure."
"Then endure it. Let your perseverance carry you through," the reflection replied calmly. "The endless pain may not leave a physical scar on your outer body, but you still feel it physically, emotionally, and mentally as it slowly destroys you, making it impossible to focus while your Soul, your Will, bleeds out."
The double paused, its eyes flashing faintly.
"You should keep a balance in Will, because you are weighed far more into the negative than others. NX had gone through the Supreme World using Negative Will to resist erasure, which was smart, but if you keep focusing on only one side of the scale, you will lose everything on the other."
Lynx closed his eyes, feeling the heavy pressure of the void pressing down on his chest.
"Why was I thrown into such unfair conditions? Forced to keep enduring endless, unexplainable pain? I tried so many times. The pain from the curses keeps increasing. One day, it might overpower me to the point of absolute insanity where I won't be able to move or think. I might slowly become more like an object with a subconsciousness that can do nothing..."
Lynx clenched his fists in the dark.
"But questioning everything won't give me answers. Even if I searched every corner of reality, I would only end up with more questions. I will become strong enough to stop it. I will defy everything until I have it all in my hands!"
"And those questions," the double added, a dark grin spreading across his face, "are the missing pieces of the formula. They are the path to the solution. And we will find it. I will track down every single one of those unjust Gods who intends to use me, to curse me, and kill every last one of them. They do not deserve to be Gods. They are not worthy."
A heavy, dark energy flared around the reflection, overflowing into the empty void.
"I could accept defeat if I wanted to," Lynx murmured. "I could stop right here and accept the penalty of my choices. But I know what my soul wants. It wants to find the true reason for its existence, while moving to a path that would make it proud."
He looked down at his trembling hands floating in the dark.
"Human emotions are strange. Even with all our knowledge and experience mixed together, the heart remains a slave to desire. The mind is merely the commander. But the soul... the soul is the true Will."
Lynx's gaze turned sharp as the dark space around him began to shake.
"Without Will, the mind's commands collapse into meaningless thoughts. The heart's desires fuel the mind, and the mind tricks the soul into yielding to what the heart wants. But I don't want to obey my heart, nor do I want to be ruled by my mind. I want my soul, my true Will, to create a path that is absolute. Even if my mind and my heart reject the idea... I will walk it."
CRACK!
Spiderweb fractures rippled across the black void. White light poured through the cracks, carrying overlapping, muffled voices from the outside world.
"—don't worry chat, I can carry the final round solo!" a familiar, overly confident voice echoed loudly through the opening.
Lynx's eyelids fluttered open. The bright overhead lighting of the clinic blinded him for a second.
"No! I'm fine, I can fight!" Lucia's voice snapped back, sharp and defensive.
She was standing right beside his medical bed, pointing an accusing finger directly at Rey's nose.
"He went through hell just to get us into the finals!" Lucia yelled, her voice shaking with frustration. "There is no way I'm sitting back and letting our chance slip away!"
"I'm not gonna lose! You can do your witch ritual on his body until I'm done!" Rey argued, thumbing at his own chest. "Besides, I'm the strongest one among us!"
"No you aren't..." Lucia began, before noticing Lynx staring up at them with completely emotionless eyes. Her jaw dropped. "You... you're finally awake! Oh! Eat this, I made it for you!"
Lucia quickly pulled out a fresh boiled egg and handed it to him.
"You might kill him again with that!" Rey pointed out, smirking.
Lynx remained completely expressionless. He sat up slowly, the bandages around his chest tightening as he reached out and grabbed the egg from Lucia's hand.
"Could we stop lying to each other?" Lynx said coldly. "If we truly consider each other allies, that is."
The small clinic room went dead silent.
"What do you mean?" Lucia asked calmly, her expression stiffening.
"The three of us know that using one another is the best way to achieve our goals," Lynx said, his voice dropping into a flat, icy tone. "So why the act? In the end, aren't you both just waiting to betray?"
Lynx turned his head, pointing a finger directly at Rey. "Let me start with you. You've been leaking information about us to unknown people for a long time now."
Rey froze. A sudden cold sweat broke out across his forehead as his eyes widened in shock. Lucia took one look at Rey's guilty expression and immediately understood.
Lynx turned his cold glare toward Lucia. "And you... you trust none of us. The only reason you're with us is to escape this place, using us as shields to get what you lost while dragging us straight into kingdom problems. Why don't we just stay together and drop the fake friendship act, since we're all hiding our true intentions anyway?"
Lynx cracked the shell of the boiled egg against the metal frame of the bed.
"I can read you people like glass. If both of you wish to continue as a team, then believe in one another and actually ask for help. I will offer help by my own will... but if you can't do that, don't rely on me. I can easily be the worst person among the three of us."
Lucia lowered her head, her hands trembling slightly at her sides.
"I'm sorry..." Lucia muttered softly. "I... I just want to find out why I was thrown out and hunted, and what happened to my family members. I was planning to reward both of you afterward..."
"We don't need rewards after being used," Lynx said bluntly. "From now on, believe in us. Be whatever you want to the rest of the world."
Lucia bit her lip, looking away. "Okay... I'm sorry..."
"It's fine," Lynx said. He turned back toward Rey. "Now. You."
Rey stumbled back a half-step, looking completely exposed. "I'm... I'm only doing this because I have to! I have parents back home that I want to go back to and live happily with... I need to obey the people who summoned me here, and they're the ones who asked me about you two!"
"You were summoned differently?" Lynx asked, narrowing his eyes.
"It's been two years since I was brought to this world," Rey confessed, his voice dropping all playful energy. "They said they'd send me back and heal my original body if I helped them until they achieved whatever they wanted..."
{He's not from L's world...} Lynx analyzed. {That would mean there are many unknown worlds, whether alternative or original, there could be entire realms beyond the Supreme World.}
"They lied to you," Lynx said flatly. "They can't send you back. Although I don't know the exact world you're from, the summoners you're speaking of are tied to a demonic cult. They're going to turn you into a sacrifice for their plans."
Rey's face paled, deep sadness and panic washing over him.
Lynx continued without hesitation. "However, there are entities capable of true cross-realm travel, Supreme Beings. I know how to track them down, but that information isn't free. You do exactly as I say, or rot here."
Seeing the heavy guilt written across both their faces, Lynx knew he had them.
{Now both of them doubt each other while being forced to rely on me,} Lynx thought, watching their broken postures. {They will agree to my terms. They know nothing about who I really am.}
Rey swallowed hard, nodding slowly. "Yeah... yeah... okay, senior," Rey muttered, turning around with a heavy sigh and walking out of the clinic.
Once Rey was gone, Lucia looked at Lynx, her eyes filled with hesitation. "Anyway... how did you use my technique back in the arena when—?"
"Is that necessary for you to know?" Lynx cut her off, his tone cold.
Lucia flinched slightly. "No... I just... forget it. I'll go prepare before the next match."
Lucia turned and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
Left alone in the quiet clinic, Lynx closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, as he began to eat the egg.
{Sorry...}