Chapter 97: Echoes of the Past and Hidden Vows
The wind through the park felt like needles against Ren's skin. He sat on the stone bench, the moonlight catching the jagged scar where his left eye used to be. For a long time, there was only the sound of rustling leaves and the distant sirens of the Inner City.
Mina stared at him, her gaze lingering on the empty socket. "I've always wanted to ask," she said softly, breaking the silence. "Your eye, Ren... how did it happen? I know you're a fighter, but that's not a wound from a simple brawl."
Ren let out a heavy sigh, his breath turning into mist. "It's a reminder of my first mistake in this city. When I first arrived in elites Athelgard with Hana, I was desperate. I took a job as a waiter in a small, run-down restaurant in the Lower Sectors. I just wanted to keep a roof over her head."
He paused, his hand instinctively touching the scar. "One night, a group of traitors—rogue soldiers who had deserted the front lines—came in. They were drunk and looking for trouble. At first, I ignored their insults. I didn't want to fight. I wanted to stay invisible. But then... they saw Hana waiting for me in the back. They started saying things, making threats about what they'd do to her."
Mina's grip on the table tightened.
"I snapped," Ren continued, his voice turning cold. "I didn't care about the rules or my safety. I fought all six of them. It was a bloodbath. In the chaos, one of them used a jagged piece of a broken glass bottle. He got lucky. My eye was gone in a second, but I didn't stop until none of them could stand. That was the day I realized that in Athelgard, being 'good' isn't enough. You have to be 'dangerous' to protect the ones you love."
Mina looked away, her heart aching for the burden he had carried alone for so long. "I'm sorry, Ren. You shouldn't have had to go through that."
Ren looked at her, his remaining eye narrowing. "Forget about the past. I have a question for you, Mina. You're Hana's friend, and I appreciate that. But why are you really doing this? You're a Master's daughter. You had a perfect life waiting for you. Why throw it all away for a 'monster' like me? What do you want from me?"
Mina froze. She looked into his eye, seeing the exhaustion and the suspicion.
What do I want? she thought, her pulse quickening. I want to tell you that the world is wrong about you. I want to tell you that since the day you saved me in that alley, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I don't want a 'perfect life' in a house that feels like a cage. I want to be the one standing by your side. I want... I want you to stay with me for the rest of my life.
But the words died in her throat. She wasn't ready to say them—not while they were being hunted like animals.
"I don't want anything from you, Ren," she said aloud, her voice steady but her eyes betraying her. "I just can't stand seeing a good man suffer for a lie. That's all."
Ren studied her for a moment. He knew she was hiding something, but he didn't push. "We can't stay here any longer. Where is this 'place' you mentioned?"
"Follow me," Mina said, standing up and pulling her hood over her head. "It's an old training bunker my grandfather used. It's off the grid. Not even my father knows its exact location."
The Crimson Courtyard
Back at Rollv 13, the silence was finally broken by the arrival of a massive police task force. The area around Ren's isolation cage was a crime scene. Two bodies lay in the dirt, the rain washing the blood into the gutters.
A man in a long, grey trench coat—Captain Varkas—stepped over the first body. He knelt beside the second guard, the one Mina had kicked into the wall. He placed two fingers against the guard's neck.
"Captain!" one of the officers called out. "Is he dead?"
Varkas felt a faint, erratic flutter. "No. His pulse is weak, but he's hanging on. Get a medical drone over here, now! He's the only witness who saw the face of whoever did this."
The medics rushed forward, stabilizing the guard. Varkas looked at the broken lock of the cage. It hadn't been picked; it had been sliced through with a high-frequency blade.
"This wasn't a riot," Varkas muttered to himself. "This was a professional extraction. Someone with high-level military training just walked into our most secure block and took the Butcher of Sector 7. This city is about to burn."
The Obsidian Spire: Kara Group Headquarters
In a room filled with flickering monitors and holographic maps, Spero stood by the window, his hands clasped behind his back. The news of the prison break hadn't reached the public yet, but his network was faster than any news outlet.
The door hissed open. A lean man in a black tactical suit stepped in and bowed deeply. "Lord Spero. The report is confirmed. Ren Vority has escaped Rollv 13. He was assisted by an outside operative."
Spero didn't turn around. A small, cold smile played on his lips. "I see. And the operative? Do we have a name?"
"Not yet, My Lord. They were fast and left no digital footprint. But the efficiency of the kills suggests someone with Academy training."
Spero chuckled, a sound devoid of any warmth. "Ren Vority continues to exceed my expectations. He's like a magnet for chaos. Go out and find them. Find out who helped him and where they are hiding. But listen carefully: no one else must know. Not the police, and certainly not King Zero's dogs. I want Ren Vority back under my influence. He is the key to the next phase of our evolution."
"Understood, Lord Spero," the man said, before vanishing into the shadows.
Spero looked out at the city, his eyes reflecting the cold, distant stars. "Run as far as you want, Ren. But in this world, every path leads back to me."