The Next Day.
The bell rang, its sharp sound echoing between the metallic walls, as if awakening everyone from an imposed slumber. The heavy doors slid open slowly, emitting a metallic noise that resembled the sound of chains being undone.
At that moment, Five stood behind the door, silent, his hands in his pockets, as if he had been waiting for this moment with bated breath. The guard opened the door and then took a step back, but Five remained in place for a moment, as though trying to grasp what was to come next. Then, with quiet steps, he crossed the threshold.
At the same moment, to his right, Luna stepped out as well... but she didn't walk in the same direction. She moved the opposite way, her steps quiet yet carrying an unseen weight.
In that fleeting moment, her gaze met Five's eyes. But he wasn't looking directly at her. His eyes were closed, yet a faint, barely noticeable smile had formed on his lips. Perhaps it was a smile of recognition... or maybe something deeper... as if it were the smile of someone who had already seen the ending and did not object to it.
Luna took a step forward, forcing herself to focus on the path ahead. She tried to avoid looking at him, but something inside her was unraveling. Her eyes shimmered, tears threatening to fall, but she didn't allow them to.
Yet, as she passed him… a strange shiver ran through her body, as if she had touched something untouchable. She couldn't bear it anymore. She suddenly stopped, turned swiftly, and then...
she hugged him.
Her arms clung to him from behind, as if trying to hold onto something that feared slipping away. She buried her face in his back and closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from breaking down.
Then, in a trembling voice that barely escaped her lips, she whispered.
Luna: "I... I'm sorry..."
Her words were more than just an apology. They were something deeper. As if she was apologizing for something she never did... as if she was apologizing for fate itself, for the distance that had been written between them.
Five didn't move. He remained as he was, his eyes still closed, but his smile became clearer. As if her words were not unexpected... as if part of him had been waiting for this apology. In a calm voice, he spoke.
Five: "No need for that… I missed you too, Luna…"
Only then did Luna let her tears fall. She didn't wipe them, didn't try to hold them back... she just let them flow. After a few moments, she took a deep breath, finally wiped her face, and then spoke in a soft voice.
"Good luck."
Then she turned and continued on her way.
As for Five, he finally lifted his gaze and looked ahead…
There, just a few steps away, Seraph stood, his eyes widened as he stared at the empty space where they had been moments ago. It was as if something beyond his understanding had just unfolded before him... an unfamiliar feeling he wasn't ready to grasp yet.
A faint shudder ran through his body as Five walked past him quietly. He didn't say anything but cast a quick glance at him, as if evaluating him for a moment before passing by... as if Seraph was nothing more than a brief stop in his long journey.
But that glance, however fleeting, reminded him of what Luna had told him the night before...
The Day Before.
The room was dimly lit, its silence heavier than any words could express. Five sat against the wall, his eyes distant, while Luna had moved her bed to the opposite side, sitting on it, staring at the wall, as if lost in thought.
Then, in a quiet but serious voice, she spoke.
Luna: "You're looking for a second-tier offensive ability?"
Five didn't answer immediately. He simply sighed silently and raised his hand, running it along the wall behind him, as if trying to organize his thoughts.
Five: "Yeah… we need someone suitable for this mission. The original plan depended on Jiren…"
Luna was silent for a moment. She seemed to be considering something, then spoke in a calm tone, though there was something deeper hidden within it.
Luna: "There's someone I know… He awakened his ability one year and twenty-five days ago."
Five turned toward her in surprise, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Five: "One year and twenty-five days ago?… Then, he must have learned to control it by now…"
Luna: "Yes… His name is Seraph. I met him when he arrived a year and twenty-six days ago. I helped him awaken his ability in just two days. His ability is…"
She paused for a moment, then added,
Luna: "Fire."
Five's gaze froze for a few seconds. It wasn't easy to shake him, but that word alone sent his thoughts racing.
Fire… someone who had just awakened it.
Back in the present, as he walked slowly toward the hall's exit, his steps were steady, but his mind was still rearranging the scattered pieces.
Deep inside, he knew things were starting to move… but in which direction?
That, he would soon discover.
In the Main Hall – Five sat at one of the empty tables, carefully observing the scene before him.
Eyes watched, whispers spread, analysis unfolded. Everyone here observed everyone else... not out of curiosity, but as a defensive instinct… as a survival mechanism.
On the other side, Seraph sat alone, the dim lights reflecting off his face. His eyes, despite their stillness, carried something strange… Distracted? No, something deeper... something between caution and refusal.
It didn't take long before two people intruded upon his space. The first, a short, stocky boy with brown hair, grinned and placed his heavy hand on Seraph's shoulder.
"Oi, Seraph! Wanna hang out with us?"
But Seraph didn't lift his head, didn't react at all. He simply continued playing with his food, as if the presence around him was nothing more than meaningless noise. Before the boy could repeat his offer, a cold voice came from behind them... one that carried weight without needing to be loud.
"Step away."
The two boys turned to find Ares standing there, holding his tray, his brows furrowed in a sharp gaze that wasn't outright threatening but was clear in its message. They didn't need an explanation. They hesitated for a moment before quickly getting up and walking away without protest.
Ares sat across from Seraph, placing his tray down calmly, but his gaze carried a weight that didn't go unnoticed by Five, who was watching from afar. Five narrowed his eyes slightly.
Five: "[Ares?... Damn it, from what Luna told me… that fool Seraph is the one who killed Jiren. Even though a year has passed, Ares never forgets. I'll have to step in if he picks a fight with him.]"
But before he could act, another voice interrupted his thoughts... a low voice, indifferent in tone.
Seraph: "What do you want?"
Aris didn't change his expression. He merely moved his hand slightly, as if his answer was obvious.
Ares, with a sharper tone: "You and I… in the arena. Now."
Seraph showed no immediate reaction. He simply stared at his plate for a moment before exhaling quietly and responding with the same coldness.
Seraph: "I'm not interested."
But Ares didn't back down. He placed his fork on the table with a light tap, his tone more insistent.
Ares: "Pick a day."
This time, Seraph lifted his head, his gaze sharp as a blade, as if an invisible heat had begun to form between them.
Seraph: "I told you… I'm not interested."
But before the tension could escalate, the bell rang, signaling the start of training. The guards moved quickly, forcing the children to leave the hall and head toward the arena. Seraph stood and walked toward the exit without looking back.
Ares remained in place for a few moments, slowly clenching his fist before he, too, stood up, his eyes silently following Seraph.
In the arena, the air was filled with noise... a mixture of footsteps, cheers, and the sounds of training strikes. But Five wasn't interested in any of that.
He stood by the metal fence that had previously been burned. It had been removed and thrown into a corner of the arena along with other damaged equipment. Approaching it, his eyes focused on the large hole in its center, where the melted edges seemed to bear witness to unbearable heat.
Five muttered to himself: "This is interesting… Heavy metal mesh, yet it melted quickly… No lingering impurities… Yes, that boy… He might be suitable for this."
He wasn't the only one observing. On the other side, Coach Romanov was overseeing the boys' training with strictness. He shot Five a brief glare but said nothing before returning his attention to the trainees.
As for Seraph, he was warming up, stretching his arms and legs, though his mind was elsewhere.
"Hey."
A calm voice, yet carrying a hidden weight. Seraph turned slowly to see Five approaching, his hands tucked into his pockets, his eyes fixed on him with little expression.
Seraph, coldly: "What?"
It wasn't a question as much as it was a declaration of disinterest. But Five didn't back down. Instead, he stepped closer, tilting his head slightly, as if trying to read something hidden in Seraph's features.
Five: "Do you know me?… I'm a friend of Luna's… My name is... "
Seraph, interrupting: "I know… I saw you with her before."
Five studied him for a moment. There was something in Seraph's eyes… Something suppressed, burdened. As if his mind was wrestling with something inside him, something he didn't want to reveal.
Five kept looking at him before his expression shifted slightly. It wasn't a smile, but something closer to a faint frown, barely noticeable. But he didn't let the feeling surface too much.
Inside his pocket, Five unconsciously clenched his fists, as if something within him was rebelling against this realization. But he suppressed it, kept his expression neutral, and looked at Seraph without emotion.
In his mind, the words passed slowly, carrying a weight he didn't want to acknowledge.
Five: "[Just as I expected… He likes her.]"
In the arena, the air was filled with shouts and the chaotic sounds of movement in the background. The boys were playing basketball with enthusiasm. Among them, a black-haired boy called out loudly, "Oi, Seraph! Hurry up, we're starting!"
Seraph turned slightly, then nodded. "Alright, I'm coming!"
But just as he was about to leave, he heard the voice again.
"Wait..."
Seraph stopped in place, turning slowly to find Five standing there, calm, but with something hidden in his eyes.
Five: "I want to talk to you in private… It won't take long."
Seraph stared at him for a few seconds, as if analyzing his intentions, before sighing quietly and following him to the corner of the arena, away from the others.
Seraph: "Alright, so? What do you want to talk about?"
Five hesitated for a moment, as if the words were stuck in his throat, then spoke in a low voice.
Five: "Luna and I… We're planning to escape."
Seraph's eyes widened in shock, as if lightning had struck his mind.
Seraph: "W-What?"
He spoke with hesitation, his thoughts colliding like a thick fog.
Five: "We have a plan to get out. We just need your help."
At that moment, Seraph stood frozen, staring at the ground, clenching his fists. He had always wanted to leave this place, but something was creeping inside him, something pulling him to stay.
Slowly, he raised his head, his gaze shifting toward the left balcony.
There, standing as always, was Professor Zero... his usual posture, his ever-present cold smile.
And suddenly…
His thoughts intertwined, weaving a memory from his seventh day here.
Seven days ago, inside the medical room.
In the sterile, white room with cold metal walls, Seraph sat on a medical bed, his body tense, his eyes scanning the room cautiously. The door in front of him opened quietly, and Zero entered with measured steps, as if everything was under his control.
With a faint smile, he looked at Seraph while making his way to the small desk in the corner.
Zero: "Ah… So this is the new boy. I apologize for the delay... I couldn't welcome you earlier."
He sat down calmly, opened one of the drawers, and flipped through some papers before pulling out a file. He tapped it with his finger before lifting his gaze toward Seraph.
Zero, with a slight smirk, his tone calm yet carrying something concealed: "I read the records about you."
Seraph didn't respond, but his fingers tensed slightly against the wrinkled fabric beneath his hands. His eyes, though steady, held a restrained tension, as if Zero's words were setting the stage for something he didn't want to hear.
Zero, with deliberate ease: "Aren't you curious to know who you were? … Your true identity?"
For a moment, hesitation flickered through Seraph. He felt his heartbeat quicken... not out of fear, but something deeper… as if his body anticipated the impact before his mind could process it.
Seraph, in a low, hesitant voice: "... And what do you mean by that?"
Zero studied him for a moment, as if carefully observing his reaction. Then, he turned toward the small table beside him, where several files lay stacked. With deliberate slowness, he pulled one out, as if savoring the act of dragging the truth out of the shadows.
Zero, his tone calm but laced with an underlying mockery: "You… You used to live with your aunt and her four children. What a life that must have been, huh?"
Something unseen stirred within Seraph. His expression remained unchanged, but inside, a weight pressed against his chest. Why? Why did merely hearing those words make the air feel heavier around him?
A fragment of his past slipped into his mind uninvited, like a nightmare improperly buried. Blurred images... yet clear enough for the old pain to resurface.
The sound of footsteps pressing against wooden floors, the looks of indifference and disdain, the unevenly distributed meals at the dinner table, the hands that pushed him aside, the unspoken words that cut deeper than any insult... branding him with an unshakable sense of otherness.
He remembered standing at the edges, watching from a distance. The way their gazes held something close to contempt, as if his presence was a mistake... an unspoken truth that didn't need to be voiced aloud because their actions spoke loud enough.
He snapped back to the present, back to this cold, confined space. Zero still stood there, watching him, as if seeing everything that had just unfolded in his head.
Zero, with a quiet smile that pierced deeper than it should: "Did you ever realize? Even after everything, you never really had a place among them."
Seraph felt something tighten inside him, but his face remained still. His fingers, however, curled slightly tighter against the bed. There was no need for a reply... the silence between them already held the answer they both knew.
Seraph, in a low voice, tinged with restrained anger: "... What exactly are you getting at?"
Zero chuckled lightly, but there was no amusement in his eyes... only something far more dangerous.
Zero, tilting his head slightly: "Just a thought… How does someone who has lived as an outcast all their life feel? How do they see the world? Do they still search for a place to belong, or have they realized there was never a place for them at all?"
His words carried more weight than they seemed, as if forcing Seraph to face a mirror he never wanted to look into.
Zero: "I can imagine it… A boy who didn't belong. Not a brother, not a son. Just someone there, in between the others."
His voice was calm, but it pressed directly on an open wound. Seraph remained silent, but he felt a heat rise in his ears. Inside him, emotions clashed... anger, resentment, and something else he couldn't quite define.
Zero smiled, then leaned forward slightly. His voice lowered, but became sharper, more precise.
Zero: "Here, no one is an outsider. Here, you have the chance to become more than what you were back there."
Seraph's breath hitched for a moment. He remained still, staring at Zero with suspicion, bracing himself for whatever was coming next.
Seraph: "I don't understand… What do you want from me?!"
Zero didn't look up immediately. He continued examining one of the vials in front of him as if Seraph's question was an afterthought. Then, after a brief silence, he gently closed the drawer, turning toward him with that familiar enigmatic smile.
Zero: "What I want from you?"
He took a step closer, clasping his hands behind his back. Tilting his head slightly, he studied Seraph the way one would observe a test subject.
Zero: "I want to give you something, Seraph. Something you never had out there."
Seraph narrowed his eyes.
Seraph: "…And what is that?"
Zero stepped even closer until he was right beside him, his voice dropping into a low, confident murmur laced with subtle temptation.
Zero: "Power."
Seraph felt a strange tightening in his chest, but he said nothing. Zero continued, his words seeping into his mind like slow-moving poison.
Zero: "Out there, you are nothing. Just another nobody, tossed around by life as it pleases. If you leave now, you'll go back to being insignificant... without a name, without strength, without respect."
His voice grew softer, almost conspiratorial.
Zero: "But here… you are different. You have something others don't. If you prove yourself, if you work hard, you'll reach heights others can't even dream of."
Seraph's eyes widened slightly, but Zero didn't give him time to respond. He continued, circling him like a shadow wrapping around its prey.
Zero: "When the time comes, we won't throw you out of here… No, you'll leave on your own terms. You won't just survive... you'll rise. You'll walk into the world as someone powerful, someone influential. Someone respected…"
He paused, then leaned in slightly, whispering.
Zero: "Someone feared."
Seraph clenched his fists unconsciously. Something deep inside him wavered between rejecting these words and believing them. Zero, with his knowing smile, could see it all.
Zero: "You are not like the others, Seraph. You are stronger, smarter, more important. Don't be a fool and waste this opportunity."
Then, as if the conversation had not carried the weight it did, he turned slightly away, leaving the silence to settle between them. But Seraph didn't move. He only stared at the ground, where his distorted shadow stretched across the cold floor... a reflection of everything he was still unsure of.
Back to the present, in the arena.
Seraph opened his eyes to a truth that had been repeated to him over and over. But this time, it wasn't just a fleeting thought... it was a cold certainty sinking into his soul. The shock that had filled his expression moments ago began to fade, replaced by a heavy calm… the kind of stillness that comes before a storm.
He took a slow, deep breath, then lifted his gaze toward Five. There was no hesitation in his eyes anymore. They were the eyes of someone who had finally seen the full picture, even if he didn't like what it revealed.
A faint smile curled his lips... not one of satisfaction, nor of contempt. It was the smile of someone who had realized something others had yet to grasp.
Seraph: "I…"
He spoke the word slowly, as if the weight of it made it difficult to utter. Then, after a brief pause, his voice came out quiet... yet laced with a chilling finality.
Seraph: "I'm not interested."
He turned with steady steps, as if the matter no longer concerned him, leaving Faive behind, standing still, staring at him as if trying to understand what was going on in his mind. But Faive was not the type to give up easily.
Faive, in a calm voice: "So, you want to stay here... and live as a lab rat for the rest of your life?"
Seraph's steps suddenly stopped, as if the words slapped his soul before his body. For a moment, he stood still, but something inside him shattered, igniting fires he could not suppress. He turned to face Faive violently, his anger glowing in his eyes as if he had lost control of himself.
Seraph: "A lab rat?! Me?! What do you know about this life?!"
His voice was hoarse but filled with bitterness. He stared at Faive as if seeing someone who wasn't really there, as if he had never been a part of this place.
Seraph: "You wander here and there aimlessly, weightlessly, without constraints! You've done nothing since the moment you arrived here! So no... don't you dare talk about something you don't understand!"
Seraph's voice grew sharper, but it wasn't directed only at Faive; it was directed at something deeper, at the walls of the place he was imprisoned in, at the invisible chains that were heavier than iron, at the helplessness he hated to the point of madness.
Faive, however, remained silent, watching him calmly. The silence was not submission, but waiting... A silent moment between two voices, between two minds wrestling with the same truth.
After saying all that, Seraph felt a sudden exhaustion, as if the anger he had released had emptied something inside him, but it did not grant him any peace. He turned away, as if not wanting to see his own reflection in Faive's eyes.
Before leaving, he tilted his head slightly to the side, his gaze dropped to the floor, and his words came out weakly, but they carried the weight of an entire world inside him.
Seraph: "You... don't understand anything..."
Then he walked away, but the echo of his words hung in the air, between them.
He wasn't sure who he was directing his words to more... Faive? Or himself?
Unconsciously, his gaze returned to the upper floor of the facility. He knew he was there... Zero. From behind the reflective glass, he was watching.
Faive noticed Seraph's gaze and turned, but all he saw were the heavy curtains moving slightly. Still, he realized something was happening behind that window, even though he couldn't see it.
He exhaled quietly and took a step closer to Seraph.
Faive: "I want you to know just one thing..."
He stopped beside him, his tone low but charged with something resembling certainty.
Faive: "We're getting out of here. With you, or without you. The choice is yours, and the whole night is ahead of you."
His words were decisive, as if they were a thin thread placed between them, either Seraph would hold onto it or let it be cut forever. Faive began to walk away, but before he took another step, he dropped his final words, barely audible.
Faive: "Have you ever thought... what does she want?"
Then he left.
As for Seraph, he remained standing, as if his feet were caught between two steps. He didn't move, didn't speak. His fist, which had been clenched, slowly loosened, but his chest was roiling with an unending internal struggle.
His final words lingered in his mind, repeating themselves over and over. "What does she want...?"
But the real question he hadn't dared to ask yet was... "What do I want?"
That night, as the shadows wrapped around the cold walls, Faive sat leaning against the wall, his eyes staring into the emptiness, but his mind was somewhere else entirely.
Faive: "It's time, Luna..."
On the other side, Luna was leaning against the wall, her hands clasped over her knees. She took a deep breath, then stood up, her steps quiet but full of anticipation. She was sitting on the opposite side of Faive, then turned towards the wall separating them from the other room.
On the other side, Seraph was lying on the ground, doing push-ups, his muscles tense, his breath quickening. Seraph: "...twenty-three... twenty-four..."
Suddenly, there was a light knock on the wall. He stopped, took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, then stood up.
Luna, in a whisper: "Seraph..."
He approached the wall, placed his hand on it, as if trying to sense her voice through it.
Seraph, in a quiet voice: "Luna?... What's up?"
Luna hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a calm voice but with an undeniable weight.
Luna: "Have you made your decision?"
Her words fell on him like rain, but they were not cold; they were heavy, as if touching something deeper inside him. He stared at the ground, his eyes narrowing, his features hardening. He closed his eyes, as if listening to an inner voice he had been trying to silence for a long time.
A few seconds of silence passed, and Luna felt as though time had stopped. Then, slowly, Seraph raised his head, and his voice came out clearer than she had expected.
Seraph: "...I'm with you."
His voice wasn't trembling, it wasn't hesitant, it carried a certainty that hadn't been there before that night.
Luna didn't say anything, but she smiled faintly and placed her hand on the wall for a moment, as if trying to touch something intangible.
Minutes passed slowly, as if time itself was dragging within these walls. Lona's voice remained steady as she explained the plan, but between her words, there were heavy silences... brief moments stretching longer than they should, as if the air between them carried something unseen. Seraph did not interrupt, nor did he respond immediately. He simply listened… and listened, while the darkness behind the walls crept in further, reminding them that night was drawing near.
Luna stood beside the wall, her fingers resting gently against it, as if trying to feel its presence through the silence. The moment was quiet, yet charged with something she couldn't quite name... something creeping in slowly, brushing against her thoughts without permission.
Luna: "Do you understood your role now? We'll begin at the same time tomorrow. See you later, Seraph."
She was about to turn away, ready to move to the other wall where Five was, but then...
Seraph: "Luna."
His voice was low, yet it cut through the space between them effortlessly, as if the wall wasn't even there. She stopped abruptly, then turned slowly, stepping closer to the wall, placing her hand on it just as before.
Luna: "Yes, Seraph? Is something wrong?"
On the other side, Seraph stood motionless. His expression was blank, but not cold. There was something caught in his eyes... something not easily defined. He lifted his hand to the wall, as if searching for something solid to hold onto, then spoke in a quiet yet charged voice.
Seraph: "We're going to escape from here..."
At first, a flicker of tension crossed Luna's face, but as his words settled, she felt something close to certainty... fragile, but real. A small, involuntary smile formed on her lips, as if she had just found a promise she didn't know she had been waiting for.
She was about to respond, but before she could...
Seraph: "And then… I promise you.
I will destroy this miserable world for you..."
Her smile faded, slowly, not out of fear, but because of something deeper. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no words came. Her hand remained on the wall, but it no longer felt the same. She stepped back... just a little at first, then again... as if the space between them was no longer just wood and concrete, but something far greater.
At that moment, a knock came from the other wall.
She turned quickly, her eyes searching for the source of the sound.
She stood between the two walls. Between two voices. Between two minds. Between two realities.
Then, the knocking came again.
Her gaze dropped slightly, her eyes filled with something unreadable. She wiped away the lingering traces of tears and moved toward the other wall... toward Five.
Behind her, Seraph remained standing, waiting… waiting for an answer.
Seraph: "Luna?"
Silence.
Seraph: "Luna?! … [Did she already go to sleep…?]"
He hadn't expected silence.
He turned slightly, as if about to step away, but something made him pause. He hesitated, then moved back toward the wall, lowering himself slightly, peering through the small hole in the wall... through the opening that allowed them to hear each other clearly.
What he saw was not emptiness.
It was Luna.
Sitting by the opposite wall. Next to Five's room.
Slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes lost, as if searching for meaning in what he had just witnessed, searching for an explanation for something he couldn't quite grasp.
For a moment, it looked as though he was trying to reject reality, but the emptiness in his gaze only deepened, as if he were drowning in it.
He clenched his fists... not in anger, but like someone trying to hold onto something slipping away. The pain wasn't just an emotion; it was something heavy, crushing his chest in absolute silence. Then, little by little, his fingers loosened.
He took a deep breath, as if even the air had become heavier.
Then, he slowly turned away from the wall… and walked toward the door.
He didn't hesitate. He knocked, his rhythm steady, until the guard arrived.
Seraph: "I want to see Romanov...
I have something important to tell him."
That night, none of them knew what awaited them, but one thing was certain... there was no turning back.