《Kingless world need a kingless king》 introduction ### **Prologue: The Ceremony and the Village¡¯s Rejection** In a secluded village, seven children were chosen for a ritual meant to open a portal to another world.However, the ritual failed, creating a partial opening that unleashed malevolent forces, killing their families and leaving the children as the sole survivors, which made the villagers to believed that the children were cursed, bringing bad luck upon the community. For ten years, the villagers mistreated the children, who were cursed, yelled at, and tortured. The children didn¡¯t understand what they had done wrong but endured the abuse. The villagers decided to mark each child with a letter, naming them according to their age¡ªeach born one day apart. The oldest, who was seven days old when the ritual occurred, was named "C." The second, six days old, was named "U," and so on, until the sixth child, who was named "D." This spelled out the word "CURSED." When it came time to name the seventh child, the villagers were at a loss. They took him every day to decide on a name, each day inflicting new scars as they branded different names onto his skin, only to cross them out. The boy screamed in agony until he could feel nothing. After months of this torment, they decided he didn¡¯t need a name because, to them, he was nobody. This nameless child endured unimaginable suffering, only to be left without even the simplest identity. ### **Chapter 1: The Expelled Project** By the time they were ten years old, the government had heard of the children¡¯s supernatural abilities. They were taken from the village and placed into the ¡°Expelled Project,¡± a secret program designed to control and weaponize those with abnormal powers. Stripped of any remaining identity, they were labeled Object One through Seven. For the children, this harsh treatment felt like heaven compared to the village. They thought this was what family life was supposed to be like. They were subjected to five years of intense training, during which they gained better control of their powers. Despite the grueling nature of their missions, the children believed they were playing the whole time. However, the seventh child didn¡¯t show any progress. He didn¡¯t manifest any powers, so the government renamed him "Object Zero." The officials wanted to get rid of him immediately, but his six brothers protected him. Even though they knew he had no powers, they sent him on dangerous missions with his brothers, hoping he would die. But he survived every time. As the years went on, his employees and the official started picking on him, trying to make him leave. They made him the janitor, forcing him to clean up after them repeatedly. Each time he mopped the floor, they would walk around, making a mess for him to clean again. ### **Chapter 2: The Big Reveal** After completing numerous missions with a 100% success rate for the government, the decision was made to reveal the seven heroes to the world. A massive arena was booked, and every high-profile figure across the country was invited. The event was advertised everywhere, with the phrase, ¡°Time to see your heroes,¡± catching every eye. The arena was packed, and the crowd waited in anticipation. Suddenly, the whole arena fell into a tense silence when they saw only six children entering from different entrances. The crowd began to boo and curse, upset by what they saw. The tension grew as they started chanting in unison, "Zero wanna be a hero." Zero, who hadn¡¯t entered because he had no powers, watched from the side. Tears filled his eyes. Despite his happiness for his brothers, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his own pain. ¡°I¡¯m happy for my brothers,¡± he thought, ¡°but I still have a heart that cries for me.¡± The crowd didn¡¯t applaud the six children; instead, they were disappointed, questioning how these mere children could be heroes. The mood soured even more when someone from the crowd pointed out, ¡°Weren¡¯t there supposed to be seven of them?¡± As the six brothers raised their swords to the sky, the arena fell into a tense silence, like the crowd could feel something extraordinary but didn¡¯t know what it was. ### **Chapter 3: The Demonstration** The six brothers began their duel, demonstrating their powers to the crowd, who were now in shock at what they were witnessing. - **C, the Light Bearer:** C moved with incredible speed, faster than the eye could see. He manipulated light to create illusions, making it impossible for the crowd to tell where he actually was. His technique, "Fraction," split his image into multiple directions, confusing even the sharpest eyes. - **U, the Shadow Walker:** U moved in silence, his presence barely felt as he replaced himself with his shadow, only to strike from the darkness. He could swap places with his shadow or even replace an enemy''s shadow with his own, launching attacks that seemed to come from nowhere. U vanished and reappeared from any shadow in the arena, turning the dark corners into his personal battlefield. - **R, the Teleporter:** R blinked in and out of existence, teleporting across the arena with pinpoint accuracy. He could teleport objects, people, and even entire sections of the arena. His most terrifying move was teleporting inside his enemies, causing them to explode from within. - **S, the Invisibility Master:** S vanished from sight, his body becoming completely invisible. But his power extended far beyond that¡ªhe could make anything he touched disappear permanently. If he made someone¡¯s head invisible, it wouldn¡¯t just be unseen; it would cease to exist, leading to a fatal end. S could even cancel physical actions by making them invisible, rendering speed or flight useless. - **E, the Flame Conqueror:** E¡¯s fire attacks were fierce and relentless. When anyone stepped into his territory, they were surrounded by flames from all directions. Even if they blocked in one direction, the fire would consume them from another, like a wildfire spreading uncontrollably. - **D, the Water Manipulator:** D¡¯s strikes came from every direction, like waves crashing down on his opponents. His attacks were fluid and adaptable, striking from any angle. Up close, he was like a powerful undertow, dragging his enemies down, overwhelming them as if they were sinking in deep water. The crowd was left in awe as the six brothers demonstrated their powers. The arena, once filled with doubt and disappointment, was now silent, with every spectator captivated by the display of raw power and skill Suddenly, the six brothers stopped their duel and ran to a single point. As their swords collided with immense force, the entire arena shook as if an earthquake had hit it. The impact was so powerful that their swords melted together into one, leaving behind a small ball of energy. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. For a moment, the crowd thought the energy would reach them. But as the impact subsided, the arena was left in a state of eerie silence. The audience was stunned, unable to process what they had just witnessed. Then, one person started to applaud, followed by another, until the whole crowd erupted into cheers. This time, they were chanting for the six brothers, celebrating them as the true heroes. However, amidst the celebration, a question lingered. Someone from the crowd asked, ¡°Where is the seventh?¡± ### **Chapter 4: The Seventh??** They didn¡¯t know what to do as the six brothers formed a circle in the middle of the arena. The crowd¡¯s murmurs grew louder, with everyone questioning the absence of the seventh child. The circle of brothers tightened, and the tension was palpable. Suddenly, from the center of the circle, a figure began to materialize. A man appeared out of nowhere, causing the six brothers to pause, their expressions shifting to worry and confusion. This mysterious figure wore a cloak that concealed most of his features, and his face was obscured, making it difficult to discern any details. The figure''s head was bowed, adding to the enigma. The crowd, eager for a resolution, mistook this newcomer for the seventh child. Their disappointment quickly turned into excitement, and they began cheering wildly for the mysterious figure, believing him to be the hero they had been waiting for. But that didn¡¯t last long. The figure raised a hand and pointed at the first sector of the cheering crowd. In an instant, the entire sector turned to ashes, the people disintegrating into nothingness. The arena fell into a deathly silence. The six brothers watched in shock and horror, their bodies frozen as if they were rooted to the ground. They were paralyzed by fear, unable to move or intervene, much like the crowd had been. Their expressions were a mix of disbelief and dread, their internal pleas for action muted by the overwhelming power of the figure. Amidst the chaos, a single sound pierced the stillness¡ªthe clanging of metal. Zero, who had been watching from the side, could no longer bear the thought of losing his brothers. The echoes of his footsteps reverberated through the silent arena as he moved. Driven by fear and desperation, he grabbed a sword from the side and charged toward the circle. With a heart full of courage, Zero rushed to confront the mysterious figure. Zero held the sword up to the figure''s face, his hands trembling but determined. The mysterious figure looked at him with a mocking smile and said, "You are brave, but you are still deep in illusion. When will you wake?" Confused and angered by the cryptic remark, Zero didn¡¯t have time to ponder its meaning. He swung the sword with all his might, but his attack was weak. The figure didn¡¯t even bother to defend himself. Instead, he laughed, saying, "You couldn¡¯t even cut the fiber of my clothes." Zero''s heart sank as he realized the futility of his effort. The figure then lifted his hand toward Zero. The six brothers continued to watch in slow motion, their faces etched with despair and fear. They were immobilized by the figure¡¯s power, unable to move despite their internal desperation to help. They could only watch helplessly as Zero fought alone. The crowd watched in horror, paralyzed with fear, as the dark figure prepared his next move. Zero thought to himself, ¡°Does ''illusion'' mean life, and should I wake up by dying?¡± As the figure¡¯s hand moved to point at him, Zero held the sword, bracing for the impact. Just before the figure could unleash his attack, Zero shouted, ¡°Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!¡± with all the strength he had. At that moment, a ball of energy, similar to the one created by the six brothers¡¯ battle, surrounded Zero. It was even more powerful, crackling with immense force. Seeing this, the six brothers closed their eyes, overwhelmed by the feeling of hopelessness. They knew there was little chance for Zero to survive the overwhelming energy that enveloped him. But somehow, the attack didn¡¯t do what they feared. The energy dissipated without harming Zero. It merely destroyed the t-shirt he was wearing, revealing the scars across his body. For the first time, these marks were exposed in the light of day, etched into his skin like a silent testament to his past suffering. Something unexpected happened then. The mysterious figure began to cry. Through his tears, he whispered, "What did they do to you?" Zero acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard. He pushed himself back up to his feet, picking up his sword. Despite his exhaustion, he was determined to fight. He charged again, swinging his sword with all his might, trying to defeat this man. But the mysterious figure did nothing but push him away gently, asking repeatedly, ¡°Why?¡± Zero gritted his teeth and struck again, and once more, the figure pushed him back, asking, ¡°Why?¡± But Zero didn¡¯t answer. He just kept going, his body weakening with every attempt. His legs began to give out, his energy drained. He had survived the previous attack, but it had nearly brought him to his limit. Still, Zero refused to give up. He kept trying to get back up, swinging his sword with whatever strength he had left, only to fall back down again. The figure continued to ask, ¡°Why?¡±¡ªthe same question, over and over. But Zero didn¡¯t respond. He just focused on what he had to do, driven by a determination that went beyond logic or reason. Finally, Zero could no longer stand. His body had reached its breaking point. He couldn¡¯t lift the sword anymore. His legs refused to support him. For the last time, the enemy asked, "Why? Are you doing this for them after everything?" Zero smiled faintly, his gaze shifting to his brothers, who were desperately trying to move but still couldn¡¯t. ¡°Of course,¡± he said, his voice filled with quiet resolve. ¡°Even if I¡¯ve gone through a nightmare, I¡¯ll always hope that they keep dreaming.¡± ### **Chapter 6: Hoping** A mysterious figure stood in the arena, surrounded by dark flames that seemed to move with a will of their own. As the flames flickered and twisted around him, he finally revealed his face. The crowd gasped at the sight of the scar across his right eye. It wasn¡¯t just a scar¡ªit looked like a letter. Zero, still lying on the ground, stared in disbelief. ¡°That scar... It¡¯s like the ones my brothers carry,¡± he thought to himself. The figure smiled down at Zero, who could barely move. ¡°You noticed,¡± he said calmly. ¡°My name is K, obviously,¡± he added, pointing to the scar. He then looked down at Zero and asked, "So, what should I call you? Seven, or do you prefer Zero?" Zero stared at him, unsure of how to respond. K¡¯s voice turned cold as he continued, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, because you¡¯re a fool. You can¡¯t even get up from the ground, and yet you talk about hope and dreaming. But, I liked it when you mentioned nightmares...¡± K¡¯s dark flames grew more intense, scattering wildly across the arena, moving forwards and backwards. He raised his hand and pointed at the crowd and the six brothers. ¡°Choose,¡± he demanded. ¡°One to dream, and the other to have a nightmare. And please, trust me, I¡¯ll strike with my full power this time. What happened before won¡¯t happen again. You won¡¯t get away by just hoping.¡± Zero, still lying on the ground, shocked K with his unexpected answer before fainting. ¡°Kill them all,¡± he whispered. K¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. He smirked, raising his hand. The flames surged, and he unleashed a devastating attack that destroyed the entire arena. The six brothers watched in horror, tears welling up in their eyes as everything around them was obliterated. The crowd sat frozen, unable to even attempt to flee. Object One collapsed to the ground first, whispering, ¡°We failed them.¡± Object Two quickly followed, murmuring the same words as shame washed over them both. Soon, all six brothers were on their knees, able to move again but overwhelmed by guilt. They looked at K, their expressions filled with anguish. Then, in a final act of defiance, the six brothers tried to strike him together, using all their remaining strength. But K was faster. He disappeared and reappeared behind them, delivering a single, powerful attack that knocked them all unconscious. Before leaving, K glanced at Zero, who lay on the ground, motionless amidst the chaos. ¡°I saw you looking at the audience,¡± K said coldly. ¡°So I assumed that¡¯s what you meant. Good luck convincing your brothers. I hope they believe that.¡± Then, just like dust carried by the wind, K vanished, leaving the seven brothers unconscious in the ruined arena, surrounded by the destruction he had caused. TO BE CONTINUED...... **Chapter 7: Reassemble** **Chapter 7: Reassemble** After the catastrophic destruction of the arena, you wouldn¡¯t believe it had once been a grand venue for many events, if not for the racks of seats scattered everywhere. The remnants of the structure were sparse, and what little remained offered no evidence of its past glory. The crowd that had been waiting outside initially saw the first attack on a particular section of the arena but didn¡¯t flee. They assumed it was part of the show, especially since there was no immediate reaction or panic from inside. However, when the entire arena finally collapsed, the reality set in, and the crowd outside panicked, fleeing in terror. Only one observer, who had witnessed the entire ordeal, remained behind. With a look of disdain, he quickly gathered the seven objects and left, muttering, "Pathetic." Zero dreamt of K''s final words: *"I hope your brothers will believe you..."* These words echoed in his mind like chains, entwining him in a dark void of doubt and fear. But it wasn¡¯t the dream that woke him. Instead, it was the hushed whispers and murmurs around him. His body had felt heavy, but now, he was inexplicably energized, as though the fatigue had vanished. Bewildered, he sat up, trying to grasp the sudden shift from exhaustion to complete vitality. The whispers ceased as Zero looked around, finding all six of his brothers staring at him with intense, piercing gazes. The silence was palpable, carrying the weight of years of torment and conflict. Beneath their sharp looks, Zero sensed a mix of gratitude and shame¡ªan acknowledgment of his sacrifice and their own sense of guilt. C, tears welling in his eyes, broke the silence. "Am... we are sor..." His voice trembled with emotion, but Zero cut him off. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "No, I''m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that," Zero interjected, his voice steady but filled with remorse. "But don¡¯t feel guilty. Throw it at me. I will bear it. I was the one who said kill them all. Hate me. I was the reason." Before C could continue, an unfamiliar voice interrupted. "I am Doctor Pill," the voice said calmly. "As in ''the pill you took while being sick''¡ªthough that¡¯s not my real name. I¡¯m here to understand what happened." The seven brothers, still confined behind bars, exchanged bewildered glances. They were puzzled as to why this person had come specifically to introduce herself with a name that seemed irrelevant to them. Noticing their confusion, Doctor Pill continued, "I am the new person in charge of the project. If you¡¯re wondering why I¡¯m here, it¡¯s because a catastrophic event occurred resulting in the deaths of several high-profile members of society. There must be consequences for this disaster. I¡¯m here to determine if you will be the ones to bear the blame or if you will be filled with shame." Without further explanation, she gave a subtle signal to the two people who had been waiting outside the cell. They responded immediately, stepping forward to unlock the door and release the seven brothers. As the door swung open, the brothers all stood up in unison, their faces showing a mixture of relief and apprehension. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they were free from the confines of their cell. Doctor Pill turned and started walking, her steps confident and measured. As she moved, she spoke without looking back, "Follow me." As they walked down the corridor, Doctor Pill heard the sound of footsteps growing fainter behind her. She turned to see Zero moving away from the group, heading right, while the remaining brothers continued left. Doctor Pill stopped and called out, "Where are you going?" Zero glanced back and replied, "My shift started." One of Doctor Pill''s companions, who had been observing the situation, stepped forward and explained, "The last general assigned him as the janitor. He must still think of it as his duty." Doctor Pill''s brow furrowed in understanding, and she motioned for her companion to resume guiding the group while she took a moment to consider Zero¡¯s situation. --- Dr. Pill watched as Zero slowly drifted away from the group, his steps hesitant yet determined. She observed him carefully, her eyes narrowing in thought. Once he was out of sight, she whispered to herself, "I think I know how to reassemble... and you will help me make them swallow the bad news." A small, knowing smile crept onto her face as she turned back toward the remaining brothers¡­¡­ to be continued¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. chapter:8 Aspects **Chapter 8: Aspects** The brothers entered a room while Dr. Pill and her two guards waited outside. The room had a glass wall, reflective on their side, obscuring whoever was behind it. The other side of the glass was filled with people¡ªeleven mentors and three supervisors, all observing the group intently. Four guards were present as well, two positioned outside and two inside, ensuring the security of the room. After a thorough investigation, they reached a conclusion: the brothers had no direct involvement in the destruction of the arena. But that wasn¡¯t the real reason they were brought here. They had a witness who could have revealed the truth all along. What the mentors and supervisors truly wanted to know was why the brothers froze during the incident¡ªand more importantly, who exactly was this mysterious figure, K? After the brothers were released, Dr. Pill issued strict instructions. "Watch them 24/7," she ordered, her tone leaving no room for compromise. "I want a detailed, summarized report on all their movements and conversations, every single day." She paused for a moment, then added with emphasis, "And be extra focused on Zero. I need to know everything about him¡ªevery step he takes, every word he says." Her guards and supervisors nodded in understanding, immediately setting the plan in motion. Dr. Pill gave one final look at the group before turning and leaving the room. As she stepped into the hallway, one person was waiting for her. Dr. Pill smiled but continued walking, her footsteps echoing through the corridor. The person fell in step beside her. "Is it done, Dr. Carla?" Dr. Pill asked, her tone calm yet commanding. Dr. Carla returned the smile. "Of course. I wouldn¡¯t be here if it wasn¡¯t." She handed over a report and added, "That¡¯s everything about the seven. It was diagnosed by one of the best in his field." Dr. Pill glanced at the report, then raised an eyebrow. "Better than me?" Dr. Carla chuckled softly. "Of course not," she said before veering off, leaving Dr. Pill alone with the report in hand. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Dr. Pill entered a room marked with her name and the number "1111" engraved on the door. She glanced at the sign, a small smirk forming on her lips. "Fancy," she remarked dryly. Then, noticing the number, she muttered, "Boring." Inside, the room was sleek and modern, furnished with a large wooden desk that held eight screens, each displaying live feeds from different parts of the facility. These screens allowed her to monitor the entire operation without ever leaving her office. She ran a hand across the surface of the desk and knocked on it. "High quality," she observed, her voice laced with approval. Turning around, she spotted a wardrobe along the wall. Curious, she opened it to find her clothes neatly organized. A nearby door caught her attention; it connected to a hidden hallway, designed to provide quick access to every part of the facility. Impressed by the layout, she nodded to herself, satisfied. But then, something on one of the screens caught her eye. She paused, walked back to her desk, and sat down, her attention now fixed on the displays. She adjusted the volume, leaning in to listen closely to the conversations happening on the other end. Her eyes narrowed as she focused, trying to discern what exactly was being discussed. Six spoke up, his voice tight with anger. "I can''t believe we just froze. Like, all these years were for nothing..." The rest of the brothers nodded in agreement, disbelief etched on their faces. One added, "What I can''t believe more is how Zero slept for three days. I nearly thought he left us..." Three sighed in n. "Thank God. we didn''t I don''t know how I¡¯d continue without him. He¡¯s the reason I keep pushing forward." Four, Two, and Five exchanged glances, and almost in unison, said, "Agreed." They shared a brief laugh, and then Five, with a serious expression, said, "There¡¯s nothing funny about talking like him," referring to Zero. The others quickly chimed in, "Agreed." They all burst into laughter, the tension easing as they placed their hands on each other''s shoulders, a moment of unity after the chaos. Their laughter continued until they left the frame, their camaraderie fading from view. Dr. Pill, watching intently, closed the volume with a soft click. She leaned back in her chair for a moment before shifting her focus to the file in front of her. After reading it, she said, "Interesting," and closed the file, placing it back on the desk. Dr. Pill then left the room through a different door than the one she had entered, navigating the facility¡¯s corridors until she found him mopping the floor. She approached him and said, "Zero, a moment of your time, please?" Zero, deep in thought about K¡¯s actions and what he truly wanted, did not immediately hear her. Dr. Pill repeated, more insistently, "A moment of your time," but he remained unaware. With mounting frustration, she called out, "Zero! Can you hear me? Zero!" Finally, Zero''s senses returned, and he responded, "Ah, sorry. What was it again?" Dr. Pill replied, "Finally, can I have a word with you?" Zero showed signs of agreement, and Dr. Pill continued, "Splendid. I want to tell you and your brothers something, but I¡¯m afraid they might take the news badly. That¡¯s why I wanted to talk to you first." She paused, then said, "The thing is, you aren¡¯t the only one..." Zero completed her sentence, "Only one to have power, yeah, we figured." Surprised, Dr. Pill asked, "What? How...?" Zero explained, "It was just a feeling, but thank you for the confirmation," and began to pick up the mop again. Dr. Pill questioned, "What are you doing?" Zero responded, "I assumed you were finished. Is there anything else?" Dr. Pill said, "Leave whatever you¡¯re doing and go back to Objects One to six. Take them to the therapy session. I believe it will be good for them and you. After all, you slept for three days. By the way, that isn¡¯t negotiable; it¡¯s an order." Dr. Pill then left him with her final remark, "The session will be at the big hall. I know it was a restricted area, but now it isn¡¯t." to be continued....... ch:9 mental group **Chapter 9: Mental Group** The seven brothers stood in front of the door, staring at the green light signaling them to enter. One of them said, "I don¡¯t know how to feel." Zero, standing beside him, said, "Agreed." From the other side of the room, a large space opened up, minimalistic yet carefully arranged. A lone table sat along the wall, neatly filled with snacks, hot drinks, and water. In the center of the room, 30 seats were arranged in two concentric circles, creating an intimate yet daunting atmosphere. Above them, a dome-shaped ceiling loomed, a large pole descending from its center. Attached to the pole were four screens, ensuring that everyone in the room could see whatever would be displayed. The air was thick with anticipation, as though the room itself held the weight of what was about to unfold. Watching from the second level, separated by a glass wall, mentors observed the scene below. Dr. Pill was among them, her eyes fixed on every movement, her presence almost palpable even from behind the glass. D finally gathered the courage and said, "What are we waiting for?" He stepped in first. The room wasn¡¯t as empty as before¡ªall the seats were taken, except for seven that remained conspicuously unoccupied. The brothers knew instantly where they were supposed to sit. --- The moment the brothers sat down, the screens hanging from the dome above them flickered to life, casting a video of Dr. Pill. "Hello, everyone," her voice rang out, smooth and controlled. "I know many of you are familiar with how we do things here, but today, we have newcomers with us. Let¡¯s welcome them and make sure they¡¯re not left behind." Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Her tone shifted slightly, becoming more instructive. "First, everyone will have a turn to express how they feel about themselves. This is a safe space¡ªthere are no cameras, no recordings here. No one but you can actually hear what is said in this room." The brothers exchanged glances, unsure of what to expect next. "Second," Dr. Pill continued, "we¡¯ll be doing something a bit different for three days each week before returning to our usual schedule. One of you will become the therapist for the group, to help everyone feel closer and to foster understanding." She paused, her gaze turning directly toward Zero. "And the one who will be doing that for three days is... Zero." All eyes turned to Zero as the weight of Dr. Pill¡¯s words settled in. The room grew tense with the sudden focus on him, and the anticipation of what was to come hung in the air. "Take your chair and come to the middle, Zero," Dr. Pill instructed. As Zero began moving towards the center of the room, she added, "Don¡¯t worry¡ªthere will be questions asked on the screen, so you¡¯ll only need to answer or just listen. Good luck." All eyes turned to Zero as the weight of Dr. Pill¡¯s words settled in. The room grew tense with the sudden focus on him, and the anticipation of what was to come hung in the air. --- A moment of silence passed before Four stood up and said softly, "Hi... my name¡¯s Four, or you can call me S. The man in the middle is Zero, like you heard. This here is One, or C... and Five, or E. There¡¯s Six, or D... and Two, or U. And last but not least, Three, or R." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Together... it spells CURSED. Not the best name, but it¡¯s what we have. I never imagined I¡¯d meet people who look like us... or feel like us. So, I hope we can all find a way to connect here... thank you." With that, Four sat down quietly again. But there was someone who was in shock, and that was Dr. Pill. Holding the report file in her hands, she whispered to herself, "There¡¯s something wrong..." --- Dr. Pill, visibly shocked, called out, "Carla!" Carla responded immediately, stepping forward. Dr. Pill handed her the report, already opened to the page concerning Four. "Read it for me," Dr. Pill instructed, her voice tense with urgency. Carla took the report, her eyes moving over the text as she began to read aloud ------------- : Four profile (S) S, also known as Four, often struggles with feelings of invisibility and a desire to escape from his own existence. He tends to isolate himself and wishes that he could make himself disappear. This desire to disappear extends to his power, which involves making things invisible. His powers reflect his internal struggle and his wish to be unnoticed. Consumed by negative emotions, S prefers isolation over any meaningful connection with others. He feels trapped in a world where he is never truly seen or acknowledged. __________ Dr. Pill commented, "Is this ''social anxiety'' to you? He speaks better than a celebrity¡ªhell, better than me. Let¡¯s keep observing. I have great hope that everything will unfold soon." ? to be continued....... ch:9 mental group- therapy session 2 day one ------ --- After the session ends, Zero sits alone with pepper in his hand, reflecting on what just transpired. Once he''s done, he approaches his brothers to share his conclusions. He begins to show them his drawings, but they don¡¯t immediately understand. Zero explains that he believes there is a pattern among the 23 individuals he observed. To illustrate, he flips a pepper and reveals the pattern: 1. Jan - 25 years old 2. Febi - 24 years and 11 months old (1 month younger than Jan) 3. Mars - 24 years and 10 months old (1 month younger than Febi) 4. April - 24 years and 9 months old (1 month younger than Mars) 5. Mayo - 24 years and 8 months old (1 month younger than April) 6. June - 25 years old (same as Summer) 7. Juls - 24 years and 7 months old (1 month younger than Mayo) 8. Auggie - 24 years and 6 months old (1 month younger than Juls) 9. Septim - 25 years and 9 months old (3 months younger than Decota) 10. Octavios - 25 years and 8 months old (1 month younger than Septim) 11. Nevara - 25 years and 7 months old (1 month younger than Octavios) 12. Decota - 26 years old (same as Yearwelv) 13. Yearwelv - 26 years old (same as Decota) 14. Unday - 25 years old (1 year younger than Yearwelv) 15. Monreal - 25 years and 1 month old (30 days older than Unday) 16. Weeki - 25 years minus 7 days old (7 days older than Unday) 17. Spring - 24 years and 10 months old (same as Mars) 18. Summer - 25 years old (same as June) 19. Winter - 24 years and 6 months old (6 months younger than Summer) 20. Autumn - 25 years and 9 months old (same as Septim) 21. Dawn - 23 years old 22. Sevan - 20 years old 23. Sudown - 23 years old Zero explains that the connections among the names and ages are revealed through a pattern he identified by remembering details and doing some simple math. His brothers examine the list and notice that **Sevan** and **Dawn** don¡¯t fit the pattern. Zero points out that Sevan shares the same birthday as him, suggesting a possible connection, while Dawn¡¯s age places him in the middle of the age range, making him an outlier. This discrepancy highlights an exception in the pattern, suggesting a deeper significance. C then suggests there must be four missing names, but Zero and the others don¡¯t fully understand. C points out that everyone on the list shares a common factor: a cycle of years forming a circle with 12 points, implying they should have 12 individuals instead of 8. Zero interprets this to mean that the ¡°new seven¡± plus the eighth (himself) total to 8, but the pattern suggests there should be more. Despite this realization, they are uncertain about the implications. They all shake their heads, signaling their confusion. They decide to call it a day and go to sleep, hoping to gain more clarity with a fresh perspective in the morning. Meanwhile, Dr. Pill reflects on the session and is puzzled by why Zero remained silent throughout. She wonders why Zero didn''t speak up or participate in the discussions himself, while U and R spoke on his behalf. She then opens a file that details U¡¯s personality: U (Object 2) is anxious about his abilities and often has a low opinion of himself. He wishes he could live another life, as long as it isn''t his own. This anxiety and self-doubt contribute to his tendency to speak up for others, like Zero, rather than advocating for himself. Dr. Pill couldn¡¯t understand how two unsocialized people, as noted in the file, could have taken the initiative to speak. She took a deep breath, closed the light, and went to sleep, pondering the situation and the complexities of the individuals involved. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. **Day Two** The six were waiting outside while C decided he would be the one to wake Zero up. Zero seemed to be having a nightmare, and when C touched him, Zero jumped. "Are you okay?" C asked. Zero rubbed his eyes. "It''s fine... just a dream." C sighed. "I think that''s normal, considering you''ve been asleep for three days." Zero frowned. "Three days? Did Dr. Pill mention that? It sure didn''t feel like three days." "Time flows differently," C said with a shrug. "But how should we know? We never really cared before." "Agreed," Zero replied. C continued, "So, wake up, take a shower, and these clothes were delivered for you. Dr. Zero, they said." "Dr.?" Zero smirked. "Does that mean I can start experimenting on all of you?" C chuckled, then warned, "Don''t push it. You¡¯ll just be talking." He headed for the door. "Anyway, we''re waiting outside. Don¡¯t keep us waiting too long, okay?" And with that, C left the room. --- As C stepped outside, D immediately asked, "How''s Zero?" C gave a reassuring smile. "He''s holding up... had a nightmare, but I didn¡¯t tell him we all had. You know how he overthinks things, so I left that part out." R chimed in, smirking slightly. "Well, at least it''s good to have something new¡ªrather than these clothes with ''The Outcast'' slogan on the back." U sighed. "I know the project is called *Expelled*, but why do they keep emphasizing it? Like they need to make it any clearer for us." S smirked. "I mean, if someone like you guys was in the project, I''d probably emphasize the word *murder* too." They chuckled. E shook his head, amused. "Didn''t you mean *expelled*?" S nodded. "Agreed." They all laughed again, the tension easing just a little. --- At the same time, Carla asked Dr. Pill, "Why did you send him a lab coat and a full doctor''s uniform?" Dr. Pill smiled faintly. "He needs a little push so he can swing like all of them." Carla raised an eyebrow. "All of them? What do you mean?" Dr. Pill¡¯s smile grew a little wider. "Just watch. I bet it won¡¯t be boring like yesterday." --- As Zero stepped out of his room, the six immediately began joking around. C started with, "Dr. Zero, I¡¯m hurt. Describe me a medicine." D quickly added, "Yeah, Doc, take a look. His leg¡¯s not feeling too good." Zero played along, "It needs to be cut. Hold his leg still while I do it." C pretended to panic and bolted toward the door, with the others laughing and chasing after him. U called out, "Stop right there! It¡¯s good for your health!" C, still running, yelled back, "I¡¯m fine!" D added, "No, you¡¯re not. Come here!" as he continued the chase. They all came to a halt at the door leading to the session room. Standing together, they tried to compose themselves, still chuckling. Zero looked at them, a mix of amusement and curiosity in his eyes. "How do I look?" The others grinned and said in unison, "Scary." With that, they all entered the room, ready for whatever was next. Zero took a chair and set it at the center of the room. Four screens above him flickered to life, displaying something he couldn¡¯t quite make out. The six, who were seated around him, and 23, who had been there yesterday, remained indifferent, as if this was a regular occurrence, so Zero chose not to concern himself with it. Dr. Pill¡¯s voice came through a microphone, clear and authoritative. ¡°Yesterday was for introductions, so we didn¡¯t intervene. Today, however, we will. Everyone is encouraged to ask Zero¡ªsorry, Dr. Zero¡ªany questions or, if you would like, share anything with him. Enjoy.¡± --- What happened next was nothing short of diabolical¡ªso far beyond anything even Zero¡¯s brothers could have predicted. None of them knew who this person was. "I know you¡¯re tired of running, so sit down, little kids. I will tell you everything --- It was like yesterday¡ªstarting from the oldest to the youngest. Each of the 23 people spoke, sharing one event that had happened to them in the village. Zero sat quietly, but inside, waves of emotion surged within him, each more overwhelming than the last. A storm of thoughts consumed him. First, he was reminded again of the mistreatment he had desperately tried to forget. Now, he was forced to think deeply about everything. Every story the 23 shared dragged up details he''d long since buried. Each account was a piece of the larger picture his brain was now unwillingly drawing¡ªan image he had tried to avoid. What unsettled him further was the realization that it wasn¡¯t just the seven of them who had suffered. The 23 had endured it too. They had all lived in that village for nine long years. In that moment, Zero struggled to hear beyond his own pain. He found himself blaming the 23, convinced that their suffering couldn¡¯t possibly compare to what he and the six had gone through. Although it may not have been true, he couldn¡¯t listen to the rational side of his mind that knew their pain was valid. His emotions and resentment overwhelmed him, drowning out any sense of logic or empathy. --- The stories revealed the harsh reality: twelve of the girls spoke about their experiences of molestation, near-rape, and sexual assault. They described how, if not for the government''s intervention, they would have been forced into pregnancies. The day the government took them in, many had just started their periods¡ªa small but significant detail that underscored their trauma. As they spoke, the room was filled with tears, cries, anger, and sadness. Yet, amidst this outpouring of emotion, one person remained unaffected. --- And that was Zero who, after the last girl said something similar, didn¡¯t repress his anger. "You¡¯re no special. Didn¡¯t you hear? Be original." With that, the whole room fell into silence; you could hear the heartbeat in the room. Even Dr. Pill opened her mouth and said, "I said it wouldn¡¯t be boring, but that¡¯s another kind of entertainment." Zero continued, his voice dripping with disdain, "Y''all talking about some touches and talking, and you call that struggling? You don¡¯t know the first thing about struggle. So stop being crying babies and grow up." In that moment, everything froze, like time itself had stopped. It was then that Zero heard a voice, smooth and mocking, cut through the silence. "Come on now, this isn¡¯t very polite of you." Zero turned around sharply, his rage flaring even hotter. The voice continued, "Hey, miss me?" Zero''s anger grew even more intense as he clenched his fists, his teeth grinding. "What do you want k¡ª" K replied smoothly, "What I want? No, no, it¡¯s not about what I want... Tell me, Zero, what are you doing? Are you trying to take my job? After all, I¡¯m the bad guy in this story..or am I?" K chuckled softly, then added, "Look around you. Look at their faces. Do you remember that look? Of course you do. That¡¯s what wakes you up at night... So, Zero... what are you doing?" K then said, "When you figure out what the hell you want... look for me. And then, only then, you will wake up from your illusion." The voice echoed before fading away, disappearing into the void. And just like that, time started again. Zero stood there, realizing what he had just said. His heart sank. He had really messed up. The room was steeped in an uneasy silence until June finally stood up, breaking through the tension. "You were a hero to us, Zero," she began, her voice shaky but resolute. "Even when we knew you didn¡¯t have powers, we didn¡¯t care. The stories we heard about you were the only light in our darkness..." She paused for a moment, looking down. "Even in the village, we were scared to talk to you and your brothers because we thought we were less than you. With that..." she took a deep breath, "you deserved that name. You are indeed Zero." Her words hit Zero like a brick wall, shattering his delusions. Reality sunk in hard, and he found himself unable to recover from the blow. He didn¡¯t know what to say. Instead, he quietly started to leave, his steps heavy as he reached the door. Just before he exited, he heard a single word that tore through him like a blade: "You''re still my hero." The words ripped at his heart, and he walked back to his room, tears streaming down his face until, exhausted, he finally fell asleep. After Zero left, the six brothers began defending him. "Excuse him," they said, almost pleading. "He''s been through a lot lately, so please... just excuse him." Dr. Pill, sensing the weight of the day, called it to a close. "That¡¯s enough for today. Everyone, return to your rooms." Dr. Carla turned to Dr. Pill and asked, "I guess that¡¯s what you were hoping for?" Dr. Pill replied with a small smile, "Not what I planned.if that''s what your asking ?" tO bE cONTINUE..... chapter 9: Mental group- regret-3 **Day Three** Zero woke up starving, with a pounding headache. He hadn''t eaten or drunk anything yesterday-he just couldn''t. After drinking some water, his headache eased a little, but his hunger remained. Reluctantly, he stepped out of his room, feeling an immediate pang of disappointment when he didn''t see his six brothers waiting for him. He understood, though. They were upset, and if he could, he wouldn''t show up for himself either. When he arrived at the cafeteria, another wave of emotion hit him-this time, regret. For the first time, the cafeteria wasn''t empty. Twenty-nine people were already there, and with his arrival, it became thirty. He had always eaten alone with the six, so the sight of a crowded room left him shocked and unsure of what to do. He didn''t notice someone approaching him until a familiar voice greeted him. "Good morning, Zero." Zero recognized the voice instantly. "Good morning, Dr. Pill." Dr. Pill smiled. "I know it''s a little strange, but I thought it would be better if all of you ate together. It might bring you closer if you all spent time in the same place... Wouldn''t you agree?" Zero hesitated for a moment, then responded, "Agreed." "Lovely," Dr. Pill said before leaving the room, leaving Zero standing alone, unsure of what to do next. Still feeling ashamed of what he had done the day before, Zero would have normally left the cafeteria immediately. But today, his hunger overpowered his thoughts. He grabbed some food and a refreshing drink and sat at an empty table. Only then did he realize he''d made a mistake-he had chosen a table right in the middle of the room, leaving him feeling completely exposed. His discomfort made it hard to eat, so he only had enough to quiet his hunger and drank half of his drink before stopping. He stood up to leave, but with each step, his feet felt heavier, each movement louder than the one before. It felt like the light in the room was aimed directly at him, every fork, every knife, and every whisper focused on him. He couldn''t bring himself to look back-he just kept walking straight ahead. When he finally reached the door, he glanced to his right and saw June staring at him. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. That look-he didn''t understand it at first. Was it disrespect? Anger? No. It was disappointment. The realization crushed him, obliterating every other feeling he had-not just in this room, but every feeling he ever felt. He quickly left and returned to his room, haunted by that look, a look he thought he would never have to see again. --- Time passed as Zero stood in his room, rehearsing what he should say when he finally stepped into the room to confront the others. His mind kept drifting back to earlier when he had seen the six sitting in the corner, their faces tight with anger. He didn''t sit with them then, avoiding their anger, but the thought lingered, making him hesitate. Snapping back to reality, he paced back and forth, thinking about the best way to apologize. "I''ll sit down, and I''ll say sorry," he muttered to himself. "I didn''t mean what I said, and I''m really sorry for what happened to you..." But then he trailed off, unsure of how to continue. Finally, he decided it would be better to speak from the heart. "I know I don''t always know the right words," he told himself, "but I''ll try my best, even if I embarrass myself. I deserve that. Maybe then, they''ll forgive me." Taking a deep breath, Zero left his room. To his relief, he found U, D, and C waiting outside. C quickly pulled him into a hug, and U and D joined in, patting him on the shoulder. When they broke apart, D looked at him and said, "I hope you''re okay." Zero nodded, his voice soft but determined. "I''m fine. I really didn''t understand what happened yesterday, but please... I want your help to make it right." U smiled gently. "We''ll always have your back, always. I know that Three, Four, and Five aren''t here right now, but they''ll come around." C grinned, clapping him on the back. "Like we always do. Now, let''s go." With a newfound sense of hope, Zero followed them, ready to face whatever came next --- They stood in front of the door, an unspoken tension hanging in the air. U placed a reassuring hand on Zero''s shoulder and said, "Take a deep breath and relax." D echoed the sentiment, adding, "Like U said, take a deep breath and enter whenever you''re ready." C didn''t say anything but gave Zero a steady look, his hand resting on the door handle, waiting for the signal. Zero took a moment to gather himself, letting the tension flow out of him with each breath. When he finally felt calm enough, he glanced at C and nodded. C turned the handle and pushed the door open, stepping in first with D and U following right behind him. Zero, still standing outside, closed his eyes. His mind was blank, but his heart pounded as if it were trying to drown out his thoughts. After collecting himself for the second time, he finally stepped forward and entered the room. The light was off, except for a single beam shining down on a chair that stood alone. He knew that was where he was supposed to sit. He wanted to convince himself that no one else was in the room, but he could feel their eyes in the darkness-piercing through the void like faint lights. He sat down, keeping his gaze on the floor. "This isn''t what I planned," he thought to himself. "What should I do now?" He started speaking, his voice trembling, his gaze still fixed on the ground. "I don''t know how to sincerely apologize... My brothers and I, we never really do that. We just joke around-that''s our way of asking for forgiveness. But I don''t think I can do that now..." He hesitated, then added, "Before anything else, let me tell you a story. Maybe then, you''ll pity me and forgive me for what I said..." To be continued....... ch9: mental group- part4 "A story... B, C..." Zero began, his voice quiet but steady. "I''ll start from the beginning,.......when the ritual ended. It didn¡¯t take all my family, but it claimed my mom and brother, leaving behind my dad, two daughters... and an outsider¡ªme. My mother¡¯s entire side of the family was gone, and after that, a split formed within the rest. the father parents¡ªthey were divided. The old man said, ''Raise the kid, it¡¯s not his mistake.'' But the old witch, she said, ''Leave him. He¡¯s cursed, before and after his birth.'' And if you¡¯re wondering why I was supposedly cursed before I was even born, well... it¡¯s obvious, right? They came to the conclusion that my mother cheated with another man. Of course, that had to be why we survived and hers didn¡¯t. That¡¯s what the old witch said." His voice grew quieter. "they started calling me ''the mistake.'' And that became my first name in the village¡ª''the mistake.''" "The day I turned four was the day they¡ªor the father and his daughters¡ªdecided to kick me out. I was on the streets at just four years old. That¡¯s when I met the nameless six. We survived because the old man kept sneaking food to us, and it was thanks to him that we lived to witness the worst year of our lives... the day we turned five." "Am... I... I... we... you know what, I... I¡¯ll leave what happened during that year for the end. I don¡¯t think I could keep talking after that. So... I don¡¯t remember much from when I was six to nine. It was almost the same¡ªuntil I got used to it. But there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ll never forget... we couldn¡¯t find anything to eat for three years. We ate the leftover of a leftover. If you don¡¯t understand, someone would eat, then someone else would come along and eat their leftovers, and we¡¯d eat that. Leftovers of leftovers. It was tough. Nobody wanted to see us, not to talk to us, not to touch us¡ªjust not to see us. And I think that¡¯s what kept us alive... You can¡¯t kill something you don¡¯t want to see. But year nine... year nine was better than all the years before combined. The six, they developed some devilish powers, and the village feared they would take revenge or something. So, they started giving them food, clothes, even money... on one condition: they couldn¡¯t enter the village. When they wanted to buy something, they had to go somewhere else. But they had to leave me behind, because I didn¡¯t have any powers... after I made them take the deal." "We lived separate lives for the first time after five years. When they left, I didn¡¯t have anywhere to go. I regretted forcing them into that deal... If you¡¯re wondering how that year was better than the ones before, when the start was as bad as this....... I never said it was the best for me, but it was the best for us, even if I suffered a little. After five years, I saw my family again... but they didn¡¯t recognize me. For some reason, the two daughters had grown into stunning little girls. I remember looking at them, stunned by their beauty, feeling like a proud big brother... but the thing is, they were older than me by three years¡ªyeah, they¡¯re twins. I don¡¯t know why I felt that way. It was probably the dumbest thing I ever felt. The moment they looked in my direction, their eyes met mine... not with a gaze that saw me as a lesser human, but as something far worse¡ªa lesser being, some kind of inhumane thing. I didn¡¯t like that look at all. So, I decided to do the second dumbest thing............... "I thought I should teach them a lesson. So, I thought... I could sell them, or kidnap them, or... kill them. But I couldn¡¯t do any of those things. The ideas swirled in my head, but nothing stuck. Then I figured I¡¯d just make them afraid... scared to death. That seemed easier. My plan was simple, one stage: when they left the house alone, I would jump out and scare them, or I¡¯d run straight at them. I was so sure it would work. So I waited... and waited... until..." "I found my cue... After stalking them for a month, I discovered that every weekend they took the same road to visit one of their friends. That¡¯s when I got to work. I dug two graves on the side of that road, each with their names carved on crude, makeshift tombstones. But I knew that alone might not be enough to grab their attention. So, I thought I should steal something personal from them¡ªsomething that would make sure they noticed."..... "There was this doll that each of them had, only in different looks. I stole them both three days before the big day, just so they¡¯d notice the dolls were missing. Then I waited... and waited. Finally, I saw them from afar. But there was someone else with them. I didn¡¯t care, though, because all three of them were the same height. If anyone had been bigger, I would have called it off. But thank God I didn¡¯t... though, if you asked me today, I wish I had." "Anyway, the plan worked. The missing dolls caught their attention, and all three of them started moving toward the graves I¡¯d dug. As they got closer, they saw the two holes and the scribbled names. I was only nine and didn¡¯t know how to write properly, but it didn¡¯t matter. I snuck up behind them, and the moment they turned around, I jumped at them. They screamed, and one of the sisters fell into one of the graves. The third girl fell into the other. I knew I wouldn¡¯t get another chance, so I had to keep going. I had the shovel in my hand and started burying her. She was screaming and crying, but I just kept going. The strange thing is, the other sister, the one who fell to the ground... she should¡¯ve pushed me away, or done something to stop me. But when I looked at her, she just froze. She gave me a look¡ªa look I¡¯d saw again, years later. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. That¡¯s when I panicked. I dropped the shovel and ran away, leaving a traumatized and half-buried sister with her injured friend." Days went by, and the third girl who was with them... died. A waterfall of rumors began to flood the village, but none of them had anything to do with me. It was as if they hadn¡¯t told anyone what had really happened. The strangest part was that people started saying they were cursed... like *him.* They were referring to me. At first, I didn¡¯t understand what was happening, but the more I listened, the more I realized the rumors were circling around me again. I ran straight to the house of the old family, and just as I got there, I overheard someone inside saying, *¡®We should kick them out. They¡¯re cursed.¡¯* I felt my blood boiling with anger. Without thinking, I burst through the door, standing right in front of them. My whole body was shaking, but I hoped they couldn¡¯t see it." The Father looked at me with disgust, then spat in my face and said, "Spit on my grave if you ever succeed, you''re a mistake and a loser. What are you even doing here? Do you want us all cursed because of you?" I don¡¯t know why, but I started laughing. I laughed as loud as I could. It even creeped me out, but I thought it must be working. I wiped my face and looked at the old WITCH. "Haven¡¯t you heard? I¡¯ve got this devilish ability now. Maybe I should practice it on both of you." I saw the terror in their eyes. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. So, I pressed on. "Do you want to find out what my abilities are?" Just then, the sisters came out from the back, and the old WITCH sneered, "Now all the cursed are united." "Cursed? What do you mean by that?" I asked. She hissed, "The first friend they ever had... she died after two months of meeting with them. And these two... they¡¯re just like you." She glanced at her son. "We should kick them out. You¡¯re all the same." I laughed again, trying to hide the unease creeping up my spine. "Alike? You think? "I was the reason that girl died. I made contact with her. I cursed her. We¡¯re nothing alike. And if you kick them out, it¡¯ll be my pleasure to torture them. Maybe I¡¯ll create another cursed family and make both of your daughters my wives." As I spoke, I noticed the Father''s eyes widening with every word I said. The old WITCH, on the other hand, seemed oddly calm. It rattled me for a moment, but I just stepped toward the door. Before leaving, I turned back and added, "Go ahead, kick them out. I¡¯m sure you want a grandchild." Then, I left. If you didn¡¯t catch on, I was bluffing. I didn¡¯t want anyone to feel the way I did, trapped and hated. Maybe they¡¯d think I was a monster, but that¡¯s alright. They needed a monster so no one would start seeing *them* as one." "If you wondered how I survived without anywhere to get food, the six would drop some food and clothes off for me every day. The village believed the devil himself was giving me these gifts, so they left me alone out of fear. Oh, and I forgot to mention, there was a haunted house in the village¡ª*that''s* where we lived. After the six left town, I stayed there. After everything that happened, I didn¡¯t have any reason to go out for food; it was being brought to me by the six every day. And with that, the year officially ended. Eventually, word about us reached the government through rumors. The old general came and convinced us to join. We agreed, but a couple of years passed, and I still didn¡¯t show any signs of power. They renamed me from Seven to Zero¡ªthe first official name I ever got. They stuck me on janitor duty, just so I could feel like I mattered while everyone else went on missions that pushed them to the brink of death... "And yeah, I was sent on missions with them, even though I didn¡¯t have any powers. Just like them, I was constantly pushed to the brink of death... like the last one." And here I am. The end... Well, I guess I have to go back and talk about what happened in year five, don¡¯t I?" "I don¡¯t know where or when to start, but I guess I¡¯ll start by waking up. I remember being so confused¡ªlike, what¡¯s going on? I didn¡¯t even know where my hands and legs were. I couldn¡¯t move them at all. Then I realized they were tied up with some kind of rope in a dark room. There was this small light that barely showed me what was around. I saw the six¡­ their eyes were closed. At first, I thought they were dead, and I was next. But then they woke up, and I felt¡­ I think I was relieved, a little bit. There was a group of men and women there, with the old WITCH among them. I don¡¯t remember much of what they were saying, but I do remember the way they looked at one of us and took him. They hung him in the air and marked him with the letter ¡®C.¡¯ Then it happened again and again until they spelled out ¡®CURSED.¡¯ Finally, it was my turn. They hung me up." "It took them a minute to figure out what to name me. I don¡¯t remember exactly what they were arguing about, but they were tossing around different names. Some liked certain ones, others didn¡¯t. They kept going back and forth, unsure of what to call me. "But I remember the old WITCH saying, ''Let''s try whatever. If it suits him, we''ll continue with that name.'' They liked the idea so much, and their creative mode kicked in. That''s when the journey began¡ªa four-month stretch of pure torture. The first night was the worst. They marked me with twenty different names, letters, or symbols. The pain was unbearable. I screamed and cried like hell. They used two methods: one with hot, melted iron and the other with something sharp, like a knife. Oh, and they had doctors or nurses there¡ªI''m not sure what they were. Whenever I felt like I was on the verge of death, they would treat me just enough and let me rest for a bit. How kind of them, right? Keeping their toy alive until they finally had a name for me. The first month passed, and they still hadn¡¯t decided. My body was already crisscrossed with mistakes, marked all over. Then, they stopped for a week. They needed time to ''get inspired'' or whatever, so they left me alone in the dark room." "they decided to hang me outside, right in front of everyone, like some twisted attraction. It was like I had become the village''s tourist spot or something. Imagine that¡ªa full crowd gathered just to watch the nameless child get his name. People came from all over, pointing and laughing, throwing suggestions at me like I was some kind of joke. I could barely lift my head from the pain, but I could hear them shouting all sorts of names¡ªsome were cruel, some were just ridiculous. And I just hung there, a spectacle for them all, waiting for them to finally decide what to call me." "They started putting out a box for people to drop money into, like some twisted charity. Whenever the box was full, they would mark me with a highly recommended letter. I knew it wasn¡¯t about the name anymore. The box got filled three times a day, so I was marked daily in front of the same crowd. I cried every time, but no one cared. I wished with all my heart that I couldn¡¯t take any more and would die, but that wish never came true. The second month passed, and the old WITCH was furious. I don¡¯t know why, but she ordered someone to take me and confine me in a tiny space between four walls. There was barely enough room to open the door. They locked me in there for a whole month, giving me just enough water and food to keep me alive. I thought I was finally going to die, but I didn¡¯t. During that time, I started hearing a voice in my head narrating everything in my life. In the fourth month, they let me out. I could barely stand; I had no strength left. They hung me up again and began marking me with three names. I didn¡¯t scream this time. I was unfazed, and they were confused. They thought maybe I didn¡¯t feel anything because I hadn¡¯t eaten, so the next week, they fed me a lot to make sure I was full. They wanted to enjoy their torture after all. They tried marking me three times again, but I didn¡¯t cry. One of the medical staff stabbed me with a knife, but no sound came out of me. They became afraid. I remember the old WITCH saying, ''Did we make him stronger? Should we shut it down or something like that?'' They left me alone until the end of the fourth month. When I was reunited with the six, I told them I didn¡¯t want to talk about what happened ever. Then, they delivered the very bad news: the old man had died. They didn¡¯t know when, and to this day, I still don¡¯t know when he died. I remember feeling sad, trying to force myself to cry, but I couldn¡¯t. I thought they had taken all my tears. I vowed that I would destroy them all. That¡¯s my story." --- Zero had been looking down the entire time he spoke. When he finished, he lifted his head. For some reason, the lights were back on, and he saw their faces. Some were teary, others were crying. Te ars streamed down his own face, and he cried for the first time in a long time. To be continued........ chapterX:chatterd illusion ###chapterX:chatterd illusion** --- No one understood why he "Where are you going?" someone whispered, confused. "Should we just follow her?" another voice asked uncertainly. ____________ Zero sat, his head hanging low. Something warm was running down his cheeks. He instinctively wiped at it, but then he paused¡ªthese were tears. His tears. The realization hit him like a smack to the face. He remembered everything¡ªthe stories he heard the day before, the pain in each of their voices. And now, as he lifted his head, he finally saw their faces for the first time. His heart clenched. There was the blind man, with two empty hollows where his eyes once were. A girl sat beside him, one of her hands missing. His gaze shifted, and then he saw June. His breath caught in his throat. June, who had no legs. The tears he had tried so hard to hold back came flooding out. He thought about the cruel irony¡ªJune, sitting there without her lower half, in the center of it all, a broken reflection of the very loss that haunted him. Zero fought to control himself. He forced the tears down, though it took every ounce of his strength. Then, shakily, he stood up. His voice trembled as he shouted, "How was I ever your hero? Answer me! I¡¯m no hero, I am... I am..." The words broke, and he collapsed back into his seat, defeated. "I am no one," he whispered, his voice hollow, barely audible. Then, cutting through the heavy silence, a voice came from the side. "I can hear it cracking." Zero turned his head, startled. There was K, standing on the side, as if he had been there the whole time, roaming around in his usual way. Zero let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "Of course," he muttered, "now I¡¯m hallucinating you. --- Yearwelv began speaking, his voice calm yet pointed. "I see now that your eyes are finally open... but I can¡¯t see," he said, gesturing to his own sightless eyes with a hint of dry humor. "You know, because of... well, this." He pointed to his empty eye sockets and then sighed. "But you... you finally noticed others'' struggles, didn¡¯t you? You noticed." He then pointed to himself¡ªthe blind man. "You noticed me, losing half my sight. You saw the girl with no hand. You saw June, with no legs. But..." he paused, shaking his head slightly. "You didn¡¯t notice the burn marks on the four in front of you." Zero blinked, confused. But before he could respond, he saw K moving around the room, silently lifting the shirts of each of the four people Yearwelv had mentioned. Zero¡¯s eyes widened as he saw the same burn mark on each of their right shoulders. But it wasn¡¯t just a random scar¡ªit had a shape, incomplete but unmistakable. "Is that...?" Zero started to ask, but Yearwelv cut him off. "Yes, an uncompleted shape. Do you know why they never finished this art?" Yearwelv asked, his voice now heavy with meaning. He stepped closer, his tone lowering to almost a whisper. "Because of you." With that cryptic statement, Yearwelv left, leaving Zero in a state of confusion and uncertainty, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of everything. Jan smiles softly and says, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed or not, but...¡± He lifts his shirt sleeve, revealing the burn mark on his shoulder. ¡°Mayo, Juls, Auggie, and I¡ªwe all have the same thing.¡± He pauses, glancing at the others. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t matter how. You¡¯re our hero. Just know that we see you as one.¡± Mayo then speaks up, her voice gentle but firm. ¡°If you really want to know why then I''ll tell ya... it was the day you stopped crying. That was the day they thought they made you stronger. And because of that, it was also the day we stopped crying. Our misery ended because of you.¡± She looks at him earnestly. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, we all would¡¯ve lost something more than we already had. Even those of us who lost the most¡ªthey would¡¯ve lost even more if it hadn¡¯t been for you.¡± --- Everyone nodded in agreement, their heads bowing slightly as they reflected on Mayo¡¯s words. E spoke up next, his voice carrying a thoughtful tone. ¡°Yeah, Zero, you changed us¡ªat least, you changed me. When I was younger, I remember feeling angry all the time. I used to think, ''What did I do to deserve this?'' But then I saw what they did to you. My anger shifted¡ªI started wondering, ''What did you do to deserve all that?'' That day, I realized I was angry for the wrong reasons. If it weren¡¯t for you, I might¡¯ve become aggressive or worse. So, thank you, Zero.¡± On the other hand, Zero couldn¡¯t understand why they were saying these things. He didn¡¯t feel like he¡¯d done anything significant. But instead of replying, he just sat there, quietly looking at everyone. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Meanwhile, Dr. Pill was in another room, her focus interrupted by an urgent phone call. The voice on the other end informed her that K had destroyed two government facilities, and his next target was the village. ¡°The attack is expected at dawn,¡± the voice warned. Dr. Pill muttered to herself, ¡°We have only a few hours to stop him.¡± She reached for the microphone, ready to call it a day and relay their orders. But just as she was about to speak, she hesitated. Dr. Carla, standing nearby, tried to interject, urging her to hurry, but Dr. Pill hushed her, demanding the report. Dr. Carla, stunned by her abruptness, handed over the file. - **E (Object 5):** E¡¯s intense anger is reflected in his fire power. Initially, his rage manifested in destructive flames, and despite his struggles with anger, he continues to wield his fiery abilities with significant force. If he could gain better control over his anger, it might benefit him greatly by enhancing his precision and overall effectiveness with his powers. Dr. Pil smiled. "The theory is correct." "What theory?" Dr. Carla asked. "The theory about their abilities," Dr. Pil replied. "I initially thought this report was misleading, but the writer believed something profound. For example When E was talking about his anger, the writer noted that at one moment, E felt like he wanted to burn everything around him. The theory suggests their powers are tied to these intense emotional moments, not just granted at random." Dr. Carla looked intrigued. "So, you''re saying their abilities come from their emotions?" "Exactly," Dr. Pil nodded. "The writer called it ''illusion power'' because he thought it stemmed from within, like an illusion tied to their mind rather than something purely external." "So if they control these emotions..." Dr. Carla started. "They could control whatever they wish," Dr. Pil concluded before turning to the mic. "Everyone, head to the green room. We''re done for today." --- Zero didn''t know what the green room was and stood confused for a second. Jane noticed his hesitation and explained, "It''s just the meeting room. If we''re all being called, it must be something serious. Let''s go." As they began walking, Zero couldn''t help but glance at Jane again, remembering what he''d seen earlier. She caught his look and gave a small smile. "My ability... it''s something like generating," she said casually, without going into detail. Zero was left with more questions than answers, but Jane didn¡¯t elaborate further. They all continued toward the green room, with the mystery of her ability lingering in the air. --- The meeting had concluded, and Dr. Pill firmly ordered that the seven should sleep in the same room as the 23. Her instructions were effective immediately. As the seven and the 23 settled into the room together, a tense silence hung in the air. "Can you shut up? Stop thinking, stop narrating,I just want this night to be peaceful. I can''t bear another headache." Summer, Winter, Spring, Yearwelv, and Septim approached Zero. He sighed internally. "You wouldn¡¯t stop, would you?" Winter asked, seeming to pick up on his frustration. "What?" . "Nothing,"Zero replied "We just wanted to ask what your opinion is about all this," Summer said casually. Zero shrugged. "I don¡¯t know. K destroyed the arena, ten government facilities, and now he''s targeting the village. To be honest, I don¡¯t really care about all that. He tried to hurt me and my brothers, so that''s why we''ll stop him. I mean, they will stop him¡ªnot for the village." Spring chimed in, smirking slightly. "If it were up to me, I¡¯d wait for him to destroy the village first, then capture him. It¡¯d be for the best if that garbage place were gone." Zero gave a slight nod. "Agreed," he muttered. The group left, leaving Zero alone with his thoughts. i wish if you leave to........ --- K was headed to attack the village, moving up the schedule. This made Dr. Pill jump from her office, striking fast. **"She¡¯ll be here in a second,"** Zero muttered to himself, almost mocking the urgency of it all. **"As if..."** Before he could finish the thought, Dr. Pill burst into the room. **"Gather around!"** she commanded. Zero glanced up, a thought crossing his mind, **¡°I wonder if these voices really belong to me...¡±* --- **"Okay, everyone, there¡¯s no time to rest. K is attacking the village as we speak. Follow your leader, D, and Zero, you¡¯re good at observation¡ªlook for any weaknesses and inform your team. I hope you all succeed."** Dr. Pill¡¯s voice was urgent. The team gathered around R, holding hands, preparing for teleportation. Everyone took a deep breath, their legs feeling like they were anchored to the ground. They all shared a strange, indescribable feeling¡ªone that lingered in their minds, making it even more terrifying. The worst part was that they couldn''t talk about it, not under these circumstances. So, in an attempt to calm themselves, they tried to understand it instead. And then, without realizing it, their thoughts aligned. No words were spoken, yet they all wondered the same thing: "it''s like..... it''s like...." "It¡¯s like¡­ a weird feeling in your throat." They froze. That wasn¡¯t just a passing thought¡ªit was something spoken aloud. Slowly, they turned their heads. It was Zero. He had voiced exactly what they were all feeling. And in that moment, the fear loosened its grip, replaced by a quiet relief. They weren¡¯t alone in this. Without even meaning to, Zero became something more in their eyes¡ªnot just a hero, but someone who understood them on a level beyond words. He had reached into their deepest, unspoken thoughts and pulled them into the light. And all of it had happened with nothing more than a single sentence. **"One last thing,"** Dr. Pill added, **"capture him alive."** With that, R initiated the teleportation, and the team vanished from the room, their minds still processing the urgency of the situation..R teleported them outside the village border, and they held hands for a few seconds before letting go. However, Zero thought to himself, *I guess we¡¯re all still afraid of the village after all. R couldn¡¯t teleport us inside the village, and the fact that we were holding hands, even though R can teleport all of us¡ªand even the whole room¡ªat once¡­ it means we¡¯re definitely still carrying a scar around our hearts.* He paused, reflecting. *I call it the fear of losing. In the end, it turns into hate¡ªa hate that will either fuel you to keep moving or make you burn the whole place down. And both are considered progress.*"¡­Wonderful analysis, as always," a voice said. Zero turned around and saw K. He whispered, "Now you''re talking. What do you want? Why are you inside my head? You and¡­ forget about that. You''re still annoying." K laughed. "I see you can analyze everyone but yourself. It must be difficult not understanding what you want from yourself. Anyway, stop distracting yourself and focus. They¡¯ll be discussing the plan soon."Everyone gathered around D, who sensed the intense and uncomfortable feelings colliding in the air. He began to think about how to make them comfortable and realized that only a well-crafted, perfect plan could put them at ease. After that, a speech would be necessary to dispel the doubts they felt. As he started to formulate the plan, he pondered who would be the best person to deliver it.On the other hand, Dr. Pill and Dr. Carla were sitting together in the cafeteria, chatting over two cups of coffee. Dr. Carla asked, "Why is D the leader?" Dr. Pill sighed and opened a report. "Let me explain." She turned the page to reveal: - **D (Object 6)**: D¡¯s calm and reserved nature hides his inner struggle with anger. His ability to control and manipulate water is enhanced by his internal conflict, using his anger as a source of strength. His calm exterior masks the turbulent emotions he manages, allowing him to utilize his water power effectively. This balance between his external calmness and internal anger reflects his complex emotional landscape. Dr. Carla looked at Dr. Pill, confused. Dr. Pill said, "You understand from that, his calmness mixed with a bit of anger. That¡¯s why I chose him. he¡¯s flexible like water¡ªable to think under pressure or in any situation. His anger issues make it easier for him to hit or cause damage with his ability. And don¡¯t be mistaken; even though he has anger issues, you can¡¯t provoke him easily."even if he''s angery all the time Dr. Carla said, "Okay, I kinda understand where you''re coming from. What will happen to the seven after they catch K?" Dr. Pill replied, "They will be executed due to the Arena accident. Someone has to take the fall. I believe we¡¯ve extracted everything we need from them, and they¡¯ve mastered their abilities. It¡¯s becoming hard to control them. We have 23 new candidates, and we¡¯ll take a better approach thanks to the Seven helping us understand the dynamics." Dr. Carla wondered, "What if they¡¯re defeated by K? What happens then?" Dr. Pill answered, "It would be better for them. At least they would leave as heroes. But if they win, it means they¡¯re dangerous and nee d to be terminated. We don¡¯t want him to develop further." Dr. Carla asked, "Who?" Dr. Pill said, "You¡¯ll know soon¡­ TO BE CONTINUED........ CH:XI-A lot to grasp *"CH XI": **D:** *"I know Dr. Pill said I''m supposed to be the leader, but truth is, I didn''t really know any of you all that well at first. But what I do know... it''s enough. I know you all lived together in that cramped room, and we''ve been getting some so-called ''special'' treatment. What surprises me is none of that made you bitter. None of you let it get to you. And that shows me just how big your hearts are-bigger than mine, for sure.* *So I made a decision. I''m naming Yearwelv as my second partner, someone I trust to guide us all. I know you respect him, and together, we''ll make sure to lead us through this. Now, let''s go over everyone''s powers, keep it short, but let''s remind ourselves of what we''re capable of."* -------- In a dark room, Dr. Pill stood with Dr. Carla, her face barely visible in the dim light. She spoke to the void in front of her. "We''ve gathered what we wanted from the seven, and we''ve confirmed the theory-it''s true." A voice emerged from the shadows, questioning, "Why did you send 23 with them?" Dr. Pill''s voice was steady. "It will be good for them to explore and learn from the best. It''ll make them bloom. It''s a win-win situation. They get to experience the battlefield, and the fear that holds them back will be gone." Another voice spoke from the darkness, sharper this time. "Elaborate. There''s a higher chance they''ll die. So please, explain in more detail. We have all the time in the world." A third voice, colder, chimed in, "And if your explanation isn''t convincing, your position will be....... reconsider Dr. Pill glanced at Dr. Carla, who stood with five files clutched in her hands. With a deliberate motion, Carla placed the files on the table. A guard, clad in a black helmet emerging from the void, approached. He picked up the files without a word and retreated into the darkness, vanishing as silently as he had arrived. Dr. Carla spoke up, "As you can see, these are our plans ensuring that the 23 are a hundred percent safe. We will deploy the thoullion soldiers." One of the voices from the void asked, "What now?" Dr. Pill replied, "I wasn''t the one who named them. I called them Milland soldiers. They are an experiment that succeeded in creating a thousand soldiers capable of unlocking the Illusion ability. They''ve also developed the power to deactivate the Illusions of others. If there''s any risk, they will intervene immediately." Another voice instructed,go on then "Proceed with your plan," and the room descended into darkness. ------------ D organized the 23 individuals into 6 teams based on their abilities and addressed the group by saying he doesn''t remember everyone''s names but grouped them by similarity. He then listed the teams as: - **Group 1:** Shadow, darkness, manipulation, light, and blast. - **Group 2:** Voices, dreamwalking, alternate world, fake, imagine, and invisibility. - **Group 3:** **Teleporter, porta, telekinesis, order, and paralyze. - **Group 4:** Swords, rocks, lightning, fire, and rain. - **Support Team:** Perfection, adding, and linking. - **D''s Team:** **Water, imitation, other being, protection,** and **seeing**.. As D was talking, a huge explosion suddenly erupted nearby. D paused for a moment, his expression unwavering. "I guess that''s where K is," he said calmly, unfazed by the blast. "We''ll wait for him in the middle, setting a trap." He looked around at the group, continuing with determination. "I''ve put you into five teams because there are five roads. We''ll block each one, forcing him to wait in the center, and then we''ll strike-together-to knock him down." D''s voice grew serious as he gave the final warning. "We don''t know exactly what his power is, so be careful. Use all your strength, all your abilities, and stay on high alert." D raised his hand, and a projection of water swirled in front of the group, forming a map of their positions. "If K approaches your road, you''ll be ready to either defend or attack. The closest team will lend you two of their members, and the support team will replace them. Any member from other groups with long-range abilities will also assist." As he spoke, another explosion boomed in the distance, followed by another and then another. D glanced over at April and said calmly, "Do you mind?" April closed her eyes briefly and said, "Stop." Immediately, the voices from the explosions quieted, though the blasts continued. D nodded, turning back to the group. "That''s all." He walked over to April and whispered, "Say one final thing to ease them." K said, "I didn''t know someone could be soo blinded by pride." Zero looked confused. K continued, "Now! you''re going to listen to me. You don''t even acknowledge the existence of... that thing. But anyway, I''ll answer your unsolved question-the one you act like you don''t care to know." first D''s plan D decided to set the trap in the center because the Left side of the town was where they all lived-even though it was you who named it ''Left'' after all. D knew that if they fought on that side, they would lose. The others would question why they should rescue that place instead of focusing on capturing K. To avoid this distraction, he chose to leave the Left side to be destroyed. If you''re confused by the names and how D and your five brothers know them, it''s because back in the room, while you preferred solitude with a grumpy face, no one approached you out of respect. Meanwhile, your brothers stood by as each of the 23 explained their powers. The negative names they used were simply because they didn''t understand yet; it was just temporary. Lastly, the reason you''re not in the plan is that they idolize you. If D included you, their focus would shift from defeating the real villain to protecting you. Keeping you out of it ensures they concentrate on the mission at hand. Zero muttered to K in the lowest volume, "I didn''t ask." K laughed and replied, "I dare you to say it louder so they know their hero is crazy." After April organized her thoughts, she began, "We will capture K, not just for the village''s safety. Honestly, I couldn''t care less. They were afraid of us-they should''ve been. We shouldn''t be the ones living in fear. We can destroy them all if we wanted to." "So let''s show K and the village the devil," April continued, her voice steady and cold. "When he laughs, they will have nightmares that last forever." April then looked directly at Zero and said, "We promised to bring K to his knees, begging you for his life" She took one last breath before saying, " lets begin before they think of our ending " At the same moment her speech concluded, the sound of explosions resumed, filling the air with a surge of excitement. The energy was palpable, and everyone sprang to their feet, eager to showcase their abilities. With a smirk that Zero noticed, D gave the signal, and in an instant, everyone disappeared, leaving Zero standing alone in an eerily quiet place. Just a moment ago, it had felt like a town bombed in a war, full of chaos and noise. Now, all that remained was a strange, unsettling silence. Zero said, "Stop. I already have so many voices-I don''t want you to imitate them too. But you know, K, I wonder if you''re really inside my head, or if you just don''t understand what''s happening and have your own twisted interpretation of the situation." K stammered, "W... what do you mean? "Zero laughed, "I''m going crazy anyway. Come walk with me; I have a place I want to visit, and I''ll elaborate more."K asked, "Where?" Zero quickly replied, "My point exactly." K said, "Anyway, I forgot to tell you why he chose April. But after what she said, I guess you understand." Zero replied, "I do, but I don''t understand her power." "Of course you don''t. You didn''t even listen," K said. "She said she can give orders to everything, and it executes. Remember when she was hanging and saw those boxes and keys? She started talking to them, saying things like ''Come, please,'' or to the big boxes, ''Be light'' or ''Go there.'' That''s where her power comes from; she thinks it." Zero felt confused, realizing he didn''t remember such a detail. K added, "You were inside your mind more than being outside of it; you didn''t even notice I was there." Zero simply replied, "You''re right." K asked, "You said I have a different interpretation of the situation. What do you mean?" This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Zero replied, "I nearly forgot. Look, you should be inside of my brain but you don''t know what I think. But like I said, I''ll elaborate either way. First, when D smirked, I knew for a fact his goals were all checked off. Then the questions start- bragging about how brilliant they were, but they weren''t. My only question is: what does D want to accomplish? He chose the middle for a reason, and April to speak, to make them feel less afraid of the village. But that wasn''t the real issue. Why would they be afraid of something? Being afraid of an ant doesn''t make sense. The truth is, they''re afraid of themselves, of the monsters that will come out of them. By placing the fight in the middle, he ensures that the Left side will be destroyed. They wouldn''t fight there because they would feel responsible for all those deaths, and of course, they would feel good about that since it''s the village that made them what they are. Secondly, April is the only one who hates the village enough. If she said, ''Well, let''s rescue it,'' they would all agree. That''s why D chose her-to help them jump over the obstacle of thinking, ''Are we becoming our biggest fear or not?'' For some reason, everyone is obsessed with me. You might think it''s to help them focus on the mission, but the real reason is that when D approached her, he told her to add that last part to shift their thinking from that terrifying thought of change to remorse. ''We should avenge Zero,'' and that made their minds go blank, thinking only about how to avenge me." K replied, "I forgot how much you like to yap. But how did you know April is the biggest hater of the village? And second, how do you know D told April to add that part?" Zero responded, "First, back in the room, when April talked about her story, everyone felt anger or discomfort; they all rearranged their seating. Her notes and her story alone showed how deeply she felt. Secondly, it''s just a hunch." K said, "You''re crazy, you know that?"Zero replied, "Agreed." K asked, "Zero, why do you pretend like you''re not seeing that thing?" Zero paused for a moment before responding, "We''ve arrived." Zero looked at the house and said, "That''s my house." K, confused, asked, "Didn''t you say you got kicked out? Why did you come back?" Zero replied, "I don''t know. But everything inside and outside my body is itching for me to leave, and there''s this feeling that makes my heart heavy. I don''t understand if it''s because it wants me to leave or if it''s pulling me in." Zero continued, "But for the first time ever, I''ll go against the gravity that pulls you down harder than the Earth''s-more than just a headache. But I guess I don''t care anymore to think about them." He took one last breath and hesitated as he stepped toward the house. Step by step, uncertainty gripped him until he stood in front of the door. "Yeah, I get it," Zero said impatiently, taking another breath before finally going inside. "An empty house... no, "let me" ---------- An empty house that never experienced life. Darkness scattered everywhere. I can''t believe I actually lived here one day. I don''t even know how to describe this lost piece of my heart-it doesn''t exist, but somehow, it still impacts me in ways I can''t ignore." i noticed a red liquid sprayed in different places. "Wait, isn''t that blood? Did something happen. "Should I care or not? What is the feeling I''m supposed to have right now?" ----------- K asked, "What is happening?" Zero shook his head slightly. "I don''t know, K." As they walked deeper into the room, Zero''s eyes fell on a table with four chairs. Two of them were reserved-one for Dr. Pill and the other for Carla. Confused, he muttered, "What are they doing here?" What made it even stranger was the feeling that they couldn''t see him. He reached out to touch them, but his hand passed right through them as if they weren''t there. Zero sat in one of the empty chairs, and K sat in the other, silently observing the scene. K asked, "What is happening?" Zero replied, "I don''t know." Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, the 29 were setting up their plan, with Yearwelv developing it even further. Beyond that, Dr. Pill and Dr. Carla were holding an urgent meeting. Someone stood up and said, "I object to the termination of the Seven. They are more developed and control their powers far beyond anyone else. Their abilities are more useful and powerful than the 23 combined." Another person stood up, adding, "They''ve never failed a single mission we''ve sent them on. They''re the highest stealth force humanity has ever seen. And what will you do about Zero? The only reason he''s still in the facility is because of them-their devotion to him is unwavering." Dr. Pill calmly responded, "I understand your frustrations, but we haven''t learned anything from the Seven. They never liked to talk or share their experiences. On the other hand, the 23 have been open, constantly talking, sleeping in one room, discussing their stories. Through that, we noticed patterns in their abilities. But when the Seven finally spoke, they made us doubt ourselves, causing hesitation to take anything we learn as concrete evidence." Dr. Pill leaned forward and continued, "I''ll give you some examples so you can understand even more." Dr. Pill continued, "I''ll try to make this as simple as possible. Imagine a lot of children, mistreated, with their hands tied and chained. At the time, to endure the unbearable torture, they tried to find a door, something-anything-to make it easier. Even if it didn''t change their reality, they convinced themselves they could bear it, just to survive. One child looked into the dark room and saw how the darkness swallowed objects, hiding them until the light returned. So, he thought, ''What if the darkness could swallow me too, make me invisible?'' And that was how the void manifested. Another looked at the objects consumed by the darkness and imagined, ''What if I could become like them-disappear for a little while? Would I still feel anything then?'' And that''s how invisibility was born. Another child noticed the thin light casting shadows. In the midst of his pain, he looked at his shadow and thought, ''If I became like my shadow, maybe I wouldn''t feel anything.'' And that''s how the power of shadow was born. One time, they all got scared because of the lightning in the sky. But one of them fell in love with it. When he saw the lightning, he thought, ''If I could be like this powerful force, maybe nothing could touch me-maybe I wouldn''t feel anything.'' And so, lightning became his power. Then, during one of their torture sessions, it began to rain, and for some reason, the tormentors paused. One of them thought, ''What if the rain fell every day? Maybe the pain would stop for good.'' And that''s how the power of rain came to be." Dr. Pill paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing, "I know this is a lot to process, but I''ll keep it short and focus on the oddities. The sun-rising, blinding-nearly caused one child to lose his sight. He thought, ''If I could harness that, nobody could look at me to hurt me,'' and that''s how ''blast'' came to be. Another child fixated on a sword. He thought, ''If I had many of these, I could protect everyone around me,'' and that''s how his power-swords-manifested. For the one we call ''Perfection,'' it was different. When her hand was severed, all she could think about was being flawless, perfect to her perfection was grow back her hand-so that she''d never be vulnerable again. That''s why her power manifested as the pursuit of absolute perfection. The boy we call ''Portal'' stared at a buried body. He thought, ''If I could create a hole to get inside, maybe I could find peace, like them.'' But at the time, he didn''t fully understand death. ''Alternate World'' is self-explanatory. Then there are ''Fake'' and ''Imagine,'' which are similar but different. ''Fake'' involves imagining something happening to another person, while ''Imagine'' is more practical-manifesting physical objects, like a staircase to climb." Dr. Pill sighed deeply, then moved on to the more unusual cases. "Now, let''s talk about the odd ones: ''Rocks,'' ''Linking,'' ''Paralyze,'' and ''Dreamwalking.'' ''Linking'' is peculiar. This child didn''t just focus on his own pain-he saw the suffering of everyone around him, which made his own torment even worse. He thought, ''What if I could take away everyone''s pain, including mine?'' or maybe that large rock could bear it instead. ''Dreamwalking'' is the result of a terrible combination of ''Alternate World,'' ''Fake,'' and ''Imagine,'' but it stands apart. This child, after enduring relentless torture, would black out and escape into a dream. It was so vivid, so peaceful, that it didn''t match the horror around him. His first thought was, ''What if my dreams could come true? It would put everyone at ease.'' But the problem is, he can''t control what his dreams will be. That''s why we call it ''Dreamwalking.'' Now, to the two most tragic cases. ''Rocks'' and ''Paralyze.'' For ''Rocks,'' a boy managed to escape with a young girl who he started calling his sister. They found themselves in a vast desert. Unfortunately, a group of five villagers-witch hunters-spotted them. They separated the two. The boy received a brutal punch that drove him into the ground, Dr. Pill''s voice cracked as she continued, "He watched helplessly as they attacked her. Her screams for help-''Brother, help me!''-were like knives, tearing at him. He was desperate, his hands digging frantically through the sand, hoping to find something, anything, to fight back. But there was nothing. The more he dug, the more his mind unraveled. Every time he heard the sound of a blow landing on her, his heart raced, his hands moved faster, but still... there were no rocks." Dr. Pill paused, allowing the weight of the story to settle in. "Then... it happened. A spray of liquid hit his face. He froze, his hands trembling, and when he looked up... he saw it. Blood. His sister... wasn''t screaming anymore. She was still. Lifeless." He shook his head, his eyes distant. "The men stood, wiping the blood from their shirts, their brutal work done. They walked away as if nothing had happened. The boy ran to her side, crying, but it was too late. In that moment, his grief and rage reached their peak. He imagined having rocks, endless rocks to crush them, to make them pay. And that... that''s when his power first manifested. We think he was the first to develop his abilities." Dr. Pill took a deep breath, concluding the story with a dark truth. "We found the bodies of those five men later, their heads smashed in. Dr. Pill sighed heavily, her voice quieter now as she began the next story. "And that brings us to Paralyzed. At first glance, you might think it''s self-explanatory, but... no. It''s far darker than that. She spoke about a routine-how she had learned to endure the torture, become numb to the daily suffering. But then... things changed. they started to use their hands." "It terrified her. One of the men, noticing him doing that perv action,''he said she''s already cursed, continue .'' She understood he was trying to offer some twisted version of comfort, but it made no sense to her. It never did." Dr. Pill''s tone darkened further. "But despite his words, the touches continued. She never got used to them. And then... one day, he became more greedy. For the first time, she completely freaked out. when one day He began undoing his pants as he stepped closer. She screamed-over and over, ''Stop! Stop!'' She focused everything she had in that moment on making him stop." SHe looked down, her voice heavy with sorrow. "She never finished telling us what happened after that. But that''s pearlized... Dr. Pill concluded, "You''re all probably wondering what the point of this information is, especially when it''s too much to absorb in one go. But that''s exactly the point. We''ve had so much information that we could work with, and that''s when the theory of illusion first appeared. Then came the Seven-more competent than anyone, able to wield their powers to the fullest-yet they were a contradiction that gave us nothing but headaches. They were the reason the illusion theory got rejected because they didn''t fit the mold. They barely talked, and when they did, it was so little we couldn''t build any solid theories from it. What I mean is, the power of fire was calm, while water became angry easily. Invisibility, instead of being withdrawn, was the first to step in. The shadow was the role model, while the one connected to light-the one supposed to be full of energy-was the most closed-off and least adventurous. It didn''t make sense, and it was driving us crazy. The theory we had was twofold. Step one was about understanding their outward personas. Step two was the realization that their subconscious minds tried to align with that perception. For instance, when the lightning-user saw electricity, his powers upgraded subconsciously as he associated them physically. But the Seven? They remained a mystery. Until what D said yesterday gave us a key insight: they had emotions, but they overcame them when stronger feelings took over. That made them mentally stable, allowing them to master their powers without further growth. So, the mystery is solved. The Seven won''t improve any further. We don''t even fully understand the origin of their powers-we only know how they work. And because of that, we can''t allow the Seven to make us doubt ourselves. We can''t let them go unchecked. Thank you for listening. I know I''ve spoken a lot, but this information is vital and should not be overlooked." Zero stared at the stone figures of Dr. Pill and Dr. Carla, their faces slowly losing definition until they were just vague shapes. It felt strange. "Yeah, that''s pretty weird," K said, glancing over at Zero. "But why can''t we hear or see how the others are reacting?" Zero continued. "I mean, the two who stood up before Dr. Pill, before she answered their doubts..." "What are you talking about?" K asked, looking puzzled. "I really hoped I''d hear their answers, not just Dr. Pill talking," Zero said. K frowned, shaking his head. "For the last time, what are you talking about? It was Dr. Pill talking! I didn''t even see Dr. Carla move." Zero hesitated, then replied, "What I do get now is how their powers work. But she didn''t say anything about protection, imitation, adding, seeing, telekinesis, voices, other being, or manipulation." K tried to wrap his mind around it. "I think she was just trying to keep it short. Even though she said a lot, she didn''t really go into detail..." Suddenly, a voice came from behind Zero, laced with irritation. "What the hell are you doing, mistake?" Zero turned around quickly, his calm expression shifting to anger and then to disdain within seconds. He didn''t speak; his piercing gaze was enough. The man spoke again, his voice dripping with contempt. "Answer me, you disgrace! Do you want us to get cursed?" Inside, Zero''s thoughts collided like rivals, each fighting for dominance, searching for the right response. But everything came to a halt when he noticed the old man''s tear-streaked face. It was shocking to see someone like him show such raw emotion. "Cursed?" the man said, his voice trembling. "You''re the reason I...ki...my own mother! I should have listened to her! You all should have died long ago... The sisters should have died too. They were cursed!" Zero struggled to comprehend the chaos unfolding before him. His thoughts felt scattered, like pieces of a shattered puzzle. "What are you... Wh at did you do? To be continued....... Chapter XII : absolute chaos *Chapter:XII* *absolute chaos* The tension grew as Yearwelv gathered everyone one last time before they headed to their positions, naming each group again to ensure they were ready: **Group 1:** - June ¨C Manipulate - Mars ¨C Darkness (Void) - C ¨C Light - Spring ¨C Blast (Sun) - U ¨C Shadow **Group 2:** - Autumn ¨C Voices - Sudown ¨C Dream Walking - Dawn ¨C Alternate World - Septim ¨C Fake - Nevara ¨C Imagine - S ¨C Invisibility **Group 3:** - R ¨C Teleporter - Mayo ¨C Telekinesis - April ¨C Order - Juls ¨C Paralyze -Jun¨C portal **Group 4:** - Monreal ¨C Swords - Summer ¨C Rocks - Decota ¨C Lightning - E ¨C Fire - Winter ¨C Rain **Support Team:** - Febi ¨C Perfection - Auggie ¨C Adding - Unday ¨C Linking **D¡¯s Team:** - D ¨C Water - Octavios ¨C Imitation - Seven ¨C Other Being - Weeki ¨C Protection -Yearwelv ¨C seeing Yearwelv finished by reminding them, "Don¡¯t forget, each of you has power. Protect with it, protect the others. Don¡¯t be lazy, or it will cost your companions dearly." With that, he let them go. As **Group 1** settled into their position, C turned to U, breaking the silence. "There¡¯s been something on my mind lately." U raised an eyebrow. "Which is?" C hesitated for a moment. "Were you the one who turned off the light in the room to make Zero feel better that day?" Before U could respond, Mars overheard and jumped in, smiling slightly. "You''re a really great brother." U shook his head, confused. "What are you talking about? Of course, I didn¡¯t do that. I was with you when we visited Zero. If I had a plan like that, I would¡¯ve told you." C studied Mars''s face and replied, "From your reaction, it¡¯s clear you don¡¯t know either. Maybe it was Dr. Pill?" Mars interjected again. "I talked to her. She asked me why I¡¯d put the whole room in darkness. I was afraid of getting someone in trouble, so I said my powers were out of control because of seeing Zero." C frowned. "If it wasn¡¯t you, and it wasn¡¯t U, then...who?" The three of them shared a look, arriving at the same conclusion. C finally voiced it, "Maybe it was..." Just then, **K** appeared, walking calmly along one of the roads where Group 1 was hiding. As they watched, K moved into the middle of the street, standing between two buildings. Without warning, K raised both hands, and in an instant, the entire left side of the village erupted in a massive explosion of energy. The sheer force of it left everyone stunned, their jaws dropping. The destruction wasn''t like anything they''d ever seen before. The left side wasn¡¯t just destroyed¡ªit was erased, leaving nothing but barren sand behind K as if the entire landscape had been deleted. The 29 people in the groups stood frozen, realizing the battle had begun, and the stakes were far higher than they had ever imagined. They all froze in their place. Group One was more terrified than the others, each member thinking the same thing: *if they had been just one meter off, they would have been destroyed.* Everyone but Juls¡ªparalyzed. Juls stepped closer to K, who raised his hand toward her. But something strange happened¡ªhe stopped midway. Everyone watched in stunned silence as K struggled to move his hand further, his body trembling as if something was holding him back. Then, to their disbelief, K¡¯s knees buckled, and he fell before her. They could all see the undeniable force of Juls¡¯ power¡ª**paralysis**¡ªbringing K to his knees. But as they stood there, a terrifying thought crept into their minds: *What if they weren¡¯t frozen from fear? What if... it was Juls all along?* Their eyes widened as they watched her closely. Juls stood before K, her face unreadable. The others couldn¡¯t hear what she was saying, but the shift in their expressions was unmistakable. What began as a moment of control quickly turned into something darker. The brief flicker of hope on their faces vanished, replaced with pure terror. K slowly rose to his feet, breaking free from the paralysis. Juls stepped aside, letting him pass, and in that instant, the group realized they could move again. The weight that had held them in place was gone, and now they knew for certain¡ª**they hadn¡¯t been frozen out of fear. It had been Juls¡¯ doing all along.** But why had she done it? And why had she let go? These questions lingered in the air as they stared at Juls, now standing behind K, wondering what had just transpired¡ªand what was yet to come. K moved forward step by step, his presence alone overwhelming the group. The 28 who had been preparing for this moment now felt like they were the ones trapped. The pressure in the air was suffocating, and panic gripped them as they realized K seemed unstoppable. **E** dropped to his knees, his hands pressed firmly against the ground. He controlled his breathing, closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he unleashed the largest flames he had ever created. A massive inferno shot toward K, but it wasn¡¯t enough. **April** followed immediately, giving a firm command, "Fall!" She ordered objects around K to come crashing down on him, attempting to crush him under their weight. **D** summoned water, making it rise and surround K, trapping him in the liquid mass. **Decota** took this chance, sending a powerful surge of electricity straight into the water, hoping to paralyze him. Then **Summer** hurled massive boulders toward K, creating two even larger rocks and crushing them down on his position with all her might. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. For a brief moment, everything went silent. The attacks stopped, and the group held their breath. They panicked, wondering if they had killed him. But through the dust and debris, they saw him¡ªK was still moving, completely unaffected by their combined efforts. Step by step, he continued, unscathed. Exhaustion hit them like a wave, their energy drained, and the feeling of desperation crept into their hearts. Yet among the growing despair, a few individuals still held firm. K moved closer, relentless. Then, **Dawn** stepped forward, a small smile curling on his lips. He stood in front of K, unafraid. K reached out to grab him, but in that instant, Dawn vanished. The world around K shifted and reshaped itself. Reality twisted, bending to Dawn¡¯s will. A disembodied voice echoed, filling the air: "Welcome to my world." Everything around K began to change, as if the battlefield had been pulled into another dimension¡ªan alternate world controlled by Dawn. K, his voice steady and unimpressed, asked, "What is this? Are you trying to defeat me with a mere trick?" Dawn chuckled softly, his voice carrying a dark amusement. "Scary... your voice gives me chills." The world Dawn had created around K resembled a dense jungle. The ground beneath K began to swallow his legs, vines creeping up from the earth. The massive trees surrounding them came to life, their branches reaching down, tying K¡¯s hands, pulling tighter and tighter. K grunted as he tried to break free, but the more he struggled, the stronger the grip became. Dawn appeared before K, his smile cold and knowing. "I control everything here. I could create a million ways to end you right now. But..." Dawn paused, as a blade materialized in his hand, gleaming ominously. "They want you alive, for some reason." Dawn twirled the knife lazily. "But no one said you had to be *unharmed*." K strained against the bindings, his muscles flexing as he attempted to tear himself free. His frustration grew, but Dawn simply shook his head, your biggest mistake¡­" Dawn said quietly, "is thinking you can break free from me. At least, not while we¡¯re still on the ground." K¡¯s eyes narrowed, his mind racing as he processed Dawn¡¯s words. He smirked. "So if we¡¯re in the sky, I¡¯d be free of you¡­" Dawn tilted his head, his expression indifferent. "Pretty much." At that, K let out a loud, echoing laugh. "Idiot," Dawn blinked, and in that brief instant, he found himself high in the air. K¡¯s voice boomed through the chaos, "Try to break free now." Suddenly, the entire scene shifted as the villagers, buildings, and the 29 were hurled into a dizzying spin, thrown up and down in the air like ragdolls. The 29 desperately maneuvered to avoid colliding with the debris, but the villagers weren¡¯t so fortunate. Blood splattered through the air as bodies slammed into buildings and shattered structures. The sky was painted in chaos. April, eyes wide with desperation, shouted, "Get away from them!" She ordered the objects in the sky to move aside and clear a path. With a swift command, she called for massive rocks from the heavens to gather her team together. As the stones formed around them, **Weeki** cast his protective barrier, encasing 24 of the 29 in a protective sphere, shielding them from the carnage outside. But four were missing: **C, U, Spring,** and **Mars**. The four had stayed behind, their faces filled with grim determination. They had a **suicidal plan**, and though it was dangerous, **D** had approved it, knowing it was the only way to counter K. While the 24 huddled inside Weeki¡¯s protective ball, the four outside began their dangerous maneuver. **Mars** activated his power, casting the entire battlefield into an abyss of **darkness**¡ªhis void swallowing all light. No one could see anything. But then, **Spring** erupted into action, lighting up the space like a blazing sun. Even though the void was impenetrably dark, Spring¡¯s light surged through it, illuminating the entire space. This created the perfect environment for both **light** and **shadow** to work together. And that¡¯s when **C** and **U** made their move. **C** manipulated the light, darting through the battlefield with blinding speed, his powers cutting through the darkness like a blade. **U**, in sync with him, used the shadows cast by Spring¡¯s light to vanish and reappear, positioning himself for the final strike. Together, they were the perfect blend of light and shadow, their abilities harmonizing as they converged on K. The plan was risky, and their chances were slim, but with Mars¡¯ void, Spring¡¯s blast, and C and U¡¯s combined assault, they had one shot to turn the tide against K. K sneered as he watched the chaos unfold. "Good plan," he mocked, "but not perfect." With a flick of his hand, the spinning stopped abruptly. The sudden halt sent **C, U, Spring,** and **Mars** off balance. Their carefully orchestrated attack crumbled as they lost control, their momentum thrown into disarray. The air itself seemed to fall with them, and **Weeki**, sensing the shift, deactivated his protective shield. Everything¡ªdebris, villagers, and the 29¡ªplummeted back to earth. It was absolute chaos. The 29 hit the ground hard, but to their credit, they quickly stood back up, shaking off the impact as if nothing had happened. Far off, a column of smoke rose, dark and ominous, like the remains of something burning. But just as quickly as it appeared, the smoke vanished without a trace, leaving only confusion in its wake. K stood still, his eyes scanning the battlefield, taking in the devastation. The landscape was utterly destroyed¡ªbuildings crushed, bodies or what remained of them scattered in pieces across the ground. Yet, one thing remained. Amid the ruins and carnage, **one house stood untouched**, pristine and whole, as if it didn¡¯t belong to this shattered world. K¡¯s gaze shifted to **Juls**, who had been standing silently, watching everything unfold. "You kept your deal," Juls said simply, her voice emotionless. "Now, I''ll help you." Without further explanation, she turned and walked away. K frowned, not understanding her intentions. His lips curled in disgust. "Pathetic," he muttered, dismissing her. Whatever game she was playing didn¡¯t matter to him. His focus returned to the one house¡ªthe last house, untouched amidst the destruction. Determined, K began moving forward, step by step, toward that house. His mind raced with questions, but he shoved them aside. He was close now, and nothing¡ªno one¡ªwould stop him from reaching it. Monreal arrived with Sevan¡¯s swords¡ªeach one holding the power of darkness, light, water, fire, lightning, teleportation, and manipulation. he could multiply that number into hundreds. Monreal thought to himself, *It was Yearwelv who taught me, and though I don¡¯t know how to use every one of these swords perfectly, I can control the light-speed sword and the manipulation sword¡ªwhere they are placed or their shape.* Autumn stepped up beside him. ¡°You do have a scary voice,¡± she said, ¡°but can you handle mine?¡± sudown joined in, adding, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to use catchphrases? It just makes it cringe.¡± Nevara then stepped forward, and K smirked, saying, ¡°Come at me with your most powerful technique. But if I get bored, you won¡¯t be able to continue.¡± They all charged at him. The swords flew toward K without a single mistake, while Autumn screamed, sending echoes crashing toward him. At the same time, Nevara imagined a building above another one, both engulfed in fire, and in seconds, everything hit K at once. The collision sent a gust of wind through the area, but when it ended, K walked out unharmed, shocking everyone. The 700 swords had all melted. K smirked. ¡°My turn.¡± He moved to strike Autumn, but sudown stopped him by making the distance longer. Septim, fearing for Nevara, joined in. Mayo lifted K off the ground with his telekinesis, and Septim imagined K¡¯s left hand being crushed. sudown¡¯s mind began to dream, creating a dark hole beneath K, and the dream shifted to a place engulfed in flames. Then Seven stepped in, bringing with him hundreds of terrifying creatures. When sudown looked at them, the dream shifted again, this time to a dark place that fit perfectly with the terrifying creatures. D commented, ¡°In fact, the other being¡­¡± Auggie joined the fight, adding himself a hundred times, each version faceless. When sudown saw them, the place took on an even darker and scarier vibe. Mayo¡¯s control over his power weakened, and K broke free. He then punished Mayo by sending him flying into the sky before turning to face Seven''s creatures and the faceless men. K unleashed a destructive force that passed through the creatures as if they were transparent, obliterating the faceless men. then it goes on to struck sudown and Seven, causing Seven to lose control of his creatures from the impact. Mayo crashed to the ground after K¡¯s devastating blow, the impact shaking the earth beneath him. But to K¡¯s surprise, Mayo stood up as if nothing had happened. K¡¯s eyes narrowed in confusion, unable to comprehend how Mayo could rise so easily from such a hit. Yet, he didn¡¯t have time to ponder. U and S were already rushing toward him, vanishing into thin air mid-charge. Although K couldn¡¯t see them, he could sense the disruption in the air. Without hesitation, he slammed his right hand to the ground, sending out a shockwave of energy powerful enough to push both U and S back, their invisibility disrupted as they were thrown from their trajectories. Before K could follow up, June stepped in, her eyes sharp with focus. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough,¡± she muttered, manipulating reality itself. A thousand mirror images of June surrounded K in an instant, creating a disorienting maze of reflections. Then, with a swift gesture, she manipulated the space around K, closing it in like a shrinking frame. K laughed, his voice echoing through the illusion. ¡°An amusing trick, indeed¡­¡± Outside the illusionary frame, Winter and Febi stood watching, Febi¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of the images?¡± she asked. June answered calmly, her gaze never leaving K. ¡°To confuse him. He has to find the real me to break the illusion, but I doubt it¡¯ll take him long. Prepare yourself.¡± Febi nodded, her expression hardening. She stood ready, watching for K¡¯s escape. The moment she saw him breaking through the illusion, she clapped her hands together, summoning her power. ¡°Now, see my world of perfection, K!¡± From every direction, hands¡ªthousands of them¡ªemerged from the wreckage, from beneath the ground, and even from the broken buildings scattered around. The hands began to chase K relentlessly, reaching for him like waves crashing over rocks. At first, K dodged them with ease, his movements fluid and precise. But the hands were relentless, coming from every direction, never allowing him a moment to breathe. Finally, a hand shot up from the ground, grabbing hold of K¡¯s leg and dragging him down. K struggled, but the hands overwhelmed him, pulling him through the debris of the destroyed buildings, as if forcing him to face the consequences of his own destruction. Then, with a final, forceful motion, the hands flung K toward Febi. K¡¯s body hit the ground with a brutal thud, lying still. He appeared unconscious, and Febi, satisfied with her work, lowered her guard. But in the blink of an eye, K, who had been deceiving her all along, struck out. Before she could react, he pushed her away with incredible force, sending her crashing head-first into the ground. Febi groaned but slowly stood up, as if the impact had been nothing. Her resilience startled K, his confusion growing. He frowned, trying to piece it together. *They¡¯ve had the advantage in numbers this entire time,* he thought, *yet they don¡¯t strike together. And now they¡¯re acting like they¡¯re invincible. Is it a trick?* He glanced around, noting that he had fought nearly all of them. *Who do I need to bring down to break this?* As K wrestled with his thoughts, a light rain began to fall, the soft patter of droplets filling the air. K¡¯s gaze shifted, and he saw Winter standing across from him, his expression calm yet resolute. K sneered, attempting to mock Winter¡¯s seemingly insignificant power. ¡°Are we still playing games?¡± he spat. But Winter¡¯s icy stare cut through K¡¯s bravado, leaving him feeling something he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time¡ªfear. It was as though Winter¡¯s very presence weighed on K¡¯s soul, and for the first time, K hesitated. His body tensed involuntarily, and his mind screamed at him to flee, to survive. K closed his eyes, preparing for what he believed to be his inevitable end. But when nothing happened, he opened them again and looked around. The battlefield was eerily silent. His enemies, all of them, were lying on the ground, unconscious. He didn¡¯t understand. What had happened? His eyes fell upon Juls, who was also on the ground but holding something in her hand. K shouted out loud, frustration creeping into his voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is everyone unconscious?¡± Still baffled, K looked toward the only house still standing amid the ruins of the battlefield. , unbroke n structure. Without another word, he started toward it, the rain continuing to fall, masking the unsettling quiet that had settled over the battlefield. TO BE CONTINUED..... ---