Hezekiah's chest tensed. "Was Roid involved?"

  He needed to confirm Ghiza's claim from earlier. It was thanks to Irva's Sleeping ability that Hezekiah didn't immediately lash out. If Roid truly molested her after he died, he'd make sure he couldn't ever reproduce again.

  "Now you're concerned where he sticks his rod? Where was the sympathy for all the other women?"

  "Above you!" Irva warned Hezekiah.

  Catching a glint of light above him, he threw himself back. Thin laser needles punctured the floor where he had stood previously.

  The needles emerging from his skin was a diversion! Damnit, this isn't the time to be sloppy! Hezekiah kicked himself, reminded he's not dealing with the typical Black Flowers.

  "Does it feel great, Hezekiah, to toss women drowned in debt towards such a scumbag? Be honest, it's only fair that it happens to you at some point."

  "Irva." His eyes remained against Ghiza's, as if wishing they could kill on sight. "Don't just stand there, I didn't feed you that pill for nothing."

  She nodded, understanding his intent.

  The rest of the thin needles shot forth from Ghiza's skin. They froze in the air before being redirected all at once.

  He dodged the barrage by leaping towards the ceiling, ready to cast his next attack from behind them. However, a sudden drowsiness swept through him, fading his sense of focus.

  What's going on... How am I tired all of a sudden? Sleep continued to take control until he plummeted against the floor, rendering him incapacitated.

  "It's done. I thought you would've wanted more information first. What's up with that?"

  "Wasn't it obvious he wasn't planning on talking? And besides, he could've notified the others about his suspicions. If so, why wait until someone finally checks up on him?"

  "You're not going to leave him here, are you?"

  "Of course not. I'm not done with him yet." He made his way towards the entrance gate at the beginning of the hall. "Aren't you curious to see if he's considered a valuable hostage?"

  Irva rose Ghiza off the ground with her telekinesis. As long as she was awake, it's nearly impossible for anyone to wake up without her permission—that is, if she set the heaviest form of sleep.

  She didn't have much time to think about her abilities when Hezekiah explained them to her. But by watching the floating man in front of her, she understood how compatible they were together—to locate and kill anyone with ease.

  If she wanted them dead, what could they do about it? A single thought from her, and they may never wake up again.

  "Why would I care about that stupid brick head? It's his own fault for taking nothin’ seriously." She assured, reminded of her own predicament. "It's not like I have anything to look forward to anyway."

  Seeing no need to reply to her, he pointed ahead of them to keep moving. Irva followed behind, exiting with him through the gate.

  There were a few elevators, but given how commonly they're used, taking them only posed risks. A sign on the wall displayed their floor number.

  "Basement Level 6? Who knew it didn't look much different from other basement floors."

  "What do you mean? Don't tell me you’ve never been here at least once?"

  "How could I? Only Directors had access to go below Basement Level 5. I was somewhat curious what they were hiding down there, but what reason did a tool have to snoop in places it didn't belong?"

  Irva cupped her chin, visibly confused as to how that was possible given what he was capable of. The whole tower contained 35 floors, including the basement levels, and only she was allowed to reach Basement Level 8. As for what lay in the last five floors, it was still a mystery to her.

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  "Don't tell me... Hezekiah, how much do you know about your sis? Do you even know why she's locked up in the first place, instead of suddenly being executed like everyone else?" It still seemed inconceivable to her that the organization knew nothing about him, but it was even more confusing that Hezekiah was still kept in the dark as well.

  How could two parties be so clueless about each other?

  Hezekiah paused at her question, curious why she was suddenly asking about Falina's betrayal. "Did you forget that I was hunted down because I tried to cover for her? She released sensitive documents regarding The Organization's operations, including a confidential list of Black Flower members to other groups like ours."

  "Holy ant hills, you really don't know anything. Even the floor you're on now, Falina had already obtained unrestricted access to it."

  "Wait... What?" Hezekiah turned away, shaking his head at such absurdity. "I see, didn’t know you felt comfortable enough to spice up a joke. Do I have to send you back in that void again?"

  Irva's skin crawled, tempted to kill the subject. But right now, letting him know might be the key to her overall survival.

  "You can easily make me tell the truth if you think I'm fooling you. Is it that hard to think for one second why your sister has been alive these past couple of weeks?"

  Hezekiah folded his arms, clicking his tongue. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't deny it made sense.

  "Even if everything you're saying is true, what makes her having access to this floor special? Isn't it like all the other basement floors?"

  "This floor isn't just a prison, it also contains a research lab for Huska Tools. And she has been in charge of its development for the past six years."

  Hezekiah tightened his grip around his arms. "How is that possible!? We were both found by the organization four years ago!"

  Irva approached one of the elevators, ignoring Hezekiah's puzzled gaze. "You don't know your sis as much as you think you do. She's been with us for quite some time, then she brought you along. Beats me why she dragged you into this infested hell."

  Hezekiah leaned back against a wall, massaging his temples. F*ck... no way... this can't be true. His chest grew heavier, further fueling his unresolved doubt.

  Irva held up her finger against a fingerprint scanner before pushing the down button. "And with those six years of research she was entrusted with, she shared them with unknown organizations. Which in turn forced Sunset Garden into disclosing their classified weaponry to the Black Flowers early."

  "Who else knows about this?" he muttered, meeting her eyes.

  "Well, if it's any comfort, all the other Flowers believe she's just your older sister. Hell, they're not even aware how long she's been with us, let alone that the Huska Tools were her creation."

  The elevator dinged, sliding the doors open. "Aren't we lucky? Hopefully we don't encounter anyone along the way. Unfortunately, I don't have access to go below Basement Level 8, but this big fella here can fix that." Ghiza's body floated behind her, waving his hand towards him.

  Irva rested her palm against the elevator's entrance, turning back to see Hezekiah in the same position.

  "Hurry up already!! You do realize they're going to call us any second, right!?" She slammed Ghiza's body against the floor, cracking the tile. "Damnit! Damnit! I still can't believe I'm even doing all this!" Irva immediately shielded her mouth, heart drumming as Hezekiah looked back at her.

  "Shut up... Don't give me your outburst right now." He pushed himself off the wall, entering the elevator.

  Irva didn't speak another word, pretending to be calm. Drifting Ghiza's body through the air, she opened one of his eyelids and held him before an iris scanner. A ray of blue light flashed repeatedly before turning red, followed by a persistent beep.

  "Rats! There was a security measure for this!? How did it even know!?" The elevator doors slammed shut, quickly zoning up the shaft.

  "Shit! I thought you knew what you were doing!" The vents opened, fanning a cloudy mist into the cart. They both held their breaths. Irva pushed the emergency button immediately, stopping the elevator.

  I get you're trying to avoid getting us caught, but now you trapped us in the damn gas. With the pen already summoned, he hurriedly began drawing a Custom Boundary. Irva avoided getting in the way, recognizing what he was drawing.

  After quickly writing a rule to remove any harmful gases, the effect was instantaneous. Irva broke her breath as soon as the gas vanished, panting as she rested on the railing.

  "How careless can you be!? They definitely know something's up now." He still couldn't believe she's supposed to be part of some elite force. Although he wasn't aware of the extra security measures either, he at least expected more from her.

  "I get it already!! Don't assume I know everything!!" she fired back.

  "Is it too much to ask to be cautious? It's clear I overestimated you." Hezekiah turned his attention to the gas that failed to penetrate the boundary. It took a little bit more time, but he at least made sure they had a decent amount of space to move around in.

  But the issue of being trapped remained. Though it's not that he had no options, just none were preferable.

  "Hard to be effective when your life is constantly threatened," she stated.

  "Are you saying you're useless now?"

  She pinched within her palm, hesitating. "There's another way down, but you better not blame me afterwards."