"I know," Muuey said, his voice low and unadorned, "that you both are good people."

  He spoke without hesitation, without softness, yet there was an unmistakable weight behind his words.

  "You've tried your best to keep the divide between the poor and the rich from growing too wide. You've held that balance with your own hands." His eyes narrowed slightly. "But reality isn't kind."

  The room stayed silent, every word sinking deeper than the last.

  "Not everyone likes that idea," Muuey finished bluntly.

  Luku glanced at him from the side, momentarily forgetting the tension, the fear, the stakes of the conversation. There was something about the way his master stood-calm, unshaken, carrying truth like a blade-that made the words land harder.

  He looks... cool, Luku thought, despite himself.

  "Please..."

  Tears streamed freely down Mrs. Stone's face as her voice broke. She clutched her husband's hand as if it were the only thing keeping her upright, her fingers digging in hard, trembling. "Please... let us see our kids first."

  Her composure was gone-stripped away by fear, by helplessness, by a mother's unbearable worry.

  "Please," Mr. Stone echoed, his own voice rough and strained. He tightened his grip around her hand, grounding her, even as his eyes pleaded just as desperately.

  The sight of them like this-powerful, respected, reduced to nothing more than terrified parents-struck Luku straight through the chest.

  His jaw tightened.

  He turned away, unable to bear it, shame burning behind his eyes as he stared at the wall, pretending not to see the tears, pretending his heart wasn't breaking along with theirs.

  Muuey watched them in silence.

  For the first time since the meeting began, something shifted in his expression. The desperation in their voices-raw, unfiltered-pressed against him in a way threats and contracts never could. He exhaled slowly, the weight in the room settling into something heavier than tension.

  Without a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

  Elsewhere, far from the private room and its suffocating air, Sele lounged in the nurses' lounge, half-listening as a nurse rambled nervously about charts and protocols. Her attention drifted-until her phone vibrated.

  She raised a hand. "Excuse me one moment."

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  The moment she saw the message, the lazy ease in her posture vanished. Her eyes sharpened, focus snapping into place. She typed a brief reply, precise and immediate.

  I see.

  On my way, boss.

  She slipped the phone away, already moving, already understanding what this call meant.

  She turned back to the nurse and offered a quick, reassuring nod. "Thanks for the update. I'll take it from here."

  Before the nurse could respond, Sele was already walking away, her steps brisk and purposeful. The door to the lounge swung shut behind her as she headed down the corridor, the sterile lights reflecting off the polished floor.

  Her thoughts were already ahead of her-on the two siblings lying unconscious, and on Fei, still sitting where she'd been told, watched by something far less forgiving than human eyes.

  Back in the hospital room, Alcy stirred.

  A faint groan slipped from his throat as consciousness clawed its way back in. His eyes fluttered, then slowly opened, greeted by the harsh white glare of lights overhead. For a moment, he didn't know where he was-only that his body felt heavy, broken, wrapped in an unfamiliar numbness.

  The instant his breathing changed, the shadow reacted.

  What had been sitting beside him did not stand, did not move like a person should. It simply collapsed inward, melting into the darkness beneath the bed as if it had never existed at all.

  Fei saw everything.

  Her breath caught in her chest, but she didn't move. Not even a twitch. She had learned her lesson well. Whatever that thing was, it obeyed Muuey-and it was watching. Always watching.

  So she stayed where she was, hands clenched tightly in her lap, heart pounding loud enough that she feared it might give her away, and waited.

  Alcy pushed himself upright with a sharp inhale, muscles screaming in protest. His head throbbed as he sat there, breathing hard, eyes narrowing while he took in his surroundings-the sterile white walls, the quiet hum of machines, the unmistakable smell of antiseptic.

  A hospital.

  The realization barely had time to settle before his gaze snapped to the side.

  "You."

  The word tore from his throat as he surged to his feet, wobbling but upright on the mattress, anger burning hotter than the pain lacing his body.

  Fei met his glare without flinching. "Yo," she replied lightly, a crooked smirk tugging at her lips as if this were some casual reunion.

  Rage flared in his chest. "Where did you take us!?" he demanded, voice raw, accusing.

  She tilted her head, eyes flicking lazily around the room. "Relax. Can't you see?" she said, almost amused. "We're in a hospital room."

  Alcy froze.

  His eyes swept the space again, slower this time. The IV stand. The heart monitor. The clean sheets beneath his hands. The truth pressed down on him, heavy and undeniable.

  His fists clenched.

  A hospital... but that didn't mean safe.

  Only then did Alcy finally turn.

  His breath caught in his throat.

  She was right there—too still, too pale—lying beside him.

  He dropped to his knees so fast the movement sent a jolt of pain through his body. “Lara! Lara!” His hands hovered over her, afraid to touch, afraid of what he might feel.

  A groan answered him.

  “Ugh… so loud, Alcy,” Lara muttered, her voice dry but unmistakably alive.

  His chest hitched.

  Her eyes fluttered open, heavy with exhaustion and irritation. She slowly pushed herself up, rubbing at her left eye as she yawned, completely unfazed by the panic written all over her brother’s face. “Where are we…?” she mumbled, blinking around the room. Her gaze slid lazily past him. “Huh. Isn’t that the hot assassin lady that was trying to kill us?”

  Fei stiffened slightly at the remark, but said nothing.

  The fog in Lara’s expression suddenly shattered.

  Her eyes widened.

  The memory hit her all at once—the explosion, the pain, the darkness. Her hand flew to her stomach as she frantically checked herself, fingers pressing where agony had torn through her only hours ago.

  She froze.

  Alive.

  Her breathing slowed, disbelief flickering across her face as the reality settled in.

  Lara and Alcy are finally awake! How do you think they'll react to Fei being right there in the room?