The crimson room had a subtle menace to it.

Previously, Delilah sat restrained in the chair at the center, blindfolded with hands and legs bound tightly, with Holly seated facing her.

Now, though they remained in the same positions, Delilah seemed uncomfortable, barely paying attention to the thirteen-year-old's words.

Her lips were dry, and her mouth was bleeding from where she'd been constantly biting her lips and tongue. Her leg trembled with barely contained impatience, and she was noticeably less active than usual.

Holly seemed oblivious to this subtle change, though perhaps he noticed and simply didn't care. He kept talking, asking, and answering his own questions as if laughing at his own jokes wasn't sufficient amusement.

"I see now. He doesn't even know you think of him as a brother. That alone could explain why he's less active… unless he truly has what it takes. In that case, you wouldn't have to tell him."

Holly said and brushed his hair backward, showing his little pointy horns. He wore a soft smile.

"You see, I'm not human… a hybrid. We're rare, and many of us don't survive long because, deep down, we're still animals. My parents threw me out to survive on my own the moment I was born."

He sighed heavily.

"That's it. Most of us never survive long enough to become Perverted or Beast Sinners. And if we do… we're sent back to our parents just to endure our Purpose.

Crazy, huh? I don't even know if I have siblings."

Delilah said nothing, still trapped in her daze while Holly's words fell on deaf ears. Then her body shuddered abruptly, as though she'd been wrenched back from a different dimension.

"It doesn't matter if he comes. He's the only one who truly understands me in this world… so he's my brother. No matter what."

The words left her in harsh, snorting gasps. It was as if her heart was being ripped from her chest, slow and agonizing, yet measured enough that her breath still came in heavy, shuddering bursts.

The air was suffocating, thin as if she were trapped at high altitude. Her True Ability, Broken Mind, should have let her stop any setup they arranged during her stay. But they'd planned, placing everything before she arrived, rendering her ability useless in this situation.

Holly frowned.

"This is stupid. What do you even see in him? He's all you ever talk about. What about your crew? Don't you expect them to come save you too?"

"…"

Holly looked annoyed, his expression marked by a flinching face and methodical sneers.

"I just hope he comes. Fighting and entertainment are the only reasons I'm doing this. Tsk."

Delilah didn't seem to be in the mood to respond, but rather, her head snapped toward the entrance. She stared deeply at the metallic door as though she would see through it.

Actually, her intuition was correct.

Behind the door were two men wearing gas masks. Both were battle-hardened and probably lower on the hierarchy of the Northern Mist. The mediocre clothes and scars across their bodies spoke volumes.

By the wall were a few gadgets, but what they concentrated on was the valve. They breathed heavily even with the gas mask as though their lungs were being crushed.

Delilah continued to watch, waiting, while Holly did nothing but talk.

The moment one of them tried to touch the valve, Delilah's body shivered a little, and the man paused midair. He stood frozen, staring at the valve as though he pondered his entire existence.

He turned to the one beside him, stared at him with a confused look, and probably wondered why they were there.

Back in the red room, Delilah's head dropped in relief but then shot back up almost immediately. The two men began to argue, the one under Delilah's spell acted completely oblivious to why he was there, which angered the other one.

But barely a moment later, they were both acting strangely oblivious.

When the freed one accidentally tried adjusting the valve, even that innocent act was perceived as an attempt to harm Delilah by her True Ability.

Now both acted as though their minds had been rewritten, twisted by fate itself until they doubted even their own breathing.

While they stood there, a man entered wearing a gas mask and a tight black vest, with two short swords crossed on his back, adjusting his black gloves as he neared. It was Nava.

"How stupid are the two of you? Even fools can be useful, but you've managed to lose even that. Useless."

He said and shook his head in disbelief.

The men looked at him, confused, as if they didn't recognize him.

The moment Nava entered, Delilah frowned. His foul scent of betrayal was enough to identify him without even seeing him.

Surprisingly, Holly caught wind of what was happening after spotting those two men behind the door. He immediately stood, anger flashing across his face.

"Did I not make myself clear? You were never allowed to touch her. She's my lure. Lay a hand on her with intent to kill, and I'll end you before she dies."

Nava raised his hands in submission.

"Now, now, don't be hasty. I don't know who sent them. I only came to see a friend."

He tilted his head slightly.

"You're never here in person. When will you come see her yourself? That's why she can't see you as a friend."

Delilah scoffed, swallowed hard through her dried throat, and spoke:

"We are not friends. You traitor."

She tried spitting on him, but there wasn't enough moisture in her mouth.

Nava crouched before her and reached for her pale arm, from which Delilah immediately recoiled.

"You need strong allies to survive in this world. NeverLight qualifies, barely. Otherwise, you'd be gone by now. But your leader? He's afraid to act. No risks, no claims, no territory. A disgrace to Cohorts. All you do is sit around talking like children playing adventurers. It's embarrassing."

Delilah bucked against her restraints, rage boiling over as she did everything humanly possible to get free and hit Nava.

Holly's face began twitching with irritation. His fists clenched and shook as if Nava's presence disgusted him. He grabbed Nava by the throat, nearly throwing him out of the room, but Nava managed a swift evasive move and wriggled free.

"Whoa, calm down…"

Concern flashed across Nava's face as he tried to calm Holly.

"Get out! She was calm before you walked in."

Holly's words brooked no argument. Nava hesitated for a moment, then acknowledged the truth. Holly might be a child, but he was definitely not someone Nava could defeat.

With a sigh and a soft wave at Delilah, he walked away.

Delilah forced calm over herself, biting her lips until blood filled her mouth and spilled over, dripping to the floor below.

Holly tried to calm her, but she was too distraught. She seemed miles away from the present.

***

Back on the Black Sea, Halo chatted with his clones in his cramped quarters, unaware of his sister's ordeal. Yet that ignorance made his desire to save her no less important.

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