As Zion properly woke up, an immense pain flooded his system.

The pain was everywhere, as if his body had been crushed, then forced back into shape.

'…Alive?' he thought, forcing his eyes open.

A shadow moved above him, no longer blocking the bright light from the center of the room.

Zion groaned, trying to block the light… but his arms didn't respond.

'What's… happening?' he thought, his mind still hazy. 'Why can't I move?'

That's when a girl entered his vision, standing over him with a smile. As she leaned closer to his face, dark-brown hair spilled over her shoulders.

"Don't panic," she said gently. "I've numbed most of your body to make the pain bearable."

The words took a moment to register.

'Numbed?'

Zion's memories of the fight slowly returned, forcing him to remember the pain, heat, and pressure.

[Welcome back, host,] Uriel's voice suddenly echoed through his mind. [We've survived… albeit barely.]

'Barely…' Zion thought, trying to swallow. His throat felt like sandpaper scraping against itself. 'Sounds about right.'

He closed his eyes for a moment, processing everything.

The pain was still there, but it felt distant, no longer overwhelming his thoughts or threatening to knock him unconscious.

When he opened his eyes again, the girl was still standing beside him. Her smile was gone, replaced by a focused, professional expression.

"Good," she said quietly. "You are more stable than expected."

Zion swallowed again, staring at the ceiling.

"Where… is this?" he muttered, his voice rough and hoarse.

The girl simply smiled, shaking her head slightly as she turned around.

"That's not for me to tell you," she said from the corner of the room while reaching for a vial.

It didn't take long before she stood over Zion again, this time holding a fresh pair of bandages.

As she unwrapped a layer of bandages around his right arm, she let out a soft hum.

"It's rather surprising how fast you heal," she said, rewrapping his arm with a new layer of bandages. "It's barely been four days, and most minor injuries are gone. Even your broken shoulder and collarbone have nearly healed."

"Four days?" Zion muttered, gritting his teeth as he felt a sting of pain from his right arm.

Before he could ask any more questions, the door behind the girl slid open with a soft mechanical click.

As footsteps entered the room, the girl immediately stepped aside.

"Well," a familiar hoarse voice said, laced with amusement. "You're awake faster than I expected."

"You…" Zion said, his eyes widening as the one-eyed man came into view.

"Looks like we're seeing each other again much sooner than expected," the one-eyed man chuckled.

Zion remained silent for a moment, unsure what to say. He'd only met this man once before—and only a day ago at that.

But for someone who ran a black market shop to step in and help? That didn't make sense to him.

"Why did you help me?" he finally asked, his voice hoarse.

The one-eyed man paused, his smile lingering as he studied Zion for a moment.

"Help you?" he repeated lightly.

He stepped closer to the bed, stopping just outside arm's reach.

"Who said I helped you?" he asked. "If you think this was free, you might not have been worth the effort."

Zion stared at the one-eyed man in silence, his thoughts a mess.

The one-eyed man let the silence stretch for a moment before speaking again.

"You know what condition you were in when I found you?" he asked calmly.

Zion shook his head but remained silent.

"You lost a dangerous amount of blood," the one-eyed man continued. "Your nervous system was severely damaged. Multiple bones were broken, and your organs were close to failing."

He tilted his head slightly.

"And that suit of yours? It was completely out of energy."

Zion's eyes wavered for a moment. It was the first time it really set in how close he'd gotten to death once again.

He quickly pushed the thought aside and focused on the man in front of him.

"So?" he asked quietly. "What are you getting at?"

The one-eyed man smiled faintly.

"You survived because I saved you," he replied. "And that decision wasn't cheap."

Zion exhaled slowly.

"Then say it," he said. "What do you want?"

The man shook his head, taking a few steps back.

"Not today," he said calmly. "You are in no condition to repay any debts yet."

He turned toward the door.

"But rest assured," he added, glancing back over his shoulder, "I won't forget about the favor you owe me."

The door slid shut, leaving the room quiet once more.

For a few seconds, Zion could only hear his own breathing.

The girl didn't follow the one-eyed man immediately. Instead, she stepped back toward the bed, her movements unhurried as she picked up the remaining bandages.

"Hold still," she said softly.

Zion nodded faintly, his eyes following the girl's every movement.

She carefully replaced the last layer around his arm, tightening it just enough before securing it in place. The sting of pain flared up briefly, then faded back into the numbness.

"You'll be able to move again soon," she said. "Quite the miracle, if you were to ask me."

Zion nodded faintly.

She checked the bandages one last time, then straightened.

"Get some rest."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left, the door sliding shut behind her.

The silence in the room was overwhelming.

Zion stared at the ceiling as minutes passed by, his thoughts wandering back to the end of the fight with the C-ranks.

The C-rank's voice echoed in his mind.

They were innocent kids of the Darla family… barely out of training…

His jaw tightened. 'Innocent,' he repeated internally.

The word spread a cold, bitter feeling through his chest.

They hadn't felt innocent when their weapons were aimed at him or when they hadn't hesitated to try and kill him.

Yet in his final moments, the C-rank had tried to shove the weight of their deaths onto him, as if he was the bad one for killing them.

Zion exhaled slowly, forcing the anger down.

He stared at the ceiling, the C-rank's words losing all meaning as he accepted that anyone willing to kill for the Sovereignty should be ready to die for it too.

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