NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: As the Fog Subsides, and Reality Arrives
"Huh?" Owl blurted under his breath.
Silence enveloped the scene, the hum of the facility's machinery an indifferent murmur.
"Master Owl… Now what? Do I dispose of the bo…"
Joseph began speaking, yet Owl barely heard his words over the sound of his own thoughts…
demon…
Owl has killed hundreds, maybe even thousands— His experience in the underworld was nearly unrivalled yet this was the first time he had this feeling.
Joseph's expression was an unsettlingly calm, almost serene painting... Its colours that of blackened coal and fresh crimson blood.
His eyes, typically green, seemed dark, like staring into an endless.
There was not the slightest hint of turmoil or hesitation in that tilted head of his...
He looked towards Owl, the blood specks in his eyelashes not even eliciting a blink, waiting patiently for the next directive with an almost administrative detachment.
Owl's eyes then shifted towards the guard's body— the knife he had given him stabbed into his heart.
'How could a child…'
It was a clean, precise strike, avoiding ribs and puncturing the vital organ with skills that belied his tender age. The guard's eyes stayed wide open in perpetual shock, as if his soul left his body before it could even react.
Owl had expected to be met with rebellion, or at least slight reluctance... Any sign of hesitation, but not an atom of that was present.
Instead, all he saw was cold, calculated indifference like he had been ordered to slaughter an animal…
No—
Even that would have traumatized most children.
It was more like he had ordered him to simply take out the trash.
Owl knew the kid was usually smart, shrewd even. He had noticed a hardness in those green eyes from the start, but this—
It's impossible… Unless… Owl's shock turned somber, There's no doubt… This is not his first time taking a life… To think I'd actually run into a kid like this…
"Master Owl?" Joseph sighed, tilting his head more as he ripped out the knife from the guard's heart, causing it to erupt like a sprinkler. "I asked how we should proceed with the body. Should we hide it or leave it?"
"Leave it…" Owl chuckled, snapping back into reality. "This whole place is about to blow up anyway," he casually shrugged.
"WHAT!?" Joseph's eyes burst wide open as he stood up straight. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BLOW UP OWL!?"
"It's Mr. Master Owl…" He mused.
"Stop fooling around!" Joseph gritted his teeth.
Owl smirked, revelling in the sudden change in the dynamic. "Did you really think I'd just extract some data and waltz out of here like a gentleman? That's not the Great Owl's way! This whole place is gonna crumble! It supports production for a rival organization, so it has to go! Once the extraction is complete, which should be around… …. Now…"
[ EXTRACTION 100% ]
The floor shuddered beneath them. A moment of disoriented calm...
Then a rumble that shattered it-
Chaos erupted everywhere at once.
Machines whirred beyond their limits, gears and cogs bursting from their housings.
Steam pipes hissed, releasing scalding jets while conveyor belts accelerated to blinding speeds, hurling crates like hailstones.
Automated arms swung wildly, smashing through walls and support beams, igniting fires that spread like wildfire.
Joseph stumbled back, finding a railing for support. "You never told me about this! Bastard Owl!" His voice cracked as his eyes darted frantically between the growing inferno and the man who stood unperturbed in its center.
Owl didn't respond. He simply plucked the USB from the computer, a wide grin spreading from ear to ear. The flames reflected in his eyes as he turned to Joseph.
"Well then… Why don't we get out of here, Wolf?"
"W—Wolf? IS THERE SOMEONE ELSE HERE!? Who's that!?"
"You of course!!" Owl laughed.
Owl disappeared from place, and in the next instant, Joseph felt a sudden, yank that violently pulled him off the ground.
His stomach lurched.
Flames raged around him, crimson that seemed to devour all. His eyes, bloodshot and stinging, struggled to stay open amidst the churning smoke that clawed its way down his throat with each gasp.
The scent of his own flesh, burning and peeling, tingled his nostrils
His lungs burned as they tried to expel the toxic air, triggering spasms of violent coughs.
Joseph's consciousness teetered on the edge, the roaring fire around him starting to fade into a distant echo. His limbs, once trembling went limp, as if he lost all control.
"You're officially a new member of the Syndicate! Congratulations Wolf!" Those words were the last thing his ears heard…
I don't wanna die…
No…
The image of his sister flashed in his head as he unconsciously squeezed the straw doll still in his pocket.
I CAN'T die…
The world dimmed all around him into a shadowy haze… It wasn't a feeling of his eyes shutting, nor any discernible discomfort.
…
…
…
It was like reality itself dissolving…
Sensation was lost to him.
All he now saw was darkness, yet he was acutely aware of it all.
Darkness.
He was immersed in an abyss of nothingness as if his very consciousness was adrift in an endless void.
This feeling… Never in his life had he felt like this…
Both alive and dead all at once… A limbo between both worlds…
It felt so nostalgic yet unfamiliar…
He couldn't describe it, yet it was all his mind could think of…
'What just happened?'
"BROTHER!! PLEASE LIVE!!! I WANT YOU TO LIVE!!!"
"..."
"Nina…?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Nina…"
"..."
"..."
"Nina…"
"..."
"NINA!!!"
"HEY ZEPHYR, SHUT UP…"