SSS-Knight in a Hero World

"Keep running!"

Ferris heard a faint shout in the distance. It was a child's voice, ragged and out of breath.

He turned toward the sound. After a few seconds, two children appeared from around a corner.

Ferris raised his eyebrows in shock. One detail stood out immediately.

Cyan-colored hair that contrasted against the dark atmosphere.

A girl.

And a boy.

They both had cyan hair, that was obviously clear to him.

Judas said that his sister's hair color was cyan and that his own hair color couldn't compare to hers.

That can't be Judas, right? Did he lie to me? Ferris thought, keeping his eyes locked on the two siblings.

Wooosh.

Wow! Ferris stepped backwards as the siblings went through his body as if they were ghosts.

It's been quite a while since I last did this, Ferris began reminiscing about his past. Who did I resonate with back then?

Ferris thought for a second before giving up.

He then began to catch up with the siblings, following them to see where they would go.

Is this how they escaped the laboratory?

"I... Judas... I can't, I'm too tired," the girl panted, losing her grip on her brother's hand.

The boy twitched, turning around and yelled, "But we're so close!" Judas released his grip on her palm, grabbing her wrist instead, then dragging her.

"But are you sure this is the right way? They never took us here before," the girl asked, stumbling on her feet.

There was no reply from her brother. All she could do was follow his lead, hoping that wherever they were going was a safe haven.

But in Ferris's perspective, he could see the young Judas having the same dilemma. They were truly lost children, with no one to guide them.

So.

How did they escape this place? Ferris wondered, continuing to follow them.

Zzzzzzz.

"!!!" Ferris instinctively reached for his sword—only to remember he was unarmed. This body was just a projection.

That's Zipperman's blessing? He saw a zipper forming along one of the hallway's corners.

To his surprise, the siblings' faces lit up with relief.

From the zipper, another child emerged, extending a hand and gesturing for the two children to step inside.

It's Zipperman? He could confidently tell the resemblance between the child Zipperman and adult Zipperman.

"Come inside quickly!" Zipperman pleaded as he looked around the area frantically.

Acting fast, Ferris also followed the siblings inside Zipperman's zipper.

It was exactly the same feeling he experienced before many times.

Like sinking beneath a warm ocean, engulfed in darkness before waking up in an unfamiliar place.

But this time, Ferris didn't go from point A to point B. All four of them were stuck in between the two points, and they were inside a dark space.

There was no floor, or perhaps there was no concept of floors. It felt like a tight space, and yet there were no walls that surrounded them.

And Ferris also couldn't stand up without bumping his head into something invisible.

This is the space where Zipperman hides in? He looked around, but there was nothing to look at other than the three kids, some random junk, and a single electric lamp in the center.

A pitiful safe space, from the looks of it.

The three children sat down quietly, not speaking a word for the time being.

Judas's sister huddled by her brother's side in a fetus position.

Likewise, Ferris also sat down for the time being.

Normally, when resonating with each other's minds, Ferris and the target would be able to communicate normally, and of course, they could do it in a much more personal way.

Two people in resonance with each other would be able to communicate without even uttering a single word. Sometimes, it was possible for a conversation that would normally take hours to be done in seconds.

But in this case, Judas was unconscious or was in a deep state of sleep. Ferris was simply inside Judas's mind, but there was no one to talk to.

So, in the first place, Ferris expected a simple encounter with a sleeping Judas, not a dreamlike environment.

Such detailed environments can only be created when the person is completely conscious and aware.

But this child isn't the real Judas, he's a memory.

His eyes spotted a worn-out book beside him, and he picked it up.

[Learn Alphabets with Pictures!]

It doesn't have any dust... It's been used many times. Ferris's blood began to boil, but he was still confused as to how Zipperman came to be.

"Let's stay here for a bit," Zipperman said with a weak voice.

Judas nodded. "Do you think the heroes will save us?"

"They'll probably get us again, and we'll be punished," his sister gloomed heavily, even while hugging her brother.

Hearing her pained voice made the other two feel depressed, but even still, Judas was the one to cling to hope.

Judas forcefully raised his voice to act as if he wasn't afraid. "Kerio, you've been to the outside before, right?"

Kerio?

Kerio nodded, after hearing Judas's question to him.

"Then take us there after the heroes are done, okay?" Judas begged, then tilted his head.

"How long has it been outside?"

Kerio stayed quiet for a while before finally answering, "Maybe... twenty minutes out there."

"That's enough! We need to go!" Judas stood up, but his sister seemed to be chained down by gravity. "We need to go!"

The girl stayed motionless for a few seconds, it seemed as if she was currently deciding her life and death at the moment.

In the end, she listened to her brother and reluctantly stood up, still holding on to him.

Kerio also stood up and went towards one corner of his safe space. He tapped his palm on the invisible dark wall and dragged it to a spot he was satisfied with. "Here."

Placing his index finger on the wall, he dragged it across to create a zipper. Then he slowly pulled it open until he could peek outside. Placing his eyes on the small slit, he observed the area for around a minute before finding it safe.

The three children went outside of the safe space and returned to the damp hallway, although this time it seemed more worn out from a destructive battle.

They only stayed there for a few minutes, but it looked like time flowed faster outside of Kerio's blessing, Ferris concluded. But that didn't help him find the reason why Kerio became the villain known as Zipperman.

He continued following them, watching for any important detail he could find.

The three ran aimlessly across the endless maze of hallways and corridors, until—

Boom!

The hallway in front of them became engulfed in flames for a split second before collapsing under the rubble, revealing the outside.

When the dust settled, the three climbed over the rubble, going toward the opening.

This place is... a small mountain? Ferris felt the altitude they were at and saw a vast forest before him.

He also saw two figures clashing in the distance. The fight was happening on the edge of a mountain-side research building, its concrete walls cracked and exploded from the impact of their blows.

It was hard to tell which one was the hero and which was the villain, but Ferris did notice one thin—

One of them was holding a sword.

And their fighting style was... something Ferris couldn't ignore.

Techniques from my world? Ferris thought, his chest tightening. But he couldn't dwell on it for long.

He had to keep his focus on the three children who were currently escaping.

Following the children down the rocky terrain and forested area, Ferris kept a watchful eye around them.

Ferris was quite surprised at their nimbleness, but he wasn't surprised for long as the children stopped dead in their tracks.

"Judas!" the sister yelled for her brother's presence as she saw a figure appearing from out of nowhere.

A human—or rather a monster—holding a motionless child appeared. They wore a lab coat that was too small for their mutated size and proportion however, their eyes still had a glimpse of intelligence.

"Live ones? That's good. The higher-ups would kill us if we lose all our material." The monster carefully dropped the child on the damp floor before pointing at the three children. "Go back if you know what's good for you—

"No!" Judas was the first to stand up against the villain.

The monster tilted its head and contorted its eyes. "No?" . . . "No? But why!"

What the... hell? Ferris became suddenly disturbed.

Scratch!Scratch!Scratch!

"Why! Why! Whyyy! After all we did for you filthy monkeys! You could've become more than your pathetic birth states! Not to mention, so many of you died so quickly."

Blood began to drip on their face as they continued to peel off the skin from their grotesque face, but each wound was quickly overgrown by another fresh set of tissue, creating quite the sight for the children.

"You guys are so special, can't you see that? Compared to you guys I'm a freak—

A real degenerate. Ferris prayed that he could end their life right then and there, delivering mercy.

"Why am I like this?! Why am I hurting children!" they wailed and screamed in desperation, crying and wailing, wailing and crying over and over again.

While the degenerate was in a trance, Judas was smart enough to signal his two friends to start running.

But unfortunately, before they could even take a single step, the villain noticed their attempt.

"Where the fuck are you three going!"