The image of Palmer screamed Vera’s name so loudly that the darkness itself seemed to shake.

Then...

His body suddenly began to expand unnaturally.

His arms swelled first, followed by his neck and chest, like air was being forced violently into a corpse. Veins bulged beneath his pale skin while the bullet hole on his forehead widened, splitting open slowly as blood streamed down his face.

Vera watched quietly as the body kept growing larger and larger like a balloon reaching its limit.

Boom!

Palmer exploded apart.

Blood, flesh and fragments of bone.

Everything burst outward before dissolving instantly into the darkness itself, as though the black room swallowed every trace of him the moment he ceased existing.

Silence returned immediately after.

A silence so deep that even breathing sounded strange.

The hallucinations vanished completely and the endless darkness returned to being nothing more than darkness.

But...

That wasn’t the only thing inside the room anymore.

A faint trail of smoke slowly drifted beside Vera’s face, with an acrid metallic smell spreading through the air immediately after.

Gunpowder.

Vera tilted her head slightly to the side.

A bullet passed quietly through the space where her head had been moments earlier.

"It’s already been over two months..."

She spoke to herself lazily.

Her voice carried boredom rather than relief.

Crick!

The metal door behind her suddenly unlocked and shifted open.

Since Vera had been leaning against it carelessly, her body fell backward lightly onto the cold floor outside the room.

Bright white light flooded her vision instantly.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

"Tch..."

Vera covered her eyes immediately.

After spending over two months in absolute darkness, even normal light now felt painful.

She remained on the ground quietly for a while, waiting for her eyes to adjust.

The sound of footsteps echoed nearby, metal wheels rolled across the floor and people speaking softly.

Vera slowly lowered her hand from her eyes and turned toward the sound.

Two guards were carrying a body bag down the hallway.

The shape inside remained completely still.

Beside one of the opened rooms, maids quietly cleaned blood from the floor while nurses moved equipment around calmly, almost like this kind of thing was normal.

Vera stared at the body bag for a few seconds.

"Hm...Only one person is dead so far."

Her tone remained casual.

She slowly turned her head to the right to see nothing, no movement, then she looked left to see another room door opened roughly.

Felix stepped out while holding his left eye tightly.

Blood dripped between his fingers and stained the side of his face and collar. His steps looked unstable, almost sluggish, while a nurse hurried beside him trying to support his balance.

Once again...

Felix could not carry that arrogant expression he always walked with, instead, his face looked pale and irritated.

Vera stared at him silently.

At that moment...

Footsteps echoed from the upper stairs.

Veda walked down slowly while adjusting his gloves. His eyes first landed on Felix before shifting naturally toward Vera.

The moment he saw her laying on the ground, a smile appeared on his face.

"She’s already done." He chuckled lightly. "As expected."

Vera stared at him with her usual unreadable face, while Veda waved casually before leaving the hallway completely.

A few moments later, Felix was also escorted away toward the infirmary while muttering curses under his breath.

Vera finally stood properly.

Her legs felt slightly numb after remaining in one position for too long, but she ignored it completely and walked away calmly beneath the white lights of the hallway.

***

Meanwhile, inside Ezra’s room.

Things were far worse.

His body trembled violently against the cold floor while Cognis surged uncontrollably through his veins.

Blood dripped steadily from his nose while a smaller trail flowed from the corner of his mouth.

His fingers twitched repeatedly as he forced himself to endure the pressure of the wild Cognis flow.

Unlike many others, Ezra’s suffering didn’t come only from the hallucinations alone.

The true problem was his body.

Even after all the physical training he had gone through, even after strengthening himself continuously, the weight of Binder-level Cognis still placed tremendous pressure on his current physique.

And now...

His emotions were destabilizing it further.

The air inside the dark room shook faintly from the wild flow of Cognis around him.

Veins bulged against his neck and arms as his breathing became rougher.

Ever since Ezra realized the Book of Memories truly connected to his past life, a single question had remained buried deep within him.

Although both versions of Ezra were technically the same person...

They still felt different.

The current Ezra was calmer, smarter and more mature in the way he viewed life.

The memories of his past life had merged into him like additional layers rather than replacing who he currently was.

That was why he kept asking himself...

Why do I still carry the deaths of my comrades like chains tied to my soul? Why does seeing their faces still hurt this much?

I already understand why they sacrificed themselves for me, I understand it clearly.

So why...

Why can’t I let it go?

Why?

"Because we know how worthless our lives are compared to theirs."

Ezra’s own voice echoed from behind him.

The moment the words entered his ears, the wild flow of Cognis inside the black room became even more violent. The air around him trembled continuously while faint cracks spread across the floor beneath where he sat.

More blood dripped slowly from Ezra’s nose, his fingers twitched faster and his breathing became rougher than before.

The darkness around him distorted again, and before he realized it...

His mind had already been dragged back into his past life.

Back to the moment everything changed.

The moment he decided to join the army.

Rainwater dripped from broken pipes outside an old building hidden deep within a poor neighborhood.

The place looked abandoned from the outside.

The walls were stained black from years of smoke and dirt, while rusty metal bars covered the windows. Very few people passed through the area because everyone already knew what kind of business was handled there.

Loans, Illegal debts and Disappearances.

The hallway smelled of mold, cigarettes, and alcohol.

Ezra walked through the corridor nervously into the building.

At that time, he was only eighteen.

Thin looking and tired.

Wearing cheap clothes that still carried traces of rainwater from outside.

His face looked young, but the dark circles beneath his eyes already made him resemble someone much older.

"Ezra."

A deep voice called out from inside the room.

"Your deadline is approaching quickly."

An old muscular man sat behind a wooden desk while smoking a cigarette lazily.

His dark brown hair was slicked backward roughly, and thick veins could be seen on his exposed arms. One of his black eyes twitched slightly as he smiled.

The man casually dropped a folder onto the desk.

Thud.

The sound alone made Ezra flinch.

He quickly grabbed the folder almost desperately and opened it immediately.

The moment his eyes scanned the numbers...

His face lost all color.

"What..." His hands began shaking. "What is this...?"

The amount written there had increased horribly.

His grip tightened around the papers so hard they almost tore apart.

"The interest rate kept increasing, idiot."

The old man crossed his legs on top of the desk while smoke drifted from his mouth slowly.

"It’s your own fault for failing to pay when you should have."

He laughed mockingly.

"What do you mean pay on time?!"

Ezra suddenly slammed the papers onto the desk.

The fear inside him burst out as anger instead.

"Didn’t we agree I would pay two months later?!"

His voice shook violently.

"Why did the amount increase when it hasn’t even reached the deadli..."

Boom!

Before he could finish speaking, a massive hand grabbed the back of his head and smashed his face directly onto the wooden table.

The sound echoed loudly inside the room.

Pain exploded across Ezra’s skull instantly.

"Stop shouting, boy."

A huge muscular man stood behind him now.

Scars covered the man’s thick arms while his grip tightened harder against Ezra’s head.

"You’re standing in front of an elder."

The man pressed Ezra’s face deeper into the table.

Crack.

The old wood creaked beneath the force.

"Arghhhh..."

Ezra groaned painfully as fresh blood dripped slowly from his nose onto the desk.

Tears immediately gathered at the corners of his eyes from the pain.

"I-I’m sorry..."

His voice sounded weak and broken.

"Huh?"

The old man lowered his legs from the desk and leaned closer slowly.

Smoke blew directly into Ezra’s face.

"I can’t hear you properly, brat."

The muscular subordinate pressed harder.

Ezra felt like his skull would split apart.

"Cough... cough...I SAID I’M SORRY!"

He forced the words out desperately.

The old man stared at him for a few seconds before casually waving his fingers.

The muscular man finally released him.

Ezra almost collapsed forward immediately.

He held his aching head tightly while breathing heavily, blood continued dripping from his nose slowly.

His fingers trembled as he wiped it away.

"Didn’t your mother teach you how to speak respectfully to adults?"

The old man clicked his tongue while shaking his head.

"Kids these days have no manners."

Ezra lowered his gaze toward the floor silently, his fists tightened so hard his nails dug into his palms.

"I don’t have a mother..."

Ezra’s voice came out low.

So low that it almost got swallowed by the noise of the rain outside and the cigarette smoke filling the room.

But the old man still heard it clearly.

"Eh?"

The old man suddenly leaned back into his chair dramatically.

"You don’t have a mother?"

His loud mocking tone immediately drew the attention of everyone inside the room.

The muscular subordinates burst into laughter almost instantly.

"That makes sense."

The old man smirked while pointing the burning cigarette toward Ezra.

"Who would even want a child like you in the first place?"

The room filled with rough laughter.

One of the men slapped the table hard while another bent over from laughing too much.

Ezra lowered his head further, his shoulders trembled slightly.

He bit his lips hard enough to almost draw blood, forcing himself not to cry there, but his eyes were already turning red.

"Please..."

Ezra slowly bent completely forward until his forehead touched the dirty floor.

Both palms rested flat against the ground.

The posture looked miserable and pitiful.

Like someone who had finally thrown away the last bit of pride he had left.

"I don’t have that kind of money..."

His voice cracked.

"I can’t even earn that amount even if I work multiple jobs in one day..."

Tears dripped onto the floor beneath him.

"I only borrowed the money to pay my student loans because you promised an easier repayment method than the school gave me..."

Ezra’s words became more broken from crying and his breathing turned uneven.

The image of himself desperately believing he could finally fix his life replayed endlessly inside his head.

"Please..."

The room became quiet for a few seconds.

The old man stared at the boy kneeling on the floor silently while smoke rose slowly from his cigarette.

"Kid."

His tone suddenly softened.

Ezra’s eyes widened slightly with hope appearing inside them immediately.

A desperate kind of hope.

Like someone drowning who suddenly saw a hand reaching toward him.

He slowly raised his head.

The old man leaned closer.

"Do I look like I give a fuck?"

Ptui!

He spat beside Ezra’s hand.

The saliva mixed with blood and dust on the floor.

Ezra froze completely.

"If you can’t earn the money, then sell your fucking organs."

The old man spoke coldly while leaning back again.

"They pay good money for kidneys, you know."

The subordinates laughed again.

One of them even nodded seriously as if giving helpful advice.

Ezra stared blankly ahead.

The small hope that appeared inside him shattered instantly.

"You can’t hide from me either."

The old man’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

"So, when the deadline comes and you still haven’t paid..."

A cruel smile spread across his face.

"You’ll wish your mother aborted you instead of abandoning you."

The words stabbed deeper than the beating.

Ezra’s pupils trembled slightly, after that everything became blurry and he left.

The rain poured heavily outside.

Cold water-soaked Ezra completely as he walked through the streets aimlessly while clutching the folder tightly against his chest.

Cars passed; people rushed beneath umbrellas.

Some cursed at the weather while others laughed with friends as they hurried into stores and restaurants, but Ezra kept walking alone inside the rain.

Like a ghost nobody noticed.

His wet bangs covered his eyes while water dripped endlessly from his chin.

His thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.

Why...? Why is my life like this? I only wanted to live normally.

A normal school life, a normal future, live in a normal home.

Aren’t there other orphans living better lives than this?

Why do I have to suffer like this?

Why me?

Tears mixed with the rain running down his face, making it so that no one could tell he was crying.

The city lights blurred around him as the folder in his hand became drenched, the papers inside crumpling slowly from the water.

Then...

Ezra stopped walking.

A small bar restaurant stood ahead of him.

Warm yellow lights glowed from the windows while laughter spilled outside together with the smell of alcohol and grilled meat.

The warmth inside looked like another world entirely.

The door suddenly opened.

Two office workers stumbled out drunkenly while supporting each other.

Their ties were loose and their faces red.

"My debts keep increasing every damn month..."

One of them groaned drunkenly.

"That’s because you keep wasting your salary gambling, idiot."

The other laughed loudly.

"Well... if things get worse..." The first man suddenly smirked. "I’ll just join the army."

He waved his bottle carelessly.

"That’ll solve my debt problems without me worrying about life anymore."

The other man burst into loud laughter.

"If you do that, you’ll just die. You never know when they’ll send your ass to battle."

"That only happens in movies."

The drunk man laughed again.

"The world’s peaceful now. There aren’t any real wars anymore."

He spread his arms proudly.

"My life would be set if I joined."

The two men continued laughing stupidly while walking deeper into the rain, but Ezra remained standing there motionlessly.

Join the army.

The words echoed repeatedly inside his mind.

His eyes widened slowly.

The rain continued pouring against his body.

He didn’t care whether the drunk man was serious or not, because at that moment...

Those words sounded like salvation.

A way out, a road and a future life line.

Ezra slowly tightened his grip around the soaked folder.

The papers crumpled harder inside his fist, then for the first time that night a smile appeared on his face.

A weak smile, but inside that weak smile was desperation and hope.

He had finally found a light.

The thing that could save him from drowning in debt and despair.