[Trigger Warning: This chapter will mention child abuse and exploitation. For readers who are uncomfortable or easily triggered by the topics above, feel free to skip this chapter.]
[District Six Headquarters, Infirmary - Monday, 1:54 pm]
"Hmm, from the looks of it, your leg seems to be doing fine," Micheal said as he poked around her wound to better inspect it. He pushed up his glasses and backed away from the bed to grab a fresh roll of bandages, "But, I do recommend monitoring it for a few more days. Just in case of any infection or whatnot."
"So, I can leave, right?" She asked as she retained her leg at the same position for him to patch it up.
"Yes." He sighed, "Yes, you can."
They remained silent for a while until Micheal broke it, "Sage. Are you sure about your decision?"
"My decision to leave?"
"Yes," Micheal answered, "I know that you hate it here, but we need you."
Sage got quiet.
Deep down, she knew that they need her, and leaving was a selfish choice of hers.
"I... I don't know."
That response surprised him. He stopped what he was doing and glanced at Sage, but she was not looking at him. He chuckled and continued working on her leg, "Well, these four years have been rough for all of us. Honestly, I am not sure if it will get worse or better from here on out. But, whatever it is, wouldn't it be better for us to stay together?"
Sage remained silent as he continued, "Freedom is nice at first, but it's lonely after a while. Take it from an old man."
A few minutes passed, and Micheal was finished. Sage wiggled her right leg a little before planting her foot to the ground, "Thanks, Micheal."
"Your welcome," He answered as he busied himself with something on his desktop, "Oh, do you need some painkillers-"
Suddenly, the infirmary swung open, making a loud 'thump' sound.
Sage and Micheal's eyes immediately shot up to the noise.
A male figure stood at the door. Bloodied and bruised.
Sage could not make out his features. He had a hood over his head, and to make matters worse, his black hair that draped over his face was covering his face.
"...Sage." He huffed.
This voice. It was familiar to her.
Oh... Oh.
Sage knew exactly who he was.
Her eyes started to water. She did not know what was she feeling. She wanted to smile and cry all at the same time.
She stumbled back as she let out a choking sound. Her hand flew to her mouth and tears began to stream down her face.
Without saying a word, the figure rushed in and pulled her into an embrace.
She was a sobbing mess as she repeatedly called out to his name, 'Adrian'.
———
[District Six Headquarters, Infirmary - Monday, 2:14 pm]
"Hey."
Both Sage and Adrian were both sitting side-by-side on the edge of a spare bed. Micheal needed to send some documents to the other departments. So, he left the two of them alone in the infirmary.
Sage blew her nose on a clean tissue and chuckled, "After four years, the best you can do is hey?"
"Hmm..." Adrian looked up to think for a second before snapping his fingers, "Bonjour?"
She laughed, "You're acting silly now."
"Mdm Camille is French."
"Well, I guess you're right." Sage shrugged.
Adrian is just Adrian. He does not have a last name.
Jeom found him during a corrupt attack in an orphanage. When the elites arrived, it was an absolute bloodbath.
The place was on fire. Blood was smeared all over the walls. The body parts of the children were all over the place. And, the smell of blood and burning flesh were definitely the worst mixes of scents.
There were two corrupts in the building. Both of which were Special-tier or S-tier. These corrupts are pretty rare because it usually only occurs when an individual is so evil that his/her soul would merge with their inner demons. To put it simply, these people have turned into corrupts not because something has set off their trigger. But their immoral acts have blurred the line between the hosts and their inner demons. Therefore, creating one indistinguishable atrocious being.
For regular corrupts between the low-tier to high-tier, the hosts and their inner demons are two separate beings. Whatever the corrupt did, the individual would not have control over, as they are unconscious during this time. Because of that, when an elite kills the corrupts, their corrupted appearance will fade away, leaving the individual unharmed.
However, for S-tier corrupts, both the individual and their inner demon became one being. So, They are corrupts with consciousness, who knew exactly what they were doing. To make matters worse, they have a near 0% chance of being cleansed. If they are purged, both their inner demon and the hosts are likely to perish.
Adrian was the only one alive after that incident. When the elites arrived, the S-tiers were about to kill him. But, Jeom stepped in to save him. It turned out that the owners of the orphanage, who were brothers, have been physically, mentally and sexually harassing the children to satisfy their fetishes. They managed to keep their services afloat through disgusting methods.
These include allowing paedophiles to have a 'go' at the children, taking inappropriate photos and videos of them, and distributing them on the dark web.
These are just some of the outrageous deeds they have committed that turned them into corrupts. The idea of an orphanage was just a mirage to hide their dirty acts.
Fortunately, the elites put an end to their wicked game.
Adrian was six when he arrived in the Lee estate. He did not have the knowledge to talk or write. Additionally, Adrian was extremely aggressive and violent. Something that Sage remembered about Adrian was how he was all bandaged up when she first saw him.
Adrian and Sage did not have a good start. Well, that is an understatement.
He almost blew her brains out.
But, they ended being very close. Despite being just one year older, Adrian was like an older brother to her. He was also one of the few people that helped her escape the headquarters. Ever since Sage met Adrian, she knew that he was insanely strong because her father spent a lot of time training him. He would not do that unless he saw abundant potential in him.
And, he was right. Adrian was gifted.
At the age of six, he was already able to draw out his core weapon. At the age of thirteen, he was fighting alongside Jeom and the upper elites. And at the age of fifteen, he took down his first S-tier. So, yes, he is a prodigy.
"Oh yeah." Sage started, "Why are all bloodied up like this?"
Adrian stared down at himself and winced, "...I've forgotten about these."
"Hey," She let out as her eyes flashed with concern, "Are you okay? Do you need me to get Micheal?"
He waved her worries away, "No, it's alright. I just met a corrupt on my way here. I was in a rush and made a wrong move. So, I got launched straight into a wall. I'll patch myself up later."
"Well, alright. But, let me know if you need any help, okay?" She said sternly.
He threw her a thumbs up.
"I didn't see you in the past few days. Where were you?" She asked.
He looked up to think again before answering.
"I was looking into the hybrids-"
Before Adrian could finish, Sage questioned, "Hybrids?"
"Hasn't Stephan told you about them?"
Sage shook her head as one of her brows quirked up, "No, he hasn't. Who are they?"
"Well, Hybrid is a syndicate consisting of corrupted elites, who are known as hybrids."
Her heart sank when upon hearing those words.
"Corrupted... Elites?" She repeated.
Can they even be corrupted? Sage had not heard anything like this before. After all, an elite's soul can't be triggered, right?-
Adrian sighed, "In the last four years, there has been a rise in this new type of corrupts. But, as you can't set off an elite's trigger, they are just elites that are so tainted that ended up corrupted. Similar to S-tiers."
Sage stood up with her back facing him, "But, they can still use their core weapons?"
"Yeah, but those can no longer cleanse."
She crossed her arms and bit the back of her thumb, "And, I assume that they have an ability as well?"
"Yes. And, that puts the hybrids in a more dangerous category than S-tiers."
Sage took a good minute to absorb all this information, and she thought of something.
She whipped her head around to face Adrian, "...Did anyone from our HQ became hybrids?"
Adrian took a deep breath and met her eyes, "Yes."
That shook her to the core.
"...Do you know who are the ones?" She tried to put up an indifferent expression, but the shakiness in her voice gave her out.
"For some, yes. But, we can't confirm for all."
Sage took a moment to breathe, "…I see."
"Yeah," Adrian muttered, and the both of them fell into a static of silence.
However, just in time, Micheal came back from his errands.
He noticed the thick and tense air surrounding the two and joked, "Did someone die?"
Both of their heads perked up as their gazes shifted to him.
"I don't know what happened, but," He continued as he tapped the stack of documents against the back of his neck, "Come on now, let's not mop around. We don't have time for that. Some people need us now."
He was right.
Whatever happened already happened. There was no point crying over spilt milk.
Sage smiled silently over those words, "Micheal, you asked me if I'm sure about my decision, right?"
Puzzled, he glanced over her, "Yes."
"I'm sure now," She answered, "I'm staying."
Without missing a beat, he grinned, "Well, I expected that from you. Jeom is not here to order you around anymore. You have the freedom to do whatever you want. Go wild."
"Of course."
She pulled out a paper that was between her smartphone and its cover. It was a relatively small piece of paper with some symbols on it.
"Is that…"
Before Adrian could complete his sentence, Sage nodded.
Although that piece of paper may look absolutely useless, it was actually a seal - A seal for her power. Her uncle, or her father's older brother, Jung, placed a seal on her when she escaped the clutches of the elites. It suppressed almost 60% of her powers, allowing her to hide her presence among the regular civilians in the district.
Although that was probably dumb to keep the seal underneath her phone case, sometimes the most obvious place is the safest.
Uncle Jung told her that if there comes a time that she needs to release her power, she could simply tear this piece of paper, and the seal will be broken.
Without hesitation, Sage tore the paper into two.
She closed her eyes and inhaled as she braced herself. A wave of energy surged through her body, pumping through her veins and into her heart.
After a good few seconds, the flow of energy has stabilised. Sage opened her eyes and exhaled. She looked over to Adrian and Micheal. She beamed, "Guess I'm back."
Adrian returned the smile while Micheal smirked back at her.
"…Welcome back, Sage."