Chapter 3: The Final Countdown
"What will happen to him?" Lavinia's voice trembles with concern as she questions the situation unfolding before her.
"Lavinia, ever since I first saw you, I've loved you," he confesses, his words laced with regret. "I was a commoner, looked down upon by everyone. But not by you."
"Tell me, what are you planning to do with him?" Lavinia demands, urgency tinting her voice.
"Unfortunately, I discovered the truth too late, Lavy," he admits sorrowfully.
"Don't leave us behind. We need you!" Desperation cracks Lavinia's voice. She can't understand why her powers are ineffective against him.
ALARM: Self-destruction in 25 seconds.
In the dimly lit room, amidst the nearing chaos, he works hastily, transplanting something into Ethan's brain. Time is running out, and he needs to be swift.
ALARM: Self-destruction in 20 seconds.
"Success! Just one final step, and you'll be free," he thinks to himself, determination unyielding.
"He'll be teleported through 35 gates, making his destination untraceable," he explains confidently.
Annoyance flickers across Lavinia's face as she listens to his words.
"He's just a nine-year-old boy!" Lavinia exclaims, her voice filled with anguish. "Don't you remember what happened to Sophie? Do you want the same fate for him?"
Instantly, fury flashes in his eyes. He vividly recalls the day he was forced to part with his daughter—a day forever etched in his memory—the 15th of May 2348, one day before her 14th birthday and their 15th wedding anniversary.
Realizing her mistake, Lavinia changes her approach, desperation taking hold. "Listen, my love, he'll need someone to guide him, to be there for him. Just tell me where you want to send him."
"Ethan, my son," he says, gently resting a hand on the boy's head. "I had to get you out of here. Don't seek revenge; live a happy life. I'm sorry for the hardships you'll face, but I've given you something that will grant you freedom. Be wary, though. They'll hunt you down once they discover 'it,'" he sighs. His gaze turns sharp as he commands, "Show no mercy to those who oppose you, for it'll be the cause of your downfall."
ALARM: Self-destruction in 15 seconds.
A dark abyss envelops the boy, and in an instant... nothingness. Silently, he has been transported away, a sight that would astonish the outside world, considering the area was shielded from teleportation.
ALARM: Self-destruction in 13 seconds.
Turning to face Lavinia, he smiles for the first time in seven years, the weight of the past finally lifting from his shoulders. "I suppose this is the end."
He gazes into her honey-brown eyes, mesmerized by her beauty. Her face, with its delicate features and porcelain skin, embodies perfection.
"I have always loved you," he confesses, his voice resonating with a mix of tenderness and bitterness. "Even after everything you've done, until this very day."
Their eyes lock, and for the first time since losing his daughter, he exudes an air of confidence. Panic flickers across Lavinia's face. Has he uncovered her secrets? How could he possibly know?
"What? Does he know? No, that's impossible!" Panic drains the color from Lavinia's face.
"What are you talking about?" she stammers, her voice quivering. "Baby, please, tell me where you sent him."
"So you won't ask me to set you free?" he replies, his tone laced with a mix of disappointment and determination.
ALARM: Self-destruction in 12 seconds.
"A life without you is unimaginable," she pleads, her voice filled with desperation, her fingers gently grazing his arm.
"Max is listening, right?" His chuckle, dark and resonant, sends a shiver down Lavinia's spine. "He assured you this glass couldn't be broken, but he wants to know what I've been working on, right?"
"Assured of unbreakable glass, yet hungry for my work's secrets. How pathetic. Kikikiki"
Horror etches onto Lavinia's face; her trembling irises betray her fear. "You... You can't know that," she stammers, her voice barely above a whisper. "I took every precaution."
He leans closer, whispering, "You underestimate my resourcefulness, my dear. I have my ways of uncovering secrets."
Lavinia's body tenses, the realization dawning upon her. "I trusted you," he continues, his voice a mix of disappointment and determination. "And yet, you used this trust against me."
The silence stretches, the tension in the room palpable, a storm on the verge of breaking. Lavinia's eyes plead for mercy, the room seems to darken, shadows dancing on the walls.
The alarm blares its final warning. "If it were only about me, I might spare you," he sighs, his gaze predatory. Desperation flickers in her eyes, hope of redemption clinging to her. The weight of her actions presses upon her; fear consumes her.
ALARM: Self-destruction in 12 seconds.
"A life without you is unimaginable," she pleads, her voice filled with desperation, her fingers gently grazing his arm.
"Let me guess... Max is listening, isn't he?" he chuckles darkly, sending shivers down Lavinia's spine. "He assured you this glass couldn't be broken, but he wants to know what I've been working on, right?"
Horror etches onto Lavinia's face; her trembling irises betray her fear. "You... You can't know that," she stammers, her voice barely above a whisper. "I took every precaution."
He leans closer, whispering, "You underestimate my resourcefulness, my dear. I have my ways of uncovering secrets."
Lavinia's body tenses, the realization dawning upon her. "I trusted you," he continues, his voice a mix of disappointment and determination. "And yet, you used this trust against me."
The silence stretches, the tension in the room palpable, a storm on the verge of breaking. Lavinia's eyes plead for mercy, the room seems to darken, shadows dancing on the walls.
The alarm blares its final warning. "If it were only about me, I might spare you," he sighs, his gaze predatory. Desperation flickers in her eyes, hope of redemption clinging to her. The weight of her actions presses upon her; fear consumes her.
Time seemed to stretch, each second an eternity as Lavinia clung to the faint hope of redemption. The weight of her actions pressed upon her, the consequences looming ever closer. In the midst of chaos, their paths intertwined once more, entangled in a dangerous game with no clear victor.
As the countdown to destruction neared its climax, uncertainty gripped Lavinia's every fiber. Time ticked away relentlessly, each passing second bringing her closer to her ultimate fate. Regret gnawed at her conscience, its weight pressing upon her chest, making it difficult to breathe. Fear consumed her, a cold dread creeping through her veins.
System Notification: Self-destruction in 10 seconds.
"Now, we shall die together, as we promised. Until death do us part!" His laughter, chilling and resonant, reverberates through the room. Lavinia's heart sinks; he's resolved, chaos unfurling beyond her control.
Horror crashes over her fragile resolve. Every meticulously installed safety protocol, every measure thought to ensure control, overridden. Her impending powerless demise sends chills down her spine.
"Listen... I was wrong," desperation strains in Lavinia's voice, her plea lingering in the charged atmosphere, overshadowed by the looming catastrophe. "I'll confess everything, just stop the countdown."
Her pleas dissipate in the charged atmosphere, the looming catastrophe overshadowing her words. Time slips away; the futility of her pleas is glaringly apparent.
Tears well up, mingling with the fear etched on her face. She yearns to undo her tangled web of deceit. The impending repercussions threaten to engulf her.
As seconds dwindle, her mind races, but all hope seems extinguished. The hollowness left by her deeds brings her to this point of no return.
System Notification: Self-destruction in 5 seconds.
The countdown relentless, Lavinia's former power is now a fleeting whisper, and vulnerability engulfs her. In desperation, she clings to the slim hope of redemption, her voice quivering with fear and regret.
"Please, don't let it end like this," her plea, a whisper of trembling despair, fills the room. "We can escape together. I'll do anything; just give me another chance."
*Sub* *Sub*
Her whispered plea lingers, absorbed by the inevitable destruction inching closer.
System Notification: Self-destruction in 3 seconds.
"I would bear another child, build the family you dreamed of. I would give you the family you've dreamed of, what do you say Epi. Please look me in the eyes!" her voice is tinged with a raw, desperate hope.
He had only wanted a simple life with his family, not to be a pawn in their manipulative game. He turns away, leaving her to her fate.
System Notification: Self-destruction in 2 seconds.
"I'm sorry! Please, come back!" her cry, a symphony of regret and despair, pierces the impending silence.
A dreadful realization seizes her; he knows her deepest secrets. Her gift of manipulating minds had ensnared her in her machinations.
System Notification: Self-destruction in 1 second.
Then, with a deafening roar, chaos consumes the room, obliterating all within.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
BOOOOOM BOOOOOOOM