Mikael arrives at the infirmary just in time to hear Vera's furious outburst, directed at Noah. "No, I will not have it! I will not let you infect my son with your putrid demon blood. Forget it!"
"What seems to be the problem here?" Mikael asks politely, though he knows the answer.
Vera whips around to face him, her eyes blazing with anger. "You're the problem, you and your beast of a son here! He has the audacity to show up, slice open his arm, fill a glass with his blood, and try to feed it to my son and the others. If you had told us that's what you intended, we would've refused immediately. I will not have his dirty blood contaminate my son's, even if it's to save his life. I'd rather him die than become one of you beasts!"
Mikael opens his mouth to respond, but Viktor steps forward first, trying to ease the tension. "Vera, calm down now. I don't think it's necessary to be so rude to them when they're only trying to help." He turns to Mikael, his expression conflicted. "That being said, I'm afraid I too have to refuse this treatment. I don't know Mai as well as I wish I did, but I'm certain she wouldn't want to take a risk like this. She's proud, and I'm sure if she were to die, she'd consider it honorable."
Liam nods in agreement. "We appreciate your desire to do whatever it takes to save them, but even if the risk is small, we'd rather not chance them becoming Junsui. Not to say your kind is bad, but..."
Kira quickly adds, "It's just that our kids have already had it rough being treated differently for their own reasons. We wouldn't want to subject them to further exclusion because of this. We've seen how the other cadets reacted to Noah, and while we feel bad about that, we don't want the same for our kids."
Mikael smiles gently, understanding their fears. "I completely understand where you're coming from, but please, just allow me to—"
"What a bunch of racist pigs!" Tahno suddenly cuts in, his patience finally snapping. "You all use careful wording to make yourselves seem less offensive—well, except Vera; she's just a natural bitch—but in the end, it still comes down to the same thing. You're disgusted by the thought of your children becoming the very thing you've despised and feared all your lives. It's the same reason you've treated Noah like dirt all these years. You see the Junsui as these horrible, monstrous beasts that can't be trusted, but you ignore the person behind the mask. Don't get me wrong, I agree that the Junsui are monsters, and I despise them even more than you, but I know a dangerous Junsui when I see one. I can tell you that Noah is not dangerous. He'd sooner kill himself than go on a killing spree like the Junsui you all fear. He may be a 'monster,' but he's not a monster. The fact that you'd let your own children die rather than be saved by what you despise is sick! He's more human than all of you combined and hates his own kind just the same."
The council members look down in shame, even Vera, who hates to admit that Tahno is right. Mikael tries to defuse the tension. "Mason, no need to be so hard on them. You should understand their reasons. Perhaps becoming a Junsui might be seen as a fate worse than death to them. They have the right to be cautious."
Tahno scoffs, dismissing Mikael's attempts at diplomacy. "Whatever. You people do whatever you want to do. I'm done here." With that, he storms out of the infirmary, leaving a heavy cloud of guilt hanging over the council.
Noah, who has been sitting idly by, listening to the argument, finally speaks up. "So, are you going to do it or not? Because if you're not, I'm leaving too."
Silence follows, and Noah takes it as an answer. He begins to walk away, but then a weak, familiar voice stops him. "I want...do it...." It's Nik, struggling to speak as he sits up weakly in bed. "Please, Noah...do it. I want...to take...the chance. So please...do it." His strength gives out, and he collapses back onto the bed, but he manages to beg once more. "Please, Noah..."
Vera immediately protests, "No! He doesn't know what he's saying. He's just scared, that's all. He doesn't really want this. I refuse to let you—" She's silenced when she suddenly feels a tight grip on her arm. She looks down to see Nik staring at her with intense eyes, sending her a clear message: this is his decision, and she has no right to interfere. "But..." She trails off, her voice faltering as she looks down, her resistance broken. Nik releases her arm.
"Me too." Another voice, quiet but resolute, cuts through the tension. It's Lili. "I want...to be stronger. I want...to make everyone proud. So please, Noah...me too. I want to...try it too." Her voice trembles with pain, but there is determination behind it.
Seconds later, Mai weakly sits herself up, managing to get higher than Nik. "Me three. I want to continue to be by Lili's side and protect her. The only honorable death for me...would be to die as her protector, not in a musty infirmary room. So please, Noah...let me try." She lies back down, exhausted.
All eyes then turn to Gunther, who as expected, joins his friends. "I've always wanted to...be with everyone, no matter...what. So I'm going to...try too. So Noah...please, let me."
With each of them having spoken and made their own decisions, their parents have no further objections. They realize they have no right to refuse on their children's behalf. These young adults are now eighteen, legally capable of making their own choices, and their parents have been absent from their lives for so long. It's selfish and rude to try to dictate their decisions now. Quietly, they all accept their children's wishes and look to Noah, who has already made his way over to Nik with the glass of blood he previously filled. However, instead of helping Nik drink it as expected, Noah hands the glass to Vera.
Flabbergasted, Vera asks, "What am I supposed to do with this? I don't want it."
Monotone, Noah replies, "Your silence suggests that you've accepted his choice. If that's true, then don't you think it's fitting as his mother to give him back his life with your own hands?"
Vera is stunned by his strangely sentimental philosophy, especially coming from someone whose eyes look as lifeless as a dead fish. Yet, she can see a sort of poetic justice in his words. This could be the new start she wants, the new start they all need. With continued disgust, she takes the glass from Noah, and he moves to fill glasses for the others. A couple of minutes later, each parent holds a glass of Noah's blood and prepares to offer it to their children.
As the council members kneel by their children's bedsides, the gravity of the situation weighs heavily on them. They have spent so long fearing and hating the Junsui, but now, they are faced with the reality that the blood of a Junsui might be the only thing that can save their children. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but they realize their children's lives are more important than prejudices.