"What are you talking about? There's no way Eero could do something like that!" Athena shouted, glaring at the soldier. "I won't tolerate baseless accusations against my employee. Do you have any proof?"
"You talk too much, bitch," Gregor sneered. Without warning, he grabbed Athena and slammed her head against a nearby table.
"Manager!" Eero struggled against his restraints. "Let her go, you bastard!"
Gregor ignored him and instead turned his attention to Eero. "Shut up." He grabbed Eero's head and slammed it onto the cold floor.
The impact left Eero dazed, his vision blurring as blood trickled down his forehead. But Gregor wasn't done. He grabbed Eero's hair and slammed his head down again. And again.
"Take this, and this, and this..." Gregor muttered, his tone almost amused as he continued the brutal assault. Blood pooled beneath Eero's head, his groans growing weaker.
"Stop! He'll die!" Athena cried, trying to push herself up, but Gregor pressed her down with ease.
"Oh my," he mused, grabbing her chin. "You really have a beautiful body." He leaned in, inhaling her scent.
Eero, barely conscious, forced his bloodied eyes open, only to witness the sickening sight. "Ahh... my head....." he groaned, reaching out, but his body wouldn't obey him.
Gregor smirked. "Right, I almost forgot about the other girl working here. She's part of this, too. Bring her here."
"No! Don't you dare touch her!" Eero rasped, his fingers twitching in futile resistance. "She has nothing to do with me…...."
Minutes later, Athena was sitting on the floor, trembling. Her dress was torn, and she clutched the shredded fabric to her chest, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
A group of soldiers entered the room. "Sir, we searched Eero's house but found nothing," one of them reported.
Gregor's eyes darkened. "What do you mean, nothing?" He grabbed the soldier by the throat.
"Sir, all of his friends' houses are empty too. If you don't believe us, see for yourself." Another soldier held up a recording.
The glass bulb flickered ( past us), showing the wreckage of Eero's room. Freja's and her friends' rooms were also in shambles, as if a struggle had taken place.
Eero's breathing grew ragged as he took in the destruction. His weakened body trembled with rage.
"You bastards!" His voice cracked as he struggled. "I'm going to kill all of you! You think I'll ever forgive this?"
Gregor's expression twisted with amusement. "That mouth of yours still works, huh? Let's fix that."
With a snap of his fingers, the soldiers grabbed Eero and ripped the remains of his shirt from his back.
The first lash of the whip sliced through the air before cracking against his skin.
"AHHHH!"
Then another.
And another.
Eero's screams echoed through the bakery, mixing with Athena's silent sobs as she turned away, unable to bear watching.
His body convulsed with each strike, but his voice didn't falter. "I will kill you! Elena…... Mom…..."
The last thing Athena saw was Eero's battered body being dragged away, his blood staining the dirt road.
They hauled him down the stairs, the stone cold and damp beneath his torn skin. The only reason he was still breathing was the healing potion they kept forcing down his throat—enough to keep him alive, but never enough to stop the pain.
Once in the cell, they shackled him in iron chains. Then they started again.
A rusted knife dug into his fingers. A sharp snap.
One fingernail ripped off.
Then another.
Skin peeled away, exposing raw flesh.
The hell swallowed his screams, until they faded into silence.
Meanwhile, after hearing the story , Livio clenched his fists. His nails dug into his palms so hard that blood dripped onto the floor.
"Those bastards…... I will never forgive them," he seethed.
"Calm down!" Ethan grabbed his shoulders.
Livio exhaled sharply, forcing himself to look Ethan in the eyes. "How did you..…?"
Ethan smirked. "Didn't I tell you? This is my ability."
"What happened to Elena and the others? Did you find them? Any news? Anything..." Livio grabbed Ethan tightly.
"Ouch, calm down. That hurts," Ethan said in a calm voice.
"Sorry," Livio muttered, slowly loosening his grip.
"Nobody knows what happened to those girls. The army searched everywhere but found nothing." Ethan clenched his fists as he stared at the ceiling.
Livio gritted his teeth and tightened his fists, but after a moment, he let out a slow breath and bowed his head.
Livio slumped back, staring at the ceiling. "How the hell do we get out of this?"
Ethan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "No idea. You got any clues?"
Livio hesitated. "I felt something…... a strong presence near Eero while I was traveling through the air. That's the only reason I even noticed him. But Eero doesn't know how to use PBV...…" His voice trailed off, his hands gripping his face in frustration.
Ethan placed a vial in his palm. "Here. Give this to Eero. It won't heal him completely, but it'll help. Just...… don't die until I figure this out."
Livio looked up. "And how exactly do you plan on escaping?"
Ethan grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Suddenly, a thick smoke filled the cell. When it cleared—Ethan was gone.
The room fell silent. The darkness pressing in felt heavier, like an abyss swallowing them whole.
Then, footsteps.
Gregor stepped inside, his grin widening as he looked at them.
They were weak. Broken. Too exhausted to even speak.
With an amused chuckle, he unshackled Eero's chains. Eero's body crumpled to the ground with a loud thud.
Eero gasped, bolting upright.
His chest heaved. His skin was damp with sweat.
He was in his bed.
His bed.
A dream?
His hands trembled as he pushed himself up. The scent of warm food drifted from the kitchen.
"Why are you yelling so early in the morning?" Elena called. "Just sit down and let me finish breakfast."
Eero's breath hitched.
Tears welled in his eyes as he stumbled forward. In a second, his arms were around her, squeezing tight.
"Hey! You idiot, let go! We're gonna burn the food!" Elena kicked her feet in the air, flustered.
But Eero didn't let go. His grip tightened as he buried his face in her shoulder. "You're okay....… I'm so glad." His voice cracked.
Elena stilled. The warmth of his trembling body, the way his fingers dug into her as if afraid she'd disappear—
She sighed softly, resting a hand on his arm.
"Idiot."
Eero finally loosened his grip, his eyes still glossy with tears.
"Is this your new way of flirting?" Elena teased, though her voice was softer now. "I won't fall for that."
Eero let out a shaky laugh. Before she could react, he leaned down and kissed her.
Elena blinked, her cheeks heating up. "Wha—"
Before she could finish, Eero pulled her into another hug.
The warmth of her arms melted away the nightmare. The fog in his mind lifted.
Elena shook her head with a small smile. "Wait here."
She grabbed a glass of water and set it in front of him.
Eero stared at it for a moment before looking back at her.
For the first time in a long while, he felt…... safe.