Seiya appeared before him in an instant, as if he had materialized from thin air, driving his dagger deep into the man's heart and twisting it ruthlessly.
His teacher's eyes widened in shock, his body going limp as he slowly sank to his knees.
"Ah…" he exhaled softly, like a man freed from a heavy burden. Blood dripped from his mouth, a faint smile touching his lips as he gazed at Seiya.
Unable to hold himself upright, he crumpled to the ground, blood pooling beneath him. Seiya remained standing over him, his expression blank and unreadable, his gaze devoid of any trace of emotion as he watched him.
The dying man raised a trembling hand toward Seiya, his lips moving to mouth something to Seiya with a faint smile. Whether Seiya heard or understood was unclear. The man's hand wavered in the air as he used every drop of strength left in him to hold it up, desperately reaching for one final connection, longing for Seiya's touch.
Seiya overlooked the outstretched hand. Instead, he pressed his foot down on the dagger still embedded in the man's chest, driving it deeper and finishing the job. The man's hand fell limp, his body finally stilling in death.
Confirming his teacher's demise, Seiya wiped his face with mechanical detachment. He strolled over to retrieve his sleep mask, slipping it back into place. Without hesitation, he pulled his weapon from the corpse and wrapped it around his torso.
Seiya then walked toward the door, unfazed by the gaping stab wound in his chest, the long gash across his stomach and the countless bruises marking his body. Just as he reached the threshold, he paused, his head tilting slightly toward the source of the pungent odor that drifted through the house. He lingered for a moment, then turned away without a second thought, leaving his teacher's lifeless body behind on the floor..
Seiya was driven to the facility, where he went directly to report to his father. But his father greeted him with nothing more than a sharp click of the tongue, dismissing him with disdain and withholding any healing.
"That fool!" his father spat, slamming his fist onto the desk. "To think he let himself get killed instead of carrying out the mission! Tsk!"
Fuming, his father shot up from his chair as if set ablaze, snatched his jacket, and stormed out of the office.
As Seiya walked through the dim corridors of the facility, a figure appeared in the distance, rushing toward him the moment it recognized him—It was Hayne.
"Sei! I've been looking everywhere for you. What happened? Why are you such a mess?" Hayne asked, his voice heavy with concern.
"Nothing," Seiya replied curtly.
Hayne's face paled as his eyes roamed over Seiya's blood-soaked wounds.
"Let me bandage you up, okay?" Hayne offered gently.
"No," Seiya muttered, his tone flat, causing Hayne to sigh in resignation.
"Anyway, I need to tell you something!" Without waiting for a response, Hayne grabbed his arm, dragging Seiya down to his room and pulling him into the restroom.
"Let's escape," Hayne whispered urgently.
"Huh?" Seiya tilted his head, his expression unreadable.
The idea hadn't even crossed Seiya's mind. After everything he had endured in this place—his body and mind pushed to their limits—the thought of escape felt distant, almost irrelevant.
"The guys from the third floor are making their move tonight, in a few hours. Let's join them!" Hayne urged, his voice trembling with hope.
Seiya stood silent and unmoved. His silent stare made Hayne's heart sink.
"What's with that reaction?" Hayne snapped, frustration bubbling to the surface. "Don't you want to leave this place?"
"I don't really know. I don't care," Seiya answered bluntly.
That response made Hayne snap. He lunged at Seiya, slamming him to the ground, his hands clutching Seiya's collar.
"What do you mean you don't care? We've been trapped here our whole lives! And now, when we finally have a chance to get out, you don't even want to try?!" Hayne's voice cracked with anger and desperation. Though he was furious, he was still careful not to press too hard against Seiya's injuries. But his movements still brushed against the deep cut on Seiya's stomach.
Seiya remained indifferent, staring directly up at Hayne with no emotion as if Hayne was merely uttering gibberish—though his sleep mask prevented such look from being exposed.
"You.." Hayne breathed, his eyes pleading but Seiya lay motionless on the floor, untouched by the weight of Hayne's grief. As Hayne gazed into Seiya's face, his eyes hidden behind the sleep mask, Hayne knew without being told that those eyes were empty.
Hayne's grip weakened, and silent tears slipped from his eyes, falling softly onto Seiya's chest.
I'm sorry," Hayne whispered, his voice choked by the emotion swelling in his throat.
"I'm sorry I could do nothing but watch as a warm, kind boy like you was turned into this… cold shell." His words broke into bitter sobs, the sound of his tears faint as they scattered across Seiya's shirt.
But Seiya remained indifferent, his gaze fixed blankly on the scene before him, watching with detached curiosity. The depth of Hayne's sorrow was a mystery he could not solve, no matter how hard he tried to understand.
'Cold shell'. The words echoed in Seiya's mind. Was I ever different? He strained to remember, to reach some fragment of a warmer past, but his memories were shrouded—as if a thick veil had been drawn tightly over his mind, sealing those moments far beyond his grasp.
A sigh slipped from Seiya's lips, Hayne's sobs grating against his ears, stirring a sharp, inexplicable irritation within him.
"Fine," Seiya blurted out, his voice cutting through Hayne's weeping. Hayne's head snapped up, his tear-streaked face filled with startled confusion.
"Huh?"
"Let's do it," Seiya muttered curtly.
"You called it escape? That's putting it mildly. Let's leave." His words dripped with annoyance, tinged with an anger he couldn't quite explain.
Hayne blinked at him, bewildered by Seiya's choice of words. Not escape… but leave?
"Uh… what?" Hayne mumbled, his voice hoarse, his face still wet with tears.
Seiya stared back, his expression flat and unfeeling, as if Hayne was little more than an inanimate object. The sleep mask covering his eyes only deepened the impassivity in his gaze.
Without another word, Seiya pulled himself free from Hayne's grasp and rose to his feet, his movements sharp and deliberate.
"I'm saying, why sneak out the back like rats when we can just walk out the front door?" Seiya tilted his head slightly, as if his words weren't the most outrageous thing Hayne had ever heard.
"Eh?" Hayne breathed, a sheen of sweat forming on his brow as the weight behind Seiya's words began to sink in.
"No, we can't…how c-could we… that's—"
"Do you want to leave or not?" Seiya cut in, his tone cold and unwavering.
Hayne froze, stunned by the sharpness in Seiya's assertive tone. His mind spun, searching for a way to argue, but one look at Seiya told him there'd be no room for persuasion.
After a long, tense pause, Hayne finally stammered, "Uh, sure. I-I'll go inform the othe—"
"We're leaving now," Seiya interrupted, striking Hayne with another wave of disbelief.
Without sparing him another glance, Seiya strode out of the restroom and into his room, his movements sharp and deliberate as he sifted through his belongings, selecting only what he deemed necessary.
Hayne remained rooted in place, cold sweat clinging to his skin as he struggled to grasp this unfamiliar, unyielding side of Seiya.
Snapping out of his daze, Hayne hurried after him.
"Sei, we should wait for the seniors. If we act together, we—"
"No," Seiya cut in, his voice flat and final, not bothering to face Hayne.
"We're doing this now. There's no use dawdling and wasting my time, else I'll leave you all behind." His words were sharp, each syllable laced with an icy resolve that left no room for argument.
As Seiya rifled through his belongings, a gemstone slipped free, tumbling across the floor. He crouched down, picking it up with.
"What's this?" he muttered.
{The gate-opening artifact your teacher gave you,} Ibyu's voice echoed softly from his hiding spot in the restroom.
Seiya's grip tightened around the stone as he turned to Hayne.
"Get everyone ready and gathered in place. I'll start everything now," Seiya instructed, and without sparing Hayne another glance, he walked out the door.