Vinn was too stunned to speak.
Nero slowly turned his chair toward him, silver irises heavy, his voice low.
"I thought you said you've killed more than a hundred people. Were you bluffing?"
Vinn splashed water over his face, then sat across from him. Their eyes met.
"I have," Vinn said quietly. "But I never tortured anyone. I didn't need to. I'm a sniper. My kills were from far away."
A broken smile tugged at Nero's lips.
"But still," Vinn pressed, "you weren't the one who killed them. That thing inside you—it's the one that erased everything. At least you got rid of the creatures."
Nero cut him off, his tone sharp.
"You don't understand what I've done. That thing isn't separate from me. It is me—the real me. And you have no idea what erasure means when it's done by me."
Vinn's voice dropped to a hush. "What are you trying to say?"
Nero leaned forward, locking eyes with him.
"The other part of me used Destruction. It doesn't just kill. It erases everything within its range—no exceptions. And if you're caught in it, it's not just dying or vanishing. It erases the very being that you are—body, soul, memory. If I choose, I can even erase you from everyone's mind, like you never existed at all. It's like ripping the pages out of a book and burning them—until there's nothing left."
A bead of sweat slid down Vinn's face. A cold chill ran down his spine.
Nero lowered his gaze to his own hands.
"I couldn't even give them a burial. Couldn't see their faces one last time." He drew a slow breath. "And just so you know—I have killed people. Two. When I was young, one of my teachers died in a horrific way—right after hitting me for something I didn't do. Then I told a guy to kill himself after he kept bothering my friends. He jumped off a building. I'm pretty sure both of those deaths were my fault."
Vinn's face went pale.
He had no words left.
Nero rose from his chair, pushing it back with quiet finality, and walked toward the door.
Vinn didn't follow. He only asked, his voice hollow, "What are you?"
Nero paused in the doorway. Without turning, he replied, "I don't know. But I'll find out." Then he left the kitchen, heading toward Thom's house.
On his way, he crossed paths with Kato.
"Where are you going? Where's Vinn?" Kato asked.
"I'm going to see Dorne," Nero said. "Vinn's in the kitchen. You might want to check on him." He continued down the road without looking back.
Kato entered Dorne's house. In the kitchen, he found Vinn slumped in a chair, head bowed. He walked up slowly.
"Dude… what happened to you?"
Vinn lifted his head. His voice was unsteady. "Oh, Kato. It's you. That Nero… he's dangerous."
"Yeah," Kato said cautiously. "We saw what he did to that monster."
Vinn shook his head. "No. You don't get it. We haven't even seen what he's really capable of."
Kato frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Vinn's eyes burned with fear as they met Kato's, "I learned the truth about the others we were looking for. His family."
Kato swallowed hard. "Where are they?"
Vinn's voice was almost a whisper.
"They were all erased from existence.
By him."
Kato's face drained of color.
Nero stepped into Thom's house. The faint, rusty stains of dried blood still marked the floor. Thom himself was nowhere to be seen.
He pushed open the door to the room where Dorne lay. Rhea spotted him immediately.
"Why are you unsupervised?" she demanded. "Where's Kato? Where's Vinn?"
"Vinn learned of my past," Nero replied evenly, moving inside. "He's too stunned to follow me right now. As for Kato—I told him to check on Vinn."
Anika's eyes widened. "Wait. Your memories—are they back? All of them?"
Nero dragged a stool over and sat down, gaze lingering on Dorne.
"You could say they returned," he said. "But… not exactly." He lifted his eyes to Anika. "What I have is a copy of Angelo's memories."
Her face tensed with confusion. "A copy? From Angelo? But… you are Angelo, aren't you?"
"I don't get it either." His voice was steady, though the words carried weight. "What I do know is—I'm just a part of Angelo."
"That makes no sense," Anika pressed. "Is this like… a split personality?"
"Maybe." He gave a dry shrug. "Even I don't know what's going on."
Rhea cut in, suspicion sharp in her tone. "Are Kato and Vinn alright?"
"Physically? Yes." Nero's eyes flicked toward her. "But mentally… not quite."
Rhea's suspicion lingered. Nero offered calmly, "If you want, you can check on them yourself."
"And leave you alone?" She scoffed. "Forget it. My orders are to keep you in sight, twenty-four seven. I'll do my job."
"Fine by me."
Nero turned back to Anika. "Where's Thom? And the kid?"
"Thom took Lina and CH to my place," she answered. "Eli was alone, so I sent them there too."
"I see."
His eyes shifted back to Dorne. "When do you think he'll wake up?"
"Hard to say," Anika admitted. "Maybe twenty-four hours. He lost a lot of blood. Luckily, Jaren and Calla share his type."
Nero's gaze followed the tubing to the blood bag. "Quick question—where did you get that blood bag?"
Rhea's brows shot up. "Good point. I didn't even think of that." She turned to Anika. "Well? Where did you get it?"
Calmly, Anika gestured to the side. "Check the room on your left. You'll find a vault there."
Nero rose and strode toward it. The room beyond was dark.
"To my left?" he called.
"Yes," Anika's voice floated back. "You'll see it."
But Nero frowned. "I don't see any va—"
A shadow moved. Someone stepped out from the right, driving a needle into his neck.
His eyes went wide. Shock froze his body before the drug hit like a hammer. He collapsed, thudding hard against the floor.
Rhea reacted instantly, hand flying to the cold steel of her sidearm. But before she could draw—her world spun. Her head twisted with a brutal snap—turning one hundred and eighty degrees. Her lifeless eyes stared backward, locking with Dorne's.
Dorne was sitting upright. It was his hand that killed her.
Rhea's body slumped to the floor beside Dorne's bed.
Nero lay on his back, eyelids heavy, refusing to obey him. Through the haze of his fading vision, he caught a glimpse of the one who'd struck him with the needle.
It was Thom.
Anika sighed, irritation sharp in her tone. "Things were going so smoothly… and you just had to ruin everything."
Dorne tore off the bandages, pulling free the IV. His wounds were already sealed, though faint, jagged lines ran across his skin, leaving a scar that was proof of the wound. Standing over him, he smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, Nero. Just take a long nap, alright?"