Felicia stepped forward, gaze fixed on Isabel. "What did he do?" she asked softly, though she already knew the answer would shatter them.
"He ran inside, calling for his mother, for his sister. I could only stand there as he found them…" Isabel's voice cracked. Tears streamed down her face. "His mother was… split in half. And his sister…"
Livia, sitting beside Thivi, broke into tears and hugged her knees tighter. Thivi stared hollowly at Isabel, stunned.
"Kaivan held what remained of his mother, and he started doing CPR on the upper half of her body," Isabel whispered, barely audible. "He screamed, begging them to come back. But it was impossible. They were…"
"Did he say anything?" Raphael asked, his tone calm but heavy.
Isabel nodded. "He said, 'Call the police and an ambulance now, my mom is still breathing.' He kept holding her upper body and doing CPR. He didn't even notice… her hands were gone."
Zinnia turned sharply, staring at Isabel with disbelief and anger. "What do you mean? He actually said that?"
Isabel nodded again, guilt clouding her eyes. "That's… what hurt the most. Because when I looked at him… I knew he wasn't trying to save her. He just… couldn't accept it. He kept pressing on her chest, even as her bones cracked."
Silence swallowed the room. Only Livia's quiet sobs remained.
"What happened after that?" Felicia asked, her voice hoarse.
"You all arrived," Isabel said. "By then, Kaivan looked calmer. But I knew he was pretending. He was trying to look strong for us, as if nothing was wrong. But the expression I saw before…"
She paused, staring down at the diary in her hands. She ran her fingers gently over the cover, as if comforting something unseen.
"His face… I don't think any of us could bear what he felt. Like someone whose entire soul had been ripped away, leaving only an empty body behind."
Felicia couldn't hold it anymore. Her tears burst forth as she fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Memories of the hopeful, bright Kaivan they once knew struck everyone like a crashing wave.
Thivi crawled to her side and wrapped her arms around her. Her own eyes glistened. "I knew his mother died horribly… but I didn't know he tried CPR on a body already torn apart. Why did he have to go through that alone?"
Zinnia slammed her palm against the whiteboard, her voice trembling. "Because he's stupid! He thought he could protect us by hiding everything! He didn't know we care about him!"
Radit, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. His voice was low, drowning in regret. "We all failed him. We let him think he was alone. We thought he was fine just because he never complained. But now… look at him."
Frans stared at the floor, expression blank. "He was just trying to survive by himself. And we never noticed. We only saw his smile, not the wounds underneath."
Livia cried even louder, hugging Isabel from behind. "Why didn't he tell me? I could've helped… I would've helped…"
Raphael stepped into the center of the group, his presence grounding them. "We can't change what already happened," he said firmly. "But we can do something now. We can't let him lose himself."
Isabel lifted her head, eyes glistening. "How? How do we bring him back? He's already too far…"
"By being there," Raphael answered. "By making sure he knows he isn't alone. We're here for him, always. And we won't let him fall, no matter what."
The night sky was still dark when Raphael stood before the bomb-assembly table in the corner of the laboratory. His usually sharp eyes seemed dull, clouded with disappointment he couldn't hide. He stared at the parts in front of him for a long time, as if searching for an explanation in the silence.
"It's ironic, isn't it?" he muttered bitterly. "He was the one who told me to leave this path. Told me to stop being a terrorist… and now he's the one walking down that road."
His words echoed through the quiet room, drawing Zinnia's attention. She stood before the computer screen, her face tight with worry. She pointed at a projected image of a building on the monitor. Several red markers blinked ominously across the map.
"It has to be this," she whispered. "This building… what is it, really? What is he planning to do there?"
However, no one answered. A heavy silence settled over them as they stared at the screen. In the corner of the room, Isabel stepped toward another computer, the one where the Tome of Omnicent was still open, its futuristic interface glowing faintly. She drew a long, trembling breath before speaking.
"You know what Kaivan is trying to do, don't you?" she asked, her voice cracking with despair.
The Tome responded with lines of text appearing one after another, accompanied by a synthesized voice, cold, calm, and authoritative.
"Kaivan entered that building to destroy several documents and data. His goal is to cripple Vella's operations," it declared.
The words pierced through the room like a spear. They all knew Kaivan had his reasons, but that didn't erase their fear. Isabel's eyes reddened as she stared at the screen, her hands clenched tightly at her sides.
Meanwhile, Kaivan moved swiftly through the dark building. The echo of his footsteps filled the corridor. Tome Omnicent's voice still played in his ear through the connected earpiece, but this time, it carried no orders, only a warning.
"Protect Kaivan, who intends to detonate several rooms and facilities," it stated firmly. "Kaivan, I know you can hear this, but I can't stop you anymore. I only hope you won't do anything reckless."
Kaivan paused, letting out a weary sigh. "Tch… Isabel and the others must've reached the basement by now," he muttered, frustrated. "After that night with Isabel, she should've stayed out of this…"
He grabbed the small radio in his pocket and crushed it without hesitation. He knew they would try to stop him. He couldn't allow that, not tonight. This was something he had to finish on his own.
Back in the laboratory, Felicia tried calling him through the line. Her voice was firm, even as her hands trembled.
"Kaivan, answer me! Hey! Kaivan!"
Only silence replied. Felicia slammed her hand on the table, anger and grief twisting her expression. "That idiot…" she hissed. "He really thinks this is the only way…"
Radit, who had been pacing nervously, finally stood up straight. "Staying here won't help!" he shouted. "We're going after him, before he does something he can't take back!"
They didn't waste another second. Frans led with the fastest car they had. They sped through the dim city streets, faces hardened under the glow of passing lights.
Inside the building, Kaivan pressed on. Corridor after corridor blurred behind him, each step fueled by resolve. Several armed guards confronted him, but with his abilities now at 50%, he had become someone entirely different. His movements were sharp, merciless.
A kick struck a guard's ribs, sending him crashing to the floor with a painful grunt. With swift precision, Kaivan snatched a weapon and struck its handle against another guard's head, knocking him out cold.
The night air carried a faint smell of gunpowder. The streetlights outside cast faint shadows across the concrete walls. Kaivan's footsteps echoed through the narrow passageway, steady, unshaken.
"…Hmm. This is actually kind of fun," he murmured with a thin smile. He dashed forward, weaving through the hall as gunfire erupted behind him. He sprinted faster, slipping between bullets with unnerving composure.
His hand tightened around a gleaming karambit under the dim light. With blinding speed, he took down Vella's guards one by one. Each slash flowed like a deadly rhythm, each step marking the path toward destruction.
In a wide chamber, a tall woman with dark crimson hair stood waiting. Her posture was straight, confident, her sharp eyes glinting as she watched him approach. A sly smile curved her lips, utterly certain of her victory.
"Kaivan… Kaivan," she taunted as his small figure emerged from the shadows. "You came alone? Without Felicia at your side, this will be far too easy, "
Before Rapi could finish her sentence, Kaivan was already on her back. In one swift, almost invisible movement, he wrapped his arms around her tall frame. But the embrace was no sign of affection, it was a fatal trap.
With a firm, decisive push, his karambit pierced through Rapi's neck. Blood sprayed outward, her eyes widening in silent shock.