"To uproot a nightmare… sometimes you have to let blood seep into the earth."
17:42 HRS – Thai-Laos Border / Loei Province
A cool evening breeze swept across the Mekong riverside meadows. An anti-human trafficking unit's transport vehicle navigated a dirt road. Inside were Death, Alice, and a local operative disguised as a delivery driver.
They were heading to a middle school suspected of being a secret youth brainwashing center for BLOOD LOTUS.
"It smells like that place…"
Alice said softly, looking out the window at the sound of children playing cheerfully in the schoolyard.
"What place?" Death asked.
"The mind-washing room… where they played repetitive videos, mind-soothing sounds, electric shocks… the screams of friends."
Death fell silent. He clenched his fists unconsciously.
18:15 HRS – Inside the School / Old Building
They split up to investigate. Alice disguised herself as a newly transferred student, while Death posed as a signal repair technician for the building.
Alice feigned getting lost and entered an old school building at the back of the school.
It was eerily quiet inside. Many doors had electronic code locks.
But one room… was left open.
She saw pictures of several children on the wall.
Each picture had half of the face crossed out—and in the corner, a metal file box with the BLOOD LOTUS insignia.
She picked up one file.
It bore the name "Alice Rosamia."
And her history—every stage of her brainwashing was documented as if it were an experimental project.
18:35 HRS – Something Changes the Atmosphere
Whispers from hidden speakers in the walls began to sound.
A sweet voice, like a mother lulling a child… but laced with a commanding tone.
*"Alice… Come home… This is where you belong…" *
Her breathing quickened, her hands trembled. The lights in the room dimmed, the temperature plummeted.
She tried to fight it, to walk out, but her legs grew weak.
Death arrived just in time, catching her before she collapsed.
"I… I hear it again… It's in my head…"
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Death said nothing.
He just held her tightly, not to console her,
but to affirm that she was no longer alone in that nightmare.
19:30 HRS – Secret Underground Room / Operation Begins
They found the entrance to an underground room hidden behind a bookshelf.
Inside was the sound system control center and the experiment database.
The local operative participating in the mission signaled for backup.
Meanwhile, Death and Alice planted an EMP bomb to disable the mind-control system.
But before pressing the button—one screen displayed the image of a mysterious man.
Sharp eyes, dark skin, a red lotus tattoo on his neck.
"Death… We meet again at last."
His voice was filled with cold confidence.
Alice flinched. She knew him.
"That's… my headmaster… the head of the training center… He's the one who started implanting commands in me…"
Death met the man's gaze on the screen—no fear, only resolute determination.
"Remember my face well. Because I will find you in the nightmare you created."
19:42 HRS – EMP Bomb Detonates
The entire system went down.
Many controlled children began to regain consciousness. Cries filled the air.
Alice helped a young girl who was trembling uncontrollably. She knelt and hugged the child tightly.
"It's okay now… You don't have to have nightmares anymore."
– The Change Begins
After the mission's success, Alice sat quietly on the building's rooftop.
Death approached her. The night sky was full of stars.
"You're not the same anymore," he said softly.
Alice turned to look at him. "Because I remember who I am now."
She smiled faintly, not a smile of happiness,
but the smile of someone ready to face her past.
("The Final Command")
Alice's past isn't truly over… because the "secret command" implanted in her mind is still active.
And someone is waiting for her to carry out her "final mission"...
"Though the heart is awake… the final condition has not yet slumbered."
03:17 HRS – Secret Safe House / Loei Province
The steady breathing of several children, recently rescued from brainwashing, sounded softly in the emergency shelter.
Death sat watching Alice, who was resting on a cot to one side. She was dreaming—not a nightmare… but not peaceful either.
He held her secret personnel file in his hand. The list of "Implanted Commands" had 17 stages.
But the last one… had no explanation, only a single code written in red ink: "H.0."
Death glanced at her.
*"There's still something she doesn't realize…" * he murmured softly.
07:09 HRS – Secret Police Station / Inner District
Anti-trafficking unit officers were decrypting data retrieved from the training center.
Names of those involved were revealed one by one, until the last name—a prominent national figure appeared.
The room fell silent.
"We've only scratched the surface… The core of BLOOD LOTUS runs much deeper."
The deputy chief sighed.
11:30 HRS – Desolate Forest Road / During Child Relocation
Alice opened her eyes… but the world she saw wasn't real.
The image before her was an overlapping memory: she was holding a knife, stained with blood…
Around her lay several lifeless bodies.
She jolted awake in the vehicle.
"Death… Did I kill people… when I was controlled?"
Death was silent. He didn't answer immediately but turned to meet her gaze with a stoic expression.
"You were used as a weapon. That's not your fault… But if you want to atone for what you did—then choose your own path from now on."
Alice bit her lip, trembling slightly, but nodded.
14:00 HRS – "The Voice in My Head is Back"
During a roadside break, Alice stood still, a gentle breeze blowing.
Suddenly, the voice in her head returned… but this time, it wasn't soothing.
It was a clear command—short, but sharp as a knife to the heart.
"Kill Death… when he least expects it."
She crumpled, clutching her head.
"No… Enough…"
Death turned. "What happened?"
Alice clenched her fists, tears streaming.
"I… I still have an implanted command… It's 'H.0.'… The final command… It's telling me to kill you."
The atmosphere around them seemed to freeze.
Death wasn't shocked… Instead, he walked slowly towards her.
"Then kill me… if that's what you choose."
Alice trembled violently. She reached for the gun at her waist but couldn't lift it.
Finally, she collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony.
"I AM NOT A TOOL ANYMORE!!!"
17:00 HRS – Secret Room Beneath an Abandoned Military Camp / New Target
Alice recovered, her eyes changed—more resolute, deeper.
She chose to "undo the final command" herself.
"There's one place that might be able to erase deeply implanted commands… the main control station in Laos… That's where the H.0. command was created."
Death looked at her with respect.
"We'll go together."
She put on her body armor, carrying the same knife she had used while under control… but this time, not to follow anyone's orders.
End of Episode – The Waiting Shadow
At the secret main control station on a mountain in Laos.
The same man who had appeared on the screen—the head of the brainwashing center, stood waiting.
"Our daughter… is coming back to kill her own father…"
He chuckled softly, gripping the red lotus in his hand tighter.
(Next: EPISODE 12 – "Blood of the Lotus")
The journey to the heart of the final command has begun… but the truth that awaits may not be what Alice is prepared for.