The car slowed as the road widened into a smooth concrete ramp, curving toward a tall metal gate that jutted sharply from the ground. Bright floodlights lined the fence, buzzing softly and casting pale light into the mist. Beyond the gate stood a silent facility—no signs, no name, no clues to what it was. Just cold steel and heavy silence. Sami parked the SUV several meters away from the facility to avoid drawing immediate attention.
The engine cut. Headlights dimmed. The vehicle stilled.
Ren sat in the passenger seat, eyes locked on the shadowed structure ahead, trying to make out its shape through the mist.
"You sure she's in there?" he asked, voice low.
Sami didn't look away from the building. His voice matched the hush.
"I think so. The trail's faint—but… it leads inside."
Ren's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing on the darkened structure.
"You have any idea what this place is?" he asked. "Or what they do in there?"
Sami shook his head.
"No. But I've got a bad feeling about it. Whatever this place is… it's not good."
He ran a hand through his hair, jaw tense. "We just need to find Anya. She must be scared out of her mind."
He exited the car, but froze mid-step, his body stiffening. A frown twisted across his face, like he'd just sensed something off.
"Everything alright?" Ren asked, stepping out behind him.
But then he felt it too.
Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.
He could feel it in the air—thick and close.
It was Vira. No doubt about it. But not like anything he'd ever sensed before. It was warped somehow, like it had been stretched too far. Twisted out of shape. Like it didn't belong in the world as it was.
He couldn't quite explain it— But this energy didn't feel pure. It felt repulsive.
It pressed against his chest. Sour and unfamiliar.
His stomach twisted.
"What the hell is that?" he muttered, voice low, turning to Sami.
But Sami didn't answer.
Ren saw his fist clench—tight, trembling. Like someone on the verge of exploding.
Then, without a word, Sami stepped to his side, quick and precise. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pair of matte-black earbuds, and handed one over.
"It's not looking good, Ren," Sami said, voice low and tight—like he was holding something back.
"You'll stay here. I'm going in alone."
Ren frowned.
"Why?
Can't I come with you? What's going on?"
Sami didn't answer right away. He slid his earbud in, eyes locked on the distant gate like it might swing open at any second.
Then he turned, tapped Ren's shoulder gently, and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I'm gonna be honest, Ren. You're still green. You only just became an Initiate—no real field experience, no real control over your powers."
He paused, drawing a slow breath.
"That place looks heavily guarded. We don't know how many people are inside—or what the hell they're doing in there. But I'll tell you this…"
His gaze didn't waver.
"It's going to be a bloodbath the moment I step in. And I don't want you caught in the middle of that."
Ren clenched his jaw. Sami wasn't wrong—he had no real field experience, no real control over his powers yet. He'd only just awakened them.
He knew that. But it still stung.
Frustration twisted in his chest.
"I can—"
He wanted to speak, but stopped himself.
The words caught in his throat.
He looked away. Anya's safety was what mattered most. And if Sami was confident he could handle it alone… there was no point in pushing. Ren knew that, at his current level, he would only get in the way.
Sami sensed his frustration too. The silence between them tightened.
He sighed, then said gently,
"I'll get her out. You have my word."
No smile. Just the quiet certainty of someone who didn't plan to fail.
He quickly pulled out his phone, tapped in a few commands, then turned back to face Ren.
"We don't know how long Anya's been in there. We can't afford to waste another second. Listen carefully. What I'm about to invoke—it'll change me. I won't be the Sami you know. When that happens… remind me to check my phone."
Ren blinked.
"What? What's going to happen to you?"
Sami didn't answer.
He just turned, facing the massive gate looming a few meters ahead.
He gave his hands a slight shake, as if preparing them for something. Then, under his breath, he whispered—
"The Law of Multiplicity."
Ren felt it immediately—Vira spilling out of Sami like a wave breaking from within.
'The Law of Multiplicity?'
He kept his eyes on Sami, uncertain what to expect.
Then Sami spoke again, his voice sharper now, edged with urgency:
"Take over, Joonas."
The moment the words left his lips, silence fell.
And then—
For the first time since meeting Sami, Ren felt it.
The weight of his Vira. Unrestrained now, it was terrifying.
It surged into the air like a rising storm—thick, suffocating, overwhelming.
For a moment, Ren froze—taken aback by the raw force of it.
He felt a shift in the atmosphere. Subtle at first—like a wrongness bleeding into the night.
The air grew tense. Brittle. As if laced with invisible splinters.
Then Sami's shoulders slumped. His head dropped forward, limp—like a marionette whose strings had been suddenly severed.
"Sami?" Ren whispered, reaching out a hand.
But then he heard Sami laugh.
It started low—an eerie chuckle, hollow and amused.
Like someone watching a funeral… and enjoying the show.
Then the laughter rose, scraping through his throat like shattered glass.
Sami lifted his head slowly.
His eyes gleamed—not with light, but with something else. Something cruel. Something ancient.
"Ahh… finally."
He inhaled—deeply, like he was drawing in the scent of blood—then spread his arms wide.
"How long has it been? Two weeks? One?"
He let out a low, broken laugh.
"I told that bastard he can't do without me."
A beat of silence.
Then, softer—darker—
"Now… where are they?"
He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to the night.
"Who do I hurt this time, Sami?"
His eyes fell on Ren, who stood just behind him.
And when they did, he smiled—wide.
So wide it didn't reach his eyes.
It devoured them.
"Well now… who's this pretty boy?" he murmured, tilting his head.
"Are you why he called me out?"
He began walking toward Ren with slow, deliberate steps.
'Pretty boy? Doesn't he recognize me?'
Ren instinctively stepped back.
Whatever Sami had done—it was obvious.
This wasn't him. Not really.
The aura pouring off him was heavy and oppressive.
Ren's breath caught in his throat.
He wasn't looking at his friend anymore.
"The phone," Ren said quickly, voice taut. "Check your phone."
Sami paused mid-step. Tilted his head.
"Ah… so you do know Sami."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.
One glance. Then another.
His eyes scanned the message Sami had typed earlier:
[Behave, Joonas. Don't harm the boy. His name is Ren. He's part of our family now, and not the target of our rage.]
Joonas squinted at the message.
His grin faltered—just for a breath.
"…Part of our family, huh?"
He scoffed under his breath.
"Tsk. I thought you only ever cared about two people. Marie… and that silent bitch with the sword. Koko."
His head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing.
"So… when did we start adding new people to our family, huh?"
He looked at Ren—really looked this time.
Something unreadable flickered across his face.
Then, even though the lie was obvious, he said,
"I wasn't gonna do anything. Really."
Ren, still confused, nodded slowly, eyes wide.
Joonas's gaze dropped back to the screen. He read the next message:
[Joonas. You see the building in front of you? I need you to go in. There's a little girl inside—one of us. We think she's in danger. I need you to save her.]
Attached to the message was a picture of Anya.
Joonas blinked.
"Ahh… that explains why I'm so angry."
He turned to the facility.
"So… that's the target of our rage."
His teeth began to clatter.
His Vira flared—wild, erratic, like it was trying to claw its way out of him.
Ren took another step back.
He could feel tiny cuts opening along his skin, just from standing too close.
Then he saw Joonas clutching his hair, muttering under his breath.
"Kill them kill them kill them kill them. Break everything. Burn it down."
'Huh? What is going on? Is he okay?'
Ren reached out, wanting to speak—
But Joonas suddenly opened his hands wide, shoulders tensing as he inhaled sharply—
a deep, violent breath that seemed to drag all the sound out of the air.
The muttering stopped.
Then, slowly, Joonas turned and glanced over his shoulder.
"I'll be back, Ren. I just need to let out this pent-up rage."
He gave the screen one last glance.
"And yeah... I'll bring the kid back."
And with that, he began walking toward the facility, his figure vanishing into the late evening mist.