Eta's arm was a straight, rigid line. Her finger pointed directly at Corbin, hung in the air like a death sentence.
A silence fell over the infirmary. It wasn't the kind of silence that precedes an action; it was the type that made it seem as though time has stopped, leaving everyone—the children, the Baron, everyone —in a state of absolute shock. Their eyes, wide with disbelief and confusion, shifted from Eta to Corbin, and then back again. Even the Baron's cold gaze seemed to waver for a flicker of a second.
Corbin's heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic rhythm of panic. The air in the room grew thick with a palpable tension that was suffocating.
The Baron's mouth curved into a thin, merciless smile. He reached into the inside pocket of his long, black coat and pulled out a firearm—a polished brass pistol with intricate engravings and a finely crafted wooden grip, custom made. The weapon looked more like a piece of art than a weapon for murder, and the sight of it sent a jolt of ice through Corbin.
"A spy in my laboratory,"
the Baron mused, his voice a low hum that was devoid of emotion.
"An unacceptable breach of protocol."
Rhys tensed, his face filled with grim and dread, but he knew better than to move. Briar's eyes widened, a flicker of outrage on her face. Beatrice's breathing hitched, and Felix's head dropped, unable to watch what was about to happen. The Baron raised the pistol, its muzzle pointed directly at Corbin's forehead.
A shot was coming. Corbin braced himself for the end.
But before the Baron's finger could tighten on the trigger, Eta moved, standing between the pistol and Corbin, her arms outstretched. She was not pleading or defiant; she was simply… a roadblock. Her younger twin, Theta, stood calmly beside her.
The Baron lowered the pistol, a single eyebrow raised in an expression of mild curiosity.
"Eta,"
he said, the name a soft reprimand.
"You dare stand in my way?"
Eta didn't flinch. She kept her back to Corbin, her gaze fixed on the Baron.
"He is to be spared,"
she said, her voice surprisingly calm and clear.
The Baron's expression remained impassive.
"And why is that?"
Eta turned her head slightly, her violet eyes meeting Corbin's with that same predatory intensity from before. A slow, triumphant smile spread across her lips.
"Because I like him."
Silence. Shocked silence.
Felix's eyes snapped open in complete surprise. Even Emmett's stoic expression cracked into a look of disbelief. Corbin's face went white. The girl's words weren't a declaration of affection; they were the type of words one would say upon finding an interesting toy to play with. He felt a deep, profound sense of revulsion that was far more terrifying than the Baron's pistol.
"Why do you say that, Eta?"
The Baron pressed, intrigued.
Eta's smile widened as she looked at the Baron.
"He's strong,"
she said.
"He managed to escape from me and Theta. That's not something ordinary people can do."
Her eyes moved from the Baron back to Corbin's face.
"The fact that he can means he's strong, and I like strong boys."
The Baron let out a low, satisfied chuckle, a sound that sent a shiver down Corbin's spine.
"Indeed,"
he said, his voice a low rumble.
"It would seem that he was able to do what he did because his body, and by extension, all of your bodies,"
He turned to the children still on the infirmary beds
"has begun to accept the Calvanite injected into you."
A look of pure delight flashed across Charolette's face.
"That is excellent news, Sir,"
she said, her voice filled with an almost frantic energy.
"It means that when the day comes for them to receive the full dose of Calvanite, they will most likely survive. Our experiment is working. Out efforts might come to fruition."
A wave of tension, cold and nauseating, washed over the children. The thought of receiving another dose, a "full dose" at that, made their hearts pound with a different kind of fear. Felix, still confused and trying to process everything, spoke up, his voice hesitant and quiet.
"What did he do, sir?"
he asked, looking at Corbin with a mix of curiosity and fear.
"Why did you want to... what did he do to make you want to shoot him?"
The Baron's cold gaze returned to him, and he dismissed Felix's question with a wave of his hand.
"That, little one, is none of your business."
His gaze then shifted to Corbin, his expression hardening.
"And as for you, if you tell the others what happened, you won't live to see the next twenty-four hours. Do I make myself clear?"
Corbin, his throat too dry to speak, simply nodded.
The Baron turned back to the room, his voice returning to its smooth, commanding tone. He gestured to the two girls standing silently behind him.
"Let me properly introduce you to Eta and Theta. In a few days time, you will all be receiving your final dose of Calvanite. And after that, these two girls will be in charge of your combat training. They will be in charge of teaching you how to use your new-found abilities."
He turned to leave, but Briar, ever the one to speak up, called out to him.
"Why do we need another dose of Calvanite, sir? Didn't we already have one?"
The Baron paused at the door, a cruel smile on his face.
"What you had earlier, dear child, was just a mere drop of Calvanite, mixed with water. What you will receive in a few days time is a whole vial of pure, undiluted Calvanite."
The words hung in the air like a terrifying promise. The children were silent, their faces drained of color. They now understood the true weight of the Baron's words and the terrifying journey ahead. The Baron looked at all of them, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Prepare yourselves,"
he commanded.
"The moment of truth will come in a few days time."
With that, he walked out of the room, Charolette and Theta following close behind. But before Eta walked out, she paused and looked back at Corbin. Her eyes had the same intensity, but her smile was even more pronounced. She gave him a slow, deliberate wink, as if she was saying, "I'm watching you."
Corbin watched her leave, his heart still racing, a cold dread settling within him. The pistol was already a threat, but the girl's terrifying smile was a different kind of fear.