You're Safe Now - 78
Marc stared at what had happened, his hands still frozen in place.
He couldn't understand it.
Why would she attack someone on her own side? Why had the beeping stopped the moment she did?
And what was wrong with these people?
His mind was already struggling to make sense of the three deaths he'd witnessed in the room. Now, with another inexplicable act unfolding right in front of him, Marc could only stare, unable to piece together what he was seeing.
…
Then Marc snapped back to the present as he dodged another slash from behind. The fight was growing more intense. While they had initially focused on dodging attacks and knocking weapons aside, Bell and Juro were now using more force to subdue their opponents, knocking them to the ground one after another.
But in the middle of the fighting, Marc caught a glimpse of something through the orphanage's entrance.
A small figure. A little girl.
"Nery!"
He instinctively recognized her, but before he could call out, the figure turned and ran deeper into the orphanage, disappearing into the darkness.
Marc's attention shifted toward the entrance, leaving him momentarily distracted. A knife suddenly came slashing toward his side.
He didn't even notice it.
BAM!
A fist struck the attacker squarely in the face, sending him flying to the side.
"Woa… Thanks, Teacher Juro."
Juro flashed him a smile. "I gotcha. You saw Nery?"
Marc nodded.
"Go. Me and Bell will hold this off for you."
Marc nodded once more before immediately turning toward the orphanage. But just as he started to run, several of their opponents began pulling out small vials. They quickly uncorked them and swallowed their contents.
Almost immediately, their eyes turned bloodshot.
Marc barely had time to react before a woman rushed straight at him. She threw a punch, and he quickly raised both arms to block it.
BOOM!
The impact sent him flying backward. His back slammed against a tree, knocking the breath out of him.
"Augh… What the—.."
Before he could recover, a man came flying toward him, his leg swinging straight for Marc's face.
Marc reacted on instinct. He thrust out a hand and surged mana through it, transforming the mana into a powerful gust of wind.
The blast caught the man midair and hurled him away.
Marc lowered his hand, his expression tightening as he looked toward the orphanage.
"I don't have time for this… I gotta get to Nery!"
Marc channeled mana into his legs, concentrating it around the soles of his shoes. The energy gathered and circulated in tight, compressed currents, building up until he was ready to release it.
Then, in an instant, he unleashed the stored mana.
FWOOOSH!
A burst of air propelled him forward. He shot past the remaining attackers before they could intercept him, racing straight toward the orphanage's entrance.
Just before disappearing inside, Marc glanced back.
Bell and Juro met his gaze and gave him a nod.
Marc nodded back, then turned forward and ventured deeper into the orphanage.
Meanwhile, outside, Juro continued subduing their opponents alongside Bell.
"Do you think it would've been easier if we just killed them all?" Juro asked casually.
Bell leaped over an incoming attack, twisted his body in midair, and drove a powerful knee into his opponent, knocking the person unconscious. He landed smoothly before answering as though they were discussing something completely ordinary.
"I think if there's a choice to settle things without killing, that should be what we're aiming for."
Juro smiled as he delivered a solid punch to another opponent's gut.
"Yeah? Well, that would be nice."
Bell glanced at him for a brief moment before returning his attention to the fight.
"What kind of question was that?! I don't think you'd ask a kid that…"
He decided not to say it aloud.
..
Inside the orphanage, darkness filled the corridors. The moonlight filtering through the windows provided the only real illumination, casting faint patches of silver across the floor.
Marc slowed down, looking around as he ventured farther inside.
"I don't think I'll be able to find her just by wandering around…"
He needed to locate Nery as quickly as possible. Closing his eyes, he began preparing to search the orphanage for her presence.
But before he could even begin.
He sensed something above him.
Marc immediately shifted to the side.
A figure dropped into the spot where he had been standing just moments earlier. It was the same woman who had introduced them to the orphanage.
She landed with a knife in each hand, their blades catching the faint moonlight.
Marc stared at her, his expression twisting into disbelief.
"Eugh… I thought you were a caretaker…"
"I am….but only for our selected few!"
The woman lunged straight at Marc, but he had already anticipated her move. He quickly sidestepped, then used his body to shove her off balance. Before she could recover, he surged mana through both hands, sending it wrapping around her arms. The mana tightened, then transformed into solid rock, binding her in place.
Marc lowered his hand toward her feet. More mana spread across the floor and climbed up her legs, hardening into stone until she could no longer move.
The woman struggled at first, twisting and pulling against her restraints. But the moment she realized she couldn't break free, she stopped.
Then she began chuckling to herself.
Marc glanced back at her, his expression flat.
"Something is definitely wrong with their heads…"
He turned and continued searching the orphanage.
Suddenly, someone came crashing through the roof. Debris rained down as the person slammed onto the floor, landing unconscious amid the wreckage.
Marc glanced toward the destruction.
"I could tell who did this… haha."
He continued deeper into the orphanage, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of Nery. Then, at the end of the hallway, he spotted a small figure again.
"Ah! Hey, wait up!"
Marc immediately ran after her. The little figure hurried through the dark corridors, but this time, he managed to catch up. He reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Nery!"
He turned her toward him, relief flooding his voice.
"You're safe!"
Marc quickly checked her arms and head for any injuries, his eyes darting over her as he made sure she wasn't hurt.
"Good, you're fine! Let's get out of here, Nery! Where are the other kids? And why do you have a knife in your other hand???"
Nery hesitated.
Her lips parted as though she wanted to answer, but before a word could leave her mouth.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Marc froze.
In an instant, everything came rushing back to him. The collars. The beeping. What happened when the beeping stops.
"Her head… It's going to explode!"
His body reacted before he could think. He released Nery's arm and stumbled backward, putting several steps between them.
Nery stared at him, panic spreading across her face. Her breathing grew rapid and uneven, and her heartbeat pounded harder and harder in her chest.
The beeping continued.
And suddenly, she remembered.
Back at the doctor's place, after the collar had been placed around her neck, the woman had handed her a knife.
Nery's body began to tremble. She held the knife in both hands, its tip initially pointed toward the floor. Her fingers tightened around the handle, but her shaking hands could barely keep it steady.
Then she looked up at Marc.
Tears welled in her eyes.
She didn't want to die.
She was scared. She wanted to live.
Marc stood frozen before her, breathing just as hard. His gaze fell on the knife, and he remembered what he'd witnessed outside, the beeping that stopped the moment someone stabbed another person.
He understood what she was being forced to do.
Slowly, he looked back into Nery's eyes.
She was terrified. Her entire body was shaking, and the tears running down her face made it painfully clear that she didn't want any of this. She wasn't looking at him like an enemy.
She was looking at him like someone who had no other choice.
Marc's own body screamed at him to run. To get away from the knife. To gather his mana and protect himself before she could hurt him.
His hands trembled. His breathing was ragged.
But Nery was shaking even more than he was.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound filled the silence between them, each beep bringing her closer to a fate neither of them wanted.
Marc couldn't look away from her eyes.
Then, through her trembling lips, Nery managed to whisper two words.
"I'm sorry…"
Her voice cracked.
And the moment those words left her mouth, she squeezed her eyes shut, raised the knife toward Marc, and ran straight at him.
Every nerve in Marc's body screamed at him to run or block the incoming attack.
Nery was moving slowly. He could easily dodge the knife or knock it out of her hands. His body was already telling him what to do, urging him to protect himself before it was too late.
But his mind remained fixed on the image of her eyes.
The eyes of someone who was afraid. Someone who didn't want to hurt anyone. Someone who just wanted to live.
And as Marc looked at her, a small smile formed on his lips.
He opened his arms.
The next instant, the knife plunged into his stomach.
Yet even as pain shot through his body, Marc kept smiling.
Nery froze the moment she felt the knife sink into him. Her eyes slowly opened, and the first thing she saw was Marc's face.
He was smiling at her.
His arms were still open, welcoming her instead of pushing her away.
For a brief moment, Nery could only stare at him, unable to understand what had just happened.
Then the beeping stopped.
And she broke down.
One of her hands released the knife, and she immediately grabbed the front of Marc's shirt, clutching it tightly as though he might disappear if she let go. She buried herself against him and began to sob.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorrry… I'm sorryy!"
The words came out again and again, growing more broken with every repetition. She cried until her voice began to give out, her entire body trembling as she desperately clung to him.
Marc gently placed a hand on her head and began patting it.
His own body was shaking. The knife in his stomach had left him stunned, and every instinct told him that something was terribly wrong. Even so, he forced himself to stay calm for her.
When he finally spoke, his voice was gentle, though it trembled slightly.
"Don't worry, Nery. You're safe now…. Brother Marc is here..."
Those few words meant more to her than he could have known.
Nery clutched his shirt even tighter and cried harder, letting out all the fear and desperation she'd been holding inside.
Marc said nothing more. He simply stayed there, gently comforting her as she cried against him.
Even with a knife buried in his stomach, even while his own body trembled from the shock and fear, he held on to every bit of courage he had left.
Because right now, Nery needed someone to hold her.
And Marc wasn't going to let her face this alone.