Using indirect rule creating methods, he succeeded in creating a pill.

  "Eat this." He held the pill in front of her.

  As reluctant as she was, she took the pill from his hand.

  "Can I ask what this is?"

  "It's an alternative if you don't want to be trapped here, but refusing will lead to another twelve hours."

  She tensed at his words, her lips tucked. Although she didn't trust what he was planning, what choice did she have? The pill was soon swallowed, its dull texture was probably the only thing ordinary about it.

  She waited but felt no change. Meeting his gaze, her skin turned cold. What's happening? A suffocating pressure enveloped her the longer she looked, forcing her to break eye contact.

  "Do a backflip," he commanded.

  Without thinking, she sprung to her feet, throwing her arms and legs overhead like it was second nature. "Huh? Why did I suddenly..." Her feet planted firmly against the ground as she contemplated what had just happened.

  I know... I don't want to go through hell again. But what in tarnation am I doing?? Am I that scared that I'm instinctively obeying him without a second thought?

  She never imagined such a mental condition was possible—at least not to this degree. It was shameful, but she couldn't put on a brave face even if she wanted to.

  "Good girl, looks like I won't have to buy a collar."

  Her lips trembled, not sure if she wanted to know what he meant. Hezekiah picking up on her silence, smiled.

  "I think it's time for your walk, just let me take care of a couple things. Can't have your wounds appearing the second we step out of here."

  Since the healing effect on her was directly the result of a written rule, it would disappear the second she stepped out, leaving her in the mangled state caused by the creatures.

  ******

  The Custom Boundary disappeared. The noon sun pierced Irva's eyes as its long-forgotten warmth embraced her skin.

  "I'm out...?" she whispered. Blood still coated the sidewalk, far from being dried, even still trailing and dripping off the bridge. She wondered how it was possible that everything could remain the same.

  "Time runs at a different speed within that space. Only about twelve seconds have passed after that void enveloped the both of us."

  "Seconds!?" she shouted in disbelief, still reeling at how that was physically possible.

  Hezekiah was already walking ahead of her. "What are you staying back for? Don’t make us take a detour where I'll have to buy a leash. And don't forget to grab your purse and gun."

  He had searched her bag while she was being mauled by the creatures earlier, only to discover that there were no recording devices of any sort. Neither did her phone seem to have anything suspicious activated.

  Are they that trusted that monitoring them isn't required? Not even Kiann had that privilege.

  Irva quickly located her bag and the gun that had been knocked out of her hand, picking them up before catching up with Hezekiah.

  She looked back at the scene. "Are ya sure it should be left like that?" she asked in a low voice, worried about the aftermath when the authorities arrived.

  "It's inconvenient, but if the X-lens doesn't know who you are, then I doubt you could be identified by a couple of biological samples. And as for me, they're about to find out I'm alive anyway thanks to Fyinn, which wouldn’t change my life that much to begin with. Just be evading the police like usual."

  Still, it'll be better if I retrieve my death photo and destroy all copies of it. Even if it's possible that the police department might consider it a possible forgery if they find it, I'm not sure how common resurrection is in the world of Abnas. And considering how Abnas and Huska Tools may have a link together, I can't rule out the possibility of Abnas secretly being within the Organization.

  "You don't have anywhere to hide this time, do you?" she added, finding her phone in her bag.

  "What are you talking about? We can hide in the same place where you were being torn apart, you didn't forget already, did you?"

  She almost froze on the spot before realizing that he wasn't actually threatening her. As she looked back at her phone, she realized her contacts app was already open. But nothing pushed her to dial anyone. Even though Hezekiah was slightly ahead of her, the desire to escape felt infinitely weaker compared to a few moments ago.

  "No... Sorry for asking," she answered.

  "I don't need your apology. The pill stripped your free will, it's not like I made you smarter with it.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  Her stomach dropped. My will...? No... That's impossible. He must mean something else by it.

  As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't find any other explanation for her current state of mind, or why each of his commands felt like a law that must be obeyed unconditionally.

  "Now then, about my sister—is she alive?"

  Before she answered, her phone vibrated. A text message appeared.

  *Update your status. You should've crossed paths by now.*

  The sender was Aluzara, one of the Directors of Sunset Garden. It was typical to reply with a certain phrase to ascertain her identity.

  Seeing Hezekiah looking over her shoulder killed any thoughts of defiance that may have lingered.

  "Her whereabouts are unknown, even to me. Though I heard she was taken to one of the HQ's lower levels." She answered.

  Hezekiah bit his thumb, cursing inwardly, but supposed it was better than an outright death confirmation. They finally reached the other end of the road bridge; bird poop littered the sidewalks along with a few homeless people lying on benches.

  Irva observed his silence and pinched her leather jacket, wary of what he was planning to do with her.

  "Call Aluzara. Report back that you defeated me."

  Irva’s steps halted. "Are you really simple-minded?! Wasn't this a suicide mission from the start!?" She quickly covered her mouth, averting her gaze as his eyes locked onto her.

  "Just do what I ask," he demanded, ignoring her sudden outburst. "Stop worrying about them prying, they're just as clueless about me."

  Before she could think about proceeding, she found herself already pressing the call button. Each hum of the tone quickened her pulse. This was the first time she had to lie to them in a long time. Before, it wasn't a big deal—she was just a child back then. But when Urimah took her to witness her first public execution for her 11th birthday, that was the end of it. As well as the man who she thought she knew.

  Why am I thinking about that crap-fest now? It's not like I ever mattered to him anyway. As it should be.

  The repetitive ringing was replaced by a cold static, followed by a light breath from the other side.

  "It's finished," Irva said calmly, looking back at Hezekiah as he listened on speaker.

  "As expected of you. Otherwise my investment would've been pointless," a man replied.

  "Fathe—Mr. Urimah?" Irva's expression faltered, curling her fingers as her chest tightened.

  "Aluzara is attending other matters at the moment, so it's only natural that I monitor your progress. By the way, care to explain why I'm receiving background noise from your end?"

  "It was damaged by Cevine's cards when Hezekiah used them against me."

  "He stole them from her? That's news to me, he was never the type to acquire others’ fallen possessions."

  "What are your orders?" she asked, cutting to the chase.

  "Hmm—you should already know. But before that, did you spare Hezekiah?"

  Her blood froze, racing for a quick response as she eyed Hezekiah.

  He gave a small nod. But instead of obeying instinctually, she could tell she had a choice in this matter. But the question was, what would he do if she said no?

  "Irva—is something wrong? If you killed him it's okay, though that'll be disappointing. We'll just never know why Kiann let him escape in the first place."

  "He's... out cold. I was checking his pulse to confirm he was alive."

  "I see." Pens could be heard rustling in the background before a drawer was heard closing shut. "On other important matters, I'm sure you've noticed some significant changes to your body. I'm curious why you haven't brought them up yet."

  "Changes?"

  "Of course, were you intending to keep your newfound power a secret? We already knew you stood no chance against Hezekiah, your awakening was expected when you faced off against him."

  Irva didn't reply immediately, confused by what he meant. Hezekiah, putting the pieces together, still allowed the conversation to continue but noted he should've used the Custom Boundary to get a better understanding of her identity.

  "Urimah, I have no clue what you're going on about. Don't accuse me of hiding anything when you're hardly honest yourself."

  There was a brief silence over the speaker. "If you're speaking the truth, then that's a shame. We'll discuss more on that at a future date. Send us your location, others will assist you back to HQ since you failed to awaken."

  Others? I can't count on them being Black Flowers. Do I have to fight more people like her? Hezekiah contemplated his next step. The idea of pretending to be unconscious to sneak inside would be risky, but it was doubtful getting close by himself was an option now.

  "If you say so." she spoke, before sending off a text with an address. "I'm in the alleyway between two bank businesses."

  "You led him to a secluded place and took care of him there? Interesting. Ghiza and Morianna will arrive shortly, keep a close eye on Hezekiah until then." The call ended.

  She exhaled, her fingers trembling. In a span of a day she went from hunting a traitor to becoming one herself, even though it was against her will.

  "I bet you plan on getting rid of me after all this." Her arms crossed her chest.

  "Everything with the garden eventually wilts, but your cycle has yet to end. We better start preparing, there's still a couple more things I'd like to inform you of."

  ******

  Urimah sat at a desk, tapping against the table with a blank sheet of paper. He planned on documenting Irva's awakening process, but it might all be pointless now.

  Two figures stood before him, dressed in ordinary civilian clothing.

  A man with long silver hair and frosty blue eyes, burst into laughter. "Wait, wait, hold on!? The little kid finally stabbed you in the back? I can't be the only one who saw that coming."

  A woman with a solid black mask turned towards Ghiza, waving her finger in disapproval. "Stupid Ghiza..."

  "There's no need for that, Morianna. It's my mistake for not disciplining Irva enough."

  He rose from the desk, crumbling up the paper before tossing it in the bin.

  "Is sister Irva... a traitor? You sure...?" she spoke softly.

  "Don't call her your sister unless you want meaningless attachments." He made his way to the front of the table, leaning against it while he saw Morianna grasp her wrist. So useless.

  "It's impossible for Irva to defeat Hezekiah no matter how close she may have gotten, unless she awakened after being near death. That was the whole point I even sent her in the first place. The fact she obviously had the phone on speaker only further confirms my suspicions."

  "So the sly guy is forcing her what to say, that's so like him. But betrayal is betrayal no matter the shade—isn't that right?" Ghiza added.

  "Naturally, but I prefer not to waste my investment. Retrieve the girl, and capture Hezekiah. But be cautious we're still not certain what methods he used to defeat Jin and Cevine."