Eric, Liam, Noah, and Carl stood before Clara. The room was dark, ceiling lights flickering, the ticking of a clock in the corner echoing louder than usual. Clara sat on a high chair, her cold smile unwavering. Her hand toyed with a small gleaming knife on the table.
Eric stepped forward, leaning slightly, eyes sharp.
"Why are you doing all this, Clara? Why kill, why take Ferom 9, why mess with everyone?" His voice was firm, but a hint of pain lingered beneath it.
Clara lifted her head slowly, eyes scanning them all, then gave a thin, icy smile.
"Why? Because this world… is cruel. Those who should feel pain… never do. All the losses, all the injustice… I make sure there's balance."
Carl exhaled harshly, his face red.
"You killed Charles! You killed my brother! This is all because of your vengeance, Clara! You're insane!"
Clara chuckled softly, like the sound of cracking glass.
"Insane? Oh, Carl… this isn't insanity. It's choice. I choose who feels the pain. I choose who deserves to live in this world."
Carl stepped forward, fists clenched, barely restraining himself from striking.
"He was my brother! He never did anything wrong! And you killed him without mercy. You have no right, Clara!"
Clara leaned forward, her eyes piercing through Carl.
"Right? You think you have the right to decide someone else's life? I'm only doing what I must. Everyone you care about… that's a lesson for you too, Carl. Don't think you're free from the consequences of my actions."
Eric added, his tone firm but soft, holding back Carl's near-loss of control.
"Clara… this is wrong. You've destroyed so many people. You killed Carl's brother… and you think this is justice?"
Clara laughed, slow, cold.
"Justice? The world is never just, Eric. I only give them… choice. I take action before others do worse. And if you think you can stop me… try."
Carl lowered his head for a moment, restraining his rage and guilt. He knew he couldn't act now—Clara was too strong, too meticulous. But the blood of his brother still ran through his mind, heating his heart.
"Carl…" Clara spoke softly, but the threat behind her words was clear. "You follow me now, or everything you care about will crumble too. I'm not doing this for fun. I do this because you will never understand."
Carl swallowed, hands trembling. He knew he had no choice. Clara was merciless, too calculating. But deep inside, he vowed—he would stop her, no matter the cost.
Eric drew a deep breath, staring at Clara.
"Fine. We've come this far. But you need to answer one more thing… why did it have to go this far? Why make everyone a victim of your vengeance?"
Clara's icy smile widened, her eyes glinting like a knife.
"Because vengeance… is the only thing that gives me power. And I won't stop until everyone who deserves pain… feels it themselves."
Carl tightened his fists, his face taut.
"If you think you can toy with lives at your whim, you're wrong. I will stop you… and make you face everything you did to my brother."
Clara leaned back slightly, as if assessing, then chuckled softly.
"I'll be waiting, Carl. Waiting very, very much."
The room fell silent. Only the ticking clock and their own heartbeats remained. But it was clear—this confrontation had just begun. All the tension, vengeance, and hidden truths were about to explode with the next move.
---
The battle erupted without warning.
Clara gave a subtle signal with her finger, and shadows moved from every corner at once. The sound of metal dragging, weapons raised, footsteps charging. Eric barely had time to shout orders before chaos swallowed everything.
"Formation! Don't break!"
Liam fired to the left, dropping two attackers before they could close in. Noah rolled behind a metal crate, returning fire while holding his breath. Levant surged forward, shoulder-checking one opponent before taking down another with close-range shots.
Eric moved at the front. Every counterattack was precise, ruthless. He gave no room, no chance. This was no longer a mission. This was reckoning.
Clara withdrew slowly, her face calm even as the room turned into a small hell. Smoke, sparks, gunfire mingled with screams of pain.
Carl was in the middle of it all.
He fought, but his mind was a storm. Every time he raised his weapon, Charles' face appeared. Every time he fired, Clara's voice echoed in his head.
"Don't forget who holds your life."
A small explosion shook the floor. Eric staggered forward, separated from the others. Clara saw her opportunity.
"Now," she said coldly.
An attacker emerged from behind Eric, weapon raised high.
"ERIC!"
Carl shouted without thinking. His body moved faster than his mind. He lunged, pushing Eric aside. Gunfire rang out.
Everything seemed to freeze.
The bullet pierced Carl's chest.
His body jerked back, collapsing to the floor with a fatal thud. His weapon slipped from his hand.
"CARL!"
Eric turned, the world collapsing around him. He ran, catching Carl's body before his head hit the floor completely. Blood flowed fast, warm, deep red.
"No… don't… don't do this," Eric's voice cracked. His hands pressed against the wound, in vain. "Hold on. Please hold on."
Carl smiled weakly. His breaths shallow, each one seeming to tear through his lungs.
"I… I've run long enough," he said softly. "This… this is my choice."
"No," Eric shook his head violently. "You can still—"
Carl shook his head faintly. His bloody hand gripped Eric's arm.
"Listen… Ferom 9… the final path… she—"
A cough of blood cut his words short.
"Don't stop," Eric pleaded, voice nearly gone. "I need you."
Carl looked at him, eyes filled with guilt but finally calm.
"Thank you… for trusting me… even though I was a coward."
His grip loosened slowly.
The last breath left him silently.
Eric froze. The world around him lost color, lost sound. He shook the body lightly, as if expecting a reaction that would never come.
"Noah…" Eric's voice was hoarse, barely audible. "Noah… he—"
No one needed to answer.
Clara stood not far off, watching without feeling, her thin smile never reaching her eyes.
Eric raised his face slowly. Blood mixed with tears on his hands. That gaze was no longer that of an agent.
It was the gaze of a man who had lost everything.