Screams echoed through the hospital corridors. Cheng had turned into a merciless demon. He was taking revenge for his mother's death on every member of the hospital staff present there, and in that very moment he had trapped the hospital administrator, Dr. John, in the web of his dark powers. Dr. John was choking, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. And yet, witnessing all this filled Cheng with a twisted sense of pleasure, because at that moment the forces of darkness, along with his rage and thirst for revenge, had completely taken over his mind.
"You wanted money, didn't you?" Cheng's voice was so cold that it could freeze the blood of anyone who heard it. "I begged you, pleaded before you, asking you to treat my mother, but for you, my mother's life was worth less than a hundred thousand dollars. Today, I will show you what the true price of death really is!" Cheng's eyes were bloodshot with fury.
As he spoke, Cheng's grip around the doctor's throat kept tightening, and just as Cheng was about to clench his hand and take Dr. John's life, a sphere of blue light tore through the hospital roof and entered inside.
"Cheng! Stop this! How long will you keep taking the lives of innocent people? If your mother died because of this hospital staff, do you really want to become a killer just like them?" the Secret Admiral said, looking straight at Cheng.
Secret Admiral (Victoria) raised a blue shield and placed a barrier between Cheng and Dr. Verma. But this time, the Admiral was not in the same condition as before. The old wound on her shoulder, inflicted by Cheng earlier, was still burning with black fire, slowly draining her strength.
Cheng looked at the Admiral and let out a terrifying laugh. "You came back? What happened—you look weaker than before. Oh! I almost forgot—last time, I might have used a little too much power on you and left you wounded. You think you can fight me with that injury? Today, the power of darkness is coursing through my veins. Your light is pale before my darkness!"
Cheng raised his hand into the air and lifted the heavy hospital beds and MRI machines like toys, hurling them toward the Admiral. The Admiral formed her Cosmic Shield, but with every impact, her feet slid backward.
Cheng's power had now grown far more intense than before. He unleashed arrows of black energy that began piercing through the Admiral's shield. A massive explosion followed, and the Secret Admiral was slammed against the wall. A stream of blood spilled from her mouth.
By then, the local police had also arrived at the hospital. They had surrounded the building from all sides, and the entire operation was being led by Gairy, since Marcus had been suspended after Gairy informed his seniors about how Marcus had abused his authority to frame Cheng.
"Admiral!" Gairy shouted, standing outside with the police force. But the dark barrier inside was so strong that no one could enter, nor could any sound pass through it.
Victoria, the Secret Admiral, could feel that her powers were weakening before Cheng for some reason. The sin and evil present within people were fueling Cheng's strength with every passing moment. The Secret Admiral was already wounded, and stopping Cheng's rapidly increasing power was becoming extremely difficult for her.
The Truth Fairy was also present at the crime scene, and she clearly understood that as long as evil existed within people, stopping the sinful and dark powers granted to Cheng by Aethna would be extremely difficult. Many ancient scriptures had also stated that as long as humans remained trapped in greed, avarice, sloth, lust, anger, hatred, and continued to commit sins, demons born of darkness would keep descending upon the earth in one form or another, spreading destruction. What was strange was that people were well aware of this, yet no one truly wished to reform themselves. And when they were finally punished for their deeds, they began to question the very existence of God.
The Truth Fairy flew toward the Secret Admiral and whispered into her ear, "Victoria, stop! You cannot defeat Cheng with sheer power, because with every passing moment, people are increasing their sins, and because of that, Cheng's powers are growing as well. Cheng's body has now become a slave to the dark power given by Aethna. Your cosmic power is affecting only his body, not his hatred. If you want to stop him, you must awaken the 'humanity' within him that is still alive somewhere in the memories of his mother. Remind him that the world is not made only of beasts like Marcus, but also of angels like Gairy."
Hearing the Truth Fairy's words, the Secret Admiral took a deep breath. She made her sword and shield disappear. Without any protection, she began walking toward Cheng.
"What happened, Admiral? Have you given up so soon? Where is the power of your truth now?" Cheng formed a large black sphere, one that could turn the Secret Admiral to ashes at any moment.
"No, Cheng. I have not given up, and I never will. And it is also true that the power of truth and justice is still with me, the power through which I can defeat you. But I know that somewhere in your heart, goodness is still alive, and that is why I want to give you one more chance," Victoria said in a gentle yet firm voice. Then she continued, "I have not come to fight you, but to show you something. You say this world is only evil, don't you? That everyone is blinded by greed? That the rich and powerful exploit the weak? Then what do you think about Gairy? He put his job and his life at risk to give you a chance—to let you meet your mother one last time, to save you from Marcus's trap. Was that not Gairy's goodness?"
The Secret Admiral's words brought Cheng to a sudden pause. For a moment, memories of his entire life began flooding back to him. Then Cheng faltered slightly and said softly, "Gairy…?"
"Yes, Cheng—that Gairy, the one who believed in your innocence even when the entire department was against you," the Secret Admiral said as she stepped closer. "He put his job, his reputation, and his life at risk to help you escape police custody that day. Why? Did he take money from you? No, Cheng! He did it because the same 'goodness' your mother taught you is still alive within him. Gairy saw the truth of your innocence in your eyes at that moment. He helped you because he understands the difference between good and evil."
Every single word of the Secret Admiral forced Cheng to think. With each passing second, he became more entangled in his own thoughts. Her words showed Cheng a mirror in which he began to compare the Cheng he was now with the Cheng he once had been. Along with that realization, Cheng's hand began to tremble slightly. The sphere of black energy he had created with the intention of attacking the Admiral was now slowly shrinking.
Seeing her words take effect on Cheng, the Secret Admiral continued, "Is this what your mother taught you?" Victoria had now come extremely close to Cheng.
She continued, "Did your mother teach you that if the world is cruel, you should become a beast just like it? I know what your mother told you. She told you, 'Never let your heart turn dark.' Think, Cheng—if she were alive today, standing here among us, would she feel proud of you after witnessing this bloodshed? Or would there be tears in her eyes for you? Speak, Cheng. Answer me."
The moment the word "mother" left the Secret Admiral's lips, a storm of memories rose inside Cheng's mind. His childhood came rushing back—the small house, the old bench where he used to sit for hours with his mother. He remembered her affectionate smile, how she would lovingly call even a simple cold flatbread "chhappan bhog" and feed it to Cheng, while she herself went to sleep hungry.
"Cheng, my son, people may curse you or treat you badly, but you must always choose the path of goodness…" His mother's voice began to echo in his ears.
"No! Stop it!" Cheng screamed, clutching his ears with both hands. But this time, there was no anger in his voice—only pain. The dark powers within him began to writhe and struggle, because his mother's memories had once again ignited the light of love and truth deep inside Cheng.
Anger surged within Cheng—anger at himself. He lifted his head and looked around at the devastation he had caused inside the hospital. He had hurt innocent people as well, people who perhaps had nothing to do with his mother's death.
"I… what have I done?" Tears began to stream from Cheng's eyes. The black smoke emanating from his body slowly started to fade, and his red eyes began returning to their former, normal—innocent—state.
The Secret Admiral stepped forward, placed her hand on Cheng's shoulder, and said, "It is not too late yet, Cheng. Taking revenge is not your duty—but delivering justice is mine. I promise you, Marcus will receive the harshest punishment under the law. I will personally present the evidence of his corruption. And this hospital… its administrators will not only have to apologize, but they will also be required to run a free ward in your mother's name, so that no other poor soul has to endure the pain that you did." Saying this, the Secret Admiral looked at Cheng with eyes full of hope.
Hearing the Secret Admiral's words, Cheng finally realized the weight of his mistakes and sank down onto his knees. He no longer looked like a terrifying demon, but like that same broken son—whose innocence Aethna had exploited, turning him into a dangerous monster.
"I am aware of my mistakes, Secret Admiral, but will the law be able to forgive me? And even if the law does forgive me… will my mother's soul ever be able to forgive me?" Cheng asked, looking at the Secret Admiral through his sobs.
"Cheng, you will have to face the law for what you have done," the Admiral said calmly. "But I will stand with you. Your case will be fought as one of genuine self-defense and mental trauma. The darkness you sided with was your compulsion, not your nature. And I promise you this—from this day forward, the Secret Admiral will not fight only for the helpless and those tormented by dark powers, but for every life that breathes on this earth, whether human, animal, bird, or even plants."
Cheng looked once more toward the same hospital bench where he had left his mother's lifeless body, as if silently asking her forgiveness. His tears had extinguished the fire of hatred and revenge burning within his heart. But was it really that simple, as it seemed? Or was something still waiting ahead—something even the Secret Admiral herself could not yet foresee?