An almost tangible tension filled the air. Everyone in the dungeon held their breath as Shin opened Haru's cell and stood before the traitor with a dark, foreboding expression.
— "Please… don't kill me…"she sobbed, tears streaming down her face, pleading for mercy. That's when she realized that Shin's face was cold as marble; her fate had already been decided.
— "Kill you?"Shin asked, a sinister smirk forming at the corners of his mouth in the shadows. Manu began to tremble, even though he only saw Shin from behind; after all, he was the only one who truly knew the cruelty his ally was capable of. Yet even he didn't know what his friend would do to a traitor.
— "Why would I do that? A fate far worse than death awaits you!"
A shiver ran down the spine of everyone in the dungeon. They were all terrified, having seen what this young man had accomplished in the past hours and how far he would go to achieve his goals. The mere thought of what he might dare to do horrified them.
— "First of all…"Shin said, lowering himself to the level of the young woman, observing her with a glimmer of pity. For a moment, Haru hoped he might forgive her and everything would return to the way it was before.
— "Clench your teeth!"
Haru didn't even have time to understand what was happening before she felt his fist collide with her face, sending her stumbling back against the wall. Her vision blurred as the searing pain sharpened her senses. Blood gushed from her nose, flooding her mouth with the metallic taste of iron.
— "Now we're even for your betrayal."
Shin's smiling face had never looked so terrifying to Haru since the first time she met him. She realized just how frightening a person he could be. Yet that's when a thought struck her: "Even…?" He wasn't going to kill her after all?
— "You know, originally, if you hadn't betrayed us, we would have saved your son."
The young madman moved to open his ally's cell while everyone held their breath, afraid to interrupt Shin for fear of a fate worse than death.
— "I must admit, both of you are very strong, and everything you did was ingenious, but how could you have possibly saved my son? You don't even know what he looks like."
Haru's question was entirely legitimate. Even if the two had been daring and well-prepared, how could they have dared to target the family of a high-level special forces awakened and hoped to survive? Unless…
— "Goblin Street, right?"
Haru's face fell. That was indeed the address where her son lived, monitored by the awakeneds of the woman who had ruined her life—but at least he was safe so they could use her under optimal conditions.
— "But how?"
Shin was helping Manu to his feet and setting him on the stairs leading out of the dungeon.
— "Guess?" Manu said, struggling to stand on the steps, while the executioner turned back to her.
— "You… you're not just two… You're three!"
All the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. Indeed, there were three: Shin and his lifelong partner Manu, and finally someone capable of daring to offend the family of a high-level awakened, who also had enough influence to help them, and of course, an ally of Shin or Manu.
— "Congratulations, you guessed right! You know what's the best part? We already got him, as we speak. Sure, it was more of a kidnapping in a faction war, but the main thing is: your son is safe and sound."
As Shin finished speaking, Haru smiled. Relief and joy filled her face; all her suffering hadn't been in vain. On the contrary, her son was finally free, and they might even be reunited later. At least, that's what she thought—until the man in front of her spoke again.
— "Except after what you've done to us, he might die prematurely."
Haru went cold. Her face froze in disbelief. She thought: "No, he's not going to harm my son, is he?" Then she recalled the crime she had committed against someone who trusted her, and a dark thought emerged from her tortured mind: "I can't let that happen. I have to manipulate him! He's still young. I have to deceive him to save my son."
— "You do have values, right? You wouldn't harm one of those normal, defenseless people who already suffer enough in this world."
Hoping to save her son by appealing to the madman's moral code, she tried to poke at Shin's humanity.
— "Hmm… Nah. After all, not all human lives are equal, right? Even less so the life of a traitor's son."
Looking her straight in the eyes, Shin made it clear to Haru that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and he would show no mercy to anyone who stood in his way.
— "Wha… what do you want from me, then?"the terrified young woman asked, on the edge of despair. Shin had reached his goal: the last piece of the puzzle he needed to dismantle Rubis.
— "For now, I had our accomplice poison your son. Nothing serious: he has to take an antidote that only I can concoct every 12 hours, and if we don't act, he'll die in two hours."
As he spoke these cruelties, Shin smiled. Haru's fear peaked, leaving her unable to think clearly, and that's when he seized his chance.
— "Work for me for one year. You must follow my orders to the letter and help me reduce Rubis to ashes."
Shin needed someone capable of confronting Céline and Croc if he wanted to destroy Rubis. But since Haru, who was supposed to play that role originally, had betrayed them, he needed a guarantee that she would work hand in hand with them. And for that, he would do whatever it took. After all, "extreme situations require extreme solutions," Shin thought as he awaited Haru's response.
— "You… you swear that after this, we'll be free?"Haru asked, after thinking it through.
— "Of course! I'm not that cruel, you know!"Shin said casually, though everyone in the room suspected otherwise. But Haru had no choice if she wanted to see her son alive—and even more if she wanted to keep him.
— "Deal!"
A devilish smile appeared on Shin's face. She may have just made a pact with someone worse than the devil himself.