CHAPTER 6 — A STEP BEHIND
POV: DAVE [9 minutes before they left the organization]
"I've found him," Dave said.
His voice sounded steadier than he felt.
"Let's move."
For half a second, no one spoke.
The underground chamber—once the heart of the organization—lay in complete ruin. White walls were stained dark with ash and something else Dave refused to identify too closely. The air was cold, unnaturally so, and every breath felt heavier than the last, as though the space itself resisted being disturbed.
The commander stepped forward first.
"How certain are you?"
Dave didn't look at him.
"I saw him."
That was enough.
Boots scraped against the concrete as the operatives fanned out, weapons raised. Their movements were trained, precise—but there was tension beneath it. Everyone felt it. This wasn't a normal cleanup operation. This wasn't even a hunt.
It felt like walking into a place that didn't want them alive.
Dave took the lead, his resonance humming faintly beneath his skin. He could feel the ground, the walls, the metal embedded deep beneath the facility — every vibration, every scar left behind by violence.
And there were many.
Too many.
This place wasn't attacked, Dave thought grimly.
It was erased.
They passed the first corridor.
Bodies lined the walls.
Some slumped where they had stood. Others lay twisted on the floor, expressions frozen somewhere between shock and disbelief. No defensive formations. No signs of resistance.
One of the younger agents swallowed hard.
"No gunfire marks," he whispered.
Another agent muttered, "No blast residue either."
The commander's jaw tightened.
"What kind of resonance does this?"
Dave shook his head slowly.
"It's not just any resonance. It's more dangerous"
That earned him a look.
"It's intention," Dave continued. "This was done by someone who wanted them to feel it."
They reached the experimental wing.
The doors were blown inward, steel bent like paper.
The room beyond was stark white — or what used to be white. Stain marks streaked across the floor. Glass panels were shattered. Equipment lay broken, crushed into the ground as if pressed down by invisible hands.
Dave stopped.
His chest tightened.
"He was here."
The commander raised a hand, signaling everyone to halt.
"You sure?"
Dave nodded, kneeling slowly. His palm hovered over the floor, trembling.
"If I activate my resonance fully," he said, "I'll see everything. Different from what 8 saw before. This one will be specific. From the moment he entered… to the moment they died."
Silence followed.
"Do it," the commander said.
Dave hesitated.
Once I see it, he thought, I can't unsee it. Not to mention the fact that specific descriptions strains me more and affects my resonance.
But he placed his hand down anyway.
The world shattered.
Time folded in on itself.
The white room reassembled around him, pristine and untouched.
A child(teenager)sat on a metal chair.
Small. Thin.
A gas mask covered his face.
The child's feet didn't reach the floor.
He watched how the child grew over the years to become a youth
Then—
A man entered the room, clipboard in hand.
"You're lucky, kid," the man said cheerfully. "Your attendant finally decided to show up."
The youth tilted his head.
"Surface access granted," the man continued. "You're free."
The youth stood.
Followed.
Elevator doors slid open.
Just before they closed—
The youth smiled.
Not wide.
Not manic.
A controlled, razor-thin smile.
Enjoyment.
Then—
The vision fractured.
Gunfire. Screams. Panic.
Adults running.
Some begging.
Others frozen.
And at the center of it all—
The masked figure.
Moving slowly.
Deliberately.
Watching.
Not rushing.
Not panicking.
Enjoying every second.
Dave ripped his hand away with a gasp.
POV: DAVE — PRESENT
He fell backward, barely catching himself before hitting the ground.
"Dave!" someone shouted.
Hands grabbed him, steadying him.
His heart was racing.
Sweat soaked through his uniform.
"He let us find this place," Dave said, breathless.
The commander frowned. "Explain."
"This wasn't escape," Dave said. "It was a performance."
Silence settled like a weight.
"He wanted us to see the bodies," Dave continued. "The damage. The aftermath."
"Why?"
Dave laughed weakly.
"Because fear works better when it's delayed."
The commander looked around the ruined wing.
"So where is he now?"
Dave swallowed.
"Already gone. He's far. But I know his location now. That's all that matters"
Victoria woke slowly.
Too slowly.
Her limbs felt heavy, as though gravity had doubled overnight. Every attempt to move sent a wave of dizziness through her head.
The ceiling above her was unfamiliar.
White.
Clean.
Her stomach twisted as memory rushed back in fragments. She remembered for the second time that week
Her parents.
Her brother.
Blood.
Screaming.
She sat up too fast and nearly collapsed.
A hand caught her shoulder.
"Careful."
She recoiled instinctively, heart hammering.
X.
He stood beside the bed, mask gleaming faintly in the low light.
"You drugged me, again. Just to make me weak" she said, voice shaking.
"Yes."
"You—"
"I anticipated this reaction," he interrupted calmly. "Hatred burns energy. I couldn't afford you collapsing halfway through your first lesson."
Her fists clenched.
"I'll kill you," she whispered.
X tilted his head.
"You can't even stand."
She tried anyway.
Her legs buckled.
Pain flared.
He watched without intervening.
When she finally slumped back onto the bed, breath ragged, he spoke.
"Enough trying. I have a lot for you.
Her chest tightened.
"A.. Whole lot"
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"Just follow all my instructions, and along the line, you'll see that the world is not worth saving. Just controlling." he continued evenly.
Tears spilled freely now.
"Why can't you leave me alone. I didn't ask for this, did I?" she demanded
X didn't answer immediately.
He turned away.
For the first time, his voice lost its smoothness.
"Maybe it's because your family was the first I came in contact with. Besides.." he paused, as if thinking if he should complete the sentence. "Don't worry"
"I will control this world with fear"
He turned back to her.
"You will help me."
Victoria stared at him, terror coiling in her chest.
* * *
The convoy moved quickly through the underground tunnels.
Too quietly.
No radio chatter.
No interference.
"That's not right," the commander muttered.
Dave frowned. "What?"
"This area should be lighting up our sensors," the commander said. "Instead, it's… clean."
Almost too clean.
Dave's resonance pulsed.
Then stuttered.
He winced.
"What's wrong?" an agent asked.
"Someone's interfering," Dave said slowly. "Not blocking me. Redirecting."
The commander's eyes narrowed.
"You're saying?
"I'm saying," Bola replied, "we're being guided."
Silence fell.
Guided where?
* * *
Aria woke screaming.
Her throat burned.
Her room felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Mary rushed in, pulling her into a hug.
"It's okay," Mary whispered. "You're safe."
But Aria wasn't convinced.
"I saw him. He was watching," she sobbed.
Mary stiffened. "Who?"
"You know who I'm talking about. Him. The forgotten one"
Mary forced calm into her voice, but her heart pounded.
"It's okay"
Except now he's back and he's carving fear in all of us. He will come for us
Outside, the wind howled.
Somewhere far away—
Something moved.
Watching Aurelis.
* * *
X stood on the rooftop, city lights flickering below.
Victoria watched from inside, hugging herself.
"They're late," he murmured.
Always late.
He smiled beneath the mask.
And waited.