The dimly lit corridor was filled with a metalic scent... one that was coming from the blood that was almost everywhere - it was covering the bodies, pooling around them, covering the walls and the floor. The entire hallway of twentieth floor was a grim reminder of the battle that ended about five minutes ago.
Grace was currently present in the hallway with some of her own an Davian’s men. At this point, both of their teams were working together - switching and merging their tasks.
She had her hands resting on her hips as she surveyed the mess. Eight bodies were sprawled at odd angles around the narrow stairwell entrance. The place was a complete mess. She let out a small sigh and turned her very unimpressed gaze at Valeska who was almost hiding behind Ryan, or at least trying to hide.
It was Rio who broke the tense silence first, asking the most important question. "What’s the plan, Boss?"
That’s right. Davian’s men had started calling her Boss, and no matter how many times she had tried to talk them out of it, no one was listening to her. They all were just like their master - stubborn.
Before Grace could have responded, a familiar voice spoke - "Let me handle them."
She froze as she recognized him, and her senses sharpened immediately. She turned toward the direction from where the voice came and her icy gaze locked onto the figure ascending the stairs. His sudden and unexpected appearance put her men on alert as well, and she didn’t even need to look behind her to know that they all were ready to take down the intruder if the situation called for it.
And while she didn’t know it for sure, she could tell that no one there was a real match to him. This intruder wasn’t just anyone - it was Rune.
He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, fully clothed for a change. His blue orbs followed her every move with a hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he moved closer. His each step was deliberate and unhurried.
She felt the men behind her straightening as their instincts put them on defensive mode when they noticed Rune walking closer. Before any of them could have taken any action, she raised one of her hands, signaling them to relax while she returned her gaze to Rune.
He stopped right in front of her, just a breath away. He was so close that she was able to feel the faint energy radiating from him. His audacity to approach her like this, in a scene so drenched in danger, only confused her more. Yet, his calm demeanor made her curiosity flare.
"What are you talking about?" She asked while watching him closely.
"You don’t need to be so tense, Ms. Blackwood." His voice was smooth, even laced with an edge of amusement. He then stepped closer, invading her personal space without hesitation. "I’m here to help, not harm."
He leaned in slightly, putting them intensely close. Their faces were only inches apart. Grace narrowed her eyes and her body instinctively shifted into a defensive posture. Her hand slipped into her sleeve, retrieving a dagger she aimed at his throat in one swift motion.
But he didn’t even flinch. Instead, his gaze softened and his smirk widened. "What are you planning to do with these... bodies?" he asked, his tone almost playful.
"Throw them off the building," she replied coldly while pressing the sharp pointy tip of the blade against his throbbing pulse. "The water will carry them away. No traces left. Sound good?"
If her plan was to scare him, then she failed big time. Instead of feeling intimidated, Rune actually appeared thoughtful for a second or two about her question before slowly shaking his head in disapproval, completely ignoring the dagger’s pointy edge that was just seconds away from piercing his skin.
"Don’t you think that’s very unhygienic?" He suddenly asked.
"..."
Grace found herself at a loss for words as she stared at him with a frown decorating her face. Before she could have found anything to say, he was speaking again.
"Garbage-strewn streets, bloodied walls, and bodies piling up. Is this the world you want to survive in?" he asked, gesturing toward the grim scene around them. "Survival isn’t just about staying alive, Ms. Blackwood. It’s about keeping the world worth living in. You should know that your actual survival is related to the survival of your world too... or maybe... revival of it."
Realizing that there was no use of the dagger, Grace pulled it away and let it slip inside her space before asking, "Am I supposed to clean up the streets from all the... garbage too?" Her gaze shifting to the bodies behind her for a moment before returning to the man standing in front of her. "How am I even gonna do it?" She added next.
Rune arched his eyebrows at her words before his smile grew even bigger. "Just like I said, there’s no survival if this world will become uninhabitable. As for how you can take care of this matter... how about letting me handle it?"
She narrowed her eyes, glaring at the young man as she found herself questioning his true motives. "How?" She asked, curious to know what he was planning this time.
Instead of answering, he shifted his gaze from her to the group of men who were standing behind her with their weapons ready to be used if the situation called for it. Though he didn’t say anything, she understood exactly what he wanted.
Turning her head to look at Rio, she signaled him with her eyes. She could tell that he was hesitant, but just as she expected, he didn’t disobey her order and immediately left with the rest of the team. But instead of leaving the floor, they disappeared inside one of the three units on the twentieth floor.
Once Grace and Rune were left alone... with eight dead bodies, they once again turned their attention toward each other. Grace didn’t speak, but arched her eyebrows high while silently waiting for him to finally answer her previous question.
He didn’t answer her question with words, instead, he showed it to her directly. He spread his left hand out and a bright blue light came out of it, surrounding all eight bodies.
Grace watched as something weird happened and all eight bodies suddenly turned into small light balls. All eight of them were red and of the size of candies.
"What did you...?" She was too stunned to even ask the question properly. Yet, he answered it without wasting any time. "It’s called Soul Alchemy. These dead bodies are now converted in these spirit cores that can be used for various purposes."
Soul Alchemy? Spirit Cores? What is he talking about?
She shifted her gaze from the spirit cores to the man and then back to the cores. "Did you just... turned those bodies into... lights?" She asked, still stunned by what had taken place in front of her very eyes.
Grace’s mind raced. She had seen many strange things in the five long years that she spent in the apocalyptic world. There were creatures that defied logic, events that shattered reality - but this was something else entirely. Soul Alchemy? Spirit cores? None of it made sense, yet she couldn’t deny what she had seen.
He once again didn’t answer her question. Instead, he moved his other hand and removed all the blood stains that were plastered all over the walls and floor of the hallway. One moment ago, there was a lot of blood in the hallway, and the very next moment, there was absolutely nothing there, as if the blood bath didn’t happen in the first place.
Once he was done, he once again stepped closer to her and stood right in front of her. That signature smirk of his was back on his face as he stared right into her eyes and spoke in a husky voice that only deepened his already deep voice. "If you want to know more, you need to put in some real efforts, Ms. Blackwood."
Grace’s breath hitched, though she masked it with a glare. His proximity was unnerving, not just because of the physical closeness but because of the way he seemed to look straight through her.
He then stepped back and smiled at her before turning around and walking away. She watched as he ascended the stairs and disappeared from her sight.
She hesitated, her instincts screaming at her to let him go. Rune was dangerous, unpredictable, and far too powerful. Yet, something about him tugged at her curiosity. His words, his actions - they hinted at knowledge far beyond anything she had encountered before.
She took in a deep breath before following after him, but it seemed like she wasn’t quick enough because there was no sign of him anywhere in the hallway. She headed straight to Unit 2102 but before she could have knocked, the door was pulled open from the inside...!