Julian staggered.
His legs trembled beneath him, blood soaking through torn fabric, every step feeling like knives under his skin.
He should’ve collapsed.
Any normal man would’ve.
But he couldn’t—not yet.
There was still something left to do.
With sheer will, he dragged his body deeper into the base, toward the center, toward the core.
As he moved through the corridors, a strange pressure built beneath him.
He stopped.
Closed his eyes.
Felt it—
Something pulsing from underground.
Without wasting another breath, he raised his hand. Sparks danced at his fingertips.
With the last remnants of his lightning, he blasted a hole through the reinforced floor.
Concrete shattered. Smoke billowed.
Then, silence.
Julian dropped down into the darkness.
He landed hard, feet slipping slightly on the cold metal below.
Lights flickered above him, exposing the faces of terrified scientists frozen in panic.
One of them stammered, "W-who are you?!"
Julian didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
In the blink of an eye, his shadows shot forward, and his katana sliced the air,
And then... flesh.
Screams filled the room.
Julian moved like death itself, cutting through them without mercy.
Begging. Pleading.
It didn’t matter.
He’d already made his choice.
Bodies dropped one by one, some torn in half, others impaled by spear-like shadows.
Blood sprayed across the lab’s sterile walls, painting it in a new color of horror.
When it was done...
Silence.
Only the sound of dripping blood remained.
Julian stood alone in the carnage, chest heaving, eyes dark and wild.
Then he turned—
Toward it.
A grotesque mass in the center of the room.
A living clump of flesh, twitching, pulsing... breathing.
Julian stepped closer.
Each footstep echoed.
Blood trickled from his wounds, dotting the floor behind him.
He reached out, inches away,
And then his legs gave out.
His body hit the floor with a heavy thud.
Unconscious.
The room dimmed.
And everything fell into silence once more.
Julian felt like he was sinking.
No sound.
No pain.
Just the vast, crushing silence of an endless ocean.
His body drifted weightlessly, deeper into the abyss, like a man swallowed by the sea.
There was no light. No direction.
Only cold.
Only fading consciousness.
Then—
A breath.
A jolt.
Julian’s eyes snapped open.
He was... in his room?
Soft sheets beneath him. The familiar hum of a fan overhead. His sword resting quietly against the wall.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
He sat up slowly, eyes narrowing.
"This again...?"
His voice was low. Tired.
He stood, walking toward the mirror. His reflection stared back, calm, clean, untouched by battle or blood.
A lie.
He clenched his fists. "I’ve had enough of this."
His voice echoed louder this time.
"To whoever’s behind this—stop playing games and show yourself!"
The walls around him began to flicker, like a broken screen glitching out.
The ceiling rippled. The floor cracked like glass.
Julian turned in all directions. "Don’t run now. What the hell is this?! What are you trying to show me?!"
But no voice answered.
No figure appeared.
Only silence.
And then—
Everything shattered into darkness.
The world dissolved like ash on the wind.
Julian gasped softly as his eyes fluttered open.
Light filtered through the curtains, bathing the room in a warm, golden hue.
He turned his head slightly... and saw her.
Veronica.
She was asleep, slumped over the edge of the bed, her head resting beside him on the mattress. Her long hair was a mess, her breathing soft and steady.
Julian couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Slowly, gently, he reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, brushing a few loose strands away from her face.
Veronica stirred.
Her eyes fluttered open, hazy at first, until they locked with his.
Then everything clicked.
"Julian...?" she breathed, voice trembling.
Before he could respond, she launched forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him.
"Idiot! Don’t ever scare me like that again," she choked out, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes. "I thought... I thought you weren’t going to wake up..."
Julian winced slightly. "Ow... careful..."
But he didn’t pull away.
Instead, he raised one arm and held her close, gently stroking her hair as she sobbed into his shoulder.
And for a while, they stayed like that.
No words, just warmth and relief.
Veronica had finally calmed down, though her eyes were still red and puffy from crying.
Julian looked at her for a moment before asking, "Where are the others?"
"They’re all asleep," she replied softly. "It’s my turn to keep watch."
Julian gave a small nod.
"It’s over now," Veronica added. "Everything’s peaceful again. The zombies haven’t invaded since. Rayden’s the one leading things here now."
Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Did you... see the flesh-like mass near me when I passed out?"
Veronica shook her head. "No. When we found you, you were far from where you last fought. We figured out your location by following the trail of your blood. You’re lucky, you were bleeding out, but somehow still alive."
Julian frowned in thought. ’Why was that mass gone? I hadn’t even destroyed it yet... Could it have moved on its own? Could it be sentient?’
Just as the thought began to sink in, he winced in pain. "Oww—"
Veronica had pinched his leg, frowning at him. "Don’t start overthinking things again. Just focus on healing."
Julian let out a breath and gave her a resigned nod. "Alright, alright..."
After a brief silence, Julian glanced at her. "Why didn’t Lucia take command instead?"
Veronica chuckled softly. "Lucia refused. She wants to marry Elien and settle down peacefully."
Julian blinked in surprise. "Wait, seriously? Those two? Huh... So they finally made some progress, huh?"
Veronica looked at him with a sly smile. "So... when’s our turn?"
Julian blinked. "Our turn for what?"
"To get married, obviously," she said, crossing her arms. "Don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it?"
Julian, clearly flustered. "I’ve thought about it... I just figured now isn’t the right time yet."
Veronica narrowed her eyes playfully. "Hmm, or maybe you’re thinking of adding another girl to the list, huh?"
Julian quickly changed the subject. "How’s Claus? Is everything under control with him?"
Veronica rolled her eyes but went along with it. "He’s doing fine. He’s learned to control his powers now, so things are stable. You don’t have to worry about that anymore."
She stood up, brushing her hair back behind her ear. "What you need to do is focus on healing. I’ll go make you something to eat. So just wait here, alright?"
"Yeah, got it," Julian replied with a nod.
After Veronica stepped out of the room, Julian slowly shifted himself upright. Through the small window, he noticed it was already nighttime, the sky was dark, scattered with faint stars.
He looked down at his body. The healing was progressing, but slowly. Some of his bones still hadn’t fully set, and the ache in his chest reminded him his internal organs were still recovering.
He let out a tired sigh. It was honestly a miracle he was still alive. Especially after drinking that potion, the one that cut down his lifespan in exchange for survival.
His thoughts wandered. That dream... what did it mean? Was it just a hallucination from the trauma, or something more? Maybe the mass ’that thing’ had something to do with it.
He needed answers.
Just then, the door opened again.
Veronica stepped in, holding a tray of warm food. She smiled as she sat beside him and began feeding him, carefully, like she’d done it a hundred times before.
Julian took a bite, then widened his eyes slightly. "Hey, that’s actually really good."
Veronica blushed a little, her smile twitching upward. "I’m glad you like it."
"You’ve gotten good at cooking," he added with a half-smile.
She lifted her chin proudly. "Of course. I’ve been practicing every day, you know."
Julian chuckled. "Maybe once I’m healed, I should take each of you on a date. One at a time. I want to spend proper time with everyone."
Veronica looked away for a moment, trying to hide the growing smile on her face. "Hmm... that sounds nice. But only after you recover."
Deep down, she was already excited.
After finishing the last bite of his meal, Julian leaned back slightly and looked over at Veronica.
"Don’t you want to visit your family?" he asked.
Veronica tilted her head thoughtfully. "If I get the chance, I will... but not right now."
Julian nodded. "I’ve always been curious about what your family’s like."
Veronica let out a soft laugh. "They’re just a bunch of uncontrollable lunatics. You’d probably go crazy just trying to talk to them."
Julian gave her a blank look. "So... just like you, then?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me? I am manageable, thank you very much."
Veronica yawned, her eyes visibly tired. She rubbed them lazily and leaned back in the chair.
"You should sleep," Julian said gently. "You’ve been up long enough."
She nodded in agreement and stood up. Instead of heading to another bed or leaving the room, however, she climbed right onto Julian’s.
Julian blinked. "What are you doing?"
"Sleeping," Veronica replied plainly, already slipping under the covers.
He sighed, resigned. ’Since when did she become so clingy?’ he thought to himself.
Despite the dull ache in his body, he didn’t resist when she gently wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder. Within moments, her breathing slowed, and she was asleep, peacefully, like she belonged there.