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The private medic arrived within minutes, escorted by two shadow-cloaked bodyguards from Hyme's family security unit. They took the injured informant from the backseat of San's car and rushed him into the clinic wing of Hyme's estate.
San leaned against the wall of the hallway, rubbing his bruised jaw. Hyme stood nearby, arms crossed, ears twitching anxiously as they waited.
"Hyme," San said at last, breaking the silence, "that guy—before he passed out… he said not to trust the silver-eyed hybrid."
Hyme's expression didn't change at first. Then he looked away.
San narrowed his eyes. "You know something, don't you?"
Hyme's tail swayed slowly. "...There's only one silver-eyed hybrid I've met."
"Who?"
Hyme turned back to him, voice low. "My cousin."
San blinked. "You have a cousin?"
"Yes. On my mother's side. His name is Lys. He… used to live here. But father sent him away years ago." Hyme hesitated. "He always had this obsession with power, like he wanted to prove hybrids were superior to humans. He hated me for being half-human."
San frowned. "So he might be working with Reiks?"
Hyme didn't answer. He looked down at his shoes, then slowly walked toward the glass wall, watching the medic work inside.
"I was always weak compared to him," he murmured. "He used to say I was a disgrace to hybrids. I thought he was gone for good."
San walked over and stood beside him. "You're not weak, Hyme."
Hyme laughed softly, bitter. "I sleep on you like a pillow and cry when I lose my favorite plushie."
"You also ran claw-first into a wine-covered assassin to protect me," San replied, reaching out and gently flicking Hyme's ear. "Brave enough in my book."
Hyme's cheeks reddened, ears twitching.
Inside, the medic finished patching up the informant, who now lay pale but stable. The medic opened the door.
"He's conscious. But you'll want to be gentle—his vitals are shaky."
Hyme and San entered. The man's eyes fluttered open, and his voice was barely audible.
"...Lys," he whispered. "That's the name."
San exchanged a glance with Hyme.
"He's planning to strike the Gala again. Not just a show this time—he's targeting the council itself."
Hyme's breath caught.
San stepped closer. "When?"
The informant coughed weakly. "Ten days. During the interspecies conference. He has insiders… and he's working with something ancient. Not just hybrids. Not just humans."
Hyme stiffened. "Ancient? Like… myth-level?"
The man gave a faint nod. "I saw it once. Eyes like a void… horns… wings… Lys has made a pact with something that shouldn't exist."
San's gut twisted. "We need to stop him."
Before the man could say more, his pulse monitor beeped erratically. The medic rushed in.
"Out. Now!"
Hyme and San left the room as the door slammed shut.
San ran a hand through his hair. "Ten days."
Hyme was silent for a moment, then said, "We'll stop him."
San turned to him. "Even if he's your family?"
Hyme's eyes flashed. "He stopped being my family the day he threatened mine."
They stood in silence, the weight of the revelation settling between them like fog.
Then San reached out and ruffled Hyme's hair.
"I liked you better when you were stealing cake and licking frosting off your nose."
Hyme smiled faintly. "That side still exists."
"I hope so. Because I'm not letting anything take that from me."
Hyme blinked, tail curling slightly, face softening. "You're really into me, aren't you?"
San grinned. "What gave it away? My undying tolerance or the fact I let you sleep on my chest like a purring heater?"
Hyme giggled, tension finally cracking. "Both."
As they turned down the hallway, San muttered, "Guess we're going to war with a cousin and a demon."
Hyme's ears twitched. "That sounds like the worst dating sim ever."
San just sighed. "And I didn't even get dinner first."
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