There was silence in the corridor. Xavier gulped down saliva, the blade dangerously close to his Adam's apple. So close that it was able to draw blood, the blood dripping down his neck.
The woman was smiling, her smile not reaching her face, but it was still creepy and eerie at the same time. It gave him the chills, knowing that this woman won't hesitate to kill him if he isn't careful.
'Shit!" He cursed in his mind. 'This is why I should've trusted my guts. Damn it, I was deceived.'
His eyes were still on the woman, who was still oblivious or shamelessly still naked. It was like she didn't care about it.
"Really smart of you to use your body to deceive people," Xavier spoke, his eyes narrowed, still on her. "Who are you and what do you want from me?"
The woman smiled, the blade moving further up an inch. "Hey, kid, I didn't give you permission to start yapping, did I?"
"Plus." She continued. "I wonder why you haven't been caught till now since I got you so easily."
That rang a bell. He should have known. It was becoming clearer now.
"You're one of the kidnappers," Xavier said, glaring at her.
The woman raised eyebrows. "Oh, so you know about us. I thought you were an F-rank."
"I am an F-rank." Xavier grinned. "And you guys are not as secretive as you think, since you allowed one to escape."
"So one escaped, huh. I bet he didn't last long."
Xavier was quiet. It was actually true, the man didn't last long and was already dead."
"Oh, well." The woman sighed. "I guess it's time for you, humans, to receive your fate. We've been looking for new prey."
Xavier narrowed his eyebrow. "Human? As if she isn't one too." Then he frowned. "Or she's not?"
He stared at her. She looked like an ordinary human to him. So what was the gone in the way she was saying it? As if he were a lower species or something.
He gritted his teeth in anger. He should have just followed his gut and not come here to her. He gazed at her, his eyes narrowed as if he was analysing her.
"Should I attack her, now?" He thought. "If I just quickly push the blade out of my neck, I can easily smash her face into the wall. I need timing."
His thoughts buzzing in his head like flies, he didn't notice that the woman was looking at him with narrowed eyes.
"You're thinking of attacking me, aren't you?" She whispered, her voice snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Do not take me for a fool, kitty." She replied. "I can see it in your eyes."
Xavier didn't say a word. He didn't know what to say. All he could think of was whether he was readable to people or she figured him out quickly.
"I need to kill her." He thought, determined. "There's no other option. She'll kill me if I'm not careful."
Then she spoke.
"You have to be knocked out," she whispered, voice soft as silk, but soaked in venom. "It's the only way you'll see."
Xavier's eyes narrowed. "See what?"
Her smile widened.
"The truth."
She lunged.
But Xavier was faster.
He twisted his body, ducking under the blade, the edge grazing his cheek as he rolled backward across the stone floor. Sparks flew from the gauntlets as he came up in a crouch, fists raised, blood trickling down his face.
The woman stood calmly, blade still in hand, her hair falling like a curtain around her shoulders. She didn't chase him. She didn't blink.
She waited.
"This is my chance!" Xavier thought. "I can't waste it!"
He charged.
He closed the distance in a heartbeat, swinging a gauntleted fist toward her ribs. She moved like smoke—twisting, bending, letting the punch pass through the air. He followed with a second strike, then a third, each faster, harder, more precise.
She dodged them all.
Her feet barely touched the ground. Her body bent in impossible angles, her movements fluid and unnatural. Xavier gritted his teeth, unleashing a flurry of blows—left, right, spinning elbow, rising knee—but she danced through them like a phantom.
"Damn it!" He cursed. "Stop moving, you crazy woman!"
Then she stopped.
Her eyes began to glow.
White.
Not bright—blinding.
The corridor dimmed around her, the runes flickering, the air thickening. Xavier stepped back, fists still raised, but something was wrong. The pressure in the room shifted. The walls seemed to pulse. The floor vibrated.
She opened her mouth.
And screamed.
The sound tore through the corridor like a tidal wave of knives. The walls cracked. The runes shattered. Crystals exploded. Xavier was lifted off his feet, hurled backward like a rag doll, and slammed into the far wall with bone-jarring force.
Stone splintered behind him. Dust rained down.
His ears rang violently—like a thousand bells screaming inside his skull. His vision blurred. Blood trickled from his nose. He tried to stand, but the world tilted sideways.
She walked toward him slowly, barefoot, blade still in hand, eyes glowing.
"You weren't supposed to fight," she said. "You were supposed to sleep."
Xavier groaned, pushing himself up, gauntlets sparking.
The woman smiled. "How are your ears. Sting, don't they?"
Xavier didn't say a word, since he was trying to catch his breath without saying a word.
"I can't win against her," Xavier whispered, the realisation dawning against him. Why? I thought I was strong."
"System." He whispered. "Help me out. I don't want to die here. At least give me another weapon."
[The system has made it clear that the host can not depend on it.]
Xavier couldn't argue with it at this moment.
"You should stop struggling," she whispered.
Xavier's breath hitched.
Her voice was soft, almost motherly, but it carried the weight of something cold and clinical. Something rehearsed.
"You're strong," she continued, tilting her head. "Too strong to waste. They'll be pleased."
Xavier blinked, trying to focus. "They?"
She smiled.
"You'll make a fine specimen. A new lab rat. One they won't have to sedate."
She stood, her silhouette framed by the flickering runes behind her. The blade lowered, but her presence loomed larger than ever.
"You'll be studied," she said. "Dissected. Rebuilt. And if you're lucky… maybe you'll still remember your name."
Xavier clenched his fists, the gauntlets sparking weakly.
But his body wouldn't respond.
"Oh, man." He muttered. "I'm in deep trouble now."