The hum of the purifier filled the space like a ghost between them.
Then Loadon, standing at the far side of the room beside the wall terminal, finally turned his head.
His optics glowed faint gold as his mechanical voice broke the tension.
"Creator is much stronger than companions realize," he said calmly.
"Creator has raised five brothers by herself. She is very strong-willed."
The group looked at him.
His words, simple and mechanical, hit harder than any of theirs.
"Yeah," Ji-ho muttered, deep voice steady but thoughtful. "I feel our little Iseul would be able to handle this since it's her gift. It's her problem now… and ours too."
Choon-hee leaned against the wall, arms crossed, expression soft.
"Then we tell her. All of it. No secrets. She deserves that much."
No one argued this time.
The decision hung in the air — heavy but certain.
Outside, the balcony door slid open.
Iseul turned halfway, hair catching the wind, eyes tired but calm.
"You guys are loud," she said softly.
Everyone froze.
She looked away back toward the city.
"What are you arguing about now?"
They all shared glances when Choon-hee pretended to trip and shove Joon-seok forward.
Mhm. He cleared his throat slightly while sending a glare to the traitors behind him.
Iseul watched their interaction for a moment.
"Uhm… Erm."
Ji-ho coughed, trying to sound casual. "Just… dah — Gullius' faulty power system to maintenance."
The others instantly wanted to facepalm themselves.
Everyone knew Ji-ho could not lie to save his life and often said "dah" when he was put on the spot and lied or was about to lie.
Tsk.
Haewon, Choon-hee, Chang-min, Ji-ho and Chul-jun felt it was too painful to watch and could only find something interesting to focus their attention on, which happened to be the sky, the floor, or their shoes.
"Uh-huh." Iseul's tone was dry, skeptical.
Clearly, they thought she was three years old.
She couldn't help but feel a prick of annoyance.
She stepped inside, scanning their faces.
"You're all terrible liars."
The silence that followed was thick and awkward.
Even Loadon shook his head, quietly processing the scene.
Sigh.
What strange humans. He didn't understand nor care much about what they were worrying about. He only carried because it involved his Creator.
Still, it was clear that he was only willing to do more for her than others.
Though Loadon made it known he only cared to understand his Creator and her family.
Finally, Joon-seok opened his mouth to speak.
"Iseul… there's something you need to know about what really happened out there."
They were finally going to tell her the truth.
Her expression shifted — understanding, then quiet uncertainty.
She didn't tell them that she remembered everything from her dream because she wasn't brave enough, but she did want to know because there are some blank spots that she needed to fill in to process and couldn't help but feel nervous.
She walked past them, sitting down on the edge of the couch.
A few moments of silence passed as she looked at her hands.
When no one spoke first, she decided to start by giving them some truth.
"I killed all the mutant beasts at the scrapyard area, didn't I?"
The room went still.
Choon-hee's eyes widened. "You… remember?"
"Not really — I mean… I don't know," Iseul lied quietly.
Well, it was true for some areas, but not all; she didn't know what happened after and there were some parts where she kind of blacked out when she wasn't unconscious.
"I don't really remember per se, more like flashes that I remember from my dream. But I know something happened. The animals, Haewon… I dreamt — even felt it."
She lifted her head slowly. Her violet eyes were glossy now, not afraid — just tired.
"I don't remember much but any information or clue helps. Tell me the rest. Please."
No one really knew what to say when hearing her say that.
The silence had stretched for a short while when Loadon spoke first.
Loadon stepped forward, his voice softer than usual.
"Creator used her infinita force to heal companion Haewon. The creator's body contributed biological matter. Companion Haewon is fully restored. There is no danger now."
"Eh?!"
'What does he mean, biological matter? I used my own blood or skin?'
She could not help but panic; she felt worried as she knew that they would come.
'Am I some kind of freak? Will I be tested on?'
The stress and tension she felt started to bring back memories from when she was very young.
Iseul felt her gift stir, hearing her.
Why can't my gift be normal? she thought, frustratedly rubbing her forehead.
This question is always gonna forever ponder on her mind.
Black spots instantly clouded her vision as the world began to spin a little.
Iseul was instantly caught and lifted upright by Loadon who somehow appeared beside her.
"I did what?!" she yelped weakly, not fully bouncing back to her feet.
She hadn't noticed her gift had come out a little, feeling her emotions like its own.
"Ss."
Haewon flinched back a little. Her gift rejected the aura of Iseul's gift, not liking the strange energy it released.
Everyone was wrapped up in Iseul's reaction.
Ji-ho was the only one to notice this other than Loadon, who moved Iseul a bit away from everyone.
Ji-ho moved from across the room to stand beside his fiancée protectively, acting as an extra shield just in case.
He placed his large hand on her slim waist, protectively pulling her closer.
Haewon looked up at him in confusion with a hint of gratitude, which he shook his head silently to.
Right now Iseul was going through a sensitive time with her gift spiking out of control, especially with such strong power she had yet to understand.
"Did anyone see me?" she asked while sorting her thoughts.
If her name really did come up she knew that that sergeant would most likely come for her family again.