"You! What are you doing!?"
The man, who stood near Luna, sharpened his blue eyes. His voice was deep, laced with fury that shook the atmosphere around him. However, upon seeing Albert raise his palm, the man's sharp aura dwindles.
"Cain?"
On the other hand, Luna's voice was soft. Her widened eyes mirrored the boy's smile. She was unsure of what was transpiring inside the boy's mind, yet her beating heart suddenly calmed down, watching Cain's determined eyes.
Albert kept his mouth sealed, his black eyes gazing at the boy's palm that emitted a black light. Under his unusual gaze, the black light crackled and scattered tiny veins across the joined palms.
'This!?'
His eyes narrowed when he saw the crack running through his sister's hand pulsate. The crimson light throbbed; its light began to move toward the black light.
No, it was being sucked into it.
The man noticed the size of the crimson cracks had shrunk. Albert shifted his gaze upward, and both his pupils turned into dots.
'No way!?'
"Mother, your face!?"
Not only Albert, who notices the change, but Luna too. Both their responses prompted the man in the house to gaze at his wife's expression, which showed her pale skin; not a single crack from the virus symptom could be seen.
His brows twitched as he caught the crimson lines slithering under his wife's throat. It crawled back into Selena's upper body down toward her left hand, which the grey-haired boy was holding.
'What's happening!?'
However, his words got stuck in his throat. The man saw the crimson cracks begin to invade the boy's body, sinking its ferocious teeth.
"Cain, your hand!?"
Hearing Albert's voice beside him prompted the boy to glance downward. He witnessed crimson cracks spread into the back of his palm, yet he felt nothing of it. Cain's other hand pulled his long sleeves; his brows furrowed in wonder.
"Boy, stop it!"
A feminine voice, filled with deep rage, reverberated in his ears. Cain turned to its source and saw the woman's face twisted into a furious demon. Her black eyes that reminded him of the mad scientist beside him posed no threat as he shrugged his shoulders and clenched the woman's hand tight.
The black light on his hand hummed, emitting an ominous glow tinged with a bit of red. Cain's attention shifted to the side, watching a barrage of notifications from a blue panel in the corner of his vision.
[Corruption 1%]
[Corruption 1%]
[Corruption 1%]
…
Watching the increasing number, the corner of his lips lifted upward. Cain's action roused everyone present, including the sick person on the bed.
They were unsure of what kind of motive and power the boy possessed that could suck out the virus from a person's body. However, from the looks of it, the power required a massive price, for it didn't cure the sickness but exchanged one's life for another.
Those thoughts became a mace that smashed into Selena's consciousness. A jolt of adrenaline coursed through her veins, causing her slow heartbeat to throb wildly like a drum.
Sounds started to fade, replaced by a relentless beat as it continued to pound her heart in guilt, watching an unknown boy trying to sacrifice his life for her.
In the midst of swirling chaos, Selena tried to pull her hand, but thanks to her bedridden state and lack of physical activities, she couldn't exert an ounce of strength, let alone free herself from the young man's clutches.
She glanced sideways, hoping her husband would act. However, she saw the man only standing still, not moving an ounce of muscle, as if wanting the miracle to continue.
At that time, a feeling that shouldn't be present in her heart resurfaced. It was dark, tainted with Selena's raw sadness, mixed with a thick rage and disappointment toward her husband.
'Stop.'
"Stop!"
Before Selena could voice her protest, Luna's clear bell-like voice jolted her darkened mind. She gazed at her daughter, Luna's delicate fingers coiled around the boy's arm.
Luna's blurry gaze fixed on the boy's reddened arm. A tingling sensation ran through her fingertips when she felt a chill radiate from Cain's supposedly warm skin. Her body shuddered as she thought something bad had happened to the boy.
She lifted her face, facing the boy with widened eyes. Even half of his face was covered by crimson cracks.
"Cain, that's enough!"
The girl never thought that Cain could do something unbelievable like absorbing a virus from other people. Initially, Luna was elated, seeing the red lines on her mother's body disappearing at a rapid speed.
However, those emotions turned to dread that washed away the blood from her face, watching the boy who had nothing to do with her family, try to sacrifice himself.
Luna started to curse at herself. A realization dawned upon her like cold water that splashed on her body, chilling her to the bone about the bitter reality before her.
There was no way such convenient abilities could exist.
"Enough, Cain! Please don't sacrifice yourself and tarnish my mother's resolve any longer."
She looked down, and deep down in the corner of her heart, the girl still wished that both precious people in her life could be saved from the virus, but she knew it was asking too much.
"It's okay."
Cain's calm voice drew Luna's gaze to him. The cold that spread to her hand subsided as a warmth from the boy's other hand landed on her outstretched palms.
"I'm going to be fine."
"What do you!?"
Before Luna could finish her words, her pupils shrank, witnessing the crimson cracks around Cain's face slowly disappearing until they turned normal. She held her breath, then shifted her attention downward, only to widen her eyes.
"M-Mother?"
Cain's hands and her mother's were no longer connected. Her mother stared blankly at her raised palm; the skin was pale and unblemished, leaving only the faint blue at the tips, which gradually returned to red.
The boy carefully escaped from Luna's grasp and stepped backward. Cain exhaled a long sigh while patting his chest. From his fingertips, a bit of crimson line still pulsates, but it soon disappears.
'Phew, thank god it works well.'
A blue panel emerged, blocking his vision as if telling him to rejoice in the spoil. Then, his body flinched, feeling a boiling heat in his veins, crawling around before it settled in his lower stomach.
[Corruption: 100%]
[Dantian: 15%]
"What happened? My body just?"
The woman's voice attracted Cain's eyes to her side. Her black eyes widened, still trying to grasp the reality presented before her. Meanwhile, Luna, who heard her mother's clear voice, covered her mouth as tears started to stream down her cheeks.
"Mother."
Without warning, the girl jumped into her mother's chest, pushing the lady down to the rocking bed. The madame stared at the ceiling, trying to feel the warmth of skin contact.
"This..."
Her words trailed off, and both her hands were wrapped around the girl's trembling shoulders, embracing her tightly.
Cain took a deep breath and felt a nudge from his side, which came from Albert. He glanced to the side, seeing the man point his chin toward the door. The boy nodded, lifting his feet to leave the room.
He took a last glance at senior Luna, who kept crying in her mother's embrace. The corner of his lips lifted upward.
'I'm happy for you, senior Luna.'
The boy and Albert walked past the maid, who stood near the door. They entered the long corridor, their echoing footsteps drowned by the loud crying behind them.
There was no conversation, yet the silence didn't feel suffocating at all. In fact, it was somewhat comforting for both Cain and Albert, who received something from this event.
With his corruption gauge filled, Cain gains another card in his arsenal for battle in the future. As for Albert, he managed to fulfill his promise to his little sister and now began to calculate his next plan.
Time passed in silence as the two arrived at the entrance door. They didn't know why they were here, but they reached for the door.
The door creaked open, and a golden light pierced through the mansion's interior. It brought color to the previously bleak mansion.
Cain stepped forward as he tried to leave the mansion without informing the people inside.
"Wait Cain!"
Albert's voice made his steps halt midway. He peeked through his shoulder and widened his eyes, witnessing the man bow his upper body.
"Thank you very much for saving my sister's life. This debt, I will remember it for life."
Receiving sincere gratitude from the adult, who once cornered him, made something inside him churn. Cain's expression frowned, but for a moment. He sighed while turning his attention forward toward the still-parked Humvee near the gate.
"Let me borrow your ride, and please deal with the aftermath for me."
Without saying anything more, Cain left the man alone near the entrance door. Albert straightened his posture and opened his mouth.
"Where are you going? Are you sure you want to miss the favor from the Winterfell family?"
The boy waved his hands as he continued to walk along the passage and spoke.
"I'll deal with that later. I want to go home first."
Hidden from the man's probing gaze, Cain gritted his teeth. His hand rubbed around his lower stomach. Ever since he saw the panel appear, he had felt a searing heat burning his internal organs. It was as if he slurped molten iron for lunch.
'Damn it!'
With cold sweat drenching his back, the boy managed to ride the car and leave the mansion in silence, in pain.