The morning came without a dream.
There was no Octarion. No whispers. Just silence... and a false calm.
Liam awoke before the sound of the scanner activating. The room lights came on softly, and-for the first time since his arrival-he felt his body was whole, his soul was not. But his body... yes, intact.
A few minutes later, the door opened automatically. Two medical staff entered, but they weren't carrying the usual examination equipment. They were carrying something different: clean, formal suits, dark gray with white shirts and new-looking black leather shoes.
"As per Director Moren's instructions," one of the male staff said politely. "Mr. Louren has been asked to attend a meeting to be held this morning."
Liam stared at the clothes, slightly surprised. "May I have five minutes?" he asked.
The staff smiled and gave a small bow. "Of course. We'll wait outside."
Once they were outside, Liam stepped in front of the small mirror in the corner of the room. His hair was a little messy, but his eyes... were no longer fiery red. They were now deep. Sharp. Wary.
"Alright, it's time," he whispered. "No mistakes. No failures."
She put on the clothes slowly. There was something strange about the last button. It was as if she'd buried something inside her-and put on a new face in front of the enemy who'd now invited her to sit at the same table.
Soon, several officers in full uniform escorted him to the 17th floor-where the important meeting was about to begin. Along the way, Liam watched his surroundings intently. It had been almost a week since he was laid up. He had not seen the outside world... until today.
17th Floor Meeting Room, NEXARIS Southeast Asia Branch Headquarters - 9:15 AM
The heavy metal door opened slowly. A security guard ushered Liam into the futuristic and minimalist design room. A large oval table made of black glass stood in the center of the room, surrounded by elegant metal chairs. Holographic screens hung in the air, displaying cryptic data.
Eren Marcier sits on the left side, calm and unreadable. Luca Moren stands facing the screen, hands tucked under his coat. When he sees Liam enter, Eren greets him with a small nod and a faint smile. Luca turns his head, and-for the first time-is also smiling. Cold, but not cynical.
"Have a seat, William," he said quietly, his tone formal but not intimidating.
Liam took the seat across from them. Not too close. But enough to look them both in the eye.
"Thank you for the... opportunity," Liam said quietly.
Luca nodded. "We no longer hold you as a prisoner. Today, we dialog as two entities... that can benefit each other."
Eren opened the tablet in front of him. "Before we get into the details of cooperation or negotiations, we'd like to hear something directly from you, Liam. Voluntarily."
Liam looked at the two. "What do you want to hear?"
"Who you are," Luca replied firmly. "And what your relationship is with the entity we call Subject O. Or... Octarion."
The room fell silent.
Liam leaned back slightly, taking a deep breath. "I don't know exactly who he is. But he's... inside me. Maybe always has been. She doesn't just live in my mind. She's a part of me that's been dormant all this time."
Eren noted something on his tablet. "Are you able to control her now?"
"No," Liam answered honestly. Then his eyes narrowed, suspicious. "But... how did you know his name was Octarion? I never told you."
Luca crossed his arms. "Answer my question first."
"I'll answer," Liam said, calm but sharp, "after I get the information I'm entitled to."
She smiled slightly. Eren looked at him sharply, but didn't immediately reply.
"All right," he said finally. "Octarion is a non-terrestrial entity. Call it a parasite. It came with the meteor that fell to Earth around 1990. That's all I can tell you... considering you haven't paid anything yet."
Her tone turned insulting. Liam looked down for a moment.
"So this has something to do with this organization," he mused. "Neither Octarion nor NEXARIS... neither of which I can trust."
He stared at the holographic screen Luca had just turned on - showing footage of the meteor fall, images of the quarantine field, and bio-electrical signal data.
"Is all this not enough for you to believe, Louren?" Luca asked flatly.
He pointed at the screen. "Now it's your turn. Tell us about yourself-what you've been feeling."
Eren added, "We'll pay for any information you give us. Think of it... we're business partners."
Liam paused for a moment. Then he slowly spoke-in a calm tone, full of secrecy, and a bit of manipulation.
"I don't remember exactly when. But it all started in my elementary school classroom. From then on... strange dreams began to appear. Sometimes just vague suspense, sometimes unexpected power. Since then too... my life has never been calm. We were constantly on the move."
Luca listened intently. Eren took note of every word.
"How much power do you have now?" Luca asked seriously.
Liam tapped his finger on the table, slowly.
"What good will it do me to tell you that?" he asked. "What rights would I have if I cooperated with you guys?"
Eren answered honestly, "Well, it looks like you're no longer afraid..."
There was a pause. The sentence hung in the air, like a dull knife still hovering before sinking in. Liam leaned forward slightly. Their eyes met - each guessing the other's hidden intentions.
"Scared?" muttered Liam softly, his voice barely audible but full of stress.
He chuckled, bitterly.
"You think I'm not scared because I'm sitting here quietly?" Liam glanced around the room. "You're dead wrong."
Silence.
Liam looked at Eren straight on, his eyes cold.
"I'm just deciding... who I need to destroy first."
Suddenly the atmosphere in the room turned tense. Eren opened his mouth to speak, but before he could make a sound-
"Fear!!!" Liam's voice rose, cutting Eren off with an angry tone. "Say that again..."
He stood up slowly from his chair, leaning forward like a wild animal that was beginning to feel cornered.
"I'm not just some animal that you can make into a slave. If I wanted to-I could destroy you in this place, right now."
Luca rose from his chair, the sound of the chair's metal scraping echoing in the room. His gaze is piercing, but not with anger-it's something else. Curiosity... and caution.
"Then why didn't you do it from the start?" asked Luca in a slightly raised tone.
Eren glanced sharply at Luca, giving a subtle signal for restraint. But Liam was already reacting.
"Because I wanted to know... where NEXARIS really is," Liam replied with a mocking smile. "What you guys are hiding. And how far you're going to fool me before it all goes up in flames."
That smile cut sharper than anger. Silence returned to the room, but it was not a comfortable silence. It was a suffocating silence-like the air before a storm.
Finally, Liam took a deep breath, then sat back down quietly. The look in his eyes was different. He was no longer a confused teenager who woke up in solitary confinement. Now he sat like a master negotiator-or something far more dangerous.
"Alright, let's put it this way. If you really need me that much, how about we make a contract?" he said slowly, rolling out the offer like the last card on a poker table. "One year. Cooperation contract."
Eren squinted. "A contract?"
"That's right," Liam leaned back in his chair. He crossed his legs, then raised his hands, one finger at a time.
"The first condition is that I'm given the freedom to live my life as a normal high school student. School, social interactions, and everything... no direct interference."
"Secondly," he said, raising a second finger, "I receive financial compensation. In exchange for all this-risk, information, even my body."
"Third, personal matters-including my background and family-must not be brought into this organization. Nor are they to be shared."
"Fourth," Liam continued in a low but firm tone, "I request one day a week free from monitoring. No surveillance, no tracking. That day is all mine."
"Fifth, any medical treatments, trials, or experiments you plan to perform on me must first be explained openly. Completely. Without exception."
Liam looked deeply at the two. "And lastly... do not deceive me."
Eren and Luca exchanged glances. Neither answered immediately. The atmosphere in the room became heavy-weighted by the weight of the negotiations that had just been thrown on the table.