Teji stood there, breath still heavy, sweat and blood fresh on his face.
His fists trembled at his sides. His voice cracked—low, but edged with pain.
"Where have you been all this time?"
The man in the lab coat didn't answer right away.
He stood motionless under the red glow of the lab lights, like a statue carved from silence.
Then, slowly—he spoke.
"Right here… in Boizano."
His voice was calm. Too calm.
Like he'd rehearsed this a thousand times.
"I had to disappear… for my own sake. For humanity's sake."
Teji's eyes narrowed. His heart thudded harder.
"…But why?"
His voice rose—anger spilling through the cracks.
"WHY did you have to disappear?! Why all this?! WHY—?!"
The man's reply cut the air like a blade.
"Because of your mother!!"
Teji froze.
His mouth slightly open. His pulse stilled.
That name—it wasn't supposed to come up like that.
The man took a slow, deliberate step forward.
"Back when you were just a baby… I made a breakthrough."
He gestured slightly, as if it was something holy.
"A way to enhance the human body. To go beyond human limits.
The same serum that turned you into a special agent?"
He met Teji's gaze.
"I created it."
Teji's breath caught in his throat. His lips moved, but no sound came.
"I thought it was a gift," the man continued, his voice growing colder.
"A new future. A new world. But your mother…"
His face twisted—not with grief, but with something darker.
"She called me insane. A monster. Said what I was doing was unnatural—wrong."
He took another step forward.
"And you know what she did?"
His voice dropped, sharper than before.
"She reported me. To the government."
Teji's hands trembled slightly.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The air in the room felt colder—thicker.
His father kept speaking.
"The government started hunting me down. They wanted to bury my research—bury me."
A short pause. A breath.
Then came the blow.
"So, I faked my death."
Teji's chest tightened.
"I made your mother believe I was gone. I let her think she was safe.
She thought she won. Thought I disappeared forever."
He scoffed.
"But I wasn't gone, Teji."
"I was here. Deep inside Boizano."
"Building this. Piece by piece."
"Preparing my revenge on her… for ruining everything I built."
His father's steps echoed as he walked closer, voice dropping colder with every word.
Almost proud. Like confessing wasn't a burden—but a victory.
"You know what's really crazy?"
He stopped just a few feet from Teji.
Looked him dead in the eyes.
"I'm the one who planned to kill your mom."
The world stopped.
Teji's heart dropped.
The words slammed into his mind like a bomb.
He couldn't breathe.
He dropped to his knees.
"…No…"
His voice cracked, barely holding together.
"You… you killed her…?"
His arms hung limp.
His fingers curled, shaking hard.
His father didn't stop. Didn't flinch.
"Yes. I did."
"Remember that traffic accident you had… two years ago?"
Teji's eyes snapped up, filled with confusion and dread.
His mouth slightly open.
"Who do you think gave the order to replace your bones with steel?"
"…What…?"
"It was me."
"All of it was me."
His voice never shook. Not once.
"But you were stubborn. You wouldn't join Boizano on your own.
You wouldn't listen to the path I laid out."
He took one more step closer.
"So I gave you a reason."
He smiled—small, cruel.
Like this was all just a game.
And he had already won.
"I sent someone to kill your mom…
so that you'd chase her killer."
He tilted his head slightly, voice calm—too calm.
"And Boizano would pick you up.
Train you. Mold you into a weapon I could finally use."
He turned toward the control panel, fingers brushing over it like he owned everything here.
Because he did.
"I made it so you'd walk straight into my plan."
"You became strong."
"Angry."
"Obedient."
"All while the real killer… was right in front of you."
His fingers tapped a few buttons.
The lab lights flickered.
Mechanical arms above Tamiki whirred to life.
Teji stood frozen.
His body refused to move.
His breath cracked like broken glass.
"…You used me…"
His voice was low.
Raw.
"You used her…"
He looked at Tamiki—strapped to that cold chair.
Eyes shut. Skin pale.
Then back at the man he once wanted to find… to save.
Now all he could feel was hate.
Everything—
Everything he believed in—
shattered.
His father's hand hovered over the last button.
He turned around, smiling like none of this was wrong.
"So now you finally see it," he said.
"How far ahead Boizano is."
"How hopeless you are without us."
He stepped closer.
Not rushing. Just confident. Calm.
"This is your last chance, Teji."
"Join me."
"Stand beside me."
"Let's change what it means to be human."
Silence.
Teji didn't say anything.
Didn't move.
He just stared at the man that he should call 'Dad.'
Stared with eyes full of pain.
And rage.
His father sighed like a disappointed teacher.
"Very well."
Click.
His father's finger slammed the final button.
A loud beep echoed across the lab—
and the giant screen behind Tamiki lit up in red.
[SERUM ACTIVATION – 0%]
The number began ticking up.
Slow.
Steady.
1%… 2%… 3%…
Above her, the mechanical arms came to life.
Cold. Sharp. Unforgiving.
Syringes filled with glowing blue serum locked into place, aiming straight for her skin.
Tamiki's body jerked in panic—straps holding her tight.
Her eyes wide.
Her voice screamed out like lightning cracking the sky.
"TEJI! HELP ME!!"
That voice—
That scream—
It tore into him like a blade through the chest.
Teji took a step forward.
His hands curled into fists.
His vision burned.
"OY!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
But his father didn't even turn.
Didn't blink.
Didn't care.
His voice came out smooth. Flat. Sickening.
"Nothing serious. Just testing my new serum."
He tapped the control panel gently, like it was just another lab experiment.
"It's ten times better than the one you took."
"If it works, she'll forget everything.
Her memories… gone.
Her will… mine."
He laughed.
Dry. Cruel.
"She'll follow orders like a good little dog."
Teji's jaw clenched so hard it hurt.
His teeth ground together.
His body shook.
"You sick fu—"
"Oh, and one more thing,"
his father said, interrupting, calm as ever.
He leaned slightly forward.
Eyes locked on Teji.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"I tested it on animals before this."
"You know what happened?"
He smiled.
Not with joy. But madness.
"They all died."
Teji's brain snapped.
No thoughts. No hesitation.
Just fire.
"FUCK YOUUU!!"
He launched forward with everything he had.
Every muscle. Every scar. Every scream bottled in his chest—
A punch that carried it all.
Anger. Desperation. Fear. Hate.
But—
SMACK!
His father caught it.
One hand.
No strain. No effort.
Like catching a falling leaf.
Like it was nothing.
Teji's eyes shot open wide.
"What—?!"
But there was no time.
No breath.
No warning.
WHAM!
A brutal fist drove straight into his gut—deep.
Air blasted out of his lungs.
THUD!
A sharp kick followed, faster than he could see—
sending him flying backward like a ragdoll.
He slammed into the cold metal floor.
Hard.
Gasping.
Coughing.
Blood filled his mouth—warm and sharp.
His ribs screamed.
His vision spun.
He couldn't even tell where the pain started anymore.
Across the room, his father stood calm.
Lowering his hand like he just finished a warm-up.
Not a scratch on him.
His voice cut through the ringing in Teji's ears.
Smooth. Icy.
"You've grown strong, my masterpiece."
A pause.
Then the twist of the knife:
"But not strong enough."
Behind them, the red screen kept ticking.
Slow.
Merciless.
[SERUM ACTIVATION – 37%… 38%… 39%…]
The mechanical arms buzzed.
The glowing needles inched lower.
And then—
"AAAHHH—!!"
Tamiki screamed.
Pain. Fear.
Tears laced her voice.
It stabbed straight into Teji's heart.
He flinched.
He groaned.
But that scream—
That scream pulled him back.
His fingers twitched.
His hands shook.
He pressed them to the ground, pushing himself up with everything he had left.
His ribs burned.
His limbs wobbled.
But still—
He stood.
He had to.
He must.
Teji's fists tightened again.
Blood dripping from his mouth.
And then—
He ran.
No thoughts.
No fear.
Just heart.
He dashed forward.
Like a flame too angry to die out.
"TEJIII!!"
Tamiki's voice echoed behind the buzz of the machines.
He reached his father—faster this time.
More desperate.
More furious.
CLASH—!
His fist flew.
Sharp. Fast. Wild.
But—
Whoosh.
His father leaned slightly.
Just a tilt. Effortless.
The punch missed.
Then—
CRACK!
A counterpunch.
Straight to Teji's side.
Right at the ribs that already screamed.
He folded on impact.
A splash of blood flew out from his mouth.
He dropped again.
Back on the floor.
Breathless.
Broken.
But not done.
Not yet.
"You thought you're the only one enhanced?"
His father's voice cut through the chaos—
cold, sharp, like a scalpel.
"I've got everything from the top agents. Every strength. Every upgrade."
His eyes locked on Teji's, expression unreadable.
"You're looking at perfection, boy."
Teji didn't care.
Didn't flinch.
He roared and swung—
left hook, right jab, elbow in between. A wild combo, all fury.
WHACK!
Blocked like it was nothing.
BAM!
Parried, clean and brutal.
Then—
CRUNCH!
A palm strike, straight to his chest—so fast Teji barely saw it.
His ribs folded.
Air gone.
And he was off his feet.
SLAM!
He crashed to the ground, skidding and rolling.
[57%… 58%… 59%…]
The screen beeped, unbothered.
Unstoppable.
The syringe now halfway inside Tamiki's arm—
her body convulsed violently.
She screamed.
"TEJI PLEASE!!"
Teji's head snapped up.
That scream—
It yanked him out of the pain.
Out of the blood.
Back to what mattered.
He pushed himself up.
Wobbling. Barely breathing.
But his teeth clenched.
His eyes burned.
"I SAID—"
He screamed with everything inside him—
"LET HER GOO!!"
He charged again.
All or nothing.
But—
BAM!
His father was gone.
Just gone.
Then—
Out of thin air, above—
WHOOSH—CRACK!!
A spinning roundhouse slammed across Teji's jaw.
The impact turned his world upside down.
He flew.
Crashed into the lab wall like dead weight.
CRACK—
The wall cracked behind him.
Blood painted his chin.
His nose bled freely.
His mouth hung open, too dazed to close.
The pain was beyond pain now—
it felt like dying in slow motion.
And yet—
Step.
Step.
Step.
His father walked toward him.
Slow.
Confident.
Step by step, like a shadow with no mercy.
"Agent 2's raw strength… Agent 3's sharpness… Agent 1's clarity… and your steel."
His father's voice was cold. Controlled. Proud.
"You really think I'd be stupid enough to stay normal?"
He took a slow step closer.
"Why settle for one enhancement… when I can have all?"
Teji's fingers twitched.
His arms shook as he pushed himself off the floor—barely standing.
Blood ran down his chin.
His body was screaming.
But he didn't stop.
He threw a shaky punch.
CLACK—
Blocked.
Another—
GRAB.
Caught mid-air.
Then—
BOOM!!
His father drove his forehead straight into Teji's face.
A brutal headbutt.
Everything spun.
The world tilted.
Sound faded.
Teji collapsed again—his knees hit the ground first.
Then his chest.
He coughed hard, blood splattering the cold floor.
Behind them—
[62%... 63%... 64%...]
The serum inside the syringe glowed brighter, hotter.
The needle drilled deeper into Tamiki's arm.
Her scream broke the air—
But it was hoarse now.
Faint.
She didn't have much left.
Teji's fingers scraped the floor.
His muscles were done.
But his heart wasn't.
His vision blurred.
Darkness crept in at the edges.
And his father just stood there.
Untouched.
Unbothered.
Looking down at him like a failed experiment.
"This is what evolution looks like, my masterpiece," he said.
"This is the future. And you… You're not in it."
Teji's breath shook.
Tamiki.
He thought of her smile. Her voice. Her kindness.
And now—this.
He couldn't save his mother.
He couldn't lose Tamiki too.
He wouldn't.
"No…"
The word fell out, broken and small.
But his hand moved.
He pushed off the floor—one leg trembling, the other barely stable.
He stood.
Crooked. Bleeding.
But standing.
Then—he ran.
Straight for the control panel.
His father's eyes widened—just slightly.
Teji didn't care.
If this was his last move—
He'd make it count.
But—
WHOOSH—!
His father moved like a ghost. Fast. Too fast.
He was suddenly there, right in Teji's path.
CRACK!
A brutal punch buried deep into Teji's stomach.
"GHHK—!"
The air rushed out of his lungs. His body folded on instinct.
SMACK!
Another strike—clean across the face—sent him flying.
He hit the floor like a ragdoll.
No control. No power. No strength left to stand.
He just lay there.
Breathing hard.
Chest rising and falling in short, broken gasps.
"I'm going to change the world," his father said, walking toward him.
Step by step.
"A world without weaklings. Without emotion. Without pain."
He knelt.
One knee. One hand.
And that one hand wrapped around Teji's neck—tight.
Steel fingers squeezed down.
Teji gasped.
His arms thrashed, reaching for the grip—but it didn't move.
Didn't shift.
Didn't budge.
Steel met steel—but his father's was stronger. Colder. Perfected.
Behind them, the screen beeped again.
[90%...]
The glowing serum surged through the tubes.
The needle pushed deeper.
Tamiki let out a faint cry—barely audible.
"Teji… help…"
That voice.
So soft. So weak. So real.
Something cracked inside him.
A memory.
A sound.
A feeling.
His fist tightened.
Through the pressure. Through the pain.
He lifted it—
SMACK.
One hit. Straight to his father's face.
Then another.
And another.
Each punch was fueled by rage. Fear. Desperation.
But it was like hitting stone.
No reaction. No cuts. No pain.
Nothing.
His father stared at him—calm.
Expression blank.
Like a machine.
Teji's arms shook.
Tears mixed with sweat and blood.
He kept swinging.
But he already knew—
It wasn't working.
It wasn't enough.
Teji's voice cracked, barely holding together.
"Tamiki…"
His eyes snapped to the screen.
[99%...] [100%...]
BEEP—!
The hiss of pressure released—
The needles jabbed deep into her veins.
"AAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!"
Her scream tore through the entire lab.
Raw. Wild. Terrifying.
It wasn't just pain—it was something deeper.
Like her soul was being ripped apart.
It was the loudest scream Teji had ever heard.
And then—
Silence.
Tamiki's body slumped. Limbs limp. Head hanging.
Teji's whole chest dropped.
"…No."
He stared.
Frozen. Shaking.
His father just smiled.
That same cold, twisted grin.
"Perfect."
He turned his back to Teji and looked at the screen like a proud artist admiring his work.
But then—
the screen blinked.
New text appeared.
[Status: FAILED]
Red. Bold. Flashing.
Teji's heart jumped.
"What…?"
His father's smile faded.
Eyes narrowing.
He took a slow step toward the screen.
Confused. Focused.
And that's when Teji moved.
He didn't think.
His hand shot to the side—fingers scraping the floor until—
CLINK.
A sharp chunk of metal. Heavy. Jagged.
He grabbed it—tight—and hurled it with everything he had.
CRACK—!
The debris slammed straight into his father's eye.
"ARGHH—!!"
The man stumbled back, letting out a shout of pain, hand covering his face.
Teji didn't wait.
Didn't look.
Didn't think.
He threw himself forward—legs burning, chest on fire.
He sprinted.
Straight to her.
To Tamiki.
To the one person he couldn't lose.
Again.
Not again.
Not this time.
Her head hung low, lifeless.
The restraints still locked her in place.
The syringes hissed once more—then pulled back with a mechanical whine.
"Tamiki!!"
Teji dropped to his knees beside her, breath sharp, panic surging.
His fingers fumbled at the straps, shaking so hard he could barely grip them.
"Tamiki, please… stay with me… please…"
The buckles came loose, one by one, until the last strap gave way.
Her body collapsed forward—limp, heavy.
He caught her just in time.
He pulled her close—arms wrapping around her as if holding her tighter might fix everything.
Might bring her back.
"Tamiki…"
He whispered.
"Don't go. Please… don't…"
No response.
No sound.
Her breathing was faint—barely there.
Her skin felt too cold.
Too still.
Teji stared at her.
His heart pounding.
Then—
FLASH.
A picture forced its way into his mind.
His mother.
Lying on the floor.
Her blood all around her.
Eyes frozen open. Lifeless.
FLASH.
Tamiki.
Unmoving in his arms.
That same silence. That same stillness.
FLASH.
His mom again.
Teji on his knees—screaming.
His hands red with her blood.
His whole world collapsing.
FLASH.
Back to Tamiki.
Back to the now.
His head felt like it was cracking open.
His chest too full, too tight.
FLASH. FLASH. FLASH.
Past and present blurred—like static.
Like someone flicking a switch on his soul.
His hands clutched Tamiki tighter.
The glitch in his mind looped again and again—
Pain.
Loss.
Helplessness.
Too much for one heart to carry.
Then—
"AAAHHHHHHH—!!"
A scream ripped from Teji's throat.
Loud. Raw. Shaking the air around him.
Full of pain. Grief. Rage.
"WHY, GOD?!!"
His voice cracked—almost breaking.
"WHY HER…?! I saved people. I fought. I tried so fuckin' hard. So why her?! Why—why do you keep taking everything from me?! WHY?!"
Tears poured freely now—hot, endless.
Dripping onto Tamiki's face, his arms, the cold floor below.
He clutched her closer, as if letting go meant losing her forever.
His forehead touched hers.
Their skin met.
She was no longer breathing.
Teji sobbed.
Hard.
His whole body shook with it.
Shoulders jerking, throat tightening, breath shallow and broken.
The lab fell silent.
No machines.
No footsteps.
Just the sound of a boy crying for the only light left in his world.
His father watched.
Face unreadable.
Then—
He spoke.
Calm. Cold. Empty.
"That's what happens when you don't listen."
His voice rang out like a sentence.
Final. Sharp.
"You challenged Boizano.
You tried to fight fate.
And now…"
He stepped forward. Slowly.
"…you see what that cost you."
CLACK. CLACK.
His boots echoed as they touched the bloodstained floor.
He stopped just in front of Teji.
Looked down at him like a failure.
Then—without warning—he reached out and grabbed Teji by the collar.
Lifted him—easily. Like he weighed nothing.
Teji didn't fight.
Didn't resist.
His arms hung limp, Tamiki's warmth now gone from them.
His head bowed.
Eyes empty.
And still—his father stared.
Unmoved.
Tamiki slipped from his arms.
Her body lowered softly to the floor—like the final breath of a dying dream.
Teji stood now.
But barely.
His knees wobbled.
His arms hung limp.
His eyes… gone.
No fire. No light. Just emptiness.
Blood ran down his face.
Sweat mixed with tears.
But he didn't wipe them away.
His fists clenched at his sides—but not from anger.
More like muscle memory.
More like habit.
His father stared at him.
Studying him.
Then finally spoke.
"I heard what happened with Agent 2."
His voice was calm. Cold. Dissecting.
He tilted his head slightly.
"You lost control.
You turned into something else."
A small pause.
"A monster."
He stepped a little closer, eyes sharp.
"And your wounds… they healed instantly, didn't they?"
Teji didn't answer.
Didn't move.
Then came the order.
Flat. Final.
"Show it to me. Now."
Teji's reply came soft.
Barely a breath.
"No."
His father blinked.
Caught off guard.
"…What?"
Teji looked up.
Face bruised.
Tears sliding down without shame.
"I wanna die."
His voice cracked, like glass under pressure.
"Why should I keep going?"
His gaze drifted to Tamiki.
"She's gone. Tamiki's dead."
He looked back at his father.
"I've lost everything.
I got no reason to live."
His fists unclenched.
His arms fell to his sides.
His shoulders dropped.
No rage.
No scream.
Just a boy who had nothing left to protect.
He wasn't angry anymore.
He was broken.
Whatever was keeping him standing—was barely holding together.
And inside, it had already shattered.
His father's eye twitched.
Just a small flinch—but it said everything.
Disgust.
Annoyance.
Like weakness was some kind of disease.
"I said—SHOW IT TO ME!"
WHAM—!
His fist crashed into Teji's gut like a sledgehammer.
Teji gasped—folded in half—
and was flung backward.
SMACK.
His body bounced off the floor, ribs first.
Before he could even suck in a breath—
CRACK!
A violent kick slammed into his side.
He rolled across the lab like a broken toy,
limbs trailing, blood spilling from his lips.
He lay on his side, coughing—
Every sound painful.
"…Please…"
The words slipped out.
Weak. Barely there.
"…Just kill me already…"
The room froze in silence.
Then—
click.
The metallic sound sliced through the air.
His father had drawn a sleek black pistol from inside his coat.
"Alright," he said coldly.
Not angry. Just bored.
He raised the gun to Teji's head.
Point-blank.
"You're no use to me anymore."
His voice, like a machine spitting facts.
"You're just a failure with feelings.
That's what happens when you act like a human—
instead of something better."
He rested his finger on the trigger.
Teji didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't fight.
His eyes shut.
He welcomed it.
The cold.
The silence.
The end.
"…Goodbye, my puppet."
But—
CRACK—!!
A fist—fierce, fast—
SLAMMED into his father's jaw.
"AGH—!!"
The man flew sideways—spun in the air—
and SMASHED into the far wall.
THUD—!
He skidded across the floor, the pistol flung from his hand.
Teji blinked—
Eyes wide.
A gasp escaped his mouth.
He looked up, vision shaking, blood in his throat.
There—
Standing between him and the man who tried to kill him—
A figure.
Her legs unsteady.
Her hands still cuffed in snapped restraints.
Her body trembling.
But standing.
Tamiki.
"…T-Tamiki…?"
She turned her head—slowly—
Her eyes met his.
Not hollow.
Not erased.
Still burning.
Still her.
And even with her lips cracked, her skin pale, her voice shaking—
She said it.
One line.
One promise.
"I'm not… dead yet."
[End of Chapter 16]