"Roxy, Roxy, my dear little Roxy."
A man's voice called out to Rox which Zarus could clearly hear from the cramped closet. He could hear Rox take a sharp breath.
Her steps toward the front door were slow, hesitant, as if she was trying her best to avoid this very encounter.
Knock, knock, knock.
Three slow knocks followed, each one sounding heavier than the last and ominous.
Zarus didn't need to guess—he already had a sinking feeling about what this was. And now, he wasn't so sure he could keep following Rox's orders.
"I don't like this feeling at all," Zarus muttered, just as the door creaked open. He held his breath, listening closely.
"...H-Hey there… Lev? Is anything the matter?" Rox asked, her voice shaky. Zarus could just barely see her peeking through the narrow gap in the doorway.
"Nothing much. Unless you count a mountain of trouble as nothing." the man—Lev—snapped, his tone sharp and dangerous.
His words landed like a warning, making Rox flinch.
A sharp metallic clang followed as Lev slammed his elbow into the door. The thing wasn't built to last—it buckled instantly, torn hinges scraping across rusted metal.
The whole panel gave way, clattering to the floor as Rox stumbled back and hit the ground hard.
"Eek!"
From where Zarus was, he could see far too little—just shadows and the sound of metal crashing made his chest tighten with worry for Rox.
He tried to slip out quietly, desperate to help her, but the metal closet door wouldn't budge.
"Y'see, my dear lil' Roxy… I hate to rain on your parade, but maybe take a second to think about how you've managed to stay alive in a place like this." Lev added sounding almost gentle but Zarus couldn't mistake the venom in his words.
"L-Lev! look I didn't mean to!" Rox protested, trying to crawl away from Lev while he approached her slowly.
"Shhh... with the way you're acting, you make it look like I'm some kind of bad guy here." Each of his steps echoed with threat.
His gentle voice was a mask—one that couldn't hide the threatening aura bleeding through, strong enough to reach even Zarus's hiding place.
"J-just give m-me more... time! Yes! Even just a little bit, I can pay double!" Rox begged, desperation dripping from every word—but—
Slap.
"We can't have that now, can we, little Roxy?" His voice, still sickeningly sweet, stood in stark contrast to the act he'd just committed.
The slap echoed through the small space, sharp and clear—Zarus heard it perfectly.
There was no choice now. Zarus couldn't stay hidden, couldn't preserve himself, not when violence was being dealt to the very person who had saved him.
He didn't even know if he had the strength to stop this man—but if he could just divert Rox from harm, even for a moment, then that's what he'd do.
Bang!
Zarus slammed his fists against the metal door. He'd already figured out it was locked—Rox must've done it herself.
She had no reason to be this kind to him… and yet, here she was.
The noise snapped both Lev and Rox's attention toward the door. Panic immediately sparked in her eyes.
"What are you doing, idiot!?" Rox shouted, then instantly slapped a hand over her mouth.
But it was too late.
Lev was already staring toward her room. That massive, sinister grin stretched across his face—the kind of grin someone makes when they hit the jackpot.
"W-wait! That's just my pet—"
She didn't even get to finish. Lev's hand was suddenly around her throat, lifting her off the ground like she weighed nothing.
"Aghk!" Rox gasped, legs kicking, clawing for air—but it was no use. His grip was strong, unforgiving.
"You're hiding way too much from me, little Roxy." That mask was removed and only his glare remained as his grip tightened around Rox's neck.
Rox tried scratching his arm out of desperation as her consciousness is slowly fading.
But it seemed like Lev had other plans as he tossed her away, crashing towards her makeshift table.
As Rox regained her breath, she began coughing uncontrollably, trying get all the air she can.
"I would like a word with your guest here and don't think you're spared, lil' Roxy." Lev exclaimed unable hold back his massive grin.
Rox tried to shout and plead for Lev to stop but her voice wouldn't come out.
Bang! Bang!
Zarus banged the metal closet door multiple times and it seems to be effective. Lev was in front of the door already.
"This is your pet, little Roxy? Seems untamed to me," he sneered, glancing at Rox weakly crawling toward him.
But that split-second distraction proved fatal.
CREAK.
The door rattled. Then—
CLANG! SCREEECH—CRASH!
The metal screamed as it tore loose from its hinges, crashing onto the floor, twisted and mangled.
Zarus burst out like a spring uncoiled—bandaged, half-naked, but filled with resolve. In a blur, his fist smashed into Lev's left cheek.
Thud
But Lev didn't flinch. He stood unmoving, unfazed.
"And who might you be~?" Lev's grin stretched wider, completely unbothered by Zarus's attack.
Zarus gulped, eyes wide in disbelief—every hair on his body standing on end.
Now seeing the man clearly, he froze.
Brown skin. Messy, dirty-blonde hair. White sleeves rolled up, black pants, and a stylized snake tattoo curling along his neck.
A look too clean, too composed—for someone so cruel.
Lev looked delighted.
He didn't even try to counterattack. Instead, he raised both arms in mock surrender, grinning like a devil inviting a second hit.
Zarus hesitated… then stepped back.
Lev's crimson eyes tracked him with unsettling ease as he moved toward the weakened Rox.
"Mmm… never seen this guy before," Lev mused, "Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Cradling Rox in his arms, Zarus glanced over her—surprisingly, he found only minor bruises around her neck.
Strange. For someone so violent, Lev had held back. That alone was more terrifying than any wound.
The man was stronger than he let on—not that it wasn't already clear from how easily he'd eaten Zarus's punch.
"...Run," Rox whispered hoarsely before a fit of coughing wracked her body.
"I can't do that now," Zarus replied, trying to sound steady. "Not that I couldn't… but I won't."
Instead of calming her, his words made her grip his hand tighter.
"...You… you can't fight… a Dictum!" she gasped, fear and desperation lacing every word.
Lev crossed his arms, "Awhh~! You guys already forgot me!" He said in mock tone.
Zarus felt a chill crawl up his spine. Lev was being too patient—too calm.
And that kind of confidence? It usually meant danger—the kind backed by real power.
"What do you mean by a Dictum, Rox?" Zarus asked, his voice low, eyes never leaving Lev, who now stood between them and any hope of escape.
Rox tried to speak, tried to explain—but the pain in her throat still gripped her voice like a vice.
Lev cocked his head, eyes narrowing in mock curiosity.
"Hmmm? You don't know what a Dictum is?"
Then his expression shifted. "Ah! You must be an idiot!" He laughed, sharp and uneven, covering his face with one hand.
"Just like little Roxy!"
Zarus was starting to get it now. This man—Lev—wasn't just unhinged. He was calculated beneath the chaos. And this was not someone you wanted to face head-on.
"And you know what I do with idiots?" Lev's voice dropped suddenly—low, cold, and lethal. His eyes burned as they locked onto the two of them.
"I bury them."
Lev extended his hand toward Zarus and Rox, his palm facing them. A crimson glow flared to life—an insignia shaped like a coiled serpent's tail shimmered ominously in the center.
Zarus's instincts screamed. Without hesitation, he grabbed Rox and dove aside, trying to put as much distance between them and whatever was coming.
But Lev was faster.
A small, blood-red orb materialized in his palm—pulsing like a living thing—before it shot out in an instant.
SWOONG.
The sound cut through the air like a whistle as the orb pierced through Zarus's leg, earning a grin from Lev.
"Arghk!" Zarus let out a pained cry, clutching his leg.
That stinging pain lingered, pulsing sharp and hot, while Lev let out a sinister laugh.
"...Hey!" Rox's voice cracked as she started to recover. She looked toward Zarus, panic rising. "Idiot! Why are you... still here...!?" she exclaimed.
She grew even more panicked as Zarus tried to stand—despite the pain, despite the danger—as if ready to stand between her and Lev.
But the signs were back.
That same pulse—like before—rippled through his body as he clutched his bandages.
"You're not fully recovered!" she cried, trying to hold him back. "We're Nulls!"
He didn't know exactly what that meant—but from the fear in her voice alone, he had a pretty good guess.
"That's right, that's right!" Lev chimed in, grinning ear to ear, his confidence radiating off him like heat.
"Nulls are nothing but disgusting stains on this world," he said, voice filled with mockery, "filth that needs to be completely wiped out."
Then, with one hand raised theatrically, he declared, "And that's why I, Lev the Great, shall pass this judgment!"
Zarus's expression didn't change—his resolve was still the same as before.
And without a second thought, he lunged at Lev like a wild animal.
But Lev wasn't caught off guard this time.
In one swift motion, he drove his foot into Zarus's side—hard enough to crack bone—sending him crashing through the wall and out into the open filled with wastes and scraps.
"Hey, hey! A scumbag like you shouldn't test your luck!" Lev shouted, his voice now tinged with irritation.
"You should die in a ditch like the dirty Null you are!"
Rox's eyes widened, her mouth slightly open. She'd never seen this kind of power before—not up close.
Zarus coughed harshly, one hand clutching his ribs. When he looked at his palm, it was streaked with blood.
"... Guhk..." The pain he felt from that kick alone was numbing.
His vision blurred. A sharp ringing filled his ears, drowning everything out—but even through the haze, he could hear Rox's footsteps rushing toward him… and Lev's close behind.
Desperation kicked in.
The moment she reached him, Rox grabbed at his arm, trying to drag him away—despite the danger, despite everything.
Zarus couldn't understand it.
Why was she going this far for someone like him? A stranger. A complete nobody with no past, no name that mattered.
For all he knew, he could've been anyone. He could've been dangerous.
And yet… she was risking everything just to keep him away from Lev?
"Futile resistance, little Roxy. Utterly futile." Lev groaned scratching the back of his head.
"Why do you Nulls always make it this difficult for us?" Lev's voice came out twisted—part irritation, part anger, part delight… and something else entirely. Rox couldn't tell which face was real.
"I'm doing you all a favor," he went on, arms flaring wide as if offering mercy. "I could give you a painless death—if you'd just cooperate, you know?"
Rox bit her lip, glaring up at him while clutching Zarus tighter. But what could they really do against a monster like him?
"Yes, that's right, that's right!" Lev sneered, clearly enjoying himself. His eyes glinted with cruelty. "You've got that same look your old man had—right before he died."
Those words triggered something in Rox.
Memories surged up—dark, painful, buried deep. She growled through clenched teeth, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling with rage.
Lev's smile only widened. That look—raw and broken—was exactly what he wanted. He thrived on it. He didn't even want to kill them yet. Not when he could enjoy this for a little longer.
Every groan they made was music to his ears. They were nothing. Powerless. And he was certain they knew it.
But something shifted.
While Rox clung tightly to Zarus, a strange feeling crawled up her arms. Something... wrong. Something alive. And not from Lev.
"Mister…?" she whispered, barely audible, sensing something stir beneath the surface. She could hear a faint, unfamiliar groan.
Lev laughed in the background, thinking her silence was despair.
But neither of them knew—
Something had started to ring inside Zarus's mind.
[Recalibrating System Functions: 0.8%]
[Fatal damage detected on host's body, focusing 70% of energy on host's body for recovery.]