Carla pushed open the restaurant door, her heels clicking on the deserted tiles. The atmosphere was eerily quiet.
She called out softly,
"Annie?"
No answer.
Her gaze swept across the room—then froze on a silhouette sprawled on the floor, right next to the slightly open secured cabinet.
"Shit…"
Carla rushed over, breath shallow, and knelt beside Annie. Her skin was pale, her eyes closed, and the box containing the crimson spheres lay wide open.
Her heart pounded. She couldn't afford to panic. Not here. Not now.
Without another thought, she grabbed Annie's watch, flipped it over, and frantically tapped in the emergency command.
Vagner's face appeared on the screen.
She didn't wait for him to speak.
"You lunatic! Do you realize what your damn pill did?! She's unconscious, Vagner! What the hell did you inject into her?!"
Vagner shrugged.
"Calm down, Carla. She's fine. She's sleeping. Leave her there, I'm sending someone."
"You son of a—"
But he had already hung up.
Carla remained frozen for a few seconds, fists trembling, her eyes still locked on Annie.
The next minutes passed in heavy silence. Two men in black came to retrieve the girl without saying a word, their movements sharp, military. Carla followed them, jaw clenched, completely silent.
Once inside Vagner's office, she saw Annie—still unconscious—laid down in a corner like a useless package.
Something in her snapped.
She lunged at Vagner and, without warning, grabbed him violently by the collar.
"You better start explaining what the hell you're doing with those things!"
Her eyes burned with a cold, uncontrollable rage. She wanted answers. And this time, she wasn't going to ask nicely.
Suddenly, a calm voice echoed behind her.
"She's going through the first stage of awakening."
Carla froze. She hadn't heard any footsteps. Vagner's men had already left, and no one else was supposed to enter.
She slowly turned her head, fingers still clenched around Vagner's collar.
It was Ren.
He stood there, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his gaze resting on Annie without a trace of emotion.
---
After completing the mission Vagner had assigned him, Ren had asked for a meeting. Nothing urgent, but serious enough to warrant a conversation. He hadn't expected to find Carla in such a state—or Annie lying unconscious in a corner of the office.
"What do you mean by awakening?"
"I'd like to know that too," Vagner added.
He didn't seem disturbed in the slightest. He grabbed a bag of chips off a nearby shelf, opened it casually, then settled into an armchair like he was about to watch a comedy.
Ren watched him silently.
The myth was crumbling. The image he had built of Vagner—cold, methodical, calculating—was slowly falling apart. This guy was hoarding snacks while others were nibbling on rice in the communal hall.
Vagner raised an eyebrow at Ren.
"Want some?"
Ren hesitated for a second, then looked away.
"No, thanks."
"In that case, stop dodging the question." Carla tightened her grip. "What did you do to her?"
Ren sighed and turned to her, visibly tired.
Honestly… what was she blaming him for this time? He had nothing to do with this. And yet, in her eyes, he saw that same hostility, that same silent accusation, as if he were guilty just for existing.
He could've asked her what she had done to him. He could've pushed back. But he already knew it would be a waste of energy—mental and physical.
"In short, an Awakened is a human with supernatural abilities… Things that defy all laws of physics, like what Vagner showed us in the training room," Ren explained, his tone calm but his gaze heavy. "And to become one, you either take that kind of pill… or come close to death."
Carla frowned.
"By 'close to death,' you mean…"
"Yes. Hanging between life and death. A coma."
The atmosphere grew heavier in an instant, as if each word had sucked more air out of the room.
And then—
"So you're telling me I survived death? Heh."
It was Vagner. Still sitting, still holding the chip bag, amused, as if he were reminiscing about an old memory.
Neither the tension, nor Carla's fury, nor Annie's condition seemed to faze him.
Carla clenched her fists, her teeth too. A vein pulsed at her temple.
But Ren stepped in, trying to defuse the rising storm.
"Fortunately, the pills don't cause an actual coma. They simulate the state… just enough to trigger awakening, without truly endangering the person."
Carla's shoulders eased slightly. A sigh escaped her lips.
"So… she's safe?"
"No."
It wasn't Ren.
It was Vagner.
He calmly set the empty bag on his desk and folded his arms.
"It's a lot more complicated than that."
"Right now, she's probably facing a double of herself."
"What do you mean?"
Vagner turned to Carla and replied,
"I don't know where it comes from, or whether it's an ally or an enemy. But if certain conditions are met… you wake up as an Awakened."
Carla narrowed her eyes.
"And if you fail?"
This time, it was Ren who answered, his gaze on Annie's still body.
"You turn into some sort of creature… At least, that's what I've read in the books in the library."
Vagner didn't seem moved by the gravity of the statement. Still leaning back in his seat, he raised his hand and pointed to the metallic collar fastened around Annie's neck.
His voice, calm and chilling, cut through the air.
"But don't worry. It'll explode before that happens."
Carla took a step back, her eyes fixed on Annie's collar.
"Give us proof of what you're saying."
Ren nodded slowly, just as skeptical. He couldn't accept walking around with something that could kill him at any moment. He needed answers. Certainties.
Vagner didn't resist. With a casual gesture, he grabbed the metallic collar around his own neck… and removed it as if it were just an accessory.
Carla's eyes widened. Ren stepped forward.
"How did you do that?"
"The unlock activates automatically once you become an Awakened," Vagner answered, completely nonchalant. "But don't bother asking why I still wear it."
And he was right. If the others found out that Vagner could remove his collar at will, the fragile peace inside the compound would shatter instantly.
Carla gritted her teeth, then blurted out:
"So even Teri can take it off?"
Ren slowly turned his head toward her, a chill crawling down his spine.
Teri… is he an Awakened too?
"So… is there really nothing we can do for her?" Carla asked, her voice trembling, almost choked by anguish.
A heavy silence fell. Even Vagner seemed to pause before answering, his gaze lowered to Annie's unconscious body.
"Sorry, Carla… but only time will tell."
Those words echoed like a sentence.
Carla's knees gave out. She collapsed, unable to accept her powerlessness. Unable to save her friend.
Ren took a step forward, eyes fixed on her. He saw Vagner about to speak.
But Ren stopped him with a calm voice.
"We'll have to leave her."
His words were cold. Heart-wrenching. But necessary.
Because they had no other choice.
Once outside the room, Ren resumed their unfinished conversation.
"You promised me a favor after the job. I'm claiming it now. I want one of those pills."
Vagner stared at him for a moment, then answered calmly:
"I'll distribute them to everyone… when the time comes."
"Then I'm demanding it now. I held up my end of the deal."
A silence. Then a faint smile appeared on Vagner's face.
"Very well. Follow me."
They went down into another room—far more secure. Inside, several boxes were neatly stacked. Vagner pulled one out and handed Ren a pill.
"You sure about this?"
"That's why I'm here."
Ren climbed straight to the eighth floor. The place was deserted, silent. His capsule was still there, untouched.
He stopped in front of it. The metallic surface barely reflected his face. He pulled the sphere from his pocket, studied it for a long moment. Inside, another world awaited. A world where maybe, he could understand. Grow stronger. Or vanish.
He swallowed it in one go.
Then opened the capsule.
And lay down.
The lid closed with a slow hiss. Silence fell again.
And everything faded.