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Before she could respond, Hyde stepped forward slowly. He turned the doorknob and pushed through.

"What a prick..." Harper mumbled under her breath.

She would never understand him. Even while he was toiled over and in pain, he still had an ego. If only he knew that she had contemplated cutting his head off or ramming his sword through his chest earlier.

Maybe he'd show some appreciation.

Or maybe he wouldn't. If he knew, he'd probably kill her instantly.

His footsteps were slow and dragged out. Every time he moved ahead, Harper thought he was going to collapse again.

Ever so often, he'd press himself against the wall and clench his fingers on his front. He was so obviously still in pain.

There was no way he could do anything in this condition.

"Hyde... maybe we should go back—"

"No." He gritted out.

"You're not okay, Hyde!" Harper stated. "Something is wrong, I'm not sure what! But even if you want to finish this, you can't! Maybe you should sit down for a while and rest—"

"I don't need it."

"Hyde, you can't even stand straight!"

"What does it matter to you?"

Harper bit the inside of her cheeks. He was right. Why did it matter to her? She should've just left him at the hands of the poachers.

But she knew her mind would nag her if she did. Her conscience was telling her that it would be so wrong.

Part of her also realized that if he went after the Poachers while injured, he wouldn't stand a chance and that would risk her safety too.

"I don't want to die because of your ego." Harper walked over to him and slugged his arm over her shoulder. "Let's head back."

"I said no." Hyde nudged Harper away roughly and tightened his lips into a bitter scowl. His chest motioned up and down as he glared at her.

"If you want to risk your life, go ahead. I won't follow you."

"What are you two doing!?" Arnest's voice alarmed her. He walked inside the same way they came and shifted his gaze to both Hyde and Harper in confusion. "I thought by now you would've secured the target!"

"A small delay won't hurt." Hyde groaned.

"Delays of any kind we can't afford! A body was found near the stage! The people out there are growing suspicious. We have to secure the target and leave. Now."

Hyde slid down against the wall and Arnest finally noticed his injury. "Shite. Not now. Is it happening again?"

"Wait. What's happening?" Harper spoke up.

Arnest ignored her and crouched to Hyde's eye level. He grabbed Hyde's face and tilted it up. On his neck, Arnest saw the swollen areas outlining the start of his scar.

Then he pulled up Hyde's shirt. "This is why I told you to rest a bit after you took a hit. I knew it would happen again sooner."

"I'm fine," Hyde rolled his eyes.

"Sure," Arnest agreed, not wanting to damage Hyde's pride.

"I am." Hyde reiterated, sensing a sarcastic tone from Arnest.

"You can't even stand straight. If that's what you call fine, then laying on a deathbed must be cloud nine." Harper retorted.

"Not a single soul asked you for an opinion, wench."

Harper placed her hands on her hips and pouted. Although offended, she was no longer surprised by Arnest's sour remarks.

"Well then. Excuse me."

"How do you feel?" Arnest turned his attention back to Hyde.

Hyde rolled his eyes and propped himself to sit forward.

"Never mind. It's good I bought extra capsules of the antidote." Arnest dug into his pocket and pulled out a small tube full of velvet red liquid, and a needle. Harper eyed the tube curiously.

What exactly was the antidote? Why did Hyde need one?

She watched as Arnest turned Hyde's arm over and placed the needle near his wrist. There, she noticed several small spots and holes all over Hyde's forearm.

This wasn't the first time he had done this. All of those spots were from previous injections. She wanted to know more. Was Hyde ill?

"This is going to hurt." Arnest swallowed. "A lot."

"I'm used to it." Hyde dismissed.

"This set contains extra resin of artificial Puron."

Artificial Puron? Harper blinked twice, wondering if she had heard him correctly. What in the world was Artificial Puron?

The last she checked, there was no such thing. Puron was an organic mineral harvested from the land. There were no studies of it being created from an unnatural source.

"Do it already." Hyde seethed. And with no hesitation, Arnest inserted the needle into his skin, and the red liquid streamed out of the tube and into his flesh.

Only a few seconds later, Hyde began writhing against the wooden floors. Arnest tried his best to steady Hyde against the wall, but Hyde's strength outmatched him.

"You have to sit still," Arnest warned. "Or else the antidote won't work!"

Hyde hunched over and began letting out many curses. He was trying to take the intense throbbing all over his body, but it felt like torment. He let out an agonizing scream, making Harper jump away.

And then she saw his eyes darken. The look in them terrified her.

His eyes usually lacked any emotion. This time, she could see it. She could feel it.

The overwhelming amount of rage and fear. The dark red glow even held a tint of sorrow. And she was left wondering what happened to him. Hyde was always described as a strong warrior who could take any battle.

Legend said that he was able to fight an entire fleet of Kragite soldiers.

And though Hyde seemed very powerful, as of this moment, he looked so weak.

Hyde's scar began to glow again and a small smile formed on Arnest's lips. "It's working... just a little more."

Hard boots clacked against the floors, and a deep sharp voice caught their ears. "Well... well... Ain't ye them travelers from the moon before? Aye, it sure is a toot seeing ye on this side o' town."

The man in the black beard and two other menacing-looking poachers sauntered toward them. The handsome curly-haired man with golden eyes stood behind them, looking terrified for his life.

"Are ye lost?"

The three dared not to answer. It was a taunt.

"Or did ye just follow us to look for trouble?" He whipped out his pistol and aimed it at Harper. Immediately, she threw her hands up in surrender.

"Shite." Arnest huffed. "Why now?"

"Why now's correct, pal. Stand and put yer hands up where I can see 'em. Ye too, red eyes." He clicked his tongue and flicked a small switch on his gun.

Arnest eyed Hyde, who was still sprawled out on the floor. He only nodded in response, gesturing for Arnest to follow the command. He did.

"Yer takin' too long, red eyes."

"Give him a moment." Harper scoffed. "Can't you see he's injured?"

"Oh?" The head poachers' eyes twinkled at grasping the new information. Arnest shot a death glare Harper's way.

"Wench, you're not supposed to tell them that! Are you that stupid?"

"I only pointed out the obvious!"

"These aren't Westonian servicemen you know, these are deadly thieves! They will kill us all in more gruesome ways than your wicked Allies."

"Oh." Harper bit her lip nervously.

"I'm honored that our reputation hasn't failed us yet. But come on... we aren't that bad, aye?" He jeered.

Hyde propped himself up, ripping out the needle with the rest of the antidote from his arm. His legs were shaky as he stood. "Screw... your reputation..." He moaned.

"Did I hear him right?"

"Hyde, the antidote—" Hyde raised his arm up to silence Arnest. His lips shut quickly.

"I can take him."

"Ha!" The black-bearded man barked and threw his head back. "Ha ha ha ha HAH!" He slapped his hand on one knee and snorted. "Ye think ye can take me on when ye can barely hold yerself?"

"Secure the target, Arnest." Hyde voiced weakly.

"What? Hyde, you can't!"

"Do what I say," Hyde repeated more firmly than before.

"Yer looking for a heap at the wrong haystack boy." The bearded man spat on the floor next to his feet.

Hyde raised his shoulders and spread his legs wide before drawing out both of his swords. "I should've killed you when I had the chance."

"Them words ain't gonna look pretty on yer gravestone." He pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed by, heading straight for Harper.

Hyde swiped to his left, and the bullet was cut in half. However, because he was still recovering, it wasn't fast enough. One of the halves ended up grazing Harper's arm.

She screeched when she felt a sharp pain cut at her skin. Hyde looked over his shoulder when he heard her cry. When he saw her blood seeping down her arm, he quickly repositioned himself and charged forward.

The other poachers whipped out their weapons and more bullets were unloaded. Arnest followed after Hyde, while Harper crouched, holding her arm firmly as the pain never settled.

Hyde slashed one of the poachers on the left, before kneeing the one on the right into the wall. The bearded man backed away with the curly-haired man, and more poachers poured in from the hallway.

"Go!" Hyde slit three poachers' throats in one swipe and commanded Arnest.

Arnest ducked his head and ran forward, but a bullet nearly hitting him in the head stopped him. "I can't get through!"

Hyde sprinted forward and twirled around, using both swords to hack his way through the crowd of men. He made an opening for Arnest as dead bodies dropped to the floor.

Harper covered her eyes when she saw Hyde ram one of his blades into a man's chest. She didn't want to see any more bloodshed. That included her own.

Hyde finished the rest of the poachers except for the head, and Arnest darted toward the curly-haired man.

But the head poacher kicked Arnest away, the impact was so hard that he hit into the wall before smacking onto the floor.

"Another step and he dies." He aimed his pistol at the curly-haired man.

Hyde stopped in his tracks.

"Not so tough now are ye? Now that ye got somethin' to lose?" He smacked his lips mockingly. "Dunno what makes this lad so special. But I can always get another one." He placed his finger on the trigger.

"He's not special." Hyde snorted. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

"What are ye needing him for? Yer a man. Don't tell me yer one of those..."

"Let's just say... I'm returning a package to its owner." Hyde narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his swords.

"Don't ye see? I own him."

"This isn't like the old days when this kind of thing was tolerated." Hyde shook his head. "Because believe me, I'm not tolerating it."

"Eh, who gives a shite what ye tolerate."

"You should, as I'm about to rip out your insides to stuff it down your throat." The glow in his eyes returned.

The head poacher furrowed his eyebrows at the sight. "They're glowing again... those eyes. I recognize them from somewhere... but I can't put my foot on it." He mumbled to himself. Then his eyes widened, and he took a step back. "Wait a darn minute... ye... ye can't be..."

He remembered. This wasn't just any regular trouble-maker. This was the serviceman who used to interfere with business and arrest him and his crew many years ago.

From what he remembered, Hyde was ruthless. He enforced Westona's law to the maximum extent. But... this Hyde wasn't the same man as he was 10 years ago. Hyde was always a pain in his arse, but he wasn't a deranged killer.

Most of his crew were dead at his feet. Did the laws of servicemen change? Were they allowed to kill Poachers?

"Hyde..." He dropped his weapon. "Hyde... is that you?"

"No, you have the wrong guy." Hyde snorted sarcastically. "I'm just a lookalike."

"Shite! Hyde! Spare us! Spare me! Ye can take him!" He pushed the curly-haired man in front of him with shaky hands. "Don't arrest me! I swear, I'll turn over a new leaf! I can't be turned over to the capital! I have a family now. A pretty little girl. She's sweet. She's my l-life!"

Hyde rolled his eyes when the man dropped to his feet and began bowing. "Spare me!"

"Let me think about it..." Hyde nudged the man's shoulder with his foot and trampled on his torso. "No."

"Please! Hyde spare me! I have—"

"I don't care about your situation. Fact is..." Hyde raked his sword across the man's chest, earning a loud howl of pain. "You lied to me."

"I didn't know who ye were!"

"Is it my fault that your attention span is the size of a nut? You're blaming me for your lack of memory?"

"N-no! I'm n-not blaming ye!"

"Now you're lying because you want mercy." Hyde scoffed and pushed his weight on his foot.

"AGH!"

"I hate when people beg. You only beg when you want something. Turn over a new leaf, my arse." Hyde raised one of his swords to pierce the man in his heart.

"Wait wait wait! Please! I swear! On my mother's name! On the overseer's name!"

"I don't believe in that shite. Don't bother wasting my time. Goodbye."

"Hyde! Wait!" Harper darted forward to stop him, but it was already too late. Hyde had always plunged his sword through him, killing the man instantly.

"No!" Harper's voice cracked when she saw the blood splatter. Hyde pulled out his sword and wiped the blood off the sides of the dead man's pants casually.

"Good riddance!" Arnest spat and pushed himself off the floor.

Harper on the other hand didn't think so at all. Swearing to the overseers was a very serious thing. When she saw the horror on the man's face, pleading for mercy, she could tell that he was serious about it.

"How could you!?" Harper slapped Hyde's shoulder, only to realize that she used her injured arm. She gripped the wound with her other hand to ease the pain. "That man... he has a family!"

"And?"

"And...? And?!" Harper heaved. "What is his daughter going to say when she finds out he's dead!?"

"Oh no, my father died?" Hyde raised a brow.

"You should've spared him!"

"He shouldn't have." The curly-haired man spoke. "That dastard deserved his death."

"No one deserves to end in such a brutal way! The best you could've done was immobilize him!"

Harper whined. "A man with a family shouldn't go out like this!"

"You and your boss are no better than me." Hyde placed his swords back in place.

"Of course I am! I don't kill people for the fun of it!"

"But the facility you work for and love do."

"Don't you switch this on me!"

"Tell me, how many people have lost their lives due to those new machines we fought before we reached Haylestorm?"

Harper opened her mouth but no words came out. She knew the answer. But she didn't want to admit it.

"Exactly," Hyde confirmed.

"The Facility is there for a good cause! That's the difference between you and me! I work to protect Westonians, and you seek to destroy and kill them!"

"So naive..." Arnest snickered.

"Screw you!" Harper was snatched up by her clothes so quickly after her words. Hyde began to drag her back the way they came.

"Let's go." He commanded Arnest, who gestured to the curly-haired man. They followed him and Harper all the way back to the car.

~~~

On the long ride back to northern Haylestorm, everyone in the sedan was quiet. Everyone except for the man they came for. A few hours had passed, and the curly-haired golden-eyed man began spewing out his entire life story.

For the rest of the ride, he wouldn't stop speaking about his gratitude toward Hyde for saving him. The interaction was very awkward, but it didn't stop him.

"I swear it. The man was bonkers... he was delusional." He crossed his arms.

"I only went because he claimed to be the client I was servicing. It was a trap... a common one. But I didn't notice the signs earlier and fell for it. I should've known when they offered to pay me twice my salary for a week in exchange for one night."

"Dear heavens..." Arnest tightened his hold on the steering wheel.

"But... you, Hyde... you are my savior. Whatever it is you request, I will be more than happy to repay you."

"No, thanks." Hyde waved his hand up dismissively.

"I'm serious, you have my loyalty." The man insisted.

"I am only doing this to get something in return. I'm not a hero for you to admire."

"You are very humble."

"Very far from it." Harper snorted, earning a death glare from Hyde in the mirror.

"You're from the capital, aren't you?" The man inquired. Harper refused to answer him. The last thing she needed was someone judging her simply because she was raised in the big city north of Westona.

"I figured because of your accent." He leaned back in his seat with a heavy sigh. "My family is from the capital."

Harper raised her head to look at him.

"They're living a great life up there... but nothing compares to Haylestorm."

"You're from the capital?"

"I am."

"What? So... why did you leave? Why did you move to a place like this?"

"The capital... they promise big things... but the president isn't as good as anyone makes him out to be. He's greedy... and focused on no one but himself. All the ruin is thanks to him."

"That's not true! The capital and facility that's in the city work hard to bring a better life to Westona. I know it because I am a part of it!"

"That's what they'll tell you." He snorted.

"It's not something I've been told! I'm a Scientist, an assistant to the head of the facility! I've seen it for myself!"

"A scientist, huh?" The man laughed. "You're in for a rude awakening."

"Whatever!" Harper turned away from him angrily. He was no better than Hyde and Arnest. He was in support of killing people ruthlessly. Hyde was a monster. And Arnest and this guy were no better.

The rest of the ride was quiet, and they arrived in front of the hotel.

"Thank you, again." The curly-haired man bowed his head at Hyde, before taking his hand and placing a soft kiss on the back of it. "I'll repay you someday."

"No need." Hyde swiped his hand away and scrunched his face in disgust. "We didn't do it for you. Arnest, take him in and get the kid. Make sure he hands you what we came here for."

"Alright." Arnest nodded and motioned for the man to go first before following after him into the hotel. Harper followed too, but Hyde snatched her back by her injured arm.

"Ow! What are you doing!?"

"You'll stay here."

"I have to check to make sure Yanpu is okay—"

"You'll get your chance, vixen." Hyde spat at her. "It's still bleeding, isn't it?"

"What?" Harper's eyes widened. He shifted his gaze to the red stain on her sleeve. The bleeding had stopped, but she was at risk of getting an infection if her wound wasn't cleaned.

~~~

Shout out to Zee! Thank you so much for supporting me!