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Harper didn't understand anything of what Hyde was implying. She wasn't sure after what she had witnessed. Yanpu had revealed he had special abilities, similar to Hyde.

But to say that he was able to control the toxic mineral was on the level of the Overseers. How was it even possible?

"There," Hyde gestured over to where the wall had caved in. "Puron..."

There were a bit of crystals that tore off the wall scattered nearby. Arnest pulled out a grabber tool from one of his pockets and used it to carefully pick up the crystals and wrap them in cloth.

"Got what we wanted after all." Arnest smiled. "No thanks to her."

Harper felt too weak to reply to him.

"Now we can leave this craphole... let's go." Arnest turned on his heel, but Hyde stopped him.

"Find the kid, and secure him. He ran away, but the effects of the Puron should've worn off by now."

"Don't worry. I told him to wait. He came to get me, asking for help." Arnest nodded. "As for this wench, shouldn't you finish her off?"

"I would... but my swords are shut inside." Hyde crouched next to Harper and tilted her chin high with his finger. She was too weak to even keep her eyes open. Harper was fighting hard to stay alive.

"All of this ruckus... and she dares to come out alive?" Arnest spat. He grabbed a stone and raised it high. "I'll kill her off right now!"

"Hold it." Hyde blocked Arnest from hurting her any further. "She's of use now."

"Huh?"

"The brat is protective of her."

"Okay?"

"Think about it. We have a child in our custody with the potential of immense power, beyond our comprehension. With her, we can control him." Hyde suggested. "We're taking her with us."

"Are you serious? She nearly got you killed!"

Hyde didn't respond to Arnest. He moved Harper closer to him and picked her up bridal style. Her head rolled back and her arms fell, but Hyde fixed her position. "Let's go."

"She won't make it."

"Not if we don't move quickly." Hyde sauntered out of the tunnel. Sure enough, Yanpu was waiting by the end. He was crying.

When Yanpu saw Hyde holding Harper while she was unconscious, his heart began to race.

"If you want her to live... you're going to follow everything I say," Hyde ordered. "Am I clear?"

Yanpu began to sob even more.

"Cut it out. If you keep crying, I'll leave her here and she'll die." Hyde sneered. He was annoyed that he had to deal with a whiny child. "I don't give a shite about those tears. If you want me to save her, suck it up."

Yanpu tried his best to wipe his tears away, but they kept streaming down his face. The boy was terrified.

"Shut up!" Hyde shouted at Yanpu, and his whining ceased immediately. "No more crying. If you think I'll pity you, then you're wrong. You're going to do what I say going forward. So if you shed another tear, I'll drop her here and leave her to die. Do you want that?"

"N-no..." Yanpu sniffled.

"Let's go," Hyde ordered and brushed by him aggressively.

~~~

Hyde pulled the final sheet over Harper's torso, securing the bandage firmly. He carried her back to the sedan and stitched her wound, while Arnest took Yanpu into the marketplace to gather some supplies.

By the time he finished wrapping her stitches and wiping away the blood, Harper started to stir until she regained consciousness. The first sound to leave her lips was a heavy groan.

Her chest rose up and down as the pain shot up her stomach when she turned her body. When she opened her eyes, they met Hyde's red ones.

Her memory slowly came back. The cave, the fight, and the walls closing in on her all came back to her mind. Was Yanpu okay? That was the first worry that made its way to her main thoughts.

"If you keep moving, you'll risk opening your gash." Hyde fixed the oxygen mask on her face. His touch spooked her.

A moment before, he nearly sliced her in half. He was so quick, she didn't even have the chance to dodge him when he slashed her. That horrified her.

Harper took a shaky breath and began to cry. She passed out right around the time Arnest came to help him.

Why did he help her? Why did he clean her cut? Was he planning on attempting to kill her again after she recovered?

"Yanpu..."

"Quit worrying about the kid. He's with Arnest... You should be more worried about yourself."

Harper furrowed her eyebrows. Hyde smirked and poked her on her forehead. "There's been a change of plans. You asked me to let you and the boy go. But I can't afford that."

Hyde yawned and brushed a strand of his hair behind his ear, revealing a dark smile spreading across his face. "I can't allow you to run off to spread tales about my whereabouts. Maybe one day... so you can send Bomb a message. But I'm sure you'd like to live longer than a few days."

"You... sick dastard..." Harper grumbled, and Hyde grabbed her by the face and squished her cheeks.

"Shhh..." He shook his head. "You should be more excited. As of today, I acknowledge your usefulness. Which means I'll spare you for the time being."

"I saved you..."

"Did you?"

"You... owe me..."

"That's a load of Bull." Hyde crossed his legs and chuckled bitterly. "I stitched and cleaned you up. Who owes who?"

Harper refused to answer.

"Sit tight. You'll receive better treatment when we get to our next destination." Hyde turned the dial on her mask which would supply more oxygen. Then he buckled her in the backseat and closed the door.

Hyde pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and swore. It was the last cigarette in the container. "Should've asked Arnest to fetch another pack."

He lit the cigarette and placed it in between his lips.

Harper turned her head to the right of her and she looked at the dark and cloudy sky. Her mind became troubled with anxiety.

Where was he planning on taking her next?

She felt a droplet of water land on her lap and looked down. Another one fell, and then another. Her tears steadily dropped onto her legs, forming a small puddle on her thigh.

A soft sob escaped her, and Hyde turned to face her. The moment he saw her crying, he rolled his eyes and blew out a big puff of smoke. "What a baby... if you're wanting me to pity you, forget it."

Harper let out a whimper, irritating Hyde immensely. "If you continue, I'll give you something to cry about."

"You... got what you wanted." Harper raised her head to look at him. "Just do what you came here to do. Bring Westona... to ruin... just end it."

"Not yet."

"W-why?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you. Plus, it sounds like you're wanting to take the easy way out. It's not surprising though. Westonian people are weak. They either beg for mercy or beg to die. You're no different."

Hyde leaned against the sedan and looked at the fog forming around them. "I'm going to make you watch me take everything away... slowly. Your job, the people you love... your precious country. Once it's gone... then I'll let you die."

Harper felt a chill run down her spine. Hyde eased off the door and leaned through the open window. "Wow..." He whistled. "The look on your face. You're scared. I've never seen you this quiet."

"I saved you..." Harper stated again. "10 years ago... I saved you..."

Hyde pressed his lips thin. "Have we met? I don't remember. But it doesn't change anything."

"Please spare everyone else... I'll do... whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" Hyde hummed, mocking her. "So... if I asked you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?"

Harper closed her mouth.

"I'm waiting, Vixen..." Hyde drummed his fingers on the door. "Answer me."

"If that's what it takes to protect my family..."

"Tch... family, okay." Hyde jeered. "I'll admit, your willingness to sacrifice yourself is admirable. But it's not enough to appease me. I'm not making any more deals with you."

"Hyde..."

"Your fate is sealed." Hyde straightened himself and placed a hand on his waist. "I'll repay every problem you gave me tenfold."

"Bomb will—"

"And one more thing..." Hyde interrupted her. "If you mention that dastard's name... if you continue talking back... I won't tolerate it anymore. I'll cut off your tongue. As I've no plans to kill you right now, I'll guarantee to make you bleed."

Hyde put out his cigarette and tossed it on the ground. "Oh right. I don't have my swords on me. So that means I'll have to rip out your tongue, and you wouldn't want that, would you? Imagine all the blood."

Harper shivered.

"There's no guarantee how you'll act, which makes it more fun for me."

"Hyde!" Arnest called out and quickly strolled over to the car. Yanpu wasn't too far behind.

"I grabbed some extra clothes for everyone. When we jump through the perimeter shield it'll be cold. You'll probably be fine, but the rest of us may freeze to death."

He took out a medium-sized cubed bag the color red and placed it in Hyde's hands. "A medical kit. Not sure when she'll need it again. I figured it would save you the trouble if we had an extra one."

"She won't need it. We'll reach our destination in 24 hours." Hyde looked at Yanpu and gestured to the car. Yanpu obediently went to the other side of the car and got into the backseat.

"24 hours... that's a bit ambitious, don't you think?"

"We have one more crystal to get us back to the Edge. I'm sure we won't have any more issues from these two." Hyde opened the passenger side and slid in.

"When we're there, remind me to check your blood levels. This is the second batch of antidote you've taken in a short period of time. I hope it doesn't have any negative effects."

"It won't be anything I haven't experienced already." Hyde snapped. "Drive."

"Alright." Arnest waved his hand over the wheel, and the car started. He pulled off.

The village of shipping containers faded slowly as they rode in silence.

Hours went by and several times, Harper noticed that they had passed several surveillance checks. She recognized one of the soldiers.

He was a rookie and was always delivering food to the other higher-ranked servicemen and security for the facility.

Harper imagined how the outcome would be if the camouflage feature on the car stopped working. She would be saved.

She wanted to cry when they drove by him. As usual, the security stand didn't detect them.

Yanpu grabbed onto Harper's hand, sensing her distress. He wanted to comfort her. "It's okay, Harper."

"What did you just say?" Hyde looked in the rearview mirror, glaring hard at Yanpu.

"He didn't say anything," Harper mumbled.

Hyde then turned to look at the mirror near him. "Stop the car."

"What?" Arnest eyed him strangely.

"I'm going to kill them." The words left Hyde's mouth and Harper's expression quickly changed. Hyde's suspicion was confirmed.

"No!" Harper gasped. But Arnest obeyed the order and pulled to a stop.

"You know one of them." Hyde opened the glove compartment and pulled out a small pocket knife. "This will serve as a reminder."

"Hyde! Please! Don't!" Harper begged. Hyde opened his door and stepped out, ignoring her pleas. "Please! Arnest! Please do something!"

"Why would I listen to you? Didn't you nearly get him killed some time ago?" Arnest put the car in park and turned off the camouflage.

Once the black sedan was revealed, the soldiers behind them became alert. Harper removed her seatbelt and opened the door, but Hyde forced it back shut. The child lock clicked.

"Hyde! Please! Spare them! Hyde!" Harper shouted after him, trying to unlock the door.

Hyde stepped forward when the soldiers drew their rifles at him.

"Holy crap! That's Hyde!" One screamed, and Hyde smirked. His pace was slow, but he walked toward them confidently.

"Call back up!"

"You don't wanna do that." Hyde twirled the knife in his fingers. "We've already got enough guests at this party."

"Don't let him through! Shoot to kill! Fire!"

The soldiers raised their weapons and began to fire their guns. Hyde avoided all of the bullets swiftly. He appeared in front of one soldier and stabbed him in the neck, before vanishing and appearing in front of another.

"He's fast!" Another soldier whined.

"Shoot him!"

The rookie Harper recognized aimed at Hyde, but before he pulled the trigger, the knife was thrown and pinned him into the wall of the security stand.

"NO!" Harper's voice cracked and she slumped over.

"If you had played nicely..." Hyde yanked the knife out of the rookie's chest. "Maybe you would've lived to send Bomb a message."

"K... Kill him!" A soldier stuttered. There were 8 men left. Hyde tossed the knife, and it swirled around the air like a boomerang, shanking every one of them one by one.

They dropped quickly, lifeless at Hyde's feet. The alarm at the desk began to blare. Hyde caught the knife as it returned. It was covered in blood, so Hyde wiped it off with one of the dead men's clothes.

"Guess you'll have to send the message to Bomb silently." Hyde sauntered back to the car proudly. Harper refused to look up when he stood in front of her window.

Yanpu was shaking like a nervous puppy next to Harper. His eyes were wide after witnessing the murder.

"How was that performance?" Hyde got back in the passenger side and crossed his legs.

"Uncalled for," Arnest stated honestly.

"I agree. It was a bit much." Hyde hummed. "But it got my point across, right Vixen?"

Harper sobbed quietly in response.

"Keep going, Arnest."

Arnest nodded and enabled camouflage on the car, before stepping on the gas.

Harper felt lost. There was nothing she could do. The rookie died because she showed a sign of weakness. But she wasn't strong enough to handle Hyde.

It was slowly resonating with her that there would be no one to save her. Hyde killed mercilessly, without a care. The bomb was right about him.

If she couldn't even protect those she knew, how would she be able to keep Yanpu, a boy she practically raised from harm?

~~~

They arrived at a large cliff with several large ships docked at many boardwalks.

The ships looked like the antiques, large and bold with sails. Flags were raised on many of them. But the material of the massive boats was made of mech.

Very advanced mech.

Arnest parked at one of the boardwalks, with a large sign that read "The Edge". It made sense. Boats were stationed at the edge of the cliffs.

Harper had never ventured out this far from Westona Capital. Many of the flags on the ships were of other countries. She didn't even know that travelers from other places came to Westona.

To see many people dressed in different clothes and speaking different languages was a shock to her.

All of them seemed prepared for Westona's harsh conditions. All of the travelers wore oxygen masks.

She wondered why the President never said anything about it.

One flag in particular caught her attention. A Kragite flag. The flag was red with a big blue circle in the middle. A golden crescent moon was placed in the circle.

Westona was at war with the land of Krahagh. They weren't allowed in Westona. She reasoned that they must've been here illegally.

Hyde yanked open the door and gestured for Harper to get out. She did quietly, and so did Yanpu.

The boy reached for her hand, but Harper placed it around herself.

This had to have been the edge of the border of Westona. Hyde was planning on taking her out of the country. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't want to ask.

She feared that he would stab her. It was definitely setting in, her fear of this man.

Monsters couldn't be controlled. This man was far gone. She lost all hope of this man ever coming to his senses.

"Hyde!" A man with long thick brown hair braided and down his back smiled. He was buff, tall, and dressed in leather and iron accessories. His fingers were adorned in large thick rings.

He was a Kragite. Harper followed but she stood behind Hyde for safety.

"Harald. I'm glad that you kept your promise."

"Of course! A deal is a deal!" He laughed heartily. "You look like you've had quite the journey! What are these rags you're wearing?"

"You already knew I was planning on visiting the wastelands." Hyde retorted. "I'll change once we pass through the shield."

"So... you got the stuff?"

"That's a secret," Hyde smirked.

"You dastard." Harald spat. "I see you brought stowaways."

"The four of us are going back."

"Even the Westonian?" Harald drew his sword and scowled at Harper. "How do you know she won't have those government officials track her?"

"She's no harm. We have a mutual understanding." Hyde nudged Harper forward, who kept her eyes glued to her feet.

Kragites were fierce warriors. They were just as dangerous as Hyde. They were probably much worse. Kragites weren't known for showing mercy to anyone.

"As long as she keeps her lips shut about this."

"We won't be coming back to Westona for a while." Hyde turned to look at her. He slugged his arm over her shoulder, and she flinched. "If you behave well, I might let you live freely elsewhere. How does it sound?"

Harper kept quiet. There was nothing she could say. It wasn't what she wanted. Being taken against her will and forced to stay far away from her mother was like a nightmare.

"She's quiet," Harald grumbled.

"Believe me. Usually, she's mouthy." Hyde chortled bitterly. "Took a while for me to get her like this."

"Seems like your hands are full."

"Enough chatter. Let's go." Hyde shoved Harper forward. Harper smacked into the side of the ship, and a long ladder came falling next to her. "Go up," Hyde ordered.

Quickly, Harper grabbed onto the ladder and started climbing. Her front was still in pain, so occasionally, she would stop to rest.

"Keep moving, vixen!" Hyde commanded after her. She bit her lip and continued until she reached the top. Then she pulled herself over the side and collapsed onto the deck.

Hyde jumped over casually and brushed his hands together.

Soon after came Yanpu and then Arnest. Harald tumbled over too.

"Let's get this ship sailing." Hyde grabbed Harper and dragged her back onto her feet. She didn't resist this time.

While Harald started the computer system that operated the mech, Harper noticed that there was no water on the other end. There was no sea. There was only fog and clouds.

How exactly would the boat move without water?

A clasp was tightened around Harper's wrist. He tied her arm to a pole. He did the same to his wrists too, which surprised Harper. She looked at the metal clasp apprehensively.

"It's your first time boarding a ship, right? Of course it is." Hyde wrapped his fingers around the chain. "Westonians can't travel beyond the border. You'll be the first in many years to do so."

Harper had a lot of questions, but she kept her mouth shut tight. But she wondered why there weren't any security surveillance sections. Wasn't it their job to protect the border?

"This place is free range." Hyde smelled the air and made a face of disgust. "It still reeks of gas. But once we clear through the shield, it'll change, and your so-called saviors won't be able to track us."

Harper sighed angrily.

"Are you mute now? You haven't said anything in hours... you're boring me now."

Her eyes narrowed at him, and he tilted her head upward with his hand. "Ah, there it is. A reaction. Not exactly the one I was looking for though. You won't stay silent for long. That'll change in a second."

"The systems are a go! Destination's pinpointed. Are all passengers secured?" Harald called out.

"Ready when you are." Hyde spread his legs and tightened his hold on the pole.

"Engines are active, jets are properly positioned." Harald was standing at a large panel with a huge helm standing upright. He began flicking small switches on and typing away on a small screen.

"Anchors are raised. Take off starting at five... four... three... brace yourself... 2... one..." When Harald finished his counting-down sequence, he shifted a lever upward aggressively, and the ship sped off.

They began flying forward, and everyone except Harald and Hyde were knocked off their feet.