CHAPTER 47: WHY DID YOU SAVE HIM, TAR?

"Did they see you?"

"..."

Maxim repeated his question, now staring at Taras’s back as he stood facing the window. "Did the Awakening people see you, Tar?"

As the shadow power building up inside him clawed at his insides, desperate to be released, Taras let it out. His body expelled the darkness, and the floor of the room filled with a dense, pitch-black mass of shadow.

Maxim was the only person who knew that Taras’s shadow power had evolved and fully merged with his body, allowing him to move entirely in shadow form. But tonight, those who had used snake-like shadow powers in an attempt to kill Le An had seen the one who stopped them. They had seen the full shadow form. And they knew. It was Taras.

"This is a huge mistake," Maxim said. "What you’ve done... It’s a colossal mistake, Tar."

"Our unit is the largest and most extensive one here, Maxim," Taras replied, his voice freezing calm.

Being the strongest unit didn’t justify making enemies by doing something without even a clear reason. "So what?" Maxim placed his hands on his hips and asked, "Does that mean we can afford to make enemies? Listen-"

He took a few steps forward and forcefully turned Taras’s body to face him. The cold, impenetrable eyes staring back hurt him, but he pressed on. "Even if Awakening’s ideals don’t align with ours, at the end of the day, we’re still on the same side. You know that. Not joining them? I can understand that. I don’t support their idea of bringing justice through bloodshed either. But stopping them? That-you can’t explain that to me, Tar."

Frustrated, Maxim let out an exasperated grunt, pacing the room as if to shake off his anger. When his eyes caught the invitation on the table, he approached it. Snatching it up with a swift motion, he noticed it was spotless, completely clean.

This wasn’t the blood-stained invitation given to Taras. No, this was pristine. When Maxim looked up, he saw that Taras was also staring at the invitation in his hand.

"Where did you find this?" he asked.

Taras’s mind instantly went to the bed where this invitation had been left, to the faint, thin scent imprinted on those sheets-and he pressed his fingers to his eyes, unable to bear the direction of his thoughts.

Behind closed lids, the same image that had haunted him since returning flashed again: Treasure, writhing in agony in the middle of the balcony.

Treasure-everything Taras despised-was the embodiment of hypocrisy, selfishness, greed, and a society built on vile virtues.

But the scent still lingering in his memory... that person wasn’t Treasure. That person had a name. His name was Le An. After seeing the tears falling from Treasure’s eyes, beneath the serpent-like shadow, Taras hadn’t seen Treasure anymore. He had seen Le An, standing in the center of the balcony.

As Maxim watched Taras’s rigid frame, overflowing with thoughts he hadn’t shared with anyone, he realized that this clean invitation must’ve been the one meant for Treasure.

So, before the attack-despite his hatred and position-Taras had gone to Treasure?

Maxim didn’t understand a thing. A chuckle escaped him. "You went to warn him," he said, looking at Taras.

He must’ve been right. Considering who Taras was, Maxim knew he wouldn’t make such a massive mistake on a whim. He must’ve tried to save Treasure before interfering with Awakening’s plans.

But if he had warned him, Treasure wouldn’t have attended the event. And yet... "You couldn’t get him alone," Maxim said.

When Taras opened his eyes and glared at Maxim with seething anger-as if furious that he had unraveled his thoughts-Maxim took it as confirmation.

"Enough." Taras began to merge into his shadow form, but Maxim shot a kinetic beam right beside him, halting the shadow in its tracks like it had been hit by a gust of wind.

"Don’t even think about running!" Maxim shouted as the blue particles of energy scattered across the blackened floor like scales. "You’re going to answer. If you don’t have one now, then you’re going to find it right here."

Taras shot him a warning look that made it clear he was reaching the end of his patience. "Shut up, Maxim."

But this time, Maxim wasn’t going to let him get away.

If Taras kept going without knowing why he got involved in all this -why he committed the madness of saving Treasure- he would grow even more unstable, even more dangerous. Maxim could sense it.

He knew exactly what Taras would become without his principles, his reasons, or his method. A lost, unreachable monster.

"Why?" Just one word, but both of them knew exactly what the question meant.

After rejecting Awakening’s final invitation at the evening assembly, Taras had withdrawn home and vanished. Maxim had suspected he wouldn’t be home that night.

He had seen it in his eyes. In the way he looked at that blood-soaked invitation. He had also understood the message behind that deliberate bloodstain, placed exactly over the "guest of honor" title.

Unable to suppress his anger, Maxim stormed toward Taras, grabbed him by the collar, and shouted, "Why! Why did you save him, Tar? You should’ve left when you couldn’t catch him alone!"

Taras stared at the friend gripping his collar and shaking him, his eyes calm but holding a storm beneath the surface.

Maxim almost spit out his next sentence. "He should’ve died tonight. Right there on that balcony-in front of the whole world."

But inside Taras’s mind, that sentence was shoved aside by another voice entirely.

Can you hold me?

Taras’s eyebrows creased, as if in pain. For the first time in years, Maxim saw an expression on Taras’s face that looked like weakness-and froze.

Taras had claimed that death would’ve been too easy for Treasure. But that expression... whatever he was thinking, it wasn’t the face of someone who wanted Treasure dead.

"Hah! I can’t believe this." Maxim shoved him away, then grabbed him again. "Do you even realize what you’ve done? You shouldn’t have tangled yourself up in the business those bastard wanted with Treasure! Now they know you can fully shift into your shadow form! One of the most recognizable leaders of the outskirts just saved the life of the very person we all wished to hell tonight! What a joke!"

But Taras... wasn’t even looking at him anymore.

When Maxim shook him again, he realized Taras wasn’t ignoring him-he simply had no answer. No excuse. Not even an objection.

Taras didn’t know why he had saved Treasure either. This was perhaps the first time Maxim had ever seen Taras do something irrational. Something reckless.

He let go of his friend. Took a deep breath. Stared out the window.

After collecting his thoughts-even if he couldn’t make sense of them-Maxim began again. "Most of the Awakening members use shadow-based powers like we do. Treasure already saw yours, too; he’ll spill everything about you."

Taras shook his head. This time, his answer came quickly. "No."

Maxim raised an eyebrow, amused. "He almost died. You can’t use the threat of exposing him as an omega anymore. He’ll tell them your name, your face-everything."

"He won’t," Taras replied firmly. He was certain -absolutely certain- Treasure wouldn’t give him away.

Maxim stared at him, then let out a stunned laugh. "You trust him, huh?" he said.

When Taras’s eyes snapped back at him in anger, Maxim didn’t back down. "If your name leaks, they’ll come hunting for you in the outskirts, and-"

"He won’t tell them," Taras repeated, this time with a chill in his tone that sent shivers down Maxim’s spine. Then, a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "Wanna bet?"

Maxim froze at that look. He took a step back as Taras’s shadow, which had spread across the room, coiled back into his body.

"Wanna see for yourself?"

Maxim swallowed. And just like that, they infiltrated the special recovery institute where Le An was being held-hidden within Taras’s shadow.

---

When they arrived at the institute, Le An hadn’t even been transferred to an observation room yet. He was still in the hospital bed, surrounded by chairs hastily pulled into a circle, already under a storm of questions.

"Treasure, we won’t take up too much of your time, we just have a few questions. First of all, we’re grateful to God that you weren’t seriously harmed," the internal affairs investigator began.

"Thank you for your consideration, sir. I’m alright. I am deeply sorry for our losses, too," Le An replied with a tense expression, looking into the man’s emotionless face as though trying to find a flicker of feeling.

Mr. Qui was standing in the farthest corner of the room, silently observing the questioning.

"Have you ever heard of an organization called the Awakening Movement?"

"No, sir."

"Have you received any threats in the recent or distant past from unidentified sources?"

"No, sir."

"Did you notice anyone suspicious or encounter any unusual circumstances before the attack?"

"No, sir."

The man tapped the pen against the notebook resting on his lap a few times, then continued. "Have you noticed any strange behavior from people around you recently?"

"No, sir," said Le An again. "I have a small circle to begin with."

"Treasure, with all due respect, we don’t mean to invade your private life, but for the sake of the investigation-please consider the people closest to you. Have you had any recent issues or noticed anything unusual with them?"

Le An paused, memories flashing behind his eyes, the still-raw wound of his recent heat days flickering through. But his answer came without delay.

"Well, nothing that could be considered a problem or oddity related to this attack, sir."

At that point, a security bureau agent took over the questioning, asking Le An to elaborate. Le An’s gaze drifted toward Mr. Qui as he swallowed and gave a brief response.

"It was about the arrangement for how I’d spend my private... days, sir."

"That’s a detail which, as Treasure said, is irrelevant and minor," Mr. Qui interjected, looking directly at the investigators. "Please continue."

The men briefly turned to Mr. Qui and gave a nod of agreement before continuing.

"Understood. Let’s move on to other questions."

After a few more, the air in the room grew heavier-more suffocating. The time had come for the questions Le An least wanted to hear.

In the darkest corner of the room, where the walls swallowed light, Maxim and Taras remained hidden, watching the interrogation unfold in silence.

"Very well, Treasure. Have you ever met an esper with powers resembling those of a shadow-type group?"

"No, sir," Le An replied.

If their bodies were physically present in the room, Taras might have turned to Maxim and smiled just then. Instead, they kept listening.

Le An added, "However, I am aware of this type of power grouping as it appears in the literature."

In truth, the evolved forms of shadow powers -those that didn’t even exist in the literature-he had only seen thanks to Taras.

"What are your thoughts regarding the claim that you were able to see the eyes of the last surviving attacker behind their shadow mask?"

Le An had thought about this question before. Though his heartbeat quickened, his answer came clearly:

"All I saw were black strings flying around, sir. I couldn’t see the attacker’s face at all."

"Understood. Have you felt the presence of a shadow-based esper ability around you recently?"

Le An shook his head slowly.

"...No, sir."

"The attacker mentioned that someone would be able to reach you-day or night-and deliver a message. What can you tell us about this? Do you know anyone who could fit that description?"

Le An lowered his head, thinking for several heartbeats. In the shadows, Maxim and Taras witnessed that critical moment-when the truth about who that person really was nearly came to light.

Everything could have been exposed with just a few words. It was all right there, on the edge of Le An’s lips.

But Le An raised his head again, a genuine expression appearing on his face.

"I don’t believe there is such a person, sir," he said calmly. "Given my current protection status, I think that’s impossible."

Just as Taras had said, Le An had truly not given him up.

Maxim, still locked onto Treasure’s expression, couldn’t believe it for a moment. That... what Taras had said was actually true. Treasure hadn’t betrayed him.

The men seated across from Le An, trained to detect even the smallest micro-expression, stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. The security bureau agent leaned back in his chair and asked the next question with a more relaxed air.

"In your opinion, Treasure, what was the purpose of the attack? Was it just a warning, or an attempt to kill?"

For the first time, a crack appeared in Le An’s expression.

Because that question brought him back to the moment of the attack, the pain in his body, and the awful, intrusive thought that the person behind it all... might have been Taras.

For the first time, in a moment he least expected it, his eyes welled with tears. He swallowed and answered:

"I-I suppose... since I’m still alive, it must’ve been a warning. But..."

But his eyes had just revealed something entirely different to Maxim.

And Le An closed his answer with a sentence that only confirmed Maxim’s thoughts:

"But... I’m sure that power pressing down on me wanted to kill me."

As his tears dropped silently onto his hospital gown, Mr. Qui rolled his eyes at Le An’s crying face with thinly veiled irritation.

"We’re sorry for making you relive those moments, Treasure," the investigator said, standing up. "Thank you for your cooperation. We may need to consult you again. For now, please rest."

With that, the investigation team left the room, leaving Le An alone with Mr. Qui.

The slow, deliberate steps Mr. Qui took toward the bed sent a visible wave of dread through Le An. Taras and Maxim, still hidden in the shadows, watched the fear widen in his eyes.

Mr. Qui stopped at the foot of the bed, looking down at Le An.

"Even if I do believe you’ve told the truth, Le An..." he said as he reached out and gripped Le An’s chin, slowly tilting it upward. "...something about you in this state unsettles me."

Le An said nothing-just stared back as another tear slipped down his cheek.

Mr. Qui sighed, looking at the tear as though it were something that shouldn’t exist.

"The detail you gave earlier, about your partner arrangements during your private days... that was unnecessary."

"I didn’t even give a detail," Le An muttered, trying to pull his chin away.

Mr. Qui let go and leaned in. Smiling.

"Yes, thankfully, your mouth is still tight, sweetheart," he whispered into Le An’s ear with a threatening tone.

Le An shrank into his shoulders, turning his face away, his entire body trembling unnaturally, his skin pale as ash.

Taras, watching the horror take over Le An’s face with confusion, and then, he finally understood the reason when he heard Mr. Qui’s next words.

"Luckily," Mr. Qui said, flicking Le An’s earlobe with his finger and making him flinch,

"You didn’t mention the name of the alpha whose head I blew off right beside you. You must’ve taken my advice seriously, about knowing your place."

The shadows around Taras darkened suddenly, threatening to surge forward and devour the man standing before the bed. But Taras reined himself back in just in time.

No one noticed the flicker of shadow that passed through the room.

Mr. Qui gently patted Le An’s cheek twice, feigning affection.

"Good boy," he said, and exited the room.

Moments later, as medical staff entered, Taras and Maxim slipped out of the shadows and disappeared at dizzying speed.

When they returned, Taras had already forgotten the bet. His eyes were blank again, but Mr. Qui’s words echoed mercilessly in his mind.

Maxim, however, was mumbling to himself in stunned disbelief.

"Treasure... damn."

When their eyes met, Maxim looked like he might grin from sheer surprise.

"Treasure is... It’s like he’s on our side."

Taras waved him off, uninterested. But then Maxim said the thing he’d been holding back-the truth he’d read from Le An’s face. "But..."

Taras looked at him with a restless urgency, like he wanted to go back into that room. "But what?"

"He thinks it was you," Maxim said, still smiling faintly. "And even though he believes that... he still didn’t say a word, damn..."

"What does he think I did...?" Taras asked, confused.

Maxim looked up, and for a second, felt something painful tighten in his chest for Treasure.

"He thinks... you were the one who tried to kill him."

And on Taras’s face, a crack finally formed, shock and fury froze him in place.

"...What?"