A fluorescent lights above buzzed faintly, filling the quiet hospital hallway with a cold, sterile glow.

In front of one of the private wards stood a young girl with soft brown hair resting over her shoulders. Her delicate face would normally make people think of warmth and gentleness, but right now anxiety clouded her features while anger simmered quietly beneath her eyes.

Lyra clenched the hem of her sleeve tightly as she stared at the man standing before her.

The hospital director wore an expensive white suit that probably cost more than most people’s yearly salary, but the elegance of it was completely ruined by his bloated figure. His stomach pushed so hard against the buttons that it looked as though they might burst apart at any moment. His face was even worse. The kind of face that makes people want to wash their eyes with holy water after seeing it.

"I already told you, Director," Lyra said firmly, trying to suppress the disgust in her voice. "I’m not interested in your offer."

The director sighed as though she was the one being unreasonable. "Why are you making this difficult for yourself?" he asked with a smile that made her skin crawl. "I’ve seen plenty of girls like you before. At first they all resist and pretend they have dignity, but eventually they come crawling back."

His eyes slowly wandered across her body without any attempt to hide his intentions. "You won’t be any different."

Lyra’s expression stiffened. "I’m still not interested," she repeated. "I only came here to take care of my mother."

The smile on the director’s face widened. "And that," he said softly, "is exactly why you should accept my offer."

His tongue slid across his lips in a revolting manner as his gaze moved over her once more like a predator examining prey. "You see, I control this hospital. I decide who gets proper treatment. I decide whose bills become cheaper. I decide which patients are prioritized."

He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice. "If you make me happy, I’ll personally make sure your mother receives the best care possible. But if you refuse..." He left the rest unsaid.

Lyra’s face paled instantly. "You wouldn’t dare," she snapped. "I can report you—"

Before she could finish, the director burst into a loud, mocking laughter that echoed through the empty hallway as he looked at her like a child who knew nothing about the world.

"Young lady, you really are naive," he said while shaking his head. "What do you think runs society? Compassion? Justice?" He laughed again before his expression slowly turned colder. "This world belongs to people with power."

His gaze sharpened slightly as he pointed toward the hospital room behind her. "And what exactly do you think someone like you can do against me? You’ll only make things harder for yourself... and for your mother."

The words struck Lyra like cold water. Her lips trembled faintly before she lowered her head because deep down, she knew he was right. People like him always won.

The director noticed the change in her expression and immediately softened his tone, pretending to sound gentle. "See? Isn’t this better? I’m not asking for anything unreasonable. People who cooperate with me tend to live much easier lives."

That disgusting smile returned to his face. "You’re beautiful, Lyra. Satisfy me and I’ll make sure both you and your mother live comfortably for the rest of your lives. You’ll have money, luxury, security. Everything."

He slowly stepped toward her. "You just need to make me happy."

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?"

The cold voice shattered the atmosphere instantly.

Both of them froze before turning toward the source of the voice at the end of the hallway.

A young man was walking toward them with calm steps.

Kael.

His face looked expressionless, yet his eyes carried a terrifying coldness that made the director’s heart skip violently. It was killing intent. Pure and undisguised.

The director frowned in confusion at first, but a chill quickly crawled up his spine. For some reason, the young man walking toward him felt less like a person and more like a blade slowly being drawn from its sheath.

Meanwhile, Lyra’s eyes widened in shock. "Kael...?"

Why was he here?

Kael ignored her completely. His gaze remained locked onto the director as he continued walking forward one slow step after another.

"I asked you," he said again, his voice colder this time, "what the hell do you think you’re doing?"

The director unconsciously took half a step backward.

He himself was an awakened with a combat-oriented class, but unlike actual hunters, he had never risked his life fighting monsters. With his family’s wealth and influence behind him, he had chosen comfort instead. Power. Money. Luxury. Using his connections, he secured the position of hospital director despite lacking the qualifications for it.

His life had always gone smoothly, but right now none of that mattered because for the first time in years, he genuinely felt afraid.

The young man standing before him looked like someone who could actually kill him.

Not threaten him.

Not bluff.

Kill him.

And the most terrifying part was the fact that he didn’t seem to care about the consequences.

"Kael, stop."

Lyra hurriedly grabbed his arm. The moment her fingers touched him, she could feel how tense his body was. His killing intent was so intense it made her chest tighten.

A complicated emotion rose within her heart. Part of her wanted him to beat the disgusting man in front of them until he could no longer stand, but another part of her knew reality wasn’t that simple. The director came from a powerful family. If things escalated here, Kael would suffer the consequences.

Kael slowly exhaled. The rage in his eyes dimmed slightly, though the coldness remained.

"I recorded everything," he said while staring directly at the director. "Every single word."

The director’s expression changed instantly.

Kael took another step forward. "If you ever bother my sister again, I’ll make you regret it." His voice became frighteningly quiet. "Now get out of my sight before I stop controlling myself."

The director’s face twitched. For a brief moment humiliation flashed across his eyes before fear quickly suppressed it.

"You..." he gritted out. "This won’t end here."

Despite the threat, he was already retreating. His round body hurried awkwardly down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him.

At that moment, pride meant nothing to him.

He had spent years carefully choosing targets who lacked protection. The nurse had assured him Lyra had no one to rely on. Who would’ve thought this monster would suddenly appear?

His family might avenge him if he died, but that wouldn’t bring him back to life, and he had no intention of dying today. Not when there was still so much pleasure left for him to enjoy.

So he fled.

As quickly as possible.

Kael and Lyra silently watched his figure disappear around the corner. Under normal circumstances, the sight of his fat body wobbling while running might have looked ridiculous enough to make them laugh, but neither of them found it funny.

After several seconds of silence, they finally turned toward each other.

Lyra opened her mouth first, but Kael spoke before she could. "How long?"

His voice was low and restrained, but the anger inside it was impossible to miss. "How long has that bastard been bothering you?"

Lyra lowered her head quietly. She said nothing, but her silence already gave him the answer.

Kael clenched his fists tightly. For a moment, he genuinely regretted not crippling the director right there. Eventually, however, he forced himself to calm down before stepping forward and pulling Lyra into his arms.

"I’m sorry," he whispered. "I’ve been a terrible brother."

Lyra froze slightly at first, but Kael tightened the embrace. "But I promise... I’ll fix things from now on."

For several seconds she didn’t respond, then he heard it.

A soft sniffle against his chest.

Her shoulders trembled faintly as quiet sobs escaped her lips while the hallway fell silent around them. The two siblings simply remained there holding onto each other as though trying to make up for years of distance.

Eventually, Lyra slowly pulled away. Her eyes were slightly red, but the concern inside them remained clear.

"You shouldn’t involve yourself in this," she said softly. "You should let me handle this."

"Don’t say that," Kael replied immediately, his voice firm. "I want to get involved. I want to share the burden. I want to be there for you and for Mom."

His expression softened slightly. "I know I’ve been selfish these past few years. I know I acted like none of this mattered to me, but she’s my mother too. And you’re my sister." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He looked directly into her eyes. "So stop carrying everything alone."

Lyra bit her lip lightly. "But—"

"But nothing," Kael interrupted firmly. "Don’t hide something like this from me again."

She wanted to argue. He could see it on her face, but after staring at him quietly for a few moments, she eventually gave a small nod.

"I need to go back inside," she murmured. "Do you want to come with me?"

Kael glanced toward the hospital room door. For a brief moment guilt flashed across his face before he slowly shook his head.

"Not yet," he said quietly. "I can’t face her like this after disappearing for so long."

He forced out a faint smile. "You go take care of her. Leave the rest to me."

Lyra stared at him silently for a few seconds before finally nodding again. Without another word, she turned and walked back into the hospital room.

Kael remained standing there quietly, watching the door close behind her.

After a long moment, he let out a tired sigh before turning around and slowly walking away down the empty hallway.