Inside the armored vehicle, time seemed to freeze.
The roar of the engine was only a faint background behind the suffocating silence.
Liam collapsed on the floor, his body shivering violently. His hands were still cuffed-cold, almost blue. His face was pale, drenched in cold sweat, and his eyes-though covered by a black cloth-were tightly closed, as if trying to endure a pain that went deeper than just physical injuries.
He tried to hear the voices around him-Eren, Thiago, or anyone else who might be speaking. But as his consciousness began to fade, the outside world disappeared.
Everything became silent. Too quiet.
The world disappeared, replaced by an endless pitch-black space-cold, empty, and suffocating. The ground was like slippery, frozen cracked glass. The sky was dark, as if absorbing light.
Liam stood alone, uncuffed, but his body felt heavy-as if pulled down by something invisible. His breath froze in the air. Around him, faint shadows undulated like mist.
Then... the voice appeared.
"Liam... you've been a disappointment."
The voice did not echo in the ears, but pierced straight into the head.
Liam twisted his body, looking for its origin. But there was no one. Just a voice... and darkness.
"This body... is mine. But you wasted it."
DUGH!
A punch slammed into his stomach-hard and invisible.
Liam was thrown back, hitting the cracked ground.
Before he could get up-DAGH!
A kick to the jaw. His body bounced. His mouth was covered in blood.
She tried to scream... but her voice wouldn't come out.
"You want a quiet life? With a fake family? In this decaying world of humans?"
"You're not them, Liam."
Blow after blow struck his body. There was no figure. No pause.
But the pain-real. More real than anything he had ever felt.
"ARGHHH! Please... stop...!"
But no one came. Not Eren. Not Hiyana. Not anyone.
Liam collapsed, his body shaking on the floor that was now full of cracks glowing red.
The cracks spread from the spots where his blood had dripped.
"Look at you. You're nothing more than a weak vessel I molded."
"You forget who you really are, Noctarion."
Liam froze.
"What...?" he murmured softly.
"That name... is yours. And I'm just a voice... guiding you back."
Suddenly, the mist coagulated into a tall figure-black coat, faceless, with burning red eyes.
"One year, Liam."
"One year to free yourself from this human mask."
"Or I will take over. Slowly. Painfully."
Meanwhile, in the real world-
Thiago was just about to start the examination process when Liam's body suddenly jerked violently.
DUGH! His face hit the floor of the armored vehicle with a loud cracking sound.
Eren reflexively moved forward.
"Liam? Liam, do you hear me?"
But the moment he touched Liam's shoulder-BLARRK!
An invisible wave of energy threw him into the wall of the vehicle. Eren coughed loudly.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" one of the agents shouted.
Inside the cramped vehicle, Liam was moving wildly like he was in a trance, despite remaining handcuffed.
His head shot up and hit the floor again.
DUGH! DAGH!
It was as if an invisible figure was beating him up from the inside.
Blood flowed from his mouth and nose, soaking the cold steel floor like red ink on snow paper.
"Lock her up! Stop his movement!"
"I-I can't get any closer!"
Thiago backed away, his face pale. The aura around Liam was suffocating, cold and inhuman.
The vehicle hit the emergency brake. The NEXARIS motorcade came to an abrupt stop on the highway, creating a traffic jam. Reporters' cameras began to move closer, trying to capture this rare moment.
Inside, the chaos had not subsided.
Liam's body continued to be moved by an unseen force. His breathing was heavy. The sound of his pulse was intermittent.
"He'll die if this continues!"
Thiago gritted his teeth.
"This is no ordinary wound... he's being attacked from within!"
Eren knelt beside Liam. His eyes were glazed over.
"Liam... wake up... don't go..."
And in the midst of it all, Liam's bloody lips moved...
"T-help..."
Before anyone could act, Liam's body shook violently again, then drooped.
His breathing slowed. Dwindling.
The vehicle became silent.
Everyone was silent.
Only the ticking of the clock... and the held breath.
One of the agents whispered, hoarsely,
"Is... she dead?"
And in an instant, the entity faded away.
Leaving Liam lying helpless.
But in his mind-the voice was still whispering,
"You haven't seen the half of it... Liam."
Instantly the figure disappeared-leaving Liam lying on the ground. Silence filled the room.
Without thinking, Eren and Thiago transferred Liam to the ambulance. The scanner panel lit up, a bluish-white light sweeping over his body.
"His heart rate is weakening. If this keeps up..." Thiago muttered.
But the most terrifying thing... Liam was still conscious. He felt everything.
Without a break. Without escape.
Eren approached. "William... hear me?"
Liam's body convulsed, the veins in his neck tightened.
"W-will you guys... be able to kill me?" he whispered.
Eren didn't answer.
Because the answer was... too painful.
"We'll save you," he said finally.
But the panel beeped.
"Neural signals... oscillating. Someone woke up," Thiago said.
Liam's body heated up. Sweat poured out. And from behind his eye patch-a red light flashed.
"Mutation signals... starting to appear in the neural layer," Thiago muttered, his eyes widening. "He's going into active phase!" Thiago shouted.
"Hold him down!" ordered Eren.
Two officers held Liam's body. The titanium handcuffs began to break.
KRAK!
"He broke third-grade titanium?!"
Eren pressed the red button.
"Enter the stabilizing mist-now!"
White smoke enveloped the chamber. Pressure increased. The air was heavy.
Liam's body convulsed like he was possessed.
"I-I... want... to... die...!"
"We have to inject him now!" Thiago exclaimed.
"Not yet! We don't know if he's conscious yet!" snapped Eren.
BZRRZZK!
The electrical panel exploded. Red light pierced through the fabric of her blindfold. The medics retreated. Eren raised the stun gun.
"Sorry, William..."
DOR!
The bullet pierced Liam's neck.
His body went limp. The panel stabilized again.
Thiago sighed. "We almost lost him."
Eren kept his eyes on the sleeping Liam.
"He's not a weapon. Not a victim..." he whispered.
"He's a puzzle... that could destroy us all."