The one retrieved from The Void

When Vas and The Negotiator arrived at the room, it was eerily silent. The oppressive stillness made it seem as though no one was present—until a figure materialized seemingly out of nowhere.

The man who appeared was corpulent, with a completely shaved head and face. He wore the same leather bodysuit with torn, hanging straps as some of the other figures Vas had encountered.

"Negotiator," the man said in a voice filled with thinly veiled irritation. "What took you so long? The rest of the guys we sent with you already reported what happened. This must be Vastian Hek."

The Negotiator's face broke out in a sweat, his discomfort palpable. Vas, however, gave him a subtle nod, silently urging him to act in line with the man's expectations.

"We ran into The Sculpture," the Negotiator said, attempting to steady his voice. "As you know, I'm not exactly a fighter, so… it took a while to deal with the situation."

"Ohhh, I understand. I even sent The Nun to look for you," the man replied, his tone almost amused.

"You sent that crazy bitch to look for me?" The Negotiator's words came out in a rush, his nerves plain as day.

"Well, you're immune to her, and her abilities would've made it easier for you to grab the kid and avoid any guards," the man replied with a shrug, as though his reasoning was flawless.

"That… makes sense, I suppose," the Negotiator said, his tone shifting to a pondering one. "Anyway, where's the boss?"

"On the fourth floor, trying to crack the door to the fifth."

"Hopefully, he'll manage," the Negotiator said, nodding slightly.

The corpulent man squinted at Vas, tilting his head as though something was off. "What's with the kid's appearance, though?"

"The Sculpture," the Negotiator quickly answered.

"But you can't fight," the man said, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he inspected Vas. "And he looks like he's been through hell. Care to explain that?"

The Negotiator stammered, struggling to conjure an answer, but before he could reply, white chains shot out from seemingly nowhere. They wrapped around both Vas and the Negotiator, slamming them against the wall with an unrelenting force.

"Let me ask again: what happened?" the man demanded, his tone dropping into something more menacing.

"Listen, I can explain," the Negotiator stuttered, his words tumbling over each other as he tried—and failed—to find a plausible excuse.

"Let them go," another voice cut through the tension.

The corpulent man froze and turned toward the source of the voice. Approaching them was a thin man clad in the same leather bodysuit, but his face was entirely obscured by black leather rags, with tufts of hair poking out in odd places.

"The Trauma," the Negotiator whispered, his voice trembling.

"Why does he care about the students' safety?" Vas asked in a hushed tone.

"The Trauma used to be a police officer during the war," the Negotiator explained under his breath. "He started attacking both sides at one point, but he's always been adamant about protecting non-combatants."

"And the other guy?"

"That's The Vice," the Negotiator said. "He used to be a bigshot—got caught selling weapons to both sides and… well, other stuff. Both of them are from the fourth floor."

The Vice rolled his eyes. "Come on, Trauma. I've got a job to do here."

The Trauma didn't respond. His gaze bore into The Vice, heavy with warning.

"Are you really willing to fight me over this kid?" The Vice's voice dripped with mockery. He didn't get to finish his thought before a punch landed square on his face, sending a spray of blood and a few teeth flying.

"You asked for this," The Vice growled, summoning more chains that lashed out and restrained The Trauma, forcing him to the ground.

But The Trauma didn't stay bound for long. With a flex of his limbs, the chains shattered, and he surged forward, grabbing The Vice by the throat and slamming him into the ground with a force that reverberated through the room.

"How the fuck are you so strong with that body of yours?" The Vice spat, his frustration evident.

The Trauma's response was a punch that sent The Vice reeling.

"Let me talk!" The Vice choked out, only to scream as a dark blue light began to glow on his face. "What the—?!"

The glow intensified until it exploded, launching The Vice across the room. The Trauma reappeared in an instant, his body shimmering with a similar light as he stomped down hard on The Vice's face.

"I think we should escape now," the Negotiator whispered to Vas, his voice trembling.

"No," Vas said firmly, his eyes locked on the fight. "The Vice is still standing. I want to see how this plays out."

"Are you crazy?!" the Negotiator hissed. "Those two are monsters! Why would you want to watch this?"

"Don't concern yourself with that. Just shut up and let me watch," Vas replied.

The Vice reemerged at a different spot, coughing and swearing.

"Fuck, that was close," he muttered, glaring at The Trauma.

Before the battle could escalate further, Vas noticed movement. Lily, Carmilla, Yuu, and a group of students arrived in the room, their presence an unwelcome complication. They seemed to be discussing something among themselves, but Vas paid little attention; his focus remained on The Trauma and The Vice.

Then, in a flash, the two combatants collided once more. A dark blue light clashed against a sickly yellow glow, illuminating the room in chaotic bursts as the walls trembled under the strain of their battle.

"They're stronger than the one I fought," Lily muttered, her expression tight as she watched The Trauma's brutal assault and The Vice's desperate counterattacks.

"This is insane," Yuu whispered, her eyes wide.

Vas, however, was focused on the details. As the fight unfolded, he noticed the intricate way both men fought. They wielded the same Medium—the leather bodysuit that had once restrained them—but in vastly different ways.

The Vice relied heavily on pre-drawn sigils, summoning chains with precision. Meanwhile, The Trauma adapted on the fly, inscribing sigils mid-battle or using mudras to manipulate his straps in ways that mimicked the sigils' effects.

It was ingenious. The Trauma had devised a system that balanced the limitations of a borrowed Medium with his own creativity, ensuring his adaptability in combat.

"He's gaining the upper hand," Vas murmured, noting the growing advantage The Trauma held as his pre-drawn sigils reshaped the battlefield to his liking.

A powerful kick from The Trauma tore through The Vice's torso, leaving blood splattering across the floor. As The Trauma loomed over his fallen opponent, The Vice's voice rang out in desperation.

"Why do you care about some students?!"

"Because I do," The Trauma replied coldly. "And you violated the conditions I set not to interfere. Now, I'll hunt you all down."

In a last-ditch effort, The Vice activated a sigil, summoning a cascade of chains that collapsed the floor beneath them. Both combatants fell to the level below, leaving Vas and the others staring into the void left behind.

Vas and The Negotiator were released once The Vice and The Trauma disappeared, leaving behind a tense stillness in the room. The Negotiator, visibly shaken, took a deep breath, trying to steady himself after witnessing something beyond his comprehension. His usually confident demeanor had fractured, leaving behind a fragile, frightened man.

"What now?" The Negotiator asked, his voice betraying the tremor in his chest.

"We go down," Vas replied firmly. "But first, we speak with them." He gestured toward the group of students gathered at the far end of the room. Without waiting for a response, Vas started walking toward them.

As Vas approached, he noticed Lily's face and immediately knew something had happened—something significant. Yet, in that moment, it didn't matter. Closing the distance between them, Vas wrapped Lily in a warm, reassuring hug. Lily hesitated for only a moment before collapsing into his embrace, silent tears streaming down her face. Vas said nothing, simply holding her, allowing her to process and release her emotions.

Time seemed to stretch as Lily clung to him, her tears slowing, her breathing steadying. Finally, she pulled back slightly, though she kept her hands on his arms for grounding.

"So," Vas began gently, "what happened?"

Lily lowered her gaze, her voice trembling as she admitted, "I killed a woman. If I hadn't… she would've killed them all."

Vas's expression softened further. "I'm sorry you had to do that," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "If I had done things differently, you wouldn't have been forced to make that choice."

"It's okay," Lily replied, though her voice was still unsteady. "I guess you have your reasons for being here."

"I do," Vas said, nodding. "But before we get into that…" He turned toward the others, his expression shifting to something colder, more determined. "I need all of you to agree to something."

The sudden change in his demeanor startled them. Just moments ago, Vas had seemed like a caring friend, comforting Lily. Now, his gaze carried an edge, a sharpness that made it clear he wasn't asking so much as commanding.

Ken, always the first to respond, nodded. "No problem."

"After what we've seen, I'm with you," Yuu added.

Jason shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Whatever."

Carmilla hesitated, studying Vas with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. This wasn't the Vas she had known—the timid boy who stayed in the background. This was someone else entirely, someone who moved with purpose and authority. "Fine," she said at last.