Eclipse Hunter

A middle-aged man sat at a black office desk, clearly the most important one in the room. Despite the grey tint to the man"s hair, he still maintained a handsome face. Before him were several other desks, each equipped with a computer. Financial reports were tacked on the walls of this room, displaying economic growth trends and other major exports and imports. However, this large room was empty at that moment and the man"s countenance seemed nothing like that of a top executive. He stared blankly ahead, as if awaiting something. At that instant, the ornately carved, ebony wood doors slowly swung inwards. In the era of modern technology, automatic doors were seen as a basic commodity. Even working cla.s.s households had no need to move their arms to open doors. Therefore, these doors were amongst the man"s most prized possessions. But at that moment, he would much rather have had an automatic door which slid open in an instant, than the agonizingly slow pace at which the doors creaked open, sending shivers down his spine. Even though he could guess who was behind it, he was still hoping he was wrong. Devon Solaris strolled into the room with a grace that seemed to say that the whole world stood at his feet. He had an aura of complete superiority which could force even the toughest to yield even though there wasn"t the slightest trace of hostility in his gaze. His perfect expression betrayed no emotion; his captivating looks, slender frame and overflowing charisma made people fall to their knees in worship. This had become especially apparent ever since he took over his father"s position and became a key player in the financial world. As the influence of the Solaris Federation expanded, he garnered looks of awe and admiration from every member of the conglomerate. Gazing at the striking figure before him, the older man could not help but feel a surge of pride, despite the current situation. This was his very own son, his own flesh and blood, the son he had brought up to become the perfect Solaris Emperor. After having dominated the financial world for years and having the perfect son, this man had no regrets, at this moment he simply felt puzzled. "Why would you wish to kill me? You should know that you are my one and only son. I may possess some of the shares of this conglomerate, but that will be left to you anyway." "Your one and only son? Is that what you believed all along? Is that how it was?" the slender figure shook with anger he had never felt before. Even his eyes became bloodshot. "So… you already know?" the man behind the desk realised what this was about and regained his composure. ""You already know?" Father, is that all you are thinking? Why are you being so cruel to him?" Grief filled his voice. "My whole life I have dearly loved your mother. But he killed her." There was nothing but indifference in his voice. "Lies! Mother died of childbirth, how could you blame him?" The older man did not reply, and simply looked at Devon silently without showing a hint of regret in his eyes. The sight only served to fuel the younger man"s rage and anguish. His father loved his mother deeply and this love had never faded, even after her death. This would have made any child proud, but not when it hurt someone. Was his father wrong? He found it difficult to blame him. His father has always been very attentive to Devon. He never forgot his birthdays and whenever Devon wanted something, his father never disappointed him, that is, until that request he made on his eighteenth birthday. "I want my little brother." That was six years ago. Ever since then, Devon had made that exact request over and over again. It was different from the usual requests a child would make, he was not asking his parents to have another child, because Devon already had a little brother. A very cute one at that. When they were little, he used to love pinching the kid"s cheeks until he started protesting. Somehow, he could never really comprehend how his father could come to hate such a cute kid. Why did his father refuse to acknowledge his little brother"s existence? It was not until he was older that Devon realised that the expression his father always wore in the child"s presence was that of hatred. Even the nanny responsible for his care was there solely for monetary gain. So it was entirely up to Devon to give the child the love and care he needed. Any other child would have been on bad terms with his siblings as they would vie for his parents" affections. But Devon"s situation was different. It was obvious that his father hated his younger brother and even discouraged Devon from visiting him. He was taboo among the household and was never present in any of the family photos. The nanny was well aware that the father loathed the child and never dared to bring him out of the room. And thus, Daren Solaris had lived in that attic as long as he could remember. Since his father was fond of antiques, he had his home designed in the image of a castle. So the attic was far removed from the main hall. Devon could no longer remember why he had walked all the way there back then. His only vague recollection was that of a baby"s loud wails leading him up a staircase, and through a wooden door. The room had been dark and the light switch was no where to be found. The cries coming from the room were unrelenting and Devon was very scared at the time. He felt something tugging his trousers and the noise suddenly stopped. Alarmed, Devon kicked the thing away and the crying resumed. He hastily retreated to the wall behind him and b.u.mped into the light switch. As the room became bright, he found himself looking at a baby crying loudly, with a huge bruise on his forehead. Obviously, this kid was the one tugging on his trousers, and that bruise was the result of Devon"s kick. Devon fretted as he ran to the little baby to check if he was alright. From what he had learnt, babies are usually very fragile. The moment he extended his hands to the baby, it stopped crying. Big watery eyes stared back at him and the child cooed as two tiny hands grabbed his own. Such small hands, Devon thought. His ten year old self had always found his father"s hand to be quite big when compared to his own. And yet, compared to the infant in front of him, his own hand seemed large. The baby suddenly shoved Devon"s thumb to his tiny mouth and started sucking on it as hard as he could. Hungry? Sadly you are not going to get any milk no matter how hard you try. He did not know if he should laugh or cry at this ridiculous situation. He helplessly searched the room for milk powder and once he found it, he began preparing milk for the child. He failed several times. The milk was either too hot or he had not put enough milk powder in it, causing the baby to cry loudly. By the time he had succeeded, the baby was starving. He held onto the bottle with his small hands and drank hungrily while staring straight at the person holding him with his swollen eyes. Finally, after two whole bottles of milk, the baby was satisfied and its big watery eyes slowly became heavy in Devon"s warm embrace. He tried to place the baby on the bed, but once he let go the baby started crying its lungs out. With no other choice, he settled by the bed and sacrificed a finger for the baby"s tiny hands to hold on to. And thus the baby finally fell asleep peacefully. It was then that Devon started thinking that this baby should be his little brother. The one that his mother died to give birth to, and hated by father. Devon should have felt hate towards this child too. However, gazing at the tiny baby in its peaceful sleep and feeling its firm grip on his finger, Devon could only think of the child as the most innocent being on earth. Even without anyone telling him to, Devon knew he should treasure his little brother. "Didi, you have to quickly learn how to call me "gege"." Devon was very excited at the thought of the little creature calling him big brother. Sure enough, his wish came true. Some time in the future, the first word the baby would utter was not the usual "mama" or "papa", but "gege". Ever since his discovery, Devon had frequented the attic almost every day to play with his little brother for at least one hour. His father had disapproved but there was little he could do against Devon"s persistence. And so he watched his little brother grow up. He was there when the child uttered his first words and when he took his first steps. Didi liked to read picture books, and loved ripping them. He liked to play ball games and loved to smash Devon"s face with the ball. Soon didi started to learn how to write and because his father refused to find a tutor for him, it was Devon himself that taught his little brother how to read and write… All was well until the year Devon turned seventeen and his little brother was only seven. Their father sent didi away, claiming that he was sending him to one of the best royal colleges for schooling. Devon had been reluctant and wondered why he was allowed to have home tutors while his little brother had to be sent to a place so far away. But he had not given it much thought, naively believing that his father would surely act in his little brother"s best interests, after all Daren was his son too. "No! I don"t want to go!" Didi was extremely frightened at that time and had tightly hung onto Devon"s waist. The strength of the seven year old had nearly strangled him then. Devon had tried multiple times to convince his brother, knowing full well that he was afraid of their father. In the end, Devon had had to make a few promises in order to rea.s.sure him. "Don"t be scared, didi. You still have your older brother. I will protect you." "Gege will protect me?" Didi pouted and extended his little finger. "Then let"s make a deal, if gege lied then... you have eat a lot of bitter melon which gege hates." Devon smiled in embarra.s.sment as he hooked his little finger with didi"s. "Alright, alright. If I am lying to you, I will have to eat a lot of bitter melon." Just like that the little boy agreed to go with his father. As he walked away, he turned multiple times to look at his elder brother. He had been extremely frightened of their father who had held his hand so coldly… That scene had always remained in Devon"s mind. Every time he recalled it, he blamed himself for not noticing the coldness in his father"s eyes and hated himself for neglecting his little brother because he was too busy playing around in his teenage years. When a whole six months went by and didi was still not home for summer vacation, Devon finally asked his father about him. His father had replied in an uninterested voice that the school Daren went to did not have holidays and students were not allowed to come home until they graduated "Which school is this?" Of course he had not believe it. Didi did not phone him at all during the last six months, even though Devon gave him his phone number. How could a child who is so attached to his older brother not call him up even once? His father had not given him an answer, and it was then that comprehension dawned on him. There was no way that his little brother had been sent to such a school. It was all a part of his father"s plan to get rid of an unwanted eyesore. Devon did not dare to imagine what might have happened to his little brother. He went berserk searching for the boy. He went through the whole family, the whole city… the whole country… Drowning in self-hate, he joined the Solaris Federation and took over most of the human resources within a year, just so he could search for his little brother. However, it was not enough. Just like that, didi disappeared from his world without a trace. In the course of time, Devon managed to take over every part of the Solaris Federation. He garnered enough power and influence to buy up smaller trading organisations and turn Solaris into one of the five greatest trade cartels. He did all this just so he could get better access to the Census and other records regarding orphans, criminals, prisoners, and even unidentified corpses… On every one of his birthdays, Devon had pleaded for the return of his little brother but his father had disappointed him each time. But on his most recent (24th) birthday, he had a different request. He demanded his father"s permission to excavate the mansion and this time, his father agreed. The castle-like mansion was enormous so Devon was forced to find a few hundred people to carry out the excavation. Complex feelings coursed through him as he waited day and night for something to be dug up. He refused to think about the initial suspicion that had compelled him to lead the excavation and what it would mean if something was actually dug up. The search had gone on for six years and Devon was weary. If father has truly… then it would be best to begin the revenge for my little brother. But nothing had turned up and although Devon sighed in relief, he now had to continue his fruitless search. Seven years had pa.s.sed since didi"s disappearance and Devon could wait no longer. His little brother would have been fifteen by now. Between his father and little brother, he knew right from the start whom he would pick. The seven years worth of delay was only because of his love for his father. "Where is my little brother?" Devon demanded. He held a hand gun in his hands, the very latest of its kind, and pointed it straight at his father. There was no trace of emotion left in his eyes. He had already betrayed his little brother"s trust, his beloved didi was missing and he had no idea whether he was alive or not. The regret he carried for seven years had slowly worn away every bit of the love he had had for his father. The elderly man at gun point now looked at him unwaveringly and even smiled a little, "Actually, I"m giving him to you for your 25th birthday!" Devon was stunned. He did not think he would get a straight answer from father so easily. Or was it simply a ploy to avoid death at Devon"s hands? His father stood up. "Don"t move!" Devon snapped, his voice sounding even colder than before. "I might not kill you before you tell me what happened to didi, but that doesn"t mean I won"t cripple you." "Calm down, child. I only wanted you to see your beloved little brother." The elderly man slowly walked over to a door. Devon hesitated since he knew that door led to his father"s restroom. His father opened the door and gestured for him to follow him in. Devon hesitated again, but not because he was scared. Even if didi was all the way down in h.e.l.l, he would not hesitate to jump in. It was just that he could not bear another wave of disappointment. Didi has been missing for 7 whole years and Devon had already searched through every territory occupied by the Solaris Federation. How could he bring himself to believe that his little brother would be in that rest room...? Nevertheless, Devon entered. His father walked into the bathroom within the large rest room and stood before the simple bathtub, wash sink and toilet. His smile was spine-chilling. "Child, it no matter how smart you were, you were never able to guess that this very rest room which I frequently visited was the place you were searching for all this time." Devon was dumbfounded, he stared at his father as the man turned the tap on the bath tub. No water came out, but instead the whole bath tub descended, leaving behind a flight of stairs. This unremarkable place with such simple functions managed to fool him for seven years. Devon suspected that there would be hidden pathways in the castle and had long since searched through them all. But he never suspected that there could be one here. It was risky to have the tap act as the switch. If someone happened to come here and turn on the tap, the pa.s.sage would have easily been discovered. But this faulty idea was surprisingly effective. When searching for hidden switches, no one would bother to investigate an exposed tap. Like his father, Devon liked using things that belonged to him and him alone. And so, even though only Devon and his father was permitted to use this rest room, he had never stepped into the place since it belonged to his father. Devon had spent all these years searching for his little brother, only to find him hidden right under his nose. It was such a cruel reality. Devon prayed that this was not his little brother"s grave. If the boy was even barely alive, with current technology, he could find a way for him to return to the original health. Perhaps his father knew that Devon would not be foolish enough to step in first, so he entered the hidden pathway without hesitation. Devon followed close behind, feeling eager to finally see his little brother. He widened his eyes at the scene that unfolded before him. It was not the dank, dungeon-like place he had imagined, but a brightly lit laboratory with high-tech machinery crowding the room. Several people in lab coat were excitedly looking at a screen. When they noticed their entry, they all filed in and stood by respectfully. Only one of them, Devon noted, was looking at them coldly instead of smiling. "How is it progressing?" his father asked. "Very smoothly, Mr Solaris. It"s like a miracle." said one of the scientists excitedly, "I am sure you understand. Filling every bone of his body with molten steel; employing medical techniques to make his skin and muscle ten times more resilient than normal people; even the microchip in his brain utilises the latest technology. This was the most dangerous experiment ever carried out. We didn"t even expect our candidate to survive, let alone make such excellent progress." "Very good." Devon"s father replied. "W-what are you saying?" Devon did not understand, he did not want to understand. He was only praying for his little brother to stay alive. Although he knew that some things could be much worse than death itself, he was unable to believe that his own father could be capable of doing such things to his own son. The man who had been looking at them coldly suddenly spoke up in a sarcastic tone. "Meaning, the experiment was very successful. Not only did we managed to turn a weak youth into something even stronger than the most elite members of the Delta Force, his body is tougher than stone and there is a microchip implanted in his brain that would make him obey any command you chose to issue. Congratulations, you now have the perfect bodyguard." Devon staggered. He moved in trance towards to the screen, that the scientists had been crowded around. A voice inside him screamed, I don"t want to see this! I don"t want to see! His feet moved on their own and stood before the screen. It did not actually show a clear picture of what was going on inside. The figure inside was moving so fast that Devon could only see a blur. He was looking into a combat simulator, a very common machine used in this era. There are several types of simulators. The low grade ones are used for entertainment in amus.e.m.e.nts parks. The highest grade machines are used for training in the army. The one in front of him now was certainty one of the best. It displayed all the possible statistics such as the speed the figure was moving, the strength he was exerting, the combat styles, etc. The figure inside was clearly human; this notion made Devon sigh in relief. From the scientist"s report, he had a.s.sumed that his little brother had become a robot. "Release him!" Devon glared at the team coldly, unconsciously emitting the aura he uses to command his vast empire. The crowd immediately went pale. One of them turned to the microphone connected to the simulator and called out, "Dark Sun, cease the fight, come out immediately." As the man turned around after issuing the order he found himself under the Devon"s terrifying glare. He hurriedly explained, "Mr Solaris, don"t worry. Even though we can all give him orders, everything has been prioritised for you and your safety. Your commands overtake ours. If you command him to, he will respond only to your will. Even if the person looks the same as you it won"t work because Dark Sun has already memorised your DNA." Devon shifted his gaze to the screen again. Even though he could not see the face, the figure inside seemed to have the normal silhouette of a slender youth. Devon started to feel a little relieved, there did not seem to be any visible difference. If no knew about it, no one would notice that his little brother had been modified… He would ensure that this secret did not leave this room. There would be none left to command didi! The exit to the combat simulator opened. Devon was overwhelmed with anxiety and longing as he looked towards his little brother. When his eyes found him, tears threatened to fall. This was his little brother! There was no way he could mistake him. He even thought that there was not much difference from what he looked like seven years ago. The only changes were that his face was longer, he no longer had his baby cheeks, and he was much taller than before, about 172cm. Daren used to complain about his height when he was young and tended to chug down many gla.s.ses milk in the hopes to grow taller. Looks like he doesn"t need to do that anymore, Devon almost chuckled at the thought. Didi came and stood before him. Beside Devon who was approximately 187cm tall, his younger brother looked quite short. Didi emotionlessly walked over to the scientist who had commanded him to come out. His posture was better than any soldier as he stood perfectly straight without moving an inch of his body. Seeing that his little brother had not reacted, Devon could not help but call out, "Didi, don"t you recognise me? I am your older brother." Dark Sun still displayed no reaction, on the other hand, this comment had shocked the man with the cold look. He could hardly believe it. Devon actually said that Dark Sun was his little brother. Then this means that the person who ordered this experiment was actually the father of the specimen. "You have to call him "Dark Sun"," another scientist politely reminded Devon. "That"s the call sign we gave him. Of course, you could change it if you wish by giving him the order to do so." "What are you talking about!?" Devon yelled. He started to panic, the calm he displayed so far rapidly disappearing. He finally realised that the situation was not as simple as he had imagined. This would not be solved simply by killing everyone who knew about the modification done to didi, because his little brother was totally abnormal right now… "Didi? Didi!" Devon called to the silent and rigid figure over and over but he never got an answer. The person with the cold look could not bear to watch any longer and issued an order to "Dark Sun". "Turn around and confirm your top priority master." Dark Sun turned around to look at Devon and responded impa.s.sively, "Confirming top priority master. Appearance: matched. Pupils: matched. First stage of confirmation completed without error. Initiating second stage of confirmation, DNA comparison initiated..." "Didi…" Devon clutched at his chest, feeling his heart constrict in pain and anguish. "Does Master wish to change the call sign?" Dark Sun asked, seeming a little confused at being called "didi". He showed a confused expression but his eyes were blank like a robot who had judged the situation and showed an appropriate expression. "Change the call sign?" Devon could not take the blow, he lost all control over his emotions and yelled, "Why on earth would you need to change your name? Your name has never been changed, you are not Dark Sun; you are Daren Solaris, my only brother!" "Daren Solaris. Name change completed. Also accepting "didi" as a nickname." Devon"s head swam, his heart no longer able to take the pain. His face was deathly pale. He had never thought that after seven years of endless searching, he would find himself reunited with a robot that only looked like didi. This was even more painful than seeing his corpse. Suddenly, Devon"s father moved. Picked up something sharp from the desk near him and aimed it at Devon. Hearing the gasps from the people around him, Devon looked up. The sharp object in his father"s hand never reach him. Because before Devon could even react, his father was stopped by Daren who had moved incredibly fast while monotonously saying. "Attempt to murder top priority master detected. Target set to be eliminated." As he spoke, Daren"s morphed his hands into a spike and pierced through his father"s chest without hesitation. Devon was stunned, he could not believe that his father would try to kill him. "Why?" asked the man with the cold look. "You knew that there was no way you would succeed. Dark Sun won"t hesitate to kill anyone who holds a threat towards his top priority master." Devon froze. His father chuckled dryly, streams of blood now flowing freely from his mouth. "Haha, I won"t let my most precious child kill me. You are the captivating and dazzling sun, the perfect Solaris. I won"t let you commit patricide. I won"t let my death contaminate your hands. Let all the darkness and sins be carried by Dark Sun, the dark seed of evil who killed his own mother… hahaha…" Bang! Devon coldly shot a bullet through his father"s head. The bullet echo left silence in its wake. None of the scientists knew what to do. Devon watched his little brother pull his hand out of the corpse, letting the body fall to the ground. It was clear that his father would have died even if Devon had not pulled the trigger. Devon had failed to protect his little brother. Once again he had made him suffer. But did cyborg didi care right now? The thought made his heart ache once again. "Ah! Tears… Dark Sun…" the man with the cold look had felt no sadness for the dead man, he only felt sorry for the two brothers. When he turned to look at Dark Sun, he found something extraordinary… Hearing him mutter, Devon was shocked. He had forced himself to look away from Daren, but now he turned towards him. His little brother still had no expression but why could he see two streams of tears on his face? Is this another mechanism that makes him shed tears when the situation demands it? Devon gently stroked didi"s face and said tenderly. "You shouldn"t be so expressionless. Even with the simplest character design, you should have at least been able to match it with a sad expression." "You will always be my beloved little brother… not Dark Sun, and I swear that I will protect you." Without warning, Devon whipped out his hand gun and shot one of the scientists. Before the rest could react, two more fell. Devon turned around and took aim another man. Despite his desperate pleas for mercy, Devon rewarded him with a bullet to the heart. The accuracy was chilling. He continued until there was only a single scientist left alive. It was the man with the cold look. Before he could shoot the man calm spoke up. "Please wait. I know that I have no chance of escape. So why don"t you listen to me, I have something to say about your little brother"s condition." Devon did not respond but he did not pull the trigger either. The gun remained poised at the man; Devon was afraid the man might suddenly try to attack and his brother would have to kill again. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Theodore Avery, and I am a surgeon. In fact, I am responsible for all the surgeries that have taken place here." Theodore smiled. "Those guys were all on the theoretical side. They only have hypotheses and theories, none of them actually dared to do the actual work. So your father offered me quite a high salary to do it. My skills are of the highest calibre, but the people outside are offended by my work. So I ended up here." Noticing Devon"s impatience, Theodore changed the subject. "Since I accepted the high salary, I prepared myself to operate on something immoral. However, humans always manage to form bonds. Your little brother was a very good child. When he first arrived he used to cry a lot. But once he was told that he could return to his older brother after the experiment ends, he became very obedient. Operations which even adults couldn"t bear, he managed to bear them all." Theodore turned to look at Dark Sun and added, "Those theorists all thought that it was because he had high endurance. But I believe that it was actually his resolution that made him strong. It"s his longing to see you that allowed him to survive." As he listened to his little brother"s past, Devon"s expression softened and he was no longer impatient. He was eager to know how didi had lived during the past seven years, even though he aware that it must have been a terrible experience. "The genetic and biological alterations to his body isn"t that bad. He is still alive and gaining strength is no disadvantage either. Also his appearance is no different from a normal human" "My brother is human!" said Devon, now enraged at the comment. "Yes, of course. I am sorry." Theodore regretted this mistake and was relieved to see that Dark Sun had not reacted. "The actual problem the microchip in his brain, that what"s making him act inhuman." "And you are the one who put it there. You turned my little brother into a robot with your own two hands." Devon"s face darkened, the hand holding the gun now shaking from anger. "Yes, I did. If I didn"t, they would find someone else to perform it instead." Theodore replied smoothly. Devon was at a loss for words. The scientist sighed again, "If it was going to be done one way or another, then it might as well be me who did it. I was able to use my own theories to persuade those other scientists to make a little modification to the microchip." "Modification?" Devon asked with curiousity. "Yes… the actual function of the microchip is quite complex. I will simplify it for you. Just like the human brain there are different sections for each function. There"s a certain section for emotions as well. I managed to persuade them to leave the emotion section intact but with a switch. I told them that perhaps you might prefer a bodyguard with feelings." Devon"s face lit up at the news. Theodore smiled and continued, "Those guys agreed but they insisted that the switch be controllable only by the top priority master. So issue the order to your didi now. Tell him to switch off the part that"s controlling his emotions. Also, he hasn"t forgotten you. He only followed orders that made him incapable of responding to you. Tell him to transfer his memory back from the hard disk and he will be able to remember you." Devon did what he was told almost immediately. Dark Sun responded with a "Understood". There was a momentary silence before Dark Sun suddenly froze and fell forward. Devon used almost all his strength to turn him around. Dark Sun was not as normal as Theodore implied. His bones had been replaced with steel and the toughness of his muscles were far from ordinary. The small, fragile-looking body of his actually weighed 93 kg. Seeing didi"s reaction, Devon glared at Theodore, who shrugged again, "Perhaps the change was too major and he needed to restart?" "Very good!" said Devon as he stood up slowly. In a chilling tone he continued, "Now I have no use for you." Theodore raised his eyebrows. That Devon wished to erase all witnesses came as no surprise to the man. Calmly he replied, "I must warn you, that switching the emotion function off hasn"t been tested yet. If any error occur and I am already dead because you shot me, your little brother won"t have anyone to save him." Devon hesitated, he did not know whether this was the truth. He did not want anyone to know about his little brother"s secret nor did he wish to keep anyone who could command him alive. "You should remember that your didi was made to protect you. Even if you order him not to protect you, he would still fight on your behalf. If there is any injury, no normal doctor can tend him." Theodore continued coldly. "Your little brother"s muscle cannot be pierced even by the sharpest surgery knives. His body temperature and the frequency of his heartbeat do not match a normal human"s. Not only will it be futile to go to normal doctors, but it will also reveal your brother"s abnormality. Therefore, it is in your brother"s interest to let me live." Devon lowered his gun and looked at Theodore threateningly. "I won"t kill you, but know this. If my brother"s secret is leaked, your life will be forfeit. Don"t even think about running away; with my power over the Solaris Federation, I can find you even if you hide away in the remotest of deserts." Facing the man who has dominated most of the whole world"s economy and had been a key player in the financial world since he was a teenager, even the nonchalant Theodore could not help but put on a serious face. "I understand, I won"t tell anyone." Devon walked back to didi and somehow managed to lift him up after exerting all the strength he could muster. Theodore wanted to help but gave up after receiving a fierce glare from Devon. Devon walked with much difficulty, but he did not let go despite the enormous weight on his back and the long flight of stairs. No matter what happened, he would not let go. I will protect you this time.

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