?[System Alert: Biomass Assimilation Complete.]

  ?[Hunger Level Decreasing: 88%... 80%... 75%]

  ?As the green text flashed before my eyes, I spat on the ground, trying to rid my tongue of the copper-heavy, dusty taste.

  ?My own flesh...

  ?It was more nourishing than I expected. The tremors in my hands stopped, and the red haze in my vision cleared. But while my stomach was settling, the hole it opened in my soul felt infinite.

  ?I sat at the base of a concrete pillar, pulling my knees to my chest. I looked at my hands—stained with my own blood, not from battle, but from a meal.

  ?Is this what a "Hero" looks like?

  ?A silhouette huddled in the dark, guarding the girl who tried to kill him, while picking pieces of his own bone from his teeth.

  ?"Certainly not," I whispered to the silence.

  ?I wiped my mouth with the back of my arm and turned my back to Hana. I didn't think she'd attack me even if she woke up. And honestly? I was too tired to care.

  ?“Ngh…”

  ?A soft, pained groan broke the silence. I heard the rustle of fabric against concrete. She was awake.

  ?I didn't turn around. I could feel her eyes drilling into my back. I heard her sharp intake of breath as she checked her body—poking her ribs, touching her face—verifying that she was still in one piece. She was confused. She was calculating.

  ?"Why?" she whispered. Her voice was rough, like sandpaper dragged over stone. "Why haven't you eaten yet?"

  ?I kept my silence. How could I explain that I had eaten? Just not her.

  ?"Or..." Her tone shifted. The fear evaporated, replaced by a cold, cynical suspicion. "Are you after something else? Before eating me alive... do you plan to use me for something... baser?"

  ?My shoulders slumped. The sheer exhaustion of dealing with her twisted worldview was heavier than the fight itself.

  ?"Don't be ridiculous," I said, my voice hoarse and weary. I turned my head slightly, looking at her over my shoulder. "What do you think I am? Or rather... what do you think about yourself?"

  ?Hana paused, her mouth slightly open. She hadn't expected that. In her world, victors took trophies. If I wasn't taking her blood, and I wasn't taking her dignity, then I was simply irrational.

  ?There was silence for a long moment. Only the howling of the wind through the steel beams and the silence of two hearts that no longer beat.

  ?"Then why?" she asked again, this time her voice shaky, stripping away the vampire arrogance to reveal the scared human girl underneath. "You know the rules. I lost. You were starving. You should have taken what was rightfully yours."

  ?"Because I'm not you, Hana."

  ?I turned fully to face her. The electric blue light of the Progenitor was gone. My eyes were dark, tired, and profoundly sad.

  ?"I... I don't want to become a monster like you."

  ?It wasn't a victory statement. It was a confession. A plea to whatever humanity I had left.

  ?Hana stared at me. For the first time, the "actor" mask she wore—the playful psychopath, the arrogant senior—crumbled. There was only a bewildered girl looking at a creature she couldn't categorize.

  ?Her eyes scanned my face, searching for a lie. Instead, they stopped on my mouth.

  ?She saw the dried blood smeared on my lips and chin.

  She looked at her own neck. Intact.

  She looked at her own arms. Intact.

  Then, her eyes darted to the spot on the floor where my severed hand had been lying just minutes ago.

  ?It was gone.

  ?Her eyes widened. The realization hit her like a physical slap.

  ?“You... don't tell me…”

  ?She looked back at me, horror and disbelief warring in her gaze. I couldn't hold eye contact. I turned my face away, a wave of burning shame washing over me.

  ?And then, the silence broke.

  ?“Pff… puahhaha!”

  ?Hana, who had been lying like a corpse moments ago, curled up and started laughing. It wasn't a mockery. It was the hysterical, breathless laughter of someone who had just witnessed the most absurd thing in the universe.

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  ?“What's so funny?” I snapped, defensive.

  ?“I mean… I can't… just—” She wiped a tear from her eye, wheezing. “You ate your own hand? Instead of me? You are... you are actually insane!”

  ?She looked at me, a strange new light in her eyes. Not fear. Not hunger.

  ?“So?” she grinned, her bloody teeth showing. “Was it tasty?”

  ??“...”

  ?While she continued to cackle, wiping tears from her eyes, I frowned. The absurdity of the situation was starting to annoy me.

  ?“How much longer are you going to keep laughing?” I grumbled, my voice cracking.

  ?“Sorry, sorry...” Hana gasped for air, trying to compose herself. “I just... I’ve met cowards, and I’ve met monsters. But I’ve never met a total freak like you, who would choose to eat a piece of themselves instead of taking a bite out of their enemy.”

  ?She looked at me, shaking her head in disbelief.

  ?“You really are one of a kind, Kang Eun-Woo.”

  ?“Sorry for being a 'freak' then,” I muttered, looking away. “I spare her life, and this is the thanks I get...”

  ?Hana’s laughter finally faded. She stood up, dusting off her dress with a calm, almost eerie smile. The predator was gone; the teammate was back.

  ?“Wait here.”

  ?As I watched her walk away toward a pile of construction materials, I tensed. Just what is she up to? I hoped she wasn't going to grab a rebar to finish the job. Not that I could stop her in this state.

  ?Minutes later, she returned holding a plastic convenience store bag. I could already smell it—the sterile, metallic scent of artificial blood.

  ?“Where did... where did this come from?” I asked, eyeing the bag.

  ?She paused before sitting down next to me on the cold concrete, keeping a respectful distance.

  ?“I brought it... just in case.”

  ?“In case of what?”

  ?“In case I changed my mind,” she said, pulling out a silver pouch that looked suspiciously like a juice box. “Or in case I decided you were too pathetic to eat. I like to keep my options open.”

  ?Although the thought that her "options" were basically kill me or pity me didn't exactly warm my heart, the fact that she had prepared a Plan B was... thoughtful? I guess.

  ?“Here.”

  ?She tossed the pouch to me. I caught it with my left hand—my only hand. It was cold. Condensation dripped down the plastic sides.

  ?“Is this... really okay for me to take?” I asked, hesitant. “You’re not trying to poison me now that you failed to beat me, are you?”

  ?Hana rolled her eyes. She pulled out another pouch for herself, punctured it with a small straw, and took a sip.

  ?“Wow, you look really hungry. Just drink it before you pass out.”

  ?She was right. As soon as the smell hit my nose, my hesitation vanished. I ripped the top off the pouch with my teeth, not bothering with the straw, and downed the contents in one go.

  ?[System Alert: Artificial Ichor Ingested.]

  ?[Hunger Level Decreasing: 75%... 70%... 65%]

  ?It wasn't as potent as fresh blood—or even my own flesh—but it was clean. It was cold. It washed away the taste of dust and bone from my mouth.

  ?“Hah...” I let out a breath of pure relief.

  ?“Aren't you hungry?” I asked, wiping my mouth.

  ?“I am,” Hana replied, sipping her pouch elegantly. “But not as much as you. I didn't lose three limbs and a gallon of blood tonight.”

  ?“Thanks...” I mumbled, staring at the empty pouch.

  ?What was going on? Just ten minutes ago, she was trying to rip my heart out. Now, we were sitting in a construction site like two high schoolers skipping class, drinking blood-juice.

  ?“Why?” I asked again, looking at her. “Why give me this?”

  ?Hana lowered her pouch. She looked at the moon visible through the steel beams.

  ?“I am a monster, Eun-Woo. I admit that,” she said softly. “But I am not cruel enough to kill someone who has already forgiven me.”

  ?She turned to me, her red eyes gleaming in the dark.

  ??“Consider this a truce. For now.”

  ?While I looked into her eyes, searching for deceit, she reached into her bag again. This time, she didn't pull out a weapon. She pulled out a small packet of wet wipes and tossed it onto my lap.

  ?She looked at me while squeezing the last drops of artificial blood from her pouch.

  ?“Here. Try to wipe away that dried blood on your face. You might be a freak, but try to look a little more human.”

  ?Suspiciously, I picked up the packet, pulled out a cold, damp sheet, and started scrubbing my chin. The dried blood flaked away, stinging my skin.

  ?“So,” she started, her tone casual but her eyes sharp. “Where did that power come from? The blue light. The pressure. It didn't feel like it came from you, you know?”

  ?I paused, the wet wipe hovering over my cheek.

  ?“Hell if I know,” I muttered. “I just... I heard a voice. A dream, maybe. And when I woke up, my body had reconnected, and I was... something else.”

  ?I looked at my hands. They were normal now. The blue star-fire was gone.

  ?“Do you know anything about it?” I asked.

  ?Hana shook her head slowly. “No idea. But the power itself... it was suffocating. It was easily capable of challenging—or surpassing—an S-class presence. Do you think you can do it again?”

  ?“Why are you so interested?”

  ?“Don’t get me wrong,” she shrugged. “I was just wondering. I’ve never seen a Newborn manifest something that terrifying.”

  ?“I see...”

  ?I should ask Vaughn, I thought. Or maybe Jin. They act like they know everything.

  ?I finished cleaning my face and crumpled the dirty wipe in my hand.

  ?“I still can't believe you didn’t take your revenge,” she said suddenly, breaking my train of thought.

  ?“It's not like I didn't think about it,” I admitted, looking at the dark ceiling. “But as I said... I didn't want to become a monster.”

  ?Hana stared at me for a long beat. Then, she pointed a finger at the empty space where my hand had been severed—the hand I had consumed to heal.

  ?“But you are one, Eun-Woo.”

  ?“...”

  ?I had no comeback for that.

  ?She jumped up, dusting off her skirt, and stretched her arms above her head. A satisfying pop echoed from her joints.

  ?“Still, I have to say... you weren't that lame today.”

  ?“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Why would I be lame?”

  ?With a faint, cryptic smile on her face, she extended her hand towards me. Not to strike, but to help.

  ?I hesitated, then took her hand. Her grip was firm and cold. She pulled me up effortlessly.

  ?As I straightened myself, brushing the dust off my clothes, I looked her in the eye.

  ?“Just so you know,” I said, my voice hardening. “Even if we have a truce, I still intend to report this to the Council. Or Vaughn. You broke the law. You tried to Devour a teammate.”

  ?Hana froze. She looked at me, blinking.

  ?Then, a small, pitying smirk curled her lips.

  ?“Pff. Do you really believe Devouring is forbidden?”

  ?“What?”

  ?She picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and started walking toward the exit, her silhouette blending into the shadows.

  ?“You really are a Newborn,” she called back, waving her hand dismissively without looking back. “The laws aren't there to stop us, Eun-Woo. They're just there to stop the weak from eating the strong.”

  ?“What do you mean by that?!” I shouted.

  ?She did n't answer. She just disappeared into the night, leaving me alone in the wreckage of the construction site.