All Novel Full Chapter 383 The Clock Is Ticking Part Two
383 The Clock Is Ticking Part Two
Kira saw the look in his eye and felt a bit guilty, she hesitated, her voice shaky as she said, “I’m sorry, Claus. I didn’t mean to make you worry. I… I always have a tendency to screw things up, don’t I?”
Claus frowned and shook his head, leaning closer. “Don’t say that, Kira. You’re stronger than you think, remember you ve gotten far better than that little girl who used to come crying to me all the time. And besides.”
“did you forget the promise we made after Father left?”
Kira’s lips curved into a faint smile as the memory surfaced. “We’d always be around to have each other’s backs,” she murmured.
Claus nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “That’s right.” His expression turned serious as he leaned in closer, gripping her hand tightly. “So don’t you dare die on me, Kira. I swear, if you break that promise, I’ll never forgive you.”
Kira let out a weak chuckle, her voice laced with exhaustion. “I’m suddenly feeling so motivated to keep living now,” she teased, though the warmth in her smile gave away the gratitude behind her words.
But before she could say more, a sharp, searing pain shot in her head. Her smile dissappeaed, and her body tensed as a voice—deep and inhuman—echoed in her mind: ~’Eat them… rip them apart…’ ~
Kira’s body began to tremble violently, her pulse spiking as if her heart was ready to burst from her chest. Her breathing grew erratic, her hands clawing at the edges of the bed.
“Kira!” Claus shouted, his voice panicked as he grabbed her shoulders, trying to steady her. “Stay with me, Kira!”
Her eyes widened as she gasped for air, her mind caught between the terrifying voice and the faint thread of reality anchoring her to Claus. “Cl-Claus…” she managed to choke out before another spike of pain hit her, threatening to drown her completely.
Claus tightened his grip on her, his voice trembling but resolute. “You’re not going anywhere, Kira. Do you hear me? You’re going to fight this, and we’re going to get through it together. Just… stay with me!”
Kira’s violent shaking began to subside slowly, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The pain in her head still throbbed, but it had dulled just enough for her to regain some sense of control. Her body trembled as she let out a weak cough, her throat feeling raw and dry, like sandpaper scraping against her skin.
Her voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. “My throat… It’s so dry…”
Claus, still holding her hand, nodded quickly. “Hang on, Kira. I’ll get you something to drink.” He stood up, brushing a hand over her face as he stepped away from her bedside. “Just stay put.”
He hurried out of the room, the door sliding shut behind him with a soft hiss. As he rushed down the hallway, his mind raced. ‘Could this really just be a virus?’ He thought, the idea of a simple infection feeling almost too mundane given the circumstances. ‘No, this is something more.’ His mind kept returning to the crystal, the one they had discovered during the mission.
The strange, energy that radiated from it. And the monsters that had attacked them afterward. It all pointed to something far more dangerous than a mere virus. ‘Could it possess Arcane properties?’ He wondered, anxiety gnawing at him as he quickened his pace.
He arrived at a vending machine, his thoughts still swirling, paid and grabbed a bottle of water. He rushed back towards Kira’s room, barely noticing the soft hum of te chin the hall as he hurried along.
The door slid open with a quiet hiss, and Claus walked in, ready to offer her the water and perhaps a moment of calm. “You can rest easy, Kira. I already got you some—”
But his words halted as his gaze locked onto the bed.
She was gone.
His eyes widened in shock. His heart skipped a beat. Kira was nowhere to be found. The bed was empty, the sheets still rumpled as if she had only just been lying there moments before.
Claus’s grip on the water can tightened, his pulse quickening. He let go of the bottle, his breath coming in short, panicked bursts as he looked around the room in shock. No sign of her anywhere.
“Shit!” Claus’s mind raced as panic raged within him. He couldn’t waste another second. He pulled out his communicator to his lips as he yelled out orders.
“This premises is on lockdown. Nothing gets in or out!”
An alarm began to ring as red lights began to beep all over the halls. The clock was ticking, and Kira was out there somewhere, with that strange force controlling her every move. They needed to find her before whatever this was took full control.
09:47
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He turned sharply from the door and began running down the hall, his gaze steady despite the storm of worry inside. “I need Union guards to begin searching for the Branch Director immediately. We’re dealing with something bigger than we thought. Don’t let her slip by.”
The intensity in his tone was enough to get the guards moving quickly, their boots echoing down the hallway as they began to fan out and check the perimeter. Claus could already hear their radios crackling.
“Understood sir, the guards are searching the perimeter.” “Scientists, secure the crystal,” Claus said, speaking to the team in the lab. “We don’t know what the hell we’re dealing with here, but whatever is affecting branch officer Kira is linked to that thing. No one touches it until we know exactly what’s going on.”
He ran a hand through his hair, his breath coming a little heavier as he tried to steady himself. He then mumbled to himself. “If Kira is being controlled by this virus… or whatever the hell it is… she might be heading for it. She might want to take it with her, to wherever she’s going.”
He clenched his jaw, frustration and helplessness making his chest tighten. He knew he couldn’t let thing get worse than they already were. The clock was ticking, and Kira was out there somewhere, with that strange force controlling her every move. They needed to find her before whatever this was took full control.