Chapter 45
------ Second visit ---------
It has been half a month since we last met.
Sprout 12 returned to the quarantine zone. Her expression was colder than before, and her eyes were bloodshot, as if she had been overexerted by training and debate. She wore the Council's "Overseer" badge on her shoulder—not a choice she had made, but a test from the Council.
When the iron gate opened again, 237 was already standing in the center of the cell. The vines and chains were still there, but his aura was more composed, yet also more dangerous, than when they first met.
Sprout 12 walked up to the transparent barrier and stared at him.
Sprout12: "In these past two weeks, have you still been yourself?"
Seed 237 (smiling, but with a strange chill): "Of course I am me. Otherwise, who are you talking to right now?"
Her heart tightened suddenly. The tone of that sentence carried the sarcasm typical of Shadow Parasites.
Sprout 12 (gritting her teeth): "In that battle, you clearly still had some reason left... but you let it dictate the outcome! Are you—Seed 237, or 'it'?"
237's eyes darkened. He wanted to answer, but something seemed to hold him back. The next second, a deep, cold voice came directly from his mouth:
Shadow Parasite: "Foolish question. 'It'? 'I'? We're just two sides of the same coin. Sprout 12, your so-called friend, is already my perfect vessel."
Sprout 12 suddenly took a step back, feeling as if he had been hit hard in the chest.
She tried to draw her sword, but her hand froze in mid-air.
Sprout12: "...You're lying. The real him is still struggling inside."
Shadow Parasite (sneers): "Struggle? It's nothing but an illusion I allowed. Unfortunately, you seem more willing to indulge in this illusion. Do you want me to erase him completely? That way you won't have to suffer anymore."
Just then, Seed 237's eyes suddenly trembled, as if he were struggling to break free from an abyss, and he cried out in a tearing voice:
Seed 237: "Sprout! Don't listen to it! I'm still here—please, believe me!"
His voice was hoarse and broken, yet it carried a heart-wrenching sincerity.
Sprout 12's pupils contracted violently; she felt as if she were being torn in two.
On one side was the familiar 237, and on the other was a cold, dark shadow.
Sprout 12 took a deep breath, tears welling in her eyes, but she forced them back down.
Sprout12: "I will not draw my sword, nor will I abandon you. But if one day, you really only have 'it' left, I will free you."
After saying that, she turned and left, her steps heavy and resolute.
Behind him, 237 stood frozen in place, the low laughter of the Shadow Parasite echoing in the cell:
"See? What she said was 'the end.' Trust? Ha, it's nothing but a blade laced with pity."
237 could only grit his teeth and use all his willpower to resist, but his heart was bleeding.
------ Third visit ---------
The air in the isolation zone was more oppressive than the previous two times. The walls were covered with unidentified black patterns, like some kind of spreading corrosion, creeping from the depths of the cells. The guards looked tense, but no one dared to approach.
As soon as Sprout 12 arrived, he immediately noticed something was wrong.
The moment the iron gate slowly opened, her breath caught in her throat—
237 sat cross-legged in the center of the cell, his body half covered by pitch-black "tentacles," clinging to his shoulders, arms, and neck like shadows. These were the materialized signs of shadow parasitism.
His left eye still shone with the familiar light, while his right eye was completely engulfed in black.
Sprout 12 pressed herself against the barrier, her voice trembling:
Sprout12: "237! Are you... are you alright?!"
He slowly raised his head, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, yet it carried an unsettling stiffness.
Seed 237 (with difficulty): "I... am still... but... it's devouring me."
Shadow Parasite (directly speaking, with a cold laugh): "In fact, he and I are merging. Sprout 12, you've come at the right time—let me show you just how many of your so-called 'friends' are left."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black tentacles suddenly wriggled and clung to 237's neck. His body convulsed violently, and he let out a tearing roar.
Sprout 12's pupils contracted sharply, and he almost instinctively grabbed the hilt of the sword, but he couldn't pull it out for a long time.
237 slammed his fist on the ground, as darkness and light fought fiercely within his body.
In an instant, his voice split into two:
Seed 237 (screaming in anguish): "Sprout! Don't come near! Please—if I lose control, end me!"
Shadow Parasite (interrupting coldly): "Did you hear that? Even he himself admits that survival has no meaning anymore. Your so-called bond is nothing but the last burden."
Tears welled up in Sprout 12's eyes as she gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands, her body frozen in place.
She could tell that 237 was desperately resisting, just so she could "cut it off with her own hands".
But she couldn't do it.
Sprout 12 (voice trembling): "No! I won't draw my sword! You must hold on, even if it's just a little bit—I won't let you disappear!"
The darkness suddenly expanded, almost completely covering 237. At the critical moment, he suddenly used all his strength to forcefully suppress the tentacles back into his body, spitting out a mouthful of black blood.
The isolation room fell silent.
He raised his head, his vision blurred, but a bitter smile curved his lips:
Seed 237: "...See, sprout? I can hold on...but I don't know how much longer."
Sprout 12 gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice low but firm:
Sprout12: "Hold on until I find a way. Hold on until I can save you."
As she turned to leave, 237 trembled and lowered her head, but another whisper echoed in her ears:
Shadow Parasite: "Foolish vows... You will soon witness how her hope slowly turns into despair. Then, you will obediently accept me."
Tears rolled down his left eye, while the black light in his right eye seemed to be laughing.
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