Chapter 9

  Liam hesitated, then crossed the room with measured steps, dragging a chair to Nyla’s bedside. As he sank into it, the door creaked open again. Alexander strode in, his expression unreadable, and leaned casually against the wall as if the last few moments had never happened. Liam acknowledged him with a silent nod.

  Alexander’s gaze flickered toward Nyla, catching her eyes for the briefest moment before looking away.

  “What exactly are these… daemons trying to protect?” Nyla asked, deciding to let the past stay in the past. Alexander struck her as the kind of person who could explode in a fit of temper and then forget it just as easily.

  “Well, they protect the Seeds,” Liam began, his voice steady but laced with gravity. “The Church preaches that daemons are manifestations of sin. In a way, that’s not far from the truth—they are manifestations, but ones born from special people we call Seeds. Seeds are humans with a rare genetic condition. Most live their lives without ever realizing their potential, but sometimes, under extreme emotional trauma or dire circumstances, their power awakens—and that’s when all hell breaks loose.”

  Liam paused, gauging Nyla’s reaction as she absorbed this revelation.

  “Unable to control this newfound power, it erupts, manifesting as a daemon. Because the Seed has just endured something terrible, its mind is singularly focused on self-preservation by eliminating every threat nearby. And that’s how daemons come into being.”

  Liam finished, his words hanging heavily in the air. There was much more to the story, complexities he chose to skip. For now, he watched Nyla’s face—a mix of shock and intrigue—mirroring the expression of every new member who first learns the truth.

  “How is it that no one knows about this?” Nyla asked, bewildered. The whole thing was overwhelming—extraordinary people with unimaginable power wreaking havoc, and yet the world remained oblivious? Only the ADA knew the truth?

  “If people knew about this…” she burst out, anger rising in her voice. “If they knew, maybe they could have protected themselves!”

  Liam exhaled sharply, his expression darkening. “It’s not that we wanted to keep it a secret,” he said, his tone edged with emotion. “Every ADA operative knows the truth. The governments that work with us know this as well. But together, we made the decision to keep this hidden. Can you even begin to imagine what would happen if this went public? People would turn on innocent civilians. They would start hunting down anyone they suspected of being a Seed.”

  His jaw tightened as memories surfaced—ones he wished he could forget. “I’ve seen it firsthand,” he continued. “My first mission was in a small village in Ewor. I made the mistake of telling the villagers about Seeds. Their fear turned to paranoia, and by the next morning, an entire family—children included—was slaughtered on nothing but baseless suspicion.”

  A heavy silence followed. The weight of his words hung between them, undeniable and grim.

  “You said it’s a genetic condition—does that mean whole families inherit it?” Nyla asked, her curiosity outweighing her lingering frustration. She was still angry about being kept in the dark, but something in Liam’s voice told her this wasn’t a decision made lightly.

  “Not necessarily,” Liam replied, steadying his breath. “Sometimes it skips multiple generations. Other times, it appears several times in the same family.” He spoke evenly, but his fingers unconsciously curled into a fist. The image of that burning house, the screams—his past still haunted him.

  Nyla hesitated before asking her next question. “What happens to a Seed when they… manifest? Do they survive?” The words felt foreign in her mouth, the weight of them unnatural.

  Liam exhaled, his voice quieter now. “No… They usually don’t. The power puts an unbearable strain on their body. Most die within hours… a few make it days.”

  A heavy silence settled between them.

  “Is there anything you can do to save them?” Nyla asked, her voice laced with empathy.

  “Not really…” Liam’s reply was flat, devoid of hope. He had spent his entire life in the ADA, watching countless researchers attempt to contain Seeds. Every effort had ended in failure. All except one.

  “But… they’re still human,” Nyla pressed, sorrow creeping into her words.

  “No, they’re not.”

  The unexpected voice made her look up. She had almost forgotten Alexander was still there. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

  “As soon as they manifest their daemon, they become killing machines,” he continued, his voice eerily calm. “Within hours, they don’t even look human anymore.”

  Something about his last remark made Nyla’s breath hitch. A memory flickered at the edge of her mind—strange, narrow pupils gleaming, a twisted smile directed at her.

  “Billy…” She whispered the name, her voice trembling with a mix of nerves and sorrow.

  Alexander’s head jerked up. His stomach clenched. He already knew what she was about to ask—and he dreaded answering.

  “Was he… a Seed?” Nyla swallowed, her throat dry.

  "Yes." Liam’s voice was quiet but firm. He could already see where this was going. His gaze flicked to Alexander, but the moment their eyes met, Alexander turned away, his jaw tightening.

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  Nyla’s mind raced.

  “Did you know? Is that why you came to Pendle?”, she asked accusingly.

  “Yes and no,” Liam admitted. “Billy’s older brother was a Seed, so we kept an eye on him…”

  He explained how the ADA had spent months tracking Billy down. By the time they found him, he was already in the orphanage—trapped in bureaucratic red tape that made extraction nearly impossible. With no better option, they chose to watch from a distance.

  But that decision had come at a heavy cost.

  “And then,” Liam continued, “we found you.”

  Nyla frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Liam smirked. “My friend Alexander here has… special abilities. He can alter his form and slip into any place unnoticed.”

  He shot a glance at Alexander, but Alexander stubbornly avoided his eyes.

  Nyla, still reeling from everything she had learned today, struggled to process this new revelation. At this point, she wouldn’t even be surprised if someone told her humans could fly—but transformation? That felt impossible.

  Liam’s expression turned mischievous. “You remember a cute, black-haired boy named Luke?”

  Nyla blinked. “Yeah…?”

  “That was him.” Liam pointed at Alexander.

  Alexander’s face darkened instantly. He looked away, mortified.

  Nyla’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “No way! How is that even possible…?” She froze as realization struck, her face slowly turning crimson. “I— I took a bath with you! How could you—”

  Her voice rose in shock as memories flooded back. She had helped Luke clean up when they first met—only now did she understand who he really was.

  Alexander, meanwhile, was turning an even deeper shade of red, awkwardly avoiding her gaze.

  Liam, grinning ear to ear, saw his moment and took it. “Wait—so, you saw Lexy’s little… wee-wee?”

  He burst into laughter, doubling over at the sheer absurdity of it all.

  “SHUT UP!” Alexander snapped, his face practically burning with embarrassment.

  For once, Nyla couldn’t help but agree with him. Their eyes met—but neither could hold the gaze for long. They both quickly turned away, cheeks ablaze.

  Liam’s laughter only grew louder, and Alexander shot him a murderous glare, silently vowing revenge in the most humiliating way possible.

  Liam wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye. “Anyways…” He cleared his throat. “During his stay, he overheard you telling an interesting story to the Seed— I mean, Billy.” He quickly corrected himself when Nyla shot him a sharp glance.

  Story? What story? Nyla frowned, trying to recall. She had told countless stories to the kids at the orphanage, but none stood out.

  “The one about the young hero who fought demons with his twelve companions.” Alexander’s voice cut through, edged with impatience. He was fixated now, the question pressing in his mind. Why did she know this story? How did she know it? It was strangely familiar yet… different from what he had known.

  Nyla looked between them, confusion etched across her face.

  “That’s a story a friend told me… a long time ago,” Nyla confessed, a pang of guilt twisting in her chest. Saying it aloud felt like betraying Alvin’s memory, as if speaking his name might make it fade further into the past.

  Alexander stiffened. “What do you mean?!” His voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. “This isn’t something passed down in your family or…?”

  He stopped himself, his words unraveling as the last flicker of hope dimmed in his eyes. Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

  Then, without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed out, the door slamming behind him with a force that rattled the walls.

  Nyla flinched. She stared after him, her thoughts a tangled mess of confusion and unease. Slowly, she turned to Liam, who met her wide-eyed expression with a small, apologetic smile.

  “Please… forgive him. Again.” Liam exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “We’re searching for someone. Someone special. Someone who can help us fight the daemon.”

  He hesitated before adding, “And your story… it had echoes of the history of daemons. So we thought… we thought we might have found our link.”

  The weight of his words pressed down on her, heavier than she was prepared for. He paused, letting the words hang between them. It was better if she didn’t know more—not yet. “Can I ask… who was your friend?” His voice softened, searching for any clue hidden in the origins of the story.

  Nyla hesitated, uncertainty flickering across her face. “I only know his name… Alvin. He stayed with us briefly.”

  She furrowed her brow, trying to unearth long-buried memories. There wasn’t much she recalled about him—except for the day he left. His mother had come for him, a woman whose presence had unsettled her in a way she still couldn’t explain. There was something both sorrowful and terrifying in her eyes. But she kept that part to herself.

  Liam nodded in appreciation, though disappointment lingered in his gaze. A name alone wouldn’t get them far, especially since the orphanage records had gone up in flames when the church burned the building to cover up the daemon attack. Still, it was better than nothing. He exhaled slowly.

  Now came the hard part.

  “We need to talk about your situation as well, Nyla,” Liam said carefully, choosing his words like stepping through a minefield.

  Nyla froze for a moment, the weight of Liam’s words sinking in. Among all the confusion and revelations, she hadn’t allowed herself to consider what would happen next. Return to Pendle? The thought once felt like an escape, but now… there was nothing left there for her. The orphanage, the children—everything had crumbled in the wake of the daemon attacks. She couldn’t go back. And even if she did, would she have the strength to rebuild it? The thought of facing the past again felt unbearable.

  “You can’t return to Pendle.” Liam’s voice cut through her spiraling thoughts, as if reading her mind. “The church executives remove anyone with knowledge of the daemon attacks in countries like yours.” His tone was flat, matter-of-fact.

  Nyla nodded slowly, her chest tightening with the weight of the truth. It made sense. That was probably why they had brought her here. The sense of loss she’d been carrying for so long deepened, but with it came something else—appreciation.

  A new thought flickered in her mind. “Can I stay here? I can help take care of things… I have experience with children.” She began, but the words caught in her throat. She couldn’t finish. Why would there be children in a facility that fought daemons?

  Liam shook his head before she could finish, his gaze unwavering. “Under normal circumstances, you could. But not this one. You see, taking you out of Pendle required special permission, a request only one team in ADA has—and that team is the one directly fighting daemons. You have to train, Nyla. You have to learn how to fight them.” His voice remained emotionless, but there was an underlying truth she couldn’t escape.

  Nyla’s breath caught in her throat. Train? Fight daemons? The very idea made her heart race with panic. She had already seen enough horror to last a lifetime. The thought of facing it head-on? It was too much. She didn’t want to see another daemon ever again. The cold grip of fear settled over her chest, and her hands instinctively clenched into fists.

  “What if I say no?” The words were out before she could stop them.

  Liam’s expression shifted, darkening, but it wasn’t anger—it was pity. A pity that cut deeper than any sharp word. “Then you’ll have to leave ADA and its protection. The church already knows of your existence, and they will never stop hunting you.”

  Nyla felt her stomach drop. Leave? Without the ADA’s protection? The realization sank in with a cold dread. The church would hunt her down. They would never stop.

  The air in the room felt heavier now, thick with the weight of unspoken consequences. The path ahead was already set in motion, whether she wanted it or not. The forces beyond her control were closing in, and all she could do was choose how she would face them.

  Liam’s voice softened, though the edge of urgency remained. “Rest while you can, Nyla.”

  But there was something more beneath his words—a warning, sharp and clear.

  Because once she stepped onto this path, there would be no turning back.