Number 7

It was so sudden he didn't even know how to respond, but Vladimir felt a sharp pain to the back of his head before everything went black.

He had been knocked unconscious.

When he had awoken, the man found himself in a chair in a white room, sitting across from the orange-bearded man who had invaded his home.

"Good morning, Vladimir. Or should I say good evening? After all... you've been out for quite the time. Even I didn't expect that you would be unconscious for this long. We've been waiting."

Looking around him frantically, the man immediately pulled on his hands only to realize they had been cuffed to the chair behind him.

"Where... where is my family?"

These were the first words he spoke, clearly concerned for his loved ones even before himself.

"I suppose the normal answer in a situation like this would be 'Don't worry about them. They're safe.' Or perhaps something along the lines of 'You should be more concerned about yourself right now.' However... that isn't the case."

With a strange grin that dug into the heart of Vladimir, Ector chuckled to himself with an immense amount of sadism.

"You should be far more worried about them than yourself."

"W-why!?"

Suddenly recalling the events that had happened, panic overcame the mind of Vladimir as he realized his situation.

He had been caught redhanded in the act of stealing the food.

Not because of cameras. Not because of a witness. Not even because of a corrupt officer who arrested people without evidence of their crimes.

He had been implanted with a chip that tracked his location from birth.

Not only him, but every person within that room - including his daughters.

How could they have done such a thing without his knowledge?

How many people did they have these chips installed in?

Everyone?

Was everyone in this nation being monitored at every moment?

He had been called out by a number - 100736.

Was this his serial number as a citizen of this nation?

"You probably have a lot of questions - many of which I can't, or shouldn't answer. As a matter of fact, you already know too much. If you were to merely be released back into society, your very existence could create a disturbance among the GOOD citizens."

Glancing at Vladimir with an unforgiving expression, Ector spoke harsh words as he laid the situation before the man, who was helpless to do anything but listen.

"However, merely killing people off because they've learned too much... this isn't exactly just or fair, now is it? Of course, this was all your fault. You committed a crime. In order to reveal the evidence to show that we weren't unfairly arresting you, we had to reveal the information about the chips to you and your family."

Suddenly, Ector's grin widened as he mocked Vladimir.

"But you were the one who brought up the lack of evidence, were you not?"

And with a malevolent laugh, the man dug into Vladimir's soul, who was forced to writhe at the unfairness of his situation.

"Hahaha… it's your fault that you know so much... because you put us in a situation where we were FORCED to inform you. It is your very curiosity that has put you AND your family into this position."

"No... this... this isn't what I wanted-"

"It isn't what you wanted? How convenient that must be for you. Just because you don't want something, you can all of a sudden take everything back? Vladimir... that isn't how this world works."

Standing up, Ector began to pace around the man as he continued.

"Sometimes, we don't get what we want. Sometimes, things don't go as predicted. Sometimes... we have to make SACRIFICE."

As the man stopped behind him, Vladimir felt two hands placed upon his shoulders as Ector whispered into his ears.

"And that is exactly why I'm here to make you an offer."

"An... offer?"

With a gulp, Vladimir couldn't help but tremble at the words of the man who held this absolute power over him.

He knew not where his wife or daughters were, but they were most certainly in some horrible position.

A single wrong move could lead to their demise.

"What is... your offer?", he pleaded.

"Heh... it seems like you understand your position quite well. Sometimes they don't want to listen, and shout out uncontrollably - trying to fight to their very bitter end. But smart people like you... people who have something to lose... they're the ones who always are willing to COMPROMISE."

Walking around as he entered the view of Vladimir once more, Ector looked down upon the man with a prideful smile as he spoke.

"Your crimes against this nation and its systems have been recorded and must be paid for. However, something such as this can be paid for by having your own meal revoked for the next week. This will ensure that all resources are allocated as they should have been. However, next comes the issue of your knowledge."

Sitting down once more, the man folded his hands as he got down to business.

"Knowledge is quite a dangerous thing. We've taken great efforts to hide the existence of the chips from the people. You may have a small scar on the back of your head, but if your daughters had such a thing - surely you would have noticed. This is because technology has improved, and we've been able to implant them with virtually no lasting effects. And yet... now you and your entire family are witnesses to this dangerous level of knowledge."

Pointing towards the man, Ector pressed his finger upon the chest of Vladimir.

"That means that you are a grand threat to our nation."

"So... what do I do?"

Eager to hear what this offer was, Vladimir wasted no time.

Without delay, he wanted to know two things.

1. Could he somehow save his family from a horrible fate?

2. What would he have to sacrifice in order to attain that?

"Obviously, you would need to promise us that you will never spill a single word about the chips to everyone."

"That's... all?"

Vladimir found himself astounded at the simplicity of the offer.

It was too good to be true.

"That's all."

"There's nothing else? No catch? You'll take my word for it?"

"What else can we do but take your word for it? After all, you won't dare to spill the beans, will you?"

In that instant, the eyes of Ector fell upon Vladimir - and as he looked that man in the eyes, he knew immediately.

If he disobeyed this man, he would regret it.

"I'll never say a thing."

"Wonderful. HEY! BRING THEM IN!"

Shouting out as he turned around, Ector called to someone who was likely standing outside the room.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and in walked a line of people - pushed forward by a number of men wielding batons.

Yet as soon as the constrained man witnessed these people, his heart sunk deep into the floor.

Down through the soil, and further into the caverns below - then eventually reaching the very magma within the core of this planet.

"You..."

Tears filled his eyes as he choked out his words, gripping his constrained fists so hard that he drew blood from his very fingers.

"How... dare you..."

"Is something wrong, Vladimir?"

Yet even as Vladimir spoke with a deep seated rage, Ector responded with amusement - as if to mock his very suffering.

"How dare you... do this to my family..."

For not only his wife, but each and every one of his daughters - were covered from head to toe in blood.

----

"Hahaha... ah... their cries were indeed wonderful to hear. The third youngest screamed the most. The mother was more concerned for the girls, but that was pleasing to see as well."

Covered in bruises and blood, tears lined the reddened eyes of each of the girls and the woman, who trembled in fear and hatred.

"A little bit of roughhousing should be enough to silence you all for now. I'm sure that this experience will be burned into your souls, and that none of you will dare to say a word about anything that happened here. Otherwise... you won't get away with such LIGHT beatings."

Standing up with a smile so wicked that the man couldn't seem to contain his pleasure, Ector walked down the line of girls as he looked at them with pride.

"Isn't that right?"

"Y-yes, Officer!"

In unison, as if they were trained soldiers, the girls cried out without hesitation.

"You're free to go. But please understand that anyone you tell will get the same treatment, and you yourself along with your family will be eliminated. That is all."

"HOW DARE YOU!?!?! MY WIFE!!! MY DAUGHTERS!!!!"

Yet the man, on seeing the horrid state of his family, could no longer maintain his composure.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!!!"

"No. You won't. Take a night to think about the situation. Once you calm down, I'm sure you'll come around to our way of thinking. Men. Take him away."

With these words, the soldiers sprung into action as the man known as the Human Resources Officer made his way out without another word.

"GET BACK HERE!!! I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!!! I'LL DESTROY YOU!!! YOU AND THIS ENTIRE NATION!!!!"

However, the man had already left.

The soldiers moved quickly as they pinned the man down, who shouted out with tears in his eyes as he frantically resisted.

"STOP IT!!!!"

"Honey... please... that's enough."

Yet the one who grounded the man was none other than his own wife.

With a trembling voice, she spoke these words to the man, at which he looked up to her with despair.

"If you resist like this... then we'll all..."

She couldn't even finish her sentence.

And as she said these words, the man's heart tightened to the point where he felt as if something was wrapping a hand around it.

She had been broken.

At first, she had resisted. She had likely screamed and shouted out, trying to protest such measures - however upon realizing that her daughters were at risk, she likely changed her tune.

Her shouting had likely turned to begging, and she had settled upon a single goal - to protect her daughters.

Yet she had failed.

The daughters she had tried to protect underwent the same abuse at the hands of the officers - and all hope was lost.

Right now, having this defeat infused into her - she was focused on only one thing.

Obey.

Obey and ensure that such a thing never happens again.

This was all she could do as a mere citizen with no power.

It was frustrating.

No, it was far beyond frustrating. It was infuriating.

The emotions within the two parents were so grand that they couldn't possibly live with themselves.

However it was exactly these emotions which made them even more certain of what their next actions MUST be.

Even if it went against their consciences, even if it meant concealing a grand lie about the very nature of this entire nation, they absolutely had to comply.

For the sake of their children.

Thus was the trap that they had been ensnared in.

The man had shown them that they were worthless. Powerless. Helpless.

He had proven that the threats were not mere bravado by following through with the abuse.

And this created a perfect scenario where information absolutely wouldn't be leaked.

Even so, in the off case that such a thing were to happen, they would be prepared for it.

'And if they needed to... then they would destroy every single person who poses a threat to the lie that is this nation.'

----

"Ahh... how disappointing, Vladimir."

A week had passed.

A man was on his knees, tears dripping down his eyes as he had been tied up, unable to move and gagged.

Everything around him was on fire.

He knelt in front of a home, a fire raging behind him as his screams were muffled.

Yet it was not only this man's home which was on fire - but all the other homes around him.

"This Town was filled with so many GOOD people. Yet because one of you is loose lipped... we can't take any more chances."

Placing a pistol on the forehead of the man, Ector looked down upon him with a smile.

Why was he smiling?

Everything had gone wrong - not only for Vladimir, but also for the Officers.

Someone, somehow, had revealed information about the chips.

Was it one of his daughters? His wife?

Vladimir did not know.

But the information had spread - and before it could spread too far, this was the result.

"It isn't easy to make sure every last person is eliminated. And for an entire Town to be wiped off the face of the planet... well, we're fortunate that this was a small Town. My position as a Human Resources Officer won't be safe anymore because of this. BUT."

Even though the man spouted off words which should have been filled with disappointment and frustration, he continued to smile.

"I did get to see quite an interesting show. So... thank you."

Bang!

"I'll never forget the amount of PLEASURE that the annihilation of an entire Town was able to give me. So sincerely."

With a demented tone, the man spoke with genuine and psychotic gratitude as he looked down upon the bloodied mess of a man before him.

"Thank you."

----

The Town of Malmus never existed.

There were no records of such a Town.

Its entire existence became nothing more than a fable - a falsification which for whatever reason was allowed to spread throughout the nation.

It never existed.

And anyone who tried to say otherwise would be deemed to be spreading false information around the nation - and labeled as a traitor.

With these results, Ector was forced to meet with the Supreme Leader.

After all, the destruction of an entire Town was no mere trifle.

A significant amount of labor and resources had been lost, and significant efforts were made to eliminate its existence from the minds of the people. Of course, he was to bear the responsibility of this.

However, he did this for the sake of the nation.

He had destroyed a nest of traitors - those who held threat towards the great State of Joraten.

Therefore his punishment would be light.

He was sentenced to be sent to the nation of Stronvardia to spy - and this was organized between a certain criminal organization.

"Our contact will house and serve you during your stay. You won't need to worry about anything like food or supplies. Everything will be provided to you. For now... you should leave to allow things to cool down. I will call you back when I have a new assignment for you."

These were the orders that the Supreme Leader had given the man known as Ector Stralgen.

And so, he had headed out - eventually meeting the man who he would come to know as Gerard Stirling.

He had stayed at the hotel resort, however his personal desire for abuse was not something he could control.

The pleasure he felt in seeing the despaired expressions of those families he had power over as he threatened them, as he harmed their children, as they crumbled before him - it was unparalleled.

And yet there was nothing in comparison to the pleasure he experienced as he watched an entire village crumble.

He became a man instilled with a problematic desire - to see people in pain.

Also known as a Sadist.

But fortunately for this man, he was a guest at the Paradise Hotel - a place where one could obtain anything they wanted.

And so - he did.

And truly, this man lived in a Paradise - for someone as wretched as himself.

----

"So yours wasn't a Reawakened either?"

"Nope."

Standing side by side as they walked through the halls of the mall were a man and a woman.

The man, whose red hair matched the blood that covered the two, seemed to have a smile on his face as if he were amused.

"Regardless... I feel that we've done something good for the world."

"Do you really?"

The black haired businesswoman who walked alongside him had an emotionless expression, her eyes thinned with exhaustion as she looked back.

"Well... I can't say I disagree."

And cracking a slight grin, the two made their way towards the exit.

"This part has gone well, but now is where the real issue starts. If there are reawakened among them, they wouldn't have sent them on this mission to help another branch."

"I know that. That was the whole point of this though, right? To smoke out the weaklings and get rid of them in order to focus our energy on the real threats."

"Then... Marcus. He's likely heading to fight that one, isn't he?"

"Yep."

With a nod, the red haired man grinned as the two exited the building, opening up to the light of the sun.

It was just beginning to set, the sky reddening as its light began to fade.

"When we've taken revenge for the girl... what are we going to do after this?", Bradley asked.

Looking up to the sky, Sylvia chuckled to herself, closing her eyes.

"Well... we have a couple of kids that we probably should check up on. I'd like to clean up our business between this group before we link ourselves back to them, though."

With a nod, the man seemed to understand.

"One more question. If we do run into Reawakened, what's the plan?"

"Hahaha... that's a stupid question, isn't it?"

With a laugh, the woman slid off the question as if it didn't matter.

"There's no way to predict their abilities. We'll just have to find out for ourselves... and deal with them on the spot."

"Is that so? That's quite dangerous. The Lady says so. She's worrying about me quite a bit. Ah, I wasn't supposed to say that? Hey, don't get so worked up."

"I'm becoming used to it."

Even as the man showed a spot of concern, the woman didn't falter.

Looking straight forward, her eyes thinned with a resolve unlike anything she had previously shown - for she had truly made her decision.

In order to improve this rotten world, she would get rid of these people.

For they were nothing more than a plague.

"Danger, that is."

----

'I guess it's time to head to the hotel... but first... there is a particular woman I'd like to meet up with once more.'

His heart aching, Marcus waited outside the mall - awaiting his partner in crime.

The woman he had killed had left a hole inside him - yet even so - it had only furthered his conviction.

'This world... is messed up beyond belief.'

'Everything is wrong.'

'And this is all a chance to make everything right.'

'Even if I have to become a villain...'

'Even if I have to destroy...'

'Even if I have to become someone I hate...'

Suddenly, numerous faces appeared in the memories of Marcus.

A particular girl whose mind had been broken, who had been kidnapped by a certain experiment.

That girl's brother, who had been shattered at the transformation of his sister.

A young boy, helpless and bullied, who had shown his resolve and vowed to become stronger.

A young girl who had been deceived and distraught, her jealousy having overcome her as she fell into darkness - all for the sake of being validated by others.

And finally - an emotionless girl who had been trained from birth to be a killer.

And along with her - the 30 children that Marcus and Sylvia themselves had slaughtered - at the hands of One.

And then, finally, the face of a girl - a girl that he had been unable to save on a particular day long ago, when he had been attacked by a bear.

'If it's for the sake of those children... then I'll do it with a smile.'

Halting his own hands from quivering, the man held back his tears as his eyes became watered.

'That... is my job.'

Recalling the demented man who had captured so many students and tormented them, and recalling the wicked employer who he had killed with his own two hands, as well as the kidnapper who had destroyed the minds of so many children, Marcus felt a rage well up within his chest unlike anything he had ever felt before.

'And this man too... is one of them.'

Then, with his mind set upon the mustached man who he had met with earlier, his mind cleared.

'At the very least... he must die.'

[You've changed, Marcus.]

And as he thought this, Seven decided to enter in with a commentary of his own.

[If it was a few days ago when you first entered this world, you would have told me that killing wasn't the answer.]

[That finding a peaceful solution is always the best option.]

[That killing won't solve anything.]

[Marcus, tell me.]

[You've killed a couple people now. Why the change in heart?]

[I want to hear it from your own mouth, as someone who has already died so many times.]

As he was pressed with this question, Marcus spat his answer.

"I'm tired."

And with these words, the floodgate of his emotions bursted open.

"I'm tired of seeing people lavish in the suffering of others."

"I'm tired of seeing people kill for sport."

"I'm tired of seeing humans used as objects and playthings."

"I'm tired of everything in this world... and I'm tired of the people who promote that world."

"Therefore... Seven... if you'll allow me, I am going to continue with my agenda."

Suddenly, fixing his tie, the man grinned to himself.

As he gazed upon the doors of the mall, which opened before him, the man could not help but grin with the sadistic expression of a demon.

"I'll destroy every wicked thing in this world... even if it means I have to become a demon myself."

[Well said, Marcus.]

[But there is one fault.]

[Listen closely, because I'm only going to tell you this once.]

At that moment, as the human experiment whispered within his mind, the face of the businessman went pale.

"You... expect me to..."

[If you don't... I might just kill you.]

Yet in the next instant, his demonic smile returned.

"Understood."