NAKASUOT na agad si Ara ng kanyang vest, batid niya na may bagong misyon ngunit hindi man lang siya sinabihan ng mga ito. Pagkababa niya ay nakita siya agad ni Salem.
"What are you wearing?" anito.
"I'm going--"
"No, you won't" pagputol ng Unang Archon sa sasabihin niya. "You will not come with us, you will stay here and rest."
"Who's asking ?, I'll come whether you don't want to or not," Ara said then turned her back on the two and left
"Your Sandra doesn't seem to be afraid of you... pretty cool huh!!" Salem said as Zandro walked away frowning.
Tahimik na nakaupo si Ara sa likurang upuan ng Van, ramdam niya ang init na tingin ng Unang Archon sa kaniya ngunit hindi na lang niya pinansin iyon.
She needs to join the mission especially now that the triad's laboratory is the target of their team. If anything bad happens, she can save her Papa Regan.
When they arrived at the laboratory she felt nervous to know that it was the laboratory of her friend Zhilan. It was not her Papa Regan she needed to save but her best friend. She knew there were snipers around so she had to be more careful if she didn't want to get caught and die.
As usual, she took a knife and slung the gun into her waistband. The first archon approached her and asked "Can you handle it?You don't have to go inside. You can stay here and wait" said the First Archon, who was obviously worried.
"It's my job so you can't stop me" Ara's response was cold, after that she immediately went inside when she heard Salem's signal.
The gunfire has begun, while Ara is looking for Zhilan to help get out of the lab. On the first floor, a lot of blood was spread by the triad personnel. There is nothing she can do to stop them because she might get into trouble if she will make a move contrary to the team of the first Archon.
She wore a black mask to hide her face so that her former colleagues would not recognize her. She has already sacrificed a lot to get into Agercia and she's willing to sacrifice everything again, even the lives of her comrades in the triad.
She gripped her dagger tightly and began to fight, as much as possible she did not kill them unnecessarily. She targets them in the jaw and abdomen to make them unconscious, she doesn't want to kill if someone can do it for her.
When she reached the second floor she saw Zhilan fighting the first Archon. She can't get close because she can't hurt the first Archon just to save Zhilan.
"Surrender yourself if you want to live!!" the first Archon exclaimed while continuing to fight.
"I will never surrender myself to your organization!. I will fight to the death" Zhilan replied.
Ara decided to come close before the first Archon had a chance to kill Zhilan. Before she could get any closer, someone fired a gun from somewhere. Zhilan was hit on the shoulder, while the first Archon ran to Ara when he saw an opponent behind her.
Ara was almost stabbed. Fortunately, the first Archon saved her. The first Archon is currently battling incoming triads while Ara faced Zhilan.
Zhilan did not recognize her because she was wearing a mask. Zhilan attacked with a dagger he was holding while she in turn tried to evade each of his attacks.
Ara quickly bent down to avoid the knife. She retaliated with a powerful punch, she didn't want to use her dagger because she might make a mistake in her move. What Ara did was pure avoidance. But in Zhilan's last attack she could no longer dodge, he kicked her thigh so she fell to the ground.
A knife was pointed at her neck "Who are you?!" he asked.
"You don't need to know me," Ara replied. Ara pushes Zhilan's hand away from her neck.
Zhilan forcibly removed her mask "Ara" Zhilan murmured, his eyes widened when he saw Ara's face.
"Shun" Ara whispered to say 'run away' that is the sign they give to say that one needs to flee.
"You will be damned if you let me run away" Zhilan whispered in response.
"You have to S-hun" Ara uttered.
"Ara!!" The first Archon shouted when he saw Zhilan's knife pointed on his Sandra's neck.
Zhilan dropped the knife so Ara picked it up immediately and pointed at Zhilan. "S-hun" Ara uttered again.
"No—" Zhilan replied, he was also struggling because he was bleeding from a gunshot wound.
"What are we doing—" Ara murmured.
"They're watching, you have to save yourself—" Zhilan replied then gripped Ara's hand tightly holding the dagger. He forcefully pointed the dagger at his heart.
"N-no!" Ara exclaimed. Ara tries to resist but Zhilan continues to point the knife at his heart.
Ara tries to keep the knife away from Zhilan's chest until she screams to gain strength "Ahhhhh!!."
Zandro turned around when he heard Ara shout. Full of grit he knocked down the other triads.
"S-hunn!!!" Ara pleaded but Zhilan stabbed himself until the knife sank into his chest as his blood splattered on Ara's face.
"S-stay a-live" Zhilan stammered.
Ara pulled out the knife and when Zhilan let go of the knife he rolled away on Ara's top. Ara remained stunned as she held the dagger full of Zhilan's blood.
"Ara?! you alright?" The first Archon asked her and then helped her to get up. Ara was speechless and dropped the dagger.
Ara's hands were shaking when she looked at Zhilan's cold body lying next to her. "I killed h-im" she murmured.
"Yes, he almost killed you... I told you!!, you shouldn't go on this mission!" the first Archon exclaimed.
Ara tried to free herself from Zandro's grasp. She might not be able to control himself and she might hurt the first Archon. "Is it over?" she asked.
"Yes, the cleaning crew is on their way," Zandro said.
Ara nodded anxiously "Okay, I'm leaving."
"You can't leave alone, your wound is bleeding" Zandro uttered.
" P-lease... Please d-on't b-other me" Ara plea, she ran away and Zandro couldn't stop her. Ara took one of the team cars and drove it until she landed near a precipice.
Ara opened the door, her legs were trembling that she fell to the ground when she got out of the car.
Ara looked at her trembling hands, It was full of the blood of the man who trusted her. Ara's tears flowed and she couldn't stop crying. "I'm s-orry" she murmured.
Ara kicked rocks to the ground and cried hysterically. "Ahhh!!! Why did you let me!—" Ara can't help but grieve. She planned to help her friend Zhilan escape but ended up being killed. She didn't like what happened but she had no choice but to mourn and blame herself again.
Ara could not feel the pain and bleeding of her wound, all she could feel was the bruising of her heart. She is becoming a villain of the organization she is supposed to serve. Because of her mission and revenge, many lives were lost. She does not know how long she will be able to endure it, she is becoming a monster because of her thirst for revenge.
She wants to protect them, but the opposite is happening. She lost Zhilan and she didn't know if it would happen again. She was sure that someone would be put in jeopardy again but how could she protect them without ruining her mission. She didn't want to sacrifice the people who were important to her again, but she couldn't stop the mission she had already started.
Ara's heart hurt even more than her wound. Her Papa Regan wanted her to be heartless but she couldn't. She couldn't help the pain heartfelt every time she remembered the people who had died in her hands. She may be ruthless but she cannot afford to be heartless.
But if she continues to let her heart under control it may ruin the mission she has begun. Ara repeatedly punched her chest because of the pain she felt. Emotions are always her enemy, especially since she is always alone facing all the problems that are thrown at her. She feels the world is so unfair to her, she is repeatedly hurt and pulled down and with great difficulty, she no longer knows how to stand again.
"Ahhhhhh!!" Ara screams hysterically, while repeatedly wiping her dirty hands. "B-akit ikaw pa!!, I s-tained my hands with my best friend's b-lood— b-bakit siya pa!!" It was very difficult for her to accept what had happened, she did not know how she would return to the mansion of the first Archon if this was her condition.
And the harder, how can she tell Dy that their friend died at her hands. How can he forgive her if she cannot forgive herself? Because what she had done is unforgivable. Zhilan died because of her negligence.