Chapter 47: From Eden

"So the rumors about humans with superpowers are real?"

"Are you blind? The proof is right in front of you!"

"Shhh! Everyone calm down! The important thing is we have a chance now!"

"We’re going to live!"

Excited whispers filled the dark room, turning quickly into fragile cheers. Hope spread faster than fear ever had.

Daphne stood frozen for a moment, confused by their reaction. She had expected anger, accusations, or even resentment for hiding her power. If she had revealed it sooner, maybe things wouldn’t have spiraled this far.

BANG. BANG.

The door shook violently.

"Shut up! Accept your fate already!"

Footsteps stomped away, leaving the room trembling again. Silence returned, but this time it wasn’t suffocating. It carried something warmer underneath.

Daphne looked down at her hands, small green sprouts still faintly glowing against her skin.

She rubbed her fingers together nervously before speaking. "No one is scared of me? Or angry? If I had shown this earlier, maybe we would’ve had a better chance."

"What are you saying?" an old woman beside her replied softly. "We’re grateful you told us at all."

"Some of us can’t keep secrets under pressure. If you showed that power to those men, that ruined government would’ve dragged you away in chains."

Several nodded in agreement.

An older man added, "We should’ve trusted you when you were suspicious of Henry. Instead, we ignored you."

"We let his charm blind us, and now he’s leading us to our deaths."

"Forgive us, Daphne."

One by one, quiet apologies filled the room. Even in the darkness, Gideon could feel the weight of their regret. It wasn’t shallow or fake.

Daphne shook her head quickly. "What are you saying? I’m just glad we’re still alive. And I believe Gideon has a way to get us out. So we just follow him, okay?"

She gave a small, nervous smile.

The mood shifted again, warmer now, unified instead of fractured. Gideon liked that. He liked this crowd more than he expected.

While they spoke, he had already begun working on the ropes. With controlled force, he strained his wrists just enough to loosen the fibers without making noise. The bindings gave way quietly under his strength.

"Alright," he said calmly. "I need help from both of you."

He moved toward Aaron and Daphne, slicing through their ropes with a small knife hidden in his boot.

From inside his coat, he pulled out four black metal boxes, each no larger than a palm. The surface was smooth and slightly warm to the touch, almost like living flesh.

They stared at him.

"What is this?" they asked at the same time.

"Call it bait," Gideon replied with a faint grin. "Slip it onto Henry or one of his men. Make sure they don’t notice."

They nodded, without him elaborating further, they understood what it was.

During sleepless nights, Gideon often browsed the Infinite Shop out of boredom. He had stumbled upon these items by accident.

He hadn’t expected to use them so soon, but the moment the situation escalated, he bought them without hesitation.

Aaron slid one into his pocket. Daphne hid the other carefully.

Gideon retied their hands loosely, just convincing enough to fool a quick glance.

The door swung open, and Henry stood at the front with a wide, theatrical grin.

"On your feet, all of you! Your chance to be heroes has finally arrived. This is the only opportunity I’ll give you to become saviors for once in your miserable lives."

Gideon rolled his eyes inwardly, but he nodded faintly when the panic started exactly as planned.

The crying was loud and raw. Children wailed harder than before. The elderly begged desperately not to die.

A few even glanced at him briefly with small, knowing smiles before returning to their act, and Gideon had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

"SHUT UP!" Henry roared. "Don’t make me throw you out there with your hands and feet tied!"

The cries softened into trembling sobs.

"Good. Now move."

They were herded out slowly. As they stepped into the hallway, Gideon noticed something strange.

Henry wasn’t only excited about escaping. There was something else in his expression, it was as if he enjoyed the possibility of their death, rather than surviving.

They passed the faction members who had sided with Henry. Most of them avoided eye contact, guilt written across their faces.

"You traitors!"

"How dare you sacrifice us!"

"We fed you! We helped you!"

The accusations were justified, and the anger was real. Gideon seized the opportunity.

Aaron suddenly drove his fist into one man’s stomach and, in the same motion, slipped one of the black boxes into his pocket.

As Henry’s men swarmed Aaron and began beating him, he shoved the second box into another man’s coat.

Daphne rushed in as if trying to stop the fight, pressing herself between bodies, and discreetly slid the remaining devices into place.

Everything was set. Only Gideon remained. He walked toward Henry, who was shouting orders to subdue the "rebels."

Without hesitation, Gideon stepped in and punched him square in the face, harder than before.

The impact sent Henry crashing into the wall. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he coughed and staggered.

Gideon crouched in front of him and leaned close to his ear.

"I could kill you right now," he whispered, voice low and cold.

"But I know what you want. You want to see the truth of this world, don’t you? I’m merciful. I’ll let you meet your god the way you prefer."

Henry’s eyes widened. Then he started laughing, loud, and unhinged.

"I knew it," he said between breaths. "You’re from Eden too, aren’t you?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the black box.

"This cheap trick won’t work on me. But I appreciate the effort."

Gideon froze.

’He must not live.’ That was the first thought that came to his mind.

Gideon was about to summon the Unbreakable Sword when Henry moved first. His fist slammed into Gideon’s stomach with explosive force. For the first time since arriving in this world, Gideon felt real pain.

His breath left his lungs as Henry’s men grabbed his arms and dragged him across the floor.

Before he could recover, they hurled him out of the building.

He hit the sand hard.

"FUCK!"

He pushed himself up, ready to storm back inside and tear the place apart, but a hand caught his arm.

Daphne.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed. "We have to move now. The Devourer—"

"Henry is from Eden," Gideon cut her off, eyes burning. "He’s just like you. We have to stop him."