Rollyet, followed by what could only be described as a creepy old man carrying a large box, stood in front of Nova's cage, staring at the unconscious young man lying on the bed while Letto sat on the ground beside him.

Still faking it, but not for long, the First Knight thought.

He tossed a key to the old man and said, "Go in and wake that guy up. You can use anything you want, as long as you don't kill him. Understood?"

The old man caught the key and smiled, a smile without a single tooth. "I will do as you request, Sir."

Rollyet nodded and turned to the two guards on duty. "Let him in. If he goes too far, you're allowed to stop him."

The guards respectfully said "Yes, Sir!"

The old man didn't wait for Rollyet to repeat himself. He immediately opened the cell and walked in, grinning from ear to ear. He glanced at Letto for only a moment, but it was enough to make the ex-bandit shudder. Then he looked at Nova and said, "It's been a while since they let me work on someone."

He shouted to the guards, "Bring me a chair and tie the guy to it."

The two guards exchanged a glance before nodding and Nova was quickly tied to a chair, his head drooping forward.

Everything happened before Letto's eyes, but he had no idea what they were about to do and he didn't want to attract the attention of that old man more than necessary. Just that glance alone had made him shudder, so he decided to remain silent and observe.

The old man nodded and dropped the box to the ground with a heavy thud. He crouched down and opened it. Inside was a vast assortment of tools: knives, nails, humbscrews, hammers, anything that could be used to inflict pain was there. All of them were crusted with dried blood, and a foul stench immediately assaulted everyone nearby.

Letto gagged reflexively but managed not to vomit. Torture? Have they lost their minds? His eyes, now tinged with worry, landed on Nova. What will he do?

"Now, let's start with taking off some nails," the creepy old man said. Laughing, he grabbed a pair of tongs from the box and, with a sickening sound that made the old man gasp aloud, plucked one of Nova's fingernails.

"I need more," the torturer muttered. But before he could take another, Nova's fingernail began to slowly regenerate.

The old man froze for a moment, eyes wide, before shouting, "To think I'd find my soul mate today, a match made in heaven! Wonderful!"

With an insane smile, he tore the half-regenerated nail away.

/////////

"Evelyn, why are you here? I thought you were on duty," a police officer said, his gaze shifting between Evelyn and the small child beside her, Nova, whose hand she held tightly in her own.

Before entering the police station, she wiped out every visible trace of blood on him so as to not let Nova be the target of unwanted stares.

Evelyn shook her head slightly and passed by the officer, saying, "I need to write the report."

"What is she up to?" the police officer muttered, watching as Nova was led toward her office.

The office was small but comfortable, enough to fit four people without feeling cramped, with the usual desk at the far end and two chairs placed in front of it.

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She turned to Nova, gently caressing his hair before pulling out a chair and patting it. "Nova, sit here for now while I do some work."

Nova looked at her and nodded, climbing onto the chair with some effort.

Seeing him like this made Evelyn let out a soft chuckle. But then her expression shifted instantly as she sat behind the desk and began filling out the report. What she had witnessed at the scene wasn't something she wanted to remember, mostly because it involved such a young child. Several times, her hands froze and she had to pause before continuing to type on the holographic keyboard.

Meanwhile, Nova's head turned left and right, up and down, as he took in every detail of Evelyn's office. When he was done looking around, he asked lightly, "This is a nice place. Will I sleep here today?"

Evelyn's hands abruptly stopped.

On the holographic screen in front of her was a document titled Preliminary Target Profile. The last line read: Guardian — None.

She fidgeted, staring at the words for several seconds before glancing at Nova and asking softly, "Don't you want to sleep in a proper house instead of an office?"

"I do, but I don't have a home now," Nova said.

"Then…" She thought about everything this child had gone through in the past few hours and everything he would have to face in the future, she couldn't help but pause. After a few seconds, she tentatively asked, "Would you like to come to my home?"

He looked at her and asked with genuine curiosity, "Is your home better than this place?"

The built up tension in Evelyn's chest eased at his question. She smiled. "Of course. In fact, my home is way better. Don't even try to compare the two or I'll be upset!"

Nova thought long and hard before saying, "I hope you aren't trying to dupe me, because that lie won't last long. You know, as soon as I enter the house, I'll find out!"

Evelyn laughed out loud at his antics. A six-year-old child questioning her about her own house, it had never happened to her before, until now. "Alright, then it's decided. You're coming with me."

Nova nodded, and Evelyn's fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard. On the document, the last line now read: Guardian — Evelyn Grey. Having made up her mind, she didn't hesitate before clicking the Send button on the screen.

Minutes later, when she was finally done with all the bureaucratic work and about to speak, Nova said, "I need to go to the bathroom."

Evelyn smiled and offered her hand for him to take. "Come with me."

He grabbed it and followed her to the nearest bathroom. Evelyn's gentle voice rang out, "Go in. I'll wait right here. If there's any problem, let me know and I'll come inside."

Nova said nothing and stepped in.

A few minutes passed. Just as he was about to exit, he heard Evelyn's voice, alongside a man's. When he understood what they were talking about, he froze and pressed his ear against the door.

"Are you crazy? How could you add yourself as the guardian of that kid? Don't you know what happens to kids like him? Everyone's talking about you in the office, are you trying to make yourself a joke?" a burly police officer standing in front of Evelyn said hastily.

Having expected this, Evelyn replied with exasperation, "Tommy, stop making a fuss. He's just a kid who defended his mother and she ended up kicking him out of the house. Do you really want me to turn a blind eye and live like nothing happened?"

"I didn't mean that. There were other ways you could have helped him. But now that you've signed up as his guardian, you'll also be put under surveillance. Don't you understand? Anything you do in the future will be scrutinized along with everything that child does and if something goes wrong, you'll be held accountable!" Tommy's voice rose the longer he spoke. He simply couldn't understand why she would put herself in such a bad position for a kid she had only met today. To him, it was mind-blowing.

Being loudly questioned in public made Evelyn's tone drop several degrees. "I don't care whether you think I've made a mistake or not, but do not question what I do with my private life again. Got it?"

"But Evelyn—!"

By then, Nova's mind had tuned out. 'Am I creating problems for that woman? But… I don't think I did anything wrong…'

With a quiet creak, the bathroom door opened, and when Tommy saw Nova stepping out, his face twisted. He shot Evelyn a sharp glance before storming off.

Evelyn didn't spare Tommy another thought. Instead, she crouched down and asked, "All good?"

Nova tilted his head. "Who was that person?"

"Just a colleague who can't mind his own business," she replied.

He didn't fully believe her, but still gave a small nod.

Fixing his clothes, she continued, "Since we're both done here, it's time to go home." She gently took his hand, and together they left the police station.

In the car, Nova muttered, "Can you promise me something?"

Not thinking much of it, Evelyn, focused on driving, said, "Sure. What is it?"

Nova turned his head toward her, his gaze staring deep into the corner of her hazel eyes. "Promise me you'll tell me if I ever cause you trouble."

Her body tensed for a moment. She forced a smile. "What a silly promise. You'll never be trouble for me."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

In the dead of night, Nova's eyes slowly opened, and he whispered, "Promise…"

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