Isaac carefully stashed the items Noctis had given him inside the nightstand. So far, Levi hadn't checked the piece of furniture even once. Hopefully, that wouldn't change over the next few hours.
Afterward, his gaze dropped to the display of his phone.
It was already ten o'clock at night, meaning it had been four days since he'd been kidnapped. The time also meant he had spent another seven hours painting the canvas—under Levi's constant supervision, of course. Every break had lasted only as long as Levi deemed necessary.
Isaac leaned back against the headboard, exhausted. His bed reeked of Levi again. But he was too tired to care. After all, Levi had kept his word and returned after a three-hour break. He had torn Isaac from his dreamless sleep and dragged him back in front of the canvas. His hands still ached from hours of painting. Every brushstroke had felt as though it were draining the last of his strength.
But that wasn't even the worst part anymore.
By now, Isaac could clearly feel the fever eating its way deeper through his body. His skin burned while waves of chills kept running through him. Every muscle ached. Even breathing felt heavier than usual. The pills Ashe had given him dulled the pain at best. They did almost nothing for the nausea. His stomach revolted with even the slightest movement, and his head throbbed so violently that his vision occasionally went black.
He had to get out of here. Before his body finally gave out.
The only silver lining was that this wasn't the first time he'd pushed his body beyond its limits.
With a quiet sigh, he unlocked his phone and opened his chat with Noctis.
Isaac
When are you going to start?
The reply came almost immediately.
Noctis
In about two hours.
How are you doing, darling?
So, midnight.
Isaac stared at the message. His fingers hovered motionless over the keyboard.
How was he doing?
What he really wanted to write was that he had a fever, that he felt sick to his stomach, and that he could barely stay on his feet. That every hour spent with Levi became more unbearable than the last, and that all he wanted to do was curl up somewhere and sleep.
He felt absolutely miserable, but there was no way he could tell Noctis. Not before the mission. If Noctis got distracted, something unexpected could happen. In the worst-case scenario, he might be so distracted that he got himself hurt.
He knew he should probably be resting. Sleep would be the best thing for him, so his body could at least recover a little. But then he'd sleep through the entire mission, and he couldn't allow that. Not in a place full of violent criminals who could start firing their guns at any moment.
He had the means to take control of his own fate, and lying around waiting to be rescued like some princess was definitely not who he was. He would meet Noctis on his own two feet. That much was certain.
Still, they had promised each other they would never lie again and would always be honest with one another. That promise had primarily been meant for Noctis, but Isaac wasn't exactly doing any better right now. He sighed, trying to figure out how best to describe his condition without making Noctis worry too much.
Noctis
Darling?
He absolutely couldn't make him worry too much.
Isaac
I'm not doing particularly well after the gunshot wound, but I'll manage.
Don't worry.
I won't pick any fights I can't win.
My goal is to move quietly through the house.
As expected, the reply came almost instantly.
Noctis
If you're in a lot of pain, I can pass you some morphine through the portal.
Isaac paused for a moment.
The morphine wouldn't do anything for the fever, and it would only make him less capable. Even so, the offer sounded incredibly tempting. But it wasn't an option. Morphine was great if your plan was to rest. For a stealth mission, however, it was the exact opposite of what he needed. The drug affected too many other bodily functions.
Isaac
If I inject myself with morphine, I probably won't be able to react as quickly.
I'd rather go without it.
Will you give it to me once we're together again?
A faint smile tugged at his lips. It wouldn't be much longer before they were finally reunited.
Noctis
I don't like the idea of you having to endure pain while we're trying to get you out of there.
Maybe you should just wait until we come get you... and stay where you are.
Isaac stared at the message for several seconds.
That was certainly one option. The problem was that Isaac had no way of knowing what Levi would do once they broke in, and he definitely didn't want to find out by sitting in his room waiting for him.
His gaze fell on the nightstand, where one of the blister packs of painkillers Ashe had given him was still lying.
Isaac
I still have some ibuprofen here. I'll take that now.
Other than that, I need to get ready.
Are you on your way already?
He reached for the blister pack, popped out two tablets, and swallowed them with several large gulps of water. Since his stomach was almost empty, hopefully they'd take effect more quickly.
He needed every bit of help he could get.
Noctis
We're getting into position now.
It'll still take a while before everyone is where they're supposed to be.
There are far too many cameras here that we have to avoid.
Isaac set the phone down beside him and slowly moved to the edge of the bed. The moment he did, a sharp stab of pain shot through his side. He pressed a hand against the bandaged gunshot wound and forced himself to breathe steadily. The injury throbbed in time with his heartbeat, as if reminding him with every movement that his body had long since reached its limit.
For a moment, his vision blurred.
Not just because of the fever. Levi had neither bothered to keep his contact lenses nor made any effort to bring him his glasses. Everything more than a few meters away dissolved into indistinct shapes.
The only things he could see clearly were those directly in front of him. During his escape, he would have to rely almost entirely on instinct. Isaac blinked several times, but the image barely sharpened.
Unfortunately, the fever wasn't doing him any favors.
If anything, it only made him feel worse. He really wasn't in good shape—but he'd get through this. Just as he had somehow gotten through everything else so far. And this time, too, he had absolutely no intention of giving up.
Isaac
I'm getting ready now.
I don't know this house, but I'll try to reach the back entrance first.
I'll message you later.
Please be careful.
I love you.
After sending the message, Isaac slipped the phone into his pocket and remained sitting motionless for another moment. Then he forced himself to stand. The floor immediately began to sway beneath him. A wave of dizziness made him gasp for air, and he had to clutch the bedpost to keep from collapsing again.
He closed his eyes for a moment and waited until his balance had stabilized enough.
Isaac reduced his goal for the next few hours to a single objective: gear up and get out of the room.
The Webster Clan would find a way to get inside if they had to. As long as Isaac got far enough away from his current room, everything would be fine. He staggered into the bathroom and at least washed the sweat off himself. A shower would have been nice as well, but someone would hear it, and it would raise questions he had no intention of answering.
Instead, he leaned over the sink and let ice-cold water run over his hands. Then he splashed it onto his face several times. The icy shock made him flinch. For a brief moment, his head actually felt a little clearer.
He had no idea who was in the room next door, nor did he know the layout of the building. Even if he had been uninjured and fully rested, moving around here freely would have been risky. In his current condition, it bordered on insanity.
One last time, he splashed cold water on his face, dried himself off, and changed into fresh clothes. Levi hadn't given him any shoes, but at least he'd gotten socks. They would at least muffle his footsteps.
He pocketed the phone and hid the power bank. The battery was only half charged, and he couldn't afford to waste it. Then he packed away the small portal and stowed the lockpicks. The knife, however, he kept in his hand. Finally, he switched off the light and walked to the door.
The painkiller was beginning to take effect, easing his pain a little. It wouldn't make it disappear, though, even with the medication working. He definitely needed something stronger. But first, he had to get out of here and make it to Noctis.
At least he wouldn't have to stay hunched over the entire time.
Isaac took a deep breath and focused on his escape. Noctis was already outside. He was waiting for him, so Isaac had to make it to him.
Here we go.
He positioned himself beside the door and knocked against it. Not loudly enough for the entire hallway to hear, but loud enough for any guards standing outside to notice.
Isaac gripped his knife tightly, ready to kill whoever opened that door.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Isaac called, then waited.
He got no response, so he knocked again.
"Hello?"
He waited a few heartbeats before swapping the knife for his lockpicks. First, he peered through the keyhole, but he couldn't see anything. Then he pressed his ear against the door, but he heard nothing. No one had answered, so apparently Levi hadn't stationed anyone outside.
Idiot.
Levi had probably assumed Isaac wouldn't be capable of doing anything in his condition. But to guarantee that, he would have had to break his legs.
He had just picked the lock when he heard a sound. Without making a noise, Isaac stepped to the side of the doorframe—right where whoever entered wouldn't see him immediately. Instinctively, he drew his knife and prepared to use the element of surprise to attack whoever was about to enter his room.
His heart pounded against his ribs.
The doorknob slowly turned.
The door swung open.
The instant the man stepped into the room, Isaac struck. Exploiting the moment of surprise, he closed the distance and drove the knife with all his strength into the man's side, slipping it between his ribs. The blade sank deep into his chest. The man let out a muffled sound before his legs gave way beneath him.
Isaac pulled the knife free and pressed a hand against his own wound. He couldn't tell whether the sudden movement had been too much, but it was throbbing painfully.
"Hey... are you still alive?" Isaac asked the man.
Carefully, he nudged him with the tip of his foot, but the man didn't move. Isaac checked his socks. Clean. At least he didn't have to worry about leaving footprints behind.
Isaac knelt down and searched the man for a weapon. Nothing. Not even a kitchen knife.
Damn...
With considerable effort, he forced himself back to his feet.
Fine. His own knife would have to do. Making too much noise would only attract more enemies he couldn't afford to deal with. The man was lying right in the middle of the hallway entrance. Isaac briefly considered dragging the body aside but ultimately decided against it. It would cost too much strength—and too much time.
Instead, he picked up his lockpicks, carefully stepped over the corpse, and peered into the hallway. It stretched out before him, completely empty, silent, and shrouded in darkness.
He moved forward with quiet steps. He resisted the urge to press a hand against his wound. He needed to stay ready in case he had to defend himself.
Fortunately, his room had been at the very end of the corridor. That meant he didn't have to spend time deciding which direction to go. On the other hand, it also meant he could run into someone at any moment.
He barely registered his surroundings. It was exhausting enough to stay alert and prepare himself for any potential enemies. One thing he did notice, however, was how few places there were to hide.
Outside were Noctis, Vincent, and everyone else from the Webster Clan.
He just had to make it outside—or at least get as close to the exit as possible. He should be on the second floor. That was too high, and the building seemed enormous. It would take Noctis forever to find him.
With that goal in mind, he dragged himself onward.
He just couldn't run into Ashe—and definitely not Levi. He could somehow deal with anyone else.
He had almost reached the end of the hallway when he heard voices. Isaac stopped immediately and tried the nearest door. To his surprise, it opened, and he slipped inside before the voices reached his corridor. Quietly, he closed the door behind him.
The room he had fled into was shrouded in darkness. Only the artificial glow of a computer illuminated the space.
"Hah? You fucking idiot, you just ran right in! How the hell was I supposed to save you?" Ashe snapped at someone.
Isaac flinched violently. He peeked around the corner and saw Ashe sitting in front of her PC with a headset on, playing some kind of game. He had no idea what she was playing, but she didn't seem to notice him—which was about the best thing that could have happened in this situation.
"Are you kidding me? Why the hell should I apologize for that?" Ashe scoffed. "Then he should've paid better attention!"
Of course, his luck had run out again. He had wanted to avoid Ashe at all costs, yet by pure chance he had stumbled into her room while hiding from Levi's men. His heart hammered in his chest so hard that he could barely hear anything besides his own pulse. Even so, he pressed his ear against Ashe's door, hoping she wouldn't notice him.
Or should he just kill her here and now?
That would save Noctis, Vincent, and the others the trouble of dealing with her later.
He heard the men in the hallway walk past Ashe's room. Isaac waited another moment and had already reached for the doorknob when Ashe spoke again.
"That...!" she burst out in frustration, but whatever she had been about to say, she stopped herself halfway through. "Hang on, I'm AFK for a second."
Isaac was just about to press down the doorknob when he decided to end things with Ashe here and now. Instead, he reached for his knife and crept toward her.
She was looking at a camera feed on her—
Isaac froze.
Were those seriously ten monitors?!
They displayed feeds from various security cameras, and on one of them Vincent was clearly visible, casually leaning against the corner of a building while looking directly into the camera.
Before Isaac could react, Ashe already had her phone in hand. She tore off her headset.
"Levi. Vincent's here," she said urgently. "Yeah. He's two streets over, on Lily of the Valley Avenue."
She opened a drawer and wedged the phone between her shoulder and cheek as she pulled out a handgun and disengaged the safety.
"Yeah, I know," she said.
Isaac had almost reached her. The moment she hung up, he would end her life. But before he could get to her, she turned toward him and pressed the barrel of her pistol directly against his forehead.
She sighed.
"He's here with me," she said at last. "Tell your men to come here."
She ended the call and set the phone aside.
"Oh, Isaac, baby." A faint smile crossed her face. "How did you get out of your room? Levi definitely locked the door and gave me the key before he went to bed."
Isaac met her gaze. His knife was still clenched tightly in his hand.
"How did you know I was here?" he asked quietly.
He had no intention of abandoning his plan, especially now that Levi's men were on their way to Ashe's room.
"I could hear your breathing," she replied. She looked at him with concern. "What about your fever? Are you feeling better? Do you want to lie down in my bed until they come get you?"
My breathing...
Good. That was something he'd have to keep under control if he managed to get out of here.
"No thanks," he replied.
In one fluid motion, he knocked Ashe's gun aside and kicked her hard enough to send her crashing backward into her chair. He heard the door behind him swing open, so he hurled his knife at Ashe.
But instead of striking her heart, the blade buried itself in her shoulder.
A bloodcurdling scream tore from her throat, loud enough to wake every last bastard in the building.
"I-Isaac...?" Ashe whimpered. "I wasn't even going to shoot... fuck, that really hurts..."
He ignored her.
"Isaac, you're coming with us now," one of the men behind him said.
Not a chance.
Isaac quickly bent down to grab the pistol and dropped into a crouch before spinning around and firing toward the doorway. A sharp stab of pain shot through his side where he'd been wounded.
He didn't have time to worry about it.
He heard two men groan. One of them collapsed to the floor. Isaac kept firing until the gun ran dry. Four more bullets found their marks before the empty weapon clicked uselessly in his hand. He let out a frustrated snort and turned back toward Ashe, who was groaning in pain beside him.
The men had fired as well, but not a single bullet had hit Isaac. For the first time that evening, luck seemed to be on his side.
Isaac breathed heavily.
As much as he wanted to take Ashe with him as a hostage, he wouldn't be able to hold her. In his current condition, even Ashe could overpower him. And thanks to the men he'd just shot, barricading himself inside the room was no longer an option.
He had to neutralize Ashe and search the men for weapons. And he had to do it fast. Someone had almost certainly heard the gunshots.
Unsteadily, he pushed himself to his feet. The adrenaline was keeping him upright, masking most of the pain. He turned toward Ashe when another gunshot rang out from the doorway. An instant later, agony exploded through his left upper arm.
Isaac clenched his teeth, spun around, and hurled the empty pistol at the shooter.
Then he slumped heavily against the wall.
This had gone spectacularly wrong. He hadn't exactly been in any condition to simply walk out of here to begin with.
"Isaac... don't fight them..." Ashe gasped behind him. "They don't want to hurt you. You're safe here."
Instead of answering, Isaac started laughing.
Quietly at first. Then louder.
"You naive little bitch," he finally managed. "You betrayed the very people who spent years looking out for you, just to follow the most manipulative piece of trash Magnolia has ever produced."
Pain twisted Ashe's expression.
"They killed Noah! How was I supposed to stay with them? They took away one of the two most important people in my life!"
Isaac pressed a hand against his bleeding arm. Blood seeped through his fingers. Even so, he grinned.
"You have no idea who Levi really is," he said at last, still smiling. He looked back over his shoulder, directly into her shocked face. "Maybe I should feel sorry for you instead. After all, he'll throw you away the moment you're no longer useful to him. Shall we find out?"
He staggered over to the men lying on the floor.
Not all of them were dead. However, the only survivor seemed to be pinned beneath the others, unable to move.
Tough luck.
He took their weapons, tucked two of the pistols into his waistband, and disengaged the safety on the third before firing several rounds into Ashe's computer. The monitors went black, each displaying a No Signal message.
"What are you doing?!" Ashe shouted in horror. "Don't! All my data is on there!"
Isaac's gaze shifted to the laptop at the edge of the desk.
He riddled that with bullets as well.
"Isaac!"
He smiled at her.
"Let's see how valuable you are to him when you can't spy on anyone anymore," he said.
Isaac wiped the sweat from his forehead. He definitely didn't have much left in him. He fired a shot into Ashe's thigh, making sure she wouldn't be moving around freely anymore, then reached for his phone.
With trembling fingers, he typed out a message and sent it to Noctis, Lucy, Moz, and Vincent.
Ashe's surveillance system isn't working anymore.
Then he slipped the phone back into his pocket. More footsteps were already echoing down the hallway. He would have liked to retrieve his knife, but he wouldn't be able to use it anymore anyway. He wouldn't even manage to step over the bodies blocking the doorway.
So he would kill anyone who entered this room.
At least for as long as he remained conscious. His vision had become hopelessly blurred, and by now he was reacting to sound more than sight.
"You fucking idiot! I'm only trying to protect you!" Ashe cried. "You're all I have left!"
"I never asked you to," Isaac replied.
He swayed and barely managed to steady himself. He pressed a hand against the throbbing wound in his side.
If only Vincent were here to heal me.
He didn't feel right. Something was wrong with the wound. He had to get out.
Suddenly, the lights in Ashe's room came on.
Instinctively, Isaac squeezed his eyes shut.
"Wow, you've certainly been busy, Isaac," Levi whistled in approval. "Did you have fun? Here I thought you were too exhausted to even hold your paintbrush."
Isaac tried to open his eyes, but before he could, someone drove a boot into his stomach with full force. He doubled over, dropping the pistol. His body hit the ground. A moment later, the other guns were taken from him as well.
"Boss, he's got lockpicks and a phone," said the man now pinning Isaac to the floor.
"I was wondering how he managed to escape," Levi replied. "Leave everything here. He won't be needing any of it."
He paused for a moment.
"We'll have a proper talk about this later. What do you think, Isaac?"
Isaac coughed.
"...Nothing."
Levi smirked.
"You'll get a reward first, though. After all, you get to see your lover one last time."
A chill ran down Isaac's spine at those words.
He wanted to answer, but the next thing he felt was someone yanking him to his feet. Pain washed over him, and his vision went black for a moment.
"It looks like our command center is down," Levi said, turning to Ashe. "Grab your backup laptop and get in touch with Jackson so we know what's happening around us."
"I-I can't..." Ashe stammered. "Isaac destroyed everything!"
Levi let out a contemptuous snort.
"Then find another way to establish a connection. There are more than enough laptops in this place, so start doing what I pay you for, you ungrateful brat," he hissed.
Dazed, Isaac forced his eyes open just enough to see Levi walking toward him.
"Hmm..." Levi murmured as he lifted Isaac's chin. "Jackson, call the doctor. I want him to take another look at my golden goose."
Then he patted Isaac's cheek.
Isaac slowly raised his head and looked straight into Levi's grinning face.
"You'd better stay awake. You're the star of this little drama, after all. I want you to watch me kill your lover."
Isaac managed nothing more than an exhausted snort.
"You'll never kill him," he muttered.
"And what if I do?" Levi asked. "Isn't that exciting, Isaac? Maybe tonight will be the last night of the damned Webster Clan, and you'll get to watch not only your lover, but your entire family die. Tell me... how does it feel knowing you're about to become the last living mage in this world?"
Isaac gave him a weary grin.
"They're going to kill you," he said between ragged breaths. "You tell me... what's it like to lose in your own little play?"
Levi's expression darkened.
"We'll see about that," he said.
A moment later, they dragged Isaac toward the place where Vincent and the others were waiting. A short while later, Isaac was dragged toward the place where Vincent and the others were waiting. At least that brutal idiot hadn't found his portal. That meant Isaac still had one more chance to turn the tide in Noctis's and the others' favor.
A weary smile spread across his lips.
Then let's put an end to this nightmare.