"Katherine?! You're here! No! You need to leave! He's a demon! He really is a demon…" Soren shielded his eyes from the sudden light flooding the small dark room as the door opened. When he heard Katherine's voice, he quickly shouted in panic.
Despite the burning pain he had felt earlier now being gone, Soren couldn't be sure it wouldn't return. He was terrified not just for himself but for his pregnant wife, Katherine. He couldn't bear the thought of Damian harming her, especially in her delicate condition.
Soren knew that Katherine had always been in poor health. She had suffered two miscarriages, and during her third pregnancy, the baby died due to complications during childbirth. To protect Katherine from the devastating truth, Soren had lied, claiming that the infant who had died from massive blood loss was not theirs but another woman's. He convinced her that Damian, who had been born that same night to a dying mother, was their own child.
Given Katherine's fragile health, Soren had assumed she would never be able to conceive again. So, he chose to keep the secret, raising Damian as his own.
But over time, Soren began to notice strange occurrences with Damian. Whenever they visited the zoo, the animals became agitated around the boy. Damian also reacted violently whenever they went to church, as though the very place repelled him.
Things got worse when Katherine became pregnant again. Soren noticed Damian's increasingly strange behavior, particularly his unnerving stares at Katherine's belly. Several times, Soren found Damian standing by Katherine's bedside as she slept, staring directly at her stomach. Once, a fruit bowl and a knife had been placed nearby, and Soren swore he saw Damian reaching for the knife.
That had been the final straw. Soren rushed over to stop Damian, but when he reached the bed, Damian simply looked at him with innocent eyes, as if nothing had happened. Yet the memory of that moment stuck with Soren, and not long after, a priest approached him, telling him that Damian bore the "666" mark and was the incarnation of a demon.
At first, Soren didn't believe it. But after noticing the mark on Damian's body becoming more prominent and the boy's darkening gaze toward him and Katherine, Soren started to doubt. Once the seed of doubt had been planted, it only grew.
Then, one night, Soren woke to find Damian watching him coldly from the shadows of his room. That was when he decided to kill Damian, but before he could act, Bellock reported him to the police, landing him in his current predicament.
Now, after enduring the horrifying pain of what felt like being burned alive, Soren was more terrified than ever. He desperately shouted at Katherine to leave, fearing Damian would kill her too.
"Is he trying to fake insanity?" The police officer watching Soren's dramatic reaction considered this possibility, his face darkening.
For ordinary people, mental illness is often seen as a stigma. But for the powerful and wealthy, it can be a way to reduce guilt or even avoid punishment. If Soren were diagnosed with a mental disorder, his attempt to shoot Damian could be written off as a delusional episode, resulting in a lighter sentence, possibly just a stay in a psychiatric ward. Afterward, Soren might even return to his career.
This kind of thing had happened before, and Soren's rank was high enough to garner support from those who could protect him. After all, claiming mental illness and a moment of madness would sound far better to the American government than admitting he had tried to murder his son. It would also avoid the embarrassing possibility of the British police releasing the footage from their body cameras.
The officer's expression darkened as he thought of this scenario, but before he could say anything, his colleagues arrived with Damian and Bellock.
"You're not dead? How is that possible?!" Bellock gasped in shock when she saw Soren. She had assumed that Katherine would take Damian home, but instead, she found Soren still standing there.
Though, "standing" might not be the best description. Soren's emotional state was clearly deteriorating. He wasn't just panicking—he was terrified, especially when his eyes landed on Damian, intensifying his fear.
Having experienced what he now believed was an unstoppable force, Soren no longer thought he could kill Damian. His only hope now was to protect Katherine and their unborn child.
Bellock's outburst didn't go unnoticed by the police officer and Katherine, as her reaction was even more bizarre than Soren's.
Though the officer's sympathies had been with Damian earlier, Bellock's behavior was suspicious enough to make him question things.
"What did you mean by that just now?" the officer asked, narrowing his eyes at Bellock. "What do you mean, 'you're not dead yet'? Who was supposed to die? Soren? Why would he die so quickly?"
"I—I thought you said he would be severely punished! I assumed he would be executed by now…" Bellock stammered, realizing her mistake and lowering her voice in an attempt to explain herself.
"Punishment takes time and a legal process. How could he die so quickly? I think I need to question you further," the officer said, shaking his head. He wasn't convinced by Bellock's explanation. His years of experience told him she was lying.
"Haven't you already questioned me enough? Are you siding with Soren because of his status? Are you going to cover for him now?" Bellock's face paled as she hurriedly accused the officer, her voice rising in panic. "You promised no one would come after me because of this!"
"That was on the condition that you weren't involved in anything suspicious. I'm not covering for Soren; I'm just after the truth. Now, put Damian down," the officer commanded sternly, glaring at her.
"I—" Bellock hesitated, clutching Damian tightly. Under different circumstances, she might have used the child as leverage, but Damian was her absolute faith, and she couldn't harm him. Her eyes flickered with an image, and she finally released Damian, reluctantly looking at him one last time before turning back to the officer. "I swear, I'm innocent. I just wanted to see Soren punished…"
"I hope that's the case," the officer said coldly. "Take her to the interrogation room. If she's truly innocent, I'll personally let her go and apologize."
"Wait! Officer, if Bellock is guilty, does that mean Soren is innocent?" Katherine quickly asked, her voice trembling with confusion.
"Bellock's guilt doesn't prove Soren's innocence. We all saw what Soren tried to do. If we hadn't arrived in time, your son would be dead by your husband's hand. If you don't believe me, you can check the video for yourself. I'm sure your government will provide it to you," the officer replied calmly.
Bellock's behavior might have been suspect, but it didn't negate what Soren had done. Everyone, including Superman, had witnessed it. The footage was undeniable.
"No! Don't come near her! Please! I'm begging you! Leave them alone! I'll do anything, just don't hurt her!" Soren suddenly dropped to his knees, pleading desperately.
Damian had begun walking toward Katherine after Bellock was taken away. Though his innocent eyes looked pure, Soren saw something terrifying. He was convinced Damian would hurt Katherine, and all he wanted was to protect her, even if it meant offering his own life in exchange.
"Dad, what are you talking about? Are you playing a game with me?" Damian asked, his expression full of innocence, though his excitement began to grow. "How do you play this game? Is it one life for another? Are you going to give me a life?"
"Don't… don't say such things! Daddy's just joking!" Katherine's body trembled as she heard Damian's words. She didn't understand why, but Damian's innocent remark sent a chill deep into her bones. She hurried to reassure him, her voice soft and fearful.
"But Daddy looks like he really wants to play. It's not Damian being naughty. Why are you scolding me and not Daddy?" Damian pouted, his eyes wide with confusion as he looked up at Katherine.
"No! Please! Spare them! If you want a life, take mine! I'll give you mine, just leave them alone. They're innocent. Your mother has raised you for years as if you were her own…" Soren's voice cracked as he pleaded, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't bear the thought of Damian hurting Katherine or their unborn child. He begged for Damian to take his life in exchange for theirs.
"What do you mean, 'her own'?" Damian blinked, his expression confused as he stared at Soren, seemingly unaware of what his father was talking about.
With a sudden gasp, Soren's eyes widened in terror, as if he had just realized something horrifying. Without warning, he lunged at the nearby officer and snatched his gun.
"Stop! What are you doing?!" the officer shouted, his face filled with shock. "You're making things worse! Wait! What are you doing?!"
The officer had assumed Soren was going to shoot Damian again. But to his surprise, Soren didn't aim the gun at the boy. Instead, he shoved the barrel into his own mouth, turning toward Damian.
"One life for another. You wanted to kill me earlier. I don't know why I didn't die, but if you want it, my life is yours. Just please, spare Katherine. Spare her and the baby she's carrying…" Soren mumbled around the gun, his words barely intelligible.
"Soren! What are you doing? Put the gun down!" Katherine screamed in terror, her face pale as she watched Soren with the gun in his mouth.
"Dad, why do you keep talking about them? Who are they? Isn't this supposed to be one life for one life? How can you trade one life for two?" Damian asked innocently, his expression confused, as if he truly believed they were playing a game.
"No! Please! I'm begging you…" Soren's eyes widened in desperation at Damian's words. But before he could finish his plea, he suddenly slumped to the ground, unconscious.
It turned out that one of the officers, seeing that Soren's attention was fully on Damian, had acted quickly, injecting him with a sedative just as they had done during his initial arrest. Soren fell into unconsciousness immediately.
"Huh? Why did Dad suddenly fall asleep? Wasn't he going to play a game with me? It's not even nighttime yet," Damian said, looking puzzled as he turned to Katherine. "Is Dad tired? I'm tired too. Can we go home now?"
"Ah? Yes… we'll go home…" Katherine muttered, dazed. She hadn't fully grasped the situation until she saw the officer gently remove the gun from Soren's limp hand. Realizing Soren had been sedated, she finally nodded and softly agreed to Damian's request. "Yes, we're going home."
"Has he really gone mad?" one of the officers muttered, staring at Soren's unconscious body, a hint of confusion in his eyes. The case, which had seemed clear-cut at first, was becoming harder to understand.
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