He was panting. But his eyes burned. He refused to surrender.
"This isn't over," he rasped, His voice sharp like steel.
Levan raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. "No. It ends here, Kaivan. You passed."
The words hit harder than any explosion.
Kaivan froze. "Passed…?" he whispered, His voice carried away by the wind.
Before he could think, Elara moved.
A small metallic flash appeared from her pocket— A syringe.
"I'm sorry, Kaivan," she whispered.
The needle pierced his neck. Cold spread through his veins, Then turned into false warmth.
The world swayed. Colors melted into mist.
Levan became a shadow behind a curtain of snow.
Kaivan's knees weakened.
He fell slowly into the white embrace of the earth, Absorbed into the silence of the night.
Consciousness returned like ripples on the surface of still water. Dim light slipped through a gap in the curtains, drawing a thin line across the gray concrete wall. The scent of antiseptic mixed with metal, stirring distant memories.
Kaivan slowly opened his eyes. The familiar ceiling stared back at him—cold and silent. He recognized the place at once.
"...The bunker," he murmured.
A gray sheet covered his body. A faint pulse throbbed at his neck—where Elara's needle had pierced his skin. His left arm was wrapped in bandages. In the silence, soft footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.
The door creaked open.
Elara stood at the doorway, still in her uniform, her face pale with exhaustion. Her eyes reflected guilt, relief, and something difficult to name.
"You're awake… finally," she whispered, closing the door behind her.
But she was not alone.
A young man with sharp eyes and a mocking smile sat in the corner—Fabrizio. The wielder of the Tome Omnicraft watched Kaivan with open interest.
"How was your escape, Kaivan?" he asked calmly, his voice cutting.
Kaivan stared at him in confusion, his body heavy. "How do you know? Why am I here?" His voice trembled, caught between fear and disbelief. He didn't understand how he had returned to this room after running away. He should have been arrested. Yet now… everything felt reset.
Fabrizio chuckled softly. "Your escape video became entertainment. Scissors, ropes, no casualties—everyone was amazed. You became an instant legend."
Kaivan's chest tightened. His heart raced. Anger, fear, and disappointment tangled inside him. The ceiling felt unfamiliar. The dark gray walls that once comforted him now felt like a cage. Even the soft bed offered no peace—only helplessness.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to breathe.
Then the door burst open.
Levan entered.
He stood tall in his neat black suit, hair slicked back. His sharp eyes gleamed like blades under the dim light.
"You know," he said calmly, "this was all just a test."
Kaivan turned to him. His eyes were red—not only from exhaustion, but from everything that had just collapsed inside him.
Levan walked closer, steady like a predator after the hunt. He stopped beside the bed and looked down.
"I never intended to kill you. I only wanted to see your limits. And you passed… with nothing but scissors and rope."
Kaivan fell silent.
Fragments of memory crashed into him—running, knocking down guards, stealing a grenade, tying doors with old cables. It had all felt real.
Now, it seemed like a carefully arranged play.
Levan smiled faintly. "I even had to fire an RPG-7 just to stop that rolling truck of yours. Quite entertaining, really."
Kaivan slowly sat up. His body was weak, but a spark returned to his eyes.
"But… the guards who aimed at me," he asked. "Why didn't they shoot?"
Levan turned and pulled the curtain aside slightly. Corridor light spilled in, reflecting on his calm yet dangerous face.
"The guns were empty. Just like when you tried to shoot me—nothing inside. Every step you took was part of the test. And you, Kaivan, passed it in an unexpected way."
Silence filled the room. The concrete walls echoed their breathing.
Kaivan lowered his head, breathing heavily, trying to understand the meaning behind this cruel game.
"Why me?" he whispered. "I just wanted a quiet life…"
Levan turned quickly, a crooked smile forming.
"Because you have something others don't," he said. "A will to live as strong as an Omnicent user… and a brain already activated to fifty percent."
He stepped closer, his tone suddenly light, almost like a teasing father.
"Alright," he said casually. "I'll take you to our sponsor. But don't try to run away again, okay?"
Kaivan looked at him.
That gaze no longer belonged to a victim.
It was the gaze of someone who had stared into the abyss—and returned.
He slowly stood up, his shoulders stiffening.
"I'll go," he said softly, but firmly. "But I won't stop."
Levan let out a soft laugh and nodded in quiet satisfaction. He turned away, his footsteps echoing across the cold floor. The door slid shut behind him, leaving Kaivan alone in a silence that swallowed the last traces of anger and resolve.
Deep beneath the snow-covered Caucasus Mountains, in a hidden underground chamber, time itself seemed to stand still.