"Come on, Neo 7... You were a fool to come here. If you were some kind of spy or something, it clearly didn't end well for you."
E7 stared at him coldly, his eyes sharp like blades.
Jasper was on his knees, panting. His body wasn't responding properly—he felt like he was breaking apart from the inside out.
("It's like I've got several tons crushing me… like my body's being torn apart.")
Blood poured from his nose, his eyes, and his mouth, pooling into a dark puddle at his feet. He could barely stay upright.
"Honestly, you almost had me fooled, kid. I'll admit it. I don't even remember when you showed up... Maybe you were the one Agent 6790 dragged in. Either way, I'll let you explain. I'm not that heartless."
E7 smiled faintly and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, all the blood that had spilled surged back into Jasper's body, as if time had been rewound. The pain vanished. The pressure in his chest lifted. But just as he tried to sit up, an invisible force slammed him back to his knees.
"I didn't give you permission to stand, Neo 7. I said talk. What are you doing here? Why did you mess with the inmates?"
E7's voice turned sharp again—cutting, commanding.
"You weren't hard to figure out. Ever since you copied that thing's power, I knew something was off. All I had to do was look behind the mask."
E7 began to pace the room slowly, hands clasped behind his back.
"I... I just wanted to get stronger. That's why I came here..." Jasper managed to say. If he didn't speak up now, he was dead.
"Oh yeah? You wanted to get stronger? And instead of training with the T's, you decide to sneak into a place crawling with criminals? Brilliant move."
Jasper's face started bleeding again. This time, faster. Deeper. The pain hit harder. E7 clearly wasn't buying it.
"If it was Y who sent you... then I have to say, he's really scraping the bottom of the barrel. He should've sent Ghost—not a kid."
Jasper tried to respond, but his mouth filled with blood. His consciousness was slipping away fast.
Then, a new voice broke the silence.
"Hey, four-eyes. Didn't they teach you not to mess with someone else's student?"
E7 turned abruptly.
William had entered the room, a scowl on his face and annoyance burning in his eyes.
"Well, look who it is. You, old man. I thought you'd finally retired," E7 said, approaching with a crooked smile.
"And I thought you were locked up in an insane asylum," William replied, unperturbed.
"How about you cut the crap and let my boy go?" he said sarcastically, nodding toward Jasper.
"Your boy? Since when do you have Y's spies in your class?" E7 replied, his tone darkening.
"Come on, E7. You're not stupid. You know this has nothing to do with Y," William said firmly, never dropping his serious expression.
"Old man, you've got a lot of nerve walking into my domain like this," E7 growled, clearly irritated. He snapped his fingers.
Jasper's blood rushed back into his body, he was trying to process what was happening.
(What the hell is my teacher doing here… And who the hell is this Y they keep talking about?)
"I don't need nerve to deal with a second-rate magician. I thought Mr. Mystery trained you better than this," William said with a smirk.
E7 snapped his fingers again—and this time, it was William who began bleeding from his eyes.
"Get out of here, 3887," E7 spat with contempt.
But William didn't flinch. He calmly walked up to E7 and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't make me do this. Go rest. You need sleep. E9 will cover your shift," he said gently, with no threats—just truth.
E7 stared at him in silence. A second later, he snapped his fingers, and William's bleeding stopped.
"Shit... I'm sorry, 3887. I've been awake for a full week. You can take the kid. Just don't let this happen again," E7 said, adjusting his robe and heading for the door.
"Or I'll be forced to eliminate him."
With that, he left.
William sighed and walked over to Jasper, helping him stand.
"Professor... how... how did you know I was here?" Jasper asked, still shaken.
"It wasn't hard. I came to drop off some video games Michael wanted you to try. When you weren't in your room—or with F16—I knew something was off."
As he spoke, William helped Jasper to his feet.
"And when I saw Agent 6790 lurking near your door, I knew you were tied to V8. I confronted her, and she admitted it."
They walked out together.
"I see... Thanks. I really thought I was going to die," Jasper said more out of politeness than genuine gratitude. He was still in shock.
"The choice you made was pretty dumb. But... at least you figured out how to use your power, didn't you? Or did E7 drag you here for something else?" William asked, locking eyes with him.
"Yeah. I can use it at will now. And I'm ready to improve. I'm going to climb... and take my life back," Jasper said, a new determination in his voice.
William smiled and handed him a bag.
"I'm looking forward to teaching you again, Snow. Good luck on your first assignment."
With that, he turned and walked away. Jasper wanted to say more, but he knew it wasn't the time.
He needed rest.
"Good... Now I'm really back," he muttered as he reached his room.
After a shower, his stomach was growling loudly.
"God... I hope Suse and the others don't think I vanished," he mumbled as he got ready for bed.
***
The next morning, Jasper returned to the same gym as before. The Neo Xs were already there, stretching and warming up. F16, as always, was in position, this time with a pear in his hand.
"Good morning," Jasper greeted as he approached the group.
"Well, if it isn't Neo 7! I thought you went rogue," Lin said with a grin as she approached.
Jasper shook his hand warmly. As strange as they were, this team was one of the few groups who'd shown him any real kindness.
"I hope you've been doing something useful this whole time," Suse remarked, not even looking up. He wore new sunglasses.
"Oh... Neo 7 summed up," Neo 8 said with a smile.
"It's 'came back', Neo 8. And Neo 7, I'm glad you're here. Saves me the trouble of explaining anything," F16 cut in, serious as always.
The positions lit up, and everyone took their places as F16 tossed the pear into the air. Just like last time with the apple, the fruit spun elegantly... then landed in his hand.
"Begin!"
With that command, everyone sprang into action.
"Last time I held back with you, Neo 7! This time I'm taking you out right away!" Lin shouted, lunging at Jasper with claws extended.
"Yeah… just what I was hoping for," Jasper replied, grinning.
There was a reason he'd squeezed Lin's hand when he arrived.
Lin attacked with confidence—but froze when he saw Jasper block it... with an exact replica of his own claws.
"This is how I take out the weakest first," Jasper said, flashing a victorious grin.