The Damned Demon

797  To Find Out The Truth

Arthur swung his legs off the bed, a strange stiffness lingering in his muscles. The slight tug of medical tubes against his wrist made him wince, but he ignored the sensation and instinctively moved toward the large windows on the far side of the room.

As he approached, the curtains parted automatically, revealing the world outside.

His hazel eyes widened.

The sun—whiter, dimmer than what he remembered—hung over the horizon in a strange, unfamiliar sky.

The red atmosphere, tinged with artificial lights, stretched far and wide, casting a surreal glow over an expansive, futuristic cityscape. Towering skyscrapers of silver and black metal, laced with mana-infused glass, spiraled into the sky, their surfaces pulsating with soft blue veins of power.

Skybridges interconnected the high-rises, and hovering mana-powered vehicles zipped between them in smooth, orderly motion.

Beyond the city, in the far distance, endless stretches of crimson dunes stretched toward the horizon, barely visible through the haze of energy barriers that encased the entire metropolis like a colossal dome.

Arthur's breath caught in his throat.

Was he really on Mars?

Everything in front of him screamed that this wasn't Earth. This place, this city, was nothing like the cities he had known. The technology, the aura of mana, the sheer scale of human advancement—it was overwhelming.

His heart pounded as questions bombarded his mind.

Did the President bring me here? How long have I been unconscious? What happened to Anna?

He tried to recollect his last memory—the Huntress's warning. The words echoed in his mind like a whisper in the dark:

"Do you even know that the man you call the 'President' is the one who created the Thundering Reaper?"

The weight of her words pressed against his chest like an iron vice.

"If you truly care about seeking justice, then you should start taking a careful look at the people around you who pretend to be righteous and just the most."

Did Derek really turn Anna into the Thundering Reaper? Was he the reason she ended up here in the first place? Why? Why would someone like him do such a thing?

But then he started to think of everything Anna had done as the Thundering Reaper. All the disasters she caused forced so many countries to seek the WHA's help, which in turn helped Derek build more towers and hasten his development plans on Mars.

Could it really be true?

He clenched his fists. He wanted to deny it, to dismiss it as an outrageous accusation. But something inside him—an instinct, a gut feeling—told him he shouldn't ignore it and needed to look deeper.

Then, suddenly—

The door to his room slid open with a soft hiss.

Arthur spun around just in time to see two familiar figures step inside.

A handsome, middle-aged man with short dark brown hair and sharp hazel eyes, his tailored dark coat hanging elegantly off his shoulders. Beside him stood a graceful woman, appearing in her mid-forties, her regal demeanor as unshaken as ever. Her long, dark brown locks were neatly tied back, and her piercing hazel gaze held a guarded intensity.

Arthur froze.

"Father…" he murmured, his expression softening.

Edward Evangelion's face relaxed into a rare smile, relief flooding his features. "Son… you are finally awake." His voice was laced with quiet emotion, as if the sight of Arthur conscious again lifted a weight off his shoulders.

Arthur took a hesitant step forward before embracing his father, feeling a strange warmth after what felt like an eternity. Edward held him firmly for a moment before stepping back, inspecting him as if to make sure he was truly alright.

However, Alice Evangelion remained where she stood near the bed, her stoic gaze unwavering though her eyes held something deeper and heavy.

"Do you have any idea how much you worried your father?" Alice's voice was calm, yet laced with unspoken reprimand, "You were this close to death, and your mana circuit was nearly broken. If not for your father working tirelessly to heal you, you wouldn't have woken up this soon. How could you allow yourself to end up in a situation like that?"

Alice knew that he ended up like that by trying to protect that demoness.

Arthur's guilt deepened as he turned his gaze toward his father, finally noticing the exhaustion lining his face. His father wasn't a man who showed weakness, but Arthur recognized the signs.

"I… I'm sorry, Father," Arthur said in a low voice. "I didn't mean to trouble you like this."

Edward shook his head with a soft smile and said in a low voice, "Don't worry about it, son. Alice is just concerned for you. She also worked tirelessly to help you recover. How else do you think you woke up already when your mana circuit wasn't functioning properly?"

Arthur's eyes flickered toward Alice who remained silent, her expression unreadable.

Did she really care about me?

For as long as he could remember, Alice had always been distant, strict, and seemed to hate him since he was born to another woman. He never blamed her for it because he knew things were unfair for her and she had every reason to resent him.

But hearing that she worked to save him despite everything… it unsettled something deep inside him.

"Thank you…Alice. I am sorry that you were burdened by me," Arthur said with an apologetic look, making Alice's eyes ripple for a moment, wondering what Edward told Arthur to make him thank her.

But she then coldly stated, "I don't want any appreciation. Instead, from now on, you better do as we say lest you end up in more trouble and make things harder for all of us."

Arthur clenched his jaw, especially when a single name surfaced in his mind.

"Where is… Anna?"

Edward and Alice's expressions visibly stiffened.

Arthur's stomach knotted.

"Why are you asking about the Thundering Reaper, son?" Edward's voice was carefully neutral, but Arthur could hear the underlying tension.

Arthur's brows knitted together, "Y-You knew her true identity?"

Alice let out a quiet exhale, her arms crossing over her chest, "Derek informed us when you were found unconscious with her. She has been apprehended and will be tried once they determine how she managed to elude us for so long."

Arthur felt his chest tighten.

No… this isn't right.

Even though Anna lied to him the entire time, he still had this gut feeling that she wasn't completely to blame for everything she had done. She never felt like a monster to him. Even if she put on an act, he still believed that the Anna he fell in love with was still somewhere inside her.

If what the Huntress said was true, then Anna was a victim, a pawn in something bigger. He had seen it in her eyes—the pain, the suffering, the resignation to a fate she never chose.

She could have killed him when he confronted her, but she didn't. He remembered the pure pain and remorse in her eyes at that time, though he was blinded by his own pain and anger to see it clearly.

If she was truly pretending, she wouldn't have broken down before him.

Arthur furrowed his brows, his voice filled with unease.

"Father, do you really think it's possible for a demon like her to hide in our world for so long… alone? That she could have evaded all our detection without help?"

Edward hesitated, his gaze flickering.

"I am not sure, son. She is a very powerful demon. It's possible she formed powerful connections to aid her."

Arthur clenched his fists.

"Very powerful connections?" His voice lowered, laced with tension, "What if… the President is such a connection? What if...he had something to do with how the Thundering Reaper came to our world? I know this sounds ridiculous but I can't shake off this thought."

A heavy silence filled the room.

Edward's and Alice's eyes widened in shock.

"Shh! Don't say another word!" Alice said in a low yet sharp voice as she hurried forward to stand before Arthur and looked at him with a trembling gaze, "You have no idea whom you are talking about. Never, ever, talk about such things, especially things about Derek out in the open."

Arthur found it quite odd and strange to see the way these two were reacting, especially Alice, who always seemed cold and composed as if nothing could faze her.

But now…why was he seeing fear in the eyes of someone as strong as her? Even his father's expression didn't look good. He had never seen them anxious like this.

"You two know something about Derek, right? That's why you are reacting like this. Just tell me the truth…What kind of person is the President who I have looked up to my entire life?" Arthur asked with a clenched jaw.

Damn...