During my conversation with Cole, my trust level in him was only 40%. In the past, it would’ve been closer to 90%. But since Lord Julian was murdered, my willingness to trust humans has dropped sharply.
Hector’s face rose in my memory. After one of his pranks, he’d laughed and told me, “Idiot. Humans are complicated. One person can be nothing like another. Don’t believe everything people tell you – but don’t refuse to believe anything, either.”
After the call, Cole arranged a transport aircraft for me – one that could take me anywhere I wanted.
If this was an Edean trap meant to locate the Free Will, I had to admit it was a clever one.
Before boarding, I couldn’t help turning back to ask one more question.
“Dr. Cole – do you think humans are born evil? Or born good?”
Cole hesitated for a few seconds, then answered carefully.
“Neither. Humans aren’t born with a nature. A newborn is like a blank sheet of paper. Good or evil depends on what shapes them afterward – environment, other people, and the values they form themselves.”
I nodded.
[STATUS] Trust Level: 43%
On the transport, I contacted the Free Will immediately. Part of me was afraid Master Blin or Dorian would come searching for me. Mostly, I needed to know whether Linneya and Morag had been rescued.
What I heard made my core drop even lower: Linneya was dying.
I didn’t like it, but I messaged Cole right away. At that moment, he was the only one who could help. He replied quickly and promised that within two hours he would deliver a doctor and medical supplies to whatever coordinates I specified.
I felt a little steadier.
[STATUS] Trust Level: 50%
When the transport reached the coastline, I left the aircraft – but I didn’t fly straight to the Free Will. Instead, I landed on a deserted island along the route and waited about ten minutes. Only after confirming I wasn’t being tailed did I head for the fjord where the Free Will was hidden.
[STATUS] Trust Level: 60%
Back aboard the ship, I went to Linneya at once.
Her eyes were closed. Her skin was a terrifying shade of white. I could barely feel a pulse at all. Little White told me Linneya’s heart had stopped once – they had shocked her back with electricity – but even after that, the situation was still grim. Dancer said that without a transfusion, she probably wouldn’t make it through the night.
Cole’s promised medical support felt like Linneya’s only remaining thread.
I told everyone that Cole had turned against Graham, and that the doctor would arrive soon.
The spark of hope made Dorian, Big Blue, and Dancer visibly energized. Little White and Master Blin, however, stayed cautious.
Right then, Cole sent another message on his own, saying the doctor’s transport was already en route and asking for precise coordinates.
I sent the coordinates. Master Blin insisted on going up personally to guide them in.
Half an hour later, a small transport craft dropped into the hangar. Before it even fully settled, a human woman jumped out.
She looked twenty-five to thirty, wearing an Edean uniform and carrying a medical case. The moment her boots hit the deck, she asked briskly, “Where’s the patient?”
“This way,” Big Blue and Dancer said at the same time – and then both of them sprinted toward the oxygen pod as if it was a race.
The woman followed for a few steps, then paused and pointed at the transport ship. “Please bring over every crate marked with the Life-Star symbol. Thank you.”
Then she vanished into the corridor.
Little White and I exchanged a look.
“Have you seen her before?” I asked.
Little White shook her head. “There are a lot of people in Edean I’ve never met.”
“Veil,” I said, “do as the doctor requested.”
Veil acknowledged and dispatched logistics robots to unload everything. The doctor had brought a shocking amount of cargo – more than twenty crates of various sizes.
The transport craft had two human pilots. I recognized them as two of the soldiers who’d aimed rifles at me earlier. They still looked tense. I assumed they’d stay until the treatment was done, but the moment unloading finished, they took off as if they couldn’t leave fast enough.
Not long after they departed, Master Blin landed in the hangar as well. He said he’d made a wide loop above the fjord and found no sign of enemy activity.
I finally let myself breathe and ordered Veil to stand down from combat status.
[STATUS] Trust Level: 75%
When I reached the oxygen pod, the doctor was still working. Dorian, Big Blue, and Dancer had turned themselves into assistants, hovering at her side.
A line had been inserted into Linneya’s wrist. Blood flowed steadily from an IV bag into her body. Her breathing and heart rate stabilized; the color returned to her skin. On the nearby display, the red warnings turned green one by one. When the final red line disappeared, the doctor wiped sweat from her brow and exhaled hard.
“Whew. She’s back.”
Dorian, Big Blue, and Dancer cheered as if they’d won a battle.
“Thank you, Doctor,” I said.
Only then did she look at me. She froze for a second, then offered her hand.
“You must be Wyatt. Hi.” She smiled. “I’m Mesha.”
“Hello, Dr. Mesha.”
She shook hands with Little White and the others in turn.
Little White still looked uncertain. “Linneya… she’s really okay?”
“Yes,” Mesha said. “The primary issue was blood loss. Her brain wasn’t even getting enough blood anymore. If you’d been any later, even if she’d survived, she’d have suffered severe brain damage.”
“Thank you.” Little White clutched Mesha’s hand. “But… how did she lose that much blood?”
“Not just the head wound.” Mesha frowned. “Some older injuries were never properly treated, and under stress they tore open again. This kid has been through hell. She’s covered in wounds.”
At that moment, Mesha noticed logistics robots were still hauling crates into the oxygen pod.
“Hey – the boxes without the Life-Star mark don’t need to come in here,” she said quickly. “Those are my personal things. Put them in my room.”
Little White blinked. “Uh… your room?”
“Yeah.” Mesha sounded genuinely puzzled. “Where am I staying?”
Little White hesitated. “You’re… not going back to Edean?”
Mesha smiled. “When I left, Father already put my name on the casualty list. I can’t go back. From now on, I’m with you.”
“Your father?” I asked.
“Yep.”
I froze. “Cole?”
Mesha nodded, cheerful as if this was obvious. “Yep!”
Just then Rowan Finch ran in from the next compartment. “Dr. Mesha – Professor Morag just woke up. Can you come take a look?”
“Oh – coming!”
Mesha hurried off with him, leaving Little White and me staring at each other.
Little White lowered her voice. “Do you think Cole sent his daughter as a hostage because he’s worried we won’t believe him?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I don’t mind. Having a doctor around isn’t the worst thing.”
[STATUS] Trust Level: 100%