Chapter 30

Ah, I made a big mistake. I didn't give Aidan the sleeping syrup last night.

I thought he had overcome its influence and agreed to go to Ad Maiora for the cure, but I was wrong.

He was no longer the handsome friend I once had. He was under the spell of the perfected HRD-21, a drug that could manipulate people's minds from afar.

He attacked me in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep. I felt his hands around my neck, squeezing the life out of me. I saw his eyes, full of pain and rage. He was fighting against the drug, but he was losing. The drug was stronger than him.

I struggled to free myself, but I had no chance.

As I began to lose consciousness, a loud bang echoed through the run-down building, muffled by the thunder outside.

Aidan's grip around my throat loosened, and I pushed his body away, coughing and desperate for air. Once my brain returned to normal, I checked on Aidan's condition.

"Aid!"