Chapter 41: Fearmonger

The door slammed shut behind Soujin and sealed him in what felt like a void. The sound A hollow echo that might as well have been the final note of a trap springing shut rang through his ears. He turned instinctively to reach for the handle, only to find nothing but smooth, cold wood beneath his hand. The exit that should have been right there wasn’t…. Or maybe it was and this place had already started playing tricks on his mind.

The barracks of Squad 6 stretched before him like the gaping maw of a great beast that swallowed him whole. Faint, flickering light struggled to pierce the oppressive gloom. Shadows pooled in the corners and the deeper he looked, the more the darkness seemed to ripple with unseen movement.

Soujin’s breath hitched. Why the hell did I let my feet bring me here?” He clenched his fists and thought back to the memory of his first visit to this place rushing back. Back then, he had braved these halls to speak with Muffet but without Muffet here, it felt as though the building itself sought to devour him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something unusual—a collection of feet, faintly illuminated by the flickering light, scattered along the edges of his vision. Some were bare, others armored, but they stood eerily still, almost as if they were watching him.

“What’s going on here?” he asked aloud. The feet didn’t react. He clenched at his sides. “I’m talking to you! What are you?”

No response came but a pale hand emerged from the shadows ahead, beckoning him deeper into the darkness.

Soujin swallowed hard. His instincts screamed at him to run the other way and try to find the exit but curiosity—or perhaps stubbornness propelled him forward. His feet carried him toward the hand as though they were no longer his own. The flickering light grew dimmer and soon, he stood before a heavy, ornate door. Muffet’s quarters.

He pushed it open. The room was dimmer than he remembered with faint, icy mist curling along the floor. A figure sat in Muffet’s place, but it wasn’t her.

“Hyorine?” Soujin said, with surprise and a tinge of unease.

The woman before him leaned back in the chair. A wry smile tugged at her lips. “Welcome, Soujin.”

Soujin frowned. He recalled the last time he’d encountered Hyorine. The memory sprang It was at a hair salon where there was an argument that had nearly exploded into chaos between Hyorine, Bellar, and Cera. Muffet had intervened just in time and was the only thing keeping Hyorine’s sharp temper in check.

He folded his arms. “Why am I here? Did you bring me to this creepy—” He gestured vaguely to the room and surrounding barracks. “Whatever this place is trying to be?”

Hyorine smiled widely. She tilted her head slightly. “I thought it was time we had a little chat. After all, you don’t have much time left, do you?”

Soujin’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean by—”

Before he could finish, Hyorine cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Head Captain Will told me about his decision, and about what you might try to do.”

Soujin’s stomach sank, and he clenched his fists at his sides. ‘Damn it, Head Captain Will…’ The realization hit him like a blade to the chest. ‘He’s already one step ahead of me. ‘If what Hyorine said was true, it meant Will had anticipated his moves and his plan might already be in shambles.

“And?” Soujin asked while trying hard to keep his tone steady.

Hyorine crossed her arms and leaned casually against Muffet’s desk. “My orders were simple: stop you.”

Soujin stiffened but narrowed his eyes. “Then why are we chatting? Shouldn’t you be dragging me out of here by now?”

Hyorine chuckled. “True, I could. But…” She straightened and began to approach him with a sharp and probing gaze. “You’re close with Muffet, aren’t you?”

Soujin blinked. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

Her grin turned mischievous. She stopped a few paces from him. “How far did you get with her? First base? Second? Or maybe, dare I say... third?” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Though, let’s be honest, third might be a bit ambitious for you.”

Soujin’s jaw dropped like someone had just whacked him over the head with a frying pan. He stumbled back a step. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up! What?! Are you serious? Muffet and I aren’t even close like that!” His face reddened faster than a sunset. “She just helped me out of a tight spot, that’s all!”

Hyorine studied him for a moment, then sighed deeply with disappointment flashing across her face. “Tch. Boring. Here I was hoping for some juicy stories.” She leaned back slightly and crossed her arms with a small pout. “Guess you’re not going to give me one, huh?”

“Not even a little,” Soujin said firmly while regaining some of his composure. He didn’t trust the glint in her eyes or the way she seemed to enjoy toying with him. “Why does it even matter?”

Hyorine turned away from him and walked towards Muffet’s desk. “It doesn’t. I just like to know what kind of leverage I’m working with.”

Soujin scowled. “Leverage?”

She turned back to him with a smile thin but a sharpened look. “Relax. I’m just having fun but, let’s get one thing clear: I’m only letting this conversation happen because Muffet seems to think you’re worth ‘something’. So tell me, Soujin…” She softened her speech but held an edge in it. “How far are you willing to go to save your precious Cera?”

Soujin stared at her for a long moment. Then he raised an eyebrow and shot back, “How far would you go to save your squadmates?”

Hyorine blinked. Her smirk faltered and for a moment, silence hung heavy between them.

“I’m serious,” Soujin continued firmly. “You’re loyal to Squad 6, right? You’d probably fight tooth and nail for them. So why is it so hard to believe I’d do the same for Cera?”

Hyorine’s gaze hardened. “This isn’t about me. We’re talking about you and the rules you’re so eager to break.”

Soujin shrugged. “I don’t think she should have to be executed. There’s still a chance to cure her before the transformation completes. We just need to stop being so damn hasty to ‘get rid of the problem.’”

“You’re not afraid of Will and what he’ll do?” Hyorine asked after a beat. Her eyes narrowed. “Even if you could get past me, you’d have to face him. His Mystcry isn’t like anything you’ve dealt with before. You felt it, didn’t you? That suffocating power when you’re near him. It’s like the whole room is drowning in it, and the energy never stops flowing.”

Soujin clenched his fists. “Yeah. Iv’e always had to attend the Captains meetings after all. Scares the hell out of me that I’d have to go against it but, i’m gonna do it anyway. Even if I’m over there wetting my pants, I’ll find a way to kick his ass.”

Hyorine studied him carefully. “You’d fight even if fear had you by the throat?”

“Fear’s not an excuse to stop,” Soujin said with an unwavering look that made him seem determined. “It’s just another obstacle to push through.”

Hyorine crossed her arms. Her lips turned into a smile, but it wasn’t just amusement flickering in her eyes now. She studied Soujin with a new intensity, though her gaze was softening by the minute.

“Not bad, Soujin,” she said. “Most people would call you a fool right now. But…” She trailed off and then tilted her head. “I can see it. That spark. The same one I had when I was younger. Fear’s not something you run from, it’s something you mold into your strength.”

Soujin raised an eyebrow. “Uh… thanks? I think.”

Hyorine chuckled quietly. “Relax. I’m not mocking you. What you just said—pushing forward even when fear’s clawing at your throat? That’s the kind of thinking that keeps people like me alive.” She gestured vaguely around the dim barracks. Her face darkened for a moment. “This squad thrives on knowing when to use fear as a weapon.”

She stepped closer with her eyes narrowing slightly. “And you, Soujin? You’ve got a bit of that in you. Most wouldn’t see it. They’d call you reckless and think you’re just a stubborn idiot rushing into danger, but I see something different. Maybe that’s why Muffet believes in you.”

Soujin blinked. “So… you’re saying I’m not just a reckless idiot?”

Hyorine shot back. “Don’t push it. Just keep proving yourself, and you might survive this whole mess.”

Hyorine leaned back against the shadowed wall. “Oh my, look at that. I’ve eaten up a good fifteen minutes of your time.”

Soujin frowned. “How can you even know that? You didn’t check no phone, or watch or anything.”

Hyorine’s response came in the form of a dismissive wave. “That’s not important. What is important is that you’d better get going. You’ve got quite the list of Captains to charm, don’t you?”

Her tone shifted suddenly. “But a quick heads-up before you leave—I’m going to tell Will that you ‘defeated’ me. Makes sense, doesn’t it? You’re a Captain, after all, and stronger than I am.” She chuckled, though the sound carried an unsettling undertone. “Of course, if you want our support in all this… well…”

Hyorine leaned forward slightly, and whispered. “Who knows if I’ll even be on your side tomorrow? That’s a fun little thought to chew on, isn’t it?”

Soujin’s fists clenched instinctively but he forced himself to breathe and stay composed. She was baiting him, wasn’t she? She was putting fear into her words. He’d just have to make sure it didn’t stick.

“Thanks for the… encouragement,” he said dryly while placing a hand behind his head. “Wanna know something?”

Hyorine tilted her head. “What now? More words of bravery?”

“Even if Will knows what I’m doing. The more allies I have, the better. I’ll keep going, no matter what.”

Soujin’s words hung in the air. For a moment, Hyorine’s smirk faltered. Her mouth opened as though she wanted to say something but nothing came out. A few seconds later, her face hardened and her mouth closed.

Before Soujin could press her, the room around him suddenly shifted. Darkness crept in from every corner and swallowed the flickers of light which left him standing in an inky void. His heart skipped a beat and he then reach for his sword as during that time, he felt a change in Hyorine’s Mystcry level. She was likely going to attack him, but before he could react further, a sudden force shoved him backward.

“Hey, what the—!” Soujin stumbled. The next thing he knew, he was outside, blinking under the natural light of the late evening. The looming structure of Squad 6’s barracks stood silently behind him.

Soujin straightened himself and brushed off his uniform. “What the hell just happened?” he muttered while glancing back at the building. It didn’t answer, of course.

He ran a hand through his hair and thought back on the encounter. Despite Hyorine’s sharp words, her playful taunts and the bizarre way she’d sent him packing, there had been something… about her. A sort of ‘niceness’ maybe? No, not exactly nice, but not as harsh as she’d seemed at first glance.

Soujin sighed. His lips curled into a faint smile. “Guess she’s full of surprises.” He turned and walked away with firm resolve as he set his sights on the next Captain.

Inside the shadowed halls of Squad 6, Hyorine leaned against the frame of a window and watched Soujin’s silhouette fade into the distance. Her lips pressed into a firm line as thoughts began to churn.

There had been men in her past but none like Soujin. He wasn’t perfect—far from It, but there was something genuine in him moreso than other men. He cared for Cera in a way that felt… real.

Cera.

Hyorine’s eyes drifted shut as a memory surfaced. It was from her first days in Squad 6, before the weight of leadership had settled on her shoulders. Back then, Cera had been a loudmouthed, reckless force of nature who seemed to exist solely to test Hyorine’s patience. She remembered the way Cera laughed and the fight that changed everything between them.

“It’s her fault,” Hyorine muttered under her breath. Her gaze fell to the spot where Soujin had stood moments ago. She clenched her fists with confliction boiling to the surface. If she followed her orders, she’d have to stop him. Truly stop him, not just toy with him as she had today. But was that really the right thing to do? Was her loyalty to the Society stronger than the faint hope Soujin had sparked?

Hyorine sighed deeply and turned away from the window. “Damn it,” she muttered. “If only, it wasn’t…”

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned looking at her with subtle concern. One tall woman with a sharp bob cut spoke first.

“So… is the meeting with that guy over?” she asked with suspicion. “You know, it’s not every day we let a man into our barracks, Lieutenant.”

The other squad member added nervously, “Yeah, um… was he causing trouble or something?”

Hyorine stared at them for a long moment before exhaling slowly. She pushed herself off the window frame and showed a calm look, though her clenched fists betrayed the storm within.

“It’s over,” she said flatly and brushed pass them toward the exit. “I’m heading out for a while. Don’t wait up.”

The two squad members exchanged uncertain glances but knew better than to press her further.

“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison while she exited the Squad building.