CHAPTER 17 : REGRET

"Papa... Farah doesn't know what to choose. Mama keeps nagging about the future and all that.""Farah must choose for herself. She can't keep on relying on us?""Papa...""Dear!""Why are you never home?"Mikael woke up from his sleep, dreaming about his late wife and daughter. He had fallen asleep in his office. As he sat up, he glanced at a picture of his family on his desk—a picture from when he and his wife were younger and Farah was still a child.If these mutated monsters didn't exist, I'd have had more time to spend with my family. Now, I have nothing left.The high salary, the high rank. None of it means anything. I should have...No. Not yet...What other choice do I have? I'll destroy the monster that killed my family... and as many more as I need to..."Yesterday, many mutated monster bodies were found dead, believed to have been killed by the same group of people. There are also some CCTV recordings showing..." A police officer was presenting his analysis and findings. Rose looked disturbed, while Mikael and Shaurya were also present at the meeting."I told them...To not get involved and be more cautious," Rose muttered to herself, as images of Strays' bodies—stabbed, sliced, and decapitated—were displayed. The CCTV footage also showed the Furioswheels car, Nasuha flying in the air, and Khalid in his Beast Tiger armor."The individuals we identified from the CCTV footage are believed to be humans with abilities similar to mutated monsters. However, they still appear human and only target mutated monsters..." The CCTV footage then showed Kyoko unleashing a lightning attack and Khairul slicing a Stray. The footage wasn't very clear, and the events were not fully visible.Many officers began discussing among themselves, wondering who these individuals with powers were, why they were attacking the mutated monsters, and what their motives were. Were they allies or enemies?"Calm down, everyone!" Rose raised her voice, silencing the room. She stood up and softly slammed her hand on the table."We will investigate and find out who these people are. Whoever they are, we must be cautious. If they can kill mutated monsters so quickly, imagine what they could do to us. For now, just focus on your primary tasks," Rose instructed."What about my family's case? Isn't there anything new?" Mikael grumbled."We've conducted several autopsies on the mutated monsters' bodies that we retrieved yesterday, but none of them have shown any connection to your case. We also sent a team to question the residents in your neighborhood, but they didn't provide any useful information," a police officer replied. Mikael stood up, his face expressionless."All of you are just useless. What was I hoping from all of you anyway? Fuck this." he muttered before storming out of the room. Rose watched him leave. Shaurya stood up, glanced at Rose, and then slightly lowered his shoulders. Rose understood Shaurya's signal and gave a small nod.Mikael exhaled cigarette smoke. He was behind the police station, standing alone. His face was pale, and his eyes were heavily bagged, showing his deteriorating state. Footsteps approached him from behind, and Mikael turned toward the sound.Shaurya approached Mikael, pointing to the "No Smoking" sign with a small smile. Mikael threw down the cigarette butt he had been smoking and stomped it out."If you don't want to get punched, you'd better choose your words carefully," warned Mikael. Shaurya stood beside him and let out a long sigh."I know you've heard this a thousand times, Sir—people telling you to rest, take some time off. It must be tiring to hear, but... it's true. Sir, mutations that turn humans into monsters usually happen because of stress, pressure, and unstable mental states. If you keep going like this, who knows what might happen?" Shaurya explained calmly. Mikael gave a bitter smile and chuckled softly."Who cares if I turn into a monster? Right now, being them sounds better than what I am now. I've got nothing left, Shaurya," Mikael replied, clenching his fist. Shaurya looked concerned about Mikael's shift in attitude."I feel like I'm already becoming one of those monsters. All I can think about is killing every single one of them out there. I want to meet that group of people with powers and ask them to make me like them..." Mikael was sounding more and more unstable."Sir!" Shaurya raised his voice, snapping Mikael out of his thoughts."If we had powers like those monsters, we wouldn't be losing so many people. The reality is, more and more humans are turning into monsters, and fewer are left to fight them. We're going extinct... Just look at the cases abroad—there's a man who turned into a dragon in Japan and destroyed half a city. In America, their monsters have evolved and started working together to control large areas," Shaurya added, reminding Mikael of the global threat.Mikael thought about the mutation cases abroad, then remembered the mutant monsters discovered by the police in Malaysia—each with increasingly dangerous and powerful abilities."Malaysia isn't far from facing monsters like those. If the world doesn't find a way to fight back against the monsters and the mutation cells... humanity will be wiped out. There's no bright future for us, Shaurya. Our fight is pointless. That's why, before I die, I will kill the monster that took my family. That's the only thing that gives my life meaning now," Mikael said coldly, walking away, leaving Shaurya standing alone.Shaurya was silent, contemplating Mikael's words. He felt the same sense of hopelessness."If there are more mutants like HOPE out there, we might have a chance. To fight back, to protect more people. I'm placing my hope in them... it's all we can do now, unless we can become mutants like them ourselves..." Shaurya whispered to himself, recalling his conversation with Rose.Shaurya sat down, gazing up at the sky. He lightly slapped his face, trying to gather strength."I'll keep believing in you, Sister Rose. That's all I can do right now," Shaurya said quietly, his voice echoing in the stillness."Our patrols went well yesterday, thanks to everyone's efforts. But there's no time to rest. We're going to continue our operations today," Khalid said firmly, clenching his fist. All the members of HOPE stood before him, ready for their next mission.Khairul spoke up, "I've been hearing a lot about Strays out there. I didn't expect almost every city to have one or two Strays roaming around. I thought there were more, but it turns out I was wrong.""Nasuha chimed in, "Sister Rose also mentioned that we've been 'careless.' Apparently, some people have caught us on camera, and there's even CCTV footage of us. So, she's asking us to keep a low profile. The police are aware of our existence now..." Khalid smiled at this."That's exactly what I want. It's good for people to know about us. Like I said, I want the public to realize that there are people out there protecting them. And if there are other mutants out there, we'll serve as their wake-up call to use their powers for something meaningful," Khalid explained confidently. Khairul and Nasuha exchanged worried glances, recalling the scolding they received from Rose before they met up with HOPE."Alright then..." Khairul sighed in resignation. Nasuha just smiled and remained silent."Oh, by the way, Sister Rose has asked for our help to investigate a case that's likely connected to a Stray. She gave us this file to assist with the investigation." Nasuha handed over the file she was carrying. Mei, standing nearby, gently took the file from Nasuha's hands and opened it.The members of HOPE gathered around Mei, looking at the file's contents. Their expressions varied—Nasuha looked uneasy, while Khalid and Mei were focused. Kyoko had a puzzled look on her face. Khairul's expression grew somber for a moment when he saw the picture of a headless woman's corpse, along with an image of her face. It was a picture of Mikael's wife, taken at the crime scene where she was murdered. Chyou's face remained emotionless, blank."This case is pretty heavy..." Mei remarked as she closed the file. Khalid rested his hand on his chin, deep in thought."We'll switch up the teams for today. Mei, Chyou, and I will assist the police with this investigation. Khairul, Nasuha, and Kyoko, you three will patrol in the meantime. With Kyoko's speed, you should be able to cover more ground quickly," Khalid suggested. The members of HOPE nodded in agreement with his plan."We'll update the second group if we find anything. You three be careful, let's get moving!" Khalid instructed.The first team moved out in Khalid's Furioswheels car, while the second team took to the skies, with Kyoko using her lightning powers to help Nasuha and Khairul move faster."The police seem to still be investigating the house," Khalid, Mei, and Chyou observed from a distance. They were perched on the roof of a tall residential building, watching Mikael's house."I'll go check it out with Chyou first. You stay on standby in case anything goes wrong," Mei said."Aye, aye... Be careful," Khalid cautioned before Mei and Chyou disappeared. Chyou teleported herself and Mei to the front of Mikael's house, where some police officers were chatting nearby.Mei and Chyou quietly entered the house, with Chyou deactivating his teleportation powers. Mei scanned the area, then placed her hand on the wall of Mikael's living room. Her eyes began to glow red."Ma...Mama!""N-No-""Ahhhh-!""Fara-"The voice of a terrified woman echoed, followed by the sickening sound of bones being crushed. Blood splattered everywhere. A Stray, humanoid in shape with long arms and legs, its mouth dripping with blood. Screams, agony, regret, fear, confusion."Hah!" Mei nearly stumbled, but Chyou quickly caught her."Sister?" Chyou asked, concerned. Mei massaged her temples, sweat beading on her forehead as her expression grew grim."It was definitely a Stray attack, but I can't make out everything that happened... We're a few days too late," Mei sighed, collapsing in front of Khalid when they reunited."It's fine. At least we know for sure it was a Stray attack," Khalid reassured her."I could feel it, so much emotion... all of it so painful," Mei murmured, clutching her chest. Khalid crouched down slightly in front of her."Take your time, process it all," he urged gently. Mei nodded, taking a deep breath."I could see the shape of the Stray... but not all of it," Mei said, reaching out to hold Khalid and Chyou's hands. She shared the memory of the Stray's form with them."Alright, let's go find it," Khalid said decisively after receiving the image of the Stray.Khalid drove swiftly, using Chyou's ability to cloak their car from sight. Thanks to the quarantine, there weren't many vehicles on the road. Mei extended her powers wide, scanning the area for human and non-human auras. However, her body began heating up rapidly."Ah...hah..." Mei paused, cutting off her power to rest. Chyou handed her a bottle of water. Mei drank quickly, pressing the cold bottle against her neck to cool down."It's not here. I'm using up too much energy. My brain's burning out...literally overheating," Mei complained."What if...we surround you with ice? It might help cool you down," Khalid suggested."Worth a try.""Wait, you're seriously considering that idea?" Khalid was surprised."Just hurry up and get the ice."Soon, Mei was surrounded by bags of ice, allowing her to resume using her power. They continued driving through the city center, sparsely populated with a few stray cats, dogs, and..."Stray! But I don't know if it's the one we're looking for," Mei opened her eyes again, placing her hand on Khalid's shoulder so he could see what she saw. She focused on the red aura tracing the path of the detected Stray.When they arrived at the location..."It's not the Stray we're after," Chyou remarked. A human-shaped Stray with horns and three eyes lay dead, its neck broken."Chyou... I didn't even notice you left," Khalid sighed, still in a fighting stance with his sword drawn in front of him."No time to waste, right? And I killed it quickly, didn't make it suffer like you would've. No point dragging it out, especially not when it's causing trouble for Sister," Chyou replied as he began walking away. Khalid retracted his sword into its card form and followed behind him."Alright..." Khalid muttered, quickening his pace.Meanwhile, from the perspective of the second group..."From what Sister Rose told us, most of the people who turned into Strays came from struggling families, the homeless, or scientists who studied us. Sister Bella believes the Mutant Cells would be more active in people who were exposed to a lot of the cells when it rained in Malaysia a few weeks ago," Nasuha explained. She, Khairul, and Kyoko were chatting on a rooftop, snacks and drinks spread out in front of them."It feels unsettling when you think about the fact that we're killing those who are already suffering. But what else can we do? They'll hurt a lot of people. Once someone turns into a Stray, we can't save them anymore," Kyoko sighed, while Khairul took a sip from his drink, his mind wandering to the Strays he had killed, and his father who had turned into one."I just wish we had a way to save those who become Strays," Nasuha said softly, sadness creeping into her expression as she thought about the fate of those affected."If the Strays kill someone, especially someone they loved... if they turned back into humans, could they ever forgive themselves?" Khairul asked. Nasuha and Kyoko fell silent, pondering his question. The weight of it hung between them."I didn't mean to say we shouldn't try to find another way besides killing them, I just... it crossed my mind," Khairul added, trying to clarify his thoughts."N-No, it's just that... it surprised me, that's all. For a kid, you say some pretty deep stuff," Kyoko teased, though there was a hint of sincerity in her voice. Khairul frowned slightly at her remark."We extend our hand to them the same way you saved me. I want to be someone who keeps holding on to those in need, so they won't give up, just like you. That's what I want to be now," Nasuha smiled at Khairul. They exchanged glances, and Khairul's ears tinged with red."Haih..." He sighed, rubbing his head in embarrassment."Fufu~ Young love is so cute," Kyoko teased again."Ah... N-No, it's not like that... I do care about Khairul, and I love him but... not like that... yet...""Not yet, huh? Haha.""Kyoko...""Alright, that's enough," Khairul interjected, standing up and turning away from them, trying to hide his embarrassment. Nasuha looked down, blushing, while Kyoko watched them with a mischievous smile.Khairul walked toward the edge of the rooftop when his eyes caught something moving swiftly between buildings. He focused his vision, zooming in like a camera, and saw a Stray. It was a humanoid figure with long arms and legs, swinging from building to building."Guys... I see a Stray," Khairul said, prompting Nasuha and Kyoko to rush over to him. Khairul unsheathed his twin blades from his arms, while Nasuha surrounded him with her light energy. Kyoko then used her lightning ability to launch Khairul toward the Stray at high speed.Sorry... Sorry... Sorry... Sorry!The Stray turned its head toward Khairul, its face resembling a reptilian creature with a long snout. Its hair blew in the wind, revealing tear-streaked eyes. Khairul froze, and the Stray took advantage, flinging him far away.Khairul crashed through a building, smashing into several tables and chairs. He found himself in what appeared to be an office space."What the hell wrong with me?" Khairul muttered to himself as the Stray launched another attack, swinging its long arms and throwing various objects in the office at him."I'm sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Why! Why did this happen! Sorry!" the Stray screamed, as Khairul was knocked back, colliding with the wall, while tables and chairs hit him as well."Ugh!" Khairul finally managed to fight back, swatting away the debris and charging at the Stray. However, the creature's long legs kicked him, sending him crashing through a meeting room and sliding across a large round table.It's so fast...faster than me. This strength too... The last time a Stray hurt me this bad, it was my father.Blood dripped from Khairul's chin, and he could feel it flowing from his forehead as well. He raised his twin blades, taking a deep breath."I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! I can't control it! Stop! Please, stop!" the Stray cried, covering its head with its hands, still sobbing. It seemed to be trying to hold itself back from moving."You..." Khairul noticed the Stray's hesitation."Kill me..." the Stray begged, before launching another attack. Its tongue shot out along with both its arms. Khairul could only dodge and parry. The Stray grabbed him with its right hand, slamming him into the ground and pounding him with its elongated arms.Does it...still have its human mind? It tried to stop itself earlier. It asked me to kill it...Arghh!Why is it so hard for me to fight this one?"Star Beam!" Nasuha's attack struck the Stray, blasting it through several walls and sending it flying out of the side of the building."Hah...hah..." Khairul collapsed to the floor, panting heavily. Nasuha and Kyoko rushed to check on him."Khai, are you okay?" Nasuha asked, concern etched on her face."I'm fine... It's just that Stray, it—" Before Khairul could finish, he sensed something wrong. He shoved Nasuha away just in time as two large hands smashed through the wall behind him, grabbing him."Khai!" Nasuha screamed.The Stray swung itself to another building, carrying Khairul in its grasp. Burn marks were visible on its side from Nasuha's earlier attack."It hurts, you know! It hurts! I'm sorry! Sorry! But it hurts!" the Stray screamed as it brought Khairul close to its face. It opened its mouth wide and started to push Khairul's head inside. Khairul struggled, but the Stray's grip was too strong, preventing him from moving his arms.Suddenly, an electric arrow shot through the Stray, electrocuting both the creature and Khairul."I'm sorry, but I had no choice," Kyoko sighed, her hand gripping a bow made of lightning. The Stray's grip loosened, and Khairul began to fall, but Nasuha flew in quickly, catching him in her arms."I've got you, Khai." She held him tightly as she flew away from the Stray."You all... You hurt me! It hurts! I'll kill you all!" the Stray roared as its body began to grow. Scales started to appear, and its left eye morphed into that of a reptile."No! I'm sorry! I'm sorry," came the voice of a woman from within the Stray, but the creature quickly lunged toward Kyoko."I'm sorry, Khai. As for you, I'll make this swift," Kyoko said, pulling back her bowstring and forming a massive lightning arrow, crackling with energy.