Chapter XXIV - The flower that sends out roots.

Left on the stairs, the blue-haired one looked up, following his red-haired companion with his eyes as he ran ahead. His gaze slowly dropped to the ground as if something had broken inside him. He felt torn between two choices, like a character in a surreal game, forced to make a decision they couldn't make. He cursed in his mind at Ignacy disappearing into the crowd of cyborgs. He glanced up once more, grotesquely, fighting the inner impulse that nearly pushed him to run after him. But... something held him back. Was it reason? Or perhaps a sense of duty?

- I should maintain balance. - This thought crossed his mind.

He didn't want to be another victim of hasty decisions. With that thought, he gave up on chasing Ignacy and turned down the stairs. The water had nearly flooded the stairwell, and Blue, without losing time, hopped over each step, feeling the moisture reach his ankles. He quickly passed the flooded hall, heading toward the second floor, where—he vaguely remembered—the room Tomasz had mentioned was located.

- Three-oh-seven? Seven-thirty? Or maybe six-thirty-seven? - he thought frantically, trying to recall the room numbers. But when he reached the floor, pure chaos was all around. People screamed, terrified by the rising water, trying to escape increasingly submerged rooms. Blue noticed that all the exit doors were shut, and the advertisements, which just moments ago had shown smiling faces, now glitched, showing only scraps of actors' bodies. The chaos grew stronger.

Without a moment's hesitation, Blue ran into a narrow corridor, trying to find an exit. Suddenly, he felt a strong impact against something hard. Thrown backward, he looked up and saw a man—a tall, gaunt figure, with ash-gray skin and eyes that gleamed like polished bronze. His body was covered in freckles, and his posture resembled a stick that someone had stretched out too much.

- This is impossible... - Blue staggered slightly back, unable to believe who stood before him. - Patyczak?! - the blue-haired one exclaimed instinctively, surprised by his presence.

The shy boy looked down at him, as if he wanted to say something, but his lips trembled, and a knot formed in his throat. He couldn't utter a single word.

- What are you doing here?! - Blue pressed, with growing concern.

The boy's brown eyes flashed, and a cold shiver ran down his body, shaking him to the core.

- He... he made me do it. - He croaked finally, his voice hollow, as if drained of life. - Artur... - he added quietly, and each word seemed to carry the weight of a ton.

Blue raised his hand in a gesture meant to comfort him, but the brunet instinctively shielded himself, as if expecting a blow. The Asian blinked twice, surprised by his reaction. For a moment, he stared at the boy in disbelief, then, as if he understood, gently patted him on the shoulder, trying to calm him down. Patyczak slowly lowered his hands from his head, looking at him uncertainly, clearly surprised by the gesture.

- You should go. - Blue said with concern in his voice. - I told you, you're not cut out for this. You're not a soldier, just a nurse.

Dark circles appeared under the boy's brown eyes, and the tears he couldn't hold back began to roll down his cheeks. Patyczak began to curl in on himself, slowly sinking to the floor, as if all the light he once had had gone out. Blue, watching him, felt a wave of compassion, but he knew there was no time for a long conversation. He stood, torn between his duties and the desire to help the boy.

- Come on, you can do it. - Blue said, crouching beside him. - You just need to get out of here. - he declared, looking at Patyczak with hope in his voice, trying to give him at least a bit of encouragement.

- I really didn't want to... - the boy whispered, almost lifeless. - I don't want to die as a murderer... - he added, and his voice was empty and devoid of emotion.

- You won't die. - Blue replied quietly, trying to stay calm.

- It's too late... - Patyczak raised his gaze, and in his eyes was only despair.

- I wish I could help you... - Blue said, standing up. - But I don't have time for that. - he paused, looking at him with determination. - I don't know what you did, but if you want to atone, start by helping those who can't help themselves. - he declared firmly. - Help the people of the White City who are stuck here. - he added, brushing off his pants and preparing to continue running.

Just as he was about to move, he suddenly stopped and looked at Patyczak.

- Have you seen my brother, Emi? - he asked with a note of hope.

- Who? - the confused boy replied, looking at him uncertainly.

Blue waved his hand dismissively, clearly impatient, and moved ahead, delving deeper into the increasingly dark corridor. The brunet was left behind, his voice fading into the distance as the Asian quickened his pace. He passed through room after room, but none of them matched the description Tomasz had given. Every step on the cold, damp floor reminded him of the exhaustion building in his body. Every muscle cramp, every pulsing pressure on his feet, everything began to slow him down, as if the weight of the world had fallen on his shoulders. His breathing became shallow, and his heart pounded in his ears. In the maze of floors and corridors, Blue began to lose his bearings. Somewhere along the way, he forgot what he was actually looking for. He ran, but with each moment, more slowly, until he finally stopped completely. His body simply refused to cooperate. Instead of running, he started climbing the white, merciless stairs. Each step seemed endless, and every footfall grew heavier. It felt like he had reached the end, but more endless steps appeared on the horizon. He felt like Sisyphus, carrying an invisible stone, not knowing how much longer he would have to walk. He struggled to drag his feet. For a moment, he felt as if he were falling into an abyss, his heart froze, and the corridor turned into a swirling chaos. But then, suddenly, he felt a cold grip—someone had grabbed him. A cold, wet hand yanked him up, pulling him away from the edge. The jerk was brutal, almost painful, and the icy touch pierced his body like a needle striking his nerves. Standing now on the threshold, between the abyss and the damp, stifling corridor, Blue tried to regain his balance. His heart pounded wildly, and each breath felt like burning pain in his chest. He lifted his gaze to look at his savior—and froze. Before him, like a ghost from the past, stood Leo. Leopold pulled Blue closer to him, and now, standing alongside him, Blue stared at him in shock and disbelief. The brunette remained silent, motionless like a marble statue. His pale skin glowed in the dim light, damp as if it absorbed all the moisture of the corridor. Brown eyes—those same eyes Blue knew all too well, the ones that had seemed to hate him throughout his life—were now faded, empty, like a bottomless well. The moment between them stretched out endlessly. The silence, filled only by the distant, monotonous dripping of water, seemed to thicken around them, as if the world had frozen in anticipation of something inevitable.

- You... - Blue tried, but the words got stuck in his throat. His voice vanished, lost in the rush of thoughts. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know if he wanted to know the answer to the question forming in his mind.

Leopold, silent as a rock, finally moved. A small, almost imperceptible movement of his hand, as if he were fighting with something internal, invisible. For a moment, it seemed like he was about to say something, like something was about to happen. Suddenly, without any warning, he grabbed Blue tighter, squeezing him so hard that Blue felt Leopold's icy grip burrow deep into his body, freezing every cell.

- Hurry... - Leopold whispered, and his voice sliced through the silence like a knife. It was quiet, cold, full of mystery and menace. In Leopold's eyes, a shadow flickered—disturbing, strange—something Blue couldn't read. Fear? Anger? Or maybe something deeper, something he had never suspected existed?

Before Blue could react, Leopold suddenly turned around, walking briskly down the hallway. The mystery that hung in the air grew stronger, turning an ordinary moment into something more ominous, irreversible.

- What are you doing here?! - Blue shouted, chasing after the retreating brunet. His voice echoed down the claustrophobic corridor, but Leopold didn't flinch. He walked ahead as if Blue didn't exist.

- Why didn't Emi tell me anything?! - Blue asked, growing more frantic. - What about Pen and Jaśmin?! - His scream broke the silence, but there was no response. Leopold remained silent as a stone, his footsteps the only sound in the darkness.

Frustration and ignorance gnawed at Blue from the inside, until finally, driven by rage, he lunged forward. He grabbed Leopold's soaked hoodie and jerked him back, forcing the brunet to stop.

- We don't have time. - Leopold growled, pushing the Asian away. His voice was cold, almost inhuman.

- What's going on?! - Blue could barely catch his breath, tired and confused. - First Emi, then Ignacy, and now... - he paused, gasping for air, trying to calm his heart, which was beating wildly. - And now you. - he added, barely keeping his balance. He sank down in resignation, resting his head on Leopold's shoulder. The brunet grimaced, looking at him with a mix of embarrassment and uncertainty.

- I was escorting Nulla. - Leopold started quietly, and Blue, still dazed, looked up at him, though he had no strength to ask questions. - Teo wasn't there... - Leopold added, and his words seemed as though he had read Blue's mind.

Suddenly, the brunet seemed to snap out of it. Without warning, he shoved Blue off his shoulder, pushing him against the cold, damp wall of the corridor.

Blue simply nodded, ignoring Leopold's harsh behavior.

- Where's Emi? - he finally gasped.

- I was escorting Nulla. - Leopold repeated. - When we found her, we were together. But later... Nulla started talking about turning off the cyborgs, about Artur. That madman wants to destroy the city, - Leopold spat, his voice shaking, as if trying to rid himself of the burden weighing on his heart. - Emi went to check it in the control room. - he added flatly.

- And you? Why aren't you with Nulla? - Blue asked, unable to understand the vague situation.

- I escorted her to the entrance. - Leopold replied, sounding tired of the constant questions. - There's only one car on the roof, she should've found it. I heard a scream, I thought it was Emi, but when I was running toward the control room, I ran into you.

- And now? - Blue asked, increasingly confused. - You want to shut down the city? - His question hung in the air, full of uncertainty and fear.

Leopold paused for a moment, as if he wasn't sure of the answer himself.

- I don't know. - he finally replied, his voice echoing.

- Wait... - Blue suddenly interrupted, his mind starting to piece together the puzzle. - If you're here, Emi's in the control room, Ignacy's after the cyborgs... then who's waiting in the car? - His eyes widened as it suddenly hit him what that might mean.

Leopold looked at him with confusion, as if he wanted to ignore the question. But the more he avoided the answer, the more Blue pressed.

- Jaśmin! - Leopold finally shouted, unable to hold back the tension. Frustrated, he barely restrained himself from hitting Blue. - Happy now?! - he added sarcastically, struggling to control his anger.

- Idiots, - Blue retorted, with a sneer. - And I'm always the one you complain about, - he added with irony.

Leopold glared at him, fists clenched, as if fighting the urge to explode. Finally, seeing no point in continuing the exchange, he turned and walked ahead.

- Where are you going?! - Blue called after him.

- To the control room! - Leopold shouted over his shoulder. - I want to make sure Emi is okay!

- I want to know what's going on too, - Blue said, running after Leopold. - I'm not leaving you alone.

Leopold shot him a quick look, full of confusion, but didn't protest. Together, they plunged deeper into the dark hallway, ready to face the chaos ahead.