(This is just a tiny bridge chapter more than anything tbh)

The king attached the needle to the syringe and sealed it shut, giving the boy an amused side-eyed glance. "Hold still, Rex. Apparently, the dart didn't complete the job."

The teen's eyes bulged when his vision cleared up just enough to identify the shape of the syringe. Panic began to creep into his chest, and his limbs suddenly began to feel like ice. The boy began to thrash around despite the restraints, irritating Biowulf.

"WAIT!" Rex shouted, his heart beating faster as his enemy began to walk closer. "Don't kill me! STOP! I'll shut up! I'm serious!"

"Begging is very unlike you," the older EVO remarked, stopping just next to the child. "Why should I give you a chance to live? You insist on being useless."

Rex stared into the eyes of his captor, his heart rate now erratic enough to skip random beats. Was this the end of him? Was this going to be how a global legend died?Had the tyrant finally snapped? Knowing he was too physically weak to break the restraints, Rex closed his eyes, preparing for the worst-

But to his surprise, he only heard a light chuckling.

The teen dared to pry his eyelids open, only to find Van Kleiss placing the syringe in a cabinet on the wall just behind him. Though he was still incredibly tense, Rex was now confused as well.

"I wasn't going to kill you, delusional child," Van Kleiss informed him, undoing the metal cuffs on the boy's arms and legs. "Just put you back to sleep. But I've changed my mind. I'm going to be a little more courteous with you, and give you another chance. But right now, I want you to run."

Rex leaped off the metal table and dashed out of the room as fast as he could, bumping into the doorframe as he made his hasty escape. The king shook his head and sat back down at his chair next to the lab counter, taking in the new peace that filled the room.

Oh, what a lovely difference the lack of a wild child could make.

Biowulf only wished he could relax just as much.

"Why did you let him go?" the mechanical EVO asked, standing upright after clearing the scattered glass. "He's still half asleep."

"The dart will wear off, and he'll be just fine. It was weak, anyway. All the possible exits are either sealed, or too strong for a mere human to break. He can't truly leave."

Biowulf nodded and leaned against the wall, pretending to be calm. But inside, a hailstorm of frightening thoughts began to crash around in his head. If the man could terrify such a strong boy like Rex, and punish a loyal EVO like Skalamander, he couldn't imagine what would happen to him if Van Kleiss knew of his true intentions...

Betrayal.

As much as Biowulf craved the protection and guidance of his master, he could not deny that the man was outright terrifying when displeased. And even worse, Rex had almost managed to reveal a secret that could have had him dead by tomorrow- his conversion. It wasn't a true conversion yet, but ever since Van Kleiss had begun experimenting with equipment that reversed the EVO transformation- as ironic as that sounded- the blue EVO had taken great care and caution to sample them.

The samples weren't perfect. If anything- like Rex had stated- he predicted he would only ever reach the status of a half EVO. At the most, even if he was able to maintain his true human form, he could always instantly transform back into his much more powerful frame. In some ways, that was even better, considering the sense of normality as well as security.

But the only other EVO who knew was Skalamander, Biowulf felt luckier for it. The fact that his secret died with its second owner pleased him, even if the ordeal did emphasize what could get well become his own fate.

But, like deciding if loyalty itself was worth it or not, that was a matter for a different time.

"He's going to be very tired," Biowulf remarked, stretching his long legs one by one. "He hasn't eaten since he came here."

The king leaned back on his chair, wishing it was as grand as his throne. "That is entirely his problem, and only he can fix that. If he wants to starve, I can just wait for him to break down."

"I understand, master. I just found it odd you changed your mind so quickly."

"Consider it the start of a sense of trust. Yes, he was terrified, but my allowance of his leave should have left an impact on him. Hopefully, from small incidences like these, he will realize that I am not seeking to slit his throat the first chance I get."

Meanwhile, Rex dashed through the halls, unwilling to stop despite his burning legs. It reminded him of his first day here, how he had ran helplessly like a hunted deer. But this time, it was even worse. He was starving, and worst of all, functionally human.

Rex slowed to a jog after a few minutes, realizing his human-like body couldn't keep up with his will. True, extensive training had left him athletic, but not to the point where he could make his body do what it physically unable to. He hated the fact that he became tired much faster, as well as hungrier. The only few times he had ever felt his powers shut off hardly affected him, due to the fact that all it took was a little distance to restore his abilities.

But there was no logical distance he could run if he didn't even know what was causing him to remain human. A machine? An EVO spy following him? More than anything, he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

As much as he hated to admit it, being human was the primary cause of his distress.

The teen recalled how utterly terrified he'd been of Van Kleiss back in the waiting room- or at all these last few days, really. He'd never been that afraid before. He'd always had that cheery demeanor that accompanied his brawls, and even when times got tough, he calmed himself with jokes. Everyone around him knew of his tendencies to use humor as an escape mechanism- perhaps even his captor did.

But there was no humor as of late, and Rex dreaded understanding that it was due to his lack of powers. The scariest thing was the possibility that his personality was mostly based off his nanites. Was he still the same Rex without them?

Who was he, really?

OOF.

Rex bumped into a familiar brunette figure and stumbled backwards, nearly landing flat on his butt. The woman lost her balance as well, smacking against the wall behind her. She let out a little yelp and slipped to the floor, utterly startled.

"Rex!" she yelled, rubbing her sore back. "What's wrong with you? Don't run so fast."

Rex shook his head, grateful for the intrusion into his depressing train of thought. "Sorry, I'm just not feeling good. At all. I need to- WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Sitting before him was the stunning figure of Rebecca Holiday- slightly frazzled, but otherwise fine. Hints of worry shone in her jade eyes, spreading throughout her facial expression.

Rex was at a loss for words.