The Rogue System [BL]
Chapter 294 - A fool

Chapter 294: Chapter 294 - A fool

Eric shot up, the weight of the day crashing down on him like a tidal wave. He had had enough. Too much information swirled in his mind, each piece a dagger to his heart. To know that he was bonded to that deceiving person was just the icing on the cake. The universe must have conspired to give him the worst life possible.

"Wait, Eric!" Kai called out, his voice a desperate plea that echoed in the hallway.

"Leave me alone!" Eric barked, his voice a mix of anger and hurt as he stormed down the corridor, the air thick with unspoken tension. He dashed into his room and slammed the door, his heart racing, but just as he felt the rush of relief, he heard a heavy footstep press against the door, stopping it from closing completely.

Kai pushed his way in, determination etched on his face. "What are you doing? You’re really pissing me off! Bonding with me without telling me! Why? Because the agency said so? Yes, bond with the wanted criminal so that you can arrest him! What a fantastic idea!" Eric shoved at Kai, but the man was unnaturally strong, his presence a wall Eric couldn’t break through.

"Get out! Get out of my room!" Eric shouted, desperation clawing at his throat.

"Eric!" Kai’s voice softened as he grabbed Eric by the shoulders, forcing their gazes to meet. "We... we have to talk. I can’t let you go like this, with such a misunderstanding between us."

"Oh please, that misunderstanding happened two lifetimes ago, and I don’t want to talk about it unless you can magically unbind our souls," Eric snapped, his arms crossed defiantly, foot tapping furiously against the floor.

Kai’s shoulders slumped, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "I can’t do that," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper.

"Then leave," Eric demanded, shoving Kai back, but the words felt empty. He closed the door behind him, leaning against it, wishing for a moment of peace.

"Eric, we bonded because you wanted to be bound to my soul. Your soul reached out to mine. I never forced you, and I swear to God, I never bonded with you because I was told to. It just happened!" Kai leaned against the door, frustration and desperation mingling in his eyes. "It’s rare, but some souls, when they meet, they get so attached to each other that they bond. I—"

Tears streamed down Kai’s face, his voice breaking as he continued, "I... I love you so much. My entire soul longs for you. I just didn’t realize it back then. I didn’t know what came over me when I pulled out of that world. I didn’t know..."

The door remained firmly shut, and the person inside did not respond to his heartfelt confession. Sighing deeply, he leaned against the door, desperately hoping to bridge the chasm between them. "Please... I want you to trust me just this once."

But that trust had already been shattered. He had hurt Eric too many times, each wound a reminder of his failures. He needed to prove himself—needed to earn back what he had lost.

With a heavy heart and steely determination, he turned away.

On the other side of the door, Eric leaned against it, his heart aching at the sound of soft footsteps retreating from him. Tears he had held back began to stream down his face. "What have we become... what has my life become?" he murmured, crumbling to the cold ground as he hugged his bent knees. "I was just an ignorant fool..."

Oh, how he longed to be that innocent fool again, blissfully unaware of the darkness lurking in their lives.

He used to think life was boring, a monotonous cycle of days blending into one another. But now, it had become unbearably intense, filled with pain that felt like it might consume him whole.

Sobbing, he collapsed onto the icy floor, the warmth from the earlier interaction already evaporating, leaving him cold as ice.

A knock jolted him back to reality. "Dinner is ready," that guy Mark said curtly, leaving without waiting for a response.

Eric pulled himself up, wiping away the remnants of his tears. "I can’t destroy myself for a guy. I’ll survive this. This too shall pass," he mumbled to himself, forcing his feet to move away from the door.

At the dining table, only Mark was present. Curiosity gnawed at him as he wondered where Kai was, but he kept his mouth shut. Silently, he sat in his usual seat and took a sip of the strange, warm soup that barely offered any comfort.

As dinner dragged on, a gnawing emptiness settled in. Kai’s absence felt heavier with each passing moment, compounded by the fact that there was no soup left for him.

"A-aren’t you going to make more... for Kai?" he whispered, his voice trembling with hope and fear.

Mark wiped his mouth slowly, his expression flat. "He’s not here; why should I waste my food?"

"Where is he?" Eric’s voice sharpened, a mix of worry and dread. There was a killer squad hunting for Kai, and he had just wandered off into the unknown!

Mark gazed at him, a slight sigh escaping his lips. "That lovesick idiot said something about proving himself to you and left. I don’t know where he is, but my best guess is that he went to get that machine." He placed the tablecloth down with finality. "A fool in love."

Eric shot up, his heart racing as the chair clattered to the ground with a force that echoed his panic. But amidst the chaos, a deafening silence enveloped him; nothing penetrated his ears except the relentless ringing that mocked his despair. "Why did he go alone? He knew it was dangerous! Why would he do this? Why is he doing this?" he cried, his voice cracking as he gripped the tablecloth tightly, as if it could anchor him against the storm of anxiety swirling inside. "He... he will come back, right?"

Mark merely shrugged, his indifference like a dagger to Eric’s heart. "Maybe, maybe not. He’s just an agent, Eric. He’s not a god. He can’t escape all those tactical guns. The worst outcome? He might get caught and wiped, just like you were. Or they might destroy it. Who knows? I really have no clue."

The weight of Mark’s words hit Eric like a physical blow, causing his heart to stop momentarily. Panting, he leaned heavily against the table, desperation coursing through him. "I... I should go. Tell me where he went. I’ll find him."