Guardians of The Damned-Chapter 49: Free Will

Yin Hee landed next, her body sinking comfortably into the cushion, followed by Eve, who quickly crawled off it.

"Whoa, this feels comfy," Yin Hee said, wriggling deeper into the cushion.

Eve stood and dusted herself off. "Where's the kid?"

"Yin Hee, can you sense him?" I asked.

She lazily climbed out of the cushion and nodded. "Yeah. Shouldn't be hard."

The deeper we went, the worse the air grew—thick, stale, almost like chewing rust. The walls sweated moisture. The ground felt wrong underfoot, as if the place itself didn't want us there.

This wasn't just abandoned—it was forgotten.

"What is this place?" Eve whispered, touching a damp wall.

"I feel like we shouldn't be here," Yin Hee muttered, her voice tight.

"Relax. There aren't any ghosts," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"That's not it." Yin Hee shook her head. "My power... it's acting weird. I can't control it properly."

I frowned and tested my own smoke. There was a huge delay before it responded.

A bad feeling gnawed at me.

"We need to find Calvin. Now!"

Yin Hee took off running. We followed her through twists and turns, down rotting staircases, until finally, we saw a thin sliver of light leaking from a room.

I took the lead, staying low, wary. With my powers unreliable, I'd have to rely on brute strength.

I peeked inside.

Calvin stood motionless in the center of the room, a massive mecha looming beside him. It was unsettling.

No obvious traps. No sounds except the faint hum of old machinery.

I stepped into the room carefully.

"Hey, kid. You alright?"

Calvin didn't move.

"Unc... I know this place," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" I frowned. This place looked more like a tomb than a home.

Calvin turned slightly, the light catching his face.

"Before... when we were searching for clues about my dad," he said slowly, "Yin Hee and Eve found out something. I'm not who you think I am. I'm just... an empty vessel. I have Calvin's memories, but..."

I grunted. "Are you okay with that?"

He sat down heavily on the floor, staring at nothing.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Everything's happening so fast. I'm upset, confused, angry... but at the same time...

"It still feels like me."

His voice wavered, barely above a whisper.

"I wonder if that's okay.

I feel like I shouldn't exist... but at the same time, I don't want to disappear either.

I don't know, man.

I'm just... so lost."

"There's somethin' you should know."

I scratched my head, voice low.

"That guy, Will... he was involved. Helped bring you back.

He's dead now.

My fault."

I paused, letting the words sit heavy.

"You deserved the truth. Do whatever you want with it."

Calvin didn't say a word.

His silence was louder than any scream.

He turned and walked off — alone — disappearing into a dark, quiet corner.

I could hear him muttering, not to us, just... out loud.

"So that's it, huh?

You brought me back just to watch me crawl through the shit again.

Thanks, Will. Thanks, Dad."

He laughed — but it wasn't happy.

It was broken, like something inside cracked and couldn't be glued back together.

Then he went still.

And then.

"No.

This life's mine now.

Yours is over."

He stood, not looking back — a private funeral held in his chest.

I walked over and slapped his back hard enough he nearly coughed up a lung.

"What the hell was that?!"

He spun around, scowling, but I just laughed.

"Haha, nothing. Just... amazed by you, little man.

Not everyone can crawl through hell and still walk out swingin'."

"Shut up," he grumbled, embarrassed.

Right then, Yin Hee burst into the room.

"Sunny! Did you find Calvin?"

Her eyes locked onto him, concern written all over her face.

"Calvin! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he nodded, a little stiff.

"We should get outta here," I said, glancing around.

There was something wrong about this place — especially this room.

While the rest of the basement was rotting and abandoned, this room was spotless. Marble walls, gleaming floors... like someone still cared.

"If my memory's right," Calvin said slowly, "this is where I was first... resurrected.

Weird. That memory was sealed so tight, I couldn't remember it 'til I walked in here."

"Something's off," I muttered.

"What happened after?

You wake up and boom, you're in Revenant's care?"

"Of course not. I was—"

He froze, brows furrowing deep enough to leave scars.

"I... don't remember.

The next thing I knew, my father was dead.

And Revenant took me in. Said it was 'cause of what my father did."

"You don't remember?" I frowned.

"Somebody messed with your memories."

Calvin rubbed his temples.

"I remember myself — who I am, what I like...

But after that fight with my dad? Nothing. Just... blank."

"No doubt about it," I said.

"Someone tampered with your memories.

Don't worry — we'll track it down.

First, we meet someone. Then, we tear into those bastards who want the device."

Eve raised her hand casually.

"How about we split up? Me and Yin Hee will take care of those guys..."

Yin Hee lit up like a kid meeting her favorite hero — understandable, considering how much she admired Eve.

"...while you dig deeper into Calvin's memories," Eve finished, grinning a little too wide.

I nodded.

"Alright. Sounds good."

We left the basement on the hoverboard I conjured, slicing up into the night.

High above the city, we split up — two paths, same mission:

Fix what was broken.

And smash whoever broke it.