Déjà vu

   Déjà vu.

   That was the first thought that crossed my mind at that time.

   The walls were the same dull gray. The cold steel table in front of me was the same. The air carried that same faint sterile smell, too clean, too controlled. Everything about this room screamed routine—routine interrogation, routine pressure, routine silence.

   And yet, this time two things were different.

   First, Luna and Bel were seated inside the room with me. Both sat quietly, but the tension was written all over their faces—Luna’s hands folded neatly in her lap, gripping each other tightly, and Bel’s tail twitching faintly against the chair’s leg.

   The second thing... it was Rex.

   He sat across from me, like last time, but this time his look was much more different from the last time. The atmosphere radiating from him now was lethal, suffocating, like a predator ready to pounce on prey. If looks could kill, I’d have been reduced to ash on the spot.

   The silence dragged, heavy as lead.

   Finally, Rex broke it. His voice was low, controlled, but dripping with fury.

   “So… any last words?”

   “Yeah. I can see the stain from coffee on your shirt.”

   I lifted a hand and pointed lazily. “There. Just under the second button.”

   The table rattled like thunder as Rex slammed his fist down, the sound reverberating through the small room. His composure shattered in an instant.

   “Enough! You promised me you wouldn’t involve Lilith in this any further, right?!”

   “And that’s why I teleported her back to the mansion the moment it got more dangerous.”

   “That’s not the point!” Rex roared, his patience visibly snapping.

   “Grandpa! I made him do this—it’s not Noah’s fault!” Lilith interrupted, her voice sharp and hurried.

   “I’m angry at you too, Lilith! When are you going to stop behaving like a child and start thinking about consequences? Didn’t you learn anything from that incident?”

   Lilith’s body flinched as if struck. Her eyes widened, and her lips trembled.

   “You should just behave,” Rex continued, “and let the adults handle this.”

   Then she said quietly. The words were so faint, I almost thought I imagined them.

   “…te …ou.” 

   Rex frowned. “Hm?”

   Then, like a storm breaking, Lilith slammed both palms against the table, the sharp crack echoing in the small space. Her whole frame trembled, her eyes burning with anger and pain.

   “I HATE YOU!!!”

   The shout tore through the room, leaving a silence so sharp it hurt.

   Before anyone could react, Lilith spun on her heels and stormed toward the door.

   “Lilith—!” Rex moved, his chair screeching back, but Zephyra’s hand shot out, firm on his arm.

   “Don’t.” Her voice was calm, but her grip and gaze were firm. “If you chase after her now, you’ll only make it worse.”

   Zephyra’s gaze shifted to me.

   I understood instantly. “…I’ll go after her.”

   I rose from my chair and headed for the door. Behind me, Luna and Bel rose silently, following without hesitation.

* * *

   What follows, I wrote later based on what Zephyra told me. It may not be perfectly accurate, but it’s close enough to the truth.

   Only Rex and Zephyra remained.

   The room that had been filled with tension now carried a heavy, almost suffocating silence. Rex lowered himself back into his chair, the steel creaking faintly under his weight. His hand pressed against his face, his expression hidden. When he finally spoke, his voice carried the weight of helplessness rarely heard from him.

   “What am I supposed to do with that girl?”

   Zephyra crossed her arms, her expression steady. “Maybe you should trust her a little more.”

   Rex lowered his hand, his eyes narrowing. Lilith's words lingered. He finally leaned back, changing the subject, his tone sharpening again.

   “This entire situation has turned into quite a mess. I can’t believe the Silverbane family would sink to something like that.”

   Zephyra’s gaze hardened, her voice carrying no hesitation. 

   “Organ trading, huh... From the testimonies, the picture is clear. They were kidnapped by bandits and delivered here. Some were harvested right away. Others… were drugged and forced into breeding, treated as nothing more than livestock for ‘better products.’”

   Zephyra’s jaw clenched. Disgust and anger flickered across her face. “That might be tied to the incident from two months ago.”

   “It’s highly possible,” Rex agreed. “But the workers they caught won’t talk easily. It’ll take time.”

   “With the documents Sora secured, we might not even need them.”

   Zephyra allowed herself a small, confident smile.

   “…We could’ve had more if he hadn’t burned the entire building to the ground,” Rex muttered bitterly.

   Zephyra laughed lightly, the sound unexpected in the heavy atmosphere. 

   “That’s so like him. Not just him—Luna and Bel too. None of them could stand the thought of letting a place like that remain… With this the Silverbane family will be forced to act and that will be their downfall.”

   “You really trust that boy, don’t you?” Rex asked quietly.

   “Maybe I know him only for a few months, but there’s one thing I'm already sure of. If Sora says he’ll do something, he’ll do it.”

   “…I’ll take your word for it.” Rex exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “After the rest of the testimonies are taken, what will we do with the victims? There is definitely too many of them...”

   “Victoria and I are building a new village together. I’m sure the current residents will welcome them with open arms.”

   Rex blinked, then gave a faint smile. “Now that is a surprise. I never thought you’d get along with Victoria, considering you two used to fight like cat and dog.”

   “People can surprise you, if you give them a chance.”

   Those words seemed to pierce deeper than intended. Rex’s smile faded into a pensive look, his gaze lowering to the table.

   “…Yeah. You might be right about it.”