I sat in the Lonestar Limitless Academy interrogation room, hands cuffed to the metal desk. It had been three days since the expedition.
Back in Nightfall Territory, we barely escaped. The rift collapsed abnormally fast, giving us less than two minutes to flee. Many didn't make it out—especially the non-combat units.
Two Limitless students alongside a dozen non-combatants, and over twenty bodies were left behind. But I doubted that was the real reason I was being held.
What really had them rattled was the fact that they had to abandon everything they stole from the vampire lord's library and they didn't get to enter his vault. They believed killing Lady Maria and the Lord had triggered the rift's collapse.
This basically meant we didn't gain anything from the expedition. We only lost Limitless, powerless humans and resources.
Because of this, I hadn't even been allowed to explore the rewards the system gave me for completing the mission. I dare not check them out in the holding cell bugged with cameras.
Clank!
The door swung open. A tall man entered, with Viktor trailing quietly behind him. The man had spiky white hair, oversized glasses, and a face so thin you could trace his skull. Just like I looked a month ago.
He wore a military-style lab coat, hands buried in his pockets. He took the seat opposite me while Viktor stood behind him like a statue. Oddly silent.
I leaned back and watched him remove his glasses, revealing sharp violet eyes. Then he reached out his hand.
"I'm Professor Lenort, A-Grade Limitless and Lieutenant. Most people call me God Eye."
Buzz!
The name hit like a jolt, though I kept a straight face. God Eye was one of the most well-known Limitless in the world—not for his strength, but for the uniqueness of his [Talent].
His ability, [God Sent], allowed him to see moments—sometimes hours—into a person's future. But his fame came from its sub-skill: [Thou Shall Not Lie].
In his presence, lying was impossible. For this reason, he was the most requested Limitless in the world. Even other countries paid fortunes just to have him help them in investigations.
Now it makes sense why they kept me locked up for two days. They were waiting for him.
I calmly shook his hand and held his gaze. "Adam Black."
He nodded, withdrew his hand, and took a file Viktor handed him.
"That's the mission report," Viktor offered, but Lenort didn't respond.
He flipped through the pages, scanning each one in less than a second. When he finished, he set the file aside and studied me. His expression was neutral, but I sensed suspicion behind those glowing eyes.
"I came all the way from New York," he said. "I'd like to head back quickly, so I'll get straight to the point."
He leaned in, eyes glowing faintly.
"Did you kill the soldiers stationed at the gate?"
He pointed at two pictures—blood-soaked corpses.
Ding!
> ['Thou Shall Not Lie' skill detected.]
[Skill failed.]
[Host's Intelligence is high enough to resist.]
I read the message before lifting my gaze.
"Yes." I answered without hesitation. I decided to play along, even if the skill wasn't working on me.
Lenort smiled and leaned back. He and Viktor exchanged a quick look.
"Why?"
"They tried to use the chaos to free the vampire," I said. "They were under her control."
Buzz.
Their expressions changed. Viktor's brows twitched. Lenort's eyes narrowed. Clearly, they hadn't considered that.
Lenort leaned forward again, fingers steepled.
"I understand why you killed the soldiers," he said. "What I don't understand is why you killed the vampire."
His eyes glowed brighter this time.
I frowned and stayed silent.
"Come on, talk," he snapped.
The glow in his eyes intensified, but it wasn't his skill that held me back. It was the non-stop notifications flooding in.
> [Skill failed.]
[Skill failed.]
[Skill failed.]
I sighed.
"She tried to charm me after I killed the soldiers. Fogged my head. Took over my body. I had to strike before I lost control."
I lied smoothly. Not a single flicker of doubt showed on my face.
Viktor looked at me sharply. "You resisted a vampire's compulsion?"
He didn't believe it, but he couldn't say anything without calling Lenort's ability into question.
Lenort raised a hand, signaling Viktor to stay quiet. Then, he slid forward the final picture—the vampire lord, kneeling in death, his wife cradled in his arms.
"How did this happen?" Lenort asked, eyes narrowing. "Even if you could resist compulsion, there's no way you defeated a vampire lord in direct combat."
"I didn't," I said casually, shrugging.
The two exchanged yet another glance before focusing back on me.
"Explain," Lenort demanded.
I reached for the pictures of the dead soldiers and pulled them closer.
"I moved their bodies to the door to mask my scent with their blood," I began, then picked up the next image—the lady of the castle, wounded and alone. "She was the second distraction."
I leaned back, a sly grin on my face. "By the time he arrived, I was already hidden. Everything worked just the way I planned."
"That still doesn't explain how you snuck up on a vampire lord!" Viktor snapped, finally losing his patience.
Lenort shot him a cold glare, and Viktor instinctively stepped back.
"Tell me," Lenort said, voice calm but with an edge. "How did you sneak up and kill the vampire lord?"
I shook my head. "I didn't."
Without another word, I raised a finger and traced an X onto the metal desk. The mark lit up in a faint white glow.
Then, I opened a spatial tear beside me—at the same time, another tear opened at the glowing mark. I slid my hand into the tear beside me, and it emerged from the second tear across the table.
Both men blinked in visible shock.
"I placed that mark inside her wound before hiding," I said flatly. "When he was mourning her, I struck."
I slowly pulled my hand back as the spatial tears sealed themselves shut.
Their eyes stayed locked on the desk, a mix of disbelief and alarm creeping into their expressions.
"If you'd been paying attention during the Blood Thorn attack," I added, "you'd know this was the same trick Natasha and I used to destroy the formation."
In response to my words, Lenort's head snapped toward Viktor. The poor guy lowered his gaze in silence.