Makar didn’t speak. He stood there, frozen, not knowing what to say.
"Why are you acting all high and mighty when you almost caused us all to die?"
Makar swallowed hard, but still remained silent, unable to counter Rex’s accusation.
"Admit it" Rex pressed.
"Admit your mistake"
Zoe stood beside Rex, arms folded across her chest. She was watching Makar with a mixture of disappointnt and concern, but as Rex’s harsh words echoed through the air, she was slightly taken aback.
She wasn’t used to Rex speaking with such force, especially since it involved soone from her own camp, she also felt uncomfortable. She opened her mouth to speak, trying to ease the situation. "It’s... it’s also my fault," she said softly, her voice sincere.
"I should have trained my subordinates better"
"I should have been more vigilant"
But however Rex didn’t let it slide. His tone was as sharp and harsh as before,
"This isn’t sothing to scoff at" "
This included the lives of not only you but also all the people who went into the gate"
"If you were lucky enough to survive, would you be able to bear the weight of all those deaths that could have happened?"
Zoe’s throat tightened, she hasn’t been scolded by Rex before this instance and his words made her guilt weigh heavily on her. She had seen the dangers first-hand in the gate, and her thoughts instantly drifted to the lives that could have been lost because of one small mistake.
"If I wasn’t here," Rex continued,
"If I hadn’t been there to hold things together, would you have even survived?"
The question hung in the air. Zoe’s eyes dropped to the ground as she processed his words. She knew he was right.
They had made it out of the gate alive mostly due to the efforts of Rex and co. And it wasn’t just her survival that mattered it was the lives of everyone who had been involved.
Her gaze lifted, now eting Rex’s. His stern expression made her to realize that despite his harsh words, it was better for her.
Makar, still on his knees, couldn’t bring himself to say anything in response to Rex’s words. The sha of his mistakes was too much to bear, and he could only hang his head lower.
He had put them all in danger, and now, there was no room for excuses. His knees were buckled as the full weight of the situation ca crashing down on him. His pride shattered, and all that was left was fear, the fear of his own mistakes, fear of what could have happened, and fear of the repercussions.
"I.....I admit it" he stamred, his voice barely a whisper.
"It was my arrogance, I looked down on the researchers from Lord Rex’s camp"
"I wanted more research readings for myself, I... I didn’t double-check my camp’s readings..."
Zoe’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. She had always thought of Makar as a competent researcher, soone who could be trusted. But now, hearing those words, the revelation that his arrogance had put them all in danger... it shook her to her core.
"You...?"
Zoe’s voice trembled slightly, her gaze narrowing to what Makar had just confessed.
"You risked all of us... for your own selfish gains?"
Makar, still kneeling on the ground, trembled under her piercing gaze. His head hung low in sha, and he begged,
"Please, forgive "
"I didn’t an for any of this to happen. I didn’t think..."
Zoe’s voice cut through the air, still shaken but firm.
"If it wasn’t for Rex, we’d all be dead by now"
"A small mistake like this... could have killed us all"
Her eyes lingered on Makar for a mont, her disappointnt deep and palpable.
"You really let your arrogance cloud your judgnt, didn’t you?"
Makar couldn’t bring himself to et her eyes. The guilt weighed him down, and he wished he could take back everything that had led to this mont. But he knew that there was no going back now.
All he could do was kneel, broken and defeated, and pray that the forgiveness he so desperately sought would co.
"It’s not all your fault, Makar," Rex said, his gaze drifting towards Zoe.
"After all, it’s also your lord’s fault"
The words hit Zoe like a sudden blow, and she froze, completely stunned. She knew deep down that it was also her fault for not fully understanding the situation around her subordinates.
But to have Rex say it so bluntly, especially in front of Makar, felt like salt in her already wounded pride. She was one of the victims, too. She pouted, casting a glance at Rex, but remained silent, accepting his words even if they stung.
Due to him reducing his harshness and tone, Makar also released a sigh of relief in his heart as if he had escaped.
Rex simply smiled lightly, he knew that what Makar would have to experience today wouldn’t just end with this.
"Bring him in."
At his command, two personals from Rex’s camp whom Makar recognized which made him almost want to move a step back. Their faces were emotionless and in their hands was dragging a figure into the room.
The person’s mouth was stuffed with so kind of cloth, muffling any sound he might have made. Despite his struggles, the two guards held him fast, not allowing him to break free.
Makar’s heart skipped a beat as he recognized the figure. It was his proudest student, Dominic, the one he had trusted the most.
"Dominic... What is this?" Makar asked, his voice shaking with disbelief.
"Lord Rex, may I ask why you have imprisoned my student?"
Makar asked hesitantly, his voice shaking. Rex, with a cool and unwavering expression, glanced at Makar before responding.
"The reason for the mistake that occurred in your readings is right in front of you"
Makar’s mind raced as he processed Rex’s words. He knew Dominic’s section of the readings had been flawless. The data for the gate that he was responsible for was partly divided for his students as well. Dominic’s portion had no issues and the person with the mistake was soone different. So why was Rex claiming it was him?
Dominic, still muffled, managed to make noises, his body writhing in an attempt to escape, but it was futile. One of the guards removed the cloth from his mouth, allowing Dominic to speak.
"Master, that is not true!" Dominic gasped,
"I swear I didn’t do it!"
Makar stared at him, heart pounding. He couldn’t fathom how Dominic could be involved in this his student had always been diligent, ticulous, and above all, loyal. If anyone was going to be trusted, it was Dominic.
Rex smirked and turned to Makar.
"Then how do you explain this?"
Makar’s attention snapped to Rex’s hand, where a tablet was present. He grabbed it with shaking hands and saw the screen displayed the chat records between Dominic and soone else. It was clear as day. The conversation was damning.
Dominic’s eyes widened in horror as he saw what Makar had seen.
"Master... no, that’s not what it looks like! They forced to do it!"
But Makar’s anger flared. He held up the tablet, his hand shaking. "
This... how could you do this?" His voice was low, seething with rage.
Dominic, his eyes desperate, opened his mouth to speak again, but Makar shouted with rage.
"Explain this, then" he said, gesturing toward the tablet.
Dominic’s expression shifted. From a pleading look, it changed into sothing far colder, far more calculating. His face twisted into a scornful smile.
"Well, since it’s already apparent... yes, I did it."
Makar’s heart sank. The betrayal stung more than he could put into words.
"Why?" he demanded, his voice breaking.
"Why would you do this, why would you betray ?"
Dominic’s expression beca even more disdainful as he spoke.
"You never understood , Master"
"You always treated like an experint, you were always pushing , always punishing for every little mistake"
"But Samantha..."
Dominic paused, a derisive laugh escaping his lips as he spoke her na,
"She actually treated like a person"
"She respected when all you did was keep under your thumb"
"You were just afraid of my potential so you were limiting "
He was shouting manically and when he ntioned the na Samantha, his eyes looked as if chard, full of devotion towards this person. His mories flashed back to the past where they were still within the research tower, the place where it all started.
__ __ __
The mory was vivid, the evening sky stretching across the horizon as Dominic stood outside the research facilities, his shoulders heavy with the weight of recent events. The sprawling complex of labs and research centres along with the one his master owned, the one where he worked stood behind him, their cold, sterile walls hiding the intensity of the work inside. The park nearby was quiet, a perfect contrast to the turmoil inside him.
Dominic sighed deeply as he looked down at his shoes, the weight of his failure pressing on his chest. Makar had disciplined him harshly for his mistake, a calculation error that nearly caused a catastrophic explosion. The mistake had cost him two months’ worth of pay a pay that he desperately needed.
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