Chapter 335 Hidden Secrets

"Are you alright now?" Akio asked. Lee Seng let out a sigh of relief.

'It's been awhile since I've had a panic attack, that bad.' Lee Seng thought.

"I'm fine. Just… piercing things together." Lee Seng answered. He slowly stood up, his brother hovering over him like a helicopter parent while Lee Seng's eyes were glued onto Chan-Yeol.

"Did your secretary tell you what happened?" Lee Seng asked.

"He… didn't tell me the full story. Just that he found you near your ring. Do you remember anything?" Akio asked.

"Enough to get the jist of what happened." He pushed past his brother and slowly wandered out of the room. He needed to freshen up and relieve himself. Akio and Chan-Yeol watched him leave the room, Akio pointing at Lee Seng's butt.

"What happened to your tail?" Akio asked. Lee Seng immediately stopped in his tracks and turned to try to catch a glimpse. He didn't see no white puffy tail. Nothing was there.

'What the hell happened?' Lee Seng asked himself. He quickly picked up speed and ran into the bathroom, almost slipping as he shut the door and locked it. He flicked the light on and turned in the mirror.

"This can't be happening?" Lee Seng whispered. "Why now of all times?" His ears were still on his head like they had been for the last couple of months. He let out a sigh as his bladder warned him he needed to relieve himself.

He relieved his bladder and flushed, washing his hands in the sink and then closing other faucet and looking at himself in the mirror.

'Tail.' Lee Seng thought. He waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing. Nothing happened. 'Tail!' He had gotten down the shape shifting enough to understand how to use it, but nothing was working now.

"Why isn't it working?" Lee Seng asked himself. A knock came at the door.

"Lee, are you okay in there?" Akio's voice came through. Lee Seng let out another r frustrated sigh.

"Just g-gimme a moment." Lee Seng answered.

"If you know something then tell me now, Chan-Yeol." Akio whispered. Lee Seng could hear Chan-Yeol sighing.

"I told you already." Chan-Yeol answered for the Nth time. "I just found him. That's all."

"You're hiding something from me!" Akio hissed. "My brother's tail is gone and he's obviously panicked about it! Something definitely happened! Are you gonna tell me or am I gonna have to fish it out of my brother before the Creator forces him back to the Lab?!?"

"S-sir, it's only been–"

"A couple of days! He missed Thanksgiving and I've been holed up watching him because I'm not sure what to tell the Creator. His dad wants him in the lab right now! I need something other than you found him! I need to be ready for this. The Creator is gonna ask a million questions and he's not ready for that!" Akio pointed at the door. Chan-Yeol sighed and looked at the door.

"It's been a couple days?" Lee Seng's brain racked. He dried his hands and unlocked the door, opening it. He spotted Chan-Yeol off to the side and immediately grabbed him and pushed him backwards into the living room.

He released more strength than he wanted, watching Chan-Yeol slam into the furniture as Akio gasped.

"Lee! What the hell?" Akio tried to grab his brother and hold him back. Lee Seng forced Akio off and moved up to Chan-Yeol.

"You put a dagger through my chest!" Lee Seng shouted. He tapped where the dagger was and Akio's face lit up.

"I had to." Chan-Yeol calmly told him. "You weren't… yourself." The realization came across Akio as Lee Seng moved to grab Chan-Yeol. Akio blinked and appeared between the two of them.

"Wait wait wait! What's this all about?" Akio shouted. "Clarify what the fuck happened down there before your father comes for you!" Lee Seng sighed and flicked his head to the side, forcing Akio onto the couch.

Chan-Yeol shimmered. Lee Seng quickly pinned the man down before he could make his move.

"Lee Seng!" Akio shouted. Akio felt the full force of gravity pushing down on him.

"What did I do that you had to hurt me into leaving with you, huh?!?" Lee Seng asked. The force of gravity pushed harder on Chan-Yeol. He gasped as he tried to fight it but the pressure continued to grow. "And now I'm in a tough spot because of you!"

"You're in a tough spot because of the Protocol." Chan-Yeol managed to let out. Akio and Lee Seng were shocked. The pressure of gravity immediately let off as Lee Seng stumbled backwards. Chan-Yeol stopped shimmering and slowly stood up. He towered over Lee Seng.

"Your Protocol was in control so I had to do what I had to do in order to get them out of the driver's seat." Chan-Yeol told him. "It seems like you don't remember what happened down there.

"I got a report from a woman and her field group that they saw you. No tail, dead eyes, over a hundred dead goblins with a large hole behind you. You hurt them. Put one of them in critical condition! It's a miracle that they even got all the way up to the Third Floor! Did you know? The medical resources aren't 100% fully there on the lower floors?" Chan-Yeol pointed at him.

Lee Seng slowly moved backwards as Akio stood up and looked at the both of them.

"I had to do what I had to do. I had people check to see if that information was true and there was dead goblins and a hole that went to another floor. There are many witnesses that saw you that day! You're under a lot of fire right now! Don't act like I was trying to kill you!" Chan-Yeol stepped closer. "If I really wanted to, I would've ignored my orders from Akio and made sure to pierce that heart of yours!"

"Hey!" Akio moved in between the two, giving Chan-Yeol a hard glare before turning to look at Lee Seng. Lee Seng gulped and kept his eyes on the floor. His hands were slowly unbundling from the fists he had made. "You found out about the Protocol and you didn't tell me because of him?"

"I didn't want to say anything unless he said it himself." Chan-Yeol answered after a moment of silence. "It looks to me like he doesn't really remember all of it. Did you know you're capable of so much more power while the Protocol was in control?"

"What do you mean?" Akio asked. Lee Seng looked up.

"You could block out the rest of the field group that was with me, inhibiting them from hearing or seeing what was happening. You could create these black, silver and gold rays that look like galaxies on the tip of your fingertips. Your gravity power has the potential to be so much more." Chan-Yeol explained.

"You have all that untapped power hidden within you. You even gave me a hard time. I'm an Emerald-rank adventurer within the Guild, too. You fought like you were pushing Platinum into the Emerald tier." Chan-Yeol told him. "I've heard a lot and I've seen what the Protocol form looks like in battle, but you have all that–"

"It's not as easy as you think it is." Akio spoke. "You know how much I've suffered, Chan-Yeol. How much I suffer when I even have to tap into that power. There are consequences for even attempting to merge into those monstrous forms. What makes you think Lee Seng would want that?"

"Stop saying things for me." Lee Seng sighed.

"What?" Akio turned, looking at his brother incl confusion. "I'm only speaking from experience. It's not–"

"Stop speaking for me!" Lee Seng repeated. "You don't know what I've been through. You and the Numbers and the Creator thinks you know what I'm going through but you don't! You don't know what it's like to stick out like a sore thumb because I have a tail and Fox ears. Or that everyone thinks I'm only worthy of being in that damn Academy because of 'daddy's connections!'

"Everyone thinks they know what I'm going through but none of you do! My body isn't even my own!" Lee Seng slammed his chest. "I have to constantly stay in control from the Protocol. I feel like there's too many voices in my head telling me who I should be and who I shouldn't be. There's too many people telling me what I am even though they don't know me! So don't say you know what I'm going through. You both don't.

"Chan-Yeol would've killed me that day if it weren't for the fact he's extremely loyal to you, Akio!" Lee Seng pointed at Chan-Yeol. His eyes went over to him. "I remember the fear in your eyes. How it almost died like you were gonna just kill me right then and there but you managed to stop yourself before you three that dagger and forced me to stay.

"So don't say you know what I'm going through. I'm still a monster in everyone's eyes. My own friends probably got stopped by you, too! I don't even know if they fully trust me. My appearance, my status, my Father, the Numbers; all of this has negatively impacted more than you could ever imagine."

Akio's phone rang. He sighed and fished for his phone. It was the Creator calling him. He let out another frustrated sigh before he picked up the call.

"Hello?" Akio answered.

"Is my son awake yet? It's been three days. He should've recovered by now. Bring him to me now." The Creator ordered.

"He's awake. I'll bring him in." Akio answered. Lee Seng turned and glanced out the uncovered windows. The city sprawled beneath them. His mind picked up on Keng and him fighting the Shadow thing. Keng had been knocked out and he has fought for his life. After he had been knocked out, he only remembered bits of what XI even did.

'Are you okay, Keng?' Lee Seng asked. There wasn't a response. He gulped as his brother's voice pulled him out of thought.

"Yes, I'll bring him over at once." Akio nodded.