Chapter 1637: When It Started “Well, that was anticlimactic,” Gary said, letting his shoulders drop. “I thought the system screen would pop up and say quest complete and then just pass us on to the next stage.” “I thought the same thing.” Lupus nodded, then suddenly perked up. “Maybe we can’t just think it. Maybe we actually have to say it aloud.” He cleared his throat dramatically. “System, we declare that we choose to support Jack Dem’s pack.” He waited. The three of them waited. Nothing happened. No ding. No text. Not even a flicker. Lupus’s cheeks turned a shade redder as Gary slowly raised an eyebrow. “Maybe,” Gary said, trying to keep a straight face, “we have to say the words and do some kind of pose.” He threw his arms into the air and stood in several exaggerated heroic stances, even pointing toward the sky. But no matter what ridiculous combinations he tried, the system did not react. “I guess it’s as they say,” Kai said dryly. “Words don’t matter that much. It’ll be our actions that decide what side we’ve chosen. Or it might just be a timed event. We’ll have to wait until the moment actually happens.” , , Back in the meeting room, Jack remained seated at his desk, stunned by what he had just heard. The ink on his quill tip trembled. “What do you mean?” Jack asked first. His voice was shaky, something no one ever heard from him. And it was then he realized how much of his composure had cracked. “No... that was foolish of me. You wouldn’t have confronted me unless you’d already found the truth. I suppose the real question is... how did you find out?” “You were acting strange. I had to know why,” Galdark said, stepping forward. His posture was rigid but his eyes were soft. “I hope you don’t hate me for it, but at first... I noticed you leaving the camp every day. I found out you were going to the hospital, of all places, and collecting blood.” Jack lowered his gaze. “And the others said Lilly was acting strangely,” Galdark continued. “I hadn’t seen her during the day, not once. Putting everything together... it led me to investigate the forgrey. I don’t know what’s happening, but the reason Lilly is there, it’s because she’s sick, isn’t it?” Galdark chose not to tell Jack that it had been the others who discovered all of this. Right now, Jack stood on a fragile line between strength and collapse. If Jack believed they knew of a cure, he would immediately cling to it. And talking to the three, it was clear they didn’t know of one. If anything, they fearfully implied it was an incurable disease. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 “You found out more than I expected,” Jack said quietly. “You must think I’m cruel... keeping Lily like that.” His voice cracked. “But we both agreed to do whatever it took to help her. We don’t even know when it happened.” He leaned back, closing his eyes as if replaying every moment. “Lily was out like she usually is,” Jack continued, “but something strange occurred. She went missing. Completely missing. The entire day passed without a trace, and I searched everywhere.” His fingers curled tightly. “Then in the middle of the night, she returned. When I asked where she’d been or what happened, she said she remembered nothing.” Galdark swallowed hard. That alone sounded terrifying enough. “At the time,” Jack said, “I was just relieved she was alive. But there were markings on her body, scratches, bruises, like she’d been attacked. I wanted to find whoever did it, but before I could even begin investigating, the worst part happened.” Jack looked up slowly. “When the sun rose... she screamed.” The room fell silent except for Jack’s trembling breath. “She felt a burning sensation. Even a sliver of light pained her. We had to cover her immediately and rush her home. And even the light filtering through the curtains hurt her skin.” Jack clenched both fists. “We covered the house as best as we could. Anything to protect her.” He exhaled deeply, long and shaky. “I called the medical staff right away. They ran tests, and none of them had ever seen anything like it. The only thing they could confirm was that the light harmed her, only the light.” Galdark felt his chest tighten. A disease that made a person burn in sunlight? He had never heard of anything like it. And in a world without instant help or knowledge, most people afflicted with something like this would have died long before anyone could diagnose it. It was only because Jack was overly concerned when she had come back. Although Jack might have stopped in the moment wondering how she had turned it didn’t stop Galdark from thinking about it. ‘If it really is a disease and the others knew about it, then shouldn’t she have caught it from another person? There is a good chance that it might have even been targeted to try and affect Jack on purpose.’ Galdark thought. “When night came,” Jack continued softly, “we confirmed it was true. She could move freely without pain. She could go outside. And I was so focused on keeping her safe, so desperate to understand... that I almost forgot to investigate how she ended up like this in the first place.” Galdark lowered his head, trying to imagine the weight on Jack’s shoulders. Trying to imagine watching someone he cared about suffer from something beyond comprehension, something that didn’t fit into any known illness. “But the sun,” Jack continued, “was only one of the problems.” He paused... and his next words felt heavier than anything he had said before. “Because the biggest problem,” Jack whispered, “was her food.” **** ***** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. 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