Rattle.

When she subconsciously lifted her hand, an unwanted grating sound pierced her eardrums.

Yuri knit her brows and groped around her wrist. Then she felt something like a shackle hanging from both of her wrists. Her ankles were in the same situation.

After taking a look around, she was sure that she was in an enclosed room.

Creak.

Right then, the sound of a door opening from the side rang out, and at the same time, a thin ray of light leaked into the room.

Youre awake.

A mans voice came in through the gap. Like before, it was a familiar voice.

Yuri turned her head in the direction of the sound.

I thought it would take one more day, but you must be quite the excellent mutant. Seeing as you came to your senses so quickly.

Once the door closed, the light immediately disappeared. A dark figure approached with thudding footsteps.

Even though the room was dark without the slightest hint of light, her vision far exceeding that of an ordinary human, so she was easily able to capture the appearance of the approaching man.

Deeper lines emerged on Yuris forehead. [1]

She remembered the last thing that happened before she fell unconscious. She had definitely met this man in the alley. Then for some reason, she lost consciousness right after and collapsed.

This man, what is he?

A deeper question pierced her mind.

How come this man looked exactly like Lakis? Was he a twin? Or was he just a doppelganger with close resemblance?

Yuri searched her memories to see if there was something like this in the original novel. However, nothing came to mind.

In the first place, Lakis was only the supporting villain so the information about him was not as detailed as the other male leads. In particular, when Lakis went back to Carnot to get his position, the event wasnt described from Anne-Maries perspective.

That said, it was hard to say that Yuri coincidentally ran into someone who looked like Lakis but had nothing to do with him because

.

Lakis, you say?

For you to call me by that name.

I see, so you know me.

.

This man definitely knew Lakis.

.

And youre a mutant.

.

And he also discovered that Yuri was an experiment with the power of the ruins. It would be nice if she was simply just imagining it butsomething told her she was caught up in something troublesome.

Yuri quietly gazed at the man who walked up till he was right in front of her like she was studying him. Right now, Yuri was locked up in an iron cage similar to the one Siren was in when she was captured by the slave traders.

The man with Lakis face looked down at Yuri in return and tilted his head.

Youre not asking any questions. Normally, no matter how calm of a person you are, you would ask where is this, why did you kidnap me, you know, the basic questions.

The man looked at Yuri and raised a corner of his lips.

Theres nothing you want to know about me?

At that moment, Yuris eyes flickered very slightly. The two gazes met in the dark. Finally, Yuri slowly opened her mouth.

Who are you?

First of all, she asked the most basic question. To that, the man replied in an ambiguous tone.

I believe you said it yourself. Lakis Avalon.

But youre not.

However, Yuri denied the mans words without hesitation.

You are not Lakis Avalon though.

At that, the smile on the mans face deepened a little. Lakis did not smile like that. But seeing him smiling so differently with the exact same face as Lakis gave her goosebumps all over again.

What is your relationship with Lakis?

This time, the man asked Yuri a question.

When you saw me, you seemed quite happy.

Yuris brows furrowed once again. She didnt think like she looked that happy on the outside She felt a pointless sense of rebellion against the mans words.

And once our eyes met, you immediately realized I was not Lakis.

The man was still smiling but his gaze on Yuri was cold and sharp. He looked piercingly at her like he wanted to see through her mind.

The man seemed to think Yuri had a very close relationship with Lakis. Plus, seeing as she called him Lakis as soon as she saw him, it would not work even if she were to feign ignorance now. However, that didnt mean she had to answer all of the mans questions.

Theres not much of a relationship. Im sure anyone with eyes will be able to tell. Youre nothing like Lakis Avalon.

Yuri spoke carelessly for now. But she wasnt exactly telling a complete lie. When she first saw him from afar, she thought he was Lakis but the man in front of her now was different from Lakis from head to toe.

It felt like he was imitating the behavior but there was something fundamental that gave her a completely different feeling. It was difficult to put the exact thing in words but that was the issue.

Hearing Yuris words, the mans mouth twisted into a thin line.

Ah, this expression might be a little similar to Lakis.

But as soon as that thought cropped up, it was followed by an extreme sense of resistance and Yuri immediately tossed that thought from her mind.

While talking with the man, Yuri was studying the shackles on her wrists and ankles in a non-obvious manner. Normally, she could simply use her ruins power to unravel any lock. However, the man noticed that Yuri was a mutant as soon as he saw her. Hence she didnt think the shackles would be normal.

How long have you known Lakis?

Who knows. I cant quite remember.

Did you first meet in the East? So that would mean Lakis is possibly still in the East.

Maybe, maybe not.

The man seemed to be trying to get information about Lakis from Yuri. Of course, Yuri did not give him a proper answer.

The next moment, the man abruptly thrust his hand through the iron bars.

Clang!

Yuri was caught by her hair and pulled her closer to the man.

Youre so daring because youre mutant, is that it? Since youre acting fearless even in this situation.

A gentle-sounding voice flowed right into her ears. There was even a similar smile hanging on the face in her line of sight.

Somehow, seeing him use such a fake gentle smile on Lakis face was so off-putting that it made chills run down her spine.

Itll be a pain if youre acting big because you believe in your power from the ruins. This is specially made for mutants so it will be impossible to escape by yourself.

For an instant, Yuris eyes grew a little sharper.

The man studied her face opposite him without blinking. Soon, the mans grip on Yuris hair loosened a little.

Initially, I was going to kill you right after I got what I needed.

And at his following words, Yuri felt skeptical.

But its strange. Why cant I see inside you?

What was he talking about now? He couldnt see inside her?

is this guy a mutant too?

So his ability was to see into other people?

Although, she wasnt sure if seeing inside people meant being able to directly read other peoples thoughts or if it was a more indirect ability.

Is this another ruins power you have? But this kind of ability wasnt among the ones I stole yesterday.

As she listened quietly, his words grew more and more incomprehensible. What was this talk about stealing ability

Wait. Dont tell me that is also this guys ruins power? [2]

With this sudden flash of enlightenment, chills ran down her spine for a different reason from before.

Then what exactly is this

The mans voice which seemed like he was talking to himself rang in Yuris ears. The mans serpentine gaze swept over every corner of her face.

Clench!

His slightly loosened grip on her hair got tighter again.

Youre a lucky mutant. I still have to make the most out of you.

Get your hand off my hair, you Lakis copycat.

is what she wanted to say but even Yuri knew to play it a little safe in this kind of situation. Like this fake Lakis said earlier, she was indeed daring, and it was true that she wasnt afraid but when regardless of all that, she only had one life.

Soon, the man removed his hand from Yuris hair and stepped away from the cage.

Be quiet till I come back later.

Creak.

Once again, a thin ray of light leaked into the room for a brief moment then the mans figure disappeared completely from Yuris sight.

Yuri clicked her tongue, thinking to herself that she had once again gotten caught up in something stupid. As soon as the man left, she checked the shackles properly.

They look like ordinary chains.

The words the man left behind earlier remained, but Yuri ignored it and tried to use her ruins power. However, her thread did not come out.

The very next moment, the chains on her wrists and ankles gave off a small glow and contracted. A pattering sound was heard, and she was struck with a sharp pain.

Only

Yuri frowned.

Its broken.

The chains that broke her wrist and ankle glowed again and returned to their original size.

Translators Corner:

[1] Im not sure how else to word this. You know when you frown and there are lines on your forehead because youre frowning so deeply? Thats what this is.

[2] The more I type ruins power the more awkward it sounds. But theres no alternative lol.