Chapter 29: You Are Different

"Go in first..."

Evan opened the door to the car and looked at Lumi, who remained frozen in her place.

She blinked and looked inside before glancing down at her messed-up dress. "Can I?"

Evan frowned slightly. "Why not?"

Lumi hesitated before looking down at the dried blood on her dress and the dirt and stains from everything that had happened earlier.

"I’m... kind of a mess." She glanced nervously at the seat. "What if I make the car dirty?"

Evan stared at her for a moment.

It was only then that he finally noticed the state she was in. He had completely forgotten about her wounds and ruined clothes.

"It’s fine. We’ll stop by somewhere and get you some new clothes."

Lumi blinked. "Now?"

Evan nodded as if it were obvious.

"But... dinner?"

"After you change. Go in."

She looked down at herself again, then quietly nodded. "Okay..."

The moment Lumi stepped inside the car, Evan’s eyes turned sharp as he looked at Darian.

"Found the cause?"

Darian nodded, his playful expression disappearing. "I’ve checked the surveillance cameras around the hall. There was nothing that could have triggered your Sentinel power imbalance."

He frowned before lowering his voice. "But I managed to get to the doctor who checked your blood..."

Darian cleared his throat before leaning closer to Evan’s ear. "There was a faint trace of a foreign substance in your blood. Really faint."

Evan’s eyes narrowed. "What substance?"

Darian shook his head. "They couldn’t identify it, and because the concentration was so low, someone asked him to dismiss it as an insignificant finding."

Evan’s expression turned colder. "Who?"

Darian met his eyes and gulped. "Your father."

Evan’s jaw slightly parted as he heard the answer. For a moment, he said nothing.

"Luke Caesar..." His voice was quiet, but the temperature inside the car seemed to drop.

Darian nodded slowly. "That’s what the doctor told me."

Evan’s gaze shifted toward the car window, his expression unreadable. Someone had caused his Rampage, and his father had made sure nobody looked too closely at it. That alone was enough to make him suspicious.

"Send me the video from before I went into Rampage. Let me check it myself." Evan turned and opened the car door. "You can go back for now."

"Evan..." Darian called out before he could step away.

Evan paused and looked back at him.

"Are you sure you’re going to move out of the Caesar Residence?"

Evan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why?"

"You know..." Darian paused, his fingers tightening around the tablet. He seemed to reconsider his words before shaking his head. "Never mind. Later... I’ll tell you after I confirm it."

Evan stared at him for another second.

"Fine." He closed the car door and not long after, the car drove away.

Darian watched the car left, his expression thoughtful.

’There are too many things happening at the same time...’

=====

"Why did you cut your hair?"

Evan suddenly broke the silence in the car. He had actually wanted to ask her about it for a while, but with everything that had happened, there had been far more important questions to deal with, so the matter had been pushed to the back of his mind.

Lumi glanced at him. "Ah... just because..."

She answered weakly, her fingers unconsciously brushing against the ends of her short hair.

’How could I tell him that I was hoping he would notice the difference between Celestine and me and bring me out of that hell?’

She lowered her gaze.

’I didn’t even know if he would recognize me... I just hoped he would.’

"You are different. I recognized you right away..." Evan said, breaking the silence once again.

Lumi’s eyes widened slightly.

"Then... Why did you go along with their scheme?" The question slipped out so naturally that she only realized what she had asked a second later. "I—I mean, you could have bonded with another twin if—"

"If I hadn’t gone into Rampage?" Evan finished her sentence, his eyes remaining on the road.

Lumi slowly nodded.

"That wouldn’t happen." His eyes rolled in irritation. "I didn’t expect anyone would dare slip something into my system just to trigger a Rampage..."

His voice lowered slightly, and there was a faint irritation beneath his calm tone.

He paused. "I didn’t realize I had been played."

Scoffing, he smiled faintly. "I guess I have been too soft these days..."

Lumi glanced at him, trying to digest every word.

"So, your Rampage could just be triggered like that? Is that why you need me to be close to you twenty-four seven?"

Evan glanced at her for a second. That wasn’t the reason. Not entirely, at least.

But if that explanation made her stay close to him without questioning it, he wasn’t going to correct her.

"Yes."

Lumi’s eyebrows raised slightly and she bobbed her head in understanding.

Evan returned his gaze to the road, his expression calm as he added, "Until we figure out what was put into my system, I need to know you’re somewhere I can reach you."

Lumi nodded slowly, but her fingers remained clasped together in her lap.

’Something was put into his system...’ Her eyes lowered. ’A foreign substance... something that could trigger an SSS-rank Sentinel into a Rampage...’

She suddenly froze. "Wait."

Evan glanced at her. "What?"

Lumi lifted her head, her expression changing as a vague memory surfaced. "The thing in your blood..."

"What about it?" Evan glanced at her a few times as he was suddenly curious with her words.

"Did the doctor say whether it was plant-based?" Lumi fixed her posture, she turned her body facing Evan.

Evan’s eyes narrowed slightly, "No. They couldn’t identify it."

Lumi’s brows slowly drew together.

"But if it was a plant-derived substance..." She hesitated, searching through everything she had learned during her studies.

Anomaly plants were strange. Some absorbed Anomaly energy from their surroundings, some changed their chemical properties, and some could affect the human body in ways ordinary plants never could.

Then one name suddenly surfaced in her mind.

’Riverspine Vine.’

Her eyes widened. "Riverspine..."

Evan’s expression immediately sharpened. "What spine?"

Lumi turned toward him. "Riverspine. It’s a vine."

She swallowed, suddenly realizing how serious this could be.

"An Anomaly-affected plant. I studied it briefly in one of my botany classes. It’s not supposed to be used on humans because its sap can interfere with energy circulation."

Evan’s fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel. "Interfere how?"

"It depends on the concentration." Lumi frowned. "A small amount might only cause dizziness or temporary fluctuations, but a stronger exposure could interfere with a Sentinel’s energy control."

She paused. "Especially... if the person already has unstable energy."

Silence filled the car.

Until something clicked.

Lumi and Evan instantly turned to look at each other.

"The bouquet!"