Chapter 611 A Petty Game Of Secrets, Pt. 2

As soon as Keng got into the room, he turned to Manny and checked if he was okay. Manny was more fearful of what "Lee Seng" had just done. Had he really declared a fight with Sara? Sara was a manipulator and her good looks just skyrocketed her to a position of power even "Lee Seng" wouldn't be able to fight. Manny opened his mouth to say something when Keng turned to look at the others.

He stumbled around as Manny caught him.

"He-hey! Are you okay?" Manny asked. Keng's eyes rolled back. He had fainted. "Shit! Lee Seng! Hey are you okay?!?" Manny set Keng on the ground as the others surrounded Keng.

'I'll be back after I do something.' Keng's voice echoed in Ritsuka's head. 'Tell them I passed out from the intensity… of everything.' Ritsuka gulped and sighed.

"Here, move outta the way." Ritsuka tapped on Evan and Liz. They pulled away as Ritsuka knelt next to Keng. Manny was checking for anyproblems as Ritsuka sighed.

"How can he do that when he knows he isn't mentally better…?" Ritsuka whispered. This drew them all to look at him.

"What? D-did he tell you something?" Manny asked. "Do you know what's wrong with him? I-I can't get a read on him. He's fine, but—"

"He passed out a couple of times with me before. He'll come back shortly. I think… The whole situation stressed him out, momentarily." Ritsuka lied. Manny sighed as he sat down. Olivia looked between Ritsuka and Lee Seng.

'Did he just lie?' Olivia wondered. 'Why?' Unbeknownst to the team, Olivia had a strange sixth sense for truths and lies. She could tell when someone was lying to her and that's what drew her to Lee Seng. He was the only person she couldn't read into. He was genuine and often said what was the "truth" in her eyes. 'Why're you lying, Ritsuka? What are you hiding?'

Lee Seng's finger connected to Sara's head and the scene flashed around them. He vanished, spirit floating as Sara sat in an office at the lab. Keng instantly knew what year this was. The year Lee Seng's Mother had died and everything went downhill for Lee Seng.

The door slid open as Keng moved to the part of the room where he could see everything. It was Manny coming in.

"Sit." The Creator motioned. Manny nodded and took a seat next to Sara, begrudgingly. There was an apparent "air" between these two. Keng let the scene play, not disrupting his use of the [Possession] skill. It was a skill he had gotten when he linked with Lee Seng for a moment. Keng had always wondered if he would ever use it and when it flashed in his eyes when Sara had shamelessly declared she wasn't in the wrong, he couldn't say no to not using it.

"You two are going to the Numbers Academy soon, right?" The Creator asked.

"Y-yes, sir." Sara nodded. "What's this all about?" Despite Sara's manipulating personality, she was insightful. It was something the Creator liked about her. Her insight and manipulation would be of great asset to him in the future.

"Well," the Creator shifted in his chair. He folded his arms together as he let out a sigh. "As you all know, my wife died recently and Lee Seng vanished for months. Summer is coming to an end and you were all supposed to head to the Academy together, but… I've decided Lee Seng isn't going to go with you two."

"What?" Manny sat forward. He and Sara were in shock about this unfortunate news. The Creator sighed and scratched his neck.

"He was given the Biohuman serum not too long ago and… Hasn't manifested any powers… I, sadly, can't allow my son to go with you two. I know you three wanted to go together, but… Since he didn't manifest any abilities, it's come to this."

"Ca-can't he come still? D-doesn't he have immense strength and speed? Is-isn't that a power in of itself?" Manny asked. Manny seemed to be the one who was most upset about this. Sara stayed silent. Keng clicked his tongue as the scene continued to play.

"No he can't. I'm not asking you to do this. I'm ordering you to do this." The Creator told them. Sara lifted her head to look at the Creator. A strange set of runes appeared all around them as the Creator leaned in his chair. "You will not ever tell Lee Seng the reason why. You will leave him just like the others have. Lie, be decietful, do whatever it takes. Cut him off if you need to. That's an order." The runes began to burn around Sara and Manny.

"Do you understand?" The Creator asked, cocking his head to the side. Manny looked down and then looked up at the Creator. He nodded in unison with Sara.

"Yes, sir." They both replied.

"Good. Don't you two have to leave soon?" The Creator asked. Sara and Manny's phones buzzed. They both looked at their pockets.

"Can we… At least say goodbye to him?" Manny asked, quietly.

"I guess goodbyes are okay. Just make it so he won't ever want to come back to your lives. Do this and you'll gain all of the power you could ever want. A special place as the second generation of Numbers." The Creator smiled.

"Really?" Sara perked up hearing this. The Creator nodded.

"Why would I lie about such a thing? Your parents and I will all grow old and die someday. You two and Lee Seng will have to take on the helm of what we've built — What I've built. Lee Seng will manage the company one way or the other as a front while you two… Handle the true power of it all." The Creator smiled. Sara seemed very into this as she nodded, standing.

"If you'll excuse me, sir. We have to meet up with Lee Seng." Sara smiled.

"Go." The Creator motioned.

The scene shifted. They were standing in the garden of the lab. A scrawnier Lee Seng was standing underneath the shade of the tree as Sara and Manny stood a couple feet apart from each other. They both looked down as Sara smiled on the inside.

'I'm going to be useful.' Sara thought. She looked up at Lee Seng as Keng's spirit floated near the trunk of the tree.

"Lee Seng…" Manny spoke quietly. His fists were bundled. He was anger at what they had to do. He had no choice but to comply to it… He didn't know why but he just had to. "We gotta…"

"Why have you guys been avoiding me so much?" Lee Seng asked. "I thought we were gonna hangout, but you guys started to get so busy… Is doing Academy stuff that much? Why haven't I been able to—"

"We both decided to tell you now." Sara looked at him.

"About what?" Lee Seng asked. Sara reached up and grabbed Manny's hand. They intertwined it as Sara smiled at him. "I'm choosing Manny. I love him and I think we'd be better as friends."

"Huh? I-I thought…" Lee Seng trailed off. He took a step back into the sunlight. He looked down as tears welled in his eyes. "Sara… Can't you just choose me? Can't you just choose me please?" His voice quivered as he couldn't bring himself to look at her. Manny gulped with the guilt building in him.

"I don't see you as anything. When Manny and I got together, I told him it was me or you. And…" Sara looked at Manny. When Manny looked up, Lee Seng was looking at him. He was crying. The pain of everything that happened this Summer was all in his best friend. He was hurting yet Manny couldn't do anything.

Manny turned to look at Sara and kissed her. He pulled away from Sara and held their intertwined hands up at Lee Seng.

"Sorry, I'm choosing Sara over you." Manny told him. Lee Seng's heart shattered.

"Does nothing matter to you two…?" Lee Seng quietly asked. "Was I always just… Someone you had to be with because… Because I was the only other kid your age you could play with all these years…?"

"You're nothing to me." Manny answered. It hurt him as he said these words. The runes… Those damn runes were making him say it. His cold eyes delivered the final kill as he held tight onto Sara. Manny's strange feelings swirled within him. He did like Sara and he did know Lee Seng liked her… He just didn't think Sara would choose this as her… method of delivering the news. "You will always be nothing to me, Lee Seng. Sara and I are leaving for the Academy today, so never show your face to me or her ever again."

"So nothing mattered?!?" Lee Seng screamed. "All of those nights we hung out together, Manny? None of it mattered? All for a stupid girl?!?"

"Stupid?" Sara pulled away from Manny as she grabbed Lee Seng and punched him. "I'm just a stupid girl?"

"Yes, you're just a idiotic dumb bitch!" Lee Seng shouted. Metal balls flew out of her pockets and pelted Lee seng as she pushed him back. Manny stepped over grabbing Sara. She pushed him away as she watched the balls pelt Lee Seng over and over.

"This is why we'll never work out! You're just a kid! You can't even accept this as a fact!Manny and I never liked you to begin with! Your father made us hangout together because you needed friends! I never wanted to be friends with you! I never wanted to spend those nights with you and Manny! I like Manny and you'll never get a chance!"

The memories faded as a black space grew around Keng and Sara. Sara cried as she covered her face.

"So that's how it was…" Keng whispered. His body materialized as he looked down at Sara. "Stop the act. You never liked him, hm? You never even liked Manny, either. You just want power." Sara stopped crying and looked up at Lee Seng.

'Him?' Sara wiped her eyes as she tried to stand. Keng reached down and lifted her up into the air.

"April 26, 2008." Keng smiled. Sara's face grew white as he mentioned that date. "Enjoy it. Relive it for awhile, maybe you'll actually feel sorry for what you've done to Lee Seng." Keng tossed her, watching her vanish into the darkness as he turned. He let out a sigh. "Manny and Sara did that because of the Creator… Should I make Manny suffer too?"

[Possession has leveled up to Level 3. You've unlocked a new passive skill!]