【 ᴄᴏɴǫᴜᴇʀɪɴɢ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀʟᴀɴᴅ || ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀʟᴀɴᴅ ғғ】

ᴏɴᴇ sᴘʏ, ᴛᴡᴏ ᴛʀᴀɪᴛᴏʀs || ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sɪxᴛᴇᴇɴ

"Why exactly are you working for Mama?"

You stared into the ceiling, waiting for Ray to break the silence.

"I volunteered to do so, by my own volition." Ray's smirk widened. "Or rather, it's more like I put myself out there."

"Why...?"

"To prepare for our escape."

Darkness loomed over Ray's face. "All of this was to prepare for our escape."

"To prepare... for our escape?"

"That's right... all of this was mere pre-planning." Ray shifted on his seat to a more comfortable position. "It was the best way for me to understand our enemy and gather resources. That's why I've practically sold myself to the enemy."

"Mama went through all that to cultivate me. I'm part of her pride and joy." I mean duh, you're her child. "Harvesting me halfway should be something that Mama would like to avoid at all costs."

"For her, her gains are more important than the rules." Letting you live longer is a gain on its own. "I demanded roughly two things from her; one, that she wouldn't ship me off right off the bat if I worked for her. And two, that I'd be compensated for my work."

To think that he was either five or six when he struck a deal like this. No wonder he became rich.

"...Compensation? What do you mean by that?"

"All kinds of useless crap." Ray said. "I could get her to order things that weren't found in this House."

Norman was speechless.

Breaking news! Orphans first discover online shopping.

"Were you testing what she could and couldn't get her hands on?!"

"Exactly. Like killing two birds with one stone, I could also get a taste of the outside world through those demands." Ray explained. "In the end, I could almost get anything I wanted. As long as they weren't anything dangerous."

"The only thing that sucked was that all the items I received weren't exactly the newest versions available."

Isabella's pampering her kid in her own way. How nice.

"Then..." Norman hesitated. "When you said that you had an idea on how to destroy the transmitters... were you actually telling the truth?"

"I've seen them with my own eyes."

"I've been experimenting. It took many years, but I eventually found a way." Ray confirmed to Norman. "I am definitely capable of destroying them."

"Let me be clear here; I can reliably render the transmitters useless."

"Do you get it?" Ray gestured to himself. "Sitting right in front of you at this very moment, is your most supreme trump card."

"I'm in a position where I could potentially stab Mama in the back from the inside. I know how to render the transmitters useless, and on top of it all..." He listed everything he can do. The things he strived to get. To be the most valuable asset to his friends' escape. "I know more you can ever imagine. While it might not be everything, it's information you will need to plan your escape."

"I... am your strongest card." He emphasized on his value to the plan. To the escape. A deal like this is something that most could never refuse. A deal so tempting. Like striking a deal with the devil's spawn. "I've been preparing for this ever since I found out about the House's secret. In a way such that nobody would ever find out about it."

"I tricked Conny and stole Little Bunny. I made you two go to the gate. All of this—!" Ray pointed his finger at Norman. "—was for the sake of keeping you two alive."