The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 253: Ch 252: Control - Part 2

The voice returned without warning.

Selene had just finished washing her face, trying to ground herself, when the whisper curled at the edge of her mind.

[You care for him. It is a dangerous feeling to have. Bury your feeling and embrace your potential]

She flinched. The voice again. Low, knowing. A whisper that wasn’t hers.

She spun toward the mirror, as if expecting someone else to be in the room with her.

"Who are you? What are you?"

She asked, voice low and sharp.

No response.

Nothing.

Not even the faintest echo.

Selene gritted her teeth.

"Coward."

But she could feel it—still there. Still watching. Just... hiding.

She rubbed her forehead. The tension behind her eyes pulsed like a warning, but she forced herself to move past it. There were bigger things to handle.

First, the government.

She pulled out the comms unit and dialed the encrypted frequency she’d received earlier. It clicked twice, then connected.

The man on the other end sounded exhausted—but relieved.

"Miss Shadow. Thank god. We weren’t sure if you’d made it out of all the dungeons you decided to head into. It has been some time since you last contacted us. We were worried about you."

"I did. What’s the issue?"

She said.

The official hesitated.

"We have a new dungeon."

Selene’s breath caught for a second.

"Go on."

"We... haven’t been able to get close. It’s not like the others. It’s situated near an active volcano. Dangerous terrain, unstable energy. The scouting teams we sent turned back before even reaching the entrance. Sensors malfunctioned. Drones fried midair."

Selene’s brows furrowed. No memories surfaced. Nothing about a volcano-based dungeon.

Did this not happen in her past life? Or... did she forget?

She cursed herself inwardly. What kind of reincarnated idiot forgets world-ending events?

"I know it’s asking a lot, but we wanted to approach you first. Before briefing the guilds."

The official continued.

Selene opened her mouth to decline. Every instinct told her to stay away. Unmapped territory? No data? Near a volcano? No thank you.

"I—"

[Say yes.]

The voice again. Clear. Commanding.

She froze, and before she could stop herself, her mouth moved.

"Yes. I’ll take the assignment."

What?

What?

The government official sighed in relief.

"Thank you. Really. I’ll send over the location data and briefing files. We’ll expect you at HQ tomorrow morning."

The line cut.

Selene stood there, staring at the comms device in her hand, horrified.

Her hands shook slightly.

"What did you do? Did you just control me?"

She whispered.

Silence.

Her pulse roared in her ears. The emptiness in her head now felt too clean—too quiet.

"Answer me."

She growled.

But the voice had vanished again. Like it was never there at all.

That night, sleep came reluctantly. And when it did, it brought no rest.

She was dreaming—running—but not as herself. She had no name, no face. Just motion and purpose. She wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t tired. She just was.

Color bled across her vision. Red. Orange. Gold. A swirl of molten earth and sky.

She chased something. Or someone.

But the faster she ran, the farther it got.

She reached out her hand—

And woke up.

Sweating. Gasping.

Her room was dark. Silent. But her heart wouldn’t stop racing.

She pressed her palm to her chest. What was that?

She could remember how it felt—the drive, the emptiness, the hunger—but not the details. Not the who or what or why.

It left her unsettled in a way she couldn’t shake.

She changed and headed downstairs.

The moment she entered the kitchen, all eyes turned toward her.

Nora was quiet, but concerned. Ethan and Orion were mid-bite but froze when they saw her. Even Zara paused her cooking.

Selene offered a weak smile.

"Morning."

"You look like hell."

Ethan said bluntly.

"Thanks."

She muttered.

"Nightmares?"

Zara asked gently.

Selene shrugged, grabbing a glass of water.

"Don’t worry about it."

They all did anyway. The silence was heavy with unspoken concern.

She forced herself to eat. No one pushed her. But they watched.

After breakfast, she stood up and brushed off her hands.

"I’m heading to the capital."

Ethan immediately stood.

"I’ll go with you."

"Me too."

Orion said.

"I can pack supplies."

Nora offered.

"No. I need to go alone"

Selene said, too quickly.

Zara frowned. "That’s not wise, especially after what you went through—"

"It’s just a meeting. I’ll be back before dark. I just... need to think. And I need to do that without an entourage."

Selene said.

The table fell quiet again.

Ethan didn’t look happy, but he gave a nod.

"Be careful."

She met his eyes for a second, then looked away.

Zara gave her a bag of dried snacks anyway.

"Just in case. Call if anything feels wrong."

"I will."

Selene said—though she wasn’t sure she meant it.

As she walked toward the door, she felt eyes on her back.

The dream lingered.

So did the voice.

And for the first time, she wasn’t sure whose decisions she was really making anymore.

As they all watched Selene disappear through the front door, Zara crossed her arms and turned toward Ethan.

"So, when are you planning on following her?"

She said, raising an eyebrow.

Ethan scoffed.

"I’m not following her."

Zara didn’t look convinced.

Ethan sighed.

"Look, if I chase after her the second she leaves, that’s creepy."

Zara tilted her head.

"And if you wait, then follow her later, it’s not creepy?"

Ethan pointed at her.

"Exactly."

Zara rolled her eyes.

"How long are you waiting?"

Ethan checked the clock.

"Ten minutes."

Before Zara could comment, Noah—who had been quietly eating—spoke up.

"I’m coming too."

Ethan turned to him, surprised.

"You?"

Noah nodded.

"Yeah. She said she wanted space, but I don’t like this whole ’going alone’ thing. If something happens, we should be close enough to help."

Ethan considered it, then nodded.

"Fine. But we stay out of sight."

Zara sighed.

"You two are impossible."

Ethan just grinned.

"And yet, here we are."