The Damned Demon

Chapter 658  Wars Aren't Won Without Sacrifice

Derek raised his gaze to meet hers, his expression calm but resolute, "I'm sorry, Cecilia, but I'm afraid that's not possible."

Cecilia's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat, "W-What?" she mumbled, her voice barely a whisper.

Cecilia was visibly taken aback, her face a mask of disbelief, "You're not serious, are you? Or are you being forced into this somehow?" she asked, her voice wavering.

Derek closed his eyes momentarily, a sign of the inner turmoil he was suppressing. When he opened them again, his gaze was steely and resolute, "No. Everything is being carried out under my orders."

Cecilia's eyes widened in shock, "Derek?"

"...but for the greater good," Derek completed with a determined and unwavering gaze.

The weight of his words sank into Cecilia's chest, causing her to shake her head in disbelief, "No... You can't. Please tell me you're not actually experimenting on people—people who trust us to protect them."

Derek sighed deeply, a cloud of regret shadowing his expression, "I told you what we are planning, right? To reach our end goal of eradicating demons, some sacrifices have to be made. If history has taught us anything, it is that wars aren't won without sacrifice. We've been fighting this for too long, and we can't fight for eternity. This has to end, and it better end in our lifetime for the sake of future generations. You know that."

Cecilia's eyes filled with tears as her heart wrenched with the agony of his words, "Sacrifices? But... how can we let our own people die for such cruel experiments? How could you do this behind my back? I never thought you were capable of such things. When did you start doing this?"

Derek took a slow, deliberate breath, his voice steady but laden with a grim resolve, "I've been planning all this for decades... since I became a full-fledged Hunter."

Cecilia's eyes widened in horror, "That's around the time we married..." she murmured, the realization striking her like a physical blow. The weight of her entire marriage felt like a lie, and her heart raced with the revelation that she had been completely unaware of this dark truth.

Derek reached out and grasped Cecilia's hand gently, a plea in his eyes, "But I didn't want to hide it from you. I only wanted to spare you from knowing such things because I knew you might not be able to understand easily."

"Understand?" Cecilia's voice was barely a whisper, fraught with pain, "How am I supposed to understand this? If anybody finds out, they'll brand you as a 'monster', and the name Sterling would forever bear that stigma. How could you ever think you'd be okay with this or expect me to understand? What if Rachel came to know about this?"

Derek's expression tightened, a fierce resolve blazing in his eyes as he gripped Cecilia's hand more firmly, "Rachel is stronger than you think, and one day she will understand. But not now. I'm not forcing anyone into this as you might think. Every person involved in these experiments volunteered, knowing the risks. They accepted because of the generous compensation, seeing it as a chance to save their families and make a difference. They would have otherwise lived and died without achieving anything meaningful. Would you rather they rot away without fulfilling any purpose?"

Cecilia's gaze fell to the ground, her resolve wavering under the weight of his logical argument; yet she raised her eyes to meet his, her voice trembling with uncertainty, "But it isn't ethically right... We both know that. They might have never known they would die like this. Did they?"

Derek sighed deeply, a flicker of regret passing over his face, "That phase is long over. Nobody is dying or suffering now. If you want, I can show you."

Cecilia shook her head vigorously, "No... I can't. But please, just stop here before things get worse. If Vladimir knows about this, it might only be a matter of time before the public finds out. What do you think will happen when we get crucified for this? Rachel's life will be affected as well. At least think about her. Please."

Derek's eyes hardened, "Nothing will happen to Rachel, nor will the Russians leak this. If they wanted to, they would have done it already. They know they can't afford to go up against us head-on. Even if the public did find out, it wouldn't matter because we are so close to finishing everything. When we've finally eradicated all demons, people will only thank and revere us."

"What... What are you talking about?" Cecilia asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Derek's gaze was filled with a grim, unwavering confidence, "Within two months, we'll have M.A.M installed in almost every Hunter, readying them for duty on Mars."

"Install such experimental tech in our Hunters? Why? It still isn't perfect, is it? I heard it decreases one's lifespan," Cecilia asked, her voice edged with concern.

"Only if used for prolonged periods," Derek said, his tone calm and determined. "But we will remove it the moment we're done with our mission. This is just the first step to accomplish everything within just a few years."

"Only a few years?" Cecilia's eyes widened. "What are the other steps to achieve this so quickly?"

Derek's gaze softened slightly, though his resolve remained firm, "You'll know in time. I wouldn't want to burden you with everything now. I believe you'll understand better once you see it all unfold. So please, just wait until then. That's all I ask." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Cecilia stood silent, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and confusion as she absorbed the gravity of Derek's words.

Cecilia's voice trembled with a hint of despair, she said softly, "I don't think I can... I never imagined you'd be part of something like this."

Derek's grip on Cecilia's shoulders tightened, a fierce determination etched into his features, "You can. If you couldn't, do you think you would have helped us catch Cedric's friends? No. You knew their families would be in danger the moment they were caught. Still, you told me because you wanted to protect this world from Cedric's villainy, even after his death. You wanted to stay true to our Sterling name and ensure justice always prevails."

Cecilia's gaze dropped, her eyes shadowed with guilt, "I never thought their entire families would be murdered like that. I only wanted the ones responsible for sowing chaos to be put behind bars like Irina."

Cecilia remembered giving away and exposing Cedric's friends when they reached out to her, asking her for help to clear Cedric's name. But at that time, all she felt was anger and disgust that they reached out to her to clear an evil person's name who betrayed and tricked them all.

Yet she was shocked and saddened when she learned that their entire families were killed as well.

"But you must have known it was a possibility," Derek replied, his voice steady but laden with gravity. "Even now, fanatics are on a witch hunt for anyone who mentions the 'Golden Prince'. We've both made hard choices for the good of this world. Please don't make me feel alone in this. I wouldn't go this far if it wasn't for you and Rachel. You two matter more to me than anything. The rest of the world comes after. Why else would I push this so far?"

Cecilia's lips parted, her conflicted eyes meeting his. The weight of his words bore down on her, and she struggled with her conscience, "I know you love and care about us and would do anything for us. But I just don't want any more blood on our hands. It was already hard enough for me when I ended up causing the deaths of many innocents after Cedric's death. So, can you promise that this will end after two months?"

Derek's gaze sharpened, his resolve unyielding. "Within just a year or two ... I promise you, Cecilia, I will never make you feel like this again. We won't have to make any more hard decisions because we will be in a better place. Can you trust me and hold on? You're the only one I can rely on for support."

Cecilia sighed, her eyes closing as she grappled with the gravity of his promise. Her heart ached, caught between the loyalty she felt and the moral conflict tearing at her soul. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at Derek, her expression softening into a weary smile. "Okay, Derek. I trust you—as long as we won't ever regret this."

Derek's eyes held a flicker of relief and hope as he nodded. However, a few miles away, two figures, a tall man and a young woman were standing in a dark hotel room.

*Thud!*

Rachel fell to her knees, her eyes widened in shock while Asher looked down at her, his eyes quivering with unbridled, cold emotions, "It turns out your mom isn't really an angel, is she?"