(XI) The Test Subject

It was nightfall when Mikaru returned to the manor; entering Leon's room, he was shocked to see Bella curled up, sleeping on a pillow at the foot of his bed.

"You!!!" The two hissed at one another, the Parthrak pointing at the shadow carbuncle as she arched her back, her hair standing on end.

He pulled out a knife from behind his back, approaching her threateningly as Bella cried out, "Master! There's an intruder!"

"Oh!!" Mikaru laughed at the meowing feline, approaching slowly as he twirled the knife between his fingers, "You're a talkative one!"

Leon rushed out of his bathroom soaking wet with a towel draped around his waist, "Who-"

"Milord!" He exclaimed, turning around to stare at the wall, "Why did you rush in here?"

"Bella said there was an intruder! What are you doing?" The young man asked, sighing heavily as he walked behind the blind and dried himself off before getting dressed.

"You can understand that thing?" Mikaru asked, turning around and pointing at the feline, "I just returned from the Kalaphacia Mountains! That mongrel launched me somewhere along the ridge!"

"Of course, I can!" Leon replied, stepping out from behind the blind, wearing sleepwear, "She's my first Magical Beast!"

"You received a class?" He exclaimed, stepping forward and grabbing his shoulders, "Are you not thirteen?"

"I have not and I am. We will be departing next month to the Church of Ascension in Merceea to receive my class." He replied, shaking his head as he sat on the bed, "I thought you knew all this."

"I did, but how did you tame that monster?" Mikaru asked, confused as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I found something in the manor a while back while you were gone with Alec over the border, and I held onto it until I saw Bella." Leon lied, unwilling to explain his unfair advantage.

"Where is it?" He asked, narrowing his gaze.

"It vanished when I tamed her, it's gone." He sighed as Bella crawled into his lap and curled up, licking herself, "Run to the kitchens and have a maid bring up a bowl of cream for her, please."

"Yes, milord." Mikaru replied, bowing as he turned to leave his room.

"Thank you, Mikaru. Get some sleep, we'll have a long day of training." Leon said, smiling as his friend exited his room.

After the maid departed, Bella ran over to the bowl, lapping it up as Leon pulled the blankets over his shoulder and fell asleep.

***

A blonde woman wearing exquisite regalia walked briskly through a series of hallways, expertly navigating the maze toward her destination.

After finally reaching her destination after countless twists and turns, she appeared at a dead end, reaching up as she grabbed a wall-mounted candle.

She pulled it down as a doorway appeared before her, closing behind her as she stepped through it. She walked down a long flight of stairs before appearing at a sturdy door.

She flung it open, screaming loudly, mana infusing her voice and accelerating the sound as the mana stone walls cracked from the pressure.

Her eyes were emitting a golden light, and she could not hide her anger as the braziers automatically relit, covering the dark room with a green light.

"Feel better?" A younger man asked, standing with his back to her. He removed his earplugs as he turned to her.

"…" The woman panted heavily, glaring at him, unamused by his nonchalance, spitting her anger at him, "You've done nothing but fail me at every corner!"

"I've done no such thing!" He replied, resting his arms within the sleeves of his coat as he placed them in front of his stomach.

"Then explain it to me, Vandine, why did Leon wake up last year?" She hissed, stepping forward as her boiling anger lashed out once more, the stonework crushing beneath her feet.

"That isn't my fault. The duskweed worked and he was supposed to be in an eternal slumber. This is the first case of anyone ever waking up." He shrugged, turning to the table behind him.

Dozens of beakers and flasks were interconnected on the desk, liquids of various colors bubbling underneath boilers. Papers were strewn across its surface with just as many inkwells and quills.

"What about destabilizing Othniel after his awakening?" She hissed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You can blame your eldest son for the failure on that front." Vandine sighed, shaking his head, picked up a quill, and wrote some calculations on a piece of paper.

"You're insufferable!" She sighed, shaking her head as she placed her hand against her forehead.

"My apologies, Queen Scarlett." He said, turning his head to the side with a slight bow, "I hear he is going to enter the academy soon; this may work to our advantage."

"Explain." She demanded, approaching as she stood beside him, eyeing the various notes and calculations strewn across the table.

"One of the subjects has been showing promising signs of stabilization." He replied, grabbing his cane and resting against the table. He approached one of the nearby walls, raised his cane, and inserted it into an inconspicuous hole among the countless cracks.

A hidden doorway appeared, revealing a massive tank filled with a green liquid. A young woman floated in the center, a mask covering her nose and mouth as she slept with dozens of ampoules connected across her naked body.

"She has ascended already?" Scarlett asked, standing beside him, her hands behind her back as she examined the floating teenager.

"Indeed." Vandine nodded, leaning forward as he placed his hand on the glass, "We were exceptionally fortunate on that front too. She received a rare one."

"Do it and not fail me again, Vandine." She growled, turning around with a huff as she departed, leaving him alone in the secret room.

"Soon, dear child…" He whispered, staring at the beautiful face of the sleeping girl, "You will be unleashed upon the world and will be unstoppable!"

The scientist burst into a fit of laughter as he approached the panel. Entering his unique code, a rush of bubbles flooded the vat, and the liquid began draining.