Something Strange

'That meeting finally ended. Why did Russ even bother catching Tsuyoi in the first place? Now the prison is the one to pay the fine. Damn it!' 

Hein complained with an expressionless face as he rode the elevator down to the X-Block. 

'I will make Russ pay for this.'

The Chi family might not be from Ablauf like the noble families, but it has the same power as the lowest count-ranked noble families. 

Although Tsuyoi wasn't that much respected in her family, she still had the blood of the Chi family running in her veins. 

Well, there was nothing to do about it, as everything was solved now.

Ting—! 

At the sound of the chime, the Vice Warden, now dressed in an orange inmate overall, got out from the elevator to be met by something odd. 

His eyes looked at the always empty cells before him, "Where did everyone go?"

Thanks to his wielder ability, everyone in Block X is invisible to the naked eye. 

Yet now, Hein couldn't even spot a single soul even with his enhanced eyesight.

'Did Xenogenisis finally show himself?'

At the end of that thought, the Vice Warden rushed over to the football crowds, ignoring the crowd of people that were loitering around the whole hall.

However, his expression shifted the moment he looked at the position where the soccer ground was supposed to be.

"..."

Hein couldn't make even a single word escape his mouth as he stared at the barren land before him.

With a face brimming with anger, he asked the prison system through his earbud, "Where did the ground and all the corrections officers go?!"

Just as it was designed to do, the prison AI system replied without any consideration for the Vice Warden's feelings.

"The inmates from cell room 27F started a fire and escaped together, leaving the prison guards along with Corrections Chief Officer Ferrier Kurstin."

"Couldn't Ferrier stop the flames? His ability allows him to make water! Why would someone like that get burned!"

The prison system stayed silent as it couldn't find the answer. 

The situation at hand was difficult for it to comprehend since there was no camera in the pathway.

"Damn it! Why do all those brats always get me in trouble!? I am sure Xenogenisis was behind it!"

...

"Of course I was behind it."

I smiled as I rolled in my bed. The current state of Hein Malvado is a cracker for me.

Honestly, he is the one who wanted to kill me first. It is only natural that he pays back for his actions.

"Hehehehehehe..."

"Tito, your laughter is disturbing Encender's peaceful sleep."

Unknowingly, my brows started frowning at the end of Meron's words.

"Huh? So what?"

The alien standing against the cell bars just glared at me with eyes brimming with confusion.

"Why are you being rude? I asked you nicely..."

"You were being nice? Sorry, it sounded more like you were the rude one first."

At the green-eyed girl's silence, I turned to look at the plain black wall smelling like cigarettes.

'It seems I still hate aliens. That's something that will take a long time for me to forgive them. After all, they took almost everything I made in my life.'

A sigh escaped my lips. "I apologize...my actions were rude."

"Tsk. You men are all the same."

What the fuck?! I apologized to you, yet you are clicking your big tongue at me. I shouldn't have apologized in the first place.

"Then your boyfriend Hein is different from other men?"

There was no hesitation in Meron's voice as she answered, "Yes, my darling is far different from you so-called men."

Ahem—!

I let out a fake cough as I seemed to disagree with Meron's statement.

However, as someone who did not pass judgments in terms of romance, I stayed silent.

Wait a minute...a grown-up woman in her early thirties got lost and ended up in the wrong cell.

I turned back to look at the uninvited guest, "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be back in your own cell without 'men'?"

Meron just sneered at me, as she probably didn't want to talk to us men.

Rajah, coming out from the bath, was the one to answer, "She is going to be with us until we rescue Tsuyoi from her bastard fiancé."

He took a short pause to take his seat on Tsuyoi's bed, "As the second in command, I permit that."

Second in command? Does Encender's team have something like that?

Before I could ponder more on trivial issues, the girl in question sat up straight.

Her cold golden eyes stared at everyone in the cell, and for an unknown reason, I found myself in fear, as my mouth tightly closed.

'Did something happen to her?' I wondered in fright.

For a few seconds, the young girl stayed silent, just staring at the dark ceiling.

'Why is she like that?' I couldn't help but wonder.

With a face resembling that of a beast, Encender turned to look at the only alien in the cell.

"You will be joining my crew."

With the amount of dominance in her voice, I couldn't tell whether she was asking or commanding Meron.

The yellow-skinned woman seemed to have taken it both ways, "I will gladly do that. After all, you are the savior of my life."

I don't want to take credit, but shouldn't she be thanking me for saving her life?

In the end, I kept silent. She might have acted on her own free will, but it is all thanks to Hein's manipulation that she ended up here.

Encender then looked at the ground and fiercely grappled the edge of her bed, making the metal bend.

"Tsuyoi was taken when I was away."

Again, my mind couldn't understand whether it was a question or if she was just stating. 

Seeing Rajah and Meron being silent, I had no option but to treat Encender's words as a question. 

"Unfortunately, it seems Tsuyoi was married to Cain Harasat before we met her."

The young girl stayed silent, trying to make sense of the situation. The aura she released seemed to convey a lot of information. 

After what felt like an eternity, she finally said, "Cain Harasat, huh? All we can do now is ask Tsuyoi why she decided to go with him."

"Understood," we all confirmed.