Professor Sid

Light from several torches hanging from the wall gave vision in a gloomy tunnel. From the looks of it, this path resembled a cave that was placed hundreds of meters beneath the ground.

A man was walking while looking at a single piece of paper with his big round eyeglasses. He was wearing a long white coat, and his posture was a little hunched back because of his age, but it didn't have any effect on the way he moved.

"Our little Celestine must be upset, sending me this letter just because the Chameleon Hybrid died," he smirked. "To think that it was killed only a week after it was released. Those mercenaries were extraordinary."

Then he put the paper in one of the torches, setting it on fire. He continued to walk until he reached a huge metal door. A symbol that resembled a crown made from broken chains was engraved on its large panel.

Afterward, he placed his hand in a small orb and channeled some of his energy, then slowly opened the door by sliding it upward, which caused slight vibrations in the area.

The old man entered as soon as it was fully unlocked, and then, after a few seconds, the door shut down. The place inside had several lights and torches, but they were not enough to illuminate the large space, making it dim.

There was a small bar counter that had plenty of wine and alcoholic drinks on its right side, and a wooden table with ten chairs was placed in its opposite direction. Then, in one corner, a few bookshelves were there with a small study table, and an old map with the landscape and terrain of Exgreia was plastered on one of its walls. 

Dust accumulated around the place, signifying that it had not been used for a long time. The man carried on walking to a small corridor in the center of the room. He passed through several doors, then stopped midway upon reaching an open room, which had a nameplate hanging at the doorway with 'Professor Sid' written on it.

Unlike the place where he passed a few moments ago, the area was brimming with lights. It looked small from the outside, but several transparent, human-sized containers could be found inside.

The man strolled into the room, his eyes focused on the beasts inside the containers; there were different kinds of bugs like mantises, arachnids, and lizards. Some were normal creatures that could be seen almost everywhere, while others were impossible to find by normal people, like wyverns and griffins.

"Oh, they are finally fusing," the man blurted out, halting his steps.

His smile was so wide that it almost reached his ear. This joy was brought to him by a container filled with a light blue liquid, and there was a man, naked, with his eyes closed. Everything about him seemed normal; however, upon a closer look, there were yellow scales protruding underneath his eyes.

"Time to make another one," he laughed, then sauntered deeper into the room that had a huge cage packed with humans. 

They were staring blankly at the approaching old man.

"Okay, which one of you wants to be my next test subject?" He asked while fixing his eyeglasses.

However, no one answered his question, and it made him cross his brows. Then he waited for several seconds, yet still nobody spoke. All of them were looking at him with hopeless eyes.

"I'll do the picking, then." His voice rang in the ears of all the people inside the cage, but they were still not responding.

"Whatever," he said, dismayed; then he touched the metal frame of the cage, and it bent sideways, giving him enough space to enter.

He scanned the people sitting on the floor to choose, and then he couldn't help but smile upon seeing a brown-haired girl with long ears.

"An elf!" He exclaimed, then walked towards her.

The elf was shaking and shedding tears when the old man went nearer to her. She dreamed of exploring the human territories when she left her home; however, when the men she met on her way found out her identity, they attacked her with the intent to sell her in an auction.

Then, she was held in captivity for weeks until a fat noble bought her as a slave, but when she was to be delivered in transit, a group of bandits ambushed the carriage, giving her a chance to flee.

She ran for her dearest life; she wanted to get back to the Garden of Dreams. If she knew that this would happen because of her stupid desire, she would listen to her parents.

Then, she stumbled into a man in the middle of her running, which caused her to fall on the grass. She was so traumatized by the events that happened to her that she couldn't help but shake upon seeing humans.

The last thing she remembered was that the man smiled at her before she lost consciousness; afterward, when she opened her eyes, she found herself inside a metal cage with the beings she hated the most.

And now, a crazy old man was approaching her with an evil grin. 

"I'll make you the most powerful existence in the world; come with me," he said while extending his hand. "Don't be afraid; what is your name?" he added.

The words of the old man echoed in the elf's mind. She was hesitant to accept the hand reaching out to her.

"What is your desire, child?" The old man added.

Painful memories from the day she started her journey resurfaced in her thoughts, making her cry again in despair.

"E-extermination of m-mankind," she stuttered while tears were flowing from her brown-orange eyes.

"We have the same interest." The old man nodded and said, "Accept my hand, and you will be able to wreak havoc soon."

A few seconds passed, then the young elf slowly extended her arm toward the old man. The old man didn't wait for her hand to reach his palm; instead, he pulled the girl upward and hugged her in an embrace.

"It's okay now, don't cry; we'll make this world experience your suffering," he said while caressing the back of the elf. His smile was creepier and wider than before.

. . . . .

"What happened?" Priscilla asked the guards blocking their way. She was tired, and all that she wanted was to get home and call it a day, but these knights didn't let her do so.

"I would like to apologize for this inconvenience, but it was a decision of the king to seal this town for the meantime," one of the knights explained.

Priscilla was supposed to speak when Kizeler pulled her into her arms.

"It's no use to talk with them; they only listen to the members of the royal family," he said.

"Then what are we going to do?" She asked, which made Kizeler stop pulling, and he looked at her.

"We'll sneak inside the town, got it?" He replied with a task in mind.

"But how? The guards completely surrounded the area, and we're not capable enough to levitate yet." Priscilla answered, but the man just smiled at her and pointed at her chest.

"We'll use that; I think your Legacy is fast enough not to be noticed by them." Kizeler remarked. 

"And how about you?" She voiced out her concern.

"You'll carry me." He grinned, which made Pricilla blink her eyes several times. She was dumbfounded by Kizeler's suggestion.

Then, like what Kizeler suggested, the two of them searched for the place with the fewest guards. 

"Will you carry me, or will I just hug you from behind?" His question sent shivers through Priscilla, and her cheeks blushed all of a sudden.

"H-hug me from behind," she did her best not to stutter, but her attempt was unsuccessful.

Then, Kizeler hugged her in the waist. He smelled the nice scent of Priscilla's hair that he loved so much, but the ignorant woman in front of him didn't know what to do. Her face was red like a tomato, she felt like her ears were burning, and her heart had been beating so fast since the second Kizeler hugged her.

Due to her mind being occupied by Kizeler's action, she activated her Legacy unknowingly. Then, the two of them jolted forward in a zip; they went so fast that the normal eyes of people didn't manage to see them. 

The guards felt a sudden gust of wind pass them, but they ignored it with little thought.

Kizeler and Priscilla moved into an alley before they stopped. Kizeler's head was spinning in circles. He didn't expect that Priscilla's absurd speed would give him a feeling of dizziness.

Priscilla had already recovered from their previous actions, and she asked Kizeler. "So what's next?"

The two of them roamed the town to go to their respective places, but a foul stench and a metallic smell hindered them from doing so, especially Kizeler.

They chose to find out where it came from, and their jaws dropped upon seeing the state of the town plaza. Several people were doing cleanups, but it was not enough to erase the gruesome incident that happened at the place. 

They tried to process the things they had seen, the people they met in the town, the other mercenaries that became their partners for some time, and those merchants who used to sell cheap items to them. They wondered if they were caught in this huge accident or if they were safe somewhere outside the town.

"Who did this?" Priscilla asked, but Kizeler's eyes remained focused on the hideous scene.

"Let's get our belongings and get out of here." Kizeler articulated his thoughts.

Afterward, they fled from the town by using the same course of action they used to enter. They moved to the nearest place and rented an inn to spend the night, so they could rest and recover from fatigue.

'This is a very tiring day,' Kizeler thought as soon as he dumped his body on the bed.

Subsequently, he stood up and exited the room, then he knocked on the door of the next room from his right.

"Priscilla, it's me," he said.

After a while, small steps could be heard coming in the opposite direction of the door, then it opened and Priscilla in her sleeping gown walked out of the room.

"Why? I'm going to sleep," she yawned.

Kizeler averted his eyes upon seeing her outfit.

'She's so much sexier when she's not wearing her leather armor,' his thoughts made him blush a little, but Priscilla didn't notice a thing.

"Let's get back to the capital." Kizeler declared while his eyes were staring somewhere in the walls.

Priscila understood his words very well, but her next actions differed from her normal response.

"I obey the young patriarch's order," she said after kneeling on one knee.

. . . . .