Chapter 16—Death and Horror

"Okay, so I just need to transplant the wings to Beta-1 then electrocute him with enough electricity, and he shall come to life!" He said excitedly and was about to open the jar when the bell attached to a string rung, found at the ceiling is where it hung.

He placed down the jar and stood up on his chair. "I guess I have to continue you in another day then." He said disappointed, "Aish, if sister Sarah isn't just troublesomely smart. I should have finished my work... She'll start having suspicion if I suddenly vanished. She'll be paying more attention to me by then." He analyzed while he covered the spiced body again with a white cloth.

Punctured the plastic lid of the butterfly's jar to make air holes, before quickly rushing to the vent and settled on his bunk.

"Hey Nath, Can you help me get the hangers?" Sarah asked him when she saw him on his bed, reading a kiddy book. Nath who just made it in time, looked at her with innocent eyes, before he happily obliged, "Yesss!"

---

In the post of oldCreg, The aroma of kicking coffee once again blossomed. He mixed it with the usual ingredients with his typical poker face.

He opened the lid of his vintage coffee maker, dumped the powdered coffee, and steamed it for a vagrant texture. He then poured the coffee on his usual mug, then placed the addons he likes—a pinch of sugar and 25 grams of condensed milk.

But while he brewed his fourth coffee for this day, He suddenly felt something. An acute pain in his chest, blossoming to every part of his body. His chest tightened while breathing suddenly became stiff. He knows he is asthmatic, but not on this level.

Three seconds later and he felt dizzy, as his face and limbs numbed, the muscles weakened for him to stutter on his feet. Causing him to take a seat with heavy breaths.

With all of these happening to him, he still got the tack to smile. He murmured, "Finally... My time has come." With satisfaction and the smiling face—I already had enough. The old man sat and didn't called for help; he took his last mug of coffee and sipped gratefully.

"I think, this is it for me. The time when nature finally takes me away from my miserable past... Thank you Sir... For that chance to atone for my sins." He then took his last sip in the embrace of death.

"Lara... I hope you're happy, your... Will now take the lead... Sorry." His voice echoed in his small post, with the coffee maker still steaming in the aroma of kicking coffee, while the tightly sealed plastic with bread inside wasn't bothered anymore.

Outside oldcreg's post, The sound of a mug breaking was heard. The post went quiet beyond that time.

But after thirty minutes of extreme silence, the smaller gate beside the post opened with a metallic creak. Next to the larger gate came out the two middle-aged women, with beautiful dresses worn on their curvy bodies. Even with their title as mothers, modern fashion still accompanies them like those of the youngsters.

The two locked the gate but found something amiss, Oldkreg didn't greeted them. No matter what the time, he would be at the window with his smile on his face. Before greeting them with a GoodDay Sir/Mam.

"Poor Oldman, his body deteriorates every second... He must be asleep." Charlotte said, looking at the window of the guard's pose.

"I heard that he took a mortal blow before, is it that bad he cannot fight anymore nor level up to get his lifespan added?" Elizabeth asked, curious about the past.

This made Charlotte sigh in pity, she shook her head and replied, "He never intended to cure that wound, He stayed with that handicap for his remaining time. To atone for his sins he said."

The two walked away with that topic in their conversation, before it was replaced by another topic that intrigues them.

---

As the clock settled at 4 o'clock, Valor opened their small gate with a welcoming smile. "Come in guys, no one's home so we can do whatever we want." Angela and Marcus were then fully seen to him.

"Nice, then I guess we can tackle many things about this anomaly." Marcus in front of the gate said, carrying the machine and other newspapers of his Dad.

"But we would need to sensor some info, we got company today." Valor quickly said the restrictions. This made Marcus click his tongue, "Of all the best time, you got restrictions to this one in a Blue Moon chance. Booooo!" He thumbs down while he went in.

"Who's this visitor of yours?" Angela asked in with curiosity, while making Valor carry the food she brought. Before also getting in.

"My 'cousin' Rein." He answered immediately, joining them on the walk in their front field.

"Yay!"

"Really?"

Both asked excitedly, this cousin of his is the real description of friendly. "Yeah, they just got here yesterday. When we were in the forest." He explained.

"Then that bastard harden is also here then? I gotta punch that guy on the face, got to get back from what he did before." Marcus said, remembering that humiliation he went through.

"You courted his sister, it's a normal reaction that he'll test you on a man-on-man battle first. Still got that scar on your butt?" Valor answered smiling while he asked about the humiliation Marcus got two years ago. The mark of a burning fist, directly on the left cheek.

"Shut up." He said remembering the past, a bit embarrass when he reconciled the time he cannot sleep on his back. The mark of his butt would burn when touched.

"By the way, where's Sarah?" Valor asked, a bit surprised she didn't come.

"Yeah, she has errands today. She said she'll watch the kids, the staffs are in the forest for medication so she would need to stay." Marcus replied a bit disappointed.

"Well, I guess she'll have to investigate on herself." Angela said while Valor just stayed quiet. He pondered and planned his plans.

"So you guys already sorted your plans now?" He suddenly asked, this made the atmosphere a bit gloomy. They'll be going on their different paths, which means they'll need to go on their own. Make new friends and have adventures in what they say— the exploration phase. To help them with that, the military schools exist, they'll learn while they do missions.

From the time they reached their main path, is the time they would need to fulfill their duty. To go out there town and do missions, different places, and different planets. They will climb the ranks and gain fame along the way, before they'll choose what to do next after they graduate. Go on with the adventure and go deeper the planets beyond the rifts, or stay and do the duties of serving the country.

"I'll study at Krigger in three months." Angela answered, mixed with a saddened tone.

"I'm off to Atlas, I'll continue my path there as a mechanic while I practice martial arts." Marcus added with a sigh, slightly looking ahead to the future.

Valor carried by the flow also said his, "I'll go to Starkvaleim, The books of great-grandpa said that it's the best school for a magic knight." Valor said, remembering the words in his great grandfather's book, It said that the sequel of the books is there— that's his main reason for choosing that place to enroll. He only has books that can support him up to the main path, beyond weren't included in that shelf.

"But I didn't know your path is very rare Val, pops said those who get it are either monster prodigy, or a hardworking genius. Mostly all of who got it are now widely known." Marcus said amazed.

"Hmmm, so the magic bringer before is a false alarm." Angela commented, also happy for Valor.

"Everyone knows that it is just a small lift from those that really take their level seriously, it just has a different set of skills, not that overpowered from others." Valor replied, having a different angle of view of his path after he fought Rein. He then changed the topic, "So what you guys found?"

"Not that much but I think it is connected to our situation. alright..." Marcus quickly answered and continued the info he got.

"Roughly eight years ago, there was once a secret laboratory below raffvet. It is military sponsored and is very confidential, so don't tell anyone about this." He warned and the two nodded while walking.

"This lab was said to create a genetic altering technology they called genetech, it is intended to copy the technology of the system where it strengthens us every level up."

"So they intended to create a cheat?" Valor asked, slightly understanding the concept of the experiment.

"Yeah... So, after three years of trial and error. They finally had their first breakthrough, but also their last. They created a gene optimization parasite, these worm-like thingies with millions of limbs can optimize a rat, into a being that can kill a goblin. The only limitation to them is the host itself, they can turn a fly into an eagle, but they can't turn it into a Phoenix."

Valor listening to this couldn't help but knot his brows, even if it can only turn a fly into an eagle. That's still a huge buff when you are from the lowest to the apex predator of the food chain.

"But the problem is that these parasites don't serve anyone, they kill their host first before they control it themselves. Through that, they adapted very fast, like they created their etiquettes and hierarchy in a matter of time. They have the society of might make right, the strongest seize control of the throne and commands the other."

"How do they communicate?" Angela asked quickly, also interested in these parasites.

"That's the interesting part, the scientist of that lab figured that they communicate through herts of radio sound, They placed a transmitter inside the made-up world, and they received their words, mashed but still has the tone of a language. And that discovery led to their doom. The leader of the parasites used that transmitter to navigate all around the lab, and made a plan to overrun it. In the end, the survivors of the scientist needed to detonate the whole lab to kill all of the parasites."

"But of course there are still news about not all are exterminated right?" Valor asked, already predicting what Marcus would say next.

"Yes, one of the survivors attests that it is impossible to kill them all, they adapt fast through the sudden changes just to keep their race living. Like humans."

"The survivor said she saw them all forming a ball just to shield from the explosion, and if one did survive, it will surely fulfill its mission. The parasite will go into a phase called cloning, and will then produce a bunch of hatchlings that will continue their race."

"And that phase is said to take years to end, and if we linked it to the appearance of this system and the near start of another chaos. And the fact that this is the only one I saw interesting, I figured out it might connect to our situation." Marcus said while he still carries the gadgets from that laboratory.

Valor thinking suddenly remembered something, "then by any chance, do these parasites love to eat beings that have a rich amount of vital energy?"

"From the archives I brought, it said that their favorites are immortal jellyfish."

"Oh shit."

---

Beneath the trees that dominate the land, a ragged voice echoed within a chamber of complicated tunnels. "I Raa, have hatched from the void of existence! given a name for the purpose of sole destruction. but within my slumber of blood and massacre. Mere mortals dared to steal my crystal skull! Where is it!" The angry voice bounced on the dirt walls, flickering the torches flaming with green flames.

A six meters skeleton, flaming with blue fire. Asked the compressed kids, five in total. Hugging their friends with despair seen in their eyes, teary and sunken. A sniff couldn't help but come out from their appall mouth.

No one answered the furious skeleton, fueling its anger more, "Sniffs answered my question! Blemish! I said where is my skull!" It asked once again, but the traumatized children didn't answered. Seemed to be muted by the skeleton's appearance.

"So we are playing the game, alright kids. Let's do the old way." It said before activating a spell, rusted chains came out of the rotten ground, extending to the limbs of the helpless children. Bounded them and lifted the kids with harsh treatment.

The skeleton then neared one to its face and said to her, "Your words define your friends' life, as seconds pass, they will feel hell without the answers I want." It said before snapping its fingers. The girl then heard the horrible agony of her friends. Bones broke and flesh split, she can hear them all.

"Now, tell me who took my skull. I promise I will stop the torture of your friend." It asked with a proposal.

She couldn't take it any longer so she confessed "Gio and Trevor have it, they have your skull! They ran with the skull! Can you now please stop this!" She quickly said who has it, hoping the agonized screams of her friend would stop. And it did, but with a loud crack and pop. Warm Blood splattered on her back, before horror was printed on her eyes. Her friends' voices were never heard again.

"As my words stand, your friends' torment ended, and so are you."

Plop.