Spark

Chapter 9: Spark

When Dr. Selene Myr and Professor Krane left Magnus' office, the air was ominous. The sky, as if sensing the dark plans discussed inside, was covered in gray clouds. A light wind blew, and the city's cold breath hit their skin. Selene was disturbed by Magnus’ gaze. There was something demonic, something calculating in those eyes. Krane’s eyes, however, were sparkling as if he were on the verge of a great discovery. But Selene’s heart was uneasy. The tense expression on her face after the conversation betrayed her discomfort.

As they left the laboratory, Professor Krane secretly directed his gaze at Sarah and made a subtle motion. Only a keen eye would have noticed the gesture. And one of those eyes was Selene’s. A feeling of unease crept over her as she saw Krane’s invitation. The unsettling sensation inside her spread through her mind like a fog.

As soon as Krane and Selene left, Selene rushed to tell Camille about what she saw.

"Camille, I think there's a hidden connection between Professor Krane and Sarah. Just now, Krane secretly called Sarah over. I think we need to investigate this," Selene said, her voice close to a whisper but filled with suspicion. She quickly scanned the area, trying to make sure no one was listening.

At first, Camille didn't take it too seriously. However, deep down, she had lost trust in anyone due to recent events. She looked at Selene with suspicion and after a brief hesitation, nodded. "Alright, let's see what's going on."

The two followed Sarah to the parking lot with curiosity and concern, and they noticed Luca was there too. Luca was standing in the corner, like a shadow. His gaze resembled that of a detective trying to unravel a hidden truth. When Luca saw Camille and Selene, he approached them.

"Something is going on here," he whispered. "I need to tell you what I just overheard. Listen carefully. Magnus, Krane, and Selene were talking about using a certain poison in the sale of food and drinks. Selene rejected the idea firmly, saying it was unethical. But Krane seemed very interested in the idea of making large amounts of money. Magnus was angry at Selene’s refusal. He told her the plan must stay secret, and if she told anyone, the consequences would be severe. I suspect... this poison might be connected to the Rare genocide."

Luca’s words shocked Selene. Her heart began to race. Camille, however, seemed unexpectedly calm, as though she had suspected Magnus was involved in something dark.

"I suspected Magnus was involved in shady dealings, but I never thought he'd go as far as poisoning his own people," Camille said, her voice not as strong as it usually was. "But what I don't understand is the connection between this poison and the Rare genocide. And what does Magnus gain from it? We won’t let this go. We can’t turn a blind eye to innocent deaths."

Luca nodded, supporting Camille’s words. "Did you notice? Most of the Rares were captured on the streets, but they weren't killed. Despite all the struggles, they made sure they stayed alive. They were all taken somewhere far from sight. Why? If they wanted to kill them, they would have done it where they caught them. But they weren't taken to any prisons. They all suddenly disappeared. This isn’t a normal execution process."

While Camille was processing Luca’s words, a lightbulb went off in her mind. Luca took a deep breath and continued:

"When I looked over your research, Camille, I saw that it mentions humans being used in experiments. But all the experiments were extremely risky. Have you ever thought about who these deadly experiments are being done on?"

Camille’s heart almost stopped. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. The question echoed in her mind, pulling her into a deep void. She thought she was working to save humanity, but had she extinguished the lives of thousands of innocent people in the process? She clenched her fists, feeling the weight of guilt flood her body.

Just then, footsteps from the corner of the parking lot snapped Camille out of her thoughts. Prof. Krane and Sarah had entered the parking lot. They were close to each other, whispering. Camille, Selene, and Luca silently hid behind a car to continue observing. Krane’s face was tense, and Sarah looked worried. Their conversation was short, and they both walked in different directions afterward.

"Here’s the evidence," Luca said in a hushed voice. "Sarah and Krane are definitely up to something."

Camille felt the pain of realizing that someone she cared about had betrayed her once again. But this time, there was a different feeling inside her; instead of sadness, it was anger. She was tired of being betrayed. She took a deep breath and said firmly, "We’re going to get to the bottom of this."

Thus, the team began collecting everything they could about Magnus’ company. The data they had was insufficient, but their investigation would continue. Throughout the day, Camille and Selene closely monitored Sarah, watching her every move. When evening came and the workday ended, Camille and Selene went to Camille’s house under the pretense of having dinner together. Luca, however, had already quietly returned home.

Camille took Selene to her room. Her father Magnus was not home, and after the recent events, she didn’t expect him to come back anytime soon. Finally, the three of them were alone. Selene’s eyes shifted suspiciously toward Luca.

"Camille, who is this kid? And what’s he doing in your room?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Camille and Luca exchanged a look and chuckled softly.

"My boyfriend," Camille said, her voice a bit shy. "Although we’ve been through complicated things recently, we’re still together."

For a moment, Selene was stunned. Camille, who had always kept her distance from romance since childhood, having a boyfriend was a big surprise. She immediately hugged Camille with excitement. Luca, who was watching this, smiled slightly and shook his head.

However, this brief moment of relief quickly gave way to seriousness. It was time to dig deeper into the truth.

Camille furrowed her brows and turned to Luca, her voice shaky but resolute. "Last time, you said this poison was used on the Rares. But isn’t that just a theory? Do we have any proof?"

Luca took a deep breath before answering, clearing his throat. "I didn’t see it with my own eyes, and I didn’t find any records. It’s forbidden to get into the record center, and I have to stay hidden from people, so even approaching it is impossible. But, based on the experiences I’ve gained from where I live, I had the chance to overhear parts of their conversations. The poison they’re talking about is called 'Chronotoxin.' 'Chrono' means time, and 'toxin' means poison. It shortens the lifespan of the person who uses it but drastically boosts their spiritual energy for a short period. Magnus' goal is exactly that: to harness the momentary boost in spiritual energy."

Luca’s voice didn’t tremble, but the anger and disgust rising inside him were clear. He knew how horrific and inhumane what he was describing was. Camille tilted her head thoughtfully as she looked at Luca, while Selene frowned, her face filled with a complex expression.

"I don’t get it," said Selene, trying to untangle the knots in her mind. "Why does Magnus want this boost in spiritual energy? What does poisoning people give him?"

Luca took a deep breath and lowered his gaze, his expression hardening. "He captured the Rares and experimented with Chronotoxin on them. Once the formula was successful, he made all the Rares consume it and killed them. He harvested their spiritual energy, which increased 3-4 times in an instant. There’s only one reason he would do this..."

"Immortality," they both said simultaneously. Their words came out in perfect harmony, and they both were momentarily surprised at the synchronicity. When their eyes met, they shared a brief, shy look, but the grim reality they were facing quickly broke the moment.

Selene stared blankly, as if she couldn’t process what she had just heard. A chill spread through her body, and she found it hard to breathe. Realizing they were in the presence of a monster who aimed to break nature’s taboos and had already taken the lives of thousands of innocent people made her stomach turn. It became difficult to even take a breath.

"Most likely, the spiritual energy he collected from the Rares wasn’t enough for him to reach his goal. That’s why he’s planning to poison the entire population," Luca said, his voice cold and certain. "That’s why he called Krane and Dr. Selene... He’s trying to gain allies."

His words hung in the air, casting a dark shadow over them. Their situation was dire, and they had no idea what to do next. But they knew one thing for sure: they had to find a way to stop more innocent people from suffering.

Luca’s body was slightly trembling. He seemed more tense than usual; it was evident that he was pressing his feet hard into the ground and clenching his fists. There was an expression on his face that revealed the storm raging inside him. He wanted to say something, but hesitated. Finally, he fixed his gaze on Camille and, taking a deep breath, spoke.

"Camille... I’m thinking about working with you in the lab," he said, his voice now more firm and determined. "I know it’s risky. But I have to do this. We have to do this."

The certainty in his eyes showed that there was not a trace of doubt within him. Camille and Selene were stunned when they heard this sentence. They hadn’t expected this to happen. A deep concern settled on their faces. Was this plan safe enough? What would happen if Luca got caught? He clearly had a plan, but hadn’t shared it with anyone yet.

Despite the growing anxiety inside her, Camille paused for a moment, looking into Luca’s eyes. Then she took a deep breath and collected herself. No matter what, they were in this together, and they would fight together. But before them lay a dark and difficult road.