SLOPE

||| THE PATH OF REVENANCE: MICHAEL |||

[The Research Laboratory]

Inside the all-white room, Pascal grumbled; his eyes were fixated on the glass cylinder in front of him, filled with green, transparent liquid. Within it was Cindar’s golden arm, taken from him before his burial. Surprisingly, he did not expect Thomas to agree to his request, considering how close he was to the deceased. Maybe there was something…or someone who changed his mind?

“Tanager,” Pascal called out, and a little girl in a lab coat popped out from behind the cylinder. She had chestnut-brown hair tied into a ponytail – mimicking Lucy Nightingale’s hairstyle. “Report, please.”

“Cellular regeneration is still active 24 hours after submersion. Blood cells, muscle tissues, and bones are at optimum levels, showing no signs of decay.”

“An immortal lifeform. Fascinating,” Pascal remarked.

“There’s more, doc,” Morgana interjected. “Our team sequences its genome, and uh…”

“Go on, don’t leave me in suspense.”

“50% are of homo sapien, while the other half showed high similarity with the Lacerators, sir.”

Pascal huffed; a tiny smile appeared on his face. “How lovely. We’ve got ourselves a Frankenstein’s monster. Well, at least a part of him.”

“Pardon, sir?”

“It’s a story from the…you know what? Don’t worry about it,” Pascal quickly dismissed the topic. “Is there anything else?”

“Not yet. Um...off the record, sir?” Morgana paused nervously. “What we’re seeing is…something that is not supposed to exist. There were papers I’ve read – about Hybridisation, but none of them were successful…and safe.”

“Yet, the ‘impossible’ is currently floating in front of our very eyes. Someone out there found a way to perform Hybridization without any of its debilitating side effects. Based on the incident report, Edelweiss mentioned Cindar imbibed a black liquid from a small glass vial. Unfortunately, the container was destroyed soon after.”

“So, what now?”

“Hm.” Pascal held his chin, thinking deeply. “We need to trace his movements, especially during his Apprenticeship. Cindar’s files – have they been transported to the Vault?”

“They have. Are we heading there now?”

“Yeah, I think it is unwise to delay this investigation. Make sure no one knows about our discovery, especially the Council of Eight.”

Morgana glared disapprovingly at the bespectacled doctor. “Is that…wise, sir?”

“Maybe not, but the last thing I need is unnecessary distraction, especially from the finicky higher-ups.”

“Understood, sir.”

||| THE END OF THE PATH OF REVENANCE |||

**********************************************

[The Training Hall]

Sam raised his wooden sword, blocking Rupert’s incoming assault. It was undoubtedly a powerful attempt but way too predictable.

“You need to vary your attack, Rupe. The Distorted may not be as intelligent as us, but they are smart enough to dodge potential hazards, especially when they see it coming.”

“And missed the surprised look on their faces?” Rupert replied gleefully.

“Better than being dead,” Lucy, who was leaning against the wall, shouted.

“Isn’t that a part of our job? Besting death?”

“Nonsense. No one on this planet can best death. Not even Markus,” Lucy countered.

“What about the Twins?”

“Theirs is a special case, but like us, they will eventually taste death,” Sam retorted. “Why do you want to best death anyway?”

“For the thrill of it, of course,” Rupert laughed. “Don’t you get it? That palpable feeling when you’re standing on the edge between life and death? It's the most fulfilling thing one could experience.”

“For you, maybe,” Lucy sighed.

“You should try it sometimes, lil sis. Maybe it could put a smile on that sulking face of yours.”

“I’ll pass. Too much adrenaline is bad for the skin.”

The front door swung open with Max walking in casually, holding a mug of hot coffee. He took a quick sip before addressing the trio with a cheerful tone, “Good morning, everyone. Another day, another workload, huh?”

“I’m guessing you’ve got work for us, then?” Sam asked.

“Something like that,” Max confirmed before taking another sip of his drink. “Meet me at the Froghopper Quarter in an hour, and let’s keep it discreet, alright?” The Lord of the Froghopper gave Rupert one last glare before leaving the place.

“What’s all that about?” the elder Nightingale muttered, followed by Lucy chuckling at him.

“You’ve been marked, brother. If something happens from here on out, you’ll be the honorary scapegoat.”

“Are you frickin’ kidding me!”

**********************************************

||| THE PATH OF CHANGELESSNESS: MARKUS |||

Before Markus could even step into the Chamber of the Eight, the sharp scent of cigar mercilessly pierced his nostrils. A bad habit of the Overlord, but a useful indicator of his current mood. After taking a few seconds to compose himself, Markus pushed the door open, and there was Thomas in his seat; white smoke oozed out of his mouth.

“The Lord of the Deathstalkers finally made his return,” Thomas announced. “Have you decided to stop running away from your responsibility?”

“I always carry out my duty seriously, my lord,” Markus responded before sitting next to his superior.

“Why are you here, Markus? Surely not because you want to whine about my smoking?”

“We both know that will be utterly pointless. I’m here…for a more personal reason.”

Thomas placed his cigar against his lips for a brief moment before blowing out another cloud of smoke. “The boy is dead, buried six feet underground in a nameless grave. His family name is tainted, forever associated with murder and violence. What else is there to talk about?”

“You, Thomas. The way Cindar went out was…shocking, to say the least, and being the closest to him-.”

“You want to know whether my leadership is compromised, is that it?”

Markus gave a reluctant nod. “Look, I understand if you want to take a few days off to clear your mind-.”

“My mind is clear,” Thomas grumbled. Then, the Overlord slid a large photo into Markus’s hands.

“It’s a picture of an empty grave.”

“That was Cindar’s – taken 6 hours after his burial.”

“What!” Markus gasped, nearly choking on his spit.

“Judging from the soil, it was dug from the inside. I’ve encountered many supernatural things in my heyday, Markus, but rising from the dead? That is one of the Inevitables none of us can escape.”

“So, what do you need of me? You want me to track him?”

“No, I’ve already got someone to do that.” After answering the question, Thomas leaned toward the table. “The Vidya Visionaries – tell me about them.”

Markus’s eyes gradually narrowed at the sudden question. Never once had the Overlord asked him about the group ever since their demise 10 years ago. “Brilliant people, they were, but misguided by envy and fear.”

“That is not what I meant. What was it called again? Project Salamander? You know where I’m getting at?”

“The controlled ability to regrow one’s limbs in cases of amputations. It was just a theory – didn’t even pass the planning phase.”

“Until now.”

Markus saw the anxiousness on the Overlord’s face. “Thomas, the Visionaries no longer exist. We were there when it happened, remember?”

“Every second of it. You beheaded their leader in front of my eyes,” Thomas let out a raspy chuckle, but the smile on his face quickly disappeared, replaced with a sombre expression. “My only regret is that we were unable to recover the children’s remains.”

“We can still do it, you know?”

“That nonsense again?” Markus huffed. “I will not send one of us into that death trap. There’s nothing in there except empty tunnels and bloodstained walls.”

“But, my lord -.”

Thomas crushed his cigar with his right hand and lashed back, “I SAID NO! AND THAT IS FINAL!” Jumping out of his seat, the Overlord stormed out of the chamber, leaving Markus slumping against his chair. He could clearly see the incident in the Desert of Ashes affected his friend deeply – then again, who wouldn’t be? But then his mind recalled two specific words: Project Salamander.

“I suppose it’s time to do some reading…again.”

||| THE END OF THE PATH OF CHANGELESSNESS |||

**********************************************

[The Froghopper Quarter]

The trio was taken aback by the sight of the nearly empty room. Yesterday, it was packed with people screaming and yelling at each other – to see the chamber now without the chaos was jarring to them.

“Enjoy the silence while you can,” said Max nonchalantly before heading straight to the black pedestal. “Good morning, Putih.”

A green sphere appeared, followed by a familiar voice replying to the question, ‘Good morning, Lord Theris. How may I be of assistance?’

“Can you please fetch file number 13 from the Unresolved section?”

‘Do you want to keep this request under the radar, sir?’

“That would be nice, Putih.”

In a blink of an eye, dozens of documents manifested out of thin air: photographs, letters and maps. Max swiped his hand to the right, revealing a list of names; each one belonged to children below the age of six.

“Missing children from ten years ago, all are presumed dead. They were taken from their homes at night and were never seen again,” Max explained. “Our investigation led us to the Desert of Ashes – to the home of Vidya’s Visionaries. They were responsible for the mass abductions, illegal experiments, and subsequently, the countless murders of those children.”

“The Visionaries are gone, right? We hunted them until there was none left,” said Lucy.

“That’s unfortunate. I would like to get my hands on them,” Rupert added. Despite his usual smile, his eyes were brimming with rage.

“So, what exactly do we have to do?” Sam asked.

“I’m glad you asked. My predecessor confirmed the children’s deaths based on the Visionaries’ own records, but there were no bodies. We scoured every inch of their Retreat but found nothing – at least, that is what we thought.”

“Oh? It sounds like you believe otherwise.”

“My source believes otherwise. Truth be told, I had my doubts at first but…several compelling arguments were made.”

“Let me guess, you want us to investigate in your stead?” said Lucy.

“Investigate sounds a bit formal, but yes, you are correct. Investigate and, if possible, recover any belongings or remains of the Visionaries’ victims.” Max waved his hand, showing a bird’s-eye view of the Desert of Ashes; red dots scattered all over the place. “As you may have guessed, those are the heat signatures of the desert’s residents. Nothing strange, right? But at night…”

The desert turned dark, and a large red spot began to appear in the middle of the image. “A massive heat signature popped out of nowhere, but the strangest thing is, it does not originate from the surface.”

“When was this taken?” Sam inquired, his brows snapped together.

“Last night. But we first noticed it a year ago, and it was significantly smaller than what it is today. We’ve tried to send a team there, but let’s just say a certain someone refused to do so as they didn’t see any imminent threat.”

“Huh, I wonder who might that be,” Rupert huffed, nudging Sam’s shoulder.

“Whether it is imminent or not, a threat is still a threat and must be resolved before it affects the local populace.”

“But, to suggest it has something to do with Vidya’s Visionaries is a little...far-fetched, don’t you think?” said Lucy.

“Perhaps. Then again, we have those who can control the blizzard, manipulate gravity with a flick of a finger, slow down time as easily as breathing…and conjure flame out of nothing. So, as improbable as it sounds, Miss Nightingale, I wouldn’t say it is out of the realm of possibility.”

“Let’s just assume the Visionaries are back, and we encountered them during our investigation; what then? What is our next course of action?” Sam asked.

“As far as I know, this conversation never happened, and your little squad does not exist,” Max retorted; his little smile was unsettling. “I trust all three of you will keep it that way.”

Sam glanced at the siblings, fully realizing the power they had been given.

“Tomorrow, at the first ring of the Dawn Raid bell, meet up with Strelitzia at the Chamber of Convergence. She will brief you and give you the necessary equipment for your mission. Best of luck. I heard the desert is quite treacherous at this time of the year.”

**********************************************

“All of this sounds rather fishy, don’t you think? I mean, I’m glad to be out of here, but the whole sneaking around still doesn’t sit well with me,” Rupert spouted after leaving the Froghopper Quarter.

“Sadly, I have to agree with you on this one,” Lucy responded as she fixed her ponytail. “Going behind the Overlord’s back is like going into uncharted territory.”

“It’s Markus’s territory. I bet my life he has something to do with this stuff…and that’s troubling,” Sam said, looking around the Silver Corridor nervously.

Rupert looked at the vermillion-eyed man curiously before asking him, “What do you mean by that?”

“It means we shouldn’t discuss this any further – not until we’re out of this place.”