Rewinding to the time when Cain just awoke from his long slumber.
As he separated from his comrades, the boy walked alone in the long corridor of the hospital in the barracks. With a touch of cold from the metal that wrapped every corner, it gave him a slight chill down his spine.
A bit of light from the artificial moon cascades through the window beside him. Its serene glow soothed the boy's weary thoughts after accompanying his comrades' long talk.
Cain exhaled a soft breath, loosening up the tension in his stiff shoulders. He glanced to his side, seeing a row of buildings adorned with blue neon. Even though the night was glowing with color, it was cold and devoid of any presence.
"Thank god the discussion didn't escalate."
The talk with his comrades almost caused a rift between him and Rika, who, unusually, acted meek and protective around him. Cain thought the girl had a thing for Abel, but her situation clearly needed fixing.
As he gazed at the lonely scenery, the boy arrived at his room. It was a spacious room with multiple beds around. Cain walked over and sat on the bed near the window.
Alone in his room, the boy lamented the things he had received from his teammates and his condition upon waking.
There was not much of an important event happening, but Cain gritted his teeth; he regretted wasting his precious time in sleep when he could use that span to raise his abilities further.
Cain raised his palm. The hardened skin and fading calluses became proof of his loosening grip on himself. He clenched his fist hard; a blazing determination burned in his black eyes.
At that time, a tiny black serpent crackled on his fist. His narrowed eyes widened in surprise.
'Black lightning.'
As if answering its master's will, black lightning started to burst around his palm skin. Its arcs seemed like they were dancing in his hand. There was no pain, nor tingling sensation that gnawed at his nerves, only warmth; the lightning was like some part of himself.
Cain parted his lips in satisfaction, but once he was about to wave his hand to discard the lightning, the boy halted his thought.
"Wait? How can I use this power effectively?"
A fragment from his battle resurfaces. True, he could wield the power at his will, but at that time, he was in an emergency, so Cain didn't have any leeway to think deeply about it.
But now it's different.
After regaining his calm from the battle and the earlier talk with his friends, telling him to hide the power inside him made him cover his lips, deep in thought.
The power in him was great, too great; it was called a weapon for mass genocide. It also followed his command generously without asking for a price.
Cain clenched his fist, causing the black lightning to roar from the inside of his body. It crackled like a beast.
'This power is too conspicuous.'
Cain's expression hardened as if swallowing a bitter pill. He knew there was a ban, but there must be a way to use it without getting out to the public eye.
'If I can tap the core of its energy and use it internally.'
The boy closed his eyes, entering deep into his subconsciousness. But a loud thump from his heart snapped his eyes wide open. He placed a hand over his heart, feeling the calm beat shrouded in a warm sensation.
"This!? Is this the core?"
***
Back in the present, as Cain told everything to his comrades, the other four exchanged glances and began to reach out to their chests. The beat that transferred into their skins made them aware of the life that had been granted to them.
"Yeah, that time after thinking it through. I found something aside from attributes. It was something abstract, warmth, but it felt more real than anything I've ever felt."
The atmosphere in the place froze, and three of his teammates exchanged glances. Their gaze was fixed vacantly on the leader before them, unable to process the information.
Only one boy; his blue hair fluttered gently in the wind. He raised a hand, attracting the attention of those around him.
"Leader… I think what you're describing is Ether."
"Ether?"
Not only Cain, but the other three's focus started to shift to Peter.
The blue-haired boy swept his gaze over his oblivious comrades. He nodded and started to tell them about Ether, a supernatural ability harnessed by people who received a mutation potential.
Cain held his breath for a moment. His black pupils dilated as he placed both hands to support himself. He looked at the blue sky and couldn't help but murmur.
'Ether, huh?'
Knowing Peter's background, a boy born in a wealthy family, and a sister who has already stayed in these facilities longer than them. Cain could accept the fact and clicked his tongue in frustration.
'Tch, I lack information.'
Cain straightens his posture. He crossed his arms on his chest as he tried to exploit the debt from General Dosh.
'Next time we meet, you'd better prepare yourself, old man.'
Next to him was someone who was still deep in thought. A brow-haired girl raised a palm, her voice was like a chime. It soothed everyone present.
"Um, so, what the leader meant is you managed to grasp the Ether and used it in your training?"
He turned his head sideways and nodded.
"Thanks to Peter, I know what kind of power is inside us after injecting the attribute into our bodies."
The four of them exchanged glances before simultaneously shifting their attention toward Cain and nodding.
"Please guide us!"
Upon hearing their thundering shout, Cain parted his lips. He took a deep breath and was about to speak when a sudden thought caught in his throat.
'Wait, how can I teach them?'
With a stroke of luck, Cain managed to feel the power pulsating inside him, but didn't know how to explain the details.
A deafening silence descended around the field, making the atmosphere between the group shrouded in awkwardness that coiled around Cain's neck, suffocating him.
***
When Cain was struggling to come up with an explanation. Far away from the training facilities, inside a fluttering tent. The interior was spacious and could accommodate dozens of men.
Many desks were piled with documents, and the people sitting in the chairs behind them never stopped their fingers from tapping the holographic keyboard; their dead fish eyes stared at the screen.
A lone man sat on a chair within the innermost room. The desk before him was empty; only a handful of terminals and a communication device were switched off.
His presence in the room created a tension that weighed on everyone nearby. The man's brow twitched when he felt a presence entering the tent.
"Report, Soldier Oliver at your service."
A young man in his late teens stepped inside. His voice was calm, demonstrating his composure before the torrent of authority.
In fact, Oliver was a senior, two years older than Cain, and thanks to his abilities in commanding his squad and individual abilities, they were called into the eastern border to fight a battle with the sudden emergence of virus beasts.
The man shot a glare that could freeze blood before slamming a terminal onto the desk. The report echoed like a gunshot in the silent room.
"Take the terminal and give it to Dosh!"
It was a brief and easy-to-understand command, but the young man struggled to gulp. The man's voice was low, yet laced with grand authority that choked his throat.
Oliver held his breath. He nodded before dragging his heavy feet to take the terminal from the man's desk. Each step he took was labor, and cold sweat began to drench his back as he stood face to face with the man.
The young man reached the terminal, his freezing fingertips booted on the device, and swiped through the data to confirm. He placed a hand on his chest, gritting his teeth to squeeze the word out of his mouth.
"As you command!"