★84
THIRD POV
Later that night, Asteri and Scarlet King headed for the underground floor. The scientists were ready, waiting for him.
"Where's the 100% subject?"
That was his first question.
"This way."
Eto guided, and Majo explained.
"We have two subjects. A human and a demon. The demon came in first, so we had to turn the vessel to ice to preserve it. Our goal is to take a look at all the hundred subjects at a time."
"They'll be a difference that for sure."
"Exactly. With Temporal Twist and other Arts, we have four successful subjects from the first chamber. A human, an elf, a demon, and an ogre."
They entered a separate chamber where the four subjects were stored in isolation. One by one, Asteri began his inspection.
The first in line was a human. The ice encasing him dissolved, revealing the inert form within. He lay still, lifeless.
"As expected of a human."
He murmured.
"Atlas, Elaine."
The two stepped forward immediately.
"Resurrect him."
Elaine acted without hesitation, weaving her power to restore life. The subject's eyes fluttered open, then closed. Once more, he died.
"What are you waiting for?"
Asteri asked Eto.
"Un—ah—"
Eto stammered, adjusting settings on his tablet. A faint hum sounded, and the second tube drew a precise measure of magicule from the corpse.
Elaine revived him again. Once more, he died. Eto adjusted the extraction, carefully regulating the flow, and this time, when Elaine brought him back, he opened his eyes and remained alive.
"Physically, he's stable. But he'll die from the inside if we're not careful."
Majo reported.
"I need a perfect balance first."
Asteri demanded.
Nodding, the team repeated the procedure, refining the process with each cycle. The subject endured the repeated deaths and revivals, each time more precisely calibrated. By the fifth trial, Majo confirmed a steady rhythm in his vitals and magicule balance.
"He's stable."
She said.
Asteri's gaze lingered on the human, noting the perfection of life restored through meticulous control. In this chamber, death was merely a step in the process, a tool to achieve balance and precision.
"He'll survive, but he'll no longer be human."
Majo added.
"That's the goal for the experiment."
Asteri replied coldly, approaching the vessel closely.
He looked him in the eyes for seconds before approaching the next subject, an elf.
"This subject also died after reaching 100%. We'll proceed with the V.I.T.A.L operation."
Eto's words ended up drawing attention to himself.
"What's VITAL?"
"Come again?"
Shinn and Asteri asked, respectively.
"I just came up with a name for it. Variable Infusion Test for Adaptive Limits."
No one spoke. All eyes were fixed on him.
Eto felt the weight of their gazes closing in, pressure mounting by the second, yet he forced himself to remain still.
"I suppose it works,"
Asteri said at last, breaking the silence as he moved on to the next subject.
Unlike the previous two, this one, an ogre, was not dead. She was alive, violently so.
The creature thrashed within the vessel, fists slamming against reinforced glass, snarling and howling as if reason itself had been stripped away. Energy coursed through her body twisting muscle and mind alike.
She looked less like a living being and more like a corpse animated by instinct. Every movement screamed chaos, yet it revealed a strange compelling power.
"Looks like death forgot to collect this one."
Atlas remarked, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Calmly observing what others feared.
"Interesting,"
Asteri said, almost delighted. His gaze sharp, enjoying the puzzle before him.
"She's being puppeteered by the very force meant to empower her."
The irony wasn't lost on him.
His eyes followed the erratic surges of energy inside the ogre's body, analysing it.
"Slowly but surely, the energy is devouring her from within. What we're witnessing is a vessel too stubborn to die."
Shinn added, voice clinical.
Asteri tilted his head and asked.
"Background?"
"Tragic."
Shinn replied.
"In short, her family was taken from her. More like, killed. She swore vengeance on those responsible."
"That's—oddly relatable,"
Eto muttered. It was clearly aimed at Asteri, but the latter didn't even react.
"So you're saying her emotions are sustaining her? Enough to overthrow senses?"
Asteri asked, curiosity laced with strategy.
"I can't fully explain it. But yes. I don't understand human emotions well enough to quantify them."
Shinn admitted.
Asteri's lips curved slightly.
"Then perhaps we can use that."
"You mean—implant them?"
Atlas asked, hesitation clinging to his voice.
"Yes."
Asteri paused, considering.
"No—this won't be a last resort. Take a quarter of the subjects and begin. On second thought, a quarter is excessive. Ten subjects."
"Roger."
Eto responded. Obedience without question.
"Focus on hatred and vengeance. As for the ways—"
(Ways = reason behind their hatred or vengeance.)
"Make them gruesome,"
Asteri said calmly. Every syllable a command etched in shadow.
Eto's eyes lit up.
"Leave it to me."
He snapped a salute and bolted from the chamber, the echoes of his footsteps fading as the ogre continued to pound against the glass, fuelled not by life, but by emotion too violent to let her die. Yet for Asteri, chaos and calculation intertwined, a prelude to what was to come.
"What'll happen to them after they wake up?"
"What do you mean?"
"After the experiment. They'll be put to use, yes? That fabricated memory will affect them."
"I can extract them as easily as I've implanted them. Proceed with VITAL."
At his command, the ogre unlocked phase two, and Shinn began channelling Asteri's magicule into its body. The moment a 1% dose was injected, the subject died.
"To think it'll still be potent after diluting it several times."
"Don't worry. With time, it'll work."
Shinn assured, and Asteri moved on to the final subject. The ice completely melted, and the demon was simply floating, observing them.
"As expected of a demon."
"Phase one 100% assimilated without much damage."
"Was there any?"
"After reaching 100%, that is. Some will be acting like the orge, some fight their way back, and then we have some who are totally unaffected. He's one of those who ascended."
"Proceed with phase two."
0.001% to 0.1% of the diluted otherworldly magicule, star energy, was handled properly, but there were changes when 0.5% was loading.
"Increased heart rate. 15, 21, 39. Temperature rising rapidly—20,15—temperature stabilising. Heart rate is back to normal."
Majo reported that the demon successfully adapted without any issues. After waiting for about a minute, 0.5% was added, but there wasn't any change from within or outside.
"Keep going."
Asteri urged, and Shinn kept adding fractions of Asteri's magicule, and with time, the demon has surpassed 10%. Majo eyes were locked onto the subject, ready to note any changes, but there was none. Yet, at 14.8% the water began boiling.
"What's going on?"
"Same thing happened to the wyverns. I'm afraid we have to be petrified."
With a gentle touch, Asteri enhances the vessel. His actions were more than enough. He wanted to see everything. At 37%, its black hair began turning silvery white.
"Melanin destruction."
"How is—"
"You mean while Majo and Scarlet took over 100% of my magicule and no changes were detected?"
Asteri asked the question Shinn was pondering about.
"Yes."
"Show him."
At Asteri's command, Majo and Scarlet revealed their true hair colour. It was no longer their respective lineage's but white. Not Blanc's white but white resembling Asteri's own. Supreme colour beyond colour itself. The pinnacle of 'white' itself. Shinn, Atlas, and Elaine could only look in surprise.
"T...that's."
"Yeah. We're no long bound by our demonic lineage. We completely belong to the Great Monarch."
Majo revealed.
"It's a secret, and I also don't want them to have identical hair colour as mine, so I forbid them from revealing it."
"Hmm, looks like a lot has been happening."
At 49%, the demon's hair was now completely silver, and as if he had reached his limits, it died in a heartbeat the moment it took 50%. Asteri exhaled deeply.
"Revert back to 49% and let him rest. Do so for all those who've died. Let them have time to adapt to their maximum limit before breaking past another layer."
Asteri moved toward the cryogenic chamber, Shinn leading the way through the cold corridors.
Inside, one of the wyverns, fully assimilated with phase two, was encased in ice. The moment they approached, the ice cracked and melted, releasing a cold breeze that filled the room.
From the mist, two red eyes glowed, sharp and alert, and the temperature surged around them. Heat.
"Scarlet."
Asteri commanded.
The Demon Lord's Butler stepped forward silently, intercepting the wyvern's first attack. Blue flames surged, but he swatted them aside with a single palm, redirecting them harmlessly to the wall. The flames collapsed into the wall leaving no byproduct.
A guttural growl and a deafening roar followed, revealing the creature in full: a silver-scaled wyvern with red eyes, each iris marked by a five-headed golden star.
"Don't kill it. Tame it."
Asteri ordered.
The wyvern lunged, flames erupting, but the butler remained untouched. With a single leap, he landed on its head, grasping one of its massive horns and threw the heavy mass with an effortless heave. The beast crashed onto the floor without much if a thud or impact. Everything was designed to cancel out damage.
The wyvern's frustration erupted; sparks of blue flame ignited along its jaws, its entire body tense and coiled to strike. But Scarlet's movements were instantaneous.
He strode through the fire as though it were nothing, seizing the beast's snout and slamming it into the cold stone floor with bone-crushing force.
"Stay down."
He commanded, his voice flat.
He planted his left foot atop the wyvern's massive snout. The unyielding dominance radiating from him, was overwhelming. The wyvern's resistance faltered, its enormous body trembling under his control.
Slowly, the creature lowered itself, sprawling across the floor in submission, its fiery eyes dimming in reluctant acknowledgment of his authority. The chamber fell silent except for the shallow hiss of the wyvern's breath.
"That's quick. But I said tame, not defeat."
Scarlet stepped back slightly, making way for Asteri.
"Dominance with strength is what he's trying to say."
"He has a voice don't he, Shinn?"
Asteri asked, and Shinn didn't respond. He's right, Scarlet has been mute ever since. After felling forced, he spoke.
"Lord Shinn is right. With this much difference, a single command will work."
"Ok. Prove it."
Asteri instructed.
"Sit."
In a flash, the wyvern responded, sitting like a dog, waiting for another command.
"Hmm, good. But I don't plan on letting the demons ride the wyverns. Scarlet, you'll be in charge of teaching them. I don't want to hear anything about using strength or magic. Find a way to tame them. I don't know how, just do it."
Asteri turned, heading for the exit after dumping a new role.
"So I was summoned just to watch?"
Atlas asked, following him.
'Perfect timing, you astral mongrel. I won't let you off the hook so easily.'
"As Lord of Death, there's a way you'll contribute to Operation VITAL. Maybe prevent them from dying as we experiment on them or something else."
(Bastard = astral mongrel)
"The former is a bit cruel."
"Is that sympathy?"
Asteri asked, observing Atlas closely. Atlas couldn't answer. Yes, it means he's feeling something. No, it means he'll accept the task and work.
"Who knows."
Someone else answered. It was Elaine.
"Do you have anything to say, princess?"
He asked, turning to meet her gaze.
"What are you planning to create? A hybrid star?"
Unlike Atlas, Elaine can voice her thoughts and scold Asteri when needed. The perfect tool to keep Antares in check. That's what Elara thought. Little did she know what's happening.
"I'm not interested in that even if I have the resources and time to do so. I just want to create a perfect and peaceful life."
Asteri replied dismissively.
"This surely isn't peaceful."
"Lay low and wait for someone to attack us?"
She hesitated on that answer before she changed the topic.
"No matter what you create, they won't be enough to stand against a dark star."
"I know. As long as they'll keep this world at bay, I'll handle that thing myself."
He said and left the chamber.
He then teleported out of the floor, appearing in a corridor within of his floor. He sighed.
"Lightless. Just who the hell do you think you are? This is my journey, I can't let anyone tell me what to do."
(Lightless = damn you. Stars are divine so—:)
He complained, voice low. As he took a turn to the right, someone was in front of him. It was Hinata.
"Uh,um,ah—what are you doing here? It's late."
He stammered.
"I heard something. So I was checking."
'Don't tell me the shortest clash released a lot of noise even though it shouldn't.'
"Where exactly?"
"You don't seem surprised."
"It depends."
"Beneath the palace. Come to think of it, you said there were three floors above ground and one below. What could be going on down there? You must know something, yes?"
"I do. What did you hear?"
I asked, hitting the road. She followed me.
"A roar."
'I don't think there's a point in lying. Yin and Yang might be able to communicate with otherworldly dragon-kin. I won't be surprised if they can.'
"Yeah. I was running some experiments on wyverns, humans, and demons."
"Experiments?"
"Yeah. Injecting them with magicule before overdosing them with mine. If they die, I bring them back and repeat."
"That's—"
She wasn't expecting this.
"Cruel? Yeah, I know. It's a way for me to understand their limits as well as produce soldiers from them. That's not bad, is it?"
"At least you have a goal, but are the subjects participating willingly or.."
"Only the demons are. The rest are bad guys I've caught. They deserve to die, but I can at least use them as lab rats before disposing them."
She nodded, agreeing to his point.
"It seems bad, but if you know the whole story, you'll understand it's not."
Eventually, we stopped at the balcony, observing the quiet island and beautiful starry sky.
"Yeah."
"Past midnight. What are you doing up awake? Couldn't sleep. A nightmare, again?"
"I don't feel restless. We sleep due to one or two reasons, but I don't feel like it these days. I've been awake for the past week, and I'm not feeling exhausted."
"That's a good sign."
"For?"
"The new you. The Mother of Dragons."
"Why exactly is the Mother not the Queen of Dragons?"
"Actually, it's both. Queen implies you're at the top of the Kalidor hierarchy, while Mother represents your connection to the Balance Dragons. They call you mama, don't they?"
"So that's how it is."
"Yes. What do you think about the finals tonight?"
"What do you think about Scarlet's behaviour? It was odd. I mean, why drop out when you're one step to the podium?"
"You expect Scarlet to defeat your candidate, Raiden?"
"If he gets serious, the match won't last a second. Yet despite holding back, he effortlessly made it to the semifinals. So yes, he'll beat the hell out of Raiden."
She admitted with a smile. She's right, though. The gap between Scarlet and everyone except the stars is extremely wide.
"He had to go, or else it'll be predictable. I don't want that. There's no fun in that."
"I knew you'd be the only one behind this."
Asteri smiled.
'Yay, I'm happy for you.'
"I just want to test their capabilities. This is also part of the experiment. Raiden and co mysteriously harvested our magicule unconsciously, and that has triggered changes in them. Tokito did the same, and I gave him some of my own personally. I'd like to see an all-out battle between them."
"At this rate, everyone will be infected."
She seemed worried, and I placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
"That's why the lab experiments are ongoing. With that, I'll be able to know the range their body can tolerate. Removing them isn't impossible, but I doubt this family will fall. And as long as we're here, the people will continue to change. Don't worry, I've got this under control."
She smiled and nodded before unexpectedly closing in for a hug.
Asteri's body tensed, and his arms stayed glued to his sides, unsure what to do, unsure how to be. No one had ever touched him like this before without fear, purpose or pain.
Slowly, his wide eyes lowered, and he whispered.
"What are you doing?"
"It's called a hug."
She murmured, her voice calm against his shoulder.
'A hug? Wait, what's this feeling in my chest?'
A beat passed, then another. Something fragile stirred in his chest, like a spark trying to catch flame. Hesitantly, he lifted his arms and wrapped them around her awkward, unsure but real.
"Is this—okay?"
He asked, and she smiled.
"Yeah. It's more than okay."
'I feel sorry for Towa.'
'This—this is so peaceful. I want to stay here like this forever.'
His grip tightened, just a little.
"Then maybe I don't want it to stop."
She smiled, and they stayed in that position for a minute before...
"I'd like to take Lady Athena to bed."
Glace popped up. Hinata freaked out and released Asteri. Upon turning, Asteri was glaring at Glace them. They always interrupted him. They always do.
"I—I didn't do anything wrong—"
The clone stammered as he retreats slowly. Suddenly, someone gently pulled Asteri's hair. He turned toward the direction. It was Lady Athena and it seems like he has woken her.
"Oh, forgive me, my lady. Here, take her to bed."
A small bed materialized, and she landed on it. The bed hovered next to Glace as he hurriedly left.
"I do not understand why these fools keep interrupting me."
She chuckled slightly at his words.
"What's wrong?"
"You cursed."
(Asteri is too pure after all.)
"Oh, I'm just annoyed by them. They always pop up when I'm having an important moment."
"Look..."
She pointed behind, he turned, and before he could speak, she gently cupped his face and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Asteri froze as his mind blanked.
For a moment, time itself seemed to halt around them. The sensation was overwhelming, too raw, and too real for him to process. He felt it once, and he's experiencing it again. But unlike before, this time, he's beginning to crave more of it.
His hands hesitated before a newly bloomed human instinct took over, wrapping around her waist as he gave in, letting the storm of emotion carry him away.
'Wait What? What am i...'
'Hehehe, enjoy your time, Little Romeo.'
Enta, the devil whispered, chucking. As things were about to escalate, Hinata, who made the first move, pulled out.
"That's a goodnight kiss. I'll see you tomorrow."
She waved.
"I was enjoying it, but this is a way to take control. With time, he'll come back. If he doesn't, I proceed with plan B.'
Hinata smiled softly, a quiet warmth in her eyes, then turned to leave with light steps.
Asteri stood there, silent. He couldn't help it. His gaze followed her, drawn like gravity to a star. Every sway of her movement echoed in his thoughts. His eyes fed on the memory, while his mind ran rampant with feelings he couldn't yet name.
Was it wonder or longing, perhaps something else. The answer is unknown. All he knew was that something inside him had shifted, and there was no turning back.
'Wild thoughts?'
Enta asked.
"Wild thoughts."
He answered.
'Don't chase, it's a trap. She gave you something you'll come crawling, begging and kneeling for later.'
Apparently, Enta knew better.
"Crawl, beg and kneel? Pathetic, I'm a God, you know."
"Hmm, let's say there's something other than God people kneel for. As far as I'm concerned, Antares is the OG here, not you."
"Blah blah blah, we're all the same. Just forget it."
'You're not. You didn't lower your gaze when she was leaving. I saw your eyes feasting on her.'
"Um—a look isn't forbidden."
'Trust me, it all starts with 'a look'. Let's keep that aside, we have something, no. We have a Dark Star to deal with.'
Enta snapped him out, channelling his focus to the impending threat.
"Yeah. You're right. I, we have to prepare."
He turned and went back to his room.
To be continued...