9:15 AM, alighting from the metro train, the trio consisting of Jyorta, George, and Laila walked towards their school, their frames sulking. After the three pestered Laila's mother, she finally relented to their efforts and talked. She didn't specify any details since leaking a military order was tantamount to betrayal. She only said that their parents had to join an organisation that was involved with the safety of the city, a lie that every parent used to cover up the details of their missions to their children.
"With Rachis Ancestor Strongest guarding our city, why do our parents need to participate in such tasks?" George muttered, a trace of tears leaking out of his eyes. He sniffed his runny nose, used a flower-patterned kerchief to wipe his tears before stuffing it back into his pocket.
"Even Rhachis Ancestor Strongest, despite his power, needs to rest. After all, he is but one person and our city is too big." Laila said. There was an obvious tone of disappointment and sadness in her tone, but she tried her best to conceal it, not giving in to her urges and crying her heart out.
Jyorta walked silently, his mind distracted, subconsciously keeping pace with George and Laila. The blue soul connected with a part of his brain, using it to think through his circumstances. It didn't want anything to happen that might negatively affect the development of Jyorta. After all, his body will belong to it in the future.
'Based on what the aunty character said, many adult characters from the 7th Ring have been summoned for a military exercise. At least, without the mother character around, I will have enough freedom to experiment with my control over Jyorta.'
The trance-like state of Jyorta quickly abated, his legs being in sync with the others, his mind adrift. Jyorta worried about his sister, wanting to see her as soon as possible.
9:30 AM, in an assembly hall, the students that numbered in the thousands joined their hands together and recited their prayers. Their prayers consisted of wishing good health to oneself, good health to parents, good health to family members, and the long-standing of the city.
9:45 AM, class resumed as the homeroom teacher entered. The moment she entered, a gloomy atmosphere hit her, dampening her mood. She gazed at her students, only numbering 18, a sharp contrast to the full attendance of 30 students. Their eyes were dull, listless, some shedding tears, some with puffy eyes, a result of crying overnight.
Heaving a melancholic sigh, the homeroom teacher began to take the roll call, having to repeat each name at least thrice before the students responded.
'This is probably the largest mission organised by the military involving the 7th Ring for the past 50 years.' The homeroom teacher thought, picking up a marker to begin the day's lessons. Though, she knew that none of her students had any mind to listen, prompting her to drop the marker after 5 minutes, unable to bear the gloomy atmosphere. She rushed to the staff room, in hopes to consult her colleagues for advice.
11:30 AM, Limitless Tower, Mr. Bone was dozing off, leaning his back on the sofa, a magazine covered his face. He was suddenly startled awake when the receptionist lady called his name. Craning his aching neck towards the source of the sound, he saw the beautiful face of the receptionist lady come into view.
"Your wife has broken through; she is currently waiting in a rehabilitation center." The receptionist lady motioned for him to follow her.
Mr. Bone erupted with joy, shouting with a burst of crazed laughter before being admonished by the receptionist lady. Many angry stares fell on him from all corners of the reception hall, from the people who were a nervous wreck from waiting for good news from their family members. Mr. Bone hurriedly apologised to them and followed after the receptionist lady, walking towards a lift on one end of the reception room.
Entering the lift, Mr. Bone stood in silence, watching the receptionist lady press the button to the 98th floor. Followed by a silence that felt like an hour had passed, the lift finally opened its doors, showcasing the 98th floor in full glory.
There was a small corridor where people could walk, lying perpendicular to his direction, going from one end on his left to the other end on his right. There was a corner on the right which connected to another corridor that went straight, leading to a room on the left. A small plaque rested above the entrance which read 'Developer-Breakthrough'. The door to the room was closed, barring him from seeing within it.
The receptionist lady walked past the door, towards the end of the corridor where a small door stood on the left. The plaque on the door read 'Rehabilitation Room' and was closed. The receptionist lady knocked on the door twice, producing faint knocking sounds. Just when Mr. Bone wondered whether the sound wasn't audible enough, he saw the door open to reveal Lucas Dark from within.
"You are just in time," Lucas motioned for the two to enter as he held the door. Seeing Mr. Bone, he gave a perfunctory reply, "Congratulations."
Mr. Bone nodded with delight and entered the door, gazing at a small narrow room filled with nutrient solutions. The nutrient solutions were stacked in shelves to his left, while the shelf to his right had an assortment of needles and other medical tools. To his front was a curtain that blocked him out from seeing further. Though, through the light that reflected from behind the curtain, he could make out the shadow of a frail person.
Just when he was about to rush forward, Lucas restrained him, motioning for him to control his impulse. Mr. Bone took a deep breath, calming his beating heart, and walked towards the curtain, controlling himself to not cause any problems. Pushing the curtain to the side, Mr. Bone saw a familiar figure, skin and bones, lying weakly on the bed. A nutrient solution hung on a stand near her, sending drips into her blood, nourishing her frail figure.
"H-Hen-riett-a," Mr. Bone held a hand, feeling the lack of flesh within it, tears streaming out of his eyes. The figure before him struggled to open her eyes, lacking focus as she looked at him. Her lips crept up to reveal a soft, weak smile while a faint sense of relief and pride washed over her eyes.
Her lips parted to reveal her row of teeth, her tongue slightly moving. Mr. Bone hurriedly craned his ears near her mouth, straining his superhuman senses to make out the faint whispers she struggled to mutter.
"I…did…it…finally," Mrs. Bone said, closing her eyes. Struggling to speak had strained her nerves, sapping away the last reserves of her energy, forcing her to rest to recover. Mr. Bone wiped his tears, silently thanking Lucas for his efforts.
"I didn't do much," Lucas said, his expression rigid. "Everything depended on her accumulation. Even though she succeeded in her breakthrough, she barely did it, leaving her in such a frail condition. Unless you use high-end materials to nourish her back to health soon, it would take her months to recover back to her prime depending on just these nutrient solutions alone."
"I will immediately contact my family and request for their support." Mr. Bone clenched his fists and said. He didn't want to face old man Bone, the cruel and cold-hearted man who would do anything to achieve his desires of expanding his family.
"Whatever you plan to do, I hope you make it quick. We just went through her submitted documents," Lucas went through a nearby machine to check Mrs. Bone's vitals. "She has been drafted for the Flying Signature Raid, conducted next month. I don't suppose you are unaware of what this means right?"
"I am aware," Mr. Bone said. "I will make the necessary preparations."
One of the staff members, an old woman dressed in a nurse outfit walked in. she looked like someone who would qualify to be addressed as 'Grandmother' by Mr. Bone, signalling her age. Seeing her, Mr. Bone was surprised for a moment before he decided to shut up after inspecting the strength of the woman. She was many times stronger than him, that too by a large margin.
"Madam Mary," Lucas hurriedly performed a bow, "I didn't know you were here."
Madam Mary flashed him a faint smile before she began to inspect the condition of Mrs. Bone. Lucas saw the Madam in work and hurriedly pulled the hands of Mr. Bone and the receptionist lady and retreated out of the room. Mr. Bone wanted to resist but found unable to do so under the powerful strength of Lucas.
Walking out of the room and gently closing the door behind him, Lucas used a kerchief to wipe the sweat that formed on his forehead. He looked like a lamb that has survived from getting slaughtered. Heaving a sigh of relief and adjusting his clothes, Lucas reverted to his rigid look, nudging the receptionist lady back to life.
"W-Why is she here?" The receptionist lady plummeted to the floor, looking like a puppet whose strings had been cut as she muttered in a daze. Only after some time passed did she reach out to the outstretched hand of Lucas stood up, dusting her clothes. In a well-practiced manner, she led Mr. Bone out of the corridor, into the lift, not uttering even a single word.
Lucas too followed them, entering the lift, maintaining absolute silence. Only when the lift began to descent, did the two of them silently leak out a groan, a sense of liveliness returning to their senses.
"That nurse grandma, just who is she?" Mr. Bone wondered out loud. "She looked out of place so I tried to sense her strength, only getting a shock at her massive strength. Was she a retired expert?"
"You tried to sense her strength?" The receptionist lady shrieked like a banshee, the lift walls vibrating in response to her shout. Lucas felt his head spin while his legs became numb. His legs almost gave out as he clutched the shoulders of Mr. Bone.
"Look," Lucas gazed into his eyes, "Never, I mean, never ever try something like that ever again. That lady, when angered could flatten the entire 7th Ring in an instant. I don't know the reason why she had come out, but trust me; she's as crazy as they come."
"Then, what about my wife? Would she come under harm?" Mr. Bone felt worried, reaching his hand to press the button to the 98th floor. The receptionist lady hurriedly caught hold of his hands, refusing to let go no matter how much he struggled.
"As for your wife's safety, you can rest assured. Madam Mary is an eccentric lady but would never harm your wife, someone who successfully broke through here. The Limitless Tower guarantees her safety, including Madam Mary, who is a part of it. It is just that, she doesn't like extras being in the presence of her workspace. So, we can't assure that she wouldn't do something unspeakable to us just because we lingered in her surroundings." The receptionist lady hurriedly recounted from memory, afraid that Mr. Bone would do something irreversible.
"She's an antique dating back to the previous century. She had retired 47 years ago. But during her active time, she was a Sky Controller." Lucas said. After the lift reached the ground floor, he hurriedly threw some words of caution and disappeared somewhere. The receptionist lady too bode him farewell and avoided him like the plague, leaving Mr. Bone wondering what he must do next.
'A Sky Controller, someone even stronger than old man Bone.' Mr. Bone thought, walking towards the exit of the Tower.