Frank felt completely disturbed. He had every reason to.
Muro had progressed so fast to enter primary 3 evolution to be at par with him! How was this possible? Had he gone to an extraordinary journey like Frank who visited the Amarkale kingdom? Or was there also a secret behind his sudden progress?
Frank felt something amiss.
He got the members of his AAA5 team to his house using Linda's Falcon vehicle.
As soon as they were in the house they all turned to Joe.
"What secret are you talking about?" Linda asked.
"Have you used the same to improve from your previous 99 points of Primary 1 to enter Primary 2?" Claire asked.
"Well, yes. I don't think if it is wrong, besides, everyone seems to be using the secret method. I thought you too had already used it to advance. But I guess not, since you are…" he let the words trail off fearing to hurt the girls' feelings.
"Tell us the method!" Frank brought him back.
"Okay, we call it GPF!" he shrugged his shoulder as he said this.
"What is GPF?"
"It is no method really but just a powdery stuff you buy. People call it the Green Power Fire!" Joe explained.
"Green Power Fire?" the girls exclaimed at the name. It really sounded mysterious and catchy at the same time.
"Where did you buy it?" Frank asked keenly following every word Joe said.
"As for me I just heard some friends talking about it. I got curious and asked them about it. One of them said he had a stockpile with him and he sold me a bottle!"
"Can we too use it?" Claire asked.
"Can you be able to take us to your friends?" Linda added.
"Yes! I suppose anyone can use the GPF. I know where the seller stays, we can go there straightaway!" Joe replied.
"Yeah let's go!" both Claire and Linda shouted jumping up and ready to leae.
"No wait!" Frank shouted. The girls stopped and looked at him pessimistically.
"I know you girls would like to improve so fast in order to qualify for the contest. But have you considered the safety of the said stuff? Have you thought about it if it is legal or not or if it has any negative side effects?" Frank began speaking fast as he tried to dissuade them from going.
"Frank, I appreciate your concern for us, but tell me, is there any other way for us to improve within the few hours remaining before the contest is send?" Linda calmly asked him. A note of irritation could be heard in her tone.
"We can think of something, besides, we have more than twenty hours, I think before then the three of you can improve!" Frank replied.
"By what means?" Claire shouted back. She had lost all her cool. "Give us the means then! I cannot bear to be the last one of the team! Imagine even Muro surpassed me!" she lamented and threw a challenge to Frank.
The other two were not looking pleased either.
"Guys, there is always a better alternative. Doing practices for example, or going for kill-missions instead of running to consume this unknown drug!" he tried to defend his stand.
"Look Frank, you have no problem on your part, right?" Joe started speaking, moving closer to Frank. "You are already at Primary 3, Linda and I are just at the beginning of primary 2 while Claire here hasn't broken through yet from Primary 1. Do you honestly think mere practices or tiresome and dangerous missions could propel us to be at same level with you? Please do not deny us this chance!"
While he was speaking to him, Frank noticed an ominous and strange feeling coming from Joe. He could not at once place it or recall where else he had felt that stifling feeling before. He was dazed for a moment.
"Frank?" Linda called, "Do you have another means apart from exercise and hunting?" but Frank wasn't listening to her. Red flags were rising within him warning of something awful. But he simply could not think straight at that very moment.
"He knows what I have said is true. If he has nothing to say, let's go!" Joe called.
He exited.
The two girls ran out after him.
The green powdery stuff, the green power fire!
Frank's memory jolted and he fell on the coach. He remembered his encounter with the dark Lord on the high mountain. It was also the same one the monster bats were throwing down from the sky during the time he had activated the N.UR.O System! It was the same in the cave near the Crystal Of Light Springs when he encountered the huge serpent! It was the same substance that emerged when he faced off with the Dark Lord's agent in Amarkale.
Amarkale! Noel! It was time he spoke to his mate whom he left in this ancient kingdom!
Frank remembered this ancient place where he had left his mate. He sat up and cleared his conscience.
"My love, are you there?"
After some moments of calling through his mind, Frank heard a familiar voice in his head.
"Hello, darling! It has been so long since you left. I didn't know you will take three days before speaking to me!" Noel said through telepathy.
"It has been merely a day, oh I recall a day here is three in Amarkale! Sorry my love! Quite a lot of things happening here since I arrived."
"Wait, I feel in that house harmful substance. What happened my Prince?" Noel asked.
"That is what I came to you about. There is this new substance that people are using to advance in their attributes, are you able to identify it?"
"Don't come in contact with it! It is harmful. It is a product from the Dark Lord which he is using to control the masses. Whoever uses it to advance their attributes will soon lose their freewill and be under the control of Him!"
"Oh no!" Frank bellowed regrettably. "My friends are in danger!"
"It is not just them Frank, your entire cluster is in danger if that substance is in circulation already!"
The bitter truth suddenly occurred to Frank! He needed to act immediately.