"Ahh, can you be a little more gentle," Aiden's voice sounded out as Jonathan used a brush with needle-like hairs to draw strange lines on his chest.
Seeing Aiden's reaction, Jonathan smirked as he said to Aiden, "You're the one that wanted us to do this without the anesthetics."
"It's not his fault that he doesn't trust you," Mai's voice sounded out from the front seat as she drove them through the enclave.
The rain had subsided and now they were slowly driving through a forest with gray trees.
Through his scrunched-up face, Aiden glanced at Jonathan's tools.
He had a small case that was filled with inscriptions, there was a sealed hole that Jonathan would quickly dip his brush into and when he did, Aiden's energy eyes could see large amounts of condensed hell energy on the tip of this needle-like brush.
Normally hell energy looked like flowing smoke, but the ones at the tip of this brush were like large peas invisible to the naked eye.
Next, Jonathan would use this sharp brush to violently but softly graze his skin, letting the brush leave behind bloody gashes that quickly healed into black tattoos on his skin.
Seeing Aiden glance at his tools in such a manner, Jonathan said with a prideful smirk, "You seem interested in Detritus inscribing, it's a pity you can't see what's going on."
Seeing the pride on Jonathan's face, Aiden replied, "You're right, I can't see what's going on, can you explain to me?"
Aiden chose to hide the fact that he could see hell energy for now, in the eyes of normal people like Mai, Jonathan was just inflicting wounds on Aiden's body.
Nodding at Aiden's words Jonathan began, "The box next to me is called an ink box, this ink box is used to create inks of hell energy."
"Argh," Aiden suddenly groaned as Jonathan stroked his skin again before asking, "So Detritus Mark's are just hell energy?"
"No they're not," Jonathan replied before adding excitedly, "it's actually a big question in the field of inscribers, what do you think the purpose of the ink box is?" Jonathan asked.
"To make ink," Aiden said earning him a scoff from Jonathan.
Shaking his head, Jonathan said, "The ink box isn't used to make ink, well it is, but-, Ahh don't confuse me, the main purpose of the ink box is to condense hell energy, there's a hell crystal in this thing, but without performing a strange ritual it can't make condensed ink."
Frowning at Jonathan's comment, Aiden said, "I don't understand, I thought you said that the ink was condensed hell energy, since there's a crystal all you have to do is condense the energy that flows out of it right?"
"Wrong," Jonathan said before adding, "According to common sense that's how it's supposed to work, but that's not how it actually works, the box does indeed have the ability to compress hell energy, but once the hell energy leaves the box it quickly dissolves, even though you're fast enough to quickly use the unstable ink without it dissolving, it wouldn't have any effect and you would just be injuring the person for nothing."
Upon hearing this Mai asked, "Then how is the ink made? What is this ritual you're talking about?"
Hearing Mai's question, Jonathan responded happily, "This is a box of the first star, the ritual I'm talking about is really odd, first you have to kill an animal like a goat or something then you wave your box over the dead body repeatedly, only then will the hell energy stabilize."
"That's bull shit," Mai muttered, but Jonathan just scoffed.
After a few minutes of suffering, Aiden noticed that Mai had slowed down, and at that moment Jonathan had finally finished.
"Done," Jonathan mused with a proud look on his face as he gazed at Aiden's back, a menacing tattoo that made Aiden look like a thug could be seen on his back, this tattoo was both imposing and artistic as the large lines came together to form an unknown symbol.
With Jonathan done, Aiden could finally asses the situation around them, in front of them was a lush forest of densely packed trees too thick to drive through.
Upon noticing this forest Jonathan looked a bit elated as he said, "This is where we part ways for now, Aiden I'll meet you when you finish your initiation, all you have to do is go straight ahead and you'll make it into the shelter, a nine-hour walk, you'll feel the hell energy reduce so you'll know when you're back."
Saying this Jonathan excitedly got out of the car opening the door wide as he beckoned, Aiden and Mai out.
Glancing at one another, Aiden got out of the car and Mai followed suit, and when both of them were out of the car, Jonathan quickly got in throwing them some clothes as he yelled, "Ditch the coveralls, remember Aiden hide your tail, also, both of you are going to be asked if you wish to take an ability test, refuse no matter what, say that you're tired and wish to take it the next day."
Saying this he handed Aiden the two orange tags before getting in the truck and driving away.
With Jonathan gone all that was left was Aiden and Mai, standing in front of the forest in coveralls and a handful of clothes.
Glancing at Aiden, Mai suddenly said with narrowed eyes, "Turn around while I change."
Hearing this Aiden raised a brow as he slowly turned around and changed as well, soon they were both wearing combat pants and jackets, this dress seemed to be the uniform of some military force.
Turning to Mai, Aiden said as he hid his tail in his pants, "You do know that I changed you back in that cave right?"
"Bam!"
His comment earned him a hard punch to the shoulder, but he just shook it off and laughed.
"Whoa!"
Mai suddenly exclaimed as Aiden picked her up like a princess, before she could react, Aiden's voice sounded out as he broke into a mad dash, "I plan to make it to the shelter in four hours."
----------------
(4 hours later)
As Aiden carried Mai into the forest, a familiar figure with a blank white mask could be seen soaking in a bath.
In the dim light of the bathroom, she laid back, her silhouette masked by the steam rising from the bath.
The mask concealed her identity, adding an air of mystery to her naked form as she gracefully moved through the water, a study in contrasts between vulnerability and allure.
Although this mask concealed this woman's identity it also represented a persona, one that would be easily recognized by most In the shelter, it was Three Face.
"Buzz!"
A buzz from the edge of her bathtub broke the quiet atmosphere prompting Three Face to pick up her phone with a sigh.
"What?" Her voice sounded out In an impatient manner prompting the person at the other end to start speaking.
After a while, Three Face ended the call and dropped her phone, her movements reflecting her amusement. "The orange team survived? Is it a fluke or what?" She asked herself while trying to remember the candidates that partook in the trial.
After rummaging through her memory she couldn't find a candidate with enough talent so she thought to herself, "Looks like I have to make another trip."
Saying this, she stepped out of the bathtub revealing a lustrous body. Unfortunately, no one was there to admire it.
---------
(6 hours later)
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU AIDEN!" Mai yelled as she chased Aiden through the woods, her gaze focused as she hurled a stone in his direction.
"Whoosh!"
The stone flew through the air at impressive speeds, but Aiden with his advanced reflexes was able to dodge with relative ease.
Looking behind him, Aiden yelled at the top of his lungs, "IT WAS A BUG!"
"THEN STOP RUNNING!" Mai replied immediately, her anger palpable through her tone.
"HA!"
Looking behind him, Aiden chuckled a bit, but as he turned around to continue running, he spotted something in the distance, a woman in a business suit leaning on a tree.
Seeing this woman, Aiden was shocked for a bit but quickly calmed down as he slowed down for a walk.
Mai who was behind him quickly noticed this woman as well and soon, she slowed down, her anger vanishing as quickly as it came restoring her calm persona.
Aiden on the other hand regained his cold persona as he gazed at Three Face.
He wasn't fond of this woman, but her appearance meant good news, because of her, he had been able to confirm that they had made it back into the shelter. He had noticed the reduced hell energy but he wasn't so sure.
Soon, Mai caught up to Aiden and the group stood there staring at one another for a long while.
After a moment of long silence, Three Face finally spoke, her voice calm as she said, "This is the first time I've seen newbies exit the enclave with such good moods, then again it's one surprise after the other with you, isn't it Aiden."
Upon hearing Three Face speak, Aiden responded with an equally calm tone, "Do we have to stand here all day, or are you going to get us out of here?"
Upon hearing the dryness in Aiden's tone, Three Face turned around as she beckoned them to follow, her voice lingering as she said, "You will come to learn that making friends with your higher-ups is better than keeping meaningless grudges."
Aiden immediately scoffed at that statement, and just as Mai was about to ask a question, she heard something.
"Dudududu!"
In the distance, the rhythmic thuds of a helicopter grew louder, heralding the arrival of their means of transport.
Suddenly, the forest floor trembled as the chopper emerged from the canopy, hovering above the clearing like a sentinel of salvation.
Without hesitation, Three Face took the lead, her agile form darting through the undergrowth with preternatural grace.
"Bam!"
A muffled sound could be heard as Three Face stepped on the ground, jumping towards a tree branch, and with another leap, she caught a rope that hoisted her into the chopper.
Upon seeing this, Aiden was surprised, his eyes flickering with a mixture of excitement and apprehension as he acted.
"Whoa!"
Mai yelped again as Aiden reached for her waist in a smooth motion, his touch a reassuring anchor in the chaos as he lifted her like a child.
With enough force, he sprinted towards the looming chopper, the thudding of his footsteps drowned out by the deafening roar of the rotor blades.
As the helicopter hovered overhead, two more ropes descended from its belly, swaying gently in the turbulent air.
"Bam!"
"Wait," Mai yelled as she was unprepared, but Aiden ignored her.
Without hesitation, he leaped forward, his form soaring through the air as he landed on a branch.
Immediately, he repeated the process, sending himself flying through the air as he gracefully caught hold of the nearest rope.
With a deft twist, he secured his grip, his muscles tensing as he prepared for the ascent.
"Careful," Mai shouted over the roar of the chopper, her voice a steady beacon of guidance in the chaos.
With a nod of understanding, Aiden tightened his grip on her, his free hand gripping the rope with the strength of desperation as they began their ascent toward freedom.
As the chopper receded into the sky, the two figures dangled precariously from the ropes, their silhouettes etched against the air.
Suddenly Aiden felt a pull on the rope, looking up, he discovered that someone was hoisting them upwards, it was Three Face, and soon enough they had managed to climb toward the belly of the chopper.
As soon as they got in, Aiden heard Mai's voice from the side, her tone dead serious, as she panted, "Stop doing that Aiden, I can take care of myself."