"Its morning kids " said Elias
"I can't remember anything from last night" (Leon speaking)
"I got something to show you, why don' we have breakfast fist"
Coming out of the cozy room where they were taken by Elias after the injection of nano machines , Leon and his sister followed Elias down the stair case, the soft light of luminescent crystals set into the walls gave gentle illumination. The air was cool, carrying a faint, earthy scent, hinting at the depths of the cave system. They found themselves in the dining room which connected with the main hall through a grand arch, was something to behold. Highly spacious, it contained one very long and intricately carved wooden table, which could easily accommodate a large gathering. The table, made of rich dark wood, was exquisitely crafted with detailed engravings of imaginary creatures and ancient symbols and on top of it was luxurious food which could only be seen in a nobles dinner table.
The chairs that went around the table were by no means unobtrusive; each had been carved with comfort and elegance. High-backed and red plush-cushioned, appeared inviting; and since their construction was sturdy, it could support even the most heated debates that frequently occurred at mealtimes on this particular estate.
"Sit down and eat . you'll get to see my face my face soon "
After the breakfast Leon and Kyle were taken to the lab. Quaking, yet not trembling with fear, they stood in the center of Elias Hawke's secretive mountain laboratory.
"What the"
"Welcome to my lab kids"
"We don't even know who you are and we don know what's going to happen to us if we stay here" said Leon.
"Why don' you look around I'll answer your questions later"
They looked at the walls which consisted of shining stainless steel surfaces, making it a world of sophisticated machines and countless workstations; each was covered with glass cabinets, an attached collection of various exotic artifacts and rare minerals, all with stories to their names.
In the lab, Elias's genius materialized. Holographic displays projected complex equations and designs, while various experiments bubbled and whirred in a cacophony of science and magic. A large, central table was covered in blueprints, vials of glowing liquids, and the nano machines that had been fitted into Leon and his sister.
Once frail and forgotten orphans , now were under the tutelage of the Demon of Science himself, and higher, grueling heights their journey was to reach. After the impactful experience of the lab they were then taken to the training grounds where the cute and lovely siblings were going to be trained.
These training grounds were a wide-open space filled with rough, unkind land, sprinkled with sharp boulders and trees that had stood the test of time. Obstacles of every kind stretched to the horizon, it seemed, in a maze of challenges designed to push them all to the limits of both body and mind.
Elias stood before them, in his hulking form in black, .
"Your potential is unlimited,"
he started off, and in every word, the weight of years of knowledge and ambition laced.
"But to tap into it, you must be prepared to endure the impossible. You must be prepared to face hell itself ,that is if you must protect your sister in this cruel world."
The initial phase of training was an endurance test. From morning till evening, Leon and his sister were taken through endless exercises: sprinting across hazardous pathways, climbing sheer rock faces, and finding their way out of complicated mazes.
100 push-ups, 100 sit ups, 100 squats, 10km run up and down the mountain .Each task was structured to push them to the limit and make them dip deep into the reserves of strength they never knew they had.
Soon, physical training was complemented by mental exercises in days that built up into weeks. Elias introduced them to parchments containing ancient texts and complex puzzles that teased out their intellect and built strategic minds. Every night, he would gather them around a campfire, sharing tales of his past with wisdom only learned through a lifetime of relentless pursuit of knowledge.
It was thanks to the nano machines that helped the siblings over come the hellish training. Elias had perfected these microscopic marvels, powered by mana stones to push their abilities past human comprehension. Integrating them was extremely painful, as the machines became a part of their very essence, drawing mana from their bodies and pushing their limits even further.
The pain never stopped, but Leon and his sister had to endure it for the promise of becoming something more than what they were. Under Elias' watchful eye, they started developing themselves bit by bit, with every new day making their bodies and minds stronger for twenty long years.
It was time for the siblings to leave the cave and venture out into the world but one thing for sure for the past twenty years they had not seen their saviors face. They headed to the lab to find Elias who was in the middle of breaking through a research on crystals containing demonic energy.
" Uun! Sir. I think it's time for us to leave this place." (with a hesitating voice) said Leon
"HHUUUUUH?"