Adrian tossed and turned, another sleepless night adding to the tally. The last time he'd slept soundly was a distant memory. Some nights, dreams would come easily, but more often, his mind was relegated to the shadows, where no one sat in the chair of control.
The black room was their meeting place during rest—a place for the three to converse. Yet, Adrian's unease never waned, knowing the chair's vacancy meant control was up for grabs. Adrian, the current gatekeeper, held his position only by the little one's grace. The government's raid, the stolen treasures, the massacre of his family—it all fueled Adrian's deep-seated loathing for society.
A gentle tug on his arm jolted him awake.
"Hey, wake up. You seemed caught in a nightmare," Venok's voice pierced the darkness.
Blinking his eyes open, Adrian found himself still enveloped in the pitch-black room.
"Apologies for any noise," he murmured.
"This place is unsettling. You shouldn't be alone," Venok reassured, then suggested, "Mind if we switch?"
With that, they swapped places. Venok settled on the hard floor, while Adrian peered through the bookshelf gaps, standing guard. Venok's snores filled the room almost instantly, a stark contrast to Adrian's restless vigil.
The voice in Adrian's head seized the moment. "If you're not going to kill him now, what about when we find the portal? The advanced crystal he carries could be ours, and he's too weak to stop us."
Time was a blur in the darkness. Adrian had no idea how long he'd been asleep or how much time had passed since.
Eventually, Venok stirred, grimacing with pain, clutching his ribs. "I can't wait to get home," he groaned.
Adrian offered a hand, helping Venok to his feet. But as Venok rose, his gaze fixed on something horrifying—a giant eyeball peering through a hole in the wall.
In a flash, Venok's dagger sailed through the air, piercing the eye and the creature behind it. The weapon returned to his hand as if summoned.
"We need to leave, now!" Venok barked, toppling a shelf to clear their path.
Climbing atop the debris, they saw the extent of their predicament. Slug-like creatures with singular eyes and writhing tentacles covered the walls and ceiling, encircling them.
"I thought you were on lookout," Venok snapped.
"The limited view hindered me," Adrian defended, his attention admittedly elsewhere.
The creatures descended, their tentacles striking with force. Venok's hands glowed, and metal shards from around the library hurtled toward them, forming a protective sphere.
The slugs' attacks clanged against the metal, denting it, but the sphere held—until Venok commanded, "Repel!" The metal exploded outward, impaling the creatures, silencing their assault.
"Fortunate this planet abounds with metal," Venok quipped, a grin on his face. "Let's not squander these crystals."
They harvested the crystals from the fallen beasts. Adrian had contemplated using his ability to strike Venok down amidst the chaos, but Venok's prowess in battle made it clear he was no easy target.
"It seems he will be difficult to handle," the voice in his head remarked with a chuckle. "Even advanced tier armor doesn't guarantee he can take down an advanced tier beast without the Ability."
Adrian still had Venok's ability at his disposal. His contact with Venok in the library had reset the slot for his tri-ability, ensuring that even if Venok was incapacitated or they became separated, Adrian could still utilize the ability for another twenty-four hours.
Adrian was the quintessential product of RHS's experimentation—a fusion of three high-level humans, granting him a trio of innate abilities. These powers were interchangeable; a mere touch on another ability user would bestow their ability upon him for a full day. Despite his origins, contentment had been his, nestled within RHS's walls—until the government's brutal raid extinguished that sanctuary, leaving a trail of destruction and igniting Adrian's resolve.
Adrian had become a ghost in the eyes of the government, a specter they sought but could never find. Fortune had smiled upon him when he stumbled upon advanced alien technology—a device capable of altering his visage down to the very fibers of his being. Even the most sophisticated government detectors were rendered useless, unable to trace his altered blood—a testament to the profound transformation he had undergone. Now, he moved through the world unseen, a phantom wrapped in the guise of another.
"Take them."
"I didn't help," Adrian protested.
"They're mere basic tier crystals. I could gather these in my sleep," Venok insisted.
Adrian accepted, though he lacked a place to store them. For now, Venok would hold onto the crystals.
It was time to depart the library and resume their search for the portal. They navigated cautiously, fortunate to encounter no further threats.
Then, they spotted it—a large dome structure.
"That's where I'd place a portal," Venok pointed out.
"A training center?" Adrian inquired.
"Exactly. It's sturdy, untouched by the beasts, and spacious enough for a secret base below."