"Mad scientist?" Benedict said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
The spiky-haired man nodded, his expression darkening. "Yeah. Rumor has it, before coming to Section 22, he worked under the crown prince in the royal palace. But his experiments... they were too much. They say the things he created were so inhumane, he got exiled here."
"That's not all. Actually, we had an encounter with him a few years ago." The brothers exchanged a glance, then turned away from Benedict. They lifted their shirts, revealing backs crisscrossed with sharp scars.
"This is horrible. What kind of monster could do such a thing?" the girl thought to herself.
Benedict listened with excitement and a mischievous smile, his mind calculating.
"Mad scientist equals dangerous. Dangerous equals strong. Strong equals useful. That means I can use him. Muhahaha," Benedict thought with a quiet chuckle.
"Why did his face suddenly change like that? It's creepy!" the girl wondered, judging Benedict in her mind.
"Hey, big bro, look! The boss is laughing like he used to," said the hefty man.
"Yeah," the spiky-haired man agreed, a grin spreading across his face. "I thought something was wrong. You weren't your usual self!"
"This is his usual self?" the girl thought, judging Benedict even more harshly.
Benedict, drooling slightly, said, "Tell me more about your encounter with this mad scientist!"
The spiky-haired man shifted uncomfortably. "Well... before you... uh... straightened us out, we thought we'd rob his place. Saw some junk in his yard, figured we'd help ourselves."
"We jumped over his wall in the middle of the night," the hefty man continued. "The moment we touched his stuff, bam! We got zapped. Then these weird gadgets started firing nails at us from every direction. Right, big bro?"
The spiky-haired man nodded. "Look what it did to my perfect chin!" he said, thrusting it forward for Benedict to see.
"That was entirely your fault!" Benedict and the girl shouted simultaneously, their voices sharp.
The alley fell silent, all eyes turning to the girl and her brother.
"I completely forgot you were still here!" Benedict said.
The girl crossed her arms, her voice filled with sarcasm. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder!"
Benedict slowly approached the girl and her brother. "Do you know your address?"
"We live in Section 5," the girl replied, her fingers gently brushing her brother's hair.
Benedict's jaw dropped. Section 5—where the wealthy resided. A place far beyond their reach.
"Well then, we should hand them over to the police; otherwise, it might cause trouble for us," suggested the spiky-haired man.
"No need for that," the girl answered, showing her necklace. "This necklace has a tracker in it. Even as we speak, they are coming for us."
"Oh, really? How long?" asked the hefty man, his eyes wide.
"At least an hour," the girl replied. Sections 22 and 23 were far from Section 5, so it was natural it would take that long.
A sudden noise broke the silence. Benedict looked around, searching for the source.
"Sis," the boy murmured, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm hungry."
The girl's heart ached. "Me too." Her gaze shifted to Benedict and the brothers, her eyes entreating.
The spiky-haired man scratched his head. "So are we. Let us know if you find anything." Their laughter rang out, loud and carefree. But the boy began to sob, tears streaming down his face.
"Why did you make him cry?" the girl snapped, her face turning crimson as she glared at them.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a wealthy family owe me. Maybe they would even reward me for saving their children!" Benedict thought to himself.
Benedict knelt beside the boy, his voice gentle. "Sorry, I know you're hungry, but all I have is some dry bread, which I don't think you can eat." He then looked at the two brothers and asked, "How far is the mad scientist... I mean, Felix Hawking's house?"
"Not far. A ten-minute walk," the spiky-haired man replied.
Benedict nodded. "Let's go. He might have food. It's getting dark. Dangerous."
"We'll guide you," said the hefty man, pointing his thumb toward himself.
"Even better, let's go together," Benedict said.
"I said an hour, but it might actually take longer since I don't know the exact distance from Section 5 to here. It's better if we follow them. We can't stay here anyway," the girl thought, looking at her brother, who was clinging to her.
"Fine," she agreed, her tone firm. "Let's go."
The sun was slowly setting, and the dark alleys were becoming darker. The group made their way toward Felix's house. The brothers led confidently, their familiarity with the neighborhood clear, while Benedict and the children followed behind.
"By the way, I forgot to ask. How did you end up here?" Benedict asked, curiosity filling his voice.
The girl sighed. "My brother's Lumina. I was teaching him how to use it, and then... this happened."
"No use hiding it when those brothers saw us" the girl thought.
People usually didn't go out of their way to talk about their Lumina. You never knew what others might do with such information. Wealthy families, in particular, instructed their children not to share the properties, strengths, or weaknesses of their Lumina with anyone untrustworthy.
"A Lumina that can teleport not only the user but also someone beside them to another place. Useful. If properly trained to transport more people or even equipment, it could become one of the best support Luminas, capable of determining the outcome of a war," Benedict's mind imagined the possibilities.
"We're here," said the hefty man, pointing to a house.
The girl's stomach growled loudly. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."
The brothers exchanged a look.
"We'll stay here," the spiky-haired man said, rubbing his chin. "This place... it brings back memories."
"Same here," the hefty man added. "Sorry, boss. We'll head home to Grandma."
"Alright then. By the way, grandma told me to tell you not to slack off at work, but I don't think that's necessary anymore," Benedict said.
"Goodbye, boss," said the hefty man, giving Benedict a dap.
"I know it won't be a problem for you, but still, be careful," cautioned the spiky-haired man, also giving Benedict a dap.
"Okay. Thanks for guiding."
Benedict and the two children went up to the front door of the house.