174 THE DUPLICATION OF CORES
Damen was certain he was about to die, but what happened next could only be described as a miracle.
His charred body began to heal rapidly. First his flesh returned, then his skin, and with it a warm glow that radiated golden brilliance.
"What the hell… is happening to me?" Damen muttered, not complaining, only bewildered.
Zarioth watched, seething with disgust.
"Ra… why must you interfere?!" the Tempest Sovereign thundered.
Ra did not answer.
But Damen understood.
It was because of the morning.
Memories clicked into place: the Sun Scorpions of Ra, were creatures that could not be destroyed under the twin suns of Anu, their shells and bodies instantly repaired by daylight.
Damen's Annunakin bloodline began with the assimilation of the Eye of Ra.
He had the Blood of Ra flowing through him, and later he had amplified the Heart of Ra. In essence, he was Ra's creation — a deacon, a disciple, a subject, a vessel of the Sun god of the aliens.
And now, Ra had come to protect his own.
Realization struck Damen like a bolt.
"Huh… does that mean I'm invincible during the day under the twin suns of Anu…like the bloody scorpions?" he mused aloud.
Zarioth's fury mounted.
No matter how much lightning the god of storms hurled, Damen's body healed instantly under the suns' radiance.
Fighting was futile.
"Zarioth you cannot kill me during the day. You'll be exhausted of all your power before the day is over", Damen said.
The god of storm agreed.
With a flash, Zarioth released his grip and retreated, his immense form dissolving into arcs of electricity and returning to the sky.
"I'll remember you…" he thundered, a promise lingering in the currents.
The battle was over.
Damen exhaled slowly. "Whew…"
But then, a new surprise arrived. A system message blinked before his eyes:
[Congratulations — Core of Electricity duplicated.]
[Core of Electricity Level 4 Activated: 8/12]
"How… is this possible?" Damen asked, before realization dawning upon him.
He understood.
He had been baptized by the Tempest Sovereign, Zarioth. The immense current forced into his body had split his Core of Electricity, doubling its numbers and growing them to maturity.
Before arriving on Anu, his Core of Electricity had been Level 2. Now, it had jumped to Level 4, the multiplication of power was staggering.
Even more, he discovered that his Annunakin armor could regenerate under the twin suns. From now on, during daylight on Anu, he would be nearly invincible.
Damen flexed his hands, electricity sparking harmlessly across his fingers.
A wry grin formed on his face. "This… this changes everything."
------
Damen returned to Fortress Myrone.
The first thing he did was undergo a full blood transfusion. His cursed blood was becoming too strong again. Before his meta power could surpass his blood rank effectively, it was wiser to reduce it, preventing it from destabilizing his abilities.
After the transfusion, Damen checked his stats:
Name: Damen Dark
Strength Rank: B | Meta Rank: B | Blood Rank: B
Strength: 693 | Charm: 382 | Meta: 513 | Command: 512 | Blood: 475 | Armor: 1272
His Blood Rank had dropped back to B, but his Armor remained high. He now retained the benefits of his alien-enhanced body armor without the burden of the curse.
Satisfied, Damen prepared to leave and returned to Melrose City.
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[Melrose City]
Lander carried a backpack connected to an electronic sweeper, scanning the ground as he monitored the readings on his data pad.
After weeks — no, months — of investigating the case of the missing persons with no leads, he had changed his approach. He wasn't looking for people anymore; he was looking for a signature.
"What exactly are you looking for?" Dorin asked.
"Psychic energy remnants," Lander replied without hesitation.
"Why in Damen's high school?" Dorin pressed.
"I found psychic readings at every one of the disappeared people's homes. Nothing else stood out except the psychic residues. After a while, I began monitoring psychic patterns across the city, looking for signatures similar to those found in the missing homes."
"And you found them here? At Meta High No.2?" Dorin asked, surprised.
"Yes. Here and in several other locations," Lander said, scanning the perimeter carefully.
"What's so special about this school? Have many students disappeared from here?" she asked.
"That's exactly the problem," Lander said, frowning. "No students or teachers have been reported missing from this school. Yet… the psychic signatures are here. Why?"
Suddenly, a voice cut through the quiet. "Hey! You're not supposed to be here!"
The school guard was storming toward them.
"We're from the Meteorological Department," Lander said quickly, showing a fake badge. "We're checking the ground for dangerous radiation."
The guard squinted at the badge.
"Met—department or what? I don't care! It's almost Prom night. Come back during the holidays if you want to 'check radiation.'"
Reluctantly, Lander and Dorin stepped away from the school.
When they returned to GenSyn, their surprise was immediate. Damen Dark was back.
-----
Damen returned to Melrose City after a week.
Liorea had already departed for Silver City, escorted by Captain Green and his team. Their trade had greatly benefited Fortress Myrone, and Lord Nicaesa would ensure their operations in Silver City remained protected.
Green and his team would be stationed there permanently.
Lander and Dorin, however, were still in Melrose City. Lander wanted to wrap up his final case here before he went to Silver city.
"Damen! You're back at last. Liorea has gone to Silver City," Dorin said the moment she saw him.
"Yeah, I know," Damen replied. "She needs to deliver the meta-artifacts for the auction. She can handle it, no need to wait for me."
Lander didn't speak.
He merely waved, acknowledging Damen's presence, still absorbed in his work.
"What are you so engrossed in?" Damen asked him, walking closer.
"This is… strange," Lander said. "We found unique psychic signatures at the homes of the missing persons… and also at your high school. But no one from your school has gone missing."
Damen frowned, processing the information.
"Do you suspect the missing persons are at my high school? But… that's impossible. You said thousands are missing. The school couldn't hide so many," he asked.
"That's exactly the perplexing question," Lander admitted. "But it's the best lead we have. And… the signature is getting stronger."
"You mean the psychic energy in my school is getting stronger?" Damen asked.
"Yeah. We could have done a full analysis if we hadn't been chased off by the guard," Dorin added, annoyed.
"Usually, the guards aren't that strict with visitors," Damen muttered.
"It's Prom," Dorin explained. "That's why the guard chased us away. Many teachers and VIPs will be attending the preparation, and they'd complain if they saw us scanning the school like it was ground zero."
"Prom? I almost forgot about that," Damen said, rubbing his temple.
"Wait… are you going to the Prom tonight?" Lander asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Me… no," Damen replied.
"You must go," Lander insisted. "I have a bad feeling about this. Something's going to happen during Prom night at your high school."
Damen sighed, then nodded.
"Alright. I'll go."