The HQ was surprisingly innovative. One would expect an institution as vital as theirs to tower into the sky—a colossal skyscraper from which Oxides could leap off to aura-farm with dramatic flair.
But no.
The headquarters resembled a two-story university block, as though someone had dipped it into a pool overflowing with stylish graffiti. Thousands of intricate designs covered its exterior—including the same lock symbol emblazoned on their jackets.
"When we were selecting buildings, we chose this symbolic one," Magnum explained to Kairo. "We left the massive structures for the hospitals."
Kairo stepped inside, expecting the same artistic chaos he had seen outside.
He was wrong.
The first floor was immaculate. Despite the numerous doors lining the walls, the atmosphere carried the sterile cleanliness of a hospital or a high-end bank. Above them, gas tubes ran along the ceiling, steadily pumping carbon dioxide throughout the building.
Directly ahead sat three receptionists behind a wide counter, earbuds in place as they handled incoming calls. They were directly connected to the Hydrogens' helpline.
"No sir, the explosion is under control," one of them said calmly, addressing the incident from earlier.
On the opposite side of the room stood a massive mission board.
So that's the board the twins were arguing about,
Kairo realized.
Different colored notes were pinned across it. White indicated Henchman Rank—the lowest tier. Blank sheets signified Demon Rank. Red marked Devil Rank. The latter two were beyond the capability of ordinary humans. White missions were usually redirected to normal human units affiliated with the Hydrogens.
"I'm washed. Let's go take a bath."
The doctor stretched as he stepped away, heading toward an elevator. Blue followed behind him, eyes still simmering with annoyance.
The stunt Magnum and Kairo had pulled outside still lingered bitterly in his chest. The white snake around his neck remained asleep—a surprise in itself. Since they'd met outside the fence, it hadn't stirred once.
"Good idea. Kairo, go with them. I'll join you soon!" Magnum called, walking toward the reception desk.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to file a mission report."
He was already engaged in conversation with one of the receptionists.
"Good luck, newbie."
Eva slapped Kairo's shoulder lightly before drifting toward another receptionist—likely to submit her own report.
Silence filled Kairo's mind. This was the first time he'd been separated from Magnum since arriving. The experience felt strangely hollow.
He hesitated.
Then followed the two boys into the elevator.
Blue's irritation spiked further. The "piece of trash" he despised was now standing inches away from him in a confined space. For a split second, he considered stepping out. Being in the same elevator as Kairo made him feel nauseous.
The doctor noticed. So did Kairo.
"Is he still bothered by what happened outside?" Kairo asked as the elevator doors slid shut.
"He's an idiot. Don't concern yourself with him" the doctor replied calmly as they ascended to the second floor.
They went straight to the bathing chambers—specialized baths that restored their bodies to peak condition.
Twenty-something minutes later, the three emerged, dressed in stretchy training attire—the kind worn for running or yoga—and entered the Hydrogens' expansive gym.
"Bathe fast!, we're starting your registration ceremony!"
Magnum's voice echoed from the corridor, barely cutting through the splashing sounds as he passed by.
Registration ceremony?
The phrase lingered in Kairo's thoughts. But when he saw the doctor in training clothes as well, a suspicion formed.
"So what exactly am I supposed to do?" Kairo asked, standing in the center of the gym floor.
Magnum, Eva, and Blue sat in the viewing stands to the right.
Eva and Magnum leaned forward with interest. Blue yawned, feigning boredom, though the snake around his neck had awakened—its tongue flicking subtly.
Magnum kept his distance from Blue, clearly uncomfortable around snakes. Eva, on the other hand, adored them. To her, snakes were like misunderstood cats and a perfect way from stopping Magnum getting close to him.
"You just stay still while I take your readings," the doctor replied.
He held a measuring tape in one hand and a notepad in the other. A blue equipment station with wheels stood beside him, stocked with various tools—some harmless, others disturbingly dangerous.
"Some of these measurements will be used to tailor your Hydrogens uniform… if you pass."
"Don't I get a say in how it looks?"
"Don't worry," Magnum called out. "I already told them to design it like a prison guard's uniform."
"Why the hell would you do that, bro?!" Kairo snapped, momentarily forgetting the doctor was actively measuring him.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," the doctor interjected calmly, jotting down numbers. "With these measurements, I'm not convinced you'll pass."
"So what now?"
"You said your Oxide ability is soul energy."
At those words, Eva and Blue's focus sharpened almost imperceptibly. They masked it well, but something about that ability intrigued them.
"Yes."
"Then I need to measure the level of your ability core."
Thin strings emerged from the doctor's palms.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Magnum warned casually, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"We do everything for science."
The strings shot forward and pierced into Kairo's arm, burrowing into his vein like guided threads. His eyes twitched from the sharp sting—similar to when a needle draws blood.
Suddenly—
The doctor's vision went black.
His body froze in the gym, but his consciousness was elsewhere.
Dark. Cold.
Like stepping into an open freezer.
He lifted his gaze.
There it was.
Kairo's ability core—round, pulsing with a dark red authenticity, the same hue that manifested when he wielded soul energy.
"Magnificent…" the doctor whispered, awe filling his voice.
Then—
Another core appeared to the right.
Identical in size. Identical in color.
He froze.
"Two ability cores? That's unheard of…"
And then—
A third.
Suspended above him in the dark sky.
Perfectly identical.
Three cores arranged in a triangular formation.
Two was rare.
Three was impossible.
"What in the einsteins beared is this…"
His confusion deepened.
Then he noticed something unsettling.
They weren't cores.
They were eyes.
Three colossal, circular eyes staring back at him from within Kairo's soul.
"Who allowed you to come in here?"
A demonic voice shattered the darkness.
The doctor's scientific curiosity evaporated, replaced by primal fear.
The three "cores" rose higher, maintaining their triangular formation.
"An ant snooping around elephants… pathetic."
In the real world—
A violent surge of energy exploded from Kairo's body.
The doctor was blasted backward, blood spraying midair before he slammed violently into the wall.
BOOM!!!
Everyone shot to their feet.
Silence swallowed the gym as their eyes locked onto the doctor's crumpled form.
One collective thought lingered in the air—
With a blast that violent…
He might be dead.
.......
BACK AT THE MARKET — AMANI CITY
The market pulsed with life—voices colliding, coins exchanging hands, goods changing ownership in rapid succession. Every soul present was either buying or selling, bargaining or persuading.
Yet amid the vibrant chaos, two men stood perfectly still within a narrow, dimly lit corridor between buildings.
They wore robes that concealed them from head to toe.
Waiting.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
An old, familiar voice crackled through the darkness.
"Be grateful our masters are merciful," one of the robed men replied coldly. "Otherwise, this would have ended differently. Tell me—have you seen the boy?"
As the dim light shifted, the speaker's features became clearer. Beneath the robe was a gas mask—sleek, futuristic, unsettling.
"Yes. I've seen him… and I've seen his abilities as well. They are ideal."
The old man stepped forward into view.
It was the same grandfather who had spoken to Magnum earlier—asking about the mission when they first arrived in Amani City.
"Ideal for what?" the second robed figure asked, voice laced with suspicion.
"To revive him."
A pause.
"Are you certain?" the first masked man pressed. "If you are wrong, you understand the consequences."
"My ability—Eagle Eye—allows me to perceive every detail about a person. Even the secrets they bury beneath their beds," the old man replied calmly. "I must admit… his background does not appear within my vision. That alone is disturbing."
A slow, wicked grin spread across his face.
"But I am certain of one thing."
"When Magnum lowered the window, I scanned him in that brief moment. The boy possesses the capacity for soul reanimation."
The corridor seemed to grow colder.
"Very well," the masked man said at last. "Consider yourself fortunate."
A faint metallic hum escaped from beneath his mask.
"You will be among the pioneers of the new Africa to come."