A soft whirring sound echoed through the room.
Near the corner, a small coffee machine hummed quietly as dark liquid streamed into a paper cup. Steam rose from the surface, twisting lazily through the air.
A hand reached forward and picked up the cup.
Genido brought it to his lips.
This time, he wore no mask.
For a moment, the room remained silent except for the machine behind him.
Then he took a sip.
Across the room, another man stood near a long workplace cluttered with glass containers and scientific equipment. His attention remained fixed on his task.
Genido watched him for several seconds before speaking.
"I'll show you something today."
The man turned around.
Juson.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"What is it?"
Genido didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walked across the room and stopped beside him.
While moving, he glanced around.
"Where's Hakiten?"
Juson looked toward the door.
"Probably busy at home."
His hands returned to work.
Several empty glass containers were arranged across the table. One by one he positioned them carefully while Genido observed in silence.
Neither of them spoke again.
After a few minutes the preparation was complete.
Juson stepped away from the workplace.
Genido placed his empty coffee cup nearby and moved closer.
In front of him sat a sealed container.
The same container.
The special one.
Without hesitation he picked up a transparent measuring cup and lowered it inside.
When he pulled it back out, something blue rested within it.
Not powder.
Not sand.
Something between both.
Dense.
Heavy.
Its colour resembled crushed sapphire.
The sight immediately caught Juson's attention.
He had seen it before.
Hakiten had possessed the same substance.
Genido carried the cup over one of the prepared containers and slowly poured the blue grains inside.
The substance fell heavily.
Unlike ordinary sand, it didn't scatter through the air.
It dropped directly onto the glass surface and settled there.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then it moved.
The grains slowly spread outward.
The movement was subtle at first.
Almost invisible.
Yet every second the expansion became faster.
The blue mass continued growing across the container.
Juson's eyes narrowed.
The behaviour felt unnatural.
Almost alive.
Genido showed no reaction.
Instead he turned back toward the large container and scooped another cup.
This time the colour was different.
Dark red.
A colour closer to dried blood.
Juson watched carefully.
The blue substance continued spreading behind the glass while Genido carried the red grains toward it.
Without hesitation, he poured a small amount into the container.
The reaction was immediate.
The movement stopped.
Not completely.
But enough.
The violent expansion slowed dramatically.
Within seconds the red grains merged with the blue ones.
The colours blended together.
Blue and red becoming something else.
Something balanced.
Juson stared at the transformation.
The amount of red had been much smaller than the blue.
Less than half.
Yet it controlled everything.
Silence filled the room.
Both men stood there watching the mixture settle.
The longer Juson stared, the more a question formed in his mind.
Eventually he spoke.
"What happens if it goes out of control?"
Genido looked toward him.
For a second he said nothing.
Then a faint smile appeared.
Not amusement.
Recognition.
As though he had been waiting for that exact question.
Without answering, he picked up another cup.
Red again.
Slowly he poured more into the container.
The remaining movement vanished.
The surface became completely still.
Motionless.
Dead.
Juson stepped closer.
The difference unsettled him.
Moments ago the substance had looked alive.
Now it appeared frozen.
Genido watched him carefully.
Perhaps hoping he would understand.
Perhaps knowing he wouldn't.
Juson's attention remained fixed on the container.
His hand slowly moved forward.
The curiosity was impossible to ignore.
He wanted to touch it.
To feel whether it was warm.
Cold.
Alive.
Anything.
His fingers approached the glass.
Then footsteps echoed from outside.
Both men turned.
A figure appeared at the doorway.
"Sorry I'm late."
Hakiten entered the room.
He looked slightly embarrassed.
Without waiting for permission he walked further inside and glanced around.
"What are you two doing?"
Before either of them could answer, another person appeared.
A man wearing a green suit stood at the doorway.
The clothing covered almost his entire body.
His expression remained serious.
"It's ready."
The announcement immediately changed the atmosphere.
Genido's attention shifted toward him.
The suited man turned and began walking away.
A few seconds later Hakiten followed him.
The room fell quiet again.
Genido prepared to leave as well.
Then Juson stopped him.
"Is this going to be the fourth attempt?"
For the first time that day, Genido hesitated.
Only slightly.
Then he nodded.
A single movement.
Nothing more.
Together they left the room.
The door slowly slid shut behind them.
Silence remained.
On the wall beside the doorway hung a calendar.
The page shifted slightly beneath the airflow.
A single date was marked clearly.
1st July, 1986.
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