Alistair assumed the words that glowed brighter in intensity indicated their significance, so he re-listed it in ascending order.

"Gene… Steel… Rust… Ether… Life Sequence." Alistair trailed off as he got to the one that shone the brightest. The word was scratched and scorched while smudged by a fluid like oil.

"Disease!" Alistair stuttered; his mind in the gutter. As his conscience dove in waters deep, someone close to him uttered.

"Alistair, you're here! Come over here!" Elina shouted at the peak of her voice, bringing Alistair out of his eternal daze.

Elina wore a fancy sleeveless dress with the theme of a bright night filled with stars, the hem of the dress like an endless stair. While wearing a white colored fingerless on her hands.

Alistair looked away from the monolith to see her; he walked up to meet her. He stepped forward on the slippery reflective floors, trying not to slip and fall.

After a while, he reached there. Isaac brought his fist for a bump, and Alistair reciprocated.

Isaac was dressed in a moon-white jacket that reached his knees, which perfectly matched his star-colored shirt. His legs were draped in abyss slacks, completing his monochromatic stack.

Salin, on the other hand, sported a raven sweatsuit adorned with animated sky graffiti that flowed around around. Her jeans were the color of a forest, adding a touch of nature to her urban outfit.

Alistair watched each of them and realized Alfred wasn't among them. "Guess Alfred isn't coming?" he said.

Turning to Elina, Alistair said, "Do you think the will to show up?"

"No." Elina swayed her head left to right.

"Why?" Alistair asked, tilting his head as he heard the answer.

"Alfred's dad hates Lenna. Every time he sees her, he calls her a… witch!" Emily trailed off.

Alistair raised an eyebrow, he became curious, and this matter happened to be connected to the host of this event.

"I didn't know that. Why is that so?" Alistair asked.

Elina took a deep breath, recapping everything she knew.

"They used to be lovers in the past." Elina narrated, expecting Alistair to get the message.

"Ahh," Alistair nodded in understanding. "So that's why they didn't come… That makes sense."

However, Salin interjected with a different explanation, with a matter-of-fact tone accompanying it.

"That's not it." Salin interjected lazily. "it's because Arch-witch Lenna stole his work, using it as hers."

"No, she didn't," Elina said, not accepting Salin's rebuttal, especially her bad-mouthing someone she looked up to.

"You may believe what you want… But you need to know I'm right," Salin said with the side of her lips in a grin as she gave Elina a thumbs up.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"You…" Elina replied with her face turning red. However, she didn't want to look irrational, especially in a public setting. Therefore, she dropped the matter.

The sudden turn in conversation took Alistair by surprise, and he struggled to follow. "Can you guys explain better?" he asked, trying to get back on track.

Elina replied, "Salin thinks that Lenna stole Alfred's dad's work, but she's obviously wrong."

"Yeah, right," Salin said as she rolled her eyes.

Alistair felt annoyed at their bickering. "Ok... but who's correct!" he exclaimed.

Salin smiled, and her eyes rolled. "Me. Because my mother told me, and she's never wrong."

Salin crossed her arms and emitted an aura of confidence. If there was anyone she believed most, it was her mum.

"Rightttt," Alistair had doubts, knowing Salin's mother was Satrina. He turned to Isaac, hoping for another opinion. "Issac, what do you think about this?"

Isaac hesitated for a couple of seconds, feeling the information was secret, but he said, "It's all rumors intentionally spread by them for publicity!"

"What!!" the three exclaimed.

Issac continued. "Before you ask… My parents are very conversational when drunk."

"Oh!" Elina and Satrina said, hiding their faces in shame at how much they embarrassed themselves.

Alistair hit his forehead with his hand while trying to hold his laughter. Then he noticed his hands felt cold; he breathed out, and frost came from his mouth.

'What the fuck...' Alistair thought, peeked at the rest and asked. "Can't you guys feel the chill in this place?"

His voice cracked as he spoke, with frost emitting from his throat.

Salin and Elina looked at each other before shaking their heads. "What chill?" they said in unison and in confusion.

Alistair rubbed his arms to warm himself up. "Never mind, it's me."

Alistair dropped the subject. He hugged himself and put his hands in his jacket, feeling much better, but still shaking.

Issac, who noticed, asked him. "Alistair, are you feeling alright?"

Alistair glanced up and said. "No, I don't think so…"

"Want me to inform your fat—"

"No, don't!" Alistair said with a raised tone. He wasn't about to call a sick leave because of a little cold.

Alistair still looked at where his father stood and noticed the man conversing with a familiar face.

"Calinar," Alistair muttered, uncomfortable at seeing the man here. Alistair became cautious because this man never came to insignificant events. So this meant.

'How crucial is this place?' Alistair contemplated as he tried to connect the dots.

'And why is it so secretive? From the time we walked in… there were so many precautions,' Alistair strolled with his eyes unfocused.

'The cameras, the camouflage and strict rules… Does the information here hold that much value…' Alistair turned around and scrutinized the words. His mind went through countless calculations as he inspected the hieroglyphs.

Alistair examined a helix drawing, one that led to tangled-up black and white spheres.

The white spheres increased in size… before violently exploding.

But a different scenario happened in Alistair's mind; the white orbs transmuted to mist, swaying around without lease, turning into white strings.

Eventually, it all came down too… numbers.

G T I 0 0 1

O 0 T I 0 1

O 0 0 T I 1

G I 0 0 T 1

It was at this point that Alistair understood what he observed.

Alistair's eyes broadened, and his hands shivered. He slowly uttered the word. "It's a weapon!"