Cracking his neck, Han walked through one of the many hallways inside of the Facility. They had eventually concluded the meeting after it was determined that not much else could be done at the moment. Becky and the others were at least mildly happy to have the gem that Han had discovered and hoped for the Research and Development department being able to unlock its secrets.

Kimberly had offered to hold the gem again, but Becky and Jade quickly stopped her.

"It seems like she's developed some kind of connection with it," Han muttered as he mulled over the idea. Judging by how Kimberly reacted to the gem, Han wondered if the others had noticed.

Seeing that he was near an area of the Facility that allowed him to look down into a larger outdoor simulated area, Han went over and leaned against the rail and watched the people below him. It was relaxing, watching as kids played about, playing various sports and games, as the parent enjoyed hanging out with one another.

Judging by some of the outfits, he spotted men and women who were members of WABAL teams. Though now the teams served the purposes of being more paramilitary compared to athletic. Glancing at his wrist bank, he noticed that it was late into the afternoon, meaning that drills and training were over.

"What are you up to?" Han heard a voice behind him.

Turning his head, he saw that it was Jae-Hwa. Looking back to the families down below, he said, "Just decided to relax and watch people going about their day."

There was a slight vibration as Jae-Hwa leaned onto the same guard rail.

Han wondered what was up and expected her to start a conversation, but she remained quiet as if she, too, were enjoying the happy atmosphere of the families. "If she wants to just chill, I don't have any qualms against that," Han thought in his mind.

Looking down, he saw a woman that was leaning against a tree. Her belly was round, a clear indication of her expecting. This was even clearer, considering the woman was gently rubbing her belly. The entire time, the woman never looked up, just caressing the life being created inside of her.

"I heard that her boyfriend had recently passed, after an attack from the Modified Humans on the border of the campus next to the forest," Jae-Hwa spoke up. "It makes you wonder if there's such a thing as a god and why they would allow such things to occur, making a woman raise a child by themselves."

"Maybe if a god did exist, then they just want to see how things play out?" Han said.

"I'm not sure if I could handle being in a world that lacked anyone looking out for us," Jae-Hwa chuckled without humor. "I was supposed to have a happy life, spending my life with that special someone... but now I'm in this world."

He didn't know how to respond, deciding to observe the people and act like he didn't hear what she said.

"I heard that you chewed Jade out when you found out that both Amanda and I were missing," Jae-Hwa mentioned out of the blue.

Han looked at Jae-Hwa, startled by her words, and unsure why she was bringing such things up.

Jae-Hwa continued looking forward, saying, "It was nice to know that there are people that were concerned about others, especially someone they hardly know."

"I just didn't want to think of my teammates being dragged away by monsters," Han looked away, not wanting to make a minor thing into something significant.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Jae-Hwa shrugging her left shoulder as if to indicate that she wasn't trying to make what she did into something significant either.

"What do you think is going to happen to us?" Jae-Hwa asked.

Hearing the real concern in her voice, Han answered, "I think we still have a chance. It'll just be harder now, compared to before."

"Those things are getting stronger even as we're talking, right?" Jae-Hwa muttered.

"Yeah. That's a truth we can't avoid. Though this may become a strength for us, instead of being a liability." Han said cryptically.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Not wanting to elaborate on his answer, he pushed away from the rail and walked away from Jae-Hwa, who was now looking at him with confusion. Raising a hand, he waved at her as he walked away, signaling that the conversation was over.

-----

"Where have you been all day?" Jennifer yelled over at Han when she spotted him, walking over to the group.

Seeing everyone grinning at him, when they noticed him, made him feel happy. He enjoyed seeing them relaxing on the grass, happily talking with one another after dealing with the previous events.

"What are you guys talking about?" Han asked as he walked up to where his sister and mom were sitting.

"Talking about how strange it felt when we were fighting against the Modified Humans," Grace answered as Han sat down to join them.

"Han, you mentioned that you thought you had an idea of what was causing that and how it was leaking out of the Facility?" His mom remembered, tilting her head as she pulled out a memory.

He nodded, "Though an official name hasn't been created for it, I think it could be thought of like an essence or current flowing throughout the world." Seeing that he didn't lose anyone, he continued, "Likely, the Modified Humans have incorporated the essence leaking out of the buildings designed by Star and Moon, though I'm unsure if what Star and Moon did was the source. Since the Modified Humans appear to adapt in ways that only make them superior to previous versions, I think this could mean that their presence is increasing the essence already present in the world."

"That would make sense as to why that larger Modified Human tried to attack those creatures that looked more human," Grace added her thoughts.

Ruby became excited, nodding her head. "Yeah! Yeah! I remember it talking about wanting the flower that woman was holding."

"But what does that mean for all of us?" Ivy asked, looking at her animated friend with a mixture of amusement and concern.

Han shrugged his shoulders. "This is all guesswork on my part. The Research and Development department is going to need to figure all that stuff out. These thoughts are just based on how some of you reacted in the forest, after utilizing your developed skills and what we saw with the Modified Human. With how powerful the more human Modified Humans looked, the way they quickly subdued the larger one, I'm guessing that this essence is going to be key for our survival."

After hearing Han's words, the reaction was different than what he was expecting.

"What do we need to do? Is there a way to absorb this essence and use it?" Harmony asked him.

"I wonder if it's like what they did in those board games? Are we going to become sorceresses?" Ruby looked at Ivy.

Ivy looked back at Ruby with slight annoyance on her face. "If only I talked to the guys who played that stuff more, so I actually knew what you were talking about."

Ruby burst out laughing from Ivy's comment. "I remember how you brutally shot down that nerdy kid who confessed to you. Maybe that kid is some super-powered guy who could've killed those two Modified Humans?" She teased her friend.

"I didn't see you try and pick him up," Ivy rolled her eyes. "The guy acted so creepily, like looking at me when I got up to go to the bathroom during class or whenever I'd be walking to class." Ivy shivered, remembering the boy. "I kept thinking I was going to end up like those women victims that went missing. You know, the ones the news talked about."

Grace nodded her head, listening in on the girls' conversation. "It's a good thing you, girls, pay attention to that stuff. I remember listening to the other officers discuss missing person cases, and sometimes, it could have been avoided if the individual didn't associate with the suspect."

They continued talking about random events from back when the world was still normal.

This continued until Harmony looked at Han and asked, "Han, is there anything we can do?"