"If Lilia had been there she would have volunteered immediately," commented Marina, thinking that his was just a joke.

"There's something I'm training on, I think it's the best way to see if it works."

"I'll try to finish them soon," replied Lorenzo.

Francesca looked frightened between the two and stared at Marina. Ien's daughter intervened immediately before the situation reached the point of no return.

"Are you crazy?! Do you think we're going to shoot you? Don't talk about it, don't even think about it", she unconsciously approached him and almost hit him in the chest, "What would you train on then?"

"You know about spectral travel."

"Yes... what are you planning?" Ien's daughter narrowed her eyes.

"Is it just me who isn't understanding your conversation?" Francesca asked.

"No, me too" Lorenzo confirmed to Corgi's daughter.

Shirei decided to explain the topic better, in the hope that this might convince her to accept, "What if, instead of transporting my whole self to the Interworld, I let only a part of myself slide? I could pass through matter since I would still be in hollow form, hypothetically speaking. Alternatively, I could cancel the passage immediately so as to remain in a temporary limbo between two worlds."

Marina didn't hold back and raised her voice, "In what sense… in what sense, a part?!"

"Let's say, I would temporarily slide just a part of my body into the Interworld, remaining physically in the same place but ethereal for a few moments."

The blue-eyed demigoddess continued to stare at Shirei, "And have you ever succeeded?"

Cragar's son looked away, "Like I said, it's an idea for me to train on."

"That's not an answer... you can't risk getting shot to prove an idea!"

"You don't decide that."

"Ah, yes!" Marina clenched her fists and was about to hit him for his stupidity, "Then I'll shoot you, with pleasure!"

Shirei nodded gratefully, "Thank you. So now I'll leave you to your work, I have some things to do."

"Certain! See you!" The girl replied, with wild eyes.

Cragar's son waved and was enveloped in shadows. The remaining demigods stood still for a few minutes, suddenly the building seemed to have become very quiet.

"As soon as you finish, let me know," said Marina, trying to tame her anger, "One is worried for you and that's what she gets in return... it's okay, Shirei. You've made yourself a new enemy."

Ien's daughter left without even saying goodbye, too annoyed by the purple-eyed boy's attitude.

Francesca watched her go, holding back her laughter, "What just happened?"

"I don't know," said Lorenzo, "But I hope it happens more often."

Shirei materialized in the Corgi children's Forge, scaring Chris half to death. The boy was busy tinkering with the parts of some automatons but, due to the sudden appearance, he dropped the machines to the ground and broke them.

"I'm back," Cragar's son confirmed.

"No, mate! You can't do that!" The demigod caught his breath, "No spectral travels in here."

Shirei nodded, "I understand."

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"Did you bring my lava?"

"Yes," the boy touched the bracelet which transformed into a barrel.

The object fell to the ground with a huge thud and Chris walked over to check on it. The Corgi son was trying his best to hold back but he just wanted to jump for joy at that moment.

"Did you manage to do what I asked?" Shirei asked.

"Here..." the boy looked at the watch on his wrist, "Yes, but you have no more than ten minutes. I convinced their representative to fake a breakdown."

"Can I go there right away?"

"Hurry up, prince of the dead. Now I'm calling to warn him but, know that if you get caught, I won't defend you."

Shirei didn't have to be told twice and left in the direction of the laboratories. Once near the entrance, he waited a few minutes, until a group of demigods came out the front door. Bringing up the rear of the group was a grey-haired demigod wearing a lab coat. The boy, evidently the representative, helped his half-brothers to get away, promising that he would return to solve the problem in the basement.

Cragar's son didn't hesitate and quickly slipped into the main corridor, where he was hit by an artificial layer of smoke. Without slowing down, he proceeded until the gray blanket had dissipated, only then did he notice an open trapdoor a few meters away.

Shirei walked down the stairs into an underground laboratory. The walls, covered with dark metallic materials, reflected the light from the different sources scattered around the place, creating a kaleidoscopic effect of reflections. The atmosphere, even though the place was underground, was anything but gloomy: the combination of colored lights created a vibrant and compelling environment. Bright columns outlined shelves, filled with scientific instruments, test tubes and specialized equipment.

Hidden in a secluded corner, there was an almost hidden closet. A single dim light, hanging from the ceiling, cast a soft, flickering light, creating shadows along the walls. The air was filled with a palpable silence, broken only by the subtle hum of machinery in the main room.

Shirei approached it and immediately noticed how the air temperature was noticeably lower than the rest of the laboratory, invoking a freezing and penetrating aura. It seemed they wanted to preserve something special, exactly what Cragar's son was looking for.

Once he entered, he found himself faced with a terrifying sight. The carcasses of ten harpies lay there, inert evidence of a recent struggle against an unknown enemy. Under normal conditions, the bodies of monsters or mythological creatures were pulverized after their death, but Shirei had eavesdropped carefully and the ghosts had confirmed his hypothesis.

The sons of Didreus, as heirs of the god of science, wanted to study the bodies of creatures. To do this they had built cryogenic structures to keep the corpses intact and study them. A thin and involuntary smile was drawn on the face of Cragar's son, satisfied at having finally found what he was looking for. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes, manifesting the power of his ring.

The ten purple flames burned brightly in front of him, one for each fallen creature. A shimmering light spread, enveloping everything around him, as threads of darkness began to dance alongside him. The room was filled with negative energy as the souls of the harpies, those purple flames, separated from their bodies and were cloaked in darkness.

As Shirei completed the process of capturing the harpies' souls, Cragar's ring began to glow brightly, giving off a purple light that illuminated the entire plane.

When he reopened his eyes, the boy saw ten ghostly figures in front of him, the harpies, transformed into cursed creatures. Slowly, they were sucked into the ring and disappeared, leaving Cragar's son alone. With his goal accomplished, Shirei headed towards the trap door, ready to climb back out.

As soon as he left, he hid in the compartment dedicated to the thirteenth house, until all the sons of Didreus had returned to their places.

Chris was waiting for him at the exit of the laboratory with an impatient expression on his face. When he saw Cragar's son, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Done?" He asked, "Everything ok?"

"I just had to check one thing. I'll tell you again, everything remained intact."

"This disturbs me quite a bit, but it's none of my business."

Shirei walked past him, still hiding his right hand in the pocket of his jeans, "If you still need anything from the Underworld, I'll be available."

"Next time will you ask me to let you into Lyceum office?" Corgi's son replied sarcastically.

"No, simple information will suffice."

"Then I might think about it," the demigod held out his right hand, "It was a pleasure."

Shirei nodded his head and let the shadows envelop him. Chris stepped back, taken aback by Cragar's son's powers.

"What a guy! Well, at least I got what I wanted."

Marina, who had remained nearby in the meantime, had been attracted by the sudden problem that had occurred in Didreus' laboratory and had decided to get closer, to make sure that nothing serious had happened. Ien's daughter then stood aside, seeing Shirei silently emerge from the laboratory and talk to Chris. From her position, she couldn't understand what they were saying, but she suspected that the problem had been engineered by him.

Cragar's son was shrouded in shadows and Marina could no longer follow him, however suspicions about him only grew.

Shirei, what are you really plotting?

That question echoed in her mind for a few seconds. After calming herself, she decided to head towards her home. The next day, she would learn more about the violet-eyed demigod, but first, she had to deliver a brief report to the Great Mansion.