They continued down the dirty, dark corridors of that laboratory, Tadeus carrying the unconscious Marin as they progressed. After a long time walking, Tadeus asked them to return to the Bahamut outpost so that Marin could be treated before the worst happened. Sun asked Tadeus and Yohanna to take Marin back while he and Aiya stayed to free the supposed captives and completely destroy the place.

As the dwarf returned carrying Marin, Sun and Aiya proceeded down that dark alley. Eventually they reached a door emanating an unbearable odor. Sun tried to force it open but the door remained firm. Using her skill "Weak Point", Aiya managed to identify a weak point on the door and pointing to it, asked Sun to strike it with his sword. The door finally opened. Inside, the two were confronted with piles of decomposing bodies, men, women and children from Bahamut thrown there as if they were trash.

"By the gods, what is this?" asked Sun.

"This is what happens when a maniac has power and freedom..." Aiya replied, also shocked by the gruesome sight.

As they entered the place, when Sun saw the body of a little girl who seemed to be no more than 4 years old, he felt sick and contrary to his identity as an unshakeable hero, he knelt down, cried and vomited at what he was seeing.

"See these mutilated bodies Sun, this happened every day to the poor and weak while we played at being adventurers! Now let's go, we have to burn this place." said Aiya lifting Sun up.

"I...I...I want to give these people a dignified burial!" replied Sun.

"I understand, but we can't take them out of here, they've been contaminated with diseases and curses, if we don't burn it, they'll infect the healthy people living in this region," Aiya replied.

Then the two set fire to the entire laboratory and left as fast as possible. Since seeing that sight, Sun did not say a word to Aiya until reaching the outpost where Marin was being treated. While the young mage was being treated for her injuries, Sun stayed by her side completely silent, disturbed by what he saw and by his friend being in this condition. The next morning, the military doctor who treated Marin told the group that she would have to stay out of any action for at least a month. As Aiya was leaving after hearing what the doctor said.

"Where are you going, we're not done with this mission yet!" said Sun, his eyes ringed with dark circles from not sleeping.

"We have no more mission, the laboratory was destroyed and there were only bodies there, the alchemist could now be anywhere in this country, it will be impossible to find out now!" Aiya replied.

Sun was desolate from what he saw, and for the first time, the boy hero's spirit and pride were brutally shaken and wounded, he just lowered his head in a sign of apathy as Aiya left saying:

"Your mission is over adventurers, return to your regular work!".

As the Hero extended his hand toward Aiya who was leaving, he felt a light touch on his clothes and turning around saw that Marin was awake and even with a weak trembling voice said:

"You...are...the...hero..."

Sun felt a terrible tightness in his heart and without saying anything, left his team and ran after Aiya. In the room, Tadeus and Yohanna, who had already realized that Marin had strong feelings for Sun, just looked on understanding that for Marin, letting Sun go was a great pain. Outside, as Aiya prepared her horse to leave, the young panting hero arrived.

"The mission isn't over yet, we'll find new clues about the alchemist's whereabouts and we'll defeat him!" said Sun, this time with a determined look.

Aiya looked at him as one looks at a lost child and said, "You don't seem well, rest and continue with your life."

As Aiya was leaving, a family ran into the outpost with their small daughter in their arms, she seemed to have a terrible fever and had black spots scattered over her body. Aiya noticed the spots very well and was able to identify them - they were the same spots that appeared in those infected with the alchemist's homunculus disease. Quickly Aiya asked the family where they lived, and the father replied that they lived farther north near the Leoria border.

"It seems we have a second chance, Hero!" said Aiya to Sun.

She then gathered everyone in Marin's room and began to talk to the group:

"Chimeras have no independent thought and so they only have the basic commands given to them by their master, like attack, protect!"

"However, they also remember the place they were born, the place they awakened to the world, and when lost they return to that place!"

Sun immediately remembered the chimeras they had faced in that laboratory that retreated wounded and probably returned to what was likely the alchemist's real laboratory.

"So we just have to follow the infection trail to find the location?" asked Yohanna.

"Better than that, my dagger has a bleeding attribute, it doesn't let a wound heal easily, if we're fast we can follow the dried blood trail of those animals!" Aiya responded.

Tadeus entered the conversation:

"You're thinking of leaving, but what about Marin?"

Tadeus' question left the room in deep silence, but not wanting to waste time, Aiya turned and said, "I understand how much a friend's life is worth, if you no longer want to be on this mission I will understand!"

Before Aiya could leave again, Sun grabbed her cloak and said, "I'm going, after all I'm the hero, I can't let more people die!"

Tadeus did not accept Sun's decision and got irritated with him. Yohanna, on the other hand, was torn between going on the mission and staying, but realizing Sun would not back down, she touched Tadeus' shoulder and said, "Don't worry Tad, when Marin wakes up tell her I'll bring our leader back alive!"

Aiya, Sun and Yohanna set out this time with these new clues. After some time in the desertic and mountainous northern region of Bahamut, Aiya, Sun and Yohanna advanced under the relentless sky, a deep blue without clouds, that stretched above the arid and steep lands. The heat undulated from the ground, distorting the horizon, as they followed the blood trails left by the wounded chimeras in the previous battle. The sand under their feet told stories of ancient civilizations, now forgotten, and mysteries buried under the dunes.

Aiya led the group with a fierce determination, her trained eyes following the trail that intertwined between the rocks and gorges, proof of the desperation of their prey. Sun, with his sword always within reach, remained alert to any movement, his posture reflecting the readiness of a born warrior. Yohanna, with her bow ready, observed the high ground, ready to defend her companions against any threat that might emerge from the shadows of the mountains.

As they deepened into the desert, the tracks led them to a labyrinth of canyons, where the sun seemed even more relentless, and shadows played games of illusion and disorientation. They knew they were approaching the alchemist's laboratory, a place of unspeakable horrors and a forbidden science that challenged the limits of nature.

The search was arduous, each step a battle against the implacable terrain and suffocating heat, but the trio's determination was unshakeable. They sought not only to prevent the creation of more abominations, but also to seek justice for the lives shredded by the alchemist's unrestrained ambition.

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In searching for the laboratory entrance, Yohanna using her "Sniffer" ability manages to smell a rotten odor coming from a group of rocks leading them to search the area. Aiya, who had detection expertise from her soldier days, was able to feel through the air coming from a small space the fetid smell of the laboratory and calling the others removed the rocks and found the large door to the alchemist's laboratory.

As Aiya, Sun and Yohanna stealthily entered the laboratory hidden in the bowels of Bahamut's desert, a palpable sense of evil emanated from the walls. The air was saturated with the smell of chemicals and decay, revealing the horrors hidden there. Unlike the previous one, this laboratory swarmed with grotesque activity: distorted experiments conducted on creatures pleading for an end to their suffering, and bizarre machines buzzing with a sinister energy.

Sun, with the determination of a warrior but the heart of a just man, felt a growing horror with each step. Yohanna and Aiya's expressions hardened as they advanced, prepared to face whatever it took to put an end to that nightmare. The path led them through corridors lit by flickering lights, each revealing new aberrations, until they reached an area most resembling a prison cell.

Behind the bars, they found people with empty stares and bodies marked by the torture of inhuman experiments. Some huddled in the shadows, others approached the bars, whispering for help in voices made hoarse from disuse. The sight of the chained victims, deprived of their freedom and dignity, ignited a burning fury in Sun. He, who had fought countless battles, faced monsters and endless challenges, now found himself before an enemy that challenged his understanding of cruelty.

Aiya, with her characteristic calmness but eyes burning with a rarely seen intensity, began examining the cell locks, seeking a way to free them. Yohanna, though shaken, remained vigilant, ensuring no surprises overtook them while working to free the victims.

The silence of the laboratory was broken only by the muffled sounds of their activities: the metallic clicks of Aiya's attempts to open the cells, the hopeful whispers of the imprisoned people, and the continuous buzzing of the profane machines around them. At this moment, the group was not just a band of warriors facing evil; they were the beacon of hope for those who had been forgotten by the world.

With Aiya's request, they quickly started searching the other rooms looking for a key that could open those cells, checking room by room until they came upon a last room, a totally dark room where the odor of rottenness came stronger. In there they felt the doors close and a voice echoing amidst the darkness.

"Welcome to my laboratory, I call it the 'Aberration Circus', I hope you enjoy yourselves, as clearly I will!"

With a snap of his fingers, the light flooded the room, revealing a scene that challenged comprehension and threatened sanity. The vast and filthy place was an altar dedicated to the perversion of life, where blood and mortal remains adorned the floor like macabre offerings. Before them towered an abomination that challenged nature: an immense fusion, a heinous blending of human flesh and machine, where gears and tissues intertwined in a grotesque spectacle of damned science.

The alchemist, with a smile that was a grimace of pure sadistic delight, proclaimed his intention to subject Aiya, Sun and Yohanna to a "test," ordering his creation to attack them. The creature, with its clumsy but powerful movements, advanced, each step an earthquake, each gesture a promise of destruction.

Sun, though horrified by the vision before him, steadied his posture, the sacred sword "Miracle" in hand, his unshakeable determination. Aiya, with her crimson daggers already in fist, prepared to dance the deadly dance she knew so well. Yohanna, no less determined, drew her bowstring tight, ready to shoot lethal arrows with precision.

The confrontation began quickly with a powerful charge from the homunculus. The heroes' counterattack was not weak, landing several powerful blows on the creature which showed no reaction, blood gushing uncontrollably, yet it continued attacking in an uncontrolled and powerful manner. In one sweep of its great arm, the creature struck a powerful blow to Sun throwing him against the great rocky wall, breaking his neck in an absurd and terrible act.

Aiya, always the quieter one, screamed for Sun believing he was dead, yet Yohanna continued fighting the creature normally. She asked the archer why she seemed so calm since she saw their leader die terribly before her. Yohanna simply said to hold on for a few minutes before Sun's unique ability took effect. They continued evading the creature's blows until suddenly Sun leapt up apparently unharmed.

The homunculus, a terrible blend of flesh and metal, dominated the fight with its immense strength. Sun, leading the attack with the bravery that characterized him, faced the creature in a direct confrontation, only to be struck by a devastating blow that launched him against a rock. The impact was brutal; Sun's body lay motionless, and it seemed the worst had happened.

Aiya, moved by a feeling that transcended the camaraderie of battle, cried out Sun's name, the pain and desperation evident in her voice. Losing Sun, even if temporarily, threatened to shatter the fortress of determination and hope that united them. However, Yohanna remained strangely serene amid the chaotic scene, her calm vividly contrasting the tension that dominated the environment.

When Aiya, confused and anguished, questioned the archer about her apparent lack of concern, Yohanna simply asked for patience. And then, after a few minutes that seemed an eternity, Sun began to move. Against all expectation, he stood up, showing no signs of the fatal blow he had received. Relief and surprise took hold of Aiya, while Yohanna revealed Sun's unique ability: "Miracle", a gift that allowed him to return from death a few times a day.

Yohanna's revelation about Sun's true nature unveiled not only the mystery behind his supernatural resilience, but also solidified his position as a hero among them. Aiya, understanding the magnitude of Sun's power, realized he was not just a courageous and determined leader; he was, like her, a true hero summoned from another world, endowed with a gift that transcended the laws of life and death.

This moment of revelation strengthened the bonds between the companions, uniting them not only in battle but in a shared understanding of their roles as defenders of a world that welcomed them amid strangeness and adversity. With Sun again among them, the group prepared to resume the fight, now with a renewed sense of purpose and an unshakeable faith in victory, for they knew that together they faced evil with a power that even challenged death itself.

With Sun miraculously recovered and back in the fight, the group quickly reorganized, facing the homunculus with renewed determination. Aiya, inspired by Sun's resilience and Yohanna's strategic calm, redirected her fury and focus toward the creature. The monster seemed almost invulnerable, but now, knowing they had in Sun a walking miracle, a new plan began to take shape.

Aiya gripped her two daggers firmly, and conjured within herself the ability 'Major Attribute Boost', greatly increasing her strength, speed and endurance. She then advanced once more with Sun and Yohanna against the creature, when approaching the monster, Aiya also used her unique ability 'Miracle' which unlike Sun's, did not make her return to life, but allowed Aiya to fatally strike an enemy a few times per day.

Finding a weak point in the exposed gear joints, she drove her daggers deeply, triggering a series of internal mechanical failures. Almost simultaneously, Yohanna loosed her arrows, which detonated with a boom, inflicting critical damage to the homunculus' structure and Sun finished it off with his sword.

Under the coordinated attack, the creature finally succumbed, collapsing into a misshapen heap of metal and flesh, its threat neutralized. The alchemist, observing from his high platform, was stunned by the defeat of his most formidable creation. However, his expression was still one of jubilation and arrogance.

After the fall of the homunculus, a brief wave of relief swept through the group, quickly replaced by confusion and tension before the alchemist's arrogant smile. Through the glass separating his observation room, he watched not with desperation but with an air of still having tricks up his sleeve. Aiya, whose intuition guided her as much as her combat skill, sensed impending danger as a foul odor began emanating from the monster's corpse. Her experience in battle and knowledge of magic and poisons alerted her to the risk it represented; it was the same rottenness that devastated entire villages, leaving behind only disease and death.

Aiya's reaction was immediate and desperate. She ordered retreat, but Yohanna's discovery of the locked door transformed the tense situation into a potentially fatal one. Sun's attempt to force the passage proved fruitless, the door resisting even his most powerful blows. The increasingly toxic air of the room began taking victims, with Yohanna the first to succumb to its debilitating effects.

In a moment of clarity, Aiya invoked her ability "Miracle" for acute perception revealing structural weaknesses in the door. Guiding Sun, she indicated precisely where he should focus his attacks. With the precision of a master craftsman, Sun landed blows that one by one dismantled the barriers separating them from salvation.

Destroying the door, Sun hastily returned to rescue Yohanna, placing her over his shoulders. The scene was one of ordered chaos as they raced against time, fleeing the spreading cloud of poison that threatened to engulf them. Escaping the laboratory became a desperate run for survival, with each breath a battle against the permeating venom.

Before the door of freedom, Sun hesitated, his heart torn between escape and rescuing the prisoners they had found before. The decision was torturous, but Aiya's words, heavy with urgency and realism, made him recognize the harsh truth: lingering would mean certain death for them all. With one last backward glance, laden with unspoken promises, Sun carried Yohanna from the laboratory, followed by Aiya, as the horrors and secrets of the place were left behind.

Their escape from the laboratory was marked not only by the tension of survival but also the weight of Sun's choice. Though they fled with their lives, the cost of his decision would leave deep scars on his heroic heart, always reminding him of the price of battling darkness and of the sacrifice required to bear the title of hero in a world full of shadows.