“The depths and secrets that lie below…”

******

“Did you read about what happened in London?” Melvin asked.

“Yes, Melvin. It is very concerning, to say the least. The Lodonis Mafia is gone….” Senpai replied.

Sensei was looking out the window towards the canal area that was covered with beautiful trees. He was thinking.

“What do you think Sensei?” Senpai asked.

“Something just feels off….. I do not think this is a coincidence at all. But, we must not let this get to us. ” Kai replied thoughtfully.

“You are right Kai!” Melvin said.

Kai and Sans looked at each other. They seemed to consider something for a few moments. They had a silent but meaningful conversation through their eyes and reached an agreement.

“Melvin…. There is something that you need to see. It is crucial for all of us. It has to be done.” Kai said in a serious but kind tone.

“Oh yeah? What is it?” Melvin asked.

“You will have to see it for yourself. Telling anything about it will not clear up anything.”

“Lead the way, mate,” Melvin said.

“You will understand once we go there. But there is something else that needs to be done before we do that.” Kai replied.

“Right! This is something that needs to be done. Melvin, you should follow us to the lower floors. That is where the real fun stuff happens!” Senpai added.

“Lead the way! Melvin and fun cannot stay apart!” Melvin declared.

The trio reached to the bottom levels through an elevator in the private section.

A grand opening awaited their arrival. An entire eco-system of technology, gizmos and people was thriving there.

Everyone seemed important here and everyone stood in rapt attention as the three left the elevator.

Certain important looking people came up to them and shook their hands.

“It is a pleasure to see the members of the inner sanctum here. I assume that the newest inner sanctum member will get his designation today?”

“Yes, you are right Colonel Amato. Please relay the message to every member of the outer sanctum. Today is an important day.” Senpai replied.

“As you wish!” Mr. Amato replied and hurried away.

Melvin looked on in daze as everything happened in a flurry around him.

The pristine condition of the area did not reveal anything. It was a beautifully sculpted area where technology and ancient architecture had a perfect fusion.

“This is a small segment of our base. The Kazel underground network is run by us. The consultancy is just a front. A huge section of the sub-structure below Kazel is owned by us. Welcome to the inner sanctum of Verneire, Melvin Havencort.” Kai added.

Melvin was speechless for a moment. It took him a lot of time to process whatever was happening.

“So….. we are covert operatives of sorts?”

“Ha! You could say that” Senosuke chuckled.

They walked through an underground hallway filled with technological gizmos and grand statues everywhere.

“In different sectors, we have troops, vehicles, supplies and a lot more. Consider it an army of sorts.” Kai mused.

They reached an end hallway with a gigantic door. It had a very strange and hypnotic design carved on it.

It was a dark violet and black design with a central eye-like structure in the middle. It represented a purple anemone with a lock in between. It was a symbolic look that put the soul into a state of quiet cacophony.

Melvin was in awe. It was not quite what he had expected. Or dreamt of. He could feel a veiled sense of excitement, a palpable anxiety and the welling up of a million questions.

“What on Earth…..?” he uttered.

“It is a pathway to the future. The inner sanctum of a society that aims to bring balance to this world. It is your gateway to the unknown. The door to the Inner Sanctum lies in front of you.” Kai said with devoted eyes.

“Can someone please tell me what is exactly going on?”

“Soon my friend. Soon” Senpai consoled.

From the centre of the symbol, a scanner scanned the iris of Sensei.

The door opened up, ushering the trio into the inner hall.

*********

“Uh guys….. Why is it so dark in here?” Melvin voiced out loud.

He heard no response.

“Okay……. this may not be too fun guys…. Hello?”

“Hey you pricks….. You can stop the prank now….” Melvin said in a rushed manner.

After not getting a reply for a while, Melvin realized that this was no prank. He was lost.

The entire location was pitch dark. He could feel nothing, perceive nothing and hear nothing. It was quiet.

He kept on walking. Time perhaps no longer existed.

After what felt like ages, there was a stirring within him. He could feel his mind expand.

He found himself back in his fight against Targuss.

“Huh….” he wondered. But he had no time to think. The brute was charging at him.

He dodged the swing of the bulky hammer and went in for a return uppercut but in place of Targuss, LevZuss had appeared.

The moment the punch connected, he felt that dreadful electric shock once again.

The pain lasted only for a moment though and the entire scene had shifted again.

Melvin found himself talking to his editor and scribbling away. At least the writer was behaving normally but he was almost in an out-of-body experience. He was experiencing moments of his life as a spectator in 3rd person. He could see his family manor and many old memories vividly.

He was starting to get used to the experience. He was almost feeling comfortable. But, of course, nothing is that simple.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

He felt a sharp and unnerving pain permeating his entire being and everything vanished again.

It was dark.

He was sinking.

Sinking.

Sinking…..

********

Melvin felt like he hit the floor with a thud.

He stood up and even though this place was beyond dark, things started to become visible. Depth and perception returned to the repertoire of his senses.

He saw a decorated door in front of him. It was entirely made of darkness with some bright yellow spots spread throughout. He walked towards it with trepidation. He felt a sense of exhilaration and fear as he approached the door. Something was pulling him towards the door and something else was pushing him away.

He was inches away from touching it but the final touch never came.

Melvin realized with a shudder that another hand had latched onto his. He looked up and saw that he himself, or rather a look-alike of himself had caught on to his hand.

“Hello there Melvin! You can call me Melvin.” the other one jeered and smirked.

“Who are you? Cosplaying as me? So cute…..” Melvin quipped back.

There was a rising sense of urgency. He had to leave.

“I don’t know what is happening….. And I don’t really care. I was there with my friends. I need to go. And on a side note… Stop cosplaying as me if you can’t get it right. That door must be my exit. Move you clown.” Melvin yelled out.

“ I am afraid that door cannot open yet. It is too soon.”

“We will see about that…” Melvin tried to bulldoze his way through but the imposter swung at him with great precision.

Melvin and the imposter went back and forth while trading blows.

“Why do you resist Melvin Havencort? You remember nothing and whenever you try to remember past a certain age, you start to feel the pain. Remain here. You will be happy. You can conjure up anything you wish to….” the imposter said.

Melvin found the offer tempting for a while. He was slowing down.

But then he remembered how he had found a new family in SCS and how he still had a mission to complete.

“I am sorry. I make it a point to not co-habilitate with crazy fans….Ciao my man” Melvin said with a grin and landed a devastating punch on the imposter’s face.

The imposter staggered back but stood back up with a genuine smile this time.

“See ya later Melvin….. I hope next time will be more pleasant…”

“You can count on that!”Melvin replied with a smile.

The entire area started to lighten up and Melvin started to feel lightheaded again. Though, this time, it felt restful.

**********

Melvin started to open his eyes. Everything felt bright for a few moments and he had to let his eyes adjust.

He was lying on a bed in an encased tube and heavy instruments were attached to his body.

He was not feeling bad though. In fact, he was feeling extremely invigorated.

“The disorientation should pass quickly. And you have been through the worst so there is nothing to worry about.” A somewhat calming and thin voice echoed.

Melvin’s eyes darted around and saw a man standing near his bed and working on a computer terminal. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with slight hints of red and a brown cargo pant. He had rectangular glasses and short, wavy and slicked hair. The most striking part about him was something else though. He had bionic arms with a purple and white colour scheme.

“Oh…. My apologies. My name is Daniel Bosker. I am one of the senior technical developers of Verneire. Or SCS. You know….” The man said apologetically.

“Hey Kai! The new guy is awake. Bring Sans with you. “ the man said over an intercom.

Melvin sat up and reached for his shirt and suit. He was athletic and fairly muscular because he worked on himself. One did not simply lead the life that he lead without being in peak condition.

Sensei and Senpai made their way into the room and walked towards Melvin.

“We are glad you are alright Melvin. We were worried. Terribly worried.” Senpai voiced in a concerned tone. “

“Thanks….. But what on rockers happened to me?” Melvin questioned.

Kai looked at him with a searching gaze.

“Are you sure you want to talk right now? Should we do it later? And……. is your mind jumbled up from the experience?” Kai asked.

“Yeah…. Yeah…… I want to talk. I feel confused and powered-up at the same time”

Kai and Sans looked at Daniel with a knowing look.

Daniel nodded.

“Melvin …… I have gone through the videos showcasing your fight against the two mafia bosses. I will start from there and explain a few important things.”

“Remember when you landed the decisive blow on Targuss?” Daniel asked.

“Yes, I do” Melvin replied.

“Good! Tell me, did you feel anything different?” Daniel questioned back.

“As a matter of fact, I did. I felt an immense surge of power and energy. I felt electrified. Yes. That is exactly how it felt.”

“That was not just a feeling. In a way, your mind and body were altered permanently.” Daniel trailed on.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Tell me Melvin. Have you pondered about the secrets of the universe? About the secrets that have been buried in the primordial past?” Daniel asked.

Melvin was confused but he answered “Yes. I will have you remember that I am author my guy!”

“Splendid. Then I have a demonstration for you. Look at Kai and Sans. Go ahead. Look at them, relax your mind and focus…”

“Alright mate…” Melvin said in a confused manner.

He looked at the two of them. He waited for a moment and what he saw startled him.

Almost invisible seams of energy seemed to be emanating from them. In reality, the energy was emanating from every single object. But these two had something different. The energy seemed almost conscious. It was extremely concentrated on the other two.

He hurriedly looked at himself and found that the density of his energy was similar to the other two. Bokser’s energy felt different too.

After giving it a while, he realized that living beings had coloured energy points. Kai had a black and dark purple emanation, sans had a beige with misty crimson hue while Bokser had a light purple hue.

“Congratulations Mr.Havencort….. You are now an Esper.” Kai said.

“An…. Esper….” Melvin whispered.

“What you are witnessing is the secret energy that permeates and binds the machinations of the universe. Ancient cultures called it prana or ki or chi and many other things. Quantum Physics has been dealing with it for ages. The hushed term that the scientific community has settled on is Verzon.

The classification of mutant types stems from this. Every single object of existence works with Verzon energy. People with higher abilities to consciously or unconsciously manipulate the Verzon within or around themselves are known as mutants.

You are an Omega Level Mutant. The highest class of them all. There are less than 600 Omega level mutants. This is the official story about mutants. Everyone knows about this.” Daniel said animatedly.

“Wait…. There is more?” Melvin asked in disbelief.

“Danny, I will finish the rest. You are half scaring Melvin to death right now.” Senpai interjected.

“Oh…..” Daniel gasped. “I did not realize that”.

“Yes, Melvin, there is more. A little more.” Senpai continued.

“There are some rare Omega level mutants who break the boundaries further. They achieve another level of mastery over Verzon. They are known as the Espers. Kai and I are espers are ourselves. As are you now. You have seen how broken espers are. Devastating weaponry, bodily harm, disease….. All these cannot phase us. Not normally anyway.” Senpai finished the story.

“Wait…. Verneire… Verzon… Do I find a connection here?”

“Yes. There is a connection.” Kai had spoken after a while. His eyes were gleaming with excitement.

“Verneire was founded to study, understand and apply the power of Verzonal energy. It has grown to be more. But it started there. I started it because I found a way to mend a lot of things…..” Kai trailed off. The ephemeral excitement was gone.

Senpai sensed Sensei’s uneasiness and continued.

“I will answer all your questions. And we have one last thing to do today.” Senpai said.

“I have a clear picture now. Though I must say matey, this was a long mind-trip. Now, I just want to know why I collapsed.”

“Ah yes. You see, after your awakening, the Verzonal energy density around you went up exponentially. It forced you inside your own mindscape. Everyone has a unique experience. We were concerned about the rising concentration of energy around you and thus we brought you here. This place has a lot of mutants so it triggered your mindscape journey. You were lucky it did.”

“I see Sansy-boy! Whew…. That was a ride to be sure!” Melvin quipped.

“There is one last bump on the road left man” Senpai said in a kind tone.

“Remember the Busoku exoskeletons? Well, they have a part to play too. “ Senpai said.

“The Busoku armors are highly advanced exoskeletons but not everyone knows that the full Busoku gear is profound. A true Busoku gear can only be formed with the help of Verzonal energy. Busoku stations are specifically built to form Quantum entanglement with the mindscape of a person to create custom gear. The Busoku gear is like your second skin. A busoku weapon defies certain scientific laws but you must have had a strong connection to it for it to qualify. It can be as simple as a stick that you played with in childhood but after Busokization, it might become a terrifying weapon. It enhances all your abilities to maximum. It is conscious in a way. Non-espers cannot fully unlock their powers. Standard Busoku armors are just fancy exoskeletons. “ Senpai finished.

“Lastly….. We have a Busoku station right here. We would like to get you Busokized. “

“Yes. That kind of power is something I, the great Melvin, will never refuse.” Melvin said. His sense of humor was back.

Kai rolled his eyes but he looked relieved. Everyone did.

“Excellent! Now, if you would just follow me to the centre of the room. See the giant circular running wheel like machine there? You just have to hop in and hold onto the two levers. The machinery will entangle your mind and with the nanomachines in the lab and the verzonal energy around you. There may be a bright light but nothing else.” Daniel rushed in a hurry.

Melvin walked up to the magnificent device and stepped into it. Holding onto the levers, he prepared his mind.

“Push the levers when you are ready.” Daniel said through an intercom.

“Alright laddie, time for an upgrade…. Here goes….3….2…1” Melvin pushed the levers.

A bright light enclosed the entire area.

Senpai, Danny and Sensei looked on with excitement as the entire room filled with light.

***********

== Melvin’s Quarters ==

It had been a few hours since Melvin’s entire world exploded. From secret super-agents to Universe magic, it all seemed too fantastic to be true.

He looked at the briefcase on his bed and wondered “I never thought my Busoku weapon would be those things. I am even more determined to find her now. “

He was tired though and needed some rest.

He went to bed, hugging the briefcase as a comfort pillow.