Livia guided Brian and Serdna to the R&D department to see Dr. Orion Fenn. Even though she tried to appear professional, it was plainly obvious that she continued flirting with Serdna along their short walk. Their interaction was heartwarming amidst the apocalyptic setting, but Brian didn’t want to witness it anymore. Luckily, they quickly reached their destination.

Brian and Serdna stepped into a spacious lab. The room gleamed with an otherworldly cleanliness, putting Frankenstein’s lab, Brian's Earth engineering lab, to shame. Aestari instruments of various shapes and sizes lined the walls and countertops, each more alluring and bizarre than the last.

"Damn," Serdna’s tone was faint and low, his eyes darted from one device to another.

Brian's gaze locked onto a particularly striking apparatus. Hovering waist-high on a crystalline pedestal, luminescent globules danced within it, suspended in a state of flux like some ethereal ballet. Brian tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Was it a scanner? A synthesizer? He couldn't even hazard a guess.

"Ah, I see you've taken an interest in our Prismatic Valtite Analyzer," a voice chimed in, pulling Brian from his thoughts.

A man stood before them, his wild shock of white hair defying gravity. Spectacles perched precariously on his nose, and he wore a white uniform adorned with a violet stripe. This had to be Dr. Orion Fenn, the head researcher Brian was searching for.

"Prismatic Valtite Analyzer?" Brian repeated, committing the name to memory. "Impressive."

Dr. Fenn grinned, launching into an enthusiastic explanation. "Yes, it modulates frequencies of light to provide detailed molecular-level readouts of valtite. It's quite revolutionary!" He had an aged, but energetic timbre; it sounded friendly and rough simultaneously.

Brian sighed, suddenly understanding. "So it's like a mass spectrometer and a microscope combined."

"Ha ha ha!" Dr. Fenn beamed. "The floating globules emit varying colors representing the valtite's structural properties and chemical makeup. It provides visual data in a way that's both intuitive and remarkably comprehensive."

"Wow, we don't have anything like that on Earth," Brian admitted, a hint of envy in his voice.

"Interesting," Dr. Fenn mused, fidgeting with a nearby instrument. "So, you are the one from the mysterious ‘Earth’, correct?"

Brian hesitated, suddenly staring at the floor while a flush crept up his cheeks. Yet, a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth at being singled out. He gave a small nod, trying to suppress the urge to over-explain himself. "Yes, that's me," was the only thing that came to mind.

Dr. Fenn continued to rattle off information about the Prismatic Valtite Analyzer. Brian’s engineering brain felt close to bursting with thoughts of this technology's potential applications.

"Say, Doc," Serdna piped up, his tone casual but pointed. "What are you planning to do with all this fancy tech?"

Dr. Fenn paused, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before replying. "Why, to advance our understanding of valtite and its potential uses, of course!"

"Of course," Serdna echoed, his voice dripping with skepticism.

Dr. Fenn leaned forward in his chair adjusting his spectacles. "So," he began, "the High Director mentioned you can communicate with monsters. How does that work?"

Brian felt a twinge of unease at the question but tried to remain calm. "Well, I just talk to them like I'm talking to you right now," he replied, hoping that would be enough for the eccentric scientist.

"Interesting, that seems very useful," Dr. Fenn mused, his fingers drumming on the table. "And you mentioned something about a Valtite System? What is it, and why do you want to learn more about it?"

"Nobody seems to know what it is," Brian admitted, feeling slightly defensive. "That's why I wanted to see if you knew anything about it."

"Ah, I see." Dr. Fenn reached into his pocket and retrieved a pair of high-tech valtite scanning goggles. These appeared slightly more advanced than the ones Darius used. "What does this Valtite System do for you?"

Before Brian could answer, Serdna interjected, "It opens dungeons!"

Caught off guard by the interruption, Brian stumbled to continue. "Yes, it does that... but it also gives me a lot of information about the valtite around me. Both within and around me."

"Very well," Dr. Fenn acknowledged, peering at Brian through his advanced SpectraSight V-Scanners.

Serdna grinned and commented, "Those shades look very fancy. Do you have an extra pair for me?"

Dr. Fenn chuckled. "They're a new model v5. And unfortunately, they’re one of a kind. For now," he explained. As he scanned Brian, his expression turned thoughtful. "Your valtite signature is the same as that of the monsters inhabiting Valtaeria," he observed.

Brian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I've been told that before."

"More importantly," Dr. Fenn continued, "and you have a dominion affinity? Quite impressive." He leaned back in his chair. "What manifestation did you choose?"

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Feeling a bit more at ease with the scientist, Brian raised his palm and conjured his EHG. "Void energy," he explained. "I can also manifest this...tentacle whip thing from my right hand, but it's kind of awkward and seems to do more harm than good."

"Ah!" Dr. Fenn’s eyes lighted up with excitement. "That's because you need something to channel it properly."

Brian furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

Serdna strummed his lyre with a mischievous smile. "A weapon, of course!"

Dr. Fenn chuckled and began sketching something in a notebook. Brian extended his neck to get a look at Dr. Fenn’s sketch. "What are you drawing?"

"Ah, just thinking about how I could build a device that channels void energy. We’ve made a few in the past, but not recently. We don’t have many with a dominion affinity, and they usually don’t meddle with void," Dr. Fenn replied. His pen moved rapidly across the page. "Valtite is simple when it is enhancing the body but becomes more complicated when one uses it outside the body. We have found that it becomes easier if we use something to channel it. Would you mind if I took a blood sample?"

Brian exchanged a glance with Serdna, who looked just as confused as he felt. The thought of the government beginning to experiment on him tried to take over his mind, but he steeled himself and shoved those fears aside. This was his chance to understand the strange power within him, after all. “If it’ll help.”

Can I trust this guy? Brian wondered silently, his eyes flickering between the mesmerizing array of equipment in the room and Dr. Fenn's animated face. There was something unsettling about this brilliant scientist–was he more driven by the pursuit of knowledge or by ethical considerations?

Brian gritted his teeth as Dr. Fenn prepared to draw his blood. The cold metal of the extraction tool paired with the sterile white lab made Brian’s skin crawl.

Dr. Fenn noticed Brian's apprehension and reassured him with a smile. "Not to worry, Brian. It's just a small sample so I can develop a void energy manifestation device that resonates with your specific valtite signature. At the same time, I'll see if I can gather any information about your valtite system from your blood sample." The doctor hesitated. “Are you ok?”

"I’m all... good," Brian replied, exhaling deeply. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was all too invasive. His mind flooded with doubts about whether he could really trust the doctor despite his friendly demeanor.

"Ah, you'll be fascinated by my Prismatic Valtite Analyzer!" Dr. Fenn grinned before calling over Draven, a young wiry man who responded to the summons. Brian recognized him from the Decimator's Academy opening speech.

"Hey, I’ve seen you before, right?" Brian asked in a friendly manner. "I remember you from the Academy."

"Ah, yes," Draven replied smoothly. "I was assisting the vice director back then. But my main work is here. I’m a Valtite Researcher and Analyst here in the lab."

"Great," Brian said, preparing himself for what came next. Dr. Fenn announced that Draven would collect the blood sample, but stopped for a moment, struck by a sudden thought. "So, what’s your weapon of choice?"

Brian thought for a second, tempted to say sub-automatic weapon but thought better than to cause a military revolution of some sort and settled on something more fitting for Arcasium's sci-fi medieval vibe. "I haven’t thought of that. But I guess I've been getting the hang of wielding a dagger," he replied.

"Very well," Dr. Fenn nodded, making a note in his data pad.

Meanwhile, Draven had everything ready to collect Brian's blood sample. Brian nodded, but anxiety still gnawed at his insides. He extended his bare arm reluctantly, clenching his fist to make the veins rise. The needled tip pressed into the crook of his elbow, an uncomfortable pinch piercing his skin. He watched with a grimace as the vial filled with rich, crimson blood - his human essence being drained for experimentation. The intimacy of it made him queasy.

"All done!" Dr. Fenn said brightly, placing a small bandage over the puncture. Brian exhaled. It was over, just like that. He knew the die was cast, but what exactly had he wagered? This was a deal with the devil he had made, for better or worse.

The procedure was like a normal blood draw, but the device used closely resembled the tool he'd used for extracting valtite fragments. Draven pressed it against Brian's arm for two nivoseconds, and it painlessly sucked out a small vial of blood.

"Alright, so that was it?" Brian was taken aback.

“As simple as that.” Draven stated plainly.

Dr. Fenn placed his SpectraSight back in his pocket. “That is all we need for now. I will contact you as soon as I have something.”

"Thanks," Brian mumbled as he and Serdna said their goodbyes to Dr. Fenn and Draven. Just before leaving, Brian asked, "How will you contact me once you've finished the device?"

“Your contact is registered with the directorate, right?” Dr. Fenn asked.

“I guess. I mean, I’m not sure.”

“That’s right, I am pretty sure you don’t have vlite,” Serdna said, sheepishly.

"Wait, no Arcasium-Msg-Vlite? How?" Dr. Fenn asked, raising an eyebrow. “You should’ve gotten one after completing the Decimator Academy.”

"Er, no," Brian admitted, feeling embarrassed. "Darius and I didn't exactly part on the best of terms."

Serdna burst into laughter, reminiscing about his own time at the Academy. "Darius is one grumpy character," he choked out between laughs.

"Here," Dr. Fenn said, rummaging through a drawer. He pulled out a sleek, compact device and turned it over in his hands. The doctor’s fingers moved vigorously across the glossy surface as he programmed something into it. After a few moments, he handed the Arcasium-Msg-Vlite to Brian with a knowing smile.

"Take this. It's the latest model, freshly encrypted by me. Consider it a gift."

Brian accepted the device cautiously. He knew full well that any favors came with strings attached, especially from the government. They would likely track his movements or communications through the device somehow. Still, he had little option but to take it for now and hope to mitigate any hidden risks later on.

"No need to thank me - the High Director asked me to help you, after all," Dr. Fenn continued lightly. "But I must say, I'm very interested in learning more about you, Brian. You're quite the anomaly."

Brian simply nodded in reply, pocketing the device. He would have to be extremely careful with how he used it until he could determine if it was safe for him to carry it.

There was a sudden vibration in his pocket. He took the vlite device from his pocket and looked at its screen.

Orion: Test

“It looks like it works. I’ve received your message,” Brian said, looking at the doctor.

“Good, good. I’ll contact you that way.” Dr. Fenn replied.

“And how do I send messages?”

“I can teach you, I’m sure the doctor has a lot of work to do,” Serdna said.