Chapter 353: Stephen’s Elixir
Stephen walked over to a small wall safe, punched a code into the digital keypad, and pulled out a glass vial. Inside, an electric-pink liquid glowed with a dazzling intensity, looking as fascinating as it was dangerous.
"A while ago I set requirements for you to train again. You met them... Are you ready?" said Stephen, holding the vial up to the light.
"I’m always ready," said Alexander, fixing his gaze on the strange bottle.
"This is what I kept for you. It’s my latest creation, and the reason why I live in this secluded city," said Stephen, turning around to look him in the eye. "What do you think? Do you want to know the story?"
"It would be an honor to hear your story," said Alexander, crossing his arms as curiosity took over.
Stephen lowered his hand slightly, staring at the pink liquid with a melancholic expression before looking back at Alexander.
"Do you know what the TMC is? I don’t recall if I’ve asked you that question before," said Stephen.
"I don’t think so. We’ve never talked about that," said Alexander, keeping his composure.
"The TMC wasn’t originally an organization," said Stephen, looking at the vial with nostalgia. "Its leader, an old friend of mine, managed to sneak into that world. At that time, control of the portal was exclusive to the government, so no one could enter or leave that place."
Alexander listened attentively, taking in every revelation about the TMC’s history.
"I was part of a government team, a scientific team," continued Stephen. "We were in charge of analyzing the compounds of that world, and we managed to create a few serums. Military control increased, and the strongholds became even stricter. Governments signed the agreement to control access to every entry on Earth, but as always, you can’t keep everyone happy. Many opposed the government having total control and joined a faction. Supported by a powerful force from the other world, they handed hundreds of awakening stones over to the rebels, giving them an army overnight... I was part of the rebels; I was against government control and censorship, so I fought. But we were forced to flee to that world. We lived hundreds of years in that place, long enough to become so strong that when we returned, the government ceded part of its control and multiple factions were formed. One was the TMC with my friend. I didn’t want to be tied down to anything, so I refused and kept traveling and researching. Since that realm had treated us well, I decided they would be a great sponsor... which was the biggest stupidity I ever committed in my entire life."
Stephen’s voice grew heavier as he gripped the vial tightly in his hand.
"That realm was planning to take over our world by force, and they had infiltrated us," said Stephen. "When I found out, I tried to alert them, but nobody believed me. It was obvious... Who would believe that our sponsors were our real enemies? Nobody believed me except the leader of the TMC. He alerted the government, and they began preparing. I was labeled a traitor since they held me prisoner and I couldn’t escape. Although, now that I think about it, that wasn’t so bad for me... The realm appreciated my skills and let me experiment; they gave me all the resources I wanted: money, rare elements, test subjects."
Stephen let out a small, bitter chuckle before concluding.
"I spent years playing on their side. I never came back or reported in because I couldn’t..."
Stephen stared at the pink liquid glowing against the glass, holding a brief silence with memories before speaking again.
"How did you escape?" said Alexander, breaking the pause as he fixed his gaze on the vial.
"That’s the funny part..." said Stephen, letting out a bitter smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Tell me, Alexander, have you ever thought about what hive-mind races really are? Have you ever wondered what would happen to the subordinates if their absolute leader simply died overnight?"
Alexander didn’t answer immediately. He kept his steady gaze, imagining the sheer magnitude of such a scenario.
"Well... I found out on my own," continued Stephen, tracing a finger along the cold surface of the vial. "And I must tell you something: even though they were my enemies, when I exterminated them I felt so disgusted with myself that I was on the verge of abandoning science forever."
Stephen looked up at the ceiling, recalling the dark laboratories where he had spent decades as a prisoner provided with unlimited resources.
"I created a unique pathogen weapon, a biological agent with the ability to infect and transmit itself among all members of the same bloodline at a terrifying speed," said Stephen, clenching his jaw. "I only needed to infect a single guard of the queen. The virus spread through the hive’s psychic and biological network like wildfire. In less than twenty-four hours, an entire species with over billions of members had ceased to exist. The forests of that realm were left in silence."
A chill ran down Alexander’s spine upon hearing the number. Billions of lives eradicated in a single day by the mind of one man.
"But that wasn’t the worst part..." said Stephen, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. "The strangest part of all was what happened to me. As I told you before, my body absorbs the vital energy of everything I kill. So when that virus devoured them all... my skill processed every single one of those deaths. In a matter of hours, I absorbed the residual strength of an entire planet."
Silence took over the room. Alexander observed Stephen in a new light; he suddenly understood why the man’s mere presence felt so overwhelmingly heavy, as if a living abyss were standing in front of him.
"And despite all that terrifying power I obtained... when I returned, I realized that there is always going to be someone better than you," said Stephen, letting out a subtle smile loaded with wisdom.