Bloody Odyssey

Chapter 55: Epoch

Mimi lay stuck in a crater, body half-sunk into the cracked crimson rock. The impact had driven her deep—shoulders and hips wedged tight, legs twisted at unnatural angles. Bones protruded from both shins—sharp white spikes pushing through torn skin and muscle, blood pooling dark and thick beneath her. Her breathing came in short, ragged gasps; every small movement sent fresh pain lancing through her nerves.

With haste Zain dug her out. His hands moved fast but careful—clearing rubble, prying stone away until he could slide his arms beneath her shoulders and knees. He lifted her into a princess carry, cradling her against his chest. Mimi's head lolled forward; her hair fell across his armor in sweat-damp strands.

"Ahhhhh!"

She screamed—raw, piercing—nails sinking deep into Zain's flesh. Her fingers tore through the gaps in his armor, digging into muscle and tendon. Blood welled instantly around her knuckles. Zain didn't flinch. He only tightened his hold, jaw set, eyes fixed forward.

Zain raised his head.

Hanna's blood boiled. She turned her gaze to Dax's descending figure—eyes burning with fury, fists clenched so tight her knuckles whitened. The air around her crackled faintly with restrained mana.

Anastas patted her shoulder—quick, urgent—signifying her to keep shut. She ignored him completely.

"I remember stating that mutilation is allowed," Dax said as his boots touched the ground. His voice was calm, matter-of-fact. "You see—she's still alive."

Hanna's rage snapped like dry wood.

She turned in a fit of fury and walked toward the goblins' direction. She raised her hand to the sky. Soft magical inscriptions appeared around her fingers—golden, intricate, spiraling outward in delicate patterns.

Above her a tiny flame took form. It hovered for a heartbeat—small, flickering—then began to grow slowly. It stretched wider and hotter, swelling into a massive burning sphere that lit the violet sky orange and cast long shadows across the battlefield. The heat rolled outward in waves; nearby rock began to glow faintly red.

"I can't let you do that."

Dax blasted a tiny black orb.

It travelled slowly—almost lazily—toward the inscription. The moment it made contact, cracks spiderwebbed through the golden runes. The massive flame ball crumbled—falling apart in chunks of fire that tumbled dangerously toward the ground.

With a massive pull force the black hole swallowed the spell in an instant. Flames, heat, light—everything vanished into the void.

Dax shrunk it down to the size of a crystal orb. The flames inside froze—trapped, silent, perfect—suspended in absolute black.

"Since learning that my World Ki can imitate exotic matter," Dax said quietly, "I gained a series of enlightenments. And one of them was this."

He watched the frozen flames inside the orb for a long moment, then let it vanish into his palm.

"How can you be so cruel?" Hanna asked, voice shaking with pain. "Do you value these monsters' lives over ours?"

Dax stared at her blankly. He remained quiet.

He landed gently before Zain and lifted Mimi from his arms with care. Her broken limbs fluttered with every small movement—bones shifting under skin, blood dripping onto Dax's sleeve in slow drops. He didn't seem to notice the stains spreading across his clothes.

"Epoch."

His lab manifested in a breath—black oval tearing open in the air, sterile white light spilling out like cold water.

"Nadia—return to the base with Hanna. When I return, the results will be announced."

"Zain, Anastas—follow me."

Dax walked into his lab. Anastas and Zain followed tightly behind.

Reality bent on entrance—space folding inward, colors inverting for a heartbeat, gravity shifting underfoot like stepping onto a moving platform.

"What is going on?" Zain's face showed deep confusion—brows furrowed, eyes darting around the sudden white corridors.

"I'm sure you're definitely not asking me," Anastas muttered, staggering and falling to one knee as the shift in gravity threw him off balance. "Does it look like I've been inside a black hole before?"

Zain ignored him.

"Welcome to my lab," Dax said, still holding Mimi in his arms. Her blood stained his clothes dark, dripping in slow trails down his sleeve. "This is a place separate from your reality. My personal world and testing ground."

"Epoch."

"Welcome back, Master."

Micah bowed—deep, formal, robes whispering against the seamless floor.

"Whoa—Vice-Captain, isn't that the man he introduced to the clan as his master?" Anastas hit Zain with his elbow.

Zain knocked him on the head.

"Ouch!"

Anastas jumped back, rubbing the spot.

"Control yourself," Zain said. "Something I wish Ariel was more in control of. He is more stable."

But inside he thought: He's not wrong. From what I see here, the situation is vice versa.

Micah looked at Mimi—still unconscious, breathing shallow. Then he looked at Zain and Anastas—golden eyes glowing softly. He smiled—small, knowing.

"Thank you for your kind words, Lord Silas."

Zain bowed his head slightly.

Dax walked to the gene chamber.

Passing through fifteen large massive glass capsules—each containing strange alien entities and creatures from the backrooms: twisted limbs pressed against the glass, eyeless faces staring blankly, forms that shifted and hurt to look at too long. The capsules hummed faintly; soft blue light pulsed inside them like slow heartbeats.

Moving deeper he entered a lower segment with more than fifty black capsules laid on the floor—seeming to be part of it, seamless, integrated into the architecture. They hummed in low unison, faint steam curling from their edges.

"Open."

Dax walked to the very first one, commanding it.

It opened—releasing steam that curled like cold breath. Inside was a liquid similar to water but its texture was different—thicker, faintly luminous, rippling without cause, glowing softly from within.

He placed her gently inside—careful not to jar her broken legs—then commanded the tube to close.

The capsule sealed with a soft hiss. The liquid rose slowly, enveloping her body, glowing brighter where it touched her wounds.

Returning, Dax was met by the stunned figures of Anastas and Zain.

"Mimi is going to be fine," he said. "And her legs will be restored."

He paused, turning to them.

"Don't stare at my unstable factors too much. They don't like it."

Dax grinned slightly—sharp, fleeting—then walked out.

They followed tightly behind. Their gaze turned sparkling with surprise and intrigue. This place is insane, Anastas said within himself as their footsteps echoed in the hallways.

The corridors stretched long—smooth white walls that seemed to breathe with faint pulses of light, floor tiles seamless and cool underfoot, air perfectly still yet carrying a low, constant hum that vibrated in the bones.

"Do you know why you both are here today?"

Zain shook his head while Anastas replied.

"Is it because we won your favour points?" Anastas literally asked another question.

Dax looked back at him—eyes glowing silver for a single heartbeat, sharp and cold—then returned his gaze forward, continuing down the corridor without breaking stride.

"Firstly, Zain is your Vice-Captain," Dax said, tone even and unhurried, "so he wasn't participating for points."

He paused mid-step—just long enough for the words to settle into the quiet.

"The challenge was thrown at you, Mimi, and Hanna."

Dax turned slightly—enough to Anastas without stopping. His grin spread slowly—evil, deliberate, the kind that showed too many teeth and promised nothing pleasant.

"So make a guess. Do you think you're the winner?"