Mutagen

Day 55 – 6:37 PM – Surveillance Cell, Hospital Area,  Military Laboratory, North District, Bay City Settlement, Pasay City, Metro Manila

Mark stared at Spera with a dumbfounded expression. This was the very first time in his whole life to see someone grovel on his feet. He could also tell that this was not an act, the girl hugging his feet was totally begging as if he had taken her only way to live.

Spera looked at Mark with her eyes filled with tears. She did not care what she looked like right now. The only thing that she wanted was to get her powers back even if she had to pay her body for it. That was why…

"Hik… Please… Please… Return it to me… Hik… I will do anything... If you want… If you want my body, I can give it to you… Just… Hik… Please return it to me…"

It was uncomfortable… That was what Mark felt. Even Nia and Allen who were wary towards Mark after his last sentence also felt it.

Luckily, Mark covered all possible ways for other people outside to see what was happening inside the room. It was because not matter how they would look at it, it looked like Mark made a child cry.

Mark sighed. He leaned down and held Spera's shoulders and lifted her up. He noticed. She was very light… even for a girl who had a body that looked like thirteen or fourteen, she was too light. It took no effort to pick her up by her shoulders and put her back onto her bed. This sensation made Mark ask in his mind if this girl was eating properly.

"Calm down, will you? Do you really think that will talk to all of you like this if I only need to unconditionally take those abilities back? If I do, then this meeting is unnecessary, I can just take the abilities by force and none of you can do anything about it…"

Mark then tapped his pockets before turning to Nia and Allen.

"You two have a hankie? I forgot mine."

The two were confused. However, Nia still took out hers and handed it to Mark.

There, they saw Mark carefully wiping Spera's tears like he was taking care of a child.

"Seriously, you cry too much. Just how old are you?"

Spera went silent. She was dumbfounded as she did not expect this kind of gesture from Mark. Still, since he asked a question, she answered it by reflex.

"I-I'm seventeen…"

Her declaration of her age gave Nia and Allen a surprise. Spera's current appearance totally concealed that fact. Mark however was not surprised. He could tell how old a person was from the fluctuation of their emotions and he knew that she was older that how she looked like. He just asked that question as an expression but this girl actually answered.

Mark continued to wipe Spera's face without any change in his expression and the latter just let him without any form of protest. She looked like a child that found the affection she wanted for a very long time.

Her lack of defense made Mark smile inside.

'It will be easy to get her loyalty like this.'

It was true that Mark was interested when he noticed her lack of expression and emotions yesterday. However, that was not the true reason he left her alive. Even if her apathy took his interest, it was not enough for him to leave her alive as she was initially in the camp of the enemy.

Nevertheless, Flam's turnover to his side made him realize that not all the enemies needed to be eliminated. Like some Sengoku Era video games, not all generals captured from the enemy needed to be killed. Sometimes, their talents would be useful to the player's camp and what the player needed to watch out for was their potential betrayal as they were originally enemies.

And Spera fit that criterion. She was not just a simple ability user but a genius in Mark's view.

The ability to create portals that would connect two different places was not an easy task even if the person had the ability to do so, especially since the ability was bound to a lot of rules. In fact, the previous owner of the ability, Maurellfel, was not as proficient in using this ability as Spera.

First, the ability cost a large amount of energy for opening the portals. Maurellfel at her peak state could only cast either three long distance portals or nine short distance portals in the span of a whole day. Furthermore, the delay in being able to open a portal ranged for at least an ten minutes to several hours depending on the distance of the previous portal.

Next, opening a portal would cause a disturbance in space causing it to be very unstable. Unless it was a very short range portal, it needed full concentration until the portal was fully created. Any lapse in concentration would cause the portal to fail and waste the energy already spent to open it.

Any kind of disturbance of energy in the surroundings could affect the portal and its creation. That was another reason why it was hard to use for Maurellfel. Still, as a sniper, she was able to make use of this ability as she was always at the back of the line away from the most disturbance and enabled her to concentrate using it.

The last thing was that the user should have been to the destination of the portal before they would be able to open one.

As for the last rule, there was nothing they could do about it as the user of the ability needed to grasp the aura of space the destination had before being able to open the portal. To the other reasons however, they learned later that it was due to Maurellfel's lacking comprehension of laws of space. Unfortunately, it was already late when they managed to know about it.

On Spera's case however, it was different.

The span that their group arrived and tried to leave was too short. Not only was that but Spera managed to forcefully open a portal despite the disturbance created by the thick miasma he spread in the area. If it was Maurellfel, Mark knew that it would be impossible for her to do so.

It meant that Spera was a capable one in using this ability that was really hard to grasp perfectly. In other terms, she was a genius.

Mark did not want to let go of such capable person if possible. If not however, he would not hesitate to end her immediately.

Still, it seemed that it would go the way he wanted. Still, it was really strange that the Apathetic girl yesterday became a very emotional one although it made the job easier.

With those things in mind, Mark finished wiping of her tears and sat on the only chair in the room leaving Spera that looked disappointed.

"As I said, I won't take the abilities unconditionally. It was also by the request of that source. Do you all know? The abilities you had belonged to other people before. Those people were the greatest friends and allies of the source of the crystals."

Hearing that, Nia and Allen were shaken. The abilities they had were actually owned by other people.

"And those people are?"

Nia asked.

"Unfortunately, they are already dead." Mark smiled bitterly. "They all fought to death trying to save their home planet."

"A different planet? Are they aliens?"

This time, it was Allen who asked with interest.

"No, they are also humans. It's just they were taken by extraterrestrials to live in another planet." Mark looked at Allen. "Also, don't ask too much. I won't tell everything since it is better for you not to know about it."

Mark said those words with a serious expression.

"You said, you won't take our abilities unconditionally?"

Nia asked once more.

"That's right. As I said, those abilities came from the precious friends and comrades of the source as such, that person did not want to see these abilities to be used for evil purposes. Fortunately, Nia and Allen, you two passed."

The two was surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"I can tell. You two aren't bad people. Besides, don't think I don't know that you two had been sneaking out food for the orphaned children in the tent city. You two also stealthily joined in defending the settlement during attacks. I've been wandering around these past days monitoring the settlement and I already knew about the two of you. It's just the time is not ripe for you two to meet me."

"You… You have been watching us?"

"To some extent." Mark smirked. "After all, I have a duty to do so."

"Then why didn't we feel you. It's impossible for us not to notice."

"Oh, you mean that strange feeling?" Mark closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Now, can you feel it?"

The three in the room were dumbfounded. The strange sensation vanished.

"I just overused my abilities yesterday and caused that sensation. I can activate and deactivate it anytime I want. It's just I'm expecting to meet you two today that I left it on."

"No wonder." Nia smiled with relief. "So, you will let me and Allen to keep these powers?"

"I will… For now…" Mark turned serious once more. "If you two tried to misuse the abilities you have, I might appear to take those back. You two have to behave."

"Thank you and you don't have to worry." Nia lowered her head. "We will surely not misuse these powers we have. We still have to return the favor to Professor Isaach for adopting us and protect the settlement within the shadows. We don't want to become like those people that threw us into the streets."

"So, you two were street children before, huh?"

"Yes. Professor Isaach adopted us after we gained these powers and he never mistreated us."

"Alright. You two should go. I think the professor is already looking for you two. He's already close by. I still have to talk with this immature girl here."

Mark pointed at Spera who was keeping quiet as she sat on her bed.

"Yes."

Nia and Allen bowed their heads and went out of the room after Mark removed the miasma covering the door.

After returning the cover on the door, Mark faced Spera.

"As for you, I have a proposition. Leave Auraboros and join my team. You have talent and potential so it won't be bad to recruit you. Are you willing?"

Mark stood up.

"By the way, for sure I'm already an enemy of that organization. If you join me, then you will also be their enemy."

Spera was rather surprised by the invitation.

"Why?" She voiced with disbelief. "You said that you are the enemy of the organization. Then why do you want me? I am a member of that organization."

"I already said that you have talent and potential. Besides, the organization is my enemy but it didn't mean that all the members of the organization are also my enemies. Let me ask you. Do you want to kill me? I bet you didn't even try to kill anyone in your life."

"No. I don't want to kill you or other people. I don't have the courage or ability."

Spera replied looking down on the floor.

"Then, you are not an enemy of mine. Why can't I try to recruit you? Besides, you have no choice. If you want that ability back, you can only join my side. If not, don't worry, I won't kill you, but I won't return it either."

"Aren't you afraid that I will try to betray you?"

Spera asked as she looked up and stared straight towards Mark's eyes.

"No, I have measures for that. Also, I won't return that ability immediately. You must prove your loyalty first. So, what is your answer?"

Spera looked down once more as she contemplated hard. It was then that a hand landed on her head and ruffled her hair.

"Alright, I won't rush you. I'll give you a whole night to decide. Also try to eat more. You're too light."

After those joking words, the hand on her head vanished. She hurriedly raised her head to look at Mark but she found no one else aside from her inside this lonely room.