BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

The underground city, Liberty Watch Village, echoed with construction and mining sounds.

Hammers clanked rhythmically, blending with pickaxes chipping at ore-rich veins.

Skyscrapers reached towards the cavern's ceiling, showcasing human ingenuity.

Amber got accustomed to such sounds. The sounds that people putting on effort made.

Those from Liberty Watch village were doing the best they could to make this place as habitable as possible, but that wasn't the only reason for the clinks and clanks the young woman heard.

Apparently, they were accommodating buildings for Erik's guild.

Workers, dwarfed by the magnitude of their surroundings, moved with purpose.

They constructed new edifices, their efforts contributing to the ever-expanding skyline.

Miners, their faces streaked with dirt, delved into the earth's bounty, extracting valuable ores that glinted in the dim light.

"When the hell is he coming?" Gwen asked. Amber and the others finally convinced Noah's entourage to give them an audience.

It has been difficult since the imposing man was always busy.

The mysterious man told them to meet at the top of the cavern. They didn't know, but it was the same place Erik had arrived from when he got into the ancient city.

"Being restless is useless," Amber said. "He will be here sooner or later."

"I wonder how Erik convinced this man to work for him," Floyd said. "He's not that strong, but I got the feeling he's pretty cunning. "

"I had the same feeling," Gwen said. In the past year, while Erik was in Etrium, the group did the best they could to train.

Of course, the result was that they quickly climbed the ranks inside the Red Palace, and they got plenty of resources.

But that wasn't all. Caiden helped with that, and the result was that the kids used a lot of stimulating serums.

Caiden had to sell a lot of his possessions to make that possible, but it didn't matter since the city got almost destroyed.

In Amber's father's mind, the best thing he could do was to preserve his daughter's and friends' futures.

Then two figures approached their resting spot. One was clearly Noah. He was too tall for him being mistaken.

The other was a shorter woman, one of those who protected Noah when he made his grand speech some days ago.

The two figures arrived. Amber and the others stood to greet the man. The woman behind Noah was guarded and alert.

"Greetings," Amber said. "Sorry for having asked you about this meeting, but I'm sure you know why we did."

Noah nodded. His mask didn't allow them to see his expression, but if they would, they could see there was a little longing in his weird eyes.

"You want to know what happened to Erik when he left the city…"

"Indeed."

Noah looked at the city. "Let's sit down then. Mira, stay at ease."

As soon as they did, Amber made the question everyone where eager to have answered.

"You seem to know a lot about Erik. You said he was your master, but what does that mean, exactly?"

Noah looked at Amber. "I guess hearing someone call another person 'Master' had to be weird for you."

"Yeah! You talk as if you are his slave!" Floyd said.

"Slave. That is not exactly the right word, but it's very close to the truth."

Mira's ears twitched. She, too, was interested in who Noah was.

This man appeared one day, and Erik entrusted a lot of responsibilities to him.

"Let's be straightforward," Noah said. "The day Nathaniel's father's men chased you, it was also the day you found out Erik had multiple power, right?"

To that, Mira made a shocked face. Not even she knew about that.

She got briefed about who Amber and the others were, but wasn't told that much.

Of course, it was clear Noah brought her here to listen to this conversation.

Amber and the others nodded. "Well, I'm the result of one of those powers." Noah took off his mask and showed his face to everyone for the first time.

The sight of the horrifying face, which they initially believed to be that of a man, left them completely shocked. Just like everyone else, Mira had a shocked expression on her face.

"During his travels, Erik got the power to… Let's say, make clones. I'm, in fact, a clone of Master Erik, and I have all his memories up to the point I was born."

That revelation was even more shocking to hear than seeing the monstrous face.

However, that was an opportunity for Amber and the others to know.

"If you have his knowledge, then you will know, for sure…" Amber had trouble saying those words. She was scared to hear something she didn't like.

"Why did Erik leave?"

"That is a very complex and difficult question," Noah said.

"But he did not do that because of you. Or better, you were part of the reason, but the most pressing matter was because you, his friends, weren't the only ones knowing about his powers."

That was true. Upon their return, Enya, Stella, and Jacob wasted no time in relaying the information to the military.

They could understand how Erik feared becoming a lab rat.

"To be honest, it's a long story. I can't tell you all the details. That is something that Master Erik must decide for himself, but here is the gist of it…"

…

…

…

Noah shared all he knew with Erik's friends and two lovers.

A tumult of emotions churned within their hearts as they tried to reconcile their feelings.

Mira and Amber, learning their significance to Erik, faced each other for the first time.

The air was thick with jealousy and even rage. Amber was hurt, believing Erik had forgotten about her.

Mira was consumed with questions about why Erik had kept this a secret, her jealousy more pronounced.

She grappled with the revelation that not only was Erik's name a facade, but he also shared a deep connection with a woman who, in her eyes, surpassed her in both strength and beauty.

This complex web of emotions made the situation delicate, requiring Noah to choose his words carefully.

He navigated the conversation with a mindful approach, aware that each word could either soothe or inflame the already heightened feelings between them.

It was a challenging task, balancing the need to be truthful with the necessity of maintaining harmony among those closest to Erik.

However, how they would react, and what they would do, depended on them.