Mutagen

Day ▋▋▋ - ▋▋:52 PM - Central Area, Kingdom of Black Duendes, Spirit Dimension

"Looks like it won't be that easy, huh."

Mark whispered as they reached the walls that separated the outer and central area of the town.

Like most medieval-themed cities, it seemed the current Kingdom of Black Duendes also practiced the separation of people by caste. The lower class lived in the outer areas while the upper class lived at the center.

"It was already like this in the past. The higher ranks are separated from the common populace. But at least the security is not this tight."

Teremillio replied, looking at the guards at the entrance and the ones patrolling outside the central area.

The central area was heavily guarded. And Mark's goal, the Spire Tree Castle, was at its center.

"We have no choice. Hold on tight."

Mark said as he made his way to an empty alley. And there, he and Teremillio vanished, turning into a surge of black mist that was moving across the ground. Compared to the outer walls, there were a lot of blind spots on the inner walls due to the different structures built around it. This time, even if more guards were roaming the place, Mark would have enough leeway to sneak through.

And as such, he succeeded.

Mark's [Shadow Mist Movement] being able to slip through tight spaces became handy. Even if there were some Demons around with enhanced eyesight or those that were sensitive to psychic fluctuations, it would be hard to spot Mark through those tight spaces.

Unfortunately, Mark could not stop and had to use [Shadow Mist Movement] repeatedly. There was no way that he would be able to travel the streets in the central area freely. Someone would definitely approach him to ascertain his identity.

Thus, from alley to alley, from a roof to another, from wall to wall, Mark traveled repeatedly. He appeared and disappeared without even a second interval. Using this [Empathic Detection], he avoided any possible encounter on the way prematurely.

Of course, it took quite a toll on Mark, considering that it had not been long since he absorbed the [Lightning Mental Crystal], and he was being affected by the emotions of the suffering slaves.

Fortunately, they reached the castle grounds without problems and managed to sneak into an area devoid of people. That gave Mark a short moment to rest as he leaned his back on a wall.

"You really don't look good."

Teremillio said, sensing Mark's condition.

"I'm fine," Mark replied as he looked at the structure in front of him. "Still, this castle is bigger scaled than expected, huh?"

"And that this tree..." Mark tapped on a nearby root that was protruding on the castle wall. "It thought it should be at least a regular spirit tree, but it's not."

"No, it's not. It's a magic tree. Magic trees have different kinds and use, but this one is planted by Father to concentrate magical energy in the surroundings around the castle."

Teremillio explained.

"I see. No wonder the magical energy here is thicker than before. Well then, where are we going next?"

"Hmm... It should be..."

Teremillio looked around, digging up his memories in the past.

But then...

"Nevermind, found her."

Mark said as he opened his wings, and soaring up before he and Teremillio turned into mist once more.

***

In one of the bedrooms at the northeast chambers of the castle, Lumeria stood in front of the window. The window overlooked the Kingdom, but it was not what she was staring at. Her eyes stared blankly at the mountains the surrounded the valley, thinking about her son that she had not met for a long time.

"Hah..." Lumeria sighed. "I wonder how he is doing now."

This was one of the things she frequently did in the past since her son left this accursed place. This time, however, the feeling was several times multiplied after hearing about her son from the mouths of the Demons.

Lumeria's eyes were blankly staring outside until she noticed some movements in the corner of her eyes. She could not help but step back as she saw a surge of black mist flying towards her window.

Thinking that it was an attack and the window would be definitely broken through, Lumeria put her hands in front of her, murmuring a few enigmatic words.

And then, a glass-like chime echoed as a barrier of light formed in front of her. It was to protect herself from the mist and the shards of glass that might blast off from the sealed window.

But then, to her shock, the mist did not hit the window but seeped into the tiny space that separated it from the wall.

Because of her shock and fear, she almost screamed for help.

However, the mist flew faster towards her, tearing her barrier apart to her utter disbelief. Before she knew it, a hand had already blocked her mouth, stopping her from calling for help.

"Don't make any loud noise. We're not here to harm you."

The owner of the hand that covered her mouth said.

And, of course, Lumeria did not believe the voice. Those words were what every intruder would say before they do something with ill intentions.

But then, she froze. Lumeria heard another but a smaller voice behind her that sounded very angry. It was accompanied by several sounds hitting metal with a fist.

"OI! YOU BASTARD! GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY MOTHER!"

That voice was awfully familiar to Lumeria.

And then...

"Ouch! Why did you flick me?!"

The familiar voice complained.

"Shout louder that the whole castle can hear you. Let's see what you will do."

The first voice said, making the familiar voice lower.

"Still, let go of my mother!"

Lumeria's heart was pumping loudly at this moment. The familiar voice had called her mother twice already. She would be an idiot if she did not understand what it implied. However, she was also a bit doubtful. It was because there was an aura of a Demon behind her. This might be a ploy of the Demons to fool her.

Then, the voice of the man blocking her mouth spoke to her once more.

"I'm going to release you. Don't make any loud sounds."

It was not a question but a command. The man holding her did not even wait for confirmation and released her.

Being released, Lumeria immediately took several steps away from the intruders and leaned her back to the window. If it was a ploy aimed at her, she would jump out without hesitation.

But then, what she saw after turning around was a man that looked human, except for his sinister-looking armor. On the chest of his armor, there was an out of place metal pocket could be seen with someone small poking his head outside.

Seeing that small person, however, she could not believe her eyes.

"My son... My son. Is that you?"

Lumeria could not help but step forward with her hands in front of her. However, she stopped as the intruders might just be trying to fool her. Black Duendes were masters of trickery and illusion, after all.

"Mother..."

The man inside the metal pocket voiced out as he jumped out. His visage then blurred mid his fall before he turned into a human-sized person.

Seeing that appearance, Lumeria did not know what to do or what to believe. This man in front of her seemed older, but he definitely looked like her son, Teremillio.

And then, with one knee on the floor, the man in front of her kneeled towards her.

"Mother, I came back."

Seeing this, Lumeria was already on the verge of tears.

They were the son and daughters of an arrogant King. The Princes and Princesses of this Kingdom were not allowed to vow to anyone. That was one of the reasons the older Princes bullied their younger siblings and humiliated them in this way.

Teremillio, however, was different. He was humbly raised by Lumeria's influence, making him better than most of his siblings in terms of conduct. And because of that, while Teremillio would not kneel to anyone, he would do it to only one person. And that was his mother.

Of course, it was a total secret that no one should know.

"My son... is this really you?"

Lumeria was stuttering. Her beautiful face was filled with disbelief and longing.

Slowly, she lowered her body and touched the face of the man kneeling before her, raising his chin to take a better look. The man did not resist and hardened his expression. His eyes were already moist, though.

Feeling his face and seeing it up close, Lumeria affirmed that it was not an illusion. With shaking hands, she slowly grabbed Teremillio's shoulders and pulled him to her embrace.

No words followed as Lumeria's tears flowed out of her eyes. Teremillio did not say anything either while he felt the warm embrace of his beloved mother.

While the two were having their dramatic reunion, Mark made his way towards the door. He was monitoring the surroundings, making sure that no one would barge in.

Mark then continued to watch the silent reunion of the mother and son that had not met each other for several decades. Moreover, for Teremillio that was living in the Mortal World, it might even be more than a hundred years already.

No words were exchanged by the two as they embraced each other.

They longed to see each other too much that no words could represent their emotions.

A silent reunion seemed dull. However, at times, it was the most dramatic, especially to those that could understand their pain.

This scene, however, made Mark feel a bit of envy somehow.

Lumeria and Teremillio were in an embrace for about five minutes before recovering. The mother and son were absolutely happy to see each other.

However, Lumeria snapped out of happiness quickly.

"Millio, why did you return here? It is dangerous! You should go back and escape! They will capture you if they see you here!"

Lumeria became worried as she remembered the danger that Teremillio would face just by being here. Not only Teremillio was already treated as a traitor, but the Third Queen, Tierio's mother, was very angry about the capture of her beloved son. In fact, the soldiers that accompanied Tierio at that time and fled were publicly executed the moment they returned.

If anyone were to find Teremillio here, he would be captured, or worse, killed on sight.

"Mother, I won't leave this place without you. We came here to bring you back with us."

Teremillio replied resolutely. They were already here, and there was no guarantee that they would be able to do the same next time. That was why he decided to bring his mother away at once.

"What are you saying? I'm still safe staying here. You should not burden yourself about me and escape as soon as possible!"

Lumeria worriedly said. However, by Teremillio's expression, he would not budge from his decision.

And by this time, a voice chimed in between the two.

"You two should cut it short and decide. There's a commotion below, and people are gathering. They likely found out that there are intruders in the castle."

Teremillio was surprised to hear that.

"Boss, did someone see us when we entered?"

"I'm sure that no one saw us. But this is a castle. They might have some measures to find out if intruders managed to sneak in. Don't you know about it?"

"Damn it! I don't know anything about that!"

Teremillio grumbled in frustration.

"Don't worry. It seems like the soldiers only know that there are intruders, but they don't know where we are. They are all panicking below."

At this time, Lumeria was staring at Mark. This person came with her son, and she did not even bother to greet him. More than that, this person seemed to be powerful, even being able to monitor the movements of the people that there was no possible way of doing.

"My son... Who is he?"

Finally, Lumeria asked in a low voice.

"Oh right," Teremillio scratched his head. "He is called Mark. I'm currently working under him. He's my Boss."

And was it not a surprise? Her son was working under a Demon. She could not say whether it was a good or bad thing, though.