Chapter 257 Primeveil
Nero followed the scientist under the eyes of everyone as they walked into an examination chamber which sealed shut after them, Abbey the scientist's assistant following close behind. A thin mist was sprayed onto them before a small cabinet door slid open revealing hazmat suits.
"Put this on, would you?" James said as he grabbed one himself. "Although your flames might be impressive, labs have precautionary protocols that must be followed at all times."
Following the scientists' lead, Nero put on the hazmat suit before the next set of doors opened, allowing them to enter a highly secure portion of the same lab.
"Abbey, would you be a dear and prepare the first sample? Nero, child, step into the testing chamber please. We will first test out the capability of your ability with the weakest curse sample we have available, and then make them progressively stronger if the test results are positive."
Nero nodded, and stepped through the door into a square, white chamber. The wait till the cursed sample was brought out gave Nero a chance to reanalyse everything that had recently happened to him.
It was obvious that he was needed for his innate ability, but apparently Vanessa had actively worked to ensure that he was called. The overly friendly scientist was probably one of the oldest men Nero had ever met, and though he was acting like his age was affecting him, Nero chose not to believe so. How could he be a scientist who was not forced into retirement if his brain had dulled?
Nero looked down at his hand, though he only saw the yellow gloves of the hazmat suit he was wearing. If Nero assumed that James was putting on a front of being affected by his age, then what would be the reason? The first thing that came to his mind was to lower others' guard, followed by to not have others question his unusual actions.
Clasping onto Nero's hands could have been a believable habit for him to have, if only his rank was not so much higher than everyone else's. It was unlikely that unless in an informal setting, anyone shook his hands. So why did he grab Neros?
He had no real answer, quite aware that this could be mere speculation.
A small compartment opened in the wall opposite to him, atop a conveyor belt, through which a tray came in with a single leaf encased in glass entered the room.
"Nero my boy, that glass is a part of a seal we very commonly use to preserve curses while minimising their activity," James' voice spoke through a speaker in the corner. "I want you to lift the glass and neutralise the cursed plant within. Fret not - if the situation deteriorates then we have aides on standby who can quickly step in to help you."
Nero picked up the glass, and lit both his hands on fire. Just in case the scientist had done anything to his hands, the flames should take care of it. He then transferred the fire to the leaf, making sure not to touch it. The flames began to sizzle, but only a few seconds later the leaf froze, and then shattered.
"Nero my boy, that glass is a part of a seal we very commonly use to preserve curses while minimising their activity," James' voice spoke through a speaker in the corner. "I want you to lift the glass and neutralise the cursed plant within. Fret not - if the situation deteriorates then we have aides on standby who can quickly step in to help you."
Nero picked up the glass, and lit both his hands on fire. Just in case the scientist had done anything to his hands, the flames should take care of it. He then transferred the fire to the leaf, making sure not to touch it. The flames began to sizzle, but only a few seconds later the leaf froze, and then shattered.
After that, one by one, they kept transferring more plants into the room, all of them cursed and all of them well within the capabilities of cryoflame to handle. That was because while some of the later plants had stronger curses, they were well within the range of the Neophyte level.
Eventually, the testing had to end because Nero said, "I'm beginning to run low on aether now. I'm around 50%."
"The ability is aether intensive I see," James commented through the speaker. "But considering its capabilities, it is completely expected. In just a short while, repeated use of your flames have already dropped the temperature of the room below freezing. Alright, step outside."
James had been watching everything through a number of cameras in the room, and no doubt he had measured the temperature drop through some other machines that were hidden in the room. Although Nero showed his flames' ability to fight curses, Nero tried to limit revealing anything else, such as his ability to coat only his weapons blades in flames - basically being able to control where the fire started - and anything else he could. By seeming protective while cooperative of his ability, he made it seem like he wanted to hide the details of his ability.
In truth, he really did want to hide the details of his ability. But much more than that, he wanted to probe the old man's intentions, so seeing how he would react to Nero's secretive behaviour would be a clue.
But while he commented on the temperature drop and aether usage, he did not ask anything else.
Nero stepped out to the sight of the old man rubbing his hands, even though he too was wearing the hazmat suit.
"Nero my boy, you have saved us a great deal of trouble. Come outside, let's discuss the details of what we'll be expecting from you."
They once again entered the decontamination chamber, and while stepping out of the hazmat suit Nero made sure to keep a safe distance from the scientist. Avoiding him if he tried to reach out for Nero would be awkward, especially since he was a senior officer. Instead, it was best to stay out of reach. That way if the scientist leaned over to touch Nero, it would be obvious, and his facade of a friendly old man would fade.
They left their hazmat suits on the ground since they would be sent to a special decontamination unit, and stepped out. The scientists and researchers had clearly been talking amongst themselves, but everyone hushed up as soon as their group exited.
"I have great news everyone. With this latest test, I can now confirm that your next excursion will be even safer. All relevant personnel make your way to the briefing room, and I will be there shortly."
Nero picked up the head nod that Corporal Thomas gave Nero, so he immediately fell in behind him, finally noticing that there were seven others as well, though none of them looked young enough to be a Neophyte.
They acknowledged Nero with a nod, but that was all. They did not converse, and instead followed the Corporal as he led them to the briefing room. The researchers and other security team arrived as well, though only the reachers took a seat. The guards, instead, spread out across the room, as if even now they were protecting everyone.
Everyone waited for the Colonel, and the researchers whispered to one another in the meantime. Nero observed every single person in the room, taking note of who they were and who they talked to. He read their body language, memorising their small habitual gestures and taking in anything and everything he could. In this completely new, completely foreign environment, he needed to rely on himself more than anyone to survive, and for that having a deeper understanding of everyone would help.
Twenty minutes later, Colonel James finally walked into the room wearing the same warm smile he always had, followed closely by Abbey and a few other senior officers.
"Alright everyone, I have good news. The Lieutenant has signed off on the mission, and we will officially begin tomorrow at dawn. Some of you may know what I'm talking about, and some of you may not, so let me start from the beginning.
"Some weeks ago there was a global anomaly which has been titled the Silver Moon incident."
On a screen behind James a picture of the Silver Moon was put up as he spoke.
"Since the disappearance of the Silver Moon, the world seems to be undergoing a change. Curses are suddenly a lot more active and a lot more dangerous, making many of our previous precautions useless. Even Cursed Zones have become more active during this time, not to mention the sightings of the Angel of the Fog have increased by a large margin."
The picture of the moon was replaced by pictures of destroyed cities, of curses as well as zoomed out pictures of the Cursed Zones.
"All of this is, more or less, common knowledge. What is not common knowledge is that the effects go far beyond just what we see. Changes have been observed in numerous dimensions, and in fact, we have discovered the existence of entirely new dimensions as well.
"For those that do not know, not all dimensions can be accessed from everywhere, and only in certain places which are more permeable than others is transfer from one dimension to another possible. Even then, moving from one dimension to another is far from simple. Unless, of course, there is an opening or a portal to another dimension right here in the Primeveil."
The picture behind him changed once more, but this time it was to a sight Nero did not recognise. It looked like an old, debilitated cabin - a wooden cabin - covered in overgrowth. From the broken windows branches of bushes were falling out, and dirt and stone covered what was once a door. "As it so happens, after the Silver Moon incident, one such opening to a brand new dimension opened up, just 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) away."