It was pitch dark at night, and someone was running in bloody clothes down a dirt road that led out of the forest.

His panting, as well as his breathing, were heard in the deaf forest. Every now and then, he stopped to catch his breath.

"I can't...stop now...without reporting...to Master Simon..." gasped Francis as he leaned against a tree, falling to the ground.

Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply in and out for several minutes as he gazed at the beautiful moon.

After recovering some of his stamina, he stood up with a sigh. The hooting of an owl resounded through the dead forest, sending chills down his spine.

"I only have to jog for another 15 minutes before I will be out of this godless," Francis muttered as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow before continuing to run.

It wasn't long until two bored guards at a mansion were awakened from their half-sleep by the words, "Out of my way, I must see Master Brian.

A boy was running towards them in the moonlight. These guards were standing in front of the gate of Master Brian's mansion. Realizing it was Francis, they chose to let him pass, and he continued to make his way to the villa, bathed in moonlight.

It glowed ominously in the moonlight, and light seemed to be coming from only one window, belonging to Master Brian.

"Get out of the way, Alfred," gasped Francis, from whose body the blood of his dead comrades continued to drip.

By now, the blood had mixed with his sweat, turning into something that smelled disgusting from meters away.

"This will be the last time I will allow you to run to Master Brian in such a state. Where is Luz anyway? Has he gone to his room yet?" Alfred asked while one could see him reading a newspaper on a chair in front of the mansion's entrance in the moonlight.

"Let me through," Francis gasped loudly while taking a deep breath.

"Take it easy," sighed Alfred as he rested his hand on Francis' back.

'That should be enough to give him enough strength to tell Master Brian the whole story,' Alfred sighed.

Alfred revitalized Francis and removed the stench of blood and sweat.

"Thanks…" muttered Francis as he entered the mansion, whose corridors decorated with marble and other beauties of architecture looked terrifying.

Every step and his continuous loud panting echoed through the hallway as he made his way to Master Simon's room. Arriving in front of it, he knocked in hopes of his Master granting him entry.

The door slowly opened itself, and a slight creak was heard. Nobody asked him to enter.

Gulping, he entered the dimly lit room, where a man sat there on his chair reading his book.

Even after Francis took a seat, his Master Brian ignored his existence before slowly putting his book aside and slowly folding his arms.

His eyes stared holes in Francis, which caused Francis's heart to beat in his throat as he became more and more uncomfortable.

After having eye contact with Master Brian for 30 seconds, the latter began speaking.

Slowly he asked Francis, "Why is the blood of Alice and Anne, as well as other people, on your body? ... And where is Luz?"

The pressure which acted on Francis grew with each word. The latter continued to stare into Master Brian's eyes, growing more frantic.

Sweat was running down his forehead, and he could hardly say the words, "Anne and Alice are both dead... Luz, on the other hand, got himself taken so that I could report the situation to you."

Master Brian just sighed, "Tell me the whole story."

The pressure increased a hundredfold, and the air began trembling in the room. Breathing became more difficult for Francis as he began recounting the horrors of what happened on this fateful day.

Master Brian listened carefully with his arms still folded.

"It's a shame… Alice and Anne were two lovely girls that grew up here. I knew they could be suspicious, but I never thought they would be willing to betray you two for their own survival," Master Brian sighed as the air kept trembling in the room.

Slowly he pulled out a cigarette from the drawer that had a few runes depicted on it. Sighing, he lit it up, and with each puff he took, smoke clouds rose in which runes were to be seen.

"That calms me down a bit," Master Brian commented before continuing, "So. It's time we start looking for Luz. As I understand it, these people have something in common with Luz. Maybe they carry parasites from abnormal strains, or maybe not. Who knows?"

"I thought of that, too," Francis said.

"Well, anyway. Please don't take what happened today too much to heart. People often betray you at the last second for anything. People ready to sacrifice you to guarantee their own survival aren't the kind you want in your life." Master Brian told while slowly standing up and finishing his cigarette with one puff.

By now, the pressure in the room subsided, and Francis nodded in agreement before asking in confusion: "But, Master Brian, since when do you smoke?"

"Me and smoke? Remember we never talked with each other today," Master Simon commented with a chuckle before leaving the room, and Francis followed him.

"Time to find him," muttered Master Brian as he opened a portal that had a diameter of around 3 meters, and the two stepped in.

The opened portal led them into the middle of the forest. But by now, Master Brian and Francis weren't alone there. Members from the magical institute were also searching the whole forest for the perpetrators.

Grinning, Master Brian muttered: "The situation is more complicated than we thought."

"Why do you think so?" wondered Francis, and it didn't take long before they got a visit from someone.

An old man in a white mage's cloak with a sigil on his chest flew toward them. The sigil depicted a short staff entwined by two serpents surmounted by wings.

"The caduceus, hmm?" muttered Master Brian with a raised eyebrow.

"It's nice to see you again, Brian. Out of curiosity, why are you and one of your pupils here?" the old man asked as he held out his hand to him.

Brian accepted his hands, and both let their auras free while excluding Francis from it.

"I'm looking for one of my other pupils, my dear friend Andrew, head researcher from the magical biological research institute of my city," replied Brian.

The space trembled and screeched as their auras confronted each other. It almost got to the point where the space volume around them almost broke down.

Sweat began rolling down Francis's brow, knowing damn well that he would turn into mush if the auras got to him even for a slight second.

"Hopefully, it's only a coincidence that we met. The bloodbath that would follow if our goals were even slightly crossed would put the perpetrators to shame," commented Master Brian with a slight laugh.