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Chapter 33 ~Ally~

  Once the soup was finished, she portioned it into numerous bowls, which were promptly carried out by the waiters.

  "Excellent work! Return to your designated task." The chef commended her, patting her shoulder. She nodded, picking up several bowls of soup, as the chef assumed her position at the serving station.

  "Table twenty-seven, this way." A waiter directed, assigning orders to the bustling staff while consulting the digital screen and scribbling notes on his pad.

  Acacia exited the kitchen, delivering the soup to table twenty-seven, the card number displayed prominently. She returned to the kitchen, collecting and distributing more servings. Her actions were interrupted by a frantic scream emanating from the corridor, accompanied by violent banging on the locked door. The disturbance drew the attention of some diners but was quickly overshadowed by a series of hacking coughs erupting from various tables.

  The scene devolved into pandemonium as patrons collapsed, their bodies convulsing. Then, a horrifying retch, followed by the sight of blood-streaked vomit and blackened veins, triggered a wave of terror. Screams filled the air as people recoiled from the afflicted.

  'This is the chaos I sought. A taste of their own medicine.' Acacia watched the scene unfold with detached interest. Waiters halted, their movements suspended, plates crashed onto the tiles, and the sounds of violent coughing and vomiting echoed through the space.

  "Someone call the medic!"

  "What in the hell is happening?"

  As panicked patrons fled the restaurant, Acacia slipped into the corridor, her form seamlessly morphing into Erla. Approaching the violently shaking bathroom door, she seized the nearby trash can. "Stand back!" she commanded.

  Infusing her legs with mana, she feigned a few light kicks against the door, then unleashed a powerful blow that tore it from its frame. She dropped her leg and raised the trash can as if that was what she had been using against the door as the rescued trio was revealed.

  "We're so grateful," one woman stammered.

  "It was nothing. But why were you locked in? I discovered these mangled door handles in the trash, which is why I acted so quickly." Erla pointed to the bin.

  "Some moron thought it was a prank."

  "A cruel one. We need to evacuate. There's a serious situation unfolding." Erla gestured towards the panicked crowd.

  "What in the world...?" The waitress stammered, her eyes wide as the restaurant erupted into a scene of chaotic motion. The women quickly rushed towards the chaos and separated in different directions. People were moving with unnatural speed, a blur of frantic activity. Some were wrestling with coughing, convulsing individuals, while others fled in terror.

  Acacia, observing the pandemonium, slipped back into the bathroom, swiftly wearing her previous attire. She paused, peering out of the stall to ensure the coast was clear, she left the bathroom, blending seamlessly into the background. With her hands casually tucked into her pockets, she walked away from the chaos, exiting the restaurant and entering the courtyard. She noted a group of masked figures, likely the medical team, rushing towards the scene, their first-aid kits clutched tightly.

  'News travels fast,' she mused, continuing her stroll towards the main building, carefully avoiding the influx of responders.

  Acacia navigated the building's labyrinthine corridors, taking an elevator to the fifth floor. Emerging, she spotted two guards stationed before a heavily secured door. She ducked behind a nearby wall, observing them. 'Will they even let me pass? And I don't even know where to begin searching for that blasted egg. Annoying.'

  Taking a deep breath, she approached the guards, adopting an air of nonchalant annoyance. "What are you two doing here? Don't you realize we're under attack? We need every available hand downstairs!"

  The guards straightened, their expressions sceptical.

  "Is this because I'm not a captain?" Acacia scoffed, her voice laced with mock incredulity. "Is that why you're so dismissive? Fine. I'll just inform Commander Lucian that his 'trusted' guards are refusing to assist dying comrades. I wonder what punishment awaits such... disobedience." She turned away, shrugging dismissively, and the guards visibly stiffened.

  "Wait! Don't tell Commander Lucian!" The second guard blurted out. "But we can't leave. The beast-men are contained here. If we abandon our post... who guards the door? Besides, the medics should already be on their way."

  'Ugh, such a headache,' Acacia thought, her frown deepening. 'Should I just kill them? It would be easy but troublesome. I need to tread carefully.'

  Acacia bit down hard on her tongue, the metallic tang of blood instantly flooding her mouth, a crimson trail snaking down her jaw. Slowly, she turned, her eyes wide with feigned terror. "The enemy... is here..." she gasped, her voice strained, "...run!"

  A swarm of dark butterflies erupted from her open mouth, a horrifying spectacle that sent the guards reeling. The insects descended upon them, their delicate wings belying sharp bites that pierced their skin. Panic seized them. Without a second thought, they scrambled towards the elevator, their cries of alarm echoing down the hallway as the doors slid shut.

  Acacia watched the elevator descend, a faint smirk playing on her lips. With a subtle snap of her fingers, the butterflies vanished.

  "I expected more of a struggle," she said, running a hand through her hair. "Did the bites really hurt that much, or are they just utter cowards?" She shook her head, then turned her attention to the secured door, noticing a call button beside it. Without hesitation, she pressed it.

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  "Unrecognized," a cold, synthesized voice echoed from the door panel.

  "I see why he'd use such guards," Acacia muttered, a hint of disdain in her voice. "Clearly, security relies on inaccessibility." She tilted her head, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, attempting to change. Opening them, she felt no shift, no change in the door's response.

  "Nothing?"

  'That's because your emotions are a tangled mess,' Daemonis's voice echoed in her mind, laced with amusement. 'You despise him, yet that very hatred is preventing you from mimicking him.'

  "Isn't that just pathetic?" Acacia scoffed inwardly, a dry laugh escaping her lips. She glanced down at her hands, her left index finger twitching erratically until she clenched her fists. "Letting him get under my skin like this... I should just try someone else. If it fails, then I will find something else to destroy here."

  'Who else could have access, though?' she pondered. 'Father and Mother? Knowing Lucian's paranoia, highly unlikely. Then... that girl. Inez. She was the one who found the egg, and she seems to have his trust. It's a gamble, but worth the attempt. If it doesn't work, then I'll try Mother or Father as a last resort.'

  Acacia let her hands fall loosely at her sides, taking a slow, deliberate breath. As she exhaled, her features began to shift and soften, the sharp lines of Elric's face melting away, replaced by the youthful, earnest countenance of Inez. She pressed the button again and the same voice said.

  "Recognized," the mechanical voice stated, and the heavy door slid open. Acacia stepped inside, the door hissing shut behind her, and her breath caught in her throat. The room held seven glass cages with beast-men inside. There were three operating tables and a dead body on one of them.

  She moved slowly down the central walkway, her gaze sweeping over the captive figures. They were all in their full beast forms, their eyes wide and vacant, the last vestiges of their humanity seemingly lost to a primal rage.

  Her steps faltered when she reached one particular enclosure. Inside, a beast-man lay still, his powerful arms bound, a muzzle secured around his snout. Acacia stared at his sleeping face, a deep frown creasing her brow.

  "So, you're actually still breathing, huh?" Acacia murmured, stopping directly in front of his enclosure. A low chuckle escaped her lips as she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the cool glass. "Thank the gods... now I can finally kill you myself for what you did to my friends."

  The beast-man's eyes snapped open, his gaze locking onto Acacia's face. He struggled but suddenly stopped as he saw Acacia and a flicker of something that looked like fear registered in their depths.

  'Fear? Can he recognized me through my disguise or is he scared of Inez?' Acacia thought, her glare intensifying. The jagged scars that crisscrossed his features, the unmistakable shock of fiery red hair... she would never forget the face of the creature who had slaughtered her friends.

  Acacia turned away from the caged beast-man, a knot of unease tightening in her stomach. She moved towards one of the steel operating tables, her eyes widening in horrified fascination at the sight before her. A woman lay there, her abdomen brutally exposed, her organs resting in a separate bucket beside the table. Nestled amongst them were several shimmering crystals. The woman's throat was also cut open, a dark stain spreading across the white sheet.

  "What in the abyss...?" Acacia breathed, a wave of nausea rising. "Are they conducting some kind of grotesque experiment?" She shook her head, a morbid curiosity compelling her. She lightly tapped the woman's forehead, but there was no response, no flicker of life. Her gaze fell to the wristband. "Cassia?" she murmured, reading the name tag. Looking down at the woman's still face, then cautiously reached out to touch one of the crystals. A jolt of sharp, searing energy shot through her hand, forcing her to recoil with a gasp.

  Acacia frowned, rubbing her tingling fingers. Suddenly, Cassia's eyes snapped open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Acacia stumbled backwards in shock, but the woman remained motionless. Furrowing her brows, a strange pull drawing her back, Acacia cautiously approached the table again.

  "Hey," Acacia tried again, her voice softer this time, but Cassia's vacant stare remained fixed on the ceiling. 'Why are her eyes open?' Acacia wondered, a chill creeping up her spine. 'Did the energy from the crystal somehow trigger a muscle spasm, even in death? My dear, sweet brother,' she thought, a bitter edge entering her mind, 'what in the abyss are you involved in? I know for a fact this isn't common knowledge, or if it is, you've buried the truth so deep it's unrecognizable. And that Inez...is probably aware since she showed interest in experimenting on me.'

  Acacia sighed, and strode towards the cage holding the muzzled beast-man. Raising a fist, she focused her mana, a faint crimson glow enveloping her knuckles, and slammed it into the glass. A spiderweb of cracks bloomed across the surface, but it held. Gritting her teeth, she unleashed a series of rapid-fire punches, increasing the mana with each blow. The glass groaned under the assault, the cracks widening and multiplying until, with a final shattering crash, the enclosure exploded into a million glittering fragments.

  Without hesitation, Acacia stepped into the ruined cage, grabbed the beast-man roughly by his muzzle, and began dragging him across the floor. His muffled struggles were weak against her strength and the restraints binding his arms. "I have no time for this," she muttered, her voice tight with urgency, "but I can't leave you alive either." She hauled him out of the room, the scraping sound of his body against the floor echoing in the sterile hallway.

  They had barely cleared the doorway when something small and scaly landed squarely on Acacia's face. A tiny lizard, no bigger than her thumb, hissed with surprising ferocity, its miniature threat almost comical.

  Acacia plucked the tiny lizard from her face and flicked it away down the hall. 'Lizards and I don't have the best history,' she thought with a grimace. Shifting back to Elric, she resumed dragging the unconscious beast-man towards the elevator. Suddenly, a tight pressure constricted her neck, like a thin, relentless cord trying to strangle her. Ignoring the irritating sensation, she stepped into the elevator. Her hand instinctively went to her neck, her fingers closing around the offending object... the lizard. It writhed and hissed furiously in her grip.

  The creature was an unusual sight: grey scales crisscrossed with jagged gold streaks, and piercing gold eyes that glared up at her. Despite its long length, it was incredibly thin.

  "What's your problem?" Acacia raised a brow as the lizard clamped its jaws onto his finger, a sharp prick followed by a sucking sensation. "Well, at least you'll be poisoning yourself."

  With a shrug, Acacia tossed the tenacious lizard onto the elevator floor just before it reached the top level. The doors opened onto the rooftop, and she dragged the heavy form of the beast-man out into the cool evening air. A deep breath of freedom filled her lungs, and a genuine smile touched her lips. Then, a searing pain erupted in her neck.

  Acacia furrowed her brows, her hand shooting up to her neck, fingers clamping around the surprisingly strong grip. She yanked the creature away, her eyes blazing with fury as she finally got a clear look at it. The lizard's back, where moments ago it was grey and gold, was now a stark, ominous black.

  'It is the Slitherwing,' Daemonis's voice echoed in her mind, a note of warning underlying the pronouncement.

  Acacia froze, her fingers tightening around the hissing creature, mere seconds from crushing it. "And you couldn't have mentioned that earlier?!" she hissed, as she said in a low whisper. "I would have squeezed it to death!"

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