The Question (I)

Snow was glad that they were finally out of the dungeon. It was a problematic dungeon to go through, but she had gained much information from it. She needed answers, and Mr. Jay and Mr. Rogers probably knew about the Black Box series and who this Demon King Daemon was.

"I'll meet up with you guys later." Snow spoke, telling the others that she had somewhere to be.

Dairen, Mike, and Levain shook their heads.

"Let's meet up at the guild." Mike spoke, "Around 9 pm. There are a couple of things we need to talk about."

"We can do that," Dairen stated. "I have a few things too that I need answers for."

"I'll see you guys at that time," Snow reassured them. She turned around and left the area.

It took a bit of time to find a taxi as the dungeon area was considered a hot zone. Snow had to walk a few miles to find any signs of people. Most people were quickly taken to the nearest safe zone, but eventually, when the news was out that the dungeon was conquered, everyone poured out.

Snow was able to flag down the taxi. She headed straight toward Cantonosa.

Getting out of the taxi, she rushed over in a hurry, almost tripping out of the car. She wanted answers.

The sun was still high up as the Cantonsoa night club wasn't open, but she knew that the side doors still allowed a few people in if she knocked.

With a quick few knocks, the door opened.

Standing on the size was a human bouncer with his black suit and sunglasses. He had an earphone in his ears as he watched intently, wondering who it was. Realizing that it was Snow, he opened the door wider for her to enter.

Snow walked in. It was frigid. Her hand rubbed against her arms as she walked through the dim lighting.

"Is Mr. Rogers in today?"

"Yes. he would be on the 6th underground level."

"Thanks."

"Is there anything else you need, Saintess?" The security guard asked.

"Nothing for now." Snow walked past him and headed toward the elevator. She pressed the button, which allowed the door to open. Stepping in, she turned towards the multiple buttons. They were on a total of nine underground floors. Nobody would have expected there to be so many as the Cantonosa building was only a two-floor club. Clicking the button, the elevator hummed to life.

She made it to the sixth floor. The elevator beeped, telling her to get out. She stepped forward. It was a one-way hallway with very dim lighting. It was a bit too dim for Snow's taste, but she confidently still moved forward.

Eventually, she came to the end of the hallway.

Nobody was present guarding the door, which was odd. Snow thought there would be someone guarding his resting place as Vampires were known to keep their sacred space safe. To not see one present, she knew that Mr. Rogers was power. It was like stating to every intruder that he didn't need one as he could fend for himself.

The double-decker door was made of wood and stone. On the door, intricate carvings of legendary vampire kings were sculpted into the door.

Snow has heard about these vampire kings that ruled a large portion of land in the past, accumulating generation wealth. She wondered if Mr. Rogers had something to do with these vampires as he was one of them.

She raised up her hand, ready to knock on the door.

A loud creak followed after, allowing her to step in.

Snow cautiously took her first step, looking around, wondering what she would see.

Upon entrance, a large canopy bed was present in the middle of the room. It was laced with black and red linings and covers. The whole room was decorated with the color of black and red. Ancient statues and pieces were neatly placed around the room, giving it a majestic feel fit for a king. They were bookshelves lined up three-fourth of the walls from top to bottom.

Sleeping on the bed was Mr. Rogers, who was half-naked underneath the sheets.

Snow stopped not too far away.

"Mr. Rogers." Snow spoke up.

Mr. Rogers didn't move.

"Mr. Rogers, I need to speak with you."

With a few slow blinks of his eyes, he opened it.

"Mr. Rogers." Snow said it a third time. She was getting impatient at Mr. Roger's slow reaction.

Mr. Rogers turned his head slowly toward her. "Yes?"

"I'm glad that you are awake. I wanted to ask you some questions."

"Questions, this early?" Mr. Rogers yawned. He pushed himself halfway up as the blanket came down to his waist, showing off his sculpted body. "It must be something significant for you to be here to disturb my sleep."

"I assure you, it is."

"So?"

"You aren't a resident from this world, are you." Snow cut to the point. She observed his reactions, but he didn't seem to show much of a difference. "The Black Box series No. 00. I have it."

"You have it?" Mr. Rogers spoke out loud. His eyes widen, and he snapped his attention to her. He got up in a bit of a hurry, wrapping the blanket around it.

"Yes."

"Show me."

"No. You didn't answer my question."

"I did."

Snow nodded her head, confirming her thoughts on what she had learned. She pulled Black Box No. 00 out of her storage and handed it to Mr. Rogers.

Mr. Rogers reached out to snatch it from her hands.

"Where did you find it?" Mr. Rogers was rolling it around in his fingers.

"At the dungeon."

"The dungeon?"

"Yes. One of the dungeons that have to do with your world."

"My world…" Mr. Rogers rolled the word on the tongue. A short remembrance of a memory that flickered in his mind. He then turned around, heading back to his bead. But, he stopped next to his small drawer next to his bed.

On top of the drawer was a stand-alone oval mirror. He reached over. Snow couldn't tell what he was doing, but a loud mechanical sound of locks opening next to the bookshelf on her left was heard.

Snow snapped her attention, surprised that there was a secret door behind the rows of bookshelves present.

Mr. Rogers walked over toward the open door.

Snow followed behind, wondering what it was that he had kept hidden away. When she entered through the door, she was surprised by the blue led lights that line up the wall. Rows upon rows were numerous different black Box series that she had never seen before—each one with its numerical numbers.

There were quite a few missing, but the amount of Black Boxes that he had was mesmerizing.

"Wait, how?" Snow stuttered. Any Black Boxes were considered dangerous weapons as they were all like opening pandora boxes. Nobody knew what was inside a Black Boxes at first until used.

Mr. Rogers stopped in front of a glass drawer in the middle of the room. He placed Black Box no. 00 down.

"Mr. Jay, Falcon, James, Kamila, and I were in the Pandora Project."

"Pandora Project?"

"Yes. After we found the Black materials and used them to harness the new power that we have found. Each time the Black Material merged with this power, a new weapon would be created." Mr. Rogers said with deep insight. He was flipping the Black Box on the table a few times before continuing on what he was saying. "We got curious and hungry for more. Then one day, both Falcon, Jay, and I played with what we shouldn't have and changed."

Mr. Rogers' words were heavy. He looked up at Snow.

Snow listened intently, soaking up everything that he was saying.

"Look at me now, cursed to drain blood for eternity."

"Well, you now have eternal life."

"True." Mr. Rogers said with indifference, "but eternity is lonely, so I have made my own clan. Over time, it grew. Falcon changed into a dwarf. He is good with his hands. Mr. Rogers is a dragon, coming and going as he pleases, but he has a nasty habit of hoarding money." He snorted.

Snow was shocked to hear that Mr. Rogers was a dragon. A mythical creature that was written in books as legends. There were not many dragons left in this world and to hear Mr. Rogers as one was astonishing.

"So, how long have you guys been living here?"

"Over five hundred years for all of us. The time is different when you travel between spaces. It could be ten years, or ten thousand years, depending on what part of the universe you decide to drop in on."

"So, then why are you guys here?"

"To escape our home and to get ready for the next invasion of the Demon King."