Snap

Trevor got up from the medical litter.

Emona and Liman were very helpful in assisting him to recover. Trevor braced his arms on their shoulders and walked slowly to the exit. The lack of shoes or something similar made this journey more difficult, as every few steps Trevor could feel his feet stepping on something sharppy.

'I want to kill the bastard responsible for this place.' The frown on the black-haired lad's face couldn't be worse. Stepping on these little things on the floor was as bad as stepping on parts from a certain toy company, or even worse!

Luckily for him, this unintentional torture process lasted short.

Next, double white-colored metallic doors came into Trevor's vision. This double door did not contain any visible cracks, in addition to that there were large bars on both sides that could be lowered to lock this passage even more securely.

The noises of moving mechanical contraptions ricocheted off to the trio's ears.

Pulled sideways by some twisted chains, the white metal doors retracted and allowed them to look out over the landscape ahead.

The buildings and constructions were nowhere to be seen.

A mud-red terrain greeted the group. The lack of any signs of life was the most striking feature of this panorama. Numerous winds came and went, carrying nothing but the emptiness that this world seemed to offer.

"Where are we?" Trevor looked around, noting that he couldn't recognize much beyond the gray-white sky and that reddish terrain.

"We are at the P-02 facility. It's away from the rest of the other buildings, in order to attract less attention and remain discreet. I'll take us to the dorms that are close by."

Liman and the others continued to walk around the P-02 facility. Fortunately, the terrain this time was much friendlier and Trevor's feet felt just something relatively soft to tread on. The place Liman was talking about was only a few hundred meters away.

About seven minutes later, the three reached the dorms.

"Dr. Liman, where can I find shoes or something similar to wear?" Trevor said as he glimpsed the structure in front of him. The striking color was red, which blended in very well with the rest of the environment.

Trevor knew from his memories that this was a very common scenario around here.

In terms of vegetation, this part of the world was just too poor. Even before the cataclysm, this part of the world could be only compared to the African savannas, with the difference that it lacked the same richness in terms of exotic powerful animals which inhabited that distant continent.

This lifelessness resulted in various bases having to adapt to their own ways to disguise their locations. The most common and cheapest method was to take the land itself and cover the buildings, but it had the problem of being impractical in the long run.

The structure in front of Trevor tried to do something similar by utilizing red paint, but it turned out to be more complex when someone considered the natural processes of weathering. The benefit of this was obvious, even more so when considering the region's lack of resources.

"Inside your room there should be everything you need. For now, me and Liman are going to say goodbye to you. If you have any complications, just go to the receptionist and report the problems." Emona took the initiative to respond.

"I understand, but where do I go? I don't know which room is best for my current condition." Trevor was glaring at the pair. Although he still believed they were both guilty for his situation, there was no other option in his eyes, at least for now.

As much as he wanted to delay and hide the scale of the problems with memories, Trevor knew that neither Liman nor Emona were dumb. They were doctors, and researchers at it!

"I think you should better go to the rooms at the beginning of the hallway on the left, as it's closer to the receptionist in case of an emergency. As for special treatment? Sorry to inform you, but our research group lacks many things." Liman sighed, before continuing.

"Our group was established nearly a decade ago. In the beginning, we were a total of 19 researchers. Everything was going well until three years ago, when the former director of research at the Pequi Laboratories was suddenly replaced. The new director cut a lot of research funding, and one of the targets of those cuts was our research group." Liman's fists were clenched.

"That's why, Trevor, you're so special. You are a crucial change for our research group. I noticed how you still don't trust us, but that's normal. The only thing I hope you can understand is that we are not enemies. For better or worse, we're in the same boat." Liman still remained with his fists clenched, but unlike a few moments ago, he was now smiling as he looked at Trevor.

"Dr. Liman, you are thinking too much. Earlier, I really thought you guys had kidnapped and did bad to me, but my memories were hazy. So far, I'm still confused about some things, I hope you and Dr. Emona can forgive my weird behavior." Trevor's green eyes held the same calm as before, which was complemented by the rosy blush on his face.

"Haha, so that was it. In fact, I should be the one to apologize to you. If not for your presence, Emona and I would probably be forced to abandon our research project. I'm being very hasty, forgive me."

"Don't worry about it, we're friends, Dr. Liman. You can count on me for your research, it would be even easier for me to be able to help you if I knew what this research is about." Trevor returned to smile slightly as he said those last words.

Liman took his time to think of a suitable reply, which Emona didn't let pass by.

"We derived our research project from collected data that prove the existence of supernatural powers. Everything is still very recent, but we are sure it exists. In fact, the major factions are having trouble suppressing such news."

Trevor was shocked. 'Is she telling me I gained powers after the experiment?' Just like Liman moments ago, Trevor took a moment to think and Emona quickly extinguished the young man's excitement.

"Don't get your hopes up. As I said, it's all very recent. We've captured one supernatural being who had acquired a strange power, but nothing much more than that." Emona shook her head as the winds made her golden hair flutter.

"How do I know if I have acquired superpowers or not?"

"You won't do anything. We'll talk about it later, after you've showered and eaten something. You also should rest." Emona barely finished her words before entering the red building and disappearing from Trevor's sight.

Liman wasted no time either and followed her, leaving Trevor alone at the entrance of this strange dormitory. Trevor looked around, trying to see if more memories would emerge by doing so.

'What a pity. The only thing I still remember is: I'm in the Pequi Republic, in some corner of the Central Plateau.' His gaze stopped at the gray-white sky, which only heightened the sense of desolation in the chests of its watchers.

There were no birds nor any sign of life flying in that depressing sky.

'I wonder where you went, Dad…' The frigid air hit Trevor's feet and reminded him of his current situation. Trevor was in the middle of nowhere, with almost no useful memories and no relatives or friends around.

'I need to figure out how to acquire powers, or learn how to use them if I already have one.' His expression turned grim as he pondered what to do next. 'I need to somehow get control of those two, and then use them to fulfill my goals.'

After entering the dorm, the cold he was feeling was gone. It was comforting to be in a place that not only felt good on his feet, but also kept him from feeling cold. Trevor walked until he found the main hall.

There, he could see wooden planks composing a simple counter, which was apparently guarded by the tall woman in front of Trevor, this same woman was distracted noting something on some yellowed papers in front of her.

"Hello, are you the receptionist here?" Trevor cleared his throat before asking, making the action loud enough for the tall woman to hear it.

As soon as the girl noticed, she lifted her face and her honey-colored eyes became visible. "I'm sorry, I was reporting this month's events and I couldn't see you. Welcome to the HF-12 Dormitory, my name is Sarina, nice to meet you. May I know what your name is and what you want?" Sarina rushed to match the professional standards.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Trevor. I came here on the recommendation of Dr. Liman and Dr. Emona, who should also be present here in this dormitory. They said I could stay here."

"Oh yes, of course. They warned me you would come. Could you sit in these chairs and wait, if you don't mind? I need some time to check the papers informing me about you, besides, I need to verify your presence. I'll guide you right after I finish." Sarina made a request that was not the most refusable one, since it wasn't a request in the first place.

"I don't mind, please, take your time." Trevor was willing to give in. His feet were dying with fatigue, not to mention how much they suffered during the trip. For someone who didn't even move his eyelids for who knows how long, walking so much was quite challenging.

'Ahwn!' Trevor moaned in his mind. A burning sensation spread through his entire body, as if it announced to Trevor just how weak he really was. The green-eyed lad felt that this chair was the best seat in the world: made of sugar clouds.

His butt along with all the rest of his lower body melted, giving in to the pleasure of being able to rest. Trevor then looked down at his feet, which were blacker than burned charcoal.

'I look like a fucking beggar who just got mugged. Sarina must be worried about my identity.' Trevor felt his hatred intensify at the thought of the two scumbags who had abandoned him in no moment.

'No… What's the use of hating those two?' He sat in a position that allowed him to remove the debris and brabs that got stuck in his feet. Trevor shrugged. 'Hate is useless. What I need is to find my father. For that, I'm going to need power, and those two are my best option for now.'

It was irritating to get those fragments out of his feet, but Trevor persevered. With each little thing he took, time passed and the burning sensation he felt in his body diminished. Soon, Trevor was immersed in this distraction for full minutes until Sarina's familiar voice emerged.

"Mr. Anirth, thank you for your cooperation. Please follow me to your new bedroom." Sarina carried a bunch of keys in her right hand. Her short hair was swept back, and her bangs did no work to hide the tiredness in her gaze.

Trevor nodded and followed the woman.

Compared to those hallways at the P-02 facility, the ones in this dorm looked like paradise on earth. Walls made of materials strong enough to prevent the place from collapsing during a storm were lined with thin wood fillets, which helped keep the room warm.

The floor was decorated with potted plants and simple carpets.

As for the ceiling, there was nothing admirable other than the charcoal-fueled lamps next to it. At least Trevor believed those little dark pebbles catching fire and lighting up the rest of the hallway were coal.

"We have arrived, Dr. Liman asked for your bedroom to be next to my balcony. Here are the keys, if you need something, just tap a golden bell that's placed on top of your bedside table."

Trevor nodded. Inwardly, he was shocked at the speed of this man. 'Did he predict I was going to wake up from before or did he do all this while I was standing outside in those few moments?' He felt he was pretty innocent after that, as whichever of the possibilities was right, it just meant that Trevor would have to deal with someone formidable.

'Damn you, Liman.' The keys in his hand swung down, unlocking the smooth wooden door. As he pressed the doorknob, about to open it, Trevor glanced at the beautiful figure of Sarina leaving. His hands stopped what they were about to do, retracting back closer to his thin waist.

"Hey, Sarina, I have a question. Have you ever heard of someone named Jake Anirth?" Glued firmly to Trevor's side were his clenched fists. Sarina, in her turn, turned to look at the person behind her.

"You're talking about your father, right? Sorry to inform you, but no. I don't know anything related to him, however, I do know that our Pequi Republic has gained a lot from his innovations. To be honest, I would recommend you go find out more about him at the last place he was seen." Sarina said her words and turned away, leaving without waiting for any response from Trevor.

"I understand, thank you!" The corner of his lips twitching down as he looked at the leaving woman. Again, Trevor was alone. Daydreams came and went, and ended when Trevor remembered again how insignificant he still was.

'I need superpowers!' The handle was pressed, opening the door.

In front of him, simple furniture configured his new assigned bedroom. Trevor saw the bedside table with the golden bell, the gold-colored object was connected at its top by a black wire, the latter disappearing into the small hole near the corner walls.

'Finally!'

Trevor treated those things like horse shit on the roadway. The real treasure was the sumptuous soft bed on the right side of the room! He threw himself there with no regard for hygiene.

The infernal tiredness Trevor was feeling got a lot worse as his body had stopped distributing adrenaline freely. If any danger occurred in the meantime, Trevor was sure he wouldn't even be able to get up straight from his chair.

'I shouldn't have agreed to sit down at that time. Well, whatever.'

If the feeling of sitting in the chair before was like floating on a sugar cloud, what he was feeling now could be directly compared to him going back inside his mother's womb. There wasn't the slightest worry in his mind there, just sleep and rest.

It was time to go to sleep, later he would deal with this shitty world.

When he woke up, it would be time to face Liman and discover his real powers.

'I wish I could go back to my mother's womb, I was so peaceful at that time, haha…' Those were his last thoughts.