Black And White

"Ugh... Can you move aside? " Ian said while looking at Aeric.

This Facial paralysis guy was staring at the potion for the last 10 Minutes!

"How did it work? " Asked Aeric, turning his gaze away from the potion and staring at Ian with his dead fish eyes.

"Eh!? What do you mean? " Ian questioned, Confused.

" How can two herbs with conflicting properties not explode upon mixing them? "Asked Aeric.

He looked bothered by this question, as he didn't stop examining the potion.

Ian didn't know how to answer Aeric's question since he only followed the prescribed steps he remembered; Not understanding the theories behind it.

After a while, Ian let out a sigh.

" Even I don't know how it works. " Said, Ian.

"What's the potion's name? " Questioned Aeric; He almost sounded like he was threatening Ian, even though there wasn't much change in his facial expression.

"It doesn't have a name! " Said Ian and took the potion from Aeric's grasp.

"How can a potion don't have a name!?" Aeric started frowning when he said this.

How can a potion doesn't have a name!?

That's indeed impossible since there are names for every potion ever made. Even if the name is weird, there would always be one since 'they' need to keep it in the records.

But Ian's face turned ugly when he heard that.

' What do you mean by that, you bas*tard; It's your lazy a** who didn't name it.' - Ian wanted to curse the shit out of this apathetic bast*rd Right in front of him but held back at the last moment.

He took a few deep breaths and responded while suppressing his frustration as much as possible.

"I. Made. It. Myself! "

Aeric stared at Ian, not understanding what he meant.

"I made it accidentally ,while trying to make a pocket bomb..." Ian said, helpless. He sounded as if this potion had nothing to do with him.

"You wanted to make a bomb? " Aeric questioned him while staring at him strangely.

Before Aeric misunderstood something, Ian answered.

"It's for an experimental purpose...I was trying to make a bomb to see how it works "

Aeric stared at Ian with his dead fish eyes, making Ian feel awkward.

"Hmm... That's similar to what I'm trying to do. Can you give me the recipe for this potion? Of course, it is not free. In exchange, you can use this laboratory anytime you want."

Ian considered it for a moment and nodded his head.

Even if he didn't give this to Aeric, it wouldn't stop Aeric from inventing something similar, and giving it to Aeric may even benefit him.

"Good, My name is Aeric Xander "

"I am Ian Froda. Nice to meet you,"

Ian extended his hand for a handshake, and Aeric didn't reject the gesture.

After shaking their hands, Ian started writing the recipe on paper and left the lab with the potion.

After coming out, he looked at the wall clock and couldn't help but feel exhausted.

' It's already 6 Am... '

Ian wasn't sure if it was because he was in Red grade, but he didn't feel much fatigue even without a full day of sleep.

"Oh! Are you going back? Why don't you go eat something before you leave?" Said Asher lying on his couch and watching a movie on the TV.

He seemed too busy to care about anything else and was wholeheartedly focused on eating the chips.

When Ian heard that, his eyes lit up.

" Can I take this burger? " Ian asked while staring inside the fridge.

"Sure...heat it in the oven " Asher didn't pay any attention to what Ian said and gave him a perfunctory reply.

Ian went towards the oven and set the timer for a few minutes.

While heating it, Ian looked around the kitchen, It looked more like a decoration, and most of the kitchen was unused.

Only the fridge and oven looked slightly old due to the frequent usage.

After heating the burger, he left the bungalow while eating it.

' This tastes good.'

While eating it, he walked out of the Gifted Sector's Dorms, and his eyes couldn't help but look into his shirt pocket.

There was a glass vial containing a vicious indigo-colored liquid inside it.

He wanted to drink it right away, but he resisted the urge and continued walking.

After reaching a barren region, he searched around the surroundings and found a sewer hole.

' Haa... Moving in the underground like a mole...How ironic.'

Ian didn't know if he should laugh at this situation or cry about his misfortune.

' I need more strength...as long as I am strong enough I don't have to hide like this. '

Ian jumped into the sewer hole and walked along the passage.

This time, perhaps because of his previous experience or because he had prepared another map ahead of time, he arrived at his dorms in just 15 minutes.

After closing his door, he immediately took the vial and started drinking the potion.

" This...Fu*k "

He felt a strange sensation all over his body instantly.

The potion he had just drunk seemed to have dissipated from reality, and he felt countless hands tying around him and dragging him forcefully.

Aside from that, he noticed his head becoming unbearably heavy and his legs beginning to sway.

His head felt like it had been smacked with a hammer and was forcefully being put to sleep.

It would be fine if he fell asleep, but as his mind became drowsy and he was about to fall asleep, he felt another hammer strike in his mind, causing him to immediately wake up.

Even though there was no physical pain, Ian felt unbearable pressure and his vision started to become blurry.

In a few moments, he appeared to have entered a strange trance, as if he existed in reality but did not- like the Mind.

During this strange trance, all color seemed to fade from his vision, leaving only black and white.

There are only a few things that emit color in this world of black and white...

Ian shifted his gaze to the left and looked into the mirror.

In the mirror, there was a human figure emitting bright red light from his body.

"That's...me? " Ian muttered with incredulity.

He wanted to get closer to the mirror, but before he could... he passed out and fell to the ground.

.

_______

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"That's exhausting," Aeric muttered as he walked out of the lab.

Experimenting with the new recipe nearly depleted all of his energy, and he began to feel hungry.

Aeric opened the fridge and looked around for a few moments.

His carefree expression slowly froze, and he turned to face Asher, who was still watching the movie.

"Where is my burger?"

When he heard the icy voice, Asher felt goosebumps all over his body and he turned to face Aeric.

"Ugh... could you repeat that? I didn't hear it clearly?"Said Asher.

'Why is he so angry?'

Even though Aeric's facial expression remains unchanged, Asher can read Aeric's emotions since he was in a higher grade.

"Where...did...my...burger...go?! "

The long gaps between each word in Aeric's voice added to the tension in the room.

Aeric's question confused Asher for a moment, but then he recalled giving the burger to Ian...

"Aeric, listen ... We can talk about things slowly, and these chips also taste good. Why don't you try them and watch the movie with me?"

Asher smiled gently and reassuringly at him, like a trustworthy businessman.

Aeric didn't believe Asher's ruse and frowned at him.

"You ate it?" questioned Aeric.

"No, it's not me... Alright, it's my fault. I'll get you a new one... But before that can I finish the movie first?" Asher asked.

But, instead of answering, Aeric splashed his face with a blue-colored liquid.

Asher's face started to itch, and he shouted in anger.

"Didn't I say before not to throw those strange chemicals in other people's faces... You Little Sh*t, I dare you to use my lab again."