Part Nineteen: No. 9062

A heavy metal door creaked open as Klara and Kajin stepped into a massive, dark room. The air inside was cool and stale, carrying the faint scent of wood and metal. Klara glanced to her right and flipped a switch, causing a series of lights to flicker on, one by one, illuminating the space. The darkness retreated, revealing rows upon rows of wooden boxes stacked neatly across the room. They varied in size, from small crates to large containers, each marked with labels and symbols.

Kajin's eyes swept across the room, taking in the sight. The sheer scale of the storage area was impressive, and the organized chaos of the boxes hinted at the meticulous nature of their owner. Klara stepped forward, her boots clicking softly against the concrete floor. "This is the storage room, as you can see," she said, her voice echoing slightly in the vast space.

"Yeah," Kajin replied, his tone neutral as he followed her deeper into the room.

"Most of these are resources Zaria uses for his experiments," Klara explained, gesturing to the boxes. "The ones in the front contain basic supplies, chemicals, tools, and the like. The middle section holds food and other essentials for the... subjects." She paused, her expression darkening slightly before continuing. "And at the back, he keeps testing machines. If one of his current machines breaks, he replaces it with one of these."

As they approached another door at the far end of the room, Klara stopped and placed her hand on its surface. Almost immediately, faint mana particles began to emanate from the door, glowing softly in the dim light. Kajin's gaze sharpened, his curiosity piqued. "Hmm..." he thought, his expression serious but intrigued. "What kind of security is this?"

As the mana particles faded and the door's glow dimmed, Klara pushed it open, revealing a small elevator room. She stepped inside, her movements smooth and confident, before turning to Kajin with a playful grin. "That door had a special spell cast on it," she explained, her tone light but informative. "If someone tries to open it without knowing, it sends a shock to Zaria. If I hadn't been informed about this little trick, we'd have had some serious problems!" She winked, her golden eyes sparkling with amusement.

Kajin stared at her for a moment, surprised by her casual demeanor, but quickly returned her smile. "Well, they're definitely slick, I'll give them that," he thought, stepping into the elevator room beside her. The door slid shut behind him with a soft hiss, sealing them inside.

Klara reached over to the control panel on the side of the elevator and pressed the button labeled "62," the lowest number on the panel. The number lit up brightly, and the elevator began to descend, its movement smooth but swift. Kajin glanced around, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of the small, metallic space. "Rooms that move up and down..." he thought, a faint chuckle escaping him. "Never seen something so strange before."

Klara turned to him, her head tilted slightly in confusion. "What's so funny?" she asked, her voice curious.

Kajin, caught off guard, quickly shook his head and steadied his expression. "N-nothing!" he replied, his tone a little too hurried.

Klara nodded, accepting his answer without pressing further. "Oh, okay," she said, turning her gaze back to the elevator door. Her posture relaxed, but her eyes remained alert, ready for whatever lay ahead.

~~~

The dark, luxurious corridors of the villa glowed faintly under the pale moonlight, their opulent details softened by the shadows. Heavy footsteps echoed through the halls, slow and deliberate, as Zaria made his way down the red-carpeted path. His dark green scales shimmered faintly in the dim light, and his long tail dragged lazily behind him, leaving a faint trail on the plush carpet. His white lab coat flowed like waves with each step, adding an almost regal air to his imposing figure.

Zaria's eyes were fixed straight ahead, but his gaze seemed distant, weighed down by the burdens on his mind. "So many things to worry about these days..." he muttered, his deep voice rumbling through the empty corridor. He leaned forward slightly, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. "Even age is becoming a pain in the butt," he added, his tone laced with frustration.

He paused for a moment, his reptilian eyes narrowing as he clenched his fists. "Why is the D.R.O (Darkvill Research Organization) so goddamn useless?" he growled, his voice rising slightly. "The reports they've been asking for lately are nothing but basic magic analysis. Pathetic." He closed his eyes, his jaw tightening as he took a deep breath. "It's no wonder the king has been relying on me more and more. Those fools couldn't innovate their way out of a paper bag."

Zaria's claws dug into his palms as he squeezed his hands, his frustration boiling over. "If he'd just let me manage the D.R.O myself," he said, his voice echoing through the halls, "we could've surpassed the dwarves in research by now. Instead, we're the laughingstock of the continent when it comes to innovation!" A vein bulged on his forehead as his anger peaked, his voice rising to a shout.

But then, his expression shifted. The frustration melted away, replaced by a sinister smile that spread across his scaly face. "But..." he said, his voice dropping to a low, menacing tone. "With my recent breakthrough... Darkvill can finally become the absolute powerhouse it was always meant to be." His lizard eyes glowed with an eerie light, reflecting the dark ambition burning within him. A low, guttural laugh escaped his throat, growing louder and more unhinged as it echoed through the empty corridors.

As Zaria continued his slow, deliberate walk down the moonlit corridor, a dark figure materialized silently behind him. Sensing something amiss, Zaria turned his head sharply, but the figure vanished into the shadows as quickly as it had appeared. "I must be imagining things..." he muttered, his suspicion fading as he shook his head and resumed his walk. "I'm too old for this," he groaned, his voice heavy with weariness.

Unbeknownst to him, the dark figure reappeared, moving swiftly and silently closer. Zaria suddenly stopped again, his instincts prickling. He turned around sharply, his reptilian eyes scanning the empty hallway. "Nothing..." he muttered under his breath, his frustration evident. He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his snout. "Agh! I should hire some bodyguards just to be safe. Now I'm seeing ghosts..." he grumbled, his tone tired and exasperated.

But as he turned to walk away, he collided with something solid and unyielding, sending him sprawling to the ground. "W-what?!" he stammered, his voice tinged with confusion and panic. He looked up, his eyes widening in fear as they met the towering figure looming over him. The man's presence was overwhelming, his dark aura sending a chill down Zaria's spine.

Before Zaria could react, the figure lunged forward, clamping a hand over his mouth and lifting him effortlessly into the air. With a forceful slam, Zaria was pinned against the wall, the impact echoing through the corridor. Pain shot through his body as he struggled against the figure's iron grip, his claws scratching uselessly at the man's arm.

"I've waited so long for this moment... Fatso," the figure said, his voice low and dripping with menace. Zaria's eyes widened further as the figure slowly pulled back his hood, revealing a face that sent a jolt of terror through him.

"Does this face ring a bell?" James asked, his voice cold and deliberate. Zaria's mind raced, his worst fears confirmed. "No... it's him," he thought, his heart pounding. "I thought he died!"

James's grip tightened, pressing Zaria harder against the wall. "So you do remember me," he said, his tone dark and threatening. "The boy you tortured with such pleasure..." Zaria's face was drenched in cold sweat, his breath coming in shallow gasps as James continued. "And it seems you haven't forgotten my sister, either, have you?"

Zaria's panic intensified at the mention of her name. "Dayna... my one and only little sister," James said, his voice trembling slightly with suppressed emotion. "Killed and made to suffer right in front of my eyes." His tone grew sharper, his rage simmering just beneath the surface. "Do you have any idea how much pain you caused her? How much pain you caused all of them?"

Zaria remained silent, his body trembling as James leaned in closer. Suddenly, James's fist shot out, slamming into the wall beside Zaria's head with a deafening crack. The force of the blow sent spiderweb fractures spreading across the wall, dust and debris raining down around them.

"TELL ME!" James roared, his voice shaking with fury. "Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy every second of what you did to them?!"

Zaria's resolve crumbled under the weight of James's rage. Finally, he nodded weakly, his body trembling uncontrollably.

James suddenly fell silent, his breathing heavy but controlled. Zaria, still pinned against the wall, looked at him with a mix of confusion and fear, hoping the worst was over. But just as he began to relax slightly, James's hand shot out, grabbing Zaria's forearm with a vice-like grip. With a sickening crunch, James snapped the bones in half.

Zaria's scream of agony was muffled under James's hand, his body writhing in pain as tears streamed down his scaly face. "With this hand..." James said, his voice low and filled with venom, "you tortured my sister." His eyes bore into Zaria's, unblinking and unyielding.

Before Zaria could recover, James reached down and grabbed his tail. Zaria's eyes widened in terror, and he began to plead, his voice desperate and hoarse. "No! Stop! Please—!" But James didn't hesitate. With a swift, brutal motion, he ripped Zaria's tail clean off, the sound of tearing flesh echoing through the corridor. Blood sprayed everywhere, pooling on the floor as Zaria's screams reached a new pitch of agony.

James tossed the severed tail aside like it was nothing, his gaze never leaving Zaria's. "What's wrong?" he asked, his tone cold but laced with mockery. "Can't you grow that back?"

Zaria's face was a mask of pain and terror, his eyes pleading for mercy. James laughed, the sound harsh and devoid of humor. "Ah, please... don't make me laugh so hard," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Before Zaria could respond, James drove his fist into Zaria's stomach with brutal force.

Zaria's body convulsed, blood gushing from his mouth and splattering across James's hand and arm. "Have you ever shown mercy to anyone?" James demanded, his voice rising with each word. "When my sister begged for mercy as you strapped her to those machines, did you listen to her? Did you care?"

Zaria could only stare helplessly, his body trembling as he struggled to breathe. James's expression darkened. "Yeah... that's what I thought," he said, his voice icy. He punched Zaria again, the blow landing in the same spot with bone-crushing force. Zaria's eyes turned bloodshot, his screams reduced to gurgling coughs as more blood spilled from his mouth.

James released his grip, letting Zaria collapse to the ground in a heap. Zaria crawled weakly, his movements sluggish and uncoordinated, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. James looked down at his hand, now slick with Zaria's blood, his expression unreadable.

"Dayna..." James muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "My revenge is only beginning." He took a step forward, his shadow looming over Zaria as he approached, his fists clenched and ready to deliver more punishment.