Lucky escape

In the endless emptiness of the mind realm, now shines a small star like sphere glowing in a shade of light blue like torch in a underground cave. This is the core, the lifeline of flux wielders.

Sitting opposite each other on pitch black ground of the mind realm, the two figures of one human and a demon engage in their daily work .

Nimim the demon of wisdom and knowledge, silently looks at the symbol being formed in Levian's palm with a bit of doubt and a tint of curiosity.

" I get that you want to escape. But is such a approach really necessary.", The demon questions, his eyes darting to the core above.

Levian doesn't turn, his focus fully on the symbol within his palm , gritting his teeth he creates it and before it could break into pieces again, connects it with the net made of other symbols orbiting the star like a moon.

The symbol being made can be best described as a catalyst meant to connect the other symbols and as the last and main component of the net.

Its meaning?

 RETURN 

The art of flux is as complex yet simple as it sounds, the ones who learn it are widely known as fluxions or fluxers.

Fluxions themselves have a wide variety of sub occupations within them ranging from battle masters to equipment creators but deep down the beginning of everyone of them is the same.

For the early stages of fluxions, the trainees must first learn the art of crafting symbols and binding then together to get the desired effect and finally using the binded set of attribute symbols with flux energy.

What Levian is doing right now are those very things, all for the tool that will help him escape from the suffocating confines of the lab.

The demon intrigued by the sheer recklessness of Levian, decided to offers his advice and said , " With your current self, it will only be one use, Don't you think the odds are a little too harsh?"

KLANK , a sound similar to the sound of hitting iron with a hammer echoes through the mind realm. The bundle of symbols, which formerly used to orbit around the core are now binded together by the catalyst.

The realm shakes as a pulse spreads from the core, a small string of light emerges from the core and latches onto the catalyst symbol.

Few other strings follow behind it, together weave and turn to something akin to a rope as each string connects the core the set of symbols.

Levian finally relaxing himself, collapses on the formless ground of the mind realm as a smile creeps to his mouth.

"Never doubt a Gamer's methods unless you want to experience getting hit with the most devious and unblockable combo you have seen in your ancient life." Levian said as the final bit of stamina left him and he collapsed unconscious.

*****

A white coated scientist is currently looking through the security feed of the facility, his eyes locked onto the only remaining surviving subject among the one who were starved from the result of greed.

"How is he still alive? It has been two weeks since we last fed him and yet he refuses die", the scientist turns to the guard behind him and said , "We can't have him here for the inspection Tommorow, Throw him into the compactor."

"But sir, what has he even don-"

"YOU DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO. NOW GET TO IT.", The scientist roared, releasing all his pent up frustration onto the guard before leaving the security room.

Unable to oppose his superior, the guard eventually called one of the facility janitors, "Hey Bob, ye it's me. You know the deaf guy you curse at everyday? the scientists want him thrown into the compactor."

"And? what has that got to do me?" The Janitor asked in confusion until a horrific thought came to him, " Don't tell me, i have t-"

"It's either your values or your job, I want the job done in a hour or two." The chief guard snarled before he cut the call in the Janitor's face after saying his command.

-30 mins later-

The sound of the gates opening and a pull on his chain woke Levian from his sleep as the face of the regular janitor comes into view.

With a moment of hesitation, the Janitor pulled the chain while yelling, "Get up you little piece of Sh*t, today gonna be your final day."

Before he could process the words, Levian's thin and starved body was hit by a small box with a bunch of leftovers.

Wincing in pain, Levian grabbed the box and begins eating while internally trying to understand the situation.

'Final day. For what? They are not good enough to release me and I hold no value as a experiment subject.. They are-'

before Levian could finish his throughts, the voice of Nimim called to him, 'They are disposing you off.. we couldn't ask for a better timing.'

A feeling of joy emerges in Levian's chest as he maintains his poker face, This was the chance he was waiting for and now it was here.

Out of pity for the lamb of slaughter, the Janitor waited five minutes before clutching onto the chain. He detached it from the socket in the wall and begins walking away.

The janitor's expression was one of annoyance and glee, "I just want to get this over with and go home, my contract didn't include this crap." He says he pulls in the chain.

Following behind him, Levian looks around, memorising the structure of the labs and every corridor he came across until he saw it.

In the wall to the right was a lift with a map hung outside that showed the structure of the floor he was on.

'Floor B4 aka basement floor fourth, i am at lift C so that place, They way we are going.. it's the compactor.', Levian was quickly analysing the structure when the chain pulled again, knocking him to the floor.

"More fast you mutt, I have to go clean the cafeteria after this" The janitor roared he turned at hit Levian with the mop.

Rising to his feet, Levian his the resentment and anger within and begins walking again like a silent puppet.

A plan forms in his head as thanks his fortune, 'Thank god i managed to make the set today, or else I would have died for sure.' he thought while a smile creeped onto his face before fading again back to the blank face.

Like a prisoner of war in mediaeval times, he walked behind the Janitor while occasionally shaking his legs to act weak and powerless.

Until he saw it, A wooden door with only one word written on a board above it, Compacting chamber. The Janitor pulled out a keycard from his pocket and unlocked the door.

He then pulled the chain so hard that Levian was thrown into the room and straight onto a table, the Janitor curses the lightweight of Levian as he grabs the items that fell from the table.

'NOW. Save slot 1' finding the chance Levian tackled the Janitor onto the table with his weak body, the Janitor looks at him confusion before swinging the mop in his hand.

"REBELING NOW? YOU NEED TO LEARN YOU PLACE" The Janitor yelled as supports himself up with one hand and the other swinging the mop.

The mop's iron handle hit Levian straight in let, making him fall and just as the Janitor closed in.

Levian vanished, returning back to the position he was when he activated save, he appeared right behind the Janitor who was still baffled from the disappearance.

-ability explanation-

The Save and Load, a Set ability made by Levian with selective symbols from the humongous collections of symbols Nimim had.

It is a multi-function ability that allows him a save a position of everything in in half meter radius to his body and revert everything back to that position whenever he wants.

It had very high consumption of flux energy and each revert need extra power so he had put limitations to make do with what he had.

It has a duration of 20 seconds after setting up, a distance requirement of 40 meters. It also isn't rewinding him back to position but shifting him so it doesn't effect his wounds or injuries.

With his current self, he had only enough energy for one shift after setting up before he had recover.

-ability explanation over-

The shift detached a portion of the chain, leaving a half a meter smaller cut chain connected to Levian's hand which he quickly grabbed the other end of.

He closes in to the Janitor from behind, hitting him in head with the chain, and proceeded to use every bit of strength he had to strangle the life out of the Janitor.

The Janitor struggled with all he got but the head hit made lose strength in his arms. The final result was the first kill for Levian but he didn't have time for nor remorse nor guilt as it was either him or the janitor's life.

' I have to leave before they find out, if what this bastard was right I have about 20 minutes before that guard calls him.' Levian calculates the time he had left and quickly removed the chain from his hand thanks to the hand size being decreased because of underfeeding.

He put on the janitor's clothes, grabbed the keycard and left, not in hurry but with calm steps with the mop still in hand.

Just to be sure to make his disguise better, he grabbed a napkin he found in the janitor's pocket and made a little blood from janitor drop onto it and put it on his face like a mask.

He made his way to the lift when, "Yo isn't this our bobby? Did you end that poor lamb's life already?" A voice called to him from behind.

A chill went down his spine as Levian turns to see a another janitor with a body builder's physique.

"Huh? What's with this mask? And why is it red?" The guy asked but Levian had already anticipated such a reaction.

He turns face to face with the guy and said while imitating bob's voice while bitting on his tongue hard, "Tht guy fouht bck when I was busy, brok my nose and mad me cut my tonge"

"Well go get it checked up then, i have some painkillers in my room drawer if you need them", "Thans", thanking the man for his kindness, Levian quickly cut off the conversation and got into the lift.

It took two minutes for the lift to reach the top floor, exiting the lift Levian found himself not under some sort of complex but a normal building counter.

' Twelve minutes left. Good thing we ain't under some army complex.' Levian looked at the surroundings, a gate with guards with what appeared to be keycard and ID checking, thankfully he got them both.

His bloody mask raised some attention but he acted normal and went to put the mop and bucket back to the a room he saw another janitor coming out of.

He then proceeded to go for the main exit where he was met with two guards who looked at him with a smug face.

"Yo look, it's our pocket money giver, did you break your nose on something?" The first guard said he lifted his cap with a sarcastic face.

The second guard laughed a little before extending his palm, " two bills or we tell mary about your visit to the the club."

Saying nothing, Levian bought two of the five bills in his front pocket with shaky hands as if dying from anger and handed it to them.

They didn't even bother checking him and just shoved him outside like a bully in middle school, He walked with his down and his back hunched but deep inside he was laughing.

'Exactly what I needed, Goodbye to the lab rat life. His steps changed from slow and depressed to joyful and energetic as he looks around.

The city matches the description of a sci-fi genre with floating cars and stuff but still having normal cars that seems to have no exhaust whatsoever.

After moving a few blocks, he entered the narrow alley of a building and was confronted with a bunch of shady looking people.

"Yo look, it's another guy. Hey bud wanna join us for a quick gambling session?" One of the hooligans said while polishing a sword placed on his knees.

Levian smiled, he walks closer, looks at them and asked, "How much? I got three bills."