Chapter 1

Patricia's POV

"I wonder what's taking the Captain so long?" Lucas mused out loud after moving his chest piece.

Both Lucas and James had been playing for hours now, lounging in our private common room while waiting for the Captain's return from the Council Meeting.

"It's strange for him to leave you behind, Patricia. He usually takes you with him."

I shrugged, "Maybe it's a private matter."

"Private or not he always has you by his side." Samantha said with furrowed brows as she looked up from her book.

She's right, it's unusual for Zavian to leave me behind, ever since I joined the group I have always accompanied him wherever he goes, whether it's a deadly mission or a private one, I always did my job as his right hand properly.

"There's something serious about this, with the sudden Council meeting and leaving you behind. That's something he won't usually do unless it's a serious matter. The only time I remembered he didn't let you accompany him is when the surprise attack at the Xarex Empire." Samantha further on theorized.

James nodded on his seat, "I agree, I'm still salty about the surprise attack mission though, he could've handled that mission easily with us by his side. But the asshole went on a private mission, tsk."

"That's Captain's way of telling that he can handle things on his own without us by his side. He's hella strong, even with us there, I don't think we can do heavy damage anyways." Lucas chuckled in reply.

The thick old wooden doors suddenly opened, halting their conversation. On the doorway, stood Zavian, the Captain of the Lunar Eclipse. His jet black curly hair laid on top of his head in a devilishly handsome manner, his silver eyes firm and strong as they stared head on.

"Captain, how did the meeting go?"

It was Samantha who greeted him, sitting straighter on her chair while pushing her glasses back up her nose.

With a clenched jaw, he looked at each and one of us in the eye, "Prepare yourselves we're going on a mission."

Standing on attention we quickly moved inside our private chambers, not a moment later, we're already dressed properly when going out on a mission. Everyone is alert and focused.

"Apparently, there's an underground laboratory hidden on earth, it's something their Government had successfully hidden under our noses all this time. What's worse is that there are two siblings there who possess Elemental Magic and they have been treated as objects to experiment on for years." Zavian said through clenched teeth.

A gasp of horror came out from me, people like us intend not to get captured by scientists because of their cruelty and thirst to understand our Element. I couldn't even imagine the torment they had to go through for those years that they were inside that laboratory.

"Where to, Captain?" James questioned as he prepared to open his portal.

"No need for that, the Council has taken care of everything." He took an envelope from his pocket, "We are to stand in for the Council, we will go there as representatives to check the laboratory out and their newest technology that's when we'll take the two out of that hell."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Samantha, once we're there, gather all the information you can get that we can use against us, and also get the two prisoners' backgrounds." Zavian began with Samantha.

"Yes, Captain."

He turned his determined silver eyes on me, "We two will talk with their Head, just like the normal. While Lucas and James pretend to be one of the nurses to hopefully smooth things out more."

"Did I make myself clear?"

We salute as we respond, "Yes, Sir!"

He nodded, satisfied. He took a plain rock out of his pocket and held it in front of us. It wasn't long before it started glowing and we can feel the tingling sensations on our bodies.

When I opened my eyes, we stood on a mountain, the tall trees surrounding us. There's a small house in front of us, if my guess is right, this is the entrance to their underground laboratory.

"Prepare yourselves." Captain said as the door opened two men in lab gowns stood in front of us.

"Welcome, our precious guests. You're the representatives of the Lilura Council right?" One of them greeted with a wide grin.

Zavian sharply nodded his head in response. I cleared my throat and stepped forward, "This is Captain Zavian Silver of the Lunar Eclipse. I am Patricia Rivera, the second in command of the Lunar Eclipse. We're sent by the Council to see the newest invention of technology that you have in store for us."

"Ah, yes! Yes, of course. The new inventions that we made for Doctor Daelyn. Please come this way." He led us towards the house, James, Samantha and Lucas himself came unnoticed by the scientist because of his illusion.

We went inside, it looked like a normal home, passerby wouldn't expect that a hidden underground lab would be in here. We went into the hidden elevator of this small house, something you wouldn't even be shocked to know about since this place is run by Scientists.

"Would the two of you like to see around the lab for a while or get on with the new inventions?" The same guy from before asked nervously.

"Yes, I'm quite in the mood to stroll around for a while inside this... marvelous laboratory of yours. I wonder what kind of experiments you make here, Doctor.."

"Doctor Theo, Captain Zavian." The doctor finished for him, since they didn't properly introduce themselves. Looks like years of staying here makes you forget your manners.

"Ah, yes, yes. We'd love to show the both of you around." Doctor Theo once again continued nervously, it was obvious that they're hiding something. He then leaned in towards his companion, "Everything's alright with Code A13W20 and Code A08W04?" He murmured under his breath that didn't go unnoticed by us.

The elevator door opened and we were led into a room that's supposed to be for visitors. Zavian sat down with grace, crossing his arms on his chest and so as his legs. I sat beside him silently.

"I'll go get Head Doctor Drul." Dr. Theo nodded in response. We were silent as we watched him go through a different door. The rest of our team following behind him still unnoticed.

"So," Zavian drew in a bored tone. "What have you invented that won't waste our time coming here?"

"Ahh, yes, yes. We've managed to create a few inventions that have something to do with ice. It's a great technology that we created really, took us a lot of time to create." Dr. Theo boasted with pride.

I tensed on my seat as I felt Zavian's growing anger. "Really now?" His voice went deeper and harsher, Doctor Theo could feel the tension in the air as the aura around Zavian changed.

I cleared my throat to ease the tension, "Perhaps you should serve us something? I didn't know that the long years of science had affected the brain to forget proper manners." I casually said as I looked around the room.

"Ah, yes! My apologies, I'll be back right away." Dr. Theo immediately left the room, pleased that he got away from Captain even for a moment.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

After making sure that Doctor Theo had left the room and there was nothing that could eavesdrop on us, he unclenched his jaw.

"The reason why I didn't bring you today was because the meeting is confidential. Remember when the Zaveri Manor got burned down and that the body of King Zacharias and Queen Alisandra has been found dead? At the same time the Princess and Prince have gone missing because Viradale was too late to send out their warriors?"

My brows knitted together, "Yes, what about it?"

"Twelve years ago, they went missing. The two siblings that were taken here have been around for twelve years. It's not that hard to put two and two together isn't it?"

I can feel the anger rising on my body that I had to take deep breaths and clench my fists together. "Don't tell me they're the missing Zaveri? If they ever did something inhumane to them I swear I won't leave this place unscratched." I forced out to greet teeth.

Zavian nodded in response, "Yes, it was bad enough that they were able to hide it under our noses but the fact that they've been experimenting those two for years are unforgivable even if it comes out that they weren't the ones who we think they are."

Our conversation came to a halt when the door opened once again and came to Dr. Theo with a tray in his hand. He served our tea silently with a forced smile on his face. Not a moment later, a man who looked like he's in his mid fifty came into the room with a crazed look in his eye.

"Sorry about the delay, I had important things that needed to be checked before coming here. I am Doctor Drul, pleased to meet you."

He handed his hand out to shake, Zavian looked at it for a moment with disdain in his silver eyes before shaking his hands with him. "Captain Zavian Silver of the Lunar Eclipse." He's cold and flat tone went unnoticed by Doctor Drul.

He then turned his eyes towards me that sent shivers down my spine, the way he looked at me like I was some kind of new specimen for him to inspect made the hairs on the end of my head stand.

With a forced smile, I introduced myself. "Patricia Rivera, Second in Command of the Lunar Eclipse."

Like Zavian, he shook his hands with mine, "Interesting.."

Suddenly, there's a loud crash from somewhere on this underground laboratory that immediately made Zavian and I stand on alert.

"What's going on?" Doctor Theo looked worried as he nervously stood.

"Something must have gone wrong with one of the things in the laboratory. Please wait for a while as I check the error." Doctor Drul announced he was already walking towards the door.

"Wait," He stopped on his step when Zavian's cold and harsh voice pierced through the air. "My Second in Command and myself will accompany you. We're sent by the Council to look how things are progressing under this hidden laboratory. Whether you like it or not, we have the rights to look at the labs without any delay and objections."

Doctor Drul's eyebrow twitched twice before forcing a smile on his face, "Is that so? This way then."

We followed Doctor Drul out of that room and into the hallway where the ruckus seemed to grow louder by the second, the drop of temperature on the area is likely to be noted. The cold became worse the second we wandered towards the end of the hallway, to the point where we could see our breaths through the air.

We saw the metal doors at the end of the hallway, it looked like it had been frozen with the cold smoke of ice coming from beneath and the walls were literally frosted.

My brows furrowed when I saw Doctor Drul's shoulder shake before he muttered in his breath with pure delight, "Wonderful.."

"Step aside..."

Doctor Drul quickly followed, Zavian went forward, he kicked the metal doors that burst open immediately with ease. Harsh snow welcomed us the moment the doors were open, for some strange reason, a blizzard was present inside the laboratory.

"Ahh! Such a wonderful scene before me! I've been waiting to see this for years!" Doctor Drul said with glee as he went inside. Both Captain and I followed quickly and that's when we saw the true horror the laboratory held.

All the apparatus and things they use inside the lab are scattered everywhere, the whole room covered in ice and snow due to the blizzard above our heads. Majority of the scientist lay dead on the ground, their whole body frozen it almost looked like they're sculptures made of ice. Some of the scientists that's able to survive from the harsh blizzard barely hang on with their lives as the cold immediately eat them up. There where various of glass room that held nurses and scientist that manage to escape into safety, the glass room they where in seemed unaffected by the blizzard and ice. One of the glass room held a boy with his arms held by two nurses with one of them had a knife through his neck threateningly. The boy have such fine features, with his right eye the perfect shade of ocean blue while his left eye is literally a golden clock that if you looked closely, the arms of the clock are actually moving. A red streak from crying blood also adorned his pale cheek.

On the other side of the room came a feminine pained scream from someone. Her screams hurt to the ears not because of the loud sound but from the agony and sorrow that comes with it, her scream spoke volumes that no one will ever understand. A mixture of hurt, pain, betrayal, and agony.

My heart broke at the sight in front of me, she's locked into a steel chair, trashing madly trying to get out from her restraints that already caused her skin to bruise, her screams rang out through the whole laboratory. As her screams grew louder, the harsher the blizzard became it was almost unbearable, the temperature was also quickly dropping down.

That girl with messy raven hair that's helplessly locked into the chair with the palest of skin and fragile body is the one who's causing all this cold.

They're the captives of this sick hell.

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