Sensation

Chapter 9

He doesn’t understand her. Theo clenches his hands in frustration.

‘That woman makes my blood boil… yet she’s just as confusing as ever.’ He thought, not knowing what to do with Arcana.

The woman is now in front of him. Standing on the icy ground with a serious face.

“You’re as stubborn as always.” She said, making him smirk.

“Same as you.”

His retort twisted her serious face into an ugly scowl. Making him delighted.

He doesn’t know why he feels so… happy whenever he sees her irritated, angry, or unhappy. It’s like she has that button which triggers him to do anything just to make her face twisted with emotions. Emotions that she can only give to him which feeds his inner twisted self.

Their relationship is either weird or twisted even.

Despite his hate towards her… he still has that trust that he gave to her even if his guts had told him that something is definitely wrong.

He couldn’t even point out where their relationship is at. They’re not friends nor acquaintances, he doesn’t even like her yet his hate runs deep despite his weird trust that’s been given to her.

She’s a decent human being, not like her twisted, greedy old man.

He thought that she doesn’t know that old man’s dirty laundry. He’s mistaken once again now that he is seeing her standing in front of him. In front of the location where the Council conducts its illegal experimentation on Beings from another world.

“You surprise me still Arcana. What else are you hiding in your sleeves?” his question somehow made the woman smile, which made him freeze.

In truth, this is the only expression that she hasn’t given him. Ever. And now that the bridge burned between them and his hate towards her deepen.

The only thing he regrets was trusting her with Diane.

‘What a pity.’ He thought. His clenched fist tightened, digging his nails into his palms.

“You’ll just have to wait then.” She states, walking towards the teleportation rune just a few steps away from the secret passage of the underground lab. “This is not over yet.”

Theo watches her body slowly being covered with runes. Indicating that the portal is working and going to teleport her to wherever those connecting spell circles are.

He just stands there, watching her body slowly glow with kaleidoscope colors along with the spell circle under and surrounding her body.

“I hope you hide well, the next I see you… will be your last.” His warning somehow made her smirk. Making his body boil with just that expression of hers.

He always hated it. Her ‘cool and calm’ expression whenever they talk but deep inside, he knew that she can have more than one or two facial expressions. And that smirk is what he hates the most.

Pressing the earphone under his hood, Theo looks around as he slowly treads towards a building that’s around the vicinity.

“Kid, are you in?”

“…yup.” A whisper replies.

Their infiltration is a success.

Under this icy and snow-covered land, is a vast facility made solely for the experimentation—illegal experimentation. And he believes this is where Diane is. because this is the last place that he hasn’t checked… because witches and warlocks are prohibited in entering the facility.

Plus, only a few know about this. That’s why for decades, they could move freely in between two worlds. And with the treaty with those creatures in place. They won’t find any evidence traceable to them.

“Have Cecil found her?”

“Not yet. She’s taking her time because this building has a tracker. If she uses a stronger spell, they might detect me sooner than later. That’s why I’m practically sprinting with this heavy trolley I stole a while ago.” Sebyl said. His heavy breathing can be heard through the earphone.

“Dammit… with you hearing my panting. It seemed dirty. And I’m straight!” he added.

Theo wants to go in and kick the kid’s ass.

“I’ll kick your ass once we’re done here kiddo. I promise.” He grits. But he won’t seriously do it.

Theo understands the kid’s excuse in trying to lighten the mood. It’s in his nature to try to lighten up the mood whenever it gets strained. But sometimes it always is the case.

Theo knows that the kid is nervous yet despite his nerves, the kid is smart and had gotten one of the heavy trolleys that he saw and started sprinting around the building. Since Cecil can only do a small-scale tracker spell to detect Diane, it’s the kid’s role to do the labor.

“…Cecil found her.” Sebyl said after almost an hour of searching.

“Good. Act normal kid. I’ve already placed a few bombs as a distraction above you.”

“I’m near the door… and it’s open.”

“Stay alert kid. Be careful.” Theo warns him, unpinning one of the bombs with a single flick of his fingers.

In just seconds, the bomb explodes. One after another as he flicks each one of them. He can hear the chaos through the earphone. Screams and sounds of explosion.

“I got her!” Sebyl exclaims.

“Good! Follow the next plan! There should be a secret tunnel in the eastern part of the building!” Theo instructs. Reminding the plan.

“It will take time bro! We’re way in deep in the southern part of the building! Where the main office of that old man is!” Sebyl said.

“Sh*t!” Theo cursed.

‘That old fart placed her there already knowing who Diane is! F*ck!’ he thought. Clenching his hands tightly.

Putting Diane near his office means that she’s far more valuable than those past experiments of theirs. Theo now understands that they haven’t experimented with new species of Beings for decades because it was difficult to get one.

And now that Diane was caught, he now knew that the old man knew it in the first place. Meaning that the ‘job’ was just a distraction for him to focus on other things other than his sister.

He now understands that… Arcana was just used. Her father knew her plans and sabotaged it. Easily killing her trusted men. And he was a fool.

‘She was the one who opened the door.’ He mused. Now realizing that experimentation rooms near the Head Council’s office have complicated passwords topped one after another.

"Sebyl, make it quick. You need to get out of there." Theo instructs after he didn't hear anything from the kid for a few minutes.

"Sebyl?" he asks.

His heart palpitates fast sue to nervousness. He doesn't like what's happening right at the moment.

"Bro... take care of Cecil." that whispery plead of Sebyl was all he heard before his earphone rings sharply. Making him remove it instantly.

"Arg!" he screams. Looking at the now useless thing on the snowy ground.

"Dammit!" Theo exclaims before running to where the supposed exit of the secret tunnel that the blueprint had pointed out.

Fear now creeps in his heart to what had happened to the kid. Praying and hoping that it's not what he thinks it is.