When Ayumi and Shinso stepped into the main section of the underground chambers, they were immediately gravitated to the surgery of the Tremebrus in the corner. Ayumi's eyes widened as she took a step back, her hand instinctively wrapping around the hem of Shinso's vest.
"What the hell is that?" she mumbled, her voice a low, trembling whisper as she gazed into the rolled-back eyes of the creature, which had now turned bloodshot and cold.
"A Tremebrus, I don't think I've seen you around here." A man with a bulky build, dark skin and a noticeable lack of facial hair entered the lights, looking towards Shinso and Ayumi. It was Humphrey.
"She's the candidate I mentioned earlier," Shinso said, looking towards Ayumi.
The dark-skinned man's mouth twitched around the edges as he walked over to the girl, nodding his head in a gesture of indefinable respect. "It's not everyday a young woman like you strives to be among our ranks."
"M-me?" Ayumi shook her head, a look of puzzlement crossing her face. The black-haired girl looked towards Shinso, shaking her head.
"I never opted to join this organization, Shinso simply brought me here because of this." Ayumi reached into her pocket, before taking out the wooden disk inscribed with floral patterns. She slowly held it up to the surgical lights situated on the other end of the room, allowing Humprhey to gain a valuable look at its traits and features.
"Hmm." Humphrey slowly grabbed the object from her grip, holding it in his large, meaty hands. After a few seconds of tense, observatory silence, he gazed back at the duo and smiled softly.
"Come to my office, I think I have something you both should see."
The duo quickly exchanged glances. Shinso seemed slightly eager, while Ayumi appeared to be more on edge with the entire ordeal—with how sudden the track of events was in such a short day. They both followed Humphrey down the dimly lit corridors, the lantern lights illuminating either side of the stone walls.
After coming to his office, Humphrey smiled softly as he opened the door and allowed them entry inside his office. While Shinso had gotten slightly used to the sight, Ayumi noticeably tensed when she caught sight of the carnivorous plants lining the shelves, all covered with protective glass casing. She glanced at Humphrey, her face paling slightly.
"What are those things?" She pointed at the creatures inside the glass cases, particularly at a black flower bearing rows of sharp, almost canine teeth.
"Just my pets," he replied. "They also help with flies and pests."
"B-but...they're under glass," Ayumi continued.
At that moment, Humphrey chuckled as he opened a drawer in his desk. He took out a jar filled to the brim with flies and other insects. Shinso and Ayumi both stared at the jar in noticeable fear, Shinso's body shivering while Ayumi clenched her eyes shut. The dark-skinned man walked over to the shelves lined with carnivorous plants, before slowly unscrewing the lid of the jar.
As if on instinct, the plants instantly reacted, their tongues darting through the glass of their cases, snapping and biting at the flies swarming the air. The duo noticed how they didn't feel the flies crawling on their skin or going in their direction. The number of flies was surely in the hundreds!
"W-why aren't they going near us?" Ayumi asked.
"The leaves of the plant had been biologically engineered to contain, and emit a pheromone only the flies find appetizing. The sensation is so strong they wouldn't want anything else." Humphrey pointed to the other end of the office. When the duo looked in its direction, they noticed something unorthodox. A large plate was sitting on a chair in the corner of the office. On the plate was a large chocolate cake with chocolate and vanilla icing.
"No wonder...that's probably to test the flies susceptibility to scents." Shinso deduced.
After all the flies had been consumed, Ayumi turned back to Humphrey, feeling a surge of confusion. "You wanted to show us flies and plants?"
The man shook his head, smiling softly. "Nope, I just thought you'd want to see something cool first."
Humphrey walked back behind his desk and turned around, facing a portion of the wooden wall with a purple curtain hanging on it. He gave a faint smile as he parted the curtain, revealing a painting of a man. His hair was white—though the average passerby could tell it wasn't his actual hair and instead a wig. The edges of his jaw were sharp like blades, and he had a broad forehead, accompanied by narrow yet valiant eyes.
He was clad in more noble attire, having a high collar that ticked his cheeks and a puffed out shirt with a cravat and stuffed sleeves that resembled pillows that had been stuffed a little too much with feathers. Below the image of the man was a quote written in a solemn font.
"The essence of a Pollinator is to plant seeds of protection in the hearts of all."
The quote was spoken by a man named Ulysses Steiner.
Humphrey turned back to the duo, pointing at the photo. "It's required that all Pollinators, new and old, learn about the greatness of Ulysses Steiner."
"But, ...I'm not a Pollinator," Ayumi said, feeling a wave of uncertainty rise in her chest as she looked at the portrait of the man.
"That doesn't matter. After all, he gave lessons that benefit us all."
Humphrey reached into his desk and took out a thick book, which was shielded in a cloud of dust. The dust was sent into the air the moment he dropped the book onto the desk, causing Shinso and Ayumi to cough out-loud.
"Seems like you haven't had any new members in a while," Shinso quipped.
The dark-skinned man shook his head. "Our most recent entry, aside from the likes of you, was over fifty years ago. That's before I was born."
Without speaking any further, Humphrey opened the book and flipped for a short moment, before stopping on a page covered in small words, much like a novel. Upon closer inspection, everything was in quotes. He looked back up at the duo, his smile dropping to a straight line lined by his puffy lips. He reached to the edge of his desk and picked up a pair of rounded reading glasses.
"Ulysses Steiner was a great philosopher, inventor, and cultivator of knowledge."
Humphrey picked the book and walked in circles around his desk as if teaching some kind of lecture to students. When Shinso looked at Ayumi, she noticed her trying to stifle an amused chuckle. Luckily, Humphrey didn't seem to notice for the most part, his reading glasses slowly sliding down the bridge of his smooth nose.
"In his lifetime, before he mysteriously vanished in a veil of mystery, Ulysses was a soldier of the mind, preferring strategy, logic, and careful reasoning over the more brutal, brutish, and straightforward means of confrontation."
Suddenly, Ayumi habitually raised her hand like she was in class. Humphey looked towards her and nodded.
"What do you mean vanished?" She asked, leaning forward.
The dark-skinned man sighed softly. "For the most part, it's unknown how he vanished. Many historians surmised he was either assassinated and buried elsewhere, kidnapped, or for some reason, he fled elsewhere from his town."
After clearing his throat once more, he kept speaking. "Being a brilliant and steadfast scientist and alchemist, Ulysses often dabbled in the facets of alchemy, biology, and overall, science, eager to learn about the world around him. Of course, my husband was always like that."
"Your husband?" Shinso cocked an eyebrow, his face flushing slightly.
Seeing Shinso's visible puzzlement, Humphrey scoffed and shook his head, amusement slowly tearing at the corners of his lips. "These excerpts on the page are directly taken from the diary of Mellisa Steiner, his wife."
"Oh..." Shinso's shoulders slouched. The thought of same-sex relationships sent a shiver down my spine, especially thinking about his current feelings with one he knew.
"How long will this take, sir? I didn't come here to learn about some hag from a few centuries ago." Ayumi questioned, holding up the wooden dusk with floral patterns. Upon seeing this, Humphrey's expression darkened as he scoffed.
"Our leader will not be stifled for something as silly as that thing." His voice lowered, taking on a marginally uncharacteristic tone.
Shinso tensed when he saw Humphrey lean in close to Ayumi, his eyes boring into hers with a strange, refined malice.
...
I didn't try to talk to Damien the rest of the night. Eventually, the sun began to set over the mountains. The night out in this region was a lot darker than other nights. The overwhelming pollution from the uncountable number of smokestacks puffing out thick black smoke obscured any stars in sight, alongside the crimson moon. When I looked outside, I could only see an environment of pure, inky darkness devoid of any features.
"We wake up at eight AM every morning to work downstairs," Damien suddenly said, wiping the tears from his eyes as he leaned back on his pillow, looking directly at me.
Hearing his words, I felt a sudden wave of confusion. "They make...hospital patients work? Isn't that a bit cruel?"
The white-haired boy looked towards the wall opposite the door, scoffing. "They say if you can walk, you can work. It's like their catchphrase."
I didn't say a word as I leaned back in my own bed, staring up at the ceiling illuminated by the lamps. "I've only been here a few hours and I already hate it here."
Damien laughed cruelly, clutching his pillow to his chest whilst letting out final sniffles. "Get used to it, meanie. You'll be here until you're all better again."
"What do they make in the basement anyways?" I asked, my gaze never leaving the dimly lit ceiling.
"Lots of stuff. But the majority of people work on alcoholic stuff. Others work on candles and wooden things. I think this place isn't a hospital, but instead, some kind of factory."
I leaned up in my bed, looking towards Damien. In the low lighting, the bags around his eyes made him look like a phantom or a zombie of some kind. His white hair kinda reminded me of a ghost from another era, or a person at least fifty years older than he was.
"Do you think I'll have to work down there? This Demon disease is something we don't know much about."
At that moment, Damien crossed his arms over his chest, pouting. His brows furrowed, tilting inwards above his small, round nose.
"I bet you won't, bug-boy. Your little disease might get everyone sick, and they'd all turn into bugs and infect this place, maybe even the entire kingdom."
He looked back up at me. "At best, you'll probably have to deal with conditioning instead."
"Didn't I already undergo conditioning?" I asked, feeling a small wave of nausea and puzzlement cross over me.
The young boy shook his head as he stood up, approaching the small closet in the room. He opened it and took out a pair of navy blue pajamas. "I don't know much about it, but I heard they just tie you to some fancy chair and zap your brains out until you're cured or something."
Hearing the boy's words, I gave him an awkward smile, followed by a chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood after that information. Damien continued to speak, his lips curling up into a devilish smile.
"I hope I get to watch you go through that, might even have some snacks in there."