Fire user: “The name's Jayden and sure! I'll definitely think about it.”

Bubble user: “Lamiel is mine, and I'd love to join...so long as you're trustworthy. I'm kinda having trust issues after, y'know...getting kidnapped, brought to an island and almost becoming someone's lab rat.”

Orobas: “Ahaha! Well, I DID save you both many times now, so I'd like to THINK that I'm trustworthy enough, but I understand. Here's my contact number when the two of you are ready. Now then...I wonder where that other little boy is, and how exactly did he get out without triggering the cameras, infrared lights or other alarm systems?”

Lamiel: “Now that you mention it, where did he...hm?”

Before the rebellious-natured girl could finish her sentence...A small brown-haired boy clamped his arms and legs around her right thigh.

Lamiel: “Hello?! What's – where's the woman who was taking care of you? Don't tell me she's dead? She was supposed to be in the back together with the other elderly and children!”

But the boy shook his head, tearing up as if in response to her barrage of questions.

Boy: “The-The energy called her, she...she said she couldn't control her body! She-She told me to run...*Sniff*...they all started...*Sniff*...moving, but I didn't wanna lose anybody else...like..like grandpa. *Sniff* That's when she...she yelled at me, saying I wasn't her kid an' to beat it already. I ran...ran to the front but my body's not listenin' either! It suddenly stopped an' wouldn't move so I...

I just....grabbed what was next to me. Which was you. I hear something very scary calling for me. Please don't let it take me, please!”

Hearing the boy's account, both of them looked around only to see their entire back row beginning to walk in the opposite direction, ignoring their yells and shouts.

15 minutes later, their entire middle row turned around...

Finally, they began hearing a strange, voice...

Lirael immediately covered herself and the little boy in a bubble barrier, but such a thin layer of protection popped as if it was an ordinary bubble. Before this overwhelming presence that demanded sacrifices for its new host, all mortal realm powers were useless.

Yes, mortal powers were useless against it.

However...what about powers hailing from the divine?

Orobas immediately cast a massive dome of White light, covering himself, the two victim leaders, the boy attempting to fight against this strange energy and 18 others that were quick-witted enough to retreat to his side when they noticed something go awry.

---

Security Guard #9: “Bloody Hell...”

Security Guard #10: “That's a scary-sounding hell...”

*Smack!*

Security Guard #10: “Ow!”

As the 20,000 kidnapped victims began their retreat, the security and personnel all cheered.

Security Guard #5: “Look! Haha, they're screaming for help! This-This must be the Professor's brainwashing like in the rumors! Quick, let's beat them from behind while the Prof. has them distra-ah?”

Security Guard #9: “...Although I'm not happy knowing those rumors may be true, and that we've all been 'brainwashed'...Professor Watts must have his reasons. For now, I'm just thankful he's taking action. We can somehow scare off the nearby superheroes that might've taken notice behind our barrie-”

Security Guard #5: “Boss! Boss! I-I can't...I can't feel my legs! They're moving on their own! Aaaahh! HELP ME!”

Security Guard #9: “Huh...woah woah! Hold on now, Boss Watts! You're not only driving those rejects to your side, but you're gathering us, your staff, as well! Do we mean as little to you as these failures?

No. That can't be it. I trust him. Besides, this doesn't look like brainwashing. For one: Everyone's screaming for help. Mass telekinesis, maybe? Just what in the new continent are you planning for us...Boss Watts??!”

---

Kifah: “Br-Brother...this mission is turning...weird. Those people are like...zombies...and this presence...it's..scary.”

Aeron: “*Sigh* I know, Kifah. Still, leave it. Father's orders were for us to observe only and NOT intervene. No matter what happens to him. If he get's arrested, then we'll break him out and punish him. If he's killed down there, we'll just carry his corpse back to father. Maybe dad has a way to revive him, and then punish him after.”

Beatrice: “Hahaha! Yeah ri...

yeah righ...

Um, right.....

Hmmm, actually...I can't really...put it past that sly old geezer.

Oops! I mean 'Father'. Oooh~ Hey, Hey! He got him~ Mission compl...oh. He totally missed the artery on purpose! That little...mmmmrrr..!”

Kifah: “..So, do we continue as planned?

Aeron: “Continue observing.”

---

Lamiel: “Thank goodness your barrier managed to stop whatever that creepy voice was.”

Orobas: “...It didn't though.”

Jayden: “What?! But, haha, but surely we're not moving now, right? Aren't you just being modest, Orobas?”

Orobas: "I'm serious, Jayden. The moment I felt my barrier on the verge of cracking, it...stopped attacking. It chose to leave us alone for some reason. Why? I'm as clueless as you all are.”

Fierce-eyed daughter: “Should...Should we follow them?”

Plump mother: “What?! Deeandra what in the WORLD are you saying?! We want to get away from this island of...FREAKS! Why in the world would you-”

Orobas: “I agree. Let's follow them all.”

Plump mother: “*Faints*”

Fierce-eyed daughter(Deeandra): “MOTHER!!”

Orobas: “Don't worry! No need to fear, my barrier can at least protect us from anything dangerous except for that weird energy and voice. If things get really hectic I might be capable of personally teleporting all 21 of you out. Oh? It looks like there's another three unfortunate victims who weren't affected by that voice as well! Heyyy!

Unaffected victim #1 “...”

Unaffected victim #2: “...”

Unaffected victim #3: “...”

Orobas: “Haha...ha. Not the friendliest bunch, are they? Still, it appears they all want to know about this island's secrets as much as I do. Let's not lag behind.”

---

{What is...going on here?! Why are there so many...

Are they all...victims?!

Weren't they inside of guarded rooms though? Even if those traps are nothing for my family, To outsiders they're supposed to be top notch security!

Wait...could it be that...}

Just as Noel was on the verge of connecting the dots, he had run into complete misfortune. The Silhouette was about to undergo an eerie change. The fragment, which shared his identical silhouette, experienced a sudden ripple. It was faint, akin to a small pebble being chucked into a vast, clear pond. Yet, following that ripple, a long, thin crack developed across the spot where its face should be.

Immediately succeeding this act, a sharp, toothy grin formed below the crack...triggering that very crack to start trembling with obvious excitement and joy.

The crack became a crevasse as it opened, showing off a large singular eyeball which took up nearly the entire upper face.

Then, it took a step forward.

As this action was completed, hundreds of 'volunteers' began disintegrating at a rather moderate pace – slow enough that their screams and wails of despair could be heard, but fast enough that such fleeting cries for help would be rendered unanswered forever.

Even after death, their souls were brought directly into Noel: forming a coat of armor around his own as his fragile soul tried its hardest to remain firm in front of the unfathomable aura rolling off from that singular eye and mouth.

The moment they became a barrier for him, he felt the pressure lessen greatly. Shortly thereafter, the energy barrier would dim – scattering parts of itself into particles that entered his soul. The soul coating would always become bright again once more sacrifices died after making contact with the brightened, metallic floor.

Furthermore, with every particle absorbed, Noel could feel his soul growing stronger. At the very least: strong enough to stand again, instead of kneel.

Such an obvious gift from the fragment, came at a heavy price though.

Random victim's soul: “Help! Help! Please, help I have a daughter and I'm a single mother! Please...AAAAH!”

Random Living victim disintegrating: “Aaah, NOOO! Please, please help me! I don't...I don't want to die...I don'-”

Random victim walking forward: ”Please...stop this....”

Random Security Guard: “Boss Watts! Why are you...Wait...Boss WATTS has a needle in his neck! Is he dead? Then...is the one doing this...that boy...?! A-AAAAAH!!”

Without a care for its surroundings, the silhouette resembling Noel took another step forward, causing yet another wave of disintegrating 'volunteers'.

Then it spoke.

Mysterious Fragment: “Heehee~ I welcome you...my very young incarna-”

Noel/Tyler: “AAAAAAHHHH!”

Mysterious Fragment: “...”

As soon as it raised its mental energy to speak, thousands of bodies erupted into disintegrating particles at once, all flowing into Noel's soul.

He cried out at that very moment for multiple reasons:

Noel doesn't want so many people dying in order to complete this strange and confusing ritual. He now understands what professor Molodov Watts was aiming for. Nearly twenty-three thousand, including the security guards, were to become 'sacrifices' in both body and soul, in order to strengthen whoever was to become the 'host' for that...thing, which normal humans couldn't even withstand the presence of. Worst of all: If his words were to be believed...then, the Professor apparently wasn't intending to kill all of them. Maybe some would die, but others would live! The Professor said it himself, that the fragment's consciousness woke up earlier than expected because of Noel's own attack disturbing Watts's connection to it. It's greed demanded more than just a little bit of energy from each sacrifice. Without the Professor to control it's hunger, it intended to use them all as they were so properly named: as true sacrifices. That means...the current situation, in Noel's eyes, is no different from killing all twenty-three thousand victims himself.

Each of the victims share their memories of despair, hatred and pain upon entering his soul. He needs to experience this feeling thousands upon thousands of times, learning the pain, suffering, hatred and regret of over 23,000 people. Even an adult would go mad in a heartbeat facing such an army of anguish, let alone a mere 10 year old child.

He actually felt genuine pain in his head when that thing spoke. Not only that, but his soul began to crack, then heal only once the massive influx of energy swarmed it. Bathing in such vast amounts of soul energy repaired his own soul every time it developed cracks. This, in turn, strengthened it enough to withstand the weighty pressure beaming down on him, but that was just his soul. Had he been an ordinary 10 year old, his body would've turned into a puddle of mush by now – much like a few of the children around who he was desperately avoiding eye contact with, since their weakened physiques would collapse before any of the adults around them. Thankfully his family is special: their body-enhancing methods allowed Noel to withstand the pressure quite well. His face leaked out some traces of blood from the eye sockets, ear canals and nostrils...but nothing beyond that.

Finally, He thought it was scary looking. After having his fear triggered by the other three points mentioned above, he hardly had enough mental capacity to spare for a brave face.

Unfortunately for him, The ruinous hitman candidate's weak, half-hearted yell didn't reach anybody's ears. With a joint effort, all the surrounding voices managed to drown out that single, pitiable cry.

---