– Where is he supposed to be again? – Baxter asks Yinsak while looking around a white room, similar to a laboratory, that was beneath the Astarosas' mansion.

In front of them, there was an empty bed that was, oddly, in a 70 degrees angle.

Yinsak looks around, a bit concerned. – My old man said he was here. Then-

– Looking for someone? – A boy with neon blue hair and eyes asks the duo while coming from the open door, startling both men. Prometheus then smiles joyfully.

– Who would you be? – Baxter asks while calming down a bit. Yinsak doesn't lower his guard though.

– My name is a bit too big, so don't worry about that. – Slowly, the air around him tenses, something Yinsak notices. – Not that you'll have to worry about anything else, anyway.

– So it's you, huh? – Yinsak asks while slowly taking his fighting stance. Baxter furrows his eyebrows to that.

– Wait. Is he the guy?

– Most likely. How many people you know that have that kind of hair and eyes.

– It could be tinted. – Prometheus says.

– Yeah, right. – Now with his stance fully ready, Yinsak slowly approaches the teen.

– Oh – He suddenly says as if remembering something. – , my name is Prometheus, by the way.

– Prometheus? – Baxter asks, a bit confused. – What kind of name is that?

– The old kind. – Yinsak answers without looking at him. – Fits what my old man would name someone. – He then turns back to Prometheus. – Now, drop the act and spill it. You're my old man's little experiment, aren't you?

– "Experiment" is a tough word, don't you think? – He says, a bit offended. Yinsak doesn't stop approaching him, now only a few meters away. – Also, you should have seen that silver-haired guy's expression when I knocked him out. Priceless.

– Wait, what...? – Yinsak stops approaching him. – You defeated Edgar?

– Edgar, huh? – Prometheus repeats to himself while placing his hands over his head. – It took me two blows to finish the job. I was almost certain he would have died with that hit. I'm not the best in holding back, so good grief I went for him first or the others wouldn't have lived.

– Alright, change of plans. – Yinsak drops his stance and stands straight. He then closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Then another. And another one.

Slowly, the air around him starts to heat up, something the other two very clearly notice as both struggle considerably to breathe.

Baxter messes with his collar. – Getting a little hot in here, huh?

– You haven't seen half of it. – Yinsak says while grinning menacingly. He then takes a confident step forward.

– At least you look stronger. – Prometheus says as his smile widens. – Finally, I'll have something interesting to do here.

From Yinsak's body, thin traces of steam could be seen. Then, without warning, he dashes forward, a sucker left punch to the boy's jaw. He is sent back by a little.

Yinsak shakes his hand with a slightly pained face. – Tough skin you have.

– You really don't care about hitting kids, do you? – Baxter asks, his eyes half-closed. Yinsak shrugs.

– Fast. – Prometheus says, a hand on his jaw. – Good.

He retaliates by sending a flurry of hits towards Yinsak, who struggles to hold them all. He laughs while doing so.

Eventually, a kick lands in his leg, forcing him onto one knee. Before a knee lands in his face, Yinsak tilts his head to the side and uses the opportunity to uppercut the boy, who flies high up. Not giving him space to breathe, Yinsak grabs him by his leg and hurls him towards the other side of the room, almost hitting Baxter, who dodges it by stepping aside.

– Watch your aim, idiot!

Trying to take the opportunity, Prometheus tries to hit a distracted Baxter. It doesn't work out. He spin kicks the boy towards a wall, leaving cracks where he lands.

When he stands up again, he starts laughing. – Damn! I can't remember the last time I had this much fun!

– Looks like he's missing a few bolts, huh? – Baxter asks while readying his stance.

– Whatever. Just hold him off while I do something. – Not waiting for a response, Yinsak starts to breathe in and out repeatedly. With every breath, more and more steam came out of his body.

Baxter fights Prometheus in his place but he is nowhere near strong enough to hold himself for long. Most of the boy's blows went through his failed attempts to block, each one hurting more than the other, while Baxter himself couldn't even land a solid hit.

Growing tired of this boring fight, Prometheus' fist is suddenly engulfed by a thick blue substance as he launches a straight at Baxter, who crosses his arms to try and block it. To no effect. The punch goes through it with an audible crack coming from it, sending him flying towards the open door.

Right on time as Yinsak finally finishes what he was doing. Now, instead of steam, actual flames were coming from various parts of his body, mainly his arms and legs.

– It's been so long since I last had to trigger my Affinity. This really annoys me, but I'm not taking chances with you.

Yinsak cracks his neck twice with side moves before blitzing forward. Despite being fast, Prometheus reacts in time and tries to kick his head. Right before that, Yinsak dashes to his side and throws several punches, some of which land with loud thuds.

Eventually, the boy covers his fist with the same blue substance to punch, one that is countered by Yinsak's fiery one. A shockwave reverbs across the entire room.

– Strong! – Prometheus says, excited. – You're much stronger than that Andrew guy!

Now backing off a little, Yinsak catches his breath for a few seconds. – You haven't seen half of it.

Yinsak puts his hands closer to his torso, a space left between them. Inside it, slowly, a fireball starts forming. Prometheus does an awed face as he waits for the attack to be finished (for some reason).

Once such happens, the fireball is as big as Yinsak's hand, who is sweating with the struggle. He then faces the boy and says with a grin.

– Ever played dodgeball?

– I used to, I think. – He says while remembering something. – Why do you ask?

Instead of answering, he takes a long leap backward and launches the fireball towards the floor next to the boy. The thing explodes, sending Prometheus and various objects flying towards the wall. He coughs blood with the impact as his clothes and skin reveals badly burned areas. Now on the floor, he looks to Yinsak, who is chuckling.

– Shouldn't have let me do that.

– H-How? – The boy manages to ask. Yinsak, who is now slowly deactivating his trigger, doesn't answer, instead, saying something else.

– It's not about you, boy. If you live, my old man wins and I can't let that happen. Nothing personal, kid.

– And you think that gives you the right to decide my fate?! – Furious, the boy asks.

– I didn't ask for your opinion. You're not even a real human anymore. Not after he got his hands on you.

Now approaching him, Yinsak starts to think about how easy things were. Maybe a bit too easy, but he wouldn't complain.

Now close enough, the boy reveals that he wasn't done for and tries something. His entire body is engulfed in a weird mix of blue and red. Now standing up, he starts laughing uncontrollably.

– I won't let another Astarosa tell my fate!

With that, he dashes forward, punching through Yinsak's stomach.

The suddenness catches him completely by surprise as he didn't even have time to try and dodge. Slowly, blood falls from his mouth and wound as he looks down at the boy's fist inside his gut like a knife.

– W-What... Is this?

– MY power. MY strength. – Still angry, Prometheus answers. – I WON'T let you decide my fate like your father did. And if someone has to die, it will be you.

While speaking, he didn't notice Baxter's silent approach. In his hand, a sharp kitchen knife.

When Prometheus does turn back, it's too late. Not that it would have mattered. The knife shatters upon impact, almost as if it had hit steel. A considerable scratch does appear in the boy's neck, some blood coming from it, but no more than that.

– Well, that was something... – Baxter mutters while slowly backing off. With a malicious grin, Prometheus raises Yinsak and hurls him towards Baxter, knocking both on the floor.

Now approaching the bloody mess that was them, Prometheus starts laughing and aching due to the burnt skin.

– You know, I had fun while at it. I'll definitely remember you, Mr...

– Just shut up already. – Yinsak says while grunting, a hand over his wound. He was off of Baxter and barely standing on one knee.

– Well, what a shame. – Now close enough, Prometheus looks to Baxter. – He looks like a fun guy. I'll see what I'll do with him.

– If you find people who try to murder you with a knife "fun", you have issues. – Baxter grunts without moving.

– The scientists said something like that. – He answers.

– Where are they, anyway? – Baxter asks while looking around the messy room. – This looks like the place where you came from.

– Not really. Not that it matters. – He then raises his fist, the same blue substance surrounding it. – In any case, time to die, Astarosa.

Right before he has time to finish Yinsak off, a white blur blitzes through the room's door and kicks Prometheus so hard he goes through the furthest wall, leaving a big hole in it.

Without looking to the man that was now in front of him, Yinsak starts chuckling before grunting with pain. – Took you long enough.

– I was too busy being unconscious, thank you very much. – Edgar answers sarcastically. He then crouches to help Yinsak up. – Now let's get outta here.

– Just kill the thing while he's weak. Are you retarded? – Yinsak says, annoyed, while standing with Edgar's help, who shakes his head.

– Won't do it for reasons I don't want to tell you right now. Now, let's get this hole in your stomach done with.

Without saying anything else, Edgar runs away with Yinsak, Baxter right behind him. Moments after that, Prometheus arrives from the hole, heavily injured and with his clothes in rags. He was struggling to breathe as he realizes no one was there anymore.

– Guess I was a bit too much for them to handle, huh? – He says to himself. Despite that, someone answers.

– True. And you still disappointed me, Prometheus.

The boy looks around with fear in his eyes as the male voice speaks again.

– You almost killed my son because of your little grudge with me and lost a fight you could have easily won. Why did you let him use that attack on you?

– I was just curious, that's all! – Desperate, he tries to explain himself. – I didn't think it was going to do so much damage, I swear! If it wasn't for that, I would have won, and-

– Excuses. – Dexter cuts him while appearing from the very door the group left. Signs of his fight with Yinsak were clear as his daughters aided him in standing and walking. – All I hear are excuses.

– But-

– I think our father didn't finish speaking. – One of the women speaks, rather annoyed.

– Should we do something about it? – The other asks Dexter, who furrows his eyebrows with disappointment.

– Do you want to know why the "Ninth" in your name, Prometheus? Because the other eight that came before you were all disappointments. The first two's bodies couldn't handle the power. The following four got themselves killed. The seventh was when I had actual progress, but not much. Then, the one before you. Your sister was helpful to my research, which allowed me to improve this.

He flashes the same black liquid he used against Yinsak. At the mention of his sister, Prometheus shakes with rage but tries his best to keep it in, all while looking down.

– What did you give me? So far, headaches. But I never saw the others trigger both Affinities at once without nearly dying, something you managed to. And because of it, I'll give you a second chance.

– R-Really...? – Still struggling to keep his cool, Prometheus asks. Dexter nods with a hum.

– But first, let's take care of those wounds. Then, I'll collect the data you stored. Surely, being hit by both my son and Edgar should have left a dent. There was also Baxter but he was just a small variant. Nothing I haven't got with Andrew already. Now, let's go.

Without saying anything else, he turns back and walks away, helped by his daughters. Still fuming inside, so does Prometheus.