CHAPTER 125: CHAPTER 125: TESTS FOR RETURNING

William finished exploring the corners of the underground laboratory. Every space, every rune, every magical stone carved into the walls confirmed what Angel had said: this place was made to contain very powerful magic.

He stood in the center of one of the testing platforms, took a deep breath, and looked up at the reinforced ceiling.

"Angel, ready?"

"Ready to record. Are you going to test the gray energy theory?"

William nodded.

"We need to know how to get in and out of that place; it’s a trump card I’m not willing to lose control of. Someday we might need to flee there to escape, and I need to know how quickly I can do it."

He positioned himself in a reinforced corner of the laboratory, with several glyphs activated as a safety measure. He raised both hands and began to invoke.

One after another, spheres of fire, lightning, ice, and shadows emerged from his fingers, each imbued with a faint gray mist that swirled like living smoke. It was beautiful, but unstable. The spells exploded against the enchanted walls with vibrant roars. Angel recorded the flows with supernatural speed.

"Last charge," she suddenly said. "There’s no gray energy left stored."

William shook his hands, covered in a blackish residue.

"Good, let’s see if your theory is correct."

He was about to recite the return spell, but Angel stopped him.

"Wait. Don’t you think you should let Lia know you’re okay? You were suddenly kidnapped, she must think you were murdered."

William sighed. Angel was right, but his haste to become even stronger had made him forget. Without wasting any more time, he took out the necklace and used it to send a mental message to Lia:

"I’m fine, nothing happened to me. I’ll see you tomorrow in class. Take care and don’t wait for me; I’ll go straight to class tomorrow from somewhere else."

The answer came in seconds.

"Thank God you’re okay, I thought something had happened to you. I understand, I’ll wait for you in the classroom tomorrow."

William smiled.

"Looks like she was worried."

"You were kidnapped by terrifying mages; anyone would think you’re no longer in this world."

He put the necklace away. He stood straight, took a breath, and activated the spell.

A dark light enveloped him.

When he reappeared, he was back in Anubis’s mansion. Everything was exactly as he had left it: furniture covered with dark cloths, the same pale light entering through the cracks, and the same silence. The only difference is that he felt his body was like a sponge absorbing an incredible amount of gray energy.

After stretching, he took off the robe he was wearing and put on a combat suit he had in his dimensional bag before leaving the room with a powerful demeanor, as if he were the owner of this world.

As he opened the door, an unexpected scene awaited them: Anubis watched him with a penetrating gaze, arms crossed. Beside him, two jackal servants with downcast eyes and fearful expressions. And, behind them, the three humans he had rescued.

The silence was absolute.

But the humans’ eyes widened with surprise and emotion, their mouths agape.

Three days earlier...

The three humans woke up in an unknown room, lying on soft beds with clean sheets that still gave off a faint fruity scent. They looked at each other, confused, expectant.

"What... happened?" whispered one of the boys. "Where... where are the hounds?"

"Did they bring us back to the slaughterhouse?" asked the girl, looking around anxiously.

Then the door opened. Three jackal servants entered, carrying large tubs of steaming water, towels, and folded clothes. They growled some unintelligible words, pointing to the tubs.

The humans didn’t understand immediately, until one of the servants gently took the girl by the arm. She resisted, scared, but wasn’t hit. The servant seemed to have enormous strength, but also a strange... gentleness. She held her firmly, without hurting her, and guided her to the water.

"What’s happening...?" murmured the other boy, backing away.

It was then that a male jackal entered, enormous, with sharp blades in his hands. The three humans screamed instantly.

"They’re going to clean us to eat us! Like livestock!"

But the jackal didn’t harm them. With expert precision, he began to shave the boys, trimming their hair, cleaning them completely. While the female servants depilated the girl, leaving her skin without a single hair, not even between her legs. They did everything in silence, as if they were afraid of doing something wrong.

Afterward, they dressed them in fine robes, fit for nobles.

They were led to a dining room where they were offered luxurious food, with exotic fruits, tender meat, freshly baked bread, and spiced wine. The humans ate, not knowing if they were being fattened up or treated as guests.

"What... is happening?" whispered one of them. "They treat us like... guests, but they look at us as if we were insects. They’re scared. But... of what?"

After the banquet, they were led to a large room in front of a door. There stood the great jackal. His presence was imposing. He said nothing. He only watched the door... as if waiting for something or someone to come out of it.

Hours passed. Night fell, and still no one moved. The jackal leader remained motionless, with a look between reverence and desperation.

Finally, he growled something. The servants took them back to their room, where they offered them more food and wine.

The three sat in a circle, confused.

"Are we being prepared for something?"

"I don’t know. But they’re... nervous. As if they know something big is coming. Who could be powerful enough to have that beast waiting?"

Three days passed like this.

Every morning they were bathed, groomed, fed, and brought back in front of the door. The great jackal always there, like a living statue, always in the same position for the entire time, without moving a muscle.

Until, on the third day, as the sun began to set... the door finally opened.

A young man emerged from it.

Tall. Dressed in a light combat suit, his silhouette powerful and elegant, and on his face, a blank white mask. But even so, they recognized him instantly.

"It’s him!" whispered the girl.

"The one who saved us!"

But now, he no longer looked like a simple human.

He looked like a god descending to save them.