"Haa!" Varian slowly stood up and sighed.
Now that he knew those were his memories and not dreams, he fully embraced them.
So, he could fully dive into the helplessness he felt.
Despite wanting to help her, Varian at the age of 16 was of no use. Despite his handwork, and perseverance, he amounted to nothing.
'Now…Sia, I have the power to help you. But where are you?' He thought as he looked at the red journal.
But regardless, he understood that Sia was special.
Even the orphanage did not have any records of her parents. She was found near a dungeon and was brought to the orphanage by a kind hearted old man.
There was a DNA test for orphans to identify their parents. Even if they couldn't find their parents, they could find their closest relatives.
At some point, Sia took this test. But to their surprise, she didn't match with any sample.
Amanda thought her heritage was from another planet.
Perhaps.
But whatever the 'Hybrids' she spoke of, they were special.
They could awaken multiple times.
'System, do I classify as a hybrid?' He asked.
[No, host. You are a unique existence. Even though there are some similarities, you are fundamentally different.
Even the most well-known Hybrids can awaken only thrice.] It answered cooly.
'Then who are they? Where do they exist? Who created them?' Varian asked.
[…..] The System fell silent.
Rolling his eyes, Varian repeated the questions to Boo which only titled its head in confusion.
"Hm…maybe I heard of them, but you know my memory is half burnt, right?" Boo's reply made him helpless.
But for now, Varian could only give up.
In the future, if he could learn more about Hybrids, he might be able to solve Sia's problem.
Even though she did awaken, being a hybrid took a toll on her.
'I'll never leave you.'
'Promise.'
Varian sighed. What happened to those promises?
Why did she leave?
How did she fall in the sight of this vicious Roxana?
There was no relevant information.
Varian opened the red journal and read the remaining pages.
*** *** ***
Day 15,920:
I want to stimulate her and elicit extreme emotional response from her.
Physical and mental torture are not working. So I can only go the emotional route.
With her remaining family.
I heard she has an adoptive brother.
He'd do the job.
I'll be getting him tomorrow.
*** *** ***
That was the last journal entry.
Varian furrowed his brows and read it all over again.
From his readings, he concluded a few things and cross checked them with Boo.
Syncing the date when Roxana started this journal with the first day she entered this lab in the surveillance database, Roxana was killed on Day 15,921.
Again, from the surveillance, Roxana had no lab assistants.
She did all the work by herself. And on that day, no one entered the lab.
But she was killed.
So there were only two possibilities.
"Sia killed her…or someone sneaked into the lab, bypassing the surveillance and killed her." Varian rubbed his chin.
"Whoever is the killer, they must have the ability to escape the Guardian Islands which has Level 9 powerhouses."
Roxana was a Level 6 Awakener.
According to the journal entries, Sia at that time was a Level 4.
So there was no way she could've bested Roxana. Besides…the prison cage holding Sia was made of alloys strong enough to resist even Level 7 attacks.
In case Sia was the killer, she had to go from Level 4 to level 7 in the few days she was held in the lab.
'System, if I remember correctly, my talent is also in Celestial Grade, right?'
[Yes, host. Peak of Low Celestial Grade. Currently, the highest human.]
Sia was here for at almost three months. If she had any advancement, Roxana would've noticed right away.
'Can a Celestial Grade go from level 4 to level 7 in nearly three months?'
[With the resources on Earth, it's almost impossible.
The reason for your fast growth is the System itself. Your Celestial Grade talent is a good booster, but not the main reason.
Besides, only you can hide your level perfectly. And only you can finish your breakthroughs in such a short time.
If anyone else, even the Celestial Grade talents, tried to advance being in captivity, it could be easily known. Even the best known hybrids would make a commotion while going from level 6 to level 7.] The System gave him an accurate answer.
Varian narrowed his eyes.
It was impossible for Roxana, who was studying Sia, to not notice the improvement in Sia's strength. Roxana wouldn't be so foolish.
So, he could cross off Sia from the list of killers.
Thus, the killer had to be an outsider.
Someone who could enter and leave the guardian islands without being detected.
Someone even Xanders could't catch.
Someone who was a high awakener.
….there was only one person that fit those requirements.
"Creak."
Varian turned to the side and saw a young man walking in. His blonde hair flowed softly while his green eyes showed a look of nostalgia.
"Charles Xander…" Varian clenched his fists inside the ghost ship, his expression slowly turned savage.
This was the very guy that enjoyed the result of Sia's sacrifice. The rise of his talent was based on her blood.
And he didn't even know it.
'No wonder…Charles is stronger than everyone in the academy. No wonder his advancement speed is so high.
Sarah said that he already hit the bottleneck to level 7 in a few months, something that would usually take a few years.
There were also rumors that he could advance to Level 7 in a few months. If he really could do it, he'd set a record in the fastest speed from level 6 to level 7.
The record built on Sia's pain.
As veins started to pop on Varian's muscles, Charles looked around the lab with nostalgia.
"Aunt, I'm trying my best. But father never appreciates my efforts." He said in a lonely voice.
"I don't know how you were able to change me, but I thought at least then, I'd be able to make father proud." Charles said as he walked into Roxana's resting room.
He looked at the place where Roxana used to sleep and said softly. "Even if he is not happy with me, I'll do my best and…I'll avenge you."
Suddenly, he glanced around the room and his pupils shrunk. "Who?!"
He cautiously walked to a table next to the bed and observed it cautiously. There were a few papers and clips scattered on it.
But…
Charles immediately pressed a button in his pocket and looked around.
A bright red light flashed on his body and his form slowly morphed into that of half human and half wolf.
The air seemed to stand still as Charles' transformation caused aura to stand still for a moment.
"Why did you take my aunt's journal! You bitch! She sealed it! You can't read it!
Enigma! Damn you! I'll kill you and bury you in this room!" Charles yelled with uncontrollable rage.
Varians's eyes narrowed and he nodded to himself.. 'Sure enough, it's her.'