Lucifer had finished eating, and now he was lying on the bed, trying to get some sleep in peace. After eating up, he finally felt like he was alive. Otherwise, slight weakness was starting to set in.
He didn't know why, but his hunger was slowly only increasing with time from what he could feel. He wondered if something was wrong with him. Or was it a natural part of growing up?
Many thoughts floated in his head before Lucifer actually fell asleep, not even realizing when it actually happened.
...
A helicopter landed near the Dilion Research Facility from which a group of Seven Warlocks stepped out. Some of them looked injured as their clothes were covered in blood. Despite all that, the aura around them was that of a frightening beast.
Seeing the group of seven approaching them, the Variants of APF were surprised before they landed on their knees and shouted in unison, "Supreme Captain Varant!"
Varant looked towards the Variants that were here before he calmly asked, "Where is Xander? Take me to him."
"Yes, Sir."
One of the Variants stepped forward and started escorting Varant inside the facility to the place where Xander was kept.
After a few turns, Varant ended up in front of a medical lab of the facility, which had everything that a modern hospital might need to save a life.
Varant pushed the door open and stepped inside to see a few Variants already standing here. Ayn was also inside this place, staring at the red-haired man who was lying on a bed.
The man was none other than Xander, who still had his eyes closed. His breathing was weak, but there was an oxygen mask on his face. A few wires were attached to his body to measure his condition constantly.
As for the rest of his body, it was covered in a white blanket.
"Ayn, how is he now?" Varant asked Ayn as he stepped forward.
"His condition isn't good. The damage to his body was too much. Even though he's alive, he's no better than dead," Ayn said, sighing.
"Why? What happened?" Varant asked, frowning.
"Xander... Went into a coma. I don't know if and when he will awaken, but I doubt it will be soon. It's even possible that he will die while being in the coma. The next few days are going to be crucial to keep him alive," Ayn replied.
Hearing those words, Varant was taken aback. He stepped forward, getting closer to Xander before he sighed.
He touched Xander's cheeks gently as he said, "Xander, you idiot. How can you end up in such a condition? Wake up fast so I can scold you again for being an idiot."
"Who did it?" Varant asked, looking back at Ayn. "Vega or Dion?"
"None of them. It was done by Lucifer," Ayn answered as she gazed at Xander.
"That kid? He can now defeat Xander as well? How has his growth so fast?" Varant asked.
"That's because he's not a normal kid. We know it now since we saw it in the battle. We saw... His one blue and one violet eye," Ayn told Varant, who seemed like he had received the shock of his life.
"That bastard Zale! How could he do such a thing! Arghhh!" Varant seemed like he had lost himself in anger as he finally yelled.
Not many people had seen Varant this enraged since he was always professional, but now, there seemed to be a different side of him.
"Please tell me you're lying!" He said to Ayn.
"I'm not. Just when Lucifer was about to attack Xander, one of his eyes turned into violet," Ayn answered.
"What was the sky like at that moment?" Varant asked impatiently.
"It was covered with dark clouds and thunder," Ayn answered.
"That bastard Zale! He actually did it! He actually did something so idiotic! How could he! He is such an idiot! A massive idiot. Moreover, he kept it hidden for so long!" Varant said in frustration as he left the room and punched the wall of the room on the other side, breaking it.
"If he were alive, I would have killed him myself for doing this! I would have freaking killed him!" He roared.
Ayn also stepped out of the room as she placed her hand on Varant's shoulder before she said, "Varant, please control yourself. We need a leader at a time like this. Not an angry man. Your calm is your strength."
Varant took a deep breath before he said, "This Lucifer! I want him at any cost! And I want him dead. He can't stay alive! He can't be allowed to grow up! Or..."
"Don't worry; we'll catch him. I'll take over this case for Xander now," Ayn answered Varant.
"No, you won't! Now I will handle this case personally. None of you need to do anything. I'll do everything I need to. Variant Uprising can go fu*k itself. Lucifer will be the only priority for me," Varant said, showing another side of himself that was never seen before.
Not a single person had seen him curse before, but even that happened today.
"Sigh, fine. You handle it yourself," Ayn answered. "But can I ask, why are you this late in coming here? If you had come on time, you would be able to meet Lucifer."
"I couldn't," Varant answered. "Raia and his team had attacked the city of Elantra. I had to go there to stop him, and now I know why they attacked that place. They wanted me away from here. Sneaky bastards."
"Is Elantra safe now?" Ayn asked, concerned.
"Yeah, it's safe," Varant answered. "Half of it, at least."
"And the other half?" Ayn asked.
"It's destroyed," Varant answered.
"What was the outcome of your and Raia's battle? How many of them died?" Ayn asked. She didn't ask how many of their team members died since all seven of them were here.
"There was no outcome. Those bastards once again retreated," Varant answered. "I guess it was their plan. Make us get there, keep us engaged, and then leave."