~Lucas~

The name 'Lucifer' was accepted after earning a few baffled glances—and a glare from Daiz. I still didn't understand the entire gig here, but hopefully Doctor Apollo will explain what he meant by calling us 'zyns,' and what he meant by 'Zephyrhium'.

The doctor rushed out soon after the name game, but told us to get used to calling each other by our codenames. I'm used to the fact that I've been called Lucifer numerous times, so it's pretty easy for me. The doctor stated that we should take the rest of the day off because I just arrived, and that tomorrow, we'll begin the debriefing of the tasks needed to be done.

"Krona, Zachary, Fain and Lucifer," Daiz tested our names, and then chuckled. "Doesn't seem so hard, is it?"

"Revere is such a long name though," Keina groaned in disapproval, and Leslie nodded. Daiz brushed them off with a loud burp, and that's when I noticed that he's already cleared everything in the table. Well, almost everything.

A few servings have been left for me, and I grumbled about not being able to choose anything before proceeding to eat.

"So what the heck are we supposed to do today, anyway?" Frederich asked in a bland tone, shifting his gaze from me to Diaz. His glasses slipped, and he pushed them upwards with his left hand, and my eyes landed on those bandages again.

"I suggest giving him a tour," Keina spoke up, and I turned to her. I still couldn't believe the fact that she's a master thief, with the inborn ability to steal. Leslie—Zachary, had this super photographic memory, Frederich—Fain, was numb to physical injuries, and had a tendency to cause self-harm.

Daiz—Revere had this super-shooting skills, and even though it didn't strike to me as 'amazing,' I was under the impression that his ability might be related to sports. After all, he told me before that he's been playing baseball.

I wonder what's my special ability?

"Calling out demons," Leslie unconsciously mumbled, and I flinched at how horrible his timing was. This time, a book about Greek mythology was in his hands, and I wondered if he's memorising them too.

"I wanna tour him around the gym!" Daiz volunteered, but Keina scoffed in reply, picking up a napkin and shoving it inside his mouth forcefully. "Wipe that messy mouth of yours first, uneducated caveman." The latter simply stuck out a tongue, but was painstakingly ignored.

"I say I take him for a tour instead. There are tons of things he can learn from me." The purple-eyed girl beamed, flipping that red-tinted hair in front of Daiz, as if she was bragging. "Like stealing?" The latter retorted playfully, jumping out of the way before garnering a painful jab.

"I'll tag along," Frederich mused, brow raised. "If it means going to the game room." Because of that, Daiz perked up and bounded over to us, mouth finally wiped clean. "Count me in bros and sis. I wanna show Lucas some tricks."

"Uh, his codename is Lucifer, remember?" Leslie countered him, raising an index finger like it was very common knowledge. A scowl crossed Revere's face, before he quickly replaced it with a guilty smile, green irises hiding a different gleam.

He brushed his light brown hair away, and with a shrug, he finally spoke up. "Sorry. Won't happen again." He shoved the thick metal doors rather harshly, and the loud thud—along with the annoying scraping sound—terrified me.

"What was that for?" Frederich grunted, rubbing the lenses of his glasses against his black shirt. I turned to face Leslie, and he shrugged. "Well, that guy despised whoever placed the six-sided star on his right shoulder, that's for sure."

I gagged, nearly tripping on my own heels. "Six-sided star?"

Frederich pushed the double doors, and the four of us began to walk. As far as my eyeballs can see, only the boring white paint adorned the walls, and metal doors all around. And I don't want to find out what's inside. Last time that happened, I was told that there are chosen children all around the world possessing crazy abilities.

"Yes. We all have that creepy decoration in a certain part of our bodies," Keina answered, tapping her left thigh. "Mine is located here."

I unconsciously placed a hand on my shoulder, rubbing it painstakingly so. Maybe I was the one responsible for all this. That six-sided star started with me, that's for sure. And now, they possessed a part of it, thereby garnering abilities in the process.

"When did your abilities began showing up?" I questioned.

Leslie raised a hand in reply. "My photographic memory was with me for as long as I can remember, but it only got this amazing when I convulsed in the middle of class. The six-sided star appeared on the side of my neck afterwards, but I didn't really pay it any mind... Well, before I got here." And with that, Leslie parted those blond curls and revealed the star—exactly the same design as the one on my back.

Frederich seemed to nod in approval, pointing to his left wrist. "Mine is located here, but I attempted to slash it off before, so it's covered. Got it when I tried to slash my right wrist, then this excruciating pain came and ruined my plans of an early death." I wanted to roll my eyes due to his statement. Who knows what a suicidal boy like him is thinking? I certainly don't.

"I got this mark when I tried to escape the imperial guards," Keina shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "I was stealing a beautiful Red Beryl then, but as Fred—Fain said, the pain was too much to bear."

"This whole codename thing is pretty hard to get used to," Frederich mumbled, all the while I contemplated my fate. Was this because of me? After all... I'm Lucifer's next vessel. An idea entered my train of thoughts, and I followed their pace—enticed on something Doctor Apollo might know.

"Hey," I began, catching up to Keina's pace. Frederich and Leslie were already five steps ahead of us, rambling about Greek myth and how Zeus keeps chasing after every female with a pulse.

"Have you managed to read my grandfather's journal?" I inquired, placing a hand in my pocket. Can't risk having her steal my Ophiuchus key once again.

Keina glanced at me for a few seconds before keeping her eyes glued to the floor. "To be honest, not yet. Only Leslie—Zach managed to skim through the pages, but we got caught by Hermes."

"You guys tried to steal the journal?" I coughed repeatedly, forcing the information to go down my system. My palms became sweaty, and I realized that my 'tour guides,' Leslie and Frederich were nowhere to be found. "That's... Well, I don't really know what to say. Brave, I guess."

Keina must've noticed me fidgeting, because she giggled, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you afraid of me, Lucifer?" Her eyes didn't meet mine, so I thanked my stars—lucky or not.

"Well, if you want to hear an honest response, then yes. I'm traumatized because of you." I used my left hand to scratch my nape, in a feeble attempt to shift my attention—and embarrassment.

The girl chuckled, purplish irises gleaming with amusement. "Sorry for repeatedly trying to steal your key. I guess you can say it's an instinct." A glint of sadness flashed across her eyes, but it was gone before I could even utter another word.

"What took you guys so long?" Frederich's voice boomed, and I cringed in reply. Double doors decorated with ancient textiles of flora and fauna patterns awaited us, and the annoyed nerd stormed in, stomping with frustration.

"It's time to get down to business," he grumbled, sitting on a yellow-green beanbag and crossing his legs. "It's high time we start researching on what the heck we're up against." To his right lay Leslie, a wall of books barricading him from the rest of the world. The blond boy only answered with a nod, so Keina and I looked at each other for a brief moment before entering the library.

Hundreds of shelves that possibly contained tens of thousands of books loomed over us, stature almost in a threatening posture. A lush velvet carpet adorned the floor, and a couple of long tables with matching chairs were stationed next to the beige-coloured wall, sculptured with Greek symbols.

A gigantic globe became the center of attraction as it spun around slowly, sitting idly upon a mahogany desk, which—I obviously figured was for Doctor Apollo—was polished and cleaned, where piles of paperwork lay await. A large glass window situated itself behind the said desk with cushioned chair, halfway covered with a curtain, light ebbing to force itself through.

I glanced around, and saw the dwindling winding stairs leading to the second floor of the library, filled with more shelves and books, classy glass roundtables with matching seats.

An empty fireplace sat adjacent to the desk, where Frederich and his beanbag, and Leslie and his barricade of books were situated. The entire place smelled like vanilla cream, and I was reminded of the kitchen where my father used to make pancakes in his silly pink apron. A sigh had unconsciously escaped my lips, and before I knew it, Keina was already patting my back, coaxing me to snap out of my daydream.

"I thought you guys were gonna give me a tour," I mumbled, eyeing the relaxed posture of Leslie. "I doubt those nerds will move from their places at this rate."

"You see, Doctor Apollo promised the four of us that he will properly explain everything once the fifth member arrives." Keina glanced my direction, and grinned. "We were waiting for you to arrive, of course."

Regret punched me in the stomach. I've been too cooped up and emotional. I haven't thought about their circumstances at all. I was worried about my own welfare, but I haven't taken the time to consider theirs. Let this be a lesson to myself. "I see," gazing into the empty fireplace covered in dry ashes, I decided to play along and help them... For now.

The book in Frederich's hand read, 'The History of the Twelve Zodiacs,' while Leslie's read 'Greek Gods and Goddesses: Feuds and Arguments.'

"All you're reading is myth," I blurted out, but struggled to take my words back when Frederich glared at me with those intimidating black whirlpools for eyes.

"This isn't the time to make fun of what we're reading, Lucifer," He growled, and I grimaced. "I've taken small hints on what Doctor Apollo has said, and if I'm not mistaken, we are gonna die in a few months."

I laughed. Hysteria was eating at my brain, and I didn't know how long I could hold. "Frederich, do you have psychic powers? No, right? So quit trying to tell us when we're gonna die. It's not a joke."

"And I'm not joking," he shot back with another soul-piercing glare. "We're all sick, Lucifer, and Doctor Apollo's keeping it a secret from us. I don't know for what reason, but the symptoms include headaches, sweating, voices inside our heads, occasional pains, and then fainting. Worse thing: convulsion."

"Are you a doctor?" Leslie chimed in, closing the book in his hands and placing them atop the pile of books he had previously built. I sat down on another beanbag—a gray one—while Keina sat down on the floor, arms wrapped tightly around both legs as if it was the dead of winter.

Frederich rolled his eyes. "No. But I bet on my ability that we've all experienced it before," he eyed the three of us warily, and when no one dared to comment, he continued with a yawn.

"I heard them talking about our predicaments worsening over time. Soon, even their advanced technologies wouldn't be enough to save us. Our abilities will overpower us soon, and when they do..."

We didn't need further explanation to understand our fate. Keina sighed before standing up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well... We're gonna die anyway. Might as well make the most of it."

Leslie shuddered, and my stomach felt like it had leapt off a cliff. It didn't really matter whether I believed whatever they were saying, nor the fact that they were contented and happy here. I was gonna die, and my father won't have a clue. Heck, I didn't even want to imagine him right now. It had taken him an entire year to get over mom's death, and I was the reason for his recovery.

Mom was an astrologist, dedicated to follow the footsteps of my grandfather. Her final research destination was on Greenland, where an avalanche killed her entire team—bodies nowhere to be found. Speaking of which, maybe that was the reason why dad immediately refused the offer. This place certainly didn't look like Antarctica, but I couldn't care any less.

By the time my mind returned from its hazed slumber, a pile of books already lay open in the middle of the carpeted floor, along with Daiz—who looked like someone poisoned him—by the way he lay on the floor, face pale and somber, viridian-green irises like empty glasses—cold and hollow. I didn't even realize that he arrived, and I guessed that it was because I was too occupied trying empathize with my dad's feelings.

"What happened?" I asked, eyes darting from Frederich—whose position hadn't changed—to Leslie—who struggled to arrange the upturned books—to Keina—who was reading a book about astronomy.

"Book poisoning," Leslie answered as he staggered slightly, pile of books stacked in his arms on the verge of collapsing. I offered to help him, but before I could walk over, the tower of books wavered and almost crumbled—but Daiz managed to support it with a single hand.

"I'm 6'5 already, kiddo," he puffed a chest proudly, and Leslie rolled his eyes. "You mean 6'1?"

"Whatever, I'm still a six-footer."

"Where have you been, anyway?" Keina blurted out, hands placed on both sides of her hips. "You missed some important revelations about our lives."

"The engineers said that they're gonna make a party for brother Lucas's arrival. The five-men group has been completed, and because of this, the hunt can finally begin," the jock stated, brushing off his light-brown hair and completely ignoring the Keina's second sentence.

Then he snapped his head to her direction, baffled expression crossing his naturally pale features. "Wait, what relevant information about our lives?"

"We're gonna rot here soon. The treatments aren't gonna work. It's just a silly ploy to prolong our miserable lives. End of story," Frederich chirped in, brows creased as he scribbled on a piece of yellowing paper. Then he stood up, shaking his head as if he had just gotten possessed by a feral spirit.

And as if on cue, Doctor Apollo pranced in, casual clothing and brand new shoes in hand. A realization hit me; I've been wearing those bunny slippers the entire time—not to mention the hospital gown.

Keina and Leslie quieted down, shoulders sagging as if they had more things to discuss, but was interrupted. Daiz—who had been stacking the books into a giant tower—beamed when his eyes landed on the doctor.

"Change into these, young Stellar," he began, eyes fixated on Frederich and his beanbag. "You'll need some decent clothing first before we head over to have lunch. Your schedules are filled with leisure for now, but we'll immediately begin your training sessions tomorrow, after getting to know some staff members and fellow scientists." Doctor Apollo quickly pointed to the northeast, where a shady-brown door sat longingly.

The pieces of clothing were shoved into my arms as the doctor walked briskly to his desk, skimmed over some papers before arranging them again. I walked towards the restroom and began changing my clothes, but not before realizing that the black six-sided star on my back had grown... Slightly bigger.

I sighed, nostalgia filling my senses. I missed my dad so much, it seemed like everything I did reminded me of our house, and everything in it. Clutching the Ophiuchus key tightly in my left hand, I proceeded to take off the itchy hospital gown and eyed the gray T-shirt warily. It came with a pair of black rubber shoes and a streaked dull blue jacket, along with the pair of jeans.

"Guess I'll have to make do with this," I sighed, clutching the fabric tightly in my hand.

*****

"I want to know the basics," I said, looking up to take a peek at Doctor Apollo's placid expression. He pushed those round glasses upwards, and smiled.

Shortly after I got changed, Daiz showed us some of his 'winning moves' on basketball, until Keina threw the ball out the window. A few small talks have been engaged, but when the doctor was around, it seemed like none had the willpower to talk about the more privy stuff.

The winding hallway seemed to go on forever, and Leslie even offered to tell me what those rooms were about. We were on our way to the field, where the doctor said I can take a breath of fresh air. Daiz voluntarily agreed—because he was already set on finding that ball of his.

"For starters, This institution is called 'Nyx.' We named it after the goddess of the night, Nyx, for giving us this safe haven in which we now claim as our humble abode. There has been a long line of history hidden here, for the cult of Nyx sheltered amongst the darkness, seeking the descendants of the prophet Luciferous—now commonly known as Lucifer."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So what's the connection between Greek gods and the devil Lucifer?" Doctor Apollo's eyes wandered around aimlessly before answering.

"Lucifer used to be human, young Stellar. He was a kind human favoured by the gods themselves because of his kindness. Back then, he was known as 'Luciferous,' the guardian of light and hope. His abilities were gifts—blessings—sent by the twelve Gods of Olympus."

The dream had unconsciously slipped inside my head, and the image about the twelve pillars sent a -793° chill racing down my spinal cord.

Frederich was nodding and listening earnestly, as if he had heard of this a couple of times already. Daiz was busy doing summersaults ahead of us, tumbling and back flipping like crazy.

"If he really wanted to show off his abilities, then he better go to the freak show," Frederich muttered under his breath, but Leslie didn't miss a beat.

"Well... I'd say the Olympics. Right, Keina?" The blond boy craned his head to Keina, but she was busy fidgeting from behind, seemingly contemplating on something.

I turned to Doctor Apollo, who was leisurely waiting for his cue. "Prophets are humans who have the ability to deliver the message of the gods—interact with them even. But the most important gift was that they had abilities, given to them by the god or goddess who love them. Lucifer was spoilt by the gods, and they showered him with their blessings," the doctor pushed his glasses up his nose again, and sighing before continuing.

"Well, in the end, it was their undoing. Too many beautiful things result in a cataclysm, and that's exactly what had happened to human Luciferous. A god gave him a gift of foreseeing the future, and when he discovered his demise—which was the most treacherous and painful death in the hands of the gods themselves—Lucifer decided to change his fate, and escaped."

"There must be something more to this," I barreled on, curiosity almost at its peak. "Like how the heck he had gotten away with it without getting punished. Or like how he ended up inside my—"

A deafening thud startled us all, and a covered-in-grime version of Daiz popped out in a matter of seconds, rolling over the tiled floor which had only been done halfway.

It took him a good ten seconds to realize that Doctor Apollo was towering over him, brows set to a mixture of concern and annoyance. "And what do you have to say for yourself, young man?" The doctor asked, tilting his head to the right, locks of his blond hair free-falling to the side.

The latter just gave a sheepish smile and shrugged, right after Keina bypassed us to help him get up. "Are you okay?" Leslie chimed in, and Daiz nodded in reply. "Tried to execute a quadruple flip, but missed my landing halfway on the third."

"You're a monster." Frederich just went ahead with his sharp tounge, and Daiz snickered. "A pretty hot one."

"Alright, that's enough squabbling for now, children," Doctor Apollo announced, running a hand over his hair exhaustedly. His phone beeped once, twice, and with a groan, the doctor answered the call.

He was silent for a few moments, nodding gravely. After the call, Doctor Apollo shot us an apologetic glance, urgency etched in his face. "There's been some complications on the building's system, and unfortunately I have the most tedious job of attending to it. I'm sorry, but I think lining up the facts can wait until dinner time."

The doctor patted the pockets on his lab gown, expression growing from irritation to slight confusion. "That's strange. I could swear I just placed the card to the security room here, where'd I put that thing?"

Daiz chuckled, brushing dust off his hair. "Nah, maybe you just forgot where, doctor. After all... You are quite old." That earned him a glare, but Doctor Apollo just stopped and turned around. "I'll look into that later. Take the elevator, Leslie. Lead them outside. Hermes will watch over you."

And with that, Doctor Apollo strutted off the opposite way, and the elevator finally came in sight. "Hermes must be on the other side," Frederich muttered, wiping his glasses intently.

I followed Leslie's lead, but not before I saw Keina yanking Daiz by the arm. I hurriedly spun around, but upon hearing the shrill 'ding' of the elevator, my mind reeled itself back to reality. As expected, Hermes was already in standby, and Frederich fought the urge to roll his eyes.

Daiz's warm hand on my back somehow soothed me—until I felt him slip something flat and rectangular inside my back pocket.

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What is Daiz up to? 

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