NOTE:

First off, to everyone who took the time to read the other works in this series, thank you. It helps knowing there are people who appreciate what I write.

Second, I'd like to apologize for confusing people. Had I been able to write this particular story last year then this series should have just been a single story entitled "The Lost Cub", with all the separate stories as chapters under it. But in all honesty, had I forced myself to write this first I would never have gotten the other stories done because I was not ready to flesh out this one. Thinking this and that happened is a lot easier than actually writing things down into a coherent story.

Will I fix this and turn the series into a single story? I'm not sure. Right now, I'd rather concentrate on writing the other stories. I will finish Downtime and move the series forward til I get to "A Show of Power" and beyond.

And with that, here it is, the real beginning of everything.

The mist that shrouded the Werewolf Island dissipated into crystal shards, falling around them like blood-colored snow.

Is it over? M-21 raised his head to the sky. What little remained of his strength gradually returned, and it was barely enough to keep him upright. M-21 did his best not to sway where he stood.

Not now, please.

"The same thing's happening around the island," Tao said after listening to the report from Kentas' group.

"Does this mean Maduke lost?" Regis asked.

"There's only one way to find out." Takeo turned to Lunark. "We better head back now."

"Go. And thank you for your help." Lunark glanced at M-21, silently hoping that he would survive this ordeal intact.

M-21 pushed himself onward with the rest of RK, continuing to ignore the dull ache in his chest that began to bother him following the fight with the werewolf warriors. He almost lost his footing once or twice, except no one saw it since he was lagging behind the group. By the time they reached the battlefield, M-21's vision was already swimming and the dull ache had intensified enough to steal his breath. He was cold and not because he was shirtless the whole time.

M-21 knew there was something seriously wrong with him. Although it would have to wait, not when there were enemies who could still be lurking about. M-21 concentrated on the scene before him instead. There was no trace of Maduke. Muzaka and that female werewolf named Garda were nowhere in sight as well. However, the Lord, Raizel and Frankenstein did not display any hostility in their stances.

It was over. They had won. Yet the victory was hollow, what with Raizel using his already scant life force and the werewolf race possibly suffering cataclysmic loss of lives.

The Lord was speaking to Raizel but for the life of him, M-21 could not understand a word of it. Nothing made sense anymore. Everything hurt, his eyesight darkening at the edges as his heart clenched in his chest. M-21 refused to yield to the pain and exhaustion racking his body.

After the brief exchange with Raizel and Frankenstein, the Lord flew to the sky and departed with the other Clan Leaders.

It was really over. M-21 drew an agonizing breath as he tried to survey everyone with his failing sight.

Everyone's safe now. We can go…

Frankenstein approached Raizel. "Master, it's time to head—"

…home. M-21 succumbed to unconsciousness, falling backward as he did so. He was only saved from crashing down by Takeo catching him by the shoulders.

Takeo nearly recoiled at how icy M-21 was to the touch. "M-21!"

Tao rushed to help Takeo lower M-21 to the ground. Takeo stripped off his coat and covered M-21 with it in the hopes that it could somehow warm him up. M-21 only shivered in response.

"M-21…" Tao removed M-21's mask and tapped his cheek a few times. "He's unresponsive."

Frankenstein hurried towards M-21, berating himself for not sparing a few minutes to examine him beforehand. M-21's very rapid pulse, cold and clammy skin and irregular breathing were not reassuring in the slightest. Frankenstein lifted M-21 and had to swallow his anger when he realized that M-21 weighed less than he should. "Tell me you came here with transportation—"

"We brought one of the choppers." Takeo proceeded to lead everyone in the direction where said vehicle was located.

Tao did not move. "Boss, please let me stay so I can find data—"

Frankenstein cut him off. "Take someone with you—"

"I'll go with him," Rael volunteered.

Tao was already on his communication device. He made contact at last as the rest of their party was leaving the area. "Kentas, it's Tao. We need help…"

Frankenstein had a lot to be grateful for.

Someone had the foresight to bring blankets. They used one as a mat so M-21 was not lying directly on the chopper floor, while the other they draped on him to help raise his temperature.

A few weeks ago, M-21 suggested that there should be medic bags in the choppers. He also said that the non-medical members of the household should train in performing emergency medical procedures, not just basic first aid.

Frankenstein was pleased that they were able to implement at least one of M-21's ideas. But the irony of it, Frankenstein thought as he took the medic bag from its compartment, was that M-21 will be the first person on which the medic bag's contents will be used.

There were many trivial and profound details in the grand scheme of things for which Frankenstein should be thankful. Though right now he would greatly appreciate it if they could get back to the house faster than what was possible.

Frankenstein prepared the necessary equipment and donned medical goggles and gloves. He clamped a pulse oximeter on M-21's right index finger to get a reading of his pulse rate. M-21 was having difficulty breathing despite a clear airway that Frankenstein was compelled to use the Bag Valve Mask on him.

More than thirty minutes passed as Frankenstein continued to provide ventilation for M-21. His blood oxygen level was now almost within the normal range. Just a little more and—

M-21 suddenly made a gurgling sound and started gagging. Frankenstein stopped using the Bag Valve Mask, removed the airway adjunct from M-21's mouth and turned his head to the side, where he vomited a stream of bile mixed with bright red blood.

"What's our ETA?" Frankenstein maneuvered M-21 into the recovery position then grabbed Takeo's coat to catch the vomit. He glanced at the pulse oximeter and bit back a curse. M-21's pulse was dropping fast.

"We'll be in Korean airspace twenty minutes tops," Takeo replied. "We're already going as fast as we could—"

"Land us on a building closest to the house when we get to the city," Frankenstein ordered. Whatever that bitch Ignes did to M-21 was wreaking havoc on his system. They were running out of time. Frankenstein further instructed Takeo to go ahead of them later to power up the lab equipment. He looked to Raizel. "Master—"

"M-21 is our priority now." Raizel was aware that he would only delay Frankenstein if he were to go with him in his exhausted state. "I will follow you later."

"The rest of you should stay with Master," Frankenstein said to Regis, Karias and Seira.

"I'll be your lookout," Karias offered.

"We're now in Korea," Takeo relayed. "We'll reach the city in fifteen minutes."

Frankenstein checked M-21's breathing. He was no longer throwing up bile, although a thick stream of blood steadily flowed from his mouth. Fifteen minutes seemed like eons.

"ETA five minutes," Takeo called out as he calculated the trajectory to the building nearest to the house. The chopper did a slight turn and dropped to a lower altitude.

"We're landing now," Takeo announced after so many minutes. The chopper touched down on one of the skyscrapers that dotted the city.

"You have five minutes." Frankenstein threw a quick look at Takeo and resumed preparing M-21 for the move.

Frankenstein cleaned up M-21 as best as he could and swaddled him in a blanket. M-21's shuddering worsened as they alighted from the chopper and were met with the chilly night air. Seira came forward to pull at a section of the blanket and placed it over M-21's head as a makeshift hood.

It was time to go. Frankenstein and Karias leaped from the building as the others anxiously watched.

Frankenstein flew at a relentless pace, pushing himself to his limit despite his own injuries. They were only a few blocks from the house when M-21 stiffened, gasped and gurgled. Blood gushed from M-21's mouth and nose, soaking the blanket so much that the stain spread beyond his chest and showed no signs of stopping.

Dread crept in yet Frankenstein was calm as he whispered, "M-21, we're almost at the house. You're going to be alright. We're going to fix this, I promise."

So don't you dare die on us now.

M-21 roused to the sound of splashing water, the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves as a soft breeze blew through them.

Something was coaxing M-21 to wakefulness, but he was very, very tired. Going to sleep was a wonderful idea, except everything seemed to conspire against him because the sounds were somehow louder. Or maybe his hearing got better. Either way, falling asleep was regrettably out of the equation.

M-21 cracked his eyes open, expecting to be assaulted by a light that was too bright. To his surprise, no such thing happened. The light had a warm, comforting quality to it. M-21 took stock of his surroundings.

He was sitting against a tall tree, the expanse of its branches serving as a natural canopy. M-21's legs stretched out, his feet just a few meters away from the rocky edge of—there was no scent of brine in the air—a lake, then. Grass covered the ground surrounding the tree and M-21 wanted to pull each blade off just so he could savor its freshly cut fragrance. Farther ahead, the land to either side of him was green and bore touches of different colors from what he guessed as flowers. Maybe he could take a stroll once he was not feeling so faint.

Done with checking the environ, M-21 gave himself a once-over. Strangely, he was wearing his clothes from when he was still with the Union sans the trench coat. Did his old attire have that much sentimental value to him that—

A series of caws broke through the bird songs. All of a sudden, a crow landed on M-21's left foot, skittered across his leg and paused on his knee. M-21 idly held his left hand to it and let the crow perch there.

"Hello," M-21 greeted. The crow answered with a caw. Why was there a crow here? The crow continued its walk until it got to M-21's shoulder, and once there started tugging at his hair.

"Hey, what are you doing?" M-21 shook his arm in an attempt to dislodge the crow, but the corvid merely flapped its wings to balance itself. Was it trying to groom him? The crow stopped messing with his hair, though. M-21 drew his left leg up bit by bit and the crow flew back to its previous position on his knee. M-21 reached out to touch its head.

"Are you here all by yourself?" M-21 was quite sure that crows traveled in groups so maybe this one got lost. The crow ceased with lightly pecking at M-21's fingers to throw him a beady gaze and another caw.

"I'm not really sure what this place is, but it looks peaceful, right?" And now he was having a one-sided conversation with a bird. M-21 had done crazier things so this was nothing. "And I don't mind the company." His arm dropped to the grass as a dull pain in his chest made itself known. "I just…need to rest a bit." M-21 leaned his head back on the tree's trunk and closed his eyes. He could probably try sleeping again—

"There you are. I've been looking all over for you."

M-21's eyes shot open and he jerked forward, sending the crow flying. That voice, he would recognize it anywhere! M-21 twisted to the side, almost going on his hands and knees to search for its source.

And found Him standing just several paces away. M-21 sank back on his legs, gaping as He strode towards him.

"I finally found you," M-24 said once he arrived in front of M-21.

M-21 felt his eyes prickle at the corners. "You're not really here and this is a trick." He wanted to believe his words yet his heart refused. "I miss you so much that they're making me see you like this. You're not real."

M-24 hunkered to M-21's level and stared with that familiar expression of kindness reserved only for him. It spoke of shared suffering and an oath made so long ago to have each other's back come hell or high water.

And the dam broke. The tears came unbidden and relentless, cascading down M-21's cheeks to his chin and dripping to the ground.

"It's…really you…" M-21 could barely see M-24 through his tears.

"Shhh, don't cry." M-24 wiped away M-21's tears. The action only made M-21 sob harder.

"Someone from the Union pretended to be you. I really thought you came back." M-21 no longer gave a damn if he sounded like a child telling on someone. There was no helping that he was this pathetic.

"I'm here." M-24 continued to dry M-21's tears. "So no more crying, it's not good for you to be crying now."

M-21's hand drifted to his chest, right where his heart was. A sharp pain made his breath hitch.

"M-21, you have to stop crying. It's hurting you." M-24 tried again.

"It hurts so much..." M-21 groaned.

"I know. That's why you have to calm down. You can do it." By now, M-24 was sitting on the ground and pulling M-21 into a one-armed hug. "Come on, breathe."

M-21 drew deep, shaky breaths as he scrubbed off his tears with the sides of his hands. He eventually composed himself, salvaging what little was left of his dignity after his pitiful display. The pain in his chest eased down.

"We miss you a lot, though not so much we'd want to see you this soon," M-24 said as he gave M-21's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Can't I just stay here?" M-21 burrowed into M-24's side. "I'm tired."

"You're not even supposed to be here," M-24 answered. "So you really have to go."

The confused look that crossed M-21's face prompted M-24 to hold him by the shoulders and solemnly say, "Remember the promise that we made. And more importantly, remember there are people waiting for you."

People waiting for him? Who…

Black strands. Blond waves. Locks of magenta. Tresses of silver. Red. Blue. Gray. Ice blue. The image of a group of persons flickered in M-21's mind, their names eluding him though not their significance. Family his heart echoed, there was a family waiting for him.

He was not alone.

That solitary crow, watching M-21 and M-24 from the ground, let out an impatient caw.

"M-21?" M-24 tentatively queried.

M-21 sighed. "You're meant to take me back, aren't you?" He uncurled from M-24's side and moved to stand up on wobbly legs. M-24 rose along with him and kept an arm slung across his shoulders to help steady him.

"Lead the way then," M-21 said.

M-24 nodded and they walked in the direction where he came from. The grass was longer and interspersed with flowers of all imaginable colors. M-21 could have stopped and perused each one, except M-24 swiftly ushered him along a concealed path. Overhead, the crow glided in circles and repeatedly cawed as if telling them to make haste.

"We're almost there," M-24 uttered. Whether this was addressed to him or the crow, M-21 was unsure.

The pair had been trekking for some time and arrived at higher ground at that point. The horizon was lined in white and as they closed the distance, M-21 and M-24 came upon a white stone wall. Right in front of them was an intricately carved wooden door.

M-24 released M-21. "This is as far as I go. You'll be able to get back once you pass through this door." However, M-21 remained motionless.

"M-21, please, you can't stay here much longer."

M-21 turned to look at M-24, uncertainty in his eyes. "Hyung…" On any other day, he would have been self-conscious for letting the word slip.

M-24 relented, pulled M-21 into another embrace and declared, "We'll see each other again someday." He lightly pushed M-21 towards the door. "Now you have to get back home."

M-21 touched the door and it creaked open. When it was wide enough to let him pass, he spared one last look at M-24.

"Go on. We'll all be here when you come back." M-24 smiled.

M-21 returned the smile. "Yeah. I'll see you later." The door immediately shut once he went through it.

M-24 glared at the crow as it settled on his shoulder. "Just because you helped out back there doesn't mean you lot can go near him," he warned. "He's not ready to deal with you."

The crow just tilted its head to one side and cawed.

M-21 found himself in a forest. Close to barren trees swayed in the wintry breeze and sent leaves raining down. The full moon was low and enormous, the only source of illumination in the suffocating darkness.

"You made it." A female voice came from behind him. M-21 spun to find a young woman and a teenaged girl standing there. Their similar features led him to conclude that they were related to each other. Both had red brown hair—the young woman's hair was loose and flowing while the girl had hers in a long braid—and brown eyes. They emitted a glow that rendered them distinct in the bleak surrounding.

The pair took quick strides towards M-21. "Come, we must hurry." The young woman grasped M-21 by his right hand and marched onward. His eyes grew wide at the move yet he allowed himself to be led farther into the forest since he sensed no ill intent from her or the girl.

The young woman looked back at M-21. "You will leave this place unharmed I promise you." Her determined gaze convinced M-21 that she would fight tooth and nail to guarantee that.

"If you hear some strange sounds don't pay attention." The girl advised as she walked beside M-21. She held a three-pronged wooden spear at a ready.

M-21 noticed that the only sounds in the forest were their footfalls and voices.

A shrill scream pierced the air. A cacophony of wails, shrieks and moans followed, causing M-21 to tremble in spite of himself.

The young woman squeezed his hand. "Hush, it will be alright. We will not let them hurt you." M-21 focused on the warmth of her hand to shut out the voices.

The young woman decided to pick up their pace that M-21 was almost breathless with the exertion. The forest disappeared and they arrived at a low cliff with a raging river below it.

"You have to jump into the water," the young woman explained as she and the girl steered M-21 to the cliff's edge. "It will keep you safe and return you home—"

"Wait!" M-21 held his ground. "Please tell me…have we met before?" His instinct was screaming that he ought to recognize who they were.

The young woman wore a bittersweet smile. "No. It would have been a very happy day if we did."

M-21's mind was racing. Why did he feel so safe with them if they never met previously? Why did the thought of leaving them make his heart heavy?

Then it dawned upon him. M-21's stare went from the girl to the young woman, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "You're—" he somehow choked out.

The young woman took M-21's face in her hands and wiped the corners of his eyes as the first of his tears began to fall. "Remember what your friend said? It's not good for you to be crying now."

M-21 fought hard to keep himself from further weeping. "I-I don't understand. Why are you here?" The words kept tumbling out. "What does it mean that you're here—"

The young woman pulled M-21 to plant a kiss on his forehead and stare into his eyes. "Our time has long passed. But not yours." She carried on in a firm yet affectionate tone, "I know it's been hard, but you have to stay strong. And never forget there are people who care for you very much."

M-21 was wrapped in her arms. He held her tight, not wanting to let go.

"We have to say goodbye for now, my love," the young woman said a few moments later. M-21 forced himself to withdraw from the hug.

The girl stepped forward and embraced M-21 as well. "Take care of yourself out there, you hear?"

M-21 nodded, not going to the trouble of saying anything lest he end up sobbing. Instead, he did his best to commit their faces into memory. M-21 resolved not to throw away everybody's efforts to get him there and set his attention on the river. He breathed in and jumped down. The river's churning waters swallowed him as soon as he hit it.

They were right. M-21 was calm as the current swept him away. It feels safe down here.

Then he was gone.

The sharp, monotonous beep of the vital signs monitor gave way to intermittent ones that were far too slow for Frankenstein's liking. It only highlighted that M-21 was in a very precarious condition.

Frankenstein wasted no time and placed M-21 in one of the tanks with Karias and Takeo's assistance. A comprehensive scan revealed a myriad of issues requiring immediate attention, foremost of these was the rapid cell degeneration ravaging M-21's organs and causing them to fail. Frankenstein administered the highest possible dose of medicine within the safety limits to arrest the degeneration. He was now working against the clock to formulate a cocktail of drugs to address M-21's other injuries and ailments.

Somewhere behind Frankenstein, Takeo was saying that he needed to go fetch Tao and Rael from the Werewolf Island.

Karias approached Frankenstein. "Is there anything else we can help you with?"

"None for now," Frankenstein replied without taking his eyes off his task of retrieving his research data. At that point, he remembered. "Master must be here already."

Takeo and Karias glanced at the observation window on the other side of the lab to find Raizel, Seira and Regis watching them. Judging from their expressions, they were unfortunate witnesses to most if not all of the horrific scenario that transpired moments ago.

"We'll see to his needs," Karias reassured Frankenstein. Takeo and Karias left the lab just as Raizel exited the observation room with Regis and Seira, and they all caught up with each other at the hallway.

Seira and Regis were unable to disguise their horror. Takeo tracked their gaze to his blood-smeared shirt. "It's not mine, it's M-21's," he said as he pulled at the sticky clothing. "I better change out of this or I might scare Tao."

Raizel continued towards the elevator and everyone dutifully followed him. He had utmost confidence in Frankenstein's abilities to take care of M-21. For his part, Raizel decided that he would not add to Frankenstein's concerns and fix his disheveled appearance as a start.

It was close to an hour later when Raizel entered the main lab all by himself. There was no evidence of the previous event there. In fact, the lab was far too clean and currently had an overpowering chemical scent.

Frankenstein was standing in a seemingly relaxed manner in front of the tank that held M-21, thoughts unreadable. Raizel took a position to his right and observed M-21 as well. What he saw caused him worry and he let Frankenstein feel it through their Link.

After a while, Frankenstein murmured, "Sometimes I regret not forcing them to leave."

"You forget that they are not the sort to listen," Raizel answered, equally quiet. "They want to stay despite the danger."

"Maybe I should have threatened them with Dark Spear." Frankenstein clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles were turning white. "Then none of this would have happened."

There would have been no kidnapping, no rescue mission sidelined because of the mad ambitions of a Werewolf Lord, and no necessity for his Master to use his powers and deplete his life force as a result.

"What's done is done." Raizel's words sounded harsh even to him, but it would do no good for Frankenstein to fall into a pit of self-loathing and guilt. "Do not blame yourself for things you have no control over. Moreover, do not lose sight of what is important now."

Frankenstein violently sighed then collected himself. He faced Raizel and gave a slight bow. "Forgive me for speaking and behaving out of turn, Master."

Raizel extended his hand and patted Frankenstein on the shoulder in understanding.

"Please go rest, Master. I will handle things here," Frankenstein suggested.

Raizel would have declined except Frankenstein's anxious expression changed his mind. "I do not need to leave to get rest," was what he said as a compromise.

"As you wish." Frankenstein obtained a chair for Raizel and together they began the vigil over M-21. The beeps from the equipment monitoring M-21 were the only sounds to counter the hush that descended in the lab.

Time went by. The silence was broken as the door slid open and let in Tao, Seira, Takeo and Regis. They made their way across the lab to where M-21 was.

Tao was as stunned as the rest of RK at seeing M-21 inside a tank. Because none of them ever had to be in one despite sustaining grave injuries in their past battles. M-21 was too pale, too still as he floated in a healing liquid. Tao belatedly noticed a hint of the metallic scent of blood notwithstanding the liberal use of cleaning chemicals.

"So it's this bad." Tao was unable to stop from cataloging M-21's injuries now that they were away from the battlefield—a laceration close to his hairline, the large bruises already turning blue, the collection of abrasions. M-21 probably fractured some bones too. There was a high likelihood of other internal damage as well due to the experiments on him.

Tao hated that he was the bearer of bad news. However, everyone needed to know what happened. "M-21 here purposely provoked Ignes and made her so angry she increased the intensity of her experiments."

"Let me guess, is it because he won't take whatever's being done to him sitting down?" Takeo did not expect any less from M-21. None of them did.

"Precisely." Tao laid his hand on the glass of M-21's tank and tried not to be hysterical at the situation. "Is our M-21 becoming predictable or what?" Seira reached out and held Tao's shoulder.

"Ah, there's one more thing," Tao continued as he kept his gaze on M-21. "Kentas said M-21 was unconscious for about three days."

Frankenstein internally cursed. The experiments must have been very intensive for M-21 to be in that state for that long. He hoped Ignes was suffering twice as much inside Dark Spear.

Tao was about to lose it but finished his report nonetheless. "And Ignes injected him with some drugs before that. Kentas thought he won't wake up again."

At this point, Frankenstein pinched the bridge of his nose, whether in frustration or something else, no one could tell.

"What exactly is wrong with M-21?" Regis hazarded the question. Everyone looked to Frankenstein for an explanation.

"His cells are degenerating," was Frankenstein's first statement as he commenced discussing M-21's present state of being. By the end of his account, everyone except Raizel became more visibly upset.

"I'll…go work on the data dump from the Werewolf Island," Tao announced before heading for the door.

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything rash," Takeo murmured then followed Tao. He found him crouched near the wall across the elevator, a dazed expression on his face.

Takeo let his steps fall louder to alert Tao to his presence and sat on the floor beside him. "I'm not going to ask if you're alright because that's a very stupid question," he said a few beats later.

"Sorry, I almost lost it back there," Tao apologized. He was a professional damn it, why couldn't he behave like one now of all times?

"Because this isn't just some job for the Union involving someone we don't know or care about," Takeo shot back.

Crap, and I actually said that aloud. Tao was distracted from internalizing his embarrassment when Takeo nudged him at his side.

"That data you found won't sort itself out," Takeo emphasized. "So get ahold of yourself, M-21 needs us at our best right now." He stood up and held out a hand to Tao.

Tao stared up at Takeo. "Boss said those things and you're still pretty calm—"

"Truth is, I'm absolutely terrified." Takeo grabbed Tao's hand and pulled him up. "I'll deal with myself once things settle down."

At Takeo's encouraging look, Tao straightened, did a heavy exhale and slapped his cheeks rather hard with both hands. "Focus, gotta focus." He turned to Takeo. "I'm okay now so you can go back—"

Takeo threw an arm over Tao's shoulder and steered him to the elevator. "Nah, I'll go with you. I'm not an IT genius, but I can be a fresh pair of eyes so we don't miss anything." He said as an afterthought, "Or I can at least make you coffee—"

Tao blanched. "Ah, no offense, but I'll pass and have tea in that case. Or make my own coffee."

Takeo side-eyed him. "You make it sound like my coffee is awful."

"No, it's not. I just don't want to stay awake for forty-eight hours straight, thank you very much."

The hours passed. Karias and Rael returned from patrolling around the city and were brought up to speed regarding M-21's situation. Tao and Takeo came down to the lab with data roughly ten hours after M-21 was placed in the tank.

M-21's cell degeneration completely ended at thirteen hours. Nonetheless, he was not yet out of the woods. Frankenstein adjusted medications, increasing or decreasing one and removing another. M-21 remained inactive, so much that it was hard to tell he was breathing were it not for the equipment monitoring his vitals.

To everyone's relief, M-21's regeneration finally kicked in when he was about to hit the eighteen-hour mark.

Thereafter, Raizel and RK persuaded Frankenstein to take a breather. The constant barrage of mournful stares from Raizel and Seira, queries on his wellbeing from Regis and Takeo and blatant appeals to his conscience on how M-21 would feel if he were to collapse courtesy of Tao, made Frankenstein yield. However, he issued strict orders to immediately call his attention should there be any change in M-21's condition. To appease him, Tao made sure that his tablet had access to M-21's real-time data so he would not miss anything.

It was already the twenty-first hour by then.

M-21 continued to sleep, unmoving and silent.

The household adapted its routine accordingly. Seira and Regis went to class at Ye Ran while Karias and Rael kept watch over the school. Tao and Takeo took turns staying at the house in the daytime to provide standby assistance to Frankenstein. Raizel opted to recuperate at home and was usually in the lab for most of the day as well.

Karias and Rael conscripted themselves to making rounds in the city during the evening, and whoever was on standby duty in the day would briefly join them. RK assumed the vigil over M-21, dividing themselves into pairs consisting of Tao and Regis and another of Seira and Takeo.

One night, Seira approached Frankenstein to request lessons on how to cook food for convalescing people. Frankenstein gladly indulged her, passing on his recipes and the others that he learned over the years in his travels.

Different people chanced upon Regis on several occasions as he left M-21's room bearing cleaning implements. He went from making sure that the room was clean for when M-21 came back, to making sure that it was clean for when M-21 woke up. No one begrudged his steadfastness.

M-21 grew less ashen and the external evidences of his ordeal had all but disappeared.

The household spoke to M-21 about things. On how their day went, on the latest events, even their concerns about schoolwork and some personal endeavor.

And about that one unanswered question: When will you wake up?

Takeo just came back from evening patrol when he received a message to report to the lab.

"You wanted to see me, Boss?" he asked.

Frankenstein raised his eyes from the data he was studying on his tablet and looked at Takeo and Tao. The pair straightaway sensed that something was about to happen.

"M-21's already waking up?" Tao's voice was hopeful.

"No, he's not. But staying longer in the tank won't make him heal any faster." Frankenstein put the tablet aside. "And I don't want him to come round to a lab situation, so we'll be taking him out of there now."

Seira came across Takeo as he got what appeared to be half dozen bath towels from the linen cupboard at the ground floor. Tao showed up not even a minute later with some clothes and explained things to her.

Takeo and Tao arrived at the lab whilst Frankenstein was wheeling a gurney to the tank's right side. They deposited the towels and clothes on the gurney and waited for further orders.

"Tao, you're in charge of opening the tank. Takeo and I will handle M-21." Frankenstein grabbed one of the towels, draped it on his shoulder then stood in front of the tank. The whole procedure would have been easier if M-21 was conscious, though given his experience and his current circumstance, it was better this way.

Tao tapped a series of keys on the tank's touchscreen console to open the vents on the tank's floor and let some of the liquid drain out. He paused the process when the fluid was lower than M-21's shoulder level. There was a hissing sound and the glass tube slid down to the same level as well.

Frankenstein stepped forward, reached inside the tank and held M-21 by the shoulders. "I have him secure."

"Roger that, fully opening the tank now." Tao tapped more keys and programmed the tank to completely drain itself and for its glass tube to fully slide down.

Frankenstein caught the brunt of M-21's deadweight as he lurched forward, no longer buoyed by anything. Takeo drew closer and removed M-21's oxygen mask and the electrodes attached to his chest and temples, allowing Frankenstein to lift him out of the tank.

The timer on the tank struck ninety-six hours.

M-21 dripped so much water on the floor that a puddle formed on the spot where Frankenstein set him down. He began to tremble slightly due to the temperature shift. Takeo and Tao made swift yet careful work drying M-21 off, divesting him of his sodden pants and dressing him in dark blue pajamas. Frankenstein toweled M-21's hair while ensuring that he stayed upright. The entire activity did not last more than ten minutes. Frankenstein issued instructions on how to properly execute the three-person lift so that M-21 was safely laid on the gurney. He likewise led in maneuvering the gurney out of the lab.

The remaining members of the household gathered in the living room and waited for news. Almost an hour had already gone by since they learned that Frankenstein and the others were extracting M-21.

Someone's message alert chimed. Raizel took out his phone and rose from the sofa after reading something on it. "Frankenstein says we can see M-21 now."

The elevator ride to the lab area was brief. Raizel sauntered past the main lab and observation room, heading in the direction of a room at the end of the hall. Oddly, the room was not fitted with an automatic door. Raizel turned the door handle, revealing that the space had been refurbished as a hospital room complete with amenities befitting that of a private suite.

M-21 was on a hospital bed, finally fully dressed and with a blanket draped up to his chest. He wore an oxygen mask connected to a ventilator and was being administered fluids and medication via intravenous cannula on the back of his left hand. Five wires attached to one of the equipment that flanked his bed continued their way inside his pajama top from his right collar. Completing the setup was the pulse oximeter on his left index finger.

Overall, M-21's appearance reinforced the notion that he was frailer than before. Frankenstein was quick in reassuring everyone that M-21 was recovering, albeit much slower than his usual pace. He likewise stressed that there was no more added benefit for M-21 in staying in the tank, that waking up in there would be more detrimental.

"He'll need more time to recover," Frankenstein explained. "Also, his brain activity indicates he'll regain consciousness in two or three days' time."

As the household found seats on the chairs and sofas, Tao moved to the left side of M-21's bed and in a mildly reproachful tone said, "You're taking this sleeping business too seriously, M-21. Do you need a kiss to wake you up just like in the fairy tales?"

Tao's second statement intrigued the Nobles, except for Karias, that a rather amusing yet low-key discussion on the relationship between fairy tales and kisses ensued. Frankenstein had to intervene when Seira began to exhibit a keen interest on carrying out Tao's idea, if only to save himself from having another patient in the person of Rael succumbing to nervous breakdown. Fortunately, he was able to defuse the impending crisis with help from Karias.

Frankenstein eventually declared that visiting hours were over. Regis and Tao stayed behind for their vigil duty as everyone else retired for the night. Raizel and Frankenstein were yet to leave.

"Do wake up soon, M-21, or Seira might really try to kiss you." Frankenstein did a final check on M-21 to make certain everything was in order.

Tao stood to the side looking sheepish for almost causing a misunderstanding, so he was surprised when Raizel came over and gave him pats on the shoulder.

Raizel focused on M-21, drawing his right hand out to brush up the hair that had fallen back on M-21's face. "We will be waiting for you as always." He did this for a few moments and exited the room afterwards.

"Tao?" Frankenstein called out.

Tao snapped to attention and handed Frankenstein's tablet back to him. "I've already synchronized that with the equipment data. We'll call if anything changes so you got nothing to worry about, Boss." Frankenstein was scrutinizing him rather hard that Tao raised his right hand and blurted out, "And I swear, no more strange ideas."

Frankenstein accepted the aforementioned tablet. "I'll hold you to that." He cast M-21 a last once-over before heading out as well.

"Um, sorry about that, M," Tao said as he occupied one of the chairs closest to M-21's bed. Then he proceeded to tell M-21 random stories. Regis also got roped into sharing some details of the project he and Seira were working on.

They could only hope that M-21 was able to hear them.

M-21's respiration considerably improved as the hours slipped by, prompting Frankenstein to start weaning him off the ventilator. Fourteen hours since being hooked up to the said machine, Frankenstein at last removed M-21's oxygen mask, allowing him to breathe unassisted.

Tao shared the news with the other RK members, Rael and Karias when they had a video call during morning break at Ye Ran. To say that it improved their mood would not be an exaggeration.

That evening, M-21's visitors also noticed that he was less pallid compared to yesterday. It was yet another milestone proving that he was slowly but surely on the mend. And it was on this encouraging note that everyone bade M-21 good night.

Frankenstein had been asleep for about an hour when his tablet began beeping almost at the same time his phone started ringing. The clock on his bedside table read 2:25 a.m. He grabbed both gadgets, putting Takeo on speakerphone as he checked what caused the alert on the tablet to go off.

"Boss, something's wrong with M-21—" Takeo reported as the call connected.

"I'll be down in ten." Frankenstein was already changing out of his sleepwear. Not even ten minutes later and he was walking into M-21's room.

"We didn't notice anything until the monitor started beeping," Takeo explained.

Frankenstein studied the data on a nearby screen and found something suspect on one of M-21's ECG parameter readings. He promptly unbuttoned M-21's shirt to remove the electrodes attached across his torso. "We need to get him to the lab now."

Frankenstein performed several scans and by the time it was over, M-21 was running a low-grade fever. The remorseful vibe from Seira and Takeo did not escape his attention as they made their back to M-21's room.

"Just to be clear, I'm not blaming anyone for this. And neither will M-21." Frankenstein eyed the pair after placing a damp towel on M-21's forehead.

Seira could only sigh. "He will most likely blame himself." While Takeo and Frankenstein did not say anything, their expressions told they agreed with her assessment.

"We'll take care of things here," Takeo said. Frankenstein dispensed last minute instructions on how to tend to M-21 before hurrying back to the lab.

Morning came soon enough. Takeo glanced at the clock while Seira was busy swapping M-21's towel with one that she just wet and saw that it was nearing 6:00 a.m. So far, M-21's temperature remained unchanged.

"You should get ready for school, Seira," Takeo suggested. The door opened and everybody else came in for their morning visit, only to be stopped in their tracks by the scene in front of them.

Takeo explained what transpired in the early hours of the morning, ending it with, "Boss came by a while back, says he's almost close to confirming his diagnosis." That had been nearly two hours ago.

A gloomy quiet settled among them. Until Raizel spoke, "School."

That spurred everyone to action. Seira went with Regis, Karias and Rael to prepare for the day. Raizel sat on a chair, making sure that he was not getting in anyone's way and stared at M-21.

"You better go," Takeo said after seeing that Tao was yet to leave.

"Not gonna happen," Tao responded, his eyes narrowing as he inspected Takeo. "You didn't even take a nap the whole time you're here?" Takeo's guilty expression confirmed his accusation.

"I'm relieving you, so get some breakfast then sleep." Tao all but ordered as he grabbed hold of the basin Takeo was about to carry in the room's kitchenette area.

Takeo did not bother putting up a fight. "Alright, I'll be back in an hour—"

"Three hours," Tao imposed.

"Right, three hours," Takeo agreed.

He must be tired if he was this compliant, Tao noted. Takeo explained Frankenstein's instructions regarding M-21 before he reluctantly left.

Frankenstein turned up several minutes later with two IV bags of medications and piggybacked these to M-21's primary IV line.

However, things took a turn for the worse. By mid-afternoon M-21's temperature shot past thirty-nine degrees Celsius, forcing Frankenstein to adjust the dose of one medication a tad higher than the safety limit. Despite this, M-21's fever raged on and went beyond forty degrees Celsius as early evening arrived. He began to take rapid, shallow breaths and was now shivering even with his burning temperature.

"We can't replace his blanket with a thicker one, it'll only make his fever worse," was Takeo's response when Regis raised the suggestion.

Seira stared at M-21 after putting a basin of water on the table beside Tao, her brows creased with concern. "The cold is hurting him."

Regis could barely suppress his frustration. "Is there anything else we can do?"

Tao sighed. "This is the only way we can help." He changed the towel M-21 had on his forehead then commenced patting his arms with another towel in an effort to lower his fever.

Once Tao finished his work, Takeo came over and pulled M-21's blanket until it was at his chest. "This is how we can help, so we just have to keep at it." His voice took on a dejected tone.

Raizel watched the scene unfold with sorrow-filled eyes. The children were capable in their own ways and posed a threat to enemies, yet could not ease M-21's suffering for all their abilities. And it pained Raizel that he was unable to offer the right words to dispel the overwhelming sense of powerlessness gnawing at them.

Frankenstein was at his wits' end. He had been reviewing his data and those that Tao gathered from the Werewolf Island along with M-21's scans and test results. Everything pointed to one conclusion—continuing with M-21's current treatment would be fatal—because the infection plaguing him was proving to be resistant to the drugs specifically formulated to cure it.

There was another option, one Frankenstein did not want to implement unless the situation became so dire there was no other way out of it. He marched into the lab's drug storeroom, opened a refrigerated storage and pulled out a twelve-inch glass cylinder filled with a light blue liquid.

Frankenstein moved to the adjacent room and deposited the cylinder on a table, the action making the slightly viscous liquid shake within its confines. He glared at the item as if it was the source of all things vexing. This particular drug had shown tremendous potential in treating various maladies yet was unstable and still in its clinical trial stage.

Frankenstein scoffed at his foolishness. That M-21 would die due to a medical complication was by far the greatest threat now. And he would grasp any opportunity, no matter how small it was, just so M-21 would have a fighting chance at survival.

No one dies on my watch. Not this time.

With renewed determination, Frankenstein assembled the rest of his required ingredients and materials to begin working on M-21's new medication.

Regis was equal parts uneasy and relieved. M-21's temperature stayed the same despite their efforts to bring his fever down to a more manageable level. Still, it was better than the alternative. Regis handed the towel he folded to Seira, then glanced at the entrance in the hopes that Frankenstein would finally return with something to end this.

The sound of the door unlocking caught everyone's attention. Frankenstein strode into the room, examined M-21 and replaced his two most recent medications with the single IV bag he brought.

"The medication will start working in an hour," Frankenstein announced once he was done.

A tense silence reigned, until Raizel declared that they should have dinner since it was getting late. He also mildly chastised Frankenstein and Tao for missing lunch, stressing that M-21 would not appreciate it.

"He'll probably say something along the lines of 'Don't neglect yourself on my account'," Takeo added as he fixed M-21's towel before it slipped off his forehead.

Frankenstein and Raizel decided to stay behind and sent the rest of RK to have dinner first. Thereafter, Tao and Takeo came down and took charge of M-21 so they could have dinner as well.

Raizel and Frankenstein waited for the elevator to return from the lab floor. The elevator door slid open to reveal Tao scowling at something on his pocket computer.

Tao looked up when he noticed the elevator door moved and came upon Raizel and Frankenstein standing outside. "Boss, one of our sensors just detected someone entering the city."

"Have you identified who it is?" Frankenstein asked. Could it be…

"Hold on, I'm trying to get a video feed. The intruder came from the southwest." Tao tapped and swiped at his screen until he got the information he needed. "I got a lock on the intruder and…oh."

Raizel's worry vanished at Tao's surprised expression. "Not an enemy then?"

"Considering recent events, I don't think so." Tao showed the live feed from one of the cameras he installed in the city's ruined sector.

Frankenstein's phone chose to ring at that moment, the number flashing on the screen familiar despite him not registering it in his contacts list all this time.

"You should answer that, Frankenstein. He seems concerned you are not picking up," Raizel observed. True enough, the person on the video feed was frowning. Tao excused himself to give Raizel and Frankenstein some privacy.

Frankenstein swiped on his phone screen and answered the incoming call.

Muzaka landed on top of the building Frankenstein directed him to go and waited. It had been two nights since he received a call from Frankenstein regarding a request. Muzaka would have obliged him back then, except Garda's vital signs became so erratic that he was unable to leave Crombel's lab.

A presence materialized a few meters from where Muzaka stood. He recognized the Noble as the leader of the Kertia Clan.

"Frankenstein sent me to escort you," Rael said without preamble.

Muzaka nodded and followed Rael's lead. They traversed several buildings before landing in a deserted alley. Muzaka noted that the buildings were not as high as the ones in their previous location.

"This way, please." Rael stepped out of the alley and made a right turn. The late-night traffic was thinning and the establishments they passed were either closed or already closing. A few more minutes of walking and they reached a residential area. Rael stopped in front of the gate of a white two-storey house and unlocked it to let them inside the property.

"Frankenstein is waiting," Rael stated once he disengaged the front door.

"I'll show myself in." Muzaka knocked then turned the door handle. Rael vanished from sight as soon as Muzaka entered the house.

The first thing Muzaka became aware of was the somber stillness that seemed to permeate the air. Second was the rack to the right side of the doorway filled with footwear. There was a handwritten note reminding people to change into slippers. Muzaka did just that before venturing further into the house. He found Frankenstein standing in the living room.

"Sorry I'm late," Muzaka announced his presence.

"My apologies for not bringing you here myself," Frankenstein replied as he met Muzaka. "There's a pressing matter that I'm currently attending to."

"Maybe I shouldn't have come since you're busy," Muzaka answered. He could not avoid taking notice of Frankenstein's worn out appearance, subtle it may be.

"Actually, now's the right time for you to be here." Frankenstein strode farther into the house with Muzaka in tow. They came to the end of a hallway, where Frankenstein pressed a hidden panel on the wall that uncovered an elevator. He gestured for Muzaka to enter then followed inside.

"I'll only take an hour of your time seeing as we both have other important things to take care of," Frankenstein guaranteed.

The elevator came to a stop at the lab floor and they headed to the main lab. Tao did a good job of finding data in the Werewolf Island, except it turned out that the werewolves experimented on their civilian population. There was also data on Kentas, though it was insufficient for Frankenstein to conduct an in-depth study on werewolf warriors.

Then there was Muzaka. Definitely not a run-of-the-mill werewolf and arguably the strongest Werewolf Lord. Frankenstein was quite apprehensive and prepared several arguments to persuade him, so he was rather astonished that Muzaka readily consented when he broached his request.

Muzaka let his eyes roam around Frankenstein's lab and saw the stark contrast between its technology and that of Crombel's. Even a non-scientist like him could tell that Frankenstein's was more superior.

He was curious about something else so he turned to Frankenstein. "So how's that kid you rescued doing?"

It was a well-meaning question, but it made something inside Frankenstein snap.

Let them taste our wrath.

The chant of thousands of souls reverberated in Frankenstein's head as tendrils of his power shot out, purple black in all its malevolent glory.

Make them suffer.

"Frankenstein, quit it already!" Muzaka did not expect his inquiry to touch a nerve and cause such violent reaction.

Make them bleed.

Enough Frankenstein, M-21 is terrified!

Raizel's words cut through the din and brought Frankenstein back to his senses. The dark aura that threatened to devour everything disappeared.

Takeo burst through the door not a minute after. "Boss, M-21—"

Frankenstein's feet moved by themselves and he dashed out of the lab. In his haste, Takeo left the door to M-21's room gaping and Frankenstein could hear faint noises from inside as they drew closer. Frankenstein stepped through the threshold and beheld the result of his indiscretion.

M-21 somehow mustered strength so he was now lying on his left side, gasping and whimpering softly.

What have I done?

Raizel cautiously held M-21's shoulder. "Calm down, M-21." The whimpers did not stop and even got worse. Raizel pulled back and met Frankenstein's guilt-ridden eyes.

Frankenstein could barely stand the sorrow on his Master's face so he withdrew to check the monitors then hovered by M-21's bed, uncertain on how to go about their predicament. Maybe he should sedate M-21…

Takeo took the spot Raizel vacated and touched M-21 on the arm. "M-21, please, no one's going to hurt you here."

"There must be something we can do." Seira had been reflexively clutching the towels that fell when M-21 abruptly shifted.

"Maybe something werewolf-related?" Tao was grasping at straws.

"We don't know anything like that," Regis countered rather testily.

A muffled sob from M-21.

Everybody set their attention on Frankenstein, silently imploring him to please do something, anything, to put an end to this harrowing situation.

"If you want to try something werewolf-related, you can start with calming yourselves down," Muzaka said from the open door. Although surprised at his presence, nobody objected as he let himself inside the room.

Muzaka was unsure whether his idea would work, though there was nothing to lose if they had a go at it. He continued in an even tone, "Sick werewolf children are very sensitive to the emotions of people around them, so caregivers have to make sure they're calm at all times."

It required some effort for the panic-laden atmosphere to gradually ease as everybody contained their agitation. However, with the damage already done, M-21's whimpers were persistent.

"I want to try something. I promise it's nothing harmful," Muzaka told Raizel and Frankenstein. Both nodded their assent and stood to the side to give Muzaka room. The others did the same.

Muzaka made his way to the left side of M-21's bed and sat on the chair Takeo previously occupied. His eyes went to the bed's plastic side rail.

"Can this be removed?" Muzaka asked. Takeo came forward and collapsed the aforementioned side rail, allowing Muzaka to place his right hand palm-down on the mattress, almost close to M-21's head and hands.

Muzaka commenced slowly patting M-21 on the upper arm and in soft voice said, "Hey there, it's alright, you're safe. No one's going to hurt you here." M-21 was tense at the onset but relaxed under his touch.

"You have nothing to be afraid of." Muzaka glanced at the household as he continued to do a few more slow pats before moving to gently stroking M-21's arm. "They're very sorry for scaring you and they won't do it again."

M-21 was whimpering less now.

The poor kid's very sick. Muzaka was sorry for M-21 and had to bury it deep to avoid further distressing him. Instead, he carried on with his ministrations, telling M-21 several times more that there was nothing to be afraid of, that he was safe.

M-21's whimpers grew even lesser.

"That's it, you're doing well." Muzaka reached forward and started to run his hand down M-21's back. "You're doing very well."

The act made M-21 pause mid-whimper then he resumed at a lower volume.

Muzaka remembered a melody sung by countless werewolf parents over the centuries. It was the one that lulled Ashleen to peaceful slumber when she was just a tiny infant.

Muzaka drew a deep breath and began to hum. It was shaky at first as he thought of the tone for each line. By the time he was at the second verse, Muzaka grew more confident, his humming steady.

M-21 ceased his whimpering altogether.

If one were to ask Muzaka what was going through his mind at the time, the most accurate response would be he was not thinking at all. Everything came to him as a reflex. And caressing the back of a hurt child to soothe him whilst humming a lullaby was not wrong in the slightest. Muzaka did not stop either action even after M-21 had already gone silent for some time now.

Moreover, he did not balk when M-21's fumbling right hand reached for his right hand, missed and succeeded at last in catching his index and middle fingers in a feeble grip.

Muzaka repeated the lullaby a second, even a third time. He was in the midst of the fourth cycle when he determined that M-21 was no longer in a panicked state. Muzaka finished the lullaby, rubbed M-21's back a final time before freeing his fingers from M-21's hold.

Thankfully, M-21 made no protest of any sort.

"Frankenstein," Muzaka's call broke the spell that the others fell under, "you better check him." Muzaka left his seat and found his way beside Raizel as Frankenstein approached.

Frankenstein repositioned M-21 on his back and checked if the cannula or any of the electrodes were dislodged, and was relieved to find that everything was still in place. M-21's skin was still too hot to the touch and his breathing still rapid and shallow. Frankenstein raised the blanket to M-21's chest. The medication should be taking effect now so his fever would go down soon.

"Leave him to us, Frankenstein," Raizel said. "You and Muzaka have something to do."

"And the sooner we get it done, the sooner you can get back here," Muzaka added.

Frankenstein nodded. "Then I'll leave him to you." The rest of RK moved in and took over M-21's care as he and Muzaka hurried to the lab.

More than half an hour of scanning, several vacutainer tubes of blood, a session of tissue sample extraction, a buccal swab and a quick trim of a clump of Muzaka's hair later, Frankenstein was finally finished. He handed Muzaka a bottle of orange juice, which Muzaka stared at with suspicion.

"You think I have time to make things explode in your face?" Frankenstein almost huffed.

"Not really, more like I'm wondering about the sugar content of this drink," Muzaka replied from his seat as he unscrewed the bottle and sniffed the juice.

"It's sugar-free, says right there on the bottle," Frankenstein pointed out. He let Muzaka finish the drink prior to speaking again, "I apologize. I did say I'll only take an hour of your time—"

"It's fine, there were extenuating circumstances anyway." Muzaka allayed Frankenstein's concern. They were quiet as Frankenstein stored the samples he collected for study later.

"I never got his name." Muzaka was referring to M-21.

"We don't know it." At Muzaka's raised eyebrows Frankenstein pressed on, "The people at the Union call him M-21 and he's the survivor of a group of experiments named M-Series. M-21 doesn't have any memories of his past and believes they'd been experimented on for years before the M-Series was declared a failure." He may be imagining it, but Muzaka seemed to have turned a shade paler after his revelation.

"How old do you think he is?" Muzaka could not help inquiring.

"We're not really sure. Master and I think he's twenty-six years old at the most. M-21 assumes he's around twenty-eight years old." Frankenstein gestured for Muzaka to hand him the juice bottle for disposal.

Muzaka had a suspicion that neither party was right about M-21's age if he were to judge by the scent he encountered a while ago. It reminded him of joyful shrieks, happy giggles and sleepy afternoon cuddles.

It confounded Muzaka that a modified human would bear the scent of a werewolf child of all things.

Frankenstein mulled on Muzaka's question and recalled those very rare, unguarded and short-lived instances where M-21 appeared and behaved much younger than his supposed age, and how his defenses would go up and he would revert to his somber, world-weary self. M-21 gave him and Master the impression of a child doing his best to fit into an adult's shoes. And M-21 was successful for the most part, which was very remarkable.

Frankenstein changed the topic. "I'm surprised you agreed to this."

"I said I owe you, remember? This is part of paying my debt to you and Raizel for helping my people." Muzaka scratched his cheek. "Although I'm not sure if you'll get something useful out of this when my body is such a mess."

"I'll be the judge of that," Frankenstein responded as the door opened and Raizel entered the lab.

"Is there something wrong, Master?" Frankenstein asked.

Raizel shook his head. "Takeo says M-21's fever is going down."

Frankenstein grabbed his tablet and confirmed that M-21's fever had indeed gone slightly lower.

"I guess I should be on my way." Muzaka stood up and did a few stretches.

"Are you sure? You can rest for a few more minutes," Frankenstein said.

"I'm fine, I've endured far worse," Muzaka replied as he fixed his hair.

Raizel accompanied Muzaka on his way up to the house and joined him as he left their property. They were now strolling on an empty, tree-lined street.

"You're worried." Muzaka expertly deciphered Raizel's blank expression.

Raizel sighed in response. "Frankenstein is doing everything he can but M-21 is still unwell."

"He's been sick since when?"

"M-21 collapsed before we left the island. He has been improving until he got ill again today."

That long? No wonder they all look so upset.

"Things happen even if you've been very careful," Muzaka observed. The minute crease of Raizel's brow showed he erred on that statement. What was with tonight that he kept saying the wrong words?

"So how did you meet him?" Muzaka steered the conversation to a safer subject.

"M-21 was entrusted to us." Raizel did not elaborate further.

"Must be a long story. Maybe you can tell me next time we see each other." Muzaka clapped Raizel on the shoulder. It was probably not even a year since he joined Raizel and Frankenstein's household, yet M-21 appeared to have a profound effect on them.

"And don't be too anxious about M-21. With Frankenstein in charge I'm sure he'll get better in no time." Muzaka walked a few steps ahead of Raizel and turned to face him.

"I'll see you around." With that, Muzaka leapt to the sky. The cool night air contrasted with the warmth that still clung to the fingers M-21 held.

Muzaka gazed at his right hand and mentally shook himself to get rid of the strange yet familiar sentiment beginning to take root in his heart. Not only was it presumptuous, it was distracting as well. And if the situation was indeed as dire as he believed then he had no time to spare on distractions.