Chapter 393: Scolding Blake

"So you handled things here," Blake said after hearing the entire story and understanding the current situation.

"As I told you before, if I am in actual trouble, I can contact you even if you are on the other side of the planet." Kyle had specifically told him those words before as well, so they would not find themselves in a situation like this again, with Blake rushing back out of concern.

"I told you to devote these seven days to Corella," Kyle said, his expression remaining blank.

Blake crossed his arms and turned away from him. "Corella herself suggested coming back."

"Only after she realized your mind wasn’t with her. She understands you better than anyone, and you know that too. You just let your emotions show on your face, and she made the decision you wanted to make."

Kyle shook his head. "Such a cruel way of using her emotions."

Blake clicked his tongue. "Don’t start scolding me now. Yes, I made this decision, and I would make it again and again if I felt you needed my help and you weren’t saying a word because you thought everything was under control."

Kyle shook his head.

This man...

He could not exactly blame Blake, considering how he had been until now. Kyle was almost always surrounded by one problem after another, and whenever something went wrong, he had needed guidance from someone.

In the end, he reached out to Blake sooner or later but that has stopped after the whole incident.

Hearing what had happened at the base must have given Blake the impression that Kyle was deliberately hiding his troubles simply because Blake had finally gotten the chance to spend some leisure time with Corella.

And by the time Kyle was able to contact him and assure the man that he was safe and everything was under control, Blake had already returned to Guhang.

Kyle sighed. "Sorry. I shouldn’t have talked to you that way, but trust me, I never took any unnecessary risks throughout this whole ordeal."

Blake relaxed as well. "I understand. And I’ll apologize to Corella later too."

"Not going to say sorry to me?"

Blake scoffed. "For what? For being concerned about you?"

Kyle hummed. "You talked so harshly to me over the call that I had to cancel my plans and come here."

Blake nodded dramatically. "Oh, very sorry. Should I bow to you now?"

"Wouldn’t mind..." Kyle trailed off when he received a narrow-eyed look from his elder brother.

The tension between them finally eased after the brief bickering, leaving the room considerably more comfortable than it had been moments ago.

Blake eventually asked, "So the situation with the clones is dealt with, I assume?"

"Yes, more or less. I have already told Arthur to relay the command to Christopher and cease all movements related to their assignment for the time being."

Arthur was naturally questioned many things but he handled it well and left no room for Christopher to further probe what could be the cause. So yes, for the time being, the threat was suppressed.

Blake frowned. "Just how far have they taken this science experiment of theirs?"

"Over a thousand clones were already prepared for deployment. They were infused with some of the rarest and most powerful skills available to make them complete warriors."

That genuinely shocked Blake since he wasn’t even close to that number considering the quality of clones he had come across.

Blake hesitated before raising another question.

"Kyle... if they are strong enough to challenge even me, didn’t it cross your mind to simply use them as mindless warriors? Send them against hordes of monsters and prevent casualties on our side. I mean, they might not be able to distinguish between humans and monsters, but as long as they have only monsters in front of them, they could prove to be a tremendous asset."

Kyle nodded slowly. "I actually thought about that during the battle when they attacked you. I was assessing them throughout the confrontation and realized a few things about them. Both good and bad."

Kyle rose from his chair and walked toward the sliding window along the side of the room. Beyond the glass, the outside world had settled into the quiet of evening, but his attention remained fixed on the subject at hand.

Crossing his arms, he continued, "They possess a human mind, artificial Genesis pathways, and a considerable amount of magic stored inside something that still amazes me whenever I think about it."

Blake looked at him. "What is it?"

"An artificial Genesis Pool. They actually found a way to transfer Genesis from one person into a clone. As far as cloning technology is concerned, that is the greatest advancement they have ever achieved."

"Then what is the problem?" Blake asked. "If you say they are capable of wielding magic and possess the knowledge required to hunt, which we have both witnessed, wouldn’t it be wiser not to destroy them?"

Blake was certain there had to be a dangerous flaw in the manufacturing process. Still, more than a thousand clones were already prepared and waiting to be deployed. If they could be utilised to fight humanity’s war, wasting such a force would be foolish.

Kyle hummed before answering. "I have one doubt, and until that is cleared up, I won’t be sure whether we should let them out or not."

He raised the hand holding his glass and studied it for a moment.

"The storage device built into them is different from anything inside us or Nightmares. It doesn’t differentiate between Genesis and Absence. If absorbing that negative energy somehow alters their behavior or influences their actions, then it would be better not to hand the other side a thousand killing machines served on a decorated plate."

Blake frowned.

Now he understood why Kyle was being so cautious.

Kyle shook his head. "Don’t worry about it. Leave this to me. For the time being, though, be cautious. Arthur mentioned that a few more people are involved in this entire program, and they apparently know the significance of your eyes as well. They need your eyes to complete this project."

Blake nodded in understanding. "I’ll stay indoors for a while and work from home. What about you? What are you going to do now?"

Kyle shrugged. "Nothing planned for tonight."

Blake faintly smiled. "Want to join me and Corella for dinner?"

Kyle hummed. "And how are you going to introduce me to her? Surely not as your brother."

Blake stood up and straightened his clothes.

"Leave that to me."

....

"You really don’t remember anything?" Seraph asked again, now that he was alone with his daughter in the training area.

The cafeteria was crowded with people, much like every other section of the facility, so he had brought her here where they could speak without prying eyes or curious ears.

Truthfully, he still couldn’t bring himself to trust everything he had just heard. Arthur’s remorse over not being strict enough with Ray, which had supposedly led to the entire situation, sounded plausible on the surface. The fact that Arthur had then taken it upon himself to save Elena’s life only made the matter more complicated.

"I don’t remember much, Father, but trust me, Sir Arthur doesn’t hold any ill intentions toward me." Elena had to force the words out, carefully maintaining the story Kyle had come up with.

Naturally, she didn’t trust Arthur. After everything that had happened, there was no reason for her to lower her guard around him. But she had agreed to play her part because keeping Kyle away from the limelight was more important for the moment.

Seraph let out a slow breath before pulling his daughter into his arms.

Elena rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as he spoke.

"It has been the most difficult time of my life, not being able to reach you. Thankfully, you’re safe."

A faint smile touched Elena’s lips.

"Mom must be as angry as ever. After all, I went against her wishes to come back home, and then this happened."

Seraph chuckled softly.

"Well, prepare yourself for at least an hour of scolding when you get home."

He had already called his wife while he was on his way to Montclair. She had only just woken up when he contacted her and immediately insisted on coming to see Elena herself.

She had been stubborn about it, refusing to stay behind, but Seraph eventually managed to reassure her that he would bring Elena home safely by tonight.

Just then, the door of the training room parted and a girl stepped inside the room.

Both Elena and Seraph turned and much like the girl, they froze as well.

"Excuse me," Startled, Layena wanted to leave.

But,

"Wait."

She was stopped by a person she couldn’t defy.

°°°°

A/N:- Thank you for reading.

Please leave a review to encourage me and maybe a comment about just anything.