Eva felt uncomfortable by the woman’s intense gaze—she subtly rubbed her face, thinking there was sothing there.
Her heart skipped when she noticed the older woman’s eyes reddened.
’’Um...hello?’’ Eva whispered awkwardly and moved behind Julian, hoping the woman’s attention would be diverted.
Eva’s words snapped Grace back to reality. ’’I apologize, you reminded of my missing daughter. Dear, who are your parents.’’ Grace asked, a ray of hope filling her heart.
Relieved the woman was back to normal, Eva wondered if her face had sohow scared her to tears.
Ethan and Julian stood on the sidelines—they couldn’t help but marvel at the striking resemblance—especially since they shared the sa last na.
’’I don’t know who my parents are,’’ Eva responded calmly, but to others, it felt like she was hiding her pain behind a calm exterior
Ethan and Julian each offered silent comfort in their own way—one rubbing hair, the other caressing her back.
Eva’s lips parted to explain she was fine, but feeling their concerned gaze, she swallowed her words back.
’’I’m sorry for bringing up bad mories,’’ Grace said; her heart kept telling her this was her child.
But she had to be rational, and there was sothing important to take care of. So she suppressed her emotions and got right to the main topic.
"How is your relationship with your beasts? And do they possess superpowers?’’ Grace’s whole deanour shifted.
"They possess the sa powers as us. But I don’t know if my wolf can use my other power." Ethan answered; he hadn’t fully experinted through that angle yet and was curious if his wolf could shift into another beast.
"We are more like in a servant-master relationship," Julian answered, confident in his assumptions. He could feel their bond, and he rubbed the snake’s head slightly.
Grace nodded. "Alright, show their powers. Then we’ll discuss the project—it’s evolutionary for humankind." Her tone was serious; she saw no use hiding this project in their current situation.
Ethan and the rest shared a glance, they could feel the huge importance of her words.
Dean stood by the door, relieved—finally, sothing felt like it was going right amid the chaos.
He watched as Julian commanded his beast to coordinate with him and they both teleported to the ends of the room.
Ethan was next, with a wave of his fingers, icy daggers ford, hovering in the air as the wolf created sharp ice shards where it stood.
Grace nodded and it was Eva’s turn. Eva shot Julian and Ethan an envious gaze, their powers were so cool, her’s were, h
(︶︹︺).
She patted the fox’s head, whispering in encouragent.
"We have to wow them with our power." The fox nodded as if it had understood her words.
Eva absorbed the energy in the room; green glowing lights floated into her body, nourishing her with strength; the fox by her side was covered in green light, creating a mysterious air as its two tails fluttered in the air.
Grace’s hands tightened around the table’s edge as soon as she saw Eva’s powers.
’How could soone look like a younger version of , have my powers, and not know who her parents are? This all can’t be a coincidence...right?’ Grace’s mind raced, and her emotions warred against being rational or following her heart.
Dean, standing nearby, tapped gently on the table, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Grace turned to Dean with an expression showing she was all right under his concerned gaze.
"Alright, I’m glad you have control over your beasts. Sit let’s talk." Grace motioned to the chair in front of her.
They sat and gave her their utmost attention and Grace began explaining the surface project to them.
"We are halfway done with the suits. Once we are done, a selected few will go to the surface to investigate if the surface is habitable to humans." Ethan and Julian sat stunned at her words.
The surface had always been a myth to them, nothing more than stories in ancient books. Now they were being told it was real—was this really happening? Could they truly see it for themselves?
Only Eva remained strangely calm. After all, she’d road the surface as a zombie in her old world. It wasn’t new to her—though the idea of not dying when the Breathfordge ran out was a welco change.
"We have two weeks until the suits are ready. Do you want to volunteer to explore the surface earth?" Grace’s words rang in their mind, and Ethan and Julian’s hearts boiled for a new challenge, but they didn’t rush to answer.
"Can we have so ti to discuss it privately?" Ethan asked. Grace gave a calm nod in response.
"Once you’ve made your decision, co to the next room. I’ll be waiting." Grace rose, with Dean mirroring her movent. As they exited, she threw Eva a brief, almost unreadable glance.
"Whew... Be honest—do I look scary? I kind of look like Madam Grace." Eva exhaled, tension easing from her shoulders once they were alone.
"I thought you didn’t notice. I almost thought she was your mother." Julian rubbed her hair, speaking in a joking tone while his gaze was suspicious.
Ethan studied her face, then nodded in quiet agreent with Julian. Blaine’s investigation revealed she was raised in an orphanage in City F and left as an adult to beco a dungeon raider.
Though they were reckless in accepting her as their team mber before they investigated her—Ethan didn’t regret that decision for a day.
"Have you ever thought about looking for your family?" Ethan asked, gently twirling a strand of her hair, his gaze steady on her face.
"No. Let’s discuss this another ti. Do both of you want to volunteer for the surface exploration?" Eva quickly changed the subject, she knew nothing of this original body’s past and her own as well.
Ethan and Julian sighed in relief when they didn’t find any hurt or hidden pain in her expression.
Julian answered for them both, already certain what choice Ethan would make.
"We want to go—but the road will be dangerous. If you decide not to, we’re willing to stay behind. What do you want to do?" Julian’s voice was steady and sincere.
"I’m with Julian," Ethan added, waiting patiently for her response without urging her.
Eva felt warm at the concern and the respect they showed her by seeking her opinion. "I’m going."
Julian smiled, holding her cheeks, and he gave her a loud kiss in happiness. Ethan’s lips curled into a quiet smile, his heart pounding at the thought of the journey ahead.
"Let’s inform her of our choice," Ethan said as he got up from his seat, the rest followed after him, with Eva arranging her scattered hair as she shot Julian a glare.
Their beasts rose from their resting spots and trailed behind them.
They arrived in front of the door and Eva knocked. The door was opened from the inside; recognizing them, Dean stepped aside to let them in.
Inside they found Stone’s haggard but serious face, fiddling with countless black suits spread out on the table.
Other Scientists worked without looking up to check who entered—they were pressed for ti.
"This are three hundred suits, the first of its kind, and only those who possess a beast are allowed to go on these expenditure," Grace explained, her chin gesturing to the suits.
"Since you’re here, I assu you are willing to go to the surface," Grace uttered as she turned to them.
"Yes, we are volunteering," Ethan responded with the rest nodding along.
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