The Ancient Genes

Ethena's words made Anna's eyes wide and even Stark's face turned grim.

"T-This…" Anna hesitated. She hadn't even killed an ant to begin with. Now, she was being asked to kill a human. This wasn't even a main point. Why should she kill him? She didn't even know if that man had done something to deserve this or not.

"You don't wanna?" Ethena asked with raised brows.

"Why should I kill this man? What has he done to deserve this?" Anna pulled herself together and asked with a troubled look on her face.

"Because I ask you to. You wanna learn from me, right? Then do it. If not, I can send you back." Ethena replied calmly.

The frown on Stark's face deepened. He couldn't help himself but speak, "You are being unreasonable?"

"Fine then, you teach her," Athens said with a straight face shutting Stark up.

Stark didn't have any problem with teaching her. But the main reason behind him wanting to get Anna to Ethena was to get her support. How was he supposed to get it if Ethena didn't even take her as a disciple?

In the end, he could only remain quiet and let it go on. But, he had decided, if he felt it was going above the limit, he would immediately stop it.

Stark obviously knew that the man tied up behind the glass pane was not an ordinary person. He was one of the first Humans who had transformed into a demon through some method which they weren't aware of.

That was the reason he was being experiment to find out what it was and if there was a method to reverse it or not.

Stark looked at the man.

Even though this man had a strength of a low level mage, it was still countless times stronger than normal human beings.

He had been caught after he massacred a small village in the countryside of Ishtar. It seemed that he was not a perfect experiment. He would frequently lose his sanity during his transformation not to mention his power level was only at the realm of low level mages.

He knew this fact and hence didn't mind even if this man was killed. A person who sold himself for power and killed innocent deserved death.

But the fact that Anna didn't know about it made him worried.

'What is Ethena thinking?' He couldn't help but think with a frown on her face.

"Have you made your decision yet?" Ethena asked as she took out the fan hanging from her waist.

"If you have, then accept this or reject it. It is a 6★ Bladed Fan. You won't even need to do anything. A single swipe will be enough."

Anna looked at her and gritted her teeth. Several thoughts were revolving in her head.

Her family...she didn't know what condition they were in. Were they still being harassed?

Carrying the burden of being one of the five…she couldn't run away from it when the entire humanity was at stake…

Max's words…..Take your own revenge….

And...Will...he might fall in trouble soon….

Anna knew that she couldn't do anything with the way she was. She had to get stronger.

She moved her trembling hands and took the fan from Ethena's hands.

Ethena pointed towards the entrance leading to the glass chamber.

Anna moved with her trembling body. It didn't feel right to her. But the thought of obtaining power kept revolving in her mind.

Stark looked at Anna entering the glass chamber. She didn't look right at all. Her body kept shaking and it clearly showed how agitated she was.

Stark couldn't help but ask Ethena, "What are you planning to do? Why didn't you tell her that guy deserved death?"

Ethena looked at Stark and then threw a sheet of paper to him.

"What is this?" Stark asked with a frown.

"A salve contract. Specifically, her contract." Ethena said as she pointed towards Anna.

Stark had heard it a while earlier about it and hence wasn't surprised.

"What has this got to do with this?"

Ethena looked at Stark and spoke, "Read it...page 3, section 2, 7th line.."

Stark flipped the pages and began reading it.

'The seller has the right to make a single contact with the buyer to Verify the Slave's well being.'

Stark looked at Ethena in confusion. He had never heard about anything like this. When did a slave dealer start caring about his slaves? The slave industry was a hell..this seemed almost like an impossible thing to occur.

"Impossible right?" Ethena asked.

"Yes…" Stark nodded.

"It's simple. The person who was selling her wants to see her again. At a time when she will be mentally destroyed. A girl like her, who wasn't prepared for it….you can imagine what would have happened to her."

"It is very clear that this is the result of some kind of enmity. A person like her….do you think she won't carry any hatred? Do you think she wouldn't want revenge?" Ethena asked.

"Who wouldn't? What's wrong with that?"

"There is nothing wrong. But, you can't let your hatred and revenge take over you that you can't even keep your sanity and make rational decisions," Ethena replied.

"The moment I told her about the opportunity of having me as a teacher, I sensed her desire for power. She already crossed half of my test there. Now, I want to know. What decision will she make?" Ethena said with a calm look on her face.

"Are you crazy? You were the one who instigated her to do it?" Stark said with a frown.

"So what? You will kill an innocent person if it can give you power? Where is the rationality in that?" Ethena retorted.

"Besides, your student said that we interpreted the prophecy in a wrong way?"

"We will find it out soon, if he is right or not? If he is right, she definitely won't kill him."

"But think about it, Stark, if she kills. What then? A person who can kill for the sake of power. Do you think that person will become a creator or a destroyer?"

Stark knew very well what she was trying to get at. And to be honest, he found it convincing. But deep within, he knew that it was a wrong path.

"You are doing it the wrong way. You are driving her into the corner. This can't be considered her own will…" Stark spoke as he took a step towards the entrance.

"No! I allowed her a choice. It's her own will." Ethena said as she blocked his path and pointed towards Anna who was still standing there and hesitating.

"Get off my way…" Stark's voice rang and the mana began to surge.

"And...Driving into the corner? Don't go around kidding me….the one supposed to be carrying on the fate of the world can't even handle this? What a joke…" Ethena ignored his words and stood there letting her aura surge as well.

Both had a point. Finding who was wrong and who was right wasn't feasible.

"You don't wanna do this…." Star said in a grim tone as the floor beneath him began to crack.

….

Max felt the fluctuation in the outside world and immediately came out of his spirit world.

"This? It's that Lady and Master...what's going on?" Max mumbled with a frown. He was familiar with both the person's aura.

Lear and Derek who had been practicing in their rooms came out too and so did the people who could sense the dense fluctuations in mana.

Max closed his eyes and revolved the spirit energy entering the state of heightened senses.

He carefully scanned through the entire building and finally found where it was coming from.

If it was anyone else using mana to sense the underground level, they would have met with futile efforts. But Max had used spirit energy and hence the barriers didn't affect him at all.

'This...why is there Anna as well?' What's going on? Why is the master and that Lady facing off?'

Max had a bad feeling about it. He immediately moved towards the elevator.

Derek and Lear noticed Max gesturing them to follow him.

Max had sensed that the layer of formation below was a strong one. He couldn't possibly penetrate it alone. He needed help.

Even though he had a bit of an odd relationship with Derek, Max had to ask for his help now that they were on same side and he didn't know what was happening. Besides, he had already decided to put the things from the past aside on his Master's order. Now, he wouldn't kill Derek anymore... as long as he didn't ask for it.