After their predicament set into the minds of the ragtag group of mutants, only two of them seemed genuinely pleased:

Isaac and Sven.

Though for very different reasons.

Isaac sighed deeply, the kind of sigh that seemed to carry the weight of months of tension.

"I swear, my lifespan's been halved," he muttered, rubbing the bags under his eyes.

'Ever since mutating, my life'sbeen chaos. No plans. No schedules. No structure. I've been all over the world, ended up joining the Outlaws, and it's been even more crazy since.'

He looked around Elara's advanced lab with something like longing.

"A calm week off from everything would be nice Just… let me lie on a flat surface and not worry about getting stabbed."

Meanwhile, Sven was leaning back against a wall, stretching like a man on holiday.

"Dude," he grinned, his mind already thinking about the town above, "did you see the girls here? I'm telling you, this place is a hidden gem."

Unlike the others, he hadn't marvelled at the ancient architecture or the surprising terrain. His eyes had been locked on the ladies the entire time. But what else did they expect from Sven?

"I need to go and get my groove on, man. You think they like mutants? No? Doesn't matter. I've got charm."

Isaac didn't even respond. He just pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

But alas… it seemed things weren't going to go either of their ways.

Not when Elara was still cackling in the background and talking to herself.

Not when Kai was still deep in thought and seemingly plotting.

And certainly not when a certain madman named Nyx was still out there, watching… waiting… experimenting.

The quiet in Romania?

'I'm sure it won't last long. I'll just enjoy it while I can.' Isaac sighed.

-

Kai and the others made themselves a corner to sit in.

They shoved aside several wheeled desks, rolled some chairs out of the way, and carefully avoided disturbing the humming machines and blinking devices that, frankly, none of them understood. A few sparks flew from something that might have been a centrifuge. Sven wisely took a step back.

"Is this thing gonna explode?" he muttered, eyeing a spinning glass chamber full of green liquid.

"Just don't touch anything," Isaac grunted, seating himself on the edge of a metal bench, arms crossed.

They had squeezed into a cramped corner of Elara's chaotic underground lab, a makeshift perch carved out like squatters in the lair of a mad scientist.

And Elara? She was still darting about like a woman possessed - hurling herself between sample trays, whispering to herself, and scribbling formulas on an interactive board that none of them dared to approach.

"We just gonna sit here?" Sven groaned, already slouching against the wall like gravity was too strong.

His fingers drummed impatiently on the ground as his eyes flicked toward the lift. The guy looked like he was physically aching to be let loose on the world.

"City's out there. Fresh air. Pretty girls. Some trouble, maybe." He cracked a grin. "We're wasting prime time in an underground lab doing nothing."

Nadya leaned against the wall beside him, looking equally restless. "Yeah… this is getting boring," she muttered, absently twirling a strand of her wild her between her fingers.

It had only been a couple of minutes, yet they had already begun losing their minds from boredom.

"A month straight of training, fights, near-death, and now we're just… sitting."

"Training is definitely not on my list today," Isaac said, stretching his legs with a sigh. "And honestly? I don't feel like getting into any more fights either. But I wouldn't be totally against exploring the city."

Despite what he said, he knew deep down that some sort of conflict was unavoidable. But that had never deterred them before.

Meanwhile, Kai remained silent, perched on a metal crate, fingers steepled under his chin. His crimson eyes were lost in thought. He hadn't said much since Shadow left, but something about him screamed calculating. As if his mind was working on something the rest of them couldn't see.

"Why don't we just get some food?" Amina finally suggested, her soft voice cutting through the noise like a quiet bell. "We need a break."

Sven's eyes lit up. "Now that is a brilliant idea."

They turned to Elara, who was across the lab elbow-deep in some tube-like machine that let out a strange, satisfied click.

"Elara?" Nadya called out. "You got any cash or-?"

"Take whatever you want from over there!" she snapped without looking back, her voice sharp and rushed. "Just let me focus!"

She jabbed a gloved hand toward a desk by the entrance, a small set of drawers poking out from underneath.

They didn't wait for a second invitation.

Sven opened the drawer and whistled. "Jackpot."

Inside were wads of local currency, some foreign bills, and a few odd knick-knacks - a pocket knife, some old coins, and a roll of duct tape that Nadya took for no reason.

They shamelessly helped themselves, as instructed, and piled into the lift that led back up to the surface.

With a ding and a faint hiss of pressure release, the lift opened into a far more innocent-looking environment - the upper level Elara used as a pet shop and veterinary clinic.

They stepped out casually. To any observer, it was just a group of weird mutant tourists exiting a side door.

Except…

They were more than just weird.

A blindfolded swordsman with wrapped arms and perfect posture.

A hulking lizard-man with a dopey grin.

A petite, soft-spoken girl with an unsettlingly calm presence.

A wild, orange-haired woman with an unpredictable twitch to her smile.

A one-armed man who stood like he was ready to scold a nation.

A grinning flirt in a leather jacket.

And finally - Kai. Dressed in black, eyes crimson, expression unreadable. Like a spectre among them.

They were a walking circus.

And yet, surprisingly, no one screamed. No one ran. People did glance, of course - some raised brows, others whispered - but no one called the authorities or pulled their children away.

That, in itself, was oddly comforting.

"Split up?" Sven offered, not wanting to be in a large group and seeing that they had naturally split into two.

"Where are you going?" Isaac asked, wariness already rising.

Sven smirked. "To get some good."

"That better mean food."

Nadya shrugged. "I'll go with him. Can't be worse than being trapped underground."

Amina nodded silently and fell in behind them without a word. She stuck close to Nadya like a shadow.

Lenny looked between the two groups, his tail flicking indecisively.

"Go with them," Kai said suddenly, nudging the lizard-man forward without even glancing up. "You'll enjoy it more. Just try not to cause any trouble and stick with Amina."

Lenny perked up. "Right! I'll… I'll protect Amina!"

Isaac sighed. "Alright, we'll meet back here later today."

"He's like a big, scaly golden retriever," Nadya muttered as they walked off.

That left Kai, Isaac, and Takeshi.

Kai wasn't hungry. Isaac didn't want to deal with Sven's version of a 'fun outing'. And Takeshi?

Takeshi simply raised a finger and pointed in the distance.

Toward a castle.

The towering stone structure loomed very far in the distance, perched like a silent guardian on a mountain. Its spires pierced the clouds, and ivy crawled along its old walls. It radiated history and something… more.

Not that they could see it in such detail from such a distance, even as mutants.

"You want to go there?" Isaac asked. "Wait - how the hell do you see that?"

The blindfolded man just smiled slightly in response.

Kai wasn't bothered either way and accepted. "Fine. Let's go see what it is. It looks interesting enough."

No fanfare. No speeches. Just the quiet crunch of boots on gravel as the three of them began to walk.

At least they all had the phones Shadow gave them. Not that they planned on using them unless absolutely necessary, as they headed off into the distance in silence.

Takeshi didn't speak, Kai was in his own thoughts, and Isaac... well, he didn't have anyone to speak to.

-

Meanwhile, far below ground…

Elara finally paused.

Her gloved hand hovered over the microscope when it hit her. The silence.

She blinked, glanced around, and realised the entire lab was empty.

"…Wait. Where did they go?" she said aloud, looking genuinely confused. "I answered them earlier, didn't I?"

She replayed the moment in her mind.

Oh. She'd waved them off. Told them to help themselves and responded without even digesting their question.

"…Damn it."

Elara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, pacing back and forth as guilt and worry flickered in equal measure.

"They don't know anything about this place! And... what are the odds they go up there?"

She hadn't dealt with them directly, but it was hard not to hear of some of their exploits.

However, after a few seconds of mumbling and pacing, she shook her head.

"Nope. No. Worrying won't help. I've got fresh blood samples from Kai - living blood that reacts to external stimuli and holds the key to mutation. I need to focus."

With that, she turned back to her work, eyes glowing with excitement.

She'd get them back later.

Probably.

Assuming they didn't all start another international incident.

But trouble was already brewing.

And oddly enough, it wasn't the group anyone expected...

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