They gathered their things, stuffing their faces with the last of the beast meat before turning toward the pale manor for their farewells.

Their time with Iancu had been short, strange, eerie, and entirely unforgettable.

Kai had met many mutants by now, each with their own strange quirks, philosophies, and powers. Iancu had been no different. The man was a walking ghost, shrouded in mist and mystery. But he had been… real. Authentic. And more importantly, one of the few mutants Kai had met who wasn't actively trying to kill him.

It wasn't friendship exactly - more like mutual respect. But in this sick world, that meant a lot.

"If we're ever back in the region," Sven said, offering a lazy salute. "We'll swing by. Maybe."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Iancu said with a faint smile, standing in the shade of his crumbling manor. His skin looked even paler in the dawn light, and the shadows under his eyes had returned.

Kai gave him a small nod. "Take care, Iancu. And stay out of the sun."

The pale man smirked. "I always do."

Isaac, meanwhile, glared at the dog beast that lay curled beside Iancu like a guardian of the underworld. Its glowing eyes tracked their every move. The thing hadn't moved much during their stay, but Isaac swore it was waiting for the perfect moment to devour him.

"Creepy mutt," he muttered.

Then, they turned away, stepping back into the Valley of Beasts.

No ride was waiting this time - no giant, tamed monster to fly them across the wilderness. But that didn't mean the idea didn't spark.

"We are in a valley full of beasts, right?" Nadya said, stretching. "Would be a waste to walk, no?"

Kai grinned. "I was thinking the same."

"And I definitely am not walking all that way again," Sven added.

The three exchanged a look. A mischievous grin passed between them.

They huddled for a moment, whispering like kids plotting a prank. Then Kai's eyes flared crimson: Blood Vision activated. The entire world bled in shades of red as he swept his gaze across the valley, searching.

"There," he pointed. "You two take that way. I'll head east."

With a nod, they broke off.

Ten Minutes Later...

Nadya was the first to return.

She came riding what looked like a hellcat - its fur scorched black, flames occasionally flickering from its mouth. Its eyes burned like coals, and steam rose from its paws as it padded toward the group. Nadya sat atop it like a war maiden, one hand raised in victory.

"Meet Smokey," she said proudly.

Sven came next, straddling what could only be described as a patchwork beast. Gashes and open scars covered its thick hide, but it still moved like a tank, growling low, teeth like jagged swords.

"This one's a bit rough around the edges," Sven said, patting its neck. "But I admire the resilience."

Then came Kai.

His beast - a hulking, obsidian-coated wolf-drake hybrid - walked with eerie calm, eyes low and ears flat. There wasn't a scratch on it. Not one drop of blood.

The thing hadn't been tamed with pain.

It had been dominated.

Kai didn't say a word as he slid down from the creature's back. But the aura he carried, that thick, suffocating pressure of bloodlust and quiet wrath… made it clear.

He didn't need to fight this one.

The beast had felt his intent and submitted on the spot.

Amina looked like she was about to faint. "You're… you're riding those?"

Nadya raised a brow. "You're not?"

"Absolutely not."

"They're fine," Sven said, rubbing his beast's snout. "Totally safe. Right, Patchy?"

The monster snarled.

Amina immediately stepped back.

"Nope. I'll ride Lenny, thanks."

Lenny looked thrilled, chest puffed up. He bent low and Amina climbed aboard, clinging to his shoulder. She'd done it once before in New York, and though it had been terrifying, it still felt safer than riding an actual monster.

Takeshi didn't bother mounting anything. The quiet swordsman gave a short nod and took off on foot - his movements light and ghostly, almost floating from stone to stone.

"Show-off," Nadya muttered.

Together, they moved swiftly across the valley. Three mounted mutants, one riding a giant mutant human, and one swordsman gliding through the air.

By the time they reached the edge of the valley, the sun was high overhead.

There, they dismounted.

Nadya gave Smokey a pat and whispered, "Stay out of trouble."

Sven's beast licked his face, and he grimaced. "Gross."

Kai's mount simply turned and left without a sound, tail low, disappearing into the fog.

The beasts scurried away, and there was something amusing about watching such massive creatures retreat like scolded dogs.

"Who needs a mutant ability to tame beasts? You just gotta scare them straight," they laughed.

Then they pressed on.

Their path took them to the outskirts of civilisation. Cracked roads. Burnt-out homes. Overgrown structures. The remains of a town swallowed by time and chaos.

They moved quickly, as stealthily as they could. But even trying not to draw attention, Lenny stuck out like a sore thumb.

Takeshi reached Elara's pet shop first, slipping over rooftops like a shadow.

Kai and Sven similarly took the speed approach, blitzing through the town and impressively memorising the lay of the land and finding their way there.

The others, well, they weren't as fast, but by some miracle, they made it without a commotion.

They were all stuffed in the back of Elara's Petcare, and it seemed as though those working there were accustomed to having oddballs entering their workplace. There wasn't any resistance as the group of mutants walked straight to the back, as they had seen Shadow do.

Filled with curiosity as to what Elara had discovered through her research, Kai was eager to get down to her lab. Although she was weird and unnervingly intelligent, almost as much as Nyx, he was glad she wasn't his enemy.

And he couldn't deny that he wanted to know more about how his blood fit into producing all those serums and what that meant for him.

'I guess there's only one way to find out...'

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