Offered to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter-83. The First

[Xanthea] "Genocide..."

I blankly stared at Vincent as the word 'genocide' hung heavily in the air before it finally sliced through my bones like shards of glass.

One moment, I was numb and the next, thoughts stormed through my mind, crashing into the growing pit in my chest as he kept speaking.

"It was an experiment conducted on the entire population of the weak-bloods across all the nine packs of the Infernal realm..."

Vincent's deep voice grew darker with each word, his gaze distant, as if he were reliving a haunting memory.

"They didn't just kill them. They erased them. Every trace - gone. Nothing remained, not even their souls." His hand clenched into a fist on the table, knuckles white with tension. Karima swallowed hard, shifting uneasily in her seat.

"I-I-it's just an exaggerated story," she stammered. "Nothing like that ever really happened."

Vincent's gaze sharpened. "Then how do you explain the disappearance of an entire population?"

Karima shrank back, cowering under his intense scrutiny.

"True or not, it has nothing to do with us. So it doesn't matter," Karima frowned.

Vish leaned in, her voice low. "Medical practices in the Infernal realm aren't ethically regulated. Experiments on living subjects are normal here. But this... this experiment was so unimaginably horrifying that it shook the very foundation of evil itself. So, if it's true, it matters."

"Out of tens of thousands of weak-bloods, only one survived." Vincent's words were slow, his tone strained. "Just one."

His words resonated across the table. All of us exchanged restless glances with one another. I could feel my heart pound faster in my chest as I finally broke the deafening silence.

"Who? Who survived and what... what did they do to that person?" I asked, my voice quivering as I unconsciously made direct eye contact with Vincent.

"We don't know. We don't have to!" Karima's eyes darted around the room, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her shirt. "Stop it," she hissed, her voice barely more than a breath. "You don't know who's listening... we shouldn't even be talking about this."

Vincent's gaze flicked between Karima and me, his expression unreadable but cautious.

"No one knows the exact details, but rumors say he was the first and only weak blood to have activated his immortality genes, so they call him the First," he said, holding my gaze, his every word burying like a corpse in my chest. "Rumors also say that the First was just a kid. And he didn't just survive; he completed the experiment and then, once it was over, he massacred everyone involved, sssingle-handedly. And he's still out there, more monster than man. Honestly, anyone would have lost it after enduring such darkness," Vish said.

All the questions storming in my mind condensed into a single, desperate word: "Who?"

Vincent lowered his gaze and shook his head.

"We don't know. The identity of both the legendary healer who planned Forced Activation and the survivor who overcame it remain unknown till date. The records were destroyed, and anyone who dares speak about it vanishes. Forced activation wasn't a cure; it was a torture beyond a demon's endurance. Many lives were lost for nothing, way too many lives..." Vincent said absent-mindedly.

I took a tight gulp, feeling the knot in my stomach tighten.

"Stop talking as though it actually happened. These are just rumors. Just rumors ok?" Karima said, breathing heavily.

"There's no doubt that it happened. They just silenced everyone, erased all evidence, but they couldn't cover up the mass disappearance of weak bloods; the vacuum in our history; the imbalance in our realm and its aftershocks that were felt in the other realms," Vincent said darkly.

His aura pulsed with a subtle yet intense rage, making it clear that he harbored a more personal grievance and probably knew more about Forced Activation than he was letting on.

Professor Ashstone said? If they even

knew prying any further could be dangerous, but everything inside me yearned to seek more answers and keep seeking answers until I found out why such a thing was mentioned in my mother's diary. Not just that - why did she, a mortal like

asked, with half-hesitation and half-fear. "And... what happened to

dramatic as Karima makes it sound. He was an old man; he needed his rest, that's all!" I looked at Vish, and she instantly understood

is his hobby. He wanted to know more

make a fool of himself, but professor Ashstone's panicked reaction was something else entirely. That was a hell of a day for us-"

"He didn't just warn us to shut our mouths. He cut our points, mixed some strange potion in our drinks. If Vish

poison. We just pretended to drink it and made sure to ssstay out of his radar and then he retired. End of

thin air just because I know something I shouldn't. I have worked hard to get here," Karima sobbed, her voice breaking. She wiped her eyes furiously, as though trying to erase her memories. "I can't just throw it all away,

stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor as she turned to

like this, Karima, then they are coming for you first," Vish said in an enraged tone, leaning back in her chair. Karima turned towards us and silently sat

a deep breath, Vish continued, "panicking is only

proudly. "You should be ashamed of yourself. I am much better than

light, but there was a tightness around his eyes, like he didn't want to let the fear show. "It's just crazy demons doing crazy stuff. Nothing to fear; demons do crazy stuff all the time." He tried to lighten the mood, but almost everyone just took a deep breath

promise us to never bring it up again or try to

did you hear about it?" Vincent

heard of it somewhere..." I said, taking

something you just hear somewhere-" Vincent narrowed his

about it? Can I see the article? I am sure it's not something you can access easily... somewhere... or conveniently know which professor to ask about it..." Vincent's eyes darkened at my words. Guess we both had secrets we were eager

skeleton. Devil knows where he runs away all the time," Claude said, getting up from his chair. "See

full experience. You won't find the next chapter anywhere else.

going as well. See you

my locker as well," Vish

"And mine is-"

to see the alive skeleton being helplessly dragged across the cafeteria floor with its

sighed, getting up from his chair. He rushed over, attempting to pry Skelly free from his healing partner's grip. "How many times do

funny!" Lana giggled as she watched Vincent engage in a frantic tug-of-war, trying

the anatomy classes so far. That way, you won't be completely clueless, and

Thanks! That would be really helpful," I said, smiling as

***

in the end, which was right before the anatomy lecture

other skeletons, Skelly and Boredbones were the only well-behaved and calm skeletons

on the professor and ran across the lecture room, laughing creepily with their

the owners of those skeletons controlled

a heavy concentration of alcohol and tobacco," Vish said. "I keep it

wonder the bones are so scared of

now you know why we are so behind in

to the skeletons," I said, and both of us broke into

I attended three more lectures with Vish, Vincent and Claude

students. However, once the regular lectures ended, the nagging concern for the two kids in my fit-it-all resurfaced and haunted

none seemed practical. But I was sure of one thing: I could at no

walked through the hallways, cradling

do to me, to the kids, if they found out,

to stay away from Zosha and here I was carrying

near the demon