There were no windows in the Institute. Not like the room in this Manor. The Institute of Lab and Research was made like that, a secluded dome from the outside world. From Oceanuris. A word that those people inside were never meant to hear. A nation bordered by the river and sea. Magical herbs and plants are in great abundance and people use them for everything and anything.

The nation was ruled by the Great Valencia Qa.

Or so it should be.

Dr. Exor decided this "darktime" to pay his friends a visit, instead of the letter planned.

And so there he was, staring at them and giving a sigh. One of them had rouge locks, with tips of citrus orange tied into a crown-shaped bun. She wore a big, patterned belt, adorned with lined triangles barely touching to make diamonds. She also had a tightly-fitted jacket that sat above her waistline.

The other guest wore a big, patterned belt as well, but his was embroidered with triangles that lined up to make a waist-sized "crown". It also had circles decorated between each valley of the polygon, and a long sword that hung on his belt, sharp yet hidden in the shadow of his oversized jacket.

"We haven't made any progress in the last few days," Dr. Exor looked at both of his guests from across the wooden table. There was a big box fitted inside, quite rectangular and wooden like the table.

There was a lot of wooden furniture in this place; wooden stairs, wooden bookcase. They were old but held well.

After all, he wasn't in the Institute right now.

They were in the Oceanuris Manor.

"Did you at least get the stamping done?" The woman with rouge locks spoke. She licked her lips, which had a light taint of blood.

"Yes, Agate. If she gets old enough, she'll end up working alongside the adults in the Institute."

"You finally came to that, huh?" The woman, Agate, smirked. "I told you before that option was much safer than taking in adults. Grabbing a child instead of an adult. And then waiting for them to become grown-ups and serve yo—"

"He didn't have much of a choice," The crown-belted man spoke beside her. His voice was husk and low–like it was dusty and only ever grabbed when it was needed. "It is just fortunate that you settled on a temporary solution—" He turned to Dr. Exor. "—until you had enough numbers where they can assist in planning the experiments."

Of course those children and adults were just numbers; numbers were no more special or unique than one another. They were only needed for two things; to count and track data.

And as for the temporary solution, it was simple; to find unknowing adults in Oceanuris and keep them controlled inside the Institution, working for Dr. Exor for the rest of their lives without question.

"How about your end? Agate, Dolos?" Dr. Exor looked at both of them. He looked at Agate–the crown-bunned woman–and to Dolos–the husk-voiced man.

"She's been exhausting to deal with. As usual." Agate's face became cross with narrowed eyes and a frown. "Ever since her daughter was born, she's become fierce. Poor thing, to have a love so hot, it might just burn her one day. It was a shame we couldn't take her out on the spot; after all, her daughter is too young to be the face of Oceanuris." Agate gave another sour smile and glanced at the men in the room.

Then she looked to Dr. Exor. "By the way, you have the potion, right? To seal her up?"

Dr. Exor grabbed a white case from his robe pockets and handed it to Agate. "Here it is."

Agate grunted. "And hopefully you can get a potion for her as well." She pointed to the box below the table. Without pulling it out from underneath, Dolos and Dr. Exor nodded, like they knew what she was talking about.

"And that girl you brought in," Dolos added. "She'll be very useful."

"Don't make it a big deal, she's just like the rest of them," Dr. Exor replied. "If she dies, I'll just fetch another number to replace her."

Yes, another number. Dr. Exor smirked and tilted his head below to look at the box below the table. It seemed more like a coffin, really. Old and dusty with cracks in its millennium-old wood.