Dom's new routine had begun.
Every morning at six, the guards arrived to drag him to his experiments and tests. Those lasted about two hours before he was returned to his cell for breakfast.
Then, he had time to himself until lunch, delivered precisely at noon.
By two, the guards came again for more testing—another three hours of pokes, prods, blood draining and measurements—before depositing him back in his cell. Dinner came at eight, and sleep followed, only to repeat the next day.
Days passed, and Dom quickly earned a reputation for rebellion. He resisted whenever possible, sometimes even managing to escape the guards and his cell--though his now weakened state and zero knowledge of the facility always led to his capture.
Other than food, he asked for nothing from the lab. Even the gaming device Dr. Ivan sent had been smashed immediately Dom laid eyes on it.
But despite the monotony, Dom had one thing to look forward to.
"I heard you broke a scientist's nose today," Noah said the moment he arrived in Dom's cell.
"He kept poking me with that stupid needle," Dom replied, sitting up from his bed as Noah pulled snacks from his stained lab coat.
Dom's face lit with a small smile as he moved closer to the bars.
Between five and seven each evening, Noah would appear with chips, drinks, and a little distraction from their bleak routines.
Comics, superheroes, sports, and board games—they shared so much in common that it felt like finding a long-lost brother.
They grew closer quickly. As Noah explained Northern tech, Dom shared tales of his knighthood adventures. Though their friendship started as a way to break boredom, it eventually became genuine.
One week after Dom's capture…
Noah arrived at his usual time and found Dom in the middle of his cell doing squats.
"I thought your experiments included physical tests," Noah said, settling in his usual spot.
"They do," Dom grunted between reps. "But for some reason, I always feel more energetic afterwards."
"That's because they sometimes adjust the potency of the dampening effect of the cuffs, allowing subjects to have just enough mana to perform certain physical tests," Noah explained.
Dom paused mid-squat, brow raised in thought. "Huh… No wonder I was able to throw that fatass across the room earlier." He commented.
"Yeah. I heard." Noah chuckled as he took his usual seat. "And for the record, his name is Tom, and he's actually a nice guy once you get to know him."
"Well, Tom…" Dom scoffed with a mocking tone. "… should really lay off on the doughnuts and go for a jog once in a while. Seriously, I've literally outrun that guy like five times already, and that's after they've sucked my blood dry like a mosquito."
As he resumed his workout, Noah laughed, imagining the scene playing out.
"Anyways, it was nice to feel like myself again, even if it was just a little, so I decided to go back to my usual routine."
Noah pulled out another bag of snacks, his gaze following Dom's toned legs. "Guess it's hard maintaining a military-grade physique, huh?" He commented.
"You could use it," Dom replied with a teasing smirk. "You're too skinny."
"Ha ha. Very funny," Noah rolled his eyes, opening the snack bag.
Minutes passed, in a blur of sweat and grunts.
Now Dom was doing vertical push-ups while Noah snacked as he scrolled on his phone.
"Oh yeah," Noah said, eyes still glued to the screen. "I heard something interesting yesterday."
"What?" Dom grunted, muscles straining with each push, sweat dripping into the small puddle forming beneath him.
"They said you just barely reached the threshold for S-class," Noah said.
Dom paused mid-push, staring down at Noah from his inverted position. "But the South's science division said I was still a high A-class," He said.
Noah waved dismissively. "Southern tech is outdated. Our sensors are far more sensitive."
"Huh," Dom grunted, returning to his push-ups.
"I still can't believe you were B-class just six months ago," Noah continued, then narrowed his gaze at Dom's toned body. "Getting into the Specials is rare-- a one in a million chance for mages."
Dom's arms trembled as he tried one more rep, only to collapse onto the floor, groaning. "You… don't… say," He panted heavily.
Noah shook his head. "As someone stuck in E-class for years, I'm incredibly jealous." He scoffed.
Dom laughed tiredly, lying there for a moment before standing and removing his damp body suit. He looked at his tight underwear and frowned at his nearly visible manhood beneath the fabric.
"When I find the idiot who designed this shit, I'm gonna fucking kill him," He muttered as he walked forward while tugging the underwear down to create comfortable space.
Noah laughed as Dom flung the body suit to the ground with a wet thud, then sat opposite him.
As Dom reached through the bars, a wave of raw, manly musk wafted over Noah's senses.
"Shouldn't you take a bath first?" Noah asked, wrinkling his nose at Dom's smell.
Dom shrugged, grabbing the unopened snack package. "What's the rush?" He asked as he pulled away. "It's not like I have anywhere to go." He ripped it open and started eating, his tone now sour.
Noah's expression softened. "It's been a week, Dom. Don't you think it's time to stop fighting this?" He asked.
Dom chewed loudly, his frown and tense posture making it clear the topic was sore.
Unwilling to press further, Noah quickly masked his concern with a smile. "Anyway," He said, "I found something last night. Not Just Dusk level, but still a good read." He opened his phone, earning a curious glance from Dom.
An hour passed…
The snacks and drinks were gone, but the two still chatted, lost in conversation.
"I thought the Salamander thing was just a rumor," Noah said, "… That's an S-class magic beast. It's powerful enough to take out a whole city with one breath."
"No shit. It almost burnt my ass off." Dom chuckled, pride in his tone as he remembered that monster. "But I didn't beat it alone. I had my team with me. You should have seen the plan Dae came up with. It was insane. And Lucy… she delivered the finishing k--" He cut himself off, remembering the last time he saw her--saw Dae--saw his home.
Immediately, his smile faded as he drowned in memories.
Meanwhile, Noah's eyes gleamed with excitement of the tale. "Wow." He sighed, "Compared to your life, the highlight of mine was getting my arm blown off… or my parents abandoning me." He chuckled sheepishly.
Dom frowned at him. "Is it really okay to say stuff like that? A parent abandoning their kid is just--"
Noah rubbed his head. "Yeah." He sighed heavily, his gaze lowered. "I know I should be angry or sad…"
His expression darkened.
"But with the way I was raised, I guess I just learned to treat failure as part of the process, something to learn from." He then looked down at his metallic arm.
"Even with the accident--I just laughed it off… after screaming my heart out, of course. Don't get me wrong, it fucking hurt and there was so much blood."
Dom's frown deepened. "That's… not exactly normal." He commented.
Noah laughed sheepishly. "Yeah. I get that a lot. Guess I'm just a weird guy."
Dom's frown lingered for a moment before he chuckled at Noah's grin. "Yeah. You are."
They lapsed into silence, simply savoring the friendly moment, before Noah spoke again.
"But… there was one failure that actually made me sad."
Dom raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"
"My childhood dream," Noah replied.
Dom hesitated before asking, "What was it?"
Noah paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Dom. "You said you became a knight that surpassed the Emperor, right?"
Dom nodded.
"Well… I had a similar dream." Noah continued, as he lay on the ground, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "I wanted to become a Monarch."
Dom smirked while Noah laughed, as if amused by his own words.
"It's funny, right?" He continued, "…Wanting to become my country's greatest enemy?"
Dom's grin faltered, replaced by a frown. He had gotten so used to Noah that he forgot that he wasn't in the South anymore-- wasn't home. Which reminded him that the Monarchs-- from the perspective of other nations- were not heroes-- they were enemies that destroyed them.
Monsters that they were so terrified to fight that they hung up their weapons and chose peace.
Noah relaxed, hands behind his head on the cool floor. "Even though they killed our soldiers," He said, "… their power was undeniable. Regardless of motives, they were the pinnacle of magic."
Dom smiled again, then lay down beside him.
"I wasn't crazy enough to think I could ever match the Emperor himself," Noah added. "But recognition on a Monarch-level? That would've been enough."
His smile widened as he remembered that dream, then reality hit, causing his smile to fade. "But I gave up on that dream a long time ago."
Dom furrowed his brows. "Because of your condition?" He asked.
"Can you blame me?" Noah sighed, lifting his prosthetic arm above his head. "After my case was abandoned, I threw myself into experiments to compensate for that dream. And for a while, I was fine…" He moved his metallic fingers, watching his mechanical knuckles flex, then smiled as he closed his fist. "Then I heard about you."
Dom raised a brow. "Me?"
Noah nodded, his metal hand resting on his chest. "A lot of people, even here in the North, boast about surpassing those Monarchs. But you're the only person I've heard of actually working to achieve it."
He cast Dom a side glance.
"And even though it's not the same, watching you get stronger, build your team, piss off the South's Council… it reminded me of how the Emperor built the team."
Dom looked at the ceiling, smiling proudly at the thought of mirroring Ethan's footsteps until he remembered his own crew. He realized that he missed them more than he thought he would.
Noah sat up, sheepishly rubbing his cheek. "Hearing about you and what you do…" He said, "… it gave me a little hope that I could still do it."
Dom stared at Noah for a moment. "Not to rain on your parade, but… how?" He asked cautiously.
Noah looked at his prosthetic arm. "Like how Dr. Ivan's tech changed the war."
Dom's eyes narrowed. "Mr. Roy said it gave the Monarchs trouble," He muttered.
Noah nodded. "Just like he did, even without an attribute or high-class mana, I can still create amazing tech." He pressed something under his metal wrist. Suddenly, the prosthetic arm transformed, his fingers and wrist folding and reassembling over each other audibly.
With a click, it stopped, and Dom's eyes gleamed at Noah's arm, which now bore the shape of a small cannon, its intricately connected pipes radiating with red mana.
"Dope," Dom muttered at its sleek design.
Noah ran a hand over the weapon proudly. "Added it a few months ago." He said, patting it gently. "It's not much… but if I keep building stuff like this, I can still make an impact… in my own way."
Dom looked away, a soft smile forming as a certain phrase surfaced in his memory. "You just have to master what's already inside you." He murmured.
Noah pressed a button, returning the weapon into a harmless appendage. "I see a path now… but I'm not sure if I should follow it." He said as he tested his finger movements before lowering the arm. "I could prove that I'm not useless and achieve my goal of becoming a great mage… or fail horribly and prove everyone right."
Dom frowned. Here was a man with a goal seemingly even harder than his already impossible own.
Noah then turned to him. "When I heard the Scouts got you, I had to see you for myself." He said, drawing Dom's attention. "It's like what they say-- never meet your heroes." He chuckled sheepishly, then looked away.
"I thought that if I saw you, you'd be so special and unique… so… far away that I'd finally lose hope for my dream and move on with my life."
Dom smirked. "And now?" He asked.
Noah's smile widened. "Now I know you're not special at all." He said bluntly.
"Ouch," Dom snapped.
"That's not what I meant," Noah chuckled.
Dom maintained his smile, unhurt by Noah's description.
Noah looked at the ceiling again, his smile widening. "Being in a similar but opposite situation… trapped here together, finding out that we liked the same comic and drinks… it made me realize," He paused, eyes softening. "… if a normal guy like you can become recognized even outside his country, then I still have a chance."
A beat of silence…
Noah's confession echoed across the wide room, the weight of his words dawning on himself again as if he wasn't the one who said it.
Then, a loud slap drew his attention to Dom, whose hand remained on his exposed lap while his eyes gleamed with obvious mischief.
"I've decided," Dom said, meeting Noah's eyes directly. "… when we get out, I want you in my division."
Noah's eyes widened. "For real?" He asked.
Dom smiled menacingly. "If you want recognition worldwide, this place won't give it to you. Besides, I want my team to be on the Monarchs' level too, so I need people who think they can get there. It's a win-win. What do you say?" He asked.
Noah smiled, delighted at the thought of joining, then frowned as he looked down at his mana cuffs and lab coat. "But… I can't just leave." He muttered sadly. "I've spent my whole life here."
Dom gave him a skeptical look. "You mean the country that treats you like a science experiment?"
Noah flinched.
"You've got a life down here, sure," Dom added, gesturing casually. "But they're just using you. Otherwise, you'd be locked up like the rest of us, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," Noah said, his frown shifting into a wary, almost uneasy stare as he met Dom's gaze. "Then I can say the same about the knights. The Council uses them for whatever they want too, right?… I've heard about some of the really nasty stuff they're forced to do."
Dom's brow twitched. He crossed his arms, a deep frown forming. "Yeah. You're right. Both our leaders are full of shit." He admitted bluntly, then almost suddenly, a grin spread across his face. "But that's why they call me the Rebel Captain. I do what I think is right. I don't give a damn what anyone says or does to me."
"I wish I had that confidence." Noah scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Dom's smile softened. "Besides," He added, "… you said you don't have any family or friends waiting for you outside, right?"
Noah's frown deepened at the question.
"Well… the rest of my crew was kind of like that, too."
Noah's eyes widened as Dom turned to face him fully.
"We all lost our families at some point," Dom continued, eyes distant in the sad memories--of Dae's past--of Lucy's wolf pack--then smiled as he recalled the happy memories.
"... but we found people to look out for us until we found each other. If you don't have someone like that… well," He shrugged, "… we're not perfect, but we're not terrible, so I think we could fill that space for you."
Noah stiffened, considering the offer. The idea of having a real family, people who would actually understand and accept him, made a hesitant.
"Yeah…" Noah said, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. "I think… I'd like that."
Dom slapped his thigh again with a confident smirk. "Then I've got my third recruit."
Noah smiled, but then frowned again. "But… we're still trapped." He commented.
"Don't worry. I'll bust us out of here soon," Dom said boldly.
Noah laughed, then froze at Dom's determined stare. "Wait. You're actually serious?" He asked.
Dom's smirk didn't falter.
"Look," Noah pressed, brows furrowed and his tone serious. "I know you've done incredible stuff before, but breaking out of this place? That's next level shit. Nobody's ever done it."
Dom's smirk widened. "There's a first time for everything."
"No way, Dom," Noah said, shaking his head. "I heard that this lab is the most secure in the entire country. They keep their most valuable experiments here. With your genes and my tech, we're assets they'd literally kill to protect."
"Funny." Dom chuckled. "Because where we're going, they'd do the exact opposite."
"This isn't a joke," Noah said, his tone low, almost threatening. "Look, I get that you want to see your friends and go home… but you've been trying to escape every single day for a week and failed. Don't you think it's time to give up?"
"I can't," Dom said, placing his hands on his thighs with his eyes still burning bright with defiance. "Especially now that I know that I can finally figure out how to pull it off."
Noah raised a brow. "How?" He asked.
Dom's grin widened. "You're gonna help me."