[Decades Ago - Inside a Laboratory]

Gregor was tied to a chair, his head slumped forward and his breathing was ragged and uneven. The room around him was sterile and cold with white walls and floors and there was a hum of machinery in the background.

His mind felt like it was being torn apart.

’How long has it been?’

He couldn’t remember anymore... Days blurred into weeks and weeks into months.

Or maybe it had only been hours.

And then, suddenly, heavy footsteps sounded.

Thud Thud Thud

’Another session.’

Gregor’s head lifted slowly, his vision blurred and a figure stood in front of him.

’Dr. Halloway? No...’

’One of the guards then...’

But something was wrong.

The figure came into focus slowly. It was an old man with ragged clothes hanging off his thin frame. His face was weathered and lined with age, but his eyes were sharp.

’Wait...’

Gregor blinked, trying to clear his vision.

’Dirty clothes?’

Everyone in the lab wore pristine white coats or sterile uniforms. No one wore ragged clothes and no one looked dirty.

’This man... He’s not someone from the lab!’

The realization hit like cold water.

’How did he get inside? The guards would have stopped him.’

’Unless...’

’Unless he got past all of them.’

Hope flared in Gregor’s chest, sharp and painful.

His voice came out as barely a whisper, cracked and desperate.

"P-please... help me."

The old man tilted his head, studying him for a long moment, then he spoke.

"...I can free you from this cage." His voice was quiet, but it carried weight. "But those I save walk a path I choose. Your freedom now... in exchange for your future... There is no going back."

He paused, his sharp eyes boring into Gregor’s.

"Are you certain this is what you want?"

’A cost.’

’Of course there’s a cost... There’s always a cost.’

But Gregor had nothing left to lose. His talent was being destroyed, his mind was being broken and his freedom was already gone.

What could this old man possibly take from him that hadn’t already been taken?

His breath hitched.

"Y-yes."

****

Gregor, Yara, and Castor stood together in a dim, crumbling room. The building looked abandoned, its walls covered in cracks and dust. All three of them had been saved by the old man, but their eyes still carried the weight of what they’d been through.

Yara was standing close to Castor, her hand gripping his sleeve. She’d barely let go of him since they’d been freed from the lab.

"Do you think he’ll actually come back?" she whispered.

Castor adjusted the glasses he had gotten recently, his expression uncertain.

"He said he would."

Gregor was leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"He saved us for a reason... People don’t break into high-security labs and free experimental subjects for fun."

"Maybe he’s recruiting," Castor said quietly. "Building some sort of team..."

Yara shook her head.

"Or maybe he’s going to sell us."

"Then why free us in the first place?" Gregor’s voice was calm. "He could’ve just made a deal with the lab."

Before anyone could respond, the air shifted.

Whoosh

Two figures materialized in the center of the room.

The Old man stood there and beside him was a man they’d never seen before.

Bald, muscular and covered in scars. His eyes were hard and suspicious.

Vash looked around at the three of them, then back at the Old man.

"Who the hell are these people?"

The Old man smiled faintly.

"Your companions."

"My what?" Vash’s voice came out sharp. "Old man, I don’t work with strangers."

Castor stepped forward, his voice steady despite the tension.

"We’re all in the same situation... He saved us too."

Vash’s eyes narrowed, studying them.

"Saved you from what?"

"Eternal Eclipse Society," Gregor said quietly. "Labs in the southern region... You?"

Vash’s expression shifted slightly, recognition flickering across his face.

"...Same."

The Old man was watching them all with that unreadable expression.

Castor turned toward him, his voice careful.

"How should we address you, saviour?"

The old man seemed to think for a moment, a faint smile tugging at his lips as if he’d thought of something amusing.

"Hmmm... You may address me as... the Beggar."

Vash let out a sharp laugh.

"The Beggar... Right." He crossed his arms. "What do you want from us, old man? You didn’t save us out of the kindness of your heart. No one helps for free."

The Old man’s smile widened slightly, his gaze lifting toward the sky as if seeing something none of them could.

"You all should get to know each other first... You will be spending the rest of your lives together."

Yara’s grip on Castor’s sleeve tightened as she leaned in and whispered.

"I told you before... This old man is creepy."

Gregor pushed off the wall, his voice cutting through the tension.

"The cost you mentioned when you saved me... What is it?"

The Old man paused, his smile fading slightly. When he spoke, his voice was calm and deliberate.

"There will come a time when you will meet the Bloodworth heir." He paused, his eyes sweeping over each of them. "You must protect him with your lives... That is the price of your freedom."

"..."

Silence spread around them.

Castor’s eyes narrowed, skepticism clear on his face.

"Bloodworth heir?" He pushed his glasses up slightly. "I don’t know what has changed in the outside world while I was locked away, but... aren’t the Bloodworths an Imperial family in the north? Why would they need protection from us?"

Vash shook his head.

"Doesn’t make sense... Imperial families have their own armies and their own S rank protectors for heirs." He looked at the Old man. "Why would they need us?"

The Old man smiled again, but didn’t answer directly.

"The answer will come to you one day."

Vash stepped forward, his tone sharp and challenging.

"And what makes you think we won’t just walk away right now? We owe you, sure. But a debt isn’t a leash."

The Old man looked at him, his smile becoming creepier as he whispered.

"The debt isn’t something you owe... it’s already become part of what you are now, whether you realize it or not."

"..."

The words hung in the air and the silence was broken only when Yara spoke.

"...Why aren’t you helping this heir yourself? If it’s so important."

The Old man’s smile faltered, just slightly and his eyes grew distant.

"I have my reasons."

He turned slightly, as if preparing to leave.

"If you want to survive, get to know each other and learn to work together... I won’t be there to save you."

And just like that, he vanished.

Whoosh

The four of them stood in silence, staring at the empty space where he’d been.

Vash let out a long breath.

"Well... This is going to be fun."