When Helios opened his eyes the next day, it was already noon. Sunlight filtered dimly through the curtains, bathing the room in a warm twilight. They had decided to sleep in as long as possible—for once. It was important to gather their strength. They didn't know what awaited them in Soley, or what dangers might stand in their way.
He rolled onto his back and winced. A sharp pain shot through his lower back. Damn, that stupid corset! He should have snatched it right out of Penelope's hands when she tried to strap it onto him. Instead, he had worn it all day, too proud to take it off in front of her. Now he had sore muscles in places he had forgotten that muscles exist, and small, dark bruises lined his sides where the corset had squeezed him like an overly tight belt.
Never again would he wear such a torture device. No matter how convincing Penelope's expression could be.
But complaining wouldn't help. He had agreed to the disguise, after all, and Penelope had kept her word. As Helios Vale, she moved through the city with ease—elegant, confident, eye-catching enough to draw attention. She was their best cover. Without her, they would barely stand a chance of searching for the facility in Soley unnoticed.
He glanced at the clock. Just after one in the afternoon. The room was still dim. Frowning, he turned his head to check on Dante—but the bed beside him was empty. No movement. No sounds from the bathroom. Not even the usual grunting that accompanied Dante's training sessions.
Helios reached for his glasses, put them on, and padded barefoot into the bathroom. Nothing. No Dante.
A faint wave of unease crept up his neck.
He decided to get ready and start packing. As soon as Dante returned, they could leave. The next town was about five hours away—they wouldn't arrive until evening, and Helios wanted to get hold of a rat today to test his serum. His own concoction was still far from perfect, but without trials, he'd never make progress. And without the original compound… he would fail.
He had to get the data. The real formulas.
The longer he thought about Dante, the more he suspected that Dante's immortality had been a fluke. No one could say for sure what they had injected into him. Maybe it had been an interaction between different substances—or something unique to Dante himself. Perhaps an enzyme, an antibody, a genetic mutation. Anything was possible. Assuming they had even worked with more than one compound.
Maybe Dante had simply been the only one to survive the dose.
So many questions. And no answers.
A different, far more central question also presented itself to him: Why Dante, of all people? Why had they chosen him specifically for the so-called "Immortality Program"? Helios grimaced. He really needed to come up with a better name for the project—something less clichéd, something with a more scientific ring to it. Maybe they had already prepared Dante for something in advance. Maybe he had simply fallen into the organization's hands by chance when he was already half-dead—a perfect candidate for risky experiments.
Now that Penelope wasn't with him, his mind was back in overdrive.
He didn't even believe that his self-developed serum came close to what had been administered to Dante. But that's what made it so fascinating. It was truly an exciting subject, and he was more than eager to uncover the secret of immortality. Not because Helios wanted to be immortal himself. But because no one else knew the truth. If Dante really was a product of chance, then that knowledge was limited to exactly two people: Dante—and him.
He would love to continue experimenting on Dante. But while they were traveling, that was out of the question.
Still, he didn't believe they could just walk into the facility. He wouldn't have access, and depending on how well-guarded it was, it might be difficult to even set foot inside—if they even managed to find it at all.
Helios looked toward the door.
Strange how much Dante's absence unsettled him. Over the past few weeks, he'd never been alone—except in the bathroom. Dante had always been there. Always present, like a shadow. He should have been glad to finally have some peace and quiet.
But he wasn't. Odd. Especially since he'd always enjoyed being on his own.
He grabbed a pair of tight jeans, a V-neck shirt, and a button-down to wear open over it. No need for a suit while on the road. Besides, it would draw too much attention if he walked around in full business attire—especially since all his suits were custom-made and fairly expensive.
He tousled his hair like he always did, put his glasses back on, and started packing his bag. When he opened the travel bag, his eyes fell on the photo he had taken with Penelope the day before. She looked so content and happy that he couldn't help but smile. Absentmindedly, he picked up the photo. He had another one at home from when they were still kids.
She really was the dearest and most important person in the world to him. The only person he could truly call family, even if they weren't related by blood. Just as he would do anything for her, she would do anything for him. He would bring her something nice from the trip, take her out for dinner on the way back, and if she wanted, do another shopping spree with her.
After all, he'd be extremely busy again once the trip was over, and he was fairly certain his desk would be overflowing with work.
Without her, the whole mission would be much harder.
Funny how wistful this moment made him. He had never cared much for keepsakes or photos. And yet… he had only one picture of Davis. The one from his file, which Helios had secured after Davis's death and hidden away in his secret lab.
He wished he had one where Davis was smiling.
But after the funeral, he couldn't even ask Davis's sister for one anymore. Not after she slapped him across the face in front of everyone.
Helios made a quiet decision: he needed to spend more time with Penelope. Just to see her more often and create more good memories with her. After all, there weren't many pictures of him and Penelope. He slipped the photo from the previous day into the inner pocket of his coat, then began to pack his bag. Everything important went in. The dress, the corset, and the shoes he left behind. He packed the wig. Dante had been right—it could help him escape unnoticed in an emergency, even if he only threw it on briefly. The rest of the disguise wouldn't be useful in a real emergency anyway.
Helios couldn't help but grin. Maybe he should just make Dante wear the wig. With those broad shoulders and all those muscles, the sight would be absolutely hilarious.
Why should he be the only one who had to suffer through that ridiculous disguise?
Just as Helios was shrugging into his coat, the door to their room opened with a soft click. Dante stepped inside—and in that moment, a wave of relief washed over Helios. Finally. There he was. And, to his delight, he was carrying coffee and two bulging paper bags.
"Where were you for so long?" Helios asked.
"I went out to get breakfast. You were sleeping so soundly I figured I'd grab something. And… well, I was hungry." He gave a slight shrug, as if that were explanation enough.
He handed Helios the steaming cup of coffee, which he accepted gratefully. With a deep sigh, Helios sank onto the bed, closed his eyes for a moment, and savored the warmth of the drink in his hands.
"Leave a note next time," he scolded lightly. Then he added, remembering how late it already was, "We should eat quickly. I need that rat, and the next city is a long way off."
Dante suddenly looked sheepish, stepped closer to the bed, and set one of the bags down beside him.
"The rats are already in the car," he said. "I just brought a few extra. They prefer living in groups anyway. And I thought… maybe you'd want to run more tests."
He sat down next to Helios on the mattress, pulled out a roll from the bag, and took a hearty bite. Helios looked at him in surprise for a moment—then a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"You already got the rats? That definitely takes some pressure off the planning," he said. He crossed his legs and turned toward Dante, placing a hand on his shoulder. He was genuinely happy that Dante had taken care of so much ahead of time. "Thanks for handling that."
Dante chewed more slowly and eventually nodded. "No problem."
Oh? Were his ears turning red?
Helios smiled. He didn't comment on it and kept sipping his coffee.
"Soley is still quite a way off," he said thoughtfully. "I booked a hotel downtown—reasonably discreet. We could have dinner somewhere on the outskirts tonight, before we really need to keep a low profile in the city. Once we're in Soley, we should avoid public exposure as much as possible."
Dante nodded immediately. "Once we're in Soley, you should never stray too far from me. That city isn't a place for spontaneous adventures."
"Don't worry, I won't leave your side. I happen to value my life, you know?" Helios grinned and took another big sip of coffee. "I'm way too curious about what they did to you. I really hope we find something."
Dante looked at him. Not for long, but with a depth in his gaze that said more than words ever could. "So do I," he said softly.
For a moment, silence settled between them. A kind of unspoken understanding—hope, fear, and a hint of anticipation.
Then Dante handed him one of the filled rolls. Helios took it and took a bite.
___
That evening, they arrived at the hotel. It was located right in the heart of the city. Despite the late hour, the streets were still surprisingly busy. People laughed in brightly lit pubs, strolled hand in hand or in small groups through the streets. The air was filled with the sound of music, snatches of conversation, and the distant hum of traffic.
Helios let his gaze wander briefly—and immediately regretted it. He had chosen the hotel mainly for its central location, hoping they wouldn't have to search long for a restaurant or shop. But he hadn't expected this much chaos. It was loud, stuffy, overstimulating. Far too noisy for his taste. He hoped their room was on the quieter side of the building.
And then there was the problem with the rats. Somehow, they had to get them into the hotel unnoticed. Helios seriously doubted the staff would be thrilled to discover the animal carrier they had brought along. Then again, he didn't particularly care. Who was going to stop him? He had more than one way of asserting his will—though most of them weren't exactly legal. Hidden in his coat were not only poison syringes, but also vials of a powerful sedative—just in case, of course.
To his relief, no one paid any real attention to their luggage. The cage was concealed under a thick wool blanket, and the rats—clever as they were—remained completely silent during the entire check-in. Without attracting much attention, they received their room key and took the elevator upstairs.
Helios took off his coat and let himself fall onto the bed.
"These long drives are more exhausting than I thought," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes—even though he'd slept during the trip.
Dante pulled on a fresh shirt.
"I'll go get something to eat. You should rest for a bit. After all that sitting, I really need to move," he said as he began stretching his limbs.
Helios watched him absentmindedly, then made a face. "As long as it's not greasy junk again."
Dante looked at him in surprise. "Would that be so bad?"
Helios raised an eyebrow. "It's disgusting to constantly eat greasy food. Besides, it's not good for the body. You might not care thanks to your immortality, but us mere mortals should eat a balanced diet."
"You hardly eat at all," Dante shot back. He gave him a critical look, eyeing him from head to toe.
Helios scoffed. "I know exactly how many nutrients my body needs to function," he waved off. "You can bring meat or something if you want. Just no more greasy stuff, please. I don't care what you eat. Oh—and bring a tall glass container that a rat can't easily escape from."
Dante nodded, satisfied. When it came to food, he was easy to read—as long as there was meat on the plate, he was happy. "I'll be right back."
Helios nodded. "See you in a bit," he said as he stood up. He walked over to the rat cage and pulled off the blanket. Gently, he lifted it up, gazing fondly at the tiny creatures. A smile played on his lips. "We'll keep ourselves busy in the meantime."
He heard Dante sigh. "Try not to turn it into too much of a bloodbath."
Helios looked at him—he couldn't help it, he had to smirk. "These little guys don't have that much blood in them. If I wanted a bloodbath, I'd have one with you."
Dante gave him a strange look Helios couldn't quite interpret—a mix of skepticism and… was that a hint of concern?
Helios set the cage down on the table, then sighed. "What kind of person do you think I am, that I'd enjoy torturing animals? I'm really sorry, but I'm not that kind of psycho."
"I know you're doing it for the research. I don't think you're a psycho," Dante said. He seemed to mean it. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked a little embarrassed. "I should go."
Helios nodded, and with that, Dante left, closing the door quietly behind him. If only he knew. Dante had only seen the tip of the iceberg that was Helios Vale.
Helios, meanwhile, turned his attention to the rats. He grabbed his suitcase and placed it on the bed. It felt strange to be so far from home.
Helios knew that if someone tried to kill him, he would inevitably die. If he took even a single bullet, he might as well say goodbye to everything that still mattered to him.
It was incredibly dangerous—and honestly, pretty stupid—considering his blood reserves were quite far away.
He opened his suitcase and examined its contents. He had the serum with him and enough materials to keep modifying it as needed. It was a real challenge. There were so many substances with different effects. He didn't know what was in the original compound, nor what dosage would actually work.
He had brought a small microscope to at least examine blood samples from time to time. It wasn't a perfect method to check the serum, but so far, the microscope had proven useful—especially given how quickly Dante's cells regenerated.
Helios mixed a sedative for the rats and poured it into their water trough. It was odorless and tasteless, so the clever little creatures wouldn't grow suspicious.
Then he sat down at the table, rested his head on his arm, and gently tapped the water to encourage his small assistants to drink.
"Come on out, little ones—we've still got so much work to do," he said with a smile.
___
An hour later, Helios had marked the rats with letters and injected two out of six with the test serum. A and B would simply be observed throughout the evening. He had drawn blood from all the rats and taken notes; from A and B, he had collected a second sample after administering the serum, which he was currently examining.
So far, however, he couldn't detect any changes.
Well, that was part of conducting a study too. He documented everything carefully and eventually packed everything away. In the morning, he would kill A and see if the serum had worked. At least by then, enough time should have passed.
Then again, maybe he'd kill A tonight. He planned to give the serum four to five hours to take effect, but that would mean it'd be past midnight. Lately, he had been going to bed quite early. The sleeping pills helped him fall asleep, but he didn't feel truly rested.
Even now he felt tired, and it was still early evening. Not to mention, he'd only gotten up around noon and had spent most of the day sitting in the car. He hadn't even driven. Dante would probably have a heart attack if he ever experienced Helios's driving.
The thought made Helios chuckle.
He got up and started running a bath. Dante still hadn't returned—wherever that mountain of muscle was wandering. Besides, he hadn't had a proper bath in quite some time, and with his muscles still aching from the corset, the idea of relaxing sounded more than appealing.
He placed the rat cage in the bathroom, setting it on the closed toilet lid so he could keep an eye on them. Then he slowly undressed and sank into the steaming hot water. A contented sigh escaped him as the warmth seeped into his body and slowly loosened his tension. He had almost forgotten how good a really hot bath could feel.
With his eyes closed, he listened to the soft squeaking and scratching of the rats. Their tiny claws on the plastic floor were surprisingly soothing.
It felt good to just do nothing and give his body a bit of rest. Even though he couldn't help but wonder where Dante had disappeared to again. He was only supposed to get some food—how could that take so long? They were in the middle of a damn city!
Helios snorted in frustration. That certainly didn't help with relaxation. He pushed the thought of Dante aside and slid a little deeper into the water until it lapped warmly at his chin.
By the next evening, they would be in Soley. Then they wouldn't be staying in hotels anymore—they'd start actively searching. If he wasn't mistaken, Soley was about seven hours from their current location.
He mentally went over his current plan, which unfortunately didn't have many items on the to-do list. First, they would check in. Then they'd head to the library, and afterward, they'd wander the city. Maybe Dante would remember something, recognize a specific place, or have a gut feeling—or whatever.
That was it.
Everything else would have to unfold along the way. In principle, they were searching for that mass grave and the facility. Helios didn't actually expect to find the grave—not after all this time. It was surely long since buried. Maybe there was a new one somewhere, but the one tied to Dante was likely lost.
For him, the trip would already be a success if they found even the smallest clue.
"Helios? Are you awake?" came Dante's concerned voice beside him all of a sudden. He felt the man's large hand gently brushing through his hair. "You really shouldn't fall asleep in the bathtub."
Helios opened his eyes and met reddish-brown ones.
"I've been making plans," Helios said.
Dante raised an eyebrow. "In the bathtub."
"That's where the best ideas come to you."
"Did it help?"
"Not really. Maybe if you'd stayed away for another hour," Helios replied sarcastically.
"If your food preferences weren't so specific, I might've been back earlier." Dante said. He sighed. „Besides, it's ridiculously late—do you have any idea how hard it was to get my hands on that damn jar?"
"So you were gone that long just to satisfy my needs?" Helios asked in a teasing tone. As expected, Dante's ears turned slightly red.
"It wasn't easy, but I think I found exactly the right thing," Dante said with satisfaction as he stood up. His gaze fell on the rat cage, and he frowned. "Why the hell did you take the rats into the bathroom?"
Helios pulled the plug from the tub and stood up. It was a bit of a shame to get out already—there was still plenty of foam, and the water was wonderfully hot. Oh well. He'd have plenty more chances to take a bath. Maybe it had been a bit naive to get in, knowing Dante could return at any moment.
"For relaxation. The soft scratching of their little paws is truly unmatched," he said with a touch of sarcasm in his voice. He grabbed a towel and began to dry off.
Dante half-turned. "The scratching–" He cut off abruptly and spun around. "Damn it, at least say something before you get out of the tub!"
Helios stared at Dante for a moment, then laughed. "Grow up, Dante. There's nothing here you haven't seen before."
Dante looked back at him, seeming like he wanted to say something—but the words didn't come. He just stared. Helios gave him an exaggeratedly sweet smile. Teasing Dante was just too much fun.
"If you keep staring like that, I might get shy," Helios said in a teasing tone.
Dante cleared his throat and quickly turned away. "Get dressed before the food gets cold."
His face bright red, he left the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Helios's smile faded. Fatigue crept back into his body. He looked at the cage, where A, C, and G were staring at him curiously.
"What? I just teased him a little. That's all there is to it," he muttered, rolling his eyes in annoyance. The rats squeaked softly, as if they didn't believe him.
He finished drying off, changed into sleepwear, and joined Dante, who was already sitting at the small table with two steaming bowls.
They ate together. Dante had brought something Asian—cuisine Helios didn't have often, but he had to admit it wasn't bad. He told Dante about the ideas he'd had in the bath. They planned the next day's schedule and then cleared away their things.
Helios checked the time. It had been nearly three hours since he'd injected the rats with the serum. Their behavior wasn't much different from before. He had wanted to wait at least two more hours, but by now he was so tired he just wanted to sleep.
"Do you have the glass container?" Helios finally asked.
"On the bed."
"Good, hand me your knife."
Dante looked at him with a certain hesitation. "What are you planning?" he asked cautiously.
"I'm going to kill A now, and then we'll see if the serum does anything."
Dante looked at him in confusion.
"Dante—the rat. They've been given names."
He glanced at the cage; only then did he seem to notice the letters marked on the rats' fur. He slapped a hand to his face.
"Oh, I see. You labeled them."
Helios gave him an amused look. "Would you have preferred real names? If one of them survives, you're welcome to name your immortal companion."
"An immortal companion? Then I'll have to come up with something special," Dante said quietly.
Helios placed the glass container in the bathroom, grabbed Dante's knife, set up his microscope, and finally took A out of the cage. He draped the blanket over the cage and gently stroked the rat's head. She looked at him curiously, her tiny paws clinging to his fingers, her tail curling around his wrist. That was all—she didn't fight back, just let him carry her.
"Wow, you're a sweet little thing. Almost makes me feel guilty," he said with a smile.
He closed the bathroom door. Humming, he secured the rat so she couldn't resist and killed her. Still humming, he drew a blood sample, placed her in the glass container—or maybe "candy jar" was the better word—and examined her blood again, comparing it to the sample he had looked at earlier under the microscope. No visible change.
He washed his hands and wrote everything down. When he put the pen aside, A was still dead. Clearly, the serum hadn't worked. He'd leave her in the bathroom until morning and dispose of her then.
Dante looked at him expectantly as Helios took his sleeping pills and got into bed.
"Well?" Dante asked.
"Your knife's on the table," Helios replied. "Other than that, a failure so far."
"That's a shame."
Helios turned onto his side, pulling the blanket up to his shoulder. "We've still got a few more trials. And hopefully, we'll find some answers."
"It feels strange going back to Soley," Dante murmured.
"We'll find something. Sleep now—we've got an early start."
Dante sighed. "Good night, Helios."
"You too."