The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: The Mysterious Substance

Back at the headquarters, the storage room had become unusually crowded.

Octavia stood at the front of the room with Zyra, Vorlan, the three women, and several members from the Fourth and Fifth Orders gathered behind them. In front of them was a large collection of treasures recovered from the bandit hideout—piles of gold coins, gemstones, weapons, valuable materials, and various other items that had been stored away by the organization.

Zyra looked over the gathered treasures before turning toward Octavia.

"Lady Octavia, regarding the operation, we successfully annihilated the bandit organization and recovered everything of value from their hideout."

"Good work."

Octavia smiled as she looked over the piles of treasure.

"To think that in such a short amount of time, we’ll be seeing this much..."

She paused for a moment, seemingly appreciating the amount they had brought back.

However, Vorlan’s expression remained serious.

"Lady Octavia, there is something else."

Octavia’s smile faded slightly as she turned toward him.

"Something else?"

"Yes. During the operation, we encountered something that requires our attention."

He briefly glanced at Zyra before continuing.

"The bandit boss possessed a strange substance. He injected it into himself during the battle, and his body changed almost immediately. His size increased, his physical strength rose considerably, and the energy surrounding him changed as well."

Octavia’s expression became more serious.

"What kind of energy?"

"It was difficult to identify precisely," Vorlan replied. "But there was no mistaking the demonic presence within it. The energy was mixed with another force, something we had never encountered before."

The room fell silent.

Octavia looked toward Zyra.

"Is that accurate?"

Zyra nodded.

"It is. I felt the change myself. Whatever he injected into his body wasn’t simply a stimulant. The energy was completely different from ordinary magic."

Octavia’s gaze returned to Vorlan.

"Did you find anything else?"

"Unfortunately, no. We searched the hideout thoroughly, but there were no records explaining the substance or where it came from. However, the demonic energy we sensed from him was overflowing. It was far too strong to be something that happened naturally."

One of the women from the Fourth Order spoke up.

"If someone has developed a substance capable of forcing that kind of transformation, then the bandit boss may not have been the only one using it."

Another member of the Fifth Order nodded.

"Exactly. If the substance can enhance the body while carrying demonic energy, there is a possibility that they are experimenting with something far more dangerous."

The third woman folded her arms.

"And if the bandit organization was only obtaining the substance from someone else, then the people behind it are still out there."

Octavia remained silent for several moments.

She had already understood where the conversation was heading.

"Those findings may have a connection to the laboratory."

The atmosphere immediately became heavier.

"If they have developed something that can be injected into a person to increase their strength, then that experiment is unlikely to be their only achievement. There may be other substances, other experiments, or even other people who have undergone the same process."

Vorlan nodded.

"That was our conclusion as well."

Octavia looked around the storage room before speaking calmly.

"Everyone from the Fourth and Fifth Orders can leave. Take the recovered items to the appropriate storage areas and organize everything before reporting the final inventory."

The members immediately bowed.

"Understood, Lady Octavia."

One after another, they left the storage room.

Once the doors closed, only Octavia, Zyra, and Vorlan remained.

"Zyra, Vorlan, follow me."

The two nodded.

They left the storage room and proceeded deeper into the headquarters, eventually reaching the organization’s meeting room.

Inside were several important figures already waiting.

The four Black Roses were seated around the table, while six of the Seven Crowns and six of the Reapers were also present.

The room was quiet as Octavia entered with Zyra and Vorlan.

She took her place at the head of the table.

"We have discovered something that requires everyone’s attention."

Vorlan stepped forward and began explaining what had happened.

"The operation itself was successful, but the bandit boss revealed something unexpected during the battle. When he realized that he was losing, he injected an unknown substance into his body."

He carefully described the transformation—the sudden increase in size, the growth of his muscles, and the dramatic increase in physical strength.

"The most concerning part was the energy that appeared afterward. We could clearly sense demonic energy within it, but it wasn’t purely demonic. There was another form of energy mixed with it, and we were unable to identify its exact nature."

One of the Black Roses leaned forward.

"Did you recover the substance?"

"No," Vorlan replied. "The vial was empty, and we found nothing else that could identify its origin."

Another member of the Seven Crowns spoke.

"Then the question is where the substance came from."

"Most likely the laboratory," one of the Reapers said. "We’ve already suspected that they are conducting experiments involving demonic energy. If they have now developed a method of forcing that energy into a human body while enhancing its physical abilities, then the situation may be more serious than we previously believed."

A Black Rose nodded.

"And if the bandit boss was given the substance rather than developing it himself, then someone must have supplied it to him."

"Which means there may be more test subjects," another Crown added.

The room fell silent once again.

Octavia listened carefully to every word before finally speaking.

"We don’t know enough to draw a definite conclusion yet. However, the similarities with the previous report are too significant to ignore."

She looked toward Vorlan.

"Did you sense the same demonic energy mentioned in yesterday’s report?"

"Not exactly the same," Vorlan answered. "But there were enough similarities that I believe they may be connected."

Zyra leaned back in her chair.

"So we may have stumbled across another piece of the same problem."

"Perhaps," Octavia said.

Her expression remained calm, but her eyes had become noticeably sharper.

"Until we have more information, we will treat this as a possible connection to the laboratory. Increase surveillance around the areas mentioned in the previous reports, and if anyone discovers another case involving this substance or that particular energy, report it immediately."

Everyone around the table nodded.

"Understood."

Octavia leaned back slightly.

"For now, we will continue gathering information. If the laboratory is truly involved, then sooner or later, they will leave behind something we can trace."

The meeting continued, with the members discussing the previous reports and comparing the details they had gathered so far.

What had initially appeared to be nothing more than another bandit operation had now become another thread leading toward something far more dangerous.

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