This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

The house was unremarkable, with weathered walls and a modest garden overgrown with ivy. The faint creak of wood greeted them as Serena pushed open the front door. Inside, the furniture was sparse but functional—two furnished bedrooms, a couch in the living room, a small dining table, and a kitchenette.

Standing in the dimly lit living room was a girl about their age. She turned at their entrance, her dark eyes assessing them cautiously.

Sitting in the dimly lit room, she practically fused with the shadows. Her pale complexion, jet-black hair, and all-black attire only added to the slightly gloomy air around her.

Her hair was cut into a short, uneven bob, with strands framing her face in a way that looked both deliberate and careless. She was slender, almost willowy, her posture slightly hunched as she sat on a stool, as if to make herself less noticeable.

"Hello. I assume you are the students from Dark Moon? I am Lina Crestfall," she said, her voice soft but steady. Although her lack of prolonged eye contact seemed to hint that she was feeling uneasy in their presence.

Kain nodded, stepping forward. "I am Kain," he said pointing to himself and then Serena, "This is Serena. You are Starfire College's choice for this operation, I presume?"

"Correct." Lina's eyes flicked between the two of them before lingering on Serena's face for a moment longer.

Serena spoke next, her tone cool. "You've been briefed on the mission?"

"Only the basics," Lina replied, crossing her arms loosely. "Roman Silverhart, the lab remnants, and the Southern Region's underground networks. I was told to follow your lead once you arrived."

Kain raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Serena. That was a relief. Neither Kain nor Serena were keen on taking orders from someone they'd never worked with before, especially since they had a decent understanding of one another's abilities but knew nothing about hers.

The three sat around the small dining table, the faint hum of the ceiling fan the only sound breaking the silence. Kain leaned back in his chair, studying Lina with casual curiosity.

"I can understand why Serena and I were chosen for this mission," Kain began, tapping his fingers against the table. "We've taken down one of these labs before, and our contracts have unique abilities that are tailored for missions like this. But why were you chosen?"

Lina blinked, surprised at the question. "I wondered the same thing," she admitted. "I'm not even in the top five of my year, so you wouldn't have seen me at the National Tournament—I saw you both compete on TV though so I don't need any convincing on why you were chosen," she said while lowering her head with an embarrassed blush. "And my ability… it's not combat-focused at all, so I don't know how much help I'll be. Even all of my contracts are more focused on healing and support than direct combat"

Kain couldn't help scrunching his eyebrows in confusion. Did they just assign them a partner as dead weight?

"Why then, did they say you were chosen?" Serena asked, her voice neutral but direct.

Lina hesitated for a moment before reaching for her glass of lemonade. "It's easier to show you," she said.

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She lifted the glass and concentrated, her eyes narrowing slightly. After a few moments, Kain and Serena watched as the dissolved sugar in the lemonade began to crystallize, forming tiny white granules that sank to the bottom of the glass.

"I can separate components," Lina explained as she set the glass down. "Anything unnaturally mixed or combined, I can break it apart. But it takes time, and it's… pretty useless in a fight."

Kain tilted his head thoughtfully, his gaze fixed on the sugar crystals. "That's an unusual ability."

"Unusual, but still doesn't make clear why you are critical to be included in this mission," Serena added, her tone measured.

"Exactly," Lina said with a self-deprecating shrug. "I was as surprised as anyone to be assigned to a Black Mission. They just told me I'd be 'useful for dealing with the Bees?' Or Bee-people? It wasn't clear."

Kain's brow furrowed as he exchanged a look with Serena. "Bees…" he murmured, before realization struck. "Do you mean the B-series? The B-series of experiments?"

Lina's eyes widened slightly. "That sounds familiar. Yes, I think that's what they said."

The room grew heavy with an unspoken tension. Kain's jaw tightened, and Serena's usually composed expression darkened.

"What?" Lina asked, her voice tinged with unease. "Why do you both look so upset? Sorry that I'm not super helpful or anything, but—"

"It's not you," Serena interrupted, her voice unusually sharp. She softened it slightly as she continued. "We're not upset about you being our partner. But by the fact that the lab we will be taking down is part of the B-series of experiments..."

Kain nodded grimly. "It's one of the cruelest experimental series for the subjects. They focus on extreme physical and mental modifications by adding animal and mechanical parts to the subject—most of the time, the procedures cause irreversible damage. The casualty rate is also the highest among all of their experiments."

Serena folded her arms, her gaze distant. "If the lab we're after specializes in the B-series, our chances of rescuing all the children taken from Morningstar City… they're much lower than we hoped. It's been over a month now since they were taken…we'd be lucky if even one or two of them are still alive."

Lina's face fell as the weight of their words sank in. "I had no idea…" she murmured. Her voice wavered slightly. "That's horrible."

Kain leaned forward, his tone firm but not unkind. "We've seen firsthand what these labs are capable of. The fact that you're here means someone likely believes that you can help them. If they're working on B-series experiments, then being able to separate components—whatever that means when it comes to people—might be more useful than you think."

Serena nodded, her expression softening slightly. "We'll find out soon enough. For now, get some rest. We start tomorrow."

Lina hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line before she nodded. "Alright."

Serena took the other bedroom, while Kain as the only male was relegated to the couch. However, regardless of the sleeping arrangements, it was difficult for any of them to get a decent night's rest.