Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 78: No Time (1)

Commander Fred was confused and surprised when he got a call from the knights watching over the sealed dungeon.

He was told the dungeon started trembling out of nowhere and was seemingly falling apart. Without delay, he rushed over to the dungeon.

The commander arrived on the scene only to see pieces of the monolith falling off. He turned to the captain in charge, enquiring about the situation.

But the captain had no explanation to give, and all their men who were sent inside quickly rushed out after trying to find the whereabouts of the prisoner.

"What about that Caleb fella?" The commander asked.

"I’m sorry, commander." The captain said. "But that man’s whereabouts have been lost for some time now. We don’t know if he’s still alive."

While it was expected, the commander held a bit of hope for Caleb. His instincts told him that Caleb was one of a kind, and the conversation he’d had with the Duchess said the same.

She was interested in getting Caleb to work for her.

’It’s a shame things had to end like this.’ The commander sighed as he looked at the collapsing dungeon. ’The entrance isn’t sealed yet. Maybe...’

He considered going in there to see if he could find any traces of Caleb, however, he didn’t know how long the structure would hold.

However, close to the half-hour mark of the beginning of all this, the dungeon rumbled loudly as something shot out of the entrance, too fast for anyone to see, even for him.

"What was that?!" Commander Fred turned to look back towards the direction the projectile shot. But before he could move, the whole structure finally came down.

"Maybe..." Fred muttered as he left his men to investigate.

The commander was welcomed to a crater several tens of meters away from the dungeon’s structure. The dust was still settling, but Fred could see the silhouette of someone within.

"C-Caleb...?" Fred called out softly, approaching the crater with a bit of caution. His eyes widened in shock when the silhouette became clear.

"Oh, commander..." Caleb turned around to see the commander standing at the edge of the crater he stood in. "What’s up?" He asked with a small grin.

"You’re still alive..." Fred looked at him carefully, not sure if it was actually the man or a monster.

"In the flesh." Caleb replied as he climbed out of the crater. "Were expecting someone else?" His carefree attitude and response hadn’t changed, telling the commander all he needed to know.

Commander Fred remained glued to his spot as Caleb came to stand face-to-face with him. And from what the commander could tell, the man looked and felt stronger than before.

’There’s no signature... But I can tell.’ The commander inwardly gulped.

"Were you the cause of the dungeon collapsing?" He actually asked. "You must know, something like this rarely happens..."

"Yeah...?" Caleb replied like he wasn’t sure himself. "The monsters were tough as nails, but I still came out unscathed. As for the dungeon collapsing... well." He gave the universal body language for ’I don’t know’.

"Right..." Fred looked at him suspiciously and then sighed. "In any case, it looks like you completed your punishment." He understood that Caleb had his own secrets and he had no right to pry them out of Caleb’s hands.

"I’ll have to take you to the duchess. There are some official things you have to fulfil to confirm the completion of your punishment."

"Of course." Caleb smiled, his gaze turning in the direction of the collapsed dungeon. The dust rising into the air all but confirmed the collapse of the dungeon. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Then there were the motes of light that began to rise from the rubble. ’The entire structure was energy based.’ Caleb thought. ’For a core to power all this... it must be somehow capable of regenerating the lost energy.’

His guess was spot on, and with such a power source powering up his whole existence that was much smaller, he basically had an infinite source of energy.

’This is broken as fuck.’

A sudden call from the commander’s communication artefact caught their attention. Caleb paid attention as the commander took the call.

"My Lady?" Fred replied, waiting for the message the duchess had for him.

"Fred, we have a problem in the capital and they need your help." Her voice sounded urgent, and the news surprised him. "Get there as fast as you can. There’s no time to waste."

"Yes, Ma’am." Fred accepted the order. He looked at Caleb for a moment and decided to inform her. "Our mutual friend has completed his punishment."

"What...?" There was surprise in her tone. "Since when?"

"Not long ago." Fred replied. "I was planning on bringing him to see you."

"..."

No reply came for a few seconds as the duchess thought of what to do. Just like the commander, she too was surprised to hear it.

"Bring him to me."

"Yes." Fred nodded as the call came to an end. "Come on, let’s go." He turned to walk towards the dungeon area, Caleb right beside him.

"How is Jess?" Caleb suddenly asked. "Did you deliver my message to her?"

"Yes, I did." The commander replied. "But she is currently out of the duchy, and in the capital right now." Fred gave the knights instructions to vacate the area as there was no need to stay, walking towards his ride.

"I’ll come with you." Caleb said with a serious face. "If there is something happening in the capital, I need to make sure she is alright. She’s the only person I know here."

"No." Fred shook his head. "You heard what the duchess said. I’m taking you to her."

"That can wait." Caleb refused; his stance clear on the matter. "Either you take me with you, or I go myself. Trust me, no one will be able to stop him."

The commander climbed his horse as he stared at Caleb calmly. The words Caleb said sounded like a threat, but he also knew Caleb was right; it was an instinctual warning.

"Fine..." Fred conceded with a sigh. "Get a ride, we’re headed to the city."

"No need." Caleb shook his head, confusing the commander. "There’s no time to waste." Before the commander could even say anything else, Caleb acted.

In one swift motion, he grabbed the commander, putting him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes before disappearing from the scene, leaving everyone gawking like idiots.

"The fuck...?" The knights muttered in absolute shock for many reasons.