Meanwhile, inside an office, Gregory examines the dark, mysterious substance. Gregory's office is dimly lit, the only source of light emanating from a small desk lamp. He sits hunched over his workbench, a thick black coat draped over his shoulders as he inspects the unfamiliar element before him. Gregory then reaches for his microscope and peers through the eyepiece, adjusting the lens until the substance comes into sharp focus.

     A profound silence envelops every corner of the office. Gregory's left eye remains shut, his right eye fixed upon the mysterious material as he studies it intently through the lens of his microscope. Then, Gregory dips his quill pen into an ink jar and scribbles in a notebook, journaling everything he notices.

     Gregory carefully places his notebook and quill on the table beside him. Leaning closer to the microscope, he clutches the device's knob, twisting it slowly. As he does so, the lens adjusts, bringing the material into sharper focus.

     Gregory's gaze remains locked on the dark substance before him, studying through the microscope. Despite his best efforts to adjust the lenses, he cannot bring the device into a sharp focus. Instead, everything appears as a murky, black void. He can see no signs of life within the substance, no bacteria or organisms thriving in its depths.

     The loud, intrusive clicking sound of a rusty grandfather clock ticks behind Gregory. Gregory feels his frustration exalting as he continues to adjust the microscope. With a deep breath, Gregory steadies himself, reaching for the knob again and twisting it further.

     Suddenly, Gregory's eyes widen as he spots something new through the microscope. Clusters of green microorganisms take shape before his eyes—their circular forms grouped like magnets, each bright and neon in colour, with a jelly-like texture. The vibrant green circles glow, contrasting with the dark, lifeless substance.

"Algae..." he murmured to himself, peering through the microscope.

     As he continues to study the algae through the microscope, Gregory suddenly hears the familiar chime of the grandfather clock behind him. The sound echoes through the room, bouncing off the wooden walls. With a sigh, he turns his gaze to the clock, his eyes scanning its face to check the time.

"Eh?? One in the afternoon already?" Gregory exclaimed.

     Gregory grabs his notebook with the quill intact between the pages. He then puts them inside his coat's pockets. Standing up from his seat, Gregory takes the microscope and carries it in his sturdy arms.

     Gregory comes rushing down the stairs towards the front doorway. He then opens the entrance, tightly holding the microscope between his arms. As he is about to step out and close the door, he hears a voice from his back.

"Greg, will you be back soon?" a young teenage boy called out to Gregory.

Gregory turned to face the boy. "I'll just visit a friend. If I go now, I might arrive there by two. You should return home to your parents. I don't want them worrying," Gregory replied.

"But I want to stay here for a while, please. Can I?" the boy asked.

"Did you ask your parents for your permission?" Gregory inquired.

"I did," the boy responded quickly.

"Okay. Stay safe and lock the doors. Bye!" Gregory hurriedly bid farewell to the boy and closed the door behind him.

     Meanwhile, inside Frederick's grand mansion, Oliver and Frederick lounge in the green drawing room. Oliver reads a thick tome filled with endless pages while Frederick enjoys a cigar and a refreshing cocktail. As they relax in the opulent surroundings of the drawing room, a sudden three-round knock on the door.

     Oliver closes the book and carries it with him. He then stands up and stretches his legs. Oliver proceeds to the doorway to open it. When he opens the door, he sees a man on the other side carrying a heavy microscope.

"Greg!" Oliver leapt in surprise.

"Oli!" Gregory rushed inside the room. "I discovered something!"

"Me, too!" Oliver said. "Come!"

     Oliver walks back to the sofa with Frederick, and Gregory follows closely behind. The three men sit on a plush green seat—with Frederick on one end, Gregory in the middle, and Oliver on the other. As he settles, Gregory places the microscope on the table before them.

"Fascinating device," Frederick said, his eyes fixed on the microscope.

"Sir, look through the eyepiece," said Gregory.

Frederick leaned forward, peering through the microscope with intense curiosity. After a few seconds, he spoke, his eyes still fixed on the lens. "What're those green balls?" he wondered.

"Oli, your turn now," Gregory looked at Oliver, smiling.

Oliver eagerly took his turn at the eyepiece, his eyes widening as he gazed at the tiny, vibrant world. "...Algae?" he mumbled.

"Yes," Gregory nodded.

"So, this black, reddish-violet substance has some tiny bits of micro-algae that are invisible to the naked eye?" Oliver queried.

"That's the most noticeable feature," Gregory confirmed.

"Algae are found in water," Oliver mused, his gaze shifting between the substance on the microscope's stage and the pages in his tome. "Hm..." Oliver then flipped to a section in the middle of the book and held it out for Gregory to see. "Greg, look at this." He pointed at a passage on the page.

Gregory leaned forward. "...Pyrovoidians?" Gregory read.

"According to the book, Pyrovoidians spawn underground, typically under the crust of lakes," Oliver explained as he stared at the page.

"Does it have an image or a drawing of what they look like?" Gregory asked as he leaned closer.

"No interpretations yet. But, like the substance we found on the corpses, they both have a dark, reddish-violet colour," Oliver pointed at the book and the material on the microscope.

"...Lakes. You said 'lakes'? The biggest lake in the world is in Asbranne," Gregory said.

"It won't be a surprise if those Pyrovoidians live in that lake. The chance of that hypothesis being true is likely since they're after a human-kean hybrid, and an example of a human-kean hybrid is a Podeshire, like me," Oliver stated. "And that Podeshire lives in Asbranne."

"What?" Gregory's brow furrowed as he leaned nearer Oliver's face.

"I must get ready," Oliver sighed.

"Wait, don't tell me you're going there, Oliver," Frederick's eyes widened in alarm.

"I have to. I must search around the lake, confront these creatures, and stop them from killing Asbrannians. It's my duty as a Podeshire," Oliver responded with a confident look. "...I'm the Defender of Asbranne."

"No, I shall come with you, Oli," Gregory placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"You must stay here to avoid harming yourself," Oliver placed his palm above Gregory's hand.

"But you're my friend. I wouldn't let you go alone," Gregory replied, gripping Oliver's hands tightly. "It's a promise I made to you since the day we met, right?"

"Night," Oliver corrected his friend with a smirk and a snicker. "We met at night."

     Oliver looks behind Gregory and glances at Frederick. Oliver then smiles at his adoptive father with a reassuring tone. Hair begins to tense as it is finally time to start a journey.