Erica, Irene and I all stood in the elevator. Irene pressed the button, the elevator starting to descend. Lily was currently placing Xena in a guest room and staying with her so she doesn't freak out upon awaking.
The elevator doors opened. We exited, now in the Research and Development basement floor. I've been here before, but not many times.
We passed the glass walls where you could see the scientists working. We walked down the hallway, entering a room with a very large computer set up.
The main monitor was the size of a tv, with multiple more computer-sized monitors on the sides.
"Usb." Irene stated.
I tossed it to her. She caught it in her hand, plugging it into the computer. The files immediately popped up onto the computer.
"Click that one." Erica stated. "Arcana Analysis #1."
Irene clicked on it, a written paragraph popping up on the screen.
"For some strange reason we haven't been able to identity the Arcana of Experiment X." Irene read. "We also haven't been able to get a lock on her Arcana's Rank. It may be our outdated equipment, but I believe that something else is going on."
"Weird..." Erica muttered. "Try the next one."
Irene clicked on Arcana Analysis #2, reciting the passage. "We have made an incredible discovery. The reason why our equipment isn't working to analyze Experiment X's Arcana is because it can't. The Arcana is too powerful."
"It's innate power is stronger than any other Arcana that I have seen. Strong enough that this machine won't even read it. It's at least S Rank...but maybe even more." Irene continued.
"I am continuing to analyze the data I have acquired from the blood of Experiment X. If what I'm theorizing is true, then we've made history." Irene finished.
"Do you...really think?" Erica muttered. "An Arcana stronger than an S Rank?"
"I do believe it is possible for a rank above S." Irene stated. "However, I don't know if this will be it."
Irene clicked onto the final Arcana Analysis. "We have made history." She read. "We have unlocked the first Arcana above an S Rank."
"We're not sure how exactly these circumstances led to this, but we theorize the combination of an early awakening and a strong child is what allowed this." She continued.
"However, we theorize that the chance for the Arcana to be above S Rank is at least a one-in-a-million. We're not completely sure, but you could say it was a miracle it happened." We followed the passage.
"This will change everything. The Du Lac's will make history and become one of the strongest, if not the strongest power in the world with Experiment X. She is quite literally one of a kind. No one's Arcana will match to hers. With training, she will become the strongest person alive. In her honor, we're calling this new discovery the X Rank." Irene finished.
"This is crazy." Erica stated. She turned to Irene. "I don't trust those scientists. Can you confirm this?"
"I'll be able to analyze her." Irene stated. "And without taking blood, our equipment isn't as outdated as theirs. I'll wait until tomorrow, however." Irene stated.
"Thank you." I nodded.
No doubt Xena wouldn't want to have any more analyzing done on her. But if I let her know it will be alright and no blood will be taken, I think it will be fine.
"Now then." Irene stated. "I have been doing some analyzing of my own, and I want to do an experiment. I'll need your help, Ken."
"Is this something dangerous?" I asked.
"It shouldn't be." Irene replied. "I would never put you into danger."
"I know." I kissed her on the cheek. "So, what is it?"
"Follow me." Irene replied. We walked out of the room, heading to one of the scientist labs. All of them stopped and turned to look at us.
"It's ready!" A scientist stated.
"Good." Irene nodded. "Bring it out."
They pulled out a machine which had a metal base and multiple hanging wires. On the metal base was a single chair bolted still onto the base.
"What...is this?" Erica and I questioned.
"This is...what we call The Arcana Upgrader." Irene stated.
My eyes widened as I looked at the device. "This is it?" I gasped.
"Woah, no way?!" Erica shrieked in happy surprise.
"That's right." Irene replied. "This is the machine which we developed that upgrades a person's Arcana. We've tested it on multiple and it's worked without any side-effects."
"However, we haven't successfully upgraded an S Ranked Arcana." Irene stated. "Iris has let me test the machine with her, and no matter what item we use as a catalyst it doesn't work."
"However, we now have a catalyst which I believe is strong enough." Irene continued. She walked over to a table, picking up a crooked and familiar horn...
"Is that-?" Erica gasped.
"The Demon King's horn." Irene stated. "We analyzed his decapitated head, and magical energy was still stored inside of it, basically turning it into a magical item."
"Kind of like Medusa's head?" I asked.
"Yes." Irene nodded. "However, his gaze doesn't turn people to stone. Once we examined it, we discovered that most of the magical energy resides in his horns."
"So you think that we could possibly upgrade an S Ranked Arcana to an...X Ranked?" I asked.
"If anything could do it, it would be this." Irene confidently stated. "I won't do it if you don't want to...but nothing bad should happen if it doesn't work."
"I'm up for it." I nodded. "Let's do it."
"Alright." Irene replied. "Sit down onto the chair."
I moved over to the chair, sitting down in it. "Erica." Irene said. "Attach those wires to his body. There should be one wire for each main section.
"Oh...alright." Erica nodded. She grabbed the wires, attaching them to my skin with some sort of sticky circle at the end of them. One went onto my forehead, another on my chest, one per arm and one per leg.
Irene grabbed the horn. Hitting a button on the stand, a little compartment opened up. She placed the horn inside, before shutting the compartment. She then started to strap my arms and legs to the chair.
"Are you sure this isn't dangerous?" I questioned. "You're strapping me in."
"This shouldn't hurt. Unless the others lied." Irene shook her head. "However, it will make your body shake, going by previous tests."
"Alright..." I replied. "I trust you."
"Thank you." Irene smiled at me.
She and Erica with the rest of the scientists exited the room, standing behind the glass. They watched me, Irene pulling out the remote which would start this.
"You being out there doesn't make me feel better!" I called out to her.
"Magical discharge." Irene stated.
"What?" I questioned.
She pressed the button.
The machine under me started to rumble and glow. A strange feeling started at the tip of my toes, slowly moving up my body and giving me chills.
It then started to become stronger, like some sort of electric shock. My body started to shake, easily breaking the restraints she shackled me in.
"Probably should have gotten stronger ones..." She sweatdropped.
"Is he alright?" Erica questioned. "I'd love for this to work...but..."
I continued to shake, my body moving against my will as this strange feeling flooded my senses. It felt like I was overcharged, power radiating throughout my body.
And then it happened. A big boom resounded throughout the room as a wave of power emitted from me and the strange feeling died down. The wave of power knocked over everything around us, leaving the room a mess.
"What was that?!" Erica gasped.
"Magical discharge." Irene stated.
I'm front of me, a floating book appeared. As I looked at it, I realized what had just happened.
"I don't feel any stronger..." Loki muttered.
That's because it upgraded Medea...
"Oh..." Loki replied.
Irene and Erica entered the room again. "How do you feel?" She asked.
"Normal. Doesn't really feel as if anything had changed." I replied, pulling off the wires from my body.
"An Arcana's Rank pertains to it's potential, not power. Though an Arcana with more potential will become more powerful." Irene explained. "So until you do some training, you won't feel stronger."
"Did Loki learn how to morph into a book?" Erica curiously asked.
"About that..." I replied.
I never did tell them about how I stole Kurobei's Arcana. I explained to the two of them how I did that by taking the fading soul and fusing it to myself.
"Ken." Irene firmly stated. "Never do that again."
"I won't." I promised.
"Good." She nodded. "The soul is something we know frighteningly little about, especially with how important it is. Messing with it could lead to ruin."
"It is pretty cool that you have two Arcana's though." Erica smiled.
Irene pulled out the horn from the compartment. It crumbled to dust in her hand.
"Hmm. You said it was A Rank?" Irene questioned. "Let's go analyze. It should have at least made it S Rank."
She brought me over to another machine in another room. It was some sort of scanner. Having the book float in the middle of it, the metal scanner arms rotated around me.
"This will measure the magical energy of the Arcana and rank it." Irene explained.
She let the scanners analyze the Arcana, before the data displayed. Looking at it, her smiled widened. "Look at this.." She muttered happily.
Erica and I looked at it. The magical energy quite literally shot off of the charts.
"It's an X Rank." Irene whispered. "It's real. It's possible..."
"Holy..." Erica muttered. "This is...groundbreaking..."
"We can't tell anyone." Irene stated. She glanced at Erica. "Except for the other sisters. But nobody else can know. Not yet. Those Du Lac scientists, as much as I hate to admit it because of their horrific methods, were right."
"This will change history." Irene informed us. "So we must wait, or else Ken could get an even bigger target painted on his back."
"Damn Assassin's League..." Erica growled.
"Hey Irene." I grabbed her attention. "There's a second horn, right? What are you going to do with that?"
"I do not know." Irene replied. "It's a very powerful magical item. I'll probably place it in the deepest part of our Artifact Treasury."
"I have an idea." I stated.
"What is it?" She asked.
"You use it to upgrade your own Arcana." I suggested.
"...what?" She replied, looking at me with widened eyes.
"Use it to upgrade your own Arcana." I stated once more. "If anybody deserves it, you do. You've done so much for me...this is my gift to you."
"...thank you." Irene blushed.
"No problem." I smiled. "Now, I'm going to head to bed. I'll see you two tomorrow."
We headed back upstairs. And as I headed back to my own room, I heard a yawn sound in my head. It made me freeze.
Why...was it feminine?
"What the...?" A feminine voice asked. "Where the hell am I?!"
"What the hell?!" Loki shouted. "Why is there a woman in MY castle?!"