The next day after Soren and Jesper woke up they shared some conversation over breakfast.
"Any plans for the day?" Soren asked his little brother as he ate a piece of a waffle he made.
"Just checking up on my bacteria colonies. I do need some more agar solution though, so I'll have to run out for a bit." Jesper replied.
"You really are invested in those huh?" Soren asked. Jesper nodded.
"I am," Jesper said. "I think if I'm able to understand organisms on a smaller scale it will help grow my comprehension of more complex beings, and if I can figure that out, it'll open up a lot of possibilities for even more complicated research." He explained. Soren smiled.
"It makes me happy that you're so interested in learning new things. You're a very smart kid, you know that?" Soren said.
"It's something to do," Jesper said nonchalantly. "After all, I don't leave much so being able to do anything that helps me learn something new is a plus. Who knows, maybe someday I'll get enough understanding of the human body to help you get strong enough to fully manage your powers."
Soren simply laughed and ruffled his brother's hair a bit.
"Don't worry too much about me. I get by just fine. After all, when would I be put in a situation where I need to tap into my full strength?" Soren mentioned.
"Well, that's fair, I guess," Jesper replied. "Still, I'd like to keep up my research so that we can understand ourselves better someday."
"A noble cause, Jes. You're definitely one of the smartest and most sensible kids of your age." Soren said, complementing him.
"All I'm doing is building off of the intellect I inherited from our dad. We had quite the head start in that department." Jesper responded.
"You're right. Still, your inquisitive mind is something of your own, and I'm proud you using your intellect to further your understanding of the world." Soren said. "Anyways, I'll give you some money and you can go and grab your supplies. I actually may run to the market and grab some things for dinner. Do you have any preferences tonight?" Soren asked.
"Maybe some sausage rolls? Those ones you make with the sweet sausage and cheese in the flaky crust?" Jesper asked.
"Oh yeah, I can do that. I'll get some meat from the butcher while I'm out." Soren told him. "I'll even make extra so there's some left to heat up whenever you want them."
"That sounds great. Thank you Soren." Jesper said politely.
"Of course. Anything for my little brother." Soren replied with a smile. Even though Jesper was a rather blank slate when it came to showing emotions, Soren knew his brother was showing he was happy about something in his own way. "Well, I'll go and get dressed and then we can go. I'll start working on the puff pastry for the sausage rolls when I get back."
"Okay," Jesper said as they both went to get dressed. A few minutes later Jesper came down in a simple outfit of a long-sleeved shirt, and his black winter coat. Soren was behind him in a black button-down shirt along with some gray chinos and a white jacket that went down around his knees. Once they headed out, Soren gave Jesper some money for his expenses and they both went on their way.
While he was young, Jesper was often allowed to go out on his own. Due to the fact they lived in a rather secluded town in the middle of their snowy region, and the population consisted exclusively of normal humans, there wasn't much to worry about. Even Jesper, who wasn't very trained in fighting, would be strong enough to fend for himself if there was trouble. As Jesper walked down the streets he navigated his way to the facility he got a lot of his equipment from. Once there he went up to the glass doors and buzzed in. The doors opened for him immediately as he went up to the counter.
"Master Andreasson, what brings you here?" A woman of dark complexion asked. Her hair was tied neatly into a braid behind her back, and she donned a white lab coat, goggles on her head, as well as some gloves and other lab gear. She was typically the person who answered for Jesper.
"I told you you don't have to call me that. Jesper is just fine." Jesper told her politely.
"Of course, my mistake Jesper." She replied. "Anyways, what can I do for you?" She asked.
"I need some agar solution, I'm close to running out." Jesper explained.
"Wow, you must have been busy, you bought quite a substantial amount last time." She commented.
"I've been working a lot with various types of bacteria and living cells that I've been suspending in it, especially now." He said.
"I see, I see. Unfortunately, we haven't gotten any in for a while now. Actually, a lot of our supplies out west have stopped coming in because the person who usually travels to deliver it quit and they can't find a replacement. Most people are either too afraid or are of questionable motivation." The woman explained further.
"Afraid?" Jesper asked.
"Yes. A lot of people are hesitant to travel here because it is the heart of where your father lived. While no one really knows about you or your siblings, they do still get a bit on edge about setting foot in here. It's almost as if they think it's haunted." She said. "The only willing person they had to do our shipments didn't even know, but still, he would drop everything off and leave as soon as possible. He claimed even the sight of your home up the hill over there would send chills down his spine."
"Wow…I guess I never realized." Jesper replied.
"That being said, as I mentioned they aren't aware of you or your siblings so in theory you could go out there and buy some if you wanted. I'd advise you to keep your status as an Andreasson on the down low though." She recommended.
"Right…" Jesper responded hesitantly. "The thing is…I never left the town here in my life. I don't know how to even go there."
"It's pretty simple, exit from here and take a left, go to the border where the treeline starts and there will be a walked-over path that leads out that way. It's a bit of a hike, so I would recommend some sort of vehicle I'd you have one." The woman told him.
"Right. I could probably take my bike. I added a motor onto it when I was working more with electronics." Jesper said. "Do you have the address of where I'm supposed to go?"
"That I do!" She said as she took out a piece of paper and wrote the address down. "It's a warehouse-type building like this one, but on a much larger scale. You should be able to find it rather easily."
"Perfect, thank you," Jesper said before turning to exit. "Have a nice day."
"And you as well. Let me know how things go next time you're here."
"Okay." He said before leaving the facility and going back to his home to get his bike.
Once he got home and got his motorized bike started up he began riding his way out of town, following the instructions the woman at the facility gave him. He didn't know what to expect when he passed the treeline, but what could really be that different? What was one group of plain old humans to the next for a person like him? In any case, he wasn't planning on doing much sightseeing, just grabbing his things and going.
The path was long. Real long. It was no wonder no one went out either way to these places as they may as well be disconnected from one another at this length. Not to mention the geography was changing as well, going from the snowy area he was in to a warmer, greener region. After losing track of how much time he was riding out there Jesper started to make heads or tails of a nearby civilization.
"Must be it." He said to himself as he rode in, breaking past the forest. There was a clear divide between the treeline and the inhabited area he was entering as he transitioned from a dirt trail to pavement. The area he was in was almost exclusively paved, with plants in designated areas for aesthetics. Buildings tall and short were butted up against one another in a compact manner. It gave the vibe of being the outskirts of a larger civilization, as there were a lot of empty buildings, but they weren't in disrepair or looked abandoned, just out of service. At least, that was the impression until Jesper peeked into one and saw some people. It was a small group of people that looked preoccupied until Jesper stuck his head in. Once he did, a couple of them immediately looked up. Sensing a negative feeling from them, Jesper decided to hop on his bike and ride a little further into town so as to not cause any trouble.
Unfortunately for Jesper, this outskirts area seemed to last quite a while, with things looking the same as he went further in. This made Jesper think that either the area as a whole was massive, or that this was just it. Either way, he was pretty lost as to where to go. Most of the buildings were empty or presumably occupied by groups like the one he saw earlier.
"This has to be some sort of residential community," Jesper said softly to himself as he looked around. "Maybe there will be a of conglomerate of shops if I look around enough." So, he continued to look around until either he found something of use or someone who could help him.
After wheeling his bike around for a while, getting lost amidst the repetitive empty buildings, he finally was surprised by something that broke the monotony.
"Hey. What ya lookin for?" A gruff-sounding female asked from behind him, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. He turned around.
"Oh, hello. I'm looking for a place where they sell bulk agar solution and other chemicals." Jesper responded, looking at the woman. She was around his height, sporting some long deep crimson hair pulled back into a ponytail and big brown eyes. She wore a pair of light blue jeans and a black leather jacket with a tank top underneath. Next to her was a man of a slim yet muscular build. He had some short spiky brown hair, hazel eyes and a load of tattoos that started at his neck and covered his body, all of which looked like different flowers and plant life as thorny rose stems wrapped around most of his extremities. He was a few inches taller than both of them and donned a T-shirt, black hoodie, and some dark gray jeans.
"Dunno where a place like that exists, kid." The woman said, sounding like she was blowing off his question before laying a finger on his chest. "What I'd like to know is who the hell you are." She said, staring daggers at him. It didn't take Jesper long to realize that these two weren't just some passerbys, they were the people who saw him peek his head into their building when he arrived in this strange place. They must have followed him all the way out here. Why? How? That was beyond Jesper, but whatever it was, it did not seem like a promising situation.
"Oh, I'm just passing through looking for a shop I was told was out here. I'm not here for any trouble." Jesper said simply.
"That doesn't answer my question." The woman responded, demandingly. "Who the hell are you? Who do you belong to?"
"What?" Jesper asked. "I don't think I belong to anyone."
"Oh?" She asked curiously.
"I…don't really even know what you mean by that to be entirely honest," Jesper replied.
"And yet you're out here. You know screwed up big time kid." She said, sounding a bit more threatening as she snatched his bike. "Wandering around this area without any sorta affiliation has to be one of the dumbest things you could ever do. To think your kind would know that."
This kid…I think he's a descendant of the Andreasson bloodline. She thought.
"You think?" The guy next to her asked.
Look at those eyes, the thick pointy lines around em like some sorta bad mascara job. That purple hair and eyes too. By everything I know this kid is part if not all Andreasson right here. She thought before looking over at her partner with a smirk. That means if we take this kid down and show we managed to not only find but bag an Andreasson, we'll be praised like gods.
"That's dangerous, you know." Her partner replied. "You don't know what he's capable of." He whispered. Jesper was rather confused as it seemed like he was having a one-way conversation.
Hah, please! Like this kid could do anything, he looks clueless. Besides, after all these years, I doubt any Andreasson could stand up to one of us. We're way past their dumb power no doubt. She thought.
The man simply rolled his eyes.
"If you insist. Things go downhill, you're on your own." He said.
"Tell me kid, if I told ya to come back with us, you'd probably say no huh?" She asked, looking right into his eyes.
"Well…yes. I really would rather get what I need and get back home." Jesper replied.
"I figured as much. Of course you'd turn us down, Andreasson." She said, which took Jesper a bit by surprise.
"You knew?" Jesper asked.
"Well yeah, it's kinda obvious. That just sucks for you though cuz you're coming with us, and we're not planning on you being alive either!" She said as she pulled a knife out so quickly it almost seemed like it came from thin air. She then stabbed Jesper before he could even move. As Jesper bent over, the man grabbed his arms and restrained him as he was stabbed a couple more times in different spots of his stomach and chest.
"C-crap…" Jesper said softly as he started rapidly bleeding out. Despite that, his expression still seemed…neutral, as if this was more of an inconvenience than a life-threatening situation.
"Really, that's it?!" She asked, sounding frustrated, her knife dripping blood. "What did getting stabbed not phase you?" She asked before thrusting her blade into him once again.
"No…it did…" Jesper replied quietly, blood starting to dribble from his mouth. He tried to wiggle his hands a bit but was too weak to move them at all.
"Well then why don't you act like it?!" She said before going to jam her fingers into one of the wounds. "h-huh?" She looked down and noticed the initial wound she had made was already closed up most of the way. While Jesper was being restrained, she tore his shirt a bit and wiped away the blood to see that the cut she had left was regenerating quickly. "so that's it…I suppose I underestimated your abilities after all." She said before looking up at him. "You're just toying with me aren't you?"
Jesper shook his head.
"Not really. You caused a lot of damage. If things keep going like this, I'll probably die." Jesper told her in a voice that was as plain as ever. This just made her growl.
"We should give this up." The man holding Jesper said. "I have a bad feeling we're really playing with fire."
"Hell no! We're not just gonna give up cuz of this dumb kid. If he says we can kill him, then let's take him down!" She argued.
"Are you seriously that stupid? This kid could probably murder us in an instant if he wa-" He was interrupted by his partner giving Jesper a swift punch to the gut.
"Bullshit!" She said as Jesper coughed blood onto her. "We're members of The Head Of David! We're known to slay kings! This is our chance to not just take down the son of a mere king, but a god of his time! You're seriously gonna throw that away over some kid who won't - " She punched him again. "- fight -" another punch "ba-" Before her hand could reach Jesper a third time it was stopped. The man holding Jesper flew back onto the ground instantaneously with Jesper standing, beat up, and taken by surprise by what he saw.
"The next move you make will be your last, so if you want to die, at least make the fight worth my time." The person said. All three of them simply looked in shock, all for different reasons.