A monotone beeping, the annoying kind had started to echo within the room as the crescent moon had taken its place in the night sky. While he could be running amok his dream world, enjoying the serenity of what it could bring, Aonaka had come to the sad realisation that he needed some budget before making his leave, away from Oak to take care of himself. He felt a heavy, thick sense of anxiety like a knot on his throat refusing to go down. He raised himself up to his bed and made sure to close the alarm, he wanted Panthello to not wake up, but the mammal was already awake, looking around with big innocent eyes. Aonaka gave the mammal a smile and pat its head. "Sorry, buddy. I woke you up," he told to the bat, who only responded with climbing on Aonakas shoulder. The bat was placed down on the bed quickly after however as Aonaka told it to wait as he got ready. The personality of the bat was known well by its master, so it was certain that the bat would refuse to stay at home at this hour, alone, while Aonaka was out there doing whatever. The cold hands of the night were quite the troublesome ones, reaching in from the even the smallest gap, stroking everyone with their chilling spell.

The bathroom door creaked and then closed with a medium loud noise, as one could call that. The mage needed a warm bath before leaving for his job, one that he had already agreed to do twice. Doctor Mabuz was the client, but then why had something felt so, so wrong about this? What if he didn't do the mission twice? What if he couldn't get to do it twice? The small shaking of doctors hand was not missed by the beastmaster, who smelled the smallest sense of fear and anxiety and in turn, bathed within them in his sleep. Bad.

The warm water was relaxing enough, he felt much better than he first did. Perhaps it was waking up to a still dark sky, perhaps it was the grogginess of waking up at such hour, or maybe even perhaps it was the nightmares he did not remember having. The reason was not important anymore as Aonaka put on his undershirt, shirt and then sweater on. Combed his messy wet hair and allowed a smoke to find its way to his lips. A small movement of pressure and the lighter was lit. The poison rushed through his throat to his lungs and then outside the open window for he hated the scent left afterwards.

When it was time to go, Aonaka would pick up the mammal and carry him on his hands to keep him warm. However Panthello wasn't cold, so perhaps it was the reality was another way around. They mazed through the streets of Oak that felt a bit more hostile at two am of the day. Even a bit unfamiliar, the gaze they had gotten used to were not the place itself but perhaps the vendors, the magical puffs of smoke of shops and other similar. Without realising, perhaps they cared and hoped about the inhabitants of this place rather than the actual place itself. Finally, they turned around an alleyway that felt close to their memories and quickly realised that this was the alleyway that would go to Mabuz' shop. Panthello climbed on Aonaka's shoulder instead of standing in his arms after this and rubbed his chin very slightly to the mages head to show affection.

They opened the Mabuz' shop and the shock was already there. The bell wasn't there, the same bell they had heard so many times whenever they made their way to Mabuz' shop, that would always signify some sort of the beginning was not there. The anxiety swelled and spun in Aonaka's stomach like an orb of water. The tense behaviour of the doctor wasn't helping either. "Alright, here I am," Aonaka said, more like hissed, to the doctor, trying to compose himself. The doctor stood up, he was tense, his movements contracted and pointed to the back room as he started to talk. "I've been working on a mixture... you see..." the doctor claimed. "I had the effects accidentally manifest on me... but I have to see more people do it, willingly to see how it affects them." the doctor added to his explanation.

Apparently, Aonaka wasn't the first one to get this done on himself. That relaxed him a little bit more.

The secret room behind the bookcase didn't surprise anyone. Aonaka had worked with Mabuz enough at this point to realise he had many secrets and resources to make mad scientist dreams come true. They stepped into the foul-smelling room and Aonaka quickly covered his nose and mouth with his forearm. "Ugh, the hell," he exclaimed. The doctor showed no care however so Aonaka used one of his spells to fill the room with the smell of lime that only he and Panthello could get. This made it a bit more withstandable to stay in the room. Mabuz would then point at the chair with belts on it which the beastmaster would sit.

And realise the horrors that were about to come.

He was strapped into the chair and Mabuz was quick to inject him white Claudia, the thick white drug. The moment it was in, Aonaka cried out in pain. A thick fog erupted everywhere in his vision. Covered the room and it looked like he was standing on an endless, foggy platform. Then, however, metallic clanking sounds came to be and the world started to melt away to its bones. Industrial scenery rotted its way to reality, blood covered the walls and bone-chilling objects placed themselves around the room. The scariest thing was, however, what Mabuz was now. His head a fleshy, elastic orb that was attached to his body flinging around and twitching at high speed. The bizarre scene was enough to make Aonaka scream in absolute dread and terror, like no other and he woke up on the ground.

Mabuz was quiet when he gave him his reward. He told him to be quiet and meet him for the second part of the test afterwards and how he had signed a contract.

Aonaka felt his mistakes crawling around his body as he walked home and started a well-deserved rest. Just what was white Claudia?

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