In the dead of the night, the creaking of a bed echoed within the hallowed halls of the Empire State University.
"To think such a high ranking individual does not have any protections"
With eyes glowing with a purple light, a maid with long blonde hair whispered in annoyance as she watched the one man show off a pot bellied old man on the bed. His actions evidently disgusted her as her expression wrinkled in loathing.
"Now, now, Yolda, such an individual would not have any protections whether it's in this world the last. It is quite intriguing though how are blatant actions has still received no reaction from any mystical organization"
Hearing those words, the maid, Yolda did not even turn her head as she replied with rolled eyes.
"Black, I believe the master used the term "magical" in his directives"
Despite speaking to her superior, she did not show even a hint of respect. Instead, her words were filled with contempt, her tone aggressive as the magical energy around her flared.
"Dear me, I mean no disrespect, but I simply don't see any need to place such importance in a world that could not even detect blatant traces of our "existence", even the US government in our world had noticed the "shadows" the master had secretly inserted into their midsts, yet this one? Hehe, it would be a miracle for them to notice a single manservant much less a specially crafted maid"
Black who had appeared behind Yolda did not explain his thoughts but his words proved his loyalty.
Although he was aggressive and did not completely follow through with the orders of the Lord, Black was, ultimately, the most loyal of them all.
In fact, his loyalty could even be called reverence at some point as his thoughts completely derailed from even their Lord's.
Many claim that, "it is a fool's errand to not be careful" and their Lord had ingrained such beliefs into his bones. Despite wielding power that could rival true magic, he still claimed to be far from such abilities. He undermines his own ability, his prestige, everything. He moves as if he was nothing more than a clown, yet, when push comes to shove-
He was the last one standing-
He was the one to reap all the rewards-
He was the one to clean up all the troubles-
Their Lord, James, had a nature that was hard to describe. He was chaotic, out of place and always unpredictable. He always acts like a fool and moves in ways that few would believe one of such stature would take.
Black, one of the closest confidantes of such a man, was one of the many who believed that James had to stop such acts.
His reverence towards James had molded him into a monster.
Born as nothing more than a homunculus, a butler to act as a secretary, Black had transcended his initial purpose.
Much like many of the 52, he had become the basis for the development of the next generation of homunculi.
Beings that, some would even call, "evolved" form of humans.
Their creation was based on alchemy mastered and perfected by the Einzberns but their final form was molded with the perfection given by James. Unlike the perfect homunculi of the Einzbern's, who are nothing more than "magic circuits given human form", the Homunculi created by James are "perfect humans made to a magus".
Their creation remained a secret, only known to a select few amongst James' close contacts.
After all, the mere mention of their completion would have caused chaos in the whole world of magi.
Who would not want to have perfect magic circuits?
Which family did not strive to create a powerful heir?
James had essentially devised a method to artificially create magi, a path many madmen had taken but none succeeded.
This was also the reason why James had avoided creating too much "variety".
Every generation of homunculi were based on the previous generation, any improvements were thus accessible to all previous, current and subsequent models.
They were created with an inherent compulsion to avoid conception, they were given freedom of thought but not allowed to "conceive" or "create" life through "intercourse".
Not to mention, their personalities, moded in the capsule, were all based on a similar framework. Newly born homunculi would all have the same patterns of thoughts and emotions but these could all change with time.
Much like Yolda who was standing beside Black. She was of the fourth generation, a relatively "young" homunculi created on the "Yolda Template".
Her template had created her to be a sadistic and sultry woman, a master of using her feminine wiles to manipulate men. She was a master of espionage and subterfuge, her targets were usually men and her abilities gave her power to control and destroy them with ease.
This Yolda has gone through some years of work now. She had met many people during her tasks and encountered many events that molded her current personality.
She was one of the Yolda's who were especially keen on sleeping with their Lord, a nature that was quickly born from their sadistic nature and desire for domination.
The greater the power of an individual, the more they desire to lord over them.
Her thoughts and the thoughts of many of her fellow Yolda's would have caused other magi to terminate them but James didn't.
Their change in nature was something he liked, and it seemed to be a hobby of his to watch them create their own "character".
Yet, Black was different.
He along with Red were the only two "Butlers" to be ever created.
One had eyes of darkness the other of pure crimson, they had opposing personalities but both were the most loyal amongst all the homunculi James had created. As such, despite her remarks towards Black, after hearing his response, all Yolda could say was-
"So long as you understand your position"
A response that garnered nothing more than a smile from the darned butler.
Black had ignored Yolda, he was all too familiar with the minds of all these maids of seduction. A bunch of succubi who were created and molded by him to make his master look away from sensual pleasures.
'Truly, the pleasures of the flesh are worthless and do not bring anything but trouble'
He thought as he took a cursory glance at the disgusting pig playing on the bed.
"The Lord seeks to bring Victor von Doom into the group immediately, the university MUST revoke their initial decision about his matter."
Black did not elaborate too much, he simply passed on the directive before leaving.
He had no time to talk, no time to waste with pleasantries or chatter.
He had other things to attend to, matters that required immediate action and matters that needed to be quickly addressed.
The desire of his master was to bring the mystical world into this new reality. Where most magi would crumple down as their magic losses effect in this world, his master had quickly established a system applicable in this reality and with that as a basis, the organization of mysteries must be quickly established.
Black did not wish for his Lord to personally handle matters anymore.
He had done enough, now it was time for him to take the stage.
All these menial tasks should not concern him, but, if James so wished, Black did not mind making adjustments in order to satisfy his Lord.
So long as they matched the aesthetic he believed his lord had of course.
Yolda watched Black disappear, a scowl forming on her face as she cursed.
"Damned Black! You think I didn't know about the "purification"?! Just you wait! I'll make sure you go through the same struggles I'm going through now!"
*BAM!*
Still not satisfied after cursing, Yolda delivered a powerful kick towards the disgusting pig on the bed, the man flew out and crashed onto the wall. Despite having a bunch of broken bones, the man was still shivering from pleasure as he let out disgusting moans and grunts.
With her face filled with anger, she continued to vent on the pig, using healing magecraft to ensure he would not die and to remove the marks left on his body.
Only after she was relieved did she place a compulsion on the pig's mind to reopen Victor von Doom's case and ensure he gets kicked out of the university.
After doing that, Yolda moved to the other deans and heads of departments, placing compulsions into their minds ensuring that Victor is truly kicked out.
She even went the extra mile of giving a few students "suggestions" of disgust towards Victor. The sources of disgust varied and matched the personality of the student making their disgust feel more- genuine.
Only after doing all that did she return to her station, at the workshop, awaiting her next orders which did not take too long to arrive.
While Yolda was busy with implanting suggestions and compulsions into various individuals, weaving a web that would entrap Victor, the individual who was the target of all this was-
"Hmph! Reed, do you think your reputation is enough to save you? With a powerful enough backer, even I, a nobody could do things even you can't imagine"
It was only this morning when he heard the news, an update on the matter of his experiment that almost caused a serious injury to Reed Richards.
Initially, due to Reed having more accomplishments and influence, despite the two men being of similar ability, the head start Reed got from the opportunities he achieved had left Victor grasping at every opportunity he could take.
It also did not help that his research focus was something… quite away from pure science.
That being said, after his encounter with the man who could use magic, his life had taken a turn for the better. His matter was quickly settled as few cared for what happened.
After all, it was obvious that Reed was the one snooping around in Victor's research, it was also caught on the CCTV how Victor attempted to stop Reed.
Moreover, since no grave injuries were found on Reed, the whole matter was dropped entirely.
Of course, there were some people who had other ideas, but majority did not really care.
Ultimately, even the Deans and heads of the various departments agreed that it was nothing more than a squabble between geniuses.
In the years of teaching, there were countless examples of geniuses fighting and helping each other. The former occurring more often than the latter and for obvious reason.
Only a genius could understand another genius, but the matter becomes problematic because of that.
Disagreements and conflict occur not because people "did not understand" one another, no, in fact, it was more likely for conflict to occur when people "understood each other".
When a genius and a normal person were to interact, any conflict between them would easily resolve themselves as both sides would never truly understand the perspective and thoughts of the other.
In the case of geniuses, as seen in the conflict between Reed and Victor, their perspectives and research directions went in opposite directions. They knew that and yet they still understood each others work clearly.
Where others would have given up and turned away due to a failure to understand, the conflict between Reed and Victor escalated due to "a desire to be better". Yes, their quarrel was nothing more than a petty argument between two geniuses who won't give way to the other.
Understanding this, it was obvious that the higher ups of the university were unwilling to let go of either genius. They did not take either side, they still reprimanded Victor for his actions, served him some minor punishment but that was all. Reed was also not served some punishment for "invasion of privacy" as his act of "playing around" with the research of Victor without the latter's consent was "not admirable for someone of his stature".
The final resolution was passed early this morning and neither Reed nor his bodyguard Ben Grimm came to annoy Victor.
Though no one did visit or talk to Victor about his success in dodging a bullet.
Yet, despite this, Victor still felt elated.
"Happy aren't you"
Behind Victor, a familiar voice sounded, he turned around and met face to face with his roommate.
"Roy, another busy night?"
"Yeah, gotta start repaying my debts now so when I become big I'd be able to start providing for my family… My little sis's about to graduate high school and she said she wants to become a diva… she did not mind studying in community college but… ahh- what does it matter to you anyway?"
Victor gave Roy a quick glance before averting his gaze and looking up towards the ceiling.
Although they haven't been roommates for long, Victor and Roy had developed a weird pseudo friendship between them.
This friendship came from their similar backgrounds.
Roy is the eldest in a family of three, their father had left them, a typical tale for many Americans living in the same state as Roy.
Lower-middle class is what they call it, a position in society that marks you as not being in poverty but its not like they were living well either.
Roy's mother worked as an editor at a small publisher of fashion magazines, she also worked multiple part time jobs in order to maintain their lifestyle.
Due to this, Roy had to take care of his sister for most of his life. Now, due to his scholarship and the free dorm that was offered, Roy had completely moved out, allowing his sister to have a room all to herself, living the life a "normal American high school girl" should have.
Moreover, despite studying for one of the hardest degrees, Law, under a scholarship, Roy was still able to find time to work part time jobs.
The scholarship he got was not actually paying for all his school fees, he had lied to his family that he was offered free tuition and dorm fees.
His mother, too busy to read through the documents and letters, simply signed it, completely believing his son's white lie.
His sister would boast about her brother, calling him a genius and one who was destined to become one of the biggest lawyers in New York.
For Roy, the dream he gave to his family was something he did not want to shatter.
Despite all the hardships and struggles, Roy was able to push through, get the highest grades in his class, maintain his scholarship, even increase his privileges (discount) while working more hours to pay off his student loans.
He had long become independent but even the strongest of men got tired, as such, Roy had inadvertently spoken about his own life to Victor. In response, Victor told his own story-
A poor child who lost his mother to a bunch of cultists, his father sacrificing himself in order to ensure he survived.
Victor's tale was not worse nor was it better than Roy's, in fact, their lives seem to have become mirrors.
Yet, these two individuals did not become friends, they couldn't, after all-
While Victor was a true genius crawling his way out of the abyss, Roy was a hard worker who was slowly climbing out of a pit. While their states were not all too different and friendship should not have been hard, the existence of a certain Reed Richards changed all that.
Reed was the wall that Victor had to smash through in order to escape the abyss but-
The man Reed Richards was also one of the more influential people in the university.
He may not be a billionaire's son who could cause problems with a word, but his influences in the various faculties was obvious. He was a figure that none wanted to offend as his power lay in his talents and the eyes that were watching his every move.
Although he did not have the ability to alter the world to his desires, the eyes on him would do everything to ensure that Reed could achieve his dreams as his research success would entail a success in the plans of these many observers.
While it would have been easy for Victor to take some of these gazes from Reed, a fundamental problem existed preventing Victor from even having these eyes "glance" towards his direction.
It was Victor's nationality, unlike Reed who was born and raised in the US, Victor was born and grew up in a foreign country, Latveria. If that was all, it would have been fine but it just so happens that Latveria is quite close to a certain foreign power directly in opposition to the US.
Of course, the Cold War era was over, but Victor was still an individual that had many issues nonetheless.
It didn't help that his family all died to a cult, moreover, his escape to the US and his genius… it was all too coincidental that without anyone knowing, a certain bias was formed towards Victor.
With such a situation, Roy was unable to do anything, all he could do was act as a victim, that his stay at the room was something he had to "live with" due to his financial situation.
Moreover, his many part time jobs that made it so that he was only in the dorm to sleep, wash up and change clothes gave him plenty of reasons to be safe from the bias formed around Victor.
As much as he wanted to empathize with Victor, Roy could not gamble his future away, after all, his future was not his own. In his future lay the smiles of his mother who struggled for years to keep his and his sister afloat, his dear sister who wished for them to continue living happy lives…
It was a dream for now but it would only become a reality if he gets through college, gets a job and starts making big bucks.
To do so he had to avoid any and all bad marks, whether it was his social life, work life or his study life.
He was no genius, that is why he had to ensure that his records were as "perfect" as they could be.
Victor knew this, he did not blame Roy, after all, if he were in Roy's position, he would have done the same.
After all, the walls in the dorm were thin and gossip had wings, who knew what kind of busybody was listening in.
But even then-
"You got lucky"
Roy said but Victor knew what his roommate wanted to say-
"You pissed that I'm still gonna be here?"
"..."
".."
Silence ensued but in the corner of Victor's eyes, he could see a small gesture Roy had made with his fingers.
" 👍"
"Tsk!"
In contrast to the conversation between Victor and Roy, in Ben Grimm's and Reed Richards dorm, the two men were having a very "deep" and "loud" conversation about the matter of Victor's status.
Various words flew out from Reed's mouth, Ben tried to stop Reed from saying profanities but the prideful young man could not seem to control his composure in the face of the name, Victor von Doom.
'Maybe it's the fate of geniuses?'
Ben thought as he continued to listen to his friend ramble on and on, not knowing that the adjacent room's occupants were all still awake and that a beautiful blonde woman was watching all this with a smile.
As they say, rumors had wings-
Unbeknownst to many, the dark dorm had suddenly lit up, countless rooms lights would shine and hushed whispering was occurring all throughout the night. What would this lead to? Only the future knows.