The figure emerged from its invisible state. At this time, Sebastian was wearing a black hooded sweater that had been prepared, along with an artistic mask bought from a roadside vendor on his face.
Waving his wand, Sebastian cast Obliviate on the researchers who hadn't discovered him yet.
Bright white light bloomed from the wand, instantly engulfing everyone in the lab and erasing their memory of all plans to study Kilgrave's abilities.
While those researchers were still in a state of confusion, Sebastian took out the computer's hard drive, physically destroying it and ensuring the computer was rendered completely useless.
After taking all the semi-finished and finished potions from the laboratory, and erasing all traces of the experiment, he carried the handbag full of everything and walked outside the institute.
It had to be said that Technology Pioneer was worthy of being one of the companies under Hydra's command. From Sebastian's appearance, he seized and destroyed everything in the laboratory. When he stepped out of the lab and into the corridor, a large number of people armed with batons and electric shock sticks appeared. The security quickly rushed out, charging toward Sebastian.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
When casting the spell, his right wrist, holding the wand, shook at high speed, and yellow light burst forth like a goddess scattering flowers, petrifying all the security guards who rushed toward him.
After about a day, the Petrification Curse on their bodies would lift on its own. After all, most of these people were just ordinary security guards. They didn't know the relationship between Technology Pioneer and Hydra, so there was no need to be unnecessarily ruthless.
Looking left and right, Sebastian immediately saw a floor-to-ceiling window nearby. Since he had already been discovered, there was no need to keep a low profile. He raised his wand and pointed at the window. White light shot out, and the window shattered.
Without hesitation, he used the Wingardium Leviosa charm to float out of there. However, just as he was about to make his escape, he suddenly felt a sense of crisis. The sound of gunshots rang out, and the space behind him rippled. Sebastian quickly raised his wand and cast Protego to protect himself. The bullet bounced off his magical shield, as if it had struck solid iron armor.
Turning his head to look at the man holding the pistol, Sebastian could vaguely sense the aura of death surrounding him. It was the unmistakable presence of a person who had lived through a great deal of violence. In his previous life, whether as a Death Eater or an Auror, Sebastian had often encountered such individuals.
There was no need to continue fighting. Prolonging the conflict would only increase the chances of being targeted and exposed. Sebastian swung his wand with force, sending the man crashing into the wall, where he collapsed and lost consciousness.
Without a word, Sebastian leapt through the shattered floor-to-ceiling window. As he fell, he felt a moment of weightless freedom—something only a true master of magic could appreciate. Just before hitting the ground, he cast Descendo, slowing his descent until he gently landed on the rooftop of a nearby residential building. In an instant, he vanished into the shadows.
As for the incident involving the Technology Pioneer, Sebastian was confident that Hydra would swiftly cover it up. If S.H.I.E.L.D. caught even a whiff of the truth—especially with sharp minds like Nick Fury and Coulson digging into it—they would eventually uncover the anomalies and trace them back to Hydra.
At this critical stage of the Insight Project, Hydra could not afford any disruptions. If anything jeopardized the launch, they might be forced to initiate their purge prematurely. Once the Insight Project was operational, Hydra would be prepared to eliminate any vulnerabilities—even if it meant confronting S.H.I.E.L.D. and sacrificing some of their own. Fear was irrelevant; it was merely a matter of timing.
For over a month, aside from attending school and making occasional visits to the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York, Sebastian dedicated his time to potion-making, particularly attempting to recreate Veritaserum. This endeavor consumed much of his effort.
Regrettably, all the potions obtained from the Technology Pioneer were expended in failed experiments, and Veritaserum remained elusive. However, the efforts were not entirely fruitless. Sebastian confirmed that certain medicinal ingredients could potentially substitute for some of Veritaserum's core components.
Further experiments—lengthy and meticulous—would be necessary to perfect the potion's formula.
Beyond this, Sebastian achieved another success. Among the vast array of materials he acquired from a mysterious supplier, he identified and tested a composite material that could replace the primary ingredient in the Draught of Living Death. He successfully brewed a version of this potion suited to this world, its effects nearly as potent as the original—almost identical to the one from his past life. This breakthrough was a significant consolation after the Veritaserum setback.
Additionally, Sebastian was grateful that Alisha was not an overbearing parent who pried into her child's affairs. Her open-mindedness allowed him to conduct potion experiments at home without interference. To outsiders, it would appear as though Sebastian was merely performing chemistry experiments.
Sebastian pulled out a simple black notebook—it didn't have a title or anything fancy on the cover. With a special quill and ink he'd made himself, he started writing down all the details from his potion experiments. He didn't leave anything out. Every single step, note, and observation went into that notebook.
This was his first potion book—something he'd made entirely on his own. It showed how serious and organized he was about his work.
Just as he began writing, his phone rang. It was Sean. Sebastian answered right away.
"Sean, what's up?"
"You forgot again, didn't you?" Sean sounded a little annoyed.
"Uh... forgot what?"
"I knew it. It's Friday, 6:30 p.m., ring any bells?"
That reminded Sebastian—he had promised to go to the movies with Sean. Not just the two of them either—Sean had invited a group of friends, including some girls, and said Sebastian would be there too.
It all started a month ago. At a party, Sebastian had quietly left to follow someone named Tessa. He didn't even tell Sean. After sneaking into a place called Technology Pioneer, he went straight home with whatever he found there. Sean had to go back to school the next week just to pick up Sebastian's forgotten bike.
To make up for ditching him, Sebastian agreed to go to the movie premiere so Sean could hang out and maybe impress some people. And now, like always, Sebastian had almost forgotten again.
"Well, I remember now. I'll grab a cab and get there before 7:30," Sebastian said. "What movie are we watching again?"
Sean chuckled. "High School Musical 3—the third movie in that teen romance musical series."
"…Seriously?" Sebastian sighed. "Figures. It's probably perfect for your situation—with a certain girl."
He'd already promised, so backing out wasn't an option. High School Musical 3 wasn't really his thing, but he figured it'd be interesting to see how this version compared to the one he remembered from his past life.
After confirming the time and theater, Sebastian hung up and got back to writing in his notebook. By seven, he was done, changed clothes, and headed out.
At the cinema, Sean and the rest of the group arrived around the same time. They bought tickets and walked in together.
Sebastian grabbed a seat on the end. Sean, of course, sat next to the girl he liked—he was way more focused on her than the actual movie.
Sebastian, meanwhile, wasn't paying much attention to the screen. His mind was racing with ideas: how to build his own lab, and how to eventually team up with Tony Stark. Going straight to Stark probably wouldn't work—he'd need a smarter way to make a connection.
The movie ended before he could come up with anything solid. Afterwards, they all hit up a nearby burger joint, eating, laughing, and just hanging out for a while.
As they got ready to leave, Sebastian noticed he and Sean were heading in the same direction. But Sean clearly wanted more time with his crush, so Sebastian decided not to third-wheel and took the bus by himself.
The city passed by in a blur through the window. For once, Sebastian let go of his plans and just stared out into the night, quietly thinking.