“I-I will talk!”
Fylard was unlike Rodrick, who had kept his mouth shut and refused to disclose the truth.
Fylard Yak, whose Rank had been ‘stolen’ by Azmer, was a cowardly and shrewd individual. However, he disliked pain and punishment, so much so that he would sell anyone to save his skin. Therefore, when he found himself in an isolated and dimly lit interrogation room, he started panicking and immediately uttered those words.
Facing him was Professor Nayro, whose beady and jelly and pupilless black eyes were squirming like worms.
Seeing the Zyth’s piercing stare, Fylard unconsciously swallowed some saliva and then spilled the beans.
“I-It was a classmate of mine, Maxwell Lepard. He…he gave me some sort of drug that enhances one’s ability when consumed. I tried asking him where he got it from but he never answered. T-...t-that’s the truth! I swear!”
“Do you still have that drug?”
“I stashed some in the alleyway between Building A and Building B. It’s right under the window of the 2nd Classroom.”
“...”
After a bit of deliberation, Nayro nodded and exited the room thereafter. Fylard, on the other hand, was bound to the chair and no matter how much he asked for forgiveness, no one answered him.
…
“Again and again, you ruin everything!”
A man wearing a clean and expensive grey suit with a black necktie removed his bloodied gloves as he stared down at his unruly son.
The two were currently in a dark basement, dozens of guards were standing near the wall, silently observing Rodrick, who was subjected to a hellish beating by his own father.
It was no secret that Rodrick’s father, who was an underworld boss, cared more about his reputation than his family. Moreover, his son’s recent actions made him unbelievably furious, so an outcome like this wasn’t unexpected.
The burly Rodrick didn’t dare look at his father or retaliate. He was beaten until his face was bruised and bloodied, and three of his limbs were broken. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was on the brink of death yet his father had shown no signs of stopping.
“I had thought about building an amicable connection with Erys, but you’ve ruined it… as is your wont. Hah!”
Stephan Dontoryian spat on the ground and kicked Rodrick one last time, blowing his body a couple of meters to the back. Very much like his lone child, Stephan was a muscular man, his body sculpted by well-defined muscles, a pair of thick long arms, and a grizzly face fit for a notorious mobster.
Stephan was a cruel and unforgiving man, someone who had been in the underworld for over twenty years.
“Even that boy, Azmer, had given up on you… so why shouldn’t it?” The man snorted and signaled his subordinates, which locked the basement, paying nary a glance to the unresponsive youth.
“You will stay here until I decide what I will do with you.”
“...”
With hollow eyes and bleeding nostrils, Rodrick groaned in pain as he sat up and leaned against the cold wall. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, feelings of anger, frustration, and powerlessness overwhelming him.
Everything had started going downhill when he was beaten by Zeke Orland. Even with the use of the drug provided by Fylard, he was still unable to emerge victorious. Quite the opposite, in fact, he made a fool of himself and ended up getting apprehended by the school authorities.
To sum it up, Rodrick had miserably failed and things had gotten incredibly worse when his father came to ‘retrieve’ him from Erys, which was the worst possible outcome. After all, Rodrick thought Erys wouldn’t so easily give up on its students, but it seemed he had severely underestimated the gravity of his actions.
“It’s still not over. I can get back to that shitty loser! I will kill him and prove to everyone that I’m superior.”
Unbeknownst to him, Rodrick’s skin was slowly but surely turning red, the ambient Aether lingering in the air was being sucked into his body, supplementing his ability and empowering him.
Albeit similar, those weren’t the effects of the drug he had consumed. These were common symptoms of when an individual’s Life Aether was getting out of control, which wasn’t a rare occurrence, usually put into effect by either insatiable negative emotions or highly unstable mental faculties.
…
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“Mister Lorson, It’s such a pleasure to meet you!”
Olivia Vyrsan sweetly smiled at the stone-faced William Lorson. She was sitting across of him with Anthony next to her, both of which were in an ecstatic mood.
In contrast, William was as expressionless as ever, but if one knew him good enough, they would notice that he was in a relatively good mood.
“Likewise, Madam Vyrsan.”
William empathized her last name, rather than calling her by her husband’s last name, which didn’t sit well with Anthony, but he paid little heed considering he was facing the distinguished head of the Lorson Family.
The three were meeting in a luxurious restaurant atop one of the Sunken Metropolis skyscrapers. This place was a common meeting place for wealthy company executives and high-ranked military personnel.
Even though William wasn’t part of the Department of Defense, he still had many connections and that was while excluding his massive contribution to the Republic and his family’s unrivaled reputation.
Olivia too, hailed from an old and prosperous family, which was superior to the Orland household, which was one of the reasons William agreed to this ‘secret’ meeting.
“Once again, we apologize for our son’s behavior. We will thoroughly educate him.”
Anthony apologetically bowed his head but William shook his head while responding,
“That matter was dealt with, you need not worry yourself. Let us proceed to the main topic, please.”
“Yes yes… of course!”
Olivia was visibly excited, more than her husband. She beamed at William and continued,
“Although incomplete, we have finally reached a satisfactory stage in our experiment. Using the 3rd-grade artifact ‘Aether Pot’ as a medium, we succeeded in transferring Life Aether from one subject to the other. Incidentally, one subject will either enter a comatose state or die on the spot while the other will have their Life Aether considerably increased, subsequently granting them new abilities and empowering them physiologically and psychologically. However, the two subjects must be compatible, or else the ‘operation’ will fail.”
William listened with perked ears, and when Olivia was done, he softly smiled and nodded his head.
“Very well, then.”
“Does that mean you’re willing to go through with it, Mister Lorson?”
“I am. I cannot let my son’s inadequacy lead to my household’s downfall. No matter the cost, I will do my utmost to make him succeed.”
“I’m sure Azmer is a filial son and will listen to his father’s words.” Added Olivia, whole-heartedly agreeing in order to please the client.
In return for operating on his son, William agreed to not only fund the couple’s research but also provide them with high-tech equipment which would prove invaluable to future research and experiments.
However, this was supposed to be a clandestine deal as it was against protocol to operate on unwilling subjects, especially when said subjects could die due to any simple mistake. Then again, Anthony and Olivia were veteran scientists, one of the best in their fields.
“Speaking of which…”
William swept his cold gaze across the married couple and asked, “I trust there will be no problem from your end, yes?”
“Absolutely, Mister Lorson! We will secure our subject forthwith!”
****
“How do you feel, Zeke?”
“The same as always.”
Zeke was sitting in front of the uniquely-dressed Counselor Mary. The room was filled with thin mist from the lit incense, which filled it with an intense aroma.
“Any trouble in the school? For example, bullying.”
“Not really.”
“What about personal worries?”
“I’m perfectly fine, Counselor.”
“...”
The young woman thoughtfully stared at him. He was giving perfunctory responses and limiting his words, clearly wary of her ability and unwilling to disclose anything personal or sensitive.
“If you refuse to speak your mind, Zeke, then these sessions will have to continue. You do know that, do you not?”
“By answering all your questions with honesty, am I not speaking my mind?”
Hearing this, Mary softly chuckled, “Sophistry will get you nowhere, Zeke. I’ve been doing this job for a long time and I can see beyond your inscrutable expression. You seem to think I mean you harm, or that I’m going to divulge your secrets, but I’m not, believe me. I genuinely want to help you.”
Zeke frowned and looked down for a couple of moments, pondering in silence. Eventually, he sighed and retorted,
“With all due respect, Counselor, instead of being forced to do it, people go out of their way to get counseling or therapy. I’m a diligent student that tries to avoid unnecessary problems and mostly keeps to himself. Is that not enough to appease your worries?”
Once again, Mary smiled and expertly avoided his question by asking another,
“How’s your relationship with your parents?”
“...”
Seeing his gloomy expression and a long silence, Mary played with her cards and patiently waited.
“It’s the same as it has ever been.”
“Same as in what?”
The youth scoffed at her words, mockingly replying, “Counselor Mary, let us forego this pretense and be real with each other. Considering you know about my abduction, you must surely know how I feel about my ‘parents'.”
The Mystic Diviner, Mary, kept smiling nonchalantly as she opened her mouth, “So… you don’t like them? Don’t you feel grateful that they took you in?”
“Grateful? Not necessarily. Admittedly, they did save my life, but that neither makes them my parents nor make me indebted to them for the rest of my life.”
“If, by law, you’re so against being their son then I’m sure the Principal can change that. After all, you’re a student of Erys, a particularly special one that, apparently, needs special care.”
“That will not be necessary.”
“Oh?” Seemingly curious, she asked, “Why is that?”
“...”
“Again with the silence. This habit of keeping everything to yourself will eventually leave negative effects, Zeke. Even if it’s not to me, try speaking with your sister or maybe a close friend.”
Zeke shook his head, adamant to object to her words. “Counselor, I believe that each person is responsible for their own life troubles. No friend or family can solve your own problems, and speaking about your own weaknesses to others will only make you vulnerable.”