Chapter 23 – The Most Successful Experiment
The dark room was completely quiet after Aiden left. Completely silent and with a complex expression, the face of the old man was dimly illuminated for the candle.
Holding the list of ingredients handed for Aiden, the old man could not help but give a sigh, then, putting a serious expression, he spoke.
“… Did you hear it, Han?”
“Yes, Master.” A voice answered behind him. “Do you need for me to do something?”
“Yes. Tell someone to get the ingredients in the list. Get it done the sooner the better.”
“Yes, master.”
Seeing the owner of the voice remain behind him even after answering, the old man knew that his apprentice probably wanted to ask something, so leaving a sigh he asked:
“… Do you want something?”
“… Master, I’m curious, do you know what the deal with the girl is?”
The old man thought for a moment about the question before signaling for Han to sit, then, sighing softly, the old man spoke.
“I was not completely sure before, but I can confirm it with the things you told me. I think this information is not too confidential so there is no harm in you knowing, though it is better if you don’t go spreading it around.”
Seeing his apprentice assent, the old man continued in an even tone.
“Around twenty years ago an organization appeared in the continent. Though it is nothing strange for organizations appear and disappear every day, this organization was a bit different and its members were all madmen.
“This organization was called ‘God’s Hand’ and had as the only goal ‘to discover the secrets of the world’.
“Though the members of the organization were madmen, it was undeniable that this place was also a gathering of geniuses in many fields. And to be sincere, they made many discoveries through their years of research.
“But there was a truth that eluded them. It was the origin of the spirits. Though the organization was filled with many geniuses of every corner of the continent, none of them was able to advance in the path of creating an artificial spirit.
“For many years, the organization continued to realize many experiments, the majority very cruel, with the only goal of creating a true artificial spirit, but every one of them was unsuccessful.
“It was until someone proposed something.”
The old man paused for a moment and tried organizing his words, then he continued the story.
“One person said that if it was impossible to create a spirit from nothing, then why not begin from people already possessing spirits like fundament.
“Finding the theory acceptable, the members of the organization began to search through the continent for children born with spirits. They targeted poor families and kids without a background, and in a short time reunited a great number of children as subjects of experimentation.
“Following the suggestion offered, the investigators of God’s Hand began to realize experiment in the children. Many kids died every day inside the laboratories, and many more became crazy.
“And between the many children, a breakthrough in creating spirits finally appeared.
“And the child responsible for it was a girl.
“The most successful example in creating artificial spirits. The greatest advance in the subject for two decades. Her codename was ‘ALEGRIA’ symbolizing the hope of the investigators in completing their research.” Said the old man.
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“Then master, are you telling that the girl, Lia, was the successful experiment?” Asked Han surprised.
“Yes, she was the most successful product that God’s Hand created in almost two decades of investigation. No just it, she was the only survivor between thousands of children through the entire investigation. You can tell that she is a living miracle.”
“So, the reason for her transformation was her second spirit?”
“How can it be so easy to create an artificial spirit?” Answered the old man smiling bitterly. “Though I said she was her most successful experiment, at the end of the day, they were yet far away of truly creating a spirit. She, at most, allowed them to take a step forward in their investigation. However, the thing inside her definitively is not a spirit.”
Han wore a doubtful expression hearing the old man words. “If it is not a spirit, then what is it?”
“You know that spirits are defined like agglomerations of laws in the boundary between the body and the soul, right?” Answered the old man. “But the thing is, spirits are closer to being immaterial than material. The researchers thought that the clave in creating a spirit was in the soul, so they proceeded to fuse souls of demonic beasts inside humans.
“The thing is, everything related with souls is very delicate. Most children died when the soul was being implanted, and the rest became crazy or died not much later. Only ALEGRIA, or Lia how she is called now, survived.
“But even when she survived, she not gained a spirit but something different, something akin at a demonic beast bloodline.
“Though it looks like a spirit, in reality, it’s completely different, so she is the most successful experiment because she was the only survivor, but at the end, she is a failure too .”
“But master, even if she didn’t get a spirit, a demonic beast bloodline implanted in a human is something incredible, right?” Interjected the youth. “Is it no an incredible discovery too?”
The old man could only shake his head a sigh helplessly, then drawing a breath, explained.
“Perhaps, but the side effects were too great. The girl ended with two souls inside her body making her unstable. Not just it, with the time, the second soul inside her will become stronger and stronger supplanting little by little the original soul until devouring it. The only method to avoid it is probably to continue advancing her cultivation continuously, but at least she can surpass the bloodline shackles from the demonic beast owning the soul, it is nothing more than a temporary solution. The reason because she lost the control that night was probably it. To be sincere, if it is only it then it is not so bad. The thing is, the soul those crazy men of God’s Hand used is one belonging at an insanely powerful demonic beast with a demonic king bloodline, so if she wants to suppress the other soul she must breakthrough at the Spirit emperor level. Even in the entire world, there are less than twenty spirits emperors between human and beast. What is the possibility of her reaching at such level in her lifetime?”
Hearing it, the youth exclaimed.
“Master... doesn’t it mean that…”
“Yes.” Said the old man, “She will eventually be devoured for the foreign soul inside her. A shame, she was very talented.”
“… What demonic beast is the soul inside her, master?” Asked Han after being silent for an instant.
“… A fate witch, the Nornir.” Answered the old man with a suddenly serious expression.
Hearing the name of the beast, Han was completely frightened.
Nornirs were one of the most dreaded demonic beasts in the entire continent. It was said that they were able to kill people at thousands of kilometers of distance without leaving any trace. Supposedly, they were able of cutting the fate of someone, killing them instantly.
Though Nornir were called demonic beasts too, the truth is they are more of a kind of vicious specter. It’s said that even spirit emperors dread facing this monster; it’s because they are able of protecting themselves, they are unable of protecting the peoples related to them.
Knowing the kind of demon inside Lia, Han could not help but dread the quiet but warm girl.
“… Is it not dangerous then if the soul completely kills her, master?”
“Don’t worry, I made arrangements for the moment when her soul is completely devoured.” The old man affirmed in a heavy tone.
For a moment, there was silence in the room.
Han seemed to think of something after a time and spoke again.
“Master, I had yet two question I would like for your answer.”
“Go ahead and ask.”
“If Lia is truly an experiment of the God’s Hand, how was she able of escaping and why is her free yet? I doubt that such an organization is unable to localize an escaped experiment.”
“Haha, yes, they are certainly usable. After all, the organization was destroyed a bit more than three years ago.” Replied the old man amusedly.
“Destroyed!?”
“Yes.” Said the old man smiling wryly. “They were a group of madmen doing experiments, and like the madmen they were, the people they offended were too many to count. One day, they offended a powerful beast ruler, a demon emperor, and the beast in its rage destroyed every one of their installations killing almost every member. The few survivors are living hidden from their many enemies. The girl probably escaped at that moment.”
Processing the information for a moment, Han spoke once more after understating what happened.
“Master, I have another question.”
“Speak.” Replied the old man already a bit bothered.
Han thought for a moment and then spoke: “It is about the boy, Aiden.”