Dr. Agon: Sir, the boy I marked was successfully sent here. I thank you. I marked him because, during his surgery, I noticed the boy has the scent.
???: Explain.
Dr. Agon: While I currently don’t fully know the source, the boy contains a heavy scent of Zariel.
--- Chapter 146 ---
???: I see. And Dr. Lysange, you say he is able to awaken?
Dr. Lysange: Yes sir. He is likely able to awaken his mind with the serum.
???: Ok. Dr. Agon, I grant you full privilege over this one. If his relation to Zariel becomes apparent, let me know immediately. If it yields nothing, Dr. Lysange may administer the Serum.
Dr. Agon: Yes sir. Thank you.
Agon turns around and heads into the room with Hiro in it.
Dr. Agon: It seems you woke up.
Hiro: The hell are you going to do to me? Where am I?!
Agon claps his hands, and two large, shirtless buff men with ropes tied around their heads walk in. They release Hiro from his restraints and grab him. They carry him into a large room full of metal bleacher-like seating. In the center is a reclined chair equipped with restraints. They sit him in it, tying leather straps around his wrists and ankles. He tries to fight it but is unsuccessful. Eventually, people begin to come into the room dressed in a red button-up shirt, black tie, and a white lab coat around it. However, each of these people dons a blank-faced white porcelain mask. They seem to almost move in unison as they pile into the room, and take their seats in a uniform fashion. Hiro calls out to the people, but this sit unfazed like he wasn’t even talking to them. No, like they were only mannequins dressed like humans. Eventually, Dr. Agon bursts into the room through a curtain. The masked people stand up and clap in unison. He nods his head to the people, almost humble. Following from behind are three women in tight red nurse uniforms, with a thin red veil around their heads. They begin to mess with instruments behind Hiro, while Dr. Agon walks to the side, taking off his doctor overcoat. He wraps his pointer finger around his necktie and pulls it undone. One of the nurses brings over a single needle and rests it on Hiro’s arm. Hiro tries to fight it but is ultimately unable to. The nurse stabs it into his skin, before injecting the orangish fluid. Dr. Agon unbuttons his polo and tosses it to the side. This reveals a large tattoo on his chest. Black skull with two horns, and in front of it is what looks like an angel, but upon closer inspection, it is a demon, with two horns, bat-like wings, and a tail that curls around the figure’s legs. Surrounding the figure and skull are 10 swords. Hiro’s eyes begin to flutter, that liquid seemingly sedating him. The nurses bring out a black cloak and drape it around Dr. Agon. On the cloak is a sigil representing the Cult of Zariel. The nurses begin to make a salt circle, with runes on the floor. They unbind Hiro and drag him into the center. Hiro is still awake, but his body is heavily drugged to the point he doesn’t know what’s happening. Dr. Agon raises his hands into the air, and porcelain chips begin to form and combine to create a blank porcelain mask. The crowd applauds before he puts it on. A ritual commences, he speaks an incomprehensible speech and interacts with foreign objects. Hiro’s chest begins to glow a bright red. Excited, Dr. Agon continues. Hiro’s master seal has shifted from green to a crimson red, and the pupil on the eye decal moves rapidly. The more the ritual continues, the brighter it glows. Eventually, the ritual ends, and he quickly sees if anything happened. To his dismay, the seal begins to slowly return to light green, and the pupil moves to the center, falling immobile. He raises his hand to his head, pinching the brim of his nose. Agon begins to sob, before raising his hands into the sky.
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Dr. Agon: WHYYYYYYYYY!!!
The rest of the masked people begin to cry in harmony. Hiro looks around, still heavily disoriented. Suddenly Dr. Lysange enters the room.
Dr. Lysange: So, it seems your little cult thing failed. So it’s my turn.
Dr. Agon: I was this close to awakening it!
Dr. Lysange: It?
Dr. Agon: Oh you wouldn’t understand. Something was being brought to the surface, but I just fell short. With some modification to the incantation, I should be able to fully summon it!
Dr. Lysange: Oh wow, seems like you really made a breakthrough. Too bad, it’s my turn.
Dr. Agon groans before leaving the room. Dr. Lysange claps his hands and the buff guys from earlier drag Hiro back into the chair.
Dr. Lysange: I need him Lucid for the highest chance of success.
Lysange inserts a syringe into his arm, and suddenly, Hiro jolts up, completely aware and in horrible pain.
Dr. Lysange: Good good, you’re fully awake. Time to begin.
Hiro: Tell me who you are! And let me go!
Dr. Lysange: Let you go? Why? If anything you should be thanking me.
Hiro: Why should I thank you? You kidnapped me.
Dr. Lysange: Because I saved you from Agon. Let’s just say you might not have survived his next experiment. And I’m going to make you stronger.
Hiro: Stronger?
Dr. Lysange: Indeed, I will awaken your mind.
Hiro: I- I don’t want that…
Dr. Lysange: Well, it wasn’t a question. And certainly didn’t need an answer. I WILL awaken your mind.
Lysange retrieves a syringe from a tray and injects it into Hiro. Hir begins to go through immense pain, and his eye perceives colors in a psychedelic pattern. He flails his body from pain, but the restraints hold. Lysange grabs a porcelain mask from the table.
Dr. Lysange: Experiment 432. What happens to a confirm wearing a Phantom Delegate mask.
Lysange places the mask on Hiro’s face, and an aura of darkness surrounds Hiro. This is followed by a moment of calm serenity, even further followed by cries of pain. The mask seemingly amplified the pain, and possibly the effects of the serum. What felt like days later, but in actuality was only a few hours, the pain begins to subside, and he begins to fall asleep from exhaustion. But before he does, he manages to hear one last thing.
Dr. Lysange: I see. I am unsure currently if the mask increased the power output… but the increased pain granted him a unique psychological ability unlike any I saw before. The power of … likely is due to his desire to escape the pain he was in. How, intriguing…
Hiro falls asleep.