I don't know how much time has passed. A few hours, maybe. A day? I do know I'm hungry. And bored. I attempted to do some light exercises but gave up due to the small space. I decided to see if there was any way out or even some way to see outside the walls, but as I thought, there were no blemishes on the walls. No lines or indents. Not even a way for air to get in. From what I could see, at least. Just deafening silence.

My only company was the sword. I continued to try to free the weapon, but nothing worked. The sheath couldn't be undone, thanks to the living metal, and after a while, I just stared at it. I noticed runes of some kind inscribed into the metal strips that crisscrossed down the sheath. I have no idea what they mean, though. Maybe they meant nothing and were just there for show.

I pick it up and stand. Even if I can't draw it, at least it makes for a good blunt weapon. Even sheathed, it's perfectly balanced. Must be that strange core at work. I start to swing the sword. Up, down, left, down. Repeat. I continue to do this for several minutes, then move on to the next exercise. I've been neglecting my training, might as well do some here. Never know when I'll get an opportunity to strike.

About halfway through my warm-ups, I notice a black line form on the wall to my left. It's in the shape of a door. I jump against the opposite wall, my sword in front of me. The door opens outward, nothing but darkness beyond. A man steps through the darkness into my view. I tighten the grip on my blade.

"My boy, it has been far too long." The man stares at me. Dressed in a blood-red tuxedo, black dress pants, impeccable leather shoes, and a black cane hanging on his right arm. His slick-backed black hair shows signs of graying, and his perfectly trimmed mustache has gray specks in it. The edges curve slightly up. His cold blue eyes look down on me even though I'm taller than him. he stands proud and indomitable. Mirin Jack. I feel my hands shake. It suddenly feels like someone took all the air out of the room. This is the man I considered a second father.

None of those feelings remain, however. Irritation flares through me. My heart pounds hard enough for me to hear it in my ears. He stares at me and smiles, Though it feels more like an insult than a greeting. "Now, now, my boy. Let us not sully this reunion with unnecessary feelings." He motions to the sword in my hand, "Put that useless toy down before you get hurt." Toy? My eye twitches. I grit my teeth and charge at him, swinging down with all my might. Mirin sighs and steps to the right, hooking my sword's sheath with the crook of his cane. Before I can even react, he rotates the cane, ripping the blade out of my hands. I move to punch, but he slams the cane's handle against my neck, pushing me to the wall.

"What did I say, boy?" His calm and collected demeanor remained, but I can see a look of disappointment in his eyes. I gag as he presses the cane harder against my throat, and my lungs burn. I go to grab the cane, but he has already removed it, and I fall to the ground, holding my throat as air rushes into my lungs. "All you brutes are the same. Always trying to solve your problems with violence." He shakes his head.

I finally find my voice, "You're the one who drilled that into my head."

He pauses, "I suppose that is true. Blade never was one to engage in the act of negotiation." Mirin snaps his fingers, and two men appear from the darkness holding chairs. They set them down, and Mirin sits in one, motioning for me to sit in the other. Reluctantly I sit. Not like I have much choice.

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"Now, I believe we got off on the wrong foot. It has been so long. Surely, you do not want to get on my bad side so soon?" Mirin lays his cane across his lap and stares at me.

By this point, my rage had subsided, and a feeling of emptiness replaced it. "Why?" I say in a quiet voice, looking at the floor.

Mirin sighs, "Why what, Silen?"

I raise my head and look him in the eye. "Why can't you leave me alone? I never once said a thing about what I saw that night. I've never gotten in you're way. Hell, I tried as hard as I could to disappear completely. So why? What's so special about me?"

Mirin looks at me, surprised, "That is your question? Not why your best friends were dead and frozen in capsules? Not what that scar on your chest is or why your poisoning was suddenly cured? Your burning question is, why I will not leave you alone?" He chuckles, "You really are something else."

I hold back the urge to leap at him. Of course, I had those questions. But I'll never get the answers for them. It was better not to dwell on it and move on. I already know what happens when I allow grief to consume me. "Answer it."

"Very well," Mirin says. He leans back in his chair, "You are special, Silen. Very special. You see you," he jabs a finger at me, "Are a product. The very first of its kind. A core-infused human." I remain silent, but my mind is racing a million miles a second. Core-infused human? Mirin continues talking nonchalantly, "Human might be the wrong term. It does not sell well. Lacks flair. How does Bio weapon sound?" he chuckles, "Now that would sell. To both the military and the underworld."

"So you stuck a Core inside my body? Is that why my poisoning stopped? Is that why I suddenly become so much stronger?" I don't really care what his answer is. I just need him to keep talking. There has to be a way out of here. I can't waste any more time in this place. Answers can come when I have the luxury. Mirin smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

He leans forward, "I can see it, Silen. Your mind is racing, trying to find a way to escape. But there is none." He taps his cane on the floor, "I will answer none of your questions. It does not matter what you know. You will be sold all the same. However," He says, " I think you should be aware that we used a black Neo core as the infusion material. I'm sure you can piece together why I so fervently needed to find you."

My eyes widen. That can't be possible. I thought those things were a myth. Mirin stands and nods to his men to take his chair. He places his hands on his cane and leans toward me, "Now let me give you something to break that spirit of yours." Mirin smiles. It has no warmth to it. No emotion at all. "I know about the library."

My breath stops. Goosebumps run across my skin as I stare into his cold, piercing eyes. No... No, that can't be true. How would he know about that? I instinctively scramble as far away from him as I can. All my senses are screaming, telling me to run. He chuckles, "That's the reaction I was looking for." I cower in the corner, my body shaking uncontrollably. He nods and spins to the door. "W...wait." I manage to mumble.

Mirin stops and looks at me, "Tell me. Did those years I lived and worked for you mean nothing?" He narrows his eyes. That was clearly something he didn't expect me to ask. Honestly, that's all I could say. Maybe some last-ditch effort to get some sympathy to exploit.

"No, Silen, those years you spent under me did mean something. They allowed me to shape you how I saw fit. A broken boy with nothing to his name. No, my boy, it was an investment."

Something snaps. Something important. My eyes stare at the wall, but I see nothing. Feel nothing. I hear Mirin move to the door, but he stops again. I look at him slowly. His back is turned to me. "Boy, what you are right now is unknown. Even to us. And the unknown sells well, very well." He turns back to look at me. A frown appears on his face. I can't quite place the emotion. It's not quite sadness, "If it helps you sleep at night, during those two years, I thought of you as a son. However, my son died on that operating table. You are someone else. The boy you once were is gone. It is in your best interest to recognize that."

Mirin walks out into the dark, whistling a merry tune, the door closing shut behind him. I chuckle to myself in the quiet. This feeling is familiar—complete and utter defeat. The weight of my situation finally slams into me. I'm back to square one. Betrayed and left alone. With nothing to my name. Only this time, I'm trapped with no way out.