CH 6

Perhaps he was exhausted because he was called to the lab early in the morning. Pondering about whether it would be better to let him rest, I moved to the bedside. He didn’t eat breakfast, and skipping lunch would be bad for his health. I shook Emilian a little to wake him up.

“Hey, wake up.”

“Ugh…!” And then Emilian shrank and groaned in pain.

‘This… It’s like a reaction when you accidentally touch a wound?’ Feeling something was odd, I removed the blanket covering him. And for a moment, I swallowed my breath.

“!!!”

Emilian’s lab coat was stained with blood. His arms and legs were covered in wounds.

‘On the first day, they’d definitely start with light tests… what the… why…’ I was so shocked that my hands were shaking. Perhaps the pain was so severe that Emilian turned his head and curled up. Cold sweat scattered on his forehead. His small body trembled and his lips turned blue. Scared, I sat down beside Emilian and asked, stuttering.

“Are- are you okay?”

[tl/n: I like you, Annis, but really? lmao]

Emilian closed his eyes tightly and breathed heavily. He didn’t seem able to answer. I looked at him with trembling eyes. But then, the wounds began to heal slowly.

“. . .!”

It was only then that I realized what kind of experiment he had undergone. It was an experiment that strengthens the regenerative ability extremely, and, originally, it was an experiment that would have been performed after a period of adjustment. The experiment was designed to modify the weak human body, starting with the cells. And it was accompanied by extreme pain. 

I crouched down and grabbed Emilian’s hand, who groaned in agony.

“Uhk…”

“It’s fine. It’ll be fine.” Whether I was talking to him or myself, I repeated while clasping his trembling hands tightly. Then, I quickly came to my senses.

‘This is not the time to be like this.’ I had to go and get some painkillers. As I hurried to stand up, a strong grip held my hand. His long eyelashes trembled and Emilian opened his eyes. His lips twitched before a weak voice came out.

“D… on’t…”

Because the words were cut off due to the pain, I couldn’t understand what he was saying, just the hand holding me felt desperate… I had to shake his hand off, but I couldn’t. I bit my lower lip. I said, gently placing my hand on top of Emilian’s,

“I’ll be back. So wait a bit.”

There was no answer.

However, the trembling in Emilian’s red eyes, which had been shaking as if anxious, had subsided a little. At the same time, the grip that had been holding me tight gradually loosened.

Emilian will awake as a Transcendent and escape from this lab without my help. That’s why I thought I shouldn’t care about him but… Seeing him struggling, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Even when the other children were sick, I used to go to call the researchers because I couldn’t just stay still and watch them suffer. In the end, all those efforts were useless but still, this child will survive to the end, so…

After releasing Emilian’s hand, holding down the urge of crying, I ran without looking back.

*     *     *

When I was first brought to this lab, I too had undergone experiments. It was before it was proved that I had no value as a test subject. Even though it was a long time ago, the memory was still vivid. Even though it was the lowest level of the experiment, it was painful enough to faint. I had never experienced such pain in my life. My eyes went black and I felt like I was about to lose my mind.

‘That’s why even a second sooner…’ I arrived at the emergency room breathing heavily and quickly looked inside. There were three or four researchers. They were chatting around a subject girl lying on the medical bed.

“Have you administered EA-9?”

“Yes. But it didn’t work.”

“Then you’ll have to try another drug. How about V-13?”

“Isn’t that a drug that hasn’t been tested for safety? You need the director’s permission.”

The subject girl was breathing weakly with tubes connected to her nose and mouth. The researchers were so engrossed in the conversation that they didn’t look this way. I held my breath and walked to the shelf where the medicine bottles were lined up. The medicines could not be taken and used without the permission of a member of the emergency room. And since it wasn’t unusual for the subject children to get sick, they were really stingy in giving them painkillers. I recalled the physician’s lukewarm response when I asked him to see Emilian yesterday. There was no time to waste explaining the situation while Emilian would be suffering from extreme pain. Painkillers were in the top compartment of the shelf. I stretched out my hand as hard as I could, but it didn’t seem like I could reach it.

‘A little bit more…!’ I lifted my heels vigorously. I stretched out my arms enough to pull my shoulders. It was when I took the painkillers out of the shelf, and suddenly, a voice was heard from behind.

“You, what are you doing there?”

I didn’t know when he approached, a tall researcher looked down at me with his eyebrows raised. He tugged me by my shoulder. I was shocked and flustered. However, I looked up at the researcher with a calm expression.

‘If I get caught here, what about Emilian…?’

“I asked what you were doing.”

“That… sir Isaac said he had a terrible headache, so he asked me to bring him some painkillers.”

“Isaac?”

“Yes,” I answered, barely suppressing the trembling of my voice. The researcher was looking at me with suspicious eyes. My heart was pounding wildly in fear of being caught lying. Just when the researcher was about to open his mouth with a frown on his face, another researcher watching the condition of the subject girl commented,

“Come to think of it, sir Isaac, I heard he was under a lot of stress because his research performance was sluggish these days.”

Another researcher added:

“Ah, these days the director has been putting a lot of pressure on the performance.”

“Hmm, is that why sir Isaac is losing hair?” Someone said sarcastically, and there was a burst of laughter among the researchers. The joke softened the mood. The researcher let go of the hand holding my shoulder. Maybe because his colleagues were talking about Isaac’s struggles, the hint of suspicion disappeared from his eyes.

“Don’t fool around and go.”

The researcher waved his hand towards me as if annoyed.

“Yes.”

Even though I pretended to be calm, my heart was pounding. I left the emergency room with painkillers in my hand.

‘I was lucky.’

My pace, which gradually accelerated, turned into a hurried sprint.

‘Emilian… wait a bit more.’

*     *     *

A sharp scalpel pierced his delicate skin over and over again.

It hurts. It hurts so much.

But there was nowhere to run. Researchers watched him suffer with apathetic eyes. The lab coat was already drenched in red. Emilian clenched his teeth.

‘I don’t want to die.’

Not only today but also tomorrow and the day after that; painful experiments awaited him. Still, he wanted to live. If he holds onto what is called hope, will he be able to endure? Before Emilian could answer himself, the scalpel flashed again in the researcher’s hand. Pain overcame him. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. It was when he was enduring the pain by biting his lips to the point of bleeding that a researcher put an injection of a strange drug on his arm. In an instant, a pain strong enough to pierce him from head to toe at once struck him. It felt like his body was burning. No, more like it was being torn into pieces.

Aaaagghhh!!!

Emilian screamed and dropped his head. He struggled and the chain clanked violently.

It hurts. It’s torture.

Nevertheless, the researchers only looked at him struggling in pain with dry eyes. Suddenly, their eyes, which were as indifferent as plaster statues, changed. The sound of them holding their breath echoed. Soon, excited voices followed.

“Haha, this is really beyond expectations!”

“How can the response be so fast…!”

“The ability to adapt to drugs is considerable. This… we can look forward to it.” 

Emilian couldn’t understand what the researchers were saying. But he understood what was happening in front of his eyes. Numerous wounds on his body were healing on its own. The researcher smiled and said,

“The director will be delighted to see this amazing result.”

“What have… you done?”

“There’s no need to be surprised. It’s just a temporary increase in the regeneration ability.”

The researcher replied excitedly.

“If you succeed in the final experiment, you will become a Transcendent. Then you’ll heal no matter what hurts you. You have potential. So you can rejoice!” 

‘What do you mean by rejoice? You just named a monster.’

But instead of words, a painful groan came out. For a moment, his eyes flickered. As if the light of the whole world had disappeared, the surroundings became dark.

“Geez, I still need some more experimentation.”

“We need to improve its drug adaptability…”

The voices of the researchers were sparsely heard in his blurred consciousness. Emilian closed his eyes as if exhausted. 

When he regained consciousness, he was lying on his bed in his room, not in the lab. He was a little relieved that the experiment was over. But just for a short while. At the same time as consciousness returned, his senses also returned. Pain engulfed his body again.

“Ugh…”

Emilian took a deep breath, holding back the pain. There was nothing else he could do other than endure since he was always alone anyway. 

But why?

“Are- are you okay?”

Azure eyes filled with anxiety were shining above him. It was that girl again. And the same eyes as last time. When he looked into those eyes, his heart felt weak for some reason. It was strange. Living in the slums, he never showed weakness in front of others. The moment you reveal your weakness, you will be bitten without mercy.

‘But why in front of that kid…’ He didn’t know. ‘Maybe because if the body is weak the mind also becomes weak?’

Because it seemed she was going to leave him behind, Emilian clasped the girl’s hand tightly.

‘Don’t go.’

The pain was so severe that he couldn’t speak properly. She tried to shake off his tight grip. Just when her behavior was about to feel heartless, her voice reached Emilian’s ears.

“I’ll be back. So wait a bit.”

Emilian wanted to believe those words. He reluctantly let go of her hand.

“I brought you some painkillers. If you take this, the pain will go away.”

Shortly thereafter, the girl returned. She helped him, pouring the medicine little by little into his mouth.

“Hang in there.”

When he finished drinking the medicine, a soft voice, as if to soothe him, wrapped around his ears. She lend him her shoulder to rest and said, 

“Everything will be fine now…”

The pain that burnt all over his body was still vivid, but for some reason, he felt reassured by those words.