Chapter 13: Discovery
*Warning: This chapter contains some scenes, which might not be suitable for some readers*
"Hmmm~ hmm~ hm-hm-hm~"
A faint humming sound echoed in a small room, a sound of someone singing, cheerfully and softly.
Inside the room, the metallic walls reflected the overhead light. There were no windows. A narrow bed was rested in the corner, laying on top was a purple teddy bear, one of its eyes had been replaced with a stitched-on button.
Beside the bed was a small floor desk, filled with crayons and worn sheets of paper.
"hm-hm-hm~"
"~Its ready!"
A crimson-haired girl's voice broke through out the room. She stood up on her place, holding a piece of paper high above her head, as if it was the greatest achievement of her life.
Her glowing crimson eyes sparkled with pride, and a radiant smile lit up her face.
She skipped over to her bed, her steps light and carefree. Sitting beside the teddy bear, she whispered in a sing-song tone, "Do you know? ~I heard them say I'm getting a roommate!"
Her voice rose with excitement, her words filled with a joy that didn't belong in a room like this.
She patted the bear's head lovingly, her small fingers tracing over the uneven threads of its button eye. "Ummhmmm… I'm so excited! I hope they like drawing too!" her cheeks flushing with childish enthusiasm. "I wish—"
BAAM! BAAM!
The loud, sound of fists slamming against the door shattered her moment of joy.
"Shut your damn mouth!" a harsh voice barked from the other side.
The girl froze, the blood draining from her face as she turns pale. Her hands trembled, and the drawing she had been holding slipped from her grasp, landing on to the floor. Her glowing crimson eyes widened with fear. Without thinking, she backed away, curling herself on to the bed, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she mumbled, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she repeated over and over again, her each words slightly softer than the last.
Her once-lively expression was now replaced with sheer terror. Her entire body trembled, she shivered uncontrollably, like a stray puppy in a cold wind, every fiber of her being consumed by fear.
The metallic door slid open , revealing two men stepping into the confined room, the room was like a prison to her.
Her eyes locked onto their faces, and in that instant, all light drained from them.
"No... No! Please!" she stammered, her voice breaking as she gets down the floor, her head bowing so low it touched the cold surface. "I-I didn't mean to-I promise I'll be quiet! I won't even speak! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"What nonsense!?" one of the men barked before raising his heavy boot.
SMACK!
The stomp came down on her head with such a force that she let out a cry of pain.
"Aagh–!"
But before the scream could even escape her throat, another kick landed against her side.
"Fucking bitch! Stop crying!"
"P-please… I… am… sorry…"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The man's boot crashed down on her repeatedly, each blow more violent than the last.
Her small body suffers under the relentless assault, her hands trying to shield her head, but they did nothing to stop it.
"Get up, you crazy bitch!" he roared, his voice filled with disgust.
"I a..m … sor..ry"
Smack! Smack!
The stomps kept coming.
"Stop it, you'll kill her!" the second man finally interrupted, grabbing his companion's arm and pulling him back.
The first man huffed angrily, but he still, looked down at her trembling body "He wants to see you! Now, hurry up!"
"Why do I have to deal with this mentally ill bitch!?" the man spat, delivering another vicious kick to her abdomen.
SMACK!
She felt her vision blurring from the intensity of the pain. The man aimed his boot at her face for a final blow, but the second man intervened, grabbing his arm.
"That's enough. Let's go."
The two men left the room, she was left alone, her frail body curled up on the floor, her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach. She groaned in agony, tears streaming down her face.
"I... am... so... rr... y" her voice barely audible as she choked in between her gasps.
After a minute or two, She mustered the strength to crawl to the sink in the corner of her room. Gripping the edges of the sink, she pulled herself up.
Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror.
Her face was spotless. Her skin was. Smooth.
But how is that possible, there wasn't a single trace of the brutal beating she had just endured.
It was her power.
No matter how much pain she suffered, no matter how many blows she took, her body would always 'appear' unharmed. She could never bleed, unless the blows are lethal. But the pain... the pain, she always felt it.
She pressed her forehead against the mirror, her breath fogging up the glass.
"Why..?" she whispered.
The drawing she'd been so proud of laid on the cold floor. It presented three figures: a small girl with crimson hair in the center, holding hands with a man and a woman. Their faces, however, had been violently scribbled over with a black crayon, leaving nothing but dark smudges. Above their heads were three words, written in shaky letters:
'Mom.' 'Dad.' 'Ruby.'
But, It was only a dream.
The metallic room dissolved into darkness.
Zane's eyes shot open, his body trembling, processing the dream he just witnessed. His breathing was heavy.
*Haaah…haaaah*
"What was that!?"
"That was definitely Ruby!?"
. . .
My mind raced as I tried to make sense of that dream.
Why did I see Ruby in my dream? Was it even a dream? And, If it was real, why now? And why Ruby, of all people?
This was beyond anything I could imagine.
Her sobbing, her helpless pleas—they replayed repeatedly in my mind, and with every play, my anger boiled even more. Ruby looked like a child. Seeing her like that... makes my blood burned.
But suddenly, I lost control of the [Essence] inside me. I clenched my fists, but it was too late to suppress the wave.
*DOOOOOOM!*
The entire room shook as the Essence exploded out of me, radiating far beyond my control. The vibrations emitted surged through Honeyford, shaking the very foundations of the town.
'Shit!'
Realizing my mistake, I forced myself to calm down. My breathing was heavy, my chest in rage, but somehow I managed to willed the Essence back under control.
"What the hell is happening to me?"
Let's think this straight, Was this connected to my new powers? Could it be because of Immortality? Or maybe…
'Quantum Manipulation?'
It was too much to process. No matter how hard I tried to piece it together, the logic wouldn't align. But one thing was clear—this power, this Quantum Manipulation, was the key.
I needed answers.
I looked at my wristband, It reads 3 a.m., I opened my window and jumped out, landing silently on the ground below. I saw that the lights of nearby houses were on, likely due to my Essence shockwave.
Hurriedly I navigated through the dark alleys of Honeyford, hiding my presence as I searched for a target.
It didn't take long.
A few blocks away, I saw a man in his 30s holding a woman by her throat. His lips curled into a smirk, his tongue licking his upper lip as he pushed her against the wall. His free hand moved toward her waist, ignoring her desperate pleas.
"Let's see what happens," I muttered, my voice low.
I activated my skill.
"[Quantum Manipulation]."
The world around me shifted in an instant.
I lost control of my body, but I watched—no, felt—as the power took over me.
The objects around me lost their form, breaking down into tiny particles that floated around.
I could see everything. The molecular structures, the quantum threads that bound the air, the ground, the houses, the people. I could see them, feel them and almost as if, I could control them.
My mind was focused on the man before me, he was my only target, nothing else mattered to me at the moment.
With just a thought, I focused on the air around the man. Every molecules laid visible to me 'nitrogen' 'oxygen' 'argon', I could tell which molecules is which.
My mind focused on the oxygen atom, as it began to vibrate, converging faster and faster until the pressure became unbearable.
The man froze, his grip on the woman's throat loosening as he fell to his knees, choking harshly out of no where. The air around him thickened, I shifted my focus on dust particles around him, dust particles swirled around him violently, the particles made his way inside his body, grinding every tissues, every muscles into a pulpy liquid.
His eyes wide with terror, finally lost all the lights. The storm inside his body intensified, and within seconds, he was reduced to a lifeless husk.
I deactivated the skill.
Control of my body returned to me, and the world snapped back to normal.
I staggered, gripping the wall for support as a cold sweat dripped down my face. My breathing was shallow, my heart racing.
"I was right," I whispered. "This power... it's not ordinary. It doesn't just bend logic—it shatters it."
Returning to my room, I laid on my bed, constructing a plan.
'This skill made things easier.'
Just a few more steps, and Glory's end would be guaranteed.
End of Chapter.
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itsron
itsron Thanks for reading!
And sorry for the delay, i can't help it–my examinations are goining on.
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