บท 16: The Answers

Age 1991

"Go on... Power up. I'll wait." Zero said calmly.

Jackson frowned as he stared at the man. "You'll regret giving me this chance."

"Oh... Will I?"

"You will..."

Meanwhile...

"Oh come on! This isn't going to be a common occurrence every time I get knocked out is it..." Hero questioned looking around the vast landscape of red liquid.

He was back in that weird dreamland from before. The red liquid seemed to have gotten bigger and now seemed to bubble up reaching his knees now. Steam was coming from it, but it wasn't enough to burn Hero. Rather it was just a small warm feeling traveling through him. The sky was still just a black void that seemed to go on forever.

Hero looked around but he couldn't find the Hospital anywhere. He was all alone.

"Geez... This place got even weirder..." Hero muttered out.

"I wouldn't be so calm if I were you!" A loud booming voice echoed out.

Hero turned in surprise finding that the land had seemingly bent and twisted around. In front of him now, was the massive talking lab coat. Massive bright blue chains were wrapped around it though, holding it down. Above it, a blue orb was suspended in the air. All the chains seemed to be coming from it. There was a lock symbol on the ball, like it could be unlocked and opened? The coat was placed down in the red liquid which seemed to be trying to drag him under deeper?

"Whoa. Lab coat guy. You're still here?" Hero said in surprise. "I guess that blue orb, is Maudite's ability stopping you..." He hummed.

"Yes. That girl has quite the Attribute." The coat said quietly. "Then again the Alazir bloodline has always been a powerful one..."

"You know about her family!"

"That information is not important. What is important is how are you seemingly able to remember that we previously talked. I made sure to make you forget almost everything you saw here, as well as make you think that what you did remember was only a dream. How is it, you are able to remember me?"

"Oh, that?" Hero said brushing his hand up and down his hair as he gave a sheepish shrug. "Whenever Maudite sealed you away, she undid that memory thingy you did. I didn't say anything about it at the time as there were more important things that were going on."

"So. You remember everything?"

"No." Hero said shaking his head. "I am starting to get small pieces back though..." He gave a small happy smile as he stared at the ground for a few moments. "My mother... If I concentrate really hard, I think I can picture her outline..." He said giving a sad, and yet at the same time, proud smile. "I'm also remembering other things as well. I think if I really focus I might even be able to remember where that girl is! Or who had. Doctor Hyde." Hero clenched his fist as he gave a smirk.

"Why do you care for her so much?"

Hero game a small sheepish laugh as he twiddled his fingers. "Well..." He said as his cheeks lit up slightly, and he looked away out of embarrassment. "She. She was the first human I talked to who wasn't my grandfather, or that creepy scientist guy... I used to think I had a rough life but... But that look in her eyes. It was like she was asking for help... And my heartfelt weird as I stared at her..."

"A childhood crush... You're putting your life in danger for a childhood crush."

"Well... Yeah... But it's more. Ava. Ava is the name of our planet and the same name she has. Fitting. Because to me Ava is my world. My light." Hero gave a sheepish laugh as he scratched at his head. "I never knew love... Not from my mother. Not from my grandfather... That girl. She was like me... Alone. Scared. Forced to work with people you didn't agree with. Not knowing love... I promised. I'll save her. And I will be that love. I'm going to remember everything. And I'm totally gonna punch that evil scientist right in the face, and get my light back!" He announced out.

"That could be a problem. You were not supposed to discover any of this... It was never supposed to be like this..."

"Oh well. Guess you failed. You really suck at your job." Hero gave a slight shrug as he looked around the room. "So... Is there an exit or?"

"Ha... You can not leave as long as your body is in such a critical state!" The coat announced letting out an evil laugh. "In here you're stuck until your body is no longer in such a critical state!"

Hero gave the coat a deadpan stare as he scratched at his head sheepishly. "He really is like the Doctor..." He said slowly, as the blurry image of a man came to his mind. "So! Once I am done healing I can wake up right?" Hero asked.

"Yes, but that will not happen!"

"What! Why not?" Hero asked taken aback.

"The wound you have is pretty severe. It would kill you if not for the monsterfication. However, you lack the ability to use even 30% of it, as long as I am sealed away like this. Without healing, you will bleed out in a matter of time."

"That sounds bad..." Hero said in a casual manner.

"I wouldn't joke around so much boy... Your life is on the line. But... There is a way you could get back up in a matter of seconds..." The coat said quietly. It seemed to shift around, and Hero got the sense that somehow it was doing its version of a smile.

"W-What would that be?"

"Undo these chains bounding my power." The coat exclaimed. "If you do so, you'll gain more of your powers back. Of course, you still won't have access to 100% as long as I am here. But if you let me out, I can give you a boost in power. I can increase your power to 50%"

"What am I at right now?" Hero asked out of curiosity.

"You are at 20%... Every one of your Attributes are being held back by me at 20% of their power. That is also what is stopping you from using them all at once." The coat announced. "Originally you were at 30% which is the amount every Seraphin has access to, but after that girl sealed me away, I dropped down as much as I could. Let me out, though and I can increase it... Of course just because you would gain 50% more of your Attributes it doesn't mean you would get much stronger, as it isn't affecting your power level, just the level of control over your Attributes... The power depends on yourself. You may even be able to use Renacido. However, none of this matters unless you let me out!"

"Letting you out sounds bad..." Hero said biting his lip. "Even leaving you in here at all sounds kind of bad..."

"Well... You could always attempt to defeat me, but we both know that in here you don't have any powers... You're useless... Held helpless. But. You could let me out again. Allow me to roam around your mind, as I once did monitoring it. Both of our abilities are limited like this. You are being held back by me being like this."

"Wouldn't me letting you out just be a fancy way for you to take over my body and kill me..."

"Correct."

"Yeah, not happening!" Hero said shaking his head.

"Do you really think you have a choice..."

"What do you mean by that?" Hero asked suspiciously.

The lab coat seemed to laugh as it floated down, twisting with the chains. It pulled itself over to Hero as best as it could as it looked down on him. "Those other Enforcers you are with are having trouble. They could even die. However, if you were to get up now you could help them. What do you say? Undo my bindings and let me go free once more to explore your mind, and in return, I'll increase the amount you can hold. I'll boost you up to 50%... Your body,might be able to handle that level without breaking down... Or you could blow up. I don't really care."

Hero was quiet for a moment as he scratched at his wrist. "If I let you out you'll just kill me."

"Hmm... I'll make a deal with you. It is true that I am supposed to eliminate you, now that you have pulled out more power unnaturally but, I promise you that I will not, until you have saved your friends."

"Couldn't you just be lying..."

"I could be. But do you have any choice?"

Hero narrowed his eyes as he plopped down into the red liquid, crossing his legs, he sat down as he let out a hum. "Okay... I'll let you out."

"Good-"

"On one condition."

The lab coat let out a sigh as the shoulders on it moved up then down in a shrugging motion. "Very well Boy. What is this condition?"

"I want you to answer my questions."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Hero smiled slightly as he nodded his head. "I'm curious about this whole situation. I want answers. A lot of them in fact."

"Very well... I suppose it matters not to me, if you know the truth now... What are your questions?"

"First question!" Hero announced. "What the hell are you?"

"I am a lab coat-"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

The coat made a slight chuckling sound as it gave another shrug. "I am something created by Doctor Hyde, implanted into your mind with the goal to watch you, and follow your growth."

"So you're a part of his Attribute..."

"No." The lab coat said simply. "I am no mere Attribute. I am a mix of drugs, brainwashing, and hypnosis, all of which was performed on you in high doses, in an attempt to insert trigger words, and create me. I am not the result of any Attribute, magic, or anything. I am simply a part of your brain that was created as a way to monitor you. You are considered a failed experiment by Doctor Hyde. He wasn't able to get the necessary balance he was looking for, nor was he able to improve the Seraphin project. The only reason you were not terminated from the start was because of Okami Otoko."

"Gramps..." Hero said quietly as he bit his lip. "Always comes back to you doesn't it..."

"Project Seraphin, as you may be aware, is an experiment that involves a person's Life Equation being altered and tweaked, as a means to give that person two additional Attributes. However. It comes with some massive side effects. The biggest being the body lacking the ability to keep up with three powers, in the beginning. A normal body simply is incapable of keeping up with those three powers all operating at 100% all at once, as three 100% abilites would be 300% as such the Doctor created me. I am in every Seraphin, and it is my goal to monitor them, as well as stop them from using all three Attributes at once."

"So you're the reason why I took a lot of energy to heal my body!" Hero said nodding his head. "And why they are all being held back..."

"Indeed. However, I am different than most others." The coat said proudly. "The Doctor made me, as a way to limit your power in the beginning. On top of stopping you from accessing all three Attributes at once, it is also my goal to keep you stuck at a set percentage of how much you can do with those."

"Why would he do that though!" Hero questioned.

"No particular reason. He wanted to see if he could do it, so he did it."

"What? That's dumb..."

"That is what you are. You are nothing special. Just something the Doctor made to see if he could do it. However, on the off chance that you somehow got to be a problem, that is where I step in. I am your kill switch... Literally... Every Seraphin has me in them. Every Seraphin starts at 30% of their power as that is a total of 90% you see. A body isn't made to go past 100% of their power. Currently your power has been reduced down to 20% but it is possible it will grow more. As long as I exist though you can not get past 50% no matter what. Not like it would matter though as at 50% power your total output would be 150% which as you can guess is bad. All Labcoats are built to watch over Seraphins inside their mind and kill them if they reach 35% of their power."

"This Equation of Life stuff you are going on about... What is it?" Hero asked curiously.

"I do not know-"

"What do you mean you don't know! You keep bringing it up!"

"I only know everything you know, and what the Doctor knew at the time, when he created me... The Doctor was very fascinated by it studying it, and some of its effects, but his research was at the time almost nonexistent. However, what I do know about it, is that it can seemingly alter the natural flow of your Attributes. This has happened twice. Once when you were with that girl... And the second time when you were defending the Village. During both those times, you somehow found a way to start using 35% of your Attributes."

"So that explains why I was filled with so much energy..." Hero muttered out as he placed a hand on his chin. "But it doesn't explain what you meant by me being with some girl?"

"Ask your next question! Your body doesn't have all day."

"Oh... Right." Hero said nodding slightly. "That weird white sludge. What is that?"

"That is the manifestation of the Monsterfication. It's the will of the Attribute taken shape, and somehow connected to the owner, though I have no idea how... It is not the only manifestation in here..."

"I think I get it. That Hospital is the manisfestation of Ava, or rather Ava's power. I'm guessing this red liquid is the Living Nanon power, and I am the balloon power?" Hero said nodding his head as he looked around. "So umm... Where is Hospital?"

"I do not know. They are not always in here. Usually, when they are I do my best to kick them out. However, I will not be able to do that in my current condition."

"Okay..." Hero turned away as he gave a wave. "Well. Thanks for answering my questions Labby, but I gotta go now!"

"What are you babbling on about?" The lab coat questioned. "You can not leave here while your body is healing."

"Oh. Yeah, I'm done healing!" Hero said sheepishly as he shrugged.

"What? But you can't use the Monsterfications healing ability! 20% isn't enough to access it to heal you! Your total output is only at 60% You are far weaker then anything out there right now."

"You forget." Hero said placing a hand down in the warm red liquid. "I have another Attribute that can heal..."

"Your mothers..."

"And it seems like 20% is enough to heal with that one!" He said smugly.

"Damn you! You knew all along! You were just playing along to get answers out of me!"

"Yep!" Hero said walking away slowly. "I'm an idiot, but thankfully you're a part of me, so you're equally as stupid. Outsmarting myself is kind of the only thing I'm amazing at."

"I'll kill you!"

Hero stopped as he brought his arm up. "Oh... And Labby. One day... I will get strong enough. And I will defeat you. I'll take control of my Attribute, my mother's Attribute, and... And her Attribute. I'm going to save her. I promise."

The lab coat seemed to let out a growl. "You will never defeat me..."

Hero gave a goofy smile. "We'll see!" And with that, he brought his arm down, creating a rip in the fabric of space. "We'll see..." He took a deep breath and stepped through.

And the next thing he knew... He was awake.