End of the 6th Day
POV of Yakumo Oomori – The Doctor
"Tsk, the organ extraction failed…" I say irritably as I look at the boy's blood samples, the only thing that doesn't disappear.
Snap! I snap my fingers, which helps me calm down a bit. Then I take a deep breath and begin planning the next day.
"I need to understand this regeneration! I need to… cut and break more… Hahaha."
Deep breath
"For science! Hahahahahahaha! It will be worth it! They will recognize me when it's ready! Yes! Hahahaha!"
The hysterical laughter continues for several long seconds before abruptly stopping.
"What should I do? Maybe I should test the regeneration with fire, or maybe I should cut a limb into several pieces to see if they can reconnect… perhaps test how his body reacts to a gunshot… Haha… Hahaha!"
"Cough–cough!" I grab a glass of water and drink while imagining thousands of possibilities.
─── ◆ ───
7th Day
I open the door to the surgical room with a smile I no longer bother to restrain, walking toward the cell door, only to freeze when I observe the figure sitting on the mattress.
His hair, once black, is now snow-white, but that isn't the most impressive thing about this sudden change in the boy.
I feel a chill run down my spine as I look at him, especially when I meet those dark eyes with red pupils, something akin to fear, like prey being observed by a predator.
My smile widens. "A pre–Quirk awakening stage… Hahahaha! Incredible!! Hahaha!"
"TEC!!" I snap my fingers with such force they almost break.
'What will his Quirk be like? If all this is just a pre-awakening, I can only imagine what it'll be like when everything is unlocked.'
"Hahaha, let's begin! For science!"
I place the boy on the surgical table. He offers no resistance, perhaps he doesn't even have the strength to do so.
I notice that the scar on his chest hasn't disappeared. I can't help but feel a bit anxious. Has the regeneration not evolved?
I quickly remove the stitches from his chest and conduct my test, making a deep cut in his leg.
'It seems better… but I still feel it's slow and not healing perfectly…' I think as I observe the new scar.
'What made the regeneration worsen over time?'
I set that aside and continue my research, cutting here and there, severing a hand or foot, breaking an arm, finger, or leg.
'Hm… no screams?'
After a long while, I notice the deafening silence from the boy. I know he's feeling pain because of his grimaces and spasms, but now he's enduring it? Acting tough? Haha… let's see.
I change his position on the table, now with his back facing up, and decide to try an idea I had last night.
I grab a blowtorch and turn it on. The sound of gas and fire seems to make him writhe on the table.
I bring the blowtorch close to his skin, which after a few seconds in the same spot bursts into blisters, followed by the charring of the flesh.
The smell of burnt skin and meat fills the air in a repulsive way.
All I get from him are groans… alright, let's raise the level. I begin passing the blowtorch across his back, eventually forming a burned X.
I take the opportunity to observe the regeneration doing its work, the burned skin and flesh are pushed away by new tissue, but it leaves behind a peculiar burn scar.
"Tsk, boring." I toss the blowtorch into a corner, irritated at only getting groans, but I have to continue my research, so I try not to dwell on it.
─── ◆ ───
End of the 7th Day
POV of the Protagonist
"Urgh… it hurts so much…" I murmur to myself, my face pressed against the mattress, feeling the unhealed remnants of the burns on my back.
I seem able to endure more pain than usual when I woke up this morning, in addition to my hair having suddenly turned white.
I still feel the pain, but I can endure it much better now, at least when it comes to resisting the urge to scream or cry from pain.
The doctor said something earlier today before starting to laugh in front of my cell… he seems to know what happened to me, and he was excited about it… sigh.
I also feel a slight itch on my back… but that must be because of the burn. Either way, it seems my regeneration has improved, but without blood it doesn't seem to work properly.
'How much longer will I have to endure this?' I think darkly as I try to ignore the pain and sleep.
─── ◆ ───
8th and 9th Days
These two days were terrible. The doctor didn't sleep, he actually worked straight through with very few breaks. I tried to sleep a little during those breaks, despite the pain.
At the end of the 8th day, he left me in the cell as usual, with food and everything. A few hours passed, and then he came back, and the torture continued for hours and hours.
He reopened the cut on my chest, but instead of removing an organ, he decided to cut them to see how they would regenerate while I suffered from internal bleeding. My body seemed to fix it, though with some difficulty.
I'm covered in scars now. Even my nails have turned black because of the blood buildup underneath them.
At least he spared my private parts and my face from being cut in the last sessions, they must be the only places not marked with cuts and bruises.
My resistance to pain improved during this period. I can keep my face neutral now, which, because of the dark circles under my eyes, looks more tired than neutral. In fact, I realized I can't change it… I tried smiling or crying, but I couldn't…
But I didn't despair too much. The emotions and feelings are still here. I tried remembering my parents, my real ones, and I felt everything, even though I couldn't show it on my face.
There's also this… fear that the doctor feels when he looks into my eyes. I can see it, the unconscious step back he takes when he meets my gaze, or how he seems to freeze, despite always wearing that dreadful smile lately.
Maybe there's more to this power of mine that I still don't know. Maybe I can awaken something to help me take revenge on that bastard and escape from here…
Exhaustion becomes unbearable once again, so I let myself sleep and rest, now with a new hope to cling to.