Ellis sat in quiet after the other kid ran out, with promise to come back with the money.
He wasn't certain on the kid staying true to his words, as he believed the kid had no reason to help him... Well, now that the previous owner of this body was gone, and he now inhabited it.
Yes. As absurd as it sounded, he had already come to the realization that he was transmigrated. And while he couldn't remember dying, the fact that he was here... Wherever here was, meant he had indeed died.
More than once, he had thought about what it would feel like to live in a new world, but now that it happened, he suddenly wishes he was just having a bad dream. Afterall, John and his dad...
He took an audible shuddering breath, as he tightened his eyes, to hold his tear back from falling. Probably the whole earth was already impacted... Nobody knew for sure.
"The pain would lessen in a while. Cry it out if you want to. There's no reason to hold it in" he heard the doctor said, opening his eyes to see the man staring at him.
He didn't humor him with a reply, his expression turning blank.
The doctor chuckled at the sight, shaking his head as he muttered under his breath, turning away... "Kids these days."
Withdrawing back into his headspace, an attitude that was consistent with him even on earth, he began shuttling through his problems now.
First and foremost, unlike what he had read from books or watched from anime, he didn't inherit any memory of this body whatsoever. Heck, he hadn't even adapted to it.
Asides the pain which were quite numbing, this body's senses were a little too good that it was overwhelming.
His eyesight was way better than he remembered; the smell of antiseptic in the room, so potent it was driving him mad.
Maybe if that was all, he wouldn't have really minded, but he could also smell the plastics, the metal used to frame the bed, to even as insignificant as ink from the doctors pen if he focused... Making him want to retch.
But the most disorienting was the noise. It was as though everybody kept shouting. Each wave of their voices, drumming in his head like an echo. But he knew that was not the truth, it was just his hearing that amplified all those noises.
He had to focus on something in particular, or would be overwhelmed in a crescendo of nonsense.
While all of these were enough to cause despair, the most despairing thing for him, was the lack of knowledge.
He had an inkling of where he was, at least there were quite some similarities with a world he had in his mind, like the scrap yard and the system, but he couldn't be so sure. However what he needed was knowledge of who this Sean guy was.
In the world he presumed he was in, there was no Sean guy he could remember. So it's either this was another world, or he was inhabiting the body of someone fated to die or something. Considering the amount of pain he woke up in, that seemed to be the case.
He exuded a deep breath, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall.
"Only fifteen minutes passed" he muttered.
"Oh? Are you scared?" The doctor asked, suddenly blocking his line of sight with a wide grin. "Don't worry, I'll treat you well. Besides, you'd get the chance to learn from me. You might even become better than I am, and enter Elysium. Not a bad trait right?"
Elysium!
The word hammered in Ellis's head continuously. He was indeed in the world of his favorite novel.
"How is that possible?" He muttered to himself.
"Well, I'm considered the best doctor in the sorrounding area. And if I hadn't been cocky, and offended someone I shouldn't have... I too, would've been in Elysium, living the life" the doctor replied smugly, thinking the question was meant for him.
However, at the end of his statement, a hint of self depreciation, seemed to surface in his tone.
Ellis raised a brow. "You're not exactly humble now either"
"True!" The doctor chuckled "Well, there's nobody I need to fear here in the slums. I can do whatever I want."
Ellis nodded his head in agreement. If what the doctor said was true, then he really did have the right to be arrogant. He was valuable enough that he wouldn't be disrespected, and since he wasn't being harassed by gangs and hoodlums, it meant he was strong enough as well. Maybe he even had connections amongst them.
'Evolution is the way to mythic. Huh?' he thought, looking at the doctor. 'Seems this body also lacks active mana cells. Hah!'
This body really came with a shit tonne of problems. He concluded. Well, although it wasn't good enough evolve through atmospheric energy (mana), it certainly was talented enough for a genetic mutation and enhancement, even if it was very dangerous.
It wasn't like he had a choice.
Just then, the door swung wide open, and the haggard boy rushed in panting and heaving.
"Here... Here's the money" he said holding up some bills, bending over to rest his hand on his knee as he panted.
"Oh?" The doctor let out in surprise. "You really did have the money. Now I'm really curious where you got such money from" he continued tilting his head, his gaze piercing into the boy's soul.
The boy's stance shifted under his gaze, tensing as though prepared for a fight, as his eyes locked unto the doctor's, cold and bloodthirsty. Though the trembling of his arms gave way to how much he was scared inside.
"He already payed you. Let him go" Ellis said with a frown.
The doctor looked at him with a smile, then chuckled. "Very well then" he said, receiving the money, and proceeded to ignore the kid. "Though I'm still interested in you" he smirked.
Ellis's gaze did not waver, his voice coming out calm. "We'll see about that." He said, causing the doctor to let out an amused chuckle.
"Sean?" The boy called, and Ellis gave him a smile.
"Wow! Thank God. I feared you had sustained a brain injury" the boy exclaimed, rushing to his side as he voiced his relief.
"Unfortunately, you'd miss your genetic enhancement, and those bastards don't do refunds" he said gritting his teeth in sadness and anger.
Ellis however, jerked at his words, completely ignoring his pain, and roughly grabbing the boy's shoulders.
"What did you say?"
************
From next chapter, Ellis will become Sean Diddy... ("Cough") I mean Sean... just Sean. I don't know who said that. So, he takes up the identity of Sean, so they don't ask him "Hey bruhva, do you have brain damage?"
But he doesn't know Sean... Well, Ellis is said to be smart right? Let's check it out. Is he truly smart? Or just glazing? It'll be really disappointing if it was all glaze. Smh
Power stones!!! Unlike Thanos who could only take one, I assure you, I can use more than a gazillion!!