Otto looked at Ernst with an indifferent expression. The crevices of his mouth remained flat.
"The answer lies in the first question you asked."
Taking a few seconds to think of what the tired-looking man said, a word came to mind. As he thought of the answer, the same word slipped through his mouth.
"Eiter…"
Looking back at Otto, he saw his head slowly nod in agreement.
Curious, he pressed forward on the topic.
"Aren't you supposed to be like the two at the plaza then? Wouldn't you be corrupted by this dangerous force...?"
Although his knowledge was extremely limited, based on what he had learnt, Otto should also act similarly to the victims at the plaza. He questioned how he could maintain his sanity if eiter was truly as corruptive as he was told.
Once more, Lev interjected to provide an answer.
"That would be the case… at least, if he were like you."
"Although he may not look like it, his body's anatomy has been significantly altered…"
"As a result of his past choices, he has taken a step closer to insanity, straying further away from humanity…at least, that is as much as we are allowed to reveal to you as of now."
Taking out the cartridge once more, he opened the small silver box. He then casually turned it upside down, allowing the erratic flesh to land on the palm of his hand.
Witnessing this scene, Ernst maintained his composure. He carefully observed the event in front of him, weighing whether or not he should evacuate the room.
However, although the flesh made contact with the handsome man's body, nothing seemed to happen.
The flesh relentlessly wriggled and pulsed as it had done earlier.
Then, it had done something the fearful Ernst could not comprehend.
Slowly, it began to dissipate unnaturally. From where he was standing, Ernst could somehow see that the flesh was slowly growing smaller.
Ernst squinted to capture what was happening in front of him.
Is it merging with his hand?
The grotesque sight left the young man in awe. It was as if molten steel was slowly taking shape in front of him.
Upon closer inspection, Ernst could see the man's veins and blood pulse in reaction to the piece of flesh. Bumps had formed under his skin, akin to a parasite that had found its host.
Despite the graphic nature of the spectacle, Lev did not seem to be in any pain.
After curling his hand into a fist, he then presented his palm to the young man.
The piece of flesh had now ceased, showing no signs of scarring or damage.
"What did you do?" Ernst could not help but ask.
Lev moved his attention from his hand onto the perplexed visitor.
"Those who battle against monsters are to become one themselves." Crossing his arms, he smirked while looking at Erns,t who was still left speechless from his actions. "As a philosophy student, I'm sure you've heard of this statement from your studies."
Ernst's body was stiff as he internalized the scene.
"This is…unbelievable…" he uttered.
The world Ernst had once known no longer fit the narrative he had lived until now. A world that was once solely of human existence was, in actuality, harbouring monsters that lurked in the dark.
"Although the Eiter can wreak havoc on the common folk, it can also be a tool used to fend off its very existence."
"Unsurprisingly, it seems you were put off by this little show. For that, I do apologize," Lev spoke politely.
He then looked to Sonia, who was originally responsible for meeting with Ernst.
As they locked eyes with each other, both she and Lev wordlessly came to an understanding.
"I think we should call it here for today," Sonia said to Ernst.
"Maybe take a few days to think it over…But, again, you can always accept the position you were offered alone, ignoring things related to the other details of today."
"I'll see you out."
Standing from her seat, Ernst followed suit.
Guided by Sonia, the two left the room with the other three members of the business waving farewell.
Now standing in the lobby of their workplace, Ernst began to thank Sonia for the time she had set aside to meet with him. Although he felt their meeting was inevitable, it was only natural that he would at least pay his respects in gratitude.
"I would appreciate it if you would thank the others on my behalf."
"It seems that I had forgotten to do so on the way out," Ernst said regretfully.
"Oh, please, don't worry about that at all. I'm sure they've realized your politeness throughout your time here."
Sonia's cheerful aura had returned once they left the room. Leaving the heavy atmosphere of the office, she smiled as she opened the front door to allow Ernst out.
As the young man stepped out onto the street, he turned his head to the caring host of their meeting.
"I understand that our agreement was only four questions. But may I ask one more? I do believe it is rather appropriate," Ernst asked frankly.
Sonia paused for a moment. However, although her smile had briefly faded, it had returned within a few seconds of her thinking about an answer.
"I don't see why not."
Ernst nodded his head in gratitude once more.
"In that case, what would you do in my situation?"
Sonia blinked a few times upon hearing the young man's question. She leaned her head on the door's frame, thinking about how to answer. Putting oneself in another's shoes proved difficult for some. However, provided with the clues of the type of business the group was running, Ernst felt that she would be able to do so.
"Hmm…"
"Well…"
"Your choice seems very dependent on your sister, doesn't it?"
To those who wished to safeguard their loved ones, there were times when one was faced with difficult choices. As such, the position Ersnt was currently put in was one of them. As someone who had grown up in more disadvantaged conditions, he knew of the struggle that would befall them should their bakery go under. Perhaps they did make enough money each day. However, one could never be too sure.
An opportunity to make above the average salary alone was already a tempting offer. However, Ernst knew that one must also consider the cost of such wealth.
A world hidden to the human eye…
Ernst paused for a few seconds, thinking of how to respond. As he took the time, he looked to the sky that had somewhat cleared up.
Monsters…Eiter…
Sonia patiently waited for the young man's answer.
"While it may be premature of me to mention this, but when I was a child, the orphanage I had lived at was very abusive…perhaps inhumane would even be more appropriate."
"During that time I failed so many times…to protect…to defend…"
"I even hurt many around me…even those who showed even the slightest of kindness…"
"For the most part, while I believe I've healed from such scars, there are times when I see sights of what had happened…"
The young man put on his tweed cap.
Sonia remained silent, listening intently to the man's ramblings.
"I don't wish to see more pain."
As he spoke, Ernst's voice was both solemn and sincere.
With little room to respond, Sonia could only utter a simple reply.
"I understand."
Just as the young man turned away to leave, the woman with the dark brunette hair followed up with something unexpected.
"You're much like us then."
Curious, Ernst prompted the lady to continue.
"In what sense?"
A wry smile began to form on her face as she saw an opportunity to continue conversing with the person she had only met days ago.
"Lev, Otto, Leva, and even I...we've all experienced pains that drove us to where we are now."
Her shoulders loosened as she spoke.
"For instance…I, too, have lost someone I held dear to me at some point in my life…"
"I was too weak and too arrogant to see the flaws in the decisions I had made. Back then, I thought to myself that it was a matter of my simply lacking the strength to protect that person. So much blame and guilt had festered inside me — making me feel bitter…saddened…even rage-ful."
Ernst listened to Sonia's recollection in a way that was akin to his own name.
"After meeting the others, I was able to resolve many of these issues. Though there was promise of power, that itself was not what 'healed' me. Rather, it was the 'family' I found among similarly unfortunate souls."
"While we can no longer protect the past…we can most certainly safeguard our present and future."
Her intonation was both fragile and firm. While many things remained hidden behind her words, Ernst could feel a great sorrow that weighed on the usually cheerful lady.
At the same time, he felt a twinge of guilt after prompting her to make such a reflection. Regardless, he knew that the answer she provided was out of sincerity. Thus, apologizing would be futile.
Would I be able to prevent Emilia from interacting with such a thing?
Ernst thought about his sister once more, considering whether or not she would be safer if he maintained ties with the strange group.
His mouth twitched into a smirk.
"Thank you for your answer. It's most certainly helped."
The young man did a short bow with his arm crossing his chest once more.
"I believe I'll have a decision by tomorrow if that's alright. I merely need to check in on something."
Still leaning on the door of the frame entrance, Sonia lightly chuckled.
"That's quite all right, please take your time."
"Also, regardless of your decision, you are always welcome here if you feel you need some help."
Ernst raised his head with gratitude evident on his face.
"Thank you."
Waving the beautiful woman goodbye, he began to walk away from the building, in hopes of solidifying his decision the following day.
…
Somewhere in Bauner.
A noticeably aged man awoke from a long dream. He looked around him, inspecting his surroundings. His eyes still struggled to crack open. However, he continued to fight off the temptation to fall back asleep.
Where am I…
A blinding light hit his face, piercing through the darkness.
Ngh..
"Who's there..?" Christopher spoke frailly.
As he tried to shield his eyes from the glare, he found that his arms were strapped down.
Looking down, he saw the entirety of his body bound to a chair. Dried blood left stains on his clothing, catching him off guard.
In hopes of catching someone's attention, he spoke aloud,
"What is this?"
"Where am I?"
His blurry vision began to focus as he was able to make out more of his surroundings. With the light still blocking much of his vision, he was able to make out what looked like a metal table with an assortment of tools one would find in a hospital.
Silver tools and vials of liquids with text that were too far away from him to read were neatly placed in rows.
Looking past the light, he was able to see the outline of a few individuals in white clothing.
Then, a thought flickered in his mind.
He saw a mental image of a young girl, one that he had not forgotten for a long time.
"Olivia…" he whispered a girl's name under his breath.
The figures behind the light from the blinding lamp showed no reaction, remaining still.
Christopher's expression grew dark.
"What have you done to her…?"
"Where did you take her?!"
While initially calm, his behaviour became agitated. Anger consumed him as he shook in his chair. Dark spots began to appear all over his body. As the rot began to spread, the figures in white clothing finally began to move.
Silently, two of them held Christopher as he continued to struggle.
"Where is she?!"
As he continued to shout, no response came from the three individuals.
Grabbing one of the vials on the metal tray, which held a liquid that seemed to be akin to blood. The man then turned to Christopher with a pointed needle.
"Continue to hold him down," he spoke calmly.
"Let me out! My Olivia! Where did you take her?!"
The rot continued to consume his body. The entirety of the aged man's arms were nearly blackened by the eiter.
The man with the needle silently closed in on a vein and carefully, yet forcefully, injected the needle into his forearm.
Christopher winced as he felt the mysterious liquid enter his bloodstream.
Thoughts of a young girl began to fade from his mind.
Although he continued to shout her name, his frenzy slowly died down. His muscles grew tired, with rage slowly dissipating from his face.
"Olivia…my dear Oliva…where have you gone….?"
He continued to cry out a name unbeknownst to those watching over him.
The grips of the two strangers began to loosen as they moved away.
Christopher, who had now falleasleep inin his chair in a lifeless manner. Slowly, the blacks of eiter began to recede within his body, eventually, turning him back to normal.
The man who had injected him with the blood-red liquid set down the syringe and grabbed hold of his chin, widening Christopher's eyes.
"His pupils seem normal."
One man began to write on a clipboard as his colleague spoke.
They then pulled out a stethoscope, placing it promptly on his left-upper chest.
Thump….thump….thump….
"Heart rate seems to be returning to normal," he spoke in a clear, deep tone.
Another man went over the metal tray once more, this time, grabbing a different vial.
Rather than a deep-red, the vial held a clear, water-like substance.
As his colleagues continued to test the vitals of the unconscious Christopher, he lightly chanted a prayer under his breath.
"Mother who sees all, bless this relic, embody it with thine knowledge…
"May it be so that it shall heal the fallen…"
Once more, each man took a step back behind the glare of the lamp — a fair distance away from Christopher.
The man with the new vial raised it above his forehead with both hands. Bowing his head while continuing to whisper a silent prayer, he bent his arms three times forward. Sprinkles of water flew toward the aged man.
Returning to their positions, they then waited for a few moments.
No snore, nor breath could be heard. Only the sound of a clock ticking resounded throughout the room.
The liquid had absorbed itself into the sleeping man's bloodied attire. Some droplets ran down his forehead and arms.
A few more minutes passed until finally, one of the men spoke up.
"The subject has been cleared."
The clock continued to tick as the confined Christopher continued to rest.