It is almost daybreak when Seth finds himself in a clearing in the middle of the woods somewhere. He could hear the morning chirps and feel the cool morning breeze. With his face on the grassy ground, he sits up groaning.
Seth could feel it right away. There is something new with him. He figured the encounter with Zela was not a dream. He rubs his eyes and yawns, and he stands up and stretches. It was the most remarkable stretch he had done. He looked around, then to himself.
He is naked. Seth was a bit surprised. What happened before was still very clear to him. He tried to recall what had happened to him and the doctor, but he still couldn't. He shivered when he thought of the worst, but quickly dismissed it, shaking his head, giving himself a mental reset.
"Where am I anyway?"
Seth said out loud while inspecting the surroundings. There was a doe staring right at him. He stops, at first, he just didn't want to scare the poor animal, and they exchange gazes with each other.
The animal continued to chew slowly on the delicious forest grass offered to it by nature. Its mouth is full of natural greens below. Its tail wags from time to time, seemingly enjoying the succulent morning chow.
Astonished, Seth could only stare back at it. He, too, felt a sense of enjoyment by just staring back at the animal. Somehow, there is an eerie familiarity between him and the doe, not of species but with something else. Just like the animal before him, he felt free.
Then the sound of someone stepping on a branch spooked the doe, and she swiftly jumped away.
Seth was also startled when he turned in the direction of the sound, a squad of Zoldiers already surrounding him.
"Whoa!"
He raises his arms and tries to keep a distance from them.
The Zoldiers wear a dark jumpsuit with sleek utility vests and padded protection for their arms and legs. They arm themselves with the Meltdown, heated-edge knives that pulse smoldering heat to melt the skin of their opponents. It is also quiet enough not to trigger loud noises, thus avoiding unwanted attention from the Zenos.
"Why are you here?"
One of them said behind their masks. Their faces are completely hidden by their hood. They also wear goggles as big as a mask that conceals their faces, and Seth could see himself reflected in them.
"Uh, I got lost?"
Seth said quickly without thinking enough.
"Why are you naked?"
Another one questions further.
"I-I got robbed!"
Panicking, Seth could only say whatever came to mind.
"Liar! This is a restricted area! There are no bandits or scum out here. Lots of Zenos running around. Don't make me ask again, kid!"
The same Zoldier sounded intimidating this time.
"Is it? I haven't seen one, but I'm telling the truth! Heh, no zombies around here!"
"Don't say that word, scumbag. If you keep lying, we're gonna have to kill you!"
"No, wait–"
Suddenly, a lone, decomposing Zeno shoves Seth and rushes towards the Zoldiers.
The squad quickly goes on the defensive as Seth tries to cover himself on the ground, still butt naked.
"Zeno! Zeno! Zeno!"
The squad quickly spreads out, and one of them maneuvers to distract the Zeno. When the Zeno turned its back, one of the Zoldiers penetrated its skull with their weapon, melting the head, effectively killing their enemy.
It is a well-rehearsed tactic, and the whole Squad performed efficiently to defeat the Zeno in just seconds.
Seth didn't see the whole thing, but he assessed that the squad is skilled enough. Meaning they could kill him any moment now. Therefore, he thought, it is wise to cooperate instead.
The Zoldier pulls their weapon out of the melted noggin and points it at Seth, who is cowering on the ground.
"Why the hell did that Zeno not attack you first? Are you infected?"
The Zoldier sounded angry. His grip on his weapon indicated he was on high alert.
"No! No, I'm not! Please, calm down!"
Seth begs, but the weapons are still pointed at him.
"We don't take chances, kid. Were you bitten?"
The Zoldiers are ready to take him down.
"I wasn't!"
Seth could see the growling faces behind their masks.
One of the Zoldiers carefully watches him and notices that Seth has abnormally large criss-crossing stitches on his spine.
"Why are you stitched up like that, freak?!"
"Huh?"
Seth checks himself, his eyes widened in shock. His body bears deep and fat stitches. The seams are as thick as shoelaces, running along his limbs, joints, spine, and neck. He stands up in panic, which also surprises the Zoldiers.
"Whoa! What is this?"
Seth couldn't contain his surprise. He tried to brush the stitches on his body, trying to see if they were real.
"What the hell are you?"
Every Zoldier in the squad draws their weapon. Some were dual-wielding.
"Wait, I am human, okay?"
Seth tries to get near the Zoldiers, flailing his arms, but accidentally trips over the dead Zeno. His body crashed into one of the dual-wielding Zoldiers, and they both fell.
"Man down, man down!"
The Zoldier on the ground tries to roll away from Seth, who is face-first on the grass.
"You okay?"
"I am! I thought I was done for. Good thing my reflexes are fast enough to sink my blades into him."
"Good job, soldier. Let's crush this poor bastard's brain and retrieve your weapon. We should report back to base."
"I wonder who that freak is—"
Seth groans and slowly rises. The Zoldiers stood in horror as they thought he turned into a Zeno in just seconds. But to their disbelief, Seth turns around, showing the two Meltdowns impaling his sides, boiling the innards of his body.
The weapon simmered as it melted the insides of Seth's intestines. Blood trickles down as steam rises. Grossed out, one of the Zoldiers pukes inside their masks.
"What in the living hell are you?"
Seth's lips curled devilishly, smirking menacingly, and his eyes surging with a green glow. He is not in control. A dark, putrid green smoke seeps from his mouth.
His forehead, however, is another horror to behold.
A crown of thorns, grotesquely made of barbed, metallic needles, burrowed into his skull, morphing with the top part of his head, resembling a halo. The sharp spikes pierce through his skin, embedding in him, and blood trails down perfectly vertical over his eyes and past his cheeks.
His fingers transformed into grotesque, oversized sewing needles. The metallic fingers gleamed under the light. His palms are hollow, a messy ball of thread slithers through the cavities, coiling into the needle fingers.
Seth jolted towards the Zoldier near him, ripping him in half with his mouth. Then to the next one, opening their chests like a book. One by one, Seth violently tore them apart. All of them tried to fend him off, but the searing blades did not even make Seth flinch. One Zoldier successfully chopped his arm off, but the stitches pulled it back together like nothing happened.
Until the last of the Zoldiers went down on their knees and begged, their neck were slit open and bleeding.
"Kill me!"
Eat. Eat. Eat. Eat.
Seth approaches slowly, growling.
Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat!
The nagging evil voice repeats itself inside Seth.
Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat!
But in one wild succession of movements, Seth rips himself apart. He screams in agony as he seemingly tries to stop himself.
Eat… Eat… Eat…
The voice fades away. Seth finally has control, but he struggles to breathe and is exhausted. His body is mangled, and he tries to put his guts back inside him as he kneels, but it is a worthless endeavour.
He looks up. The last Zoldier died without being ripped to shreds. Seth looks at himself once more. He is regenerating, morphing back to his normal form. The parts that were torn out creep back inside. Green plume billowed from his wounded body as it started reverting back to normal, but the stitches remained.
A flash of memories of unknown people and places sent shockwaves in Seth's mind. He had a seizure because of the overwhelming weight. But he is sure of one thing: these are the memories of the Zoldiers he killed.
[You taste their blood, you will get their memories. They chop your limbs, you will get them back! You possess the most dangerous Zystem in history, the power to steal from others… The power to steal their Zystem!]
An echoing voice speaks to him, it sounds like Zela.
[This is our power, Seth. This is only the beginning!]
Instantly, he regains his composure as if nothing had happened. His long hair fell out, leaving only a messy, decent amount of it. His eyes turned completely green, his skin now as pale as death, and his body had been completely transformed into a muscularly sculpted figure. It's almost as if he's a different man.
"I understand now."
The sun shines on him, giving light to the bloody mess in the clearing he found himself in.