Only a few hours had passed since S left Elian in that room to recover from the operation.An operation that, under normal circumstances, would have taken days or even months to heal…
But his body revitalized and stabilized completely in just a matter of hours.
"W-where… am I?... Ahg…" he murmured weakly, clutching his head. A sharp pain throbbed inside, as if his skull were about to burst.He couldn't see. His eyes were still covered by the bandages S had wrapped around them, and somehow he could speak—despite his vocal cords having been shredded by the screams during surgery.
"What… what the hell did that lunatic do to me?" he whispered, not expecting an answer.
But, unfortunately for him, one came."Only… improved you, Elian," replied a melodic, twisted voice.
S had vanished from the Level 2 laboratory the moment he was told the boy had woken. Now he stood there, in the same dark room beside the operating table.For the first time, he called him by his name.
"W-what… what did you say?" Elian asked, raising his head."That I improved yo—""No. Not that. What did you call me?" he interrupted, fury barely contained."Eli—""DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME THAT!" Elian roared before he could finish. His voice echoed across the room. "IT DISGUSTS ME THAT A CREATURE LIKE YOU CAN SAY MY NAME!"
S burst out laughing, a childlike euphoria filling the air."HAHAHAHAHA… You're fucking hilarious… E-LI-AN.""I said shut up!" the boy shouted, tearing the bandages from his face until they finally gave way.
And then… he saw.
His sight took a few seconds to adjust—and what he perceived froze his soul.Before him, S was wrapped in a torrent of black energy that flowed through his body like a living river. But the terrifying part wasn't the energy—it was what took shape behind him: a colossal figure, completely black, with horns and wings so large they brushed the ceiling.It was like a living shadow, a monstrous reflection of S himself.
"Ahhh…" Elian screamed in pure terror, stumbling backward. "W-w-what the hell is that?" he stammered, unable to look away.
S widened his grin—grotesque, inhuman, as if he were smiling over his own smile."It worked…" he whispered. Then, shouting with jubilation: "IT WORKED! FINALLY, SOMEONE COMPATIBLE!"
He knelt in front of Elian, bringing his face close to the boy's."What you're seeing, child… is the truth of the world."
Elian began looking around, desperate to escape that paralyzing stare. But what he saw was worse.On the walls, distorted faces twisted in anguish. On the ceiling, figures wept silently. On the table… he saw echoes of the pain of those who had died there.Everything had life. Everything had emotion.
"W-what the fuck is this…?" he asked, horrified.
"This, my dear walking piece of filth," S said proudly, "is Divine Vision. It took me three decades to master. If only that damned bastard, the original owner of this Elyth, hadn't died before teaching me properly, I wouldn't have taken so long… but it only took one glimpse, one explanation from that sly fox, and voilà—" he spread his arms theatrically—"learned. But teaching it to you would've been pointless, so I implanted mine instead."
He smiled from ear to ear with malicious delight.
S stepped closer and grabbed Elian's head with both hands, pressing his forehead against the boy's."With this vision you can see everything: emotions, sensations, intentions… even a person's Elyth channel—their points of accumulation, their trigger, their condition… You can see practically everything."
Elian trembled, staring directly into S's eyes.And he saw it.There was nothing there—only destruction.
Then, a voice rose within his mind.It didn't come from outside. It was his own… and yet it wasn't.
"Do you want to kill him?" it whispered—seductive, cheerful, cruel.
Elian looked around wildly, searching for the source, understanding nothing.
S, noticing the confusion in his eyes, released his head and burst into laughter."HAHAHAHAHA… You have them too! I'm a fucking genius! Suck on that, D'Alessio!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up.
Then he pointed at Elian dramatically."Boy, you're just like me. From now on… you can call me Dad."
"W-what… what did you say?" Elian stared, stunned.
And the voice came again, more insistent this time:"Come on, kid… you want to kill him. Let me out, and I'll do it for you. I'll tear him apart until there's nothing left."
Elian staggered to his feet, turning his head in every direction.Nothing. No one.Not even his new vision detected anything hidden.
S watched him with delight."Well, kid…" he said with his usual smile, "from this moment on, you're free within the fortress. Do as you please. No soldier can touch you—though I doubt they'll try, now that you have that."
He paused for a moment before leaving, turning his head slightly."Make me proud… Elian."
"DON'T CALL ME BY MY NAME, YOU SICK—!"
But S was gone.
For the first time, Elian managed to see him disappear—and realized he didn't vanish at all; he simply moved so fast the human eye couldn't follow.
"Sick freak…" he muttered, lowering his gaze to the floor.
Then, the voice returned."Pathetic. You can't even follow a simple order."
A second voice suddenly broke in—strong, irritated, but with a hint of kindness."Shut up!" it roared. "I'm sick of your nonsense. Being trapped inside a human is punishment enough without having to hear your stupidity every second."
"Aww, poor you… hear how little I care," replied the first, mockingly.
Both voices began arguing inside his head. The cacophony was unbearable.Elian covered his ears and fell to his knees."SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU!" he screamed.
And both voices answered at once, in perfect unison, full of fury:"DON'T SPEAK, YOU WORTHLESS CONTAINER!"
Elian collapsed on the floor, gasping for air.For the first time in a long while… he wasn't alone.But not in the way he had ever wanted.