2:25 AM, the alarm sounded, jerking the body of Hancent who had fallen asleep in a seated position. He felt Henrietta holding his thigh, the sound of the alarm hadn't disturbed her sleep. Followed by his repeated urgings, Henrietta grudgingly woke up.
2:40 AM, the couple rushed out, boarding the metro train that had arrived in a timely manner. Hancent hadn't changed out of his previous clothes, the same case being for Henrietta. The two looked at each other, noticing the exhaustion on their faces.
"You'll be surprised at the armour we have designed for this Raid. Its Psychic shielding capabilities are the highest of the products we have ever created." Hancent adjusted his jacket, a smug expression plastered across his face. He and his team had worked themselves to the death and managed to create rather satisfactory armours within the time constraint.
"I will ask the armour about you," Henrietta said with a chuckle, "I will probably spend a long time with it anyway."
Hancent fell silent, gloominess shrouding his demeanour. Seeing his state, Henrietta too fell silent, a trace of melancholy permeated through the air.
"Don't worry," Henrietta said, "If I make sufficient contributions, I would be allowed to return home once every year. Though, it will depend on the authorities to make the final decision. I heard this Raid will be somewhat different from the previous Raids organised by the military."
"I know," Hancent shook his head, "You will basically be burning your contributions to return home for a short duration. It is an obvious plot by the military officials to reduce your rewards."
"Even if all of us are aware of it, we would still do it. After all, we fight to ensure a better future for our families." Henrietta noticed the arrival of their station, pulling Hancent with her as the duo alighted. Pulling him in an embrace, Henrietta kissed him, engaging in the passionate behaviour for a good one minute.
Noticing the time, she bode him farewell, entering a lift that proceeded to the Lower Strata. Hancent stood in silence, like a statue frozen in time, moving only after an hour had passed. His wife was gone, just like that. It would be a long time before they could meet once again.
A train arrived at the station, making Hancent gaze at it in silence, his mind whirring with thoughts.
'Is there a point in returning home now? There's no one there.' Hancent thought; a feeling of emptiness filled him, his emotional container turning vacant. His eyes clouded, looking blank. Hancent experienced a dream; he was laid on a bed, strapped to its edges. A nurse pulled a huge syringe, inserting the needle in his arms.
His arms split open into three parts, revealing a reddish tongue in the middle. The three parts were inlaid with rows of teeth, leaking out saliva that corroded parts of the bed where it fell. The needle snapped while the syringe dissolved, splashing on the nurse. The nurse screamed, taking a step back, and crashing into a machine.
Followed by whirring sounds, the machine emitted smoke, flames emerging on its surface followed by large electric sparks. The part of his arm that had morphed into the monster bloomed, looking like a flower with three petals. The reddish tongue at the centre curled into a ball, shooting towards his face. Hancent regained consciousness with a start, his body drenched with sweat, and his heart thumping like crazy.
'I am running out of time." Hancent revealed his aura in public, startling the crowd. Part of the crowd rushed out, intending to subdue him, assuming that he was on the verge of losing control.
"I'm still sane, Shifting Protocol." Hancent hurriedly shouted, clutching his head. Seeing his expression, the crowd hurriedly retreated, creating a gap of 10 metres around him.
Someone from the crowd shouted, "He seems to be a Wave Controller. Is there any Ground Controller or above, around here?"
"I am," A middle-aged man who was aging walked out. He seemed to have just walked out of the lift arriving from the Lower Strata when he noticed the commotion. "What seems to be the situation?"
Though, the moment he noticed the condition of Hancent, he seemed to have realised the situation, hurriedly shouting, "I'll take care of him." Saying so, he waved his hands, lifting both Hancent and himself. The two disappeared from sight in an instant, leaving the onlookers gawking.
Sector 1, Limitless Tower, without making any noise, the man arrived, accompanied by Hancent. He hurriedly flew through the entrance, stopping before the reception counter. "I am Sky Controller Wunris Marble. I am initiating the Shifting Protocol; get a Cleansement Fruit, hurry."
"Sure," The receptionist nodded, tapping into the monitor. Eight seconds later, the receptionist said, "Please proceed towards floor 108. You can use the emergency route; a Cleansement Fruit will arrive at the floor in 12 seconds."
A door behind the counter opened, allowing Wunris Marble to carry Hancent with him, flying through it. It was a narrow chamber that lead to the top of the Limitless Tower, having doors on each floor. In a second, Wunris Marble appeared on floor 108, entering the open door. He entered a room titled, 'Developed Breakthrough' along with Hancent, closing the door behind them.
The room was 40 metres long and 40 metres wide, square-shaped with a small straw mat placed at the centre. The walls were made from monster bones, radiating a suffocating aura that was limited to the edges. At the centre though, the area around the straw mat, it painted a picture of serenity.
The straw mat looked simple at first glance but it was an Artifact that would help people while breaking through. Wunris Marble placed Hancent above the straw mat, helping him to be seated in a cross-legged position. The door opened as a man dressed in a staff uniform entered, holding a small glass case in his hands.
"Control your breathing; think about your family, don't lose control." Wunris Marble waved his hands, using his Psychokinesis to lift the glass case, opening it and removing the fruit within. The fruit was shaped like a mango, yellow in colour with a tinge of orange at the end, looking ripe.
"Hurry, I can no longer control it." Hancent urged, his voice breaking, sounding like the cries of a monster. Wunris Marble suppressed his body, using his ability to negate the formless energy radiating from his head, like a dam that had been broken.
The fruit landed on his arms, looking as big as two of his fists combined. Wunris Marble shouted, crushing the fruit in his hands, "Bring it out!"
Hancent shrieked, creating strands of blood that seeped out of the pores on his face. They turned white, forming into a ball as more and more strands of blood seeped out of his body. The ball morphed, turning into a caterpillar. Tiny at first, the caterpillar raised its head, opening its mouth to produce a high pitched sound, "Han…cen…t…gi…ve…up!"
Cracks appeared on its back, forming two lines that were parallel to one another. A transparent substance churned beneath it, looking like it was forming some kind of filament. Traces of colours, from red to violet fluctuated across it, shimmering like the stars.
Wunris Marble infused his psychic energy into the crushed fruit, mixing into its pulp. Having absorbed his energy, it rapidly morphed into a yellow liquid, shaped into a quill. Its sharp tip plunged into the head of the caterpillar, raising shrieks from it.
The feathers of the quill, yellow in colour were slowly dyed by a shade of black while the yellow substance within it seeped into the caterpillar, diminishing its size. Wunris Marble shouted, "Take control of your psychic energy, don't allow the Parasite to have it."
Hancent gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot as he willed his powers, making the body of the caterpillar break. Without any suspense, the caterpillar dissolved, getting absorbed into the quill, turning its feathers pitch black. There was a faint energy fluctuation emanating from the quill, making it hover in the air.
Hancent's eyes regained a sense of clarity, his ragged breathing returning to normal. Seeing the quill formed before him, Hancent felt a sense of relief, while feeling a sense of loss and discontent at the same time. It looked like he couldn't accept the outcome, yet at the same time, seemed like he had expected it.
Wunris Marble patted his shoulders, "It doesn't end at this point; there are still many ways in which you can contribute to our city."
"I know, despite losing most of my powers, I have still retained a part of it; that is more than enough. Moreover, I have survived," Hancent shook his head, clearing his discontent thoughts.
Standing up, he wiped the blood on his face, bowing towards Wunris Marble in gratitude, "Sir, if not for your timely help, I wouldn't have survived today."
"Sure, I don't mind it. After all, it's my duty." Wunris Marble waved his hands, a look of confusion on his face, "Tell me, you must have experienced certain hints over the past couple of weeks. Why have you allowed the situation to progress to this degree, endangering the populace?"
Hancent let out a self-deprecating smile, "Sir, I am part of the 7th Ring Unit Weapon Research Facility, in-charge of the full body armour required for the Flying Signature Raid. Hence, I didn't have the time to plan accordingly. Moreover, based on the hints, I had more than 6 months before something like this should have happened."
"You mean to say…" Wunris Marble thought in silence, "Your family member has been dispatched for the Raid; also, your exhaustion and worries affected your mentality, giving the Parasite to act against you."
"It is exactly as you said, sir." Hancent bowed, "I don't have any excuses. I will face the appropriate punishments for endangering the citizens."
He then looked at the man before him, "Sir, I owe you my life. May I know your name? I'll make sure to return the favour in the future when the opportunity arises."
"I am Wunris Marble." He shook hands with Hancent, "I was in the middle of work. I should get going now."
Seeing Wunris Marble disappear from his view, Hancent clenched his fists, closing his eyes as he felt the amount of power left in him.
'It is barely one-third of my previous amount. At least, I am still alive. I should be happy with that.' Hancent sighed, gazing at the quill hovering before him.
The feathers on the quill were segmented into two parts, showcasing the two-thirds of his power that had been lost. It hovered before his face, vibrating in anger. It expressed its emotions through the use of Psychokinesis, intending to deal with Hancent. The staff member who had brought the Cleansement fruit clutched the quill, storing it in the glass case. He suppressed it without trouble, looking used to the job.
"The quill will be monitored for a couple of days. We will also cripple the ego in it before you can claim it from us. Moreover, you need to fill some forms, please accompany me." The staff member exited the room.
"Yes," Hancent heaved a sigh, following after the staff, his gaze lingering on the quill. His mind was a mess, his emotions turbulent, like a sea of chaos. It would take a lot of time before he could accept his outcome. From today onwards, he was naught but a cripple.