"A delusion starts like any other idea, as an egg, identical to other eggs on the outside, perfectly formed. From the shell you will never know if anything was wrong, it is what is inside that matters.
A person had a idea. One day as he was walking he stumbled, and for a moment it seemed like his right leg didn't belong to him. This is how it begins. The leg was clearly his, it was attached to his body and when he pricked it he felt pain, but despite that the idea grew. Such is the power of an idea.
With everyday that passed, he became more and more certain that this was not his leg. He decided that he didn't want it any more so he went to buy a saw to satisfy this delusion.
You see, and idea alone isn't enough, we have ideas all the time, random thoughts and theories... Most die before they can grow. For a delusion to thrive, other more rational ideas must be rejected, destroyed. Only then can the delusion blossom, into a full blown psychosis"
-Legion Chapter Three "Delusions"
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*Beep...Beep*
Noises could be heard from monitoring machines on a sophisticated laboratory attached on what seems to be a person, a young man. He was in a bed with metal restrictions all over him impeding normal movement. He had no hair and curiously missing various body parts. He didn't show any pain though as it seemed that he didn't care, he was just waiting for something as he was looking at the ceiling lost in his own thoughts.
*beebep...swissh.*
The door opens as tall person enter the room with a doctor's coat and grey hair, his eyes were dark and he was visibly tired for the way he was walking. He picked a device and talked.
"Dr. Alfred Castle, December 24 of 2036 15:30, recording 701, proceeding to apply electricity in today's session as a trigger factor based on past analysis of the subject number 31"
The young man somehow looked at the doctor as if he was hurt and said
"Come on man, I thought we were friends! Really? Test subject? Surely we are past that right? I mean, I gave you my right arm! Literally! And 31 isn't even a round number!"
The doctor kept recording on the device
"Based on the subject's behavior at first interaction we can conclude the current persona is number 4, proceeding to engage in today's test"
The doctor then walked to the young man and connected various cables and machines to the pads attached to his skin.
He didn't put any resistance as he knew that it was pretty much useless anyway and braced for what is to come while he said
"This is really gonna hurt you know? Don't you feel compassion for me? I mean, according to you I'm ill and all that jazz but we could talk like civilized people, there is no need to--"
*bzzzzzt*
"AAAaRAaAAAAAArrrrrrggHH"
Before he could finish what he wanted to say the doctor already activated whatever demonic device he had to torture subject 31, while his cries of agony were only heard by 2 people in this room.
After a while the electricity ceased and he could catch a breather. It was then that the doctor went and opened his eyelids to check the eyes that were closed shut due to the agonizing pain he felt and proceeded to record.
"Eyes are turning light green due to shock as previous studies demonstrated in past sessions, brain wave signal turned unstable for a moment before going to normal once again, proceeding to engage in direct interaction with subject"
After checking the monitor the doctor then looked at the young man and said
"subject 31, how are you feeling?"
"Fuck you Alfy, how could y-y-you do this me! I thought we were besties!!!"
"Subject eyes are receding to neutral brown color once again, but the same persona remains, adjusting voltage to higher output"
"No no no, Alfy please, it really hurts man stop, hey! please st---"
Oblivious to the young man pleas the doctor adjusted the voltage and pushed the button without delay.
*BzzZzzZZZZT*
"Braaaaaarrrrrrrggggfghrhrrhrrr"
This time it was stronger than the first, even smoke was in the air from his head. Afterwards, the doctor checked once again.
"Subject's eyes light yellow, indicating a change to persona number 3, proceeding with protocol 5"
He then addressed the young man
"Subject 31, how are you f----"
"Do you enjoy this? Torturing younglings that cannot defend themselves?"
The young man suddenly spoke with the same voice but at the same time kind of different, it was hard to explain and to experience first hand.
The doctor lagged a bit before continuing with his device
"It seems that the objective cannot be met without drastic measures, adjusting voltage to maximum output"
Then he proceeded to adjust everything while the young man just looked at him, looking almost sad but not for his situation, it seemed almost as if he was sad for the doctor, the one responsible for his torture.
*beebep...swissh.*
Before he could press the button though, the door opened as a woman in her 40s walked in with her lab coat covering her red dress, she had red hair and was extremely beautiful with an amicable smile on her face.
"It's enough Dr. Alfred, I take it from here"
"Understood"
Then the doctor exits the room while she takes a sit in front the young man and began to talk.
"Mr. Carlisle, it seems that Dr. Alfred was a little bit too motivated, allow me to apologize, as it seems he is not in the right mindset in recent days"
Carlisle looked at her and sneered, he just closed his eyes and ignored her
"Now now, Mr Carlisle, communication is the basis for progress, you should be aware of that right? We just want to investigate what happened and how it happened, and maybe some tests here and there for the sake of science. Cooperation is of utmost importance Mr Carlisle, don't forget what can cost you if you dismiss my advice"
Said the woman while she gestures at his missing extremities.
"Even if you dismember this body missus, you won't get what you want. I told you, the kids told you, he is not going to appear no matter what torture you inflict upon us"
Carlisle opened one his eyes just to look at her while he said that.
"Oh but I believe you are wrong Mr 3, we are not torturers, we are scientists! The ones responsible for uncovering even the darkest secret of mankind that cannot be explained by normal means! Creation! Gods! Genes and every mutation that comes with it! EVERYTHING!!!! For the sake of humanity..... For knowledge!"
At this point she was yelling while wearing a fanatical look in her eyes. She stopped for a second and then continued after she regained sanity.
"But I digress Mr 3, I believe anything is possible, and I will prove it to you. Bring the equipment!"
After that, a group of people that looked like soldiers entered the room with various devices that looked like computers, cables and some kind of giant laser cutting machine.
"Let me present to you our latest invention! Custom made specially for you Mr Carlisle. To make the explanation simple enough for you to understand, let's say that it erases down every, single, persona, that I don't want to interact with, making it possible for me to speak with who I want."
With every word the woman said, Carlisle was making a look of horror while imagining what was going to happen
"You really don't want to do this missus I- "
Suddenly his face changed to a neutral one, devoid of any emotion but you could sense his urgency through his next words
"It is in your best interest to stop what you are trying to do, unless your objective is to kill us all?"
The woman then looked amused by the sudden change.
"Mr 2, it is a pleasure to finally meet you personally. And surely one of your kind would know that sacrifices have to be made sometimes to achieve what we want yes? It is unbecoming of you to even think that I would stop at such words"
Carlisle continued to persuade his captor
"Of course, I expected nothing less of such... lesser beings. But my point still stands and I think you are not understanding the whole situation you are in, when I said all us, I meant everyone in this room, including you"
Suddenly she stopped and looked at Carlisle with dead empty eyes
"Threats now? That is not going to work, it is the basis of survival that is driving you to say whatever you think is going to give you hope now that you outlived you usefulness. Start preparing!"
Now sounds of charging energy could be heard all over the place while the team of soldiers and doctors were preparing the last steps of the procedure as they put the laser machine pointing to Carlisle's head.
"Now!"
Right after she said that, a green laser could be seen traveling towards his head.
"ArgRGRGGRrrrrraHaaaGG"
The pain was unbearable, it felt like melted iron was going through his skull, his body was spasming, tears were flooding his face as he was thinking what did he do to deserve this, what kind of twisted fate he had to end here. One by one he could feel, they could feel, they were dying in the most painful way, their existence erased as they could no longer feel each other. Loneliness, pain, those were the emotions he could feel. Until it suddenly happened.
The green laser changed colors to black while it grew bigger towards Carlisle, the temperature in the room dropped until it was almost freezing and then.
*BOOM*
Everything exploded, all the equipment, the restrictions on Carlisle everything. You see body parts flying in the air due to the explosion, bodies stabbed by the protective glass that was supposedly protecting them.
And there was Carlisle, floating in the middle of the disaster, white eyes almost neon-like looking coldly at rest of the survivors.
*Crack..CRACK*
Every person had their bones broken and bended in a way inhumanly possible, reducing their size immediately while they couldn't even scream, ending in a pain worthy of the worst nightmares that could be imagined by men.
As for the woman in red, well, she was a lump or a ball of flesh, maintaining her face intact while being supported by her bones, agony in her face, still alive by some inexplicable reasons.
As he exited the room, what welcomed him were the sounds of alarms and an armed group of soldiers pointing their weapons at him.
"Put your hands in the air! Turn around and-"
*Crack*
The whole group of soldiers could be seen floating in the middle of the corridor as all their extremities deformed in an unnatural way while blood cascaded on the ground.
Walking as if nothing happened, he continued across the corridor and various rooms to finally reach a hangar with a huge elevator in the middle, while a whole company of armed men waited for him.
Dozens of soldiers pointing at him waiting for him to be in plain sight, suddenly what it seemed the commander gave the order
"Fire!"
*Rrrrrrratatatata* *BOOM*
Emptying their clips and rocket launchers, they waited for the smoke to pass.
"Alpha squad, advance and confirm"
"Roger that"
The squad advanced slowly while the smoke started to disperse.
Carlisle was untouched, the only injury was his bleeding nose and missing limbs.
"Target is alive! I repeat target is--"
The commander then witnessed something that terrified him to his bones, the whole squad got their heads backwards in unison in a big loud *CRRAAAK*
"F-ff-f-Fire FIRE!"
*Rrrrrrratatatata*
The bullets didn't travel far as they stopped before touching Carlisle, then he send them back with monstrous accuracy as every bullet found their target, almost as if it was supposed to happen.
Then he proceeded to stand in the elevator while activating the panel near him, indicating the elevator to go to the surface. According to the data, this was an underground facility.
*Bwooommm*
As he was waiting, he noticed that he had a nosebleed, a pretty intense one. He was calm and collected despite this, he already knew what going to happen in the next 5 minutes of his life, or what was left of it.
He reached the surface only to found he was inside some garage with no people in it, he quickly finds the exit door and floated there into the open, to discover a vast desert.
*batabatabata*
Helicopters, tanks, hundreds of soldiers ready to open fire.
"August Carlisle! Cease and desist of these actions! Surrender!"
A flying man with a megaphone suddenly yelled, he was above the army
Carlisle suddenly looked up, but not at the man, no, he looked at the sun and suddenly breathed in what it looked like the first air he got in his lifetime and said with an ethereal voice that seemed spoken by various people at the same time, no emotion yet everyone felt scared to even look at what is left of him
*Inhales*
"Sunlight...."
Then everything went silent, no sound could be heard and at the same time the temperature started to rise critically. Carlisle was emitting a white and golden hue around him, occasionally pushing a wave of energy that pushed the temperature through the roof . Then, as he could not get any brighter, everything went white.
From afar, it seemed like a nuke went of with a radius if 20 miles.
That day marked what some fanatics called "The bright day" due to the unspeakable results of the explosion. The ground became fertile and solid, and everything thrived in that particular plot of land, included the animals that were later introduced to the area, giving the world something out the catastrophe that happened that day.
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Carlisle suddenly opened his eyes and looked around only to find himself in an empty white space. Memories suddenly started to pour in and he stopped for a moment alarmed.
""""Am I dead?""""