'Yes, YES!' He shouts with joy in his mind, 'Look at her face as it morphs from pride into fear!' Titania is triumphant in his mind. He has won! Conquered the enemy, both himself and the one before him.
How did Titania know that the Entity's name was Leonor? It was a total shot in the dark right? No, He remembered fully well who the Entity was.
After the Entity was killed in the game and none of players had any means of bringing it back, all of players involved released all of their data regarding the Entity.
From the data, one of the most common aliases that the Entity would take when they were hiding and interacting with people was 'Leonor'.
Leonor looked at him with surprise and fear. How did he know my name? She has remained hidden over countless days. Sure she had some close calls but nonetheless has remained hidden from suspicion. Yet, she was figured out in a split second by some experiment?
She regained her composure, straighten her back and walked back to the crowd of researchers. The crowd stares at the both of them, questioning themselves on what happened to cause such a reaction out of Titania.
Leonor walked up to Beliz and whispered in his ear, "He is just tired and irritable, that's all." She then walked to her station and continued her work.
"We are done with testing for today," Beliz announced to the whole room.
All of the researchers started to pack up their equipment. Beliz went to his office to process the data into a report for his superiors and Rad went to the medical wing to check on his son.
From the crowd Reese and Farron emerged and went to Titania.
"We are here to guide you to your room." Reese said with a smile similar to a cat.
***
Titania looked around at his room. It stilled looked the same.
The sheets on the bed were cleaned and neatly cornered. The pillows were fluffed and neatly put at the head of the bed.
The hole in the floor where Titania banged his arms against the doors was filled.
He looked again around the room and saw what he was looking for. He found the Rotary phone right beside his bed on a night stand.
He went to his bed and laid his head on the pillows. He stared at the ceiling. It was metal like the rest of the building. It gave off a cold feeling, as though to drain any warmth from anyone who touches it. Where the warmth went... no one knows.
From his bed he shifts his head and looks at the Rotary phone. He stares at it intensely.
'Why would he call me?' He thought as he stares at the rotary phone, 'I know he gave me a deal but there must be more to it than that?'
The rotary phone had a black shiny plastic cover on it, so shiny when the light hit it in a certain angle it could temporary blind someone. The phone receiver was made of the same material and style as the base. The spiraling cord connecting the two was made of a dull black plastic that giggled and bounced at the slightest movement detected.
Titania reached out his hand to touched. His hand hovered over the receiver. He paused for a moment to breath.
His hand still hovered over the receiver of the phone, he was scared to grab the phone.
He tapped on the receiver of his phone with his sharp, black nails.
Tap, tap...
Then in a quick movement, snatches the phone off the receiver and holds it to his ear. His breath quickens and turns fainter.
'We will talk again when you die, Titania. And hopefully not soon because now it is just getting interesting. Hugs and Kisses from your number one fan, Lithale.'
After hearing the prerecorded message along with some ecstatic giggling from Lithale's side as though he heard the funniest joke in the world. His giggling went one for a while, which then followed by some wheezing as he ran out of air to laugh with then there was the slam of the receiver. static dial tone followed.
His breathing returned to normal and held the phone to his ear. It gave him some comfort that they would talk again, however not in circumstances that would favor Titania. He slowly put the phone back on the receiver.
He then tucked under bed and went to sleep.
***
The next few days were a series of tests and diagnoses for Titania. It was the same tests that they did as last time when he first did came out of the cocoon.
For the morality test, he put in the same answers as he did last time. What? Outside of the painful experience he got from the infection shortening the incubation period into 3 hours nothing significant happened.
During the tests he did not see Leonor any where. She was nowhere to be found. When Titania asked around all he got was a bunch of shoulder shrugs. It was as though she disappeared off the face of the Earth.
Titania assumed that she found a different disguise or was watching from a distance. Always watching. He could tell that he was still in her good books by the fact that he didn't lose his talent gifted to him by the Entity.
Talents, skills, or abilities gifted unto players or people by supreme or powerful beings can be rescinded or taken away by force. This usually only happens if they lose interest in the person or the person has done something really bad.
Titania from his bed heard knocking at the door and shot out of the bed. Ever since he got past the first stage of the infection he has been able to stay up latter and wake up earlier, turning him into both a early bird and night owl.
On nights when he couldn't sleep he would roam the halls of the facility, never leaving the floor level that he was at, in order to get out some of the energy he had built up. This would often scare the researchers as he walked very quietly.
"Wait a minute," He shouted at the door and got ready. He got his clothes ready and brought them to the shower with him, that way he can get ready faster and won't make much of a mess. Once he was done showering he dried himself off with a towel and put on the same military uniform that was given to him. He had multiple shirts and pants but it was the same outfit.
After he changed into his clothes he stared at the mirror in the bathroom.
He looked at his eyes, they were still the same as last time. He stared at his nose, it still had a bridge. He still remembered what the kids at school would call him because of his nose, toucan. While kids made fun of his nose, it was his favorite part of his face. He stared at his skin, surprising it was clear and unblemished despite days ago his whole body was filled with blisters, it still had the same almond color that he had before.
Then he stared at his neck.
Nothing changed physically about Titania, he stilled looks the same now as he did back where he came from. A carbon copy.
He looked at his neck and saw... Nothing. It looked completely clear. No scar from the blisters popping.
Or a scar from what he did back home.
He caressed his neck and and started rubbing, especially where he plunged the knife. He continued to stare at that same location.
He felt his fingers run upon his neck, the warmth of his hand reminded him of how it felt when he did such a thing to himself.
He remembers the warmth leaving his body. First starting with the neck, then soon his head started feeling light. His body started feeling cold and disconnected from his mind. And in place of welcoming warmth was the coldness of despair filling his body at thoughts of a broken future.
Did he regret doing such a thing? He still didn't have an answer for that. Time in the far future will let him know and even then that is if he thought of such things.
Ever since he came to this new world he never really thought about what he had done back at his home or his previous life. Only focusing on his new life and what he wants to do.
He heard another knock at the door and immediately left the bathroom and headed straight for the door. When he opened the door it he saw his two favorite researchers, Reese and Farron.
Titania looked at both of them with excitement, this was the first time he saw the two of them ever since the tests started. The two researchers smiled back at Titania, Reese more so.
"We are here to take you on your final test, Combat assessment." Farron said as she began to back away from the door and started walking. "The General wants it reported before the superiors begin to demand results, a little snack to stave off their hunger for now."
When Titania heard this he understood immediately and followed her. Doing this would significantly ease the pressure on the research facility, in fact it could be seen as a promising project and be given more funding. It makes life easier for everyone in the facility.
The combat assessment was taking place in a room called the testing room. The whole room mostly sat empty with cameras hanging from the corners of the room to record. The walls in this room were reinforced with steel to prevent the whole building from falling in the event of a product/experiment got out of hand.
When he entered the room there were not a lot of people as he expected. There was only Beliz, Ajax, and Rad. Reese and Farron left as soon as he entered the testing room.
Ajax and Beliz were standing to the side while Rad was standing in the center of the room staring at Titania as though analyzing him.
"Great," Beliz said as he took out his Tablet, "Everyone is now here and we can begin. Ti- I mean Subject Zero, I assume that you have been told what you're here for?"
Titania looked at Beliz nodded his head.
"Usually we start easy and work our way up," Beliz said to Titania as he typed into his tablet. He typed into his tablet for a moment without speaking, resulting in everyone starting at him.
When he was done he looked up and took in a quick breath, "But we're not going to do that for this assessment." He made a signal to a camera. Soon all of the cameras in the room focused on Titania, tracking his every move.
"Your opponent for this assessment is General Rad"