They arrived at a room that exuded a sense of comfort and relaxation, designed in a medieval style. The curved wooden cabinets were made of dark wood, with intricate carvings, and brass hardware, replacing the typical modern white ones. The room featured other elements of medieval design, such as tapestries, candles, or oil lamps, adding to the ambiance of the space.
-
"You can sit on that bed," Kain said as he turned, "I'm gonna leave you with the staff."
With that, Kain walked away and closed the door, leaving me alone with two men. One of them, a middle-aged man, dressed in a long, dark robe with intricate embroidery and a hood. He may also be wearing a belt, adorned with a symbol or emblem of his profession, most likely the doctor. The other man, a young assistant, dressed in a tunic and trousers, with a clean appearance and short hair, busily searching through the cabinets.
I sat down on the bed, feeling a sense of unease as the doctor approached with a knife in hand. Without a word, the doctor sliced my finger, deep enough for it to drip a drop of blood. He then proceeded to wipe the bloodstains on the knife with a tissue, before placing that used tissue on a strange-looking tool. The doctor then leaned down, placing his eyes on something that appeared to be a pair of glasses attached to the tool.
After waiting for around five minutes, the doctor returned with his expression stoic.
"Your Synapse is zero."
"..."
A heavy silence fell upon the room. The average Synapse should be five hundred, and yet, I couldn't even reach that? Is it because I'm just a peasant? No, that doesn't matter. I'm not the chosen one you say? This is impossible, this can't be real. My pulse quickened, my heart pounding in my chest like a wild drumbeat. My vision was momentarily clouded by a red haze as I struggled to process this ridiculous information.
The room around me seemed to warp and twist, the once warm and rustic clinic room now taking on a twisted and sinister appearance. The intricate carvings on the wooden cabinets seemed to twist and contort into grotesque shapes. The soft bed beneath me now felt like a prison, trapping me in this nightmare.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from the doctor, his stoic expression now one of mocking. His long, dark robe seemed to writhe and slither like a serpent. His hooded face was obscured by shadows.
My breath came in ragged gasps, as if I were struggling to suck in air through a suffocating fog. My body was rigid with tension, every muscle tensed and ready to fight or flee.
But fight or flee from what? From this impossible reality? Was this some twisted joke? A cruel prank?
"Hey, don't grab th-"
%!$#&!@%$&
**
I made my way back to the class, the sounds of lectures and scribbling pens filled my ears. Despite my tardiness, the lecturer paid me little attention, his focus solely on delivering his lesson to the attentive students before him.
I took my seat in the corner of the room, my mind still reeling from the revelation of my Synapse being zero. The casual disregard of the educator towards my lateness only served to fuel the whirlwind of confusion and frustration that consumed my thoughts.
"—This can include alpha decay, beta decay, and gamma decay….—plays a major role in many fields including… medicine, where— isotopes are used to diagnose and treat certain medical conditions, as well as in— power generation and in the dating of ancient materials. Up to here, does anyone have any questions?"
As I sat in class, my mind was consumed with thoughts of Quatom. The lecturer's words washed over me as I struggled to focus, my eyes scanning the room to see that all of my classmates were attentively listening, save for myself. However, I could not shake the feeling of a newfound understanding of the subject matter at hand. I carefully formulated a plan, piecing together the bits of information I had gathered, all while seated in the midst of the lecture.
Suddenly, the door to the classroom slid open with a loud whoosh and thud. In an instant, all eyes turned to the figure standing in the doorway, panting heavily and wild-eyed.
"T-This is bad!" the figure exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear and urgency.
The lecturer, taken aback by the sudden interruption, turned to him with a confused expression. "Don't need to scream like that, what is it?"
"I-I just found.. a c-co..corpse!" the figure stammered, his words barely coherent as shock and horror seemed to grip him.
A wave of confusion and fear washed over the class as the reality of the situation set in. Some students gasped in shock, others sat frozen in fear, unsure of how to react to the news. The lecturer, also taken aback by the news, stood there with a look of disbelief.
"You all remain here," the lecturer commanded, his voice tinged with a hint of unease, "This may be a terrorist attack."
As the class watched on, I surveyed their reactions.. Though fear and confusion were evident on their faces, there was a sense of detachment, as if they were not fully comprehending the gravity of the situation. It was quite a feeling but not much like the last time I did it. As the lecturer, whose name I had yet to learn, followed the messenger bearing the ominous news, the students began to whisper amongst themselves, some of them grasping at their swords which were kept beside their chairs.
"A-Agonizing pain wracks my…. gut!" I shouted, feigning distress, "I must excuse myself to attend to my bodily needs-"
With that, I immediately stood up and hastened towards the door, my thoughts consumed with the need to act before Kain could suspect anything. Hm, I didn't expect that they will find the bodies that quickly, they didn't scream nor the corpse are outside.
As I was outside, in the hall, I ran towards the examination or so clinic room.
And yes, I did kill them both.