Director Jacobs led Kai into a state-of-the-art assessment room filled with monitors, advanced equipment, and a small team of scientists. Kai couldn't help but feel a sense of unease creep over him.
"Kai," Jacobs began, his tone professional but oddly gentle, "we'll be conducting tests to understand the nature and extent of your curse. It's standard procedure for all the new Awakened"
Kai crossed his arms, already regretting his decision to come here. "And if I don't cooperate?"
Jacobs smirked faintly. "That's not an option."
As he said this, a woman entered the room. She had an air of authority about her and carried herself with a quiet confidence. Her sharp eyes seemed to miss nothing. Jacobs introduced her as Dr. Catherine Donovan, the Order's leading expert in curse detection.
"Dr. Donovan will assess your responses," Jacobs continued. "Her extensive training and experience make her highly skilled at determining the truth, Kai. You'll find her methods quite reliable".
Dr. Catherine Donovan was a formidable figure in The Order, her presence commanding respect and authority. Her short, auburn hair framed her elegant face She carried herself with confidence, her every movement deliberate and efficient. Her attire was professional, always wearing a crisp white lab coat over neatly tailored clothing.
Kai let out a resigned sigh as he sank into the chair, ready to endure the assessment. Dr. Catherine Donovan, known for her no-nonsense demeanor, wasted no time.
"Let's begin with the basics," she said, her tone brisk and direct. "What's your name?"
"Kai," he replied without hesitation.
"No," Dr. Donovan corrected, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly. "Your full name."
For a moment, Kai hesitated. His lips tightened, the weight of buried memories threatening to surface. Finally, with a heavy breath, he spoke: "Malakai... Malakai Blackwell."
Dr. Donovan nodded, her expression unreadable as she scribbled something on her notepad. "How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
She continued her line of questioning, her focus shifting toward the circumstances of his curse's awakening. Her questions were precise, probing not just the events but the emotions tied to that pivotal moment. As Kai recounted the fateful night, his voice faltered under the weight of resurfacing memories. He felt the pain, fear, and confusion as if it were happening all over again.
"What about the shadow?" Dr. Donovan asked, her tone calm yet probing. "Since that day, you haven't been able to summon it?"
"No," Kai answered, his voice strained. "But…"
"But what?" she pressed, leaning forward slightly.
Kai hesitated, his hands gripping the edges of his chair. "I feel like it's always there," he admitted, his voice trembling. "Watching me. I can't see it, but I feel it—every moment, every day."
Dr. Donovan's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "And now?" she asked quietly. "Do you feel its presence now?"
Kai's gaze dropped to the floor as a chill ran down his spine. He gave a small nod. "Yes… it's as if it's right behind me. At first, I thought I could handle it, but now—it's terrifying."
The air in the room grew heavy, the tension palpable as his words sank in. Even the hum of the equipment in the background seemed to fade.
"I see," Dr. Donovan murmured, her tone tinged with understanding. Her sharp eyes lingered on him for a moment longer before she straightened and set down her pen.
"That concludes the questioning," she announced, her voice firm. "Now, we move on to the next phase."
Dr. Catherine opened a sleek metallic case, revealing a jet-black watch with an intricate design. She carefully removed it and fastened it securely around Kai's wrist.
"What's this supposed to be?" Kai asked
"This device monitors and evaluates your curse energy levels," Dr. Catherine explained, her voice clinical yet calm. "It will also record detailed data about your abilities for future analysis once this assessment is complete."
Without waiting for a reply, she stepped toward the towering containment unit at the center of the room. "Now, step inside," she instructed, gesturing toward the chamber.
Kai hesitated briefly before complying. The containment unit loomed over him like a giant glass fortress, its walls made of thick, reinforced material designed to withstand even the most powerful of curse users.
"What happens now?" Kai asked, his voice betraying his nerves as he stood at the center of the chamber.
Dr. Catherine didn't respond, instead nodding toward Director Jacobs, who had been silently observing from a control station. Jacobs gave a subtle signal to the scientists nearby, and a moment later, a faint hiss filled the room as a peculiar gas began to seep into the containment unit.
Kai stiffened, the change in the atmosphere immediate. "Hey, what the hell is this?!" he shouted, his voice muffled slightly by the glass walls.
"Relax," Jacobs said, his tone calm but firm. "There's no need to panic. Since you can't access your abilities voluntarily, this method is designed to...force it."
Kai's frustration boiled over. "What the fuck does that mean?!" he yelled, his words punctuated by a violent cough as the gas began to take effect.
Jacobs folded his arms, watching intently. "The gas contains properties specifically engineered to interact with latent curse energy. It's safe—when used under controlled conditions like this."
Inside the chamber, Kai's body started to react. His muscles tensed involuntarily, beads of sweat forming on his brow. His breathing grew labored, each inhale pulling in more of the gas. His vision blurred, and a searing heat spread through his veins.
His eyes, once dark, flickered with a faint crimson hue as the transformation began.
"Readings?" Jacobs demanded, his voice cutting through the tension.
The scientists monitoring the equipment leaned closer to their screens as the first fluctuations appeared. One of them straightened, his voice steady but tinged with unease. "Sir, curse energy levels are beginning to rise."
Director Jacobs turned sharply toward the monitors, The initial increase was modest—hovering around one hundred. While notable, it was still within the safe zone for an Awakened curse bearer, a level that rarely posed significant danger.
Curse energy was categorized into seven ranks based on power:
Awakened: 1 to 999
Diabolic: 1,000 to 1,999
Malevolent: 2,000 to 3,999
Sinister: 4,000 to 5,999
Wicked: 6,000 to 7,999
Terror: 8,000 to 9,999
Fallen: 10,000 and beyond
Despite the initial calm, the readings began climbing steadily.
"Curse energy approaching 1,000," another scientist called out, her voice tighter this time.
Jacobs' eyes narrowed, his concern evident now.
"Two thousand," came the next update, the tone more urgent.
The room grew tense as the numbers on the monitor flashed red. Jacobs tightened his grip on the edge of the control console, watching as Kai's body inside the containment unit twitched and convulsed under the effects of the gas.
"Three thousand," a scientist announced, her voice rising slightly above the hum of machinery.
The cursed energy now breached the Malevolent rank, and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy with apprehension.
As the gas continued to fill the chamber, Kai's pain became impossible to ignore. He clutched his head with trembling hands, his body convulsing violently. Agonized screams tore from his throat, reverberating through the containment unit and chilling everyone who heard them. His eyes, once dark, glowing red, radiating an unnatural menace. Around him, tendrils of dark energy writhed and coiled, growing denser with each passing moment.
"Shut it off! Something's wrong!" Director Jacobs barked, his calm exterior finally cracking.
But the lead scientist at the controls stood frozen, his mouth moving silently as if caught in a trance. His wide eyes reflected the chaotic readings on the monitor.
"Doctor!" Jacobs shouted, his voice sharp enough to snap most people out of a daze. Yet, the scientist remained unresponsive, muttering incoherent words under his breath, his hands trembling over the console.
Dr. Catherine sprang into action, rushing toward the gas control override. Her hand hovered above the latch, but then she stopped abruptly, her attention riveted to the screen. Her face drained of color as she read the rapidly escalating data.
"Director..." she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "The energy levels... they've surpassed ten thousand."
For a moment, the room was gripped by a suffocating silence, the weight of her words pressing down on everyone. A chill ran through the assembled staff as they realized what that meant—Kai had crossed into the Fallen rank, a level so catastrophic it defied understanding.
Inside the containment unit, Kai's screams abruptly ceased as his body went limp. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Yet, the energy surrounding him didn't dissipate; instead, it condensed, coiling inward with an unnatural precision. The swirling darkness began to take shape, merging into a single, horrific entity.
The shadow had returned.
What emerged was no longer just an ethereal presence but a grotesque, nightmarish being. Its elongated form seemed to defy the very laws of physics, warping and distorting the air around it. Shrouded in a mass of writhing darkness, it emitted an oppressive, suffocating aura that filled the room with dread.
It's glowing red eyes were now burning with a fiery, unrelenting rage. The intensity of its gaze sent waves of fear through everyone in the room, freezing them in place. Those who dared meet its stare felt their hearts race and their courage wither.
Only Director Jacobs remained unmoved, his expression grim but steady as he stared down the entity.
The shadow made no sound, yet its anger was evident in glaze. The temperature in the room seemed to drop, and the oppressive weight of its presence pressed down on everyone like a suffocating shroud.
The silence was unbearable. But just then, slowly and deliberately, the shadow shifted, its burning eyes locking onto Kai's unconscious form. It moved toward him, its inky form flowing like liquid darkness.
Jacobs' eyes narrowed as he moved toward the containment controls, his voice sharp. "Seal the chamber now!"
But before anyone could react, the shadow extended a clawed, spectral hand toward Kai. The moment it touched him, both Kai and the shadow vanished in an instant, leaving only an empty containment unit and a room filled with fear-stricken faces.
The lab fell into a stunned silence. Dr. Catherine's trembling voice finally broke it: "Director... what just happened?"
Jacobs stared at the empty chamber, his jaw tight. " We might have just unleashed a calamity".