"My God, what happened here?"
"Hold on, I think I found someone…"
"It's a student, he has lost a lot of blood, but I think he is still alive."
"My God! How can anyone survive that?"
What's going on?
…
"Lucius? No, no, no! Lucius!"
"Damn, you bastard, don't you dare die before our rematch!"
"You said you would handle it, you can't keep getting hurt like this all the time."
"You are one very tough bastard, I believe in you!"
"Hey, Lucius, when you wake up you will be shocked by the secret hidden in the underground lab at Fort Aegis, that Deviant dude was right!"
What are they all talking about, and why is a girl crying?
….
Huff!
Lucius's eyes yanked open and he sat up. His eyes darted around the place like lightning, wondering where he was, but all he could see was white.
He was in a massive, empty room with no windows, just white walls and floor tiles. He couldn't even find the door and why the hell was he in a king-sized bed covered with white sheets which matched his white hospital gown.
"Don't tell me this is heaven?" Lucius groaned as he rubbed his head.
He was suffering from a piercing headache, which made it hard to arrange his thoughts.
[You wish! A devil like you has no place in heaven.] Lyxor responded.
'Fuck you, man, I'm just 10.' Lucius groaned.
[Eleven, actually. You turned eleven two weeks ago while you were unconscious. You are old enough to burn in hell.] Lyxor retorted.
'Wait, two weeks ago? What happened?' Lucius wanted to move, but his legs felt weak.
[Damn, the Beast whisperer did a number on you. You can't even remember the ass-whooping you took.] Lyxor mocked.
Shiiii!
A part of the wall slid open, and Bruce Ainsworth walked in with a tab in his hand and an intrigued look on his face.
"I was expecting you to wake up a week later, but it seems my calculations were wrong." Bruce said with a smile on his face.
However, his words were met with a confused look on Lucius's face, which left him shocked.
"You don't remember what happened?" Bruce asked.
"Not really." Lucius shook his head.
Sigh!
Bruce Ainsworth sighed as he operated his tab a bit before passing it over to Lucius, who collected it with his shaky hands.
"This was your condition when they found you." Bruce said.
Buzz!
Lucius trembled as he saw a picture of him lying in a pool of blood, his eyes open but lifeless.
Blood leaked out of all his veins, while a gaping hole through his chest to his back revealed his broken ribs, beating heart, and a portion of his spine.
"This picture was leaked to the public by enthusiastic students, and now everyone is calling you Undying Guardian." Bruce chuckled, hoping to make Lucius smile at least, but he was still focused on the screen.
"How did I survive this?" Lucius muttered.
"I wish I knew… somehow you did and that's all that matters." Bruce shrugged before snatching his tab from Lucius's hands.
Lucius quickly tore his hospital gown and looked at his chest and just as he expected there was an ugly scar at the center of his chest.
"How long have I been gone?" Lucius asked.
"Gone? You mean unconscious?" Bruce asked and Lucius nodded.
"A month." He responded quickly.
"I-I see." Lucius responded with a blank face and slowly laid back down.
Bruce Ainsworth observed him in silence before letting out a sigh and speaking.
"You are a strange kid. Anyone else in your position would be flustered by now." Bruce said.
"That won't change a thing." Lucius shook his head. "So why bother?"
Sigh.
Bruce smiled bitterly at Lucius's comment. He was speaking like showing emotions was a rational choice and not a reaction to events.
"Anyway, your contribution to the Fort Aegis incident was recognized by the country." Bruce said.
"According to Silver and the other students, they were only able to find out about the Underground facility because of you and when they arrived at the medical center, Doctor Lisa, the lead scientist in the illegal project, was knocked out." Bruce shot Lucius a glance as he said the last sentence.
"She was endangering the lives of students for an illegal project. I believe It's well within my rights to educate her." Lucius shrugged.
"Hehe!" Bruce chuckled at Lucius choice of word.
"I agree." Bruce nodded before continuing. "You also saved the lives of your colleagues and put your life on the line, just like a true guardian should. For this, you have been promoted to a D-rated Guardian, with a bonus of one thousand contribution points and the honorary Viscount title."
"Ooh… I see." Lucius's dry response broke Bruce's spirit.
He walked over and grabbed Lucius by the collar.
"How can you be indifferent after getting promoted to the level of a viscount?" Bruce asked. "Do you know how many people would die to have this opportunity?"
"Errm… it's just a name." Lucius shook his head.
"Fool! It's not just a name, it's power and influence. As long as you have enough money, you can purchase abandoned states. Hire guardians and bring them into your family, You are automatically ranked a Captain in the military and so much more. Dream bigger boy!" Bruce screamed like a mad man before dropping Lucius.
He exhaled deeply, clearly worn out from the outburst, and began walking towards the exit, while Lucius just lay on the bed with a blank look on his face.
Shiiii!
The door opened, but Bruce froze for a second before turning back to meet Lucius's gaze.
"Thank you for saving my little brother. I owe you one." Bruce said with a genuine smile before walking out of the room.
Only after he left did a smile bloom on Lucius's face.
[You devil spawn…] Lyxor cursed.
'Well, it's time to put my plans in motion. The United States of America will know pain and terror like never before!" Lucius grinned cruelly.