After a grueling wait for the Medical Corps staff, a few doctors in long white robes had finally arrived. They unlocked the door to the room marked 'Sterile Room 1', under which stood a little sticky note that read "Clean Essence only!" Aiden wasn't sure what they meant by 'clean', but on the door to the third room, he could vaguely make out a word that looked like 'corrupt' to him.
"You guys are awfully slow." groaned Khiara. "What if someone's life was on the line?"
"Miss Zaydan, this isn't an emergency response unit." The voice, rich and gravelly, cut through the air of the medical bay. Aiden turned, his eyes landing on a man removing his surgical mask. His long, dark beard framed a face etched with experience, but it was his eyes that captivated him – large, obsidian pools that seemed to hold secrets of their own.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Aiden Silvius." The man extended his hand, his grip firm and assured. "I'm Dr. Gabriel Silva, Medical Corps officer number five." A slight smile played at the corners of his mouth, softening his otherwise stern demeanor.
With a gesture towards a chair at the far end of the room, Dr. Silva continued, his tone a mixture of curiosity and professionalism. "However much I'm personally intrigued by the prospect of a Deity summoning – and believe me, I am – I'm still on working hours. We'll need to keep this brief." He paused, his dark eyes studying Aiden intently. "But don't let that stop you from sharing anything... unusual."
Aiden was hooked up to what seemed like a clearly over-engineered machine, all sorts of readings taken, probes stuck onto Aiden's body. However, one probe never moved, the one the back of his neck. After sitting on the machine for a little less than an hour, Gabriel signaled for the machine to be powered off, before approaching Aiden.
"Well, the results are peculiar, to say the least…" he said as he flipped through multiple pages on a clipboard. "The good news is, the Soul Mark doesn't seem misshapen or malformed by the failed ritual. We can also confirm that it is Feyr's, it carries X."
Aiden let out a sigh of relief, a weight dropping from his chest. He felt a sense of accomplishment. He not only outwitted Feyr, but managed to survive without any major consequence.
"The fact you had to state that there's 'good' news, implies there's bad news." Aldegar seemed annoyed at Gabriel for him dragging the conversation out and taking so long to say the results.
"Well, I wouldn't call them 'bad'. They are, like I said, peculiar." Gabriel threw the clipboard on to the countertop behind him, before beginning to explain. "This power, Inherit you said it's called? It's unlike anything we've seen before. In sheer mechanics, this one seems most similar to Ulrich's."
With just a mention of that name, you could see Aldegar immediately getting uncomfortable and beginning to sweat. "What do you mean similar to Ulrich's? Aiden's description of his power didn't match the ones Ulrich had."
"I said in the mechanics. Aiden's ability allows him to take powers, but, it seems that when he wields those that don't have the Soul Mark of X, the Mark needs to change to the appropriate one. Not only does this add a delay, but it also takes up large amounts of energy to do constantly." Gabriel began moving his hand through his hair, almost seemingly trying to think of a way how to say the next things.
"But, Aiden's power also has a weird, really weird characteristic. To take someone's power with Inherit, Aiden needs to defeat them." He now took a large sip of water from the bottle he was holding before beginning to stutter. "And not just defeat, he needs intent."
"What do you mean intent?" A chill went down Aiden's spine.
"Intent. Intent to kill. You can't just half-ass swing a sword at someone, and after they die, you get their power." Gabriel slammed his fist against his the palm of his hand. "The killing blow, that's the key."
Dr. Gabriel's words hung in the air, and as the silence ripened, no one was ready to pick its fruit. Everyone kept quiet for a minute, before Khiara boldly spoke up.
"This is unheard of…" She leaned against a wall, standing there with closed eyes and thinking. "Taking lives to improve oneself. Still, to create is to destroy, right?"
Walking up to Aiden, she placed her hand on his shoulder before firmly gripping it. "It's not an easy power to wield. A power bursting with so much potential, yet its only limit is the human mind and ethics." Aldegar was shocked by her words, but both Aiden and Gabriel were so wrapped up in their own thoughts, neither was paying attention to what she was saying.
"Aiden, no one is saying that you need to use this power." She began speaking, and her grasp on Aiden's shoulder relaxed. "But, if you do, don't let the killing make you forget who you really are." Hearing Khiara's words, Gabriel laughed under his breath, before quickly hiding what seemed like an abrupt sense of joy.
"Gabriel, this seems… extreme. Are you absolutely certain that this is the only way?" Aldegar sat down on a chair nearby, pondering the level of danger such a technique would bring, especially to his own son.
"Other than basic Essence manipulation spells, like Swiftstride is, and combat training… yes." Until suddenly, Gabriel broke into a wide grin. "But, of course, this is all theory. Not only can we not be certain of anything until the power is actually used for the first time, no one would even force you to use it."
Finishing his sentence, Gabriel's demeanor now shifted abruptly. His hand gestures became increasingly frantic as he urged everyone to leave the room. "You've built a solid civilian life, no?"
"For everyone's sake, keep living like that." This sudden change in his behavior was jarring, setting off many alarms in Aiden's head. Did something go awry with the inspection, or was he hiding something about Inherit, since something was clearly hidden underneath the surface. As the group filed out of the sterile office, his friendly facade began seemingly cracking against his will. He slammed the door behind them with unnecessary force, before his voice echoed throughout the waiting room. "Goodbye!", and nothing else.
Khiara and Aldegar already headed for the elevator, but Aiden had stopped. Behind the door, an incandescent mumbling began, yet it was too rapid and too soft for Aiden to understand almost anything. That is, all except for one word.
Feyr. The name hung in the air, sending a chill down Aiden's spine. Why would Gabriel be mentioning Feyr? And why now, when he thought they were out of earshot?
"Come on, Aiden. You said you wanted to be in Sylvanwood as fast as possible, right?" Aiden quickly made his way to the elevator, before stepping in. The silence began getting heavy, since everyone was trying to understand all the implications of a power like this.
Khiara spoke up first. "Are you seriously going to take Gabriel's advice, Aiden? A civilian life?" At this point, not even Aiden knew. He got the power he craved so much, but, to kill people without remorse just to enhance yourself? He couldn't see himself going to such great lengths for something superficial. "Personally, I see that as nothing more than a waste of potential. If nothing, you can go finishing off mortally wounded people, not staining your hands as much."
"Khiara!" Aldegar suddenly raised his voice. "Do not speak like that. If we counted every person with powers who didn't want to get their hands bloodied a 'waste', the Oracle would never exist in the first place. We work to help the people, not force the people into helping us."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, Aldegar." Khiara deeply sighed, before crouching down on the elevator floor. "It's just… Inherit opens up so many possibilities. Do you know for how long I've feared that I'll die somewhere in combat, and in a few years I'll be nothing more than a name in some mortuary log collecting dust on a shelf?"
She pointed her finger at Aiden, before bowing her head down in apparent sadness. "You, Aiden, you can be different. Not only can memories of the dead live through your safekeeping of powers… you can get written in history forever, like none of us ever could."
She stopped talking for a little bit, seemingly letting the weight of her words settle down, before springing back into action as soon as the elevator stopped. "Ugh, I hate when I have to be all sad and gloomy. Listen, don't let yourself be forgotten, Aiden." she said as she hit Aiden across the shoulder and began walking towards the Offense Corps building. "If you choose to fight, you'll be here again soon enough! So, see you later!"
"She needs to stop drinking so much coffee, she's way too hyperactive." said Aldegar as he began making his way towards the exit, pulling his car key out of his coat pocket. "Come on, let's head out."
Aldegar drove Aiden to the train station before seeing him off. "I'd love to come along, but, I have business to attend to at the Oracle."
"It's okay, Dad. Considering what I've went through in the last little while, a train trip is the slightest of issues." Aiden tried reassuring Aldegar he'll be fine, but, a father can never be perfectly sure.
"I'm sure you will, but, just in case…" Aldegar pulled out an old flip phone from his pocket, handing it to Aiden. "Here. Since I know you left all of your stuff in Sylvanwood, you can use this to reach me if you need anything. You can stop by the Manor to get some money for a bus ticket later."
"Alright then, thanks Dad!" Aiden heard the conductor blow the whistle, signaling the train leaving the station. He quickly jumped on board before waving at Aldegar through the closed door.
The trip was quite calm. The weather had cleared up significantly compared to when they arrived in Dawnvale, and the train was going smoothly. However, Aiden kept seeing what felt like illusions. He was walking through one of the cabin cars, until in the corner of his eye he saw what seemed like a hooded figure. "A Feyr cultist?!" Aiden's mind surged, and he twitched his neck at the figure's direction, until he noticed that it was just a guy in a black hoodie.
He sat down in his seat, and tried to forget about what just happened. A fluke. Was it fear, was it paranoia, Aiden didn't care. He needed to relax. One of the cabin crew started rolling around the trolley with complimentary drinks and snacks, which Aiden grabbed without hesitation.
Chugging down the soda in what seemed like one sip, he then leaned his head back, and began snoozing away. His mind was decompressing, all the events that unfolded in the past months replaying through Aiden's head. Cassius, the Forest of Clarity, the ritual, Gabriel's behavior...
As the train rumbled across the Arridune Desert, Aiden found himself staring at the window. And as the reflection stared back, he wasn't even sure if that was him that he was seeing. He kept thinking how he shouldn't be here now, and how the Oracle saving him was nothing more than a fluke and a miracle.
The harsh landscape began turning to scattered vegetation, before Emberfell's skyline slowly crept into view. With a soft sigh, Aiden got up and out of the train. But, as he stood to disembark, he couldn't shake the feeling that moments of peace like these would be rare...