Alex didn't hear from Ace for a while after that day. Ace also didn't come to the hospital in general, and Alex couldn't go to see his mother.
It ate at him every day as he thought about what She had said to him. He tried to wrap his mind around it, but it got harder and harder by the day.
So he slowly receded into his mind. When he first came here, he was a little communicative with the nurses, but now, he spoke to no one.
All he did every day was practice circulation and grow his darkness. He practiced mana manipulation daily until he passed out, and then he repeated the whole process over and over again.
---
This day, he sat staring at the wall blankly while practicing his circulation. The door opened, and Ace walked in.
Alex didn't react to the door opening or Ace entering the room; he just stared at the blank wall.
"The nurses say you haven't been talking much," Ace said.
"Is there a point in talking? What would I say to them?" Alex asked.
"Well, you can have some small chats with them, and that could foster a friendly relationship," Ace said as he took a seat.
"Foster friendly relationships? What good is having anyone get closer to me? For them to leave me and cause me pain?" Alex asked.
"I understand that you've been through a lot, but you can't lock yourself out. You need to meet new people and trust new people," Ace said.
Alex finally turned his neck and looked at Ace. "I don't even trust you," Alex said, his eyes empty and cold, with no emotion behind them. Ace subconsciously shifted back slightly, but he quickly straightened himself.
"I can guess that you didn't come to help me make new friends, right?" Alex asked.
"Yes, sorry. The reason I came is that I have some news. I understand that I went missing for a few days, but I was actively trying to get you accepted.
The Saints who lead us here have reviewed everything about you, and they have decided that you would be a good test subject.
You will be allowed to go to training, but you will be under supervision, with different experiments done on you from time to time.
They want to understand what you are and how you work," Ace said.
"Do I get to fight Crawlers?" Alex asked. That was the only thing that really mattered to him at this point.
"Well, in time. You may have an amazing amount of darkness and control over it, but your body is weak, and you don't know how to use your ability in a fight.
That is why you'll need to be trained and supervised. I want you to understand that your situation is very delicate, so you have to watch yourself and avoid trouble.
I'm not supposed to tell you this, but many of the higher-ups were against you. Don't give them a way to win the battle and have you killed," Ace said.
"You don't have to worry. I will not be dying until I kill every last one of those Crawlers," Alex said with a straight face, but the emotions behind his words were heavy.
"All right then. You're all healed, and the nurses say your condition has picked up very well. I think it's the best time for you to see the academy.
Would you like to see your mother at least before you go?" Ace asked.
The memory of his mother yelling at him resurfaced in Silva's mind. "No, let's go. I don't have anything here," Alex said as he got up and walked out of the room first.
"Is this really a ten-year-old kid?" Ace asked himself, because Alex was not what he would expect from a child.
As they left the hospital, they walked past the door of his mother's room, but Alex didn't even turn for a moment. He just kept moving, and soon they arrived at the door that led outside.
He stepped out and took a look around. It was the first time he had seen the outside since being brought into the hospital.
It looked normal, like nothing had ever happened. It was as if the whole attack never occurred, and everything was back to normal.
He could see people smiling as usual, going about their daily lives with peace and joy. Seeing all this, his blood boiled in rage. He was angry, angry at everyone.
He was angry at them for being able to smile after the people who had died, after the many lives that were lost. They shouldn't smile—no, not until all the Crawlers were dead.
That was his only reason to smile, and he would not rest until he accomplished this.
Ace had parked a marine vehicle there to take Silva. It was a four-wheeled black vehicle, built to carry two in the front but with a large back for transporting troops or materials.
Due to the management of resources toward the fight against the Crawlers, there were many things the average person could not hope to get their hands on.
An example of that was vehicles. Within every walled section, the number of vehicles was strictly accounted for to ensure that no one went missing for any cause.
Ace opened the door for Alex. Alex walked into the car and took his seat. Ace also entered, but before starting, he stretched over and fastened Alex's seatbelt before doing his own.
"So where are you taking me exactly?" Alex asked.
"Now? To the academy. The session has already started, and you're set to begin. I know there are a lot of things we will need to handle concerning you.
But for the first few days, you'll need to settle in and wait for me. I've provided everything needed, even a special room for you, to ensure no one finds out.
You're something of a special student being admitted," Ace said as he drove.