The Author's POV

Squeek—! Squeek—!

"Hold still."

Squeezing the syringe in his hands a couple of times, only till a clear liquid dropped from the body of the needle did Joseph let out a satisfied smile.

Licking his lips, he walked up to a burned body that was laying down on a rectangular metal plate; the man's hands and feet were bound by metallic latches.

Rolling his chair forward and arriving before the burned body, Joseph proceeded to put some gloves on.

Plack—! Plack—!

Glancing at the man laying down on the table, Joseph started to speak.

"I know that this is only our twelfth dosage of many, but trust me, what I'm doing is for your best."

Grabbing onto the man's shoulder which was filled with blisters, Joseph leaned his body closer and brought the syringe next to it.

"A perfect soldier is one that can perfectly blend with the world we are currently living in. One that can understand the human heart, yet at the same time, not have one. One that can watch the whole world burn before them, yet feel nothing from it."

Pressing his fingers on the man's arm, Joseph looked up.

"This might hurt a bit."

Squeek—!

He squeezed the tip of the syringe, and the liquid and 876's body started to spasm uncontrollably.

A rattling sound came out as a result of the latches binding 876, moving up and down. Taking the syringe out of 876's body, Joseph turned around.

"Don't hate me too much, 876. All I'm doing is breaking you so that one day you don't break."

***

"Uahgh!"

My eyes opened abruptly and my body shot up.

Lowering my head and staring at my bedsheets which were drenched in sweat, I forcefully opened and closed my eyes.

"Haa...Haaa...what was that?"

Clenching my teeth, I leaned back on the bed.

'Shit, just when I thought they had stopped...'

The nightmares about my time at the Monolith.

There used to be a time when I had nightmares every day. As time passed, the nightmares had become a lot less frequent.

Especially in Issanor.

Ever since I reunited with the others, I had thought that the nightmares had stopped.

The last time I had gotten a nightmare regarding my time at the Monolith was about half a year ago.

Just when I thought I had overcome my inner demons, the nightmare suddenly came again.

'Was it because of what the professor said yesterday?'

It could be.

Having him remind me of the incident and his talk about inner demons may have reignited the memories that I tried so hard to forget.

"Haaaa..."

Covering my face with the palm of my head, I let out a long breath.

Feeling the warm breath on my hand, I slowly got out of bed.

"What time is it?"

Taking my phone from the side of the bed, I looked at the time.

[Tuesday, 4 : 31 A.M.]

"It's still quite early."

phone, I

all of the information you know about Thomas D. Shurle, a professor staying in the academy. Don't care about the funds, or anything else, just find whatever you can find on him. Family situation, childhood, friends. Just anything. No matter how big or

paranoid, however, the situation

yesterday really a coincidence?

my phone back, I

'I should train.'

crossed-legged on the ground, I closed my eyes and started to

strong amongst those my age, I was a far cry

no time for me to

do was train, train,

"Haaa..."

sensed millions of different colored particles

back in Issanor, my perception of psyons drastically increased. If I had

"Huuuuu...."

and the particles in the air started to move in a more

before long, only green particles

"Hm?"

something, my brow

only green

couple of yellow-colored ones

'Light psyons.'

up a little. That was because their

understanding the fifth and

***

8:30 A.M.

sun shone brightly from the sky, enveloping the section G

was already packed with students. Everyone stood by the side of a

middle of the grounds. Along the way,

like everyone

the chatter

this, however, now that I thought about it, although the professor may not be good at explaining, perhaps the situation

'Let's observe for now.'

at my watch, my brows knit

before I entered the academy, I received a message from Smallsnake. In his message was a small

: Thomas

Age : 48

Wife

.

district of the human domain. At the age of thirty-nine, he managed to break through to rank where he stagnated till

---Read more---

'Everything checks out...'

professor who was currently displaying to the students how to coat their

call out for the preferred psyons. Once you have managed to select the desired psyons, fine-tune them to pursue the

him from where I was, he didn't look

out. There was nothing strange about him, yet,

I couldn't really explain.

it really just

now that I have demonstrated how to do

moment, Thomas's voice rang

the area around him, he

to start practicing. Space yourselves out,

This time, I

watch over the other students. Help them if they

"Understood."

the students who had taken out their weapons and had

on the bodies of the students. Some were brighter than the others, but generally, most were about

around me, secretly, I

I had developed back when I was in the forests. Just so that I would be prepared for any

choice of weapon you

help but land

"Thank you."

a silly smile on her face. Taking a closer look at her, I couldn't help

in the top five,

I did was memorize the files of each individual in the class, and from

choice of weapon was

head, I pointed at her weapons which

individual psyons in the

"Yes ."