The click sound of the door indicated the return of Frankenstein and the girl. Cadis Etrama Di Raizel was seated at his usual spot with his favourite cup of tea. He turned his head slightly and witnessed an immaculately dressed Frankenstein strolling into the threshold. The girl, on the other hand, trailed behind him, dreadfully injured, her dress in tatters. Cadis Etrama Di Raizel felt that an air of seriousness hung around Frankenstein. That caught his attention.
"We have returned, master," announced Frankenstein.
He gave a short nod before turning his head back towards the front. He heard Frankenstein instructed the girl to change into another set of clothes, before setting foot in the underground laboratory, where her injuries would be treated. A soft pattering of feet indicated that the girl had left the room. Cadis Etrama Di Raizel had no qualms that Frankenstein wanted the girl to leave the room as Frankenstein wanted to discuss something with him, and so, he waited, his eyes trained on the glass coffee table. He heard Frankenstein's steady footsteps nearing his side and a rustle of clothes, of Frankenstein seated on the couch next to his.
"Master," started Frankenstein.
Cadis Etrama Di Raizel stretched out his hand and hooked his index finger around the cup's ear. He brought it close to his lips, the calming aroma of citrus and bergamot blend provided him serenity. He took a deep sip, savouring the warmth. All the while he waited for Frankenstein to speak, though his gaze never touched the man's, but that was unnecessary, he knew that his actions were enough to signal Frankenstein that he was listening.
"Master, Linthiel possesses another power. She has the ability to form icicles," informed Frankenstein.
He drew in another long sip of his tea and allowed the new information to penetrate through his cognition. He was waiting, waiting for Frankenstein to provide him further details. Frankenstein would do so; he was not the type of man who would just stop at a brief point. Frankenstein was a man of depth, a man who observed too much, too thoroughly, too exact; the way Cadis Etrama Di Raizel appreciated.
"Her ability has potential, but she lacks awareness and experience. From our earlier training, I have no doubt that she has never been in a proper battle before. Her attacks were direct and honest, her defensive mechanisms almost non-existent, it seems as though she is more inexperienced than we had expected," said Frankenstein.
Cadis Etrama Di Raizel digested the new information in his mind. He placed his cup of tea back to its rightful place and blinked slowly. It was enough. He understood the underlying problems that may arose from the girl, the worries that Frankenstein had and the missing information that hinted at future complications. Though these thoughts sped through him, he did not betray an ounce of emotion on his face. He was used to this, used to complicated matters, used to unexpected happenings ever since his arrival to the human world, ever since he woke up from his centuries of sleep. He trained his eyes on Frankenstein.
"You may leave," he said simply.
Those three words were simple. If it were anyone else they might not understand the intent behind these words, but he knew, he knew that Frankenstein would understand. That those three words meant everything, that it was a silent command to investigate the girl, that it was a promise between them to protect the innocent lives in the city, that it was an unsaid assurance that Frankenstein did well, that all he needed was some time alone to organise his thoughts. Only Frankenstein would be able to understand the meaning that lay behind those three words, it was through time spent every day, every night together that had forged this bond between them, this unbreakable bond, that words left unsaid were intuitively understood.
"Yes, master," responded Frankenstein with a slight bow.
Cadis Etrama Di Raizel looked at the empty couch next to his, long after Frankenstein had left. His thoughts remained on what he had just learnt. There was much to think. He closed his eyes and took in long, deep breaths. The dull weight on his shoulders biting at the back of his mind, but he paid no heed to it. It was not the time. There was an unsettling weight growing in the pit of his core. There were too many considerations to be taken into account. He let loose a sigh.
The girl is possibly not a threat but… are there remnants of The Union at large? I don't seem to have a choice but to postpone my rest.
. . . . .
Frankenstein was donned in his lab coat as he thumbed through sheets and sheets of data. They were pages of her condition in detail. He relaxed the crease on his forehead. He finally had the answers he craved for. He scanned through the report in his hands. These were the information that he wanted about her abilities, her condition; but there were still many unanswered questions buzzing in his mind. He yearned to know those answers. His gaze flicked over to the seated girl and he lowered the data in his hands.
What better time to ask then now?
He would not be able to answer the questions that were gnawing in his mind by himself. He would have to ask her. But first, he had to carry out his duty.
"The results showed that your state is now stable, you just need a few days of rest and you will recover," Frankenstein stated.
Linthiel looked up at him at the sound of his voice. The hardness within her gaze was now gone. He could not discern the emotion or her thoughts through her eyes. It was unnatural; for human feelings reflected on their eyes like mirrors, and yet, this girl had hidden hers. He was uncertain if it was deliberate or not, but he was certain that her thoughts were shrouded in mystery. He cleared his throat and continued speaking.
"Your power, however, is contradictory. It seems that your Pegasus could only protect you against low-level to mid-level attacks. It would be of no use against high power attacks like mine, for example, if I should use my full power. Your icicles power is much stronger should you continue to train it," he said.
Linthiel nodded her head; it was as though she had accepted everything he said without question. He wondered what was going through her mind. She was a huge contrast to Tao, Takeo and M-21; the latter three had always made a ruckus wherever they went. In a situation like this, they would have wanted to power up their abilities even more and would have had planned their next training. This girl, was just silent, her thoughts kept inwards to herself. Out of all her unusual behaviours, the one thing that Frankenstein noticed the most, was that whenever he told her a vital piece of information, her gaze would land somewhere within the vicinity of the ground of the speaker. She refused to meet his gaze. Frankenstein took another look at her and a sigh parted from his lips.
I'm not going to get any answers I want even if I analysed all the data I've produced. This girl… her identity is still shrouded in mystery, her behaviour too unnatural. Even if I don't feel that she's a threat, there's no saying as to what could happen, especially now that she's attending the school. I might as well just ask her.
"Where did you obtain your power?" asked Frankenstein directly.
Linthiel's eyes darted upwards and landed on his face. Her pupils widened. His gaze locked into hers, refusing to allow her to avoid the question. A few seconds of tensed silence hung in the room before her gaze softened. Her voice was subdued as she replied.
"From the facility that I escaped," she answered.
"How did you get it?" he asked.
"They would transfer power into me every month. Every few days, the same people would check and train my abilities and control," she replied.
"How long have you been there?"
"My whole life."
"Even when you were a child?"
"I have memories of being in the same room as a child."
"Who were the people who were modifying you?"
"Two men," she said.
A slight pause hung in the air. Frankenstein saw her chewed on her lower lip and her fingers entwined and released each other repeatedly. Her eyes had avoided his again, but this time, they were not blank depths of mystery, but were filled with conflict and turmoil. He continued to observe her in silence. If he gave her a few more seconds, just a few more, he felt that she would continue her explanation. He should not break this silence. Linthiel fiddled a bit longer and her eyes slowly glided up to meet his. It was filled with reluctance and yet, he saw the same conviction in her eyes as before.
"It was the man-in-glasses who usually trains me… and… and oppa who would usually check on my condition," she said.
The room fell silent. Frankenstein drew his brows together. By now, he knew that any mention of that man would cause a reaction in Linthiel, that her emotions were heavily invested in him. Linthiel shifted in her seat and her fingers fidgeted again.
"Ah, but oppa just wanted to know if I was okay! He did not go through any checks with me, he just… brought me books or things to look at," her voice grew increasingly soft.
Frankenstein continued to study the girl in front of him. He decided that her emotions had played a large role in her judgment, though he was not one to say, as he had not met the man himself. He could not say for certain if that man was good or evil. There were good people who had been part of bad organisations because of their lack of judgment, or because they were forced to under certain circumstances; there were good people who had been sidetracked by distractions, and had made bad decisions; there were good people who had unknowingly gotten tangled into bad situations just because of their unfortunate fate. Just like there were bad people who lurked within good organisations, who wore a façade upon their faces, parading around every day; there were bad people who posed as decent men and manipulated those around them to get whatever they wanted. Frankenstein could not say which type of man was that man, and did it matter? From what they knew, that man was probably dead, he did his last redeeming act to save this girl now seated in front of him. Perhaps, that man was not a bad one; he was just unfortunate enough to be tied up in such a tangled labyrinth.
He allowed that comment to slide past him. The corners of his eyes relaxed and he smiled, a small reassuring smile.
"I see," he said.
Linthiel's shoulders relaxed and she leaned back slightly. The conflict in her eyes was washed away and she looked at him, her smile answering his. He remembered her reply about the 'man-in-glasses' and that brought him up short.
"Wait, who is this 'man-in-glasses'?" asked Frankenstein.
"The one in charge of training and controlling," she replied.
"What do you mean by that?" he pressed.
"He trains my abilities, telling me how to control it, how to fire, if I was doing anything wrong or if there were any new methods that I should conquer before moving on to the next set of training exercise. He writes down everything on his PDA," she explained.
"Does he have a high position within the organisation? Who is the organisation?" persisted Frankenstein.
Linthiel started to frown, her head tilted to a side at his question.
"I don't understand," she replied.
Frankenstein studied her face. There was no indication that she was lying or was hording any information. He thought back to her previous answers, if she had never left the room and had only seen those two men before she escaped, there was a high possibility that she was just a pawn within the organisation, that it was likely she did not know any of the operations within it. He turned these thoughts around, it did not make sense that she had never left her room, they had to bring her to a laboratory to enhance her abilities, unless they knocked her out beforehand.
"How do they transfer the power and enhance your abilities? Do they bring you to a lab similar to this?" he asked, gesturing to his surroundings.
She shook her head.
"They transferred while I was in the room. I could see a tube connected to the top of the dome shaped room. When it was time for power advancement, they would connect a large machine to the tube outside of my room. The air in my room would be stifling and charged with power. Somehow, I would gain power this way," she explained.
Frankenstein stopped his questions and rested his chin on the back of his hand. He analysed her explanations carefully, his blonde hair softly tumbling over his eyes. More questions came to his head.
Their research has progressed much quicker than I expected. It does not seem like a method anyone from the Union would undertake. It's impossible that The Union would not put their experiments through intensive training. Is this another organisation? What is the reason for the organisation to be attacked?
"Were you the only one there?" asked Frankenstein.
"I don't know. I have never left my room. But I could see other rooms similar to mine when I looked through the walls," she answered.
"How many were there?"
"Two, I think. The walls were semi-transparent, I'm not too sure."
"Do you remember where the facility was?"
Linthiel shook her head.
Frankenstein nodded. He was satisfied with the answers he had gotten for now. There were too many questions that he wanted answers to, but he doubted that Linthiel would be able to provide him anything further than this. She was naïve to the purposes of the organisation, to the people who operated behind it. It was only by pure chance that she even managed to escape from it. He gave her sidelong glance. Somehow, the thought of a child growing up in such an environment pulled at his heart. No child should have experienced it, let alone one who harboured the thought that it was normal to lead a life like that; no child should have suffered like this.
He stood up and ruffled her hair. She turned her eyes up in surprise. Frankenstein only smiled back. She was like a child, a child who had first gotten her freedom to the world, unknowing that her past life was different, that she had led an excruciatingly abnormal life. That thought made him uncomfortable, that anyone, any innocent being would have to go under a circumstance like that, let alone a child. He let another sigh escaped from him. He had to guide her around the mechanisms of this world; he could only imagine anyone growing up in a facility like that would not be able to survive on their own.
"It seems that you lack knowledge of how this world works. I will teach you the basics and it will help if you memorise it," said Frankenstein.
He proceeded to take out a bounded document entitled 'How to Survive in the 21st Century' from a drawer. He handed it to her, at which she accepted. She was looking at the hard cover.
"This will give you detailed instructions on what you're studying in school, how to interact with people, buying things you need and well, everything," he said proudly.
. . . . .
Frankenstein flipped through the stack of papers in front of him. He had been busy of late. His eyes narrowed at the typed out report on his desk, his mind occupied on the upcoming Sports Day. It was a once a year event, something that was of utmost importance and an event which reflected upon the school's reputation. It brought joy to those participated in it and allowed the school to forge good connections with other schools and companies that were involved.
The spending is almost near the budget this year. We might have to cut down on some of the performances. The sports records are incomplete. Where are the details of the each event?
He flipped through another page; the crisp sound of paper crackling reached his ears. He scrutinised at the incomplete documents in front of him. On reflex, his mouth strained and it turned downwards. His fingers drummed lightly against the surface of his desk, creating a regular rhythm. He reached out for his black fountain pen and scrawled a few notes next to the report.
These students seem to be surprisingly strong. They would have to be split into two groups evenly for the tug-of-war event. Where are the records of the individual races? The classes' dances don't seem to overlap, that's good.
Frankenstein's fingers drummed even more insistently. He wanted to get up from his seat to pace around his office but he held it in. There was no need for him to be so agitated. Every year, the reports would not be completed, every year he had to make several changes to it; and there were the companies who were acting as sponsors to the school. He had to deal with that as well. After all, Frankenstein thought, Ye Ran High School was not an ordinary high school; it was a prestigious high school where his students were the brightest of all, where they would be able to grow and learn in a safe space. He had to provide the best for them.
Frankenstein's fingers hovered above the table. His eyes were fixed at Cadis Etrama Di Raizel's name on the student record. His breath caught in his chest. It would be his master's first Sports Day in the school; they had to take care of The Union the previous year. Frankenstein wanted this year's Sports Day to be a memorable one for his master. His mouth relaxed and he smiled gently.
I should request for master's participation in Sports Day to be pardoned. I can't possibly let master take part in the dances and master is too strong and quick for any athletic events. Yes, that will be the right choice.
Frankenstein nodded his head to himself and scrawled a note to the homeroom teacher. He continued to look through the student list and came across Linthiel's name. He paused for a second.
Perhaps I should take out Linthiel as well. Her speed and strength will put the class in an unfair position.
He added her name to the note. Frankenstein nodded his head once again. He leaned back against his chair and laced his fingers together, glancing at the note. A smile crossed his lips as he thought about the upcoming event.
Sports Day should proceed smoothly without any problems.