THE SOUND OF MY VOICE

Genres: Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Fantasy, Horror, Romance

Rated: M for violence and mature themes.

Author's Note: LOOK WHO'S BACK FROM THE DEAD. IT'S ME :). It's Nightrous here! Another small surprise-chapter that sprung from the roots of an unsung hero (my literary muse), so here it is! Enjoy it! Once again, as a quick reminder, when me and Miria's exams are over, the updates will come much more quickly!


"The strong do not need to claim to be as such. They already know it." – Professor Revan


CHAPTER 11: THE ORCHESTRAL DECEPTION

It was quite dark in the room. It needed more light at night than the unreasonably dim, blue, fluorescent lights casting an eerie glow across everything below it. At the centre was an operation bed, like those found in hospitals and around it were strange machinery and devices beyond the comprehension of any typical student at Valoran Academy. And someone was operating them, typing into a touch-screen.

A deep voice spoke from the shadows beyond the dim light.

"Is the prototype fully functional?"

The person operating the machines scratched his head with one hand while his other remained glued to the digital keyboard.

"Well, it is a prototype, so I claim for the prototype to be a hundred-percent functional."

"What's the rate of success?" asked the deep voice.

"Umm … 90%?" the lights flickered overhead, briefly illuminating the hesitant face of the tall young man operating the machine.

The deep voice sighed. "What is the actual rate of success?"

The young man shifted uncomfortably in his lab coat. "Closer to 75%?"

"The actual, exact, rate of success, Number 6."

"72.5%."

"Hmph. Good enough. We may be able to save most of the body but … things will never be the same for the Subject again."

"Why are you doing this for—the Subject?" The young man asked with a tense edge to his voice.

"It's why are we doing this. You agreed to cooperate with me on this in exchange for your pardon. And we're doing this because it is simply our duty to do so."

"There's more to it, isn't there?"

"Your job is to operate the prototype, not ask questions. Do it." The deep voice commanded.

"As you wish."

The young man began entering codes into the machine and a low whirring sound joined the beeping from the digital keyboard.

The deep voice cleared its throat.

"Just as a reminder, you are not to tell anyone else about this project. And you definitely are not to tell anyone about the Subject's existence."

"Aren't people going to find out sooner or later about the Subject's existence anyways?" The young man answered as he worked.

"I believe that it would be best to delay the inevitable for as long as possible. I hold you to this under oath, remember, Number 6. You certainly are not to tell your attendant. Do you understand?"

"Just one sec," the young man was typing furiously into the keyboard, his fingers flying across the touch-screen. "I have to enter the coding in under three minutes or the prototype won't successfully activate. It's uhh—a security measure I designed."

"Do you understand me?" the deep voice repeated. "Jason. Jason Brighthammer."

"Ahh—sorry—yes, yes. I understand. Wait but—" Jayce glanced over at the individual in the shadows. "Why does your attendant get to know?"

The deep voice scoffed. "She's the one who retrieved him. Besides—"

He walked out into the dim fluorescent blue light, revealing part of his face. The source of the deep voice was in fact, another young man, though his stature was that of a large, burly, incredibly muscular man. He didn't smile but there was a glint in his eyes that told Jayce that he was satisfied. He had an intimidating face with a scar across one of his eyes.

"I get to make the decisions—it's just one of many perks for being at the top of the Elite."

. . .

Sona POV

"Oh god … this brings back not-so-happy memories." I stood nervously among this students inside the courtyard, at the front row again, though this time, beside Ezreal, Taliyah and Akali. One of them stood on each of my side, as if to protect me from anything that could ever possibly happen.

Lux was still in what seemed like an intensive discussion with the first and second seats on the Elite Ten, or so Ezreal tells me. It was the most serious that I had ever seen Lux become, which slightly worried me. I've never really seen those two male students around the Academy, though that's not a surprise considering they're both seniors.

Ezreal squeezed my hand. "Don't worry. Just hold on to me and I won't let go."

Lux had finished her conversation and was walking over. I started to wave at her but stopped short when I noticed the look on her face. She looked as if she had just seen a corpse.

Taliyah put a hand on her shoulder when she took her place beside Ezreal. "What's wrong? What did you guys talk about?"

Lux stared straight ahead without turning her head and answered. "There's nothing I can tell you. You'll have to see for yourself."

'See'? What did she mean by that? I asked hesitantly. "Have they gathered us here to show us something?"

"Of the like." Lux replied with a rigid expression.

"Students! May I have your undivided attention please?" A figure walked out from under the shade of the gazebo. It was Master Kusho. I held back the urge to walk up to him and punch him, though I doubt I'd reach him before the Sentinels stopped me.

"We have a new student to introduce to you, who will being joining Class 2-A from today onwards, until the semester ends in June."

A new student? Why go out of your way to introduce him—or her—to us? Why this extravagant assembly?

"I implore you all to welcome her with open arms. Help her adjust to the Academy. This student has been accepted under special circumstances and severely lacks social skills, so please, accept her as if she were one of your own—"

"Is this a joke?" I muttered under my breath. "Since when did he become some nice fairy godmother?"

"Shh, listen Sona, he's saying something again." Ezreal whispered and I nodded apologetically.

"—even if she gives off the impression of a—how should I phrase it—ah yes—a soulless imbecile."

There he was. The real Master Kusho. Oh how I longed to punch him in his fucking face.

"Please respect her physical impairment as she is confined to a wheelchair and requires a mask which regulates her oxygen intake in order to breathe normally. She was once at the brink of death but a brilliant young scientist graciously offered a new treatment he had devised that was only successful in theory. She is thus, a subject of this experimental treatment and must not be harmed."

Oh. So that's why he's being so mushy. To protect an asset of the Academy that was capable of furthering scientific research.

"What a dirty rat. To think for a moment, I believed he was being considerate for a human life—" Ezreal spat. This time, I was the one trying to calm him down.

"The name of this project—" continued Master Kusho, "—is Project Disruption. And this—this is Test Subject Z."

We could not believe what we were seeing. Were our eyes deceiving us? Because the student that had just rolled out into the light of the sun on her wheelchair from within the gazebo—she … she … she couldn't be …

"Our as I'd like to call her," Master Kusho's lips curved up into a sly grin, "Project Z."

The courtyard became dead-silent.

Maybe they didn't recognize her. Perhaps most didn't even know who this student was. After all she was new to the Academy—right?

No.

Everything about her was the same as before, save the metal mask that covered the entirety of her face and metal casts on her legs. Save the fact that she was in a wheelchair. I recognized her instantly. From her long black hair which seemed to flow with the wind, and the two isolated tails in front of each shoulder both tied at the end with dark red ribbons. Even with her uniform on—I've never actually seen her wear her uniform—I could recognize the strong yet frail body of her's. The long, thin arms that used to embrace me from behind.

Wait why was she wearing her uniform? Perhaps to accompany her identity as the new student? That would make sense.

"Lux is this the reason why you're so on edge?" I asked.

To my surprise, Lux shook her head. "Just wait and see."

Master Kusho cleared his throat. "I'd also like to make a second announcement."

I gave the man my attention but my eyes kept flicking back to the student in the wheelchair.

"As you all know, with the tragic death of our beloved student, Zariyah, who was … who was also my daughter—" Master Kusho sniffed.

I rolled my eyes. What a fake expression.

"—a seat on the Elite Ten has been left vacant. After much deliberation, we have decided to appoint a new individual to the 9th seat on this Elite Council. She is an outstandingly exceptional student from the pool of already exceptional first-years. I am pleased to welcome, Elizabeth Frostguard!"

The gossip was already circulating.

"A first year? On the Elite Ten Council?" someone exclaimed.

"That's unheard of! What is this bullshit?"

"Hey, if the first-year gets to be on the Elite Ten, sign me up too!"

A young girl with long white hair strolled to the front from the back row of students and ascended to the top step of the gazebo, all the while, ignoring the whispers around her. She stopped next to the new student.

Elizabeth, as Master Kusho had introduced her, wore a form-fitting blue dark-blue dress with an odd set of blue pauldrons (*shoulder-plates) protecting her shoulders. Her skin was incredibly pale and white as snow.

She had a confident smile—and let me specify one thing. There were those who smiled with arrogance feigning as confidence. Those were weak at heart and probably weak in general. Then, there were those who smiled with real confidence. Confidence that was natural. There was an old Ionian proverb that described such people.

Fortissimum subridens hominum tepidissime.

The strongest only smile faintly.

Though I could not have possibly experienced it, I could tell that she was strong. Immeasurably so. In fact, she was probably stronger than Ezreal. Speaking of Ezreal—I glanced at him and he had the same worried look on his face, furrowed eyebrows and all.

"What the hell? I can't sense any spiritual aura for her." Taliyah squinted her eyes.

"Why is she even here …?"

I looked over to Lux and found a girl, usually filled with joy and positive energy, now scarred with a terrified expression.

"What's wrong Lux?" I asked, but the girl's eyes were glued to the first-year, Elizabeth. "Is this why you've been so—"

"One day, Sona." She interrupted me. "One day, you'll understand that there are people out there that are so powerful their aura is undetectable by those too weak to sense it. Even as Number 3, I can barely grasp onto her spiritual aura."

"Wait you're ranked 3rd on the Elite Ten?" I was shocked. I never really thought about Lux's placement on the Elite Ten Council, only that she was part of it.

"Yeah," Lux brushed the notion aside, as if it were normal for me to be ignorant of her status even after all this time I had gotten to know her.

"What—then is she stronger than the rank they assigned to her?"

"Sona." Lux finally turned towards me. She put a hand on each of my shoulders. "Stay away from her. Do not be fooled by her kind mannerisms."

"Is she strong? I mean, she's only a first year …" I drifted off as Lux's serious expression did not disappear.

"She's a monster." Lux said with her voice shaking. "And she's capable of killing every single one of us in this courtyard without breaking a sweat, including the professors. Probably including Master Kusho as well."

Suddenly, gasps spread across the courtyard. Something had happened in the gazebo. I looked closer and realized what it was exactly. A strange weapon had materialized next to the girl, Elizabeth. It was levitating next to her as Etwahl usually did so next to me when I summoned the ancient instrument. The weapon consisted of four long, jagged blades protruding from a centerpiece: a glowing sapphire orb.

"So um—hi guys!" The girl had started to speak. "As you all know, my name is Elizabeth, but I think that's a boring name. You guys can just call me by my middle name."

"Lissandra." Lux whispered in sync with Elizabeth. I have to say, it was … it was a sinister name.

"What's that weapon you got there?" someone called out from within the crowd of students.

"Oh this?" Lissandra gestured at the weapon. "This is my spirit weapon. The blades are made of half black-steel and half True-Ice. She can take on a humanoid form—I can show you all if you want."

She looked to Master Kusho for approval, who nodded his head nonchalantly.

"Alright then." Lissandra took a deep breath. "Come forth, from the depths of the Howling Abyss. Come forth."

A wisp made of what looked like a trail of snow swirled out of the sapphire orb at the center of Lissandra's weapon. The wisp grew into a butt, which eventually began taking a solid form. When the transformation was complete, a shy girl with short-blue hair stood next to the blades. She seemed about the same age as her wielder. Wearing a tight blue jumpsuit with copper-colored armguards, she had a strange blue-metal contraption strapped to her back. To be honest, it looked pretty cumbersome, like it would be a bother to walk around with it. Nevertheless, she made it look effortless.

"This is Irelia." Lissandra put an arm around the female humanoid form and grinned.

"Frostblade Irelia."


"Just when you think the story is halfway to completion, the contrary is true. Know that the real journey has just begun."


Yep! That's basically my motto. Our motto. Miria and I don't just want a solid, pre-determined storyline. We want the story to grow on its own. To evolve on its own. That's why even though we've planned out a plot-line and determined an ending, what happens in between is up to how the characters in the story want to live. That's what makes them truly alive.

In other words, even though we've planned one thing, at any one moment, the contrary could happen. Writing is a very fickle thing and is not to be shackled by the pen and paper. The characters' lives aren't made – they're lived.

If you like this story and haven't already, FOLLOW it! And for those who've already been following know the drill: if you LOVED it, FAVORITE IT! COMMENT in the REVIEW section below to tell us your thoughts on the story! Feel free to PM me for any suggestions or questions regarding the story!

Peace!

~Nightrous (and a persistently dedicated writer named Miria)


Next Chapter: CHP. 12 - THE STRINGS OF AMENDMENT

SEE YOU THEN!

Chapter 12: The Strings of Amendment