A/N: As I continue to edit and revise my stories I will, when possible, replace the old, sloppy chapters with the new and freshly edited ones as soon as they are to my standards. You will see this note, along with possible variations of it, above all the chapters I have edited. Once all chapters are completely edited I will remove all author notes pertaining to the revision of the story.

Nox, yet again, was reduced to counting the cracks along the ceiling and walls. Her fractured leg had healed, according to the Professor. Though she didn't care much since she gave up the idea of escape all together. After what she did to Brick, she didn't want to risk doing anything like that ever again.

Lokar never did tell her what actually happened between her and Brick. All she knew was that she nearly killed the man. The uncertainty and confusion left Nox in a fragile state. She knew nothing. She truly knew nothing.

Nothing made sense to her anymore. Everything seemed so surreal. The lack of human contact was getting to her now more than ever. She knew nothing of the outside world. The only information she got came from Lokar, and that wasn't much. However, she still clung on to the hope that one day she and Maya would be together again. Even that, however, left Nox with a bitter taste in her mouth. For all she knew, Maya could be dead.

That was something she didn't want to think about. There were a lot of things that she didn't want to think about. There was so many things that she shouldn't think about. She tried not thinking about much of anything, but it didn't work. Her mind always found ways to torment her more so than Lokar probably ever could.

Secretly she began to look forward to look forwards to anything that involved seeing someone else. Whether it was a guard bringing her food or being dragged off to Lokar's laboratory-as long as she saw someone else, she didn't care.

It was strange and probably really unhealthy, she believed, to desperately crave contact with anyone, regardless of how much they have abused her. Even more so, since she actually began to look forward to when Lokar came to 'visit' her. At times, it was the only thing that kept her going.

The lock on cell door disengaged. It slid open with a hiss. Lokar strode into the cell with a haughty look on his face. Two guards followed close behind him.

"Are you ready for another physical examination, Test Subject XIV?" Lokar asked with a smile.

"That is not my name," she hissed. She refused to move or make any eye contact.

"I will call you what I want," he growled. "You belong to me now." He gave the guards a subtle nod.

The guards marched over to Nox's cot, and grabbed her before she could try to run. Not that she would have, anyway. She hung limply in their arms as they hauled her off to the Professor's office.

Nox was forced to sit on some kind of examination table. Lokar stood the left of her. She hated him being so close to her. It left her on edge. Without looking, she knew that the two guards were over by the door.

The Professor's office was something similar to a doctor's office. Except it didn't feel like a doctor's office. It was just as menacing and baleful as Lokar's laboratory. Only the Professor's office held a more sterile and volatile feel to it. She never quite knew what to expect each time they dragged her here.

Every so often (Nox determined every few weeks), Lokar would have her dragged off to have the Professor preform some type of examination on her. It was similar to a regular physical one might get from a doctor. She almost hated these examinations more than Lokar's actual experiments. The Professor would treat her like a child (it made the whole situation much more demeaning), yet, spoke to her like an adult at the same time.

The physical examination never lasted long, it was over in about a half-hour. They had done the generic height, weight, blood pressure, and other things. The thing that Nox dreaded the most, however, was when the Professor would draw her blood.

The Professor grabbed her left arm, exciting a small whimper out of her. He gave her a half-smile as he began to tie tourniquet a few inches above her elbow. The feeling of his cold, gloved fingertips made her sick.

"Well, Test Subject XIV," he said, far too nicely, "I don't understand how your able to do it, but you always mange to come back to me with more cuts, scrapes, and bruises. You really ought to take better care of yourself."

She looked anywhere other than his mustard eyes. In fact, she avoided looking at his hands as they glided over her skin. She remembered the first time she had been forced to be examined by the Professor. He tormented to no end. Not to mention that her struggles nearly left her in a worse state than when she came in. It was only after that she decided it would be best to suck it up and remain silent.

He poked her bulging vein. "You know, every time we do this," he said, cleaning the area, "you always look away." He grabbed the needle, pierced her flesh without warning, and smiled when she winced. "Now," he asked, stroking the flesh that covered the veins in her wrist, "why is that?"

She fought hard not to tremble with disgust and anger. He knew very well why she didn't like watching him draw her blood. The gentle caresses did nothing to ease her discomfort. It only added to them.

"I asked you a question," he said sternly. He painfully gripped her wrist, cutting off the blood circulation.

She felt her hand going numb from the lack of blood. She refused to meet his gaze or answer his question.

"I'd hate to repeat myself," he said softly.

Nox reminded silent. She felt Lokar's eyes on her as well. It sent shivers up her spine. She secretly hoped that Lokar would intervene because she did not want to answer this man's question.

"In fact," he whispered, "I think I'd hate it almost as much as you'd hate me accidently spilling a vial of your own blood over you."

Now, that was enough to make her blood run cold. She tensed up. "Shut up," she growled.

If she had to choose who she hated more between the Professor and Lokar, she'd choose the previous. In her mind, the Professor was far worse than Lokar. Sure, Lokar forced unspeakable horrors on her, but it was nothing compared to the Professor's scrutiny and scorn.

"That was rude, Test Subject XIV," he tsked condescendingly. "You don't want me to make a mess, do you?"

She finally met the Professor's intimidating gaze with her own fiery one. "I don't like seeing my own blood," she hissed through gritted teeth. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

The Professor gave her a smirk. "It wasn't quite what I wanted. I would've like a more… uh… detailed answer," he said with mock dissatisfaction. "But, it should suffice for now, little test subject."

That was the final straw. Oh, how Nox hated this man. She was clenching her right fist so tight that her nails dug into her flesh. It was the only thing she could do to distract herself. The urge to punch the Professor was so overwhelming that she feared she'd lose her grip. She didn't want to get in trouble for retaliating.

"Professor Magni Drak'Noir," Lokar said sternly, "that's enough. I thought I had make it clear that I will not be having this type of behavior from you."

"Yes, Master Lokar," the Professor bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

Nox gazed up at Lokar. It was shocking to see Lokar glaring at the Professor. Sometimes it surprised her when Lokar disciplined his subordinates the same way he disciplined her. When Lokar's gaze flickered down at her, her blood ran cold. She immediately looked away.

Lokar smirked at Nox's reaction and continued to glare at the Professor.

When the Professor had finished taking several vials of her blood, he began to place it in some type of storage unit. As his back was turned, he let out a soft chuckle.

"What is it, Professor?" Lokar demanded. He didn't have time for foolishness. All he wanted to do was finish what needed to be done, and continue on with his duties.

The Professor turned around with a grin on his face. "I was just wondering…" he snorted. "Why hasn't our newest test subject challenged you to a Kairu Battle for her freedom? It's not like a Kairu Warrior needs an X-Reader to issue a Kairu Challenge."

Nox's eyes lit up. For the first time in a long time, she felt a small spark of hope. Why haven't I done that? She thought to herself. I could've…

"Oh, believe me," Lokar sneered, "she knows better than that." He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. He was filled with amusement and satisfaction when he watched her flinch from his touch. "Don't you," he asked, tilting his head down at her, "Test Subject XIV?"

When she didn't answer, his palm slid from her shoulder to her neck- threateningly. That was more than enough to make her jerk away.

"You remember what happened the last time we had a Kairu Battle, don't you?" He said scathingly. He observed Nox closely, and noted how she was unwilling to look anywhere other than the floor.

By now, both Lokar and the Professor were staring at her, and she knew that.

"Of course you do," Lokar scoffed. It took him a second to decide whether or not he was going to continue to belittle her. Eventually he decided that he might as well take some of his frustration out on her. "Your silence isn't so reassuring," he gave a fake frown. "Perhaps I ought to remind you what happened."

Nox started to grind her teeth. She didn't need to be reminded about happened. It was burned into her memory so well that she would never forget.

"I defeated you twice in the course of less than one hour," he began tellingly. "Actually, you fled and forfeited the first time. The second time, however, I left you completely and utterly defeated."

"Yeah, you must be so proud to have defeated a fourteen-year-old girl," she snarled under her breath.

Lokar rounded on her so quickly that she didn't have time to react. All she could do was yelp and recoil with pain when the back of his hand made contact with her cheek. Then, a large hand cupped her face, squeezing her cheeks softly.

"That'll do, Test Subject XIV," he said firmly. "That'll do."

Nox didn't know what that meant, and she didn't think she wanted to. She trembled under his gaze. Her face stung and she tasted the tiniest trace of blood in her mouth.

It felt like an eternity passed until he finally released her face. He then started talking to the Professor. It was frustrating to watch Lokar go off like nothing happened while she was left completely rattled. She felt so pushed into a corner, and wasn't sure what to do.

She ended up zoning out. The conversation between Lokar and the Professor bored her. They talked as if she weren't there, and she didn't really care. What truly bother her was that she couldn't pretend that they weren't here like they did to her. Finally she figured it would be better for her to go back to her cell. She had enough of contact for today. Her cell wasn't much better, but at least she'd be away from these people.

"Can I go back to my cell now?" Nox asked, after building up enough courage. She felt so meek and little for having to ask. It was like a child asking an angry parent for permission to leave the dinner table.

"Eager return to your cell? That's a first," Lokar chuckled.

Professor Magni Drak'Noir glanced over at Nox. He saw the resigned and bored expression on her face. He also knew that Nox was extremely uncomfortable in his presence.

"If you done with the examination or whatever, then it would be pointless for me to stay here," she muttered. Her gaze met Lokar's. She couldn't figure out what he was thinking through his cold expression, and she didn't care. As long as he let her get away from the Professor (and himself), she didn't care.

Lokar narrowed his eyes. He turned to the Professor, "I believe you're done with her, correct?"

"Yes," he nodded. "We're done with the tests. I have no need of her."

"I suppose you're right, Test Subject." Lokar turned to her. "Take her back to her cell," he ordered the guards. "If she as much as attempts to escape, take her down."

With that, she was brought to her cell and left alone. She hated how Lokar controlled every aspect of her life.

After the adrenaline from the previous interaction wore off, she felt emotionally and physically drained. She laid on the cot. She wasn't really sure if it was night, but she was pretty sure it wasn't. She didn't care. Sleeping was the only thing that kept her from thinking things she didn't want to think about. Eventually she dozed off.

The sound of the cell door hissing open woke her up. She lazily opened her eyes to see Lokar walking into her cell again.

"Are you ready, Test Subject XIV?" Lokar asked with a smile.

"Ready for what?" she asked groggily. She noticed a sneer in Lokar's mouth. The hair on the back of her neck went ridged again. "I thought you were done with me today," she stated suspiciously.

"Oh, not hardly," Lokar chuckled. "You haven't received this week's round of Shadow Kairu yet." He watched her expression flare up with dread. "All things considered, you behaved yourself earlier. I'm impressed. I do hope you'll continue to cooperate," he said sincerely. "You know very well where insubordination will lead you."

She sat up and glared at Lokar. It seemed pointless for him to say such things. It's not like she'll ever have much of a choice in the matter.

"Are you coming?" Lokar frowned. "Or do we have to do this the hard way?"

She continued to glare at him for a second. She wondered if it was worth fighting him all the time. It only left her battered and bruised. A part of her believed that if she obeyed, Lokar would leave her alone. Or at least not be so harsh.

"I'm waiting," he said firmly. "I was hoping that you learned your place by now."

"All right," Nox groaned, standing up. "I'm coming. Don't get your cloak in a knot…"

Lokar scowled at her as she walked closer to him. Once she was in arms reach, he grabbed her arm, pulling her close.

"Next time," he snapped bitterly, "I could do without the attitude. Understand?"

"Absolutely," she hissed at him.

She didn't struggle to break free from his grasp. Instead, she glared up at him. He released her arm and stared down his nose at her. They were locked in a battle of glares until finally Lokar spoke.

"Good." His mouth curled into a sneer. "Let's get moving, shall we?" He turned around and led the way.

The two guards flanked Nox as they followed Lokar to his laboratory. Lokar's back was to her so she couldn't see his expression, but she tell by the way he walked that he was pleased with himself. When they finally reached his laboratory, he pressed a button and the door slid open. He gestured for her to walk inside. She did so reluctantly.

"I trust you know what to do, Test Subject?" he goaded. A sickening grin spread across his lips.

"Yeah, of course. It's not like we haven't done this before…" She rolled her eyes. She made her way over to the examination table and laid down on it.

"Again, when will you learn to hold your tongue?" he sighed, strapping her in. He was amused when she inhaled to say something, but ended up saying nothing. He wasn't truly expecting a response, but was satisfied with her reaction nonetheless.

When Lokar began to set up and adjust some of the equipment, Nox could almost feel her heart jumping out of her chest. If it was any louder, she was certain that Lokar would hear it. This was the part she hated the most: the waiting. In the few minutes where Lokar would do last minute setups, her anxiety would build up to the size of a skyscraper. She wasn't sure if Lokar purposely left her waiting or not.

"I hope you've readied yourself?" Lokar spoke. He studied her carefully from behind the control panel. When she didn't answer him or even look in his direction, he sighed, "I grow tired of your insolence, Test Subject XIV."

"I'm about as ready as I'll ever be," she snapped, glaring at him.

"Excellent." He flashed a vile smile.

Just as he was about to push the button, Nox felt her heart catch in her throat. She closed her eyes and wished to disappear. A second later, she felt the painfully, sickeningly familiar sensation of Shadow Kairu surging through her veins.

"Shadow Kairu reserves have been depleted. No rejection. Another successful session," Lokar said to himself.

He had finished the Kairu injections. Now he was checking over his work and running post-experiment tests on her. Occasionally he would mumble things under his breath. He wished he could speed up the injection process, but he knew that would leave him with another failure of a test subject. So he, reluctantly, decided to inject Nox with Shadow Kairu once every week. This insured that she would fully absorb the modified Kairu without any of it being rejected. After a while, he silently he gazed over at her.

She was still strapped down to the examination table. Every breath she took was labored and jagged. Her eyes were shut tightly. Every so often, a low moan of agony would escape her lips.

Lokar returned to looking over the post-experiment test results.

"Wh-What…" her voice croaked. "What are you doing to me?" It hurt to speak, but she had to ask.

"An experiment," he said dismissively, without looking up.

An experiment… his voice echoed in her head. She took a deep breath. She glanced over at Lokar. Watching him use that high-tech computer-like system filled her with rage. An experiment...

Being forced to absorb Shadow Kairu hurt Nox. It hurt physically and mentally. That's not all it did. It gradually changed her physical appearance. Her skin had become paler. Her eyes went form pale-blue (and occasionally violet) to crimson. Her white-blonde hair became more white than blonde.

"I'm actually surprised you've lasted this long," Lokar said casually, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"My other test subjects never lasted this long." He briefly surveyed Nox, and then returned his attention to his computer screen. "You, however, have shown much more promising results."

For some reason, she couldn't wrap her mind around what Lokar was saying. "Lasted longer?" she repeated.

The clicking and tapping of the keyboards stopped. Lokar let out an annoyed sigh. "Either they could not handle the Shadow Kairu which consequently resulted in their death, or I had to terminate them myself," he explained.

The laboratory was silent once more when Lokar continued on with his work. The clicking sounds of his typing along with the occasional whirring and humming from the machinery were the only sounds in the room.

He's done this to others? That… That monster… It felt like something was crushing her chest. She found it difficult to breathe. Finally, she mustered up enough courage to ask, "How many?"

"How many what?" Lokar cocked an eyebrow.

Nox frowned. She tried to reword her question the best she could. "How many test subjects were there before me?"

"There's a reason why you're called 'Test Subject XIV,'" he replied. "XIV is derived from Quattuordecim. It is Latin for-"

"Fourteen. I know…" she interrupted. It felt like she had just swallowed a brick. Why hadn't she put the pieces together sooner? If she was the fourteenth, that placed thirteen others before her. Each one of them ended up dead. That left her with an even bitterer outlook on her situation. "You've done this to thirteen others, then…"

"There were thirteen others before you, yes," he answered.

"You're… You're mad…" She felt like something was crushing her chest. Knowing that she wasn't the only one who was forced to experience Lokar's crazy experiments made things much worse. She wouldn't wish this upon anyone else. It was a dreadful purgatory. Death seemed more appealing at times.

"Am I?" He scoffed. Normally such comments would upset him, but he had been impressed she understood Latin. As he continued analyzing the test results, he raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't under the impression that you knew Latin," he said nonchalantly. "Who taught you?"

After a second, she answered tersely, "I taught myself." She wasn't sure if she should answer him or not. It seemed strange that he was trying to make a conversation with her. He never did that. In fact, it was always strange for her converse with anyone nowadays.

"You had to have some teaching before you taught yourself," Lokar insisted.

"No," she answered, growing annoyed, "not really."

"Your parents, perhaps?" he flashed a cynical half-smile.

"Why are you interesting in my personal life?"

Lokar laughed. "Leverage," he answered. "But, it seems the only people you care about are Maya and yourself. Although, the latter I'm not too sure of."

"Why would you need leverage over me?" she questioned. "You're already holding me as a prisoner."

"True," he agreed. "After that, however, I find it best to make sure my assets will stay cooperative."

"After?" Nox repeated. "What do you mean by 'after'?" she demanded. She was met with silence. Infuriation flooded her. If she refused to answer one of his questions, she'd be punished. Why was it okay for him to do it to her? "I'm not one of your assets."

"Of course you aren't," he mocked. He released the restraints, grabbed her arm, and dragged her over to the door. He pushed her into one of the guards' arms, and ordered, "Follow me. If she can't walk, drag her if you must. I don't care."

He then began to lead the way down the hall. When they finally reached her cell, Lokar pulled Nox away from the guards by her bicep. "Your body is beginning to become accustomed to Shadow Kairu," he sneered, tilting his head so he could glare into her eyes. "Soon it will take hold of you. There is no use in trying to fight it." He then shoved her into the cell.

Nox crashed onto the floor with a loud thud. By the time she turned around, Lokar had long since left. She remained on the floor for some time until she was able to stand. She hobbled into the bathroom and went over to the mirror above the sink.

A worn-out teenager with crimson eyes, paler skin, and whiter hair stared back at her. She rolled up the left sleeve on her tan prison outfit. The light-blue markings were considerably more vibrant against her paler skin. She twisted her arm to find that her scars still looked as repulsive as she remembered. Yet, she honestly couldn't say she disliked her new appearance more than her last.

Overwhelming anxiety over came her. Her heart started to pound. Her mind started to race. The urged to vomit took over her body. She doubled over and heaved, but nothing came out.

It wasn't her appearance that disgusted her. Looking like a freak wasn't new to her. The sheer fact that she wasn't disgusted by it was what concerned her. It was, without a doubt, the fact that she didn't feel filthy from the Shadow Kairu this time, and that, for a brief moment, at some point during the injection, she had liked it. She had grown to like the feeling of Shadow Kairu in her veins. She had grown to find some twisted enjoyment in the dark sensations it gave her. Those feelings disgusted her, even though she had only had them for a brief moment.

"In time you will learn to love it…" Lokar's voice echoed in her head.

Something's wrong with me. Nox thought. These feelings aren't normal… Somewhere deep inside her mind, she heard her own voice reply with, But they feel so good, don't they?