the yin yang core
Tula smiled gently at Wade, sensing his unease. "This is where Professor Hardic does his... work."
Wade glanced around. "Work, huh? Feels like the kind of place where Frankenstein got a side gig."
Garth chuckled softly. "Hardic is one of Atlantis' most brilliant minds. But he's... eccentric, to say the least."
Before Wade could make another sarcastic comment, a figure suddenly popped out from behind a cluster of glowing crystals. Professor Hardic was a tall, wiry man with a wild mane of silver hair that floated around him in the water like seaweed. His eyes were wide, manic, and filled with a spark of obsessive genius. He wore a strange robe that shimmered with enchanted runes, and his hands were jittery, as if he were constantly on the brink of some mad discovery.
"Ah! Yes, yes! You've arrived!" Hardic exclaimed, rushing toward Wade like a fish spotting prey. He circled Wade, examining him from head to toe, his fingers twitching with excitement. "You! You are the perfect candidate for my latest creation! Oh, this will be marvelous!"
Wade raised an eyebrow, half-concerned and half-amused. "Perfect candidate? Look, doc, I'm flattered, but I'm not here to be your next experiment."
Hardic waved off Wade's concern, already moving toward a massive, glowing machine that seemed to hum with both magical and technological power. "No, no, no! Not an experiment, my dear boy! A masterpiece! You see, I have been studying the balance between life and death for decades! A perfect union of opposites!" His hands moved in erratic, almost frantic gestures. "And now, with the latest breakthroughs in arcane tattoo magic and bio-tech fusion... I have finally solved it!"
Tula exchanged a glance with Garth, both of them smiling knowingly. They'd seen Hardic in this state before. Garth stepped forward. "Professor Hardic, this is Wade Wilson. He's, uh, excited to see what you've come up with."
Wade leaned in, smirking. "Yeah, excited. Definitely the word I'd use."
Hardic's eyes gleamed with excitement as he grabbed two vials of glowing liquid—one a swirling dark purple, the other a vibrant, almost blinding green. He rushed over to Wade, practically vibrating with anticipation. "These... these are the inks of life and death! Crafted from the essence of the deepest sea creatures and infused with ancient Atlantean spells!"
Wade eyed the vials warily. "Wait, wait. You're about to ink me with... octopus ink and seahorse pee?"
Hardic nodded, completely unfazed by Wade's sarcasm. "Precisely! These tattoos will bestow upon you the power of life and death themselves! The left arm will carry the Death Tattoo—a force that drains life, slowly and inexorably, like a deadly poison." He held up the dark purple vial, swirling it in front of Wade's face.
Wade glanced at Garth and Tula. "So I get to be the grim reaper, huh? Cool, cool."
Hardic then raised the green vial, his eyes almost glowing with fervor. "And the right arm! The Life Tattoo—a source of healing, regeneration, the power to restore life where it's fading. But! Both forces must be balanced!" He pointed dramatically at Wade's chest. "Which is why we will inscribe the Yin-Yang Core—a magical line connecting the two tattoos through your heart, ensuring that life and death remain in perfect harmony."
Wade blinked, processing everything. "So, I get to be both a healer and a killer? And this magic doodle on my chest keeps me from blowing up?you need to stop seeing this murim shit"
"Exactly!" Hardic said, his grin growing wider. "The balance is essential! Life cannot exist without death, and death cannot thrive without life! They are two sides of the same coin!"
Wade sat down in the bioluminescent chair Hardic motioned to. As soon as he sat, the chair molded to his form, strange seaweed-like tendrils wrapping around his arms and legs. Wade felt a twinge of nervousness but masked it with his usual bravado.
"Alright, Professor. Let's get this show on the road," Wade said, trying not to think too hard about the fact that he was about to get inked with Atlantean squid magic.
Hardic wasted no time. He began with Wade's left arm, carefully applying the dark purple ink. As the needle touched Wade's skin, it felt cold, almost freezing, and the lines that formed were sharp and angular, twisting up his arm like vines. The ink seemed alive, writhing slightly as it settled into his skin.
"The Death Tattoo," Hardic muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. "A slow drain, taking the life force of those you touch...and.....Giving you asmall power up! but always with balance in mind. Too much death, and you will tip the scales..."
Wade watched the dark purple lines swirl up his arm, flexing his hand as the cold sensation crept through his body. "Yeah, this definitely feels like something straight out of a manhwa book. Or a normal comic power up."
Next, Hardic moved to the right arm, using the bright green ink for the Life Tattoo. This time, the sensation was the exact opposite—warm, almost soothing, like sunlight breaking through the water's surface. The patterns formed were smoother, more fluid, and seemed to glow faintly even after the ink settled.
"And now, the Life Tattoo," Hardic said, his voice reverent. "It will heal, restore, bring life back to where it has faded. But again, balance must be kept! Too much life, and you will upset the natural order!"
Wade felt the warmth of the life tattoo travel through his arm, up to his shoulder, where the green ink seemed to pulse gently, like a heartbeat. "Feels like I've got a spa day on one side and a death trap on the other."
Finally, Hardic moved to Wade's chest. Using a thin, glowing needle, he began to draw a fine line across Wade's torso, connecting the tattoos through his heart. The line glowed a soft, golden color, humming with energy as it formed.
"The Yin-Yang Core," Hardic intoned, his eyes wide with awe. "The line that balances both life and death within you. The core of your being, connecting all. You, Wade Wilson, will embody both forces—life and death—within your very heart."
Wade looked down at the glowing line that now ran from his left shoulder, through his chest, and down to his right arm. He could feel the strange pull of both tattoos, the cold and the warmth, the life and the death, all connected by this glowing thread of magic.
Hardic stepped back, wiping his hands with a cloth. "It is done. You are now the bearer of the Yin-Yang balance. Use these powers wisely,please...."
(Balance? In you? Yeah, this is gonna end well.)
Wade smirked. "Eh, balance, chaos—same thing~
_________________
please join my patreon~
patreon.com/SirAhmed