Chapter 14: The Hidden Power

Master Saul glanced at the sedated Dominik, then turned to Tamar and Dominik's grandfather. "Follow me to the common room. We need to discuss the results of the scan."

Dominik's grandfather, his face lined with worry, looked at Dominik's still form. "When will he wake up?"

"Not for another two hours," Master Saul replied. "Fleur, please check on Dominik and let me know when he wakes up."

As Fleur nodded and moved to stand by Dominik's side, Master Saul led Tamar and Dominik's grandfather to the common room. The room was dimly lit, its walls lined with ancient scrolls and medical charts. Saul gestured for them to take a seat around a large wooden table.

"This is serious. We need to discuss the findings," Saul began, his tone grave.

Dominik's grandfather sat down, his hands trembling slightly. "Has Dominik been taking the suppressors as prescribed?" Master Saul asked, leaning forward.

"Yes," Dominik's grandfather answered. "He has been taking them for years now, only missing the doses since his arrival in Turin. His mother used to slip it into his meals so he wouldn't know. I thought the memory flashes were due to him missing the suppressors during these last few days."

Master Saul sighed deeply and rubbed his palm over his face. "I'm afraid his condition is almost beyond control. If he has been taking the suppressors consistently and it's still grown this much, it means his body has developed an immunity to the suppressor."

"That's impossible," Mistress Tamar interjected, her eyes wide. "The suppressor essentially poisons the core lobe. In most people, it damages it entirely. Putting him on suppressors was a very risky gamble. How could this have happened?"

Master Saul nodded thoughtfully. "I wouldn't rule it out entirely. Dominik was born with an abnormally large core lobe. The boy could control all four basic elements by the age of seven, not to mention, it was expanding at a rapid rate, that it was affecting his bodily functions. Then there is the elephant in the room which is his other ability, that almost drove him insane to the point where he attempted suicide multiple times as a child."

"We all know that. What are you driving at?" Tamar asked impatiently, her fingers tapping nervously on the table.

"We had to cut the core lobe by about 90 percent," Saul explained, "but we left the stem intact. It's very possible it grew again. I'm just really shocked that it did so under the suppressors."

"When you mentioned he was regaining his memory, I thought it nearly impossible," Master Saul said. "The suppressors not only obstruct the function of the core lobe, but they also suppress his memory. Coming back to Turin should not have caused this."

"Enough of this," Mistress Tamar said sharply. "What do we do now?"

Master Saul shook his head slowly. "I honestly do not know. We can't cut off a mass of the core lobe again since the new growth is closely attached to other important parts of his brain. There is no way we would attempt to extract the mass without putting him at risk of becoming quadriplegic. Doing it the first time was risky enough."

"Can we remove the stem of the core lobe then?" Dominik's grandfather asked, his voice tinged with desperation.

"That would be suicide, No one can survive what you're suggesting" Master Saul replied, his voice heavy with regret. "A positive is that since he's older now, his body is stronger and might be able to contain the power. Hopefully, he can handle it because this new growth is twice as big as the former one."

Dominik's grandfather gasped, his face paling. "That much power means a lot of backlash, not to mention his psychomental abilities. He might lose his mind."

Master Saul nodded solemnly. "The best we can do for him at the moment is to prepare him for the pain he's about to experience in the coming months. Physical training and basics on controlling the elements, building up his pain tolerance and endurance. Given that he had great control as a child, he might be able to manage it better now. His psychomental ability, however, is something I can't manage. The best I can do is make some narcotics to calm him, but those come with the risk of addiction, it's not advisable as a long term fix."

Mistress Tamar's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were working on contacting someone with psychomental abilities. How's that going?"

"I stopped after we suppressed his abilities," the worried grandfather admitted. "However, I'll tell my people to resume the search. It's very hard since they hide their abilities due to the attached stigma."

"The boy has a lot of questions," Master Saul said, turning to Dominik's grandfather. "I think it's time to answer them."

Mistress Tamar nodded. "I instructed everyone to keep mute about his past to avoid upsetting his fragile mind, but given the situation, I agree. He needs to know."

Dominik's grandfather sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging. "He was going to find out eventually. I just feel so sorry for him. He's going to be in so much pain because of a power he never asked for."

Mistress Tamar's voice was firm yet tinged with sadness. "When it comes to power, there's always a price to pay. We've paid in sweat, tears, and blood, but his sanity is on the line. His screams as a child during the painful episode that made us succumb to suppression is something that still hunts me till this day. That is not something I want to see again. I hope he's strong enough."

Master Saul laughed softly, a grim smile on his face. "He's Kaine's son. He will survive. There'll be a lot of pain on the way, and he will make hard sacrifices, but he will survive."

"I'm still concerned about something," he continued. "If he makes it to the second stage of the consignment, taking IGE48, which functions by expanding his core lobe, could be dangerous for him."

His grandfather sighed. "We will cross that bridge when we get there."

They were still discussing when Grace walked in, her expression tense. "Master, Dominik is awake."

Master Saul stood up, a look of determination on his face. "Let's go see him."

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