Chapter 21. A visitor.

Kyoji could feel it. His strength wasn't just a little higher than it should be, it was significantly higher. As a low fate chosen, his strength should have been around five times that of a regular person. But as he felt the power coursing through him, Kyoji knew he was way past that. He estimated his current strength to be at least ten times that of an average human, maybe even more.

This wouldn't have been strange if his talent was something related to physical ability, like super strength or enhanced speed. But it wasn't. Kyoji might not have a vast understanding of the concept of time, but he knew "time" and physical strength had nothing to do with each other. So why was he so strong?

He couldn't shake the feeling that something must have happened before he lost consciousness during the fight in the temple. Something that caused this. Could it be related to the blood of the mutants that splashed onto him during the battle? That was the only logical explanation he could come up with. It was well known that mutant blood could increase a person's strength.

But there was another problem. Why wasn't he experiencing any of the usual side effects? Like corruption. Kyoji knew mutant blood needed to be processed and refined into a special serum to grant powers without the risk of corruption. And speaking of the serum... Kyoji suddenly remembered something from his past life. In his final moments, he had fallen on top of the broken vial of the power serum on the floor.

He could still vaguely recall the feeling of something seeping into his body right before he blacked out. A sudden surge of power just before death took him. It had to have been the serum. And now that he thought about it, he had a similar, though much fainter, feeling right before passing out in the temple. Could the serum, even after his death and rebirth, be the reason for his abnormal strength?

Kyoji wasn't sure. But he couldn't shake off a growing sense of uneasiness about the power serum he had created in his past life. The events following its creation had been nothing short of bizarre, almost like he was being punished by fate itself for what he had done.

At first, he had dismissed it as a series of unfortunate events. But the more he thought about it, the more the timing seemed too perfect to be mere coincidence.

Just the moment he had finished perfecting the first vial of the serum, everything went wrong. The caged mutant somehow broke free from its tranquilizers, then instantly evolved from a level 1 to a level 2 mutant. And then the explosion happened.

Of all the things that could have happened in that massive lab, a stray metal rod from the exploding cage found its way to Kyoji, impaling him directly through the chest. As if that wasn't enough, he woke up in the past, stripped of all his memories related to the serum's creation.

No, this wasn't just a coincidence. It felt planned, orchestrated by some unseen force. Like fate itself was against him. Kyoji sighed, pushing the troubling thoughts to the back of his mind as he climbed out of bed. He walked towards the door he had earlier suspected to be the bathroom. There was no point dwelling on things he had no answers to.

Pushing the door open, he found himself face to face with exactly what he expected - the bathroom. It was a decent size, not too small but not unnecessarily large either. The white ceramic tiles covering the floor and walls gleamed, indicating it was cleaned regularly.

"Nice," Kyoji muttered under his breath, pleased with the level of hygiene. In the corner, he found a fresh set of hospital gowns neatly hung up on a rack. There was also a new set of toiletries - soap, a toothbrush, and everything else he might need.

"How thoughtful," Kyoji mused, a smile gracing his lips. He stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. After brushing his teeth, he took a long, refreshing cold shower.

Toweling off, he changed into the fresh hospital gown provided, then left the bathroom. Kyoji went straight back to the bed and lay down.

Even after sleeping for two days straight, he still felt a lingering dizziness, a remnant of the sleeping gas the nurse had used. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was pulled back into slumber.

***

Kyoji didn't wake up until around 10 am the next day. He had slept through the entirety of yesterday. This time, the effects of the sleeping gas seemed to have completely worn off.

He got out of bed and stretched, his eyes scanning the room. He was alone. There was no sign of Butler James.

On the cabinet to the right of his bed, Kyoji spotted a box of food. A note in Butler James' handwriting rested underneath it. The note was short, simply stating that the butler would be away for a while.

Kyoji sighed and turned his attention to the food.

'Seems the old man got his brain working again,' he thought to himself as he reached for the box. He knew he couldn't have endured the hunger much longer.

After finishing the entire box, Kyoji leaned back, patting his slightly swollen stomach with a satisfied sigh. With his hunger satiated, he decided to freshen up.

Entering the bathroom, he saw that everything had been replaced, just like yesterday. New toiletries, a new toothbrush, a new everything. A wave of appreciation washed over him. He knew Butler James was behind this. The old man might not be the most capable in many areas, but he was thoughtful and dependable in others.

It might seem strange to most people, but Kyoji rarely used personal items more than once. His toothbrush, his underwear – he preferred to use them once and discard them.

It was a strange quirk, a compulsion for cleanliness he couldn't remember developing. But the thought of wearing the same underwear twice felt wrong, almost dirty. He supposed it was one of the strange habits one developed after inheriting a large sum of money at a young age, with no real idea how to spend it.

Once he was finished freshening up, Kyoji got dressed and walked back towards the window. He pulled over the visitor's chair and sat down, gazing out at the cityscape beyond the large glass panes.

His room was on the tenth floor of the Coliseum City Public Hospital, situated near the heart of the coliseum city's inner city. From this height, he had a clear view of the most affluent part of Coliseum City – a place reserved for the wealthy and privileged.

At a glance, it was a breathtaking sight, a magnificent display of architectural wonders. But Kyoji's mind wasn't focused on the beauty before him. His thoughts were elsewhere, lost in contemplation as he stared out at the city below.

Time slipped away as he sat there motionless. He lost track of how long he had been lost in his thoughts.

Suddenly, a voice broke through his contemplation.

"Someone is here to see you."