Chapter Six: Deviance

Around the time Aether became a household name and everyone was using Aether based technology, one of the first concerns was about humans being changed by the element due to its highly reactive nature. It soon became clear that no amount of traditional experimentation or study showed that Aether changed a person. The fear of mutation was forgotten and the production of Aether based technology continued to grow.

Years after the first fear of mutation died down, something was found that changed how people viewed Aether entirely. A child had been killed by some kind of animal that was later identified as a bear. The bear seemed to be entirely comprised of flame, and left trails of burning earth with every step it took.

It soon became clear that the animal had been changed by Aether, but the questions arose, how had it happened, and even more concerning...why had humans not been affected similarly? There was no clear answer and an extensive survey was done, and it was soon found that there were very few animals that hadn't changed in one way or another. There were many species that had been changed in dozens of ways, with multiple kinds of changes happening in the same species. Everything had been found from electric squirrels to flying squirrels that were comprised of smoke, though clearly alive. The altered animals, with the worst or most drastic cases being labelled as Deviants, could be struck and killed, their bodies still edible. The only animals that hadn't been altered were animals that were found on heavily regulated, family owned farms, but as Aether based farm equipment became prevalent, that soon changed as well.

Some animals within the farms grew to massive sizes while others developed strange abilities like being able to turn invisible or fly when they couldn't before.

It was this information Eve was researching when Ronin left the room, and it was this information Eve planned to use to make her idea work. Officially, there was no proof that Aether changed humans in any way. Alchemists believed differently though.

Recent research among various alchemy circles had raised the idea that the only reason that a Human hadn't been altered yet was because humans, for whatever reason, required a MUCH larger exposure to pure Aether than animals did, so much larger that it was considered almost impossible in a natural setting.

Eve was not limited to a natural setting.

Her Aether request arrived later on that evening, closer to ten PM, earlier than she expected, but later than she'd hoped.

There was still one more day for she and Ronin to finish up this little project of hers.

Staring at the container of liquid Aether, she felt it bubbling up inside of her - a laugh, maniacal and loud. She considered fighting it, but since she was alone in the office, she let it out, laughing loudly and standing up so hard and fast her chair flipped over backwards.

She was laughing like this when her office door opened and a man with a broom entered and scared her, sending her jumping into the air with a high pitched yelp.

Looking at her like she was crazy, he just shook his head and started cleaning.

Thinking of the rules, she turned to him and said, "Come here, I need to test something."

Sighing, the man said, "I knew I should have retired last year. It was only a matter of time before one of you nutjobs started using me as a test subject."

Reluctantly, the man walked to her and she motioned for his arm. As he extended it and rolled up his sleeve, she reached into her desk and pulled out a syringe. Plunging it into the liquid Aether and filled it up to max. In one swift motion, she stuck the man with the needle and injected the whole vial into his arm.

"How do you feel?"

The man shrugged and said, "I think I'm…"

He clutched his chest and stopped talking abruptly. Falling to his knees, he started to scream and began scratching at his chest, ripping his shirt to shreds in the process. In the center of his chest, a black spot began to appear, growing rapidly until it was the size of an orange when he suddenly burst, his entire body turning into a bloody vapor, his last moments filled with confused, terrified agony.

Watching the whole process with a smile, she began to laugh even louder as his mist was sucked into the air conditioning system and there was no trace of him left.