Night and Faces

It's been ten days since my visit from the brigade. My castings are off and my body feels great. I am almost fully recovered aside from some stitches that need to stay in a little longer. Being able to move around again is nice.

The system in place is convenient for anyone who was summoned. I don't have to pay for anything until I find work and become independent.

According to Nurse Flores, Lieutenant Dormen will be stopping by tomorrow to help me start my life. It's to bad the Major wont be joining him, I'd like to see her again.

I've been spending a lot my time roaming the hospital grounds, Magenta never misses a chance to be at my side. We usually eat lunch and dinner under the shade of her favorite tree, one that had a hole dug into it's trunk making it a suitable, but temporary home for my furry friend.

Nurse Flores likes to stop by, often after her shift has ended to talk to me about Aether, the world we live in. I've learned about the some different countries like Threas. Which is a neutral power, and where we live. Then you have places like Laswrath, a country that was born from conflict. It borders Threas and has been causing some problems lately.

What interested me the most was magic. Unfortunately she didn't know much about it. I learned that 'Magus' as they are called, numbered around one in ten-thousand. And most of them were recruited by the military.

After soaking in what information I could from Nurse Flores I didn't have anything to do but wait. Lieutenant Dormen is supposed to be here early tomorrow morning.

So I eat dinner and hurry to sleep, that's the fastest way for me to pass the time. I tried to fall asleep but it took a while, the excitement kept me awake.

Suddenly, an eerie feeling envelops me, breaking into a cold sweat my breathing became quick. My sense of dread made me want to keep my eyes closed. After feeling a sensation slowly pressure my mouth I open my eyes, and the hand of a shadow figure that looked of nightmares and terror, covered it.

A faceless head loomed over me with endless black smoke slowly resonating around it. Whispering with a terrifying unnerving voice, "Wake up," it said as it opened it's eyes. Revealing the faces of all my fellow slaves. "Wake up now!" it said with a screech of mixed voices.

"Now!" it said with the most gut-wrenching scream I have ever heard.

Out of sheer panic I open my eyes in time to see a hand slowly reaching for my face. My body was already in a heightened state of panic. I rolled off the bed getting entangled in my blanket as I hit the floor sliding to the far wall.

"I am curious, how did you know I was coming." he said as he started to walked towards me stepping into the moonlit spot the window provided revealing his identity.

"Doctor Bryce, what are you doing?" I asked as I tried to free myself.

"I can't let a summon just walk out of here, there is so much to be done, now come quietly, or I'll have to hurt you." he said in a cynical tone.

Looking for a way out the only thing on my mind was to run. Doctor Bryce may be an old man but something told me to run.

Pulling out a metal object from his coat, he pointed it at me.

"This is a dart gun, loaded with a steel tipped dart with paralyzing agent coated on it's tip. It won't kill you, but I'm sure it will be painful. It's unfortunate I need to use this but-." he said with determination as he readied his gun.

I knew he would use that on me so before he could finish his words I kicked my blanket up at him as I heard little bursts of air, force darts into the blanket.

My only way out was the window, I charged at it full speed and dove with my arms covering my head.

Breaking through, the sound of hundreds of glass shards cracking under pressure of the jump filled my ears. I landed head first into the ground, trying to gather myself quickly. Little piece of glass embedded themselves in my arms and feet as I stood up and started running.

I hear the sound of air, piercing by my head as I take cover behind a tree. If I run out in the open he will surely hit me.

After thinking it over I decided the only way I could stand a chance would be to fight. That damn doctor moves a lot quicker than his age suggests leaving me no time to react.

"If you surrender willingly I'll make sure not to kill you while I experiment on you." he said with a corrupted laugh.

"I never would of thought a Summoned would fall right into my lap. Yes- I have been waiting for moment like this. A key for my elixir of life. It has been decades since the last one arrived and she died before I could get my hands on her."

"There is nowhere for you to go so- come out!" he said as he lost all humanity in his tone instantly reminding me of Shavana.

Looking frantically around for a weapon to defend myself with, I couldn't find anything but a small stone that my hand easily wrapped around.

It's a gamble, I thought, but if I can hit him with this stone I may be able to give myself a chance to escape.

Steadying my breathing and focusing, I just visualized his head. My target, if I can hit it, I'm free. If I miss, hes going to catch me.

I listened for his footsteps to get closer, he knows where I'm at, but he doesn't know what I'm about to do.

It felt like time slowed as I counted his steps, I could hear the grass cry out as he stepped on it. His heavy breathing trying to catch his breath. The closer he got the more I focused. Almost, I thought. Just a little closer. At this range, I think I can hit him.

I step out with the stone clenched in my right hand, I rear back taking a deep breath. Whipping my arm forward like a cannon and snapping my wrist as the accelerant. The stone flew from hand like the cannon ball.

It whirled through the air making the most brilliant whistle. As if the air couldn't hold it back. Then it cracked, just like the whip did when it was used on me countless times.

The sound shattered all of the surrounding windows. It must of taken my attention away from the doctor, because when I looked at him, my stomach turned. The stone hit with so much force his face was flattened and cracked. As he fell to the ground his blood painted the empty canvas around him. I was also painted with a streak of crimson across my face. A lifeless body laid there with the stone stuck in the mess of mangled skin, tissue, brain, and bone that used to be his face.

My knees hit the ground as I braced my stomach, throwing up all of my dinner. Alarms filled the area from the aftermath of my throw.

I- I just threw it to distract him- not kill him. How did that even happen? It was normal- it was all normal- a normal throw- then why? Why did this happen? My mind was swirling with grotesque images of his mutilated face.

Letting out a scream I pound the ground with my fists. The sounds of sirens in the distance are steadily making there way here.

I am a murderer, sure he was probably going to kill me. He said he wanted to use me as an experiment for fucks sake! It was me or him- yeah- he had to die so I didn't. It was kill or be killed- I was in danger so I did what I had to- No- that's not right. I was going to escape- why did I kill him- a life is not worth a life- there had to be another way- there had to be.

I stayed on the ground the whole time, as people started to flood the area I was glued to the ground uttering the same words on an endless loop.

"Sir, what happened here?" A man said as he placed a hand on my shoulder

"There had to be- there had to be." I kept saying, over and over.

"Colonel, I think you should come over and take a look at this." the man said with urgency.

As another man came over to his request. Kneeling beside him he looked at me with grimace.

"Mercy be, what happened to you boy." he said as he looked at my defeated pose, noticing the scars that covered me.

Shaking my body he asked again louder, "What happened here? Answer me!"

My response was the same.

Clearly having enough, he gave his an order to the man beside him in a hurried tone. "Tell Yeral to get over here now, and bring me something to cover him up."

"Yes sir," said the man as he ran off somewhere.

Soon after, a blanket started to warm my body, and another man came to the colonel's side.

Barking his order immediately, "Calm him down." he said to the new face.

"I can try," he said while pulling out a vial from his pocket.

"He is in a severe state of shock, it may have the opposite outcome." he said with anger.

"It doesn't matter," said the colonel as he looked Yeral in the eye.

"If we leave him like this he may never recover." he said with an appealing tone.

"Don't blame me if this goes sideways." he said as if he was aggravated.

He raised the vial to the air and spoke with grace. "Come o'light, create serenity, create augury. Calm a broken soul o'light, purge the bad so the good may flow again. Let it be done o'light."

The clear liquid in the vial began to turn light blue. He took no time to hold the newly transformed liquid to my nose and said one word, "Disperse."

Turning into vapor, the liquid found its way into my lungs. I could feel my thoughts vanish. My mind becoming serene. Filled with a gentle light that barricaded Doctor Bryce behind it.

"So, can you tell me what happened here?" the colonel said with familiarity.

"I threw the stone embedded into the Doctor's head, I killed him." I said not holding any details back.

"He tried to capture me with that dart gun, he cornered me so I threw that stone at him to try and escape, but it killed him instead."

"That is not normal, no human can put that kind of force behind a throw." he said weary of my story.

"Do you have registration?" he said as if he already knew the answer.

"I do not, Lieutenant Dormen was supposed to bring it tomorrow morning."

"Hm, you don't say. Lieutenant Dormen huh. I don't know how you pulled that off, but I'm still going to have to take you with me to headquarters until we can uncover what happened here." he said while helping me to my feet.

"I'll contact the Lieutenant so he knows where you are." he said as he helps me to the back of his car.

As the door shut, my mind had returned to normal. This whole mess almost rattled me to the point of no return. The car starts driving and I just stare out of the window, smirking.