Chapter 14: Inner Suffering
The sun had already disappeared. Well, what was left of it.The darkness of the night slid over the coat, turning every space into a danger for those who advanced without sight. The calm was heavy, interrupted only by the insistent sound of rain pounding on the roof.
"What should I do now?"
Everyone was in a deep sleep. Unaware. Unprotected. Richard wished he could be like them, but his instincts prevented it. The accumulated experience of years on alert had transformed him; it was like having a sharp weapon constantly at his neck. He could only truly sleep if he lost consciousness.
Although, being an Awakened, he no longer needed to sleep. His body was a perpetual engine: just breathing was enough to absorb the energy floating in the air.
Richard turned on the shower. He had emphasized that they should only use bottled water for washing, and everyone considered it an excessive measure. The reality was simple: he didn't want to risk the water causing them an infection.Indeed, it sounded like a selfish, controlling attitude.
But they were the only connection that tied him to this decaying world. If he lost them, he would return to solitude. And in that solitude, existence was nothing more than a constant search for advantages.
The liquid flowed over his pale skin, carrying away the rigidity of his muscles. At that moment, the reddish veins glowed beneath his dermis, similar to activated cables: an indication that the water contained pathogenic organisms.
Just at that moment, a semi-transparent screen shone before his eyes. Richard grimaced. He had not mentioned that to Emma or the others… but that system should not be present at this time.
Back in the future, it had been common. A hematic rune interface that stored the state of each Awakened. The hunters' credential. The gift that had made existence in a forgotten world more bearable.
"Live to the fullest. Don't let ignorance cause your death."
The affirmations of Michael, who called himself a revolutionary, were etched into his mind. That lunatic was skilled with runes, that much was undeniable.
Richard let out a sigh."If I keep reflecting so much, my head will explode…"
He was not an expert in runes. However, there was something that filled him with satisfaction: noticing aspects that others ignored. And that had more value than natural ability. After all, giving a million to a homeless person never equaled showing him how to earn it himself.
The shower stopped."Cold. Just what I needed."
He sighed and stepped into the shadowy corridors. Before starting his shift, he decided to take a detour: inspecting each room. He hoped that no one would wake up… it would be complicated to justify why he was watching them sleep like a stalker.
"Almost slitting Ethan's throat was bad enough…"
Emma was peaceful, hugging her pillow while the sheet was piled up on the opposite side. Richard let out a crooked smile."A lady, no doubt…"
He kept walking. He opened the door to Rebecca and Ethan's room. Empty. The sheets untouched. Exactly as he had left them when he prepared the rooms.
Richard frowned.
* * *
He was already near the entrance.The only sound that could be heard was his footsteps. Each reverberation echoed on the walls as if setting a countdown rhythm. An anxiety pressed inside him, persistent, as if claws were scratching his stomach.
It wasn't paranoia. His instincts had never failed him. So he kept walking toward the garage.
The place appeared deserted. Everything was wrapped in a deep silence, although the sound of rain beating against the metal sheets of the walls made that calm feel even denser. It was like a whisper that frightened you at night when you were alone at home.
And then he heard it.A whisper. Barely a brush in the air.
Richard froze on the spot.
At first, he thought it was a murmur carried by the wind, a coincidence, one of those things people associate with ghosts or cheap superstitions. But this wasn't that.
There was no way to mistake it. Not him. Not an Awakened. His perceptions were too sharp, too precise. He was at the pinnacle of what a human being could reach. That was without counting the continuous evolutions that were still to come.
A second whisper. Clearer."They can live without me… my head hurts, I can't endure anymore."
Richard clenched his fists.That voice was Rebecca's.
If he kept going straight, he would reach the entrance. And as much as he wanted to believe she wouldn't be capable of doing something stupid, he had seen too many people give up their lives to deceive himself. Now, Emma's mother was one step away from repeating the same story.
The silhouette of the metal door appeared in the gloom. Richard increased his speed. His figure ran through the corridor quickly, keeping his breathing calm even though each of his muscles was tense.
Rebecca was there. About to open the exit. About to sign her sentence.
The woman gave the impression of being a ghost. Her disheveled hair, pale skin, her face reflected a sorrow that did not belong to this moment. A presence isolated that… somehow, felt painfully familiar to him.
"Rebecca, stop!"
Richard caught her by the wrist.
She turned to him, and for a moment, he truly perceived her. It was as if she had lost years in a single night. The same woman who had smiled that morning while offering them snacks, in that instant felt desolate, full of pain.
"Please… go away, Richard."
Her voice was a whisper dissolving under the roar of the rain.
She tried to break free, but the disparity in strength was enormous. Her effort had been useless from the beginning. Her fingers, trembling, gave up shortly after, when tears began to slide down her face.
Rebecca's body trembled as if she were in the middle of a snowstorm. Her eyes, inflamed and reddish, reflected hours of silent crying. Only a few days had passed since the events had begun… and was she already at the limit of her endurance?
No, it couldn't be just a lack of mental resistance. Richard knew it. Rebecca wasn't strong, but she wasn't that weak either. Something else was happening.
"My head… it hurts…" she murmured, like a broken specter.
She tried to bring her hands to her temples, but Richard didn't allow it. With a swift gesture, he traced symbols over her skin. The runes burned with a faint glow, turning into invisible restraints that sank her into the chair.
She tried to resist. But her efforts were futile before the power of future science.
"A flesh-eating bacteria? No… too clean. An undiscovered virus?"
He reviewed everything in his mind. Conditions he had observed before. Ailments that resembled headaches in certain aspects. However, none matched the situation Rebecca was in. None convinced him.
He had seen several diseases. He knew of others that could happen. But although there were some that aligned with headaches, he couldn't reach any that could be the cause of Rebecca's symptoms.
She struggled in her restraints, showing signs of high fever.
"Stay calm, Rebecca…" Richard said, though his tone was more command than comfort.
He was already beginning to tire of the strange events happening to him. Weren't these months supposed to be his chance to rest, along with the ones to come?
He gathered a small amount of necroplasmic energy in his hand. Not much; just a tiny spark. The process of improving weapons he had carried out with Ethan had exhausted him, but it was enough to knock her unconscious if necessary.
The energy flowed into her. Richard closed his eyes and let his perception extend, scanning every corner of her body. It was a slow, surgical examination.
Nothing.
At first, he observed nothing unusual. No damaged cells or signs of infection in sight. Her body was free of everything… until he examined the brain.
Richard stopped.
There was something in that place. A mix. An accumulation of energy that shouldn't be there. It wasn't tissue, nor an ailment. It was something different. Recognizable.
A core.
It resembled the infection core Richard had in his heart, only much smaller. Possibly in development.
His brow furrowed."Where did I see this before?" he murmured, drumming his fingers on the armrest of the chair.
His memory was like a library. He had all his memories well organized. So it didn't take him long to find the answer.
"What a fool…" he said to himself.
The core wasn't a tumor, nor an infection. It was a talent that was gestating. Especially a talent that could solve the disadvantage possessed by 99% of the Awakened with talents.
Richard confined the current of energy, limiting the accumulation. He prevented the necroplasmic energy from overflowing, causing a disordered awakening. However, it was already too late to stop what was imminent.
The status window opened before his eyes. A translucent mosaic that illuminated the darkness of the room with a crimson glow. An advantage of his beloved talent… although he wasn't going to hunt Rebecca to steal her talent.
[Name: Rebecca Walker] [Age: 40 years][
Primary Talent: Spiritual Medic] [Rank: SS]
[Secondary Talent: Shared Pain]
[Rank: A][Infection Level: None]
[Talent: Shared Pain][Absorbs the negative emotions of those around her within a radius of 200 meters]