Chapter 21: An Artifact That Shouldn't Exist
James shrank into his seat, as if he wanted to melt into the van's backrest. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he didn't even dare open his mouth.
Richard glanced at him from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but let out a half-smile.
"So this is your best friend, huh?"
The red rain kept falling, drumming against the roof of the vehicle, accompanying them on their way to the base's entrance.
The van rolled forward a few more meters. The brakes let out a soft screech before stopping at the open gate.
The contrast was brutal.
The entrance stood unguarded, revealing an interior far more orderly than the devastation outside.Inside, soldiers lined both sides of the gate, clearing a path for them to pass through.
The provisional buildings were well-structured, all made with simple welding work.
James whistled in amazement, eyes wide as he took it all in.
"If I had known it was like this… I would've risked coming even if they'd thrown me out with no chance of getting in."
The place was incredibly organized. It looked like a military base, but it didn't have that cold, indifferent atmosphere one would expect.
That's when a voice cut through the air.
"Looks like someone forgot to say hello upon arriving."
From the stairs beside the gate, Amelia descended. Her figure was small, delicate at first glance, but every step she took radiated authority. The white doctor's coat swayed faintly in the damp wind, and the high heels she wore made her seem taller than she actually was. But she didn't need height to project power. Her mere presence commanded it.
Richard watched her closely. His eyes scanned every inch of her body before stopping at her chest. He swore he had no indecent thoughts about her. He was only observing the energy core in her heart… yeah, that was it.
The quality of her core's energy was far stronger than that of a normal Awakened.
"That could only mean she had Awakened using infected cores instead of doing it naturally. 'Suspicious…' he murmured in his mind."
James stepped forward nervously, forcing a smile.
"Amelia, I'm glad you're okay."
He extended his hand to greet her, but she brushed past it as if swatting away an annoying insect.
Her glare could have frozen steel.
"You only remember me when you need something?"
She wiped away a fake tear from the corner of her eye in a theatrical gesture.
"Did it ever cross your mind what could've happened to your fragile and delicate friend, all alone, in the middle of a city crawling with infected?"
James' mouth opened, but no words came out.
How was he supposed to protect her when he could barely protect himself?
"Come on, your father is a high-ranking military officer." James gestured disdainfully at the soldiers escorting Amelia."Do you seriously think you'd be safer with me than with him?"
James rolled his eyes, resigned.The truth was Amelia had never been "fragile". She was a black belt in karate, skilled in multiple martial arts, and had trained directly under her father's supervision in military techniques and weapon handling.
Fragile? My ass, James thought bitterly.If anyone here should be wearing a skirt, it was him, and the pants belonged to Amelia.Because, looking at it honestly, in this apocalyptic mess, she was the one who knew how to fight back, while he was barely managing to survive.
Amelia turned her gaze away. Her eyes revealed all the emotions swirling inside her.
"Well… in that, you're right."But then, she turned back to James with a scowl."But attention is what counts."
She grabbed James by the collar of his jacket and lifted him as if he were a rag doll. The scene drew stifled laughter from the soldiers watching.
"Come on, woman!" James protested, legs kicking in the air.
"At least don't make me look like a fool in front of everyone."
They were suddenly interrupted by Rebecca's startled cry.The young woman had begun convulsing on the seat, her body arching as she coughed up black blood. The viscous liquid spilled from her lips, staining her clothes, carrying a rotten, metallic stench that filled the air.
"Get her on a stretcher and into the medical room!"
* * * *
"Did you come so that I could help cure this girl?"
Emilia confirmed.
Emma was lying on an improvised stretcher. The rusty metal frame looked so fragile that one could believe it might collapse at any moment. Even so, it served its function: giving her a place to rest. Her lips were dry, her breathing irregular… and from her mouth dripped a trace of black blood.
Amelia leaned forward, the white coat brushing against the damp floor.
"This is not a simple fever. Blackened blood is the clearest symptom of a latent necroplasmic infection."
Richard narrowed his eyes.How the hell…?That disease shouldn't even be known yet. Not even among the highest-ranking Awakened at this early stage. Most would confuse it with pneumonia or organ failure.
The young doctor continued, unaware of his surprise.
"The human body, when exposed to the red rain, does not only absorb contaminant particles. What comes into play is the ambient necroplasmic energy. In ordinary individuals, that energy filters slowly and the metabolism eventually purges it. But…"
She pointed at Emma's chest, where a faint glow flickered beneath her skin.
"…that energy anchors itself in the blood channels. The blood begins to clot excessively, darkening. The symptoms are similar to being poisoned by a viper."
Rebecca covered her mouth, hiding a sob."Do you mean that Emma… is getting infected?"
Amelia shook her head.
"No. Not like the others. Her case is different. She is trapped between two states: human and Awakened. Neither one nor the other. If it isn't resolved soon…" Her gaze dropped back toward Emma. "…her body will begin to overheat and then it will stop functioning."
Amelia placed a gloved hand on Emma's forehead. The seal of runes Richard had placed glowed faintly, resisting being dispelled.
"Interesting… I see that something is trying to suppress the necroplasmic torrent. But this is only a patch. Her body will continue to be contaminated."
She continued."But what could that glow be?"
Amelia placed a hand on her chin, thoughtful. She had never seen anything like it.
"What do you need to cure her?" Ethan asked, interrupting her.
Amelia lifted her gaze to him. She focused her talent at full strength to satisfy his doubt.
"There is no real cure. The only thing that can be done is to force the patient's core to either assimilate or expel the energy before it corrupts the rest of her organs. If she assimilates the energy, she could become a complete Awakened."
She fell silent."And if that happens… she will be much more powerful than a normal Awakened."
Emma stirred faintly on the stretcher, unconscious. A new thread of black blood slid from the corner of her lips.
* * * *
"We have to go so they can register you as Awakened."Amelia commented, taking Richard and James with her while leaving Emma's parents in the patient's room.
They did not resist. They wanted to spend time with Emma. Besides, they were not Awakened, so they didn't need to go through the registration process. Their access would be limited, but at least they would have the right to move around the public sector, the area designated for soldiers' families.
Richard kept observing everything. His gaze was fixed on every detail of the facilities. He wanted to know the reason behind the change in the timeline. He refused to believe it was all just a butterfly effect caused by his regression to the past.
"So then, how is the process going to be carried out?"Richard broke the silence.
"I highly doubt they'll take our word as truth regarding our abilities, right?"
Amelia stopped in front of a room and pointed with her finger.
"This is where they will measure your Awakened level and the type of talent you possess."
Inside, an object drew attention. It was a machine with a crude, almost ridiculous appearance: similar to those supermarket booths with a punching bag to measure the strength of a hit.
"This machine is used to measure the level of energy."Amelia noticed the surprised faces of both men.
"Yes, this machine measures the energy of the core. Cool, isn't it? It's one of the pieces recovered from the expedition to Egypt."
Richard snapped his head toward her.His face could no longer remain indifferent.
"What… did you just say?"He asked, while looking more closely at the machine in front of him.
"Yes, this object was found during the expedition carried out in Egypt. My father told me not to mention it, but in the end… it doesn't matter."
She calmly approached the machine and opened its side panel."Well, not the entire machine was recovered… just this."
Amelia opened the machine, revealing inside a tangled mass of cables connected to a sphere covered in strange symbols.
Richard felt his heart skip a beat. His hand almost moved on its own, driven by the impulse to rip the sphere out in one motion.
"It can't be…"
There was no way he could mistake it.What the hell is this doing here… the gift Michael gave me on the day of my wedding?
All those strange symbols were the language of the Hematic Runes.Michael had created it to symbolize the vow he was making to Emma.
"With you by my side, I will never perish in this world. No one will ever separate us."
Each stroke was not just a symbol, but a fragment of absolute truth.The language of conservation.The law that matter is never destroyed, only transformed.
A reminder that as long as that bond existed, neither time, nor death, nor the chaos of the red rain could tear it from his soul.
Richard felt a chill run down his spine.That artifact could not be here. Not in this era. Not in anyone else's hands.