Chapter 23: The Father and the Daughter Are Not Normal
The atmosphere turned cold with the entrance of Amelia's father.
The echo of his boots resounded against the metallic walls, a reminder of authority. Years in the army had made him a man with a cold demeanor. His standard olive-green military uniform displayed all the medals of honor he had earned throughout his life. Each one gleamed proudly on his chest, the greatest achievements of his career.
His voice rose with a commanding tone."So, can you explain to me what you're doing here… without authorization?"
He raised an eyebrow when he recognized James, though his eyes remained fixed on his daughter.
Amelia, with a nervous smile, tried to soften the tension."Come on, dear father, I was just scanning James's talent."
She pushed him gently forward, resting a hand on his shoulder."You see, he came to me asking for help."
As she stepped back, Noah's attention fell completely on James. The pressure was suffocating."So tell me, boy… did you really become an Awakened?"
The man's stride was firm, each movement sounding like the sentence of a judge. James stood still, like a chick trapped under the shadow of its predator, intimidated by the older man's gaze.
He tried to smile."Yes… I became an Awakened, Uncle Noah."
The commander's frown deepened."What did you call me?"
His voice rose with even more authority.
James swallowed hard and straightened abruptly."I… I became an Awakened, Commander, sir!"
His back was stiff, arms tense as boards, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He tried to recall the salute Amelia's father had taught him after so many failed attempts to get him to enlist under his command.
"You may leave, soldiers."
Noah's order was sharp, leaving no room for objection.
The men obeyed without hesitation, and as soon as they crossed the door and left the small isolated room, laughter erupted from father and daughter.
The commander's face relaxed, and his heavy hand landed on James's shoulder in an almost paternal gesture."It was just a joke, boy."
The tension snapped like a rope breaking. The man's rigidity crumbled, replaced by a warmer expression—the expression of a father who could show gentleness away from the eyes of his subordinates.
"You know how it is. I have to maintain the façade of command in front of my men."
His voice now sounded tired, as if the uniform weighed too heavily on him.
He dropped into the nearby chair, the metal creaking under his weight. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, but a quicker hand snatched it away before he could light it.
"You know you shouldn't keep smoking… at least not until we confirm that your awakening really eliminated the cancer."
Amelia's warning was sharp, leaving no room for negotiation.
Noah exhaled, almost childishly, watching the cigarette disappear into his daughter's pocket."Come on… you don't let me drink, now I can't smoke either… you're making me feel like a terminal patient."
He grumbled, leaning back in the chair. The smoke he hadn't exhaled seemed to hang in the air anyway, replaced by a heavy, uncomfortable silence that clung to the room like the dampness that always filled those improvised facilities.
Noah coughed, his raspy throat breaking the silence."Your name is Richard, isn't it?" he asked, his eyes locking onto him."Weren't you going to check what kind of talent you had?"
He rose from the chair and walked toward the artifact. This time he set jokes aside. Noah had the feeling the young man before him possessed something different; it could be paranoia or simply the aches of age, but it didn't matter—he was going to settle his doubts now.
"All right…" Richard replied.
Without further delay, just as before Noah had interrupted, he approached the artifact. This time he had better control over the energy of his core, so he could manage with more precision the talent the machine would reveal.
In the future, there would be ways to trick devices like this, far more advanced ones; so why shouldn't he be able to deceive this rudimentary machine that couldn't compare to those? He brought his hand closer to the needle that emerged from the mechanism.
A soft prick drew a drop of blood. The blood shimmered with golden hues: a sign he was one step closer to the next evolution, to becoming something new in this world. Everything was happening faster than in his past life, though still slower than he desired. But rushing further would destabilize his cells and could trigger a harmful mutation.
It was like comparing cancerous cells with immortal ones: the latter didn't benefit the host; they turned against it, seeking to destroy their own sustenance. A too-hasty evolution could cause something similar: to be left deformed or, worse still, to become a creature unable to die yet incapable of enjoying life. To be the epitome of evolution, and at the same time, condemned to eternal suffering.
[Talent: Corpse Plunder] [Rank: F]
Richard's eyes widened as he read the runes of the artifact. He knew the techniques to trick the machines created by Michael—so how had he failed this time? He leaned closer, unwilling to believe what he saw.
Maybe it was all paranoia. Perhaps what they had found in the tomb belonged to a civilization far more advanced than theirs. Could it be that time itself was a cycle, where the beginning always returned after the end?
"What do the runes say?" Amelia pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Does it have something to do with eating things?"
She stared at the image that appeared, trying to make sense of it. It only showed a mouth devouring something; maybe it meant improved metabolism or stronger teeth. Humanity hadn't studied the talents of the Awakened deeply enough to imagine the endless possibilities a person could manifest.
Noah looked at Richard in surprise."You can read the ancient language of the artifacts?" he asked, with the same excitement Amelia had shown when she discovered Richard's ability.
At first, Amelia had thought Richard's talent was language-related, but apparently, it wasn't.
"Yes," she answered instead. "He can read those strange symbols."
"And he'll teach me when he has time," Amelia added proudly, puffing out her chest in front of her father. With that, she could become the only person capable of interpreting in detail the talents of the Awakened.
"Could you teach me as well?" Noah asked.
"Not now," Amelia replied with a smile that wasn't entirely innocent, "but later I'll teach you… with some debts you'll have to pay me in the future."
Resigned, Noah had to nod."Why did you have to bring out that side of your mother?" he sighed with bitterness, letting himself fall into the chair.
The silver lining, he thought, was that at least Amelia wasn't extorting him for his meager pocket money. Then again, money meant little these days; soon only power and talents would matter.
Noah rose with effort and headed for the door, nodding toward Amelia before leaving."Let me know later about the boy's ability."
His voice faded into the hallway, leaving only the echo of his footsteps behind.
* * * *
Upon returning to the hospital room, the atmosphere seemed calmer than it had been a few hours ago. Emma rested in the bed, with her parents on either side, watchful, while Amelia could not take her eyes off Richard. Her curiosity burned too strongly to be hidden.
"So… what did the artifact say about your talent?" she asked, crossing her arms.
It wasn't the first time she asked. Ever since they had left the experimental room, she had been throwing the same question at him again and again. The strange thing was that, contrary to what Amelia had claimed, that room was not actually open to all the residents of the barracks who had awakened. That made her insistence all the more irritating… Richard could not stand lies, though he knew it was hypocritical of him, since lying was as natural to him as breathing.
Richard observed her in silence for a moment. He wanted to brush her off, but he also didn't want to sound too cold. In the end, she was the one tending to Emma, and the girl's health could not be put at risk because of a sudden burst of hostility."My talent is a secret. You have no right to know it."He had been very gentle with her.
But Amelia didn't give up, not even when James took her by the arm in a warning gesture."Come on, man, tell me what it is!"
Richard sighed, feeling the pressure of her constant questioning tighten his nerves. Why couldn't she go back to being that cold and distant woman she had introduced herself as at the beginning? That version of her suited him much better.
"Fine…" he finally yielded.
He decided to lie, or at least disguise the truth enough."My ability consists of ingesting elements and partially manifesting them in my body."
Amelia arched a brow, skeptical."Manifest them? As if it were part of a replication process?"
Richard didn't answer right away. He needed to make it more believable. And fortunately, he had obtained the help of a former bandit who had lent him his talent for free.
"I'll show you."