"Mmm---"
Riven groaned without realising, as he woke up to his body feeling as though it was on fire.
’Huh? Where am I?’
He wondered momentarily, as he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling over his head, when the memories of the last time he woke up flooded him immediately.
’M--My arms? My body! Where am I?’
He wondered, as he desperately tried to sense and move his arms and legs.
Struggle
To his joy, he could feel his arms this time, as he could for sure sense the binds against them.
However, unfortunately, despite being able to sense them, he could not move them, as when he lifted his head, the scene that unfolded before him was completely shocking.
Countless transparent tubes snaked across his body, disappearing beneath his skin through thick needles driven into his arms, chest, neck and abdomen, while streams of dark crimson blood continuously flowed through the intricate network before being redirected back into his body through an entirely different set of tubes.
’What in Minerva? What is happening to my body?’
He wondered in shock, as he began to hyperventilate, his breath coming in short rasps, as he assessed the state of his body once more.
’What are they doing to me? I don’t feel weak, in fact, if anything, I feel stronger than ever, but is it because they’re slowly converting me into a monster?’
He thought, as he clenched and unclenched his fist, feeling the raw power now coursing through his reconstructed muscles, only for the sensation to clash instantly against the sight before his eyes.
Around him, the operating table was surrounded by strange glass vessels, polished brass instruments, glowing Aether crystals, and shelves overflowing with carefully labelled bottles whose contents ranged from vibrant coloured liquids to preserved organs suspended within cloudy solutions.
It looked less like a healer’s workshop and more like the laboratory of a madman obsessed with dismantling and rebuilding the human body.
Thick leather restraints bound both his wrists and ankles to the operating table, while additional belts stretched tightly across his chest, waist and thighs, leaving him unable to move anything except his head despite being able to clearly feel every part of his body.
’Why the hell am I here?’
He wondered, as he instinctively struggled harder against the restraints, causing the countless tubes connected to his body to sway violently alongside his movements, while an unbearable burning sensation rapidly intensified throughout every vein in his body with each passing second.
At first, it was merely uncomfortable.
Then it became painful.
Then...
It felt as though molten lava had replaced the blood flowing through his veins, spreading from every corner of his body towards his heart before exploding outward once more, causing every muscle beneath his skin to convulse violently as an involuntary scream escaped his lips.
"ARGHHHHHHHHH!"
He howled in pain, as immediately Karen who was sitting on a chair in the distance got alerted to him waking up.
"He’s up! Doctor! Subject eighteen is now awake!"
Karen muttered hurriedly, as she rushed out of the laboratory to fetch the doctor.
A few moments later, the Imperial Anatomist walked into the room while absentmindedly pulling at his own hair, his brows tightly knitted together as he muttered frustratedly beneath his breath.
"He wasn’t supposed to wake up for another hour," he grumbled, his pace quickening ever so slightly. "The boy’s body is an anomaly... the drugs are nowhere near as effective as they should be."
He clicked his tongue in irritation before letting out a slow breath.
However, by the time he reached the operating table, every trace of frustration had vanished from his face, replaced by the same gentle smile Riven remembered from their previous encounter.
"My child... good morning," the Imperial Anatomist said warmly, as though greeting a patient recovering from an ordinary illness rather than a boy strapped to an operating table.
"Since it’s your first offence, I won’t reprimand you."
He glanced briefly towards the dozens of needles still embedded throughout Riven’s body before returning his gaze to the boy’s face.
"But if you shake the needles inside your body this way again, it will be only you who experiences more pain than you can bear."
His tone remained calm and almost fatherly, making the warning somehow feel even more unsettling.
"It’s best to lie still and let the medicine do its job."
"Struggling only makes both your life and mine more difficult."
He suggested, as Riven simply stared at the old man in disbelief, his entire body trembling from the inferno raging beneath his skin.
"What the hell are you doing to me?" he demanded through gritted teeth, every word accompanied by another wave of agony.
"What kind of a monster are you transforming me into? What did I ever do to you to deserve this treatment?"
He asked, as the Imperial Anatomist suppressed a scoff.
"Deserve this?"
He muttered, as though insulted by the question.
"My child, you ARE FORTUNATE to be undergoing carving under me.
When I’m done, you will unlock all the potential hidden in your bloodline.
As of now, you’re nothing more than a caterpillar that I’m fattening to become a healthy cocoon.
But once I’m done, you will become the most beautiful butterfly this world has ever seen.
So to answer your question, descendant of Surthur, no, you did nothing to deserve this.
But rather, it is your good fortune that has landed you in my lab....."
He said, as he flashed Riven the same unnerving smile that sent shivers down Riven’s spine the last time he saw it.
"If I were you, I’d thank whatever God you pray to for this fortunate encounter.
Because it is I, who will save you from living a meaningless life of anonymity.....
And set you down a path of greatness."
He concluded, as although Riven heard his speech in full, his attention was particularly grabbed by one phrase that the Imperial Anatomist muttered.
’Descendant Of Surthur....’
Riven repeated in his mind again and again, as he could not help but hear the deep voice from his vision whispering
"Finally....."
Once again.