(Two and a half years after Riven was first brought to the laboratory, Riven’s POV)
It took approximately two and a half years for the Imperial Anatomist to finally complete Riven’s Blood Refinement, as after spending nearly nine hundred consecutive days living while strapped to a laboratory bed, Riven was finally freed from his restraints on day nine hundred and one, as he was finally allowed to stand upon his own two feet once again.
It was an emotional moment for everyone present.
As whether it be the Imperial Anatomist, the Hypnotist or the assistants, none of them were able to conceal their emotions as Riven finally pushed himself off his bed.
Wobble
As soon as Riven tried to straighten his body, his legs immediately began wobbling beneath his own weight, as his mind seemed to have forgotten something as basic as how to properly balance himself after spending so many years without ever needing to stand.
And so, for a brief moment, he stumbled awkwardly like a toddler taking his very first steps, instinctively reaching towards the edge of the bed to stop himself from falling before trying once again, as little by little, his body gradually remembered movements that had once been completely natural.
"I got it.... Don’t worry, I got it."
He assured, as eventually, his footing stabilized.
’It’s cold.’
He thought, as the first thought that entered his mind after he stood up was just how cold the floor was beneath his feet, which was followed by an indescribable sense of joy, as just the fact that he could feel the sensation of the floor beneath his feet now filled him with immense joy.
"Ha.... Hahahaha!"
He chuckled, as feeling unable to suppress his excitement, he slowly began moving around the laboratory.
"I can move again! I’m no longer bound by chains!"
He muttered, as he stretched his arms, rotated his shoulders, bent his knees, and carefully tested every part of his body, as with each passing movement, he became increasingly aware that the strength now flowing through his limbs bore absolutely no resemblance to the frail body that had first entered the laboratory all those years ago.
His muscles felt impossibly strong.
His body felt taller.
His breathing felt deeper.
It almost felt as though the strength of a dozen raging bulls now coursed through his veins, making every movement seem lighter and every step more effortless than what he remembered them to be.
Yet despite the overwhelming joy brought about by his newfound strength, Riven repeatedly found his gaze drifting towards the Imperial Anatomist and the Hypnotist, as he unconsciously searched for their approval.
’What do they think? Are they happy?’
He wondered, as to his relief, the two older men looked quite pleased with him standing up, as they quietly exchanged a glance before nodding towards one another.
"Assistant," the Imperial Anatomist instructed, as although he desperately tried to maintain his usual composure, the fingers holding his journal visibly trembled with excitement. "Take Subject Eighteen’s final measurements so that I may record them."
He instructed, as the assistant immediately hurried forward before carefully measuring every important proportion of Riven’s transformed physique, checking each figure twice before reading them aloud to the old man.
Subject Eighteen.
Age: Twelve Years.
Height: Five Feet Ten Inches.
Chest: Forty Inches.
Waist: Thirty Inches.
Biceps: Sixteen Inches.
Thigh Circumference: Twenty-Four Inches.
For several long moments, the old man simply stared at the completed page without saying another word.
"Perfect..." the Imperial Anatomist muttered, as an emotional smile slowly spread across his face while tears quietly gathered within the corners of his eyes.
"It’s absolutely perfect. The boy has golden proportions!"
He declared, as the words seemed to break whatever restraint everyone else inside the laboratory had been holding onto, as applause immediately erupted throughout the room, with the assistants congratulating one another while several openly wiped away the tears running down their cheeks after witnessing the successful completion of the greatest undertaking any of them had ever participated in.
"WE DID IT! WE MANAGED TO PURIFY A GODLY BLOODLINE!"
Karen screamed, as standing amidst their celebration, Riven instinctively lowered his head as a faint blush spread across his cheeks.
When he had first entered the laboratory, every single person standing inside that room had seemed like another tormentor in his eyes.
The endless procedures, surgeries, painful stretches, medicines, and relentless suffering that accompanied every passing day had all felt indistinguishable from torture, and in many ways, it truly had been torture, as for nearly nine hundred consecutive days, scarcely a single day had passed where his body had not endured unimaginable pain.
Yet as those years slowly accumulated, another truth had quietly become impossible for him to deny.
Nobody in the room had ever meant him harm.
Every massage performed upon his aching muscles had been carried out with painstaking care to ensure that they never atrophied despite remaining immobile for years.
Every stretch had been measured with extraordinary precision, while every medicine and every precious elixir prepared by the Imperial Anatomist had been administered at exactly the right moment.
Nothing that was given to him had ever been rushed.
And no procedure carried out on him had been performed carelessly.
As regardless of the method, it was undeniable that every single person inside that laboratory had devoted themselves completely towards ensuring that he survived long enough to witness this very day, as they served him with all their hearts.
’I might not have chosen this life, but I can’t bring myself to blame these people for it either....’
Riven thought, as somewhere along the journey, the hatred that he had once carried towards every person within these walls seemed to have quietly disappeared without him ever noticing exactly when it had happened.
As instead of viewing the Imperial Anatomist as his tormentor, he started to see him as just a stern old man who relentlessly pushed him towards perfection while secretly caring about his wellbeing more than anyone else.
"Good..." the Imperial Anatomist muttered, as he slowly turned towards every assistant gathered within the laboratory. "Every one of you has done exceptionally well."
He praised, as pride immediately appeared across countless faces as the assistants straightened their backs, each one silently appreciating the recognition coming from the man they respected more than anyone else.
However, before the celebration could properly begin, the old man slowly raised a single finger into the air.
"But our work is not yet finished," the Imperial Anatomist continued, as the laboratory gradually fell silent once more. "The second phase of this project, Blood Refinement, has now been completed successfully.
However, the third and final phase still remains before this project can truly be declared complete."
He slowly turned his gaze back towards Riven.
"For the next three months, Subject Eighteen shall do nothing except master the body we have painstakingly built for him," the Imperial Anatomist explained, as his expression gradually returned to its usual seriousness.
"His muscles have not performed complex movements for nearly three years, and his dexterity has reduced as a result.
So for this final phase, we need to teach him how to best push his newfound body to its limits, before we allow him to leave this place for good."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"We need to help him break into the Ember rank, and help him desensitize his body to Aether overload.
So that, once he leaves this place, he can lead a normal life going forward...."
He muttered, as his gaze slowly swept across every assistant present.
"The greatest danger now lies behind us....
However, perfection has never been achieved by abandoning one’s work before the very end.
Three more months.
We owe Subject Eighteen those three months, and we owe ourselves the satisfaction of knowing that when he finally walks out of this laboratory, there shall remain absolutely nothing left for us to improve."
Every assistant nodded without the slightest hesitation.
By that point, the project no longer belonged solely to the Imperial Anatomist.
It belonged to every single person standing inside that room.
Each of them had sacrificed years of their lives towards transforming one broken child into something that should never have been possible, and although history might never remember the countless assistants who had carefully prepared medicines, measured bones, adjusted restraints, monitored his condition through sleepless nights, and faithfully carried out every instruction without error, each of them understood that none of this could ever have been accomplished without the combined effort of every hand present.
Perhaps the world would never know their names.
Perhaps nobody beyond those laboratory walls would ever understand the sacrifices each of them had quietly made.
Yet if Riven one day became the extraordinary man they all believed he was destined to become, every person standing inside that laboratory would forever carry one quiet truth within their hearts.
That they had been there to see him being reborn.