Identity (Editing)

Chapter 31

"Segas?" She whispers, her blue eyes wide with shock. "He... he saved you?" I nod with a grim smile and guilt fills her expression. "If... If I had just been able to protect myself..." I know she's referring to when Gideon or rather... Segas killed her and lightly place my hand on her shoulder, shaking my head.

"That wasn't your fault... And there are things that happened before that... Things that made me who I am now." Taking her hand in mine, I place it against my chest, letting her feel for herself the implanted core that gave me a new life... That made me a monster...

"I've sensed it before... It has an unnatural power, but I can't place it." She curls her hand into a loose fist against my chest, sighing softly. A gentle breeze blows around us, gently lifting her golden hair around her face.

"It's called a blastia core... But... With the rest of this story, it would be easier if I showed you what happened. Is that alright?" I ask and she nods, giving me a small smile.

"Is it going to be like what Irsa did?" She wonders aloud and I chuckle softly, brushing her hair away from her face before placing my hand on her forehead.

"Similar, but not exactly. It will be more like watching a movie. Now, close your eyes and relax." Her eyes slowly shut and she takes a few deep breaths while I focus on the memories, bringing them to light...

My eyes snapped open only to be bombarded with bright lights illuminating the pale white ceiling. My thoughts were racing as I tried to recall what happened. Was I in a hospital? Where was Salia, and why did my chest hurt so much? I looked around, searching for any sign of life. I felt... Odd... Lively and yet artificial. It was hard to explain. Sitting up, I looked down to see a green growth originating from my body. It was covered with a large crystal dome that rested in the dead centre of my chest. My eyes widened in shock and I pressed against it with my palms. This couldn't be real... What the hell happened to me..?

These... Inorganic things... Protruding from my chest, covering over where my heart should be... I felt myself beginning to panic and suddenly the door slid open. A man in a long white lab coat strolled in. Bright orange hair fell just past his ears and thick rimmed glasses sat at the top of his long, thin nose. He looked at me with deep grey eyes and smiled crookedly, revealing a small mole under the left side of his lips. His expression turned to awe as his gaze shifted to the object in my chest and he clapped a few times, clearly elated.

"Marvelous! Oh, Marvelous! The blastia core has worked! You live again young man, you live again!" He seemed to be cheering himself more than anything, as he stared at me with a wide grin.

"Blastia..? What are you talking about? Live again? Where is Salia?" The questions came out on their own accord with little thought while I looked around for a way out. This man was insane... And yet, he didn't seem to by lying...

"Salia? I don't know what a Salia is, but my blastia core is an amazing piece of technology I made using Aer Ciel Crystals to create a life amplifying energy via the cores in your body. You see, Aer is one of the one of the most natural forces on the earth, much like oxygen. It gives life to plants and animals alike. We don't fully understand it yet, in fact, many scientists, people in general don't even know that it exists! But I did. I bet you're now wondering what an Aer Ciel Crystal is, aren't you?" He looked at me with a wide grin, clapping his hands together once again. Nothing he was saying made any sense, but I let him continue, desperate for a logical explanation. He seemed to take my silence as an 'Oh, please explain further' and was happy to oblige.

"Aer Ciel Crystals are extremely rare, practically nonexistent gems made from solidified Aer! Through the crystal flows this mysterious and magnificent energy that I was fortunate enough to stumble upon one in a cave a few years ago, and I've been studying it ever since!" His voice kept growing louder and more excited with each passing sentence. "I discovered that there was some sort of life element within the crystal, that if harnessed could bring someone back from the brink of death! You along with three others were some of the first and only people I have been able to give such a gift to. But, for some odd reason, the Aer seems to be reacting far more powerfully with your body than the others."