Cardinal Tower (Trinity Central Book #1)

Chapter 10

Elementaler. The word rings through the dark room and echoes in my ear. Elementaler.

"What?" Is the only thought I could muster. The lights turn back on and I wince at the sudden strain on my eyes. A stunted, four-eyed, middle-aged man with a bowl cut waddles towards me, closely followed by Kai, shock enveloping both of their gazes if only for a second.

Kai regains his stoic composure and cautiously motions towards my arm. I hesitantly lift my right and he gently holds it in his left, turning my palm upwards to better observe the line receding into my wrist until only a faint stripe remains. He clears his throat in amazement, furrowing his brows as I too try to grasp what exactly just happened. It wasn't until the labcoat behind him shuffled closer for a better look that I snapped out of my daze. I had forgotten he was even there, his presence isn't as demanding as Kai's, so it's understandable how we were both a bit caught off guard when he finally spoke up.

"My, my, quite a specimen you've got here, sir," he starts in a pitchy, nasally tone. Something about him just makes me uneasy, could be the way he holds himself or the callused hands that grabbed my arm. It could be the fact that he referred to me as a "specimen", a notion that is not exactly appreciated.

"You're no prize yourself either, hon," I shoot back giving him a raised brow and a narrowed glare. He looks up and studies my face, standing on his toes to reach a decent angle up my nose. He turns his head, searching my expressions quizzically before breaking into an obnoxious grin. "Ah, cheeky this one," he laughs before stepping back. Kai turns away, a look of entertainment creeping across his face that he covers with one of his hands. He's enjoying this. He clears his throat and turns to the walking lab coat.

"So, Doctor Grazinski, what do you make of the situation?" he asks, his voice cracking on the first syllable. "I've never heard of that Telum before, I thought you told me you discovered them all."

"'Elementaler'? It's never appeared on any of our databases before, meaning she's one of a kind," he continues staring at me as though I'm a fish behind a tank. He hasn't lifted his eyes from my arm since he first grabbed it, and I'm contemplating slapping him away.

"Now while I'd like to start my research now," he continues, "I'm sure she's very confused, so why don't we start there. I'm James Grazinski, and I'm sure you already know the man beside me. The ability you possess is a mutation in genes that go inactive until that individual is put under a situation of extreme danger or emotional stress. Once that happens, in place of adrenaline, the body releases a dark toxin under the skin. I'm not sure why it took so long to manifest, or what it was that finally triggered it, but this phenomena just began showing itself a bit after Carpa Malum, so there's not much information on it yet."

I think about the black smudge from the blade, how it absorbed into my skin, and wonder how that could tie into my situation. It seems like a detail that I should tell him, but I'm scared that my interference will cause the flow of information to cease.

Grazinski continues, "Originally thought to be a means of adapting to the harsh changes of the Carpa Malum bomb. It is found within a very small percentage of the population, so you really are a rare, for lack of a better term, specimen. It's like your body's final fight or flight response. Most can only flee, while yours is able to fight until a small gland, called the Catharsis, within your heart dies. You could get shot in the head a million times but never succumb until the Catharsis does.

"All abilities are unique to the individual including what they are capable of and where the dark toxin decides to manifest. Based on the nature of the ability, every individual blessed with this phenomenon can be assigned a Telum species. It's a vague classification of abilities, so many can have the same Telum species, but there are never two abilities that are exactly alike. Since very little research has been done on this topic, I'm afraid I can't get an affirmative definition of your ability as of now, especially since there's no previous case of the Telum species 'Elementaler'." He turns to Kai, "I expect to see her in wing Beta for some extra testing in approximately 2300 hours," and with that, he leaves.

I try to wrap my mind around the sheer amount of information I've had to absorb in such a short time. Telum species? Catharsis? That could explain how I haven't died before, despite the countless attempts on my life, but the mere notion of this situation seems too fictional to believe.

Kai reaches out for me but I pull back, a myriad of emotions blinding my vision. My jaw hangs loosely and my hair falls out from behind my ear as I stand there speechless, not really sure what to make of my situation. Neither of us want to be here, in each other's company, but I'm a prisoner and he needs his tool. Even if we can't really stand each other at the moment, we don't really have an option.

We both stare at the ground in silence for several beats before he looks back at me. I can see in his eyes, if only for a moment, that he isn't standing here as my friend, or rather, he was never my friend. He's my President, my captor, and he adjusts his posture to reinforce that.

"Well, you heard him, I'll send an escort to your room at around 2:00 tomorrow. Considering the report I received from your previous escort, I'll be sure to find you much more suitable guards. At this moment, you are to return to your original quarters until then," before leaving, he squeezes my hand a bit too firmly and leaned in close. I could feel his breath against my ear as he whispers, "As much as I wish to, I can't get rid of you yet." and turns to leave. He jams his hands in his pocket and I watch as the top of his hair bounces as he walked away. The door opens, and I'm left alone in the abyss, still speechless.

* * *

My room felt as empty as ever. I was surrounded by the blank nothing and heard only the static that filled the void. I haven't gotten up from my bed in nearly two hours. My feet hang over the side while my arms and hair are sprawled wildly across the comforter, whiling away the time until my new guards come for me. I've been slipping in and out of consciousness for the last couple of minutes, but as much as I would love to afford the luxury of rest, I can't. The shuffling of blankets cuts through the monotonous static as I sit up and place my hands on my head. I can't make sense of things, and I'm not sure what would entail if I tried. For now, I'm trapped in this room, but I feel as though I'm more of a prisoner of my own mind. I don't have time to sink into my thoughts before a sudden knock on the door grabs my attention.

"Come in," I manage out of my garbled throat. Whatever it was that the Arctiviose injected me with has been causing me some strange after effects, slowing down my muscle movements when I sit up. Either that or the intensity of the past few days have finally caught up to me.

Devon peeks his head in, his face looking as if he'd seen a ghost. It's obvious he hasn't slept in a while, though it's hard to believe his insomnia is at my expense. "Hey Castelle, how you... how are you feeling?" He stutters.

I offer him a sympathetic wave paired with a cold expression. "How I'm feeling?" I muster sweetly, "How the hell do you think? I killed my childhood best friend and got dragged to this, this place where I'm a guinea pig for God knows what! I can control fire apparently. So that's cool, guess I'll celebrate with a barbeque, or wait, is it only used for killing? 'Cause that's all I seem to be good at. So how am I doing? I'm just fine, thank you very much." I get lost in my hysterics. It was expected. You don't simply ask such a mundane question in a matter where I've practically lost my mind.

For a brief second before he answers, a look flashes across his face, it was hard and unnerving, unfamiliar with his softer features. "You've had a long day, just get some rest." He walks over and sits down next to me. I lay my head on his shoulder and we stay like that for a few minutes. Despite all that's been happening, he's the only part of my world that still feels safe, that still feels normal. I'm going to miss normal, not that I was much of that anyway.

"So fire huh?" he breaks the silence, "I've always known you could get a bit heated but I didn't expect that." He chuckles. A laugh escapes before a heavy reality sets from the words of my rant before. I killed Monica. We were friends, then a one-sided rivalry grown from jealousy, and not one of us are dead. A chill runs up my spine, it could be from the cool atmosphere working its way into my medical gown, or it could be the haunting reality that I've taken another life. Even with the constant attempts of assassinations from the Karmas, I never felt any bit of remorse for each life I took. A single tear swells in my eyes, but it doesn't dare roll down. I realize, I can't remember the last time I've cried.

Without saying anything, Devon offers me a reassuring squeeze. I can't bare to face him. He wouldn't understand. He could never understand. The gravity of a life weighs on your shoulders, and though I nuzzled closer to him, I made a silent vow to remember this time. To remember this pure innocence before my life turns to ruin, my fate planned by the very people I've always hated.