Achieving Thermal Equilibrium | ac

8. NUMB

June 16.

Itona's head throbbed.

June 16... the day everything would change.

The day he would kill his brother.

Itona vaguely remembered in the weeks leading up to the crucial assassination, Shiro stopped letting him leave the facility. "To keep you safe," he said. Itona spent his days either training or strapped to the machine... Shiro visited him daily, bringing him new pills every night... with every passing day, the tentacles grew in strength and size... the agony accumulated. It hurt it hurt so much he couldn't even think.

So Shiro injected chemicals to "soothe the pain"... but they just made Itona lightheaded and weak. He started to hear whispers... from the tentacles... from Shiro...

"That creature is now your brother..."

"But-"

" Kill. It. "

"You're strong, you're strong, you're strong–"

He inhaled sharply. Something was off, but he couldn't place a name on it...

Stop resisting... stop resisting !

...

...

A soothing voice...

We'll make you strong. We just want the best for you.

.

.

.

.

.

Itona was strong. Even though it was raining on the morning of June 16, the water couldn't hurt him anymore. He batted the raindrops away with his tentacles; it was so easy, too easy. He laughed a little. He wasn't powerless.

He felt drunk. Drunk on power, drunk on hubris. He was above the stupid kids in 3-E, he was even stronger than that weird supernatural creature that was his brother. He was even above Kayano–

A little voice in him protested. Itona didn't know why, it just didn't feel right to demean Kayano, but it quickly dissipated and everything was back to normal.

He smashed through the wall and barely felt a thing. Itona held his head up high and wiped all emotions off his face. Maybe if he acted dramatically aloof, no one would make fun of him like they used to do? The common kids all looked at him with fear and respect–exactly what he deserved. That redhead boy was aggravating but Itona just squashed him like a bug. And if Itona was stronger than the strongest kid in the class, he didn't have anyone to be scared of.

It was funny how a few months ago, he was bullied by his old class for being "pathetic" and "weird". Now, with his "brother" gimmick, Itona was surely seen as weird as well, but because he was strong, so strong, no one would dare to harass him.

With every bell that rang, Itona knew his brother was closer to his demise. He didn't smirk or laugh, he just sat there motionlessly, patiently, as if he was a god of death.

He managed to sneak Kayano a few looks. She appeared to be good at acting. Itona didn't want to expose her, so he stopped staring at her.

Finally, finally, it was time. Itona's tentacles were itching for a fight, and he was desperate to prove how strong he was. After the ring of desks were arranged, Itona casually tossed his jacket away, revealing his now muscular arms. With a hot shiver of satisfaction, he realized the bruises from his bullies had disappeared.