Mutagen

Day 55 – 2:11 PM – ICU, Hospital Area, Military Laboratories, North District, Bay City Settlement, Pasay City, Metro Manila

It had been an hour after Mark chased everyone out of the patient's room. The General were outside waiting restlessly with his children. Even the two guards outside were confused as to why the General and his children were outside instead of staying inside the room.

"Oh, Miguel, what are you doing outside your wife's room?"

A familiar voice was heard by the general who was staring at the windows on that door of the room that was shrouded with black smoke. When the members of the Perez family turned towards the source of the voice, they saw three people.  They were Professor Isaach Co and his foster children which also served as his assistants, Nia and Allen. None of the General and his children even noticed the three people approach due to their attention directed towards the door.

"Isaach, you finally arrived."

"Sorry I got delayed. We are in the middle of an experiment. You said that Sir Mark is with you. Where is he and why are you all outside of your wife's room?"

It was then the Professor's shoulder was tapped and he saw Nia pointing at the window shrouded in darkness. That black smoke at the window was rather familiar.

"Is he inside?"

"That's right."

"I see. You managed to convince him to help. Should I say congratulations?"

"Don't jinx it you idiot."

Banter between the General and Professor started. It was quite childish of the two but in the least, the anxiety the general felt was lessened.

***

Inside the room, Mark had his eyes closed while his right hand glowing with milky white light rested on the forehead of Angelise. He was concentrating hard on channeling his mental energy on the woman in order to wake her up. However, what he considered to be an easy task was not as easy as it seemed.

While he was right that she could wake up after her sleeping consciousness was stimulated like how he had done with Iola and Angeline, he found out that the current state of Angelise's consciousness was in a complicated situation.

Her state was hard to explain. The most fitting and closest explanation was that her soul was deeply asleep in the deepest parts of her subconscious. It became harder for Mark's mental energy to reach those parts without affecting other unnecessary areas and it took more energy that what he used for both Angeline and Iola combined. Luckily, he managed to absorb quite an amount from the flame demon or else, the situation would be harder to deal with.

There might be many possible reasons to this state but the best reason he could come up with was because she had been in coma for a very long time. Her body had deteriorated already to the point that it would not be able to handle her consciousness anymore. At this point, it would just be a miracle for a person in her state to still manage to wake up.

From what Mark was doing, he could feel a bit of response from her consciousness but it was not enough for her to wake up at all. If would also be questionable if her body would be able to handle it if her consciousness suddenly returned or the opposite could also happen where her consciousness would not be able to handle a very deteriorated body like her state right now.

As such, two different colored crystals appeared floating front of him. He decided to give up a pair of [Mental Crystal] and [Physical Crystal]. Of course, both of it were empty crystals since he had no plans to turn this woman into a Mutator or a Psychic. He just needed to strengthen her body and mind further in order to successfully wake her up. In the process however, she would surely turn into an Evolver.

Soon, another hour passed. Mark could finally detect some movements on her eyes. However, it was still not finished. Angelise was already burning with fever, the main symptom of a person becoming an Evolver. In her state, it would surely take at least another hour or two.

One and a half hour passed once more. Her fever was still raging and Mark still hand to keep on aiding her with his mental energy. However, her body was already responding to pain as she started to finally move a bit due to the pain.

However, Mark was mistaken.

***

It was almost sundown.

After five hours since Mark started, the burning fever started to go down and she looked better now. Although she was still thin looking, the deterioration of her body recovered enough.

Finally, her eyes quivered…

Slowly… Very slowly…

Her eyes opened.

When she opened her eyes, she was rather calm. She stared at the unfamiliar ceiling as if trying to remember something.

That calmness however immediately faded and was replaced with panic when she started to recall her final memories after she was shot inside their house. She tried to scream but of course, there were no words that came out. Instead, she released some hoarse screeches as her body had not fully recovered from her four years coma. From that four years that she had not spoken, her voice would not work properly now.

Tears started to accumulate on the corner of her eyes as fear started to creep on her mind.

It was then she felt a warm sensation on her head that started to calm her down. The sensation was very comfortable that it started to wash away her panic and fear.

That was when she noticed the unfamiliar person that was caressing her hair gently.

She could not speak but her eyes that looked at him were surely asking for answers.

"Don't worry. You're already safe." Mark spoke as gently as possible. "Actually, I want to ask you some questions but you're still not in good shape. You just woke up so it's not proper to do it. Well, it's not like you will be able to answer my questions."

The first two sentences aside, what Mark said made the patient confused.

"It's normal to be confused. No, just don't mind what I said. It will be better if your family is the ones to tell you the details. Let me call them."

Mark them stood up from his chair and made his way outside.

***

As it had been a long time, the General and his children became more and more anxious. However, none of them tried to knock on the door in fear that they would interrupt Mark's treatment. Professor Isaach had already returned since he still had to compile the data he just gathered in his previous experiment but for some reason, Nia and Allen stayed behind.

Finally, the shadow blocking the window vanished as if being syphoned to a certain direction. After that, the door opened revealing Mark who immediately went out of the door.

"Mark, how is it?"

The General anxiously asked.

"Just enter." Mark said with a smile. "She's already waiting for you all. Just don't try to do anything that will make her unstable."

Hearing that, the face of General Perez and his children lightened. The General grabbed Mark's shoulders.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"Just look inside first before thanking me alright?"

Mark pushed the general away. Rafael, Gabriel and Angeline also expressed their gratitude before rushing into the room.

After the members of the General's family entered the room, Mark's eyes fell on Nia and Allen who was intently looking at him.

"You two have business with me right?"

"Yes."

The two nodded.

"Did that girl I caught woke up already?"

"She did. She was rather restless and was throwing a fit."

Hearing that, Mark felt odd.

"That's strange. I felt that she should be a kind of emotionless person. Alright, bring me to her room. We will talk there."

"It's no problem."

There, Nia and Allen led Mark towards another part of the hospital area.

Mark handed Spera to the military for a hospital arrest since she was unconscious that time. Of course, Mark said that she would be under his protection and the military mess with her. Questioning her would be fine but Mark had forbidden any kind of torture or forceful approach in gathering information from her.

"Did the military send anyone to interrogate her?"

He asked.

"Yes but it seemed that she's uncooperative."

Nia replied.

"It has to be expected. The members of that organization are tight lipped ones. The interrogator didn't try something funny, didn't he?"

"Fortunately, nothing of that sort happened."

Soon, they arrived in front of the room. As expected, the security was tight as four soldiers guarded the room outside and there was a one sided mirror where the guards could observe what was happening inside the room.

Normally, no one aside from assigned personnel could enter the room. Even Nia and Allen had no authorization to this. However, when the soldiers saw Mark, they saluted and let him enter with the two. It seemed that the guards knew him.

"As I said! You people will not get anything from me! Either leave or just kill me!"

A rather emotional voice was heard the moment Mark stepped into the room. Mark felt a bit of surprise. Looking at the bed, Mark saw Spera lying on her side while facing the wall. As she did not hear any reply, she finally turned and saw who entered her room.

"You…"

Of course, she recognized Mark. Not by his face however but by her intuition. Even though her ability was already taken, as the host of that ability for six years, the strange sensation she could feel from Mark was still there albeit weakened.

Nevertheless, Spera became wary.

"You are that one that fought the flame demon and caught me right? What have you done to me?! Why can't I use my powers anymore?!"

She forcefully asked with a bit of tears at the corner of her eyes.

'Is this really the same person from yesterday?'

Mark thought. He became interested in her since he felt that she was an emotionless person. However, the girl in front of him was the total opposite. Not only that she expressed her emotions outside without restraint but her emotions were rather unstable and mixed.

"Don't worry. I'm here to explain those things you want to know." Mark then turned to Nia and Allen. "Also to the two of you."

Mark then waved his hand scattering Miasma on the wall where the one-sided mirror was installed. He also blocked the windows on the door and the security camera on the ceiling.

"Well… Introductions first I think. All of us had seen each other yesterday but had no opportunity to properly do so. Just call me Mark. Please don't mind me not telling my surname. Seriously, I hate to lead these kinds of things…"

"I'm Nia Co and this is Allen Co. Foster children and assistants of Professor Isaach Co."

Nia introduced herself and Allen who stood beside her.

"An you?"

Mark looked at the girl sitting on the bed holding her legs on her arms.

"Spera. That is what everyone calls me."

"What about your real name?"

Mark pressed further. To his surprise…

"I-I don't have any…"

The feeling of dejection was written all over her face.

Actually, she felt reluctant to introduce herself to the enemies but for some reason, he could not disobey Mark as long as what he wanted would not inflict harm unto her.

"Then, Nia, Allen. You don't have to tell me your question. I already know about that strange emotion you two have towards me. This girl called Spera is the same."

Hearing that, the three looked at each other in surprise, especially Spera whose expression and emotions were strangely overflowing.

"I decided to talk here since you three had the same circumstances. Actually, all of us here inside this room had the same experience."

As Mark finished that sentence, a marble sized crystal magically appeared on Mark's hand.

"A crystal similar to this. Six years ago. I'm sure, you three can still recall."

Those words filled the three with further shock as they stared at the crystal on Mark's hand.