Veil of Corruption

Soon, a man in a black suit was escorted by an armored guard. Upon noticing the two people already in the room, he bowed and greeted them both.

"Good morning, Jaden and, uh... Silly...iah..." 

Before he could finish, or rather mispronounce her name, the captain interrupted him. 

"Why did you fight?"

Seth had rehearsed his lines, ready to play the victim. 

"Lieutenant Jaden used a grade 3 relic to attack me, and he was almost succ—"

Before he could finish, the captain interrupted in a calm tone, throwing him off track. 

"I'm asking about the Cabury monster. Why did you fight it?"

Seth hadn't anticipated this blunt question. The way she referred to Malo made it clear she shared her superiors' disregard. Yet, he couldn't help but feel surprised to see both the lieutenant and his captain showing concern for a bioweapon. 

Without wasting another moment in awe of the captain's affection, he spoke with knowledge and confidence.

"When a chaos-born is first chosen by the fracture, they are subjected to an Aether influx. I was merely recreating a similar environment for your subject so he could recover some of his essence through a comparable experience. It had to be sudden—I couldn't take my time explaining everything to the kid beforehand. Not only would it ruin the desired effect, but it might not work at all. To ensure the best possible result, it was designed to resemble an attack. As you know, fractures don't announce their arrival or intentions. This was the best decision I could think of. Besides, this method also reduced the chances of the subject becoming a complete monster compared to other approaches. I assume I don't need to explain why."

Seth was absolutely right and nailed it perfectly. If he hadn't acted so abruptly and directly poured his Aether into Malo, Malo wouldn't have experienced the same sensation as his first encounter with the fracture.

But there was a flaw in his logic; keeping Malo in the dark was one thing, but not informing Jaden, his handler, about his actions was another. 

Seth looked at Jaden with a mocking expression and said, "Furthermore, this is common knowledge, so I believed there was no need to explain it to the Lieutenant."

Captain Silia looked at Seth with a piercing gaze.

"Why did you expect Jaden to know you'd be recreating the fracture experience?"

Seth, in his usual tone, replied, "Isn't it obvious? Your subject needs to remember its power—that's the solution. I don't believe you thought there would be some magic to help him regain his ability."

Jaden might have believed it; he was emotional about Malo, which is why there was a lapse in judgment in his department. Hearing it, Jaden finally looked down, disappointed in himself. Seeing Jaden's reaction, Seth held back, even though he had intended to push further.

Captain Silia also considered holding Seth accountable for his actions but chose not to. Perhaps something in the past influenced Jaden's decision and watching him repeat it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

But she was not going to let this lunatic go scot-free.

"Regarding the disruption of security, endangering the lives of all the residents, and attacking an officer on duty, you are to be jailed in Lower Bay."

Lower Bay was an isolation ward; the lunatic wouldn't be held there for long, but it was enough to teach him a lesson.

Officer Jaden was demoted and reassigned to the departure bay area to oversee supply procurement. He was also removed as Malo's handler. However, it wasn't all bad—Malo's new handler was Seth Aurelius, which had been part of Jaden's plan, though that was before his altercation with Seth.

.......

Ten days later, a man emerged from a white room so bright it consumed all shadows within its range. The man had sharp and delicate facial features; he was tall and lean, dressed in a black suit with a fedora perched atop his head. His gaze was hazy and milky, his gray eyes appearing as though a veil covered his pupils.

Seth stretched his arms back, loosening up after spending days confined in the isolation ward. The door clicked shut behind him.

"Ah, freedom at last," Seth murmured, standing tall. Today, he would confront the very person who had kept him imprisoned in that stark white cage.

Behind the closed door, Captain Silia was reviewing the reports, with one file deliberately set apart from the rest. Upon hearing the announcement of an arrival, she opened the door. A man wearing a fedora entered her cabin, smiling.

Seth greeted his new employer, "Good morning, Captain."

The captain retorted, "I am not your captain. Address me as Ma'am."

Before Seth could respond, she spoke with clarity and authority.

"You are now assigned as the handler for Subject-017, as well as the instructor. You are to report weekly from now on."

Still smiling, Seth asked, "Will my salary also be raised?"

Seth wasn't actually an avaricious person. He was simply mocking by emphasizing the word "also," implying that everything was going well for him and he was still benefiting despite the punishment he'd faced, essentially ridiculing Silia's decision.

Silia noticed his intention but didn't bother responding to his question. Instead, she simply handed him a file.

"You can leave now."

Seth kept smiling as he took the file and said, "Have a good day, ma'am."

'Seriously, no reaction. That woman is no fun.'

He walked down the hallway with his usual stride, the sound of his footsteps echoing to the far ends of the hall. He didn't even glance at the file in his hand, which swayed rhythmically as he moved with his swinging arms. He looked like a child wandering through a garden, something straight out of a Ghibli film.

Finally, he stopped at the door of storage unit-731. Looking up at a well-hidden camera tucked into the shadowed corner of the frame, he smiled.

The person behind the camera frowned. 'Freak.'

The door opened, already flooded room with blinding white light that reflected in Seth's hazy pupils. He thought to himself, 'What a charming room!'