Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Chapter 104

"So what you’re saying now is that after the serum, Mara is going to die." Berthanon repeated, wanting to make sure of what he heard.

The nurse nodded, her eyes glittering, "Yes." She paused for a moment, a careful expression on her face, "Don’t tell me you’re still concerned about her? You don’t want us to go on with this?"

"Concerned?" Berthanon scoffed. He looked up to her ceiling, his eyes squinting slightly. For a second, he said nothing, but then he sighed and continued, "Do what you must. What’s happening now is only a product of Mara’s actions. Since she refused to follow me, then we have to sacrifice her for the greater good. She only has herself to blame for what’s coming next."

The woman stood up, a huge smile on her face, "Of course! I’ll go ahead and start preparing the serum, in a few hours, Maya will be ready for it." She turned to go back into the hidden room but the sound of her heels stopped, looking back at Berthanon without turning.

She was curious about something and despite not wanting to ask at first, because she knows how Berthanon can be, she still wanted to.

"Berthanon... Maya’s death, are you really not concerned about it? After all, she was your..."

"I told you not to ask any questions, Oreva." Berthanon’s voice deepened, his eyes flashing red. He stood up, his fingers twitching as he walked towards Oreva, "When I brought you here, I told you two things." He leaned towards the small book shelf and picked up a very small remote he placed at the side of a book and then pressed the red button.

Oreva immediately fell to the ground, a painful shock coursing through her body. It felt like a million ants were gnawing through her system. Oreva groaned, biting her lips to keep the scream bubbling up from escaping her throat.

"And those two things were...?" Berthanon paused, looking at Oreva. His intentions were for her to finish what he wanted to say. However, Oreva was feeling so much that she could barely speak. She thought she might have been able to get used to the pain, but no matter how much he did this, the pain always seemed to come new and much worse.

"I’m talking to you, Oreva. How dare you space out when I’m here?!" Berthanon yelled.

Oreva looked up, her eyes watering. She was struggling to speak but Berthanon was smiling. For once, Oreva thought about how he would react if she stabbed her claws into his eyes and gouged it out. The only thing was that before she moved, Berthanon would see it and he would kill her. She was weaker than he was, she couldn’t afford to act recklessly.

So Oreva straightened her trembling body as much as she could and raised her head to look at him, "Do only what you’re brought here to do, don’t concern yourself with any other unrelated things."

"And?"

"Never question your words or your plans. Everything must be followed unconditionally." Oreva spat out the last part of the sentence and then Berthanon removed his hands from the button of the remote, making Oreva grunt from release.

The shock stopped and she slipped, her face hitting the ground, sweat dripping down her chin. She was breathing heavily, but forced herself to stand up. She couldn’t stay in the same room as this psychopath.

Oreva hurried towards the hidden room, eager to get away from Berthanon before he found another reason to keep her there. Her heels clicked against the floor as she approached the door, and she had almost reached for the handle when his voice stopped her.

"Oreva, one more thing. Make sure Maya doesn’t suspect anything. I don’t want her changing her behaviour or becoming difficult before we’re ready to administer the serum. Keep treating her normally, and don’t let her know what we’re planning. If I find out that you’ve told her even a single word about this, you’ll regret it. I hope you haven’t forgotten what happens to people who disobey me."

Oreva’s fingers tightened around the door handle. She didn’t turn around, nor did she dare show the expression on her face. She simply lowered her head and nodded, giving him the answer he wanted.

"Yes, Berthanon. I understand. I won’t tell her anything."

"Good. Now get back to work."

Oreva didn’t wait for him to repeat himself. She opened the door, slipped inside, and immediately locked it behind her. The moment she heard the lock click into place, the strength seemed to leave her legs. She stumbled forward before dropping to her knees, her hands catching the floor to prevent her from falling flat on her face. For a moment, she remained there, struggling to steady her breathing, but the tears had already begun falling.

She was crying again.

It was something she had become used to doing in silence. Whenever Berthanon hurt her, whenever she witnessed something she couldn’t bear, or whenever she remembered the things she had lost, she would find somewhere to hide and cry without making a sound. She had learned not to sob, not to scream, and not to let anyone hear even the smallest indication that she was suffering. The walls had ears in this place, and even the smallest display of weakness could become another reason for Berthanon to punish her. So she had learned to cry quietly, with her lips pressed together and her hands covering her mouth whenever the pain became too much.

Slowly, she lifted her head.

The enormous transparent tube stood before her, its contents illuminated by the pale lights attached to the machines surrounding it. Strange wires and pipes connected to different parts of the container, while the liquid inside moved gently around the small body floating in it. Oreva stared at the figure for a long time, unable to bring herself to look away. She had seen this sight countless times, yet it never became easier. If anything, each visit seemed to make the pain worse.

Inside the tube was the body of a little girl.

However, there was hardly anything ordinary about her appearance. Her head was noticeably larger than the rest of her body, making her small frame look even more fragile. One of her hands was a completely different colour from the other, while her legs didn’t match either. Even the proportions of her body were strange, with some parts looking as if they belonged to different people. It was difficult to tell what the little girl might have looked like before all of this happened, but the sight was enough to make Oreva’s chest tighten.

She crawled closer until she was directly in front of the tube. Her trembling hands slowly rose, and she placed both palms against the cold glass. The tears continued rolling down her cheeks, leaving wet trails as she stared at the little girl’s face. There were so many things she wanted to say, but none of them seemed enough to make up for what had happened. She swallowed painfully, trying to keep her voice steady, even though there was nobody else in the room to hear her.

"I’m sorry."

The words came out barely above a whisper.

Oreva lowered her forehead against the glass, her shoulders trembling as she tried to hold back the sob threatening to escape. She wanted to reach inside and hold the little girl, to take her away from the strange liquid and all the machines surrounding her. But she couldn’t. The glass stood between them, and no matter how many times Oreva came here, she could never cross that distance.

"I’m so sorry. I know I’ve said it before, but I’m still sorry. I didn’t want this to happen to you, and I never wanted you to end up like this. I should have done something sooner. I should have found a way to stop them, even if it meant putting myself in danger."

Her fingers spread against the glass, as if she could somehow touch the little girl’s hand through it. She stared at the mismatched limbs, her eyes filling with fresh tears. The little girl remained motionless in the liquid, completely unaware of the woman kneeling before her or the apologies being whispered through the silence.

Oreva closed her eyes. "Please forgive me."

She stayed there for a long time, crying without making a sound. Outside that room, Berthanon was already making plans to use Maya until there was nothing left of her, and Oreva had just been ordered to help him do it. She knew what would happen if she disobeyed, but the thought of allowing another person to suffer the same fate was becoming unbearable.

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to make a promise she wasn’t sure she could keep. For now, all she could do was kneel before the tube, press her hands against the glass, and apologise to the little girl who could no longer answer her.