The attendants carried on with the operation, taking a long, sharp scalpel from the tray of medical instruments.
Leo looked on, concern growing in his eyes.
` What sort of therapy could ever require a scalpel…? `
Just as he contemplated what the purpose of the instrument could be in this case, his eyes widened and jaw dropped upon witnessing its use.
One of the facility personnel ran a glove around Abel's neck, locating the carotid artery, and piercing it with the scalpel.
"What the hell are you doing to him?!"
Leo attempted to step forward. As he did, Nikolai pulled the side of his coat back, revealing the hilt of his blade.
"It's against facility policy for a visitor to interrupt the operation."
Leo froze, his breath caught in his throat.
He felt powerless as he stood there and watched the crimson flow from Abel's neck.
His hesitance at the sight of Nikolai's blade hadn't stemmed from the fear that he couldn't take him in battle, but instead the fear of what would come afterwards.
Violation of Reveur guidelines to that extent would surely guarantee his discharge.
So despite his wishes to revolt, Leo stood still, his arms straightened to his sides as he forced himself to watch.
The light had long left Abel's eyes by that point.
The attendants around Abel's corpse had moved his hospital gown to reveal his chest.
Shortly after, they created an incision on the right side of his chest.
Clean, precise, and deliberate.
Experienced.
Leo watched in pure horror as they utilized several different tools to open his chest cavity.
The attendants parted as one of them walked up to Abel's open chest with a set of large, rusted pliers.
Using the pliers, they reached inside and gripped something metallic.
Leo witnessed as the attendant raised out a lightly glowing gem, a red film clinging to it as it exited the chest.
Its iridescent color glistened and warped in the bright room, revealing several intricate symbols engraved into its surface.
A shiver jolted through his back.
"Is that…"
Nikolai cut him off, finishing his observation.
"His Eidcore."
Leo wasn't even sure what to say. He had always been told that Eidcores were incorporeal. Untouchable and lacking a physical form.
"I… How? How is that possible?"
Nikolai took a moment, forming his response in thought.
"Usually after death, the Eidcore implodes and releases its Somnia into the atmosphere. However, in a room lined with Somnia reflecting panels…"
He momentarily looked around, Leo following his gaze as he understood the implications.
"It has nowhere to go but inside itself, solidifying in the process."
Leo couldn't think. His mind had gone almost entirely numb as he stared back at Abel's corpse.
A memory of Mateo flashed in his mind.
` I caused this. This is all my fault. If I had just gone to take care of those Cryptids in Mateo's place, he'd still be here. And so would Abel. `
He remained silent, his eyes glued to the pale corpse.
There was so much to process in that moment.
Was this the fate of all Reveurs who came here? Is that what Abel was trying to tell him?
` He stopped mattering once he couldn't serve you! `
Leo winced as he remembered some of Abel's last words.
` Was he telling the truth? Did we really stop mattering as soon as we couldn't serve? … What the hell am I thinking? Of course we don't. Even after all those years of my service, they abandoned me as soon as I put the sword down. Mateo's hospital bills were ignored. And now Abel is here. To speak out is to die. `
He then thought of what he had said before the operation began.
His fists clenched at his sides in anger.
Angry that even for a moment he thought that Charlotte could have been mistaken about the system.
But even with this revelation, what could he do?
Revolting would result exactly in this. And even if they couldn't get him in that bed, Maria would surely be punished on his behalf.
The very idea of Maria being executed triggered a flame to boil inside him.
` Calm down, idiot. Calm down. `
After the long silence, he spoke.
"Nikolai."
He turned to Leo, an inhumane expression remaining on his face.
"Yes, Captain Morwyn?"
Leo's mouth opened then shut. What could he even say here? What weight would it hold against a man like that? And most of all, if he was going to criticize him, what kind of hypocrite would that make him?
He turned to Nikolai, returning his gaze.
"Why do you do this?"
Nikolai stood there for a while, thinking to himself.
He turned and continued down the hall, Abel's Eidcore in hand. Leo shortly followed.
The two walked in complete silence. The only noise being the buzzing of the lights overhead.
"To get what I want," Nikolai said at last. "I need power."
Leo studied his face. The usual artificial smile was now gone. What remained was the man's true face.
His grey, hollow eyes contained a monstrosity within them.
It was as if Leo was looking straight into the eyes of a Cryptid.
The most insidious Cryptid he had ever encountered.
His eyes turned forward.
He gave no response to that answer. Not that it was a real answer in the first place.
"What do you do with that?"
Leo nudged to the Eidcore.
Nikolai gave him a quick look and turned forward as he continued down the halls.
Leo assumed that he was going to show him, so he followed along.
Following Nikolai down a spiraling set of stairs, he found himself in a massive chamber.
Countless pipes, valves, and wires lined the dark brick walls.
Throughout the chamber were hundreds of generator-like appliances with wires and pipes leading in and out of them.
Each had a circular glass hatch on the front, most of them glowing a dim, gold-white hue.
Nikolai walked up to one that lacked this glow and opened its hatch.
Setting Abel's Eidcore within the generator, he tightly resealed the hatch and flipped a small switch.
Through the glass, the iridescent gem began to slowly glow brighter and brighter.
Leo remained speechless. His eyes empty and devoid of emotion as he gazed on at the tapestry of glowing lights lining the basement.
"What… is this?"
Nikolai's eyes glistened with the twinkling lights of the generators as he turned to Leo.
"Where else did you think Augustine got its energy?"
Hundreds of Eidcores burned behind the glasses, their glows lightly pulsating as if they were the very heartbeat of the city above.
Leo didn't bother to say anything else. He simply turned and left the chamber.
Soon after, he was out of the ICF.
He pulled out his report on Abel.
A small, singular dot of rain landed on the paper.
Leo continued to stare down at the paper.
After a moment, he took his pen and filled out the patient's condition.
"Dealt with."