Chapter 10 – The Cost of Envy
The black room's oppressive darkness had melted away, replaced by a faint blue glow that pulsed softly, like the heartbeat of some ancient, living machine. Vaibhav stood at the threshold, his legs trembling under the weight of what he'd endured. His clothes were tattered, stained with blood that no longer flowed, his skin unmarred but his mind heavy with the echoes of pain. His eyes, though, burned with a new fire—something raw, unshakable, born in the crucible of the black room.
He stepped out, the crystalline door hissing shut behind him. The laboratory's sterile air hit him, sharp with ozone and the hum of unseen machinery. Lin Xuan stood by a glowing console, arms crossed, his black eyes glinting faintly white as he studied Vaibhav. Prabhat lingered nearby, his face unreadable but his posture relaxed, a quiet pride in his stance.
"You didn't break," Lin Xuan said, his voice low, carrying that calm menace that made the air feel heavier. "That's more than most can say."
Vaibhav's breath hitched, his fists clenching at his sides. "What… what was that place?"
Lin Xuan's lips curved into a faint, almost predatory smile. "A forge for your soul. You're stronger now, but strength without skill is just noise. You'll train. Hard. Starting today."
He gestured to a sleek, obsidian table where a stack of ancient-looking scrolls lay, their edges worn but glowing faintly with inscribed runes. Beside them sat a small, crystalline device, its surface etched with patterns that shimmered like liquid starlight.
"Martial techniques," Lin Xuan said, tapping the scrolls. "The Ninefold Shadow Strike and Voidstep Form. They'll teach you to move like a ghost and hit like a storm. The device holds a neural imprint—skills to sharpen your reflexes, your precision. Study them. Master them. You'll need them for what's coming."
Vaibhav nodded, his throat tight. He reached for the scrolls, fingers brushing the cool parchment, feeling the weight of Lin Xuan's expectations settle on his shoulders. "What's coming?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Lin Xuan's gaze darkened. "The Nexus doesn't forgive weakness. Neither do I."
Prabhat stepped forward, resting a hand on Vaibhav's shoulder. "You've got this, Vaibhi. One step at a time." His voice was steady, but there was a flicker of something deeper—relief, maybe, or pride.
Vaibhav managed a small nod, clutching the scrolls and device. He turned toward the crystalline lift, his steps unsteady but determined. The doors slid open, and he stepped inside, the lab's blue glow fading as the elevator hummed upward. The weight of the black room lingered, but so did the spark it had ignited. He wouldn't break. Not now. Not ever.
Back in the laboratory, the air grew colder, the hum of machines sharper, as if the room itself sensed what was coming. On a row of steel benches, seven figures lay bound, their wrists and ankles secured with glowing restraints that pulsed in sync with the lab's eerie rhythm. Vaibhav's bullies—faces once smug with cruelty—now twitched in uneasy unconsciousness, their breaths shallow.
Elara Nethyra, her silver hair matted with sweat, stirred slightly, her delicate features betraying none of the venom she'd once spat at Vaibhav. Beside her, Riken Takahashi's tall frame slumped, his jaw bruised from some earlier struggle. The other five—Kael Draven, with his sharp cheekbones and cruel smirk; Torin Vale, broad and muscular; Soren Kade, wiry and quick; Joren Holt, with his perpetually sneering lips; and Cassian Reed, whose cold eyes had always mocked Vaibhav's every step—lay in a neat row, their fates sealed by the man who now loomed over them.
Lin Xuan stood before a gleaming workbench, his movements precise, almost surgical, as he lifted a beaker filled with a viscous, faintly glowing liquid. The acid inside hissed softly, its fumes curling like vengeful spirits. His black eyes, faintly glowing white, reflected the liquid's eerie light, giving his face an otherworldly menace.
"You bastards," he said, his voice a low, venomous whisper that seemed to coil around the room, "shouldn't have touched him." He tilted his head toward Elara, his gaze sharpening. "And you, you little wretch—you were jealous of Alicia, weren't you? Her beauty, her grace, gnawed at you like a worm in your gut."
Elara's eyes fluttered open, wide with terror as she registered Lin Xuan's words. She tried to speak, but a gag muffled her voice, her body straining against the restraints. The others stirred, their groggy moans filling the air with a pathetic chorus.
Lin Xuan set the beaker down with deliberate care, picking up a small, hooked tool that gleamed under the lab's blue light. He stepped toward Kael first, the boy's sharp features contorting as he woke fully, eyes darting in panic. Lin Xuan's hand moved with chilling precision, clamping the tool around Kael's fingernail. With a slow, deliberate pull, he tore it free, the wet rip echoing in the sterile silence. Kael's muffled scream vibrated through his gag, his body arching against the restraints, veins bulging in his neck.
"You thought you could break him," Lin Xuan said, his voice calm but laced with a cold fury that made the air feel like ice. He moved to Torin next, repeating the motion, the nail peeling away with a sickening pop. Torin's eyes rolled back, his scream a choked gurgle, sweat mixing with tears as he thrashed uselessly.
One by one, Lin Xuan worked down the line—Soren, Joren, Cassian—each fingernail torn free with methodical cruelty, each muffled cry swallowed by the lab's unyielding walls. Blood welled from their fingertips, pooling in small, dark puddles beneath the benches, the metallic scent mingling with the acid's acrid bite. Riken was next, his tall frame shaking as Lin Xuan approached, his eyes pleading for mercy that would never come.
Elara was last. Her silver hair clung to her tear-streaked face as she shook her head, muffled sobs escaping her gag. Lin Xuan leaned close, his voice a whisper meant only for her. "You wanted to dim her light. Now you'll learn what darkness really is."
He poured the acid into a shallow tray, the liquid hissing as it met the metal. With a gloved hand, he dipped a thin blade into it, letting the acid coat its edge. He pressed the blade to Elara's forearm, not cutting deep but letting the acid sear her skin. Her scream, even through the gag, was raw, primal, her body convulsing as the burning spread, red welts blooming like grotesque flowers. The others watched, their own pain forgotten in the face of her agony, their eyes wide with terror.
Lin Xuan stepped back, his face unreadable, the beaker still in hand. He tilted it slightly, letting a single drop fall onto Riken's exposed hand. The boy's muffled howl joined the others, his skin bubbling and blackening where the acid touched. Lin Xuan's eyes never wavered, cold and unyielding, as if he were conducting an experiment rather than exacting vengeance.
"You thought you could hurt my family," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, yet it carried the weight of a death sentence. "You thought your petty cruelty would go unanswered."
He set the beaker down, picking up a small, glowing orb from the workbench—a device that pulsed with a faint, malevolent energy. He pressed it against Soren's chest, and the boy's body seized, his eyes rolling back as the orb's energy coursed through him, frying nerves without breaking skin. Soren's muffled screams faded into whimpers, his body slumping as the orb's glow dimmed.
Lin Xuan moved to each of them, the orb's touch leaving them trembling, broken, their spirits as shattered as their bodies. The lab's blue light cast long shadows, the hum of machines a cold counterpoint to the fading cries. Elara's head lolled, her silver hair stained with sweat and blood, her beauty marred by pain and fear.
The walls absorbed every sound, every trace of their suffering. No one above would ever know what happened here, in the depths of Lin Xuan's domain. The faint flicker of blue light danced across his eyes as he stepped back, surveying the wreckage of those who'd dared to cross his bloodline.
"Family," he murmured, almost to himself, "is all that matters."
He turned away, leaving the bullies to their pain, their fates sealed in the silence of the lab. The crystalline door hissed shut behind him, and the machines hummed on, indifferent to the cost of his vengeance.