Chapter 14- Inconsistency 

Malice never thought that the drastic change in his body due to the core formation could actually make him feel different too on an emotional level. Just jumping a few times filled him with indescribable excitement. Something he had never experienced before.

'I feel so strong!' He smiled before he clenched and unclenched his fists. Then, he took a stance and launched a sluggish punch. The speed was quite amazing even if he ignored his non-existent technique.

Then, he tried running around the room and he noticed that his speed also increased. After taking a few laps, he stopped.

"This definitely needs some adjustments but I like it! I didn't think I would gain such a boost of power this suddenly." He murmured.

Avatar didn't specify what kind of change he was about to undergo and how drastic it was going to be. 

'I can finally go back to the white chamber. Maybe I will do that after today's lessons since I don't want that guy Cipher to get suspicious.' He thought to himself as he headed into the bathroom to wash his face.

Stopping in front of the mirror, he was about to open the faucet when he noticed something. "Hm?" Raising an eyebrow, he slowly touched a strand of his long hair. "Did my hair grow longer too?"

Before, his hair reached right below his ear and the bangs reached his eyes. But, now they were almost covering his face down to his cheeks which he only noticed now when he looked in the mirror.

"Also… My height? I'm taller!" He murmured. "I'm noticing more and more changes now. This is insane."

He had really been changed a lot, as if he was pulled out of his own body and put in a completely new one. It only made Soul Essence seem more magical in his eyes than ever before. This weird energy could do all of this to his body in a few hours of time. It was mind-boggling how that was possible.

With that in mind, he washed his face and then left the room. It was still early in the morning and the sun was barely peeking from the horizon. As he was walking, Malice noticed that he had a few notifications that he didn't see.

Opening them, he listened to each one. 'Interesting, so it did happen during my sleep. I thought I would notice but I guess not. Though, what does it mean by bodily functions?' He rubbed his chin as he thought about it. 'I will ask Cipher more about it.'

Reaching the living room, he looked around him confusedly. This was his second day in this place so he didn't recognize many of the rooms surrounding him. 

'Is he still asleep? I should check the lab.' 

Reaching the double metal doors, he knocked and waited. A few seconds later, the doors parted open so he could walk inside. There, he found Cipher, sitting in front of the computer screen, tapping on the keyboard.

'Huh? He's here? Did he spend the entire night working?' 

From what he could see, Cipher most likely didn't leave the lab after releasing Malice. The man didn't even seem tired after spending hours working on a computer. 'I guess that's what comes with power…'

"Ehem, uh, good morning?" Malice said with a frown. This was the first time he had ever said that word so it rolled out of his tongue so weirdly.

"Shh, I'm almost done," Cipher said as he continued tapping. "Sit down there."

The boy nodded and sat down to wait. Watching the man work was quite impressive. His fingers moved so fast on the keyboard that he couldn't even keep up with it with his own eyes.

Images and incomprehensible words kept popping up at a rapid pace. Eventually, Cipher clicked one last button and the screen turned off before he turned around.

"Why did you wake up early?" He asked.

"I usually wake up around this time. I can't sleep any longer." He said. Malice's circadian rhythm kept his schedule rather perfect for a slum rat.

He wakes up early, eats something if he has food, goes out to hunt one or two pouches of money, and then retires to his small cardboard box to rest. It was a cursed routine, as far as he was concerned.

"Good, that spares me the trouble of trying to wake you up early every morn-... Hmmm?" At some point, Cipher went completely silent as he stared at Malice with his sharp eyes.

The latter flinched for a second under the cold eyes of the blonde man. He still needed some time to get accustomed to this man's sharp glare.

"Did your core already form?" He asked, eventually.

"Uh, yeah, I was about to tell you. It happened during my sleep." Malice replied. 

"... Interesting." Cipher then stood up and walked toward one of the machinery he had stationed in his lab. The machine was akin to a human-sized capsule made out of glass and wired into multiple other machines.

Tapping on a button, it opened up with some steam coming from inside. "This machine can scan your entire body and do a full analyses of your anatomy and the Soul Essence within you. I need to see for myself what kind of state your body is in. Get in here." He said.

Malice stared at the machine for a moment before he nodded and walked inside it. The interior was a little colder than the outside but it wasn't too uncomfortable.

"Cross your arms." He said as he walked to the computer and started tapping on it. Then, the glass door started closing. A few seconds later, Malice saw a red light emerge from the top of the capsule that slowly moved down, scanning his entire body.

Meanwhile, on the computer screen, a full image of Malice's body was being processed in real-time. Cipher looked at the screen stoically.

'Interesting. His bodily functions have improved a lot. His other vital signs are also stronger than before.' He thought to himself as he watched the data appearing on the screen. 

Eventually, the scan finished and the door to the capsule was opened. Malice slowly emerged, feeling rather odd.

'That was something…'

"It seems your physical abilities have improved. That's good enough to start your physical training as soon as possible and by that, I mean today."

"..." The boy took a moment to understand that before he nodded. "I don't mind."

He already anticipated the physical aspect of the training to begin so it didn't come as a shock that Cipher wanted to start immediately. It was very much in-character.

'Though it will definitely be hell on earth. Maybe with Soul Essence now, I won't feel as destroyed if I exert myself. Let's hope.' He added in his head. That's when Malice remembered something. 'Wait, something ain't right…'

He didn't know why, but his brain suddenly remembered a detail Avatar had told him before. It was when she was about to present the Soul Essence Serum to him. She said that the only way someone could gain the ability to control the Soul Essence is when they use such Serum.

However, from what he can see, Cipher didn't seem to be confused as to how Malice was able to form a Soul Core without having any access to a Serum of his own. He didn't even mention it this entire time they have been together.

'Huh… Did I miss something?' He rubbed the back of his head. 

Something didn't add up in his head. Was he mistaken about what he remembered? No, those were quite clear and concise words Avatar had spouted. Then, was Cipher hiding the fact that he was suspicious of Malice? That was the highest possibility but for some reason, it still didn't make sense.

Cipher was stoic and emotionless, but he wasn't impossible to read. If he had such a thought in his head, Malice believed that he would notice it at least once. 

The boy found himself completely lost in a subtle yet heavy dilemma. 'Am I being played? Should I ask him about it? No, that wouldn't work. I should ask Avatar then. She must have some kind of explanation for this.'

If it turns out that a Serum wasn't required to connect with the World Beyond, then what the hell did Avatar inject him with? And if her words were correct, then why the hell is Cipher not being suspicious of him?

Feeling his heart race a little, he took a deep breath to calm down. There was no point in panicking now. He had to find the reason for this as fast as possible.

"Oi, kid!" At that moment, Cipher's voice snapped him out of his daze. "What are you doing?"

"What?"

"I said follow me." He said as he opened the double gates and walked out. Malice stared at the man's back for a second before he shook his head and walked after him. His mind was a little clouded with questions but he didn't let it consume him too much.

The two walked through the suite and reached another room, far less eye-catching than the laboratory. Opening the door, Malice was welcomed with an interesting sight.

the first thing that he noticed was the blinding lights of LED panels lining the walls, casting vibrant colors and swirling patterns across the room. His eyes widened as he took in the sleek, futuristic design of the gym equipment riddling the place.

Machines made of materials he had never seen before. Some of them looked more complex while others looked far simpler but still very advanced.

"My personal gym. This is where you will improve your physical abilities even more." Cipher turned around and said.