Test Complete

'So to get more power, and activate everything that comes with this ability, I have to kill and absorb more blood, huh?'

Dorian thought, glancing down at his palm, which had already closed up after the tendrils vanished. He looked over his arms and noticed the wound there had closed too, it barely left a mark.

The only ugly visible scar was the one on his wrist. And even now, it hadn't healed, despite the fact he hadn't touched or reopened it. He'd hoped it would fade away with the others.

Yet, once again, it remained, staring right back at him like a reminder of what being powerless could do to a person.

'Hah.'

Dorian let out a heavy breath, letting his shoulders slump as his body relaxed. He waited for a moment longer, just in case there were any more surprises lurking nearby.

He was partially glad about the look on Aurora's face, since she was already doubting him, he could tell.

Though, he wasn't exactly comfortable with having to prove himself when it wasn't necessary.

"What a waste," he muttered, slowly letting go of himself. He closed his eyes and fell backward into the grass. There was a soft thud as he landed, and he smiled faintly when he barely felt any pain from the fall.

Then he reached around him and grabbed a handful of the grass.

"Well, look at that. The grass is real."

He lay there for nearly a minute, gaze fixed on the bright sky above, watching birds fly lazily by.

The air was warm, annoyingly so, but he was too exhausted to care, much less move.

'Should have thought of a plan instead of attacking with full force,' he thought, eyes drifting to the lifeless body of the beast lying a short distance away.

'Argh... It's a little unfair that blood fuels my pool and core and not my stomach'

Dorian bit his lip at the sudden, thought of food, specifically waffles. He licked his dry lips and slowly closed his eyes, hoping to sneak in a few minutes of sleep.

That was when he stopped feeling the sun on his face.

His brows furrowed in annoyance, and he instinctively raised a hand to shade himself, but the sun didn't return.

He snapped his eyes open, only to find Rose looking down at him, with worry in her eyes.

"Rose?"

Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she knelt beside him. Her eyes were very red, but she looked away too quickly for him to confirm it.

Dorian frowned, her looking like that could only mean one thing. And if that happened, then someone must have done something.

In a low tone, he muttered, "…Were you crying? Did someone touch you?"

"No," she said immediately, her hands already moving over his arms. "Shut up. Let me check for wounds."

Dorian raised a brow but didn't argue. Not with her hands so soft and warm against his cold skin. She pushed back the sleeve of his jump suit, and when she saw the already healed cuts, her brows twitched, but she said nothing.

"Any pain?" she asked, pressing gently near his ribs.

"A little… Only when I breathe."

"Then stop breathing too hard."

He smirked, even as he winced when her fingers brushed a bruised spot. "Ouch. Okay, noted."

She shifted her focus to his wrists and arms. Her hands paused over the mark still on his skin, the only one that hadn't healed. Her thumb hovered above it for a second longer than necessary before she looked up at him again.

"What is this?"

"A tattoo. I'm considering becoming a fashion icon," he mumbled, blinking slowly. "Or a living warning sign."

Before Rose could scold him or press further, loud footsteps came crashing through the brush.

"Waffle delivery!" Benson shouted, waving a hand like he was returning from battle. He skidded to a halt in front of them, one hand clutching a bottle of water, the other holding half a slightly crushed waffle on a paper plate.

"I told him to bring those," Rose muttered, already pulling the water from his hands.

She handed Dorian the bottle and gently pushed him into a seated position.

"Drink slowly or you'll puke, okay?"

Dorian nodded, he took the bottle, then eyed the waffle with something close to excitement, "You… you understand me," he whispered, reaching for it with a zmile.

Benson plopped onto the grass beside them, panting from the run. "...You were insane out there."

"Stupid is the word," Rose corrected. "You scared me half to death."

"Insanely stupid," Benson nodded. "But, impressive."

Just then, the sound of boots came again, and Aurora walked to them, her coat stained at the edges but otherwise completely fine. She was already staring at Dorian, her expression unreadable at first, then it shifted into something... far stranger.

"Your abilities really shot past my expectations," she said flatly, now stopping beside Rose.

Dorian froze mid-bite. "Uh... thanks?"

"No." She crouched down slowly, her eyes gleaming with something between excitement and curiosity. "I mean it. Whatever you awakened has never been recorded, and I could tell that this is just 0.1 percent of that power." She tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. "You're holding back, Dorian, and that's extremely annoying. However... whatever that thing you did was, it seemed almost like you were an actual beast. And yet, you—"

"Aurora," Benson warned.

"—you remained human, or that's what I think. I noticed you kept checking to see if we were alright."

Dorian shook his head and pointed at Rose. "I don't care what happens to you as long as she's fine."

Aurora's grin twitched, and her brows curved into a frown. "That's a mean thing to say to your boss, but I'll let it slide. Let's put that aside, I want to see what happens if we push you furth—"

"Okay, time to walk away." Benson jumped to his feet, grabbed Aurora by the shoulders, and began steering her backwards like she was a ticking time bomb—which she actually was. "You leave the kid alone until his registration is complete and approved by the Chairman."

Aurora frowned but let herself be dragged, still watching Dorian with keen interest, "Fine." She raised her hands and waved at Dorian. "We'll talk after your introduction," she called out before disappearing into the facility with Benson.

Dorian smiled faintly. He wasn't sure he understood everything she said, but he was certain she mentioned introduction and him being mean.

'But I'm not mean though,' he thought, taking another sip of water. He clenched his fist around the bottle and turned to look at Rose, who stood up, brushing off her knees.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, mostly." He also got to his feet, wobbling a little. "How do I look?"

"Weak which is normal, but you're a little pale," Rose said flatly. "Come on, I have to get you some medication before you meet the others. I heard you've got quite an audience."

"An audience?"

"Yup," Benson said, popping back into view suddenly. "The others are waiting. Word spreads fast within the facilities, and apparently, your little performance turned some heads." He scratched his head nervously as he laughed. "I should have made sure all the cameras were disconnected from the main desk."

Dorian blinked. "Wait—others as in...?"

"All the cadets, some officers from the mega cities, the doctor who sent that letter, and probably the entire board overseeing this facility," Benson listed off with zero emotion. Then he exhaled. "Once they heard the kid who escaped a facility after awakening was around, they suddenly decided to come to work today."

"Oh," Dorian said, suddenly very aware of the dirt on his back and the crumbs on his clothes. "Fantastic."

"Let's go," Rose said, but she paused and looked at the bottom part of his cloth soaked with blood. "Can you walk?"

Dorian nodded but glanced down at his hands. "I'm going to need a little clean-up and a change of clothes before I present myself though."

Benson shrugged. "That won't be an issue. Your equipment is almost finished anyway, so they should have the basic uniform ready."

"Then that's wonderful."

Dorian smiled as he gulped the last of the water and handed the empty bottle over to Rose. He took her outstretched hand to steady himself and then walked slowly behind her.

However, he cast a side glance at the lifeless body of the beast. Its skin was breaking apart, turning into ash like something being burnt.

He shifted his gaze to the eye he had left untouched, and for a split second, he swore he saw it glow faintly before vanishing as well.

It might have just been his mind playing tricks on him, as usual.