Falling for him (Zayne X OC)

Aether core

Dr noah makes fish for us as we eat it for dinner "How's the fish? It's not much, but I caught it myself."

"This is the first time l've eaten a very sweet fish. It has a unique flavor." I said.

Zayne leans forward to me "Dr. Noah is very old, so his taste buds don't work anymore." I nod understanding.

After dinner, we sit in front of the fireplace together. Having eaten his fill, Pie sleeps between me and Zayne.
Dr. Noah puts on his spectacles and studies the files I brought.

"So your grandmother told you everything."dr Noah said.

"All she left me was this box of files. The rest I can only speculate." I said. "Is the Protocore in my heart really an Aether Core? And... was it placed there on purpose?"

"I don't know why or how the process was done, but in regards to the Protocore, even a minimally invasive surgery can leave behind traces." Dr. Noah looks up at me with expectant eyes. "If I had to guess, it might be your innate strength."

"How can that.."

"There are countless, seemingly impossible hypotheses behind every scientific conclusion. Before the Evol gene emerged, no one believed they could wield the power of nature."

"But all experiments have a purpose. What could the Aether Core in my heart possibly prove?"

"What were they trying to prove?" The old man laughs dryly and shakes his head. "Why do you think people want to go inside the Deepspace Tunnel? Some things are attractive by simply existing. Unraveling the unknown is a purpose in and of itself. Some are willing to do anything to achieve their goals. So silver, don't let anyone know about your Aether Core."

"While I haven't told everyone, Grandma is..." I try to suppress the pain in my heart and compose myself. "The person responsible for this will find me sooner or later. That's why I need to know what makes the Aether Core so special. You say there are people willing to do anything to achieve their goals. Who exactly?"

"Aether was originally something philosophers came up with-the fifth element, so to speak. No one can prove or disprove aether exists. Maybe that's the reason your grandmother called it aether. A mysterious energy that surpasses the other Protocores. Anyone who knows about it will desire it."

"...And anyone who has it will pay the price."

The Aether Core is at the center of an intricate web. What happened to my family is just one thread of it.

As if sensing my thoughts, Dr. Noah gently pats me on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. They shouldn't be able to find you any time soon. The amount of energy in your heart right now is far less than what the experimental data shows. It's possible an accident occurred in the final experiment, which reduced the Aether Core's power."

"Reduced the power?"

"I'm just guessing. This is beyond my field of expertise."

"Who else knows about the experiments?"

"To better understand your heart's condition, I tried to contact those researchers privately. But most had either died or disappeared.It'd be hard to find any of them today. Ah, I do recall your grandmother mentioning one had run away to... N109 Zone. They joined Onychinus." Onychinus?!
I didn't expect to hear that name from him. But after giving it some thought, it makes sense. "The fellow researchers started dying or disappearing soon after that."

only knew Grandma used to do scientific research, but she never mentioned what she researched. Our home also didn't have any hints about her past.

"Dr. Noah, I have one last question about Grandma. Was she the person... who put the Aether Core in my heart?"

"I don't know. I know very little about your grandmother. But silver, not everyone is lucky enough to do what is right in the beginning. We can only hope we'd have a choice to turn it into something we won't regret." Dr. Noah puts all the files back into the box and hands it to me. "Maybe this is the choice she made."