The Son of Light

Chapter 20 Takeshi's Haiku

Matthias awoke the next morning feeling extremely groggy and unwell. His stomach turned over slightly and he felt as if he had a cold. "Typical, just before we head back to the Internment Zone I have to go and get sick." He rose and entered his bathroom and was just about to reach for his toothbrush, when his eyes bulged in shock at his reflection. The scrawny, malnourished body of his was now fully figured, his chest and shoulders broad and full of bulking lean muscle. The same was with his arms, back and stomach. In fact every inch of him was full of muscle that most certainly hadn't been there yesterday. "How in the world? . . ." He faltered staring at himself. Wondering if it was just a trick of the light, Matthias checked himself on the small scale he own next to his bathroom. Last he checked he was  110 lbs. Stepping up, Matthias saw that the scale read him to be 160 pounds! A 160 pounds? He thought at first that the machine was broken, but after inspecting the scale he had to conclude that it was indeed the correct weight. 

Matthias had absolutely no answer to this anomaly, and after gazing at himself for twenty whole minutes of bewildered analysis he became more fearfully perplexed. Wanting to calm his nerves he quickly reached for his toothbrush. After hastily brushing his teeth, he dressed quickly. Checking himself in the mirror again with his clothes on this time, it seemed his clothes gave no indication of his sudden weight gain. Perhaps this is what they called a "Sleeper Build" yet that didn't explain how he had gotten this mass without any kind of training. Only then did Matthias permit himself to remember the events of last night. He had eaten the heart of his enemy, Doyle. In that moment, he had instantly felt like he was bursting with energy and power. Invincible power! But then . . . No, it couldn't be. He had gained all this simply because he ate the heart of a man? Unsure how to proceed with this supposition Matthias opened the door and headed downstairs. As he past the stairwell which led to the kitchens, he remicisnt how he had washed the blood from his hand in the butcher's sink when he had snuck back in through the kitchen door, and wondered if the cook could tell the difference between animal and human blood? Ruffling his hair which had grown considerably since he cut it last, he walked into the dining room taking only a bit of toast and one egg and sausage as his ailment still threatened to regurgitate his breakfast. As he bit into the frank, he suddenly gagged and spat it out. Confused, he tried a smaller bit but again he couldn't bear to taste it. Irritated and annoyed he finished his toast and egg just before they were all called to Wandy's office. Wandy came striding his face bore the expression of sustained fury, an expression Matthias hadn't seen before on Wandy's face that caused him to quake. "WOULD ANYONE CARE TO EXPLAIN THIS!?" Roared Wandy brandishing a Newspaper article which he than read to all of them. 

"On thursday evening, residents of the Brentburg borough were shocked to find the Doyle Family which lived at Number 31 Ogorzow avenue, had been brutally murdered, molested and what appeared to be, rape! The Chief of the borough's COPS Office refused to give comment on the details but stated that "Whoever committed these heinous acts, is no human being but an animal! An animal who deserves no sympathy, but the most brutal judgment the courts can give!" Neighbors of the Doyle estate said they heard nothing unusual except for a loud bang, which they had believed to be a car backfiring, while other simply believed it to be a very loud popping of a cork of Dom Perignon. The police found these statements to be odd, given the neighbors proximity to the estate, and what they argue to be "A stark difference between the sound of a cork popping and a gunshot." But as one neighbor stated, who asked for his identity to be kept anonymous, "Who ever heard of a gun being fired in this neighborhood? Tragedies like this don't happen amongst decent people!" The mayor of Asvaldr promised reporters and other press correspondences that the committee of public safety bureau investigation into the crime would soon yield results and that those responsible would face judgment of the highest order. "Many of our citizens feel this harkens back to the days that led up to the war, when Ghüddsche nationalists attacked and harmed those they deemed inferior to them. Rest assured if this is the work of Ghüddsche nationalists, they will be swiftly crushed under the triple alliances cooperative forces!"