A True Machine

Becoming A Machine

As I stood outside Olivia's office, I fidgeted nervously. She was the headmistress of Beacon, after all. It was my dream to come and train here. I saw the door open and a group of students walk out. Each one had colour coded clothes and hair. One red, one yellow, one white, and one black. They were all girls, naturally.

'Come in!' I heard a voice call. I entered the room. Just as I was about to greet Olivia and request entrance into her school, she answered me before I got the first word out. 'Oh. No, you're not allowed in my school.' My face fell.

'Wh-why?' I asked. I could feel a panic attack coming on. I always felt rather apprehensive around women, but I only had panic attack when they acted harshly or overly bluntly.

'Because you're a guy. Men are weaker, slower, and less endurant than women, and can't unlock auras. You'd be useless on the battlefield. So no. Now leave my school.' Olivia said rudely. This was the norm. Women, most of the time, treated men as inferior.

'O-okay...' I said dejectedly as I walked out.

I entered the lift and went to the ground floor, where I exited the school and walked towards Vale. I didn't really have anywhere else to go. Dad died when I was five in a car accident, and I watched my mum was killed by a team of corrupt huntresses a few months ago, which was why I had gynophobia. I didn't have a home, either, seeing as I lost it a month after my mother's murder because I couldn't afford the rent, what with no job, income, or parents. Then, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

'(Y/N) (L/N)?' I saw a post boy ask.

'Yes?'

'I have a letter for you.' He handed me the letter, and then left without another word.

'A letter, huh. I wonder what it says.' I thought as I opened it. Inside it was a single small piece of paper 8cm by 10cm. On it was written an address and a time. It said to meet up at 48 Rookery Road at midnight. On the corner of the page was a logo. It was a black circle with a grin extending past the contours of the shape.

I decided it was in my best interests to go have a look. After all, I had nothing else to lose. It was currently 22:52, so I began to make my way to the designated location. Once there, it was 23:58. I entered the building, which was an old, disused storehouse. The moment the bells struck midnight, a figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a humanoid creature. However, it wore black clothes, including cloves, covering most of its features. The only visible thing was the bottom of its extremely pale face, which was contorted in a wide disturbing grin, almost like the one on the letter.

'Hello, Mr. (L/N).' It said.

'H-how do you know my name?!' I said, alarmed, pointing my finger at it.

'That's for me to know, and for you to never find out.' It chuckled slightly. I gulped. 'I would like to offer you once in a lifetime opportunity.'

'What do you mean?'

'Wouldn't you like to become a Hunter?' It said, enticingly. I was flabbergasted. 'Not only that, but both the first Hunter, and most powerful.' It practically purred the last part, tempting me beyond belief.

'Wh-what is it?'

'Oh, nothing much. If you agree, well put something in you that'll change you forever. You'll have the equivalent of a machine's endurance, speed, and strength.' It said.

'What would you have me to?'

'Just sign this piece of paper here, and you'll be free and have powers you would believe were possible.'

'It sounds too good to be true.'

'Perhaps. But, wasn't it you who said: "I had nothing else to lose"? You might as well.' It handed me a black feather, dripping with a black liquid, and a contract. I didn't read it through that well. 'It says you won't try and find us, stop us, or do anything potentially harmful to the company.'

'What company?' I asked.

'Insanity Inc.' The name resounded throughout the building, but it sounded as if it came from a large distance away.

'And what do you do?'

'We advance plots, as well as thousands of other things.' It pointed at the paper. 'Now sign. I'm getting impatient.' And so I did. The contract then melted into a pitch black goop, along with the pen, and slimed towards the creature. 'Good. Here you go.' It got up close to me and placed a needle in my arm, quickly injecting me with its contents. 'Ta-ta.' It slowly sunk back into the shadows.

'Wait!' I cried out. It paused. 'Who are you? What are you?' I asked.

'I'm mad, the founder of Insanity Inc.' and with that, it sunk into the darkness, never to be seen again.

On my way out of the room, I noticed a group of women harassing a small old man for his bag. I wanted to say something, but I simply couldn't muster up the courage. I would have walked away, had they not came up to me.

'Oi! What-choo lookin' a', eh?' The largest one asked. Another came up to me and attempted to grab me by the shirt. However, before she could, my right arm suddenly became a five metres long broadsword. What was most surprising was that it didn't feel heavy at all. In fact, it felt like an extension of myself. The woman all looked shocked. 'Come on, gals. Let's get outta here.' One said and scrambled to get away from me and around a corner. The sword disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. The old man thanked me before walking away in the dark night.

What the hell did they do to me...?