The Path to Redemption

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓋𝑒

↞･:*✵*:･↠

I spent the next few days reading through the journal, pinpointing certain techniques I felt I would have more difficulty with, telling myself to take more time on those moves once I managed to get the space in which to practice.

As I flipped through the pages lazily, I huffed, bored out of my mind. I had been doing nothing all day, and I'd read through this journal countless times. There really wasn't much else for me to study. Getting up to grab some food from the kitchen, my thigh bumped into the table I had been sitting at previously. The book fell to the ground with a thud as the table shuddered.

Bending down to pick up the journal, I paused, seeing a small slip of paper protruding from the pages. Frowning, I lifted the paper, slipping it out from between the pages of the journal. Now curious as ever, I noticed the little slip was a large piece of aged paper, merely folded to appear minuscule before being stuffed into the journal. How I had not seen it before, I was not sure; but it was here now, and I was going to see what it had to offer.

Unfolding the slip, I felt my eyes widen as I recognized Aldous' handwriting scribbled upon the sheet. Small calculations lined the corners while ideas and notes were placed in the middle. I felt my eyes widen as I scanned the page, reading his notes on energy, how it was composed, how it could be used, how it could be manipulated, how it could be placed into a human being in a way that she could remain living.

It made no sense to me, but it was fascinating, nevertheless. Drawn in by the notes, I allowed myself to read more, the feeling of shock growing as the title relagudre appeared on the paper.

Furrowing my brow, I willed myself to read faster, my eyes dancing over the page. The writing was messy, done quickly as Aldous' brain had been whirring and whizzing with ideas, no doubt. But it was still legible, nonetheless.

The Relagudre, it read. A creature that can wield the power of lightning while also taking to the skies. The air is its domain, and it draws its power from the energy around it. The creature is stubborn, just as a bolt of lightning is, and has confidence unlike any other. The relagudre is a mysterious animal, none have ever been seen to man after they were brought to near extinction years ago.

Test number 12: the Relagudre.

In which a subject will be injected with high doses of blood from the relagudre for a week prior to tests. On the seventh day, the subject will be jolted with lightning in order to gain the power of the lightning and wind. The lightning will activate the blood cells within the creature's blood to bond with the subjects creating a hybrid of cells, thus giving them the powers of the relagudre. The amount of blood cannot be too large or too little—it must be a correct amount, or else the subject will perish like the last few.

The overall accomplishment of this test is to create a superhuman who can control lightning, bend it to their will, master the air currents and become the ultimate weapon.

The subject must be bold, intelligent, strong, high-willed and determined. They must have no remorse about their power while going through the process, or it will not work. This is due to the fact that the Relagudre's are stubborn creatures and never hold back. If the subject tries to reject the ability, it will consume them.

I wanted to stop reading there, for I already knew the outcome of this experiment—but I found I could not. I had to keep reading, no matter how difficult it was. There was something about his writing, about his notes and ideas that helped me understand myself further as I continued to discover more about why I had been created, what my purpose was, what I was.

Test Subject #4: Ariane.

Sarcastic character, creative mindset. Brown hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, slim figure. Seven years old, fairly young, but not too young to begin testing.