"This will be the last... I'm sorry for everything you've been through." The scientist's eyes betrayed a hint of guilt, hidden beneath the cold gaze he fixed on the syringe in his hands.
A small amount of liquid dripped from the syringe, ensuring it was the correct dose. It wasn't as if he cared what he was about to do.
In front of him stood a large, vertical capsule, connected to multiple machines via tubes, cables, and valves distributed across its surface. Each connection seed to serve a specific function, keeping the system running constantly.
The interior was completely filled with a semi-transparent green liquid, clear enough to see what was inside without difficulty.
In the center, suspended without touching the walls, floated the body of a completely naked boy.
His body was in poor condition. It bore a large number of scars scattered across his torso and limbs. There were visible burns, bruised areas, and multiple open cuts that did not remain static: the skin was slowly closing, regenerating at a steady but clearly perceptible pace.
Dozens of needles were inserted into various points on his body, connected to external systems by thin tubes. The external systems continuously recorded his activity. The sound of the monitors was constant, a repetitive beep that marked his vital signs without pause.
His eyes were open. Staring directly at the scientist in front of the capsule, without looking away. His mind was a blank. Using his eyes like a simple cara, devoid of thought.
"We have discovered cures for multiple diseases thanks to you, including curing cancer non-invasively and with ease..." the scientist continued, his hands moving toward the IV bag in front of him, connected to the machine containing the boy.
He raised the syringe and attached it to the side port of the IV line, at the exact point where the flow descended into the main system. He pressed firmly. The colorless liquid entered the tube and mixed with the existing solution. The flow continued down the line, entering the system that distributed the contents to the capsule and, from there, to the boy's body.
"But as you know, everything cos to an end..."
His words carried an air of exhaustion and disappointnt.
"Your body won't be able to withstand any more tests; the latest results showed that your healing factor was growing weaker and weaker."
They had been working on this project for several years, and it was finally coming to an end. If all the scientists were tired, he didn't want to imagine what the poor boy in front of him was feeling right now—if he was feeling anything at all at this point.
"The higher-ups decided then to stop funding all of this. If the public knew how all these new advances were discovered…" He paused briefly. He shifted his gaze to the other scientists present, lined up around the capsule, watching in silence. "I don't want to imagine what that might cause…"
The coldness of his final words was more of a reminder to the public; the boy simply kept his gaze fixed on the face in front of him. During the early years, he had deeply hated and rejected that face, mostly expressionless.
The scientist had been the main culprit behind the hell the boy had lived through, but over ti, accompanied by pills and experints, all his emotions had been dulled and hidden. Replaced only by a constant sense of fatigue and boredom.
"Even if the world doesn't know it, you are a hero to all of humanity..." The words ca out slowly, as if trying to soothe the boy's soul, which was gradually fading away.
There was a minimal reaction from the young man. A slight shift in his gaze.
A word ford in his mind: hero.
The concept was clear. It required no interpretation. Soone who benefits others without getting anything in return.
His life was, for the most part, constant suffering for the sake of others. It wasn't sothing he had truly wanted, but a life without purpose is rely existing. He had lived so long, just waiting for his body to give everything it had to give.
The fact that the boy's death would serve a greater good brought him peace. His wish to die would be granted, and he had spared thousands or millions of people from suffering even a fraction of what he himself had endured.
"Shut everything down, decontaminate the area, and then destroy everything!" The order was direct, without variation.
"Yes, sir!"
The room changed imdiately. The staff began carrying out tasks in parallel: data extraction, record deletion, equipnt shutdown, surface cleaning. Every action followed an established procedure.
Inside the capsule, the boy watched the activity without shifting his posture. His eyelids began to droop gradually. Activity in his body was decreasing. The readings on the monitors began to drop steadily.
The boy raised his arm with difficulty. The movent was slow and incomplete. The boy's hand reached the glass of the capsule and stopped there, lacking the strength to press against it.
'Finally... Will I be able to see a new dawn?'
He closed his eyes.
The sound of the monitor continued for a few more seconds, marking increasingly longer intervals, until it stopped completely.
The head scientist approached the control panel. He looked at the final readings. He reached out and turned off the device.
"Rest in peace, son..."
***
"It's coming out! Mrs. Toga, push harder!"
Orders overlapped rapidly inside the delivery room. The dical team pushed the stretcher down the hallway, maintaining a steady speed without losing control on the turns. The wheels vibrated slightly on the polished floor, while the white ceiling lights reflected evenly off every surface.
On the stretcher, the woman was breathing irregularly, with short intervals between contractions. Her abdon was tense, her gown damp in the lower region. Sensors attached to her skin transmitted real-ti data to a portable monitor: elevated heart rate, rising blood pressure, regular contractions.
At her side, a doctor watched the progress without looking away. She wore sterile gloves and kept her hands in position, ready to intervene at the precise mont. A nurse adjusted the height of the drip connected to the IV line, regulating the flow. Another checked the instrunts arranged on a tal tray: forceps, scissors, pads, all organized for imdiate use.
"Fully dilated! The head is crowning!"
The information was clear. The midwife adjusted her position, eyes fixed, to receive the newborn baby.
"On the count of three… one, two, three, push!"
The woman's response was imdiate. Her body tensed completely, applying force in a coordinated manner. A loud scream escaped her mouth as her back arched slightly, trying to expel the life inside her.
At that mont, the equipnt registered a fluctuation.
A subtle burst of barely perceptible energy rippled through the air. It wasn't visible, but everyone present felt a slight jolt in their chest, as if the atmosphere had shifted in density. The lights flickered for just a fraction of a second. So monitors beeped with interference. Nothing that would halt the procedure, but enough to make even the most experienced frown.
The doctor didn't stop. Her fingers moved with controlled speed, and with a gentle tug, a tiny figure erged into the world.
"It's done! It's a boy!"
The body, bloodied and covered in amniotic fluid, moved slowly. The baby's eyelids fluttered before opening. And then, his eyes t the light of the world… without a cry, without a whimper. A silent, intense, and empty gaze, uncharacteristic of a newborn.
The female doctor's expression was one of concern, ready to perform the necessary maneuvers to clear his airways.
And just then, the cry burst forth.
"Stabilize his vital signs. Take him to the incubator for imdiate evaluation!"
The mother, gasping and her face contorted with effort, smiled through her tears as she tried to see her son.
"My baby…" she whispered, before exhaustion swept her into unconsciousness.
The mother was taken to the postpartum ward without resistance.
The newborn was placed in a heated crib. additional sensors were attached to the newborn's body: temperature, heart rate, neurological activity, and a reading for the genetic factor associated with Quirk.
The vital signs were normal. The additional reading was not exactly so.
The system did not flag an error. Nor did it provide a clear result. Only variations within a range that did not correspond to any standard record, but were also not outside of expectations.
One of the attendants checked the screen but made no comnt.
It was not an isolated case for a newborn to manifest their Quirk in the early stages. Although most activations occurred years later, there were docunted precedents dating back to the appearance of the first individual with this condition.
The protocol did not call for imdiate intervention in these cases, unless there was a life-threatening risk.
And that was not the case.
***
'A new chance…'
That was the thought of the baby in the arms of the woman who, just a few hours earlier, had brought him into the world after a great effort. The tiny body, still sowhat trembling and wrapped in a hospital blanket, rested on his mother's chest, feeling the gentle warmth of her skin and the rhythmic thud of her heart.
It was comforting. Not so much because of the contact itself, but because that presence… was real. Human. Warm. No cold scrubs or syringes piercing his skin. He didn't rember anything like this, at least not after he started being treated like a full-ti experint.
The baby didn't even fully understand what was happening, whether because his mind was confused or still too caught up in the effects of years and years of drugs that had affected his mind.
He opened his eyes slowly.
The light was dim, but enough to make out the outline of the face watching him intently.
A young woman with light blonde hair and brown eyes that shone with tenderness held him with both hands, as if she feared the slightest movent might harm him. Her features were soft, and though fatigue still weighed on her eyelids, an honest smile crossed her face.
There was no trace of coldness in the woman's gaze, nor of calculation or hidden motives. Only contained, genuine emotion, like soone who had just received sothing too precious to describe.
"Hello, my love…" she whispered in a hoarse, exhausted, yet deeply loving voice. "You are so beautiful…"
The baby stared at her intently, though his little face showed no emotion. In his thoughts, his emotions translated into a few words.
'She… is my mother'
There was no resistance to the thought.
The woman adjusted the position of her hands slightly, holding him close to her body. The movent was careful, causing no discomfort. The feeling of security increased dramatically with just that small gesture.
As the baby enjoyed the new sensations, the door opened.
The sound was faint, but enough to divert his attention. He still couldn't control his body at will, but the baby slowly turned his eyes to look at the doorfra.
A slender man with brown hair slicked back and a fairly ordinary face entered, his gait betraying a mix of nerves and obvious joy. He carried a small bouquet of sowhat disheveled flowers in his hands.
The man's expression changed the mont he saw the baby, as if observing a piece that was as delicate as it was beautiful. The joy of a father seeing his son, alongside his mother, perfectly well.
"How are you?" he asked with a smile he couldn't hide.
"Co look at him… He just opened his eyes," said the woman, and she gently offered him the baby.
The man approached slowly, as if afraid of disrupting the mont with his re presence. His eyes t the innocent, deep amber eyes of the tiny infant.
"Hello, little one…" he said at last, gently touching the tiny hand peeking out from under the blankets. "I'm your dad."
The baby's consciousness stirred once more.
'Dad'
The man who had ruined his previous life was also his forr father; however, this ti there were no cold stares, no feigned concern, and certainly no resentnt.
Instead, a look of pure love was what he received. A trendous contrast.
"And what are we going to call him, honey?" the woman asked sweetly, her eyes fixed on the man beside her. The man looked at the baby for a mont, his mind running through all the options he'd considered since his wife had told him they were having another baby.
The man opened his mouth slowly, hesitating over his final decision, looking at the fragile creature the love of his life held in her arms.
"Reiji… Reiji Toga is what he'll be called," he declared with a slight smile, looking into the baby's innocent eyes, the baby offered them a tiny smile in return
'Reiji… It's a good na…'
***
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