Inside a room, a white-haired man stood before a small audience, it was four middle-aged people eyeing him with curiosity.
“Do tell why you’ve come here before us, Zeta.” A balding man said.
“Why, yes, of course. I believe that I’ve come up with something life-changing for Augus.” Zeta announced.
“Before you begin. I’ll inform you that we’ve heard that same sentence numerous times in our lives. Wasting our time will result in a penalty.” The balding man added.
“Yes, yes, I understand,” Zeta said before presenting a schematic to them.
“What… What is this, Zeta?” A man with slicked-back hair asked.
“Yes, please explain, we do not understand what this concept is.” The balding man said.
“This gadget is made to be embedded into the chest area of a mortal body. The wires will be deeply embedded in the skin, but will connect to the gadget to make the flow of mana come full circle!” Zeta explained with a grin.
“What?... This is planned to be some kind of… Mana circulating device?” The balding man asked.
“Yes, it is,” Zeta replied.
“Have you even properly tested your theories before coming up with such a crude idea?” The man with slicked-back hair said.
“I’ve tested this idea tirelessly! With this creation, those who are born without a potent mana source, or magical affinity, will be provided one!” Zeta explained, with his grin stretching wider.
The four looked at each other before looking back at Zeta. The balding man presented a frowning expression, the man with slicked-back hair continued to gaze at the schematic, a woman with her hair tied back neatly looked uncertain, and a man with a full beard looked horrified.
“No! No! This mustn’t be tailored to creation!” The balding man said.
“Yes, I agree! Think of the chaos that would ensue if this device were in the wrong hands. It would be the end of Augus!” The woman added.
“This is an absolute disgrace to our warriors who possess the blood of the almighty. It is a gift of power that only comes from the most supreme lineages!” The bearded man said.
Zeta’s grin wiped off his face. He looked into their eyes and balled up his fists at his sides.
“Tell us, have you created a prototype for this already?” The balding man asked.
“No, I haven’t. What does exist is the mana-transferring wires.” Zeta replied.
“The mana-transferring wires are a great idea. However, the schematic of this device is to be destroyed as soon as possible. Do you understand?” The man added.
“Yes, I understand… I’ll dispose of the schematic.” He said while taking the schematic.
“You’ve a genius mind, there is no denying. However, use it for better applications and not on things that would tear our world apart.” The balding man said.
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“I hope you enjoy the holiday, Zeta—but we’ve more important things to attend to.” The balding man said.
“Yes, sir, I completely understand,” Zeta replied.
He walked out of the room and back out into the hall. Zeta stared at the schematic, his eyebrows furrowing.
Leaving the Institute of Thaumaturgy, he walked through Leviara’s districts—past all of the games, music, food, and dancing. He strolled down a street lined with houses and entered his own. He removed his shoes and walked towards a descending staircase. Zeta laughed while clutching the schematic. Once reaching the end of the stairs, he pushed open a door and stepped inside. The room was filled with gadgets, and scribbled on countless chalkboards were theories, equations, and conceptual art.
“I’ll show you just how genius my fucking mind is, you old bastards.” He muttered, chuckling after.
“I’m destined for greatness. Not for whatever brainwashed societal norm you’ve told these pitiful people.” He slammed his hand against the wall, approaching one of the chalkboards.
“My ideas are limitless, unbound! Yet all I can see is a room full of people doubting my intellect, doubting my ideas, and doubting what visions I see. No, they’re scared, they’re scared of perfection! Scared of how much change ONE man can provide this world!” He slammed his head against the wall, bursting out into laughter before clawing at it.
“I will be the canvas of it…” He said.
Zeta walked over to his desk, putting on a black bracelet. Runes thrummed to life around it. He walked over to another desk, grabbing the gadget he presented earlier in its purest form. Within the scattered mess of the room, Zeta dragged out a giant mechanical device that mimicked an arm with fingers. He flipped a switch, and it buzzed to life, tubes filled with a blue substance glowing vibrantly. He commanded the mechanical arm with his bracelet—the gear cogs twisting and turning to support every maneuver. Zeta unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it aside—displaying his bare chest with old stitches to the machine.
With a tight clench of his fist, the machine whirred and tore open his chest—a fountain's worth of blood came out. Zeta let out a rapturous scream and began to laugh despite the shredding agony in his chest. He heaved and exhaled sharply while commanding the bloodied machine to further incise his body. Zeta cackled to himself, blood draining out of his mouth and chest. He grabbed a nearby syringe and plunged it into the side of his neck, injecting a blue liquid. The machine created space in his chest for the gadget—nestling it deep into his anatomy, while cogs and springs locked into place. A faint grin painted his face.
The machine began to replace the torn skin with a silver, padded material resembling skin. Blood no longer leaked, and his eyes flared red with a vibrant pulse. Zeta could see the wiring in his body running full circle and then connecting back to the core device. He restrained his laughter, powering off the machine and tossing the bracelet back onto the table. After only a couple of seconds, he felt a singeing pain in his chest. He kneeled in the puddle of his own blood—the pain overwhelming his senses, while his eyelids grew heavy. The tension brewing in his chest made his hand clench and tremble. Zeta collapsed in his pile of blood.