Shackled Exalted

Emil

Emil was in the middle of a corridor adjacent to the craftsman's workshop when a mechanical screech ripped through the facility.

That must be Petra.

He quickly scanned the area while everyone's attention faced the direction of the sound. Four research staff accompanied the line of orphans in front of him. Several maintenance workers, dressed in gray uniforms lined with black stains, were behind him. A lone research staff stood at the end of the long corridor close to the staircase that led to the upper floors.

He'll do.

The lights then shut off.

Everyone seemed to freeze.

During the short moment of silence that followed, Emil pried himself away from the rear of the orphan line. He clung to the wall of the corridor and tore off the bandages over his left eye and the wig on his head. From the inside of the wig, he fetched a small Azurite pendant tucked within and draped it around his neck.

Confusion then ensued. Panicked voices filled the corridor accompanied by creaks and clanks of mechanical failure. Whatever power source Petra had disrupted apparently powered more machines in this lab than they realized. That was fine—the more chaos around him, the easier it was for him to slip away unnoticed.

With the Azurite lights turned off, the ground level of the facility was nearly pitch-black, if not for some of the residual mana lingering in the air. Still, it was dark enough that a person could barely see in front of them, especially when their eyes were not yet adjusted to the low ambient light. Emil didn't have that issue. Since his left eye had been covered this entire time, he was already accustomed to the dark environment.

As silently as he can, he rushed to the end of the corridor. With the bandages and wigs still in hand, he lunged at the lone researcher near the stairway. The man was cowering in the darkness, panicked and confused by the cacophony of mechanical failures and sudden absence of light. He barely reacted as Emil descended upon him.

The first thing Emil did was stuff his mouth with the bandage and wig. After he took away the researcher's ability to scream, he hammered his fist against the man's forehead. His target instantly went limp without resistance.

Emil grabbed the unconscious body before it could fall and dragged it towards the nearest branching hallway. Footsteps rumbled from the adjacent corridor. He barely got the man out of sight as he tossed himself close to the walls. A couple of maintenance staff stormed past, yelling curses as they appeared to make their way towards the site of the disrupted power source. One of them had an oil lamp in hand.

Shit.

He had to hurry. The response of the maintenance staff was faster than he expected. Emil turned around and worked to strip the unconscious researcher of their outfit. He needed the black overcoat, the trousers, and the shoes at least if he was going to make his new disguise believable.

Goddammit.

But trying to take off the clothes of a body lying on the floor was harder than he realized. The man's weight made everything more difficult. Especially when he wanted to minimize tears in the outfit.

What a stupid thing to waste time on!

After an agonizing struggle, he finally got into the researcher's clothes. Using the rags of his orphan guise, he wiped off as much as of the ash and mud on his face as possible. It was a rough job. He had no mirror to check how much of the grime he removed, but he hoped it was enough not to raise any suspicious eyes. The darkness of the facility should help just in case.

Alright, calm down.

He took a deep breath to settle down. The initial chaos in the facility had died down a bit, but there was still plenty of confusion as the maintenance staffs were dragged between fixing the power source and placating the craftsmen while trying to restore function to their machines.

Emil hid the unconscious researcher out of sight and stepped out of the branching corridor. He straightened his back and walked towards the staircase with purpose. He put on an expression of annoyance, trying to seem unapproachable. As he did so, he felt the creases in his skin resist slightly from the glue still altering the features of his face.

The orphans that he arrived with were still at the middle of the wide hallway. The research staff escorting them were in the midst of a shouting match with the maintenance crew as they tried to figure out what was going on. Doesn't seem like anyone's noticed my absence yet. Emil ascended the staircase as the noise of the ground floor gradually faded.

Despite a few hiccups here and there, his stupid infiltration plan was going well. Next, he had to find the archive room that Petra mentioned. The evidence that he needed to prove the Council of Mana's involvement in the Hidden Laboratories' experiment was hopefully there.

He arrived at the second floor.

The air was strangely still. It was quiet despite the chaos below. Darkness hung like a tangible miasma in the lobby area in front of the staircase exit. Three sets of corridors extended outwards from this space. Emil felt his back crawl with discomfort as he advanced towards the presumed location of the archive room. He was light on his feet, but the thud of his footsteps seemed to resonate amidst the eerie silence.

Relax.

He gulped, trying to quell his frantic nerves. His body's reactions perplexed him. His instincts were on full alarm. Chills shuddered down his neck. He felt an overwhelming urge to get out of this place. But why?

He trekked down the middle hallway. It took a moment for him to remember that he was in the guise of a research staff. He shouldn't have appeared so cautious. Straightening his back, he feigned confidence as he tried to ignore his screaming instincts.

The hallway was filled with rooms. The doors were shut. There were no windows that exposed the room's interiors. From the layout, Emil assumed that this must have been where the orphans lived during their stay at the lab. But again, it was ominously quiet. No signs of activity from any of the rooms. No sounds. Maybe they're asleep? It was possible—it should have been close to midnight by now. The hair on his arms suddenly rose. The unsettling feeling only intensified.

The archive room is at the end, he thought as he recalled the map Petra drew for him.

How long had he been walking? The hallway felt endless. Then—

Light?

One of the doors in front of him was ajar. A faint light, likely from an oil lamp, leaked out from the gaps, streaking into the hallway.

I should ignore it.

The rational side of his mind tried to keep him on task. But it was futile. He was seized by morbid curiosity. Before the thought even completed, Emil found himself peering into the gaps of the door.

A sharp and pungent smell leaked from the room. It vaguely resembled the sterile tang of high-purity alcohol. Antiseptics. It was intermingled with a familiar metallic stank. Small dark puddles splattered along the floor.

Two silhouettes stood in the center of the room. Their faces were unreadable, shrouded in shadows due to the placement of the oil lamp. Researchers.

They towered over a wooden bed. Emil leaned in and twisted his body to get a closer look. On the top of the bed was…something. He couldn't quite tell. A grotesque contraption dangled from the ceiling, hovering over the bed. Amidst the shadows of the oil lamp, he could see the glint of silver bouncing off the surface. Knives, or perhaps some sort of metal impediment, hung from the macabre device. The thing on the metal table stirred briefly.

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I need to leave.

His rational mind begged, but his body refused to move.

One of the researcher raised their hands. Shadows from the oil lamp made it difficult to see, but Emil recognized the shape of the small apparatus. A syringe. With one smooth motion, they stabbed the needle into whatever was lying on the table and pressed down on the end.

The researchers stepped back as if expecting movement. For a moment, Emil had an unimpeded view of the bed.

The thing vaguely resembled a humanoid shape. The structure of its limbs was bizarre, however. The proportions were off, uncanny—too bulbous and thick to belong to a person. Confused, Emil narrowed his eyes. It took him a second before he realized his mistake.

He was staring at a person. A living person. The bulbous constructs on their body were mounts of flesh. Tumors. The size and shape of them were unlike anything he had seen before. And they were everywhere, spread along the torso and limbs like hair. Their head and face were also covered in the macabre lumps—so much so that their eyes, nose, and other facial features had been displaced from their typical positions.

Emil covered his mouth, trying not to make a sound.

The person suddenly sprung up. Metal shackles screeched, pinning them to the bed. Still, their movements were violent enough. In a fit of madness, they slammed into the grotesque contraption dangling over the bed. Knives and sharp impediments stabbed into their face. Blood sprayed and leaked from the protruding wounds as a dull bellow echoed through the room. It was a sound that shouldn't have come from a human. Emil realized it came from the victim.

They were trying to scream.

Emil tasted blood in his mouth. He had been grinding his teeth inadvertently. His hands were clenched—his palms stung as his nails were etched deep into his skin. His head felt dizzy, his skull pulsating from the madness in front of him. He knew. He wasn't ignorant of the horrors inside the Hidden Laboratory. He should have been prepared. But seeing the heinous act unfold before his eyes was much different than simply being aware.

Ignore it.

His rational mind whispered again to keep himself under control. It took every ounce of his willpower to not rush in there and tear the researchers apart.

There's nothing you can do for that person.

He repeated that unchangeable reality in his head. The person on the bed had already been rendered into an abomination. No amount of interference could change that. The only thing Emil might be able to do is offer them reprieve from this terrible fate.

But I can at least put them out of their misery.

The researchers moved back to the bed. The abomination continued to thrash in response to the injection. Emil suddenly felt something small clasp onto his left shoulder. Startled, he almost made a noise as he twisted his head around.

A small creature was perched on his shoulder. A bat.

Petra.

She raised her wings and pushed the back of her long thumb against his face repeatedly. The sharp edge of the claw-like appendage stung just ever so slightly. It was as if she was scolding him for lingering here for too long. Emil backed away from the ajar door. He glanced behind them. The hallway remained empty and silent. As his head cooled, he realized he was lucky that he hadn't been spotted by a passing researcher.

I need to move.

Reluctantly, he pushed down on the fury swelling in his chest and continued his trek down the corridor. Petra stayed perched on his shoulder as if trying to making sure that he didn't stray from his task.

The oppressive feeling of this floor grew stronger the deeper he went. The malice from the researchers. The pain and torment of the orphans who were unwillingly subjected to this torture. All of it seemed to congregate into an invisible miasma that permeated this space. What other horrors were happening behind these doors? Emil clenched his hands to steel his trembling fingers. He bit into his lips, using the pain to silence the thought.

Finally, he arrived at the archive room at the end of the hall. The room was open. Cautious, he snuck a glance inside to make sure it was empty. It seemed safe. The interior was pitch-black. Emil entered and closed the door behind him. Petra left his shoulders and found another perch nearby.

"Glow."

The Azurite pendant that he snuck inside his wig bloomed with mana. Blue light radiated the space. The archive room was crowded in wooden shelves that were filled with documents. Somewhere along these shelves had to contain evidence to prove the Council of Mana's involvement with these heinous acts. Emil went to work. There was a lot of paper to sift through if he wanted to find something that the witch could use.

Luckily for him, the documents in this archival room were well-structured. He could discern the contents of each documents immediately with just a quick glance of the title and the first few paragraphs. The initial stacks that he looked through were mostly research notes and new project proposals.

One of the pages caught his eye.

New Budget Proposal for Phase Two of Project Heilen

Overview

The Sixth Laboratory proposes an expansion of the current budget allocated to Project Heilen. To ensure successful outcomes for Phase Two of the project, additional resources are required. Due to the recent political landscape, the Sixth Laboratory is facing increased competition for research materials. The lab's supplier, the Rubare Clan, is prioritizing other clients over the needs of the Sixth Laboratory. Their rationale is simple—other clients are paying more for their services. This proposal outlines the necessity of entering an exclusive contract with the Rubare Clan in order to secure a constant supply of research materials. Failure to do so will greatly lengthen the timeline to achieve the desired outcomes.

…Research materials.

Emil twitched at the not-so-subtle description. He scanned the rest of the document, looking for a mention of the Council of Mana.

There was nothing. Whether it was intentional or not, the author had somehow left out any indiscriminating details that could expose the Council's connection to this project. Emil clicked his tongue and set the document aside.

I think I'm on the right track. If there's a budget proposal stored here, then there might also be accounting documents. If I can find one with the Council's signature and approval, then their involvement would become irrefutable.

He went back to the shelves and scoured the section where he found the budget proposal. Suddenly, he came across a bounded manuscript with a familiar title.

Phase One Outcomes of Project Heilen

Overview

This document outlines the experimental outcomes of Project Heilen in accordance to the listed hypotheses. Project Heilen is a state-sponsored project that intends to measure the physiological changes that occurs when an Ordinary undergoes an Awakening to become Exalted. This project is under the umbrella of the Azure Initiative which aims to further the understanding behind the mechanisms of an Awakening with the overarching goal of creating a process that can repeatedly create new Exalted. The outcomes of Project Heilen are described and commentary from the sponsor are also provided.

The term "state-sponsored" jumped out at him. The wording was vague, but it was the first time that he found something that implied the Council's involvement. He quickly flipped to the back of the manuscript after scanning the table of contents.

Sponsor Commentary

He ignored the contents of the section—his eyes instead drawn to the emblem imprinted at the bottom of the page. The emblem was composed an eye inked in gold shaped in a sun-like disc, resting atop of a triangular mount of blue stones. Emil's heart leaped. This is it! This emblem was used as a signature that denoted the Council of Mana's authority. The blue stones represented Azurite, while the gold inked eye was a symbol of knowledge. It represented the Council's commitment to understand the mechanisms of mana and unveil the secrets of the Exalted.

So fervent was their desire that they would commit atrocities to do so.

It doesn't get more direct than this.

He possessed a document that had the emblem of the Council of Mana. It was proof that they knew about these experiments. It was proof that they approved and funded these evils.

Emil's hands were shaking. The sensible thing to do now would be to close the manuscript and take all the evidence and leave. He and Petra would enact the next step of their plan to hopefully get him out of this facility without anyone suspecting a thing.

Instead, he found his eyes landing on the section above.

I shouldn't be reading this.

But he couldn't help it. The image of the orphans he saw earlier, struggling to scream while covered in tumors, flashed in his head. He had to know. He had to understand why they were here to suffer.

Summary of Outcomes

The current leading hypothesis for inducing an Awakening involves at least two conditions. One, the Ordinary must be in the presence of mana. Ambient mana or mana from Azurite will suffice. Two, the Ordinary must undergo extreme stress. We believe that there are additional factors that affect success, such as genetic compatibility, age, and gender. Nonetheless, here we outline the stressors used and their observed odds of inducing an Awakening.

Electric shock - 1 out of 200

Sensory deprivation - 2 out of 547

Dismemberment - 7 out of 312*

Immolation - 5 out of 129

Extreme pain (senses heightened artificially) - 3 out of 783

Waterboarding - 1 out of 675

Endangerment or death of a loved one - 9 out of 468

As seen by the odds, the stressors alone do not provide a holistic view of the conditions needed to induce an Awakening.

As a footnote, we noticed that nearly half of the experimental subjects who awakened due to dismemberment were able to grow back their severed limb post-Awakening. We believe that in some circumstances, an Awakening might have a restorative effect on the body. We can further extrapolate this to suggest that an Awakening is a survival mechanism of the body to cope with extreme trauma by intaking mana.

Sponsor Commentary

After some discussions, we propose Phase Two of Project Heilen to also explore the restorative effects of an Awakening—

"Fuck all of this."

Everything was suddenly a blur.

Emil felt like his chest was about to explode.

And then the archive room's door creaked open.