Freedom Jumper-Chapter 101: Pain

-{The Underworld}-

"...the body into something that interacts with mana differently. It will be perfect for you, my King..." Draven Levine, the scientist, bowed while showing King Astraea his future.

"This will allow you to take his affinity while keeping his body intact, right?" The King asked with a straight face.

"Y-yes, it's a win win. You get a powerful body, and we also get a very special affinity."

"Well done. I'd rather not hear his screams in case he wakes up, so please, wait until I leave to continue... Also, don't do anything weird to my body..." The King left with his black fur and purple cape being flicked to the side. There was no crown, as it was not custom in the kingdom. However, a magnificent golden pendant was wrapped around his neck. And within the pendant sat an ethereal purple crystal, similar to his black staff.

Elijah had woken up with the memories of the past in his head. He knew he was dying, and he just wanted it to be over with. Although, sound did escape his mouth. The sound of agony when Draven released loads of pure mana into his body while healing him at the same time. The burning sensation of every cell in his body being ripped apart was conflicted with the warm and tingling sensation of whatever healing magic the scientist was using.

"Oh, so you are awake! Hopefully you don't make too much trouble for me or else I'll have to knock you out..." Draven continued to pour mana into Elijah's body, and eventually not a single sound came from Elijah's mouth.

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Numb wasn't what he had become in regards to this pain, but simply losing his grasp on reality.

...

Days, or even weeks passed by as the process continued day in and out. In between being thrown into a stone cellar, his mana was constantly taken from his body like clockwork. In fact, when inside of the stone cellar, Elijah was unable to absorb mana. A side effect from this tactic was a constant and slight pain that radiated in pulses – as if signaling to the mana that was nonexistent all around him. Small and delicious meals were given to Elijah, and at first, he did not even bother to touch them. But very quickly, the hunger began to set in. It was the only time he felt...

Alive.

...

"The reason I have gathered you all here is to witness a very special affinity being pulled from the soul while keeping the body intact. Over the past month, I have been injecting this boy with pure mana while healing him with my light-water magic at the same time. It has been incredibly draining on me, and turned the boy into what a draugr would be if he did not have a soul... My experiments have changed the ways this body interacts with mana, and when the King inhabits it, will give him a sense of power that is not humanly possible." Draven continued on about the specifics, and then started the show.

Elijah, the boy never meant to be alive, was strapped to the table as his blank eyes stared into the cold stone riveted ceiling.

Draven set both hands on the center of Elijah's chest, and after just a minute of pushing mana around his soul, an indescribable light began to erupt from Elijah's body. A pulsating starry and blue sphere that seemed to change its shape with every millisecond was slowly but surely carried out of Elijah's body.

However, during this process. Elijah felt more pain than he had ever imagined was possible. It felt as if every cell in his body was continually being sliced apart and burned together again. His chest began lifting, and once the process was over, his chest thumped to the chair as he lost consciousness.

An empty crystal was grabbed by Lucian, and when combined with the floating space-water affinity, they merged and created something beautiful.

When looking through the crystal, an infinite space that seemed to move depending on the way you looked at it was seen. Everchanging was the first thought that came to mind alongside the gasps and shock from the witnesses.

"Well, that was a bit anticlimactic. I was expecting more..." Maeve said while walking away. The large iron door slammed shut leaving the King, Lucian, Zion, Draven, Dorian, and Zastan Trident within the room.

"Draven, how is Niko doing?" Zastan asked.

"I have done nothing to that child. I suspected he was just like Elijah, but it turns out I may be wrong. Although, it doesn't explain his lunatic ideas at such a young age. Both Elijah and Niko grew up extremely far away from each other, and did not interact until the hunter exam. It is as if whoever brought him here, renounced Niko, throwing him to the side without giving him anything..."

"I see..." Zastan added.

"Draven. What are the next steps? This body is becoming gray and won't last long." The King asked quickly.

"Simple! I just need to take out his soul, but to do that requires some more time on his body. It is not at the point where I need it to be. Everyone I have done this to so far has had their body disintegrate from the pressure. It is as if I have to break the natural laws of this world..."

"Well, I suggest you get to work."

...

Inside a stone cellar with not even a door laid the limp body of Elijah. "Ah. I'm still not dead yet? How annoying. After all that guy did to me, my body doesn't even feel different..."

The sound of stone being manipulated was heard by Elijah.

"Here is your meal." Said a guard in black and silver garments. However, while the door was still open, he saw a familiar face look inside while being dragged across.

"Niko!"

"Elijah!"

'Fuck! What is wrong with me... Why did I have to see him? I just want to die...'

Elijah laid down on the cold stone floor, and began to fall asleep after eating. Beforehand, he felt around his soul. The affinity he had was gone, which he knew. However, his soul still had a core around it – an orange core at that. This likely happened from his body constantly being exhausted from mana while the scientist messed with his body. But this got Elijah thinking, what even changed?

The momentary opening allowed a small portion of mana to absorb into the core of Elijah, and when he decided to move some of that mana into his hand and release it, he noticed it did not even damage him after being released. The mana created a small ethereal glow inside his fist, and slowly disappeared.

...

Once again, Elijah woke up to him being strapped on the chair. Inside of his body, he felt a large amount of mana. Was it on purpose? This thought was quickly removed from Elijah's practically numb mind. His emotions seemed to return when hearing the voice of Niko, but quickly disappeared when the pain of having an insane amount of mana being released inside his body. However, this only occurred once the scientist had been pouring mana into him for more than five minutes. His body had adapted, and greatly at that.

"Well kid, it seems you are almost ready to die. I wish it could have happened faster. But this process has to be rather special." Draven – full of sweat – began talking to himself while unaware that Elijah was half-awake. Over the course of Draven's life, he had done an uncountable number of deeds to the children of Astraea. All of it was for the betterment of the kingdom – a saying Elijah had heard many times over.

"Hmmm, that 's weird. You still have a mana core! How did I not notice this earlier?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Elijah slowly said while opening his eyes.

Bam!

"SHIT! What did I do wrong?! I took his affinity without killing the body! What else does he have?!" Draven began panicking. The only way the soul chaining process would work is if there is no mana core attached to his soul. Something had to be in their still.

Louds sounds of screaming were heard in the hallway. A ten year old boy with black hair and red eyes had been roaming the hallways of The Underworld. And when Draven turned around to look the child in the eyes, a devious idea popped into his head.

A spear of water appeared in the hand of Draven as he saw Niko conjuring a ball of fire.

Hiss! The combination of elements created a smokescreen and allowed Niko to make his way behind the rolling counters floating about in the room for experiments.

"ELIJAH! ELIJAH!" Niko was screaming at the top of his lungs, and for some reason – with every scream – Elijah's body flinched as if regaining his humanity.

'Niko... Please just go away. We were never meant to be here.'

"I KNOW YOU ARE AWAKE! AHHH!"

Draven caught the hands of Niko whilst pulling him into the air – overtop the counter.

"Dammit Elijah, don't you want to at least try?" Niko said before being knocked out with fist to the head.

"I guess you're right. I at least want to see this power they gave me before I go..." Elijah said with a monotone voice inside the confines of the flat chair.

The body of Elijah began to glow as the mana inside his orange core was released into every crack of his body. Without any friction, the leather bindings were torn allowing Elijah to stand on his own two feet.

"How? How did you do that?" Draven was flabbergasted. There was obviously something inside his core he missed. A power he forgot to take...

"Hopefully this doesn't kill you." Elijah's right arm began to just slightly glow, and with a punch to the space in front of Draven's face. A massive and unavoidable gust of wind instantly shattered his skull, and pushed his body into the cold stone wall creating a human shaped indent. Thankfully, the force missed Niko who slumped to the floor after being released.

"What if I don't have to die?" After laying Niko's slightly unconscious body on the floor, Elijah began to stare at the obviously lifeless corpse of Draven. A mage with the affinity of light and water had been constantly torturing him, and now, his torturer had received the worst death ever.

An instant death, void of anything Draven craves...