Darklight: The New World

Part 60: The Truth Hurts

Natasha waited outside the scanner room with her hood and dark glasses covering her face as Soran went through the procedure. They were both well known traitors to Utopia, so they had to keep a low profile. Utopia’s hospitals were much better suited to detect and anomalies than Eresmai’s. Eresmai may have healers, but Utopia has full body scanners that can register the slightest inaccuracy in a cell. If anyone could tell Soran about the burning pain in his chest, it was here. In an act of thanks Draz had given Soran his blessings to use Utopian Medical Corps for any of his needs.

 

He stood in the contraption as a metallic ring moved up and down the two railings at either side of him. The light on the inside of the ring was scanning his body. He was naked other than a pair of tight white briefs that covered his modesty.

 

Finally the metal ring settled in its resting position and the voice over the intercom told Soran to get dressed and meet them in the next room. The scanner room had only a chair and the scanner device. The walls were stark white and the floor was tiled in grey. The blandness of the room was not helped by the simplistic fluorescent tube lighting. Utopia had no flare, no individuality - just uniform conformity. 

 

Soran got dressed into the jeans and black hooded top that he had sourced as a disguise. His own large sunglasses were propped on his head and the Darklight Sword was concealed within a Bass Guitar case that he carried.

 

“Please sit” The doctor told him as Soran entered the next room. It was very much the same as the scanner room apart from the fact that in the place of the scanner was a computer desk and there were two chairs instead of the one. Another door to the left lead back out to the corridor where Natasha sat waiting patiently.

“We have the results Soran. I’m glad you came in” The doctor told Soran.

“Why’s that?” He asked. The doctor pulled up the results of the scan showing a shape of Soran’s body with lots of numbers listed to the right of it. An area over Soran’s chest was shaded a deep red that when through the spectrum of orange, yellow, green, blue then violet in a circle that ended outside of his body.

“This is a diagram showing the amount of arcane energy that your body is conducting”. Soran gulped. “I’m sorry Soran, but it appears that when you’re body was altered by Sorceress Alexandria its ability to conduct arcane energy was increased dramatically. But you see, it has continued to develop” The doctor said, pointing to the colours on  the screen.

“Soran, you are able to manipulate vast amounts of energy, but your body has not caught up. Your Arcane Cortex can channel these energies but they are starting to build up within you. It’s a phenomena called Onustus Totalis”. Soran stayed silent for a while. The powers he had used to save the planet were harming him.

“So what does this mean? What is my prognosis?” Soran asked with a steady voice. He was ready.

“That’s the thing Soran. Unless we somehow release some of this energy... You will literally break apart. And when your body breaks the amount of energy held within you could blow this entire planet apart”.

 

Soran could only think of one thing to say as he processed his own doomsday diagnosis.

“How long do I have?”

 

“That’s the other thing, Soran. We just don’t know”.

 

Then Natasha burst into the room, comms device in hand.

 

“Soran” She whispered, tears flooding down her face. “Eresmai... there’s been an explosion”.