The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 31: Making a Mistake

"I see the desk! Follow me!"

Y/N held onto her hand as she pulled him through the maze, rounding a corner - and freezing in disgusted horror. Y/N glanced past Sasha's muscular hip, his eyes widening.

An abomination. This one was dead - at least Y/N hoped so. It wasn't moving. The desk stood abandoned, empty vials still scattered everywhere, and Verde's precious notebook open. Sasha shuffled forward, poking the dead creature with her foot. It didn't respond. "H-hey... Do you th-think this is...?"

Cardin bent down, picking something up. It was a cracked scroll. Y/N looked over Cardin's shoulder as the ginger pressed the power button, the device miraculously working. Dove's name appeared across the screen in bright white letters on the blue background. They looked back at the abomination quietly.

"... I... I'm gonna be sick..." Cardin whimpered. Y/N shakily squatted closer, drawing his katana. The blade pushed against the fleshy outside of the otherworldly creature, lifting one of its folds. They could see it now - the remains of a t-shirt. Some initials were written on the tag in black marker.

'DB'.

Y/N felt his dinner rising up. Vomit dribbled down his lip as he tried to keep his mouth shut. But he only delayed the inevitable. His puke pooled on the floor next to Cardin's, the ginger shivering in horror.

Sasha stared at Dove's mutilated corpse, her mind almost blank in terror. Verde couldn't have done this. She promised everyone she would find a way without experimentation. But as she stared down at what once was a regular human being, she found herself realizing the ugly truth. Verde was the only one who knew how to make abominations.

Y/N wiped at his mouth with his sleeve, leaning against the desk to support himself. Where was Verde? He wanted her to explain this. And at the same time, he hoped she'd stay in hiding, fearing another rematch against her. He turned his gaze away from the scene, unable to look at it. And his eyes stopped. Stopped on something very vital to realizing the truth.

Verde's notebook.

Shakily his hand reached out, picking up the book. His lips moved as he read out loud, Cardin and Sasha hovering over his shoulder to see.

"September Twentieth.

After countless hours and sleepless nights, I cannot reach an answer. With Y/N unable to aid us, I must find a way to destroy Cnimbrerh without him. And I just cannot reach an answer.

I'm beginning to worry I'll be forced to break a few promises. But at the same time, I find myself becoming comfortable with that. I cannot let it get away with what it did."

Sasha looked down at Y/N, nudging him gently. "S-so she did it because Salem killed Vao...? M-maybe she started drinking the Blood again! That would mean it's not completely her fault!"

"That's... Some really fucked up logic," Cardin whispered back. "She knows the risks..." Y/N ignored them, continuing to read.

"September Twenty-First.

Again, I have reached nothing but dead ends. None of my experiments ever bear fruit. The leads I do find point down a road I do not wish to walk.

... I'll continue my research. There has to be another way. I must avoid using animals for experiments - these plants should be good enough.

But if they're good enough, then why do they die when I inject them with Blood? Shouldn't all things be corrupted by it? This... Leads to a worrying theory. I theorize that the Blood cannot corrupt plant life, but rather humans, Faunus, and animals. Anything with regular blood.