The Scent of Illusion (Published under IMMAC)

Chapter 42: The Death of the Experiment

Trigger warning: May contain sensitive topics such as death, sex, profanity, suicide, self-harm, drugs, alcohol, mental health, sexuality, etc. There might be depictions or references to sexual harassment. Please be guided accordingly and read at your own risk.

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In the face of danger or possible death, there would always be that fear that would creep under your skin and spread throughout your body. It stems from that instinct that everyone has, that need to survive. It does not matter what kind of situation it is, a person's will to live will always be stronger and even if their minds have given up, a body's natural instinct would be to fight. Always.

And that was exactly what Eli felt.

For a second, he felt overpowered. He regretted being distracted too easily but he could not help it. The victorious tone that Aurora used when she realized that she had found something sounded so bright and hopeful that Eli just found himself drawn to it. He may have thought that he made a mistake but the moment his mind cleared, as he felt the cold metal needle against his skin, he knew that he could still use the situation to his advantage.

"No! Bonnie!" Aurora screamed, offering her arm. "Don't touch him. Inject it to me. I'm who you want, right?" She was pleading, offering her own skin for Eli as if she knew better.

But the worry in Aurora's eyes was undeniable. Deep inside, even if she knew that she could not most likely survive a fight with Bonnie, Aurora was still willing to offer herself if it meant Eli's safety.

"Are you really trying to be the hero, Aurora? Oh, sweet sweet Aurora." There was a proud look on Bonnie's face as if she was so sure that she had the upper hand. A part of her already felt like she had her victory secured, that she could not be hurt so she proceeded, trying to press the needle in even more.

Feeling the tip starting to press against his skin, Eli let out two short whistles and then one quick whistle, followed by three consecutive short ones.

There was a silence that hung over the room, a confusion that was etched on Bonnie's face, and a tension that started to brew within the halls. It was eerily quiet that all they could hear were their heavy breathing.

Unknown to both Aurora and Bonnie was that Eli had it all planned out.

The moment Eli realized that Aurora had decided to go back to her hometown, he knew that he needed more help in any case that there was a trap. Even if Eli was confident in his own abilities, it was ideal to have a backup plan just to be sure.

Informing Emilia was the first thing that he did so that they could come up with a plan. It needed a quick brainstorming session since they really did not have a lot of time to make sure that everything would be flawless. Most of what they talked about was anchored on the hope that it would work. It was, after all, a play of chances.

The next thing Eli needed was manpower. It would have been easier if he was the Alpha, but he was not. So Eli knew that he needed his father's help if he ever wanted to pull it off.

And it was indeed, a struggle.

"I know that you've had your differences but this is your chance to prove it," he started. Desperation dripped from his tone as it was already the dead of night and he was still trying to convince Malloy to give permission that would allow, at least, a handful of soldiers to accompany him to Blood Rage's territory. "Dad, wherever she is going, she will get some kind of answer and we could finally piece this all together."

Malloy had his brows furrowed, still quite unsure about the entire thing but he knew he did not have a lot of time and he would need to make a decision right away. He still had a lot of doubt and a lot of resentment towards Blood Rage, but the soft gaze that came from both of his children as they quietly reminded him about equality and understanding was starting to linger in his mind.