The Binding Vow of Lazarus

Chapter 17

“When first discovered, she was in America,” his grandfather explained, his tone clinical and cold, “When we found her, she had been trapped in a cycle of death and regeneration for an unknown period. Cursed spirits had at some point swarmed her, killing and consuming her every time she regenerated. Her family—parents, brothers—had all been killed and consumed long before we arrived. We assume the cursed spirits kept her alive to feed on her repeatedly." 

Satoru’s jaw tightened, and for once, he was at a loss for words. The mental image alone was enough to make him nauseous. “And you just… brought her back?” he managed finally, his voice laced with disbelief and anger. 

“We exorcised the curses first of course,” his grandfather said evenly, as if that explained everything, “She was taken to headquarters immediately. She had no knowledge of her technique, nor any control over it. Naturally, she was… deeply affected by what she had endured." 

Satoru’s fists clenched, and his teeth ground together. “Traumatized, you mean,” he snapped. 

“Yes,” his grandfather said simply, and Satoru wanted to strangle him for how dismissively he said it. “But she adapted over time. The elders saw potential in her, and her abilities warranted further study." 

Satoru’s head snapped up at that. “Further study?” he repeated, his tone sharp and dangerous. 

His grandfather nodded, unflinching. “We conducted experiments to better understand her technique," he explained, "The results were… illuminating." 

Satoru’s aura flared without warning, and his grandfather’s paperweight slid across the desk, smashing against the far wall. “Illuminating,” Satoru growled, his voice low and venomous, “You experimented on her like she was some kind of lab rat?”

"Yes, we did." The elder answered.

"Experimented how?" Satoru asked.

"A variety of ways," the elder explained, "Various injuries to assess how to activate the self-healing. Removing limbs to see what could regenerate on its own or what took a full revival. What parts were necessary for technique activation." His grandfather met his gaze, calm and unshaken despite the palpable tension in the room. “We did what was necessary to ensure she could be of use," he said calmly, "Her technique is extraordinary, Satoru. If properly harnessed, it could change the balance of power in our favor. Surely you can see the importance of that." 

Satoru barked a humorless laugh, running a hand through his hair as he paced away from the desk. “You’re unbelievable," he spat, "You’re sitting here, talking about power balances and strategies, while Sarah was suffering, wasn’t she? Did you even think about what this was doing to her? She's just a kid!" 

“Her suffering was unfortunate but unavoidable,” his grandfather said, his voice still maddeningly calm, “What matters is that she survived, and now she has the potential to contribute to the greater good." 

Satoru turned back to him, his eyes blazing. “Yeah? Well, let me tell you something, old man," he growled, "She’s not just some tool for you to use and discard when it’s convenient. She’s a person, and if you think I’m going to stand by and let you treat her like this, you’ve got another thing coming." 

His grandfather’s expression didn’t waver, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—annoyance, maybe. “And what do you intend to do about it?" 

Satoru grinned, his cocky confidence back in full force. “Oh, don’t worry. You’ll find out soon enough," he murmured, then straightened up and flattened his palm on the desk.

"You intend to use her ashes to go back and save your friends, don't you," His grandfather scoffed, sitting up straighter. He scoffed, shaking his head. "How childish. Utterly selfish."