Cyberknight: One Path

⁕ Faces of Reforged Shards (part 4)

Capsaicin, a compound found within peppers and other food products that gives them the spicy taste when consumed. It tricks one's nerves into believing that the area in contact with the compound is on fire. However, there exists a compound 1000x more powerful than capsaisin named resiniferatoxin (RTX). The compound was so infamously powerful that almost no real-world application could be found for it other than to inflict pain beyond anything imaginable.

With a scalpel stuck within his cheek, Dane desperately looked for something within Cogitatio's laboratory. The doctor fumbled through bottles of chemicals, not caring if they were dangerous or not, breaking many of the containers on the floor as he did so. However, Dane couldn't care less about a few toxic compounds spilled as he was racing against time before he lost his mind to the effects of the drug. Considering how powerful the effects of the drug flowing through his systems are, even the agony of the scalpel stuck to his face couldn't last long against it.

In the previous days, Dane fought against the drug through self-mutilation just so he could maintain his consciousness a little longer. However, infections and blood loss will eventually be the end of him if he continues like this. He couldn't fight the effects of the drug, as it biologically overrides his every wish. A normal man would've simply given himself to the pleasure of the imaginary heaven, but not Dane. Even if it meant he had to experience a level of pain greater than any torture, he knew he must endure in order to escape. For every moment he maintained his consciousness, he must willingly choose to leave behind heaven and plunge his soul into the depths of hell.

Digging the scalpel deeper, Dane wiped the blood flowing from his scarred face before stirring his uncoordinated body toward another row of chemicals. Dane's mind was blurry as even he himself had trouble understanding what he was looking for. Gradually, his vision darkened as he began to succumb to the euphoric effects of the drug alongside its hallucinations. In desperation, Dane slammed forward, breaking the door to one of the glass cabinets with his face, causing glass shards to be stuck to his skin. With this newly introduced shock to his nerves, Dane once more bought himself a few more precious seconds.

Finally, with one pained growl, Dane came face to face with a few bottles which shone white in the light. Pushing away the irrelevant labels, Dane reached deeper into the cabin and extracted a glass container with the resiniferatoxin label on its front. Without further hesitation, Dane reached into the bottle and coated his fingers in a dark yellow substance which glinted against the light. Even as he held it on his fingers, the chemical burned his hand like an invisible flame.

With one final breath, Dane abruptly plunged his chemical-soaked fingers into his exposed facial tissue. In an instant, a hellish agony shot through his body as he gripped his face in pain. Soon, Dane collapsed to the floor, screaming as the compound ravaged his nerves. The pain was palpable, but Dane was at least awake and not falling under the effects of the drugs. Gradually, the agony of his facial nerves clashed with the euphoria of the drug in his bloodstream, creating a numbing effect which cancelled each other out.

For a moment, everything seemed calmer and less chaotic than before. Dane was able to walk while not being controlled by the effects of the drug. At last, the doctor was somewhat victorious while holding in his hand the key to his prison cell. He no longer needed to subject himself to the cycle of mutilations and tortures now that he was finally free. In celebration, Dane began to laugh maniacally out of happiness, but also because of the part of him lost to insanity. The drug had taken its toll on Dane, and it was clear- This victory was but a temporary respite compared to what he had lost and the chains now bound to his soul as a result.

However, for now, Dane has more important matters to attend to. He had lost enough time under the spell of Cogitatio's poison, and it is now time to put the gears in motion. For all he had suffered, his plan was finally ready with every cog set to do its part in the upcoming scheme.