“I think… we should begin now,” Aris said.
“Right.” Adam sighed. “No time like the present, right?”
“Hee-hee. Yes, that is exactly what I was thinking.”
Fayte clapped her hands and stood up from the couch. “In that case, let me take you to the room with the equipment that’s going to cure Aris.”
With Adam pushing Aris’s wheelchair, the group traveled into the third bedroom, which was not only sealed shut with an incredibly high-tech security lock that had obviously not been part of the original floor plan, but also required a passcode and retina scan to open.
“I’ll install your retina map on the scanner so you can enter as you please. That way you can visit Aris while she’s healing,” Fayte said to Adam. “Anyway, let’s go inside.”
The room on the other side looked like a complex laboratory or a medical professional’s office. Littered with all kinds of medical equipment—such as scanners that measured a person’s vital functions, medical computers that displayed a variety of charts, and life support machines that were used to feed a person nutrients—this place looked like something he’d expect from an expensive private hospital for rich people.
In the very center of this room was a cryobed. It was a device that reclined on the ground, was about three yards long and three feet wide. Made from synthetic alloys and shaped like a pod, the device featured a clear glass dome that would allow people on the outside to look in and a computer system at the foot.
Adam felt like all the breath had left his lungs as he stared at the cryobed, at the equipment in this room, which was about ten or fifteen years ahead of the current most advanced medical practices. He was so shocked that he stumbled forward and almost dropped Aris on the floor.
“A-Adam!” Aris shouted in surprise. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
With wide eyes, Adam glanced over at Fayte, who froze upon making eye contact.
“Adam, why are you looking at me like that? Your gaze is a little… disturbing right now.”
“Fayte, do you know who your grandfather hired to make this device?” asked Adam, trying harder than he ever had to keep from shivering.
“I only know a little bit,” Fayte confessed, giving him an odd look but answering nonetheless. “According to Grandfather’s journal, he ran into a person calling himself Lucifer. The man claimed he could cure Mortems Disease but needed funds. Grandfather was skeptical, but after seeing Lucifer perform a miracle of some kind, he decided to trust him and invested hundreds of billions of dollars to have this cryobed created. Why do you ask?”
“No… no reason,” Adam mumbled, closing his eyes.
No wonder this device could supposedly cure Mortems Disease. If it was made by that man, then it would undoubtedly be capable of curing any disease the world over.
This device looked a lot bigger than the one he remembered, which had been more compact and streamlined. It was clear that Lucifer had become more adept at building this machine later on in life. What sat before him now was clearly a prototype that had been created as a proof of concept machine. As he stared at the device, another and very similar but more streamlined cryobed overlapped with this one.
Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to dismiss the images. It was hard. Even now, he could feel the phantom pain from when his body was strapped into that cryobed and injected with hundreds of thousands of different types of energy. His heart felt like it was shriveling.
“A-anyway, this cryobed will place Aris in a form of suspended animation,” Fayte tried to get back on track and explained how the device was used. “Once her body’s functions have been suspended, the chamber will release a substance called Leefa Drug. This substance is a poison that kills off any and all diseases and harmful bacteria, including Mortems Disease. The reason we need to place her in stasis like this is because the Leefa Drug is also a powerful poison. I don’t know how it works, but the poison will be destroyed while the machines somehow keep her body from coming to harm. Once the drug has destroyed her Mortems Disease, the cryobed will begin a unique process that sucks out all the poison in her body. Only after the poison has been completely removed will the cryobed bring her out of suspended animation.”
Everything Fayte said made sense to Adam. He also understood why there was a huge chance of failure.
Poison and medicine often went hand in hand. In fact, one could even say that poison was just a different form of medicine and visa versa. It made sense that a powerful poison could annihilate something like Mortems Disease, but using poison to cure a disease was like trading one death for another.
This was why Aris was going to be put in suspended animation. While her body and vital functions were all frozen, the poison would sweep through, eradicate her Mortems Disease, and then the cryobed’s last function would activate and suck the poison back up, removing it from her body. It would be as if she’d never been poisoned or had Mortems Disease in the first place.
Adam felt a moment of fear as he realized how many things could go wrong with this process. The cryobed could break, the stasis effect that froze her body’s functions could stop working, or the cryobed’s last function that removed the poison could short circuit and release her with the poison still in her body.
Even knowing this device was created by the one man who could cure Mortems Disease did not help. He was plagued with all the things that could go wrong.
He looked at Aris again, took a deep breath, and did his best to calm down.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Aris looked at him and smiled. “I am.”
“While you can wear clothes in the cryobed if you want, I recommend taking them off. To put you under a state of suspended animation, the chamber will release a chemical called Arctic Gel. I’m not sure what that is, exactly, but it freezes your vital functions, putting you in a death-like state. It would be best if that stuff wasn’t stuck to your clothes after the process is over,” Fayte said.
“Right,” Adam grunted a little as he lifted Aris off the wheelchair, placed her on his knee as he knelt, and began removing her clothes.
She was wearing a simple sundress, so peeling it off was easy. Underneath the sundress was pure white underwear. He took those off as well, sliding her panties down her hips, unhooking her bra, and setting them on the ground before carrying Aris over to the cryobed.
Standing there for a moment, Adam finally realized just how hard this moment truly was. What if this didn’t work? What if it failed and she died? He couldn’t bear the thought of something going wrong, and it caused him, someone who had unhesitatingly slaughtered hundreds of people without batting an eyelash, to freeze.
“Adam?” Aris called out to him.
He shook himself out of his stupor. “Sorry. I froze for a moment.”
Aris’s eyes softened as she gazed lovingly into his. “Don’t worry. This cure will work, and once it does, we can spend the rest of our lives together.”
“Right. You’re right. Thank you, Aris.”
They shared a smile before he gently set her on the cryobed. Fayte came over and grabbed a small cord attached to the cryobed. A needle was stuck to one end, which she gently inserted into Aris’ arm. According to her, the poison was released through this needle, and it would be sucked back out through this needle, though Adam had no idea how that worked.
He leaned down further to give Aris a kiss. Out of a slight reluctance, Adam remained that way longer than a normal kiss would last. Aris didn’t seem to mind.
“Have a good rest.” Adam smiled and tenderly brushed some hair away from Aris’ cheek. “I’ll see you when you wake up.”
“Yes. See you then.”
Aris closed her eyes and Adam stepped back.
Fayte went over to the computer at the foot of the cryobed and typed in several buttons. The cryobed thrummed with life as the lid slowly slid closed and sealed shut. Adam pressed his hand against the glass, and Aris smiled as she also pressed her hand a
gainst it, though her hand soon fell back down as she lost strength.
Aris closed her eyes.
Fayte pressed another button. Green gel sprayed from vents near Aris’s feet, head, and sides. It was not long before the entire interior was filled with that green gel. Aris, who was completely immersed in it, looked like she had been frozen in time.
Adam went over to Fayte, who was still typing away, and looked at the monitor. There was a silhouette of the human body. Almost every inch of it was bright red, but there were a few blue patches.
“I can’t tell you exactly how this all works, but this shows where the Mortems Disease is most heavily located,” Fayte explained. “It looks like almost her entire body has been infected with Mortems Disease. The only areas that haven’t been infected are her heart and her brain, but everything else…” She shook her head. “I’m honestly shocked she’s still alive and capable of moving so much.”
“Will this affect her ability to be cured?” he asked.
“Not at all.” Fayte tossed him a reassuring smile. “The Leefa Drug is an incredibly toxic poison that completely eradicates Mortems Disease. It doesn’t matter how infected a person is. This will destroy it in its entirety.” She paused long enough to grimace. “Well, that is what Grandfather’s notes say.”
Adam nodded and said no more as he watched Fayte finish the process of activating the second phase. A soft hissing sound soon erupted from the coffin. He couldn’t see any changes coming over Aris through the viewing glass, but he knew the poison that could destroy Mortems Disease had just been injected into her body.
“There.” Fayte took a step back and clapped her hands. “It’s done. The only thing we can do now is monitor her every few days. We’ll check to see when the Mortems Disease has been eradicated from her body, then commence the third phase, which will remove the poison before unsealing her.”
“I understand,” Adam said softly. “Do you think I can remain here for a little while longer?”
Fayte’s understanding smile was filled with sympathy as she gazed at him. “Of course you can. There’s a chair right over there near the desk if you’d like to sit down. Also, you can monitor how much of the disease is left in her body with the monitor. I have a few phone calls to make, but after that, I will make us some lunch. Does that sound good?”
“It does. Thank you.”
Fayte cast him and Aris one last glance before she traveled out of the room. As the door slid shut behind her, isolating him from the outside world, Adam grabbed the chair she pointed to, pulled it up to the cryobed, and sat down. He gazed into the glass that allowed him to see her face, studying Aris’s frozen features.
And there he remained for several hours until it was time for lunch.
Adam found himself with an unusual amount of free time that he didn’t know what to do with.
For the past several years, Adam had dedicated his entire life to Aris. Few were the moments where he and Aris were separated, and even when they were apart, it was, at most, a single door that stood between them. He had never been without her for longer than an hour. Now she was gone, stuck in suspended animation, and he found himself with almost nothing to do.
He spent most of his time checking up information on Age of Gods, but sadly, all the articles he read never contained anything concrete. It was all just speculation and rumors from those so-called game critics.
There were rumors floating around about how this was going to be the most realistic virtual reality game of all time, how the battle system utilized a classic RPG leveling system, how combat was based on realism and people who could fight in real life would be better off than those who couldn’t, and so on. Dozens of rumors containing all sorts of information could be found all over the internet. Problem was that no one actually knew anything. The creator of the game was keeping very tight lipped.
Outside of reading whatever rumors he could regarding Age of Gods, Adam spent at least one hour sitting with Aris, and the rest of his time was spent with Fayte.
Fayte…
Adam would never admit this out loud because he felt like it was a betrayal of his feelings for Aris, but he was incredibly grateful for Fayte’s presence. She was often busy making phone calls and talking to someone she called “Su,” but she always made sure to spend time with him as well. Her presence was encouraging and supportive.
They would often keep each other company and ask questions. None of them were too invasive and they never tried to pry into each other’s personal lives, but they did learn a little more about the other person.
For example, Adam learned that Fayte had a hardcore sweet tooth. She often abstained from sweets entirely because having even a single bite of something sweet activated this desire. A day after she’d eaten one of his red velvet cinnamon rolls, he’d caught her eating cookie dough ice cream straight from a container. He would never forget the blush that had been on her face for the rest of his life.
They also learned that both of them were passionate about old-school video games—namely, the fighting games that used consoles and controllers instead of virtual reality.
“You have really good hand-to-eye coordination.”
“Of course. I’ve trained both my mind and body to handle a lot of information and work at high speeds. Very few people have better hand-eye coordination and reflexes than me.”
“Ugh… is that why you keep beating me? I haven’t won once.”
“Not my problem.”
Adam and Fayte were currently playing a game called Street King VII. It was an older fighting game from the early twenty-first century. The graphics were nothing compared to new VR graphics, which were so realistic it was enough to make people think they weren’t in a game at all. The avatars they were controlling in this game looked fairly cartoonish in comparison.
“Ha… I lost again.” Fayte slumped in her seat and set the controller down. “Guess that means I’m making dinner again tonight.” She cast him a sideways glance that contained both amusement and exasperation. “And here I was hoping I could finally eat some of your cooking again.”
About three days ago, after her third consecutive loss to him, Fayte had made a bet with him. Whoever won that day’s “fighting tournament” would be the person who cooked dinner. She said it was to help motivate her into doing better, that she worked harder when she was under pressure. Adam agreed to her bet. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do.
She hadn’t won once even after three days had passed.
“If you really want to try my cooking, I’m willing to cook today,” Adam offered.
“Thank you, but no. When a person makes a deal, whether it’s a simple bet or something that can affect their entire life, it is important for that person to uphold their end of the deal. I’ll be cooking dinner tonight.”
Fayte tossed him a grateful smile before moving into the kitchen. Adam turned his head to watch her as she grabbed a cute apron with floral prints decorating the front, put it on, and tied her long hair into a ponytail. This act exposed her slender neck and made her look even more elegant and feminine than usual.
A hard feat considering her already enchanting appearance.
Even though he had lived with Fayte for several days now, the effect she had on him hadn’t diminished. Adam had already decided that she was dangerous. If it was just her appearance, he was certain she wouldn’t be able to affect him like this, but on top of being gorgeous, Fayte had a gentle personality. She was kind and understanding, but she was also determined and unyielding when she had a goal. Her unwillingness to let him cook because she’d lost a game were good examples of the latter half of her personality.
He never said anything, and she could never replace Aris in his heart, but he found himself liking that personality of hers more and more as the days passed.
That was what made her so dangerous.
Fayte made beef with broccoli and white rice that evening. It was a simple dish made with whisked soy sauce, chicken stock, ho
ney, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and several other ingredients. The beef was sliced into thin pieces that were cooked on a skillet until browned and the broccoli was stirred into the soy sauce mixture. The appetizing smell was wafting through the living room before she even finished.
“I really am impressed to see that someone raised in such a wealthy family can cook so well,” Adam said as he ate side by side with Fayte. His fork moved quite fast as he devoured his portion quickly.
“I’ve never liked relying on others,” Fayte admitted softly. Her cheeks suddenly reddened. “Also, I’ve always had a slight interest in cooking as a hobby ever since I was young. That garden you see on my balcony is filled with herbs and spices I’m growing so I can use them in my cooking. When I was still in grade school, I asked the servants if they could teach me, so I was able to learn a few things like how to make simple pasta and bake bread. These days, I just follow recipes to make something edible.”
“Either way, you have my respect,” Adam said.
Adam felt odd talking to Fayte. She was not Aris. She and Aris were so completely different they were like night and day from each other, and yet he did not feel uncomfortable just casually chatting with her like they were old friends. He didn’t fall in love with her at first sight like he had with Aris, whose very smile had saved his soul from destruction. Adam didn’t even love Fayte at all. At most, he would say what he felt for her was respect, but even so, he’d never expected to become so comfortable with someone whose name wasn’t Aris so quickly.
It made him feel awkward.
Fayte smiled at him, her cheeks and ears a little red as she changed the subject. “Age of Gods will become playable at midnight tonight. Are you ready?”
“I am,” Adam said, shifting gears. “I plan to log in the moment the game becomes playable.”
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