Blessing of a curse

It was around 9 pm, I was asleep but I suddenly woke up with a pain in my chest and my stomach was feeling a bit weird it almost made me throw up, the pain started to increase and with every second which was passing by the staggering pain in my chest was increasing too. Soon after, I puked blood.

"Aaah! What's happening" I gasped

"They said I had almost 262 days left to live." Looks like the tech wasn’t quite accurate.

Aaah!... I screamed in pain.

It was all black that I could see, I was just hearing a voice that was faint and distant.

And then I heard.

"He must survive; it is the last and the best subject that survived our experiment soo far." "The last thing we need is for him to die."

Then I blacked out.

The morning when I woke up, I was in a hospital or that’s what I thought I was in. The walls were covered in black colour, there was no one nearby. Soon after, a lady came by, wearing a smile on her face. She uttered.

"Good morning, looks like you were experiencing some side effects of our experiment which was done on your body."

"Who are you?" I said.

"Sorry, where are my manners." "My name is Xiba and I am here for your assistance."

"Do let me know if you feel anything strange about your body or mind." She was relaxed and wasn’t worried that I may be shocked to hear that.

What is she talking about, I was supposed to die in 262 days and just wanted to live my life to the fullest until my day comes. I thought.

"What are you sayin, what experiment?" I asked.

Am I in a movie or something? It probably happened in a manga that I read once. I thought

"You don't need to worry about anything; we know your name is Edra Banota and you live alone in an apartment that was left by your late parents and only have 262; Oh! sorry, I mean only 261 days left to live so we chose you as a part of an experiment which will help humanity." She ended the line with a smile on her face.

She seemed trustworthy and kind, her blue eyes kinda reminded me of Mika, she has the same eyes like hers. Mika has black hair and this Xiba girl over here has violet.

"I hope you will be ready for what's coming." She slowly whispered

It did concern me about myself and I was confused and clueless in this black room then I had a thought.

Who does paint a hospital room black?

Later I heard a knock on the door

"May I come in?"

"Yeah, you can," Xiba replied

This strange man entered the room, even though he was wearing a coat of some sort that doctors usually wear but he was smoking a cigarette, which made me question whether this place is a hospital or some weird laboratory.

He came up to me and introduced himself.

"Hey there, my name is Shin Bareno you can call me Shin." "I am the one who chose you for this experiment and looks like my choice was not wrong after all, What did I say Xiba." Looking towards Xiba

“Shin as in Shinigami?” I said to myself.

"Yes, Shin Sama you were correct this time," Xiba replied. (W/N: Xiba uses Sama for Shin as she thinks she is indebted to him for her life and deserved honour for saving her, more about her in chapter 4.5.)

This time? I thought

As soon as he finished introducing himself, I again started feeling weird and began to lose sight. I blacked out; when I became conscious again, I was inside a white room.

They sure do like the monochrome colour scheme. I interpreted.

There was blood splattered on some parts of the wall and it smelled awful, and right in front of me, a thing appeared from nowhere.

It was an animal, human, or zombie I wasn't sure but, its head was disfigured and its eyes were almost bulging out of its eyelids. Its arms were long and it had a claw too but the legs were like that of a normal human.

"What the hell's this thing," I said out loud

The creature screamed while facing towards me

"Gwarhhh."

"Hey is there someone? Let me out or am good as dead" I yelled dreadfully while banging the walls so someone might hear me.

Give me a break; this is the last thing any person would expect to happen to them after getting to know that their days are numbered. "What the heck, let me out already.” That thing was advancing towards me, I screeched and screamed out load

Seeing that thing coming close to me, made me tear up. I was breathing heavily and in the middle of that, the creature attacked me with an immense speed. I thought I was done for.

"Gwaaarrrrrrr." He screamed while attacking.

"Ahhhhhhh fuck!" I yelled

In a split second my left arm was ripped apart from my shoulder by the force of its claw, I was panting and in pain that I never experienced before in my entire life. My heart started to pump faster, it was so loud that even I was able to hear the blood pumping through my heart.

"Gwar Gwar!!" the creature relentlessly screamed.

"I can't take this any longer; If it attacked me again, I will probably die." "What a pathetic way to die and even alone." I started hallucinating and breathing heavily.

I happen to see some vision of my past, the day I got one true friend Mika or the days when some delinquents were beating the shit out of me. I still can't believe Mika stood up for me.

How pathetic and embarrassing it could get. I thought as all I could remember was embarrassing stuff, as soon as I was ready to kiss the death.

"Thanks, Mika for standing up for me when even I couldn't"

I closed my eyes and my heart started pumping even faster all of a sudden.

"What is this? My heart rate: sounds almost like it's an engine revving."

I puked blood again and my shoulder started extending, my arm started growing back but it wasn't like my normal arm it was red ‘ish in colour and veins were popping off. It was similar to the arm of that thing which was attacking me. When I was busy in my thoughts that beast again charged at me and this time my left leg below the knee was chopped off.

"Aaaaaah! Whoa!! Give me a break." I screeched again.

But my leg started growing back too. I wondered what was happening to my body as I started looking similar to that creature. Again from nowhere, it stormed towards me.

But this time I had this impulse as if my reflexes were sharpened and improved. I lost myself and any drop of fear I had in me, was vanished.

"Wow; ha hahaha! Even I got a claw now screw it, at least I will die with pride!!!" I said that out loud

And then I Pounced towards the creature with my new arm, the claw of my arm engaged and sliced the creature's left arm and I got a rush of dopamine as soon as I connected. I attacked it again and again and again, feeling nothing but a sense of pleasure.

"Yeaaah! mwahaha! Ya hahaha!" I was laughing even though I was on the verge of my death a few minutes ago.

"Come at me you degenerated scum blob," I yelled at the creature. I sliced its arms, legs the torso and even ripped its head from its body, I wasn't sure what it was but it seemed like I enjoyed it. I was showering in blood.

"Very well, aren't you an interesting one." I heard a voice from the speakers which were hanging on each corner of the wall.

This person's voice is the same as that doctor’s or whoever he was. I thought.

A door opened behind me and someone was standing in the dark, as that person progressed towards me and entered the room it was none other than Shin.

"Hey; how's it going? I hope you weren't troubled; much. Wow, you shredded that thing into pieces hun, you are looking rather satisfied."

"What the heck did you do to me?!" I questioned, but he just looked at me and smirked. I was moving towards him but someone snapped my neck from behind and I dropped like a rag doll. Was It some weird dream that I was in or it's my damn reality? I thought just before I turned unconscious.

“Ice cream yes I like Ice cream, any flavour works for me doesn’t matter if it's chocolate or strawberry or even blueberry flavour which is kinda uncommon. Which one will you pick Ed?”

Mom, I missed you so much even though all I could remember of you is a moment when you always made me choose between three flavours, Chocolate, Strawberry and blueberry. Every time I picked one flavour and you always used to say, “won’t you feel bad if you didn’t get to taste the other two.” Whenever I asked you, “What should I do then Mom?” Your answer was always consistent. “Ed there are many choices in life that you can never control, it’s always made for you. It gives you an illusion that you have a choice but in reality, you don’t. still, there are always some opportunities that you can create, where you don’t have to choose between any choices. So this time you get to have all three flavours but in return, you have to promise me that you'll always work hard and become a man just like your dad.”

I will become a great man mom, just like my da--

Wake up, wake up, wake up!

“Haa!” I was panting, Xiba was next to me, smiling at me. She seemed rather young, don’t know how she ended up in this place.

“You woke up hun!” “So tell me which flavour will you choose strawberry, chocolate or blueberry?”

“Can I get to have all three?” I was looking directly into her eyes.

“No, haha. It's your medicine I am talking about, we at 'Alfa hope' have discovered a way to subsume flavours in our medicine as the patient has to chew the medicine and gulp it without water. It helps.” She was beaming when she answered.

“Strawberry then” I liked chocolate and blueberry as well, these two weren’t a wrong choice either but strawberry was the only option that came to my mind.

“Strawberry it is then.” She raised the tablet on which she was recording my data and tapped on it while glaring at me.

Wait a second why are we talking about flavours and medicine, what the heck happened to me. I wasn’t sure what was going around here but I did recall fighting a beast of a thing. So I tried asking her.

“Hey, I was good as dead last time I was conscious, what in the world was that thing and what happened to me in there and why is this happening to me?” I asked her.

And yes, why are you so optimistic about it, that smile. I thought.

“Don’t worry, Shin Sama will explain everything to you shortly.” Even when she said that she was smiling, that does make me feel a little warm but it was intriguing in a weird way.

“Aah, here is he.” She was looking towards the door as if she knew he was coming somehow even before he knocked on the door.

Then there was a knock; he came in and grabbed himself a chair and sat near me, he had this smirk on his face which was setting the atmosphere of the room.

“Welcome back, looks like you survived, plus in a good shape. We thought you were dead meat as you were frozen there for a bit but seems like you can put up a fight if you are pushed through.”

“Hey, Shin.”

“Aha aha, you better address him with respect Ed” Xiba with a shallow whisper.

“With respect hun?” why is she calling me Ed only my mom used to call me that.

“I believe you may have many questions for me Edra, so why don’t you go ahead and ask.” This Shin guy looked pretty confident while he was talking to me as if this was something very common for him.

“Yes Indeed” I have soo many questions what should I ask him first? Wait a second why am I feeling intimidated by his presence? It almost makes me wanna run away from him.

“Hmm ahem,” I cleared my throat. “I am a bit too confused here. Care to explain what the heck you guys did to my body! and why am I here in the first place, I got less than a year to live and now I feel like I will die in the worst possible way.” As soon as I finished with my words, this Shin dude put his left hand below his chin, and he was lost as if he was thinking about something to answer.

“I understand you may feel like we did something weird with your body for our good purpose but in reality, what we did to you is for your good and it's like a blessing we hailed upon you.” “You better be grateful.” Staring straight into my eyes as if he was looking down on me.

“Grateful?! For this mess that you turned me into? I don’t know if it's even safe to do such things to a human body and it feels like you don’t give a single dime about the lives you're responsible for. All those blood stains in that white room and that monster; I don’t believe whatever you are doing is some kind of a blessing in any way possible.” Who in his right mind would think this curse will be a blessing. Either he is toying with me or he is straight out dumb in that regard.

He again glared at me and unexpectedly started laughing.

“Ha hahaha, aren’t we humans dumb?” Yeah, that’s what I think about you too or did he read my mind?

“What do you mean by that?” I enquired.

“Well, it's clear; whenever we see or experience something different or foreign, we tend to believe that it must be terrible or hostile. But quick judgement is often wrong and full of fallacious beliefs." He had strong beliefs himself. I don't know why but it seemed like he was questioning all humanity.

"But it does not answer my question, why did you do this to my body in the first place? Am I your prisoner or something?" He was rather chill with his attitude. My words were not much of his concern.

He grabbed himself a chair and sat on it. Later, he lit a cigarette using a lighter which had an Oni (demon) logo on it. This Oni was similar to some Yōkai depictions I’ve seen in some old books my dad used to read.

"Let me tell you something important Edra., your life was doomed to end in 262 days when we picked you as a test subject because your blood group is rare. It's known as golden blood type or Rh-null blood group. Not even 100 people in the world have this blood type. So picking you as a test subject was ideal for our experiment. As it was designed for Rh type blood, to begin with." He took a drag of his cigarette and sighed like he was trying to remember something.

“So I have a rare blood type., hun?" I pretty much was aware of the fact that I had a rare blood type. Dad always said that to me.

"Always take care of yourself Edra, you are special." That's pretty much what he used to say, but thinking back on it., he didn't use to say you have a rare blood type. So don't end up losing it or accidentally hurt yourself. I don't know what's so special about me except that rare blood.

“Hey, Shin.” Aah, why is Xiba glaring at me with eyes intensified? It feels like her face says the word 'respect’. “Hem ahem, So Shin aah sama how did you get to know about me and my blood?

He puffed the cigarette one more time and replied. "The hospital; where you got diagnosed is run by Alfa Hope. We take data of every patient to seek a potential subject who can withstand our experiment."

“How many were there before me?” I was dripping in sweat as I asked him.

“Hmm; before you? There were almost 700 who failed to survive our experiment.” He was calm as he answered.

“What do you mean by failed?!” I asked.

“That they died as they were unable to withstand the pain and some of them even straight out committed suicide just to end their suffering, pathetic." He whispered the last word under his breath.

He said it all without any hesitation as if he had no guilt for what he had done to those people. It made me feel uneasy, something was wrong with this person and this place. I wanted to forget this all and go home and live my remaining days peacefully. But I was eager to get more information about what was happening in this place. So I yelled at him.

“You killed these men in the name of some stupid experiment that will serve humanity, you say!" I could clearly understand that all of this was illicit. This man and this stupid company were responsible for many deaths. "I don't get what's wrong with your mind, this type of experiment should never be allowed! I am leaving this place, don't try to stop me."

"Do you think I would do something as sinister as killing someone for my own benefit? You regard me as a villain, I contemplate." He made his statement as if he was right in every aspect.

“What makes you think that? I know these men were given hope that they might survive because of this experiment but it’s a shame that the experiment failed every time. If we look towards the bright side; some did survive like the fella you fought a moment ago. He also should be grateful as he was also on the verge of death but look at him now he is well and alive, rather in an awful state but still better than the dead that is.” He never showed a bit of distress nor his expression was changing he was just as calm as a koala, my temperament took a hold of me and I stood and grabbed him from the collar of his coat and punched him in his face.

“Hey, what the heck are you doing?” Xiba came near me and grabbed my hands and pulled them back as she pinned me to the ground, later she put her right knee on my neck and yelled, “Get ahold of yourself, will ya?”

“I don’t care! This dude over here thinks he is Mr Right and I wanna teach him a lesson that people's lives matter and it holds a meaning, they are not rats for your crazy experiments!” Hearing my words he came and sat down on his knees in front of me and commented.

“The lives which matter the most are the useful ones; any living being who is futile is a burden or rather insignificant to achieve greater heights.” He picked up the cigarette, took a last drag out of it and tossed it in the trash can beside my bed. He took a long breath and uttered. “Your sense of justice is incompetent and is based on the idealism of your vision of this world but humanity has been unjust since the beginning of the time, we waged war and killed thousands even owned slaves just for our satisfaction or to dominate the other.”

“Which was indeed immoral of us but it also was a part of us, like a natural force that tuned us into what we are today. What I am doing here is nothing but favour to humanity, I am purifying and turning humans into our true form which will help us prevail to the next level.” He replied to me with a great explanation that sounded more like an excuse for his actions.

“Are you an idiot?” “Justifying your intentions and deeds by the history of the human psyche, there might be some idiots who might believe in your words but I am not a believer of bullshit so you better keep your idealism to yourself as it is detrimental for the humanity.” He frowned for the first time and stood up.

“You are human, right? And humans tend to have some social relations or perhaps some friends or family they care for. Is there someone you care for?” His question made me remember Mika, as she was the only person who I could call a friend and I met two new people too but Mika is the closest to the word family for me.

“So what” I replied.

“Release him, Xiba.” He Ordered Xiba to release me from the pinned position.

“But Shin Sama, he may attack you the moment I release him.” Xiba was concerned that I may try to attack Shin again.

“He won’t.” He glanced me in the eye and said, “will you?”

Xiba trusted him and released me from the hold, she genuinely seemed to respect and trust Shin even though when she had her knee on my head she wasn’t pressing me towards the ground but rather lightly touching my neck as if she was just trying to calm me down. I stood up and took a long breath and Shin came up to me and put his left arm on my right shoulder and said.

“Good boy, I knew you were smart just don’t try to do something which will cause this experiment to fail, OK?” He was grinning. “You know what's on the line, don’t you? Human evolution that is, if you did something which will cause us unnecessary trouble, it could cost you much more than yourself” His voice was a little intimidating and deep, which makes one believe in his words even if you don’t like the idea pretty much. But I am not a person who will swiftly fall into his traps. If I need to play Mr dog guy for a while then I will. I Don’t want to end up like the guy with a chainsaw.

“OK! Cool, I will cooperate with you for the time being, as my days are numbered I don’t care even if you have to play with my body for a while but remember if something wrong or weird happens to the people around me, I will rip the grin off your face myself.” There I said it, phew! Now I can relax as I delivered my lines smoothly at least he would know that I am not a mere puppet that he can fiddle with.

“Whoa There! So it was a threat or something? You should know you are in no position to act recklessly, your life was nothing but useless before this experiment. You were dying in vain but now because of this experiment, your death will be a worthy one” I had this intuition that something horrible was about to come that even I was not ready for.

Xiba didn’t say a single word but she was like ever, still wearing a smile that almost comforted me. She looks good.

“Xiba here will be living with you from now on as you need to be observed 24/7, you don’t want to lose control and go berserk on civilians, right?” Shin wasn’t being generous or something he just wanted this experiment to succeed I guess, that’s why the ‘observe’ thing with Xiba hun?

“What! Xiba with me 24/7?” Xiba frowned at me as if she didn’t like the idea of me disapproving of her presence. I would like the smile please, damn she looks frightening like that. “She can observe me at home all she wants but I have school as well, so how will she follow me there?” I murmured that hesitatingly.

“Don’t worry about it she will be joining you at your school.” Now, that did concern me. Aah now she is smiling at me, she seems more enthusiastic about it and even more than the doctor person Shin. I thought.

Haa! How did I end up like this, we both have been in my room at least for 2 hours now and she is constantly gazing at me with a smile on, is she a robot? I should initiate a conversation.

Say, how old are you exactly. Ahh here I go again with my awkward convo skills, it would’ve been easier if it was with Mika. Never ask a girl her age that’s how that great saying goes.

“You are interested in me aren’t you? Hehe.” She didn’t appear to be angry or anything I guess my question was on spot after all.

“It's not like that, I am just a bit curious you look quite young yourself.” To be honest, I am interested in her and knowing her will be advantageous for me, will it be? Ah, who cares. My thoughts were jumbling.

After that, she looked right into my eyes and leaned forward towards me, she was too close for my comfort, her lips were almost touching my ears and then she whispered. “I am 18.” Which almost tingled me. Why does she need to be so close to say that?!

I moved back, needed to be at distance or she will end up eating me or something. “Ahem, hem! Aah, so you are 18 I am 17 myself so not much of a difference.” In terms of age that is.

I was just conversing with her and unexpectedly I heard a knock on my door, but I remembered that there was a doorbell, so why would someone knock instead? Then I recalled that whenever Mika visited me she would always knock first out of habit and she even said that whenever there will be a knock on your door, it will most likely be me. But what I am most concerned about now was how will I explain all this especially Xiba to her. Again a knock.

“Shouldn’t you answer it? Someone might be waiting outside.” Xiba wasn’t nervous or in any discomfort.

I stood up and grabbed the doorknob; just as I was about to open the door someone pushed the door inward so hard that the door came off and I was thrown backwards about 10-15 feet. There was a creature standing in front of me who looks like a man, but it wasn’t something normal. He had wings and was holding a blade in his right arm and there wasn’t a left arm that I could see, our eyes met and whatever it was, it attacked me. I closed my eyes and tried to shield myself with my arms.

“Haa! Noooo!” I heard a clang as if his blade clashed with another, and when I opened my eyes, Xiba was holding a knife and she managed to stop his attack using just a basic kitchen knife. Even though I would say it was a santoku knife which my co-worker from my part-time job gifted me on my seventeenth birthday, he did say it was hand-made with special metal I wasn’t expecting it to withstand a swooshing blade.

“Ohh, you must be a parasite from The Bio Switch.” Xiba seems to have an idea about the intruder. Then she slashed him with that knife and he went flying through the door but the sword person again stood up and yelled.

“Haaa! You insects from The Hope can’t dream of withstanding our bioengineered soldiers.” Yeah, him yelling that out loud did confirm various things and rather an important thing, that I was in grave danger. This experiment done on me alone was enough to make me worry for days till my end. Now I have to always, watch my back as well. “Ahh! It's quite frustrating.”

“Look Lil Girl! I don’t hold a grudge against you or anything. I just want to finish that insect behind you” This ugly bastard got some nerve calling me an insect, maybe he has never seen himself in the mirror or something, plus his voice is quite feminine; is he even he. He gave me an eye and I believed that he would accomplish his objective pretty well, the objective of finishing me.

“Hey! Olaf, why are you frozen? Get a hold of yourself, no one can touch you until I am alive.” Her saying did comfort me but she was smiling too, which under these circumstances I rather not.

“I believe you, but please don’t get hurt yourself.” Am I worried about her? I mean she wants to protect me and she looks quite capable so—

“Ahh, worried bout me, hun? Don’t worry these parasites can’t touch me.” She was confident about her abilities. “Say, do you like Ice – Cream?” Why was she asking me that? She should focus on that parasite.

“I love Ice-cream but you should focus on the enemy for now.” While I was replying to her that parasite man kicked her in the knee, but what happened next was reasonably unexpected.

“Come at me you bug! I will grant you a death wish if you insist so. Haaa!” Xiba forestall his attack using her pinky and that parasite man was astonished by her action and so was me. “I warned you, didn’t I?” verily, she didn’t. “Now die you parasite, haa!” She swung her left leg so fast and her foot met the temple of his head and with the sheer force of her kick, he was stomped to the ground, his eyes were popping off and at that moment I realised she was sublimely cool.

“Wow, you finished him in one blow that’s quite a feat.” I was just amazed while saying that with a confused expression on my face.

“This parasite was nothing compared to what I am built--; I mean this was nothing compared to my past advisories.” Why did she pause there, Was she also a part of this experiment before me? I wonder. But why would she hide it from me? She seemed concerned about it and there is much to the mystery of this girl.

“Hey Ed, you have to stick close to me, you are one of our greatest treasures and many like this dead parasite will be coming for you and I hate to admit this but there are many Bio Switch Soldiers that even I can’t stand a chance against, so we will be training you from now on and will teach to harness this cursed power. Which will eventually help you fight and survive these difficult times, we will transform your curse into a blessing.” Again she was smiling at me but the foot that she slashed into that parasite's head was starting to bleed.

“Ooi, let's go inside and rest now I’ve school tomorrow and I should take a look into that foot of yours btw what about that body outside?” She came up to me and patted my head like I was a little kid and uttered.

“Aren’t you a caring one? That body will be taken care of by the Hope so don’t you worry a bit.” Hmm, I never thought I would meet a girl like her in my lifetime, she is straight out of a fairy tale. We both got inside and I bandaged her and she kept teasing me. To be honest, being alone wasn’t that great but this seems pretty cool even though the people she is working for look shady and evil I don’t feel a bit of unease with her. Maybe she is the One yeah? Er, whom am I kidding the last thing I want is to fall for a psycho.

“Xiba, we are done for now and you should take a rest and so should I.”

“Tomorrow is school, right? It will be fun yay!” What is she getting excited about? yeah, I forgot to come up with an excuse! How am I supposed to explain all this to Mika? She might stick her nose everywhere, I should remain careful and never let my guard down, who knows what might happen next if I didn’t pay enough attention.

“Aaaa, ah yawing kinda comforting too.” She is sleeping on the ground should I invite her to the bed aah no, what am I saying? She will probably get the wrong idea here; Good night Xiba. I hope my numbered days won’t be a pain in the ass for too long and neither for anyone else.

Now that he knows what’s at stake will he be able to control his psyche and go through all this madness by being rational or what's waiting for him next will change his beliefs and ideology? The only things that kept him stable are his few relationships with other humans he truly cares for. What will Edra turn into depends not on him but rather on the people around him?