Chapter 64
Harriet entered the familiar laboratory interior.
Somehow, this place remained unchanged despite years passing. Harriet casually tossed his gas mask on the floor and ran his finger over the operating table that still seemed to have blood pooled on it.
When he had awakened after the successful experiment, the first thing he saw was the researchers’ bewildered expressions. They were very perplexed and confused. Their eyes were filled with terror, as if looking at a creation that should never have succeeded.
People sometimes say that when they visit their hometown, they experience many thoughts. It’s similar to the ecstasy of returning. That’s also why those who grew up in the countryside dream of going back home.
“I missed it quite a bit.”
Harriet looked up. He was smiling ecstatically, like someone who had returned to their hometown.
.
.
Anschel prided himself on being hardened against most situations. But now, he couldn’t calm his churning insides to the point where that pride seemed foolish.
Clutching his stomach, he retched painfully several times. Just when he thought it had stopped, the images would flash in his mind, and he’d start dry heaving again.
Anschel thought Harriet was broken. No, Harriet was broken. He was certain of it. Though Harriet pretended to be fine, his mind was damaged and shattered, perhaps beyond repair. He couldn’t possibly be okay. He was just pretending to be.
While sympathizing with Harriet, Anschel began rationalizing in a way that made it easier for him to process. After trembling like a sick person several times, he finally looked up slowly at Ender.
Ender was someone who loved Harriet and looked at him blindly. During their separation, he must have collected information about Harriet like a fanatic, gathering it like a madman.
As evidence, Anschel hadn’t known what Harriet looked like until meeting him in person. But he had known for a while that the person Ender was interested in liked cocoa and drank a lot of water. Of course, he hadn’t known it was a man.
Anyway, Ender was someone who had Harriet in his heart to that extent. So it would be normal for him to be more distressed than Anschel.
But despite that, Ender was too calm. He was watching the footage with a cold gaze, but there was no anger to be found in his eyes. He was just intently watching the video with mineral-like red eyes.
Anschel felt his breath catch at the sight. Ender was scanning the horrific experiment footage without even blinking, as if he didn’t want to miss even one second. That was, truly, not the look of someone who loved Harriet.
If he had known that the person he loved had undergone such experiments, he wouldn’t have remained so still. Not only would he vomit, but he would also scream, rage until his brain melted, and get angry—that would be ‘normal.’
“Co… Colonel.”
Anschel finally spoke, wiping his mouth that was covered in stomach acid and saliva with his sleeve. As soon as Ender confirmed that the footage had been transferred to the USB, he crushed the computer’s main unit without a moment’s hesitation.
Under Ender’s ability, it changed beyond recognition like a piece of paper. The way he proceeded without the slightest hesitation felt terribly unfamiliar yet familiar.
Until now, Ender had been a competent soldier, following orders without unnecessary additions and receiving evaluations of being cold-blooded. But Anschel suddenly found his superior of five years too unfamiliar.
“Colonel… what are you plotting?”
Anschel barely managed to stand up. Ender McGuire had been the military’s dog for seven years. He was Dante’s pawn, obeying his orders and slaughtering merpeople. Ender didn’t even seem to feel guilty about the merpeople he had killed.
Sometimes, when Anschel saw him using his abilities, he would be so distressed that he couldn’t even sleep. He seemed merciless and purposeless.
“What exactly do you want, Colonel?? What are you plotting!!”
Anschel just couldn’t calm down. Desperately clinging to his fading consciousness, he shouted. He couldn’t gauge what Ender wanted at all.
He had said something that seemed absurd at first glance—about overthrowing the president and putting Anschel in his place. But Anschel knew all too well that Ender wasn’t someone who spoke nonsense carelessly.
While feeling pathetic for his wavering heart, he would also feel relieved whenever he saw his own humanity. Anschel grabbed his trembling wrist.
“What I’ve wanted since 20 years ago has been just one thing.”
After a slight pause, Ender spoke with his usual cold smile. Then, gradually, he raised his gaze with an ecstatic expression.
Before his eyes stood seven-year-old Ender McGuire in front of a massive tank. Young Ender stared fixedly at a snow-white merperson, as if enchanted.
Since the age of seven, Ender hadn’t moved a single step from that place.
* * *
Harriet slowly closed his eyes.
His white pupils, even the irises, were hidden behind similarly colorless eyelashes. It was a sight that would have made Ender gasp at its beauty had he seen it.
Every time he came here, he had to get on the operating table. Though it was clean now, it had once been a place where blood never dried. Honestly, it still seemed to smell of blood.
It wasn’t a good memory, but it was an intense one in an otherwise boring life. And Harriet had abandoned being human and transformed into a merperson. He lost his original abilities but gained the power to control water, something humans couldn’t possess.
Thanks to that ability, Harriet had been deployed to the eastern sea, and the memories of that time were lost. When he opened his eyes in the eastern sea, Harriet couldn’t move.
In the distance, a military medical boat slowly approached, and their faces were filled with fear. Harriet just stared at them with one eye closed, blood trickling down.
Due to the impact of battle, one of Harriet’s mertail was completely damaged and distorted, and even when transformed back to human, he couldn’t escape the aftermath.
The ability was already difficult to control, and with the injured tail fin, the military judged that it was impossible to control him and stationed Harriet at the frontline sea. Then, shortly after, Harriet was suddenly demoted, and Ender McGuire suddenly rose and began to be hailed as a hero.
Returning from his reminiscence, Harriet smiled slightly at the sound of footsteps in his ears. Those who approached with large strides opened the laboratory door without hesitation.
Hiss—
The disinfection system still seemed to function properly, as it sprayed disinfectant toward them for quite some time. Harriet opened his eyes and welcomed the intruders.
“Did you finish well?”
“Yes, sunbae.”
Ender McGuire approached with large strides. Even here, Ender somehow shone so brightly. Harriet had thought being a test subject was the most intense experience in his life, but now he felt like he needed to cancel that thought entirely.
Ender held a gas mask in one hand and wore black gloves. His long legs were wrapped in thick military uniforms, and his black hair was slightly damp.
Looking at his red pupils, Harriet felt something tickling from within his chest. As Harriet stared blankly at Ender, Anschel suddenly started to dry heave again beside him. Without taking his eyes off Ender, Harriet groaned sympathetically.
Ender smiled charmingly enough to mesmerize any onlooker. As if to dye the white pupils of Harriet with red, he faced him and raised his hand. Ender’s large hand touched his cheek.
“Have you finished sorting out your feelings?”
Ender whispered gently. Harriet closed his eyes, then opened them with a small smile. Beside them, Anschel let out a dying groan.
“I didn’t need to sort anything out, I just wanted to come see it.”
“Why? It’s not a good memory, is it?”
“For me, it wasn’t such a bad memory. After all, the experiment succeeded, and I’m not in pain now. It wasn’t a bad outcome since I can now live in the sea.”
Harriet could live between land and sea. He didn’t think that was such a bad ending. Smiling softly, Harriet, as he always did, raised his index finger and stroked Ender’s cheek and jawline. Then he tapped his cheekbone gently.
“There’s no place that was as intense for me as this. That’s why I wanted to come see it.”
“…”
With his eyes slightly downcast, Harriet’s gaze fell on Ender’s heavy lower body, where he could see a bulge. The young junior had excessive sexual desire. Even in this urgent moment, his cute libido seemed unstoppable. It was like watching a cat approaching its heat period.
My cute cat.
Harriet gently moved his finger down to caress his jaw, then lowered his hand below his chest.
“Why is this standing up?”
“Are… are you crazy, it’s erect?”
Although he had asked Ender, only Anschel’s disgusted response came back. Anschel stepped back a few steps, then started retching again, shaking violently as his insides seemed to turn over again.
Fortunately, or perhaps not, nothing more came out of his stomach now.
“It’s not a good memory, is it?”
“This place?”
“Yes.”
Thinking that Ender was unusually persistent today, Harriet smiled faintly. Ender’s ears, which had been focusing on the slightly curved lips and his voice, twitched.
“It’s not a good memory.”
As if he’d been waiting for this, Ender reached out and grabbed Harriet’s shoulders. Then he put Harriet on the operating table and crawled between his legs.
Seeing this, Anschel finally couldn’t hold back and started vomiting again. Watching Harriet climb onto the operating table caused the footage he had seen earlier to replay in his mind. He coughed and retched, spitting up stomach acid.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
