"That sounds complicated. But some talents require preparation, don't they? Like my healing—I need to consider certain things if I want to achieve good results."
"Well, we don't know how your healing works. It may fall under the Invoke category. The thing is, the first thing an awakened person needs to do is find, confirm beyond reasonable doubt, and understand what category their talent falls under. From there, they can build up. If not, they may never reach higher phases."
"That is hard." Eiran could already see that his blood was creation and control, but also more than that. Well, maybe because they were origins, that's why.
"Shift is transforming into something. And whatever one transforms into, they may gain a series of abilities under their sleeve. It can be animals, objects, or elements. But it also comes with personality shifts to a degree. One must master it."
"Control is an Origin Category, but talents that fall under it will have very strong control over something. Every talent only has it in a limited manner—for example, me. I enhance and control the output and direction in a limited manner, but any talent under the Control category has inhuman precision. For example, the Metal Control Talent. He can't create metal, but once he holds one, it becomes akin to his hand. He can mold it, liquefy it, and shape it in any way he desires. Of course, one needs to train to achieve precision, but their control is absolute."
"It's complicated!" Eiran thought. His control over blood was at that level too. But he could also create blood.
"Don't get confused. Some talents are hard to categorize. Some will end up spending years just trying to find it. Add to the fact that the categories we have are not complete."
"You are an Alterborne," Dr. Kael said, and Eiran was startled. "What... why?"
The man began speaking but noticed the baby was limping, and soon he fell asleep.
A voice came from behind Dr. Kael: "It takes energy for him to keep himself awake."
"Head Doctor!" He was startled but composed himself when he saw the doctor in the black suit. "You are leaving?"
"Yes. I have to take him somewhere. You will be in charge." He handed him a special device. "No need for anyone to know I'm gone. That would be disastrous."
"Indeed. You haven't left here for 50 years!" Dr. Kael was more than shocked.
"It's alright. It's an order from the top!" A bubble enveloped the pod Eiran was in, disconnecting him from everything, but the functions continued. He brought out another device and prepared to teleport.
"What about Dr. Miranda?" Dr. Kael quickly asked.
"Ah. She is fine. That blood was a parasite that seemed to have a mind of its own. We will know more after I return." He said before adding, "Tell Mama Thorne that Eiran is going somewhere better."
***
Eiran opened his eyes not in the pod, but resting on a crib. He struggled up and found Dr. Gerard by his side, seated in a black suit. He looked different—eyes cold and contemplative.
"Hello, Eiran."
The boy didn't answer as he took in his surroundings. It was a small room; he had no frame of reference.
"We are in a ship going to..." he trailed off, "somewhere where we can get something that will help you with your limbs!"
Eiran's body hadn't changed from the baby at all, even as he had spent 9 months under Mama Sophie's feeding care. What had happened was that his stumps grew gradually.
The Dr. and Sophie concluded the boy could only grow when his whole body had fully regrown. But there was something they noticed: at first, growth was fast but began to slow down until it stopped completely.
This told them it would take time—years maybe—or the baby would need to take control of the regrowth and accelerate it. To Mama Sophie, who didn't know Eiran was intelligent, she assumed that would be years to come.
As for Eiran, he knew the reason. Mama Sophie's feeding was very effective at first, and her body or Talent kept pushing her to make the best nutrients for Eiran until she could no longer do it. That limit was what halted his regrowth.
Another thing was, what would heal others would not be effective on him. His body and physique were so advanced that only very potent nutrition could make accelerated changes. If not, it would be slow.
A prime example was that he spent 6 months with Mama Thorne but didn't develop a single Celestial Blood Essence, but in less than a month, he got one in the facility. It also took every month to gain another drop.
The only reason he didn't develop more Celestial Blood Essence from feeding on Mama Sophie was because his whole body used it rather than condensing it.
In terms of nutrient requirements, Eiran had no deficiency at all. His growth would be perfect, as long as no mishaps happened.
"Eiran, tell me who are you? Where did you come from?" Dr. Gerard asked.
Even without hands to hold and climb, Eiran expertly worked hard to climb out of the crib before rolling on the ground, laughing. Though intelligent, he found it funny. He rested still, ignoring the Dr. and crawled around to quench his curiosity.
"You are a psychic that can control the minds of people. Can you cure madness?" The Dr. didn't get tired, knowing he was dealing with a child—he had to be patient.
"What is a psychic?" Eiran's soothing voice reached the Dr.'s mind. "It's part of the talent category!"
"Yes. Psychics are those whose talent is related to mind, brain, and affecting the external world using their thoughts alone. Some of them can move objects using their mind, some can take control of other people's minds. The talents are diverse and sometimes confusing!"
"That's not my talent!" Eiran said calmly. By now he stood close to a circular window that showed the outside. He only saw blur and crawled away, uninterested.
"There was a dent on the orphanage. I believe you have been controlling someone to carry you there. Or someone who knows you carried you there."
"My talent is healing," Eiran said as he grabbed an apparatus, trying to understand what it was, but it slipped from his hand.
Thud.
A heavy book landed on the table close to Eiran's crib. "Inside here contains all information about humanity's documentation of talent categories."
This got the baby interested. He crawled back, but he couldn't climb the crib—too high, and he had no hands to pull himself up.
"You will get hands where we are going!" the Dr. said. "You want help!"
"No." He crawled away.
"You are still afraid of me. You think I'll harm you."
"What are Alterborne!" Eiran asked.
The Dr. became irritated before he sighed and calmed down. "They are humans that are born with additional organs in them. Usually, that organ or item is the nexus of their talent. You are an Alterborne."
"How did you know!"
"There is a set of blood vessels in your body that aren't found in the normal human body. And these vessels don't seem to carry blood—they both exist and don't exist at the same time. If not for our enhanced instruments, we wouldn't detect them!"
"Why do you want to know more about me? Is it the golden man's desire?"
"Yes and no. Where we are going requires us to know what you can do. Also, I'm curious about who would leave their child like you at an orphanage. I still believe you are a psychic—maybe you don't know it yet. People may confuse their talent, you know."
A bubble wrapped around the baby and pulled him back to his crib. He was about to begin crying when Dr. Gerard explained, "I can make bubbles. A stupid ability that caused me to be ridiculed. Even at SSS rank, I have no fighting power. But after reaching Phase 2, things began to change."
Eiran was thoughtful. "You are a danger to me. But I also feel I can trust you. Do you know..." Eiran had mixed feelings about what he wanted to say.
While he was inside that woman's body, he had heard the name many times associated with curses by the survivors. And he knew it belonged to that vile man.
"...Blood Monarch?" the baby asked.
The Dr. frowned. "I usually don't meddle with the affairs of the outside world. For 50 years I have been stuck in that facility. Information like this is just documented and saved by relevant individuals."
Saying that, his hands were on the table, typing and searching before he frowned. "Hmm. A very powerful Phase 3 awakened that controls blood."
His interest peaked. "Recently there is a confidential hunt on him that terraformed large areas of land, and his status is unknown. Rumors have it he is immortal, capable of regenerating any wound. Some believe he had been killed before but can undergo rebirth..."
The man shared some findings as well as some assumptions about the man.
"Are you his rebirth?" the Dr. asked curiously.
Instantly, Eiran's demeanor changed. The outline of veins appeared on his body, his skin became pink, and his eyes glowed red.