The Hidden Truth of the Prosthetic
Two people encountered each other inside the Ruthenia Corporation building. The moment I saw them, I felt a sense of déjà vu. I shouldn't have known them, yet for some reason, they felt strangely familiar.
The silver-haired elf, addressed as Sator, smiled and greeted the middle-aged man warmly. "Luke, even if you're busy, cutting off contact entirely is a bit much. You shouldn't be so cold to an old friend."
"I apologize for that. I've just been incredibly busy lately."
Judging by his tone, they weren't as close as "friends" would imply. Unlike the enthusiastic Sator, the man—the uncle—remained stoic. He asked, "By the way, Sator, I thought you hated wandering around crowded places because of your germaphobia?"
"I do hate it. But a researcher is the type of creature who will seek out anything that piques their interest. I came here to sign a contract regarding the reconstruction of my lab, and I happened to speak with a senior researcher at Ruthenia. They were struggling to create a prosthetic for a psychic who manipulates fire, so I lent a hand. As you know, I have a deep interest and extensive knowledge in that field."
Sator adjusted his glasses with a gloved hand. I had wondered if wearing white cotton gloves was a fashion choice, but it seemed it was indeed due to his germaphobia.
"Since I gave the advice, I had to check if it worked properly. I came to see the result and found a familiar face. To think I'd meet a friend who cut off all contact in a place like this. What brings you here?"
"The student who needs the prosthetic attends the Academy, and I was asked by my older brother to ensure the surgery goes smoothly."
"I see. Is that so?" Sator smiled thinly at the man's response. His gaze, from behind his glasses, shifted toward me.
"Isn't it fascinating? The student getting the prosthetic happens to look remarkably like someone I know, happens to be a fire-manipulating psychic, and the one performing the surgery happens to be you. At this point, it's hard to call it a coincidence."
"......."
The man's eyes wavered. After staring at me for a long time, Sator spoke to him. "I think we have a lot to talk about. Could you spare a moment?"
The man looked at me, then slowly nodded. "......Let's finish the surgery first, then we'll talk."
I tried my best to ignore their conversation. It was a topic I didn't want to dwell on.
***
After changing into a surgical gown and entering the operating room, Jessie was waiting with the prosthetic. Seeing it in person, I couldn't help but marvel. Just by looking at it, it appeared incredibly sophisticated and high-end. I had expected something like the prosthetic our history teacher wore, but this felt like something from a completely different dimension. It was like expecting Inspector Gadget's robotic arm and suddenly getting an Iron Man suit.
It wouldn't have been strange to call it a work of art shaped like an arm. Aside from a mysterious white material inlaid in the center of the palm, the entire piece was made of black metal, shimmering with a unique, polished luster. As I stared, mesmerized by its elegant form shining under the lights, Jessie smiled confidently.
"It's a combat-grade prosthetic, so I prioritized durability and practicality, but I couldn't sacrifice the aesthetics. Scarlet is a girl, after all."
She called *this* prioritizing durability and practicality? Girl or not, it was cool enough to make anyone's heart race. I nodded enthusiastically, and Jessie, satisfied, walked out of the operating room.
The only ones left in the room were me, dressed in a surgical gown, and the man. He handed me an oxygen-like mask that covered my nose and mouth. "It's not a complicated surgery, so it'll be over by the time you wake up."
I had never undergone surgery under general anesthesia, so I was a bit nervous as I put on the mask. To reassure me, he offered a faint smile. "Don't worry. I know better than anyone in the world how much you hate being in pain."
He was smiling, but he looked deeply sad. As I thought about how familiar his face was, I inhaled, and my consciousness began to blur. His face, fading into the haze.
[I'm sorry. I'll make sure it doesn't hurt for long......]
He said that with a sorrowful expression as he reattached my severed left arm.
I sat up, my mind still groggy. Without thinking, I supported my body with my left arm. Realizing what I had done, I slowly looked at it. A metallic left arm was already attached. Although I couldn't feel it, it moved exactly as I willed it to. I was wiggling my fingers in wonder when Jessie, who had entered the room, smiled at me.
"Are you feeling any discomfort? First, go ahead and change your clothes."
After changing, I stepped outside, and Jessie held the prosthetic, tinkering with something. With a click, a small gap opened on the back of the hand. She looked at me and said, "You just need to insert the fragment you showed me last time here."
As instructed, I inserted the black fragment I had brought. Once it was in place, Jessie adjusted the prosthetic and closed the gap.
"I tightened the internal screws with telekinesis, so it won't come loose even if you take a hit. According to the design, I made it so you can emit flames from the prosthetic as well. Follow me; let's test if it works."
I followed Jessie out of the building and into a wide, auditorium-like space labeled as a training ground. Apparently, it was a warehouse that her parents had renovated for them to use during training. She mentioned that they usually rented it out to other heroes for a fee, but since they hadn't booked anyone for today, I felt incredibly burdened. Is this the world the wealthy live in? My hands and feet were trembling.
"By the way, aren't there a lot of people here?"
Shortly after we entered, the man, Sator, Jessie's older brother, and a few short men and women walked in and stood near the entrance, watching us. At my question, Jessie giggled. "They're the ones off-duty today. They came to check if their handiwork was functioning properly, but if it makes you uncomfortable, should I ask them to leave?"
"No, it's fine. It's not that big of a deal."
Since these were the people I needed to thank, I bowed toward them, and they all smiled and waved back. Having so many spectators made me unnecessarily nervous.
They told me to check for any issues, so I rolled up my sleeve and channeled my fire, thinking of igniting my left arm. Instantly, the prosthetic glowed. It was the light of flames flowing through several channels from the back of the hand, where I had inserted the fragment, all the way to my shoulder. And my eyes widened at the characters drawn on the most visible part.
Soon, flames erupted from the glowing sections, engulfing the arm. But I couldn't close my mouth, having clearly seen the letters before the fire took hold. If I wasn't mistaken, the glowing inscription on my arm was clearly the word: Scarlet.
How did she do this...... I turned around, dumbfounded, to see Jessie grinning slyly, as if she had successfully pulled off a surprise.
"Did you see? You saw, right? I needed to carve some grooves for the flames to flow through the whole arm anyway, so I figured if I did it right, it could look like letters. We all racked our brains to make it happen, and it worked!"
I was moved by the unexpected gift, but Jessie shouted as if the real surprise was yet to come. "The really cool part is still left! Point your palm toward that empty space and press the button on the inside of your wrist!"
A button? At Jessie's words, I felt the inside of the wrist and found a button that wasn't visible from the outside. I pressed it firmly—it required quite a bit of force—and suddenly, the flames burning on the prosthetic vanished. But I was still channeling fire? As I focused, I realized that the flames were being drawn into something the moment they were produced.
"Release the button and press it again to fire!"
At the word "fire," I remembered what I had requested. I had asked for a long-range attack...... Suppressing my pounding heart, I released the button and pressed it again.
The space in front of me lit up. A fierce torrent of flames erupted from my palm, scorching the wide area ahead. Cheers erupted from the people watching behind me at the spectacular sight.
"I made this instead of a magic cannon. How is it? Do you like it?"
Jessie asked, but she was already beaming before I could even answer. Instead of words, I hugged her tightly, filled with intense gratitude. A line from a game my friend used to love popped into my head: Scarlet Evande has learned Fire Breath! I finally had a skill other than "Flaming Car"!
***
Watching the flames erupt from the prosthetic, Sator remarked, "That's a Flame-Absorbing Stone. It's imbued with magic to absorb flames and release them in a desired direction. I acquired it for fire safety measures after my lab burned down, but when I heard about the prosthetic, I thought it could be used, so I sent a little to Ruthenia."
Sator muttered quietly, watching his close friend, Luke, who stared at him in silence despite the explanation. "Don't worry. It's not something that will harm Number 10, whom you cherish so much that you'd smuggle her out. By the way, I truly thought it was lost in the fire, but to think it was the work of the friend I trusted most. I never imagined it."
"......How did you know?"
"It was a coincidence, literally. I ran into her once a while ago, but her hair color had changed and she could speak, so I thought she was just someone similar. But while talking to a senior researcher, I heard about a peculiar fire-user. A girl who emits flames when she's angry. They said she ignited flames from a black fragment that had fallen from her body. That's when I guessed. But seeing you here today, I became certain of what happened that day."
Sator smiled faintly at Luke, who was questioning him with trembling eyes.
"Still, to think she could exert her power in proportion to her rage, not her pain. Thinking about it, it was obvious, but I had missed that point. If I had known, there would have been much more progress. I feel like I could succeed if I could try one more time. But the family told me to drop the plan now. To scrap that one."
"......Scrap?"
To see him so shaken. Sator chuckled. "Yes, it's a real shame, but since the lab burned down, the order came down to stop the plan and scrap any remaining results if found."
At those words, Luke bowed his head with a heavy expression. Sator was slightly taken aback, as he hadn't expected him to go that far.
"......Sator, can't you postpone that just a little?"
"As you know, Number 10 is strictly Astra's private property. If such an order comes from above, I have no choice but to follow."
"Number 10. No, Scarlet is a human being. She's not private property."
Did he even give her a name? At Luke's words, Sator adjusted his glasses, his eyes gleaming. "A human, you say?"
"Perhaps due to the aftermath of the experiments, she lost all her memories from that time. I heard she's living normally at the Academy, too. Can't you see her like that?"
Sator looked at Number 10, who was laughing and hugging a female student. She certainly looked like a normal person, but to him, it was merely pathetic. Pretending to be human didn't change her essence. Feeling disgusted, Sator scratched his neck. Unaware of his true feelings, Luke continued earnestly.
"Besides, that child saved people. The lives of over ten thousand people. Sator, remember our goal when we first made the plan? It was to save people. That child achieved it. She might save even more in the future. So, give her a little more time. You can do at least that much, can't you?"
There was a time when he had said that, too. Luke's face looked desperate. Sator remembered perfectly how he had spoken on the day he promised to be with him. So, Sator scratched his neck.
"I'm begging you, Sator. This is the last favor I ask as your friend."
Friend—a truly wonderful word. He had thought of him that way, and he had betrayed him. Since Sator had deceived him as well, it was clear that friendship was always a relationship of deceiving and being deceived. Of course, he couldn't just let the fact that he had been deceived slide. So, Sator smiled thinly and said,
"Since you're asking this much, I'll try to persuade the family somehow."
Sator looked at the face of the friend who had deceived him. He looked at the disgusting thing wearing a red ring that hid its origins.
"As you said, we are friends, after all."
Astra never forgets a grudge. Never.
Sator scratched his neck.
***
The Flame-Absorbing Stone that Sator had handed to Ruthenia had one more spell cast upon it. A trivial one—a tracking spell. That dawn, Sator loaded a large trunk into his car and drove out.