Ascension Of The Ashen Fiend: Chapter 13 World Changing (Patreon)

Seemingly in the next second, Thane blinked to clear his vision as the aerogel drained from the tank. No time seemed to have passed, and Thane was wondering if, for some reason, the treatment had been aborted when the last of the gel drained from the vat, and he could leave.

Looking around for Naomie, Thane couldn't find her, but his eyes landed on a small end table with his clothes neatly folded and waiting for him. Putting them on, Thane was interrupted halfway as a ping from his PRD caught his attention.

'Hey, this is Naomie. I got tired of waiting for your ass. It took you nearly six hours for the nanobots to repair your body. WTF, my first session took half that time, and even now, I only need half that. I told Charles, and he said you need to report to the testing facility tomorrow before practice at 0400. Eat and get some sleep. It will take a few hours for your brain to acclimate to your new body.'

Looking over himself again, Thane didn't feel any different, but as he breathed, an involuntary sigh of relief came unbidden. Only after a few seconds of focusing on his breathing could Thane find out what was wrong.

There wasn't any pain with each rise and fall of his chest, so used to the feeling of a knife plunging and twisting into his lungs after years, Thane had simply been able to ignore it.

But now, finally rid of the agony, Thane felt as if he was breathing for the first time, 'Did the nanomachines somehow fix my condition? No, they're too large to directly access my DNA, much less pass through a cell membrane. I need to ask Charles tomorrow. For now, I'll just do what Naomie suggested. Eat and sleep.'

---

Naomie was sprawled on her bed staring up at the ceiling, her face a perpetual visage of annoyance as she recalled how easily a boy with piercing steel eyes had made her fluster and blush.

Naomie knew she was aggressive and domineering. In fact, it was one of the many things she loved about herself, even though it had caused many her age to avoid her entirely only after a few minutes of interacting with her.

She had very much expected the same thing to happen with Thane. She would press forward with her apology forcing him back and far away from her. They wouldn't speak much outside of sparring, and six months later, when Thane again.

The exact opposite happened within a few words. Thane had Naomie blushing and stuttering, something she wasn't so fond of.

Rolling over on her side, Naomie grabbed a nearby pillow and tucked herself against it, 'It doesn't matter. In six months, he'll be gone. There's no need to waste time thinking about it.'

Closing her eyes, Naomie quickly fell asleep, her body more than looking forward to the downtime.

---

"Oh, Thane, you're already here. It seems you're eager to figure out what happened." Charles was slightly startled as he walked through the testing facility doors to find Thane sitting on a chair waiting for him.

Thane stood up and nodded, "It really didn't hit me until this morning, I feel stronger, and it doesn't hurt to breathe. I can't remember the last time I felt this healthy."

Charles smiled, "While some of what you feel is normal for those who undergo Refinement, that breathing part is why I wanted to talk with you. Take a look at this."

A light flashed from Charles' pupil, and a second later, a screen was projected into the air, "This is a picture of your lungs assembled by various camera feeds from the nanomachines."

After a second of looking at the diagram, Thane's heart almost skipped a beat, "That can't be right." The reason for Thane's reaction was that the picture showed a pair of extremely damaged lungs.

Large splotches of the tissues were blackened. There were also signs of scar tissue in some places. Thane looked over the picture again and realized that most of his lungs were damaged in some form.

"This is why your Refinement took so long. From what I can gather, the carbon dioxide produced by your body over the years has built up and crystallized as carbonic acid in your alveoli. If your lungs contract too often or tightly, the crystals shatter and shred through the delicate tissue. That's why there are so many scars.

"In all honesty, it's a miracle that you can stand, much less move around freely." Charles stared at Thane as if trying to apologize without speaking.

Inhaling sharply to remind himself that he still could, Thane exhaled, "I took medicine to control my condition, though I didn't think it had progressed this badly. But everything is better now. The nanomachines healed me, right?"

Charles pursed his lips and breathed out heavily, "Temporarily yes, but there is more. Your other somatic or body cells are unhealthy as well. From what I can see, most aren't able to receive enough oxygen, so they are unable to grow to their full size. I'm going to be honest with you, Thane. Your condition is going to deteriorate fast. I'd give you two years before you're bedridden, and that's with regular treatments from the NHU."

Thane's legs shook as they almost buckled under the sudden weight pressing down on him, "N-no." The single word was nearly a whimper. Thane had fought all his life to live. No one had been there to help him. Facing his mortality, the world seemed to crumble around Thane. Everything was a rush of colors as it melted away into the void.

Watching Thane, Charles could see the panic completely take over Thane as he started hyperventilating and his eyes glazed over.

"Thane, Thane! Look at me!" Charles snapped his whip-like voice cutting through the daze Thane was in, "Ms. Regis saw something in you, and I believe I see it as well. You're a fighter Thane, every inch you've had to claw and fight for. Don't lose that now. You're going to need that more than ever."

Thane blinked as the haze was pushed back even further, "Why? I've been fighting for so long for nothing. I'm going to die. You said it yourself."

Charles hesitated, a war waging in his eyes in a second before he spoke, "I can't say much, but if you want to survive, you have to pass the entrance exam and become an Arbiter."

Thane was silent for a long moment before a manic grin split his lips, "Story of my fucking life." The words were muttered, but Charles still picked them out, "I know it sounds suspicious, but you have to trust me, Thane. Becoming an Arbiter changes a person in more ways than you can possibly understand."

Thane's smile melted away, "Of course, why would this time be any different? Always at the mercy of others, always betrayed in the end. Just another inch to hang me with."

Before Charles could say anything else, Thane was walking towards the door. Charles didn't stop Thane knowing anything he had to say would only worsen things.

---

Walking into the dining hall, Naomie was a little surprised to find Thane in the dining hall with a clean plate in front of him. Naomie could also see the telltale glow of his PRD reflecting against his pupil, "Morning, I didn't expect you to  be up this early."

"Couldn't sleep." The short response came out in a grunt as Thane closed his PRD and focused on Naomie, "Do you normally get up this early?"

Naomie nodded, "Yeah, I usually like to warm up before Charles starts training so I can skip the warm-up. You should, too. I know you're not too enthusiastic about this Arbiter thing, but-"

"Things have changed," Thane said, cutting Naomie off, "There isn't any other option for me, not anymore at least."

Blinking, Naomie was stunned by the hard edge in Thane's voice, "Did something happen?" Shaking his head, Thane grabbed his plate and stood up, "I say this in the most polite way possible, but it doesn't concern you. I'll be in the gym." Without another word, Thane left Naomie staring at the door he vanished through.

A few minutes later, after eating, Naomie walked out of the locker rooms to find Thane sprinting around the track. His tracksuit was already soaked with sweat, but even more interesting was his pupil was glowing dimly, meaning he had his PRD activated.

Frowning, Naomie also took to the track, at first at a light jog until she was even with Thane, then running at the same pace as him.

"You shouldn't have anything distracting you from running. It's a bad habit that will cripple you later." Naomie scolded Thane, a little annoyed by Thane's lazy attitude.

Even if he wanted to respond, Thane couldn't. He could barely hear Naomie over the pounding of his heart rate and the ragged wheeze as he breathed. Gritting his teeth, Thane glanced up at the small display in the corner of his vision.

Naomie didn't know that his 'distraction' was gathering important information on his vitals. Thane knew that he was helpless, his condition was much worse than he ever imagined, and Thane's only hope was to become an Arbiter.

Gritting his teeth as he thought about that fact, Thane seemed to speed up his feet, slamming into the ground and tearing at the rough floor of the track. Even after all of last night, the rage Thane felt after being told yet again his only solution was to become an Arbiter hadn't diminished.

In fact, it had only grown hotter. Thane was going to become an Arbiter as it was his only option. His resolve to live would see him through the coming months. Thane had too many aspirations and had fought too hard to give up now.