Seed of Titan

"Drai boy! You're finally here!" Ravi welcomed Drai excitedly in his underground lab. Today was a significant step for his research and Ravi couldn't hide his excitement, grinning ear to ear.

"Hi, Professor. Good to see you healthy and cheerful," Drai greeted back with a smile. Earlier, Jack had picked him up at the usual place and sent him down the basement entrance. Clearly, Jack had a way to open the entrance even without Ravi's biological markers. Drai found the relationship between the two quite interesting.

"There's no way I'll get sick while my research is in its crucial phase. I even purchased top-quality supplements in order to stay completely fit, you know? Damn, they really did put quite a dent on my wallet, but nothing's too pricey for the sake of my research, hahaha!" said Ravi laughingly, to which Drai shook his head in amusement.

"Enough of me, what about you, boy? How's your classes? What about your student group activities? Are you eating well? Are your friends treating you nicely? And most importantly, is your body faring well?" Ravi rapidly questioned as he probed Drai's body here and there, examining for any possible injuries or complications.

"It's going well, Professor," Drai said as he helplessly let the professor conduct an impromptu physical examination, which was actually unnecessary because Drai would later go through a more thorough examination using the lab apparatus for testing purposes.

In the meantime, Drai tried answering the professor's questions as best as he could. He told about his difficulties and progress in his lessons. He also told Ravi about the venture party along with its members who were simultaneously his closest friends, and a bit about Valiant Ventures and its management.

"You're a picture of good health, Drai. It makes me miss my youth," Ravi longingly remarked after he was finished with his probing.

"I'm glad your days are going relatively well. It looks like you've made some decent friends too, although some of them are particularly intriguing," Ravi pondered while scratching his stubbled chin.

Hearing these last words, Drai couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by that, Professor? Do you know something about my friends?"

"Hm? Ah, forget it. Some things are better left unsaid, especially if they're based on rumors and assumptions. I could just go out of my way to confirm some things, but that's not my style. It's more interesting to see how things unfold, don't you think so?" Ravi said with a mischievous grin.

"I don't know… I'm actually a bit curious about my friends' circumstances, but I'll let it go if you say so," Drai replied with a shrug.

"It's not that big of a deal, so don't worry too much, boy. Even if it turns out to be a big deal, I'm sure you'll end up fine with how robust you are, hehe. Now let's get you all set up on the equipment," Ravi instructed, ending the conversation. Drai followed Ravi's instruction and walked toward the lab equipment and lied down on the apparatus he had used the last time he was here to give his biological samples.

Ravi helped Drai put on the required equipment before going back to his station, observing the multiple virtual screens while inputting a series of commands. Drai felt nothing during this process. He thought that perhaps there wasn't any sample-taking involved unlike the last time.

"So far, the results are parallel to those of my personal examination earlier," Ravi remarked contentedly amidst his rapid finger and eye movements. "Now I'll commence the simulation of substance administration and assimilation."

Following which, Ravi's expression turned stern as he observed the changes that was occurring to Drai's parameters. The following silence was only filled with faint flaps of Ravi's clothes, slightly unnerving Drai. Although this was just a simulation, he couldn't help but fear for Ravi's well-being if the results weren't good. Drai was aware that Ravi was very obsessed with his research, and its failure would probably lead to unwanted consequences. But ultimately, Drai could only hope for the best.

The simulation lasted for quite a while with no clear indication of success or failure from Ravi's part. Ravi was so focused that he hadn't let out a single word since the simulation began. It was obvious that this step was more taxing for Ravi than Drai had expected. Drai didn't know whether Ravi's active participation in the simulation was totally required or if it could've been left solely to the computer, but he patiently waited in silence, unwilling to disturb the professor's concentration.

A few more minutes passed by before Ravi's face finally showed some changes. Both ends of his mouth curled into a slight smile and his eyes shimmered with hints of joy. His eyebrows remained furrowed though, as he still needed to concentrate on the simulation which had not ended yet.

After several more minutes with his face already riddled with sweat, Ravi finally shouted euphorically, "SUCCESS!" He then let go of the virtual keyboard and pumped both fists, laughing whole-heartedly. However, he soon stopped and turned toward Drai who was smiling after seeing the professor's joy.

"It's a success, Drai! A near-complete assimilation, positive propensities regarding the changes to your parameters, and all adverse effects within tolerable range. I say it's a green light for us to proceed with the initial testing. If you weren't such a precious child, I'd even aim to complete the whole research today. Fortunately for you, my sanity is currently in check!" Ravi exclaimed.

Drai didn't know how to respond to this, so he merely nodded and smiled despite seeing a glimpse of the mad-scientist dwelling inside the usually kind professor.

"So the next step is to administer the prepared stimulant that has been adjusted to serve as the initial testing. Even if the result strays from that of the simulation due to unexpected reasons, the dose reduction of the stimulant will prevent any catastrophe from occurring and you won't be leaving in a body bag at the end of the day—or in an urn if you prefer immediate cremation instead," said Ravi nonchalantly, sending a shiver down Drai's back.

"When the initial testing is done and the results are satisfactory, we will proceed with main procedure stage one, followed by main procedure stage two—once again, only if the results are satisfactory. Now, do you have any questions before we proceed with the testing, Drai?"

"No, Professor," Drai replied.

"Very well," Ravi said, nodding appreciatingly. "Now, prepare yourself, Drai. The process will be painful, but the degree of pain will depend on your willpower too. Unfortunately, anesthesia is not an option as it will affect how your cells respond to the stimulant, or else you could've slept through the whole procedure."

"I understand, Professor," Drai said as he mentally prepared himself.

With another nod, Ravi returned to the monitors and inputted a series of commands that brought out numerous small tubes from the underside of the aparatus on which Drai was lying. Drai eyed these tubes and noticed a multitude of tiny needles, one at the end of each tube. Drai wasn't fearful of needles, but imagining all these sharp needles piercing his body still made him anxious.

Noticing Drai's anxiety, Ravi opened his mouth, wanting to reassure him. But before he could say anything, he saw Drai's expression suddenly relax and his eyes become filled with a sense of determination that wasn't there before. Ravi briefly hesitated before finally deciding to remain silent. Inwardly, he applauded Drai for being able to regain his composure so quickly, not knowing that this swift recovery was mainly due to Drai's skill, Titan's Fortitude.

'What a useful skill,' Drai thought to himself as he stared at the countless needles without a hint of anxiety. He had overestimated his courage a bit and didn't expect the equipment to scare him so much.

"Commencing stimulant administration," Ravi announced. Soon, the looming needles zipped forward, heading toward various parts of Drai's body with utmost precision. Drai felt a sense of amazement as he kept staring at the menacing needles.

When the needles were just several inches away from Drai's skin, Ravi muttered quietly to himself, "That's right, Drai. No need to fret. After all, you're the only person out of this continent who is worthy of my research, the chosen one. Believe in yourself and stay strong."

Immediately, numerous needles punctured Drai, followed by countless streams of the liquid stimulant flowing into his body. Immediately, Drai's scream filled the lab.

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!"

Ravi seemed to have expected this reaction since he remained unfazed. He carefully monitored Drai's parameters in case something went astray and he had to abort the procedure right away.

"FFFFF**********KKKKK!!!!!" Drai bellowed.

'Must your screams be varied, boy? But admittedly, it makes them less boring to hear,' Ravi thought to himself amidst his monitoring. Glancing at the bellowing young man, he couldn't help but feel bad for putting him in such a painful circumstance.

'If Lina ever sees my recording of this procedure, she'll definitely kill me regardless,' Ravi thought as a cold sweat ran down his back. He reminded himself to warn Drai later not to reveal the procedure's details to others lest the less than desirable parts reached his parents' ears.

Eventually, the sound of Drai's screams subsided as he began adapting to the pain. Now, he was merely clenching his teeth in an effort to withstand the agony. Soon, the only sound that could be heard in the room was Drai's heavy panting.

Minutes turned into an hour but Drai's ordeal still wasn't finished yet. At this point, Drai appeared calm, seemingly immune to the pain, or perhaps the pain had lessened considerably.

Drai had lost his sense of time due to the torment. At the beginning of the procedure, even a few seconds felt like forever, thus Drai had no clue how much time had passed by now.

As time went by, the pain slowly receded and Drai was finally released from the constant burden that he had been withstanding, both physically and mentally.

'I wonder what we'll find at the end of the rainbow?' thought Ravi as he put the program into standby mode.