Chapter 22: 22. Corruption

"I can't spend the rest of my life in prison. What I want in return is simple—death."

Huh?

He actually wants to die?

I look at him again, trying to discern if he's telling the truth. I'd already been planning on killing him eventually to pay for his crimes, but I didn't expect him to want to die in exchange for information.

The way he looks now is so... Different.

His eyes appear hollow, but the determination in them is unmistakable. While looking in his eyes, he doesn't even feel like the same person anymore. The emptiness is gone. It's been replaced by the distinct shine of intelligence, and an air of confidence.

If anything, he looks more confident than ever.

"You're saying you'll tell me everything you know, but you want me to kill you in exchange?"

I ask him, hoping to clarify his intentions.

He nods, still looking me in the eyes.

"Yes. I'm not crazy. I'm a scientist. I refuse to spend my life in prison for furthering mankind's understanding of the world."

I can't say for certain that he's lying. Even with the increased perception from my sixth sense, everything is telling me that he's being honest.

"So you're a scientist... Murdering and butchering dozens of innocent people doesn't seem to help further anything."

He laughs at my statement.

"You know exactly what I mean. Everything I did was necessary to learn more about the corruption."

Corruption. He continues to refer to the shadow using that term.

"Do you even know how many innocent lives have been sacrificed for science? After WW3, scientific ethics were thrown out in order to possibly save humanity. They murdered millions, all so they could advance human gene editing."

He's not wrong in this case.

People really believed mankind would end up extinct due to WW3's fallout. The governments of the world allowed scientists to experiment on humans with zero safeguards—they thought humanity would be able to survive if their genetics were modified enough. 

They wanted to artificially evolve humanity, so they could adapt to the post-war world.

"Those scientists killed millions, but still, they're hailed as heroes. Nowadays, you'll find more genetically modified humans than humans with no gene editing. I didn't kill even one percent of the people they did."

He fully believes what he's saying.  

I don't lose anything by agreeing to his deal.

I already planned on killing him...  I'll give him what he wants.

"I get it. Whatever you were doing was to learn about the corruption. I'll accept your proposal. Tell me everything you know, and I'll make sure you're dead within the week."

He seems genuinely pleased.

"Haha. I knew it from the first time I saw you. You've killed before... And you also managed to isolate us from the police in their own HQ—I'll trust in your word."

He relaxes back into his chair, seemingly satisfied with our agreement. He stares at me intently, apparently waiting for me to begin talking.

"I'll ensure you die—rest assured. Everything that happens in this room remains a secret—forever. You said you were a scientist, so, share with me the results of your research on the corruption. And make it quick, there's no way the police won't be suspicious of me being alone with you for so long."

He smiles warmly at me, nodding his head. I expected him to be more hesitant to talk to me, but he seems perfectly content to continue our conversation.

"You called it a shadow correct? That's not a bad name to describe one of its physical appearances, but it's also misleading..."

His eyes seem to be gazing at something faraway.

I want to hurry him up, but I need him to share everything with me.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen... It's like an entirely foreign form of matter. I tried analyzing it, but I couldn't learn anything. The way it's able to manipulate its shape is incredible. It can change from being almost like air—a formless shadow—to being a solid object almost instantly."

"Have you physically seen the corruption before?"

"How else would I have seen it?" He asks sarcastically.

Well, I've only ever seen the corruption through my sixth sense. That may have been a dumb question—but I had to be sure.

"Could you please describe how it appeared to you, and what it looked like?"

He looks at me like I'm an idiot—like I didn't listen to a single word he's said. He makes a show of sighing loudly, before continuing.

"When I first found it, it was no larger than than a tennis ball. It looked like a shadowy ball of air, it was like looking at a black cloud. But then it started moving around on its own, and began changing shape. It was late at night, I originally thought it was a large cloud of dust, but the moment I touched it, I realized it was no cloud, it was something far more complex."

I want to ask him if he believes that it has sentient intelligence. But he's speaking so intently, I just keep listening to him.

"I-I didn't know what to do. I ended up putting it in my briefcase, and I started carrying it around with me. I-It was kinda like a pet. It looked like nothing more than a ball made up of shadows, but I still felt a connection to it, like it was my friend. It was like we had an unbreakable bond."

I can't hide my gasp. A wave of disgust starts rolling over me. I remember the connection I felt when I partially fused with the corruption. I've tried to forget how it felt, but I haven't been able to. It was like I truly found the missing half of my existence... Until we mutually tried to destroy each other.

Even now, part of the corruption's power I stole is fused with my psychic muscle...

For now, I forcibly brush that memory aside.

I'm on a time limit, I can't dwell on the past.

"Wait a sec, when did you find, and make connection with the corruption—when did you first see it?"

None of what he's saying adds up to me.

The only reason I drew a connection between Painter and the shadow was because the hearts of his victims began to go missing after I discovered, and fought the shadow.

Yet he says everything he's done was to further his understanding of the corruption. But he's been killing, and making his art long before I first discovered the corruption.

 

His first confirmed victims appeared almost a year ago... if he's telling the truth—does that mean he made contact with the corruption around the same time?

How could he have? If that massive shadow was in New Eden, there's no way it could have stayed hidden from my sixth sense...

Right?

"Huh? I guess it was a little over three weeks ago... That was the first time I met it."

What?

"...You said that everything you've done was to learn more about the corruption... If you only saw it for the first time three weeks ago, why did you murder people? How could you research something you didn't even know about?"

I'm at a loss.

Every part of my intuition is saying that he's telling the truth. But his story doesn't add up.

The first time I sensed the corruption was just over a month ago, and he says that he first encountered it three weeks ago.

If I was the first one to discover it, how did he learn about it?

Why the hell did he start butchering innocent people a year ago?

"Ah... I apologize... My mind... My memories are a bit of a mess... It's probably the consequence of everything I've done. Please allow me to start from the beginning. I think it was May of last year. I started hearing voices—seeing symbols... I couldn't understand what any of it meant though..."

Ugh. This would be easier if I could just label him as crazy, and ignore most of what he's saying. But I can't.

I first awakened my power last year, during May. That's within a month of him hearing voices. It's difficult to write that off as nothing more than a coincidence.

If he's lying to me, or making part of this up... He's the most convincing liar I've ever seen. I can't help but laugh at this situation in my head.

I'm able to use an invisible sixth sense to feel butterflies flying thousands of miles away from me, yet for a second, I considered this man crazy just for seeing symbols, and hearing voices.

Everything about this is so absurd.

"Then one day during surgery... We lost all power, with no way to restore it. All of our automated machines, and even our surgical robots were dead. As you're probably aware, surgeons in New Eden never operate without the most advanced medical tech in the world... We use technology as a crutch, and when that crutch is taken away... Our surgical skills are honestly not great." He chuckles to himself.

Fair enough, but I feel like he's wasting my time.

"As the most senior doctor, I wound up being chosen to perform a surgery the old fashioned way... I fucked up. I'd never done a surgery without the assistance of a surgical robot... I was so anxious... My hands wouldn't stop shaking, and my vision was obscured by symbols I couldn't understand. It was like I lost control of my hand for a second... My hand twitched, and that was all it took to end the life of my patient. They were the first person I killed."

Damn it. Hearing his story reminds me of the first time I took a life.

Forget it, they deserved it.

"The instant I killed that man with my own hands... My entire world changed. It was like opening Pandora's box. The voices were less incomprehensible... It felt like I could understand the meaning of the symbols. That was what started everything..."

My intuition tells me he's telling the truth. His body language screams honesty too. He's relaxed, but his gaze is intense.

"With every life I took, the voices became clearer. The symbols became clearer. They showed me things... Things that weren't possible for me to imagine otherwise... It seemed like someone was guiding me, teaching me, showing me the secrets behind reality itself... It was like being giving the supreme knowledge of existence. There was no hesitation in my actions. No fear, or remorse... With every life I took, the knowledge I gained grew. I don't regret any of what happened. Even if it meant losing my sanity, I'd gladly continue. How could a true scientist turn away the chance to learn the truth of existence?"

Listening to his words causes goosebumps to rise along my skin.

Is he really insane?

Is he not?

"So, killing people allowed you to understand the voices... Why did you mutilate their bodies?"

That's another thing that bothers me.

"Ah, yes. You're quite the intelligent young boy. The symbols, and the voices were a one way communication. I could hear the voice's message, but I couldn't speak back to them. The voices seemed very interested in their bodies. When I moved their flesh into different shapes, it caused the voices to change."

I'm honestly lost at this point. I guessed that his art was some kind of message, but even I didn't foresee anything like this.

I'm trying to understand this man, I truly am. But is it even possible to understand the mind of someone so warped? Every word he says sounds like insanity, but his eyes look lucid.

Maybe that's the part that scares me.

"To be clear, the voices shared 'supreme knowledge' with you, and in order to strengthen, and communicate with them, you murdered people, and mutilated their corpses... Correct so far?"

He nods once again.

"Could you show me some of the symbols? Can you tell me about the knowledge you gained from the voices?"

Painter hesitates for a second, before slamming his hands into the table.

BAM!

"If you'd let me finish, I'll tell you!"

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His random outburst startles me for a second. His face looks furious. He looks like a wild animal ready to attack at any moment. His eyes are wide open, and they seem to glow red...

In the next instant, that anger dissipates entirely. His eerie calmness has returned. He's sitting up straight, and tall.

He looks disheveled, but he puffs his chest out.

Watching him act like this, I'm certain that he truly believes himself to be a proud, noble, all knowing scientist. And he wants everyone else to believe the same.

"I apologize for interrupting you, but please allow me a few seconds to collect myself."

He nods.

I've continued monitoring everything with my sixth sense, and the police are absolutely frantic. With the cameras off, and the door jammed shut, they have no idea if I'm even alive. As far as they know, Painter could have broken free, and murdered me by now.

There's dozens of officers trying to pry the door open, and multiple members of the task force are screaming out orders.

Rise has tears in her eyes by now, and she's hysterically pounding on the door.

When I was a kid, Rise shared a special knocking pattern with me. She'd knock four times, and I'd reply with three knocks. She's been hitting the door with our special pattern, waiting for my reply to confirm that I'm okay.

Yesterday was probably the closest I've seen her to crying, and now today, she has tears in her eyes.

My heart hurts, watching her struggle. I was too focused on Painter...

I hurt her again.

I knock on the door three times, timing it with our special rhythm.

Her expression changes instantly. I can feel the relief wash over her. Her heart rate slows down, her shoulders relax, and she smiles brightly.

I sense her yell out something along the lines of "He's okay!" I watch as the police relax—now having confirmation that I'm not dead.

My focus lingers on Rise for a bit longer, but I return to my seat in front of Painter.

They know I'm okay, now I can continue.

"Sorry about that, I needed to assuage their worries. Please, continue your story, Mr. Erikson."

"Mmm... You asked about the symbols, and the knowledge I gained... Hehe."

The confidence he had a minute ago is gone. It's like his ego has totally deflated. His words sound hollow, lifeless. He ends his sentence with a laugh filled with the feeling of hopelessness.

"It's all gone... All of it... I know it was there... I know it... Three weeks ago, when I first made contact with the corruption... It all disappeared. The voices were gone, so were the symbols. And... The knowledge I sacrificed everything for disappeared alongside them."

He sighs.

For a split second, his face contorts in rage, and then it fades away completely. He seems like a different person altogether.

A few seconds pass, before he continues speaking.

"No matter how hard I try, I can't recall the exact knowledge I gained, nor the meaning of the voices. But!"

He suddenly becomes animated again. He looks overwhelmed by sheer elation. The smile on his face only disgusts me.

"I gained something greater!"

He murdered dozens of innocent people, and mutilated their bodies in exchange for 'supreme knowledge,' but he doesn't remember any of it?

He sacrificed their lives for nothing?

And claims he gained something greater?

Even I feel empty hearing his words.

It was foolish... But part of me held onto the hope that their deaths had meaning.

God, I'm an idiot.

I wanted to believe that their lives were sacrificed in order to gain something that could help humanity...something that could help me control, or destroy the corruption.

Their deaths had no meaning.

They died simply because he was curious about what would happen.

"Finally! After my trials, the corruption finally came to me three weeks ago! I received its knowledge, and it received my messages! It chose me! ME!"

"What do you mean, it chose you?"

"Haha. Hahhahah. Aha ha. Ha-HA!"

His laughter echoes through the room.

... I'm done with this.

I wrap my psychic muscle around his neck, instantly cutting off his laughter.

Painter falls silent, staring blankly ahead.

I release my grip after a few seconds.

He's breathing heavily, but his eyes remain closed.  When he opens them, his entire demeanor has changed again.  He sounds calm, almost reminiscent of a doctor giving a lecture.

"Please excuse my rudeness, but you must forgive my lack of manners. Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Dr. Charles Erikson. I was once a surgeon, but I now consider myself a scientific researcher focused on the entity I appropriately named corruption."

Does this guy actually have multiple personalities?

When I fought the corruption, I was able to more or less win due to my power, but if I didn't have my power... Is this what happens to a regular human when they come into contact with the corruption?

Do they lose themselves?

"You see, the corruption is capable of something that I can only describe as matter absorption. As I stated earlier, when I first found the corruption, it was nothing more than a wispy ball of shadows. In my desperate attempt to regain the knowledge I lost, I continued killing. When I brought the corruption with me to a corpse, it seemed... elated. It was like a dog, staring at the prospect of a treat. It happily floated to their heart, and merged it into itself."

"...What does that mean exactly?"

"Well, it appeared to dissolve, and absorb the heart in its entirety. Following that, it entered a state which I can only describe as hibernation. When it woke up, it went through a transformation... Have you by chance played video games before, my dear boy, Fate Reylin?"

The way this guy changes subjects, and personalities is going to give me whiplash.

"Yes, I have."

"Good! I made that tiny ball of corruption the focus of my life. And if you want my briefest, and most apt description, it would be to compare the corruption to a 'Slime' from fantasy culture. Following its hibernation, it took on a new appearance. No longer was it a wispy ball of shadows, it had a physical form that could directly interact with matter."

I nod.

I'm at such a loss for words, that's all I can accomplish.

I can't tell if he's fucking with me or not.

"The reason I described the corruption as a 'Slime' is partially due to its appearance: it was able to move, and manipulate its body in an organic fashion. Based on my observations, the matter composing it was like an amorphous, gelatinous ooze of pure darkness—incredibly similar in appearance to a pitch black 'Slime.' However, its appearance is not why I make such comparisons."

So its appearance changed after I confronted it?

Or rather, it changed after absorbing a human heart?

What exactly is that supposed to mean?

"The reason for this comparison is due to its highly predatory nature. It possess the ability to consume, and assimilate matter belonging to living creatures. It appears to have a strong affinity towards humans, but other species appear to also be compatible. It will take whatever it needs, and use its newly acquired mass to grow stronger. Its actions are based upon instinct, yet it possesses enough intellect to analyze the situation, and react accordingly."

"When was the last time you saw the corruption?"

"My last interaction with the corruption was twelve days ago. During our tenure together, its size grew from no larger than a tennis ball, to being basketball sized. It was an incredibly beneficial relationship. I helped provide it with nourishment, and it allowed me to observe it. We became friends, and beloved partners."

The proud look on his face is disturbing. He murdered people, and fed them to some entity, and considers himself blessed for doing so?

He's insane...

I should just end this here, right now.

But...

I believe he's telling the truth. And although he's insane, it's useful information. I didn't notice it earlier, but my body is covered in a cold sweat.

This is the situation I'd been worrying about from the first moment I gained my powers. I'd been dreading this type of confirmation.

Another being possessing similar power, and being capable of growth... evolution.

Twelve days ago... Painter was in New Eden at that point, and the corruption was still with him. The corruption was right in my back yard, and I couldn't sense it. Why...?

Why did I fail to detect the corruption?

I already have a headache.

There's more I want to learn about the corruption, but I highly doubt this man is going to give me anything useful. I'll have to do research on my own somehow.

I have absolutely no proof, but seeing how mentally unstable Painter is, I can't help but believe the corruption caused it in some way.

"Ahem, thank you for sharing your research with me. I'm very grateful. But I do have one last question I'd like you to answer—during your research, did you discover any method to injure, or kill the corruption?"

If I couldn't kill it, I highly doubt he could.

I wait a few seconds for an answer, but he says nothing. His large frame is slouched in on itself, his head hanging low.

"Mr.Erikson?"

He doesn't respond. He looks like a puppet that had its strings cut. Totally lifeless. His hair covers his completely blank eyes—my sixth sense confirms that he's alive, but he's beyond saving. It's like his consciousness is turned off.

I stand up quickly.

I don't care anymore.

I gained some of what I wanted. His life is no longer necessary.

"I'll carry out my part of our deal, just keep your mouth shut."

I release my power's hold on the door.

Almost immediately, the sliding door is flung open, and at least a dozen officers rush in.

Rise quickly grabs my hand, and pulls me outside.

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