Archive of Our Own ^beta

The nobles he had captured were clinging to the chains against the wall as if their desperate looks could have persuaded him to spare them. He chuckled and suppressed his disgust towards those creatures. To think how many humans had died because of their corrupted minds…he stared at them for several minutes studying their features, this was the first time ever he had managed to secure alive samples, but the hot blood running through his veins claimed for revenge. However he restrained himself from acting recklessly, reminding himself that he had far more important uses for them. Soon anger was replaced by coolness, after all Frankenstein was a man of reason and he didn't appreciate useless waste. Those creatures in front of him were a rich source of knowledge, the key to surpassing the Nobles in strength lay in front of him and he just needed to take advantage of it. He slowly moved forward, closing the distance between him and the Nobles. He saw one of them straighten his back, in an attempt to oppose the restrain of the chains. Frankenstein kicked him into his stomach and then swiftly put a needle into his neck taking out blood. "Why are you doing this to us? Don't you know that this is immoral?" Asked one of the nobles.

"Immoral…from your point of view maybe," Frankenstein laughed.

"What are you trying to achieve? Is it power, knowledge, immortality?"

"Surely all of these would come in handy in my quest to erase the existence of Nobles from the face of earth."

"Why do you feel such strong resentment towards the Nobles?"

"Why, do you ask? Aren't you the ones responsible for human's sufferings?"

"Don't blame mutants' deeds on us!"

"It's because of you that mutants exist in the first place. Moreover, isn't it your duty to dispose of them?" Frankenstein removed the needle and then turned to his table, the Noble was left almost unconscious behind him.

"It is and we are doing all we can to…"

"I don't recall you ever helping humans facing one of your by-products." His eyes narrowed, "I am putting you to sleep for a bit, I'll be working on the precious data you have so kindly provided to me."

"Wait…" Frankenstein injected a dark liquid inside his veins and the Nobles lost all his will to fight back before falling asleep.

The scientist went to a nearby room and started scribbling on papers, night fell upon him long before he realised. Concerned about his subjects' condition he went back to the lab to find that one of the Nobles was emptily staring at the door. As Frankenstein stepped forward his red pupils gazed on him and broke in a sad laugh "Foolish human…"

"What's so funny?" Frankenstein angrily replied.

"Everything, you trying to get involved into something bigger than yourself. You should just try to live your short life with your fellow comrades."

"What I am doing is also important for my comrades' lives. No, for humanity itself."

"You are such a fool. Do you think humanity will appreciate your struggle? Do you think that such a selfish race would recognize your noble intentions? It won't be long before you will become an outcast and then you'll be killed by the hand of those whom you have called comrades."

"Shut up!" Frankenstein shouted.

"Oh you already know. Or maybe you have already been left alone...how long has it been, since you last spoke to a human soul?"

"I told you to shut up already." He replied hitting the Noble with all his strength.

"Even if you hit me the loneliness of your condemnation will not change.'

"I am not doing this for myself, it's a path I have chosen to follow even if it will cost me more than my life."

"Foolish child…"

Frankenstein returned his attention to his experiments, he needed a subject to test on, but since he could not harm other humans the only option left was to use his own body. Risking his life, no his humanity was a reasonable price to pay to obtain a way to exterminate all those filthy Nobles. He was ready to face death and even worse if necessary for the sake of humans. If nobody took action, things were never going to get better, it was time for him to get serious. He carefully handled the vial with the Noble's vital liquid inside it. Taking a short breath he clenched his teeth before the needle made contact with his skin. He rested his arm on his desk for a bit before getting up. Then everything went black.

When Frankenstein had opened his eyes several hours after he had passed out due to the injection, he had realised how weak and foolish his thoughts had been. He had dreamed of saving the entire human race, yet his body couldn't even stand a single experiment. It was no good and he knew it. But even worse than that was the fact that the Noble had been right. Humans were selfish creatures and they had repaid his loyalty with betrayal, forcing him to hide in the shadows. Blinded by envy they had stolen his research, which had costed him months of sacrifices and they had created a powerful but dangerous weapon. Once again he was faced with the terrible choice between his sake or humanity's. Of course he was going to choose humans over himself. Besides, that weapon could become his new strength to fight the Nobles. Unfortunately, power also meant sacrifice, he was going to put his life constantly at risk of being consumed by his new weapon. Being aware of that didn't make things easier. His teeth clenched as he thought about the real culprits of all this: the Nobles. If only he didn't need to rely on some inhuman strength…but ifs had never helped him winning battles, facts were important and as a scientist he only relied on reason and experiments. Reality had shown him that the only way to fight those monsters was to face them with their same kind of power and if he were to give up his humanity to get that, so be it. Still, he couldn't erase his feelings. As a human he had developed a strong attachment to a child who had been playing the part of his apprentice in order to spy him, until the villagers had decided to take action against him and he had been forced to escape. Reluctantly, he had left him behind, though he was almost certain that he was in no danger since his duty had been fulfilled he couldn't help being concerned by his safety.

Frankenstein sighed at the thought of the long and lonely journey that awaited in front of him, he had made a difficult choice but now he was prepared to not go back. Hunted by nightmares at night he couldn't sleep, during the day an insatiable thirst consumed him. Not wanting to turn into a bloodthirsty monster before reaching his goal he constantly kept his mind busy fighting the dark force acting on his mind. Living in the wild, far from any human being, he seldom found himself buried deep inside his mind...Suddenly, he thought he heard a noise, much like a knock on a door. From his lying spot, he raised his head and looked around, cautious, but saw no one near. Then a voice, or rather a chorus, spoke in his head.

Let us in…

It seemed as if he was safe behind a wall and a mass of suffering people with murderous intent was begging to be permitted to devour his mind. He fought against the nameless beings, pushing them away, but after a while even his strength faltered and the wall cracked a bit, letting him see what was behind it. Blood froze into his veins as he saw them. It was like staring directly into death's eyes. Fear made him regain energy and he forced it closed again, soon he got up and started aimlessly walking. Those horrible sounds still reverberating into his head, he dragged his foot onto the ground, his body trembling as the cold sweat sent shivers down his spine. The adrenaline from before still running through his veins, he couldn't help his heart beating fast and hard in his chest. In the end, after hours of wandering, the lone scientist sat down under a tree to seek relief. However, nothing in his power could help him, time slowed down and he felt the darkness deep inside him trying to pull him down. He wrestled with his demons, virtually running away from them as the barriers protecting his mind crumbled down. Please, let us consume you. Let us become one. Power…we will give you power…

Frankenstein felt his mind slip out of his control. No. He forcefully thought. I will not let you, damned creatures…back down…

After another night passed without even a single minute of sleep, his brain was becoming fuzzy and his sanity was being taken away little by little. Moreover, to complicate the situation silly questions started popping into his head. There were so many thing he couldn't understand, so many answers to look for. If, in order to eradicate the Nobles, he himself were to become a monster, then what was the point of fighting monsters in the first place? Again he felt the darkness at the back of his mind, its strong pull threatening him. He looked at his feet and tripped. Damn…He was drowning in the sea of lies he had built to protect himself from losing his mind. Even though he had told himself that it wasn't his fault if those people had been slaughtered, he couldn't deny that he shared part of the blame. He was the one who started the research for that dark power after all, and they knew.

His legs grew weak and he fell on his knees, his breaths short and fast. Vengeance and blood, that's what they claimed, innocent souls brutally murdered couldn't find rest until their thirst was satisfied. He leaned his head on the ground, his forehead making contact with the grass. I tried to hide it from myself, keeping secrets concealed deep inside my mind, in order to be safe…I swallowed down lie after lie, believing in a greater good, in order to keep alive…now, I am lost…He felt his conscience fade as darkness wrapped around him. A faint note of despair appeared in his heart as he thought at last I am miserable…a weak human being who dared cross the path of monsters...