~ Chapter Forty-Eight: Shatter the Heart...~

The Fallen

Random Rambles: Guys, I'm a broken record, but I keep seeing the subs rising and just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you for reading The Fallen and I apologize if I haven't replied to all of your awesome comments, but I see them and they make me happy! ^^ Please anticipate further updates, I'm slower than usual due to it being one hell of a busy month, but I'll make sure this story gets finished - eventually ;) This chapter might have a strange pace (?) but I'd like to move on with plot exposition without having to write several chapters on it, so hope it won't be too confusing or oddly jumpy somehow ^^; ~ /)(^3^)(\  PS: Who else is excited for EXO's comeback in January 2015??? Let's hope 2015 is a way better year for them, they deserve that much at least!

***

The feeling of loss, who cares you can only tolerate it?

I can no longer accept it, and so, I close my eyes...

Did those perfect days that I heard of really exist before? 

I had already long forgotten that I should work harder to love people.

I had already long forgotten that my heart should embrace people.

I don't have the will to live... 

I don't have feelings. 

***

"You're a dagger," the CEO of E.T. Corp murmured to the object whilst studying its properties under a microscope with utmost care and caution. "So, why do you possess the traits of a living organism?" Ryo complained, pushing himself away from the desk, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He glanced over the laboratory, seeing Dee work diligently at his own pace, figuring out formulas, trying to solve what the identity of the material of the dagger was exactly. A little further away, was Seunghyun Tabi, who worked part-time at the company, but was highly qualified and trustworthy enough to be put on the project. Ryo could attest to it, seeing that the man had been able to hack into the security feed as he asked and was able to determine that the main board seemed to have indeed been tampered with. His suspicions were confirmed, however, it didn't bring him any sense of relief at all.  

Ryo wasn't sure what to do with the information, but he had made sure to keep a close watch on Miss Kumiho, just in case. Unfortunately for him, since project Yggdrasil was a personal request of Mr. Yok and he, himself, was determined to lead it, the project took most of his precious time. This caused him to delegate some of the other ongoing projects to other people. Not Miss Kumiho for obvious reasons, but Ryo had rather hoped he could have stayed on top of everything else. 

It was a shame he couldn't control space and time, he could've used the convenience of such a power. 

"Sir, I think you might want to see this," Seunghyun suddenly called him over, piquing Dee's interest as well. 

"Talk to me," Ryo said when he stood next to the man in question, Dee slowly coming over to join them. Ryo had purposely chosen the two of them first, until he could expand the project further. For now, a biotech genius and a computer-savvy biologist was more than enough. 

"I've taken a sample from that green seed like you've asked me, and well, uh," instead of continuing his explanation, he showed his findings to him. Ryo's eyes widened when Seunghyun showed him the sample plate in which he stored a small amount of the green seed from the dagger. 

"What the-? How did that happen? What did you do, hyung?" Dee asked the questions Ryo failed to ask for the moment and only gently prodded at the roots and moss that protruded from the sample plate, whilst the small bit of the seed was pulsating. Infinite energy, he thought breathlessly to himself, Mr. Yok was not kidding... 

"I didn't do anything," Seunghyun answered, confusion ringing from his deep voice. "I just left it there for a few seconds. I was looking for a band-aid because I'd accidentally cut myself, and it started to sprout, all by itself," he explained. "I've never seen anything like this before, Boss," he looked at Ryo. "And I know all there is to know about plants."

"Yeah, about that," Dee cut in, grabbing his tablet and transferring the data to the large glass board with a flick of the hand. "I'm not really sure whether this entity is one-hundred percent a plant, hyung," he told Seunghyun before directing himself towards Ryo. "I've run the properties of the dagger throughout the whole database to see if I could find a match on the material it's composed of. As you can see here, it's not done yet," Dee pointed out as several images flashed by on the screen, the speed of which nearly dazzling Ryo. "However, the material of the dagger seem to match a variety of wood species, and a few plants," he flicked the results onto the glass board so that Ryo could see it. 

"Like I said; plants!" Seunghyun protested, leaning back into his chair as he watched his friend and colleague present his current findings. 

"And metal, and jade, and calcium," Dee drummed to prove a point. 

"Calcium?" Ryo questioned. 

"Calcium, sir," Dee confirmed, letting out a chuckle because this was not something one should find on a dagger. "High amounts of it as well. I can't quite explain it, but it appears that the dagger might possibly have some kind of bone structure, sir. It might be interesting to get some X-ray photos," the young scientist suggested and Ryo nodded his head absently. He walked towards the glass board, studying the results whilst shaking his head. 

"A dagger...with a bone structure," he mumbled glancing over at the object itself. "What the hell is that thing?" he pondered. The two scientists exchanged looks with one another, before Seunghyun gathered up his courage and cleared his throat. 

"Boss, I know that it's probably not our place to ask, but since we have to study this thing, eh," he scraped his throat again, "Might we know where you got this dagger from, sir? I mean, it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, and honestly, we kind of want to know what we've gotten ourselves into here," he stated truthfully, wincing a little bit out of fear for possible repercussions on Ryo's part. However, the CEO met the two men with a sympathetic smile before running his fingers through his hair. Was he allowed to tell his employees where he got the dagger from? Would Mr. Yok protest against it? 

"If you're concerned for the method on how E.T. Corp managed to get their hands on this object, rest assured, gentlemen," he spoke instead. "It's been obtained in a fair manner. Our only job is to study it, understand it, and harness it into something that we can use, just like this," he pointed at the sample plate where the roots and moss had grown thicker and longer. "Now, this tells me that perhaps the answer for the source of energy of the dagger might be in that green seed," Ryo continued, grabbing the dagger gently from his desk and bringing it over to the other scientists. "Maybe if there's a way to remove it, we'll have a better chance at studying it properly," he suggested. 

"Are you sure we should do that, sir? What if it hurts the dagger?" Dee was met by two skeptical gazes. The youngest of three shrugged. "Well, we did just conclude that it's a living entity," he argued. "What if we do something that it doesn't like? Or what if we accidentally kill it, or something?" 

"The knucklehead does make a good point, sir," Seunghyun said, gesturing at a disgruntled Dee. "I'm not sure whether we should risk it." 

"Be that as it may, I doubt this thing is conscious. You took a sample from the seed, did you not? Try prying it off the hilt, see if you can do so at the place where you got the sample from," Ryo instructed a mildly reluctant Seunghyun, who grabbed his scalpel, searching for the seed. 

"Huh, this is odd," he mumbled. 

"What is?" Ryo asked. 

"This thing is rather remarkable, Boss," he exclaimed in a quiet voice. "I think it healed itself. There's no mark from where I took the sample from," he looked up at his employer through black-framed glasses. 

"Whoa," Dee mused, the awe evident on his face. "Do you think it has regenerating properties?" Dee bend down to look at the heart-shaped seed, grabbing a magnifying glass. 

"How could something like this have regenerating properties, Dee?" Seunghyun asked, too focus on trying to pry the seed off the hilt. 

"Well, it does apparently have a bone structure..." Ryo mused half-heartedly. "See if you can take a new sample and put it under the microscope, Dee. With all these organic properties, I wouldn't be surprised if the dagger contained cells that could regenerate lost cells and tissues." 

"Like zebrafish!" Dee exclaimed, excitedly. Ryo nodded, though he was less enthused. "Oh, I'll head over to the marine biology department, see if I can compare it with zebrafish cells," he suggested and quickly went on his way, running like a giddy schoolboy. 

"I have to admire his passion for this," Ryo chuckled, seeing the young man sprint off. 

"Dee always had a knack for research and science, ever since we were kids," Seunghyun explained, a concentrated smile on his face. 

"Ah, you grew up together," Ryo stated, rather than asked. Seunghyun shrugged a little, giving a short chuckle. 

"More or less. I've known him for a long, long time, sir," the young man then focused on the seed, gently pushing the scalpel in, holding the dagger with utmost care. However, once he finally managed to put the small blade inside, Seunghyun yelped and dropped the blade. 

"Hey! Are you alright?" Ryo startled grabbing the man by the shoulder, blinking in confusion at seeing his hand. The glove Seunghyun was wearing had melted away, the exposed skin angrily red. 

"Ah- I, I think I burned myself, sir," Seunghyun exclaimed in surprise and pain, looking at his hand. 

"What? But, how?" Ryo grabbed a cloth and held it under the faucet before giving it to the scientist. His gaze lingered on the dagger and he reached out towards it. 

"Boss, don't!" Seunghyun warned, but Ryo ignored it and carefully touched the object. The steel felt cool in his hands, though the seed seemed to be pulsated fiercely. 

"What the heck? That thing just burned me a second ago!" 

The CEO watched the dagger in bewilderment, and, for the first time since he handled the object, in fear, as well. This was something no one on this earth has ever seen before and Ryo had started to wonder whether it was right of him not to call the authorities, or something. There was no protocol for this. Should he contact Mr. Yok? But the founder would most likely only tell him that he shouldn't worry and continue the work. Still, his instincts told him that this dagger was something more than a miraculous gift from the stars. They could do immense good with it, of that he had absolutely no doubt - but, at what price? 

"New rule," Ryo announced, looking at Seunghyun. "From now on, I'll be the only one to handle the dagger. If you need samples or need to research it, you do so with me," he decided and the young scientist only nodded in assent. "I'll give this a shot then." 

Ryo sat down behind the desk, grabbing the fallen scalpel and setting the dagger down gently. 

"I'm not sure whether you should, Boss, I mean, look what it did to my hand," Seunghyun protested mildly, not meaning to overstep his place as an employee. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry that happened, by the way. However, we do know more about this thing. It can apparently emit heat-,"

"Extreme heat," Seunghyun interrupted. 

"Extreme heat," the CEO corrected, "and it appears to have some form of a defense mechanism. It didn't harm you until it appeared to realize that you wanted to take this seed," he muttered, very much aware at how ridiculous it sounded. He was starting to think of the dagger as a real living entity. 

"Okay, here we go," Ryo took a deep breath, exchanging a look with the taller scientist. If he just moved quickly he could tap the seed out by knocking the blade of the scalpel into the side, like a sculpturer using a mallet and chisel on his art of work. 

"One," he counted, "two..." Seunghyun held his breath and took a step back when Ryo said, "three!" 

"WAH!" came Dee's voice from the hallway, the two men in the laboratory stumbling back themselves. Seunghyun fell to the ground while Ryo clutched his chest, his heart drumming as loudly as the crash of thunder and lightning that errupted outside. The sudden storm was powerful enough to knock out the electricity in the facility and Ryo swallowed hard when he looked at the glowing dagger. Coincidence? Maybe. It had to be, right? Come on, Ryo, that thing couldn't have possibly- but, what if it could? 

"Hey! Can someone tell me what's going on?! It's dark, I can't see a thing!" Dee's distressed voice sounded and Ryo heard Seunghyun get to his feet. 

"Hold on, Dee, I'm coming!" the young man went on his way while Ryo kept his eyes on the dagger. He only looked up at the lights when they turned back on thanks to the building's reserve generator. There were no windows in the laboratory, but Ryo could hear the raging storm outside and the clatter of rain. They hadn't predict a storm today, so where did this come from? 

He couldn't help but narrow his eyes in suspicion at the dagger, seeing how it glowed green and pulsated angrily around the seed that had cracked. Ryo almost felt guilty until he noticed that the dagger was healing itself, for lack of a better term of phrase. The crack closed in a matter of seconds, the dagger shining as though it was brand new.

"Sir, you made it angry, didn't you?" Dee came in, holding a pair of sample glasses in his shaking hands. Had he thought that it was ridiculous and childish to treat the dagger as something alive, he didn't think so now. Perhaps Dee was right to be careful, to fret over the consequences. They were playing with fire.

"What did you give me, sir?" Ryo whispered to himself thinking about Mr. Yok. His head started to ache and he became nauseous. When he lost his balance, his employees quickly rushed to support him. 

"Whoa, Boss, are you okay?" Seunghyun's low timbre voice sounded miles away. 

"I'll get a medic," Dee echoed. 

The world became hazy in Ryo's eyes while he did his best to stay on his feet. The dagger shone and gleamed that strange green hue. 

Finally I roar, I wildly abandon...

As long as there is the innocence of love, I revive my shattered heart. 

Please help me... 

...Turn back. 

"Boss? Boss!" 

Ryo shook his head wildly, the feeling of nausea and pain quickly ebbing away as swiftly as it had hit him.  He moved away from the dagger in a reflex, the tall scientist still supporting him to keep his balance. The CEO panted, shaking his head to make sure that he was alright, that he was awake. "Tell me that was you just now," he stated in a panic.

"M-me, Boss? Yeah, I called for you," Seunghyun replied, his almond-eyes wide with worry over his employer.

"No, no, the thing about roaring and shattered heart, you said that, right?" cold droplets of sweat formed on his brow.

When the young scientist shook his head in concern, Ryo felt the air leave his lungs and he looked at the dagger. Not possible, he thought. It can't be- alive...?!

Hearing his boss' shaky breathing, Seunghyun grabbed a chair and told him to sit down. "Dee is getting someone to help, just to make sure you're alright, Boss. So hang tight, okay?" 

"The dagger," Ryo pointed out and Seunghyun didn't need further instructions. Ever so carefully he wrapped it in the velvet cloth it came in and put it safely away. "We're not trying that again," the CEO continued, grimacing a little when he heard the rolling thunder outside. "Does it always storm this fiercely on the island?"

"Not like this, sir," the taller man answered, cleaning his glasses before pushing them back up his nose. "It's a little creepy how it seemed to start when you tried knocking out that seed, huh, Boss?"

"Coincidence," he replied, though he sounded less than convincing. Slumping in his seat and momentarily closing his eyes, Ryo rolled his hand over his face. "How long have we been at this?"

"Maybe a bit too long, Boss," Seunghyun replied sheepishly. Ryo agreed. 

"You and Dee should both get home before that storm becomes worse," he suggested, but as soon as he had finished his sentence, the two men jolted once more when an alarm went off in the laboratory. It took a moment for Ryo to realize that it was his tablet that made the strange noise. "What in the world is this?" he nearly growled, glancing up in surprise when Miss Kumiho, of all people, burst through the doors. 

"I see the notification on your tablet is working accordingly, Mr. Miyano," she said, using her own tablet to shut up his one. "I'm a little pressed for time at the moment, sir, but that signal is sent to you when the new security system has tagged new wolves," she explained, not even giving Seunghyun the time of day when she approached a baffled Ryo. "I've sent some men to fetch them, the poor things must be terrified during this dreadful storm," she told him. "Since I know that you wanted to stay on top of things as best as possible, I thought you might want to see the security footage installed at the new fences themselves," she smiled, tapping easily on his tablet to show him the live-feed. She then leaned forward so she could whisper into his ear. "I thought this more convenient than you having to hack into the main board of the security room, sir," she smiled coolly before straightening herself. 

"Well then. I shall be on my way. I'll hand you a detailed report on the events, sir," she promised, bowed, and left before Ryo even had a chance to utter a single syllable. He gritted his teeth. 

"I do not like that woman," he voiced out loud, the frustration evident in his tone. "She keeps changing everything, and how is it that she knows about the hacking?" he turned to the equally bewildered Seunghyun, who quickly lifted his shoulders. 

"I left no trace, sir, I swear," he stated. "Unless the computers here are programmed with a tracking software that could detect a possible breach, but even then..." he trailed off, muttering about technological computer gibberish that Ryo had no knowledge of. Instead, he directed his attention at the tablet, seeing the storm rage wildly, a small pack of wolves lingering about near the fences. Why wouldn't they leave? 

He frowned upon seeing men in black uniforms approach the wolves and he got to his feet in protest when he saw that one of them shot one of the unsuspecting creatures. 

"What the hell?!" he bouldered, infuriated. "Tell me that we are not shooting wolves!" he showed the footage to the other scientist, the young biologist flustered and equally shocked at seeing the wolves get shot one by one. He zoomed in on the footage and peered at it to get a better look. 

"We are, Boss, but I think they're stun-guns." 

Ryo's relief was short-lived when Seunghyun clacked his tongue and hummed thoughtfully. "But, it looks like there are a few of them that carry real weapons, sir. Out of precaution, probably. Wolves are still wild animals, after all," he sighed and handed the tablet back to his employer. 

"Does any of this make any sense to you?" Ryo finally blurted. "Why would that woman order those men to stun those poor creatures and haul them back here when she was the one who demonstrated that they could be tagged from the fences themselves, so that we wouldn't have to be bothered with the entire process manually?"

"Maybe Miss Kumiho just wants to make sure that the chips are working accordingly and safely embedded underneath the skin, Boss. What else could she possibly want with wolves?" 

Ryo shook his head, watching the live-feed attentively. He set his jaw when a notification banner appeared on the screen with a message from the liaison herself. 

Captured wolves shall be examined. I shall lead the proceedings, it read. Please, do look forward for the reports

The young CEO heaved a disgruntled sigh. "What else indeed..." 

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Nin-Nin
Hi guys~ my first original ebook is available on Amazon and I'm having a lot of feels. If you have the time, check out my previous blog post for more details - I'd appreciate the support <3 Thank you and have a lovely weekend! Love, Nin-Nin

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Wanderer_bj
#1
I don't even know how many times I have read this.😍
BeckyBooGirl
#2
Chapter 4: This is one of my favorite exo fanfic. I have read this story 5 or 6 times already and still love it like i did when I first read it❤
InspiritCarolyn
#3
This is one of those fics I can come back to again and again without getting tired of re-reading it. Each time I read it, I love it the same as the first time.
aonani_k
#4
Chapter 109: I finished it once again and as before, I enjoyed reading such a great story. Hope all is well. :)
aonani_k
#5
Chapter 2: It's been years since I read the story and today I just felt like re-reading it! Glad it's still here. :)
Sehixneeo
#6
Chapter 109: Argh, I will never ever forget this story. Ever. 🥺💛
Jaerin
#7
Chapter 109: This story will always be one of my favorite, a masterpiece 🤧💞❤️
Pxnellyxq #8
Chapter 107: WHAT IM LEGITIMATELY SHOCKED AND TEARING UP
Pxnellyxq #9
Chapter 100: why is the white wolf making me feel emotional :///
Pxnellyxq #10
Chapter 61: Stinky kumiho