William had placed Michael's body carefully in the basement. Among the shadows, he found Dave's journal. It detailed everything Dave had discovered about remnant—except, of course, its weaknesses. Still, one truth struck William like lightning: remnant was the power of emotions, and the strongest of all was agony.
He knew what he had to do.
William stripped off his shirt, revealing his pale skin. He grabbed a knife, and the contraption Dave had made.
"I may not have been able to save those other children... and I may not have been able to save Jennifer... but I WILL save you! Even if I have to tear myself apart to do it!"
With that, he plunged the knife into his right shoulder. A scream tore from his throat as horrible pain shot through him. He saw the faint shimmer of essence rising—but it wasn't enough.
Desperate, he pulled the knife free and drove it into his left shoulder. Another scream, another surge of agony.
"Still... n-not... e-e-enough..." he muttered, voice shaking.
He pulled the knife free again and drove it into his left knee, screaming. One more time, into his right knee, wincing as every nerve fired in protest.
Finally, he dropped the knife to the floor. Enough.
He activated the machine, letting it begin absorbing the remnant.
"God... I hope this works..." William whispered, staggering toward the chemistry station, each movement making his shoulders and knees scream in pain.
He worked quickly, mixing the concoction with hands trembling from exertion and agony.
"Finally..." he breathed, finishing the mixture. Its odor was sharp, acrid, indescribable.
He peeled the bandage from Michael's forehead and poured the concoction over the massive gash. At first, nothing happened. Then, Michael's body jolted violently, splattering blood across William's face.
"What? This should have worked! It should have completely healed him! Did I... mess it up?" William groaned.
Moments later, Michael's eyes fluttered open, blood streaming down his face.
"Father..." he whispered.
"Yes, Michael?" William said, forcing himself to stay calm, ignoring the huge gash that still marred his son's forehead.
"My head... it hurts so much..." Michael sobbed.
"Hey, hey... please don't cry. I'll do my best to fix it... I promise," William said, drawing him into a trembling hug.