"AHHHH!!!!" A piercing scream filled my research area as the... unwilling volunteer cried out in pain.
"PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!" The subject screamed as their body rejected the changes presented by the Pale Bloom.
Writing down my findings, I was quite disappointed by what seemed to be another failure to replicate the effects of the flower on the different subjects I've administered the serum to.
Sighing in annoyance at this failure once more, I simply grabbed one of the many needles filled with anesthesia to knock out the subject.
Once they were finally asleep, I left them strapped to the table and walked back to my office, holding on to my findings.
Progress has been... slow. I still can't find a reliable way to replicate the same effects the flowers have whenever the Prince has his hands on them.
There must be a reason why the servants in the palace who were exposed to the Pale Bloom changed so much.
I tried everything! And yet nothing seemed to work. To say it was frustrating was putting it lightly.
But upon reaching my office area, there was a woman sitting in my chair. I couldn't quite see her face since she had a rather large red hat blocking it, but I swear she had an uncanny resemblance to the Queen.
As I approached her, she had a wicked smile on her face and looked up at me.
"Why, hello there, little Birdy," the woman spoke with a little too much enthusiasm.
"Hello, Madame. Tell me, why are you here? And why are you sitting in my seat?" I asked her, trying to intimidate her a bit.
"Oh, don't worry about that now!" she said, getting up and standing atop my seat. "Instead, why don't I introduce myself... through song!" she said, snapping her fingers and summoning multiple instruments.
But as she opened her mouth to sing, I simply raised my hand to stop her. "I'm not particularly fond of musicals, ma'am. Please just introduce yourself normally," I told the demon.
She frowned at me and made the instruments disappear before standing atop my desk, then quickly plopping down to sit.
"Well, you're no fun. But still, I guess I should introduce myself. Ahem. I'm Eve. It's nice to meet you!" she said with a grin.
"Eve? As in the second woman Eve?" I asked her for clarification.
"The one and only!" she said, smiling.
"Well... Eve, tell me, why are you here?" I asked her.
"Wow, straight to the point. Well, to be forward, I heard from a little Birdy—" she said, looking directly at me— "that you've been spying on the Prince and have been doing experiments on those adorable Hellborn to find the secrets behind his power."
How did she find out? I was sure I was careful, making sure no one saw me or my ravens.
"Get to the point, Eve," I told her, infuriated.
She simply smiled at me, and outstretching her arm, she began to gather dark energy around her palm. Once it gathered completely, a small box appeared.
"This little baby has everything you'll ever need in your wacky little experiments," she said, smiling.
"And what's its contents? Surely something so small couldn't possibly have what I need," I said, a bit skeptical of her claims.
"Come on, bird brain, have a little faith. As long as you need something, this little guy will give it to you," she said, rubbing the top of the small box.
"And what do you want in exchange? Surely, giving me something so powerful, you would want something in return."
"Oh, nothing much. I just want a small, itty-bitty little favor, that's all!" she said, smiling.
"And that favor would be?"
"Too many questions! Anyways, do you want the thing or not? I'm quite the busy lady—you know, planning and all that? So what do you say? Do we have a deal?" Eve asked me, reaching out her hand.
Thinking about it more, I didn't really lose much since it's not a soul deal and she didn't ask for anything specific. So weighing all the pros and cons, I looked toward Eve and her hand.
"Fine... you have a deal." Grabbing her hand, red energy began to swirl around us, slowly enveloping the room in red and black mist, obscuring my vision.
But once the mist faded, all that was left was the box Eve had and a small note on it.
I couldn't understand what it said since I couldn't read ancient Sumerian, but from the little I did know, it said something about the River Styx.
Anything else was a mystery.
Looking down at the box now in the palm of my hand, I walked toward my desk and took a seat, placing the box down.
I'm still not sure what it is, but something tells me it's going to be important.
With a deep sigh, I looked down at the paperwork presented to me by the staff. A new school century was about to begin, and I needed to evaluate the new attendees.
As I picked up my pen and began to work, the box began to glow faintly. I didn't notice, since I was already focused on the paperwork, but something from within had started to awaken.
---
Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates.
But I'm feeling a bit better now, so the updates may return to normal.