It was a form of energy we hadn't known existed, one that defied the laws we were taught. All because we were born inferior to other beings.
Ether.
An alternate form of energy. Magical, yet not magic.
Scientists had unearthed ancient texts, records of extinct races, once akin to gods, who had harnessed this energy effortlessly. That discovery changed everything.
It cleared up some of my questions.
But one doubt still lingered: Were the serums truly the only way to get the ability to sense ether?
I hadn't told Mr. Park or Suhee the truth, that I, too, was one of the few who had escaped from those same horrifying experiments.
That secret was something I had buried deep, even if I told them now it would seem like I was hiding my past because I didn't trust them.
But then, Ms. Chaeyoon looked at me and said she wanted to test me as well.
I panicked. I refused, telling her I didn't want to.
If she tested me… she'd find out.
She insisted. I couldn't say no. Reluctantly, I agreed. She drew some of my blood, took my pulse, and asked me to sit in a sealed room equipped with energy sensors, machines designed to detect ether waves in anyone who had undergone experimentation.
I sat down, trying with every ounce of strength to suppress my power.
If even a bit of it slipped out, I'd be exposed.
But despite my efforts, when she read the results, she stopped the test immediately.
Without a word, she came into the room, pulled a gun on me, and ordered me outside.
She led me back to the others, where Mr. Park and Suhee were waiting. Her expression was cold.
Then she spoke.
She told them my ether count: 18,456.
Ether levels were measured by the amount of energy waves a body emitted, waves that indicated the potential and power of an individual.
Suhee's count was 12,342.
And she was already incredibly powerful.
I stood there in silence, my secret revealed, and the weight of what it meant hanging heavily.
To be continued.