#astraphobia

Our first introduction to Natsume's fear is near the beginning of chapter 42, when he and Tanuma accidentally stumble across Taki's home while seeking shelter from a sudden shower. He questions how Nyanko-sensei ended up at her home as well and the youkai, much to Natsume's visible dismay, cheekily explains:

That doesn't end up happening since the rain remained light until its swift end, and the mention of Natsume's fear is glossed over rather quickly to save him the embarrassment, but it's an interesting mention made by Midorikawa nonetheless since it adds another layer to whatever image the audience has of Natsume and the series itself. Nyanko-sensei, having been around this kid long enough to know a lot of his vulnerabilities and insecurities (even the ones his dreams unwittingly reveal to the youkai), has seen and grown accustomed to a side of him that the audience had yet to be formally introduced to for once.

Right about now, you may be wondering how the anime adapted this scene. It didn't💀.

While the start of the episode (S3 EP5) is a one-to-one recreation of the chapter with virtually the same dialogue and scenery, any mention of Nyanko-sensei following Natsume to pick on him when it thunders is nonexistent and entirely skipped over so the gang can go straight to cleaning out the storeroom.

Most fans who have read the manga will tell you how notorious the anime is for excluding some of the characters' lines or scenes that take place in the manga, or just straight up rearranging or changing up those same factors. Sometimes those alterations work wonders, and other times they leave more to be desired, mainly if you know what happened in the manga counterpart of the episode. This such example is one of the times that'll leave people scratching their heads and wondering what warranted getting rid of a scene so insignificant that it'd have no effect on the plot of the episode whether or not it stayed. The only answer I can think of for that is the directors likely wanting a smoother progression of events to make for a viewing experience better tailored for an anime episode rather than a manga chapter.

Or, they genuinely didn't have enough space in the episode to squeeze in that little bit, which I highly doubt, but what would I know, I don't work for them. At the end of the day, we didn't get to see that scene in the episode.

After some more anime switcheroo shenanigans go on behind the scenes, along with an original episode pulling a retcon during a lightning storm, we receive our next moment in a surprising scene from the anime team in S3 EP10 (adaptation of chapter 28). Though the scene itself is short and not exactly an example of Natsume's astraphobia, I feel it should still be included because of its relation.

The chapter originally starts with Natsume and Nyanko-sensei searching for a tree that was struck by lightning during a storm the night before. However, the anime makes an addition of their own by rewinding time to that very night and showing Nyanko-sensei excitedly watching the storm take place while Natsume is tied up with his homework.

Nyanko-sensei goes on to tease him by suggesting that he doesn't want to watch the storm because he's scared, but Natsume dodges the youkai's mocking and begins to tell him to close the curtain before a crack of lightning cuts him off and illuminates his room.

Not only does Natsume not simply deny Nyanko-sensei's claim of him being scared, but his reaction to the thunder is seemingly more sudden than Nyanko-sensei's. Both of these points could subsequently lead the audience to interpret this entire sequence as the anime's first acknowledgement of his phobia, and it'd make for a very intriguing choice on the anime team's behalf after taking their ommitance of the previous scene into consideration. It could be a stretch though ngl, I tend to stretch like crazy, it makes sense to close a curtain when a pet is being noisy—

Finally moving on from S3, we eventually reach the most overt instance of Natsume's astraphobia, and potential origin or exacerbation of it, in the S4 finale (adaptation of chapter 46). This three episode arc is a largely intimate and heart wrenching one as it focuses on Natsume's journey to revisit his childhood home before it gets renovated by its new owners, a task he initially denied himself the permission of doing before realizing Touko and Shigeru would never deny him something so personal. Of course, he wouldn't be Natsume if he didn't attract a youkai along the way, and he's being pursued by one that seeks to feed on the tragic memories he formed while staying with the Aoi family, who was strongly implied to be the first family (if not, one of the first families) he was taken in by after his father's passing.

One of those memories shown to the audience is a younger Natsume relaxing in a shrine while memorizing where his childhood home is located, all in the hopes of gaining more discernible memories of his father and no longer being a burden to Miyoko and her parents.

Unfortunately, he falls asleep at the shrine and consequently loses track of time before having his slumber disturbed by a violent boom of thunder. He's so frightened by the ordeal that he can't even bring himself to rush back to the Aoi family's place, and his exhaustion puts him back to sleep until he's eventually found by some of the neighbors who went out searching for him.

The anime, with the natural strengths it has over the manga, goes the extra mile by not only keeping this portion relatively untouched, but further setting up the scenery and depicting just how rapidly the area goes from peaceful to turbulent. The character animation and voice acting make for a splendid combination and do a wonderful job of capturing this image of a helpless childhood version of Natsume.

What comes soon after this scene is a depressing sequence of events on its own, even more so when we can see he's still reeling from the storm and believing he caused the Aois to get into trouble by not getting back before dark. The adults obviously don't fault Natsume for getting stuck in the storm, but he doesn't see it that way in his shocked state.

The way Miyoko reacts by throwing her frustrations onto him doesn't help either.

And so, after aimlessly running off in his last unsuccessful attempt to find his childhood home, the memory fades away with a somber note as his present self recalls the moment he finally stopped calling for his long gone father.

Now, one could argue that Natsume had his fear of thunder prior to his time with the Aois since we don't have much reference material to work with when concerning his short period of time with his father, and they could be right for all I know. It's common for children to be startled by loud noises and bright flashes since they just aren't quite accustomed to those loud noises and bright flashes being customary for weather disturbances. Natsume, who we know grew up to be pretty sensitive to the things that go on around him, may have been one of those children who felt apprehension anytime a bad storm rolled in, and his father may have been the one to quell his fears back then. So, if we go with the conclusion that his fear didn't originate here, then this scene likely could've aggravated it. But I'm personally leaning a bit more towards the concept of this being the cause of it (partly due to how appealing that conclusion is to the obsessive part of my brain).

His initial reaction to the thunder is seemingly one of surprise rather than fear, and his behavior suggests that he's more concerned with making it back down the mountain before the thunder halts his progress. Although he's seen trying to talk himself down and fails to do so with how relentless the thunderstorm is proving to be, he doesn't need to have preexisting fears or anxieties over thunder to resort to calming himself down.

The dialogue differences strike me as something to consider too, but they're likely irrelevant.

Setting aside everything I just ranted about in the above paragraph, I should specify that I'm not simply pointing to the storm scene as the singular root cause for his future woes. Many psychological problems often aren't so black and white that someone can definitively point to one person or thing as the sole reason for the existence of their psychological problems. And phobias obviously don't always develop as a result of going through or observing a traumatic event; people can grow to fear or strongly dislike something merely by its association with an unpleasant memory or stressful situation. I know I'm starting to stretch hard rn, and this part of the post is getting awfully wordy, just hear me out—

Going back to that aforementioned short period of time with his dad, it's plain to see just how innocent of a time that was for Natsume. He was playful and affectionate with his dad like many children growing up in a healthy environment would be at that age. He doesn't even appear to have an awareness of youkai (if so, only slight enough for it to not become a problem for him just yet). We're shown later on that he would commonly draw around the house too, as evidenced by the nearly two decade old pieces of artwork his father never removed from the kitchen area and closet.

Natsume even proceeds to make a comment about this childhood version of himself likely being the mischievous type for him to run around drawing on surfaces without a care in the world.

He undeniably had his own troubles at that stage of his life though, with one of those troubles being his mom and the empty spot left behind by her passing away. Apart from his heartwarming portrait of a family with both parents, he's also shown lamenting to Miyoko after the death of his dad about not being able to remember his mom. We've seen with those two examples that her absence indeed left an impact on him early on in his life, but he doesn't stay too broken up over her considering how little he got to bond with her, and he doesn't openly despair about the loss of his dad until his growing sense of loneliness and longing becomes too much for him to smooth over.

The point I'm trying (and admittedly struggling) to make here is that after moving in with Miyoko and her parents, the worries on Natsume's plate increased tenfold and weighed him down far more than he was willing to accept at first. Suddenly, this kid had little to smile about in life, taking a glance at his only picture of his parents causes grief and envy to flare up in his chest, he's afraid of being a burden to those who took him under his wing, he's eating less than Miyoko because he's concerned with coming off as too greedy, he feels responsible for Miyoko getting picked on because of his relation to her, he's still learning the way back to the Aoi family's home, and now he's surrounded by all of these weird creatures that apparently no one else can see.

Suddenly, he's no longer that carefree toddler we saw sitting on his dad's lap as the two of them watched over his late mom's garden.

I feel moderately certain about Natsume's experience with the storm, coupled with this pivotal and devastating shift in his life, being the plausible cause for him developing his irrational fear of thunder as a child.

After this arc, we aren't greeted with another scene featuring or centered on his astraphobia until chapter 85 (which doesn't appear to be adapted in S7 judging from the PV😭), and it focuses on Natsume, Tanuma and Taki viewing a limited exhibition at an old inn that has a deep history with youkai. Not too long after the owner engages in conversation with Taki, Natsume and Tanuma briefly comment on how peaceful the inn is making the both of them feel, and a sudden lightning strike cuts through the tranquility of the inn.

It catches everyone off guard and, unsurprisingly, has Natsume frozen in place as Tanuma asks him and Taki if they're alright.

Much like Nyanko-sensei's first time mentioning Natsume's fear, the moment doesn't last long as the gang soon realizes they'll have to spend the night at the inn while they wait for the sudden storm to pass.

By this point in the manga though, Midorikawa has evidently decided to make Natsume's astraphobia a recurring element of the sorts. She could've easily left his astraphobia as another facet of his that we get to see once or twice and never again since it's not serviceable to the story as a whole, but she's started using his phobia as an additional means of displaying his discomfort in any given situation. Having a thunderstorm suddenly appear during a moment of serenity, immediately after Natsume tells Tanuma the place is making him feel strangely good, was a brilliant move of jarring him. And it works especially well here as a sign of the looming threat that'll find its way into the inn over night and slowly creep upon the group the longer they remain there.

Midorikawa pulls this same stunt again to slightly greater effect in chapter 117, where Natsume, Tanuma and Nyanko-sensei happen upon the Kisaragi Manor and find themselves taking part in a ritual for summoning youkai.

It starts with the trio meeting up in the evening to view the bamboo lanterns, but a woman claiming to be in search of a mansion requests their help to find it before it gets too dark, as well as to avoid getting caught in a downpour should the drizzle grow heavier. While Tanuma shows interest in the ritual, and the people they meet are treating them somewhat cordially, Natsume is disconcerted by the arrangement they've found themselves in. He's surrounded by five women he's never met in his life, is once again in an unfamiliar place that feels weird in Nyanko-sensei's own words, and is thrown for a loop by everyone's enthusiasm with the idea of meeting youkai rather than being put off by them.

The group isn't even a minute into their summoning ritual when a huge boom of thunder shakes the room and causes a power outage, sending them into a brief stint of darkness until Hitomi relights the candle.

While waiting for the candle though, Natsume answers Tanuma's question by for once admitting that he's bothered by thunder, leading to Nyanko-sensei characteristically picking on his phobia by calling him a chicken.

Again, the moment is subtle and restricted to one corner of the page, but it sticks the landing. Instead of using the lightning or thunder as a sign of things to come as she's done before, Midorikawa uses them here as an integrant of an already somewhat concerning scene slowly veering towards being disturbing. In addition to selling just how uncomfortable of a situation this is for Natsume, it also depicts how far along he is in his friendship with Tanuma to be honest about an irrational fear we know he'd rather not speak of.

Alas, chapter 117 was our last time seeing thunder scare Natsume, at least until the next time Midorikawa chooses to use his fear to her advantage, unless the anime miraculously surprises us with its own original take as we've seen it isn't afraid to do. What we've been given so far though is plentiful in comparison to many other plot points or quirks that get reused or called back to far less than this one. I won't throw a tantrum if his never gets referenced to or utilized again (which I doubt will happen knowing Midorikawa's writing), but I eagerly anticipate seeing it again should it reappear.

It's captivating to watch this minor detail frequently make it's way back into the story somehow, to the point that it eventually cemented itself as a miniscule yet effective way of shedding different shades of light on the many complexities of Natsume.

They always did this during an experiment. To keep him “contained.”

A series of electronic beeps suddenly echoed throughout the isolated room, disrupting the metronomic rhythm. The wall behind him creaked and rumbled as four distinct lines stretched across the padding and formed into a glowing rectangle. The new section pushed forward, separating from the wall, then slid aside.

The door revealed a woman with black hair streaked gray and a round face with faint lines appearing around her eyes and mouth. She donned a white lab coat and in her hands held a clipboard. She looked up from whatever notes she had been taking to address the boy. “It happened again. Her condition is getting unstable.”

Caleb always had a difficult time making things out. Faces, noises, objects… nothing was distinguishable for Caleb to place any meaning behind them. The whole world was just made of incessant black and white tiny swirls that vibrated so much they hurt his eyes, with strange garbled murmuring that made his head pound and skin crawl. It was a worse, visceral pain than the needles they often pierced into his arms. Even now, he had a hard time recognizing who had entered and what was said. He wanted to retreat back to the emptiness of his mind as his veins throbbed and his skin ached, like the damn snakes inside of him were about to tear out of his hide at last.

Then… everything stopped. Caleb blinked a few times when the word “her” reached his ears, like a tickle. The only word that could be distinguished from the distorted storm, the only word worth hearing. The rest followed as his brain finally caught up and struggled to make proper sense of the world around him. The thrumming and prickling faded away to silence as color blinded his eyes and suddenly it was so much easier to see, the fuzz fading away into sharp geometric lines. He sucked in a quiet gulp of air, like a boy allowing himself to breathe after he had just been drowning in water, but now breached the surface and was saved. His ears strained to pick up anything else, afraid he would miss a single detail as he sat there immobile.

The woman stared, as if waiting for something more, then clicked her tongue at his silence. Lowering her clipboard, she stepped into the room. The door slid shut behind her, once again blending in with the wall, as if it were never there but a figment of the imagination. She approached Caleb’s side, slightly lowering her height to look at the boy. “I’m trying my best to get them to stop the experiments. I’m worried if this continues… there’ll be nothing left of her.”

Caleb could barely glimpse at her from the corner of his eye, not that he could even begin to figure out who this woman was beyond the vague sense that he must have seen her before, just like this. Once he had processed her words, his hands slowly curled into fists, his nails digging into his skin and drawing small specks of blood.

The woman stared pointedly at his hands. She glanced at a corner of the room where a small camera was stationed, its red light blinking silently at them. With a soft sigh, she looked away from the camera and took a step closer to the young boy, just a tiny inch. Her fingers slowly unfurled to reach out to him. Before she could even graze his shoulder, multiple pairs of heavy footsteps sounded from outside and stopped right where the door had just been. Hearing the same beeps and clicks that had announced her own entrance, the woman quickly retrieved her hand and spun around just as a small parade of people dressed similar to her crossed the threshold, with a single man leading them.

The woman bowed. “Professor.”

The door closed yet again, sealing them all inside. The small room suddenly became cramped. Not just because there were too many bodies, but because the new man carried an aura that felt larger than life. They were all dressed the same, but somehow this man’s posture was straighter than all the rest, and while no one here exactly carried any warmth, the chill behind the man’s eyes was enough to make even the others slightly tremble in his presence.

Caleb’s heart started to bang ruthlessly against his chest. He could feel the noise and aches come back, trying to drown him once more. A drop of blood stained the white pristine floor. He stared it down, clinging onto the reminder. Focus.

The man took notice of the woman, his mouth set in a firm frown and his eyebrows furrowed.

But it was a different man who spoke up. “Dr. Zhang? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be—”

The one next to him nudged his side, glaring at him.

Before the woman now known as Dr. Zhang could respond to the accusation, the head of the parade waved his hand in dismissal, halting the crowd. “No matter. Since you’re here, how’s 002?”

Dr. Zhang let out a slow breath and straightened her posture. Glancing at Caleb, she kept her head low as she gave the report. “He isn’t responsive.”

The Professor glanced at Caleb, tutting. “Children are so… delicate. That’s always the risk with experimenting on them.”

Dr. Zhang clutched the clipboard to her chest. “Yes, I agree.”

“But the data is invaluable,” the Professor continued. “Their brain reactions help us understand how to develop human bodies. The perfect human. That is what I strive to achieve. Even if some find that impossible for now.”

He looked right at Dr. Zhang. She swallowed. “I’m sure those people will change their minds once they see it with their own eyes.”

Slowly, the Professor smiled. “As a fellow researcher, I know you can empathize.”

The Professor turned his gaze back to Caleb, a frown marring his face once more. “So, can someone explain to me why 002 is strapped down?”

A third researcher cleared their throat. “Well, surely you’ve read our reports. He is extremely volatile. He’s been getting more compliant lately, but we can never be too careful with him. It’s just a precaution.”

“Hm,” the Professor rubbed his chin. “Oh, yes. Something to do with 001. Their creation caused them to be attached at the hip. I suppose that kind of loyalty can be considered admirable. I believe it’s the very quality that makes a true, solid family.”

The Professor lowered his hand and approached Caleb.

“Sir—” the researcher called out.

“But,” the Professor interrupted, “that attachment can also be detrimental if it’s to the wrong person. A weakness. Which is why it’s important to cultivate these attachments to root out the weeds. After all, how can someone rise to their full potential above others if someone more liable is holding them back?”

The Professor caressed Caleb’s arm. Caleb couldn’t resist the shudder that wrecked his whole body at the touch. While he couldn’t recall this man any better than any of the others, he was all too familiar with this violated feeling of disgust that had been etched into his muscle memory. Hold it in.

If the Professor had even felt the shudder under his fingers, he ignored it. He rounded the chair to look Caleb in the eyes. Caleb gritted his teeth as he forced himself to look back.

“I’m going to help you, 002. I’m not sure if you recall, but we’ve already met once before. For the longest time, I’ve been fascinated with the human body and have yearned to replicate the perfect human for the perfect family to help nudge society along. That’s what I do. It’s my life’s work. That’s why you’re here. I want you to be at the forefront of my family. The progenitor that will beckon others to join us. My greatest masterpiece. You won’t need 001, because you’ll have much stronger siblings that can properly compete with you on equal ground instead. Aren’t you tired of constantly being held back by that childish desire of yours? You don’t deserve it. I can set you free.”

The Professor slid his hand down Caleb’s arm to the strap holding it down. He gently tugged on the strap, then unlatched the mechanic that made the strap snap away and into the depths of the chair. He lifted Caleb’s free hand, flexing it and rubbing the wrist which had become bruised from the constant friction, then proceeded to do the same with the other straps. “I have been told 001 can’t withstand the experiments. She won’t have longer to live. It would be best to dispose of her soon and forget about her if she can’t produce any useful results. Someone like that won’t have a place in my family. It’s a pity though… if only they were able to find something, her body could’ve been just as—”

He didn’t finish his sentence. For by then, all the straps had been released, and Caleb was no longer shackled. One second, the Professor had been kneeling before him. The next, the Professor had been flung to the wall. The wall that should’ve been impenetrable, but crumbled so easily from the force of the hit.

It took a moment for everyone else to react.

“Professor!”

“Someone help him!”

“Restrain 002!”

The room was suddenly a large clamor. Caleb tilted his head and slapped his ear twice. When a couple of researchers approached him, they froze in place before their arms could grasp at him. Caleb stared them all down. The air around them increased in pressure, compressing, squeezing their skin. They crumpled to the floor, their limbs writhing, like a pile of worms. Under the harsh weight of Caleb’s gaze, tiny creaks and pops erupted from the bodies. Screams ensued.

“Oh god,” Dr. Zhang covered her mouth as she watched the scene before her. Somehow, she remained the only one unaffected. She whipped her gaze to Caleb, his own eyes shining. She swore she saw the corner of his lips turn up, as if tempted to smile.

Just a little more. A little more, and they will all—

“Stop it!” Dr. Zhang yelled. “You think that would solve anything?”

Caleb paused, cocking his head at Dr. Zhang. She released a shaky breath. “You’d only be making things worse. Please, calm down.”

Caleb narrowed his eyes. Despite only being a child, he was more like a predator watching his prey. Dr. Zhang closed her eyes and turned her head away.

But then, instead of the bloodbath she had been expecting, the air loosened and relaxed, and it was much easier to breathe. She whipped her head back around and saw the researchers groaning in pain, but otherwise no longer immobile and able to move.

Her eyes met Caleb’s again. He looked at her in silence.

Before anyone else could, Dr. Zhang scrambled forward and hurriedly strapped Caleb back to the chair.

When she was done, she whispered, “Thank you.”

Caleb stared at the straps and looked away. A lump formed in her throat. “I’m sorry.”

As the other researchers began to slowly recover, Dr. Zhang backed away. Two researchers came to the Professor’s side and helped him up from the rubble.

Dr. Zhang frowned. The hallway outside was empty. Even though hardly anyone ventured down this corridor, knowing who lied behind these walls, someone should have surely heard all the commotion. What if—

“My apologies. It seems I underestimated you. Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought 001 one up so soon. After all, she is still dear to you,” the Professor brushed off the debris from his coat. He looked at the other researchers. “Although it is strange that someone who appears to be so broken can still have so much spirit. Curious indeed. That’s the mental prowess I’m interested in.”

“No,” Caleb finally spoke up. The Professor stiffened. He slowly turned to face Caleb. “I just found it annoying… all this talk about 001. Isn’t she useless? So why even bother bringing her up? I have no interest in something like that. Broken toys are less fun to play with.”

It felt like he was talking around sand in his mouth. A competition. That’s how they always made it seem. A competition of the strongest. A competition that he had no interest in, but was groomed into accepting until it warped his mind. So he dug into that small part of himself, fed into it, just enough to fool them all, to make them believe they were winning.

Dr. Zhang’s eyes widened at his words. The Professor laughed, walking up to Caleb and slapping a hand on his shoulder. It looked friendly, but Caleb didn’t miss the tight squeeze. “I really do envy that brain of yours. See? Foolish desires result in consequences. Those emotions would only get in the way. In time, I’ll train you properly on the matter. Once I finish refining the prototype, you’ll be as good as new. I look forward to the day we become family. Maybe you’ll even grow to calling me ‘Father.’”

Caleb somehow doubted that. He glared at the Professor. In response, the Professor squeezed his shoulder again and leaned forward. “So always remember that. You’re not compatible. Only the strong can survive. The weak get hurt. We wouldn’t want you getting caught up in that, now would we?”

The Professor pulled back with a smile, but his eyes remained cold. “Let’s get back on track.”

Suddenly, a researcher came rushing through the hallway. He was rather sluggish, out of breath, most likely from his declining age.

“Dr. Chen?” Dr. Zhang furrowed her brows. While she had been expecting someone to come down eventually, she hadn’t been expecting him.

“Josephine! I—” the man paused, finally looking around and seeing the rubble and crowd of researchers. His face turned red. “Pardon the interruption. I forgot that the inspection was happening—”

“Speak,” the Professor spat, glaring at the man.

“Right,” Dr. Chen straightened. “No one fully knows what’s going on, but there seems to have been an explosion in the Observation Unit. Monsters just started to suddenly appear from the sky and are attacking—”

“Monsters?” the Professor’s expression changed. His eyes glimmered as he demanded. “What do they look like?”

“I-I don’t know,” Dr. Chen stumbled over his words. “It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen. If I had to describe it, they’re like creatures shaped from encased crystals.”

“Wanderers,” the Professor whispered. He shook his head. “So, what’s the situation like?”

“Everyone’s in a panic. No casualties here yet, but it seems to have spread and is affecting other cities.”

A surge of murmurs erupted.

“Monsters? Attacks? Casualties? How did this all start?” one researcher demanded. “It doesn’t seem real.”

“Sounds like the start of an alien invasion.”

“No wonder why the hallways seemed too quiet.” So, Dr. Zhang wasn’t the only one to pick up on that.

“But how did we not hear anything? It must’ve happened around the time 002 went berserk.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with—”

“Watch what you say,” someone hissed.

The Professor tilted his head. He looked at Caleb. Then at the researchers. “With?”

The researchers glanced at each other as silence descended upon the room.

“Nothing,” the researcher bit out.

“Instead of that, what about you?” the other researcher said. “I think you know more than you’re letting on about this situation. We did all these experiments, under your orders and supervision. But you rarely ever showed your face here. Doesn’t this feel convenient? EVER funded us to help with their projects but they never specified what those projects were. Was this all part of your plan? Messing with entities we don’t understand—”

BANG!

The rest of the bold researcher’s words were drowned out by a deafening crash that rattled the whole room, if not the whole building structure. A guttural roar echoed from somewhere in the distance outside.

A brief quiet, then filled by various cries. Reality had set in.

“P-Professor!” the researcher who had tried to keep the peace earlier exclaimed. “We should get you to safety. Please forgive what that one said. The panic is just getting to our heads.”

“Very well,” the Professor said, brushing it off as the researcher began to escort him away from the room. A few security guards who had accompanied Dr. Chen also rushed to his aid. “Now isn’t the time to hold grudges. Although… I sincerely hope that’s all there is to it. I wouldn’t be pleased if something were being… purposefully withheld from me.”

His footsteps faded as he walked further away. The last clack of his heel ringing like a death sentence.

“You idiot!” a researcher yelled at the one who had spoken up once the Professor was fully gone. “We’re all dead if he finds out! Haven’t you heard of what EVER does to people who they discard…?”

“I only said what we’ve all been thinking!” he yelled back. “It’s the reason why we didn’t tell him about 001’s real ability in the first place!”

“Philip,” Dr. Zhang cut in, drawing attention back to the newcomer. “Why are you really here?”

Dr. Chen hesitated. “It’s… Dr. Yu. He’s snapped. He thinks she’s the reason for it all. So, he’s…”

Caleb had been watching on silently, but now the ringing had returned to his ears, along with the restlessness under his skin, rendering him unable to hear the next words. His head and heart pounded, pounded, pounded. He could feel it. He was going to explode. Or split open. The energy around him was pulsating. Was he doing that? Or something else? Both? The world was already starting to fall apart. The walls around him seemed to expand, creating a vast emptiness, where only he remained, freefalling, like a tiny droplet of water falling into the vast ocean, causing ripples but alone in the world where no one else could hear.

“What?” Dr. Zhang gasped.

The researchers started to move, shoving and pushing.

“Out of my way!”

“I don’t want to stay here a second longer if we’re all going to die!”

“Maybe Dr. Yu’s onto something… all this started because we messed with something we shouldn’t have!”

“Those children are freaks! They brought the monsters to us!”

As they all rushed out of the room, only Dr. Chen and Dr. Zhang remained.

“Is this… how it ends?” Dr. Zhang murmured. “Maybe it’s for the best…”

“Do you really believe that?” Dr. Chen looked her in the eye. “I’ve seen the footage. You sneak in here a lot. There’s no audio, but I can tell you’ve grown a soft spot for both of them.”

“And you haven’t?” Dr. Zhang whispered. Dr. Chen looked away.

“You could’ve gotten in trouble if anyone else saw that,” he said instead. “You’re lucky you have me to cover you.”

Another roar sounded from the distance. Now that everyone had been made aware, they had all become too conscious of the rising chaos.

The pain within Caleb had reached its final crescendo. The last current events happened so suddenly that he couldn’t grasp the situation. There were too many people and too many conversations to keep up with. All he knew was that something had gone very, very wrong.

He started to struggle in his straps, the nylon biting into his skin. His whole body was now on fire.

“What’s happening? Why did everyone leave? Are… are you going to hurt her again? I won’t let you! Let me go! Get me out of here! I’ll kill you all!” Caleb shouted.

Dr. Zhang bit her lip as she looked at Caleb, who had begun to rock the chair back and forth with all of his strength.

Dr. Chen shook his head. “I’d advise against it.”

“We can’t just leave him…”

“Stubborn,” Dr. Chen said. “Hell would break loose.”