n

n

nIt has been four hours since the surgery started, and the doctors finally removed Leon's spine after struggling for 20 minutes.

nThey were having a hard time operating the surgery because Leon's body was constantly trying to heal him. However, as the process was slow, the doctors weren't aware of it.

nAfter assembling the artificial spine, they connected it with the other bones and installed it inside Leon's body. Once it was installed, they had to run a check-up to confirm the pairing of all the parts.

nThe spine was connected to the chip, which was functioning similarly to the human's spinal cord. It was supposed to be inserted inside Leon's brain and exchanged with the spinal cord. But Leon stopped them.

n

"There is no need for the chip. If you are done with the pairing, get to the next procedure already,

" Leon ordered.

n

"But this chip is the main—

"

n

"I know everything. But I don't need it,

" Leon asserted. 'Ain't no way I am going to let a chip handle my body. I will create my own system in the future and install it inside my body.'

nLeon planned to remove all the bones from his body and get a more robust skeleton. He wanted his body to be strong enough to withstand his power impact.

nHowever, it was perilous. Even the spine replacement was a dangerous operation with a low success rate. It was painful, yet Leon had it without any anesthetic to lose the sensation of pain. Although, Leon had no need for it as he had high tolerance and resistance for pain.

nTania was so scared that she could stay in the same room and went to the living room. Tia was managing the light and camera movement so the doctors could see small details.

nLeon, however, was enjoying watching the king's game.

nAfter three hours, they had successfully installed the spine and connected it with a central system. But it was still unclear whether it was going to work efficiently or not.

nHowever, Leon wasn't worried. He simply needed a new spine to walk freely, but he still couldn't move his body. The doctors had removed the main parts of his spinal cord, which functioned in moving.

n'It's a part of my body. It should be healed automatically, but how long will it take? I have to do something before this becomes a permanent problem.'

nLeon closed his eyes and tried to sense his body. He could sense it, but it wasn't responding.

n'Wait… if my powers heal my body. Doesn't that mean my body can force my powers to heal?' Leon wondered.

n

"Are you sure you don't want to install the chip?

" the doctor asked.

n

"No. If you are done, patch me up.

"

nThe doctor sighed and uttered,

"Don't blame us if something happens.

"

n

"Are you still on about that?

" Leon snorted.

"You kept warning me about how dangerous this surgery was, and now it's almost finished. You are a doctor, for **'s sake. Have some backbone.

"

nThe doctors started patching Leon's back with mixed expressions on their faces. They couldn't believe the surgery was successful, but they were in disbelief about Leon's recovery.

n

"It's not about having a backbone,

" the doctor uttered.

"You see, we don't care about your life, nor do we care about Miss Tania's life. Miss Tania is useless, and everyone hates her. Our entire syndicate and the organizations wouldn't shed a tear even if she died. But Miss Mary, our current leader, holds Miss Tania dearly. If something happens to you, Miss Tania would be sad, and she would cry.'

n'If Miss Mary got to know that her sister cried and the reason was you, she would kill you. But you would be dead before that, so all the blame would be on us. That's the only reason why we are anxious.

"

n'Why would they hate someone who hasn't done anything wrong?' Leon couldn't comprehend the reason for them to hate Tania when she hadn't done anything wrong.

n'Although… It's not like I care about anyone. I wouldn't shed a tear if she died…' Leon couldn't finish the sentence.

n'What was that pain in my heart? It was as though someone stabbed a sharp needle in my chest…' Even though Leon couldn't feel any pain, he felt the sting in his heart after thinking that.

nLeon has never been loved, at least, from his perspective. Even if he was, he doesn't know how it felt to be loved, nor did he know how it felt to love someone. But for how long?

nWill the monster inside him ever allow him to have feelings?

nOnce the doctors had sewed Leon's back and patched it up by suturing it with stitches, they sighed in relief and left the room.

n'What are you, exactly?

" Tina asked.' You didn't even let out a small grunt of pain. Are you a monster?'

nTina was baffled to see how calm Leon was.

n

"Something worse than that,

" Leon replied without taking his eyes off the television screen.

nTina sighed and left the room after saying,

"I will go let Tania know your surgery is done.

"

nTina went to the living room, but Tania wasn't there. Then, she checked in the kitchen, but she wasn't there either.

n

"Where did she go?

" Tina wondered.

nTina then checked the bathroom and found Tania sleeping naked in the bathtub filled with warm water.

n

"...

"

nTina shook Tania and said,

"Wake up. The surgery is completed.

"

n

"Really?!

" Tania stood up and asked with an anxious and concerned look on her face:

"Was it successful?

"

nTina lowered her face and averted her gaze before saying,

"We tried out best but… he couldn't make it.

"

nTania's face turned pale after hearing that. She immediately got out of the bathtub and rushed to the room.

n

"No!

" she yelled after seeing Leon on the bed.

n

"Don't yell,

" Leon uttered in a low voice.

n

"Huh?

" Tania was confused. She looked at Tina with a puzzled look on her face and asked,

"What?

"

nTina smirked and said,

"I lied, duh!

"

n

"Tina!

" Tania yelled at the top of her lungs.

n

"Stop yelling…

" Leon uttered again.

nTina shrugged her shoulders and said with a grin on her face:

"Take care of him. I will lock the door while leaving.

"

n====

nAuthor's Note- And the hunt begins!

nThanks, @CplProtoss and @Terry_Clifton, for the gifts!

n