The door was open and his way was clear. Actually, he had no other choice other than to check up on his health.

  Now Vikram was inside the room; it was fully white and had really advanced medical equipment. One of the doctors was extracting the body characteristic information from the bed.

  “Subject 987MK: Vikram-Chandrika-(N\A)

  Height: 5’6”

  Weight: 39 kg at present. Expected to be around 45 to 48 kilos before the incident.

  Age: 16 yrs

  Sex: Expected to be Male

  Puberty: Immature

  Breathing: Abnormal

  Heart rate: Slightly more than average

  Eyesight: ???

  Damaged body: 40%”

  The AI spoke the information aloud in the room.

  “Expected to be male? What a fucking stupid AI! How could I even trust this report?” Vikram was screaming in his head at the same time.

  The information must have been taken while he was asleep, Vikram supposed, judging by the fact that he felt some vibrations when he was on his bed earlier.

  Then a doctor ordered the AI bed to transform into a wheelchair. To Vikram’s surprise, the transition between the bed state and the wheelchair state was so smooth; the bed adjusted according to his posture and his hands were placed just right. It all somehow felt so right.

  The doctor then started checking his heart with a stethoscope. The doctor was writing the notes of the checkup on a digital notepad composed of a glass screen. But Vikram noticed that the doctor’s main focus was on his eyes.

  Almost all of the checkups were completed, except for the eye checkup.

  “Now, Subject, it’s time for your eye checkup,” the doctor said in a poker tone.

  The doctor calling Vikram “Subject” was annoying him; he was talking to Vikram like he was just a mere thing.

  The doctor then placed his fingers on Vikram’s left eyelids to keep them open. Then the doctor pulled out a small torch from his pocket and held it in front of his eye. Vikram was getting uneasy, wondering when the doctor would switch on the bright light.

  And then, he switched on the light.

  But Vikram’s eye didn’t even try to close on its own. He felt nothing—no pain, no blindness. That poker-faced doctor suddenly looked shocked.

  “The center of the pupil… it—it isn’t reflecting any light? Is that it? Did we find it?” he said, looking completely stunned. His voice attracted the remaining three doctors in the room toward Vikram.

  Then he quickly grabbed a laser from his pocket and again shot it at the central void of Vikram’s pupil. Again, Vikram didn’t flinch. The void at the center absorbed all the light and remained undisputed.

  The doctor grabbed a small rectangular sensor to see the workings of Vikram’s eyes. That sensor sent unknown signals to the laptop placed on his table.

  “It’s showing nothing on the laptop. H-Have we really found it? The person with the legendary ‘Eclipse’?” one of the doctors said, his voice shaking.

  Vikram was perplexed by what was happening. That doctor then called a GCSL agent on his phone and went outside to talk.

  Meanwhile, the remaining doctors called security to handle Vikram.

  “W-What is going on?” Vikram asked, his voice rising. But the doctors were caught up in their excitement and no one answered him.

  Then two cubical drones with large screens on the front showing human expressions appeared.

  “Go, Torobots. Take him to solitary confinement,” that doctor said.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Order confirmed, initiating confinement protocol,” the Torobots reacted.

  Those Torobots then communicated with his wheelchair, and the chair started moving toward the exit.

  “Wait! Where are you leading me? St-STOP IT!” Vikram screamed at the bots. But instead of reacting, one of the bots took out an arm with a needle at the end from its bottom and stabbed it into Vikram’s arm.

  The needle contained anesthesia that made Vikram feel dizzy and eventually led him to sleep…

  …

  At last, Vikram regained some consciousness. He smelled the paint and concrete around him. Nothing was audible; he felt uncomfortable and trapped. The air was warm. Then he opened his eyes. He realized he was lying on a mattress in a small cubical room. The room had only one unreachable window at the top and a lightbulb on a wall.

  The wall was covered with sound-absorbing pads and the door in front of him was locked from the outside. He then noticed something was on his neck—a collar, probably to prevent him from using his powers.

  The warmth was stifling. The silence in that room was killing him. He could hear his own heartbeats in that prison. In just three hours of staying there, Vikram was under great stress. He couldn’t hold it anymore.

  “STOP IT! I BEG YOU TO STOP IT, PLEASE! WHAT HAVE I DONE? FREE ME!” Vikram cried for help in a prison worse than hell.

  Then finally, someone opened the door.

  Two men wearing black suits arrived. A pin containing the logo of GCSL was on their tuxedos.

  “Why have you trapped me here? What have I done?” Vikram asked them in a low, frail voice.

  “We are agents of the GCSL. We only trapped you because you possess the one thing that matters most to the whole world,” one of the agents said.

  “My eyes, right? Is that the only reason you people are stealing my freedom, my rights?” Vikram countered.

  “You don’t know, child, that you are holding the future of humanity in those eyes. They are far more important than your freedom or rights,” the other agent said.

  “So why haven’t you removed my eyes yet? Why wait to confront me?” Vikram questioned.

  “Because we can’t,” the agent said. “Your eyes are called the Eclipse, and we confirmed it by their property to engulf every single ounce of light that reaches your pupils. As for why we haven't removed them yet: the Eclipse can only be removed if its original holder accepts the removal.”

  “So that is why you put me into this silent hell? To torture me until I give up, huh?” Vikram said. “And if I accept your offer, what will I get in return? Blindness?”

  Then one of them replied, “If you accept our deal, we will give you a new pair of mechanical eyes and will cover your expenses until the end of your life.”

  “And what if I reject?” Vikram asked.

  “Then you will rot in here forever until you die,” they replied.

  Vikram then gave his clarification. “Then I will never lend you my eyes! I have nothing to do with humanity or anything! I just wanted to live a happy life. My eyes are a gift that the heavens blessed me with. They are mine and will belong to no one except me. And I don’t even know if this is just your propaganda. I will never trust you people.”

  “Then rot in here,” one of the agents said, and they both began to leave.

  The doors closed after they left the cell, and that dead silence returned. Vikram started to cry in that empty prison.

  ….

  BOOM!

  The door in front of him exploded into pieces by red flames. A figure stood in the smoke.

  “Did I show up late? Uhh, so sorry if I was too late,” the figure said in a familiar voice.

  The smoke started to vanish, and in front of Vikram stood the man who had saved him earlier, wearing the same outfit.

  “Hi, I am Christopher Clementine. Sorry for not telling you my name earlier. And you are Viku—Vikram, I guess?” Christopher talked in a friendly manner.

  “Mr. Christopher! You have no right to take this child with you. This is against our regulations,” the same agent who had been in the cell said, returning to the doorway.

  “And isn't it against regulations to violate the rights of a teenager? Wouldn’t the GCSL want to talk about that?” Christopher replied. “You two know I can kill you both right here, right now, with just one gaze. I don’t care about GCSL’s rules. You know I can break any rule in the world to save people in need.”

  “And what are you even going to do with this child?” the agent asked.

  “If no one will accept him, then I will. I will be his custodian and his mentor,” Christopher said. Then he tilted his head at Vikram. “And yeah, only if you want it.”

  “Mr. Christopher, are you really thinking that this child will be the next ‘Arbitrator’?” the agent questioned. “Wouldn’t it be better if these eyes were in the right sockets?”

  “Even if he doesn’t turn out to be a savior of the world, I will save him. But I believe this child will prove the GCSL wrong. The fastest way isn’t always the best way. And if the GCSL gets in my way (whistles), I’ll kill 'em all,” Christopher firmly stated.

  “If that’s your opinion, then alright. Good luck fighting the world’s top lawyers in the Global Supreme Court,” the agents said and left the area.

  “Phew, finally they left,” Christopher said with a sigh of relief.

  “Why are you doing all this for me? Are you also in the race to get my eyes?” Vikram questioned.

  “Nah, I don’t want your eyes because I already have my own special pair. But that’s a topic for another day. For now, I have to enroll you in the academy,” Christopher replied.

  Whistle. “HEY, TOROBOT, COME HERE! TAKE THIS CHILD TO THE DORMITORIES!” Christopher screamed.

  At the sound of the whistle, a bot arrived with a wheelchair. Christopher gently put Vikram into it.

  “Now take him to a room,” Christopher ordered the bot.

  “But which room, sir?” the Torobot questioned.

  “Ugh… for now, take him to, ummm… Cheng’s dorm! I will tell him about this later. He is a good guy; he will let Vikram stay. So don’t worry. Buh-bye for now, see you in tomorrow’s class!” Christopher said and left.

  It was now night outside. It was usually Vikram’s sleeping time, but today was a different story. He had more questions in his mind, mainly about his eyes called the Eclipse. He was confused about everything that had happened lately; the surprises were hitting him faster than the memories of his past. Will he manage to solve all these lingering mysteries about himself? That question was for later. For now, could he even share a room with a new roommate?

  To be continued…