Unmade Chapter 4: chapter 4: anomaly?

Read chapter 4 of Unmade by churro on NovelPedia.

A young boy sat upright on what appeared to be a hospital bed. Curiosity flickered across his face as faint traces of light shimmered over his wounds, an ethereal blue hue radiating from the chrome-like metal arm that had replaced his right one. He stared intently at the mirror positioned across from him. He was looking directly at it… yet no reflection stared back. “Why doesn’t it show?” Vale’s voice broke the silence, soft but puzzled. The longer he thought about it, the more unsettling the realization became, he couldn’t actually remember ever seeing a mirror before. 'Was it always like this, then?' he wondered, his gaze narrowing as his curiosity deepened. But something about the scene refused to make sense. If everything about him were invisible, he might have accepted it. But that wasn’t the case. His metallic right arm was still visible in the mirror, clear and gleaming. The only part of him that wasn’t truly his… was the only thing the mirror would reflect. Vale raised his arm slowly, watching the way the light played across the metal surface. The reflection followed his every movement perfectly, like clockwork. He paused. Then, with deliberate care, he lifted his arm before his mouth, his eyes narrowing as thoughts began to swirl. He could feel the faint hum of energy beneath the cold metal surface. 'What are you?' he thought silently, studying the strange reflection that wasn’t truly his own. Vale examined the mechanism of what he now called his right arm. The metal was cold to the touch, yet oddly comforting, almost as if it belonged to him. As if the arm itself wanted him to feel at ease, to accept it. He remembered the moment it had attached to him, back when he was falling through that endless abyss of darkness. The memory surfaced vividly. He had felt it then, that strange substance crawling toward him like liquid metal, reaching for the stump where his arm had once been. It had flowed over his skin, smooth and deliberate, and the instant it connected… it solidified, forming the metallic arm that now moved at his command. “Is it… maybe some kind of parasite? One that needs a host to survive?” Vale’s voice was low, thoughtful, as he turned his arm this way and that, studying how the light danced over the polished surface. 'But Miss Rose said it wasn’t dangerous,' he recalled. 'She even said it was healing me.' His brows furrowed slightly as he continued his quiet analysis. ''Then maybe it’s symbiotic.... something that benefits us both.'' That theory seemed the most logical. And yet, something about it didn’t sit right with him. If this metallic arm truly healed him, replaced his limb, and granted him strength, what exactly did it take in return? What did it feed on to maintain such power? ''What could it possibly want from me… that would equal what it gives?'' He stared at the gleaming metal in silence, his expression indifferent but his mind restless. 'I am curious to find out.' he thought. Finally, Vale lowered his arm, preparing to lie back and rest. But as he did, something caught his attention. The light above cast clear shadows across the room, shadows that moved and shifted with every motion. His metallic arm had one too, sharp and distinct against the floor. But his other arm, his flesh and blood, they did not. There was nothing beneath it. No trace of form. No shadow at all. Vale stared at his arm with a look of quiet confusion. Slowly, he lifted it, watching the space beneath him with cautious intent. But nothing changed. No shadow followed the movement, no shape, no trace of darkness that could be linked to his arm in any way. It was as if he simply didn’t exist. “I… can’t see myself?” The words slipped from his lips, soft and uncertain. Yet instead of sadness, a faint smile crept across his face. It grew gradually it was small at first, then it grew wider, until it carried a strange hint of amusement. “I really have a lot to learn about myself, don’t I?” He chuckled quietly, lowering his gaze to the