Rise of the Crusader

“Can I have a moment with you, lady Serena?” The man said.

Serena glanced at the man and nodded her head. “Raphael, stay here, I’m going to be back,” Serena muttered.

Meanwhile, Raphael kept a straight face when he heard Serena. He stared at the room with his hands clenched to his hand into tight fists, and his lips curved inwardly.

“Let’s go.”

With that said, and Serena and the man began walking into one of the rooms that was a few meters away.

It wasn’t then up to a minute after the two of them left that a figure appeared beside Raphael. It was a slender girl of fair complexion, light-brown eyes with no pupils, and black hair that reached down to the middle of her back.

“She will be fine,” Elisa said with a light smile on her face.

Raphael had noticed Elisa since the moment she moved close to him, but he still kept a very stern expression. Even when she spoke, he didn’t even glance at her and acted the same way he did to Serena.

.....

“She is really beautiful,” Elisa mumbled as she stared at Yvonne, who was on the bed. “She...” Elisa abruptly paused, as before she could finish her words, Raphael turned towards her, glaring at her with eyes that seemed to possess no emotions.

“What’s wrong?” Elisa asked.

“What do you think you’re doing, Elisa.”

Elisa’s eyes squinted when she heard Raphael, she stared at him hard before saying, “What do you mean?” Elisa inquired in a soft tone.

“Your behavior. The way you act towards me, the look in your eyes when you stare at me,” Raphael paused, “This thing you want between us can never happen.”

“I’m not the person you think I am. You having this sort of feelings towards me would do more harm than good to you. You will only be getting yourself hurt.”

Elisa’s mouth opened slightly when Raphael spoke. Her eyes twitched for a second before she then said, “Raphael.” Elisa mumbled in a low voice.

“Every quality you want in a partner, I don’t have it,” Raphael declared.

There was resoluteness and firmness in Raphael’s voice as he spoke. And even as streams of tears emerged from Elisa’s eyes, Raphael still kept that grim expression on his face.

He didn’t seem to be moved in the slightest about Elisa’s tears.

“Okay, Raphael.” Elisa nodded her head and then wiped the tears which were on her face. She turned and began walking towards the elevator door.

Serena had just finished discussing with the man in the care of Yvonne and was about to head back to Raphael when she saw Elisa.

“Elisa...”

Serena wanted to speak when she saw the look on Elisa’s face. The usual Elisa would have greeted her, but Elisa didn’t even glance at her and instead rushed past her the moment their eyes came in contact.

Serena raised an eyebrow and she stared at Raphael. Serena quickened her steps and a few seconds after, she stood in front of Raphael with her hands folded across her chest.

“What did you do to her?!” Serena asked in a displeased tone. “Elisa is a very nice girl, and yet you made her cry.”

“Forget about it.” Raphael responded, “What did he say?”

When Serena heard Raphael, she heaved a deep breath. “Have a look at this,” Serena said as she handed the yellow file which was in her hand to Raphael.

Once Raphael took the yellow file and began to check the content which was inside, Serena’s voice rang out.

“I’m afraid, Yvonne has become paralyzed from the waist down. The injury she suffered rendered her paraplegic.” Serena drew a deep breath once again.

“You can see the bones crack on the spine from here,” Serena moved close to Raphael, and pointed her hand towards the bone diagram on the file he was holding on to.

Raphael’s eyes bulged as he stared at the skeletal frame in front of him. He placed his hand on his chin, “Can’t the bones be rearranged or perhaps restored by a metahuman with high healing ability?”

“That was also what I thought, but they have tried it out. It wasn’t able to be restored or even rearranged. I believe that the people who attacked her didn’t want to kill her, but instead, they wanted to render her in this state.” Serena’s voice rang out.

“The bleeding has stopped, and she is now in perfect condition, the whole issue at hand is the walking condition. Their words are they have tried everything possible, but they can not revive that area.”

Serena could see the frown on Raphael’s face and moved a little closer to him. “Not to worry, Raphael. I will inform the director of the research and support division about this, he should be able to figure something out.” Serena said.

“That look on your face, you have something in mind,” Serena exclaimed, with a smile on her face.

Raphael nodded his head, he gave the file back to Serena and said, “Thank you.” With that said, and Raphael moved past Serena.

“Hold on! Where are you going to? And are you not going to see your mother?!” Serena chased after Raphael quickly.

“I have seen her already,” Raphael responded.

“You know what I mean,” Serena said as she stood in front of Raphael.

“Not until I’m able to get her on her feet back.” Raphael moved past Serena, only for him to be blocked by Serena. Raphael drew a deep breath, “A paraplegic state has to do with degenerative nerve damage and paralysis.”

“I’m going to create a technology that can repair degenerative nerve damage and cure paralysis.”

Serena’s mouth opened slightly when she heard Raphael, and a second after Raphael spoke, he didn’t waste any more time and immediately walked past Serena. He opened the elevator door, and step into it.

...

As Raphael left the research and support building, he moved straight to the female dormitory. He moved at an insane pace and within a few minutes, he arrived at the dormitory.

KNOCK!

“I’m coming!” A second after Raphael knocked on the room door, a voice rang out. It wasn’t then up to a minute after, and a figure opened the door.

A girl of average height with a slender build and short brown hair appeared. The girl was wet, having just gotten out of the bathroom, and a towel was wrapped around her body.

“Hmmm...” The girl was Aurora, and as she saw Raphael, she stuttered. “What are you doing here?!” Aurora exclaimed.

Raphael seized Aurora from head to toe the moment she stepped out of the room. Though Raphael kept a neutral expression on his face, he had to admit that he had underestimated Aurora to an extent.

Aurora had a delicate face, however, under that teenager’s face was an incomparable and captivating body. That mature turning body had incomparably exquisite curves, and her bosom was simply astounding.

“Y-You...”

Aurora tightened her grip on the towel that was wrapped around her body when she saw the look on Raphael’s face. She then began to glare at him with killing intent present in her eyes.

Raphael shook his head, “I need your help.” Raphael said.

“I need the extracted compound you used in the helium tank.” Raphael stated, “Or better still, I need the implantable bio-stimulant that I saw in the cabinet.”

Aurora’s eyebrows furrowed when she heard Raphael. “That’s impossible. I would have to extract it out of the tranquilizer 3000, which is something I won’t do.”

“And as for the implantable bio-stimulant, why should I give you? After what you did, there’s no way I’m going to hand one of the technology to you or any in fact.”

Raphael raised an eyebrow, “What do you want in return? You just have to give me the extracted compound or the implantable bio-stimulants. But, of course, I would prefer the extracted compound to the bio-stimulants.”

“You just have to state whatever it is you want, and I’m willing to do it.”

“You still don’t understand Raphael,” Aurora shook her head. “You crushed my best friend’s heart into pieces, and yet, you still dare to ask me for a favor. The audacity!!” Aurora sneered.

Raphael folded his hands across his chest, “Would you have preferred me to use her to get the items from you? Because I could have done it that way.” Raphael said.

“How dare you!!!”

Raphael heaved a deep breath, “I’m going to owe you one. This is a one-time opportunity, you won’t be getting another. So, what is it going to be Aurora?”

“Even when you need my help, you’re still acting this pompous,” Aurora said in a seemingly displeased tone.

“I’m not supposed to help you with what you did to my friend and me, but you sound so desperate, and my friend would also want me to help you.”

“I will give you the implantable bio-stimulant,” Aurora stated. “But, remember, you owe me a favor.”

Raphael flashed a rough smile, “I would have preferred the extracted compounds, but the stimulant is also not bad anyway. I appreciate it.”

Serena clenched her hand into a tight fist when she heard Raphael, and if looks could kill, Raphael would die thousands of times.

While Raphael didn’t say the words directly, his words meant that he doubted her ability in creating the implantable bio-stimulant and he would have preferred to create one himself.