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"Careful now, its beginning to flag," The old man warned, watching carefully as the scalpel lowered to meet the scaled flesh once more.
The boy-specimen cried out again, his tail twitching within its restraints. Warbling calls spilled from its lips as it called out in that strange language. They had yet to decipher just what it was saying but the same syllable was used often enough to discern it was one word. Xemnas risked a glance to his elder, almost annoyed with his hovering presence, but it was easily overrun by the task at hand and his burning curiosity.
This had been the first time his grandfather had allowed anyone else near such a valuable piece of his work. Something about needing steady hands for the procedure. Xemnas didn't believe it for a second but would have to be a fool to have refused such an opportunity. Whatever unspoken test the old man had placed before him had yet to conclude however, so he returned his attention to the body in front of them.
The mermaid's chest rose and fell rapidly with its fearful breaths, stuttering sometimes with the force of his cries. Its head was turned to the side, face halfway hidden behind its bright hair. Green fins flicked in the air where human ears should be. Its upper body remained unscathed for now, arms pulled away from its torso by its bindings. The same could not be said for its tail.
Xemnas hadn't bothered to ask what they needed this many scales for. Surely just one would be enough for weeks of observation. Perhaps the old man was wary of losing the source and was greedily taking what he could in the time he had. Maybe it was the smart decision in the end. It mattered little to him in the end.
It was fascinating. Truly otherwordly. The creature before him was something he had only heard stories of as a child. A thing of fairytales, his parents would say when his grandfather had told him about them. But there had been a look in the man's eye that told Xenmas otherwise.
Years later and it seemed he had been right to at least consider the possibility.
"Its rather small," He muttered, leaning forward to see better. He angled the scalpel to cut underneath another scale and flicked it up in a smooth motion. It came free with a soft squelch and the mer wailed again. He was sure to have a headache by the end of this.
"Its still an adolescent, comparable to a preteen, I'd say," His grandfather replied thoughtfully. He walked around the table, eyes glued to the specimen. Xenmas paused, staring blankly at the growing patch of bloody flesh.
"Its a child?" He asked, looking up with a blank expression. His grandfather met his gaze easily, glancing at the scalpel in his hand that had yet to pull away. A sardonic smile stretched on his lips, lopsided and almost proud.
"Its nothing but a young monster," He explained further. "We had been lucky to catch it before it had become a threat," He reached across the table and gripped the creature's face. It yelped, stiffening in anticipation as its wide eyes darted around the room, never once staying on the looming figure above it. "They hold secrets mankind has yet to discover, my boy. Once cannot comprehend the possibilities this thing holds for us,"
For a moment Xemnas was silent, mulling over the older male's words. The mermaid's eyes had now found his, silently pleading.
"Its for the greater good," His grandfather spoke again. "Our research could provide countless solutions once we find a way to better humanity,"
"To fix it?" It came out like less of a question and more of a statement.
"Precisely,"
Xemnas angled the scalpel and flicked it upwards once more, electing yet another howl from the specimen. The creature shook its head wildly, wrenching free from his grandfather's grasp. That strange language rang out through the room again, falling on deaf ears as more and more scales were pried free.
"Stop," Xehanort finally demanded. Xenmad pulled away and set the scapel down. Blood trickled off the table's edge and onto the floor, matching the splatters on his hands and front.
A small murmur pulled his attention away from the gorey sight he'd created. His grandfather's eyebrows had shot up in surprise, only furthering Xemnas' confusion.
"Stop," The mermaid repeated. Its shoulders shook and the restraints clinked as it tried to curl into itself. "Stop, stop, stop-" It faded off into its native tongue before continuing to repeat that single word in English.
"They can learn," He uttered, awe coloring his words and expression. Xehanort chuckled lowly and nodded.
"Stop-" It choked out again, whimpering when the old man took it face into his hand once more.
"This one's a lot smarter than I anticipated,"
Xenmas didn't bother to ask what that meant.