Oliver sat on one couch, and Vinny sat opposite. Duke, Madison, and Sorina were standing a few meters away, watching what Jasper was doing.
The old vampire had attached a few things to Oliver's temples. They were sticky pads with copper wires leading back into the machine. Vinny had the same connected to his head.
Jasper adjusted a few things on his strange machine. It looked a little old and rusty, but he was quite excited to use it. He knelt in front of an old monitor before switching it on using a metal stick.
Vinny watched as he adjusted the settings before glancing at Oliver. His soulmate twiddled his thumbs and tapped his feet. It was clear that he was nervous. "Oliver," Vinny said, getting his attention, "it's going to be fine."
"It'll hurt a little bit, but there's really nothing to worry about here," Jasper said, and Oliver nodded, showing him he understood. A few more moment went by until Jasper looked satisfied that he could start. "It's ready."
Oliver felt the nerves hit him in the pit of his stomach. "How does it work?"
"Honestly, it's complicated and confusing. I can tell you what will happen when the procedure starts." Jasper adjusted a wire. "It will only take a couple of minutes, maybe less. On the screen, it will print out a percentage showing how much of your souls you currently share with each other. It was completed in the seventies, so it's just your basic screen picture. It's not as advanced as what you all have today with your phones, but it can do what most machines can't."
Oliver and Vinny both nodded as Jasper hovered his finger over the switch again.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yes," they said in unison, giving Jasper the go ahead.
"Okay, starting in three... two... one-" He flicked the switch.
At the same time, Oliver and Vinny felt a shock of electricity surging into their temples. Oliver jumped, and Vinny frowned with discomfort. The current travelled into the core of their heads. Oliver didn't break his stare away from his soulmate, Vinny's eyes were preventing him from panicking.
The shock of electricity started to sting as a picture began to develop on the screen.
Madison and Duke swapped their gaze between the boys. Vinny looked calm, and Oliver tried to seem calm. They knew it must be unusual for a human. To have a soulmate is one issue, but to get a bond that is deepening is another, and unique.
Sorina remembered when her husband did this experiment on his father. It required such simple knowledge to work, but a brain of a genius to understand.
"Almost done," Jasper said as the machine ticked away.
Vinny continued to stare at Oliver. He remembered when nobody knew he was his soulmate and Oliver served him and his family with some drinks. He forgot how hard it was not to take his hand and to feel his touch, but Vinny was so worried and scared of his feelings that he couldn't do it.
Now, they act like they've known each other for years and kiss like they've never felt affection. Vinny was very proud of himself, his soulmate, and his parents at how far they've come as a family.
The machine stopped making noise rather abruptly, indicating to everyone that it finished. They watched Jasper, but there were no concerned expressions on his face, thankfully.
"So, your souls are currently connected by sixty-two per cent. That's twelve more than halfway."
Oliver relaxed now that the pain had stopped in his temples, but he could feel a heavy weight on his chest, and Vinny felt the same.
"You know Vinny, your great-grandfather had the exact percentage and stayed like that for the rest of his life. So I'm wondering if this is it now and your souls won't-" Jasper stopped in mid-sentence.
Everyone watched his eyebrows raise to the ceiling. His mouth opened in disbelief.
"What is it?" Vinny asked. He didn't realise that he started to breath heavier, and neither did Oliver.
"Your percentage," Jasper said, gawking at the screen. "It's going up." Oliver subconsciously rubbed on his chest. "It's sixty-four per cent now."
Vinny's parents and Sorina hurried over to look at the screen. They wanted to see it for themselves.
Oliver started to feel a faint tingling at the tip of his fingers, and so did his soulmate.
"Sixty-five," Sorina said, glancing at the boys. "Are you sure it's not faulty?"
"Of course it's not, this has been built to perfection."
"Oliver," Vinny breathed when the tingling travelled to his palms. "Do you feel that?"
Jasper looked up to see what was wrong. They both had irregular breathing patterns and were staring at their hands.
"Yes, can you feel it in your chest too?" Oliver asked.
Vinny nodded. "I think it's happening."
Everyone looked down to the monitor.
"Sixty-seven." Jasper turned to his wife to see her reaction. "Take the sticky pads off your heads."
Oliver and Vinny pulled them from their temples, and the percentage on the monitor disappeared. The strange aching in their chests increased as the tingling sensation started to move down their arms.
"Is it going to hurt?" Oliver asked. His eyes were very anxious, not settling on one thing for longer than a few seconds.
"I have no idea," Jasper whispered. When he asked his father how it felt, he said that it was impossible to describe.
Vinny rubbed his chest and stood up. He felt a little out of breath and very strange. He understood that Oliver felt the same as he climbed to his feet too.
"I need to touch your hand; I don't know why." Vinny stepped around the table and stood in front of Oliver. Everyone watched with cation and wonder.
"Vinny I'm a little scared," the human admitted. He could feel the warmth radiating from his soulmate. He has never felt anything so unusual and alien to him before. He was about to deepen his bond, and he had no idea why.
"Don't be scared." Vinny was starting to feel stronger emotions.
Together, they lifted their hands up and slowly edged their fingers closer. Jasper held his breath when they made physical contact.
Suddenly, the boys felt their breaths catch in their throats. Their blood stopped in their veins. Their brains couldn't function, their minds numbed and fogged.
A bright creamy light formed at the tip of their fingers and before anyone could react, it wiped out anything in its path.
Vinny's family had to shield their eyes from the mystery light as Oliver flung backwards by an invisible force. He didn't have time to function, so many things were going on at the same time, he couldn't stop it.
Vinny flew back too and slammed into the wall above the couch. Oliver flew further and crashed into the table on the other side of the room.
Duke ran towards Oliver and Madison, to her son. Vinny tumbled to the ground unconscious.
"My boy!" Madison yelled, holding his head in her hands. "Vinny, can you hear me?" He was unresponsive and out cold.
Duke caught Oliver when he fell from the table. He also passed out. "Oliver?" He tapped lightly on his cheek and also received no response. "Jasper, what the hell is happening?" he asked with panic rising in his voice.
"It's okay, don't be alarmed!" Jasper said while resting hands on his daughter's shoulders. "I think this is normal."
"You think? You just think?" Madison screamed, running a hand through her son's hair. "He was thrown into the wall by something our eyes couldn't see, and you tell me not to be alarmed!"
Duke was trying his hardest to keep calm, but he was extremely worried about what was happening inside their heads. He checked Oliver's pulse. It was normal, and so was his breathing. Jasper did the same to Vinny, and his pulse was normal too.
"What do we do?" Sorina asked with a hand over her heart.
"Well, they shouldn't be injured because they're in something we call a power nap. They should most likely wake up in a few hours," Jasper said, but he didn't know for sure.
Duke placed Oliver on the couch. Jasper laid Vinny on the opposite one.
"What about their bond? Is it stronger now?" Madison asked, sniffing back a tear.
"Well, I can find out." Jasper looked at the machine.
"No, you're not experimenting on them again. It might cause something else to happen!"
Duke put an arm around his soulmate. "It might be a good idea. Then we can see what percentage they're at and we'll know what to expect when they wake up."
Madison didn't have much choice. "Okay, but be careful."
Jasper stuck the pads on the boy's temples and hovered his finger over the red switch for the final time. He eyed those in the room before switching it on and hearing it clicking to life.
The boys didn't react to the surge of electricity pumping to their temples. They remained unresponsive and pale like the life had been sucked out of them.
The machine cranked and rattled as a picture started to develop on the small screen. Everyone crowded around it to see. The machine stopped making noise, just like it did last time. Jasper's mouth hung open. His words dripped off his tongue, but he couldn't get them out.
The number on the screen left everyone baffled. For the first time in history, the machine revealed a number Jasper thought he would never see in his lifetime.
One-hundred per cent.