《Bunker 12》 Macabre Drop... Drop... Drop... Red, everything is red. My own blood has stained the whole place. Droplets were hitting the ground every once in a while, slowly painting the floor, in a deadly rhythm, a lethal melody. Is it a countdown for the hero who will save me? For my death? I don''t know. I don''t even care anymore. The pain in my head won''t let me think about it. I don''t even want to think about it. There''s an oddly annoying high-pitched noise in both of my ears, already cloaked with my blood. I can hear my assailant laughing. I tried to say something, but the pain had taken my voice hostage. Even my thoughts are not mine anymore. Drop... Drop... Drop... My blood is slowly leaving me cold and hopeless. I''m tired. I am tied to a chair, waiting for something that might never happen; someone that might never come. Actually, I have no idea what I should be waiting for. Life? Death? Every scenario is fine by me. I''ve lost everything. Everyone. I''m the only one left. That''s not a life worth living. The whole room has been taken over by the shadows. An unbearable weight on the back of my head is forcing it to tilt, pointing down to the red pond flooding the area. Drop... Drop... Drop... The drops are in sync with my assailant''s steps, walking in a circle around his prey, and playing with his food. He was still mumbling something when he stopped his ritual dance in front of me. I can''t lift my head; I don''t have the energy to look at who is in front of me. All I can see is his bottom half. Just kill me already. I lost. You won. A bloody baseball bat slid into my vision. There is blood, my blood, running down that bat, falling on the ground. Drop, drop, drop. "You know what time it is, don''t you? Time for your punishment" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the same time the last drop of tea hit the surface of the liquid, a young man woke up. "Wha... whe...?" Where am I? Was I asleep? What is this place? I was trying to look around when a horribly painful feeling pierced through my skull. What is happening? I was holding my burning head in my shaking hands when a voice brought me back from my confusion. "Looks like you are finally awake, young man." My eyes began to look around again as if a natural function in me was trying to find as much information as possible for my own protection, for me to survive. Everything around me was white: the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the bed I was on, everything. My eyes are trying to adapt to such a contrast in brightness from pitch black to a bright environment like this one. The pain is still there, it''s just that my instinct is strong enough to let me calmly figure out what is going on. Before I realized it, a pair of legs showed up in my low-centered vision field. "You should drink this. It will help you, son." As my eyesight was going up, my whole body moved back on its own. With my shoulder against the bed frame, I saw an old man standing in front of me. "Who are you?" That''s all my shaky voice could let out. If it was only for me, I could''ve stayed here for ages. However, my brain told my body to escape through the door, the door my eyes probably observed earlier but that I personally don''t remember seeing. I jumped at the end of the bed and rushed to the door to open it. "Before asking me who I am, maybe you should ask it to yourself?" During a split second, I froze. That man... he''s right. Who am I? If it wasn''t for the shock, I could''ve started laughing from the absurdity of the scene. Something so trivial, so obvious, so simple that nobody cares thinking about it. Who... am I? "Something you should know about me, young man, is that I don''t like to repeat myself." Repeat himself? But he never talked to me until now. No, I just didn''t notice what he had said before. When I turned myself to get a proper look at him, I noticed he was holding a cup towards me. I see now. Everything is slowly sinking in. That''s what should help me. Help, but how? Just thinking about it brought back the pain. I walked back towards him and drank the cup. Just like that. No doubt or anything, even though I have solely been acting on survival instinct. Maybe a poison is running through my veins, on its way to slowly kill me as I am standing here, thinking. But-.. But the pain is fading out! "So- So fast¡­" "What did I tell you, son? It''s good seeing you calming down a bit. And talking. I can''t even imagine how confused you are right now. But if you could give your time to an old man like me, maybe I''ll be able to ease your worries a little bit!" Saying I was totally calm would be a lie. Everything was going so fast. Too fast. The pacing of my reflection process was getting out of hand. Questions were popping off in my head, but the answers couldn''t keep the pace. So many things were not adding up: where am I, how did I get here, where does the pain come from, who is this old man, who am I!? Those thoughts were just running back and forth in my mind. The only thing I can do right now is listen to this old man''s story. "Let me introduce myself. Here, everyone calls me Doc. I work as a scientist in this place. I was the one taking care of you when you were in bed. Now, I know that a youth such as yourself has a lot of energy to spare, so why don''t we continue our little talk while going for a walk, for a change of pace? I am certain that if you are ready to listen to a long story from an old soul like mine, it''ll be in your best interest to know what I have to tell you. I''ll try to cut it short. But before I go on with my monologue, you should have many thoughts bouncing in your head right now, right?" "What is going on with my brain, my memories? I... I don''t remember anything. Why can''t I remember who I am?" "I have been a man of science for as long as I can remember. I mostly focused my research on the human body. You see, the human brain is what separates us from any other living creature to have ever existed. Its complexity is on a whole other level compared to any other organ in our organism. The more I studied it, the less I came to understand it. Clich¨¦ for a scientist to say this, isn''t it son? But it is true. As for your memory, things are still too cloudy to even come up with a theory. As you can see, you still remember how to breathe, to walk, and more than that, to talk and understand a language you probably don''t even remember learning. But, it seems every souvenir you had of your life''s past events has disappeared. I wish I could explain to you how to solve your memory loss, but the only thing I can do is explain how you lost it." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We were walking around, in long white halls. It was filled with rooms, filled with things I didn''t know anything about. Well, that I don''t remember at least. The old man was waving his hands while talking, which were sticking out a little bit of his long-sleeved white scientist jacket. His small glasses and the few amounts of grey hairs left were emphasizing on his old face. He was still talking about his old story. My mind was too occupied to listen to him carefully. I was only able to pick small information pieces here and there from his explanation. He talked about a very old theory some were trying to put under the spotlight but were rapidly exposed and laughed at. It was about some sort of Underworld, a place hidden in the ground, when we, humans, were still on the Surface. I have no idea what that Surface is, though. The Hollow Earth Theory or something like that, I think. Nobody believed them. They were tagged as outcasts. Some unknown creatures were supposed to be crippling there, hidden right under their feet. People were said to be massacred by those organisms as soon as they tried to go deeper into the tunnels that were already existing. That''s when Doc stopped walking. I slightly turned to my left to see why he abruptly stopped. "And people were calling them madmen." His finger was asking me to look to my right. As soon as my eyes made contact with the thick glass covering the whole wall, my brain shut down. My legs instinctively followed the same path. I fell on my knees when I saw that thing. A "thing" probably isn''t something to call this. A monster or a demon is probably more appropriate. The sight I had of this enormous, hideous creature, made my skin crawl. Its size was outstandingly bigger than mine. Every muscle was defined by dark red streams of weird fluid running all over its body. It was all deformed. My eyes were slowly sinking in its black eyes, even darker than its whole body. No, it''s not just black, it''s empty. It feels like there is just nothing in his eye sockets. It''s an opening to a bottomless trap in which none could escape. "To follow the actual theory, those monsters are now called the Hollows¡­" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I don''t remember walking back to that room, but I''m here sitting on the same bed as before. What is this, what is all of this? I just woke up, with no memories to latch on to and I''m supposed to live trapped underground with monsters like that? You have to be kidding me. Who could be willing to do that? But wait¡­ Why should I believe him? Why should I believe in the story he recited to me? The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. That creature was real, there is no denying that, but why should I just trust him right away? He could manipulate me, craft me at his heart''s content. I''m the best subject for that. Speaking of which, he still hasn''t returned yet. He said he needed to go bring something. I can''t help but think there is something that is not adding up. It''s just not making any sense. What does all of this have to do with my memory loss? "Sorry for leaving you here waiting, young man. I needed to bring you this." He''s now holding something that looks like a bracelet. I took it and looked at him, waiting for some clues. He told me to put it around my wrist. He said that now that I wear it, it will send him my health status. He will always receive a signal from the analysis that tool takes about me. "You will now be able to have some privacy without an old man like me following you everywhere to make sure you are alright. I will now call somebody to help yo-" "I still don''t know... What happened to me?" The subtle smile he had since I woke up abruptly went away. He is now wearing a whole new expression. He has a serious look on his face. "I didn''t want to bother you with that so soon. I was thinking about giving you some time, but it looks like you have waited long enough. A tragic incident occurred to you, and... to your family... A Hollow broke out of nowhere and wreaked havoc. A lot of residences were destroyed under its wrath. Everyone, including your parents and your younger sister, died at that moment. Except, of course, you; my team and I were able to save you. I''m truly sorry that you had to go through such events." Oh, I now see the link with his story. But... but why? Why wasn''t I shocked? Wasn''t I supposed to cry? To feel sad? Angry? I had no such reaction. In fact, why would I? I don''t know anything about them, or about myself. Am I supposed to seek vengeance? Should I try to avenge them? How? How could this even be possible? I feel like I should, but I really don''t care. Even if I did care, how am I supposed to face those creatures? I can''t even stand up in front of them. But... but wait. I went through this already: is he telling the truth? "I''m sure you could spare some time alone, taking the time to digest all that has happened. A nurse will take care of you. She will show you your room, where you will be able to relax. Oh, there she is!" A young woman was now standing at the door, gently smiling at me. I stood out of the bed and started walking in her direction. We were about to leave the room when the old man said something with his serious tone again. "I know what you are thinking, son. You have all the rights to believe or not everything I just said to you. But I''ll say this: you have no memory, nothing to start from. Lie or not, for me, that is still a starting point. It''s not like you have anything else to start off of." He was right. That''s what I was thinking about. But what is the point of starting on a broken path? Why would I want to restart building my life from a lie? The woman snapped me out of it by inviting me to follow her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I''m lying down in what I assume could become my bed from now on. The whole room is immaculate, there is no way someone even used this place before me. It has the same feeling as everything I have seen before now. It''s all clean, all white, all perfect. Too perfect. I''m on my back looking for cracks in the ceiling, trying to fill those in my mind. That''s all I could do right now. My thoughts are moving too fast, they can''t stay in place. I can''t contain them. I had to let the flow of my reflection out. "How should I have reacted? What was I supposed to do? What should I do from now? It''s weird, I don''t feel necessarily sad or mad. I don''t feel anything actually, that''s the worst part. Not knowing isn''t the biggest issue here. It''s to ignore what the real me would''ve had done. Was I a shy guy? Energetic? Dumb? What would I have done if¡­ I was¡­ Me?" My self-investigation was abruptly stopped by a haunting image. That face, that hideous face. I don''t even need to stand close to it. It''s threatening me from the inside. That creature looked dangerous, way too dangerous to imagine how much. But it doesn''t look like it is its greatest feat. It has a curse. Just a look, an unfortunate brief glaze at it and you''re done. You now have to wield a horrible weight on your mind, a weight that crushes your spirit, your courage to be strong, to fight this unconquerable evil: absolute despair. How can they sleep knowing those are lurking freely next to them, waiting to destroy everything standing in their way? Thinking about it won''t help. I should be looking for any clue that can revive a spark in my brain. Anything that can convince me to continue. If nothing seemed to refresh anything related to my life before, why would I stay? Why would I choose to stay here? Who would? Living here without knowing even a single thing from my past self or my deceased family, living here with those demons, those bombs ready to blow everything up out of nowhere. Is that even living? I thought about it briefly earlier, but maybe it really is the answer. Maybe I should, maybe I need to¡­ just¡­ die¡­ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Where am I? Oh... I see. I remember now. I fell asleep in my room. That''s a good thing, isn''t it? I remembered. At least I now know I can remember things. The ceiling is just as pure as before, if not even cleaner. Did I sleep a lot? I don''t know, I don''t hear anyone moving near me. I was getting out of bed when I realized my room possessed a mirror. Oh right, I don''t even know what I look like. But for some reason, it didn''t occur to me that it was something I needed to know. I didn''t have time for such interrogations. With only a few steps, I was already able to stand in front of my reflection. Short black hair, brown eyes, and usual facial traits. My intuition is telling me that I am in better shape than the average human being. My muscles are firm and defined. I''m strengthening and flexing every muscle I can to see how strong I seem to be. I certainly trained a lot before. Just¡­ who is this guy? Well, I''ll just put on the clothes that woman gave me, it will probably be more effective to go look around. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The whole hall is filled with doors that look just like mine. There''s a different symbol on each, probably to know which is yours. Mine is made of vertical straight lines separated by a circular shape. The room just before mine is a vertical line followed by circular signs. I thought they had some sort of logic but, the more I walked, the more the symbols seemed complicated to me; I couldn''t see any pattern I could decipher. The rooms are probably the same as mine. They must be used for injured people. At the end of the corridor, an open space is crossed by a lot of other halls. The one on the left looks different than the others, so maybe I''ll just go there and see what is ahead. I was heading towards the entrance of the corridor when I surprisingly noticed that the walls that were now surrounding me were a little bit dusty. Nothing was immaculate anymore. The further I was getting in my errand, the dirtier it was getting. The crystal clear lighting also became yellowish and fuzzy in some places. The numerous amount of windows that were covering most of the walls before are now replaced by hard bricks. Maybe there''s nothing ahead. I have no idea where this leads to. I''ll find out soon; the door at the end of this creepy tunnel is standing not far away in my vision. What could be located on the other side? There was no way I could''ve ever guessed what was yet to be discovered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All white has vanished, giving place to a dark horizon. Maybe this is the actual Underground Doc was talking about. I''m now stuck between walls of rocks and dirt, lit up by a ridiculously small number of torches and lanterns. My vision quickly drops into the obscurity as soon as my eyesight stretches too far from a light source. I am trembling, if I don''t move, it won''t be long until my feet dig a hole just from the vibrations. What gives me that feeling? Is it because of it? Yes, that must be it. More of them are there, lurking in silence. They have to be. But why? Stop! I said I needed to move, but not that way! I need to get back inside! Why am I moving forward, deeper in this jail, marching toward my death row? My body wants to know; it needs to know what is hiding ahead. I''m starting to learn something about myself. I''m filled with a dangerous amount of curiosity. This happened earlier. My body, my brain, they''re acting on their own. It''s like it knows more than me. But why does it want to go there!? My legs have already started to move. Why am I still shaking? There is no trace of those Hollows here. Still, its face is growing clearer in my mind. My thoughts nearly made me miss what was now appearing in front of me. An¡­ habitation¡­? Why? Who? No, it has to be empty. Nobody sane enough would be willing to live here with a threat this big crawling around. I came closer just to make sure. I looked through a hole to take a peek inside. No way, it''s impossible that there''s someone in there. The house seems abandoned; the weird mixture of rocks, dirt and wood is desperately holding this creation together. I''m slightly closing my eyelids to focus my eyesight inside the pile of organized junk. Why does it look like some light is trying to escape from there? Why would a lamp be left lit there if nobody is inside? I''m now looking at a similar building on the other side. Here too? It''s so faded. I... I saw something move! No¡­ no, I''m imagining things. I thought I saw a silhouette, but it''s probably just my brain creating images¡­ right? It has to be a hallucination. I''m now looking straight ahead. I don''t want to let my brain play tricks with my mind again. Plus, I don''t like looking round, into the dark. If a Hollow was to come out of nowhere and behead me with his claws, I''d prefer not to see it coming. It would be easier that way. *Ting* The images weren''t enough for you? Now you are making me hear sounds? *Ting¡­Ting¡­Ting...* "You''ve got to be kidding me." Another shelter is standing there. Bigger this time. Some smoke is rising up, slowly, until it hits the ceiling of this cavern. Someone, there is someone here, for real this time. I''m getting closer, a shy step after another. *Ting...Ting* He''s the one producing that noise. He seems to be hitting something. Yes, he''s hammering something. I''m drawing closer to him. His bald head allowed me to quickly notice his dark skin and the sweat reaching out to the collar of his white tank top. Why would a man like him ever want to be alone here? Sure, he''s bigger than me. He''s ripped too. His muscles have been hardened from all the manual labour he has done in his life; it''s easy to see. He''s way stronger than me. But he still has no chance against those demons. As soon as I stopped behind him to think about what he was doing here by himself, a silhouette made its appearance in the door frame. He wasn''t alone. "Daddy?" I''m still asleep. That''s it: I''m dreaming, right? A being that frail, that inoffensive, couldn''t be out here. She should be inside, where I was. Behind the walls. The man stopped hammering. He lifted his head, before turning it in my direction. "What is it, sweetheart? Wha-" That man was showing a big smile before his eyes landed on my figure. His surprise didn''t last long before anger took over his whole face, his entire body. His rough dark hands were showing off a brighter color around his knuckles, steadily tightening up his grip around that big sledgehammer. The sight I just experienced had nothing to do with the sight I had in front of that glass. That Hollow was frightening, no one could possibly deny that. But it doesn''t compare to what is in front of me right now. Even though I''m a long way from being scared like I was back then, there is way more hatred coming at me. Every muscle on him was tense, ready to attack me. No, ready to kill me. "I already told ya people to stay away fro-" As I was slowly backing off, his ferocious approach abruptly stopped after only a few steps. His eyes, which were focusing on my clothes and my bracelet, were now directly looking into mine. The scared face I made from this near-death experience probably cleared the fog of pure hatred in his mind, allowing him to muffle something. "Wha- Who are you?!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Not gonna lie kid, this is fucked up!" I told him everything I knew, everything I was able to let out in words. We were sitting at a table inside his house. The house was surprisingly well-made. Nothing near the room I slept in, but it was somewhat organized. The furniture was old and dirty, and some pillars were holding up the roof. A couple of iron plates were reinforcing the structure in some places. Well, that makes sense since he told me he was a blacksmith. "And now ya tryin'' to figure out something out of this mess? It''s true that ya might remember somethin'' by searching around. Hmmm, if what ya said is true kid, the people that might know somethin'' are them people from the Foundation." "The Foundation?" What is that about? Every time I was focusing on the conversation, my thought process was distracted. That young girl is hiding behind another older than her, holding a teddy bear, thinking I can''t see her. They are probably sisters. They look the same, only age differs them. But I can''t get over it! That little girl! What is something like that doing out here? She''s the complete opposite of the Hollow I saw: weak, fragile, tiny, pure. Such innocence. I was staring at her with my creepy eyes when the silhouette of her sister swiped in front of her, blocking my vision, protecting her from me and bringing me back into the conversation. "They are the only people I can think of." Oh yeah right, the Foundation. "What is that?" "It''s a group that was founded to fight them Hollows. Just an encounter with them nightmares looking-ass was all it took for them to understand they were a huge threat. I ain''t fuckin'' around kid, them things are dangerous. The Foundation is a highly structured association, startin'' with the dirt and mud soldiers to the clean-boots generals. They are the people responsible for keepin'' those fuckers away. They were probably on the scene when ya and yo family were attacked. And yeah, I didn''t really apologize correctly, I didn''t mean to scare ya like that outside, it''s just that¡­I...umm...Sorry." "No it''s okay, forget it. More importantly, where can I find that Foundation?" "Now, I know I''m the one who just told ya about that, but ya shouldn''t mess with them. Ya should stay away from those weirdos! I only talked to ya about them because I felt I owed ya an answer kid, that''s all." He was probably able to see in my face that I won''t listen to his advice, because he quickly began to start talking again after releasing a small sigh. "Ok, my bad. I guess I should take responsibility for my dumb habit of talkin'' too much. Tomorrow, at the Lab, the place ya came from, there will be a big fuss. A huge flow of people will be walkin'' around. If ya want to find answers, follow them. But, from a man to another, stay in bed. Really. Ya don''t want to swim in that kind of shit. You''ll start drownin'' before ya even realize it." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Heritage I just woke up, but it feels like I didn''t rest at all. I probably just passed out due to the lack of sleep. There is no way I could''ve voluntarily let myself be this vulnerable. Laying in bed like that makes me the easiest prey for a blood-thirsty Hollow looking for a meal. Wait, what are those noises? They are probably the reason why I was taken out of sleep. It sounds like there''s a lot of traffic; I hear a lot of footsteps. They seem to all go in the same direction. Oh, right. My mind was still cloudy after all. That''s the fuss the blacksmith was talking about. He seemed really worried about me getting involved in it, though. Guess I''ll go find out. I put on the same clothes I wore yesterday, those the young woman gave me. I took a quick look at my reflection before leaving. With that white jacket and those blue pants, I really looked like those scientists who were wandering around the Lab. Maybe that man mistook me for them? Maybe that''s why he was angry? Maybe that hatred comes from some interaction with the scientists? Mayb- ... I''m still thinking of maybes again. I should really get going. *Knock! Knock! Knock!* "I''m here to do the change of clothes!" The same nurse who showed me my room and gave me my clothes is standing in the door frame. She''s gently smiling and holding a new outfit in her arms. I took them and switched attire. I went back to the mirror. The man in front of me gave off a whole new vibe. A simple blue shirt with black pants. I also have some cozy white and red shoes. This is definitely more comfortable than my last outfit. Dressed like that, I will probably be able to blend with the others. Well, that''s what I thought... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As soon as I opened the door, I immediately dived into a flood of people. They were all coming from the door at the end of the corridor. Those people are completely different than anyone I saw before. This scenery was unbelievable. There are suits and dresses everywhere. All shiny, all glimmering. They are all smiling, talking and laughing. ¡­ Why? Why are they so carefree? I can''t! I need to jus- "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOIN-!" I needed to put both of my hands on my mouth to make it shut. It just opened on its own and started screaming. It all happened so quickly. I now have a bunch of oppressive glazes hitting me directly into my soul. I quickly opened the door with my hands behind my back and shut it violently after I had entered. I''ll wait a little bit before returning out there. I really shouldn''t have yelled like that, but it was all just absurd, and ridiculous. Never would I have imagined that level of peace. How is it even possible to be that carefree? Can the Foundation alone be enough to bring that feeling of peace? I''ve been on alert since the beginning. I''ve been running on pure survival instinct. And here they are, just walking, naively smiling at each other. Ok. I need to calm down. All I need to do is to find the Foundation. I just need to complete this simple task, and I might have a good lead. Everybody who heard me should be way ahead by now; it should be safe to go out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I''ve been following the crowd through the corridors and the open spaces. I''ve never been here. I haven''t seen much of this place actually. I stared at my shoes most of the time, trying to seize a little bit of information with my peripheral view. This place is way bigger than I imagined. There are way more people too. Just how big is the Lab? Since I left my room, all the people I''ve crossed looked at me with a strange face, with some kind of confused and disgusted expression. It''s like they are not used to seeing someone dressed like me. It seems fair since I''m the only person around with a casual outfit. Honestly, they fit the mood and the place more than I do. I had just enough time to stop in my steps as soon as I saw some high heels popping off in my vision. I finally lifted my head to see why we stopped. A cluster of ties and jewels was formed in front of a door. Someone was guarding that door, letting people enter. I was still hearing some muffled conversations when I sensed myself being pulled from my arm. A hand was dragging me inside a room. "This way rookie!" I didn''t have time to turn my head around to see whose hand this was when mine did a fast circular move to abruptly hit the intruding limb that was clinging onto my arm, violently forcing it to let go of me. "What the fuck man, what the hell is wrong with you? I was just helping you out! You were going past the newbie''s room!" I stopped looking at my instinctive hand to change my focus on the new room I was in. It was filled with a bunch of people, probably around my age. Out of all of them, a few stuck out of the group. Girls are talking to each other on the left side. Another girl is on the opposite side, sitting on the floor with a strange wooden gear in hand. Other than that, there is a guy, crossed-arm, and another sitting on a desk, drinking something out of a flask. The guy who pulled me in is still looking at me. "I didn''t mean to be rough man, but you were going to miss your stop!" "You''re wrong, look at his wrist." The guy turned to the blond girl who just spoke before turning again to look at my wrist. His eyes and his mouth suddenly opened widely. He let out a gasp before excusing himself. "I am truly sorry, sir! Really I¡­ I didn''t mean to harm you or scare you!" Why did he suddenly change his tone? What''s with my wrist anyway? "I really don''t care. It''s o-" "Tsk!" The guy with the flask took a last sip of his drink before making a noise to show his dissatisfaction. "What is an asshole like you doing here?" Wha-What did I do? "Oh shut up already, you''re just drunk. I can smell you from here!" The blond girl was casually confronting him, like it was something she got used to. "That doesn''t mean jack shit, I''m always drunk! Also, only you noticed what was on his wrist; you''re not happy having him here either. Also also, I prefer my stinky smell over his fancy rich perfume!" "Don''t drag me in your idiocy!" After saying that, the same girl came to me, put her hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me back. "You really should be going. Trust me, it''s for your own good." After succeeding to me push out of the room, she quickly shut the door on my nose. What just happened? I''ve just been dragged in and now I''m already kicked out. I was standing there, facing the closed door with people looking at me. For some reason, they seemed to hate me. My wrist? What''s with my wrist? I''m currently looking at it. The only thing there is the bracelet Doc gave me. Why would it trigger them? Freezing in front of the room won''t help. For now, I just need to find a clue about the Foundation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I''m close to the entrance now. People are going through the door, turn by turn. Before entering, they are showing their bracelet to the man in a suit guarding the gate. After affirmatively nodding, he let them go through. So, this bracelet really has some sort of importance. But it seems that we all have it, so what''s the problem? Didn''t those in that room also wear them? Everything went too fast for me to tell. After steadily walking forward, it''s finally my turn. The guard did a doubtful stare, looking at me head to toe. He looked skeptical and asked me to show him my bracelet. He then decided to let me enter the door. I had no idea where I was going. The entrance was dark, I could barely see anything. There were staircases on both sides. Guess I''ll just go left. I had to climb quite a bunch of steps before seeing some light. But it was actually really noisy. There was some sort of fuss coming from there. It''s probably our final destination. I was now turning the corner at the top of the stairs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What am I looking at? I was now staring down at this place from the highest point. This place is gigantic. It looks like a Coliseum. All white, no surprise. This huge circular stadium is filled with rows of seats, descending and focusing towards the center. There is no chair; people are directly sitting on the ground, with their backs against where the people from the upper row dangle their legs. This place is almost filled up. Just how many people are there? The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. There''s a huge amount of them here, but where did they come from? From what I saw, no one came out from the rooms in my hallway. Those are most likely chambers for patients. They were all coming from the door at the back of the hall. What is lying behind that door? A man behind me had to ask me to move out of his way; I had just frozen there and blocked him. Now I need to find a seat so I can think without troubling others. There seems to be a spot all the way ahead of me. An isolated spot at the highest row with only a few people around. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is going to happen here? What am I about to witness? Looking at their expression, they seem pretty... resentful. It still surprises me. How can they be so carefree? Well, I guess they have to, or they''ll grow insane. Worrying all the time could drive someone crazy, or into some mad paranoid. But¡­ Do they actually feel protected by those walls? By this Foundation thing? Or, are they just pretending to feel safe? I guess they really must be resorting to this organization and its people. Those charged with the impossible task of taking on these beasts. I get chills every time just thinking about them. So, how can they be able to face them, let alone being able to defeat them? They need to be extremely talented and skilled. Not only that. How strong can their will be? I''m a little bit curious to see what someone like that could look like. To go head-on against those monsters. ... Those things¡­ I can''t help but think that a Hollow will just storm in or strike me from the bac- "Hey, young man!" I stepped up, out of fear, as soon as I sensed a hand touching my shoulder. I turned around, my arms forming a weird, weak and totally useless shield in front of me. Like I could''ve blocked a Hollow''s attack like that, how foolish. I was lucky that the hand and the voice were Doc''s. "Huh... Sorry, son. Didn''t mean to scare you or anything." "I¡­ I was just spacing out and you surprised me, that''s all." "May I keep you company?" "If you want." Doc was just rambling some small talk. I wasn''t really attentive to the words he was speaking. I had too many things to ask him, too many questions, interrogations. "Look Doc, I''ll have to interrupt you right now. I have to ask you some questions." " Oh- Hmm ok. Pretty straightforward, but go ahead, young man." "So.. Hum... this Foundation thing, how does it work?" Doc really looked like he was caught off guard, even a bit bitter. "Hmm, the Foundation you say? How did you already learn about that? Who talked to you about that before coming here? You weren''t supposed to know that before I talked with you." Was the Blacksmith not supposed to? Does he have issues with the Foundation or the Lab? Remembering how he hated my guts when he saw me in their outfits, he definitely has issues. I shouldn''t bring him more. "Oh, huh... it was the young woman, the nurse you introduced me to¡­" "Oh. I see. The Foundation hmm? It is a military program created by the Lab, in order to deal with the Hollows. But you probably already knew that much. So what is it that you want to know?" "What is this place about? Why are their people gathering here? I was told I''d learn more about the Foundation by coming here." "Haha, you came all the way here without knowing what you were doing son? Didn''t that young woman tell you? Well, I was going to your room to tell you about it anyway. You weren''t there, so I figured that you might have been dragged along and ended up here. This is the Graduation Ceremony! All the new Rookies that have joined the Foundation will receive their badges, officially making them Soldiers! Those people who have gathered here are there to welcome and thank them for offering their power to protect those who can''t protect themselves! Such as old bones like me!" "So... Those Rookies, they joined the Foundation because they wanted to? Aren''t they scared of being slaughtered? Did they believe they could overpower their enemy? They joined on their own free will? They generously offered themselves for the othe-" "Oh, I''m truly sorry, young man! I need to go back to the backstages! You see, I''m the host of the ceremony! Wish me good luck!" Just like that, he left. Did he just dodge my interrogation? Did he not want to answer? Yeah. That''s probably it. Well anyway, it seems like the Graduation Ceremony is about to start. I''ll finally be able to see what they look like. What a person courageous enough to fight looks like. A person so far apart from what I am, from what I''m capable of. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A small figure appeared at the center of the Coliseum. The old scientist. He looked around, watching his fellow citizens applaud his entrance. He couldn''t help but smile. I can''t get enough of this. It''s my only weakness. Doc was feeding on the cheers. However, he was here for a reason. He raised his hand, demanding silence. Simultaneously, a handful of floating cubes descended from the ceiling, now casually hovering above the crowd. Through them, Doc''s voice was reaching everyone. "Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen! It is my pleasure and my honor to be able to introduce you to this new cohort of brave souls, the next breed of saviours! The Next Gen of Soldiers!" After only a few words, the crowd was already in an uproar. People were shouting, waving and clapping. All of them praising Doc. Doc, and only Doc. "You are our Saviour Doc!" "May our wishes be enough to pay back our gratitude to you, our Lord!" "Please forgive us for being so unworthy of your blind gratitude towards such impure souls like us!" Praise really has a hold on him. But he had a speech to go through. "You are too kind towards me! I''m merely trying to do my job! But, let''s not forget that today is the day we welcome our new Rookies, ready to become full-fledged Soldiers! All that in order to protect us! They have been working and training tirelessly for the past years. Through blood and sweat, they have honed their body and mind. Through hardship and pressure, they have become men and women capable of great things. But most importantly, they have gone through all those hurdles for you! For me! For us! They have sworn on their lives to protect ours. Please, give the Rookies a great round of applause!" Under a loud fuss, the Rookies were slowly entering the stadium. The young man was at the edge of his seat, waiting to see who those recruits were. However, a cold shiver traversed him. Only now did he remember his earlier interaction. These young people, in that room, muttered a word that bounced off of him, but just now echoed in his mind. They addressed him as a Rookie. What he feared most at this instant immediately got confirmed. A horde of young men and women were marching at the center of the scene. All in uniform, they were merely a homogenous mass advancing. Watching them, the amnesiac young man couldn''t believe it. I am shivering. They are all so¡­ young. They are probably all my age. So innocent. What is that? Aren''t they supposed to be full-grown adults, full-ledged well-trained adults? What is going on? There''s no way they have the power to defeat the enemies! There''s no way those guys have the will to fight them! Aren''t they just like me? Aren''t we the same? Why them? Why would they go to the front lines? They have to know just as well as me how they don''t stand a chance. So, why? What am I missing? Do they really know what they are getting themselves into? I need to talk to them later. I have so much to ask them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Tsk! All that shit just for this?" A skinny young man was playing with a badge in his hand, tossing it in the air, a flask of alcohol in the other. His long dark hair was resting on both his shoulders. His greasy light-green eyes were staring down on the emblem, with a malicious feeling. "Shut up! You know it means more than that idiot." The young woman standing next to him was firmly holding the badge in both her hands, bringing it closer to her chest. Her long blond hair was reaching the middle of her back. The bright golden slick of her hair was bringing emphasis to her light blue eyes. Her silhouette was very feminine and her facial and body traits could give her the right to be considered as, what society can agree on, a gorgeous young woman. "Is arguing the only thing you guys do?" The second girl with a lightly tanner skin tone was leaning on the wall, her shoulders and one of her feet against it, a little further from the little pack of five. She had an annoyed expression behind her glasses, born from the constant fighting of both her comrades. Her closed eyelids were hiding two round walnut eyes, going in pair with her shoulder-length light brown hair. Her fingers were toying with a key on her necklace. "Aww! Come on Key! You know Blondie and Drunky are always like that. They are just messing around!" The other woman in the group was the only one smiling. Her dark smooth skin was contrasting with her bright violet eyes. She has mid-long curly black hair that accentuates her silky and gentle face. With her ukulele strapped on her back and her enthusiastic attitude, she''s the one that stands out the most. She was gently fist-bumping the shoulder of the other guy next to her, waiting for him to agree with her. Unfortunately, she didn''t get any reaction from him. He was standing straight, with a firm posture, his arm crossed. He was by far the most muscular around, even in the other groups of people. Tall and ripped, he''s the one who appears to be the most capable in combat abilities. His grey eyes, his short black hair and his square face were giving him a pretty generic look. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I spotted their position from up there and now I''m drawing closer to them, closer to the answers. As I''m walking around, piercing through the crowd, I can sense a strange and heavy mood. Even though I''m dodging glances as I''m walking, I can still feel the huge pressure converging towards me. It''s the same feeling as before when those people were looking at me in the hallway. It doesn''t matter. I''m almost at my destination. I can clearly see them now. The flask guy had already noticed me. He took a huge gulp out of his recipient and started to march towards me menacingly. "Eh? So you have the balls to show your bitch ass face to me again?" The blond girl tried to stop him, but it didn''t work this time. He''s too determined. Or too drunk. Or all of the above. He repulsed her hand with a short but quick and fierce move of his shoulder. "Hey don''t worry, I only want to talk with him!" I stopped my approach as I knew he was about to catch up to me. When he got closer, he changed his stance. He threw his arm back, armed with a fist, clinging to the flask and put all his weight on his leg, farther back. He was preparing to land a hit. A hit I was able to read and prepare for, not knowing if my block was going to be effective. "Hey buddy, let''s talk. With hand signs!-" As his fist was about to land, both my hands were forming a cup and waiting in front of my face, eyes closed. ¡­ It didn''t hit me. The attack stopped. I opened my eyes and saw someone between us. It was the big guy. He easily caught that guy''s punch. It didn''t take long before the small guy cranked up another punch. He aimed it towards my stomach. It also got blocked by the tall guy again. Veins were popping out of the drunk guy''s forehead. "Tsk! You bastard! You had to interfere hun? Had to show everyone that you''re strong, hun? Fuck off!" The assailant violently drew back his hands, recently stuck in the palms of the other guy. He turned his back against us and opened his flask for another sip. He was holding it above his head; his tongue sticking out. He was moving it around, trying to catch a drop that might have fallen, but he learned that he was now holding an empty flask. "Shit! Now I don''t have anything to clean my mouth after talking to that asshole! You better get lost, sir!" The girl with the wooden tool came towards me, gently smiling. "I''m so sorry mister, please forgive his behaviour! But I must say, it''s quite ballsy of you to show up again!" "Told you to leave us alone, it won''t do you any good." That blond one, she was warning me again. But I need to talk to them. "I really don''t care. I have some questions to ask you." "What do you want from us?" Even though that girl on the wall sounds suspicious of me, I need to try. "Why? Why did you join the Foundation? What for? Are you sure you can beat them? What is up with my bracelet? What''s the issue? Don''t you guys have one too? Wh- "Hahaha! What is wrong with that guy? The dude is nuts!" That drunkard was laughing at me. Why? I just want to know. "Umm¡­ Aren''t you supposed to know all that big guy? Her head was tilted to the side. Her blue eyes were staring directly at me, confused, looking for some clues in mine. And so, I explained everything to them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "And you think we''re gonna eat that bullshit? What kind of fake-ass back story is that?" That guy was still being noisy and annoying, even after listening to my story. What a noisy jerk. "Can you shut up for a second? I don''t think he would have tried to lie about that story; he''s not bluffing. Sorry for your loss." The key-necklace girl pushed herself with her feet resting on the wall after saying that and started to come closer to the others, only leaving the big guy behind. "Oooh! That''s why you were acting kinda creepy! You don''t have to worry anymore; I''m here for you now hahaha!" This girl with the purple eyes, she''s always laughing and smiling. She''s the only person in this group. No. I turned on myself and looked around me. None of the other recruits are laughing, let alone smiling. The mood is very tense. "I didn''t know about your memory, but it was easy to see that you had no clue about the Foundation and its Rookies." That blond girl seems to be the leader of this group, well, that''s the image she gives off at least. "Ok then now, wh-" "Hey, hey! Why are you still here? I don''t care if you''re lying about your story or not! I still hate your guts! Get lost!" He''s still yelling at me like he''s ready for another round. He doesn''t have to get along with me. Fair enough. I''m not planning to befriend him either. But isn''t he exaggerating a bit? Why does he hate me so much? "For fucks sake! Can''t you shut up?" After confronting him, yet again, she turned back to me and put her hands on my shoulders, just like before. "Look here newbie, you asked us why we wanted to join, right? The thing is, nobody asks about this. It''s taboo." As she was explaining, I was slightly moving my eyes left and right, seeing that the glazes from before had found me again. The others from her group have suddenly changed their expression. They were spaced out, with unfocused gaze, thinking. The lousy guy was grinning his teeth. The big man clinging his fists. The brown hair girl holding her key firmly in her hands. The other girl was still smiling. An empty, broken and fake smile. "Not only that, you were talking like we wanted to be here. The thing is, those people you see here didn''t want to. I mean, why would they? We didn''t choose to become soldiers for a suicide mission. We had no choice." Adieu "What do you mean?" I don''t understand what she''s talking about. No choice? Were they forced to join the Foundation? No, that just doesn''t make sense. That''s ridiculous. "Look here dude, I don''t know you, and you don''t know me. Sorry to break it to you, but I don''t care about you. Most of us don''t need nor want to talk with you. So please, I''m asking you politely, leave us alone. We don''t owe you anything." Just like that, they started to walk away from me. Other than the crazy guy who spat on the ground and that smiley girl who was waving at me, they were all looking forward, turning their backs towards me. It seems like they hate me. Well, it''s not like we''re friends or anything. Now I''m just standing here alone, clueless. I came here for answers but I didn''t find anything. What am I supposed to do now? No, that''s not really the issue here. What do I want to do? What am I looking for? Learn about my parents right? But why? Let''s say I learn what happened during that incident, or well, the incident Doc claims happened. Then what? Avenge them? Hell no. I already established that I don''t have the interest or the strength to do that. Am I just supposed to start a new life? Why would I want that? I have no purpose in life. And it seems there''s nothing to do here. Plus, why would I stay in this cursed world? This is all fucked up. This feeling of having no reason to live makes me sick. Guess I''ll just go back to my room. It will be better to think about it there, instead of sticking out like a sore thumb in this crowd. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I''m just lying on my bed. Stretching my right arm in the air, looking at it. I''ve been looking at it for quite some time actually; I don''t even know for how long at this point. I''m trying to find who''s the owner of that arm. Who is he? Also, there''s that damn bracelet. I had time earlier to notice that none of these recruits had it. Why though? If I remember correctly, Doc said something about a health tracker or something. Don''t know what that really means, but why don''t they have a bracelet too? It''s clear that the bracelet is more than just something to check our status. There''s more to it. That old man is obviously lying, well, more like hiding the truth. A lot of things are still a mystery to me. If I chose to keep on living, would every day be like that? Just wandering around, trying to understand what''s going on. Sounds horrible. My life will be about walking, sleeping and eati¡­ Wait. I haven''t eaten or drank anything yet! Why haven''t I noticed that until now? Wait, why is my body not hungry or thirsty? Was I on some sort of diet back then? I guess I should drink some water right? I''ll just drink out of the sink, seems like it''s my only option. Didn''t feel refreshed or satisfied. My body was right. It didn''t need water. Weird. Well, shit. Here I am again, staring at the guy in the mirror. He looks terrible. So cold, emotionless, empty. What a feeling, to look at somebody that is supposed to be you but isn''t you. No need to stare at him any longer. For now, I''ll just try to find a way to eat something. Even though it seems I don''t need anything, the day will surely come when I''ll be hungry. If I remember correctly, I didn''t really see any place where foods were displayed. Hmm. The only actual place where I might have a chance to put my hands on something is the Blacksmith''s place. Maybe I should head back there. But will they want to see me there? I don''t want to go out there again. Walking in the shadows, wide open for an assault, really messes me up. ¡­ I say I don''t want to go there, but what can I do other than that? I''m talking like I have options to choose from. If they turn me back, I''ll go check on Doc. But, I don''t truly trust him. I don''t know much about the Blacksmith either, but I somehow feel more comfortable talking with him. I''ll go give it a try, hope it won''t be for nothing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Hey there kiddo, come on in!" He didn''t have any doubt in his mind, he just welcomed me with open arms. "So kid, what is it that ya want with me?" "Well, I just started to think about where I was supposed to get food from." "Hahaha! And ya came all the way here for that? Wasn''t there anyone inside to tell ya that? Such a funny kid! Ya know what kiddo? Imma get ya something to fill that belly of yours!" "No that''s fine, you don''t have to. Just tell me where I can fin-" "Oooii!! Sweetheart! Go bring me the box! Imma get somethin'' from that good ol bastard!" The girls were playing on the ground in the back of a room. The older sister stood up and stared at me with a vicious look, before talking to her father. "But dad, we don''t have enough left for every-" "Ahhh! Don''t worry sweetie, ya ol'' fart is not hungry anyway!" "... Even though you spent the whole day working?..." "Come on! Don''t give me that! I might be gettin'' old, but I''m still at the top of my game! You see, them babies don''t get tired that easily!" He was flexing his muscles towards the younger girl and making her laugh. They both have the same big dumb smile on their face. " ¡­ As you wish, dad..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "So, tell me! How is it, boy? Pretty good hun?" "Y- Yeah¡­" The young man was stoic. Not only did he not feel the benefit of having ingested nutriments, he did not have the joy to tase anything; that is the fate of those residing Outside. Through acts of offerings, such as selling away your child to the Foundation, one shall be offered a loot crate. Containing different props and goods, they all contain the minimum food and water to keep one alive. Moreover, Outsiders with a good compliant record track may ask for specific goods. Interestingly enough, neither food nor water was the most requested item; they could not compete with the crushing popularity of alcohol. What was fed to the young man was the only food available on the other side of the walls: food pills. Deprived of any taste, those capsules were merely used to deliver and transmit the necessary nutrients to feed the human metabolism. Still unsatisfied by his experience, the young man noticed the older sister take the box, which was contrasting with the dirty and messy environment, and leave towards the kitchen. She muffled something under her breath as she did so. "Your welcome, asshole" Completely and utterly uninterested in the guest, she was all the more irritated by his lack of sensitivity. Of humanity. "Oh. Yeah. Thanks." "Don''t sweat it, kid, it''s not every day we are visited by some folks like ya, ya know?" Too kind-hearted, the man could not perceive the tension and awkwardness in his home. "So kiddo ya didn''t go put that nose of yours in those nasty things today, didn''t ya?" "Ehh.. no. No, I didn''t." "That''s some good news! I don''t know what I would''ve done if ya said so! And again, I''m really sorry that I even brought it up. But anyway, I''m sure ya get a lot of things ya wanna discuss, don''t ya kid?" Truth was only going to bring problems, he lied and proceeded to jump on the opportunity to change the subject. "Why are you living out here? Why are you not inside with everyone?" The blacksmith''s eyes drifted away and his face saddened, before answering with a big grin. "They don''t have stuff in that cranky place to even come close to what I got on my porch! Ya won''t see any better equipment than what ya see out there my boy, ya lucky to even be able to look at it!" Nobody bought that. "Are there other people living outside the Lab?" "Ya blind my boy? Ya got some eye problem, my lad? Didn''t you see them houses all over the place?" "Hmm¡­ yes. But there wasn''t that many. And I just thought they were empty. But then, are you feeling safe here? Isn''t there¡­ Hollows all over the place attacking people?" He did the same expression as before; he''s easy to read. Life scarred him. He and his daughters. But he was not going to let that beat him. "I''m pretty sure by now that ya got some issues with them eyes of yours! Didn''t you notice those big guys? Ain''t no fuckers gonna mess with them!" He was flexing his biceps, yet again. "But, isn''t it the Foundation''s responsibility to get rid of them?" The young man sunk into his chair. It was too late. The father''s eyes were striking him with resentment. He is not putting on a facade on that one. He''s mad. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Ya have no need to talk about them. I thought we were over it by now. There''s no interest in mentionin'' that name." He''s really mad. "Well, anyway kiddo, I kinda have some stuff to do, so. Imma ask ya to leave." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He was petrified. Until now, his young altered mind never noticed the shelters scattered around. However, he did see them. He just instinctively refused to believe it. The idea of a living society existing in this sterile and deteriorated cave was unfathomable. He didn''t want to acknowledge the fact that so many people were living in danger out there., vulnerable. His brain didn''t want to process such terrible information: denial. Now, he can see them. Too clearly. The more perceptive he got, the worse the situation was. There are also tunnels coursing around, slithering away, deep in the darkness. He could only assume, sadly, that there were more houses, more homes, more families, more kids. He came to this tragic conclusion by watching the people now walking, existing, living, around him. At the forefront of this shock: injustice. There was nothing even close to the people he met inside. Dressed with what they could, clean with what they could, fed with what they could; it was not much. Having seen more than enough, he fled back inside. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I''m shaking. Not because of all those people looking at me with hatred-filled pupils. I''m used to it by now, it''s like that pretty much everywhere. No, I''m scared of a potential attack, a lurking threat. The idea of something terrible happening and being a witness, unable to stop it, terrifies me. And here they are. Walking around. Sleeping there. That''s¡­ That''s just¡­ There''s no way I could do that. I headed back to what appeared to be a major crosspoint. I''m heading towards where all the Insiders were coming from. I really need to know where they live now. I''m right in front of the big door at the end of the corridor. How do I open it though? The door from my room just slides open as I stand in front of it, but this door is not moving. I''m trying to push it, slide it but nothing is happening. Maybe it''s broken? I''m hearing footsteps behind me. Somebody noticed me and is coming my way. It''s a big man, really buffed. He got a black suit on, some glasses with dark lenses and something stuck in his right ear. He spoke up to me with a deep low voice. "Sir, I''ll have to demand of you to step away from that door. This is a restricted area." "Restricted? A whole lot of people were walking out of here so, why can''t I walk in?" The menacing man extended his arm toward me, his palm toward me, indicating me to stop moving. As he did so, he slightly turned his head and brought up his other hand to the gear in his ear. He gently pressed his index on it. Not long after, he said to himself: "Understood, Boss!" What was all that? All that just to talk to himself? He then brought back both his arms along his body and looked at me. "Sir, the situation has changed. You will need to follow me." "Huh?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "You gotta be fucking kidding me?!" That''s the first thing the drunkard from before said as soon as he saw me. The suited man made me follow him all the way here. I''m back at the Coliseum. It seems all the recruits are here too. We''re all displayed randomly, waiting for something I think. The guy with the flask is there with all his crew, closest to the entrance, right in front of me. "Ooohh! Hiii~ It''s you again! The ballsy creep!" How can she say this with such a gentle smile on her face? She was frantically waving at me, eyes closed, her wooden thing jumping around in her back, trying its best not to be propelled from its owner. The blond girl dropped her arms and shoulders before producing a noisy sigh. "Well shit, here we go agai-" "Oh boy. I hope you''re ready for another round, dickhead!" It was automatic. It''s like his body is drawn towards me. This time, he could only walk a few steps before the big man who brought me here stood between us. "Hey, little guy, you might want to stay where you are!" His deep voice is telling us that we don''t want to make him repeat himself; I somehow want to listen to him right away. Obviously, it didn''t work on the long-haired brawler. "Tsk! You got so scared you brought your meathead with you, hun?" "Meathead you say? Want a little taste of it, punk?" "You bet!" The buff man was provoking him. Strange. With me, he''s all formal and somewhat polite. But with that guy, he doesn''t care about his way of talking. He''s completely looking down on him. Both of them were now dangling their fists around, shoulders up, both waiting for an opening. I was watching the scene right from behind. Everybody further around turned in our direction to look at what was happening. This is about to get messy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As soon as the fighters began to turn in circles, a crowd arose. All the recruits were drawn to the action, all rooting for their brethren. Solidarity was palpable. However, a hand groped a guy''s shoulder and pulled it back to propel itself forward. It was then that another man in a black suit jumped into the fray, advancing towards the incoming bout. He had the same attire as his colleague, but he was slender and taller. His muscles, however, were present; their forms were greatly defined by the tight fabric. "Hey! That''s enough! Get a hold of yourself! Show some professionalism!" "Stay out of it! That little jerk was about t-" As he was slightly turning back to respond to his companion, he unconsciously lowered his fists ever slightly, dropping his guard down and taking his eyes off his target. It was the opening the drunk soldier was waiting for. He immediately threw a solid hook right at the tip of the agent''s chin. A loud and hollow sound echoed in the stadium. The big man''s head barely moved and wobbled a bit before snapping back in its original posture, staring at the assailant. In a quick instant, the tall agent grabbed his colleague, prohibiting him from responding to the assault. Meanwhile one of the recruit''s friends had to do the same. Taller and larger, he had no issue lifting the aggressive rookie. They were now both held and refrained from fighting again. However, the spectators wanted more. "Yeeaaah!" "Fuck him up!" "Let him go!" It was an unbelievable sight. The same people that were walking around with dark and silent expressions, it was their first time showing off something else than a heavy and unpleasant mood. It was their first taste of something that had a long way coming: rebellion. The festival didn''t last long when a voice came from the entrance of the coliseum. "Hahaha! Always full of energy, those youngsters!" All the Rookies stopped their ruckus and formed lines. They all took position in their military formation, all looking slightly up at the roof. Only the newcomer didn''t know what to do. "Well, why is it not fun anymore?" The two suited men were in the same position as the Rookies, just off the side. "Soldiers. Yes, Soldiers. You are not Rookies anymore, and I won''t treat you as such. You have been training under our ranks for a long time now. It has been tough for all of you, I get it. But don''t get it twisted, young folks The hard times are lying ahead. Since the beginning of your training, you haven''t been able to get out of the Foundation''s ground. So, you now have the chance to do whatever your heart desires, kids. Visit your family perhaps. Because as of tomorrow morning, things will get serious. Communicating with your families will be nearly impossible. Either you won''t have the time for it or you''ll be dead. That''s the harsh reality Soldiers. And I get it. We all have our differences. You don''t like me and that''s all there is to it. But don''t forget this. Somebody has to do the job. Somebody has to protect those citizens. Somebody has to eradicate those Hollows. Somebody simply has to. And this somebody is you. Now I won''t waste more of your day off, Soldiers, you''re dismissed! Break Formation!" "YES SIR!" Everyone was already leaving the place. Not as a group. They were all alone. They were in their head, forgetting about the world around them. They were all heading to the back of the Coliseum, mindlessly walking. However, one had nowhere to go. One Doc had under his grasp. "Hey, son!" "..." "You know, usually, non-members of the Foundation aren''t allowed to participate in our actions." "Well, I was brought her-" "Hahaha! No worries young man, I know all that! I wanted you here. I was saying that to show you how privileged and special you are!" "Special?" "Yes son, you are quite peculiar, you just don''t realize it yet. Correct me if I''m wrong, but aren''t you eager to know how we deal with those nasty creatures?" "Y-Yes." "Good. Curiosity is a strong asset to a young soul like yours. I''m pretty sure you figured out that the training they''ve been doing isn''t enough to put a scratch on the Hollows. Stamina training, close combat training, weapon-wielding basics. It doesn''t matter. It takes a tremendous amount of power to hold your ground in front of those monsters. Come back here tomorrow, you''ll find the answer to your question." "Ok. But what about me? You said I was special, what does that mean?" The old man grinned. He then reached into a pocket inside his jacket and pulled out something he immediately threw at the young confused man. "A badge?" "Yes, you''re a Soldier now!" "What?" "Usually, there''s a whole screening system and long process. So let''s just say you aced them!" "But wha-" "Something you''ll learn about me, I hate to repeat myself. Tomorrow. Come here. That''s it, Soldier. You''re dismissed!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He already passed the entrance when I was able to come back to my senses. I''m looking down at the badge lying in my hands and I don''t completely understand what it means. I''m a Soldier now? Wait! Isn''t that supposed to mean that I''ll have to fight? I refuse. There''s no way I''m getting close to those things ever again. Even with that thick glass between us, I felt unsafe. The size of that thing, the strength under those monstrous muscles, that- ... Wait. That Hollow. It was¡­ inside? Shit. It just came to my mind! How did I just forget about that fact? Wha-, what if it broke free and is let loose in the Lab? What is Doc thinking? Is he really that confident in his installations? Will that glass really be able to refrain that monster? And here I thought I was safe inside. Maybe there''s more of them? Maybe they''ll all break out? Maybe they''ll start killing everybody in their sleep? Maybe the-... Maybes. Always making scenarios, always thinking about the worst outcomes. Relax. I don''t have time to think about what might happen. I just need to concentrate on what I''m doing now. So, what was I doing? What was I doing before coming her- Oh right. I was exploring the Lab. That door back then was locked. The other I saw is most likely locked too. But, I did get a new lead. Those soldiers went through that door over there. I''ll go check it out. But¡­ what if there are more Hollows there? No, I won''t take a chance. I''ll just head back to my room after all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was pretty dark, as always. The mood was heavy, as always. But there was more movement than usual, more lively. Outside the walls of the Lab lives the Outsiders. They try to live their best in poorly built shelters, or at least survive. There''s a lot of them actually. This underground cave is huge. Some high and solid pillars of rock are supporting the ceiling. There are a lot of tunnels, parting ways in every direction. Not a lot knows what lies ahead of them. Well, not a lot came back to tell anyone about it. All kinds of people are walking around. Kids running in circles, naively enjoying their lives to their fullest. Adults smoking and drinking alcohol trying to forget about theirs. The unusual commotion is caused by the flood of fresh uniforms. The Soldiers are wandering around, looking for their families they haven''t seen in four years. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A young woman with dark skin is standing in front of a door. She gently and carefully puts a ukulele on the ground before silently entering the house. She walks in, trying to be as quiet as possible, fearing to get heard by some unwanted ears. She walks by the living room, immediately obliged to pinch her nose to avoid inhaling another draft of that horrible smell. A white man is sleeping in a chair, an empty beer in hand, unconsciously holding it above the ground. He''s drooling on his well-worn white tank top. The girl continues her errand to the bedroom. Here, the smell directly stings her in her eyes. She enters the room and immediately starts to clean it up: picking up empty bottles, making the bed and washing some stains around with a piece of fabric she snatched on her way there. She mechanically turns around and starts a somehow similar process in the dining room. As she does, she sees in her memory a woman with a similar skin tone as her doing the same, a big smile on her face, humming a melody. After throwing away the improvised towel, she heads back to the living room. She stands behind the chair, smiling at the crown of hair on the man''s head. After a while, she bows down before posing a kiss on his bald calpe, before proceeding to leave the place. She left no trace of her visit. The man will continue with his everyday life without knowing anything about her errand. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A brown-haired girl knocks on a door, resulting in a concerned voice coming from inside the shelter. "Who''s this?" "It''s me, Mom¡­" After saying those words, a loud stampede of footsteps rushed at the door. The door opened in a flash, revealing a teary middle-aged woman, a tan resembling hers, and her new husband. "Baby!?" She was asking that as an interrogation, but she didn''t even wait for some sort of response before jumping in the young woman''s arms. "Oh, I''m so happy you''re safe, honey! I was so scared!" Both of them then burst into a flood of tears. "I missed you so much, mom!" "Your mother missed you a lot, too." Spoke the man, standing behind them. Time passed. They moved inside. After hugging and comforting each other for hours, the young lady was now ready to leave, a wooden box tucked between her arm and her chest. "Your father would be proud of you. I''m sure he is." Awkwardly said the man to the young soldier she hadn''t met before. "Hmm, yeah. Thanks. I need to go¡­ I''m sorry¡­" "... When will you come back home?" Sobbed her mother. "..." The young girl with the key necklace didn''t want to answer this, nor did she know the answer. None of them knew if she would even come back at all. The older woman was standing still in the door frame. Tears were dropping on the porch, blood too. She was furiously trying to hold in a painful scream by piercing her forearm skin with her nails. The man came behind her to hold her and embrace her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A strong man was energetically sparring on an AI ragdoll inside the Foundation''s Training Ground. Jabs, hooks, high kicks. His techniques were on point, and his muscles were swollen. One hit after another, he was quickly warming up, letting out some steam. Immediately when his fist landed on the ragdoll''s jaw, the man saw a picture of a little kid getting punched at the same place, before losing balance and collapsing on the ground. "Hahaha, such a weak ass!" A kid, bigger than the one on the ground, was spitting insults at his fallen victim. "Now get up trash, I''m not done playing!" The bullied child was crawling towards his bully. He used everything to stand up on his weak knees. He faced the other kid, closed his eyes, and smiled. "Hun? Are you making fun of me, bastard?" The bully lifted his leg to his hip, before stretching it and landing a heavy kick in the other kid''s chest. Simultaneously, the soldier on the Training Ground rested his hand on his bare chest. "I need to get stronger¡­" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This is it¡­" She was eyeing the badge resting in her fragile hands. She gently put it on the top of her folded uniform, lying on her bed. The room had four beds. Two sets of stacked beds and one alone, hers. She turned around and walked up to the mirror above the sink. In her underwear, she was staring at her reflection with disgust. She was analyzing herself from top to bottom. Shining long blond hair. Hypnotic blue eyes. Thin and pointy nose. Delicate lips. Generous curves. Flat abdomen. Wide hips. That''s all she could see in the mirror, but that was enough to anger her. She drastically marched away from that horrible sight to sit at the end of her bed. She was aggressively scratching her wrist. She didn''t see those marks in the mirror because she didn''t want to, but her wrists, thighs, ankles and arms were covered with scars and cuts. She''s hiding her mutilated body from her friends by always wearing her uniform or any other long-sleeved clothing. "I hate this body¡­" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In an isolated part, some guy was standing in front of a cheap man-made grave. Only a rock and a bump in the dirt stood as proof that a body was buried there. No one was around, nothing to be seen either. Faintly lightened up by an almost dead lamp on the cave''s wall, the guy was drinking out of a flask, recalling a certain scene. "Hey¡­ get down there big bro, it''s not funny anymore¡­" The scene shows the face of a kid. Uncontrollable flows of tears were streaming down his cheeks, sliding down this broken child''s face. A pair of shoes were high up in front of him. They were dangling side to side, dancing above a fallen chair, celebrating in front of a sickened boy. "Tsk!" He let out a faint noise before taking a big gulp. His long hair was sleeping on his shoulders, his bangs covering his eyes, leaving his face completely dark, hiding away any evidence of tears forming in his eyes. Lamentations What am I supposed to do now? I have this stupid badge that is supposed to make me a Soldier. A nurse also came to my room last night to give me a uniform, the uniform those other kids were wearing. I have all this but I still don''t want to fight. I can''t fight. I just can''t. What will it bring me anyway? Nothing. Nothing will come out of it. I think¡­ I think today is my last day here. I don''t feel like staying. I''ll just go back to the Coliseum like Doc told me to. I really want to see how they will gain powers able to crush such monsters. But after that, I''m done. I''ve seen enough. I''m satisfied. Well, more like tired. Tired of aimlessly walking around. Tired of consistently worrying all the time. I didn''t stay for so long but I''m already ready to go. Nothing is waiting for me here. Nobody is waiting for me here. It''ll be better for me to take my life with my own hands right here right now, while it''s still early. I''d prefer that over dying at the hands of those demons. Probably way less painful and atrocious. Don''t know how I''ll do it, though. I don''t see anything sharp around here. I''ll keep my eyes open while I''m on my way to the Coliseum. If anything, there has to be some sort of blade at the Blacksmith''s place. Well anyway, gotta get going. I''ve been unconsciously staring at the meticulously folded uniform on my bed, guess it''s time to try it on. I''m looking at that weirdo behind the glass and he looks morbid. The uniform is pretty basic. Mostly made with dark brown and dark green fabrics, which are actually pretty thick and solid. There''s a sign sewn on the chest area, on the right. It''s the same as the badge. Don''t know what it represents. I can''t figure out what it is. There are a ton of symbols I have never seen before. Doesn''t really matter anyway. I just need to get going. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I haven''t found any blades or sharp tools on my way. Guess I''ll head to the Blacksmith''s house after I''m done here. The Coliseum is filled with the same people as last time. I don''t see the group I usually encounter. They are most likely somewhere in that flood of people. The young Soldiers are all dressed up in their usual uniforms. They are casually talking to each other like they usually do. From what I remember, Doc said they trained together right? The training must have lasted for a while; they seem to know each other really well. It looks like the Soldiers have pretty good chemistry among themself, well, except for me of course. I''m still stuck under a rain of vicious gazes. It has always appeared clear to me that I''m definitely not supposed to be here for some reason that I ignore. It has something to do with that damn bracelet. Why am I the only person wearing one? What is it hiding? My deep investigation was prematurely stopped by a bunch of noises coming from the back of the Coliseum. A horde of scientists are coming our way. They are all pushing medical beds. Why do they have to roll those all the way here? Doc just came through the door, behind everybody. I''ve noticed by now that he always walks around with his hands in his pockets. Always wearing that smile. That weirdly odd smile. "Soldiers, in formation!" He didn''t even need to speak those words. They were already forming tight and precise ranks just from the sight of his figure. I was just standing here alone, a bit to the side. I really don''t feel the need to follow any orders. Yes, I guess I''m a Soldier now. But I won''t be for long. "Soldiers! Each of you is requested to pair with my subordinates. When everyone is in place, I''ll communicate the instructions. March on!" "Yes, Sir!" After chanting these words in sync, they quickly broke from their ranks and swiftly moved towards the scientists. In only a brief instant, all have taken place next to a scientist, standing between them and their beds. I didn''t even make the effort to see if there was a place left for me. I just stood where I was to be able to look at what was about to happen. "Soldiers. Today is the day. The day you''ll be granted the weapon necessary to compete against our enemy. Only you can wield such a weapon. No one else is capable of doing such. Today is the day. The day you''ll be wielding in battle a deadly tool capable of slaying down any threat lying before you. Only you can manipulate such a dangerous tool for the good of our survival. Today is the day. The day you''ll be given the chance to face the very reason who were making us turn back from fear. Only you can stand your ground in front of them and protect the people who cannot do so. Today is the day. The day you will become superhumans. Only you can have bodies exceeding any physical bonds humans have never even dreamed of surpassing. Today is the day." Superhumans? That''s all I could grab from his speech. What does that mean? Of course, I understand you have to be superhuman to be able to even lay a finger on them. Even I can understand that. But¡­ Is it really possible? Surpassing any limits? What is he talking about? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "But. You should have figured out by now that such power cannot be obtained for free. It has its costs. Like everything in life. Nothing is free. Everything is bound by the rule of trade. For something to be gained, you must be willing to lose something in exchange. This power is no exception. But this isn''t the only rule attached to it. There''s another rule. The most fearsome rule. Equality. The greater the gain, the bigger the loss. It''s only logical. The more you are willing to give up, the more you''ll receive in exchange. These rules form the law known as the Equal Trade. This is a universal law that applies to everything in life. Knowing this, you should be able to have a better grasp of what is about to happen. The power to defeat Hollows. Such a tremendous gain comes with a cost. A big cost." The old man''s face changed as soon as he let out those words. His smile was long gone, taken over by a fearsome stoic expression. Anyone could see that those words were to be taken seriously. From the sound of it, it appears they will face a fair amount of pain to be able to transform their bodies. And death was no stranger in this process. "The time has come Soldiers. You''ll be given an injection. This injection will force your body to morph. To evolve. You will no longer be the same person. There is no going back. I will see those who will survive after this operation is completed. For the others who couldn''t make it through, you have proudly served the ranks of the Foundation to the best of your capacity. For that, you have my respect. And my farewell. That is all!" Confusion and uncertainty were the only things preventing anarchy from unleashing. It seemed absurd that he would treat the possibility of their deaths so casually. As all the Soldiers were being attended by the medical corps, only one stood straight. Fear overtaking him, he began to slowly back away. However, one can not escape Doc''s eyes. "Oh! Young man, I''m glad you came! You weren''t thinking of going anywhere, were you son?" The young man froze. "Don''t leave at a moment like that. You''re about to miss everything." The young man was standing still, locked in place, unable to move. All he could do was watch, even though that was the last thing he would have done if he knew. He was now a trapped witness. Every scientist armed themselves with their syringes. They brought it to the shoulders of those cursed Soldiers. Now the hundred needles were passively resting on the hundred Soldiers. Waiting for the right moment to strike. All the scientists lifted their left arm, aiming their fingers toward the ceiling, tightening their right arm, and aiming their syringes toward their next victim. They all looked at each other from across the Coliseum. They nodded and started to count down from five, taking down one finger at a time. Once their last fingers completely closed their hand in a fist, they planted the needles and launched the injection. All at the same time. Barely five seconds had passed when the atrocities began. The horror circus started with a chorus of painful screams. The screeching was followed by a commotion like no other. Some were vomiting, and some crying their lives away. That was all before the real show. Ten seconds have passed. But not a single one here would agree with that. Every single one of them could swear on their lives that they had been suffering for hours. And they haven''t even experienced real pain yet. Muffled under a cloud of death screams, the sound of hundreds of litres of blood flying everywhere. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Limbs were being detached and propelled, escorted by disturbing noises of broken bones and flesh tearing up. If it wasn''t for the unbearable smell of the blood being sprayed around, anyone could catch on the striking odour of the bladders giving up on the already broken Soldiers, letting loose fear-filled urine. A fear echoed in their stomach, ordering them to vomit up everything it contained, painting the already soiled floor. During that chaos, the small and low-tempered soldier got his left side severed. Alongside the unbearable pain from his insides, his left arm got torn apart, all the way from his shoulder. The left side of his face was also impacted, destroying his left eye on the way. At the same moment, the blond girl dropped to the floor. She shrieked and wailed in agony. Even though no one could hear it, she was hearing it just fine. The noises were coming from inside her. She didn''t know what it was. She never heard such things before. What she was listening to was the chant of her bones cracking and her muscle tissues withering. As for the young woman with the slightly tanner skin, she coughed out a river of blood. Her ears and nose were also leaking her red life energy. Her eyes were turning red. She fainted before understanding it, but all her organs were horribly damaged. The inner bleeding was catastrophic. In an isolated corner, the muscular young man was on his knees. He was holding what was left of his head in his hands. His howling was muffled by the blood streaming in his throat, as though he was gargling it. The liquid left at his knees was a mixture of blood, sweat, tears and liquified skin, where his severed eyeballs were drowning. The young woman with the dark skin was crawling on the ground, squealing. Her skin was melting and showering off from her body. The skin was merging with the red fluid, rapidly leaving her body cold. Even the unlucky witness, someone as emotionless as him, couldn''t be stoic in front of such a sight. He broke through his frozen state to fall on his knees. Tears were running down his face, but he didn''t even notice it. That was before he completely snapped. At first, only a demonic smile could be seen. But then giggles were escaping from it. That was just a build-up to his uncontrollable laughter. A laugh that could be frequently heard in an asylum. A laugh that could possibly be more frightening than this whole nightmare. ''''HAHAHAHAHAHAH! You''ve got to be fucking kidding me! Am I dreaming? This is pure madness! What kind of hell is this? This is¡­ This is just¡­ That''s it. I''m fucking done'''' After shouting his thoughts, he stood up and began to march towards the closest scientist. Thirty seconds had passed since the injection. Most of the medical technicians were already trying to take what was left of their assigned lab rats to put them on the bed. Some were already rushing through the door, pushing the beds in the hallway. The madman was completely spacing out. He was gone. He was mindlessly walking in the direction of the nearest nurse. Once he arrived at his final destination, he bent towards her back, who was crouching to help her patient. He reached out his hand to her pocket, clinging to a scalpel. It''s as though he already knew it was there His subconscious spotted it during this hellish show. In a final attempt to escape the hell before him, he brought the sharp tool to his throat. Even though he had no doubts in mind, and no second thought about taking his own life, he was shaking. His fingers were desperately trying to hold this heavy threat. His emotions were working against him. It was commanding his body to stop this act, an act that would hurt him. But even though that act of self-harm was something a survival mindset would want to avoid at all costs, his body and mind didn''t fear it, because they knew about the inefficiency of his actions. Something he was yet to realize. His vision was going dark as the steel of the lethal blade was now embracing his skin. The nurse screamed in horror and rushed to his aid. Her reaction time was lacking. It was too late. The movement was engaged. His will to end this nightmare wouldn''t let anyone intervene. He firmly and sharply ran the blade on his throat. At the end of his action, the scalpel continued its course, followed by a trail of sparkles. No pain. At first, he just thought he grew numb from all this mess. But then, even through all this frightening fanfare, his ears caught up on the sound of iron hitting the ground. He instinctively aimed his vision at his feet, towards the noise. What he saw there would change his life forever. Pieces of a broken scalpel are scattered on the ground. He couldn''t breathe anymore. Surprisingly, he wasn''t shocked by what just happened. The fact that his body was able to resist being cut and even going to the extent of completely dismantling an iron tool didn''t bother him in the slightest. What shook him to the point of losing his breath came from a totally other realization. What just happened showed him a terrible fate. He just realized that he can''t escape this hell. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "James, I need you to bring me back the report of every doctor on this case. If they haven''t finished it yet, please make them do so. Be as persuasive as you need. It''s an order." "Yes Sir!" James, the short and bulky agent, left Adam, the taller and slender one, and Doc in the room before rushing to the doorway. It took the suited man a little while to be able to gather all the needed information. Every medical room he needed to enter was worse than the preceding one. He often needed to look away from the horrible sight he had of those patients, bringing his fist to his mouth to refrain from puking. After a long hour, he was able to come back to Doc''s office with his mission completed. "Here Sir! The hundred reports as you asked, Sir!" "At ease young man, you did a good job. You''re on break for now." ''''Yes Sir! Thank you, Sir!'''' As the tall man was leaving the room, he brought both his hands on his cheeks, breathing out a heavily loaded sigh. Doc took the device his subordinate just brought him and sat at his desk. He put the tool on a plate and the screen on his computer lit up. Precisely, a hundred reports popped up at the same time before him. Adam quickly drew closer to the screen from his curiosity. "Well well well, what do we have this time? Hmmm¡­ Oh? Only Seventy-Nine deaths? Hahaha! I guess I got lucky this year too. Haven''t seen such good numbers in years. This truly looks promising." While Doc was childishly smiling in front of the screen, Adam lost his balance and made a few recovery steps back. ''''S- Sir! Pardon my questioning Sir! Bu- But when you say good¡­'''' ''''Hahaha Adam, you are truly still a naive child, but a kind one. When you look at these numbers, you probably see this whole operation as a failure, don''t you son? But that''s where you are mistaken. This operation didn''t cost us seventy-nine Soldiers. It didn''t affect our manpower. No. The magic number to remember is twenty-one.'''' Doc was grinning. ''''Today, the Foundation just birthed twenty-one monsters.'''' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why is everything so unfair? All I wanted was to end it. All I wanted was to end this shit show, this absurdity. But I can''t. I literally can''t. I have had my head in this water-filled sink for a while now. Way too long for anyone to survive. A normal human would have drowned a long time ago. But me? No, it would''ve been too easy. I lifted my head out to breathe some unwanted air. What is the meaning of this? This has to be the most ironic thing to ever happen. Now that I''ve made up my mind to just die right here right now, I can''t? This has to be a joke of some sort. Someone, something, is depriving me of my freedom. I can''t even do what I want in a place that I never wanted to live in in the first place. It seems this place has cursed me for good. I''ve been struggling this entire time just to find a reason to live, and now I''m struggling to find a way to die. The development isn''t great. I wonder about the outcome. But for now, what do I do? I don''t have a choice but to find something to live for, just something to do at the very least. Or else, it won''t take long before this place drives me crazy. Haha. It already has, you dumbass. So, what am I supposed to do? The only thing I can think about is the only thing I don''t want to think about. The Foundation. That Blacksmith was right, I shouldn''t have dwelled in their affairs. All those Soldiers, all those young people, they''re dead, right? Yes, there''s no doubt about it. From what I remember, from what I saw¡­ Hurgh, I''m still shivering. I didn''t get any sleep at all. This image could be haunting me as much as the Hollow, maybe more. What was Doc thinking? He killed them. He murdered them all. What am I supposed to do about this? Maybe I should go tell someone? Who? The Blacksmith? He doesn''t want to hear anything that has to do with them. But this is an exceptional situation¡­ Maybe I could try to run away somewhere? Maybe there''s a hidden place somewhere? Maybe I could follow a tunnel outside the Lab to try to escape? Maybe I-... Here you go again with the maybes. There''s no way I can just wander outside like that. If I do, a Hollow will find me and he will ki¡­.... Ha Ha. I''m so stupid. Of course. The Hollows. Those could for sure kill me. I didn''t want to get killed by those things because of the possible torture and horrible pain, but for now, that''ll do. I just need to find a Hollow and let him attack me. Why didn''t I think of that before? But how? The only I found was locked up inside. There''s probably no way for me to enter its cell. I''ve never seen or heard of any of those monsters being outside actually. Is there a way for me to get close? ¡­ The Foundation? It may actually be my best bet. In other words¡­ I need to actually become a Soldier and join the ranks. I''m just gonna talk to that mad old man, he''ll figure out a way. Plus, he seems to want me on his team. Yeah, now that I think of it¡­ Special. Isn''t that what he said to me? I''m special. He must have been talking about that body of mine. Hmm, actually. I''ve always wanted to know how they are dealing with such a treat. But, maybe I''m capable of such things? What are the limits of this body? How did Doc know about this? Hughh. Now that I have found a way to die, I start to be even more curious. Where does that side of me come from? Must be explained by my actual past. That black hole in my mind, where does it come from? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "#56: Left arm and eye completely gone. #21: Atrophied muscles and weakened bones. #88: Heart, lungs, stomach, liver and kidneys badly damaged. #9: Nose, mouth and eyes destroyed or gone. #47: Skin completely melted away. #67: Paralyzed from the waist down. #84: Numerous severe bone damage. #35: Ligaments and tendons shred in pieces. #91: Inner body partly destroyed. #42: Bones, skin, muscles and every single organ drastically weakened #16: Extreme deterioration in the mouth area. #3: Memory capabilities inefficient #26: Unstoppable heavy fever #98: Severely damaged skin #43: Unknown #89: Damaged parietal lobe #31: Deformed mouth and throat #51: Dangerously low body temperature and frostbites #2: Extreme case of Parkinson''s Disease #13: Severe muscle degeneration #48: Unknown" As Doc was reading the report, he couldn''t help himself but let out sounds of excitement. Adam, on his part, was sitting in a chair, coffee in hand, body tilted forwards, right foot vigorously taping on the floor. "Truly fascinating! The last time we had a roster that promising goes back to... Hahaha! I got lucky, haven''t I? Now, I''ll need to be sure they are trained properly. For that, I''ll need to come up with a unique and unseen approach. Right then¡­ Adam?" "Y- Yes Sir!" As Adam got scared and propelled from his chair, Doc clicked on a bunch of things on his screen with his finger. He then mimicked a grabbing movement with his hand, approached it to his bracelet, and released what was imaginatively in his hand onto it. He followed it with a bunch of clicks on his bracelet. After a couple of seconds, the bracelet on Adam''s wrist lit up and rang. A hologram list was projected from it. "Adam, you have a pretty peculiar mission to fulfill. You need to meet with every single one of them individually and gather them, all together here. Every single one of them, no exception. You are lucky, they are all on break from their respective missions." "But Sir, it''s almost impossible! Those are-" "If you were to fail your mission, I won''t have any other choice but to downgrade you. Did I make myself clear?" "... Yes, Sir!" Adam swiftly made his way to the door, accurately shooting his cup in the trash without looking. He is now rapidly going down the hallway. He''s staring at the list of names coming from his bracelet. He still cannot believe his eyes. "There''s no mistake! Those are the Twelve Commanders! And he wants me to gather them all together? Has the old man lost it? Just convincing one will be nearly impossible! The Twelve Commanders! Are you kidding me? Damn it! I wish I could switch places with James! Damn it all!" As the suited man was loosening the tie that was strangling him, all he was thinking about was the difficulty of his assignment, but he didn''t realize the importance of it. Repercussions "Hahaha! Son, I have to say, I wasn''t expecting you to come forth that soon!" He''s laughing. As though he was in a position to do so, or that I wasn''t being serious. But I''m totally serious. "Join the Foundation you say? If you are truly ready to commit to this affirmation, and to what ensues, it goes without saying that I''m in no position to be refusing your help." "Doc, before this whole thing goes any further, you need to answer these questions. My commitment will all depend on what your responses are." His damn smirk finally vanished. "I understand. Go right ahead, young man." "What happened to those Soldiers? Be aware that I''ll be considering any deaths to be your doing. In other words, in my eyes, you will be nothing less than a murderer." "I see. I''m assuming that nothing I could say would change your opinion on that. Nor do I believe that I need to justify my actions to the likes of you. Hmm. From our reports, a majority of them died from the injections. Only a few survived." "I see. Then, here''s my other question. How special am I?" "Hmm, it''s really hard to tell. I would need to proceed through a bunch of experimentations just to be able to see what you are capable of. But, the good news is, we already have prepared such means. Those tests aren''t there just for you, this is part of the Foundation''s usual course. When the time comes, I will have you called and brought where you need to be. But for now, I can''t answer this question." "I understand." "So? Are you still going about becoming a Soldier, son?" "Yes. Your answers haven''t changed my mind." "Good. Then, I will send you someone to show you the Foundation quarter. That is all." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I''ve been following Doc''s man for quite a bit. He showed me the parts in the Lab related to the Foundation. It starts with the Coliseum. On the other side of the door at the back, this is where the Foundation really is. There''s a bunch of dorms. Each room has a couple of bunk beds. The man informed me that every room was filled, and there was no place for me. But Doc said many of those Soldiers died, isn''t that supposed to mean a few beds are free now? Were the dorms already full and people had to sleep somewhere else? He also told me that I''ll have to leave my current room since it''s for patients in need of medical treatment only. So, I''ll have to find a place to stay. Other than the dorms, there are quite a few interesting places. I saw a glimpse of what looked like Training Grounds. They have all sorts of equipment and installations, many of them unknown to me. Also, there was some sort of Bar, with a dining room. All those places are practically empty. There are a couple of people here and there, but nothing crazy. I wonder if there are more Soldiers? Maybe they''re outside, doing missions? We stopped in front of that bar. "I showed you everything you needed to know. I''m done here, I believe you can do whatever you want." He turned around and started to walk away. What should I do now? Maybe find a place to stay? Where? The only possibilities I had were out of the question. Maybe I could just see what this bar is about, maybe I could go talk to someone here. I''m entering the place. It stinks with alcohol. Nothing surprising. I''ll approach the bartender to grab a drink. I don''t want any but I guess I should act normal if I''m planning to subtract information from him. I walked through the rows of tables to go to the counter at the far back. I took place on a stool. "Hey, hmm, can I get a drink?" "..." The man was staring at me. The obvious scar on his face was the only thing I was able to look at. Other than that trait, nothing stands out: bald, short black beard, well-worn clothes, pretty bland look. Well, it''s more that I''m not expecting any specific dress code at this point. "What do you want?" "Just a beer is fine." He turned around, put a stained glass under a lever and pulled it. The alcoholic liquid was rapidly filling the glass. He turned back to look at me and put the glass on the counter. He then did a sign with his hand, asking me to give him something. I was confused. He then sighed, leaning on the counter to be able to reach me. He grabbed the far left of my collar and started to pull me over his side. I accidentally, well instinctively, let go of his grapple with a sharp movement. He quickly used his other hand to grab the drink and slide it out of my range. "You filthy thief, you can just go fuck yourself! I don''t have time to serve assholes like you. Now get out of my bar and come back when you have something to pay me!" "I didn''t mean to steal anything! You''re the one who attacked me." I looked at my collar as I was saying so. And then it hit me. The badge, I saw my badge attached to me on the left side. Was he trying to take it? "My¡­ Badge? Am I supposed to..." He probably caught up pretty quickly that I wasn''t putting on an act. He looked me in the eyes, raised his eyebrows and then he closed his eyes. He scratched his exposed head. "Huurgh.. what''s wrong with that kid¡­ Yes, of course, you need to give me the badge to pay for the drink, what are you even saying?" He did the same hand movement as before. He was a bit more irritated and impatient this time. I then decided to give him my badge. I snatched it off my uniform and put it in his palm. He grabbed it, used his other hand to reach his back pocket and pulled out a strange tool. He passed it over my badge in a very smooth and efficient movement, showing just how much practice he''s had, doing this very same movement. The engine beeped. He looked at it and handed me back my badge. He put the weird equipment back in his pocket, then grabbed the glass and slid it back in front of me. "There you go, you weir-" "How does it work?" "Huh?" He faintly arched his back away from me, my oppressive eyes on him and my odd question caught him off guard. Honestly, it caught me off guard too. My curiosity was at it again. I have this controlling feeling inside me that keeps forcing me into wanting to know more. "Wha- How does it wo.. What do you mean kiddo?" "What is in my badge that allows me to pay you?" "Well... That''s.. You know... When you complete missions and defeat Hollows and stuff, you just can." "But I didn''t fight any yet." "The fuck would I know." "So, if I defeat those monsters, I can pay for a drink? Then¡­ What about those who are not strong enough to defeat Hollows? What about those who don''t have a badge?" The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "What? There''s nobody like this around, my guy!" Hmmm¡­ I guess that means only Soldiers are coming here since they''re the only people walking around with badges. Then those people with the suits and jewels, they probably have their own bars and stuff where they are, behind that locked door. If I remember correctly, they were wearing bracelets. But, why do I have both? I got a badge and a bracelet. I already have a very small idea of what the badge does, but not the bracelet. Then maybe I can ask him about this. "Hey, then what about this?" I put my arm on the counter so my wrist could be in his vision field. As soon as he saw the bracelet, he was horrified. But his expression quickly flipped to an insane one. He took the glass of beer he served me and smashed it on the counter, spilling and splashing alcohol everywhere. I looked at him confused, but he was already a few steps ahead of me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A right hook was already coming at the clueless young man, setting its course to land on his chin. His knuckles smashed against his jaw; a loud noise was made out of this collision. It was then followed by a scream of pain. It wasn''t the young man''s. The bartender''s hand was utterly obliterated. Pieces of broken bones found their way to pierce through his skin. He then totally snapped. His eyes sank into madness. He screeched as he threw his body on the boy''s arm, squeezing it between him and the counter. He lifted his stomach just enough to reveal part of the forearm. As he was shrieking a deranged scream, he started to ferociously attack my arm with the piece of broken glass. With his improvised weapon, he was throwing determined slicing swings on the limb, trying to cut it. The transparent dagger was drastically reduced in size at each strike, as the glass was being destroyed. The bartender didn''t even flinch. He was still going. He was probably already long gone and didn''t even notice the ineffectiveness of his attack. Unannounced, the newly promoted soldier was thrown off his seat. A strong hand pulled him by the back of his uniform and broke him loose from the madman. The men that were sitting at one of the tables quickly caught on to the assault that was happening at the counter and went to end it. "Oi! Oi! Booze! What the fuck is wrong with you!? What has got into you for fucks sake!" A man leaned down over the young man and helped him get back on his feet. "Hey kid, you good? It''s crazy, it looks like you''re unscathed! You better get out of here! I don''t know what''s wrong with Booze, he never did something like that before!" "DON''T LET HIM OUT!!!! GET HIS BRACELET!!! HE HAS A BRACELET!!!!" The men weren''t holding the bartender in place anymore. They were just standing there, looking at the young amnesiac. They changed. They''re not the same. He could sense some sort of aura coming out of them. It was as though he could see it. He was able to see a thick shroud surrounding them. The fact that he was somehow able to envision something like that wasn''t the problem. This energy, those aura. They had murderous intent. He could feel it. Experiencing it. But he was safe yet again. His body once again took over, taking control of his thoughts, acting by its own judgement. Every time his life is threatened, it happens. That''s why nothing happened back at the counter. Or when he tried to kill himself. He wasn''t at risk. His body knew it, it could tell he couldn''t get hurt. But now. Now it knows. It''s a whole different story. His body forced his head to look ahead to start rushing out. He didn''t even take a step. He hadn''t even moved yet when one of those Soldiers was already standing in front of the entrance. His exit. He was slowly closing the door in front of him; he could hear the door creasing on its way. He could hear the steps of the other Soldiers approaching him from behind. He could hear his heavy breathing. All the noises were in sync. Steps forward. Breath in. Creasing. Steps forward. Breath out. Creasing. As he breathed in and the ones in the back took a step, the door closed at last. As soon as the lock was heard by all of them, it started. The man at the door teleported in his face. He blitzed him that fast. His right knee was cranked up to his chest, his arms crossing each other above his head. The victim''s arms were automatically slowly lifting in front of him, preparing to protect him. He was merely watching the show. He didn''t need to do anything, his body was alright on its own. Better on its own. The grown Soldier was unfolding his leg, accumulating a monstrous amount of strength and speed. His kick landed on his sternum before his arms could complete the shield. He completely lost his breath for an instant. He was then violently propelled back. He flew through the air before being abruptly stopped by a wall of muscles. The Soldiers behind him closed the gap between themselves to break his course. They grappled grappled and held him in a standing position. The young man was currently looking at the ground. His head decided to quickly look up in front of him to let his eyes inform his brain of the current situation. The Soldier was gone. He was nowhere to be seen. His eyes were unable to spot him, but his ears yes. They were able to catch the faint noise of clothing waving in the air. His vision immediately angled above him, only to discover a second inevitable incoming blow. The man was falling from an insanely high jump, his knee was making contact with his cheek. His leg was stretched to its maximum, his feet flexing towards his head. Knowing the attack was impossible to block, the only option his body had was to take as little damage as possible. Trusting its defence, his brain ordered his head to look down, presenting the back of his skull. The reason was simple. His body wanted to avoid a direct hit on any of my organs positioned on his face, erasing the risk of losing any of its senses. At the same time, his vision landed on his feet and the attack connected. The boot''s heel smashed into the back of the young man''s skull, forcing his neck to bend over its natural capacity. His vision became extremely blurry. A spurt of blood escaped through my nose, pointing at his shoes, and dropping blood on them. He could feel the pumping of his heart at the back of his brain. As soon as the Soldier landed on the floor and his boots entered his eyesight, the recruit felt hands clinging to his hair, firmly holding his head in place. Before he could even blink, he was able to see, through the foggy screen in his eyes, knee approaching his nose with an unbelievable velocity. The ball joint embraced his face with a predatory strike. A dry and low clatter resonated in the bar, causing vibration in the empty glasses. His nose and his cheekbones definitely sank in a bit. He felt it. The brutal shock also created a powerful circular shockwave strong enough to send the chairs and table flying. He was completely overwhelmed. The others holding him down didn''t do much. Just the other alone would have been enough to deal with him. He wanted to think about why all this was happening to him right now, but he didn''t have time. His assailant in front of him whistled. It was immediately followed by his comrades kicking him in the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel before his enemy. The young man''s head had been facing down almost this whole fight. A fight, more like a one-sided crushing. One of the men behind him grabbed the recruit''s bangs by the root and bent his head back, obliging me to look up. He had to slightly close his eyes because of the aggressive lights burning his now sensitive irises. His vision wasn''t blurry anymore, but it was limited by the fact that his eyes were practically almost fully closed. However, he could still perceive his threat. The attacker crouched to grab a chair that had been propelled earlier. The man then turned back to face the youngster. He cracked the wooden furniture back, before swinging it right back towards him. From the momentum accumulated with his full body rotation, this chair was now packing more strength and damage than a sledgehammer; as though a blacksmith was about to smash an already broken egg. The impact was both barbaric and precise. The contact between the wood and his temple created a second shock wave. A circle of dust was formed by the pressure of the air being released. The furniture imploded in pieces. My hair slipped through the other Soldier''s hand, and my skull was launched, crashing on the floor. The force behind the blow was enough to make it bounce back. A disturbing and concerning noise was produced by the clash between his unbelievably durable skull and the thick concrete. That was the last thing he could hear. After that, it was completely quiet. The winner of the bout leaned down above his prey. He was saying something; he could see his lips moving. He looked at his friends and waved. Sadly, the defeated recruit couldn''t keep his eyes open. He just wanted to sleep right now. He needed to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a dark and empty room, four men are kneeling in a pond of blood, their blood. Their hands and legs are tied. Doc is standing in front of them, hands behind his back. James and Adam are standing behind them, wiping off blood on their baseball bats with handkerchiefs. "I don''t like to do those things. I really don''t. But I''m obliged to now. You see, you took a toy of mine to play with it without my permission. Not only that, you broke it. Well, nothing beyond reparation. You see, the toy you played with is quite tough. But more importantly, quite special. Now, may I ask the reasoning behind all of this? Not that your answers would change your faith whatsoever. You can say what you want. I don''t have a say in your last words." The captive men looked at each other, making eye contact to be able to get a clue from one another. Booze, the bartender, spat blood on the ground and wiped his mouth by swiping it on his right shoulder. He then lifted his head to look at Doc directly in the face. "Last words hun? Gotta be sure to make them worth it then. Fck you! I got nothing to tell you, you piece of shit!" I swear I''m gonn-" The Soldier on his left struck him with his shoulder, letting him know that it would probably be better to stop talking. He then proceeded to speak to Doc. "I- I- I''m so sorry Doc! Please excuse his behaviour! Please, sir, I beg you! Have mercy on us! Look, we saw the kid. He had a bracelet. We wanted it! He- He stole it! He had to, right?! Those aren''t things you see around, you know! We knew he was a Soldier, he had his uniform on and his badge with him! So we knew he wasn''t a Civilian. We would never treat a Civilian as such! No! Never! We know to treat them with utter respect! We just... We ehhh.. We wanted to take it back to you! Yeah, that''s it! We wanted to bring it back to its owner! Isn''t that right guys? Tell him I''m right guys!" He was vigorously looking from left to right, seeking a response from his peers. None. No one said anything. They knew it was useless. It wasn''t worth it. "Oh! Is that so, Soldier? Want to know what I think about it? You know, I''m going to let you in on a little secret of mine. It''s not like you''re going to tell anyone anyway. I see everything. I hear everything. I know everything. I saw the bartender assaulting that young man on the counter. I heard him scream to you guys. I know you ganged up on the poor young man. For me, it appears that you wanted it for yourselves. You know too well how much value an item like that has for someone in your position. Trying to tell me otherwise would be pointless." One of the Soldiers that haven''t talked yet started to panic. "Wha- How? How did you know all that? We- We were alone in the bar! No one was around! We even closed the door. There''s no way you could know about all that! That''s just- No! Impossible!" "I am the all-knowing. Nobody can fool me. I am the God of this place. I am your God. And right now, it''s time for me to pass on my last judgement on you impure souls. Farewell". He uncrossed his hands from behind his back. He brought his right palm in front of him. With a light movement of his hand, he commanded his subordinates to finish them off. Just like that, he left the room, leaving behind him a hellish scenery. Four men, condemned to death, crushed by the unforgiven swings of the baseball bats, smashing their skulls, splashing their blood, punishing their souls. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The young man has been staying in a hospital bed for two days, just to be safe the nurse said. When they first found him, he was in terrible shape. Nose, cheek bones and frontal lobe caved in. Sternum busted. Lungs pierced. Severe concussion. He was lucky not to die. Well, in his case, unlucky to be saved. After only a day he was already all healed, something usually impossible for any living creature. He spent his second day in the medical room, thinking things through. Being beat up helped him find a place to stay for a bit. But he will still need to find a place after his time here. Something he still hasn''t figured out. But that wasn''t what he was thinking about. If he wasn''t distracted by something else, he would have probably found a solution. But his mind was elsewhere, his curiosity was on something else. That body of his. That was something to be curious about. He couldn''t help but reflect on it. Being capable of such feats is unbelievable, not only for a normal 18-year-old but for a human being in itself. His curiosity, already a burden in his opinion, was only starting to grow in him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All 21 of them were still in bed. The medical corps were exhausted. Working all day long, shifting shifts, all so they don''t lose one more. The situation was finally stable for all of them. They have all been unconscious in their medical bed for 3 days. None of them have woken up yet. The nurses and doctors have been working for 72 hours straight to keep them alive. Their conditions are really serious, but they''re all safe now. Their bodies have experienced drastic changes. They wouldn''t have made it through if their healing wasn''t enhanced by the shot. They are recovering fast, faster than an average human metabolism. But that''s not the only thing. Their body is stronger in every way: speed, strength, stamina, resistance. Everything. They have now surpassed any bonds and human limits. They have yet to realize that. When they wake up, they''ll be stricken by their heavy physical handicaps. They will be blinded by their hatred toward the one behind all this. But they will miss the point. This power is a double-edged sword. The greater the loss, the greater the gain. They won''t realize the true frightening power behind the injection. The one that made their body evolve. The one that gave them unique and powerful abilities. The one that turned them into deadly weapons. Weapons capable of taking down any monster, any threat facing them. From this point on, they would finally be able to change their fate. Switch the tide of the battle in their favour. Fa?ade "Let me go!" "Come on! Please! Just stop for a moment! Let''s talk this through!" "I have nothing to discuss with you, I made up my mind!" The blond girl was effortlessly trying to stop the already badly drunk guy. She was clinging to the man''s right arm, pulling, adding force by pushing both heels on the floor. She was sliding through the hallways, dragged by the stubborn man''s surprising strength. "Hey! Just let me go for fuck sake! How much longer are you gonna keep this up? I told you already, you ain''t gonna stop me!" "No! You don''t know what you''re doing! You''re just pissed and drunk, you need to calm down." The man abruptly stopped his course. The young girl bumped on his back from the sudden stop. His long bangs were hiding his facial traits, leaving his face covered in thick and sombre shadows. A dark and malicious emerald aura was leaking through his skin, enveloping his whole body in this frightening shroud. The young woman, whose hands had been grappling with full strength on her friend''s forearm, quickly let go of her hold. She got scared by the sudden change in the boy''s attitude. She was truly afraid of him, of his evil aura. "Calm¡­ Down?" The now-possessed drunken monster turned around to face the one who spoke the words that triggered his internal demons. He was close to her face, too close for her comfort. He was yelling at her. "Are you fucking serious right now! LOOK AT ME!!!" She was trying her best to listen to his demand. Her eyes were shaking. She was trying to look at this new person, this new thing in front of her. Setting aside his new mood, he clearly had major changes to him. Ones she knew about, but didn''t want to accept. His left arm was absent. It was torn apart and ripped out of his body when he took the shot, during that whole lamentations show. The left side of his face was also affected. Covered under a bunch of bandages, a scar was running down his eyebrow, all the way to his cheek. In the middle, his left eye was gone. Only a cold and lonely eye socket was left behind. "But I don''t give a damn about myself! LOOK AT THEM!!!" The mutilated man used his only upper limb to ferociously point at something behind her, ordering her to look. She turned and looked. All three others in their group were there. She didn''t notice they were following them while she was trying with all her might to stop her friend from arriving at his destination. All three of them were just watching the scene, not knowing what to do. "YOU SEE THEM?! TAKE A GOOD LOOK!!" He was violently shouting at her as if it would help her vision. Tears were forming in his eyes. As for her, she was sobbing uncontrollably, letting out quiet and sad noises. She was closing her eyes as hard as she could, but powerful flows of tears were still able to leak through. All this violence and madness was scaring her to this point. But not only that. She didn''t want to open her eyes because she knew too well what was lying before her. She didn''t need to take a good look. She knows what she would see. She didn''t want to see it, to believe it. But it was there, it was real. The young woman with the brown hair was being pushed around in a wheelchair by the big guy. She had a ton of medical devices attached to her. She was the only one not completely healed. She was the one who, from the exterior, looked in the best shape. But her internal body took a horrible toll. The damages were unbelievable. All the medical gears were there to make her organs work somewhat normally. Making her heart pulsate, her lungs pump air, her kidneys filter blood. On the other hand, her servant behind her, the muscular guy, is the one who clearly appears to the human eye to have suffered the most. His head is buried in layers of bandages. Not a single facial feature can be seen or could have been seen, that is. His eyes were destroyed and gouged out, his nose almost completely melted and his mouth was damaged beyond any hope of restoration or use. In addition to that, his entire face was covered in burns and scars. Only his ears were miraculously unscathed. Next to them, the Soldier with the dark skin was standing straight, her ukulele attached to her back. An oversized cloak was also hiding her whole body. The hoodie was partially allowing some of her face to be revealed. Eyes closed, she was smiling; like she always does. This smile was both soothing and ominous. It''s hiding something. Under the dark fabric was hiding a surprising sight. Most of her skin was melted away. Her bones overgrew and were now showing at the surface, forming white markings along her body. "DID YOU TAKE A GOOD LOOK?! ARE YOU SATISFIED NOW?!" "Please¡­ Stop¡­ Please..." Her assailant seemed to have a slight and brief moment of lucidity and sanity. He looked at the completely broken girl in front of him and was horrified by his actions. He quickly drew back his body, leaving a more suitable space between them. He brought his hand alongside his body, clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "I- I''m sorry. I- I never wanted to scare you, but¡­ it''s just¡­ It''s just that I can''t take it! You see us, don''t you? You know how much you''re suffering right now, don''t you? But that''s not even the point! We survived. But they all died. They''re all dead! "..." "They''re dead! And I can''t just let him get away with this! He needs to pay for what he did! Doc needs to pay! I don''t give a fuck about what you all think! Yall ain''t stopping me!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They finally allowed me to leave my bed. I''m healed now; at least that''s what the nurse told me. Those guys really fucked me up bad at the bar. If only they could have finished the job. I''m walking in the Lab''s hallways. I''ve been trying to follow the noises I was hearing from my medical room. I''m still pursuing them, those noises. They sound like screams or shouting of some sort. It''s been a while since I started my quest to find the core of this lousy happening. How far is it? Well, more like, how far can I hear? I have been walking for a while now, chasing those noises, but I didn''t find them yet. From how far did my ears catch up on them? But now, they are close. Right after this corner, I think. Just have to make that turn and I think I wi- Urgh! Wha- I just bumped into someone turning the same corner. Who is i- Holy shit! He''s alive?! My arms instinctively protected me by shielding me from a punch. My fear made me look away and close my eyes, prepared to take a hit. ¡­ Nothing. What is up with him? It was that guy. Yeah, I''m sure of it. I only briefly saw the right side of his face, but I recognized him immediately. He''s the drunk bastard who always wants to pick a fight. I was sure he was going to attack me. I mean, I bumped into him and he assaulted me before for less than that. But no, nothing. I slowly and uncertainly opened one of my eyelids to see what was going on. I looked through my forearms still in my face, and saw that he was already far ahead in the hallway I was coming from. My body dropped its defense and I fully opened both my eyes. I saw the blond girl passing next to me. She looked totally healthy. She looks sad though. She definitely was crying before, it''s easy to see. What happened? I''m looking at them walking away, still shocked by the fact they survived that day. But then a strange sound was coming from around the corner. I wasn''t able to tell what the noise was until I saw them. It was the sound of the wheelchair rolling around. But- But they look... "Hmm- ehh- Wha- What happ- You''re alive too? But- But you all look terrible." "Oooohhh! It''s the ballsy boy! Hey there~!" For someone to call me like that, it has to be her. I couldn''t tell right away; she was hiding under a huge cloak. The other girl really is in bad condition. I wonder why the nurses even let her out like that. The big guy doesn''t look good either. His face... "What happened to your face?" Maybe it was rude to ask that right off the bat, but I couldn''t help myself. "Sorry. We''re in a hurry! See you around!" Just like that, they rushed past me. They are trying to keep up with the other in front. My curiosity is burning. I need to talk to them. "Hey stop! Wait for me!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "HEY!! COME OUT HERE YOU OLD BASTARD!!!" How didn''t I notice before? It''s true that I only briefly saw the right side of his face. But seeing his small mutilated figure like that, alone in the middle of the gigantic Coliseum, he really looks pitiful. He took off his shirt, showing bandages wrapped around his upper body. It''s enveloping what''s left of his left shoulder, circling around his chest and upper back, attached to the other side, on his ribs, under his right arm. It reflects those strapped around his head, covering his left eye. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. He''s shouting like a madman, throwing his arm around, circling on himself, addressing the empty seats, and yelling at the vacant stage surrounding him. Who is he talking to? As for us, we''re all standing in the doorway of the back door. "I KNOW YOU''RE HEARING ME! STEP OUT OF YOUR HIDING SPOT AND COME FACE ME YOU COWARD! YOU MURDERER!!" A little while after he started his ruckus, silhouettes entered the Coliseum from the entrance door. Our group also started to draw closer to him. The blonde moved before anyone else, and we instinctively followed her lead. "Hey, punk! It''s been a while! I''m here to settle the score with your stupid ass!" Oh. Those are the men in suits. That big man probably wants to pay him back for the lucky punch he landed on him. The other agent caught up to him. He put his hand on his partner''s shoulder, getting him to turn his head to look at him. "Calm down. We were ordered to avoid contact with the target. Plus, you won''t be able to land a hit on him anymore. You''re out of his league now. He''s changed." "Hun?" He didn''t seem to understand what he was telling him. I didn''t either. The tall agent turned back his eyes to the shirtless guy. I took a good close look at him too. That''s when I understood what he was saying. What is that? Wait no. I know what that is. I saw that before. Yeah. The Soldiers, back at the bar. They had that too. That.. that aura. He''s glowing green. Is it really there? Am I the only one seeing it? No. I looked around me, to see the faces of them around. It''s clear. They are seeing it too. We all stopped walking. We''re all behind the bandaged man. But.. The suited man doesn''t seem to see it. "What are you saying? Stop fucking with me! Look at this idiot! We both know I can easily kick his ass!" "NO!! We don''t know what he''s capable of!" "Come on, now! Give me a fucking break here." The angry man slipped his shoulder off his comrade''s grip and started to move towards his enemy. "Get lost, you fat fuck! I don''t have time to waste on you! I''m looking for your boss, why don''t you bring him in for me, hun?" "Grrr-.. You little piece of shit! I will fucki-" "I hear you have business with me, young man, is that it?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everyone turned and brought their attention to the front door. Doc made his entrance, accompanied by a group of nurses. The old scientist''s entrance had a whole different effect on the young man. The blonde woman was already on him. She was facing him, trying to calm him down. "Please! I beg you! Calm down. Please. Do it for me." The drunkard was raging like insane, but he was completely locked in place; veins throbbing in his neck. He wasn''t moving, not running towards Doc, like everyone was expecting him to do. No. He was staying in place, not trying to attack. He was doing it for her. "YOU OLD FUCKING BASTARD! YOU MURDERER! YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU''VE DONE!" "If I''m here, young Soldier, it is not because of you. I''m here for the girl. She escaped her medical room. She shouldn''t be out here. I''m worried about her health. I care about her." "DON''T IGNORE ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU''VE DONE! THEY''RE DEAD! THEY''RE ALL DEAD! YOU KILLED THEM! YOU SLAUGHTERED THEM! DON''T YOU CARE ABOUT THEM TOO, HUN? DON''T YOU CARE ABOUT THEIR LIVES? DON''T YOU FEEL SORRY FOR THEM?" For the first time, Doc looked menacing. As some nurses ran towards the Soldiers, in the direction of the ill girl, Doc was slowly marching toward the lousy threat. "Listen here, Soldier. I regret nothing. I did what needed to be done. Call it murder if that makes you feel better, if you feel that gives you a reason to hate me. Go ahead. But I call it progress. Those Soldiers gave their lives for the Foundation, for the Lab. They died an honorable death, serving an honorable cause. They should be proud. I am proud. And you should be proud too. You should be willing to offer your life as they did. This is your job. Now, I order every Soldier here to head back to their dorm immediately. The girl will be brought back to the medical quarters. As for you, young Soldier, I am your leader. You have no right to speak to me in such ways. Know your place, Outsider. You''ll be punished with proper treatment for your actions. I will personally make sure of it, believe me. That is all. Dismissed." "Fuck no. They died because they had no choice, not because they wanted to serve the Foundation or whatever. That''s bullshit! You killed them all. You need to pay for this!" It was too much for him now. Even if he was able to cool himself, for his friend''s sake, it was too much now. He couldn''t do it anymore. His anger and hastiness took over. He has a big heart, even though he''s trying to show anyone he''s just a drunken prick. He is a kind person. He cared for all those young Soldiers who died prematurely. That''s who he truly is. If he sees in you that you are a good person, he will give his life for you without a second thought. Thanks to his tender personality, even if his subconscious hatred took over, he was able to be gentle and caring to his surroundings. Without knowing it, he calmly put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed aside the girl who was blocking him. The physical contact only lasted a few seconds, but she went through something she never experienced before. She could feel his energy, his aura. It was pure. Filled with unconditional love. A neutral love. Not tainted by any emotion. An emotion that was both objective and unbreakable. She could feel he deeply cared about her, for reasons she ignored. But what shocked her was that she could sense it was the same thing for him. He doesn''t understand where that love comes from either. But all this was only a small part of him. He was starting to pick up the pace, charging towards Doc. "Don''t take any more steps, Soldier. The current situation will become more troublesome than you were anticipating if you do." The young soldier paused his assault and stopped marching. "Are you threatening me, old man? Are you trying to say you gonna kill me?" "Those are not threats, son." "Hun? Do you think I care if you kill me? I don''t give a damn about my own death. I just need to make sure I can avenge those innocent Soldiers before that happens." "Oh, don''t worry, kid. I know that. That''s why I wasn''t planning to kill you." Doc took his right hand out of his pocket. He stretched his arm before him and put his fingers in a gun shape. He was aiming at one of the nurses behind him. "What the fuck are you doing? What''s that sign mean? You''re bluff is easy to see through, old man! Have you grown senile?" He didn''t even mean to. Really. It just happened. He took a small step forward. He wasn''t even aware of it until it happened. He looked at his foot, confusion and terror slowly sinking in, overtaking him. His unshakable guts, his unrivalled determination and his invincible will were also parts of him. He would never give up until he succeeded in fulfilling his desire. That also goes for his sense of vengeance for those poor young warriors, killed in a horrible gore scenery and painful final moment. His will made him take that step. But this determination will now have its consequences. When he looked back up at Doc with his worried expression, the old man was smirking. "You made your choice. Truly shameful." Doc made a detonation noise with his mouth, while he lifted and tilted his index towards him, mimicking a recoil. At this exact time, the nurse the scientist was aiming at got her skull pierced all the way through by a bullet. Her head busted open on both the entrance and the exit of the projectile route. Pieces of brain and tissues sprayed across the floor. Blood splattered onto the nurse''s surroundings, including her patient, and her two other friends, who were now all frozen with shock. She crumpled to the ground and blood began slowly seeping from her head, creating a large puddle at the feet of the young Soldiers. There was no screaming, not even a single noise. It was completely silent. Everyone was frozen in place, paralyzed by the horrific event. "Now that you''ve witnessed what I''m capable of, you probably understand that I''m not bluffing. I''m guessing now you would be more likely to listen to me, don''t you son? I knew menacing to kill you wouldn''t do the trick. You''re trying to act tough, but you always care about others. Well now, what will you do, young man? If you still want to attack me, go ahead. But I''ll be taking her life." Doc positioned his hand in the same position. He swiftly moved his whole arm to point to the blond girl, his index now directly looking at her forehead. The blond girl was crying. When she saw Doc''s deadly weapon setting her head as the target, she let out a horrified gasp. No one was moving. No one was saying anything. They were all confused, and scared. No one understood what just happened. Only one person reacted. The one with his head wrapped around with medical bandages. He slightly turned his head to his right and slightly lifted his chin. His face was now pointing at the top of the Coliseum, at the highest row of seats. He couldn''t see. But his attention was drawn towards that one spot. No one around him was looking towards this side of the stadium. No one saw the strange silhouette in the shadow, all the way up there, far far away. He was lying down. The young man was crying. A river of tears was flowing out of his only eye. Droplets were falling on the floor, in front of his feet. He was crying, but sadness wasn''t what was driving him at the moment. His anger and hatred were immeasurable. He was grinning his teeth aggressively, tightening and clinging his fist. All these emotions merged with his aura. The peak of ferocious feeling morphed the shroud of energy surrounding him. The smooth emerald cloud was now filled with sharp spikes. These auras are not visible. People, those inflicted by the shot, were not really seeing them. They were just sensing them. But their minds were forming a mental image of these strange phenomenons, helping them envision what they were feeling and sensing. These shrouds of aura aren''t real nor are they material. They were scenery made up by the minds of those who were able to sense them. Those are images created by their imagination, by their natural human need to try to understand something they don''t. All this energy drew a draft of wind around him. The floor under him cracked and sunken, creating a small crater. The man was looking directly into the murderer''s eyes. "You will pay for everything you''ve done. I will personally make sure of it, believe me. I swear this on my life. I will kill you." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I''m really sorry for questioning you Sir, but what was all that about?" Doc, James and Adam were alone in a room. Adam was confused about the reasoning behind this act, this event. Doc stood up in front of both his underlings, who were standing straight and steadily next to each other, as the good servicemen that they were. "Adam. Your innocence and naivety are really pure. Hmm. What was all that about? James, can you please close your eyes and your ears for me? Make sure you can''t see me nor hear what I say." "Yes Sir!" The squared man closed his eyelids with an unnecessary and exaggerated strength. He then brought both his palms to cover his ears. "Adam. I need you to listen carefully to my explanation and watch closely what I am about to show you." "Yes Sir!" The old scientist took his hands off his jacket''s pockets. He reached for the lowest button on his jacket. He used his left hand to rip it out of the fabric. He carefully put it in the palm of his right hand. He stretched both his arms in front of him, palm open, facing the ceiling. "Sleight of hand. A technique used by our ancestors. This knowledge was extremely famous for the artists of the same craftsmanship. It was the basis for anyone wanting to practice this art. But, it was unknown to the public eye. It is both fairly easy to learn and extremely useful. Look carefully, son." The old man took the button resting in his right palm with his index, major and thumb of his left hand. With his right hand, he precisely and slowly lifted his sleeves, indicating to his spectator that he wasn''t hiding anything in them. He bent his arm towards him, placing his hands in front of his chest. The left hand holding onto the button and the right hand is open, palm facing Adam. "Now, I''m gonna fake the movement of grabbing the button with my right hand and I''m going to slowly cover the button with my right hand. As I do so, I''m going to act like I''m grabbing it. At this exact moment, I will drop the button in my left palm and hold on to it. See? So I''m trying to make you believe I caught it in my right hand but in reality, it''s still in my left hand. Understand?" "I- I do." "Tell your friend we are done now." Adam put his hand on his partner''s shoulder, and slightly shook him. James opened his eyes and turned to look at Adam. The latter nodded, confirming to his friend that he could free his ears. James did so and looked at Doc. "Ok, you two. I will show you something. I will make this button disappear. Do you believe me?" "Disappear? No, there''s no way Doc! That''s too crazy!" James was skeptical, but he was also excited. "Watch closely." The old man proceeded with the same trick as earlier, but this time, he was putting on a show, he was selling his trick. He grabbed the button in his right hand and closed his hand. He gently blew on his fist and shook it gently. He slowly started to open his hand, building up suspense. James took a step forward. He was leaning, eyes and mouth wide open. He was at the climax of his excitement. When the scientist fully opened his hand, the button disappeared, like he said it would. "Holy shit! No fucking way!! Woah! It really disappeared! You did it Doc! You really did it!" James was wrapped in wonder. He had never seen anything so magical before. Next to him, his coworker had a totally different reaction. He was a bit confused. He doesn''t understand why Doc is doing all that. "James, you are dismissed." "Yes Sir!" As the amazed child was leaving the room, he was whispering to himself. "Holy crap! Doc is so cool! How did he do it? That''s insane!" "Doc, I- I''m not sure to understand why you are showing me all this." "Hahaha, Adam. It''s easy. Why did each of you have a different reaction? You have both witnessed the same thing didn''t you?" "Eh, well. I mean, you did tell me about it beforehand." "Knowledge. The key is knowledge. Back then, at the Coliseum, what expression did those kids have?" "Well, they hmm... They looked confused, and scared?" You just fucking murdered a nurse in front of them, what did you expect? "Exactly. Confusion. Why were they confused? Knowledge. They were lacking knowledge. From our standpoint, what happened was totally clear. A sniper was positioned at the top of the Coliseum and sniped that woman. Lying on the floor, in a dark cloak, silencer on his gun, no one knew he was there. No sound. Easy. But that''s not the point. They don''t even know of the existence of guns. They don''t know about the existence of firepower itself. If they did, even if they didn''t see the shooter, they could have figured out it was a gun who shot that woman. But they don''t know about guns. They lack knowledge. That''s why they were confused. That''s why James didn''t understand my trick either. This principle is quite primitive actually." Adam now understood Doc''s method. And he was frightened by it. "I asked James to leave so I could say what I''m about to tell you, with only you listening. I trust you, Adam. I really do. I have faith in you, no wonder I chose you as my right-hand man. You see, I''m vulnerable. I am weak. Anyone in the Foundation could easily defeat me or kill me. Anyone who wants to take on me can deal with me easily. But if I play my cards right, I can be the most powerful man to have ever lived. You see, on a stage, behind the curtains, I am no one. I am nothing. I am powerless. But before the curtains open, I can put on whatever mask suits me. So when I go on stage with my mask on, in their eyes, I am the strongest and scariest living being they have ever seen." Champion "This is all so messed up!" He is right. Even though he''s sunken into a faithful drunken state, nobody here will argue with him on that. We are all sitting at the bar counter, but the girl in the wheelchair is missing. From what I could grasp from earlier, she wasn''t supposed to get out of her hospital bed. I mean, it sounds pretty fair. She was looking awful; she seemed to be in terrible shape. The bartender is new. They probably switched the last guy. He has been busy serving the loud guy all night. Drink after drink after drink after drink. Nothing seems to fill his thirst. No. He just doesn''t want to be filled. He can''t let himself. I don''t even know why I am here, actually. After that scene in the Coliseum, everyone was shocked. And it seems their natural reaction was to go directly here, in this stinky bar. For some reasons I genuinely ignore, I tagged along. I don''t know why, but it felt like that''s what I needed to do. Everyone has been pretty quiet all this time, with the sole exception of that dude. It is crazy though. I''m sitting at the end of the counter and I can clearly see him. What a pitiful sight. Amputated. All wrapped up. Completely given up to alcohol. The others don''t seem fine themself, even if they are not as easy to read as this simple-minded moron. The blond girl looks broken. Her eyes are red from all that crying. She stopped crying a while ago, though. But I think it''s only because she has nothing left. She''s completely dry. I think she would start crying if she had any tears in the bank. She''s shaking too. A lot. But it seems she''s trying not to. As if she wants to show to the others and take the lead, show them the example, show them that they need to be strong. That everything is fine. Everything is not fine. Nothing is fine. "No shit. You think we didn''t notice or something you idiot." That was her response to what he said. She is right. Everyone here realizes how fucked up the situation is. That whole shit is a mess. What even was that? What did Doc do to that nurse? Part of her head just blew up when he pointed at her, and then her body collapsed. I''ve never seen anything like this. Well, from what my memory can tell me. But it seems none of these guys ever saw something like that either. That''s also the reason they''re here. That I''m here. The horror of what we have witnessed plays a major role, obviously. But the confusion is also part of the play. Nobody understands what happened. That alone amplifies the fact why we are so frightened. I mean look at her. The dense smiley girl. It''s hard to see because her dark body is covered under a large cloak. But some traits of her face are showing from under that hood. Her eyes and her smile. I could see them clearly. She still wears that smile on her face. It keeps giving me shivers. That smile holds a weight nobody could possibly even dare try to understand. But also, her eyes. There is nothing in there. They have completely sunk deep into despair. She used to have beautiful and enchanting purple eyes. But now, they''re gone. They''re lifeless. What we have witnessed was horrifying; it affected them all. She''s no exception. As for me. I''m okay. I wish I wasn''t, though. It would have been appropriate to cry the death of that nurse. It would have been appropriate to be scared. I''m not. I''m more like the other guy. The big guy. I''m just assuming he is also affected by all that. I can only speculate, because he doesn''t react whatsoever, from what I can see. His face is all covered by bandages, so I can''t see what kind of expression he''s wearing. But he''s not shaking. He''s not having any strong physical reaction. On the surface, he looks calm. I mean, my judgment is also based on our previous encounters. He was always quiet. Relaxed and collected. But I''m pretty sure that it''s a safe assumption to make. He''s scared. I don''t know how long we''ve been hanging in that bar. A few Soldiers have been passing by for some drinks. I can''t help but feel out of place here. I don''t belong with them. I haven''t said a word yet. And I don''t think they were expecting me to, or even care at all. It''s already a miracle the amputee hasn''t put on an act yet. It''s as though he doesn''t even notice I''m here. All I have been doing is thinking. That''s all I''m good at. Well, that''s the only thing I can do. So I''m pretty much good at it by default. I have been replaying the scene in my head. All I know is that Doc possesses a dangerously lethal power. But still, how? How is that even possible? That has to be magical or something. That''s ridiculous. Hmm. Not really. I have seen something else magical already. That aura. Those Soldiers in the bar rumble. The noisy guy back in the Coliseum; they possess it. Maybe this is what Doc used or something? No. He wasn''t covered by that thick cloud. What is it then? How was the alcoholic able to have it? I haven''t confirmed it yet, but am I the only person that can see those auras? Maybe I''m just imagining it. No, I don''t think so. It looked like they saw it too. But, maybe they really didn''t see it? Maybe I''m seeing things other people don''t see? I''m just- I have so many questions. They keep coming. My curiosity is too strong. "Did you see it too?" ¡­ I said it. Out of nowhere. It just came out. Now they all turned their heads and they were staring at me. I don''t blame them. I shouldn''t have asked. I didn''t even want to. It was crude of me. Not that it changes anything. I don''t care about what they think about me. But I have to say, I would really appreciate it if I could avoid a clash with the punk. They stared at him for a bit. They looked surprised he didn''t say anything. They all turned their heads back like they were before. Silence. I also turned my head. I wasn''t expecting an answer anyway. "Yes. We all did. I even felt it myself." The blond just answered me. While being covered by this shroud, he touched her, back then. So that means, from what she is saying, not only can we perceive it, we can feel it? "What is it?" I just broke the ice, I''m not gonna stop there. I will use them to get as much information as possible. Plus, they seem completely uninterested in picking a fight at the moment. Looks like they found a new enemy. "Beats me. I have no idea." She was completely unfazed. She was staring right in front of her, looking at nothing. "Well, you. Can''t you answer me? You had it." "Hey, dumbass. Do I look like the kind of guy that knows things?" He immediately engulfed the rest of his drink after answering me. He had his hand on his left eye, the eye covered with medical tapes. He looks in pain because of it. "Oh? So you''re friends with the ballsy creep now?!" "Shut up! I''ve just come to realize that a piece of shit like him ain''t worth my attention." There they are. Those charming purple eyes. She''s back now. Her playful self has returned. And she can do what she does best. "Shut up? That''s no way to talk to a cute girl like me you know! That''s not how you''re gonna make me fall for you!" "I- I''m not trying anything like that! Stop messing with me!" "Oh come on! Don''t give me that! Go on! Buy me a drink already! That''s what you are supposed to do when a cute lady sits at the counter next to you!" "I ain''t buying you shit! Pay for yourself!" "Hahahahaha!" She did it again. Now they are all smiling. Well, I can only assume the big guy is smiling too. Just like that, she lightens the mood. She took the weight of all their fear, sadness, and hatred floating in the air, all by herself. She''s now carrying all that on her shoulders. I''m looking at her. Eyes closed, smiling. She really is incredible. It''s almost scary. "Oh? It looks pretty lively today!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As he was saying so, the man took a stance, trying to look heroic and impressive. He was just waiting for everyone in the bar to turn around and look at him. He was waiting for that moment. His moment. As he planned, everyone in the bar turned around to look at the entrance. No exceptions. The few sitting at the tables, the young ones at the counter, the bartender. Everyone was now looking at him, just like he wanted. He was proud of himself. He was blushing a bit while trying to hold in all the excitement he had. He had a big dumb and naive smirk on his face. Thanks to his black scarf that was covering his lower face, no one could see that childish expression of his. He is a big man, really muscular. He was putting on an act with his exaggerated entrance and his pose. But he still is impressive; he really stands out. His flashy armor was also part of the reason why everyone was looking at him. It resembled traditional samurai garments. But, it was a very light and compact version. The shining red metal was reflecting the few amounts of light present in the bar. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The only thing that could possibly stand out more than this extravagant armor was the ridiculous amount of weapons on him. There were swords, batons, knives and all kinds of other weapons. Some were attached on his back, some in his bags, some hanging on his sides. From the public eye, it looks just like a cumbersome mess, nothing else. After a bit, the Soldiers sitting at the tables hurried to finish the drinks they had. They then left the place, passing next to the strange man standing in the doorway, throwing dreadful glances at him. Only the young ones and the bartender were still there. And there is a simple reason for it. The barman can''t leave his job. As for the others, it''s only because they don''t know the creature that just entered the room. That''s why the Soldiers left the room. They know too well who he is. Slash. Lieutenant. Not only that, he''s one of the best there is. He''s in the top 12 Lieutenants of the Foundation. Those are called the 12 Commanders. Ranked 4th, he earned the nickname: The Shogun. Having just recently joined the Foundation, the young Soldiers ignore who he is. They will soon get to know him. "Ha Ha Ha! Would you look at that? Looks like those lame people couldn''t handle my coolness! Oh? There are still kids left? Ha Ha Ha! Hey kids! Did you see my shiny armor?" Before this intriguing man, the drunkard, the blond young woman, the cloaked soldier, the blind man and the loner all reacted true to themselves. "So lame." "Poor man, he looks so sad." "Wooah!! Your armor is so sick!! I want one!" "..." "Who are you?" Those words struck him like arrows, each piercing his heart, one after the other. Lame? Sad? Who I am? They don''t even know who I am? However, he found someone he had been looking for his entire life: a die-hard fan. But.. but that girl really has taste!! "Hey, young lady! You like my armor, don''t you? Wanna touch it?" "Really? I can?" "Ha Ha Ha! Don''t be shy! Come please your heart" All her friends didn''t even realize she wasn''t on her stool anymore. In a flash, she was already drooling on her new role model''s flamboyant apparel. Her eyes were devouring the polished scarlet. She could see her big bright purple eyes reflecting on the armor. She was close enough for her breath to cover the metal in a warm mist. "Woooooooooah! So cooooool!" "Ha Ha Ha! You got some taste!" After a while of standing there and connecting with his new fan, Slash finally decided to take a seat at the bar, next to the drunker, with one goal in his mind. Winning the other kids'' fascination. "Ha Ha Ha! So, what are you kids up to?" "None of your business, go fuck off!" No one was surprised when the drunker said that, as he was waving at the barman to fill his glass for who knows how many times now. "Ha Ha Ha! Don''t give me that! Let me in your little fun!" In the heat of his extreme and over-the-top emotions, he cranked his arm and landed what was, in his mind, an amicable slap on the back of the mutilated youngster. But from the young Soldier''s perspective, it was a violent act that disturbed his personal space. He was already on the edge. He then responded with a totally natural response. The amputee firmly grabbed the glass that the barman was trying to fill. He then slid the glass on the counter intending to smash it on The Shogun''s head, making the barman spill the precious liquid in the bottle he was trying to serve. Such a waste of precious possessions. The man will make sure that the child will pay for his foolish actions. The drunkard executed this moment in a flash. But it only took this fraction of a second for his body to once again emanate this strange feeling, making the eyes of his friends perceive him as being covered in this aura. This strange feeling seemed to give him some sort of unpredicted boost. The speed at which the young Soldier was able to grab that glass and approach it to his new enemy''s face was petrifying. However, the attack didn''t connect. None of his friends understood what happened. The glass was a few millimetres away from the armored Soldier''s temple. They didn''t notice at first since the young man and his aura were positioned between them and Slash, blocking their view, hiding the warrior and his movements. But it was only a question of seconds before they saw it. A blade was resting on the now sweating neck of the drunk soldier. The pressure of the sharp steel against his skin made him understand that if he attacked, he would be dead. This blade was one of a lethally sharp katana. This strange and dense man they just met turned out to be more powerful and dangerous than they had anticipated. But they are still far from understanding how strong he really is. "Ha Ha Ha! Hey kid, you should think before acting!" After speaking those words, he took on a new expression. He dragged down the scarf that was hiding his lower face. Everyone could now see the confident smirk he was wearing. "Or else, you''re gonna end up picking fights you''re bound to lose.." That''s a line he practiced over and over. He came up with it one day and he was so proud of it, he knew he needed to use it. But that wasn''t just him putting on a show. He has enough strength to back up his words. He wasn''t cocky. No. He was just confident. But he was even underestimating himself. He is one of the 12 Commanders. That''s a huge feat in its own right. But he was also able to earn a place in the top five. He is a beast. And those children were about to see it. Right after he proudly spoke the phrase he was so fond of, the mood in the bar changed. To understand more what was going on, the brains of the young group of friends did it again. They helped them visualize the peculiar feeling they were sensing. They were able to perceive this phenomenon yet again. However. It was on a whole different scale. The Shogun''s body started to emanate this strange substance, that aura. It was now covering his entire body. It was colliding with the drunkard''s aura. Other than the heartless guy who got the chance to see different auras because of his fight in the bar, the others had only seen their mutilated friend''s aura. But now they are witnessing a completely different, yet similar occurrence. The drunkard''s aura is childish. It''s reckless. Even the witnesses can tell that much. It was even more obvious since it was next to the Commander''s shroud. It was polished. Silent. Yet, extremely horrendous and intimidating. It was clashing against the single-armed Soldier. No one knew why they were able to understand it. But anyone could tell by their auras that the young soldier was completely outmatched, he being the first to realize it. The Shogun drew his katana back and slid it in his sheath. The mutilated kid put the glass on the counter. "Ha Ha Ha! Smart choice, kid!" "Shut up! Leave me alone." "Ha Ha Ha! Come on, man! I just arrived! Don''t give me that!" "Hey, you stupid! Don''t be rude towards my sensei!" It looks like, just by seeing his eccentric entrance, it was enough for the young girl under the cloak to fully acknowledge him as someone to look up to. "Ha Ha Ha! That''s what I''m talking about!" "How do you do it?" "..." Everyone was caught off guard. Even the speaker himself. His curiosity was once again stronger than him. He should be used to it by now. "You know, the aura thing. How do you do it?" "Ha Ha Ha! Aura? Are you talking about the Funny Bubble Emotion Energy Thingy Cloud Stuff?" "So lame." "Such a lack of vocabulary, he''s so sad." "Woah?! You know about the Funny Bubble Emotion Energy Thingy Cloud Stuff?! Teach me about it, sensei!" "..." "Do you even know what you''re talking about yourself?" Guh-!! Once again, these ruthless teens had severed the heart of this man. His only reflex to survive was to reach for the only one supporting him. "Ha Ha Ha! Of course, I know about that! You might not know it, but I''m a big deal you know!" "Woah! Really!? You''re so cool sensei! Please teach me how to be as cool as you!" "Ha Ha Ha! We need more people like you! That''s my pupil for you!" Before anyone could say anything, the warrior and the smiley girl sat next to each other, and they were now cheering and smashing their pints together. The man completely forgot the question he was asked. "Hey. You haven''t answered me yet." "Ha Ha Ha! Is that right? Hmmm, well, I don''t really know. It''s not doing anything. I can also see it on other people, but I''m not even sure if it''s real in the first place." "I see." "But now that I look at you. Aren''t you that new kid? I heard you got a free ticket to join the Foundation! "How do you know about that?" "Ha Ha Ha! Don''t underestimate, kid! I told you I''m pretty big around here, I know a lot of things. Just like I know you got nowhere to sleep, isn''t that right?" "Hmm, yeah kinda." "Ha Ha Ha! You''re such a lucky kid! I was on my way to see an old friend of mine! Tag along! I''m sure he''ll have a place for you!" "Hmm, ok." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have left the bar and we''re walking outside the Lab. I''m used to this route now. The rocks, the old shelters, the dirty people. Always the same. I don''t know where this man is taking me. I don''t even know what he''s talking about. I''m not listening. He has been showing all his blades and weapons, with his childish, amazed and proud face. The path we are taking is familiar. It''s the same I''m taking whenever I go see the Blacksmith. Is there someone else living near him? No, I don''t think so. Does that mean¡­ Yes, that''s him. This Soldier''s friend is the Blacksmith. We''re almost on the porch now. The Soldier doesn''t know that the Blacksmith and I already know each other. But, does he truly believe the Blacksmith is going to let me stay here? Well, I guess we''ll see. I''m standing a bit behind the Soldier, who''s now knocking at the door. "Who''s here? I have no business with anybody. Piss off." The door remained closed. He was speaking through it. He had a similar reaction when he initially saw me. He is really precocious and aggressive towards strangers or people coming to his house. He must have his reasons. "Ha Ha Ha! Haven''t changed a bit even after all this time did you? You''re always so uncool, Forge!" "Wha-!! The only fella that still calls me that.." The door opened with a bang. The big man could now be seen by both of us. His eyes were wide open and sparkling. They were focusing on the friend he obviously hadn''t seen in a long time. He didn''t notice me. The Blacksmith and the Soldier rushed to hug each other. "Slash?! Da fuck ya doin'' here, bud? It''s so cool to see you!" "Ha Ha Ha! You missed me didn''t you, big guy? You probably had a hard time without me around, hun?" "Oh come on! Shut ya cocky mouth you idiot! You ain''t that important! Even though it''s really good to see ya safe boy.." "Ha Ha Ha! See? I knew you missed me! I can''t blame you! Who wouldn''t?" "Aight, enough of your foolin'' around. Now come on in, the girls will be happy to see y-" He finally noticed me. His expression of infinite joy collapsed just by looking at me. Now he''s getting out of the lousy man''s arms and he''s coming right at me. With that angry face, it''s almost scar- !! *Smack* !! Wha- What happened? He just slapped me in the face! What was that for? "I''m not too happy with ya, young man. Ya did something I told ya not to. Ya in danger kid. And I don''t like that." What is he talking about? Oh. Yeah, I''m stupid. I''m with Slash, he''s easily able to tell that I messed with the Foundation. Hmm, I get that he''s angry about it, but he has nothing to do with me. "I understand you warned me, but what I do is none of your business." "Go away. I don''t want ya near my house ever again. Now go. I don''t want to be obliged to force you outta here." "Ha Ha Ha! You guys know each other? Well, that will make things easier! Hey Forge, come on man, don''t do him like that! Plus, I have something to ask you!" Slash looked a bit uncomfortable. He was energetically moving his hands while talking, and he was sweating a bit too. "Ya can ask me about it whenever you want. But for now, I just need that kid to be far away from my daughters." "Ha Ha Ha! Well¡­ About that¡­" All the confidence he had before arriving here seems to be gone. He''s scratching the back of his head. He calmly and effectively positioned himself between me and the Blacksmith, He then gently put his hand on his shoulder and made a reassuring smile. Seeing them like that really put their shapes in perspective. That swordmaster is big. But next to the Blacksmith, he''s ridiculously small. The man is taller, larger and more muscular. He''s a beast in his own game. The armored man has been talking about this man as his friend. But friendship is not what I''m seeing here. The Blacksmith is clearly older than him. To me, it''s more like a father-and-son relationship. "Hey Dad, is everything oka-! Big Bro?!" The older daughter rushed through the door. "Ha Ha Ha! Look at you girl! All grown up and everything! Where''s your sister? She should be all big by now!" "She''s inside, but let''s not talk about her! Come on, I''ll show you how strong I am! I''m sure I can beat your ass now!" "Sweetie, language! And what were ya thinkin'' back then when you taught her how to wield a sword hun? She has been training all this time and begging me to make her a sword! Ya better take responsibility!" "Ha Ha Ha! Oops?" "Come on Big Bro, let''s do thi-" She gave me the same look she always does. She''s looking at me with disgust and hatred. As if I''m a monster or a murderer or something. "What is he doing here?" "Don''t worry sweetheart the kiddo was leavin''." Yeah. I totally get it now. They are like a big family. I don''t fit here. I didn''t want to be here at all. I will get going now. "Ha Ha Ha! Don''t be so lame! You gotta be cooler you know? Why don''t we all go inside and talk this through?" "Since when did ya get so composed ya cocky brat, it''s not like you. Sorry bud, I don''t need to talk. The kid is leavin''." The expression changed on the soldier''s face. He was dead serious. With his hand still on the Blacksmith''s shoulder, he walked past him towards the entrance door. He whispered something to him on his way, I couldn''t hear what he said. "This kid. You don''t understand. We need to talk." Caucus This all feels so wrong. I shouldn''t be here. I shouldn''t be doing that. I should be out on the run. Trying to find a Hollow, my only chance of escaping this hell, my salvation. But no. I''m stuck here, with that annoying little girl pulling on my leg, trying to get my attention. I''m just trying to reflect on my own, at the dining table, but she keeps trying to get me to play with her. Knowing how her older sister hates me, she would have made sure her little sister would have been far away from me. But she is not here. She told her "big bro", as she calls him, that she''ll be preparing their fight outside. It looks like she''s looking forward to being able to spar with him. I guess I can understand why. He looks like a formidable swordsman and a worthy opponent. I can tell just by looking at him. He has been talking with the Blacksmith further back in the living room. The man looks worried and conflicted. He made it pretty clear earlier: he doesn''t want me here. From what I can figure out, it''s probably because I''m implicated in the Foundation. He probably doesn''t want any trouble with them, that''s why he wants to keep me away. Away from his family, from his daughters. I can understand. I mean look at her. She''s so small and so pure. She''s just a child. If I wasn''t heartless she would probably get some awe from me. I still can''t believe it. She shouldn''t be out there. Not her. She''s just casually playing with her plush, smiling innocently. Dead. She could have died just now. A Hollow could have come out of nowhere. Destroyed the house, and killed the girl. It''s that easy. It''s that simple. It can happen anytime. Well, not that I truly care. She doesn''t matter to me. And that''s just the truth. But maybe the only involvement I have is reminiscent of my past little sister. Maybe my conscience still laches on her, somehow., even if I have no memory of her. Well, I don''t have to think about it anymore. I''m looking back at the men conversing. I can''t hear what they are saying. But it''s easy to understand what is the topic of the conversation. And I''m at the core of the issue. "Isn''t there any other option?" "If there was, I wouldn''t be talking to you right now." "Fair enough. But still I just.." "Look, Forge. We both know too well we can''t trust anyone else for this. Don''t worry, I swear in my life that nothing will happen to your family. My family. I''ll protect them." Oh. The Blacksmith turned to look at him. He stared for a bit before grunting and looking back at the warrior before him. "I understand. I trust ya." The men stood up. It seems they are done talking. It also looks like they have been able to find a consensus. Slash put his hand on Blacksmith''s shoulder and gently smiled at him. He is now walking towards me, but he''s not looking at me. He has his eyes on the little girl. He crouched and grabbed her from under her arms, and lifted her in the air. "Ha Ha Ha! You''re almost as tall as your sister now! Soon you''re gonna pass her!" She just laughed, carefree and simpleminded that she is. He put her back on her feet, and she immediately ran into the arms of her father. Slash is now looking at me. He has his famous dumb smile on his face. "Ha Ha Ha! Hey, kiddo! Looks like you''re gonna be able to stay here! The old man finally forfeited!" When he was finally right in front of me, he leaned forward. He closed his eyes and put a hand on my shoulder. He had the same stupid expression on his face, but he didn''t have the same mood. What is this feeling? His hand on my shoulder was unbearable. The weight it had was inconceivable. A good thing I was sitting, otherwise I don''t think I could''ve stood on my weak legs, pale in comparison to the pressure in his hand. I see. It''s that aura. He''s covered in it, it only took a brief instant for his body to be surrounded by it. I can feel it now. It''s incredible. I think I get it now, what he was saying back then. I''m not even sure if it''s real in the first place was it? Yeah. I understand now. It''s not like I''m feeling a physical cloud of aura touching me. I just, it''s like I can only feel it is there, not that it is there. I can feel the resolve. He is extremely serious. He''s also menacing. It''s asking me. No. Not even asking. It''s obliging me to listen to him and hear what he will say with extreme concentration. To take what he will tell me with the utmost seriousness. I''m looking at his face. He''s smiling, eyes closed. "If anything were to happen to those girls because of you, I''ll personally make sure you will never be able to hurt anyone else. Ever. Trust me." Before I knew it, I was drenched in sweat. My breath was breaking. The pressure he was releasing was crushing my lungs, burning my throat. Because of the pain, I was only able to let out a quick and short answer. "I understand." It''s not only because my lungs and my throat were in pain that I formulated such a short response. But because there was nothing more to say. That''s all I needed to say. All he needed to hear. All there was to it. He took off his intense, burdensome hand off of my shoulder and bent back to a straight posture. "Hey Big Bro! Come on now! Everything is ready!" Everybody here just suddenly brought their attention to the front door. The older sibling was standing in the frame. "Ha Ha Ha! Are you sure that you are ready? I don''t think you''ll be able to handle my new dope sick style!" "Oh shut up, stop spouting nonsense just to sound cool. Spoiler, it doesn''t sound cool. You sound stupid." "Ha Ha Ha! You''ll have a whole different speech when you witness all its coolness in person!" "Pfft, we''ll see. Just wait until you see my new tricks! I''ll kick your ass before you can realize what shit just happened!" The big man jumped at her and locked his strong muscles around her. She''s trying to get out of his hold, but- Yeah, that''s what I thought. She can''t. He started to rub his fist on the top of her head, making a mess of her hair. "Ow ow ow!" Even though she seems in pain from his technique, she looks happy. They look happy. They are laughing as they are getting out of the house. I wish I could. Laugh. I don''t know why, but I can''t. It''s like that for everything, actually. Smile. Cry. Hate. Love. Can''t feel anything. That''s why there''s no need for me to live. Because that''s not living. It''s just existing. Just being there. I can''t kill myself. I won''t die, because I''m not alive. That''s why I''m looking for a Hollow. It won''t kill me, it will just end me. End my pathetic and worthless existence. If I could do it myself, I would. But I already figured out I can''t. Exactly why I need someone else to do it. Something else. But, it seems it''ll take longer than expected. Hmm. I could just enter a tunnel and try to bump into a Hollow. That could work. Only if I''m lucky enough. Luck. I''m not sure it''s a good idea to bet on that. I might just wander without finding any. It''s not as effective and quick as I thought, but I think the Foundation route is the safest one. Well, I just have to wait for Doc''s next move. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "James, Adam, despite this year''s exceptional pool, we will proceed the same as usual. The Soldiers will undergo the same evaluations as the precedent years. "Yes Sir!" The two colleagues responded in harmony. They were standing in front of their superintendent, hand to the forehead, saluting him. "The Official Foundation''s First Round of Tests will begin tomorrow as planned. The preparations are almost completed. You get to choose who will help you on the terrain. You can pick the inferiors of your choice, it doesn''t matter. Just ensure they will be able to do the task at hand. Here''s the list of the evaluations." The old man played with his bracelet, using his digits to command the gear and share the necessary information with his men. "Everything on there needs to be under care by tomorrow. That is all. Proceed." "Yes Sir" The doctor''s underlings left his office. The slender member of the duet looked at his bracelet. He performed maneuvers until a hologram was projected before his eyes. "So, it''s just the old classics hun? 100-meter dash, reaction time, aerobic endurance, obstacle course, punching machine, pulling test and Blue''s test. Doc seems to be looking forward to this year''s cohort. I guess it''ll get interesting."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "So the tests are just like always? Why did Doc send me after the 12 Commanders then? They usually have nothing to do with this?" "Who knows? The old man is always scheming something. No one can possibly guess what''s going on in his head." "I know right? Doc is so smart, he''s so cool!" The taller of the two looked over his shoulder, to get his vision on his partner. His old friend. He has sparkles in his eyes. For him, Doc is a God. Someone to look up to, to worship, to venerate. He would never doubt anything his idol would say. James has no layer. He''s just an honest person to the core. The sight he had of his colleague deeply scared Adam. J. You''re so naive and simple-minded. You truly are an imbecile, aren''t you? "Hey, Adam! Wanna go grab a drink? Last time you beat me, but I won''t lose this time, believe me! Imma gobble down more than you!" "Sure. Let''s see if you''re just talk or not." An idiot for sure. You''re still a child, you haven''t grown up a bit. A dumbass, but a loveable one. How can one possibly hate you? But you''re too careless, J. You''re trusting anyone too easily. Doc is using that to his advantage. Be careful, I don''t want anything to happen to you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Can we just be done with it already? I don''t have time for this!" "Oh shut up, it''s not like you''re important enough to have something better to do!" "Stop it, you guys! I didn''t sign up just to hear you idiots whining!" "You dare call them idiots when you''re just as bright as them?" "My, my! Can''t we all just get along?" "I have no intention to get along with any of those idiots. I''m just here to do my job." "Oh? Since when did you become civilized enough to do something useful in your life?" "Ahhh.. Some things never change." "Any of y''all want to get down? Come on, fight me, you weaklings! You don''t deserve your titles and I''ll prove it right here right now!!" "CAN''T YOU ALL JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP?! "Psst! Hey! Come on say something!" "..." "Ha Ha Ha! Did you all miss me? I bet you did! How did you all survive without my coolness for so long?" Doc was standing in the hallway. He was looking at the circus of caged animals through the glass walls. He couldn''t help but smile before this show. A zookeeper watching over a bestial showdown. The 12 characters were all sitting around the same table. Glances and insults are being tossed around. Their personalities clashing against one another. Doc had his hand on the door handle, both dreading the moment and looking forward to it. A strange mixed feeling was tearing him from the inside. But his personal feelings didn''t matter. He knew this had to be done. This meeting could seem to be chaotic and futile at first. But its importance was immeasurable. Its conclusion holds the prosperity and future of the lab. This meeting holds the fate of humanity in its hands. Doc knew that. That''s why he called it in the first place. That''s why he was now more resolved, than anytime before, to enter the room. "Soldiers!" The old man walked around and sat at a desk, in front of which a "U" shaped table, of great dimension, was positioned. Through that war zone, 12 individuals were sitting next to each other. Doc was in front, of which the branches of the "U" were very slightly closing on both his sides. Making him the center of attention, positioned at the center of everyone''s vision field. After hearing the scientist''s words, they immediately stopped their ruckus and stood from their chairs. They all took a military attention stance and shouted the same response at the same time. "YES SIR!!" The old man was trying to keep down his pride and excitement. He failed miserably. He had a vicious smirk on his face. Nothing someone could hide. The soldiers in the room saw it and weren''t happy about it. But there was nothing they could do or say. Doc is powerful. That''s what they think. That''s what he is, but not for the reason they believe. The scientist has complete control over everything, including the 12 Commanders. That''s why he was showing a cocky and prideful expression. Soldiers. It''s all it took him to refrain their erratic actions and make them stand up. He''s resourceful and manipulative. That''s his power. "At ease, Soldiers. You can sit down and relax." They all followed his directions, but that''s because they were planning to do so in the first place. Not ordering them to sit wouldn''t have changed anything. They would have sat anyway. Doc knew that. That''s why he said it. So it could look like he controlled their actions yet again. The old man is childish in his own way. "Why did you call me, old man? What''s the job? Get over it already, imma be done in no time anyway." Ranked 12th. The Normie. Blue. "We would just be done so much faster if everybody would just stop talking." Ranked 11th. The Mad Scientist. Venom. "You''ve always been so fucking lame. We need some fucking action here!" Ranked 10th. The Junkie. Rowdy. "Every time you speak, it feels like my will to live just decreases." Ranked 9th. The Illusionist. Ace. "Hahaha, you''re always so funny! That''s my Ace for you!" Ranked 8th. The Torrent. Gale. "... I think you''re overreacting a bit..." Ranked 7th. The Necromancer. Wig. I hate it here Ranked 6th. The Keeper. Whiff. "Hey Whiff~ You know what they say right? The silent ones have the biggest dicks. What about you darling? Feel like letting me on that big secret of yours?" Ranked 5th. The Contortionist. Swift. "Ha Ha Ha! Don''t say such things, lady! You should train to learn the way of the blade instead! It''s way cooler!" Ranked 4th. The Shogun. Slash. "Oh. Poor Slash. I see you are still stuck on those rusty weapons. Muscles are a man''s best friend. I mean, look at those biceps!" Ranked 3rd. The Wall. Mohs. "I see none of you idiots have grown any brain cells since the last time. Truly shameful. You peasants disgust me." Ranked 2nd. The Father. Mob. "Lieutenants! Behave yourselves. You are staining the image of the Commanders in front of the man himself." Ranked 1st. The General. Bowie. "Quiet, quiet. I understand, I will keep this meeting short. But you shall all understand the length of this gathering will solely depend on your own behaviours." Once again, he only needed to speak a few words to put his Soldiers back in their places, his pawns under control. They are all Lieutenants. And they are the strongest 12. Their strength and power were beyond any other Lieutenants, let alone any other Soldiers. And yet, Doc has them playing right in the palm of his hand. The crowd quieted down after the old man''s intervention. They were now more docile. It was also in their best interest. They could leave earlier if they didn''t disturb the assembly. "Why did you gather all of us? It''s pretty rare. Some serious shit is probably going on." Ace spouted while having all her attention on her shining coin that had been running through her finger since she arrived. "Whatever, let''s just get out with it." Blue said as she was playing with her hair. "Don''t act like you have a better place to be. You''re useless. Everybody in this room knows you don''t deserve to have a seat here." Rowdie spat, trying to create some feud. "Enough. Shut it and take it outside later if you want. Stop wasting Doc''s time." Bowie ordered. He was at the top of the Commanders, and it was noticeable. The younger soldiers immediately listened and stopped their confrontation. "Thank you, Bowie. Your authority is always a blessing in those situations." Doc let out. "I''ll get straight to the point. I will be using the Trials this year. That''s why I called you." The old man continued with a serious tone, lacking in a smile. "T- The Trials?! In like... The Trials?!" Wig shyly stuttered. "Ha Ha Ha! And here I thought those were merely fairy tales!" Slash shouted, between two laughs, hands on his belly. "The Trials, hun? I never thought I''d live long enough to see the day. Wasn''t the last time Doc used that goes all the way back to them?" Mohs thought out loud. "Hmm, yes. Mob, I believe you were there back then if I am not mistaken." Bowie calmly stated, looking at the target of his remarks. "You are correct, Bowie. It seems you are the only person here doing your homework. As the oldest Commander here, I am indeed from the Lucky Year." Mob let out of his nostalgic grin. The Lucky Year... The most important year of The Foundation''s history. Whiff thought to himself. "Well, then. If The Trials were used for those of the Lucky Year... Does that mean this year''s recruits are something special?" Ace spoke out loud to let everyone on her reflexions. "Yes. I am in no way thinking of speaking the details to you. But for me to organize such events and go out to such extents, you are correct to assume so. This year cultivation was an overwhelming success. Those kids have infinite potential. It would be a shame and a sin to not exploit it. They can become The Foundation''s top weapons. And I will do everything to make this possibility a reality." The old man explained, making sure everyone understood the seriousness of the situation. "For Doc to say that. Those Recruits must be the real deal. Hahaha! I''m getting excited now!" Gale said with childish excitement. "Oh? Hehe! I wonder if there are any cute interesting and inexperienced boys and girls waiting for me..." Swift melodiously spoke as she was biting her finger. To say something like that out loud. Huh. You''ve changed so much. Blue thought to herself, with a concerned expression on her face. "Tsk! Those punks! If they believe they can surpass me. Imma beat them up real good! I won''t go easy on them!" Rowdy spewed after crushing the can, now empty of alcoholic beverages. "Sir! Please excuse their behaviour! Could you please explain to me and my idiotic peers what we need to do exactly?" Bowie firmly said with his heavy and dominating voice. "Hahaha! What would I do without you? Hmmm. Soldiers. Your mission is simple. The Trials won''t take place immediately. From the time being, you are more than welcome to come spectate this year''s First Round of Tests. Those will begin tomorrow. After tomorrow, the real preparations will begin. We will have another meeting when the time comes. If I gathered all of you here today, it was only to let you know the situation. But also, it is to make sure that you are all within The Lab''s grounds. As you may have figured out, you shall not leave the walls until I say so. That is all. You are all dismissed, except Blue. I have other matters to talk with you. End of the meeting." "YES SIR!" The 11 Lieutenants were leaving the room in a fuss. They couldn''t help but converse about what they heard. The room was now plunged into silence, as only a young woman and an old man were left behind. "I won''t hold you for too long, Blue. I just wanted to confirm with you that everything was ready for tomorrow''s test." "Yes Sir! I took care of everything, all my preparations are complete." "Good, good. That''s all I wanted with you. You are dismissed." The girl turned around and started to walk towards the door, but she stopped just before leaving. "Those kids are special, hun? Can I have permission to go all out tomorrow then?" Doc was still sitting at his desk, facing the girl''s back from across the room. His elbows were on the desk, his hands tied by his fingers crossing. His lower face is hiding behind them, covering a vicious and greedy grimace. "Permission granted¡­" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Tomorrow''s the day hun?" "Hmm.." "Yeah.." "..." Their dorm was completely dark and quiet. The four friends are lying awake in bed, unable to sleep. Tomorrow''s tests are making them a bit anxious. But also a bit excited. Every Soldier has been obliged to join The Foundation. In the majority of the cases, they don''t want to be here. They don''t want to fight Hollows. It''s forced on them. But it''s not always the case. Despite being obliged to become a Soldier, some have a resolve to fight. For some, it''s an opportunity. This is the case for this group of teenagers. They all secretly have a reason to risk their lives, that no one knows about. They all have personal reasons to keep on fighting. They all have their goal. And becoming stronger is an important step for everyone''s plan. Those tests will show them where they stand right now. Show them how weak they are. Because they all know it. They are weak. That''s why they will work to become more powerful. "I wonder how she''s doing¡­." She was hiding under her blankets, her gorgeous blue eyes were glowing in the dark. She was thinking about their other friend. The brunette was obliged to stay in check in a medical room, due to her health conditions, leaving the fifth bed of the room vacant. All four of them were thinking about her, worrying. They couldn''t help it. They all met four years ago when they were enrolled. Since their first day, they have spent all their time together. They were sleeping together in that very same dorm. They were eating together. Training together. Sweating together. Crying together. Suffering together. For four years. Going through such rough training and tough events really has a whole different effect. It forges a bond stronger than any other friendship. Before they realized it, they all started to need each other. They wouldn''t leave each other''s side, unconsciously. They grew something beyond their understanding. They still don''t see how much they are good friends. Let alone imagine how much closer they would become with time. "She''s doing just fine. She''s stronger than that. We need to concentrate on the tests. That''s what she would want us to do." Even within the darkness, her smile and beautiful violet eyes were able to live. Even through her doubts and her concerns for someone else, her smile was lasting, easing everyone''s mind. They were now all thinking of the day ahead of them. They didn''t know what to expect. It was kept hidden from them. But they all knew one thing for sure. They need to give it their all. "Y''all better not humiliate me tomorrow! Y''all better ace the tests and beat everyone''s ass!" The young man said as he clung his only fist under the blankets. "Oh shut up! The only person who will humiliate us is your drunk ass! You better not do anything stupid!" The blond spoke, a big smile on her face. They all started laughing, except for the one with his face covered. They were all in bed. Lying on their back, facing the ceiling, more determined than ever. In this dark room, right here right now, they all thought of the same thing. I need to become stronger!