《The Embodiment of Insanity》 Chapter 1: The Beginning of a New Tragedy Chapter 1: The Beginning of a New Tragedy Date, December 14, 4182. At the capital of the Noxus Empire. It was nighttime and most of the shops and stalls had already closed, only a single book store remained open as the dazzling and warmth orange colour of the lights shone brightly through the cold and dim surrounding. Inside of the building, a child with a rugged appearance and a man with shaved head and brown beard could be seen sitting on a rectangular table together. The child was a young girl who looked about the age of seven and she held a book larger than her thin body, with long brown hair and amber eyes. "History of Caesar" was the title of the book and she held it with sparkling eyes filled with glimmers of light. "Mister, is it really true that Caesar fought a dragon and beat it with his bare hands as he pulled out its ginormous tooth?!" The child exclaimed, her voice filled with doubt yet in awe. The old man laughed and rubbed the child''s messy brown hair as he said, "Kid, everything written in the history book section are real, and believe me or not, I have seen Caesar before back when he was still a young knight!" "Really? What was he like?" The child asked expectantly as she stared at him with wide eyes. "Hmm, let me see..." The old man rubbed his beard as he closed his eyes, seemingly trying to remember the past. "Ah, I remember now, he was just like you. Smart, kind, joyful, and a talented kid." The child widened her eyes before she asked with a wide grin, "Really?! Then, does that mean I can be like him too in the future?" "Really. And I can say that you might even surpass him." The old man said with a grin. The girl smiled with her little fangs out in return. "When I grow up, I wanna be just like him who can liberate his home and shine light in the darkness!" The old man laughed as he looked at the girl who was staring intently at the book she borrowed from him, her smile brighter than the sun as the expectation in her eyes too was strong. ''How futile that she had to grow up in the slums and suffer abuse from her parents, haa alas I cannot do anything about it.'' Just as the old man heaved a sigh, the sound of many hurried footsteps were heard and as he turned his head towards the glass door, he saw many people wearing white and gold suits with masks and shotguns running towards all kinds of different directions, but even so, with cooperation. His brows knitted into a furrow and immediately he stood up before turning the sign backward and blocking the sight with curtains. "What''s wrong mister?" The child asked worriedly but the old man just shook his head and forced a smile, "It''s nothing, it just seems that there is a commotion happening outside currently." The child tilted her head in puzzlement, but the old man didn''t explained any further and just said, "You should go back now, you can return the book back to me in Monday." "Okay!" The child agreed happily and getting off the chair she was led towards the back door towards the outskirts of the city, towards the slums, her home. As the child stepped foot outside, the old man spoke, his voice laced with worry. "You should be careful, especially that you are-" but before he could even finish his sentence, the child interrupted with a smile, "I know, but I am used to getting hurt mister, and I can survive in the slums, so, you don''t have to worry!" The old man''s eyes widened slightly but the child did not noticed this and just turned around, dashing away as she waved her hand and said, "See you on Monday mister!" The old man stared at the fading back of the girl, his eyes narrowing with sorrow as he recalled the voice of another young girl in his head, saying "Papa! Read me another bed time story will ya?!" Tears unknowingly welled up in his eyes as he called out softly, "My daughter, she is just so much like you. If only you were still alive today you would''ve probably treated her as your younger sibling." **** In the slums where the surroundings were pure ashen coloured and there was barely any light source, the girl ran on top of roofs to another as her bare feet were light and silent. Arriving at a large tree away from the houses, she saw another girl with brown hair sitting below the tree. When their eyes met, they instantly ran towards each other. As they hugged, they then both sat underneath the tree on the exposed roots of it and started talking about the book she had just borrowed. "Wow! So, this Caesar guy is like- the same as a God?!"Her friend asked, obviously amazed yet doubtful. "Hmm, something like that?" She replied, also puzzled. As they both looked at each other, a laugh escaped from both of their lips. As they lay on the grass, they looked up at the starry sky and after a moment, she couldn''t help but say, "When I grow up, I want to become a hero."You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "A hero?" Her friend looked at her with a smirk, obviously not believing it. "I''m serious! I want to become a legend! Someone whose names are written in the history books!" She said with a serious face yet her eyes broke it as it is still shining brightly in the dark. "Okay, if you say so." Her friend said with a teasing grin. "You-!" Obviously angered, she tried to catch her friend and tickle her, but the latter seemed to have already seen through her actions and stood up first before running. As they chased each other, the sound of laughter gradually suffused in the busy night of winter. **** Slap! "What do you think you are doing, huh?! You worthless child! After all we''ve done, after how we gave you food, clothes, and shelter, you still have the urge to disobey my orders and go to the city where you can get caught for trespassing just to borrow a piece of paper?!"The sound of a woman with a hoarse voice said, her hair was dyed red as her eyes were fiery amber. "That''s enough babe, you''ll get worked up to death over a worthless child, think about it. Just lock her in her room and don''t feed her for three days so that she will learn her lesson." A man sitting on a kitchen chair said, with brown hair and mustache and dark bags underneath his eyes. "And who do you think is at fault why I would work myself to death, huh?!" The woman said as she grabbed the girl''s hair and said with a growl, "Listen, if you dare disobey my words again, I''ll break your legs so that you wouldn''t be able to see the light of the day ever again, understood?" The girl cried but held back from making a sound as she knew that it would only irritate her mother even more. Covering her mouth with both of her hands, she nodded with red eyes. -- Thud! As the girl was thrown on the rough ground inside her room, her mother clicked her tongue in annoyance and said, "Tsk, you should always remember that the only reason we are keeping you is because you still have some worth once we sell you to the slave traders." "And remember this too, stay away from that friend of yours, her parents have a lot of debt." Then, she closed the door with a loud ''Bang!'' before the sound of it being locked echoed. The girl cried in a muffled voice, holding the side of her face which was slapped before she opened the window silently and ran outside secretly. Then, she arrives at the place where she and her friend met, whereas she saw the latter looking at her with shock. The girl stopped running and just stood there, without any sound. Her friend stood up from underneath the tree and rushed towards her, asking what happened before she finally burst out crying. -- "Let''s make a promise, shall we?" "When we grow up together, we will become legends whose names are written in the history books! Okay?" Her friend said, and the girl wiped away her tears as she replied with a smile too, "Okay." "Pinky promise?" "Pinky promise." **** Swoosh! The girl stood before a river, her face blank as she looked below with empty eyes. Her friend was covered in blood, her eyes open but lifeless. The girl opened her lips and closed before biting it as she started to find her breathing difficult, memories of just yesterday flashed in her head, when her friend comforted her and- when they made a promise to each other. Suddenly, she opened her eyes abruptly along with a faint gasp as she heard whispers from all around her. "Poor child, I heard that she was sold off by her parents, and now she ended up like this." "Really? To whom did they sold her and why?" "Don''t you know? Her parents has a lot of debt to the loan sharks and I saw her being pulled away by them just this afternoon!" "What a pity." Just as the girl looked around with horror in her eyes, laced with sorrow and puzzlement, a hand grasped her wrist before she was pulled away. -- Thud! "Ughk!" The girl held the hands that were strangling her neck tightly as she tried struggling to break free from it. "You brat! I told you to stay away from that girl! How dare you disobey me again?!" Her mother yelled on top of her lungs as she glared at her with deep hatred. "Ugh! Mom!" The girl tried to plead but her mother instead became even more furious. "Do not call me that! I am not your mother and will never will be!" Feeling the grip on her neck tightening, the girl felt deep fear for the first time, it was as if she was facing death right now. Just as she closed her eyes in pain, she caught a glimpse of a sharp object right beside her on the sink where she was being strangled. She did not know where she got the strength, but she unknowingly grabbed the kitchen knife, and before anyone knew it, she pierced it on the side of her mother''s neck. "Ah...ah..." Her mother looked at her with stunned eyes filled with horror and the grasp on her neck slowly loosened before her mother fell to the ground with a ''Thud!''. The girl who finally broke free panted heavily, trying to catch her breath as she held her neck. After coughing, she tilted her head trembling with fear as she looked at her fallen mother on the ground with wide horrified eyes. Crack! Suddenly, shattered glasses resounded in the room, startling the girl as she looked to the other side where she saw her father standing before a pile of broken pieces of glass, staring at his wife who was dead on the ground. "Babe...?" He rushed towards her without knowing it and picked up her lifeless body. Then, hatred filled his eyes as he looked towards his daughter. "You-! You did it, didn''t you?!" Thump! Thump! As her heart pounded fast and as her father stood up and started walking towards her with heavy footsteps, she couldn''t help but ran past her father, trying to go to her room but before she could even open the door, it was held by her father and she could only helplessly walk backwards until she bumped into a shelf. "Haa, haa...you devil! You killed my wife!" Her father shouted and tried to grab her but the girl ducked and as they swapped position, the girl pushed her father, causing for him to stumble and hit the shelf. Unbeknownst to both of them, the vase on top of the shelf started to spin before it fell directly on top of her father''s head. "Urgh!" Her father groaned as his head instantly started bleeding. His vision begun to blur and as he reached out his hand, he stumbled once again and fell backwards towards the shelf. Then, the sound of an ominous creaking sounded and as they both looked behind him, the tall shelf just inches taller than him began to fall forward. Boom! The shelf fell as her father was buried underneath it, with only his head and arms out. The girl looked down at her father and she felt her breath clogged up in her throat. ''Did- did I killed him, too...?'' That was the thought that came to her and she hesitantly stepped forward to feel her father if he is still alive. As she placed her finger underneath his nose, she felt air and he was still breathing, but was faint. Thud! The girl fell on her butt as she covered her ears whilst tears started streaming down her eyes, her entire body trembling greatly. ''W- What should I do?'' ''If he wakes up, he will kill me, he will definitely kill me...!'' Involuntarily, she looked behind her and on her eyes reflected was the kitchen knife stuck on her mother''s neck. -- Tap, Tap, Tap As she walked towards her father, holding the kitchen knife with both her hands, she felt as if both of her legs were stuck to the ground, her hand felt numb and her breathing was heavy. As she stood in front of his father holding the knife, she positioned it to stab her father. Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! The girl stood there, her heartbeat so fast it was as if it would come out of her chest. "Ah, ah...!" "AHhhhhh!" She let out a shrill scream, but in the end, the kitchen knife paused mid-air before she fell to her knees and dropped the knife to her side as she started to cry once again. "I can''t, hic! I can''t, I can''t do it!" Just at that moment, the sound of someone whistling echoed throughout the entire house and she flinched. As she turned her head abruptly, she found that a group of strange people had unknowingly entered her house. There were five people wearing enforcers suit whilst two were clad in dark robes. And lastly, a person wearing an oxygen mask and a scientist robe stood before her mother''s corpse. "Tsk tsk, you can''t even kill your father, why? You''ve already killed your mother anyway so why can''t you do the same to him?" The scientist asked. "Is it perhaps he is special to you?" Hearing his last sentence the girl unconsciously retorted, "No! He is not important to me! Neither of them are-!" then she covered her mouth with both of her hands in fear, realizing what she had just said. Hearing her words, the scientist''s eyes widened slightly before he grinned and said, "Is that so?" "You, you brat...I''ll kill you, I''ll kill you I swear...!" Unknowingly, her father had regained consciousness and started speaking in a hoarse voice filled with hatred. The girl trembled once again in fear. The scientist watched all of this little detail before he smiled and said, "Kill him." In response to his order, the enforcers started to surround the girl''s father before they shot him in the head with his last words that he won''t let her have a good life no matter in which life they are, he will haunt her and give her hell. The girl still trembled in horror despite already having confirmed that her father is dead. Tap Tap Just then, a shadow engulfed her and she saw the scientist crouch before her before talking with a smile in his eyes, "Your parents sold you to me, do you know for how much?" "They sold you for only 2 coppers, that''s how much your worth is in their eyes." Hearing this, the girl widened her eyes. The scientist did not stopped, holding the girl''s chin he said, "Welcome to a new greater hell, 002." Chapter 2: Revelation Chapter 2: Revelation The little girl didn''t know what happened next, all she could recall was that after she was dragged by men in dark robes, she was injected with a strange purple liquid as she was tied to a medical chair. -- As she opened her eyes, she found that she was floating in green water as her mouth and nose were covered in a medical oxygen mask. Squinting her eyes she also noticed that countless of white tubes were connected to her body. That''s when she finally realized that she was inside a humanoid-sized capsule. ''What...?'' She was frightened at this realization and she struggled, trying to scream for help but no voice came out of her mouth. As she reached out her hand, it bumped into a translucent glass. There she finally saw two people wearing lab coats before her capsule. ''Help...'' The two scientist seemed to be talking to each other before one of them placed their hand on a lever in front of the capsule. Feeling something bad, she knocked on the glass with both of her hand and still stubbornly tried to scream, to let out a sound but alas failed. Then, as the lever was pushed up, reflected on her amber eyes were purple electricity that started to form from the lever before it dashed towards her capsule. Ziiiiiiiing! "AHhhhhhhhh!" An agonizing scream came out of her mouth as her body twitched and trembled from the excruciating pain. This lasted for about past 1 minute and when it was finally over as the lever was pulled back, the girl''s head dropped as her eyes began to close. ''It- hurts...'' Those were her final thoughts before her vision turned black and lost consciousness. **** "Hmm." Letting out a low groan, she stubbornly opened her heavy eyelids and found that she was inside a giant white room covered in soft pillow-like objects. "This...? Where am I?" She muttered but then froze when she realized that she could speak again. Then as she turned her head she saw railings, but the thing is- it was on the other side of the glass with little holes that was trapping her inside this room. Standing up, she staggered as she placed both of her hands before the glass and started knocking, "Hello? Is anyone there?" She said, alas no one answered. Just as she took a deep breath and tried to assert her situation, she heard the sound of faint crying and looked towards the right side of the wall. Hesitantly, she spoke up and said, "Hello? Are you on the other side of this wall?" The crying began to get louder and that''s when she confirmed that there was another child there.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! She did not know what to do, and could only comfort the other child. She leaned against the soft wall and started speaking in a loud yet gentle voice, "Hey, what''s your name?" No one answered for a while and just as she thought that she was not heard or was getting ignored, she heard the other child sniffed before speaking in a muffled voice. "059" The child replied. Not understanding what they meant, she asked again but still got the same response. Just as her brows knitted in puzzlement, as she moved her body something fell off to her side. As she looked down, she found a metal name plate, and written on it was ''002''. Suddenly, the voice of that ''man'' resounded in her ears. -Welcome to a new greater hell, 002. -Remember this, that is your name from now own, understood? Hearing this voice, she shook her head as she covered both her ears and closed her eyes. After taking in a deep breath, she looked down at the name plate again and picked it up. Caressing the engraved black numbers on it, she spoke in a soft voice, "Is that what they gave you? The name?" The child did not speak again at this time, confirming her thoughts as she unconsciously heaved a sigh. She felt the urge to cry but when she heard the other child crying again, she couldn''t, because someone needs to comfort this child. She knows what it feels to cry because of fear and pain, so she doesn''t want anyone to feel that too. She wants to become like Caesar who can take away the pain of another person. Thinking of this, she pursed her lips before she forced a smile and said, "My name is...002, yeah, that''s my name now, I guess..." "Do you have a family, 059?" She asked reluctantly. Seemingly to have caught their spot, the child spoke up in an excited voice and hummed in response. The girl smiled bitterly as her eyes narrowed sadly and asked, "Who are they?" The other child, 059, spoke up and said in return, "It''s mom and dad!" "...Are they amazing?" She asked hesitantly. "Yes! They always treat me with all my favourite food, toys, and clothing!" The child replied. The girl fell silent, raising her head she looked up at the white ceiling with a single light. After a moment of silence, she said,"You know, my parents always hurt me whenever they get drunk or angry, so I don''t really know what it is like to have parents, or, at the very least, feel love and affection." Hearing this the child on the other side of the wall fell silent and the girl, sensing the change in the atmosphere, let out a chuckle as she said, "Well, that''s in the past I guess, since I am now- you know, 002." "So, what happened? Why are you here?" Although the girl was aware that this question might trigger something for the child, she still asked anyway. "...I was kidnapped by people in dark robes, after that-! I don''t know what happened anymore..." The responded with a grim voice. "Is that so...?" The girl muttered, before she smiled and said, "Hey, what about another topic? What is it like in your place where you lived? Are there delicious food there?" "Ahah! There are candies, chocolates, cakes-..." The child continued and the girl listened silently whilst speaking and asking other topics from time to time until they''ve forgotten about their situation. **** "AHhhhhh!" The next day, back in the humanoid-sized capsule, the girl, now known as 002, watched while being electrocuted once again as the child 059 being electrocuted too on the opposite of her capsule. 059 looked younger than her, about the age of only 5 years old, yet he was already going through this pain that even she, a 7 years old couldn''t handle. 059 screamed on top of his lungs and 002 struggled in her capsule as she kept knocking on the glass with both of her fist. Then, not long after, she watched as 059 raised his hand slowly before his fist loosened and floated lifeless in the green water, his eyes slowly turning gray before it closed half way and his head drooping slowly. 002''s eyes widened in despair as her amber eyes unknowingly shone purple for a split second before she screamed frantically, causing for the capsule to make sounds of being hit. The scientists outside were annoyed and pushed the lever higher as the electricity''s power increased. But 002 did not stopped and continued to struggle, alas in just a minute she ran out of energy before she lost consciousness once more. **** "Ha!" Gasping awake, 002 sat up abruptly from her slumber as she panted. As she looked around, she found that she was back in her prison-like room and instantly went towards the glass barrier and kept knocking on it. "059! Hey! Can you hear me? Where are you?" She shouted but no one answered for a long time. "Hey! Speak up! Hey! 059!" She did not give up and continued to shout until a person in dark robes appeared outside the glass barrier. Suddenly the memory of when they held her and injected something to her appeared in her mind as her eyes froze. "Oi, you''re a noisy brat, you know?" The person said. 002 breathed heavily for a second before she bit her lower lip and asked in a hoarse voice, "059...where is he?" "Hm?" The person hummed in puzzlement before they looked towards the next room and saw the name plate ''059''. "Oh, you mean the kid next door? He''s gone." The person answered nonchalantly. "...What, do you mean by that?" 002 flinched as her pupils trembled greatly. "Huh? What else? He''s dead, he''s a goner, kid." The person replied before he continued walking and left. Thud! 002 fell on her knees, unable to comprehend her situation. A child, younger than her, who she had just chatted with for the whole day yesterday, died, just like that? What''s more, no one seemed to care if someone died in this place. "Ha, ha, ah...?" Her breathing became difficult and her heart thumped wildly. Finding that she could not breath, she held her chest tightly and tears welled up in her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she spoke in a suppressed and heavy voice, "I get it now..." "I swear, I will escape this place, this hell, no matter what!" 002 swore, the corner of her eyes were pinkish-red as her iris unknowingly shone purple. "I swear! In the name of God! I will get out of this hell!" Chapter 3: A Friend Chapter 3: A Friend 2 Weeks Later. In the capsule, 002 remained being experimented as she still keeps getting injected with a strange purple liquid and being electrocuted whilst being under the water of the humanoid-sized capsule. Her body kept twitching and flinching and she could only helplessly clench her fist and grit her teeth, closing her eyes tightly as she thought, ''No matter how many times I go through this process, I will never get used to the pain it gives me.'' -- Back in her prison-like room, a tray of food which was only a gooey melted rice and hard pork chops was served to her room by an enforcer and she took it and ate with her bare hands as they were never given spoons or forks. As she chewed and swallowed the food, she couldn''t help taking out her tongue in disgust as her face scorned. "Still not used to it." She mumbled as she heaved a deep sigh. With that, she continued eating until it was finished. **** 1 Month Later. As 002 got out of the capsule, her hands were chained to her back and as she looked around with her eyes secretly whilst continued walking back to her room be the enforcers, she counted the people that walked along with her. ''Another six children gone huh?'' ''There are only 31 of us remaining, including me.'' ''If I recall correctly, I heard the scientists say that there were a total of 150 children in this batch of test subjects. To think that barely half of us remained alive is absurd, but at the same time, not as I think about it since the experiments they do to us are unbearable.'' Just as they were walking, a man in dark robe appeared and said something to the main enforcer leading 002 and the others. Just as 002 wondered what they were talking about, she saw the man clad in dark robe turn around and walk away and the leading enforcer ordered for them to follow him as they walked in the same direction as the man in dark robe. As they waited before a giant futuristic double door, it opened on its own as they slid towards opposite direction. What revealed was an enormous white room filled with long tables and chairs as there was a big counter filled with trays of different foods. "A- canteen?" 002 couldn''t help muttering in stupefaction. She then narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she thought, ''What are they plotting? Suddenly bringing us to such place...?'' Lost in thought, they all walked forward when their chains suddenly broke and the enforcers said, "This will be where you eat from now own." Everyone looked at each other in confusion and the enforcers seemed to be able to tell their thoughts and said, "Do not ask insignificant questions, just remember that if anyone dared to cause ruckus, punishment should take place." After that announcement, some of the enforcers left the canteen whilst some remained to surveil the surroundings. Hesitantly, the test subjects looked at each other before they walked forward and found their place as some immediately sat down and some ordered food at the counter. 002 on the other hand, didn''t have the time to appreciate this sudden change as the first thing that caught her attention was the vents on the surroundings along with some hallways leading to unknown destinations. Seeing this, 002 thought of something before she went towards an enforcer near her. "E- Excuse me, may I ask if we could go through those hallways?" She asked, stuttering. The enforcer looked at her and after some silence, they replied in an electronic voice, which was the first time 002 have ever heard an enforcer talking. "Yes. And if you are wondering where they lead to, it is towards the other batch of test subjects." They replied. "I see." 002 said, nodding her head in understanding before she finally asked what she was aiming for.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "And-! Last question, you don''t have to answer it if you don''t want to, I-I just wanna asked if what are those vents for and where it leads to?" Hearing her question, the enforcer suddenly froze and turned their head abruptly towards her, startling 002 as she wondered if she got caught in her plan. Unexpectedly, the enforcer did not found out about her plan and instead just scoffed, "You don''t know what a vent is for?" 002 ofcourse knows it, but she still had to nod and pretend she doesn''t in order to get the answer she wants to. Lowering her head, she answered in a meek voice as she shook her head. "No..." "Well, a child is a child still." The enforcer muttered with a laugh in their voice before they said, "Those vents are to control the indoor air by diluting and displacing indoor pollutants, and if you are wondering where they lead to, there is a lot but I can say that the vent over there-" Pointing at the vent near the counters, they continued, "Leads to the garden room of the lab, most says that it is more of a jungle though." 002 nodded before she asked, "Then are there other vents too in that room?" "Obviously. Without ventilation those plants would''ve died way back then." They said. Riing Riing! Suddenly, there was a noise coming from the side of the enforcer and just as they picked up what is causing that noise, 002 found that it was an old fashion steampunk phone. The enforcer frowned as they looked at it before waving their hand to her, "You go back to your own thing, I gotta take care of something kiddo." they said before they left along with some other enforcers. The moment they left, 002 stared at their fading back before lowering her head as she mumbled, "Is that so? Thank you for the information." After that, 002 went to the counter and was about to buy some food when she bumped into a person walking out from one of the hallways. "I- I''m sorry..." Just as she apologized, she heard a familiar whistle that made her eyes widened in horror as her pupils shook greatly. Her heart pounded wildly while her breathing turned rugged. Beads of sweat unconsciously dripped from her forehead and as she looked up slowly, she found that it was the same scientist that first brought her to this place. "Oh! What do we have here? It seems that you were able to survive this long huh, little murderer?" That was what ''that'' man said the moment he saw 002''s face. "How have you been? Are you living much comfortably now than before with your parents?" He asked with a smile in his eyes. 002 was still frozen, unable to breath normally as her feet and hand both felt numb. After taking in a deep breath, she forced a smile and said, "I''m fine." The scientist narrowed his eyes at her for a long time until a man in dark robe arrived beside him and whispered something to him. After hearing what the man in robe said, the scientist squinted his eyes before he said, "Alright, tell them I''ll be there in a minute." saying that, she passed by 002 but paused for a moment as he whispered, "I hate children who lies." before finally walking away. The moment 002 could no longer hear their footsteps, she slumped on the ground as she held her chest and head. Gradually, she couldn''t bear it anymore and tears streamed down her eyes, both out of fear, sorrow, and hatred. Standing up, she did not walk and instead ran towards an unknown direction at one of the hallways but stopped in a dead end. Crying she leaned on the wall on the side but suddenly as her hand was placed on the wall, the sound of mechanical voice echoed in her ears. [New Host has been detected! Preparing to open the passage!] Just as she moved away from the wall, she saw a small hole that is made for a 10 years old below kid to fit in appear out of thin air. "What is- this?" She wondered and was hesitant but in the end, she boldly crouched and crawled inside the ''passage''. The moment she got out, she touched a familiar sensation and noticed it at first glance. "Grass?" Suddenly, her heart pounded wildly in an instant as she stood up and looked forward with hope in her eyes. ''Is this the way out? Can I finally manage to escape this place?!'' Just as she was looking forward to it, her pupils instantly contracted as the smile on her lips froze. Indeed there were grass all around the floor, but that was it as this leads to a cliff with a single pink coloured tree, and below it were purple and white flowers that she has no idea of the name is. Thud! As she fell on her knees, 002 punched the ground as she shouted, "Why, why, why?! Why do you have to do this to me!" She doesn''t know anymore on who to blame, if she should blame her parents who gave her this life, the scientist who brought her to such a hellish place, or God who was watching all of her suffering from above. In the end, she could only cry and cry while screaming in agony. **** 3 months later. April 16, 4183. At the canteen, 002 found her spot at a corner and placed her tray of food on the table. "Happy birthday to me I guess" She muttered in a hoarse voice before eating. -- As she walked on the hallway leading to what she now uses as her secret hideout, which is the cliff with a tree on it, she paused and hid behind a corner as she heard some voices. When she sneaked a glance, she found that there were three children surrounding another one, all of them were males and the three were bullying the child as they kept kicking him. 002 was ofcourse mad at their actions, but she doesn''t know what might be the consequences if she takes action right now and so just hid there with gritted teeth, cursing herself for being so weak. Just as she closed her eyes and had to hear the child getting beaten, she finally heard footsteps fading and she peaked, she found that the child that was being bullied was the only one remaining, still crouching as they covered the back of their head. The moment she could no longer feel the presence of the bullies, she hurriedly rushed towards the child and asked if he was alright. The child did not spoke and just raised his head at her. The moment he did, 002 was startled. Because the colour of the child''s irises were crimson. He just looked at her silently before he stood up and was about to walk away when 002 shouted "Wait" and grasped his wrist. The child surprisingly stopped and did not moved, seemingly waiting for her to speak. 002 hesitated for a moment, but after a while, she took a deep breath before she asked, "Do you- do you want to escape this place?" The child flinched and looked back at her slowly. 002 took this chance and said, "I''ll tell you all the details later, follow me first." The former looked at her silently before he nodded. -- The moment they arrived at the wall the child was puzzled as he looked at 002. 002 on the other hand just grinned as she crouched and said, "Follow me" before crawling inside the hole which ofcourse, seemed like she crawled through a wall for the child as he could not see it, only 002 could. As he groped around the wall, his hand went passed through a part of it and there he decided to crawl forward too. -- The moment he got out of the hole, he was stunned as he saw a cliff and a tree, along with the clear blue sky which he had long forgotten what it looks like. 002 then took this chance and said, "You see, this is my- well, you can call a hideout." "And I- I just thought that you might also want to escape this place, which I have a plan!" The child looked at her and 002 hesitated as she asked, "Can you not speak?" The child was silent for a moment before he raised his hands and made a sign language, which surprisingly, 002 understood. "Oh, so you are mute?" She asked. The child nodded and made another sign language which says- "Why did you show me this? Even going so far as to telling me this?" 002 smiled and said shyly and honestly, "I- I want to escape with someone, I don''t want to be alone..." at her last words, the smile on her face faded and turned grim and sad. The child was silent for a long time before he approached the tree. The silence lasted for over a minute before he made a sign language that made 002 widened her eyes as a smile appeared on her face, tears gradually welled up in her eyes. "Thank you." She said. Because what the child said was- "Then I''ll come with you so that you won''t be alone anymore." This was the start of their friendship, and when 002 finally found hope again. Albeit unbeknownst to her, this was also the start of another tragedy. Chapter 4: Failure Chapter 4: Failure 2 Months Later. Everyone from 002''s batch gathered in their room in the canteen. They all stood before the tall wall where there was a half second floor on top. Just as everyone was wondering what is the commotion, the sound of footsteps echoed and the scientist responsible for all of them appearing in this place stood before all of them. Looking down, the scientist finally took off his mask that he had always worn and there revealed was a slight wrinkled face with a large gruesome scar across his mouth. With a benign smile, he let out a fake cough before finally speaking. "Good to see you all again. If anyone of you don''t know my name yet, I am Dr. Shane, the head of this lab." "And I have a special announcement for everyone." Hearing this, whispers immediately suffused the surroundings while 002 frowned as she glared at the that man. Suddenly, Dr. Shane raised his foot before dropping it on the ground as it echoed loudly with vibration, causing for the whispers to stop and everyone covering their ears from the strong impact it left. This left everyone confused on what happened. Dr. Shane grinned and said, "You''re all curious about what I just did, right?" "Well, to put it simply, what I''ve just done is something called ''Impact'' whereas the sound you''ll produce will take impact on your surroundings that can reach as far as your mana can." "And as for what mana is, it is what makes a person be able to use magic." Dr. Shane said. "Anyways, if you are interested in learning magic, it is possible." Hearing this, everyone was in awe and gasps were heard from time to time. Just then, they were interrupted as Dr. Shane said, "But! Only those who are able to win the competition in the upcoming event are given the privilege to learn magic!" In an instant, everyone couldn''t hide their greed despite being kids who are below the age of 10 years old as one asked hesitantly, "What is the competition?" Dr. Shane grinned at their question, "Have you kids played like a tag and it game? Similar to a- battle royale or some sort like that?" Everyone nodded their heads and Dr. Shane said, "That''s what the competition is, last people standing in the next 2 hours, will win!"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Seeing that everyone seemed eager for this competition, Dr. Shane was satisfied and left his final words, "Good luck and I wish you all a healthy life!" before he walked away. 002''s face turned grim as she looked towards the direction Dr. Shane was walking towards to, which is the batch of her friend, the child that was being bullied that''s name is 001. -- In the hideout, 002 waited anxiously underneath the tree, surrounded by countless of flowers that she finally figured out were called Alyssum. As soon as she heard the sound of rustling, she turned her head and found 001 walking towards her, still with his usual emotionless expression. "You-" 002 wanted to ask if what he thought about the offer of Dr. Shane but paused as she bit her lips, her eyes dodging in reluctance. 001 looked at her before he stood in front of her and held her hand. Then, he drew something in her palm using his fingers which says, "Together." 002''s eyes widened as she looked up at 001. After a while, a smile appeared on her face as she said, "Okay, I understand now, thank you." -- After that, they started to secretly spread their plan of escape but did not show their hideout. Just as 002 whispered her plan to a group of children, she dashed away and prepared to spread to the others. Unbeknownst to her, one of the bullies heard their plan as they revealed themselves from the corner. An ominous grin appeared on his face. -- "AHhhhhhhh!" The sound of the cries of the children suffused the entire chamber as everyone involved with the plan of escape were injected with a powerful poison that gives excruciating pain, unbearable to adults, as still children, ofcourse- the ending was inevitable. "Ahhhhhh!" "AHhhh!" 002 and 001 were also tortured like this as one of the scientists grabbed 002''s hair, speaking with disdain in their voice, "Kids are really ungrateful, we feed you everyday, so why escape? Tsk." Obviously, their words were not heard by 002 as she was lost in the pain she was feeling. Her entire body felt burning and purple and blue veins were bulging from her neck and limbs. She couldn''t even scream anymore as her mouth opened and closed without making any sound, as if she was a dying fish. Even amidst the pain, she could still hear the agonizing screams of the other children before it slowly faded until there were no longer any sound. -- Thud! Back in her room she was thrown to the ground, still curled up from pain. "Seriously? She still survived after that poison was injected to her?" "It was not only her, the kid from the other batch known as 001 also survived, but it is not that surprising though since the experiments they used in his batch are poison." "Heh? Is that so? Then I guess they are just lucky." The enforcers said to each other before closing the glass barrier and leaving. 002 curled up on the ground, trembling all over as she covered her ears and tears kept streaming down her face non-stop. She could hear it, she could hear the voices of those children, and she could see it, see the faces of those children who died because of her. "I''m sorry...I''m sorry..." She kept muttering these words, begging for forgiveness that entire night. **** The next day. Underneath the tree, she looked down at the edge of the cliff. The sound of strong waves sounded in her ears and she felt drunk as she stared at those waves. ''I wonder, if death feels like falling asleep.'' Just as she stepped forward, a hand suddenly grabbed hers and she flinched. As she turned around, she saw 001, looking at her with a frown. 002''s eyes narrowed with guilt as she turned her head and said, "Go away, I already caused you enough suffering, I think it is time for me to go now." 001''s gaze on her did not wavered, he just stared at her for a long time before letting go of her hand and doing sign language. "Why?" He gestured. 002''s eyes widened in anger as she said through gritted teeth and hoarse voice, "Why? What do you mean why?!" "They died, all of them! They died because of me!" Then, she started to cry again as she kept trying to wipe the tears away but more kept flowing down her cheeks. "It''s my fault that they died, if only- if only I haven''t told them that- or if I have been careful then-!" Suddenly, she was engulfed in a warm embrace as 001 hugged him. 001 held her both of her cheeks before he did a sign language, "It is not your fault, you do not have to bear this guilt, it is not your sin." 002 shook her head, her face filed with sorrow and pain. "How do you say so? It''s my fault, it''s mine..." "Then if they died because of you, you''ll have to live and survive for them so that their sacrifice won''t be wasted." 001 said with his hands. 002 wanted to retort, knowing that their deaths weren''t even a sacrifice made for her, but she couldn''t as her words were stuck in her throat. In the end, she couldn''t bear it anymore and cried miserably as 001 hugged and comforted her that entire day. Chapter 5: What it Takes to Survive Chapter 5: What it Takes to Survive 1 Year Later. Opening her eyes, 002''s amber eyes were now dimmed and ashen. As she stepped foot outside the capsule, she took off her gas mask and exhaled cold breath. Her dark eyes slowly surveyed the surroundings. It was all dark, empty, only her capsule remained lit up in this empty room. Everyone was dead, she was the only one that survived in her batch. Narrowing her eyes she walked towards the canteen. Unlike before, she was chained, now her hand was free, unlike before, she was followed by enforcers to make sure she doesn''t try to escape, now, she was alone. This was all because of when she attempted the escape before and was tortured by a high-grade poison and survived. Because of that time, she no longer tried to do anything, she obeyed them and looked submissive- no, like a puppet, an emotionless object that could not move unless controlled by someone. And so, Dr. Shane let that incident slide. 002 picked up a tray of food before she went back to her hideout, making sure that she wasn''t sensed or followed by anyone. When she arrived at the tree, she saw 001 eating a loaf of bread as he looked at the distance. The previous blank look of 002 changed as a smile appeared in her lips. Then, grinning she hugged 001 from behind as she placed the tray aside. 001 just held her hand before looking up at her, this time, he also smiled. 002 couldn''t help pouting, complaining that he never gets startled. 001 made a sign language with a smile, saying that he had already felt her presence the moment she had entered this place. "Is that one of your abilities?" 002 asked. 001 shook his shoulders, indicating that he doesn''t know himself. Ever since they were brought to this place, they felt changes in their body, and realized that they now have supernatural powers and that this was the goal of the scientists. Ofcourse when they realized this, some took the chance to retort and counter the scientists but failed miserably as they instantly got suppressed by the men in black robes and were also tortured with the poison they injected to 002 and 001 before. 002 laid down on the grass as she looked up at the blue sky, "I''ve heard that they will be making us from different batches fight each other in a 1v1 situation, a death battle at that." As the sound of wind blew in her ears, her lips parted slightly before pursing the. Finally, she asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you think...I''ll be able to kill my opponent and survive?"This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. 001 looked at her but did not replied as they both just stared at the empty sky. **** At the battle room area where there was another half floor above, 002 wore a black combat suit whilst her opponent wore a white combat suit. The name of her opponent was 104, female and she is from another batch of test subjects. The room was pure white and on the right side of 002 was a large glass window where she other people could spectate their fight. As for what the goal of this is? It is to test their abilities and their adaptability in fights. 002 looked straight ahead, she saw a girl with hazel hair and white eyes. But 002 was not curious why the colour of her iris is like that, because voices kept whispering and shouting in her head. Suddenly she saw one of the child''s face, angry as they appeared in front of her, shouting that she ''killed'' them. 002 covered her head, groaning as she kept shaking her head. Just then, the sound of the enforcer announcing the start sounded and 002 did not heard this. Just as she was in pain, her senses suddenly warned her as her vision turned red and unconsciously, she rolled to the side as her eyes turned purple for a moment. SHhhhk! A line of sharp ice appeared as it crossed over to the previous spot 002 was standing at. 002 turned her head towards 104 and muttered, "Ice?" 104 did not stopped her attacks as she exhaled cold breath and frost started appearing on the side of her cheeks. Raising both of her hand, a large ice spear appeared and in an instant she threw it towards 002''s direction. 002''s vision once again turned red as she dodged to the side, the ice spear scraping her cheek. Drip. Blood dripped from her wound to the ground and 002 breathed heavily as she looked at 104 with hesitation yet horror. ''She''s really going to kill me.'' Countless more of ice needles appeared in the air around 104 before she manipulated them to dash directly towards 002 all at the same time. 002''s ashen eyes shone purple as she dodged all of them using her speed that she obtained from her experiments. Alas she still could not dodge every single one of them as she got scrapped from time to time. Just as she dodged the last one, her senses suddenly turned dark red and as she turned her head, a giant and much thicker ice spear reflected on her ashen eyes before it turned purple and she blocked it using her bare hands. The ice spear was indeed stopped and her eyes were prevented from being pierced, but her hands were wounded all over and it stings from the icy temperature. "Ha...ha..." Panting heavily, 002 exhaled cold breath as the temperature in the room dropped massively. Her cheeks and lips turned pale as she looked at 104. The latter created more ice needles before it dashed towards her. This time, 002 did not have the strength anymore to dodge and she was pierced from all over her body as one of it pierced the right side of her shoulder. Falling to the ground with a ''thud'' 002 gritted her teeth, wanting to fight back as she tried to get up but stumbled as she kept hearing the voices in her head. Tears dripped down from her eyes unconsciously and just as she was saying sorry in her head. She heard a faint knocking sound. Blinking her eyes slowly, she tilted her head to the side and saw that people that were watching her fight began to leave from the window one by one until only a single person remained. It was 001. Then, she saw him make a sign language, a single word that he had always said to her from the beginning since they''ve met. "Together." It was a single word, but this one word had a great abundant meaning. 002 fell silent and her mouth opened and closed, unable to reply before she pursed it in the end. Closing her eyes tightly, she gritted her teeth as the last tear that dropped from her cheek turned ice before it fell to the ground and shattered. Just as 104 held another ice spear, she threw it but found that 002 suddenly disappeared from her spot, only a trail of purple electricity appeared before she slowly saw her 002''s appearing going blurred from time to time but closer and closer to her. 104 instantly realized what is happening, that this is 002''s ability and just as she tried to counter it, it was too late as the ice needles around her were one by one thrown to the side and she was thrown to the ground. When 104 tried to struggle, she saw as 002 held one of her shoulder, and in a blink of an eye, 002 took out the ice needle from her own shoulder before piercing it to 104''s heart. Spitting out blood that dyed the ice crimson, 002 watched as 104 cried before coughing more blood and dying with tears in her eyes. Panting heavily, 002 blinked her eyes blankly before she gritted her teeth and whispered, "I''m sorry." [The winner for this battle is, 002 from batch 2 of the test subjects.] Ziiiinggg As soon as the door opened, 002 was met with 001, standing in the distance, waiting for her with a smile. 002 bit her lower lips before she rushed towards him and cried, "I survived, but at what cost?" 001 then made a sign language to her, "Would you rather have died and leave me alone, break the promise we made to get out of this place together?" 002 shook her head and said, "No, but-!" "That''s all that matters, we can''t survive here without killing anyone, you know that." 002 said with his hands. 002 couldn''t retort and 001 just hugged her before she started crying on his shoulders. Chapter 6: Vengeance Chapter 6: Vengeance 002 looked at 001 on the opposite side of the glass, just staring at him blankly, lost in thought as the one 001 is facing is the bully who used to beat him up, and also the person who told the scientists about their plan, the real cause of the children''s death back then. 002 looked over blankly and her eyes couldn''t help shaking as she kept closing and opening it again. ''That''s him, the real one that killed you all.'' 001 and the bully named 007 looked over at him and scoffed, stretching his limbs as he said, "It''s you, mute." 001 did not respond and just stared at him coldly and motionless, making it unable to tell what he is thinking. 007 grinned as he said with a disgusting smile, "You must be already aware, right? That the reason why your attempt to escape this place failed- is none other than because of me!" "Hahahahahahah!" The sound of sadistic laughter filled with obvious pleasure suffused the entire room, but it still was heard outside of the room- mostly, towards the glass window. 001 glanced secretly to the side where he saw 002 standing there with wide eyes filled with sorrow and hatred. Her ashen eyes, shining darker colour of purple than usual, obviously giving signs of her negative emotions she is currently feeling. 001 still had his motionless face, however his fist were clenched and the look on his eyes turned colder unknowingly. Then, the enforcer finally announces the start of the death battle. Raising his right hand, 007 bit his thumb as a small cut appeared on it. Drip. As the blood, it suddenly rose from the ground before connecting to his thumb, like a tentacle it wriggled and moved whilst connected to his thumb. He repeated the same thing to his left hand. Although now, it looked thick, it is still visible that it is made out of blood still which made 001 smile unconsciously. "Eh? Why are you smiling you mute bastard?" 007 cussed before he positioned himself in a strange posture and said, "You won''t be smiling anymore after this though!" Then, the long blood tentacle-like thing dashed towards 001. Unexpectedly, all of this were easily dodged by 001 as he just keep stepping foot on it and spinning his body calmly. "Dodging? Hah! Fight me!" 007 said arrogantly as he continued to attack from the distance, knowing that 007 won''t be able to win against him if he is from the distance. The reason why he is still playing safe because he is from a different batch from 001 and he doesn''t know his abilities yet. Just as he was getting annoyed from 001 who keeps on dodging, he saw 001 bite his thumb before he deliberately held 007''s blood tentacle before jumping backwards to dodge the other. "What? Are you finally gonna show your abilities?" 007 said with a smile. Then, he saw 001 sign language something to him and he growled as he said, "I don''t understand a fuck you''re saying!" "Wait-...what?" Suddenly, 007 found his vision turning blurred and his body weakening, and before he knew it, he vomited a large amount of dark blood. "What, what did you do to me?! Did you already used your ability without me knowing it?" 007 yelled in a hoarse voice. But he did not hear any answer, only the sound of approaching footsteps. Annoyed and frightened, 007 finally screamed in despair, "Answer me!!!" This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Then, as a shadow covered him, 007 raised his head and saw 001 staring down at him with cold shining crimson eyes. With a smile, 001 mouthed something to him secretly. "In your blood." "What...?!" That''s when 007 finally realized it, there was something on his blood that caused for him to fall in this situation! And what else could it be except- Poison. "Is this...why you survived...the torture?" 007 asked but couldn''t see clear anymore nor hear and feel anything as slowly, he fell to the ground with a loud ''thud'' as the blood tentacles exploded, causing for both 007''s corpse and 001''s body to be covered in grotesque blood. 001 remained motionless, standing still as he looked down on 007''s dead body, his eyes shining crimson. Then, as he looked outside, he found that 002 was gone, making him puzzled. -- As soon as he got out of the battle room back to his regular white suit they always wore as test subjects, he found 002 on a side, panting heavily as she leaned against a wall. As he approached her, he was about to touch her shoulder when he suddenly felt a sting on his fingers and found that he was slightly electrocuted. Then, he saw 002 raised her head as she flinched. Seeing him, 002 pursed her lips and said in a hoarse voice, "I know I should be happy that-, you know, he is dead but...it doesn''t matter." 001 looked at him with a questioning look of why and 002 smiled bitterly as she said, "Because those kids won''t comeback anyway." 001 did not moved but his eyelashes slowly trembled when he heard her words. 002 did not noticed this small details and just shook her head, saying, "Well, it''s over, I guess. Let''s just go back to the canteen." 001 nodded slowly in agreement and as they walked, 002 suddenly stopped, causing for 001 to do the same and turn to look back at her, whereas he found her looking towards another battle room. There stood were siblings, both male with white hair and blue eyes. Then, they watched as the younger one named 003 keep shaking his head with tears in his eyes, saying, "I can''t do it! Brother! I can''t! I really can''t!" The older sibling named 023 looked at him with a smile, though, filled with sorrow as he forced a grin and said, "Don''t worry, you won''t even notice that I am gone." "No! I can''t! Please don''t do this to me, brother!" 003 screamed in sorrow. 023 lowered his eyes before he suddenly thought of something. "Hey, you wanna learn how to control your powers, right?" 003 sniffed before he nodded hesitantly. 023 smiled and said, "Okay, I''ll teach you now." "First, placed your hand together as if you are holding something." He said and 003 obeyed and did as he was instructed. "Then, think of something sharp and feel as if it is really in your hands." He said, but his voice changed into a hoarse one unknowingly. 003 hummed and closed his eyes, imagining a sharp object which the first thing that came to his mind was a knife. Then, slowly a crafted knife ice appeared in his hand and feeling it cold, he opened his eyes and found that he really had made a knife out of ice. Just as he was stunned and became excited, he raised his head and was about to call out to 023, with his words, "Brother-" before it was suddenly paused. Drip. 003 was met with a warm embrace, frozen as when 023 finally distanced himself from him, 003 found that the ice knife had disappeared from his hand and was now stuck, pierced in his brother''s left side of the chest. "B- Brother...?" 023 did not speak but just smiled, causing for 003 to break down and yell, "Why? Why brother? I thought you promised to grow up with me, brother, brother! Brother! Why?!" Then, a hand was placed on his head as 023 spoke in a weak voice, "Forgive me, my cute brother...I hope that you still grow up to be healthy for me..." then, his hand fell weakly as his body also fell with a thud on the ground, blood spilling from his chest and mouth. "Ah,...ah...? Ah...ah...!" "AHHHhhhhhhhhhh!" Then, the entire room was suddenly covered in thick frost causing for the glass for spectating to also be covered completely. This shocked both 002 and 001 and suddenly, the sound of alarm echoed as they were escorted away from this battle room and people in dark robes appearing to enter that room. **** Back to their hideout, 002 was lost in thought as she looked at the sunset. 001 looked at her before he made a sign language, asking her, "Do you want to recruit 003?" "003?" 002 looked at him in confusion. "He is the one who survived in the battle room we watched, the one where two siblings were paired to fight." 001 explained. 002 blinked her eyes and involuntarily asked, stuttering, "H- How did you know w- what I was thinking?" 001 smiled and just shook his head in response. 002 couldn''t help pouting in embarrassment but then lowered her head as she said, "Indeed. I want to make him join us in our plan of escape." 001 then made a sign language, saying, "Then why don''t you do so?" 002 shook her head, standing up as she leaned against the tree and said, "You already know what happened last time, I''m afraid that it might happen again." 001 also stood up and held 002''s cheek as he said through his hands, "Just try, I''ll support you." 002 smiled bitterly and held his hand, saying, "Thank you. It has been years but, you still stayed by my side, even though I- have caused you suffering before..." 001 shook his head lightly and just wrote on her palm with his finger, "Together." **** The next day, after finishing with the experiments, 002 headed directly towards the canteen of batch 3 to find 003, and there she met with 001. As they looked around, 001 suddenly patted her shoulders and pointed towards a direction. There, 002 found 003, curled up at the corner, surrounded by ice spikes. She first looked around to see if any enforcers or men in dark robes were watching before she approached him without any hesitation, without any fear of being hurt by him. But the moment she was finally about to speak, she hesitated. She was scared, afraid that she might get another child involved in her plan and die because of her. Suddenly, 003 looked up, his icy blue eyes cold and empty. 002''s hesitation instantly disappeared, replaced with sympathy. With a smile, she reached out her hand and said, "Hey, wanna come with us?" 003 did not speak but 002 continued, "I''ll show you something, that will make you see that there is still beauty in life." -- Arriving inside the hideout, 003 closed his eyes from the strong gust of wind and the moment he opened it, he was stunned. There was a gorgeous pink tree surrounded by purple and white flowers known as alyssum. And behind it was the sunset with the ocean. "I saw what happened." 002 said. "And, hah, I can''t say if it is similar or not but, I feel what you feel, 003." "And, we are planning of escaping this place." Hearing this 003 looked up at 002 and 001 with shock in his eyes. "That''s why, I wanna ask you, would you like to join us and continue on living on?" "For your brother''s will and sacrifice." 003''s eyes shone white slightly and as he pursed his lips, tears welled up in his eyes as he suddenly hugged 002 and cried. "I want to! I want to leave this place!" He cried out. 002 looked at him before closing her eyes and patting his head, "Alright, let''s make this promise and goal true, so for now, let''s just endure this pain that was left to us, okay?" 003 hummed in response as he nodded his round head. 002 then smiled as she said, "I am 002 by the way- if you haven''t noticed our name plate ofcourse. And this is 001, he is 10 years old and I am 9, how about you?" 003 sniffed as he said, "7" Hearing this, 002 was surprised before she said with a smile, "You''re a brave kid, you know that?" 003 cried, suppressing his voice that wants to come out. 002 shook her head as she held both of 003''s cheek, saying, "You don''t have to hold back your tears or your voice, just let them out." 003, hearing this, cried even more, now with a sound as 002 hugged him. Chapter 7: Attempt Chapter 7: Attempt After a month, the ''event'' finally arrived and every single test subject joined the competition, seeking to learn magic. The field where the event will be happening was the forest like-garden that the enforcer before that 002 spoke to about the vents mentioned and it was big enough to fit a mansion in. On the second secret floor on the wall was a one-sided glass way where they cannot see the people inside but the latter can see them. People wearing robes and masks started arriving inside the second floor, although they all looked mysterious and their appearance are hard to be distinguished, it was obvious that they were rich from the jewelry in their arms and fingers as they all started talking to each other whilst holding champagne glasses. -- As 002 was led by an enforcer, it was obvious that some of the guests will be curious about her as she was the only one that was led in her batch and they already have a vague idea on what the reason is for that. Whilst passing by some guests, 002 noticed a strand of gold hair underneath a hood of a guest that is the same height as her, just a little taller. Then, as she glanced at the person secretly, she saw as the person raise their head and looked at her as well before 002 turned her head away. ''Gold hair and eyes huh, that''s strange, even the royalties doesn''t have such rich coloured hair nor eyes.'' 002 thought curiously but discarded her thoughts as she was placed inside an empty room that has another door on the opposite side that will lead to the battlefield. As soon as the door behind her closed, she looked forward and took a deep breath. She recalled the words of another enforcer who she had just talked with recently on what the forest-like garden actually looks like, what is the most eye catching spot, and how many and where are the vents are placed. ''The place looks like a forest and the walls surrounding it are formed into a cylinder.'' ''There are a total of 16 vents, and 8 of them are placed on the bottom part of the walls.'' ''And the most eye catching location, is the middle part of the room where it is widely seen by anything from above as it is not being covered by any trees nor plants.'' She then recalled their conversation in the hideout before all of this. -"So, you''re saying that although the middle part of the room is the most dangerous spot because it will attract attention, it is still the best place to meet up together? Why?" 003 asked. -"I think I understand what she is trying to say, I think this is to let the scientists and enforcers to lower their guard down and also so that it''ll be easier for us to find each other." 002 said using sign language with his hands. -"Eh? I still don''t get it..." 003 muttered. -"Anyways, that is the plan, isn''t it, 002?" 001 asked using his hands. -"Yes. That is the plan." -- The moment 002 opened her eyes, she saw the modern wall-like door split in half as they slide towards the opposite direction of each other, and what met with her sight were giant trees and bushes. Without wasting any time, 002 took a deep breath before she dashed outside, her ashen eyes glowing purple. As she dashed through the seemingly wood like area, her senses suddenly warned her as her vision turned crimson in an instant. Pausing her steps she leaped back and a steel blade swung past where she was just about to run to. Suddenly, her senses screamed again and amidst the crimson vision, a blue line appeared from above and disappeared the moment it got down away from her sight. That was what she also saw when the steel blade swung from the side except that instead coming from above, it came from the side. And if it came from above, then that only means one thing. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. 002''s eyes shone purple in an instant and she disappeared from her spot as she rolled to the side before half kneeling to the ground as she looked up and found that a person with another steel blade appeared at her spot and seemed to have just landed from the dusts that floated in the air. 002 narrowed her eyes as she found that this steel blade was this person''s ability. His arms were formed in steel blade before his other hand also morphed into one as he dashed towards her. 002 stood up immediately and followed her senses as she kept dodging the blades. Alas some still couldn''t be dodged as small cuts keep appearing from her arms and on her cheek. Suddenly, she was cornered to a tree and just as the person swung his blade on her towards her neck, she ducked and dodged it before she punched the person''s abdomen and kicked his face, knocking the person unconscious. 002 panted as she looked down at the person unconscious. -Kill him. -Finish it! Hearing those voices once again in her head, 002 groaned and shook her head. Looking down at the person, she could kill him if she wants to, but she knows that she doesn''t have to kill him, after all, she can just simply remove his name plate and he is out of the competition. Well, that was what the scientists had said so. 002''s fingers twitched before clenching it into a fist and taking away the name plate of the person. Just as she waited for the announcement of him being eliminated, she saw an enforcer coming out from a hidden door on the wall. Then, with a ''click'', she watched as the enforcer raise their shotgun and pointed at the unconscious person. 002 did not know why but just for a moment, she hard the urge to save that person, but in the end, she only reached out her hand slightly as it''s fingers twitched before slowly drooping down. 002 turned to close her eyes and the sound of gunshot resounded in the entire field. Soon after, the enforcer left and disappeared, leaving only 002 beside the corpse with her back. 002 remained standing motionless and after what seemed a long time, she finally opened her eyes and raising her hand that was holding the name plate of the person, she stared at it for some time before turning around and crouching beside the corpse and placing back the name plate on his chest. Standing up, she finally continued to her goal and ran away. Although she knew that the name plates on their chest are like chains that says that they are under control of some else''s and not their own, she knows that this might be precious to some of them still. Because this was their name now, and maybe, the only thing that they ''own''. -- Meanwhile, at the center of the field, 003 also had his own fight as 003 was faced with three enemies, 1 female and 2 males. The three of them were from batch 9, and their abilities are the complete opposite to 003 whose ability is ice. The girl placed both of her hands together before a fireball appeared and was shot towards 003. 003 waved his hand and a wall of thick ice appeared from the ground but was crashed by the fireball, forcing 003 to dodge to the side but was surprised when another one came towards his direction the moment he jumped. Boom! 003 was thrown towards a tree as there were burnt marks on the side of his body. Groaning, he held his burnt left arm and just as the three enemies approached, they were surprised when 003 suddenly swung his right arm and countless of small ice needles were shot towards the three of them. They all blocked their face with both of their arms by instinct to avoid being hit by the ice needles and small wounds appeared all over the three of them. The moment the attack stopped and the ice needles disappeared, they all gritted their teeth in anger and wanted to cuss but suddenly froze. A cold hand appeared and was placed on their wounds as a cold sticky like-water was absorbed by their wounds. They all shuddered when they realized that he had already approached them in that short amount of time without them noticing it and when they tried to fight back as they shot out more fireballs, they found that it was not 003 that had approached and touched them but someone else, a boy with black hair and crimson eyes. Just as they were surprised, they saw this person helping 003 stand up and instantly realized that they were a team. Just as they were planning on attacking them again, knowing that they are in advantage when it comes to number and health, they saw 003''s burnt marks started turning ice before it shattered and revealed a fully healed arm. Just as the girl and another boy panicked, the other shouted and reminded them, "We outnumber them still! We can win!" Hearing this, the three of them looked at each other before nodding in unison. Then, they heard 003 laughing and the girl couldn''t help asking nervously, "W- What are you laughing about?" 003 shook his head as he was supported by 001, "It''s nothing, I just thought that it was funny that you guys think you can still win when..." pausing for a moment, he grinned and said, "You''re already dead." "What nonsense-" Before they could even finish their sentence, they saw as one of them vomited blood before the girl and the remaining one also started vomiting blood non-stop. The corner of their eyes turned red and tears welled up in their eyes, they all looked up at 003 in despair and when their eyes darted towards 001, they finally realized that the water that their wound absorbed was not water at all but instead was blood. And most likely, in that blood was poison. They now know that this person, 001 was from batch 1 whose experiments are meant to make them immune to poison and maybe even create poison as well, but all of this information is too late. Thud! All three of them fell to the ground simultaneously, lifeless. 003 finally stood up on his own as his wounds finally healed and said to 001, "Thank you, you just made it in time!" 001 smiled and made a sign language saying, "Barely." 003 just grinned and hearing a rustle, they both instantly became vigilant as their body tensed. Then, they saw 002 running towards them from the woods. "Big Sister!" Seeing her, 003 couldn''t help exclaiming as he and 001 both ran up towards her. Finally meeting up, 002, 003, and 001 all had smiles in their faces. "Alright, let''s proceed." 002 said silently and 003 and 001 both nodded their heads before the three of them ran. Just then, 002 sensed something, and this time her vision neither turned crimson nor the blue line showed up, but it was- ''Sharp black lines?'' 002 was stunned and unconsciously raised her head towards the direction of the one sided-glass-way window where the so called special guests of the scientists are. Ofcourse, she could not see anything and 003 called out for her, forcing her to look away reluctantly and continue running. The guests are just as she had expected them to react, their interests will be piqued by them and so the scientists will have no choice but to tell them about their information and lower their guard down. But as always, things never always go the way a person wants them to be. Because unbeknownst to 002, the child she made eye contact with before, with gold hair and eyes was watching them leave, and a smirk appeared in his lips. Two people clad in brown robe appeared by the boy''s side and informed him about their information. "002 and 001 are said to have been involved in an attempt of escape before, causing for the other test subjects to die of torture, only the two of them survived." "What about the other?" The boy asked. "003, he is from batch 3 and they only met each other during the testing of their abilities through a death match." The boy seemed unfazed and asked in a bored voice, "Is there something else that is interesting to hear?" Hearing his voice, the people clad in brown robes shuddered and stuttered as they spoke, "W- Well, they say that the girl, 0- 002 also seemed to be seriously traumatized after that incident, often speaking to herself sometimes and mostly s- shaking her head-" before they could even finish their words, the boy with gold hair suddenly interrupted. "Wait, you mean after suffering from PTSD, she could still avoid the attacks of a person with the ability of a steel blade so accurately?" the child inquired and the people in brown robes nodded their heads. "Hmm, not only that, but she still seemed to care for her enemies..." Suddenly, a dangerous grin appeared in his lips as he said, "How interesting. I think I would enjoy to see a person like her-..." pausing his voice, he spoke in an excited voice, like a child who found his favourite toy or candy. "To fall in true despair as the smile on her face fades and that kind heart turn cold and black!" "I think-! That is a fun thing to watch!" Chapter 8: Escape Chapter 8: Escape As 002 and the others ran towards the north, they often encountered some enemies but easily got rid of them as they just used 003''s powers to block the enemies'' sight before they continued to run. They also hid underneath the shade of the trees to lose the guests'' sight on them. Not long afterwards, after seeing that no enforcers appeared, they finally stopped by a vent hidden slightly by some bushes. After getting rid of the bushes, 002 and the other two looked at each other, nodding in unison as 003 used his power to freeze the cover of the vent until it shattered into pieces. Seeing that the vent is big enough to fit their bodies, they entered whilst 001 who was the last to enter covered back the bushes to prevent the broken cover of the vent from being discovered. To make their crawling silent, 003 used his power once again to spread ice all over the floor, although 002 and 001 felt cold all over their body, they endured it and continued to crawl through the vents. Suddenly, 003 who was at front stopped causing for 002 and 001 to also do the same. "What''s wrong?" 002 asked silently. 003 looked back and motioned his head up front. When 002 looked forward, her eyes froze for a moment as she found that there were three different tunnels. "What do we do now?" 003 asked. 002''s lips parted slightly as she exhaled cold breath before gulping. "It''s already obvious, isn''t it?" she said. 003 looked at her and 001 as the latter did the same before they all went in different directions. 002 went straight, 003 went right and 001 went left. As they all went different directions, 003 found another vent cover and secretly peeked as he listened carefully, trying to know what is below and if there are people in it. Just as he peeked, he found multiple computers and screens while he also saw four enforcers standing by. 003 instantly realized that this is the operating area which was the room they are looking for, the key for their escape. He turned around excitedly, but the moment he did his smile froze as he had forgotten that the three of them went on separate directions. The smile on his face gradually faded as his expression turned solemn. ''This is bad. I don''t feel so good about this.'' He thought as an ominous feeling surged in his heart. ''002, 001, please be safe.'' He prayed in his heart. -- Meanwhile, 001 was crawling through the tunnel he was given and reached a dead end without any cover vent, just a barrier, making him puzzled. Just as he was confused and was about to turn around and go back, he suddenly heard a sharp metal object screeching. His eyes widened in horror and without being able to do anything, the floor beneath him broke and he fell directly to the hard ground. Fortunately though, he was able to cushion his head using his arms. As he slumped on the floor, he gritted his teeth but still did not made any sound. "What is this? A lab rat trying to escape huh?" Hearing a childish yet cold voice, 001 opened his eyes in pain and saw two golden orbs staring straight at him, looking at him from above. Then, he saw this child who was a lot younger than him curled their lips into a maniacal grin. "Hey! I just had a great idea! Wanna hear it?" 001 frowned and tried to stand up but was easily pressed down with a foot from the child on his shoulders and the sound of bones cracking echoed, causing for 001 to flinch and struggle slightly, his mouth opening trying to scream but no sound still came out from his lips. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The child chuckled and said, "Wanna take a guess?" "I guess that- well, actually, I know that your little girl friend will be caught in a dilemma, and most likely will get caught." He said with a grin. "And I am certain that she would not get away with a simple torture this time, unlike the previous incident, isn''t it? 001." 001 gnashed his teeth as he glared at the child, albeit the latter remained smiling, even enjoying his expression as he inquired, "Now knowing this, will you remain as my enemy? Or! You can become my little toy for a while!" "If you keep me as your enemy, I will have no choice but to kill you and just explain to Dr. Shane that it was a self-defense, after all, an ordinary child like me has no fight against a lab rat like you no?" "But! If you become my little plaything, I will help you guys escape this place, however! There is a price for everything, right?" "There are no free food in the world you know." 001 remained gritting his teeth from the pain in his shoulder but his gaze was calm as he looked up at the child, though laced with hatred. "I will help you and your little friend escape this place, but in return, you will have to-..." Hearing the child''s words, 001 crimson eyes turned dim, blood escaped from his lips from being bitten too hard that was done to endure the pain in his shoulder. The struggle disappeared as 001 not only heard but also saw something, a scene that made his heart and senses go numb. In the end, he parted his lips and mouthed something-. -- 002 on the other hand was still crawling when she finally reached a vent cover, but the moment she excitedly peeked, her vision turned crimson and a sharp blue line appeared straight at her. Her purple eyes instantly shone as she tilted her head and a sharp bullet barely passed right through her. 002 was alarmed and just as she wanted to escape, the vent cover was forcefully broken and an arm grabbed her hair as she was pulled out mercilessly from the vent. Click! Hearing the familiar sound of a gun, 002''s scalp went numb and her purple eyes shone brightly as she twisted her body and grabbed her name plate, in just seconds, she placed her electricity powers in it and swung it to her grabbed hair. Her long hair was cut in a flash and she started to jump from one side to another as she kept dodging the bullets that were fired one by one. She finally found that these people who were trying to kill her were not enforcers, the people clad in dark robes, nor the scientists, but people clad in an unfamiliar brown robe with white and gold revolvers that is not commonly found anywhere. Just as she struggled to fight, a voice was heard and in an instant, all the people in brown robes halted and stood straight, lowering their guns. 002 became wary and looked over towards the voice, only to have her eyes widened. Because who she saw was the child with golden hair and eyes, and beside that child was- "001?" 002 was stunned as she looked at him with shock and confusion. ''Why is 001 with one of the guests of the scientists?'' ''What exactly happened?'' ''Did he get caught by him?'' Countless of questions instantly filled her head and her hand unconsciously clenched into fists, her lips became dry as she involuntarily gulped. The child looked at her and said with a smile, "As you can see, your little plan of escape has already failed." 002''s brows furrowed when she heard this, her heart pounding violently as the voices kept screaming in her head once again. "Well then, you already know what the consequences, isn''t that right?" The child said as he giggled. "So, since you failed I shall-" but before he could even finish his sentence, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped and from the vent, ice spikes appeared and rushed directly towards the child. Gunshots resounded and the ice spikes were shattered as the people in brown robes shot all of it. Unexpectedly, 003 appeared and charged towards the child, holding an ice knife but none of the people in brown robes, giving 002 an ominous feeling and she couldn''t help but let out a shrill scream, "No!" Suddenly, the child grinned widely as he looked up, his eyes shining an ominous glow. Then, everything seemed to fall in slow motion. The child stretched his hand, making mimicking a gun as he closed one eye and seemed to be pondering in that short time. As if he finally thought of the pros and cons, he grinned and aimed that gun-like hand towards 003''s arm that was holding the ice knife. Then, they saw as the child moved his lips and made a small sound. "Bang." The child said and there was no other sound after so, only the sound of blood splattering. 002 and 001 watched in horror as 003''s entire left hand exploded. "Ah-" "AHhhhhhhhhh!" 003 let out an agonizing scream as he held his left shoulder, his mouth couldn''t close as he continued to scream miserably. "003!" 002 rushed towards 003 as tears welled up in her eyes. She didn''t know what to do anymore, her mind was in chaos as the voices continued to scream in her head. -It''s all your fault! All your fault! -You killed us! 002''s kept pounding and her breathing became heavy. "Urgh!" Her heart ached suddenly causing for her to groan in pain as she held her chest. 001''s eyes widened as his pupils instantly contracted. He glanced towards the child with hatred in his crimson eyes. Just as he wanted to attack the child, the latter suddenly raised his head to look at him and said, "What? It''s just a self-defense." But instead, 001 became even more mad and just as he was about to attack, the child''s eyes suddenly turned cold as he said, "...Or, have you forgotten already?" The child did not specify what he meant by his words, but 001 already understood and after a long time, he couldn''t help but only grit his teeth as he clenched his fist. 003 groaned as he looked up at 001 and spoke through gritted teeth, "Why?" 002 flinched when she heard this words and subconsciously also looked at 001. Before 001 could even explain, the child interrupted and said happily, "He and I made a deal!" "A...deal?" 002 muttered. "Yeah! I will let you guys escape!" The child said with beaming joy in his eyes, as if he was so innocent. "Then-! What did he promised you then in return?" 003 asked, his eyes darkened with hatred. "Nothing? To be honest, it wasn''t much of a deal I should say, I just wanted him to promise me one thing when I let you guys escape." The child said. "Which is that- 002, you''ll have to survive no matter what the cost is." 002 eyes trembled when she heard this and looked at the child with confusion. "Why?" "As for that! It is a secret!" The child chuckled. "It is something that an ordinary person cannot understand." Taking out something from his robe, the child pulled out a white card and handed it over to 001 as he said, "You can now go. But you better be fast if you want to as the scientists probably have already noticed your disappearance." 002 gritted her teeth but 003 stopped her from taking action as he stood up staggering and covered his shoulder with ice to block the bleeding. 002 supported him and 001 rushed over to help. 001 looked at the both of them guiltily, and could only do a sign language using one hand, asking for forgiveness. 003 laughed and said, "To be honest, if I were in your shoes, I would''ve probably done the same thing." Hearing the alarm echoing, they knew that their disappearance were already discovered and they looked at the child who was still smiling innocently before deciding to run through the door. As the child watched their figures disappearing, he couldn''t help smiling and said to himself, "It''s interesting, they really care for each other." "Alas, this bond will only last for a short amount of time." **** As they ran whilst supporting 003, they constantly encountered enforcers but escaped them using their abilities as the enforcers were only normal humans but with weapons which they can easily counter. The moment they reached the exit, 001 used the card the child gave him and in anticipation, they watched as the door opened. Their eyes couldn''t help widening in shock, their heart pounding as they saw the outside world finally. Although it was only trees and it was dark because it was nighttime, they knew it. This was their way out Smile suffused in their faces as they looked at each other. They were only bare feet and so the moment they stepped out of the lab, their skin was met with soft grass. Although this was just the same as in their hideout, there were still difference. For example, now, they are free, they can go anywhere without limitations in the place. As they held hands, they raised their feet and started running, this time, it was not because of fear but instead was because of joy and excitement. They are free, they finally got out of the lab. Chapter 9: Wrath Chapter 9: Wrath Rustle! The sound of hurried footsteps echoed as they were being chased by the enforcers. Seeing that the enforcers'' numbers kept increasing, 001 made a sign language as they ran. "I''ll divert their attention." He said. ""No! I''ll do it!"" 002 and 003 spoke in unison. 001 shook his head and said with his hands, "No, you are currently injured 003 and it would be hard to escape from them in your situation." "002, I haven''t said this yet but the reason I want to escape is because you want to." "What..." 002 was dumbfounded when she realized this and before she could even retort, 001 smiled and ran towards the left where there was a path going down. "001!" 002 unconsciously called out for him but 003 spoke through gritted teeth, "Let''s go." "But-" Just as 002 wanted to speak, her eyes widened as she found that 003''s face turned pale. Her lips parted slightly, but found that she was helpless and bit her lower lip as she said solemnly, "Okay." As they continued to run straight, the enforcers went into halt for a moment before they went into separate groups as some went to 001''s direction and the other group went straight. Hearing the familiar footsteps again, 002 panicked as 003 said, "They are on to us still. But based on the sound of footsteps, it seems that they have decreased in numbers." "Don''t look back, just continue on running." They ran and ran and 002 was panting heavily as she still had to support 003 from time to time as he almost fainted so many times. Thump! Thump! Thump! ''What do I do?'' 002 started to question herself as her hearings turned into a deafening sound and her vision started to turn blurry. ''I''m feeling dizzy, and thirsty...'' ''It''s getting harder to think straight, I''m-...I''m tired.'' Just as she felt as if she was about to faint, a cold hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder and stopped her just inches away from a cliff. "Ha...haa..." Seeing that just below her was the ocean, 002 panted and just as they wondered what to do now, the enforcers arrived and had catch up on them already. As they slowly turned their heads, they found that there was no opening for escape anymore as the enforcers had blocked their path. Pointing their guns at them, they commanded, "Raise your hands and turn around!" Cold sweat dripped from 002''s forehead and the terror in her eyes was obvious as the memories of the past kept appearing in her head. Just as her mind was racing, a cold hand suddenly grasped hers and she heard a soft voice, "Jump." She tilted her head towards 003 and saw him nodding his head. 002 gulped before she said, "Okay." "We said, turn around!" The enforcers commanded one last time. 002 and 003 followed and turned around and just as they were about to jump as 002''s feet left the ground, she suddenly felt a tug as she was pulled to turn around and was embraced by 003. Then... Bang! 002''s eyes widened in shock before her pupils contracted and shook in horror. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. She watched in slow motion as 003 frowned in pain before opening his eyes slowly, those cold coloured eyes looking at her gently as he smiled. Crimson blood dripping down from the corner of his lips. Opening her mouth as they fall off the cliff, 002 let out a shrill scream. "003!" Splash! As soon as they fell to the ocean, the strong current hit them and from time to time, 002 was scratched by unknown sharp objects and just as she tried opening her eyes and kept screaming underwater, her head hit a solid rock, knocking her unconscious. -- Swish! The sound of ocean tides echoed and on the side of the beach, 002 slowly woke up as she coughed up blood and cried in pain as her head was bleeding non-stop. She was in great pain, but her mind was on something else. Opening her heavy eyelids, she saw that distance away from her, 003 was lying on the sand with his back facing her. "003..." 002 gritted her teeth as she raised her numb hand and held tightly on the sand as she crawled forward, scraping her nails with sand and blood. But she did not stop, although she continued crying, she continued to crawl forward towards 003. After what felt like eternity that tormented her, she finally reached 003 and just as shook his shoulder and called out for him, she saw the hole in his back. 003 turned around slowly to face her, but when she saw his face, she cried even more in sorrow. The light in 003''s eyes were slowly turning dim and his face was still smiling, but there was deep sadness in it. "Hic! I''m sorry, I''m sorry I''m sorry, hic!, I''m sorry I''m sorry..." She kept repeating the words, asking for forgiveness but she was already filled with agony. 003 just smiled as dark blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth. He raised his trembling and weak arms and 002 grasped it tightly. 002 continued to cry as her chest kept heaving up and down. Then, she heard 003 say something that made her feel even more guilty. "Thank you, for keeping your promise, of getting me out, of that- hell..." Then, his hand slipped from 002''s as it fell lifeless on the sand. 002 couldn''t breath and her entire body trembled tremendously. Then, she finally couldn''t help it and screamed in great pain. "AHhhhhhhhhhhh!" She did not even noticed that the enforcers had found them and were approaching her. Unbeknownst to them, there were lines of white lights in 003''s body as it slid to the sand and inside 002''s hands. Click! Just as the enforcers approached, they saw 002''s body vaguely twitched but disregarded this. Then, they watched in alarm as 002 slowly got up until she was kneeling on the ground with her head lowered. Her wrath was finally shown at that moment. "Ahhhhhhh!" "W- what-!" "Everyone! Fire!" From her feet, 002''s body was slowly covered in white frost and as her eyes shone dark purple, she raised her hand towards them and instantly, ginormous ice appeared from it and directly eradicated the existence of all enforcers that were on its way. This tremendous power terrified the enforcers in an instant, after all, not even the test subjects in that field were capable of this kind of strength. And the thing that surprised them the most was that they were informed that the female test subject''s power is speed of electricity and not ice. The enforcers started shooting towards 002 but they watched helplessly as she stood up unbothered as ice kept blocking the bullets. Then, as her eyes shone purple, they all suddenly heard a strange sound of something fast, like a shrill or something before they saw 002''s figure disappeared and suddenly appeared before one of them and started massacring them brutally. At that time, the beach, the sand and the ocean, was bathe in crimson as stood amongst the decapitated body of the corpses, a girl with an uneven cut of her brown hair and her shining purple eyes stood motionless while she kept exhaling cold breath. Then, a rustle sounded and came out from the woods was 001. As soon as he arrived at the scene, he paused and froze as his crimson eyes contracted slightly. As he looked around with his eyes, he saw 003''s corpse at the side near the ocean. 001 fell silent and slowly, he walked towards 002 without any fear, hesitation, or trembling in his body. As soon as he approached and stood before 002, he saw her raise her head slowly and saw her sad eyes as the corner turned pinkish-red. Her entire face and body looked extremely tired and sad as she gazed on him. 001''s eyes narrowed sadly as he stretched his hand and held the side of 002''s face. Surprisingly, it 002 this time who took the initiative to hug him as she embraced her and they both fall down on their knees as 002 began to cry again. As she cried, 003 couldn''t help recalling the words of that child with golden hair. -I will help you and your little friend escape this place, but in return, you will have to keep her alive no matter what the cost is. -And for that, I will tell you something interesting. You know, your friend named 003, will actually die while in your escape. -I know you won''t believe me, but I''m pretty sure about my judgement. ''He will die, no matter what you do.'' The reason 001 tried to distract the enforcers is so that he will have the problem of escaping and not 002 and 003. He wanted to make sure that 003 is safe and that he will not die. But he did not expect that-...maybe, this was even the cause for 003''s actual death. 001 knows it now, that child, he is no ordinary. And maybe, there is another reason for why he wants him to keep 002 safe and alive. Maybe, he had foreseen something that he can''t, and this is most likely- -something that is not good for 002. Underneath the night sky that had unknowingly turned crimson and cold, 002 and 001 embraced each other amongst the pile of corpses. They had indeed escaped, but at what cost? The precious dreams of 003 for his own future, had now gone to waste as he will never get to see it happen. **** "Urghh! How- did they escaped?!" Dr. Shane screamed in madness as he kept yelling at the other scientists and enforcers. Just as he was mad, the child with gold hair suddenly appeared and spoke with a smile, "I''ve found an interesting thing, doctor." Hearing this, Dr. Shane finally realized something and said, "You..." The child just smiled and said, "Yes?" Dr. Shane gritted his teeth, unable to say anything as he could only half-kneel and said, "Nothing, your highness." The child, was none other than the crown prince of the Noxus Empire. He is Adrian Noxus, the infamous prince who is said to have killed all his brothers and sisters, not even sparing his younger siblings as he murdered all of them. And not even the King himself can stop him and officially handed over the title crown prince to him. "If I may ask, w- what did you see, your highness?" Dr. Shane asked hesitantly. Adrian Noxus looked down at Dr. Shane who was taller than him but because he was half-kneeling, Adrian Noxus stared at him from above. "Nothing much, just an interesting future." Adrian said with an amused smile as he said, "And ofcourse, the key for that future is none other than that girl." He then looked at Dr. Shane and said, "I''ll give you a little spoiler, she will be the cause for your demise." "And I''ve already said that she is the key for that future, so you should already know what to do, right doctor?" Hearing this, Doctor Shane flinched slightly, making Adrian Noxus even more happier. As he turned around and left, he left a reminder to him. "I won''t be involving myself in your cases anymore, doctor." As soon as Adrian Noxus disappeared, Dr. Shane punched the ground and cussed. "Damn it!" He gnashed his teeth as he finally raised his head and swore, "I will kill her myself then!" "That brat! After what I''ve done for her, she dares to do something so ungrateful to me!" "I swear! I''ll kill her!" The truth was that the only reason she accepted 002 was because the crown prince had recommended her to him. When she was able to develop her power, he became satisfied with his decision. But who would''ve thought that the only reason the crown prince recommended her to him was that so she would be the cause of his own demise?! He can''t throw a tantrum against the crown prince, nor can he disrespect him at all. Because he would be killed without even knowing it, because the crown prince is an omnipotent being. Knowing this, he could only hate 002''s existence and not the crown prince. "Alright, since it''s me who gave her that power and life, then I shall be the one to take it away as well as her creator!" Chapter 10: The Beginning After the End Chapter 10: The Beginning After the End The sound of birds singing sounded in her ears, those peaceful chirps bringing harmony to anyone who will hear it. Well, that was at the very least for most people. 002 groaned in pain and her shut eyes kept fidgeting, her hand groping for something to hold as it kept waving in the air non-stop. Her breathing was heavy and she felt the air clogged up in her throat. Beads of sweat kept dripping down her forehead as her other hand tightly held her chest from the burning pain she was feeling. -You knew it, didn''t you? That they would die because of you, again! 002 let out a panic gasp but continued to struggled with her eyes tightly shut. -It''s all your fault! They all- died! And it is because of none other than-... -...You! "Ha...!" Sitting up abruptly, 002 gasped for breath. Her face was pale and she was covered in cold sweat. Just as she was panting heavily and trying to digest her situation, she tried to move but felt her left hand was gripped, startling her for a second. Tilting her head to the side, she realized that it was indeed 001 who was holding her hands. "0-" Before she could even call out for his name, pain suddenly surged in her head once more, the hand of 001 holding hers replaced by a much more smaller and pale hand. Opening her eyes, she tried to get out of the bed she was lying on but fell to the ground with a ''thud'' as 001 supported her. Holding on to 001''s shoulders, tears finally streamed down from 002''s eyes as she asked in painful and anguish voice, "003, he-!" Then, she only saw 001 look at her with sad eyes, his crimson irises reflecting her miserable appearance. 002 made a painful expression as she spoke in a suppressed voice, almost pleading, "Please..." Alas, she only saw 001 shook his head. "Ah...ahh..." 002 couldn''t even speak anymore, a self-deprecating laugh escaping from her lips. "I knew it, I knew it! This is all my fault, he died- because, of, me! It has always been me!" 002 yelled as she tried to stand up and wanted to punch the wall but 001 held both of her wrist.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. 002 struggled as she kept punching 001''s chest, tears never stopping as she continued to scream in agony. "It''s my fault, hic! I- I should be the one to die!" Just as 002 finished saying this, she suddenly felt 001''s body turned stiff and as she looked up blankly, she saw him looking down at her with a frown. Letting go of her wrists, 001 made a sign language and said, "Are you just gonna let his sacrifice go to waste?" 002 sniffed and said, "Then do I have to continue on living, despite having to live with a sin?" "My friend, died because of her gambling parents. My mom and dad, was murdered by me. Those children, died of torture because I let them get involved in my plan. And now, 003, he-! He! He died, because of me! Because he tried to save someone as worthless as me!" 001 no longer moved, his mouth pursed as he raised his slightly trembling hands and made a sign language. "Yes. You have to live a life with a sin." "Because if you give up now and die meaningless, then..." 001 tried hard thinking before he added, "Then, they won''t forgive you, ever." 002 looked at 001 in daze before she just cried and finally fell into 001''s arms. 001, unable to do anything, just hugged her back and patted her back, secretly gritting his teeth as there was a slight tear in his eyes. ---- Coming out from an old small house they momentarily used as their shelter, they went up the mountain through the woods and buried 003''s body there, creating an ''X'' sign made out of a pair of woods and tied it with some vines. As they both knelt before 003''s grave, they silently prayed for peace for his soul before they both stood up and looked at the grave. They neither have picture nor an item that 003 left behind for them, but just by staring at the ground that was covered in a pile of dirt, they can recognize in just an instant that this is where 003 is lying. Holding hands together, 002 looked up at the sky and spoke softly, "If there is still any god out there, please, i am begging you, may 003''s soul rest in peace." 001 felt the strength in his hand tightened and he glanced at 002 secretly before he also looked up at the sky. ''God huh, I wonder if they really do exist.'' **** At the Noxus Empire''s Main Capital, inside the castle where the throne is at, the one sitting on it surprisingly wasn''t the current king that everyone knows about, instead, a child with golden hair and eyes was the one that sat on the throne for the ruler of the Noxus Empire. And the child was none other than Adrian Noxus, the crown prince and the successor of the throne. Before him, a man with white hair and beard along with an ashen coloured eyes was lying on the ground, a pool of blood spreading beneath him. And he, was the king, and Adrian''s father. "You-...you are not, my son! Are you?!" The king shouted, blood pouring out from his mouth. Suddenly, at his words, the smile on Adrian''s lips became stiff. Then, a laugh suffused the place of the throne as Adrian wiped away his tears from laughing too much. "Oh father, you still don''t get it, do you?" Adrian said with a smile that did not reached his eyes. "Have you ever wondered why I suddenly changed all of a sudden? Why that incident of murdering my siblings occurred?" He asked as he sat up from the throne and walked nonchalantly towards the king. As he crouched down, he suddenly held the king''s face and before the latter could even react, Adrian''s hand was reflected in his eyes before- "Ahhhhhhhh!" The king''s left eye was gouged out as Adrian held the bloody eyeball in his hands, playing with it. "Father, do you know? I still remember the last time we had a conversation." Adrian chuckled. "You said that a bastard son like me who was given birth by a mere maid will never become a king, a ruler of this empire, and that I could only look up at you whenever I stare at you." "But look at me now! Haha! You are now the one who is looking up at me as you stare at me from below!" "Ahh! How beautiful this reunion is, isn''t it, father?" The king kept groaning in pain, his entire body trembling and his pupils kept shaking. "So now, father, you can be at peace! Because from now onwards, I will be the one sitting in your throne!" "Oh! And since you''re a goner anyways, I shall tell you my little secret!" Adrian leaned his head forward and whispered in the king''s ears. "I-" The king''s pupil''s instantly contracted the moment he heard this and before he was given the chance to speak, Adrian pointed his finger at the king''s neck before swiping it in the air. Splatter! A red line appeared in the king''s neck before his head fell to the ground with a thud, the remaining eye turning into a lifeless colour. Adrian smiled and stood up as he looked at the eyeball of his father in his hands before throwing it away. "Haah, now isn''t it fun being a regressor, isn''t it?" "Just wait for me, dear goddess, my oath for you shall be granted! Even if my soul is disintegrated and my body is burned, I shall pledge my heart for you my Goddess!" **** At a certain place, a statue of a woman whose chest is covered with both her hands with a thin veil over her face and a long robe covering her body, suddenly had some parts of her body crack all of a sudden. Then, her closed eyes suddenly opened, shining in a bright colour. A woman gasping for breath echoed as they spoke in a sadistic laugh. "I am back." **** End of Volume 1 Chapter 11: A God Chapter 11: A God [Start of Volume 2] 1 Year Later 002 and 001 had been living inside the abandoned small house in the woods near an unnamed village for the past year and now had lived under the disguise as Nyx and Raizel. A month had now already passed since they''ve bought food, it was obvious that their small supplies would eventually ran out, and today is that day. 001, now known as Raizel, wore a rugged plain white t-shirt and black trousers they found left in the closet. He then put on a brown robe made out of the old unused curtains and finally prepared to head out. He then turns around as he heard the sound of small footsteps and sees 002, now known as Nyx, coming out from her room. She was wearing a plain beige coloured dress that has its skirt almost reaching the knees. Her used-to-be long brown hair was now short but her bangs remained the same as it reaches past her chin, remaining intact on the right side of her face. She was holding a basket she sewed herself from woods and she smiled at Raizel as she ran up to him. Raizel just smiled as he made a sign language, saying "Don''t go too far, I''ll be back at the very least before dawn." Nyx''s eyebrows twitched as she pouted her lips and said in a sardonic voice, "I''m not that young anymore, I''m 9 years old already!" Raizel just grinned and made another sign language. "And I am 10 years old now, so that makes me older and the one to be followed, right?" Nyx just scoffed and rolled her eyes before she just hummed softly. With that, they both left in the opposite direction of each other. Raizel headed towards the village whilst Nyx headed deeper towards the woods. This was what they came to agree to, the two of them would swap their roles after each week so that they would be remembered yet not that much as to avoid the scientists in-case they are searching for them, which most likely is the case. As Nyx headed in the deeper woods, she had come to be familiar with the place as she now often come here to collect berries and medical herbs. There were many types of wild berries but not that much of medical herbs as it only grows in specific dates. Just as she was picking up the berries, she suddenly heard a rustle, making her turn vigilant. As she turned her head to the side with alertness, her pupils instantly contracted as her entire body turned stiff. There was a dark silhouette standing behind the bushes and trees, it was the figure of a deer, albeit the strange thing about it that made Nyx''s scalp turn numb is because its body is literally just black, like a shadow itself! Its eyes shone brightly with the colour white and it stared at Nyx for an unknown amount of time. Nyx had indeed heard before that there are strange creatures living in this world, she could still remember vaguely the descriptions of the history books about this world, about- Chaos. Yes, the name of this world is Chaos, which is said to have been named by the Goddess of Chaos herself. It''s ironic, isn''t it? It is said that the deity who rescued this world from the Outer Gods and had named it, was viewed as a ''savior'' by the people of the Nirvanna Era despite being known as an Evil God as well.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it An Evil God whose prowess is only destruction and curse, can also be viewed as a Savior, isn''t that funny? And because it was an Evil God who claimed this world as their own, naturally, beings from the underworld were also brought to this place. For Nyx, this is the first time she would see a being that resembled something from the underworld. Before, in the slums she would often encounter ''people'' with animal tails, ears, and other part of their body that became hybrid. They were called The Wretched Ones- naturally, beings that were unfortunate enough to be born with such physical traits of an animal and had no more than 20 years of lifespan. However, this was the first time Nyx encountered another being other than they humans and the wretched ones. Nyx, unable to control her excitement and fear, trembled underneath its gaze. She did not know what type of creature it is, nor if it is even written in any of the history books she had read. Because of this, she is unable to tell of what actions she should take, whether she needs to be cautious and fear this creature, or whether this is just an ordinary one that has such unique appearance. Just as she was pondering, she watched as the deer turn its head before running away deeper into the woods, leaving a trail of dark shadow-like smokes. Seeing the deer disappearing into the shadows, Nyx was left dumbfounded. Shaking off her thoughts, she stood up as she held the basket of berries. ''That was an odd encounter I should say, but I guess it is for the better that it was not a harmful one.'' Nyx thought and just as she let out a sigh, she suddenly felt a change in her body as she unconsciously dropped the basket. Her vision suddenly turned into a familiar crimson embrace, which she had not seen for some time now. Just as she thought she was in danger and would see the same blue lines as before, she was surprised to see a foreign white lines, forming into an outline of the same deer she just saw. It looked at her before it hopped into the forest, with the same path that the shadow-like deer also ran towards to. Nyx couldn''t understand what it wanted to say to her- no, to be more precise, she already knew what it was saying, she is just not certain if she should follow it. Nyx first turned to look towards the direction of their house and after some contemplation, decided to follow the deer, leaving the basket of berries on the ground scattered. -- As Nyx carefully followed the trail, she found from time to time that the deeper she goes, the more the appearance of the wood changes. It kept getting darker and darker until she only saw withered plants. Just as she was thinking of whether she should turn back now, she paused as she saw the shadow-like deer once again, this time, her crimson vision fading as the white lines became one with the deer. As the deer stared at her once more, this time, Nyx did not back down and also stared back at the creature. The longer Nyx stares into the creature''s eyes, the more she felt drowsiness washing over her. Then, the deer suddenly pounced on the ground, letting out an angry neigh, starting Nyx. After that, she watched as the deer turned and ran once again, but this time, it ran directly towards a well and jumped inside of it. Nyx was stupefied for a moment before she rushed and looked down inside the wall, whereas she found that it was no more than 3 feet and that there was a strange tunnel inside at the corner. Nyx furrowed her eyebrows and after some contemplation, decided to follow her curiosity and jumped down the well knowing that she will still be able to get out either way. -- Crawling, she followed the light at the end of the tunnel and after a minute had passed, she finally arrived at the end and stood up, only to be met with a surprising sight. It was a large room, and there were torches all over the place, casting a vague light in the room because it was not enough. And at the center of it, was a giant statue of a woman. Her face is covered with a thin veil and her arms are placed above each other on her chest while wearing a long robe. Suddenly, a strong wind blew past her, causing for her to tremble slightly from the cold. Fear instantly swept over her as a bead of sweat dripped from her forehead. She may not know who this statue symbolizes, but she does know one thing about it. ''This is a statue of a God.'' Realizing this, her heart thumped wildly, it was intense, so much that she felt it painful as if it is being crushed. ''This is dangerous-...i- I could die here!'' This though made her scalp go numb. She trembled greatly, this was like no other! The fear of death! So much more horrifying than what her parents or the scientists had done to her, maybe even scarier than he''ll itself! Just as she wanted to escape from this place, she suddenly saw the shadow-like deer come out from behind the statue as it stood before her. Then, she did not know if it was her illusion, but she thought she saw both the deer and the statue''s eyes shone bright at the same time. "Kneel" The word spoken was simple, but the impact was greater than an earthquake and louder than a drum. Nyx choked, feeling as if her entire body was out of her control. It was heavy and unbearable as she knelt down without knowing it. Then, she felt something wet and sticky, but she couldn''t raise her hands that was supporting herself whilst kneeling. Crimson blood kept pouring down from her ears and nose, not long after, she cried out blood from her eyes. A mortal can never withstand something done by a deity, whether if they just hear their voice, see their true appearance, or just stared into their eyes, if any mortal does any of those, the consequences all lead to one thing only- death. Nyx struggled to maintain her consciousness and more importantly- her sanity. The voices in her head kept screaming that she could hardly hear her breathing. As her head droop down, the pool of blood that she unconsciously created suddenly started to wriggle like worms before forming into unknown words. She didn''t know how she knew it was a sentence, but she knew that this is not the alphabet she had learned about. Then, she felt her mouth opening and closing on its own without her consent, and without her realizing it, she was already reading out loud the text written on the floor. "Worship me, mortal." "Make me your God, I can give you everything you desire." "In return, shall you follow my four commands." "Shall you be my substitute and most faithful believer. "Shall you gather your followers and believers." "Shall you seek the truth." "And shall you eradicate all of ''His'' most faithful servants." Nyx continued to speak as if possessed by someone else as she spoke in a complete unfamiliar language. "Once you have your answer, come find me, I shall be waiting." With that, the weight on Nyx suddenly disappeared completely and as it did, so did she as Nyx felt her vision turn blur before falling to the side with a thud, unconscious. The last thing she saw was the shadow-like deer that remained throughout that entire event staring at her. Chapter 12: Unexpected Encounter Chapter 12: Unexpected Encounter Feeling someone shaking her, Nyx finally regained consciousness as she slowly opened her heavy eyelids. What greeted her was Raizel''s worried face as he held both her cheeks, trying to make her body stable. He then made a sigh language and asked, "What happened? Did you faint?" Nyx was puzzled by his question and suddenly, she recalled of what just happened. She remembered that there was a statue of a woman, most likely, a deity inside a underground place. And then, there was that shadow-like deer creature with shining eyes. Her eyes widened in horror as she also remembered that gruesome and terrifying scene where her nose, ears, and eyes bleed out as that pool of crimson suddenly formed into a foreign language. She read it, she read it out loud without her knowing the language, what''s more, she read it without knowing that she even did, as if possessed. Nyx couldn''t help trembling in fear when she remembered it. She thought she would die back then. Cold sweat dripped down her face and Raizel frowned when he saw this. He asked once again of what happened to her. Nyx looked at him for a moment, fear still palpable in her face. Licking her dry lips, she opened her mouth and tried to speak but found that she couldn''t, she was afraid. Because she knows that one must not pry to others about deities and cannot speak lightly of their name, only those who are their incarnation or their most faithful servants can do so. But even then, some can still be killed whatsoever if the one they worship are displeased with them. Knowing that there is a risk in speaking about that incident, she decided to stay shut and pursed her lips. Nyx looked at Raizel and shook her head, indicating that she cannot reveal it which Raizel instantly understood as Nyx had always been an honest person. Raizel fell into contemplation, wondering what could possibly be the reason why Nyx is so frightened that she did not dare to speak of it. In the end, she did not forced Nyx to speak about it and just helped her stood up. Bumping into the basket of berries, Nyx''s body turned stiff and her hand trembled for a second. If she is not mistaken, shouldn''t she be currently in that secret underground? Why-... Why is she here then? In the forest where she last have been before following that shadow-like deer. ''Could it have been just an illusion?'' She wondered. In the end, fearing that it is not just a mere illusion, she decided to keep what she had seen as a secret from Raizel and just hook her head and said, "It''s nothing, I think it was just a nightmare..." Raizel looked at her for a moment before just nodding his head. Picking up the berries and placing it back to her basket, they strode back to their house.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Before leaving, Nyx unconsciously looked back at the place where the deer appeared but did not saw anything. She felt restless but in the end, decided to set aside this fleeting feeling for the moment. ---- Not long after, it was nighttime already and Raizel and Nyx went back to their own rooms. Lying on the mattress, Nyx looked up at the wooden ceiling and couldn''t help being lost in thought. "Did what I''ve ''experienced'' actually happened? Was that all reality and not just some sort of illusion?" She muttered. Fiddling with her fingers, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, easing slightly her restlessness. She thought of the possibilities and remembered that there are rare magicians living in this world and that only a few are able to create illusions. But if it really was a magician who made her see those illusion, what is their purpose to begin with? Why would they go so far as to create such a horrible incident to a nobody like her? ''Could they be related to Dr. Shane perhaps?'' She thought for a moment but immediately discarded her thoughts. ''There is no way. Because I''m certain that Dr. Shane are enemies with the magicians because he experimented us to create a being that can compare to the magicians, the gifted ones and blessed by the Gods.'' But then again, if what she had seen are neither a dream nor an illusion, then... Opening her eyes, she pursed her lips and finally decided on something. ''I''ll go visit the library tomorrow, and maybe also go ''back'' to that ''place'' if I have to.'' With that decision, Nyx closed her eyes to sleep, alas she did not slept that well at all throughout that entire night. She kept dreaming about that scene, remembering and feeling those vague moments when 003 died before her. ---- Waking up, Nyx dressed up in a plain black pants and white turtle-neck shirt. Looking at herself in the broken mirror, she heaved a sigh as she went out of her room and met Raizel in the kitchen. Approaching Raizel, she said, "I''m going out for walk." Raizel tilted his head, making a sign language. "Where to?" Nyx did not looked at Raizel and just wore her robe as she said without turning back, "To the library." Just as she wanted to go, Raizel grasped her hand and he made a sign language saying, "I know something has been going through your mind lately." "I can help you, you know that, right? You don''t have to bear that heavy thought alone." Nyx fell silent, her eyes drooping sadly before she spoke softly, "I''m sorry." Before leaving. Nyx didn''t want to get Raizel involved with this situation, because he might suffer, or worse, die if she is not careful. Raizel stared at Nyx''s fading back, his reached out hand clenching slightly, feeling empty. Thinking of something, he also went off and went to the woods where he last saw Nyx before she became anxious and restless such as this. **** In the nameless village near their house, Nyx went inside a library and searched in the history section. She took countless of history books and placed them on a table before reading all of them, trying to search for clues. ''Why is that statue of a Goddess hidden underneath the depths of this world?'' ''And how can I distinguish between a God and an Evil God when I can only see their statue and not know their identity and prowess?'' Those were her questions and as she searched, she finally found something. [Evil Gods are generally hidden from the outside world as they are condemned by most entities.] [An Evil God can be titled such if their prowess are meant for destruction instead of good.] [An Apostle once determined that the statue they saw was a God because they conveyed a message that is for the good of people, whilst they also determined that another statue is an Evil God because they conveyed a destructive message, such as sending the message through blood or bad omens.] Reading this, Nyx couldn''t help having a foreboding feeling. Since the one that sent her a message was an Evil God, it is obvious that she should stay away from it. That was the obvious answer. However, she couldn''t help but feel tempted when she heard that the deity can grant any of her wish come true, seemingly one from a fairy tale. But the thing that bothered her the most was the question why that deity chose her to do that mission. Just as she was contemplating, the open book infront of her suddenly flipped itself to the next page whereas she saw an underlined sentence. [Never pry into God''s mysteries] Reading this made Nyx unconsciously gulp, and she finally realized something. ''They are watching me.'' ---- Getting out of the library, Nyx pulled her hood back and sighed, feeling empty inside. ''In the end, I couldn''t get the answer I wanted the most.'' Just as she was about to go back to her house, she faintly saw a familiar figure, making her stunned. ''There is no way...how come he is all the way out here from the Noxus Empire?'' Nyx looked at the burly figure and couldn''t help falling into puzzlement. ''There is no way that it is him, absolutely not.'' She kept denying the possibility of the person being ''him'', but in the end, she couldn''t help but follow the figure secretly. As she followed the figure secretly, she saw him enter a dark alley, making her hesitant into continuing following the person. But then, she saw a group of four thug-like people peeking inside the alley before they also entered. Nyx involuntarily frowned as she clenched her fist and decided to take a peek. When she looked inside the alley secretly, she widened her eyes as she saw that there was a brawl going on as the four thugs started to fight the figure. Just as she watched the fight, the figure turned as he beat one of the thugs with his bare fists. And that''s when Nyx finally saw the appearance of the figure. "Mister?" Nyx couldn''t help calling out softly, which no one heard. It was the person that treated her as herself despite knowing that she came from the slums, and even let her borrow their books from their bookstore. It was the only person who told her stories and made her feel like a family other than her best friend in the slums. ''Why-...Why is he here?'' **** Meanwhile, Raizel explored the place where he had seen Nyx last and looked around but did not find anything strange, making him feel annoyed. Just as he was about to give up the search, he suddenly heard a rustle and when he turned around, saw something that made him froze. It was the shadow-like deer, staring straight at him with shining white eyes. The deer looked at him and Raizel did the same, which was a grave mistake. Because the last thing he saw, was Nyx. And then everything went black. Only an empty void remained. ''Nyx...'' That was the last word that echoed in "his" mind. Chapter 13: A Family Chapter 13: A Family Nyx suddenly flinched and felt a sting in her ear, as if she had just heard someone call her name just now. Just as she was puzzled, she saw the man was about to be hit behind by the person with a bat and Nyx''s eyes involuntarily shone purple. Before she knew it, she already appeared behind the person and sliced him with an ice dagger she made with 003''s ability. The man and the other three thugs were stunned about the sudden appearance of Nyx and the mam took this opportunity to beat the others with his bare fists before breaking their necks. The remaining two thugs were terrified and wanted to flee but the man did not let them go and was able to catch them, knocking them both unconscious before brutally beating them up repeatedly. Seeing this scene made Nyx stiff, unable to grasp her current situation. ''Is this- really Mister? That kind hearted person who couldn''t even kill an insect...'' Just as she was hesitant, the sound of beating continued until Nyx licked her dry lips and called out softly, "Mister?" At that moment, the man''s fist remained frozen in the air and everything fell silent. Nyx did not know whether to continue to try to call him or just leave silently, but then saw the man turn his head slowly towards her, and when the man saw her appearance, he looked up in shock, tears gradually welled up in his eyes. "I- Is it-...is it really you?" The man uttered. Nyx was stunned for a moment before she pursed her lips and hummed. Seeing her, the man stood up abruptly, startling Nyx. But the next actions of the man made her froze and stiff. She was met with a warm embrace and the man spoke in a hoarse voice. "I thought you died." "I''m sorry, it''s all my fault, if only- if only I was able to stop them at that time- t- then-!" The man kept stuttering as he tried to explain frantically, only making it more difficult to understand. "A- Alright! C-Calm down for second!" Nyx said as she pushed away the man''s shoulder and looked at him. This was her first time seeing him in such a state. "Let''s get out of her first. Come! I''ll take you to my place!" She said. "You mean...?" The man was hesitant and Nyx was able to see through his thoughts. Shaking her head, she said, "No. It''s a different place." The man looked at her for a moment before he said, "Okay." Just as they were about to leave, the man suddenly asked something. "Aren''t you afraid?" "What?" Nyx looked at him inexplicably, puzzled. "Aren''t you atleast, vigilant? Towards a stranger like me..." The man said hoarsely. Nyx frowned when she heard this. "You know, Mister. You are the only one I ever treated as my own family." "You are the only one who gave me free and edible food, the only one who saw me as myself." Hearing her words, the man fell silent and Nyx geld his hand and said, "Mister, you are a family to me, not a stranger." Tears welled up in the man''s eyes before he said softly, "I see." "Come on! Let''s go!" Nyx said as they strode off. ---- When they got back home, Nyx was excited to introduce the man to Raizel. The moment her hand landed on the door, her vision suddenly turned red and the familiar white lines appeared, it''s just that they were scattered all around and does not show any particular order nor direction. She gasped and subconsciously let go of the door. "What''s wrong?" The man asked worriedly. Nyx panted for a little before she gulped and shook her head, "It''s nothing, I thought I just saw something." The man was puzzled by her words but in the end, did not pry any further. Opening the door, Nyx searched for Raizel excitedly, forgetting about what she had just felt. The strange thing though, is that Raizel was neither in the kitchen nor the living room where he should be at this time. Nyx squinted her eyes for a moment before she went to Raizel''s bedroom and knocked on his door. "Raizel? Are you there? Can you open the door?" There was no sound. Just as she thought that he was also not in the bedroom, she finally heard the door creaked and saw Raizel opening it. When her eyes met Raizel''s crimson eyes, she did not know why but her vision suddenly turned crimson and the tiny short white lines kept wriggling around the air, coming out from Raizel''s eyes. ''What...?'' Nyx was frightened and her pupils contracted. Just as she felt her hand was about to move instinctively on its own, Raizel closed his eyes and opened it again, this time, Nyx''s vision returned to normal.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ''What-...just what did I just saw?'' Before she even had the chance to comprehend her situation, Raizel made a sign language and said, "You''re back." "Ah...yes, ah yes I''m back!" Nyx, coming back to her senses, felt a little embarrassed but then remembered something and said, "I''ve brought a guest! You''re never gonna believe who I brought!" Making way, the figure of the man appeared in Raizel''s sight and Nyx said, "This is Mister! My family!" Raizel stared at Nyx for a moment before looking up to meet the man''s gaze. The man and Raizel stared at each other for a long time without any signs of movement, causing for Nyx to be worried. "Ah, is everything alright? Have you two met before?" The man looked at Raizel before he took away his gaze and said, "No, I just think that he looks similar to someone I know." "Ah! Is that so?" Nyx said. The man then reached out his hand and said, "David, and you are?" Raizel looked at his outstretched hand before grabbing and shaking it. Then, he made a sign language afterwards. "Raizel, I am her friend." "Her friend you say..." David muttered. Just as the atmosphere dropped, Nyx intervened and said, "Uhm, Mister?" "Hm?" David turned his gaze away from Raizel and looked at Nyx. Nyx took a deep breath before she inquired, "About what you said earlier...what are you sorry about?" Hearing this, David''s body turned stiff which Raizel caught. David gnashed his teeth secretly before he said, "May we sit down?" "I think this is going to take some time." Nyx was puzzled and looked into David''s eyes, trying to see if she could guess something. But all she saw was guilt and sorrow, making her puzzled as she could not recall anything done by David to her that made him feel so guilty, even sweating profusely. Narrowing her eyes as she lowered her gaze, she hummed. ---- "Back then, I went to the slums to check on you, having a foreboding feeling as I saw countless of enforcers roaming the empire." "But before I went to the slums, I encountered one of my friends." "And that''s when I found out that the enforcers are collecting abandoned children, especially- sold ones at that from the slums." "After that, I immediately searched but couldn''t find you. Well, atleast until I heard a commotion coming from one of the houses, and when I took a peek, I saw you." Nyx widened her eyes slightly when she heard this, but David did not gave her the chance to intervene and continued. "I saw you, being strangled by a woman-...your mother, most likely from how you described her before." Raizel''s pupils instantly contracted when he heard this before returning back to normal, his figure composed but his clenched fist broke it all. David continued. "I wanted to help and was about to barge in, but then I watched as you grasped the nearby kitchen knife and pierced it to your mother''s neck." "I was too stunned back then and I did not had the time to react, the moment I regained my senses, you were being chased by your father and that''s when I started budging at your door but was locked." "Then the moment I finally broke the door, a group of people suddenly shoved me towards the ground, pinning me so that I couldn''t move a single muscle." "A group..." Nyx muttered silently and asked while trembling. "Do they perhaps, wore dark robes while following a man in a lab coat?" David looked into Nyx''s purple eyes before speaking solemnly, "Yes." Hearing this, both Nyx and Raizel glanced at each other involuntarily. ''Dr. Shane'' They both knew the answer in an instant. "After that, they just entered willingly, and I tried to stop them, but they didn''t even stopped at all." "And when they got out, they were holding you unconscious." ... "I fought them afterwards." ... Nyx''s eyes widened while Raizel''s narrowed. David closed his eyes and lowered his head, "As you can probably guess, I''ve failed." "Then I tried to infiltrate that place." This time, Raizel''s eyes also widened. Because they know that the place that David is talking about, is none other than that laboratory... The Hell they grew up in. "Haha, I''ve actually caused such a ruckus back then that even that mad man actually came in person." Hearing this, Nyx faintly recalled a scene in the past. ''When I was talking to the enforcers about the vents, they left in a hurry, saying there was a commotion. The same goes when I met Dr. Shane, when he left in an annoyed manner after someone brought up the commotion.'' Nyx pursed her lips and looked secretly at David. ''It couldn''t be...'' Although Nyx had her own thoughts, she still did not said it out loud. Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped as David said something solemn. "Then I saw a girl with long brown hair and amber eyes being thrown into the ocean near that place." ... "I watched as she was thrown there, with the same height and probably the same age as you, and I thought that it was you, so I gave up and became a bounty hunter instead, so that I have a reason why I should kill that man!" "Wait, a bounty- hunter?" Nyx was dumbfounded when she heard this and looked at David as she had seen a ghost. "What? I told you before, didn''t I? That I''ve once met Caesar myself back then when he was still a little knight, I was also a Knight back then if you don''t know." David said with a grin. "..." Nyx was so stunned that her mouth was left agape while Raizel rolled his eyes as his lips twitched. David looked at Nyx and the grin on his lips slowly faded as he spoke hoarsely, "I''m sorry, kid." "I shouldn''t have let my thoughts get the best of me, I should''ve searched further, I''m sorry I didn''t get the chance to save you when I still can back then..." Before he got the chance to continue, Nyx hugged him and said with tears in her eyes, "It''s not your fault Mister, I''m thankful to you more than ever if so." David also cried silently as he hugged Nyx back and said, "Thank you." ---- While Nyx was preparing some food and Raizel carried the plates to the table, he suddenly heard David on the side whisper to him solemnly, "I hope your little secret won''t bring any harm to her." Raizel''s pupils instantly contracted before he squinted his eyes and made a small sign language. "Same to you." David just scoffed and Raizel turned to return to the kitchen, lost in thought. ''Did he figured it out? If so, which one?'' Secretly, Raizel''s crimson eyes shone and he thought, ''This is troublesome.'' **** "Are you sure you don''t want to stay, Mister?" Nyx asked as she reluctantly looked at David going outside the house. David chuckled and said, "Kid, I can take care of myself, I''ll be back whenever I can to visit you." Although reluctant, Nyx could only hum softly. Then, David patted Nyx''s head and said, "Don''t worry, I know that you are in a great care, you have that boy with you, and I trust him." Nyx unconsciously grinned when he said this and hummed in response. With that, David left, leaving Nyx empty while Raizel secretly frowned behind. Clicking his tongue, he thought, ''That damn geezer, he really got me there.'' **** At the Hunter Association Guild, David ordered a large glass of beer and drank it all in one gulp. As he felt refreshed, a friend of his sat beside him and teased him, "You seem awfully happier than usual, it''s been a long time ey? What happened?" "Nothing, Fred. I just finally found the kid I''ve been looking for." David replied nonchalantly. "Is that so? Then blessed the lad!" His friend, named Fred, cheered. Just as the bar was suffused with laughter and joy, Fred''s expression suddenly turned serious. "Actually, I have a new information." Fred said while grabbing a piece of rolled up paper from his cape. David looked at the paper for a moment before opening it. The moment he read the intels, his pupils couldn''t help shaking. On the paper was a wanted picture of two children, a boy with short black hair and a girl with short brown hair. And obviously, David recognized them. Above their heads were the bounty, which costs hundreds of thousands silver. And the most terrifying thing, is that this was sent by none other than the new King himself. Fred did not noticed the change in David''s expression and continued his rant. "Damn, just what is that new king thinking? Actually putting such bounties on a kid''s head..." "Oh, and what''s more, he also sent a poster of a woman''s statue with a veil covering her face." "He seems to be looking for it as it said that whoever is able to tell him the location of the statue, will recieve a million silver!" "I can''t believe the king is this generous, he is probably insane though, haha." David did not heard any of his words as the only thing that is left on his mind is- ''What should I do, kid?'' **** The next day. Nyx looked at the broken well before her, the purple eyes shining. "So it really wasn''t just a dream, huh?"