CH20

‘Obj 731’ is now his new identity. Not “Spero” nor brother of a crown prince.

Just an object, a thing.

And a thing’s wellbeing is not considered.

One day, Metal tubes pierce its body. On another their skin was peeled off, revealing the muscles, blood poured from every cut and slash.

The object only wished for the sweet release of death, only to be snatched out by a potion, poured directly on to death’s face.

No voice came out, No day without pain, No day for hope.

Day after day, night after night.

The object’s hope dwindled to a small flicker among a dark and cold void in its heart

But even this determined flicker was overcome by the coldness.

Literally.

One day, in its space. Ice forms on to the object’s hand, it was confusing. The cold should have crushed its last hope, but instead it lit something new.

The ice was the only thing that warmed its soul. The cold mist lights up the dark space and ignites a new flicker.

Day after day, the object trained, unbeknown to Alice, who only continued with her ‘research’ of unknown reasons, the tubes, the burns, the pain no longer dwindled that flicker.

But fuel it.

Another day.

“Alright, 731. Come here” Alice said, opening a steel door.

The object walked out. Pale and malnutrition, but its face is not the same one that was dragged through the first time.

“Looks like you’ve abandoned all hope” Alice said, “Guess your use to it”

Alice leaned closer, staring into its eyes. “Congratulations and welcome” she said

“Follow” Alice ordered turning around.

The object followed, Alice’s face still makes him quiver in fear. But he has a resolve.

To leave and never to see her face once more.

They arrived at the room, a white room, a white room filled with steel and machine, blaring lights, pods with liquids, bodies twisted, and a steel bed in the middle.

“Mount” She uttered, the object then approached the steel bed

Suddenly the building shakes. Steel equipment that was hanging fell. A man rushed into the room, weapons drawn.

“Madam Alice! We’ve got to evacuate now! The monster…” He shouted, but an explosion blasted him to ashes mid-sentence.

Alice rushed to grab Spero’s hand.

An explosion occurred, blasting a hole into a wall. A massive insect head peeked through; it’s mandible as large as houses.

“Fuck! What is that?” Alice shouted, unsheathing her sword.

A magic circle flared on the creature’s head. A beam of light zaps through the air, aiming for Alice.

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Alice blocked, the beam ricochet, melting the steel walls, toppling them over the tower.

She readied her stance clutching her sword, then swings at the massive beast.

Shing!

The beast’s top head slides off. Green blood oozes into the chamber.

Another head peaks into the chamber, a magic circle flared.

Alice readied her stance once again; she prepared to swing.

But her hand didn’t move, Alice looked over to see that her arms were frozen, the adrenaline stopping the cold.

Alice looked up, Spero stood there with a magic circle in his trembling hand. Only then did she realize what happened

“You! You bastard!” She screams, only for Spero to start fleeing.

He ran to a hole in the wall, ran through his fear, as this opportunity won’t come again; insects’ size of house filled the scorched area.

But Spero wasn’t fazed, he ran through, freezing everything to shatter in his wake. His skin was nicked by their mandibles. A fireball blasted his arms off.

His eyes fixated on the light at the end of this spiked tunnel. He replaces his arm with a slab of ice.

With each step, the line of ice and frost gets smaller. The flicker was burning itself-alive, each step devoured what was left, but a step always follows another, the flicker won’t be dwindled once more.

Ice forms on his body, his mana has run thin, his body begins to decompose to ice.

A fuel to continue, A fuel to touch the light out of reach.

No matter how long, he doesn’t remember how long his feet have stepped forward.

And, finally, his feet have reached an untouched land, a garrison of troops situated notices him.

Spero collapsed to the ground, His body 60% turned to ice.

The soldiers rushed to him, “Hey kid!” “What are you doing out here!” They shouted

For the flicker burned itself, but it was enough. For it has touched the light.

Back to the present

“And then Spero joined that garrison and later migrated here after the garrison was dismantled” Lisa said

“That…that is certainly quite tragic” Furi said, her eyes swelled with tears, she felt sorry “I would never know that such a cheerful girl is hiding such darkness”

“The outside of people can be deceiving” Lisa said, writing something on the map. “Go comfort him, morale is good to keep high. Tomorrow will be a big day”

Furi got up and went outside to look for Spero.

After a while, she finds him huddling in a corner. She sits next to him.

For a while, no one spoke anything. Then suddenly Furi uttered,

“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through” She turned to look at Spero, still huddling in the corner “It must have been hopeless”

“Yes, it was” Spero said “Look, I don’t expect you to get it, everyone has a sob story behind them, different lives, different wounds”

“Fate has or will take something from us, and we can only face it. I don’t expect you to understand me, and I don’t expect myself to understand what any of these people here have been through”

“But we can share it” Furi said “We may never fully felt each other’s stories. But we can share it. That’s what teammates do, right? Don’t shut me out.”

“Can I really do it?” Spero said

“A team is supposed to help each other right?”

“You think we’ll survive tomorrow?”

“Absolutely, although I’ve only met you for a day. I trust you, and I hope that you return the favor”

Spero chuckled faintly, then stood, stretching with a groan. “Guess you’re wiser than you look, you little midget” A small smile on his lips

“Tomorrow’s a big day huh” he said “Guess we better get to rest”

“Indeed”

Spero chuckled before heading for a place to lay down, “See you, partner” He uttered waving her a bye.

“See you, partner” Furi replied before going to rest.

Spero sat down leaning against a wall of the cavern, his mind thought about today, and today’s words

‘Sharing our burdens?’

A noble thought, but this is his fate, and no one can do anything to change that fact

This is his flicker, fragile but it won’t hush away again, Tomorrow he will face Alice, the devil that smothered it out. But this time the flicker will shine brightly, melting away the cold void

And the devil whole.

Those brainwashed people, controlled by those 3 will wake up to see the truth again.

Somewhere in Aquaria

A female figure holding a sack is standing in a valley, unknown and unseen by those outside

“My…my what do we have here” A male voiced echoed throughout the dark alley “Put it there, and leave”

“You could at least show some manners. This isn’t our first deal, Mr. Falkera. You know that I won’t run with the cash”

“Don’t test me, Ms.Belle. Don’t forget, WE allow you to exist, cross the line? And you’ll be snuff out”

“Spare me the threats. If this little ‘peace’ falls apart, you all are going bankrupt in hours. You all seem to forget the legs that propped you up there” Belle strikes back

“Yeah whatever” A hand reached from the shadow, grabbing the sack, then disappeared once more in the shadow with the sounds of footsteps.

Belle stood there a grin on her face, the shine of magic crystal illuminating her back “Pathetic, all you got is empty threats. Tomorrow this rotten tax ends. Goodbye, Aquaria. Goodbye, Falkera”

Belle said turning around to bathe in the streets lights once more.