Forum Thread

Sign-Ups

Today's the day, the day that you've felt like you have been waiting for your entire life. Today was the day your life was going to change. Whether it be for good or for worse, you do not know yet, but you surely hope it will be good. You wake up, you get ready, and you make your way over to the nation's capitol where the event was beinb held, some taking longer than others. What greeted you there was surely a sight to behold. Thousands upon thousands of people were surrounding the massive, beautiful building that not only held the lab, but also contained the offices that were used by the government, and even the president himself. Most of you have never seen this building in person, but it was still just as impressive to those who had. News reporters were in front of the crowd, closest to the building, trying to get something for their story out of each of the subjects as they walked in. The inside was just as beautiful, neat and spacious, as well as relaxing and easy on the eyes. Everyone was greeted by the president, which gave each of them a small congratulation speech and wished them luck before they were escorted to a nearby elevator, which took them to the floor below. The room it lead to wasn't as magnificent as the one they were just in, but it wasn't all that bad for a laboratory that had only been built recently exclusively for the project. You were each assigned different rooms, which is where you will stay for the rest of your normal human life. Good luck, my friend, the world won't be so kind to you after this.

At first, the tired man had woken up the same as he always did, unaware that today was the day he was supposed to be at the capitol. He sat on his bed for a few minutes, giving him some time to wake up enough to continue on with his day. After doing so, he took a quick shower and got changed, then made a light breakfast. He was fully awake now, and as soon as he checked his phone for the first time since he woke up, he realized what today was. Of course, being the laid back person he is, didn't really react to the realization all that much. He simply ate his breakfast faster and started packing, completely aware that he was most likely going to be late. Before heading out the door, he said one final goodbye to his worn down, incredibly small house, which he had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't see much of it for a while. He hopped into his car, turned the key, and laid back in his seat for a while, taking the time to close his eyes and do absolutely nothing. He was beginning to regret all of this, the endless possibilities of what could go wrong ran through his head and made his anxiety fly through the roof. He shook that all out of his head for now, he could worry about that later. He sat back up and put his hands on the wheel, took a deep breath, and began the 2 hour drive to the lab.

Once he got there, he decided it would be best to stand back and wait for further instructions. All the info he was given was to just go to the building before 12 pm, and right now it was almost 11. Ah great... He would have to wait an hour, avoiding everyone who wanted to talk to him until 12. He decided it would be best to sit back down in his car and do something while he waited, but after a while that got boring. He hadn't looked out his window in quite a bit yet, so when he was about to open his door to get out, he jumped at the sight of a man standing right outside. The man seemed to be someone from the office, and it looked like he was holding a lanyard of sorts. The man looked vaguely familiar, but Alpene couldn't quite put his finger on it. The man certainly recognized him, though, and he didn't seem so happy about it. "Alpene Flanswick... Thought I'd never have to see you again..." He almost growled, his voice was low and deep, and his stern face made him shiver a bit. Then it hit him. He knew this guy, but he didn't want to think about how he knew this guy. He was too tense to say anything, he only stared into the eyes of the man who seemed to hate him with every ounce of his being. The tension only broke when the man shoved the lanyard into Alpene's hands, then spoke in that deep voice once again. "This is your nametag, show it to the man at the door whenever you wish to come in, but do so before 12." He sounded like he had said that many times before, like it was the phrase he was required to say to each of the subjects who had come here. Alpene looked down at the object, which had a small plastic sleeve wih a sheet of cardstock inside, but when he looked back up to thank him, he was gone. He sighed and stared at the object once again, which had his name, image, a random number, and some other info like his birth date and height. He wasn't sure why all this info was on here, but for now he didn't care. He simply leaned against his car and stared at the hoard of people surrounding the building.

Emika Tenshi-Smith was making her way to the building that would be her home for who knew how long. Her parents, while proud that she had been chosen for this project, had been saddened that their only child may never come back, or come back changed beyond recognition. They had helped her pack and given her a special bag of trinkets to remember them with. She had left a while ago and was hiding in the crowd of people who had gathered in front of the building. She gazed at it with slight disinterest and slight curiosity. Just what did this building contain??

“My loves have always been seared with this singing
this singing written by death
the way some lands have always been crippled by war.”
⊱ ─── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ─── ⊰
Their day started off like many others. Quiet and with the specter of death looming over them. Hyeon had stayed over for the final time, wrapped up in warm quilted blankets and a full heart. Their bed looked almost like a nest, covers and blankets bunched up around their slumbering forms, keeping sickly shiver at bay and engulfing the two in a quiet peace that they rarely had. The blinds were open as they always were, Aoi enjoying the warm ray of light which filtered through the master bedroom in the early morning, and if Hyeon squinted he could perhaps make out the weather. But he was much to content in the cocoon of morning grogginess to care, squirming back into the tangled mess of fabrics to find an ever bony and cold hand. Even after three years of recovery, Aoi never quite regained their former physique but Hyeon didn't care. It made them that much easier to tuck under his chin and snuggle into and that was exactly what he did, ignoring the indigent yet muffled sound his partner made as they were disturbed from their sleep. In retaliation, Aoi grumpily bunched the blankets up to their chest, stealing away the warmth accumulated overnight and leaving Hyeon whining as the morning cold nipped at his bare skin. It was a quiet love, something shared under the blankets and shared between secret smiles. Something best shared in the quiet moments that they had, brief lapses within their busy lives as both attempted to juggle their rising public recognition in relation to their relationship, balancing a delicate thread between the person they wanted others to see them as and how they truly were. Being a public figure was difficult after all, especially when their careers hinged on them being likable enough for their content to be seen.

Neither of them knew who moved first, disturbing that morning glow which enveloped them but assuredly it was both their alarms going off at the same time which forced them into action. Aoi hissed and fumbled around for their blaring phone somewhere in the tangled mess of fabric where it had migrated to sometime during the night. There was no mercy shown to the poor phone screen when Aoi finally got their hands on it, the soft croons of the singer abruptly cut off as they jabbed their finger on the snooze button. Hyeon on the other hand was gentler, tapping the snooze instead of attempting to break the device and setting it aside. Almost in synch they turned to one another and wrapped themselves up with blankets, letting the soft morning light wash over them and basking in it. It would be their final morning together for a while and they were determined to make the most of it. Hyeon meekly rested his head against Aoi’s shoulder and the other only huffed a soft little laugh and brought one hand up to card through his wispy hair, a head of fire which glowed under the sunlight. “You have to get up and ready soon; the masses are waiting for you.” They teased gently, pulling a bit on his hair with a soft giggle when Hyeon whined and attempted to hide his face in Aoi’s neck. They had just dyed their black hair with red dye without any bleach, coarse hairs which shone like a ruby under the sunlight pressing uncomfortably against Hyeon’s cheek. It was endearing to see how their partner would attempt to be overly incompetent just to get out of things he didn’t want to do, almost babyish despite the fact that he could absolutely crush Aoi’s head between his thighs. It was kind of endearing the duality of their partner and ability to not only be dangerously competent but also know when to cut loose. Sometimes Aoi wondered if they had dated an unusually large red Maine Coon instead of a world class idol. Their point was only proven when Hyeon only leaned further onto Aoi, placing every ounce of muscle and bone onto Aoi’s frame, making the other wheeze and topple over onto the cooling bed. “Get off me, your fat ass is crushing me.” Ineffectually slapping Hyeon’s back in an effort to get him off, Aoi squirmed and wriggled under their partner’s oppressive regime of trapping the two of them in bed. Perhaps it worked better than expected when Hyeon cackled like a hyena, all high notes and breathy voice, and rolled out of bed and stretched languidly giving Aoi an eyeful of said ass.

“You love this fat ass.” He winked and skipped out of the room to freshen up, the sound of Aoi choking on their spit and a pillow smacking against the hallways wall resounding behind him like music to his ears. He would have to hide the kitchen knives just in case, he mused to himself as he affixed a cuff onto his wrist and started up a monitor by the sink. He let the machine do its thing as he lazily brushed his teeth, only looking away from the mirror when the machine beeped. Writing the numbers displayed on a chart left out for these sorts of things, Hyeon finished up and moved towards the kitchen. He had finished tying his hair up into a bun and moved to start on breakfast, pulling whatever he could from the fridge. Aoi soon shuffled in to aid as well, pouting at the lack of kitchen knives available for the other to use and begrudgingly worked on the stove. Again, a quiet sort of peace fell over the two, only occasionally broken when Hyeon would not so subtly throw flour at Aoi and they would retaliate by flicking cold oil back. How it didn’t escalate into a full-blown food fight was beyond the either of them but they were thankful for it and they eventually sat on top of the kitchen counters stealing rice from each other’s jealously guarded bowls even though it came from the same pot. Pills, tablets, and needles of all kinds were opened and made their way through their bloodstream as they made their way through breakfast, washing down the bitter taste of medicine with leftover seaweed soup from the previous night. Aoi made a face when they ate a piece of galbi with just a bit too much spice in it and Hyeon nearly fell off the counter howling at their scrunched-up expression only to be silenced by choking on his rice which in turn had Aoi grinning in vicious satisfaction. It was almost painfully domestic, a good kind of pain, and the two mourned that these mornings would never be commonplace, especially with where life was taking Hyeon. In some aspects, Aoi was thankful to the military for bringing Hyeon into their life but now the very thing that allowed them to meet was pushing them apart again. They had discussions about it, after Hyeon’s entry into the program was announced. The state of their relationship was odd even without the army meddling in their affairs, their respective careers forcing them apart more often than not. While they had never actually agreed to it, breaking up seemed to be on the horizon and both knew it. Still, they would foolishly hold on to this dying relationship until they both drowned or saw reason and swam away to sturdier shores and apart from one another.

“Finished eating your CDs for breakfast?” Aoi teased as they cleared away the counter, finding a certain sort of joy in teasing Hyeon and his reputation as an idol with an ungodly singing voice. Some of his fans even jokingly said that the only way for Hyeon to have such a voice was for him to be eating CDs for breakfast, the exact sort of joke which Aoi found hilarious and would relentlessly use again their partner. In turn Hyeon only scoffed and flicked soapy suds in Aoi’s direction. The two fell into comfortable banter once again as they cleaned the dishes and retreated back into their shared bedroom to change clothes and grab Hyeon’s luggage. Wandering hands and whispered promises did impede them on their journey, tangling the two up in their own little world, but soon they stumbled out of the front door more or less on time to hail a cab to the capital. Social etiquette deigned for them to keep their hands to themselves, but nothing could have stopped them from lacing their fingers together as they passed meaningless ramble between them. Even if they were hurtling towards reality and the world breezed past the rolled-up windows of the car, it didn’t really matter to them. They would enjoy their final moments together in happiness and bliss while staunchly ignoring what would come next. They would undoubtedly mourn afterwards, certainly, but that was for the future when everything was said and done and they had the time to do so. Their present was only to be filled with idle chatter and busy memories, filling up with mental scrapbooks of each other.

The moment the pair entered the capital city, they paid their driver and got off. Reality had come crashing down and it was time to go. Even though Hyeon had officially retired from being and Idol and Aoi’s true identity outside of being a streamer was never revealed, Hyeon was still a public figure and starting up dating rumors right off the bat, while fun in theory, was a mess that neither wanted to get into. Therefore, they would be arriving to the facility separately, their final moments together spent in privacy. Much like how it started, they would end in the shadows, seen by no one but themselves. Fussing over Hyeon’s outfit, Aoi gently looped his arms around the other’s stomach and held him close, the hug slightly awkward with their forearm crutches but it was still enjoyable. “See you later.” They murmured, swallowing down the part of himself which pointed how much it sounded like a goodbye. It wasn’t a goodbye; they’d see each other again. Even if not in person than through a screen. Hyeon would continue to watch their live-streams and they would still be connected even if all communication between them stopped. For his part, Hyeon didn’t say much, simply resting his head on Aoi’s shoulder and gently swaying them as he soaked up the last dredges of affection. This wasn’t a goodbye; just another temporary parting. As Hyeon drew away, Aoi unconsciously leaned forward to chase him before settling back with a thin smile. “Have fun, stay safe, and don’t die.” Aoi waved, their usual goodbye for their streams ringing a little hollow in their own ears. But still, it succeeded in drawing a laugh out of Hyeon and Aoi couldn’t ever be prouder to see that gummy, slightly cocky, flash of teeth.

“I’ll try not to. No promises.” Hyeon teased back, slowly walking backwards as if attempting to sear Aoi’s frame into his memory. “I love you, 사랑해요, 愛している.” At this point, Hyeon had to yell to have his voice heard and while he couldn’t quite hear or read what Aoi called back, for they undoubtedly would in response to something as sappy as declarations of love in a public space, Hyeon knew that it was silly and undoubtedly honest. Probably something along the lines of he was going to be late, but Hyeon couldn’t really care. Instead, he continued to walk backwards, watching Aoi until he couldn’t anymore and the other’s form had been swallowed up by the horizon. It was only then did he finally turn around and make his way towards the busy streets to meet his fate. If all went well, he could potentially live a longer life with Aoi by his side. That very thought spurred him to walk just a little faster, his old military bag bouncing by his side as he weaved through the crowds. It wasn’t hard to find his family amongst the chaos, their auburn red hair doing no favours in blending in along with their sturdy frames. “Mother, Father. Sister.” He greeted with a click of his heels and a sharp salute. It had been years since he had to greet someone like that but it was as much a part of his blood as being on stage and snuggling under a veritable mountain of blankets was.

Almost immediately, his father swept him up in a hug, the other members of his family quickly joining in and swarming Hyeon. “It’s so good to see you again.” His father said fiercely, pulling back to asses him. “You have no idea how proud I am of you. Here, here. Your nametag. You’ll have to show it at the door when you enter but oh, I am looking forward to seeing you regularly again. We shall work together splendidly. Our family is whole again.” Around him his family nodded eagerly and Hyeon could do nothing but agree. It felt odd, having to agree with a philosophy that he wasn’t all that invested in but for the sake of his family he put up the pretense that he did. His life didn’t revolve around the army anymore no matter how much his family wanted it to. He had other things he had found but he wouldn’t deny the part of him which swelled up with pride at his families praise and joy. Still, he entertained his family and talked amongst those who had once believed to have left behind even if he could feel a piercing gaze at his back. Rather than make him uneasy, it calmed him, knowing that in the crowd somewhere his heart was watching over him. They always would be and in turn Hyeon would always keep his eyes on them.

---

Raida Daidon
"My heart is close to breaking and my head is halfway there"
. -------------------------------------- .

It was early morning, before the sun was even up that Raida awoke from, as usual, a restless slumber that left her with dark red bags under her eyes that didn't seem like they'd ever go away. She didn't, at this point, even remember what she looked like full of rest, whole and healthy. Perhaps, when she was a small child she was happier, but those memories were as faint as a whisper. Raida couldn't even remember her parent's faces. She stumbled through the dark, hands shaking violently as she was too tired to focus on quieting the tremors, and threw open the windows, gasping for fresh air like she'd had a nightmare. But Raida didn't sleep enough to have nightmares. Her mind was too nervous, running at a speed far greater than she or the rest of her body could keep up with. She'd barely been awake and already her thoughts were pouring into her brain as the dam of sleep that was so thin shattered.

There were hours until Raida would have to leave her home, for what seemed like the first time in awhile. After all, the only real thing she'd left the tiny apartment for was her job, and, noticing her nervous demeanor worsening lately, the head of the school had made Raida take a few weeks off as they could see she was well past the stages of a breakdown and was pratically ready to fall apart. It had helped some, and Raida could see her own improvements. But she feared that today would make everything worse. Still, she'd already made up her mind, despite the running thoughts turning to ways that things could go wrong. Shakily, she changed her clothes and and was getting ready to leave.

Sitting on the bottom of the steps of the apartment was a pair of old men that Raida had forgoteen lived there. Though, she supposed that a king could be living in her apartment and she would have no idea. The two men were conversing, their hands moving in quick, animated motions. Pulling her collar up to hide her face, she hoped she'd slip past them, but to no avail. One of them looked up, his eyebrow raising as he called out, "Bonjour Raïda ! Qu'est-ce que tu fais dehors ?" (Hello Raida! What are you doing out?) Raida stopped in her tracks, mumbling, "Je pense que nous savons tous les deux ce qu'est aujourd'hui" (I think we both know what today is) The man sighed and smiled. "Je ne pensais pas que tu serais partant pour quelque chose comme ça." (Je ne pensais pas que tu serais partant pour quelque chose comme ça) Raida chose to say nothing, instead quickly scurrying away like a scared mouse.

Raida pretended not to hear the comments as she got further away. She couldn't pretend that she didn't know what they thought of her. Crazy. Pitiful. But was there any denying it? Raida was miserable as she came into the building.

---

Knight glanced at his watch and then at the sky. He was already moving towards the lab but his mind lingered to a case he had left unfinished at the station. He shook his head; 'stop' he told himself 'you're here now. No turning back'. He pulled the mask on properly and then walked faster, thoughts racing inside his head. Would the experiment make him stronger? Would it make him dangerous? Not like he wasn't dangerous before but he was trying to be more approachable now. He sighed and looked up to the building; it was time to go.

---

𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀

"𝘖𝘩, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭;
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦;
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦..."
︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

The big day was today and she barely got any sleep. She spent the nights logging in the woods out of the villagers' request and couldn’t afford a wink of shut eye. Thankfully, she managed to gather bundles of wood just before the clock struck 4 am, giving her plenty of time to prepare for the event. With unbelievable strength, she swung the bundles over her shoulder. While the weight would have been too heavy for one grown man to carry, she lifted them with ease and walked along the wooden pathway leading to the village. The village was really quiet at this time of the morning, since most people only wake up along with the rising sun, but she could recognize the usual hunters out for their morning prey to ready for the market and the fishermen returning from the sea with their huge catch of fish, their small chatter could be overheard along with the occasional burst of laughter. Nevertheless, it was still considered really quiet, the sound was the rush of the wind and the rustling of leaves overpowering the voices, the sound of nature itself almost lulling her to sleep.

She knocked on a wooden door at the hut at the corner before coming inside, a warm smile on her face despite the exhaustion she felt, and dropping the bundles in the storage pit besides her. She proceeded to the counter, where an old woman sat, knitting a scarf, her glasses making her eyes look bigger than they already are, showing off their twinkling blue colors.

“I’ve gathered the wood, just like you asked,” Seraphina reported with a cheerful voice. The woman looked up from her work and returned her smile.

“Thank you dear, now you best go get ready for your departure,” she answered. Seraphine nodded and was quickly rushed up the wooden stairs to her designated room, making sure to avoid the panels that creaked so she wouldn’t wake up the other people staying at the inn. She entered her small room and hurriedly washed off the grime and dirt from all the labor work. The train leaving to the capitol should arrive at 6 am sharp and she wanted to be there 30 minutes earlier, so she didn’t have much time to waste, and time flied so fast.

By the time she had dressed and go through all the stuff she was bringing, which was not much but a few pieces of clothing, food and certain valuable items, it was already 5 am. She took some time to look around the inn, possibly for the last time, the small, wooden building that had housed her for years, reliving the old times where she’d run through the corridors, jump on the beds in every room and fall asleep in the library while enjoying its collection of books, dreaming about the fantasy tales she had just read when she was little. She would miss the place dearly, even if it wasn’t her actual home where she spent the last years with her parents, it still carried many fresh, joyful memories.

She finally reached the ground floor and returned to the counter, well-dressed and dragging her suitcase behind her. She took a good look at the woman who took care of her when she had no one to go to, trying to burn the image of her kind face and bright eyes in her mind. She will never forget her along with all the things she did with her.
“I’ll be going now,” she said, her voice slightly heavy with sorrow about the thought of leaving her and everything else behind. The woman pulled Seraphina into an embrace and patted her back.

“Good luck out there,” the old woman said, her arms tightening as if she herself didn’t want to let Seraphina go. “I made this for you, I hope you’ll like it,” she said as she showed Seraphina the white scarf she was knitting before, with wool as soft as the clouds and the yellow threads that combined to form designs pictured adornments of shining gold. Seraphina’s eyes brightened with happiness. The amount of effort that had been poured into such a simple piece touched her, and she swore to never lose it and swear it as much as she could. She wrapped it around her neck, leaning into the comfort of the material.

“Thank you so much! I love it,” she giggled with glee as she hugged her again. “I’ll really miss you,” she sighed as they parted. The old woman shook her head.

“Don’t let that get in the way of things. It has always been your dream to venture out there, now is the chance,” she said, holding Seraphina’s hands into hers. “Though, I’ll surely miss you too,” she admitted before letting Seraphina’s hand go.

After a final goodbye, she made her way to the train station, well before her ride arrives. The village was starting to wake up with the children preparing for school and the mothers walking around, waiting for the stalls to open. Seraphina was flooded with greetings and wishes as she made her journey to the station, the kids even gave her their goodies for her to eat on the train, asking her to come back one day to tell them about the capitol. Seraphina smiled at the intrigued children, who thought of the capitol as a place full of towering skyscrapers and endless technology in contrast to the traditional village with its dull cottages and wooden carts. After going through the crowd, Seraphina boarded her train, which left just shortly after she got on, quickly passing through the countryside and entering the city walls. She looked in amazement as the surrounding shifted from lush, green nature to the modern, urban setting as the train entered the capitol, the silhouettes of the skyscrapers could be seen from afar. She was bubbling with excitement as they arrived at the station and she stepped out into the unknown world, full of endless possibilities. Though, she mustn’t stray too far, she needed to get to the meeting point soon. Using the map they sent to her, she made her way through the busy roads and bustling malls, resisting the temptation to explore the various shops aligning the street. She still somehow managed to get lost, even with the guide, so she had to ask for directions every now and then. While some people used this opportunity to trick her to going the wrong way, often ending up in… disturbing places, she still managed to get the building, albeit being several minutes later than she liked. She stepped inside, slightly out of breath.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” she said as she barged through the doors. Since she didn’t know they slid open automatically, she ended up falling onto the floor. She was sure the others would have labeled her a knucklehead, but she just laughed it off.

“Actually, you’re quite early,” the woman besides her noted, handing her several items in a clear, plastic sleeve. “You can wait here until they start the announcement,” she said, signaling to a row of chairs a few steps away. Seraphina nodded before she sank into the cushions, her face hiding the underlying nervousness she actually felt.

---

𝕷𝖎𝖆𝖒 𝕽𝖆𝖌𝖚𝖊𝖑

"𝔄 𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔦𝔬𝔯 𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔢𝔩𝔡;
𝔉𝔬𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔯𝔢 𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔢."
▬ι═══════ﺤ ☆ ▬ι═══════ﺤ

Liam stood motionless inside, looking through the clean glass windows at the crowd that had started building outside, the chosen volunteers are already filling up their designated seats in the waiting area. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned back.

"You'd best join those watching outside, we'll be starting soon," one of his colleagues pointed out. He nodded before he walked outside to join the others. Since he was super quiet, no one noticed him slithering through the crowd and find his place on a pillar near to the person he was assigned to guide. He stood as still as a statue as he looked at her, the people who were sharp enough to notice him, blending into the dark walls with his black shirt and coat, would let out a jump of shock when he moves his hands a little. He stood so still they thought he was a statue.

He looked at the woman. She was very different from how he had expected, not having the white hair and radiant golden eyes. Even when he was already told who he was assigned to, he still could believe she was actually an Angelus. With her looks, he would have expected she was from the Sanguis line, but his father's quick explanation told him why she was different than the three pure lineages.

However, regardless, she was still one of the three, he still has the duty to protect her as a descendant of the Aspis bloodline, even if the long years have almost broken the three into nothing but story tales, their power erased by the rule of the new king.

---

Heleo woke up in their small hut in the jungle and grabbed the necessary stuff needed to go to the capital: Food ( ofc ), water, clothes, a compass and a map.
They exited the hut and used the map and compass and went to the capital city. After 4 hours, they arrived at the city.
"The smell of the city is oddly calming... Huh..." They walked to the area where the project was and approached a guard
"Erm.. Hello! Im a member of this project and i was wondering... Where is the entrance, where should i go next..." Heleo then just proceeded to start asking questions left and right and the guard just pointed to the entrance "There." The guard said sternly
"O-oh thank you! Gotta rush!" Heleo zoomed to the entrance where they accidently bumped into someone
"Oagh... So sorry!" They gave their hand to the person ( Who can be anyone please intract ) in order to help em up

---

Knight blinked at the strange man that had bumped onto him. He reached for his hand but then shaking pulled it back. He still hadn't figured out the whole human interaction thing. He tried again, this time properly holding his hand and yanking the man up.

---

𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑦.
𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑠
𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑.
⤹ ⸻ 🎔「 ☾ 」🎔 ⸻ 𓆃 ⸻ 🎔「 ☾ 」🎔 ⸻ ⤹

"Whats your name? Im Heleo ^^" They scratched the back of their head and sort of chuckled

---

Knight blinked at him and then pulled out a notepad. in cursive writing, he wrote out 'Knight' and showed it to him.

---

"Knight? That's a quite a unique name! What was your reason to go to this place? I just thought it sounded cool so i hopped on board!" They were smilling really brightly by that point

---

Knight shrugged, then looked down at his feet. He scribbled down something on the notepad and showed it to Heleo. It said 'This is a test. I'm doing it for the station. They say it might enhance my abilities and such.'

---

"Station? Them? Eh?????" Heleo looked abit confused as they noticed the time

---

Knight blinked at Heleo before rolling his eyes. Such an uncultured child. He shouldnt be thinking this but he did. Because he can. He scribbled down another thing "I work at the police station. Sorry if it wasn't clear to you, doofus." He glanced at his watch and then at the sun, checking the time. Yes, it should almost be time for the expirement to begin. He nodded a farewell to Heleo before turning on his heels and walking towatds the lab.
.

---

Heleo walked into the main area of the place ( which was outside i think?? ), still smilling thinking, "Finally! Interaction with someone in the city"

---

Calverus

"And when darkness finds you, you will face it alone."
×[𓃠] - <•> - [𓃠]×
Habits were suprisingly easy to form, even if you weren't trying to. Calverus had learned that around the time he'd ended up finding some jank alarm and just decided to bring it home. Did he need it? Not really, but he wanted it. It was pretty jarring at first, waking up to some loud screech in his ears, but slowly he found his body would begin to wake up before the alarm even went off. And that's when he learned just how much he wanted the screaming box.

His eyes felt heavy, his body still trying wake up and find awareness. He could wake up before the alarm went off, but the real challenge came when trying to keep awake. Closing his eyes for even a second could risk his opportunity to fully enjoy his morning ritual. Any minute now. He absentmindedly pressed his lower lip inbetween his teeth as he slammed his eyes shut and clenched his fists in anticipation, because apparently his fog-ridden mind thought that would help with the noise. After a few moments of wondering when it was going to go off he began to question if he even woke up at the right time. Of course that's when the alarm began it's horrible wail, causing Calverus to jolt a little. His heart shivered in his chest, calming down from the scare when it happened.

Thunk! Right on time. He quickly placed his face against the pillow and pulled his blanket over his neck to disguise the shake of his shoulders rising with each stifled giggle. Once he had mostly gathered himself together he unearthed himself from his nightly cocoon. Despite having already been awake, getting up was a bit of a bother, and a yawn pushed it's way out of his mouth as he stretched out his limbs. The alarm was still screeching, the sound loud enough to probably deafen him if he left it on for too long. That didn't mean he was actually going to silence the alarm clock.

He propped an arm up against the rail of his bed, looking down at Faolan with the best 'I'm tired and grumpy so don't bother me' face he could pull off. It was pretty hard to keep up that look upon seeing Faolan's own moody face.

"Turn it off!" Calverus grumbled, hanging his free hand over the rail in a not so subtle attempt to smack his brother.
[wip]

---

Tick... Tick... Tick... Silence. Alpene looked up from his watch, it was now 11:55. He sighed and mentally prepared for what he assumed to be hell ahead of him. The only thing he would see in there was dirty glances from those that knew of him, knew of his story. He wouldn't like it, but he signed up for this and wasn't a coward. He wasn't going to back out of this, after all, it was his only chance to redeem himself, save lives instead of take them like he did in the life before. He would never forgive himself for those actions, and he knew they wouldn't either. He took a deep breath, locked his car, and calmly walked towards the building.

He shoved through the heavy crowd, finally making it through just in time. And there it was, just as he thought, the dirty glance from the first person he made eye contact with. The man at the door, the man who would look at his nametag and see his name in a negative light once again. His name carried blood on it, and that's all they ever saw. That all he ever saw. Alpene sighed and showed the tag to him, looking into the building instead of straight into his eyes. "Alpene Flanswick..." He turned his head up to Alpene with a scowl. "You're free to go..." The soldier gave a courteous nod to the man, not saying a word, before he walked through the doors that he would never walk out of.

"Everyone, as it is nearing 12 pm, we ask that you leave the premises. Thank you for your support, and may this day be a change made for the greater good. For now, and forever." The speakers placed outside the building blared loudly, enough for the entire hoard to hear. People began to leave, and those that didn't were escorted by the many guards that were there. Now that everyone was spread out, it would be much easier for those involved to make their way to their destination. And, well, that's what they did. A few of the chosen volunteers were right behind Alpene, and more was sure to come. After all, that announcement was for them too, not just those involved in the project.

He made his way inside, hands stuffed in his coat and his eyes pinned to the floor. He could feel eyes searing into his skin already, even when he had just entered. The building was filled with people, so it wasn't a surprise that some knew him, and immediately set their eyes on him. He hated this, even if it was just painful glances, he hated it. His motivation and determination had all been lost by now, drowned out by the fear, regret, and guilt that had surfaced when those around Alpene reminded him of his past. He had been so tense and anxious, that he had hardly noticed those walking past him or in front of them, occasionally bumping into them as he tried making his way to the far side of the room, where he was tasked to go.

---

"𝙸 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕
𝙾𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎, 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝,
𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝙸 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊𝚕𝚕."
...:::**•°✾°•**:::...
“I’m glad you’re back.” Hyeon’s sister murmured as the siblings watched their parents chat among other family friends and connections, the two taking the time to catch up with each other. Hyeon furrowed his eyebrows as he glanced over at Hyejin. He… had always been there? Sure, his frequent stays at the hospital and burgeoning idol career had taken him away from his family more often than not but he had always made an effort to stay connected with them through SNS and other commutative means. Was visiting them once a month not enough? Hyejin must have noticed his apparent confusion as she rushed to clarify. “It’s not like you weren’t here in the first place, I’m actually really glad you could get on stage. Being an Idol was good for you and I really liked your latest title track, Blue Spring was it, so it’s not like I’m trying to say that it’s good that you quit. It’s just, you know how Uncle Minhyuk gets about things. He didn’t really take the whole thing well…” She trailed off with a grimace and Hyeon couldn’t help but mirror it as well. While his immediate family liked to play off their relatives as being the weird ones for not being supportive of his idol career but in reality, they were all just as bad. There was a reason why he had moved out to company dorms and then into a joint house with Aoi even if he did try and remain in contact with everyone else. They had been the only one who had accepted both the militant and the countries sweetheart part of him while being fully aware of how both sides were different yet irrevocably a part of what made Hyeon himself. At best his family saw it as a passing fancy, something to entertain but never the lifelong dream that it was.

He was almost thankful for the announcement, allowing him to briefly hug his sister and sharply salute the rest of his family. “I won’t be long now.” He assured his father who seemed to be holding back his tears. He had always been much more emotional than his mother, the true head of the family. For her part, his mother didn’t do very much, only straightening out his clothes and patting him roughly on the shoulder. Hefting his bag, he made his way over to the building only to be stopped by a soft touch on his elbow. He turned around to apologize only to see the flash of soft grey eyes before an achingly familiar body wrapped themself around his waist and snuggle him close. “Hey, what’s this? Didn’t we already say our goodbyes earlier? Getting sentimental aren’t we.” With a chuckle, he patted Aoi’s back, running his hand up and down their flank as if they were a skittish animal. In some ways it was to calm Hyeon as well, feeling the physical reassurance that his partner was at his side, was real enough to touch, and real enough to love. A soft mumble pressed into his chest had Hyeon squirming at how the soft puff of air which ghosted over his skin. “Speak up dear, I know you love my chest but you don’t have to use the excuse of speaking to my heart. You can do that just by talking normally.”

The scowl he received was almost worth the harsh pinch to the side that he got. Almost. Doubling over with a whine of pain, Hyeon pouted up at Aoi but was only pulled in closer so he was now awkwardly resting his chin on their shoulder. “I… I just found out t- I found something out. So come back soon so I can tell you.” Came the breathy confession, so quiet that even Hyeon had to strain to hear it. Nonetheless he still heard it and his face must have telegraphed some sort of emotion as Hyeon was promptly given a firm smack upside the head which had him whining once again. “I’m not pregnant you ass, I had a ligation.” They hissed, sniffing almost as if they had been insulted. “Now go, if I tell you now you won’t ever leave. And if things go as planned… well I guess we’ll have a lot of time to live for ourselves.” At those words, Hyeon couldn’t stop himself from perking up at that even through the slight pain still radiated from where his partner had so cruelly beaten and abused their poor, innocent significant other just when he was about to be sent off all alone without them to that was sure to be a very scary and terrifying experiment ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚

With a monumental amount of willpower, Hyeon somehow found the will to extract himself from Aoi’s grip with a soft tap to the side. “I’ll do my best then.” He promised, gently squishing their soft mochi like cheeks between his hands, delighting at the pursed lips and narrowed eyes. He wasn’t quite fast enough to avoid the harsh shove that hit against his shoulders which made him yelp and dance away from the still swinging hands and flushed red face. “Alright alright, I’m going now.” He laughed despite the threatening sight of Aoi winding up for another punch. “Stay safe.” He resisted the urge to blow a sarcastic kiss and instead hurried over to the front or else he really would be late. Giving the man at the door a winning smile and a name tag, all he got in return was an unimpressed stare and a nod in towards the building. Ouch, that was harsh though Hyeon supposed he did deserve it somewhat. Honorably discharged or not, it still stood that some people would think that he had taken the easy route out and gone for something “easy” like idol work. It had been two years already; couldn’t they give it a rest? Still, he saluted to the man and quickly hurried inside half-convinced that he was the last one to arrive. Perhaps that was true because he only caught sight of a person who he had only ever heard in passing only after he had entered the main room and had been instructed to stand on the far side. He couldn’t help but stare a little as he mindlessly walked to where he had been instructed to, too caught up in the reality that he was in the same room as The Alpene Flanswick. Sure, he had read on paper that Alpene had also been selected for the project but reading about it and actually experiencing was two wholly different experiences. That man had been a legend but by the time he had been discharged, he fell out of touch with military happenings and thus still didn’t know the whole story about the man who seemed so listless, contrary to the stories he had heard. There were contrary whisperings that surrounded him after his resignation but Hyeon had always supposed it was because of some sort of army powerplay political buffoonery that he wanted no part in. So instead of confronting him, Hyeon instead wrenched his eyes away and minded his own business no matter how hard of a task that was to achieve and went to pick a spot on the wall to stand by, back straight and at attention.

---

Emika moved closer to the building. She was able to slip through the crowds with relative ease. She felt a sense of foreboding but ignored it. This was a grand opportunity and she wasn't going to let it go... Still, she couldn't help the feeling that this would end badly. Many grand experiments ended with failure, no matter the intentions, goals, or backing. Emika grimaced at the number of reporters and hyperactive people all trying to spot the chosen few. Such a backing for the great experiment. With a sigh, Emika inched closer to her destination, avoiding the reporters and overeager members of the crowd...