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~[Ꮃꂅլ꒝Ծოꂅ ϮԾ ᏒꂅꊰԾᏒოᕱϮᎥԾภ]~

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[Congratulations my dear rebels, some of you have fulfilled all criterias needed for the Graduation Quest!]

A special announcements to the following students:

Phoebes De Cecil, Alcyone Lestrade, Andrea Kingsley, Kiase Tokono, Ferrenal Cauter, Ozymandius Jacob Dahl, Julius Ryan Liamson, Persephone O'Couna, Dulcie Bouvier, and Satsujin, you rebels have met all the necessary criteria to begin the Graduation Quest. I understand that some of you folks have been waiting for a long time for this opportunity, so I will be frank. This mission will be your final challenge before the institute authorize you your official rebel status, allowing you to reintegrate into society as the newly reformed version of yourselves.

However the journey will be no easy feat, there would be constant danger and harm standing in your way. Whether you choose to team up with other fellow rebels or walk a lonely path, the choice is yours!

Now no more fancy words, my dear chosen rebels. Head down to the auditorium with your luggage for further instructions on your final lessons from your dear lovely Headmaster Daisy Poppins~

click.

---

Phoebes looked up at the speaker with an intrigued expression. She wasn't sure what she had done to graduate, especially since she hadn't been with the organization as long as some of the other, more seasoned members (or those slimy folks). But one thing she knew for sure—her senses were telling her this was about to either be the biggest regret in her life or the biggest excitement. If she could feel it that is. But then again, it wasn't a single dna made in her that was designed to feel complicated human emotions.

Danger equals to Adrenaline.

Adrenaline makes her feel high.

Feeling high was being 'humane'.

Phoebes quirked up a smile and tossed the human bean bag aside and stood up. She didn't bother wiping her bloodied finger as she turned back into the building. Her flower petaled eye twinkling.

---

Right, graduation, this meant that all of the however many names have been called, whoever they are and whether or not Kiase even knew them, would become people he either worked with in the future, or people who inevitably, he had to at least interact with.

As the speaker finished, Kiase looked around, the auditorium, which he forgot even existed here, his memory… really needed work. Dragging his heavy black suitcase and lugging it around for the day was tiring enough, and now he had a new problem, which was getting to where he needed to. At the rate this was going, he probably wouldn’t find it in the next hour or so.

Heading out of a door to his right, there were other buildings and complex signs that Kiase was completely and utterly not bothered to read, nor did he remember that he wasn’t the only one called therefore he should’ve just followed someone else, although… he didn’t recognise any of the other names, or he just forgot. Both options were valid.

Since the campus was enclosed in a huge circle, the school buildings were all separate, which means Kiase basically had to attempt to navigate around their whole campus grounds to find that one building which was the auditorium, great, he was probably gonna miss the ceremony or whatever that was going to be happening, not that he cared but, it’d be nice to go outside for like the first time in forever. He had been in the library, he was probably the only one there, not that he bothered to look around for other sentient beings, but perhaps if he did he’d know where to go. But no matter now since he was somewhere in the grounds he did not even remember the use of or the name.

Sitting on the edge of her bed,Alcyone was closely examining the pocket knife that managed to somehow keep her alive among all these cut-throats and dangerous people,if one can even refer to those with unimaginable power as such. The staring contest between her reflection and her was brought to a sudden end as the speakers made a rather unpleasant noise,most likely to get the attention of others,before making an announcement.

Alcyone lifted her head up and tilted her head in the direction of the closest speaker to her dorm as if that would help her listen more clearly. The only thing that surprised her more than hearing her own name was the fact that it was pronounced correctly. Only a select few teachers made the effort to listen to her constant complains and correct themselves. It was only natural that she was among those who fulfilled the criteria for the Graduation Quest. All those little machiavelli tests,as she referred to them,she aced were nothing to write home about.

"With our luggage?" she groaned. "Informing us beforehand wouldn't hurt,y'know..." she complained to the invisible voice coming from the speaker that obviously had no way of hearing her. Rocking back to get some momentum,Alcyone sprung up from her bed and packed everything she needed into a bag,which could barely close.

She put on her favourite cap,making sure her ponytail sticks out from it and exited her dorm,trying to find the shortest way to the auditorium. This Graduation Quest must be quite important seeing as it requires the use of it,which wasn't really used as much in comparison with the other facilities.

She would have to make it there before her back gave up from the weight it carried.

graduation? really is nothing special to me, I mean we're all going to do it, I don't know why we celebrate something so unremarkable anyway.

then again I'm the only non-human in this world, but why stand in when you can stand out, besides I found no connection to my form that was human, but yet I like being nothing more than a satanic beast, it fits me quite well and I was meant to be born this way from day one.

letting out a loud bang with their sniper rifle with most hitting the target then hitting outside the target, having clopping sounds come out from their hooves as they would do a little dance while sticking out their super long tongue that fly back and forth while letting out a sickening sadistic laugh of pleasure every time she hit a bull eye, "draw a big X on your stupid face draw a, big X on your stupid face, you don't deserve to live if you're going to waste my time by coming one of those corporate slaves!" she loudly screeches out to herself as she like to imagine they were real living people, she loved the site of blood especially when it's on her fur, it felt so good when it's on my fur, it not like Satsujin restrained themselves in anyway shape or form.

---

There wasn't much to pack, afterall it wasn't like she had much that belonged to her anyways. Even this body didn't belong to her. Her own DNA was just various species merged into one. Perhaps that was why those slimy folks sometimes would call her empty in the heads.

Because even her own nerve system didn't belong to her!

"I wonder whose heart is beating inside my chest right now..a homeless girl? A well off noble lady who had a heart of gold? Oh it couldn't be! It wasn't like father had enough cash on him of such good quality! " Phoebes hummed a children's tune that she long forgot the name of as she skipped across the hallway.

Suddenly she saw a familiar hat and her signature curly hair.

Phoebes put a finger to her chin and tilted her head, her skips skidded to a stop. Now who was this person again, and why did she look so familiar?

Phoebes shrugged, if she don't remember it must not be important. But from all the luggage the other was carrying, were they perhaps also one of the future graduates?

Well there is only one way to find out right?

"Heyo~ Are you also one of the graduates hm? Those luggage you're carrying seem pretty heavy!" Phoebes gave them one of her signature open mouth smiles. Her flowered pupiled eye twinkling with pure curiosity of a child.

---

Ferrenal gazed at the speaker rather intently through the slits in his mask as he listened to what they had to say. He had long ago lost the nerves preceding a perilous operation. As the speaker concluded their announcement, Ferrenal made sure that everything was in order. Spending three years as part machine had made Ferrenal much more cautious and meticulous in his work. After all, it was his sloppiness that led to his original downfall. He began by checking his bionics for any defects. All he had to do was to think: operating his prosthetics was as easy as moving a limb. “Requesting full eye calibration and run a comprehensive arm diagnostic test” he thought as the tiny motors in his bionics began to activate, preparing to run the diagnostic. Starting in his eye, his vision began to warp as his right eye quickly shuffled through many light frequencies: Infrared, X-Ray, Ultraviolet, etc. Afterwards, his eye sent an electrical signal back to his brain,

ALL LENSES CALIBRATED, ALL MOBILE PARTS MOVING SMOOTHLY

Ferrenal’s prosthetic arm then followed suit; it flexed fingers, grinded gears, and lit up displays. In a few seconds, it gave its answer.


FINGERS OPERATING WITH ACCEPTABLE DEXTERITY
LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS ON STANDBY
POWER CELL STABLE
COOLING SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL
PSEUDO-NERVE RECEPTORS ADJUSTED TO PREFERRED SETTINGS
PROTOTYPE-1012-COBALT OPERATIONAL


Once the diagnostics have completed, Ferrenal quickly scanned through his luggage to make sure everything was there. He had no need to open his packs, he had his mechanical eye to thank for that. Emergency Rations check, Replacement Prosthetics check, Medical Equipment check. With all in order, Ferrenal steeled himself before beginning to make his way to the auditorium. As he did so, a tinge of excitement grew in the recesses of his brain, a remnant of his old personality. The one that led him to his ruin. He quickly silenced this feeling; his anger and rashness led to his injuries. It was his calm that allowed him to grow to new heights.

---

xxxxxJulius Ryan Liamson; what a name. My full name. How foul. That delusive school president should know to call me by my proper name. I'm certain I've put every last one of these fools in their place. So why wouldn't that one bow as well? Of course, it's that sense of power... Leading a school attended by leagues of misfits and non-ordinaries. Surely there's something to contend with there; but alas, what is a headmistress to a Caesar?


xxxxxJulius calmly slid a slip of paper into his weathered and worn book, a simple pocket-sized text with a cover both leatherbound and black. Etched into the cover in reflective bronze letters was the title, The History of the Roman Empire. Julius slid the book carefully into his suitcase, which sat open upon his bed. With a grunt, he stood from his comfortable seat, which he'd needed to move for the sake of being nearby the bed, and began to tuck the edges of his well-folded clothes into the trunk. It was a faded leather case with silver rivets and still further faded brass buckles, a pair of latches which stood at attention upon the lid. Spring loaded, for ease of use, and well kempt by their user. For his own sake, Julius meticulously cared for the old leather suitcase, ensuring it was, at every moment, in the best possible shape. That same monotonous care left, despite the busyness and consumption of freedom, very little appetite for other activities... A sport? Or planning for an attack? Going for walks? No, the hunger for those feelings of satisfaction, of anticipation, of tranquility, was gone. Instead, the only other pastime that managed to find a place in Julius' schedule was reading. He'd never lost that hunger for literature. Not even while he awaited his execution. In fact, that hunger had only grown more powerful, more voracious and desperate. He'd given in to that hunger after his great escape. He'd found what he enjoyed above all else. And then he'd refined that taste to focus solely on the most abstract elements... And then, still further, he refined it. Not just the abstract, but the taboo. The topics that were forbidden by the government. The knowledge of lost empires, lost emperors, lost armies...


xxxxxThe two buckles of the leather case closed with a pair of satisfying clicks, the opaque reflections showing Julius the small tremble in his own hands, the damaged details of his fingertips. Scars, callouses, the faded remnants of a life of work. The white-haired man let out a soft sound of amusement - a soft "Hmph" - and brushed his hands across the legs of his pants, cleaning them against the rough denim surface. With that done, he glanced around his little dormitory room, which he'd stayed in for far too long, and chewed his tongue for a moment.. Julius stood very still as he thought, then cleared his throat and shook himself from the deep ponderance that had overtaken him. He rolled his sleeves back to his wrists, allowing his grey button-down to rest in a more professional look, and buttoned his cuffs. Julius thought, after a glance in the mirror, that he looked quite dashing. He took ahold of the handle of his suitcase and swept it off the bed, testing the weight of it for a few moments. A few small lifts, ensuring everything important made it into the trunk. A few anxious looks around the room, ensuring nothing was left behind. A few small steps, shuffling closer to the door...


xxxxxCaesar stepped out into the world beyond his doorway, taking a slow, deep breath of the fresh, clean air. It was almost as satisfying as the scent of his ancient books, but lacked the raw fragrance of knowledge.. Julius stepped along his path, meeting the sunshine with a confident, gleaming grin. His silver hair shone in the light, like a lion's mane of mercury, and his sharp eyes narrowed to block out the harsher rays. Julius took another breath... And allowed himself to truly become Caesar.

---

"Why,someone is in a good mood..." Alcyone thought to herself as she noticed what seemed to be a patch of grass on legs skip towards her general direction. She paid no attention to her,though she soon had no choice but to do otherwise.

"Ah,greetings!" A smirk from ear to ear began to appear on her face. "Indeed,I am one of those-" She gasped. Alcyone almost slipped up. She would have to find a way to twist her words in a way that both satiates her arrogance and were truthful. "No lying." she reminded herself.

She faked a cough. "I am one of those names you heard just a few moments ago. Naturally,you would think they are undoubtedly talented and competent people,a cut above the rest." she added.

"A rather astute observation!" Alcyone cheerfully exclaimed,though her facial expression was beginning to turn into a rather unpleasant one as she struggled to keep her back straight. She took a moment to look at the girl in front of her. Such a wide,honest smile. Eyes that,contrary to their dark color,shone bright with curiosity and naivety. She was just the ideal person for this moment.

"Yes,the bag is quite heavy." she admitted again,in case her previous statement was unclear. "Seeing as you're not carrying anything,would you mind helping me with it?" Hook,line and sinker. Almost...

"Oh my,I must have packed my manners as well! I am Alcyone Lestrade." she nodded and gestured to herself in a way to introduce herself. "Second among those names." She added,pridefully turning her head to the side as if she were to boast. She wasn't sure if the order in which the names were announced mattered but that wouldn't stop her from taking full advantage of that. Anything to make herself seem superior.

Phoebes stared at what's her name—Alcyone in pure fascination. The girl had clearly wanted to lie, but didn't. Why was that? Phoebes tilted her head in curiosity and almost forgot to reply for a moment.

"Ah! Right right! Well, my name is Phoebes De Cecil, I'm-" It a took a moment for her to count up all those years plus the ones when she was locked up in those test tubes. "20? 21? Oh well can't remember but it don't matters anyways!" Afterall she was going to live much longer than now!

Phoebes eyes trailed over to her new friend's luggage and oh was it a whole ton of things. She looked like she was struggling. Phoebes walked a whole circle, skirting around Alcyone 'woahing' and 'ahhing' at the amount that was being carried.

"With your stature you probably have a hard time carrying all that right? It's no biggie, i'll cheer you on while you carry it to the auditorium!" Phoebes put her two hands into fists and her eyes sparkled, literally. She has learned that many ordinary folks would show kindness by helping her friends. While those slimy folks weren't exactly the most fun, they weren't the worst folks to learn from.

A pity they died to soon.

---

Graduation? Oh hell no. She leapt out of the makeshift bed (comprised of her luggage and a quilt), and began strolling lazily to the auditorium with an audible yawn. What did she pack in her luggage again….? This shit was heavy. Really heavy. Andrea sighed, picked up her luggage, yelled a brief “Watch out” before flinging her suitcase straight into the auditorium……..which obviously caused it to fall open, several oddly shaped packages rolling to the ground, including one that looked suspiciously like an arm. Eh. It was just the unique packaging…there definitely wasn’t an actual human arm in there. Among the pile of odd objects, there were the following: a crystal ball, a bunch of powders, as well as a bucket full of heads- doll heads, lego figurine heads….and a pile of clothes far too small for Andrea which seemed to have spilt out of the mini suitcase in the suitcase.

And then Andrea herself trudged into the auditorium, slumped into a nearby chair and started swaying herself animatedly in attempts to not fall asleep

"Phoebes...? That's... That's the first name!" Alcyone thought to herself. The moment she revealed that information Alcyone decided to look at her soul,purely out of curiosity. Much to her surprise,she wasn't lying about her name nor about the fact that she didn't know her own age. Strange... What was even stranger was the fact that her soul was a completely pure and undisturbed sphere. Absolutely no sign of lying or deceit. Just how naive was this girl?

Apparently,not naive enough for Phoebes to carry Alcyone's bag for her... Alcyone tried her best to muffle her groans of anguish and disappointment. "Well,seeing as you're one of the rebels who are to take the Graduation Quest as well,there's no reason for us to stand here any longer,is there?" She mostly wanted to take the load off her back as soon as possible and she had barely moved a few meters away from her dorm.

She took a few steps forward,towards the direction of the auditorium and glanced back to see if Phoebes was following,though what she did notice was the lack of luggage and weight on Phoebes' arms and shoulders. "You...You're not taking anything with?" she inquired,genuinely curious.

Phoebes quickly caught up to Alcyone and noticed the other's gaze resting on her, as if scanning for something. Tilting her head in curiosity, Phoebes took a closer look. Was Alcyone's eyes twinkling? No, that wasn't quite right. Alcyone's gaze was scanning for something, or at least that's how it felt to Phoebes. It reminded her of the searching gazes of Father when she was just a prototype.

If she were a regular natural born human being, would she be shivering from PTSD? Or would she be a ball of anger that her new friend did this to her? Or was it the disgust that it reminded her of Father that would be the overwhelming emotion? For a moment Phoebes couldn't decided what her reaction should be.

Just as she were to mull over it for a bit longer, Alcyone pointed out her minimal luggage. Phoebes turned her head head down and just stared at the bundle of clothing that were just randomly shoved into a plastic bag. She then looked at the absolute mountain of a single bag (how has it not exploded yet? Is this the power of human organization skills?) upon Alcyone's shoulder and back. Phoebes tilted her head slightly, her red petal pupils scanning the other up and down. This was how regular folks greeted each other right?

"Well, if we are going to get a new life after we graduate, why bother grabbing so much? Afterall we can just steal new stuff yknow?"

Phoebes pointed to Alcyone's luggage pile.

"If anything, aren't you strange? Why are you carrying so much? I doubt this institute have any carrier service to carry that for you." Phoebes remarked dryly.

---

Kiase wondered around the grounds for a couple of minutes more, still struggling to activate his crappy memories. His right arm was sore from carrying so much stuff around.

In the distance, he could see two figures talking, one carrying luggage and the other not, still stubbornly refusing to interact with people socially, he decided to just follow them but very quietly and pretend that he is, in fact, not following them.

Thankfully though, he would probably not be recognised, first off, he looks like a girl, somewhat, secondly, he’d doubt that anyone even knew him at this institution, Kiase failed to recall a time when he had talked to someone about things not related to the course, or once where it went well, even in the slightest.

Watching the two from a distance, behind some random stone wall, Kiase told himself that this does not count as stalking nor is he attempting to stalk them, since he did not know who they were and was just wanting to know where the auditorium is. Right.

This is not stalking, attempted stalking or anything similar, since I harbour no true ill intentions and only wish to find the location of a building. No, this is not me gaslighting myself, since my ideas and points and thoughts are all valid and true, therefore I am not stalking

It's...actually not that much..." Alcyone painfully admitted,hoping her physical strength won't be called into question. Maybe the contents of the bag occupied a lot of space but she most definitely didn't pack too much. Not much...actually,no information at all was given or known about this quest they were about to embark on so she took whatever she could to cover as many possible scenarios. Naturally,her trusty knife comfortably rested in her right pocket.

"Either way," she quickly followed up, "some congratulations are in order. As you heard,not everyone is worthy of becoming a fully fledged rebel and,if I'm being completely honest,you don't even look like you'd hurt a fly." And who could blame her for believing that? Naturally,looks can be deceiving and Phoebes was definitely a testament to that. "I bet even you don't know what kind of crimes and their severity you have committed. It's always these types of people that make the best criminals..." she added in a somewhat joking matter.

Even if she was able to somewhat make conversation,she couldn't help but feel like something was off. Namely,the pair of footsteps audible in their surroundings. Among the waves of other soon-to-be rebels,there always seemed as if be one more,concealed. No matter how many times Alcyone tried to locate that extra pair of footsteps,she failed. After a number of failed attempts during some turns and whatnot,Alcyone just gave up. It was especially difficult to concentrate on that with all that murmuring of potential spies and government people infiltrating the institute,not to mention that it made her uneasy. They were getting closer to the auditorium anyway.

xxxxxJulius walked with purpose in his step, his stride extended and quick, carrying him swiftly across the campus grounds. His steps were, on their own, a fair warning that he was a busy man, not to be disturbed, interrupted, or intercepted. That was, until he stuttered his step, glancing at a curious scene; two others, on their way to... Somewhere. Julius didn't recognize either of them, he'd never cared to memorize a face unless he felt the need to put that face in its place; perhaps an offensive comment, or a foolish statement. Something he'd need to remember, of course, to make a fool of those faces. He enjoyed that; that edge of confident superiority he held over every other member of this academy...


xxxxxHowever, what really made the scene odd was that, observing the two other students, was a third. Granted, not a third student that Julius considered horribly significant; after all, what prompted hiding from line of sight in order to continue watching? Caesar resumed his powerful pace, adjusting his angle slightly, and strode towards that hiding student. He couldn't quite believe his luck; to catch someone acting so? What fuel for an insult! What fire for a quick blow to the ego! A few steps further, that's all it would take, and then...


xxxxx"You know, there's a term for this sort of behavior... I believe it's called stalking, and I'm quite firm in my beliefs. Something there catch your eye, lass?" His rich voice bubbled up like molten stone, almost assuredly surprising, considering he stood no less than three feet from the presumed stalker. And the presumed, girl, for that matter; Julius had carelessly used "lass," fully expecting the appearance to match his expectations of the other attendee. He realized, though, he could be wrong. After all, it wasn't uncommon for a rebel to try and conceal their identity. Appearances were, of all things, the easiest to change.

---

Ferrenal threw open the front doors of the residential building and strode onto the campus grounds. The sun was quick to greet him with warm illuminating rays; however, they were shut out by the silent menace of Ferrenal’s steel mask. On his shoulders, Ferrenal carried all of his luggage in a massive pack. His cloak fluttered slightly in the breeze, revealing the lower parts of his legs, moving with a brutal, regular pace. Ferrenal did not falter in the face of fatigue; he stood tall in the face of dismemberment, he would not surrender to the ache of lactic acid. As he began walking to the auditorium he heard a familiar voice. He quickly turned and saw a diminutive person with greasy black hair but it was the person next to them that Ferrenal was truly interested in. An annoyed looking middle aged man with familiar green eyes. Could it be…? No, Ferrenal was sure that he was set for execution. But that briefcase… it evoked a feeling of familiarity. Deciding that there was no harm in trying, Ferrenal focused his bionic eye onto the man to get a closer look. In a few seconds, the eye confirmed Ferrenal’s most far-fetched hypothesis.

IDENTITY: JULIUS RYAN “CAESAR” LIAMSON

This revelation caused a rush of emotion to flood Ferrenal’s calculating mind like a bullet through clockwork. This was the man who accepted him after the death of his parents, this is the man who gave him power, this was the man who trusted him with the most dangerous of operations, this is the man who gave him a purpose, this man is Caesar.

Quickly mastering his emotions, Ferrenal quickly changed course without breaking stride and approached Caesar and the black haired person, realizing that they were having some sort of heated conversation. So characteristic of Caesar.

---

Kiase, the supposed black-haired guy and accused ‘stalker’, was about to turn around the face the, from the sound of his voice, old man but then a third pair of footsteps approached, not wanting to talk to disgusting people, no matter who they were, Kiase looked for the two who knew where the auditorium was and hurried up to catch up with them.

Kiase was still hiding, from a distance it may have looked extremely funny but, in a situation such as this, he didn’t care, crouching behind barrels and small walls, stone pillars and heck, even fences, anything that made him look all the more inconspicuous, in his opinion, worked. Although it may have been foolish because they didn’t help to conceal him, they made him stand out more as a sort of crazy maniac stalking people.

But no, this was not stalking, at least, not to him.

Phoebes narrows her eyes. If it were anyone else, they'd say it was a sign of being suspicious, but in the delicate face of Phoebes, it looked more like a cat scrunching it's face and yawning. If you look at Phoebes closely, you'd see she is not carrying anything other than the small plastic bag from some nearby convenient store storing all of her clothing. There is no other sign of weapon or firearm seen anywhere on her body, not even in her bag.

Phoebes smiled mischievously towards Alcyone, and walked in front of the other, walking backwards looking at her with her hands on her hips. "Hmm crimes.. don't you folks say it's all fun and games? At least that is what those slimy mothertruckers said all the time as they carried their guns and metal pipes. But I do admit.." Phoebes puts a finger to her chin. "It is quite crude isn't it? Not pretty at all!"

Phoebes then points at Alcyone with her index finger, more specifically her eyes. "If anything, I think those eyes of yours is the prettiest thing I've seen ever since I was out there! When you scanned me earlier, I swore they were sparkling!" Phoebes gushed, her red petaled pupil slightly twinkling with naivety and wonder.

"It was sparkling even more than that metallic arm that dude has over there!" With absolutely no warning, Phoebes proceeds to point out the folks huddling over in the back in a group of three... well two plus one that was crouching in the corner curiously. But three none the less.

---

xxxxxJulius scoffed as the mysterious and evidently none-too-careful student fled, his eyes tracking the other for only a few seconds. The man was almost tempted to curl his lip, his temporary entanglement with the contemporary quickly vanishing from his thoughts, interest waning like a river with its source cut off.. He cleared his throat, mostly to help with bringing his mind back to the present and the now, then quickly ran through a little habit of adjustment, tucking in any loosened parts of his shirt, ensuring both pants legs sat properly over his boots, checking his cuffs for any unwanted folds.. And then an unfamiliar feeling shivered its way across his mental fortress, some ghost of a time long dead...


xxxxxCaesar turned slowly, his eyes scanning the masses of younger, shorter, taller, weaker members of the academy, searching carefully for that approaching sensation of unfamiliar familiarity. It didn't take long for his gaze to settle on a fiercely approaching individual, one with seemingly more augmentations than flesh, if their legs were anything to go by. The man's gaze traveled over every possible detail, trying to discern the intention of the masked student. The mask. The thought struck Julius like a runaway train, his mind freezing up for several quiet moments. Those moments were quiet in the back of his mind, a solemn silence that began to dredge up seemingly ancient and forgotten memories. The mask. Caesar turned his full body to face the approaching android. The realization dawned on him at last, when Ferrenal was merely a few steps away. Caesar, for once, choked on his words.


xxxxx"They didn't kill you. Well... Not fully.." Caesar paused, then realized just how absurd it was for him to be saying that. He should have been dead for nearly two decades, by now. That realization once again struck Caesar, his thoughts spurring back into motion. Twenty years. Julius swallowed carefully, trying not to inhale his tongue. I've been dead for nearly twenty years. He paused, then shamed himself quietly. And I've done this to poor Ferrenal... He was just a boy, and I've done this to him.

---

Ferrenal listened to Caesar, his voice crushing the last seeds of doubt within Ferrenal’s mind. Finally, after overcoming the sheer impossibility of the situation, Ferrenal spoke. “I see that they never got around to properly terminating you either,” he said with a dry sense of humor. “I suppose the seeds of dissent can never truly be destroyed. Not even by the flame of oppression.” With that, Ferrenal placed his hands on his mask. He would usually never do this but Caesar deserved to see his true face after all these years didn’t he? With a hissing sound, the mask came off, revealing a face marred with burn marks. Eyebrows and hair singed off, right eye replaced with a mechanical replica, and patches of skin gone and substituted with steel mesh. A younger Ferrenal may have blamed Caesar for these injuries, but he had grown not only physically, but also mentally. These injuries helped him purge his arrogance and his delusions of righteousness. In his misjudgment, Caesar had helped Ferrenal grow far more than he did as a mentor. “Well, I suppose we must be moving along to the auditorium. It will be like old times, you and I together, executing the vision of our old resistance.” With a slight smile, a flicker of Ferrenal’s former humanity, he put his mask back on and waited patiently for Caesar’s answer.

---