"Celia... I'm starving..." the dog lusian groaned in the corner of the cell huddled up in a fetal position.
The bird lusian was keeping the kitten warm in her feathers and heard her friend's cries.
"I haven't eaten anything either, so you shouldn't complain."
The dog suddenly got an idea and crawled up against the cage and laid down closing her eyes and letting her tongue fall onto the floor. Her body completely limp and motionless for minutes.
One of the researchers who were wandering around the research facility saw the lifeless dog in the cage. He reached his hand through the iron bars trying to see if she really dead.
The dog suddenly came back to life the moment his hand touched her body and quickly she opened her jaws and in a split second ripped off the researchers hand. Blood oozed out of the open and torn arteries and veins from the arm.
Celia watched with disdain as her friend crawled back into her corner with the human hand in her mouth. She started to munch of it as if it was a piece of chicken, the sound of bone cracking echoed throughout the cell.
A harrowing scream pierced the air as the guard stumbled back trying to apply a torniquete.
Researchers who heard the commotion came rushing in and saw the man screaming in pain and the lusian with a hand in her mouth.
"You fucking rabid dog..." One of them pulled out a gun ready to execute the lusian on the spot.
"What are you idiots doing?" A familiar voice called out.
Celia and the dog looked up and saw Matiligax and his assistant come through the doors.
"THAT FUCKING DOG BIT OFF HIS HAND!"
"Maybe because you guys haven't been feeding them properly?"
The researchers looked completely stunned and accused Matiligax of making excuses for the lusians.
Without arguing back Matiligax took out a piece of meet jerky and gestured for the dog to come. He threw the beef jerky onto the floor and the dog immediately spit out the hand and went after the jerky instead. Matiligax picked up the hand and threw it at the researcher who had lost it. It was severely mauled and disfigured and was missing a finger tip.
"See? Not enough food, that's all."
Matiligax ordered Selacha to hand out food to all the lusians in the cells before shooing out all the researchers from his area.
Dragging a chair across the cement floor and sitting down in front the bird lusian. Matiligax took out a children's book and began reading for the bird.
"Once upon a time, in a empty and dull world, where no one yearned for anything a spark of light illuminated the nightsky. That being the moon, the birth of the Celestia marked the day people prayed and desired.
Humanity wished and the moon goddess would grant everything for her beloved humans. But humans grew bolder and more unreasonable with time. The moon dimmed as humanity's wishes grew darker and sinister. But eventually there would a boy who had lost everything. He made a wish to the moon before and regretted everything. He wished for a family, a kingdom and power. From the moon he was bestowed everything he yearned for. But his family was assassinated, his kingdom had fallen into ruins from wars and the authority he once had had been reduced to just a title.
He asked the moon, "why would you give me these things if you knew I would lose everything?" The goddess completely baffled by this question froze. From this doubt inside of her heart, she started to doubt the wishes humanity made. Humans were sometimes not given what they prayed for and when she saw it happen she couldn't help but think: why didn't answer them? I love them, why is it that I don't do what I used to do?
Humans began to feel it too, as this feeling called "guilt". Guilt soon spread across the globe like a plague, consuming everyone in their wake. The Aeons realizing the terrifying powers of Guilt worked together to put an end to his reign. The world forever lived in peace afterwards." Matiligax closed the book.
The dog was staring at Celia to see if she would say anything.
"Is the world truly at peace after Nocentis was defeated? Is humanity really free after removing Guilt? Has guilt even been removed for humanity? No, he still lives on. As long as other mother, the moon goddess watches over us, the world shall not forget him."
"Well it is quite true that we humans still feel the effects of guilt even though he has been scattered across the world. But don't you think a world without Guilt and Desire would be better?"
The bird sat up straight and said that the world wouldn't feel the same without wanting anything. Though it might be true that the world would be much less chaotic without anyone wanting anything but this very wanting is what keeps us feeling alive. Making them wanting to strive to become better and live a fulfilling life. And how without guilt can you know you did something wrong? How without it could you improve yourself? The feeling itself is horrible but it is what drives humanity forwards to improve.
Matiligax started clapping after she gave her answer.
"Truly a beautiful response! Absolutely marvelous!"
"Moss head, when are you planning on letting us go?" The dog interrupted him.
"Soon, if you keep cooperating like you have been now, you will be able to run in the fields again."
"I smell trickery in your voice," the dog calmly said.
Celia doubled down on her friend's comments.
"We overheard the other researchers, you are planning on turning us into weapons of war aren't you."
Matiligax scratched his head and turned his back towards them.
"So it is true?"
"Those damn senile researchers." Matiligax yelled.
Matiligax spun around dodging the previous question and asked how long it took lusians to mature. Both the bird and dog stayed quiet.
"GREAT, JUST FUCKING GREAT! The moment I had established some form of trust with these lusians... people who have nothing to do with this just come in and ruin EVERYTHING."
He grabbed his head with both his hands before hitting his head erratically against the wall.
"SELACHA WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?!"
"I do not know."
The lusians sat there staring at the deranged man who was hitting the walls repeatedly with his fists.
He grabbed ahold of Selacha demanding for the cell keys and hurriedly went to unlock the cell the lusians were in.
As the cell door flung open the dog immediately pounced onto him without a second of hesitation. Just before she was about to maul his face Selacha grabbed her by her neck and kicked her into the cage Lucieno the tiger was in. The bird slowly backed away holding something in her lap as Matiligax got back up and approached her.
He grabbed her on one wing and yanked hard, making a few feathers fall out. Shrieks echoed throughout the cell as Matiligax pulled her up by the wing and an orange cat fell out of her lap.
"A cat?" Matiligax stopped for a second as he saw the fluffy orange feline on the ground.
He grabbed the cat by the nape and picked it up to observe it.
"Is this an ordinary cat or is this another lusian? It doesn't matter."
He dropped the cat back onto the floor and kicked it away before slamming the gate.
"NOOO! PRINCESS!"
Celia resisted Matiligax as much as she could trying to get back to the kitten that was laying motionless in the cell. Her feathers dropped all over the room as the struggle continued. He then strapped her to one of the dissection tables with shackles.
Celia kept searching for signs that the Princess was still alive even when she was being restrained.
"Selacha, where are the specimens we were supposed to use?"
"I don't have it, Matiligax."
"What do you mean we don't have it? Have you searched for it?"
"I have indeed but I am unable to detect it anywhere."
Matiligax dug through his bags trying to find the cup he had stored beforehand but couldn't find anything but useless bottles of pills. He threw his bag at Selacha before stepping back to the bird.
"There is only one way to make this project work."
Selacha had an empty expression as the sounds of screams and cries came from both the tiger and bird.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER, YOU FUCKING SICK BASTARD, I'M GONNA KILL YOU, I'M GONNA RIP YOUR HEAD OFF." The furious banging from inside the metal cage wasn't enough to distract Matiligax from accomplishing his mission for the Royal Family. The idea of creating lusian soldiers to fight against the luvian empire was the only thing he could think of. Inside his mind he could see the winged warrior attacking the luvian soldiers and how spectacular it would be to have an entire army of them.
The bird kept looking into the cell where the kitten was as it went inside her. Blood spilled out onto the table and the bird bit her lips in pain.
She could hear Lucieno calling her name. She could hear Eris's slow labored breathing. But she didn't know if the princess was alright. But then the chest of the cat rose and sunk. She was breathing. Celia smiled knowing that the Princess was alright. In her mind as long as she protected the one entrusted to her, nothing else mattered.
"Oh moon, don't leave me... Mother please forgive me for this sin."
Lucieno's hands started to bleed from the constant hitting against the steel but the banging never stopped. The dog opened it's eyes and slowly lifted her head to see her friend on the table, Celia's intelligent and wise eyes that always told her what to do were now lifeless and her face completely void.
"WHAT ARE YOU TO HER!!!!!" The dog got onto all its fours and flew at Matiligax like a rocket.
Selacha grabbed the dog and hit it in the stomach before throwing it onto the table next to Celia.
The both of them laid next to each other staring. Tears from Eris's eyes started to run down her cheek onto the cold table as she saw her friend.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Celia... I shouldn't have called out to help me that day. I shouldn't have told you to come with me... I'm so sorry for not being able to protect you..."
Despite what was happening to her, the bird with her body trembling shook her head.
"It's not your fault..."
It finally stopped and the moon had left Celia.
"Do you think Mother will forgive us?" Eris asked Celia.
But the only thing that exited her mouth was a incoherent sob.
The laid motionless on the table, having completely given up resisting.
"Selacha, restrain her just incase she tries something."
"Yes, Professor."
Eris muttered a final prayer to the moon.
"O moon, we have forsaken you but not the princess. Watch over her diligently, bestow your blessing upon her, may she bring peace to lusians."
Just before the moon was about to leave Eris as well. The whole research facility began to shake, throwing everyone off balance.
Then the smell of smoke entered his nose. The tingly sensations of a lox user. He turned his back and saw the person who he loathed the most in the world.
"Well, well, well, look at who we caught with their pants down. Greetings old student."
His eyes filled with disdain hearing that voice. I peeked into the room and saw the scene in front of me. This research facility had to burned down. In the other rooms there were mangled corpses and people in cages but in this room... the sight was sickening. Seeing those helpless girls on that table awakened a feeling of hatred inside of me. Hatred for humanity, I saw this depravity on the streets being an orphan but that was prostitution but this is... so much worse.
My cheek burned as the anger rose inside me and the black flower grew.
"Control yourself, Vivshi," Devina said.
I took a deep breath and stared at the man who caused all of this suffering with burning hatred.
"SELACHA KILL HER!" Matiligax screeched.
A hand flew like knife right into Devina face but a few centimeters away was blocked. Devina held in a blue lox stone which was a lox stone of conservation.
"Well aren't you a uncouth one, surely you still have your soul somewhere inside of you?" Devina put her hand into her pocket and threw a stone of breakage at Selacha that smashed it.
"Too bad."
The skin on Selacha's hand started to wither away into dust.
Anything that comes into contact with the Aeon of Breakage will either accelerate infinitely into the future or slow down indefinitely until they freeze in time.
"Now let's get you out of there shall we?" As Selacha's body began to decay from breakage Devina put her hand onto her forehead and ripped out a blue core.
Selacha fell to the ground with a thud as her body began to wither away.
"Noo... no... NOT AGAIN! WHY ARE YOU GETTING IN MY WAY AGAIN?!" Matiligax tried to punch Devina but the barrier of conservation was still up and reflected his punch entirely.
Devina held Selacha's core in her hand and taunted Matiligax with it.
"You did not deserve her love. She was your research partner, she helped you with so much. She dedicated her life towards your work. She broke the Academy's rules just for you. Yet what do you do? You sought the approval of the Royal Family. You sought recognition, you wanted publicity for your work. But yet you were always overshadowed by your peers. Your experiments were called "dangerous and hazardous" and were never recognized by the academy. Yet that girl followed you no matter how much you failed. And what did you do? You murdered her in cold blood, turned her body into this core and her soul was lost."
"No... I didn't murder her. I DIDN'T! I LOVED HER!"
"Are you really sure?" Devina touched his head with her finger and injected him with Dexterity's loxes.
The past replayed itself. Matiligax was in his research lab late into the night. It was yet another failed attempt to earn recognition. Yet another failed assignment. Elise stood next to him comforting him. They through the assessments made by the teachers, and it was another list of complaints made by them. He couldn't understand why. No matter how good he tried to follow the Academy's guidance, he never succeeded.
Elise encouraged him that the experiment would surely be a hit. But he had had enough. He ripped the papers and stormed off. If only he could make something so revolutionary to the world. He ran back to the lab, he saw Elise sitting there by his desk reassembling the torn pieces of paper. The idea then popped into his mind. Could someone be reassembled like that after death?
The next thing he remembered was those gurgling noises that came from Elise. How his hands were wrapped around her neck, how she called out his name in her last dying breath.
Matiligax fell down onto his knees after reliving his past memories.
"Mmm, you sure remember things now don't you." Devina crossed her arms with a smirk.
"You know, there's a reason why we never allowed your works to be published. They were too inhumane."
"TELL ME, WHERE DOES IT CROSS THE LINE FROM BEING SCIENCE AND RESEARCH TO BEING TOO INHUMANE?!!"
Devina gazed at the two girls on the table.
"For example, insemination of unwilling participants to use their children as weapons of war. That clearly violates the values of the Academy. Not only do you break the constitution of human rights but also the neutrality pact we at the Academy swore to uphold."
"And as for this core, I will be taking her back to the academy. You don't deserve to be by her side."
"First it was Elise... then the Academy... then Wien... and now you too Selacha?"
Devina looked around the room and saw the tiger still in the cage with bleeding hands. She covered up Celia with a blanket before telling me to carry her back.
She took out a green lox stone and threw it at the tiger. Immediately Lucieno's hands healed and all exhausted vanished from him.
The lock on his cage was then finally unlocked and Lucieno who had withholding all the rage inside that cage immediately pounced onto Matiligax. Blood splattered all over the wall as his limbs were torn off one by one and his organs ripped out of his torso.
Devina sighed before throwing green lox stones at the girls too. Eris sat up immediately while Celia continued laying there motionless. Eris desperately shook her friend. But her friend only pointed at the cage and muttered: "the princess."
Devina picked up the small little cat and made it touch a green lox stone. But the stone didn't react. It was as if the stone was absorbing loxes from the cat.
"This can't be..." Devina was absolutely shocked.
With Celia on my back and Eris following behind me holding the cat, we got out of the research facility with several more captives. Devina stood there waiting for the tiger to finish. The whole room looked like a murder scene, quite literally. Organs were spilled across the room, arms and legs were scattered across the room and Matiligax's head laid decapitated on the floor.
Devina tapped the tiger's shoulder.
"That's enough now." She pulled him back.
He was crying and panting. His body completely covered in blood. Devina looked at Matiligax dismembered body and threw everything in her pocket dimension.
"Let's go now."
Lucieno stood up staring at the floor.
"I couldn't protect her..." tears ran down his face as he clenched his fists that dripped blood.
"So many times... I failed."
Devina stood silently behind him.
"So many times I swore to protect her."
He crouched down and got onto his knees.
"I promised her under the moon that I Lucieno would protect her until the moon's light dimmed. That I would stay by her side."
"She's still there. She still needs you. This is not where you fall. This is when she needs you the most. You need to get back onto your feet and be by her side again."
Lucieno took a deep breath before getting back onto his feet.
"I don't know if I can ever stand by her side ever again."
"The world rarely forgives, nor does it wait for you to act. Do whatever you want from here on."
Lucieno thanked Devina for helping them before running off.
Devina looked around the research facility seeing family faces that used to be researchers at the Academy now dead. She sighed before taking out a red lox stone. This place should never be revisited. She put the lox stone on the floor and got out of there before detonating the stone. That day, the entire research facility of Wien was obliterated and never used again.
Devina walked outside the gates of Wien where I and the others were waiting for her.
I just need to go take care of something real quick.
Devina ran off and found a ditch near the city walls. She opened her portal dimension and dumped all of Matiligax's body parts into the ditch before burying it with soil.
"You were truly an exceptional student but you were too delusional and sought recognition through any means."
"Elise, do you wish to say anything before we go?" Devina held up the core.
But as expected there were no answers from it. Her soul had been completely lost in the world.
I saw Devina walking back and asked her if we were done here, she nodded. She thought that taking a carriage would take too long and she was tired of waiting so much so she just took out one of her precious pink stones and made a wish.
"I wish to return to the Royal Academy in Nautilus, alongside my companions."
A bright flash of light swallowed us and we were transported back to her office. Eris was completely baffled and stunned with what Devina just did.
"MOTHER'S LUKINI!"
"It was quite indeed the loxes of the Aeon of Desire, Devina smiled."