Hayato and Hayaru looked at each other for a brief moment. The scientist stood completely still, waiting for the twins to make a move.
"Okay... L-let's try making the electrical invisible sword we attempted yesterday, Hayato," Hayaru sighed, closing his eyes to visualize the weapon.
Hayato waited patiently. Though the scientist showed no sign of impatience, Hayaru felt a sudden spike of fear. Why is he looking at us like that? He's distracting... and scary. Hayaru stole a glance at the scientist's blurry face, then jerked his gaze away when the silence dragged on too long.
Finally, Hayaru swung his arm, holding what looked to anyone else like empty air. Zeka watched intently as Hayaru's knuckles turned white. He's gripping it so tightly it looks like he's holding air itself... Zeka thought quietly, taking a step closer to catch a better look.
Hayaru signaled his brother. Hayato watched his grip, guessing the shape of the invisible blade before wrapping his own fingers around the space just above Hayaru's hand—thin and razor-like.
Unlike his brother, who relied purely on visualization, Hayato raised his free hand and pointed directly at his grip. Extending two fingers, he made a sharp, deliberate hand gesture—a precise physical trigger required to activate and channel his power.
A sudden crackle of light burst into view where his fingers pointed. The current crawled slowly up the unseen length of the blade before surging backward toward the hilt. While the sword remained completely invisible, the lightning wrapping around it was violently real.
The scientist gave no physical reaction, but a strange, unsettling thought flickered through his mind. What he was witnessing felt inherently wrong—yet undeniably impressive.
Overwhelmed by the mental strain, Hayaru dropped the weapon. The moment it left his hand, its phantom weight evaporated, and the electric current vanished.
Hayaru looked up nervously at the scientist's blurry face. I can't even read his expression. How are we supposed to know if we passed? Trembling, Hayaru turned toward Liora, silently signaling for her to take her turn.
The scientist turned his sightless gaze onto Liora, having noticed her hesitation from the moment the trial began. "You. Do something with that power of yours. I expect results."
Liora looked around frantically, searching for an idea, before settling on a risky maneuver.
She summoned a dense cube of water, forcing it to swirl rapidly around the scientist. Both Zeka and Genseki immediately recognized the spell from their private practice, their stomachs dropping as they realized what she was doing. Pushing her abilities so recklessly threatened to drain not just her energy, but her focus as well.
The torrent trapped the scientist in its center, the water churning much faster than before and soaking his laboratory clothes past his knees. Yet he didn't falter. He simply took a casual step forward to wade out of the trap.
Feeling a surge of panic, Liora pushed her power harder. The current whipped into a localized force, attempting to pin him down. The scientist paused briefly as the pressure built, and for a split second, Liora's eyes lit up with hope—until he casually resumed walking as if the crushing current were nothing more than a light breeze.
As he closed the distance, Liora backed away in terror, losing her footing and tumbling into the snow. The scientist stopped above her, looking down at her trembling frame.
He's so tall... I'm... scared... She shrank back, completely exhausted, her mind fragile and vulnerable.
The scientist lingered over her in silence before leaning down, his voice dropping to a chilled whisper that only she could hear.
"Water doesn't scare something that's already drowned more times than you've been alive."
Liora stared up at him, completely unable to process the words. Trembling violently, she pressed her face into the thick snow the moment he turned away, too terrified to even feel the biting cold.
Sinking deeper into psychological exhaustion, she squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, a familiar shape appeared in the snow before her—a cat. Her old family pet. Tears welled in her eyes as she reached out to touch its fur, convinced for a fleeting second that it was real.
"Where have you been all this time? You know you're the... only..." she whispered, her fingers brushing its cheek.
A low, polite cough broke her trance.
Liora blinked, the hallucination shattering into reality. Her hands weren't touching a cat—she was cupping Zeka's face.
Zeka stood there, completely confused, while an unfamiliar, fluttering sensation stirred in his chest. What is this feeling? I've never felt anything like this before...
The realization hit Liora all at once. Her face flushed bright red. Shoving Zeka away aggressively, she buried her face in the snow, desperately wishing the ground would swallow her whole.
Sitting up awkwardly, she looked at Zeka. He offered her a hand to help her up. Frustrated by her own embarrassment, she grabbed his hand with enough force to pull him off balance, scrambling to her feet.
Seeing the sky darkening overhead, Liora used the nightfall as an excuse to bolt back toward the facility, needing to hide before she had to face him again.
The other children stared at Zeka as if he had just committed a crime.
"What?" Zeka asked.
Without answering, the rest of the group turned and hurried back inside, leaving Zeka standing alone as darkness settled over the woods.
Before following them, Zeka paused. Out in the deep shadows between the trees, a dark figure was wandering around, holding something heavy. Zeka squinted, trying to make out details, but Genseki's voice called out from the doorway, breaking his focus. When Zeka looked back into the treeline a second later, the figure was gone.
Shaking his head, Zeka dismissed it as a trick of his exhausted mind and headed inside.
Four hours later...
The living quarters were silent, everyone asleep except for Liora and Zeka. Liora lay awake, her mind replaying the embarrassing moment in the snow, while Zeka stared at the ceiling, unable to shake the memory of the shape in the forest.
It was tall... unnaturally tall... Zeka thought quietly.
A faint click echoed through the quiet room as the door creaked open. The blurry-faced scientist stepped inside—an unusual occurrence for this time of night.
"Liora. And Experiment 1009."
The scientist's voice sliced through the dark. Both children sat up instantly, exchanging a bewildered look as they stood up to follow him down the dark corridor.