Cykopath- Birth

by Luca Braña

  After hearing everyone explain their powers, Cyko grinned at the awesomeness of it all, his brothers and sisters are great! Now, it was time for him to show them he wasn’t going to be left in the dust!

  “I also have unlocked my powers recently, and if I were to compare, mine are like Torch’s. Look,” he said as he activated his enhancing power. The group gasped as the blue aura covered his form. “It makes me much, much more powerful than I should be… I have defeated the entire robot army with relative ease.” He looked out to his family, only to be met by wide-open mouths and admiration in their eyes, especially from his young brother, Torch.

  “No way, Cyko, that’s too cool!”

  “All one thousand of them, that’s impressive, Cyko!” Geon complimented, followed by the rest of his family, which made the boy blush at the praise.

  He giggled. “Thanks guys!” His blue aura faded away.

  “Well then, I guess I should explain myself…” Magy said, grinning from ear to ear. “Scythe is the spirit that is also a part of me, she takes the form of a scythe and gives me power over darkness.” She watched the shocked looks from everyone, except Cyko and Myo, as she put her hand inside her chest, and retrieved Scythe. She let everyone inspect her beauty before storing it back inside herself. Cyko’s family seemed surprised and fascinated by her power, especially Starry, who looked at the weapon with stars in her eyes.

  After she finished, everyone looked at Myo, who pursed his lips and sighed to himself. “I… I can weaken structures, and that’s it. Things become frail and brittle when I use my powers, but… It also affects my muscles, making them weaker. It hurts a lot, the e-experiments… I really, really dislike them…” He looked down. Cyko’s family patted his back and murmured words of encouragement to him.

  “Myo…” Anna said with a sad voice, representing what everyone was feeling right now. Pity. Pity for what he had gone through and is still going through, and anger for the same reasons.

  Myo looked at them, his eyes welling with tears. “I… I am a crybaby, but ever since I met Tela last night… I-I feel like I can change, I don’t want to be a burden anymore…” he said with a sigh, before blinking as a tiny star appeared and danced in front of his face, and his breath evened and he felt calm.

  “Myo… cheer up!” the small Starry said, making the star dance around him, much to his delight. Everyone smiled at her successful attempt at cheering Myo up, and they all decided on something… They should, they would get stronger, if at least so that children like Myo can get away from this nightmare.

  The group of them continued talking and discussing their abilities and ways they could use them, although they all agreed that they shouldn’t say much out loud in case the scientists were listening.

  After a few minutes, they heard footsteps approaching them, and turned their heads to see two children walking towards their table. One of them was a short, thin girl with bright green hair and an infectious grin on her face. Just like everyone, she was wearing rags… But what surprised them was the red-haired boy that was accompanying her. He was wearing clothes that could only be described as a robe of some sort, and the aura they were feeling from him was strong.

  Magy’s smile dropped in an instant. Seeing this, Cyko prepared for trouble, while the rest of his family looked at each other, trying to determine how to react.

  “Hello there! Ah! I knew I heard a meow when I entered this place! See, Reddox, I told you I heard a cat! Look! An adorable little kitty!” The green-haired girl talked in short bursts of exclamation to her companion, who merely nodded at her words.

  “Greetings, I am Reddox and this airhead by my side is Ellyn. We hail from the high security ward and met the moment we came out from our cells. For some reason, she wanted to hang out with me,” the short boy said blandly, and still the girl chuckled and swatted at him.

  “That’s because the wind around you says you are an interesting person to know! I mean, we came from the same place; it’s lonely! Don’t you want friends?” she teased, which only made the boy sigh in resignation.

  “I suppose you are right,” he said in a low voice although Ellyn still heard him and grinned.

  “Anyway, I heard a cat sound when we got here, and I wanted to see if it was an actual cat! Ah, she is so cute!” Ellyn exclaimed with hearts in her eyes as she admired Snow.

  Everyone at the table was at a loss for words. Cyko and his family were trying to figure out the eccentric girl and her apparent connection to the wind, while Magy, however, was looking warily at Reddox.

  Cyko opened his mouth for a second before speaking, “My name is Cyko, would you like to pet her? She is friendly.” He thought it wouldn’t hurt to have more friends after all, plus, Ellyn lurched forward to meet the feline.

  “Ahhh! Can I? Can I? Thank you so much!” She pet Snow’s head, who woke up and looked at her. After a while, the white kitty rubbed her head against the green-haired girl, who could barely contain a squeal at Snow’s cuteness.

  She didn’t resist and picked the small kitty up and gingerly cuddled her to her chest, giggling at the purring sounds the cat was emitting. After a few seconds her eyes welled up as she set the cat back down on the table.

  “Thank you, thank you so much… I really missed the warmth of a pet… That meant a lot to me, thank you.” She offered a smile that Cyko returned with ease.

  “Hey, don’t worry! You can pet her whenever you want if we meet again, I’ll bring her next time.” He touched her arm lightly.

  “I already like you, Cyko, would you like to talk more? We, from the high security ward, don’t get to talk with other kids a lot and—”

  “Attention all subjects, socialization time is over. Proceed to the gates you entered from to be escorted back to your quarters,” the cold voice came from the intercom, making everyone blink in surprise. Was it time already?

  “What? But I could have sworn we still had half an hour left…” Henry muttered to himself before shaking his head. They couldn’t do anything about it now. Ellyn, on the other hand, visibly drooped, her face wrestling to contain her tears.

  “But we just met…” she whispered, taking one longing glace at the white cat who was now licking her paws unaware of the sadness surrounding her, which made Ellyn want to cuddle her again.

  Reddox sighed, unable to get a word out, either. “My apologies, it seems we will have to talk more at a later date, if possible. Come, Ellyn, we shouldn’t hold them back, the guards will punish them if we do.” He touched Ellyn’s back as she reluctantly allowed him to lead her away.

  “I understand… Let’s go.” She turned back towards them. “Once again, thank you very much for letting me hug her, I hope we can meet again.”

  Cyko nodded to her, holding a frown back from the early call to return to their dorms, but it couldn’t be helped. “You are welcome, I hope we can meet again, too,” he said with a smile, waving his hand as they made their way back.

  Magy stayed quiet as they were escorted towards their ward. She kept her silence even as they had gotten up and prepared to leave, Cyko picking Snow up and hiding her under his shirt. “Did you guys notice? His clothes were nicer than ours. Maybe it was just the favor he asked from the scientists, but… Scythe tells me he is powerful, very powerful.” Magy frowned, surprising the others.

  “I did notice his clothes, they are cleaner than ours, but it also couldn’t mean much. He seemed nice, to make friends with that eccentric girl, even if he was a bit serious,” Henry, the smart boy, said with a hand on his chin, “maybe we should just wait and see, he doesn’t seem like that Drago fellow you told us about. Maybe we should give them a chance? Try to recruit them?” he suggested.

  “… Hmm, I think it may be a good idea, Scythe suggested this too. Okay, but I still feel danger around him.” Magy frowned, before shaking her head as if to dispel her thoughts. She realized they had arrived at the point they had met before, just in front of the gate that leads to Cyko’s family’s ward.

 
“Well, guys… I guess I’ll see you next time.” Cyko pursed his lips at the thought of when he’d be able to meet them next.

  Magy, adopting her serene smile, looked at them with tears filling her eyes. “I also am glad to have met you all, Cyko was right when he told me you all are nice people, Scythe also speaks highly of you.” She wiped away a small tear that had escaped.

  Myo’s bottom lip quivered. He had made so many friends these past few days! He couldn’t believe they treated him like one of them, they were so nice! He would miss them, but it wasn’t like this would be the last time he would see them, right? “I-I’ll miss you guys too, it was nice meeting you all…” He lowered his head as to not cry again.

  “Don’t be like that! I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon!” Anna promised as they all reunited for a group hug.

  “You take care of each other, you hear me?” Mat said with a smile as they separated.

  “Don’t worry, we will!” Cyko called out as they walked in opposite ways to return to their dorm rooms.

  On their way back, Cyko kept smiling to himself. Today had been a good day, he had gotten to see his family again, Myo’s mood had improved more, and Magy looked happy from their talk. Even with meeting Ellyn and Reddox, he could tell, somehow, that they were not bad people.

  No bad person would cry tears of joy while holding a cat after all.

  “Ahh…” Cyko said as he fell down in his bed. Even if today was a good day, he was still exhausted. He looked to his side to see Myo also falling onto his bed, and Magy sitting on hers, gently petting Snow who was on her lap.

  “Tired, my dear friend?” Magy asked as she played with the cat.

  Cyko chuckled at her question before nodding. “Yes, we had a long day. Even if we got to have fun at the end, it was still tiring after the experiments.” He yawned. Myo himself looked drowsy on his bed.

  “Well don’t let me stop your rest, dear friend. You too, little Myo. I’ll stay up playing with this little one for a while. She is still full of energy afte- Ah!” She jumped at a loud bang on the door, startling both Cyko and Myo from their sleepy state.

  “You little rats! We’re coming in, make yourselves presentable and don’t try anything funny!” the steely voice of the large guard barked at their door, making them glance at each other in confusion and in Myo’s case, in fright.

  Bursting through the door were two heavily armed guards on both sides… and one scientist they had never seen before in the middle. The man had white hair, a beard, and a dead, cold look on his face. He looked around the room before zeroing in on a particular sight…

  “Ahh…” he cocked his head to the side, his face breaking from its unsettling mold to give off a large, warm smile. “My dear Shiro, I was looking for you everywhere, do you know how much you made me worry?” Dr. Gacha said as he looked at the snow-white cat, who instantly jumped from Magy’s lap high into the air, where a white light covered her form for a moment.

  Then, the light faded to reveal a girl half the scientist’s size, who landed gently on the ground. The girl’s feline ears and tail twitched for a moment as she opened her mischievous golden eyes, which focused on the scientist in front of her. After a moment, she happily shouted, “Papa!” and tackled the older man in an affectionate embrace.

  CHAPTER 3

  THE DEATH GAMES

  1

  Dr. Gacha made his way towards the entrance to Mr. Whale’s office, interested in knowing what the man wanted this time. He would report to the best of his ability as everything was progressing smoothly so far.

  He paused, however, as he saw something peculiar. A small desk was set up near Mr. Whale’s door and sitting in the chair looking at documents was a woman he’d never seen before. He wiped his face of any emotion and made his way forward, her purpose becoming obvious to him. Mr. Whale hired a secretary—a dangerous move knowing that every single employee in this facility, even the ones on the upper floors, had to be highly trusted, and he couldn’t seem to recall her being on the employee sheet.

  The woman had pale, purplish hair and identically colored eyes, he noted as she turned towards him as he approached and gave him a polite smile. “Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?” the secretary said in a professional, silky voice.

  Dr. Gacha stood there, staring at her for a few moments before answering, “I am here for an appointment with Mr. Whale, I assume you are aware of that?”

  Giving a short nod, she spoke, “Dr. Gacha, yes?” She straightened her posture.

  The scientist nodded.

  “Perfect, Mr. Whale is inside waiting for you.” She motioned towards the door to Mr. Whale’s office. The scientist adjusted his tie and gave her a nod before making his way inside the businessman’s office.

  Seeing the door to his office slide open, Mr. Whale looked up to the frigid gaze of his head scientist. For a second, he wondered if he did something to earn his wrath but remembered that the man was always like that.

  “Good afternoon, Dr. Gacha. Thank you for coming on such short notice,” the businessman said with a smile to which the scientist looked up at the ceiling before focusing his gaze on Mr. Whale.

  “It’s no trouble, however, the sooner we finish, the sooner I can go back to work,” the scientist said with no emotion, which made the rotund man let out a chuckle.

  “Hah! True enough! The reports I receive every day are mostly positive, which is a sign of good work, and as a businessman, I appreciate that!” he said lightheartedly before narrowing his eyes and rolling his shoulders back so they could get down to business.

  “Anyway, the reason I called you here is because the shipment of material you requested has arrived and is being stored on Level 4. It was costly, but for the sake of the project, the board of directors were willing to grant the expense.” Mr. Whale folded his hands together.

  “Excellent, then the next phase of the project can start once everything is set up,” the head scientist said with the slightest tone of approval in his voice. “By the time everything is ready, I expect all remaining subjects will be awakened, and all experiments regarding their abilities will be completed,” Dr. Gacha said in a clinical voice, although Mr. Whale could tell the man was looking forward to the results of the next part.

  “That’s wonderful news! Now, while I have a hunch on what you have planned for the next phase of the project, I would like to discuss the details of what you are planning,” Mr. Whale said in a professional tone. Dr. Gacha acknowledged this and moved to take a seat in front of the businessman.

  As was protocol whenever they were to discuss sensitive material, Mr. Whale entered a simple command on his terminal which caused the walls of his office to glow with arcane symbols. A security measure set up by their team of highly experienced magicians, it should prevent anyone, physical or ethereal, from eavesdropping on their conversation.

  Nodding at Mr. Whale’s action, the head scientist put his hand inside his coat and retrieved his tablet, where he typed several commands before placing it atop the man’s desk. From the tablet, a hologram appeared, showing the seventh level as it currently was. Several large wards surrounding the central gymnasium which the subjects used for socialization time were shown.

  “All subjects have been given the opportunity to meet and form both connections and rivalries. All the wards have made contact with each other at random intervals. Considering the high-stress environment they have been subjected to, it’s expected for them to form deep emotional connections and we’ll take advantage of that.” He swiped his hand through the image and the hologram changed, showing a drastically changed gymnasium.

  “Research has shown that unlocked powers are strengthened by emotional distress and true enough, we have made sure that all subjects went through stressful situations to overcome their limits. The next phase of Project R.N.G. will serve both as an experiment on live combat against dangerous opponents and a way to further impose limits for them to overcome. In addition, to prepare for the phase a
fter that,” the scientist explained matter-of-factly.

  “Oh? How so?” the businessman asked, prompting his head scientist to speak.

  “After the stick, one must give the carrot. I have told all the scientists in charge of conducting experiments to treat subjects with favorable results well, and the more cooperative said subject is, the better they’ll be treated. If enough favoritism is given, they’ll be given the right to ask small favors. Some subjects already have been granted that.”

  “And what is it you want to achieve with this, doctor?” Mr. Whale’s forehead creased.

  The scientist’s voice was flat. “Ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome? In situations where there is a person being held captive, they become attached to their captors. Small kind actions that would be scoffed at by an outsider would be of great significance to the victim, making them believe in the humanity of their captors and even wishing to continue befriending them. Some say it’s a survival instinct, but it shall be of great use to us. Turning scared children into loyal soldiers should be simple. The experiments and their living conditions are hard on their physique and because of that, they will learn to love any positivity or kindness we show them,” Dr. Gacha said, his face remaining expressionless despite the topic of conversation.

  Mr. Whale paled at the scientist’s words. That was… a little too much, wasn’t it? It was basically brainwashing the children we forced to be part of the project… his mouth twitched at the thought. Yet, they had gone too far to be held back by morals now. They had invested too much time, too much money to stop now. It was a cruel thing they were doing, but… It was necessary.

  “I… I see. Very well, Dr. Gacha. Proceed as you please. As long as the results stay positive, you are free to do as you will,” the businessman said in a resigned voice, to which the head scientist nodded in clear satisfaction, although his expression didn’t change.