by Luca Braña
She had been overwhelmed at first, feeling all their hopelessness at once, but she persevered and let her emotions propagate to them, doing her best to convince them that there was hope for them, that as long as they could work together, everyone could leave and be free. And it had been working. Over several meetings she created loyalty, both to her and to each other as they worked together, everyone using their abilities in any way they could to help. She already had a map of the two floors she could access and had several plans in the making.
But she had failed, in the most terrible of ways. She had failed to save Myo, the cute little boy who had looked up at her with such admiration. Even with her heart hurting through the pain of others, the knowledge of failing the boy who talked to her nearly every day since they met, whom she comforted whenever he had a nightmare was…
“Myo… Little Myo… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…” She wept, her eyes focused on the cold, harsh floor. She felt all the emotions and suffering the poor boy felt during the battle, how scared and terrified he was at first, how confused and hopeful he got when they tried to help him in the fight, how angry he was when Drago ordered the mutant ward to harass them… his despair at knowing he would die, and the determination mixed with agony and desire to live during his last moments. She could feel his soul moving on and leaving his body as he died. A single instance of utter incomprehension, a mixture of regret, peacefulness, relief, warmth… and then nothing. Her connection with him was lost forever… Myo was now truly free, in the most tragic way possible, and it was all her fault.
To make matters worse, she had acted out of desperation in her attempt to save Myo. She had tried to implant the feelings of aversion to letting him fight Drago into the scientists she had tagged in her time here, but the speaker didn’t cancel the match so she got desperate. She tried to do something she never had before: using her mind tendrils to snare whoever was in charge and force them to stop the battle. But, she never tagged him, so she was forced to involve any other minds she could feel at random, which is what caused the room to be sealed off for security, severing her tendrils and whatever control of the situation she had.
The staff would be more vigilant now, especially with those who had mental powers. Their future escape would be much harder than before. It was all her fault. Because of her, Myo was dead, and there was nothing she could do, except cry her heart out and endure the stabbing feeling that hundreds of despairing children, two in particular, were piercing her soul with.
She didn’t deserve to be a leader.
3
Emptiness. That was the word Cyko would’ve used to describe his current state of mind if he had enough awareness to do so. He had tried everything. It wasn’t enough. Myo was dead, slaughtered by a giant monster.
He wasn’t thinking anything; he wasn’t feeling anything aside from the wetness on his cheeks. The only thing Cyko knew was the blackened stain that was left where Myo used to be, the image burning itself in his mind, not allowing him to even notice the stinging of his unblinking eyes.
And then images appeared in his mind’s eye, overriding all his senses, all his thoughts and even despite that, the image of Myo’s remains overlapped anything that appeared, anything he felt.
Cyko slipped into his own memories...
The door suddenly opened, revealing the same large guard who was looking straight at him. “Listen up, rat, your days as a loner are over. From now on, you’ll have another rat to keep you company. Go inside, now!” The guard shoved another person inside the room, a scrawny-looking boy, who seemed terrified of the big guard.
The boy looked at him with wide, frightened eyes and nearly jumped out of his skin when the door slammed shut behind him. He stood there for a while, staring at the ground while trembling, unable to bring himself to meet Cyko’s eyes.
The black ashes shone in the Coliseum’s bright lights, staining the memory of their first meeting. Myo had looked so fragile, so desperate for a kind face… Cyko couldn’t help but want to take in the poor boy, to guide him, protect him…
“It’s all right, it’s all right…” he began to softly tell the boy as he started to quietly sob. Snow had woken up and was now rubbing herself against him, seemingly in an attempt to comfort the younger boy. “The situation we got ourselves in is terrible, we all are suffering through the same emotions, just because those evil scientists want to make us into super soldiers or something. But there is still hope, Myo, don’t give up,” he said, removing his hand from the younger boy’s head and putting it around his shoulder, pulling him closer to a one-armed hug.
“Myo… Is that the name of your new roommate?” she asked him gently, to which Cyko nodded, before remembering that Tela couldn’t see him.
“Y-yes, I kind of became a surrogate brother for him… He is just six years old…”
“Please, be brave, for him. We still need to meet each other again so we can all discuss the start of our plan. I know it’s hard, and I wish I was able to do more for you, for him, for everyone…”
He was brave, he made sure to be. No matter the situation, he tried to show Myo that he could always count on him. Thanks to him, Myo didn’t give up hope, he had been getting stronger…
“Your poor brother was a mess when I arrived here. He was crying hard and didn’t even see me until I comforted him,” the pink-haired girl, Magy, said to him in a gentle voice, indicating to Myo, who was sleeping in her lap while her hands patted his head.
“I asked to be transferred to your dorm,” she said with a small smile, earning a surprised look from Cyko, “I like you two, and Scythe told me that a lot of important events will happen around you soon and I want to be there when it happens.”
When they met Magy, the poor girl likely never thought for a second that one of the important events would be this… She had fallen for Myo at first glance, treating him like a little brother, constantly doting on him, and protecting him when he had nightmares; she had been a perfect big sister for Myo.
“Don’t give up, even if it hurts, even if it makes you cry, don’t lose hope! We’ll get out of this prison, together, and find our place in the world, some place where we won’t have to go through this kind of hell again. You can leave everything to us, little Myo, we’ll bring that hope to you.”
He had loved Tela instantly, her charisma and comforting aura made it seem like everything would be all right. He knew his little brother talked to her nearly every day, and he knew Tela loved him just as much… But in the end, they all failed Myo. They were supposed to protect him, to give him hope of a normal life, but… they couldn’t.
“Snow… S-Snow… She… She…”
“Magy, don’t hurt papa! He did nothing wrong!” Snow shouted.
Blackened stains covered the face of the cat-girl in his memories, making the once pristine white turn into a charcoal black. The small kitten he had met and taken in, who had comforted Myo numerous times, turned out to be a traitor… He remembered how much Myo was hurt when that happened, how much they all hurt by her defense of the monster who put them all here.
And because the man she defended wanted power so badly, because he made them fight against each other… Myo… He—
Dark blotches clouded his vision, a kaleidoscope of memories filled his senses. Everything turned into a single whirlwind of black ashes as the world disappeared around him.
In a world of chaos, everything was turning dark, stained by the remnants of his dead brother, a black memory that threatened to consume him. Unable to even blink, the ashes covered him, drowning his soul in a sea of despair.
Myo
Myo
Myo
Myo
Myo
Myo
Myo
MYO.
IS.
DEAD.
4
He was sinking, that was the first thing Cyko noticed when he opened his eyes, the second being how dark this place was. Darkness as far as the eye could see, never ending, inviting him
to join its depths. He could feel the ice-cold water in his bones as he couldn’t help but shiver.
For a moment, he thought he would drown, but he realized that he could somehow breathe just fine. He tried to wiggle his arms and propel his body upwards, but he couldn’t tell up from down in this dark abyss. Frowning, Cyko gave up and accepted that he would stay here for a while.
How did he end up here, anyway? The boy couldn’t recall any moment in his life that would have brought him to this, the last thing he could remember before waking up here was…
With a shocked start, his eyes widened as he looked around in desperation. Nothing, he couldn’t recall anything! The only thing in his mind was his name, Cyko, but other than that… Nothing. A void where the memories of his life should have been.
His frown deepening as he tried not to panic, Cyko focused hard in his mind to remember something, anything, about his life, but he realized that the more he tried to remember, the more his head hurt and, to make matters worse, the smell of burnt flesh invaded his senses, allowing him to think of nothing but the sickly aroma.
“Gah!” he shouted in pain as he grabbed his head, feeling tears forming in his eyes. He looked around, but he still couldn’t see anything, nor could he recall where he was. The burnt smell was getting stronger by the second and it was making him even more anxious.
Unwilling to stay any longer, he swam in a random direction, attempting to go in the opposite direction he felt he was sinking into. Trying his best to ignore the lack of light surrounding him or the confusing lack of direction, he swam with all his might for what seemed like minutes and eventually, hours.
“What… Where am I?” Cyko whispered as he stopped, swimming around himself to see something, anything. He had swum for what seemed like several hours, but there wasn’t a single change in his surroundings. The smell of burnt flesh seemed to be following him, getting stronger by the second.
“I need… I need to remember… Why am I here? What happened before I ended up in this strange ocean? Did I die, and this is Hell? Why can’t I remember anything about my life?” he mused to himself with a frown, trying to see if he could find any logic at all. “Maybe… Maybe I should try to swim towards where I felt I was sinking?” he considered, before shaking his head. His priority was to remember his life and what happened before he was brought here.
Bracing himself, Cyko closed his eyes and concentrated. He closed off all unnecessary thoughts, trying to ignore the coldness and the sinking feeling, concentrating only on his memories. Soon enough, the pain he felt earlier came back, but he squeezed his eyes tighter, trying to break through it.
With the horrid smell growing almost unbearable, the image of a black stain on the ground, burnt ashes, he realized, appeared in his mind’s eye. A second after he saw it, he felt an unbearable pain in his heart, an ache so great that it drove him to tears. Why did seeing that image hurt so much?
And then, something changed. The surrounding water pushed him forcibly as the previously non-existent current made itself known. Unable to resist, he was carried away by the strong tides, the smell of burnt flesh overwhelming his senses for a moment.
Struggling, he tried to withstand the current, waving his arms and legs as much as he could, but it was useless, no matter what he did, he couldn’t fight it. Thankfully, he could still breathe.
Somehow, he knew he was on the right path, remembering that the black stain on the ground made this happen. He should try to conjure it again, even if it brought unbearable agony to his heart… He needed to know why this made his heart ache so much, just by looking at it.
Focusing his mind on that image, he faced the pain that was blocking his memories. More, he needed to know more, to know about his life, about the pain that made him cry and made him happy...
The smell of burnt flesh disappeared and the violent current ceased as the answer came to him, making his eyes widen in horror. His body fell to the ground that wasn’t there before, the pain registering in him as his memories returned. He knew exactly what that black stain represented, and where it had come from…
Myo…
He almost wished that he could go back to oblivion, but… he knew he couldn’t, nor should he. Myo was dead because he had failed to save him and that was something he couldn’t run away from… That pain, that anguish, was something he deserved to suffer from. His little brother, his sweet little brother, was no longer alive...
What could he do now? He had it thrown in his face that he was pathetic, unable to pierce the barrier those mages created and because of his weakness, that tragedy occurred. He couldn’t even guess what Magy must be feeling. No, he knew she was blaming herself as much as he was.
Useless. It was always useless to fight, to resist. That giant dragon proved that only the strongest, the ones with the most will and desire to fight and to become strong, would thrive in their environment and survive to the end. Those that were too inadequate would perish… just like Myo did, because he was feeble and unwilling to hurt anyone, even the monster who killed him. Myo had many opportunities to kill Drago, if he had just aimed at his head, but… his little brother was a sweet soul, he could never bring himself to resort to that, even against a monster like the mutant leader. His compassion, his pure soul cost him his life.
Someone so sweet, so innocent… shouldn’t have to suffer like he did. He shouldn’t have been forced to fight for his life, knowing he would die anyway… He shouldn’t have been forced to make a kill-or-be-killed decision... It angered him that he had to lose another family member that way.
“B-but what can I do? Myo is… Myo is… AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” he bellowed out, no longer able to hold his grief any longer.
Already on his knees, he shifted to a fetal position as his cheeks became wet with tears. “Myo… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry! Myo… Myo… MYO!” he yelled again. It felt like the world around him was growing darker by the second, filled with the feelings of loss and anger.
Then, he felt a hand touch his shoulder, jerking himself up, he looked at the person who had touched him. Crouched in front of Cyko was a pale face with cyan-colored hair and equally blue eyes, dressed in the rags they used to wear. A mirror image of Cyko was looking at him through tears of his own, but there was a fire in his eyes that Cyko lacked.
“It’ll be all right,” the mirror Cyko reassured, looking into the real Cyko’s shell-shocked eyes. The figure put his other arm on the real Cyko’s shoulder, clenching it tightly, but he was not in pain. “We can’t… We cannot bring Myo back. But we can avenge him. Make those responsible for his death pay… IN THE MOST PAINFUL WAY POSSIBLE!” the mirror Cyko yelled with pure loathing, his tearful eyes glowing.
Cyko was mesmerized. Who was that person? Why did he look exactly like him?
“W-who are you…?” the boy asked in confusion, causing the mirror’s angry visage to shift into a gentle smile.
“My name is Cyko, just as you are. I am a representation of the path you are being forced to walk. For simplicity, just call me that, Path.” The mirror image used his sleeves to clean the tears away.
Standing up, Path offered him a hand, which Cyko accepted. Helping him to his feet, his mirror image stood there smiling, as if waiting for a response.
“What do you mean, a representation?” Cyko asked, tears flowing from both of them once again.
Path smiled sadly, pointing at himself. “We always knew we would change because of the evil place we are stuck in. Even more, I am a representation of your powers, Cyko,” he answered, causing Cyko’s expression to morph into one of contemplation.
“The power we unlocked when those geniuses shocked us is unique, much different from the powers of, say, Torch, who is also labeled as an enhancer. You may not have realized it, but our abilities don’t just allow us to become physically stronger but accomplish many other feats that are normally impossible. You realized it during our battles against Ellyn and Reddox, right?” Path explained, earning a nod from Cyko, who seemed pensive.
“If our powers are so unique… why couldn’t we have saved Myo? He didn’t deserve to die!” Cyko exclaimed in anguish, causing Path’s anger to magnify.
“You are right, he didn’t! Myo was just a sweet little boy who wanted to live, to be happy! And that chance… was taken away from him!” Path yelled in a rage, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, but he evened his breath.
“Yes, we weren’t strong enough then. Chances are, if everyone wasn’t working together, then even if we commit to this, it still wouldn’t be enough, but… But…” the mirror Cyko exclaimed with snarled teeth, a mix of rage and sadness visible in his eyes. “We can avenge him! We can make sure that this doesn’t happen again to another child! All we have to do IS KILL THEM ALL!” Path’s face burned red, his teeth clenched, and his eyes were full of fury, shocking Cyko, but somehow, he did not mind it that much.
“But… it doesn’t change the fact that we are weak, and Myo died because of it!” Cyko said with a sob, voice cracking from the weight of his emotions. “What hope do we have?! Even Tela and Magy would be disappointed in us!” he yelled, feeling the proverbial knife in his heart twist further with each passing moment.
“Then we CHANGE!” Path yelled, grabbing both of Cyko’s arms, making the original boy’s head snap up towards him. “If we are weak now… Then we change! Become stronger and merciless! They want us to be perfect killers? THEN WE GIVE IT TO THEM!” his mirror image declared in a vicious, yet desperate voice. Path sighed and took several steps backwards.
“If we… If we change… what will happen to us? Will we be able to help Tela? Protect Magy? Protect our family?” Cyko asked in desperation, looking at his mirror image, who was gazing at the ground. Path looked back at him, his eyes narrowing.
“Do you remember that feeling? That rush of bloodthirstiness we feel whenever we use our powers? The joy whenever we defeated one of those robots, or even Ellyn? The rush of adrenaline and how good it feels?” Path asked suddenly, causing Cyko to blink in surprise before he remembered.