Cykopath- Birth

by Luca Braña

  “Why… why is she so strong?!” He hit the ground beneath him and peeked out from his cover to see the fight.

  “She has something to protect. There is nothing more dangerous than a cornered animal,” Magy whispered as she joined him in glaring out at the feline who looked like a goddess defending her ancient treasure.

  Shiro Snow brought both of her hands together and in a great flash of white, a colossal beam of elemental energy shot out of her palms, hitting a large group of rebels all at once. She willed it to move alongside her, hitting all others before they ran away.

  The beam of ice and lightning left only devastation in its path. Countless rebels lay unmoving as their frost-covered bodies twitched. Their erratic breathing was the only proof they were still alive.

  In one foul swoop, Shiro had taken out all of the remaining rebels that had opposed her.

  The feline descended from the sky, looking at the surrounding rebels. Many were lifeless and convulsing on the ground. None were dead, she made sure she only used enough power to stun them. But as she turned her head to see Magy and Cyko making their way towards her, the girl knew that she might be forced to kill.

  Reddox and Ellyn appeared in her peripheral vision, also moving towards her. Some of the most powerful subjects that her father talked about were now the only ones left. She took a step forward to meet them and finish this pointless battle. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized she couldn’t move at all.

  Her entire body was covered in magical seals.

  Reddox had snuck sigils on top of his attacks, sigils which only now were activated on the powerful demi-human. His eyes focused on the dome of ice that lay behind her and then on the struggling feline.

  “Hah! You are awesome Reddox, did you know that?” Cyko commented with a grin as they approached the cat girl.

  “It had always been the plan to immobilize her, I’m just surprised it took this long,” Ellyn commented as she commanded the wind to take a violent form around her.

  “Well then, dear friends, it may be time to finish this battle,” Magy chimed with a smirk as she willed her leftover energy to manifest on her blades, covering them in a dark aura. Shiro continued her struggle, body glowing as she used her power, cracking the seals ever so slightly.

  “She’s breaking my seals. We need to attack, now!” Reddox declared as he concentrated all the remaining energy he had into his books, which glowed red. “Ellyn, give me your strongest wind!”

  “On it! Feel the wrath of the wind!” Ellyn yelled, creating a massive, violent tornado that made its way towards the wide-eyed prisoner. Just before the tornado reached her, Reddox fired his spell, a massive vortex of fire that connected with the tornado, turning it into a burning hurricane of death, engulfing Shiro.

  “AAAAAAAHHHHHH!” Her screams of pain echoed around the desert. Her father cried out her name, tears running from his face as he banged the ice barrier. Cyko smirked at his despair as both he and Magy dashed towards the burning tornado, knowing that Reddox and Ellyn wouldn’t be able to keep it up forever.

  True enough, both of them gasped and fell to their knees in exhaustion. The tornado of flames dissipated, revealing a charred but otherwise fine Shiro, who continued to glare at them as she tried to break the seals.

  “TOO LATE!” Magy and Cyko yelled as they attacked her, causing the girl to grunt in pain at each strike. She changed back into her large leopard form, the shock-wave throwing them a few centimeters back before she morphed again and charged towards them. By changing size, she escaped Reddox’s spell.

  Magy was her first target, impacting the pink-haired reaper with all her strength, slashing at her as the weakened girl tried desperately to defend herself. Shiro was running circles around her, and it was then that Magy realized she already lost.

  Grabbing her by the arm and throwing her towards Reddox and Ellyn, Shiro Snow pointed both of her palms towards them, using a weaker version of her previous attack, a combination of ice and lightning, engulfing the trio. They cowered on the ground, covered in frost and twisting as currents of electricity coursed through their bodies.

  Only one rebel left.

  Cyko turned towards her, claws glowing with both frost and lightning, before they rushed at each other.

  Cyko slashed, she evaded. His clones tried to stab her in the back, she twirled and destroyed them all in a single kick. She grabbed Cyko’s arm and kicked him down, the lightning in her body electrocuting him.

  Before he could get up, she fired another wave of ice and lightning, the combined might of the elements proving to be more than he could bear. As he screamed in pain, Shiro kept on, not letting up until he stopped moving. Cyko was on the ground, white with frost, muscles jerking like the many others she had put down.

  All for her father.

  “I-I’m not done… yet…” The boy grunted in agony as he mustered the strength to stand, struggling to even get to his knees. He wasn’t done, he wasn’t defeated yet, he would… he would…

  “It’s over Cyko. Give up. Now.” The panting demi-human felt the stress of the fight she had won. “It’s already over. You are already free, just… go…” she whispered with a pained heart.

  “No,” her once friend said through pained coughs, twitches, and shivers as his eyes trained on something behind her. “I-I won’t kill you, Snow… B-but… I’ll avenge… Myo and… Tela!” He vanished away, causing Shiro’s eyes to widen.

  With a heavy heart, she looked behind her, towards the ice dome she had made around her father and she noticed that the dome had melted at the top, creating a large hole … In there, Cyko appeared behind her father, holo sword raised to strike.

  No… No… Nononononononono…

  NOOOOO!

  She reached out towards her father, her body once again turning into lightning as she flew to get Cyko away from him… Time seemed to move in slow motion as she ran, the distance seemed infinite and Cyko’s expression… was not human.

  Cyko stared down at the scientist who had yet to notice his presence behind him, blade raised, ready to end his life. It was time. He would avenge all those dead children, he would avenge Myo and Tela. Justice… He would be free from this curse, from this place, the one responsible would pay…

  He would commit his first crime; he would take away a father from his daughter. He would take away a loved one from someone he once considered a friend. He would bring despair, he would bring ruin… YES, HE WOULD.

  For a moment, his heart ached and his eyes warmed, the last vestiges of his fading morality making a final appearance as regret and guilt began to strike at him… But his expression twisted into murderous glee.

  Cyko slashed at the evil scientist’s back just as Shiro tackled him away. The sound of the man’s pained surprise and Shiro’s shrill ‘PAPA!’ formed a beautiful symphony in the boy’s ears. He had done it. He avenged his loved ones; he avenged the innocent who suffered.

  He had taken another step away from humanity, the price for his wish making itself known.

  Dr. Gacha was dead.

  Epilogue

  THE CHILDREN OF THE FUTURE

  1

  Freedom doesn’t come without a cost. Ever since humanity learned of captivity and freedom, of right and wrong, they have known this simple fact. The price of freedom will be a scar on their bodies forever.

  For a group of children who had been fighting unwinnable battles not even a half hour ago, it took time for them to realize this, to understand the costs, the sacrifices, and now the desired dream they had fought so hard for. They blinked, standing in the same large garage they had been brought in months before. There was not a single vehicle in sight, only a tunnel that led out towards freedom.

  A light at the end of the tunnel. A soft breeze came through, fresh air. They were free.

  For Cyko, seeing this dream becoming a reality was too much to bear. The enhancer wasn’t the only one who fell to the ground, body wracked with hysterics. He had lost family, friends, Myo, Tela�
�

  His heart would throb for those he lost for many years to come. He could still see Myo’s desire for a happy life, he could still feel Tela’s emotions… And now, he had to face the fact that they reached their freedom without them.

  Soon enough, Magy, Ellyn, Reddox, and Cyko’s siblings, joined him as they made a small group to huddle together and process what had happened. It was over. It was finally over. Even Reddox, whose own emotions had been stunted by the awakening of his abilities, didn’t hesitate to hold a wailing Ellyn as he wiped away a few small tears of his own.

  More groups of children formed to take this in, and no one was left crying alone. For what seemed like hours, their knees were too weak to do anything but cry. Eventually, their breathing evened, the tears slowed, and those with healing abilities worked on patching up the injured. They avoided thinking about the bodies of the fallen, many of which would never be retrieved.

  After a while, the children got to their feet. They looked around the large garage and saw the physical and emotional exhaustion that was evident all over their bodies.

  Someone took the first step towards the tunnel and the others followed. They lacked a leader now, but by no means would they give up on their unity.

  The walk towards the exit was silent.

  Left foot, right foot, left foot… The light at the end of the tunnel got stronger and then…

  The sun. It was sunlight! The boy, for a moment, let go of everything and closed his eyes to take in the warmth he hadn’t felt in months. It was a clear day with few clouds; the sun was positioned not too far above their form; it was still morning.

  A few sobs escaped from several children, especially those who could talk with spirits as they, for the first time, felt the true nature of the world around them. The tunnel’s exit had trees around it… The fresh air, the sun, the plants, the sky… It was all so beautiful.

  Cyko’s eyes flew open as he registered the sound of footsteps hitting the ground in front of them.

  He drew in the few reserves of energy he had to call forth a single holo blade, accompanied by the others who still had the ability to fight.

  Looking at the new arrival who seemed to have dropped from the sky, Cyko’s glare met with the person’s stony gaze. It was a woman. She wore a purple one-piece suit. Her short hair was violet, matching with her pinkish colored eyes. Her most striking feature, however, was the pair of wings on her back and head that resembled a bat’s, and the tail coming from behind her.

  The woman’s face that had been defensive when she first faced them almost instantly turned into one of sadness upon seeing their bloodied and exhausted forms. That change in expression was enough to convince them she would not hurt them.

  Cyko lowered his weapon as he recognized the figure before them. How could they not, when a great part of their world’s culture revolved around her? When the propagandas they had been forced to watch by the scientist contained information on not only her master, but herself as well?

  “So, this is what they were hiding all this time? How cruel…” the woman whispered before taking a step towards the huddle of children, making sure her stance was as non-threatening as possible. These children were traumatized. Badly.

  “My name is Lilith… Can you tell me what happened to you?” she asked gently, offering a warm smile at their relief upon recognizing her name.

  They would be free.

  2

  A daughter lay crying, wailing inconsolably as she clutched the body of her father, yelling his name. Although the rebels thought he had perished, his desire to live provided him a few more minutes in this world. She had fought hard; she had defeated everyone who wanted to take her father away from her… But they still hurt him.

  When she arrived at his side, she ignored everything. To her, the most important thing in the world was in her arms, whispering words of love and patting her head… While he bled out from the wound he received.

  “I love you, my daughter…”

  “Forgive me…”

  “You can overcome this…”

  “Thank you for being in my life…”

  Already, his body was getting colder, his movements and his speech slowed and slurred. Her father was dying; the person she loved the most in the world was dying.

  He murmured his love for her one more time, voice barely louder than a whisper. His hand fell and his eyelids closed. She could hear his breathing was stopping, his heart was ceasing to beat…

  “Papa… I love you… please… don’t leave me… please don’t leave me…” Shiro whispered in despair, her heart breaking apart as she watched his lasts breaths.

  With another sob, her body glowed with power, the shine of her new abilities reflecting her deep sadness. She smiled. Maybe there was something she could do. Her father was leaving her forever.

  Her world would be destroyed.

  3

  FIVE DAYS LATER

  The scandal was massive. One of the world’s largest companies, the GACHA Conglomerate, was found guilty of forced child labor, slavery, torture, and illegal experimentation. The evidence was given to Luni and to the world by her assistant, who presented her interviews with the 342 survivors. Backing all of this up was the ruins of the monstrous facility and a heartbreaking story of how those innocent children fought their way to freedom, using the same powers given to them by the torturous scientists.

  Public outcry and civilian unrest had been nearly instantaneous. Millions of civilians occupied the streets in front of the conglomerate’s branch companies, demanding justice be brought to those who were in charge and to those who helped it. Big media companies covered the massive scandal 24/7, famous musicians, actors, vloggers, and artists publicly declared their own horror at the conglomerate’s treatment towards children and vowed to use none of their products ever again.

  The company’s lawyers found themselves badly pressed when dealing with the situation, trying their best to stall for time while the directors refused to go public. Many soon quit their jobs because of the stress. In fact, the company also had to deal with thousands upon thousands of employees quitting from sheer disgust, many claiming that they’d rather eat dirt than work for a company with so little morals. They soon saw themselves forced to rely on robots and mercenaries for security of their establishments.

  Important investors and business partners cut all ties with them, unwilling to suffer the wrath of the population. On an overnight timestamp, the GACHA Conglomerate found itself nearly bankrupt while hundreds of thousands found themselves jobless, though most by their own decision. The sudden drop in value and negative attention was the first step towards a major global economic crisis.

  It was a complete and utter disaster.

  To salvage the situation, Mr. Whale had publicly announced the reason for the project, holding nothing back from his words and evidence, knowing he was taking full responsibility for being the mastermind behind the whole fiasco, and would likely face the capital punishment once the few lawyers he had left finally cracked.

  “We are not safe.”

  His explanation, transmitted live worldwide, had begun. He could already hear the hateful wooing, the calls for justice, the desire for his blood because of what he had done. The businessman closed his eyes. “We did not seek to take over the world, we did not seek to create an army to rule over the weak… Our purpose was to protect the weak!” he yelled out with wide, frantic eyes.

  “Can you see, citizens of the world, what lies beyond us, above us? Do you realize that, at any moment, our lives, our way of living, the history of our civilization, can come to an end? Four thousand years ago we met the one who created us all, 4,000 years ago, the world changed so drastically the name of the planet itself changed. The Creator, Luni, is one of the main aspects of much of our culture, we work hard to please her, we deposit our faith in her, we owe our existence to her… But what if it’s not enough?”

  At any moment, Luni could descend from the moon to crush him to a pulp,
but he didn’t care. For 4,000 years, no one talked about this, for 4,000 years, no one ever contemplated the ultimate truth: they are nothing to the Creator, she would get rid of them the moment she grew tired of their existence, and he had proof of this.

  “I present to you, the evidence you need!” Mr. Whale declared as he nodded towards one of the few employees who was still working for him, a tech manager. Soon, his image on the television was replaced with videos, played one by one, messages sent on social media by both Luni and Lilith, analysis over her mental health, and signs of an eventual mental breakdown.

  “None of us want to admit it… None of us want to face this despairing truth. Our lives, our history, our existence, is held at the whims of a supreme being who, sadly, seems to lack a supreme mind. WE HAVE NO WAY OF DEFENDING OURSELVES! WE CAN’T STOP HER IF, no, WHEN SHE TURNS ON US! I will face my crimes against humanity proudly, knowing I tried to stand up for my people!” the businessman exclaimed, tears falling from his eyes as he glared at the camera, sweating profusely as he knew what was coming to him.

  Taking his phone out from his pocket, the businessman took one last glance at it. He had been talking with one of the surviving senior scientists about a continuation of the project, in particular… The cloning project.

  “It is possible, but we would need to start over from scratch. Equipment, samples, a secure location, secrecy… The mercenaries are unwilling to work with us anymore, and everything we had will soon be turned into a confidential investigation area. Many of us will have to go into hiding,” the scientist had explained.

  He responded, “Everything I can give you, will be provided. Be free to assign yourself or someone else as the leader of the project.” He had already made arrangements and deals; things should proceed even without him to administrate it. He hoped humanity would still try to defend itself.

  With a sigh, the man pressed a button that ordered a complete wipe of all his online data before throwing his expensive phone to the ground and smashing it to pieces with a single stomp.