The day before the incident
Solus walked slowly alongside a black-haired girl, just outside the building's walls. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, he was truly alone, with no hovering caretakers or constant supervision. The girl walking with him was four years older, so the adults did not feel the need to constantly monitor them.
The height difference between them was obvious as they walked side by side, with Solus barely reaching the girl's shoulder even when standing at full height. His small legs had to move faster to keep up with her casual pace as they walked across the synthetic grass field toward the concrete stairs.
"This is not good," Solus said, sitting down on a concrete stairwell. "If things continue like this, I will not learn anything useful in years."
The girl did not respond, keeping her gaze fixed on the artificial sky above them. Solus paused for a moment before turning sharply to face her. "Hey, hybrid. I have a task for you."
She exhaled loudly through her nose before responding in a flat tone, "Will you stop calling me that? I have an actual name."
"I do not care. You are still a combination of different species."
"You say that as if I had any choice," she responded. "I was just unfortunate enough to survive the experiments."
"So is this your real face? Or are you copying someone else?"
"Why? You don't like how I look?" she teased.
"It is just a question since you can transform. I just think it is interesting."
"Oooh," she grinned, leaning closer. "You like me?"
"No."
"Come on, don't be shy," she continued, closing her eyes and puckering her lips. "Here, I'll give you a little kiss-"
Solus raised his hand and pressed it against her face, stopping her. "Restrain yourself, woman. What you are doing is not funny."
The girl leaned back with disappointment and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time since their conversation began. "It's Senya! And what is the deal with calling me a 'woman'? I'm not some old lady!"
"I address all females as 'woman.'"
"You're impossible," she groaned. "Why do you always talk like some ancient philosopher?"
"A side effect of excessive studying. Now listen, I am going to make that teacher resign tomorrow. We need to find a bug."
Senya blinked. "What do you need a bug for?"
"I will put it inside your clothes."
"What?!" She jumped up and stepped several feet away from him. "No way! Absolutely not! I'm not letting you put some nasty bug in my clothes!"
Solus remained perfectly calm. "Relax. It will not eat you." He stood and started descending the stairs without waiting for her. "Come on. We need to find one before someone sees us."
Senya trailed after him with another long-suffering sigh, muttering under her breath, "There is seriously no other way to do this?"
"This is the simplest solution," Solus said without looking around.
A vast open field surrounded the main building like a green moat, dominating the sprawling facility grounds that stretched in all directions. The walkways were lined with neatly trimmed bushes, with carefully maintained flower gardens and small storage sheds scattered throughout the landscape.
They began their search in the bushes, as the dense leaves and branches provided the best hiding places for insects. It was quickly apparent how meticulously the caregivers kept everything in order, not allowing a single weed to sprout or a leaf to wither. They even used pesticides regularly to eliminate the possibility of bugs living in the shrubbery.
Solus used his tiny hands to push aside branch after branch, peering into the shadowy interiors of each bush. As he searched, his fingers became sticky with sap and were occasionally pricked by thorns that he did not bother avoiding. Senua moved faster nearby, lifting leaves and shaking branches roughly with her longer arms to cover more ground.
In the nearby garden, two gardeners were at work. One was watering the plants, while the other was making precise cuts to the bushes to keep them in their ideal shapes. When they noticed Solus and Senua poking around in the foliage, they exchanged amused glances and quietly laughed.
"Aww, look at them playing together," the first caretaker murmured, wiping her hands on her apron.
"It seems like he feels comfortable around that girl," the second observed, adjusting her gardening gloves. "That's good to see. I was worried since he didn't get along with others."
"Let's go and leave them playing,"
The caregivers walked away with a basket full of pruning shears and gardening tools, their soft footsteps fading on the grass.
After an hour of fruitless searching, Solus and Senua returned to their predetermined location near the largest oak tree.
"Did you find anything?" Solus asked, brushing leaves from his sleeves.
"Nope. Everything is clean. I didn't even find an ant," Senua replied, putting her hands on her hips.
The fake star had risen in the sky, indicating that it was almost time for their scheduled meal. Their search would have to be put on hold, whether they wanted to or not.
"We will continue after eating," Solus stated, already turning towards the building.
"Okay, darling," Senua replied with an exaggerated seductive smile.
Solus did not look at her, instead returning to the building with his usual purposeful stride. Senua sighed at his predictable indifference, grumbling under her breath as she followed several steps behind.
About thirty minutes later, when Solus returned outside after eating, he encountered an unexpected stumbling block: a caretaker had decided to accompany him. There was no way to politely decline her company, as she cheerfully assumed he wanted to play outside and insisted on joining. She followed him as he walked through the intricate maze of flower bushes, forcing him to abandon any obvious search.
The problem with these highly trained caretakers was their sharp observation skills. If they saw him bending down to examine bushes or looking too intently at the ground, they would immediately grow suspicious. And if they actually caught a bug, all the pieces would fall into place, and they would realize he was behind whatever scheme was in the works. Every movement and glance had to be calculated now to maintain his innocent demeanor while still hunting for that crucial insect.
But there was no need for Solus to worry or panic about their failed search. Senua had already been looking around on her own somewhere else while he dealt with the caretaker. He had anticipated something like this might happen and had prepared multiple backup plans accordingly. As a result, he was able to remain completely calm, knowing that their mission was still safe.
However, this didn't mean he intended to waste time walking around aimlessly like some simple-minded child. Even as he appeared to stroll casually through the gardens with the caretaker, his sharp eyes were constantly scanning the bushes and flower beds for any faint movement that could indicate the presence of an insect. His gaze darted from leaf to stem, examining every shadow and crevice. But no matter how hard he concentrated, the grounds remained unsettlingly sterile; not even an ant could move across the meticulously maintained foliage, and the only sound to break the silence was the occasional breeze rustling the leaves.
Time passed until the artificial sky began its programmed darkening cycle, and the overhead lights dimmed to simulate evening. The central "star" that served as their sun became faintly visible through the atmospheric filters when the caretaker finally spoke up.
"Sweetie, we should go back now. "It is getting late," she said, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Already?" Solus replied, putting just the right amount of childish disappointment in his tone.
The caretaker smiled patiently. "It's all for your sake. You will get a cold if you stay out late in this cold."
"Can I run around one more time?"
"No, first we have to" the caretaker began, but Solus didn't wait for her to finish.
He broke into a sprint, calling back over his shoulder and waving one hand, "I will be back in a minute!" His small form vanished between the hedges before she could protest further.
The caretaker simply shook her head, muttering to herself, "Ah, that kid." With a resigned smile, she turned and headed back toward the building.
Solus took precise turns through the winding garden paths, eventually arriving at a predetermined meeting point deep within the hedge maze. He stood perfectly still while he waited. After several long minutes, Senua emerged from one side.
"I looked everywhere, but didn't find any bug," she said before Solus could even ask.
His gaze moved slowly up to her face from her shoes, examining her face for a few seconds. Then, he made a clear demand with his little hand, palm up.
"Give it to me."
Senua raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What are you saying? What do I give you?"
"Give me the insect that is in your pocket," Solus stated flatly, his hand remaining outstretched.
"What? I don't have anything in my pocket,"
Solus stepped forward without hesitation and inserted his hand directly into her pocket, ignoring her half-hearted attempts to push him away. After a brief struggle, he retrieved a medium-sized cockroach that writhed weakly between his fingers.
"Why did you bring it if you were not going to give it to me?" Solus asked, turning the insect over in his hand to examine it.
Senua finally dropped her act and laughed softly to herself. "I just wanted to see if you could figure it out,"
Solus carefully moved the cockroach to a small container that he had prepared. "Do you know what to do?"
Senua's laughter softened into a knowing smile. "Of course, I understand your intent. We're soul mates."
"Do not say such things," Solus said coldly, not looking up from securing the container. "You are nothing more than a queen on the chessboard. Even if you are useful, I will not hesitate to make the sacrifice if it means checkmate."
Senua chuckled at his seriousness, unaffected by his harsh words. "You are so serious, and I like that the most," she said, her smile widening as she watched him plan their next step.