"Hey, Sera, can I ask you something?" Amon spoke up while picking up broken plates, one in each hand.
He set them softly onto the cracked wooden table.
"Sure, I don't mind." Sera answered as he grabbed a larger stack, clearly carrying more than Amon.
"What did you do when you were a kid?"
"You mean at the orphanage?"
Amon gave a small nod.
Sera rubbed his chin, eyes shutting in thought. "Hmm… what did I do?"
'I didn't do much. Mostly exercised. Fought with other kids. Never got along with most of them… except Amy.'
After a pause, he opened his eyes. "Besides that, I liked spending time with the animals."
"Animals?" Amon raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, the orphanage had a few dogs."
Despite his blunt personality, Sera had a soft spot for dogs. He'd feed them, wash them, even play with them.
"...So you're basically just a furry."
"..." Sera's eyes twitched.
"...How do you even know what that is?"
"Books." Amon's answer was flat, honest, before he turned back to stacking plates.
"..." Sera stared at him, sighed, then went back to work.
Minutes passed before Sera spoke again. "What's with your body, Amon?"
"My body?"
"You're… skinny. Even for a kid."
"Oh." Amon tilted his head, then answered casually. "It's from my body not getting enough nutrition."
"...Huh?"
He gave Sera a flat look. "It means I didn't eat enough."
"Oh."
…
Finally, Sera stretched with a groan. "We're done!" A pile of broken plates and glass sat stacked neatly on the table.
Rex had made them clean after Sera broke the table. Since Amon helped cause the mess, he got roped into cleaning too.
Amon turned, spotting a certain girl with playful pigtails, emerald eyes, and a fair complexion lying lazily on the floor.
"Why didn't you help, Amy?"
Amy rolled onto her back, grinning. "I didn't make the mess. You guys did."
Amon gave her a flat stare. "...You're just lazy."
"Yep." She smiled without shame.
"…." Amon kept staring, deadpan. Why was she so honest?
"What about you, Amy?" he asked suddenly. "What did you do at the orphanage?"
She sat up, eyes bright with curiosity. "I hung out with the other kids! Unlike my brother, I got along with everyone."
"I see." Amon nodded, quietly comparing.
Although he couldn't recall a significant part of his past, he could still remember the things he did as a baby and a toddler.
Strangely enough, he could remember most of the things in his life. Which made it all the more strange why he couldn't remember a certain part of his life.
"What's with all the questions?" Sera asked. "Are you comparing us to yourself?"
Amon gave a short nod.
Amy leaned closer, eyes sparkling like a cat's. "What about your past, Amon?"
Not wanting to sour the mood, he gave the simplest version. "From ages one to four? Drank juice. Milk. Read books."
"Ohhh! What books?" Amy pressed.
"Hmm…" He thought for a second. "Weapons. Angels. Demons. Math. Human personality."
"Umu! Umu!" Amy nodded quickly, like she understood.
"...."Sera just stared blankly. What kind of mother gives a one-year-old juice? Better yet—what one-year-old reads books?
Safe to safe if Amon was a strange person, then his mother was also a strange person. This made sera even more curious about who Amon's mother was.
However, since it was obvious his mother abandoning him left a scar on his mental sate,
And because Amon was his friend he didn't ask.
Instead, he pulled a piece of candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
Both Amon and Amy's heads snapped toward him at the sound.
"What?" Sera asked, confused.
"Hey, bro bro, can I have candy too?" Amy chirped, bouncing toward him.
"Why are you talking like that?" He raised an eyebrow. She only ever called him that when she wanted something.
"Pleeease?" she begged with wide eyes.
"…Fine." Sera sighed and tossed her a piece.
"Yay! Thanks, bro bro!" Amy caught it and flashed a V-sign with her fingers.
"..." Amon tilted his head, curious.
"Um, Sera…"
"Hm?"
Amon pressed his palms together in mock prayer. "Can I have some candy too… bro bro?"
"Why are you calling me that?" Sera deadpanned.
"Well… Amy did it. And it worked."
"She's my sister."
"…Tsk."
"Did you just click your teeth?"
"Uhh… no. Of course not."
"Yes, you did."
"…." Amon whistled badly and turned toward the wall. Nice paint job.
Sigh…
Sera sighed again, he was sighing more and more. Even more than he did with Amy.
"!" Amon snatched it midair. He studied the small stick in his hand. "What is this?"
"It's a lollipop," Amy explained, skipping over. "A type of candy."
"…Never had candy before," Amon admitted, staring at it like it was alien.
"Huh?!" Amy gasped. Then she grinned. "Try it!"
"Hmmm…" Amon continued to stare at the lollipop with a skeptical gaze. Amy, who was in front of him, just continued to look at him with an amused expression.
'He is just like a baby,' she thought inwardly. In a sense she was right, Amon's curiosity was just like a baby finding out something for the first time.
"Hmm…you try it first." Amon suddenly said as he shoved the lollipop into Amy's mouth.
"!" Amy's eyes widened, but she relaxed.
A few seconds later Amon finally spoke up, "is it any good?" He asked curiously.
"Mmm. It tastes like strawberry."
"I see." He pulled it from her mouth without hesitation and put it into his own.
"!" His eyes shot wide open as sweetness exploded across his tongue.
"Do you like it?" Amy asked, amused.
"…Tasty." It was the only word he found.
"Hahaha~ tasty, right?" Amy giggled, pulling her own green lollipop from her wrapper. The sour flavor made her eyes widen, but she smiled through it.
Soon, she and Amon were sitting side by side, happily eating their candy.
Then, Amon felt something sharp in his pocket. He pulled out a small pendant.
"Oh. I forgot I had this."
"Hm? What's that?" Amy leaned in curiously.
"Not sure. I've had it for as long as I can remember."
The necklace held a teardrop-shaped violet crystal, caged in silver spirals with etched green runes. A thin dark chain, beads woven in. giving it both a delicate and eerie presence.
"Maybe it's a good luck charm," Amy suggested.
"Maybe." Amon shrugged and slipped it over his neck without much thought.
Sera watched the scene with a dry, conflicted gaze.
On one hand, he felt relieved—his sister was smiling, happy even. He knew Amon and Amy were just friends. Nothing more.
But…
That protective instinct inside him screamed otherwise. For some reason, seeing them together left him uneasy. Maybe it was jealousy. Maybe it was something else. Either way, the feeling gnawed at him.
With a quiet sigh, he pushed the thought aside and walked over, settling down beside them.
In the far corner of the room, a tall young man sat in a chair, silent, almost blending into the shadows. His golden hair spilled neatly down his back, eyes closed, as if lost in another world. His suit was strange—part battle gear, part lab coat.
Though outwardly calm, his consciousness drifted deep into the recesses of his mind. And there, he found himself once again in that dark, hollow place.
Step. Step.
The only sound was his own footsteps. Turning his head, he saw them—small silhouettes of children, flickering like memories he could never erase.
"…Every time I close my eyes, I see you all," Rex muttered under his breath.
Amon, Sera, and Amy weren't the only children he'd brought in. There were others.
Including the several children, as well as Sera, Amy and Amon, there were ten in all.
"I don't know what the right choice is anymore," he whispered. "If I quit, someone worse will take my place. Someone who doesn't give a damn if these kids live or die."
Rex felt conflicted and guilty about bringing children into Project Requiem. That guilt keeps him locked into the work because, in his mind, if he quits, someone colder or less caring will just replace him.
His gaze shifted, and clearer shapes appeared before him—three distinct figures, not as vague as the rest.
"On the other hand… if I stay, maybe I can protect them. Maybe I can soften the damage, even if I can't stop it all."
That was the lie he kept telling himself. That by staying, he could be a shield. That maybe, just maybe, he'd find a way to save one of them.
His voice dropped into a bitter sigh. "And even if I tried to walk away, there's only one exit… the elevator."
James wouldn't allow betrayal. Rex knew it too well. If he ever turned against him, he wouldn't just die—he'd drag the children down with him.
And James? James was no fool. He always had a plan, always had a weapon. Rex had seen it too many times to pretend otherwise.
'Not to mention there are dozens of workers here, if we somehow got past them then we also needed to get past James.'
How did Rex know this? Simple, he worked under James for quite a while so he had knowledge on the man's personality.
Rex has been with James for several years, long enough to see multiple children recruited, including Sera and Amy.
He's been in direct contact with the kids, which means he has been James' field agent for a long time.
The illusion shattered. His eyes opened, sapphire irises reflecting the dim light.
What he saw almost made him laugh.
Amy, Sera, and Amon were asleep in a heap on the floor, candy still in their mouths. Amon leaned against Amy, Amy against Sera, and Sera against Amon—like a little knot of kids using each other as pillows.
Truly bizarre.
"They look like siblings, don't they?" a voice
Said.
Rex turned, meeting the gaze of a tall man with wild black spikes of hair and sharp brown eyes.
"Didn't think you were awake, Alexander," Rex said flatly.
Alex shrugged, "What's the point of sleeping? We've only got a few minutes." His eyes flicked to the children, a scoff tugging at his lips. "I'll never get why you care about them. They're just assets."
Rex's expression hardened. "Assets? They're kids. And you treat them like they're beneath us."
"Aren't they?" Alex raised a brow. "They're doomed anyway. Better I get paid to babysit than starve on the streets."
Rex clenched his fists, forcing back the anger in his throat. "…I've always hated you."
"Oh, the feeling's mutual," Alex said with a smirk.
The two were colleagues in name only, and nothing more.
With a dismissive turn, Alex headed for the exit. "I'll go on ahead." Then he paused, glancing over his shoulder. "Oh and allow me to clean up the mess."
A blue magic circle bloomed beneath the broken table, glowing faintly.
Fwoooosh!
A blast of icy air swept through the room, chilling it to the bone.
Sera and Amy jolted awake.
"!!!"
Their eyes widened as they watched the broken wood and scattered plates freeze solid in a perfect block of ice.
"Woah…" Amy and Sera whispered at the same time.
'Ice magic…' Rex narrowed his eyes, watching Alex leave without another word.
He didn't stop him. Why would he? They weren't friends. Just men forced to work under the same roof.
Rex turned back to the kids, voice steady. "Good. You're awake. We should move."
Amy blinked, then looked at Amon. "He's still asleep? After all that?"
Sure enough, Amon hadn't stirred. His breathing was even, lost in some dream.
Amy sighed, then crouched down, pulling him onto her back. "So light…" she murmured, surprised at how little weight he had.
Sera's brows furrowed. "Wait where are we even going?"
Rex glanced back at them, his tone grim. "Our thirty minutes are up. It's time for Project Requiem's second objective to begin."
Author's Note:
Hey everyone! First off, thank you so much for reading this chapter. I want to apologize that I can't upload tons of chapters every week—since I'm still in school, I have to balance my homework with writing. That said, I spend about 40+ minutes each day working on this story, and I promise to keep updates consistent. You can expect at least one chapter a week, sometimes two if I can manage it.
Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Which characters would you like to see artwork of? And what do you honestly think of the story so far? Your feedback really motivates me and helps me improve as a writer.
Thank you again for the support—it means a lot!
If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote with your Power Stones!