Paryl had slept like a baby. He awoke in his bed, groggily checking the time on his white clock. Or he would, if it was there. For some reason, where a bland alarm had stood since he was moved into the room, there was nothing. He hurriedly looked around.
'Maybe one of the cleaners moved it somewhere and forgot to return it?'
It didn't make sense, as the workers were always professional to a fault, but they were human. Or elf or dwarf, depending on their place of origin. Then, he noticed something. Any and all pieces of decoration were gone.
It was already scarce; he had a clock, a small drawer for clothing (not that he had many choices in that regard; all he had were plain white pants and shirts), and a teddy bear.
The bear was exceptionally creatively named Mr. Bear. Paryl was convinced the toy had cameras instead of eyes, but the fact never bothered him.
Just as he was going to get up and ask one of the unfamiliar people standing in front of his room where his things were, a doctor walked in. Paryl recognized the doctor, as he saw her a few times with Mr. Ethan. However, this time she seemed weirdly unnerved. The boy never had much interaction with the researcher, but he hadn't ever seen her hair as messy, her eye bags as dark, and her blouse as wrinkly as today.
"Good morning, Ms. Maria!"
He said, a beaming smile forming on his lips.
"Morning to you too, DS-28."
She answered coldly and curtly.
"Ms. Maria, where is Mr. Ethan? And where are my things? And who are those people outside?"
Maria sighed internally. The last few days were hell for her. She didn't have as much involvement with the experiment, so she managed to dodge the wrath of the overseers. Ethan was certainly dead. The official documents said he quit from the stress, but she knew that was bullshit. Maria's resignation letter would have been on the overseer's desk 2 days ago if that wouldn't risk her body being found in some ditch.
She spent the whole last night crying. She liked Ethan for a long while, but he had only one love: his work on mana imprints. She couldn't even vent to anyone. No one could even talk about the incident, in fear that it would unnerve DS-28, at the decree of the overseers. As she thought about Ethan, her lip quivered, but she didn't let her emotions be seen anywhere else.
"You slept for two days after the surgery. Dr. Ethan was moved to a different Crown research facility. Your things were moved in the meantime as a measure to stop emotional fluctuations of mana for your safety. The people outside are security, in case your mana imprint goes wild."
Paryl's face was downcast; he wanted his things and Mr. Ethan back, but he knew better than to argue. They wouldn't hurt you for that, but they would schedule way more tests and examinations.
Maria looked at DS-28. She couldn't get herself to feel any sympathy for the creature.
"I will be conducting the tests. Get yourself ready for the day because we're doing blood work in half an hour."
"Yes, Ms. Maria..."
Paryl was biting his lower lip nervously. He didn't know why, but everyone looked at him weird today. Even the guards outside seemed to be glaring at him, one of them, a tall woman, especially so. He felt small. Too small.
'I want Mr. Bear back.'
The boy looked at the shelf where Mr. Bear ordinarily stood. He wanted to cry. He wanted to cry, to scream and beg for it, but he shook his head. Furthermore, he didn't want to be a crybaby! Mr. Ethan had even complimented his bravery! He fidgeted around for a few minutes, collecting himself, then thought:
'I should go brush my teeth.'
Paryl went to the toilet, and by the time he was done, Dr. Maria was coming back into his room.
"Paryl, stretch out your arm so I can take your blood."
The boy nodded, sitting down. He would show he was the bravest! He wouldn't even flinch!
Maria took his blood, setting the sample into a box when finished. She looked at DS-28. She could barely hide her disdain.
"That's all for today. Goodbye, DS-28."
"Ms. Maria? Can I ask you an question? Pleaseeee?"
Paryl was giving her puppy dog eyes. She squeezed her fist, knuckles becoming as white as snow.
"What?"
"Was I brave during the test?"
Maria didn't answer. She just left the room, leaving Paryl to ponder sadly what he had done wrong.
After that day, he fell into a routine for a couple of months. He'd wake up, get dressed, have tests and examinations of his body and mana network done, get taken to the cafeteria, eat, and be allowed to play in the small out space area in the heart of the facility (with many guards supervising him, of course). Then he'd have some more tests run, go eat dinner, and get 15 minutes of playtime in his room, after which he'd fall asleep. He was still looked at weirdly, and the facility was strangely quiet. There were fewer workers, and also none of the other children who were experiments like him remained since his surgery.
The routine wasn't very exciting, nor did he dislike it. It was just bland and uninspired. Most things the facility provided were.
There was one incident a few weeks back that deviated from the norm, though. A cleaner left a broom in his room, which Paryl promptly started using as a mallet against his imaginary enemies. He was so entertained swinging it around, he didn't even notice when Ms. Maria came to take it.
"No, I want it!"
He yelled, not giving it to her. He knew that if they took it now, he was never getting it back. He learned that lesson with Mr. Bear.
"DS-28, give it to me. Now."
Maria sounded angry and exasperated. Paryl didn't like the replacement for the kind Mr. Ethan. He didn't think the woman liked him either. Ms. Maria always called him by his code number, wouldn't give him any toys, and always looked at him weirdly. She was always mad around him too.
One time, Paryl had a headache and grabbed the hem of her blouse so he could complain. She had shoved him roughly and screamed, "Don't touch me!" He remembered how cold the lab floor was and how painful the scrapes he got from the fall were.
A similar thing would constantly happen with one of the female guards in front of his room. The guard, a tall woman named Elizabeth, had a habit of pushing him meanly in the hallways. He never fell, but he was angry.
"No! I want the broom! I want it, I want it, I WANT IT!"
He had started crying back then. Looking back, that's not quite the behavior of any self-respecting eight-year-old, especially one as brave as himself, but he was quite annoyed that whole day.
Panic invaded Maria's features, any sense of dignity gone as she let go of the broom. She practically ran out of the room. The guards seemed on high alert too. They even summoned their cursed weapons. He didn't know why all of that happened, but he was happy they let him keep his imaginary mallet. He has played with it every night since then. He even named it! A creative name of the highest order for a broom, Mr. Broom.
"Goodnight, Mr. Broom! Goodnight, Mr. Arthur!"
The lead guard, a black-haired elf with an unruly beard named Arthur, was quite nice to Paryl. He even brought him juice from the cafeteria twice! The other four were not as nice, especially Elizabeth.
"G'night, bud! Sweet dreams!"
With that, Paryl went to sleep comfortably.
He was awakened by two hands roughly squeezing his neck.
His eyes opened widely, with Elizabeth on top of him, squeezing his delicate throat with all her might. Tears were sullying her usually beautiful face, and her face was contorted into a snarl as she screamed:
"YOU KILLED MY SISTER! YOU KILLED MY DAMN SISTER, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT, DIE! DIE!"
Paryl was scared. He clawed at the sheets, trying to catch a breath. He couldn't inhale at all. He placed his small hands on the woman and pushed with all his might. She didn't budge an inch. His brain was completely oxygen deprived at that point, reeling. He tried to scream, but all he could manage was a pitiful whimper.
He was crying. He craned his neck over her arms, looking and reaching towards the doorway, but where there was usually an entrance, there was a block of ice, which the rest of the guards were banging on.
As his mind stopped working in words, becoming only esoteric concepts and emotions, he felt his body being enveloped by a warm energy starting at his back.
He was weak.
He was scared.
He was angry.
He wanted to hurt Elizabeth.
He wanted her to be in pain.
He wanted to tear her head off.
When the warmth was about to reach his arms, Arthur phased through the block of ice like it wasn't even there. He took a step, exploding forward, and in one smooth motion he decapitated the assailant, her body falling limply on Paryl's.
Paryl gasped, inhaling as much as he could. Tears fell from his eyes as he wiggled himself out from the body pressing on him. His arms were covered in both blood and something weird that was also scarlet, akin to electricity. Whatever that was, it reached towards his neck, like a predator hungrily consuming its prey.
He saw her lifeless head lying on the floor. He wanted to scream, but his hurt throat couldn't manage that. He was scared. Mad. Disgusted. The warmth continued, reaching towards his head.
He pushed Elizabeth's lifeless body onto the floor with a strength that wasn't his, roaring. Everything the warmth touched felt better. He raised his hands, reaching out towards Arthur.
Before he could even think about why he was doing it, he was hit in the back of the head with Arthur's pommel, falling next to Elizabeth's corpse.
The last thoughts in Paryl's head before his consciousness faded were about just how cold and hard the floor was.