Children of Elisium

Asha Claire stood at the topmost viewing platform with a scowl on her face. Unlike the usual bubbly self she showed to Silas Fidi, her eyes were hawk-like and cold and her demeanor was even more frigid. Her back was as straight as an oak. Her head was tilted upward like a ruler looking down at her insignificant subjects. But since she was a queen – the disciple of a great Magno Deorum, she had every right to do so.

Aside from her, no one was in the viewing area. The observation room she was using was restricted to her, Silas Fidi and a handful of their trusted senior researchers. Most of the senior researchers were at the operating theater, getting ready to get their hands dirty. Silas Fidi refused to go out of his study because of something ’important’. Although she was used to it, it never stopped Asha Claire from being irritable.

Highly irritable.

The blue-haired woman heard the locks behind her disengage after a series of beeping noises echoed in the room. She didn’t turn around to look at the new arrival. The coffee tumbler that was suddenly placed on one of the utility tables was enough for Asha Claire to deduce who had arrived in the room. It made her more irritable than she already was.

The female’s blue eyes narrowed into slits as she paid attention to every detail in the operating theater bellow her. They researchers looked like little white ants scurrying and dodging obstacles on the floor. Among the white specs, Asha Claire saw familiar mops of red hair. No one aside from Maria and Michael Caelum had glaring red hair that was as brilliant as a firetruck’s emergency lights. The scowl on her face deepened. Her high-pitched voice rang in the room like fingernails on a newly cleaned blackboard.

“That useless woman can’t even find a little girl and yet she thinks she can play the role of a researcher in Master’s laboratory? The nerve,” she muttered to herself. She didn’t expect a reply. She didn’t need a reply. But the person beside her had other thoughts and he obviously paid no heed to how pissed off she was at the moment.

“Give her the benefit of the doubt.” Jeorge Marcus Grin took a sip from his tumbler before setting it down on the table again. “You can’t even find the missing kid even with that Talent of yours, so how do you expect an ordinary researcher like her to find all the clues and all the missing puzzle pieces? Besides, as of now she’s being useful. Isn’t that the most important thing to you?”

“Ah, yes. Useful,” She drawled. Her left eye twitched at how the male had deliberated said that she – the successor of a Magno Deorum – had been unable to do something. The Great Apothecary’s disciple snorted. “She’s the only researcher here who enjoys being useful and killing children in the name of alchemy while saying she doesn’t like it.”

Asha Claire glared at Maria Caelum’s bright red hair and snorted for a second time. “Hypocrite.”

Jeorge Marcus Grin took a sideways glance at the woman before tucking his hands in the pockets of his wrinkled laboratory coat. “We’ll, she wants to look like a compassionate mother in front of her son. Just let her keep up appearances. By the way, what Talent are they trying to implant this time? I heard we had a Talent of Teleportation? Is it similar to Adicio but, like - on steroids?”

The woman rolled her eyes and groaned. “Just read the goddamn data.”

She placed her palm on the glass pane in front of her and watched as the place she touched glowed a faint neon blue. Lines of light pulsated from her hand and branched out to the rest of the glass panel. The glass panel came to life and showed her numbers, figures and charts coming from the multiple computers and digital monitors set up in the operating theater below her.

With a flick of her wrist, Asha Claire changed the display on the glass panes to show the various angles of the operating theater that were being captured by multiple cameras. The sight of the Caelum mother and son pair talking worsened her mood. The Caelum matriarch was oozing an air of pride and benevolence it was making Asha Claire sick. On the other hand, Michael Caelum’s body language reeked of impatience that wasn’t exactly fitting for pre-operation procedures. Who’s idea was it to bring student interns into Elisium? Asha Claire made a mental note to kill the said person before her visit to Elisium was over.

The Apothecary’s successor waved her hand and the numbers and data about the children in the operating theater reappeared. The data on the screen reflected eerily on the lens of her red eyeglasses. As she stared at the figures and made mental calculations, her sharp gaze slowly turned lifeless until her blue eyes seemed dead.

“A failure. That one too. That one will probably succeed. That… we’ll be lucky if he wakes up tomorrow-,” Asha Claire yawned and covered her mouth. She turned towards the utility tables before facing Jeorge Marcus Grin. “Where’s the chart and historical data for subject 124?”

“Here you go.” The man handed the metal clipboard in his hands to the blue-haired woman.

Blue eyes scanned the data in her hands. She flipped through the pages carefully before modifying the data on the glass panels. After a few minutes, she snorted, readjusted the glasses on her nose and tossed the chart on the utility table. “Another failure. And she’s going to end up dead.”

A big hand scooped the tumbler on the table before the metallic folder could knock it over. Bob cradled the coffee in his hands and proceeded to mutter about human rights and having mercy upon innocent beverages. For a split second, Asha Claire’s eyes met Jeorge Marcus Grin’s. She suddenly remembered a matter she had heard of the moment she stepped into Elisium.

“Who in the world authorized our researchers to set up a betting pool?”

Jeorge Marcus Grin shrugged. “I don’t know who, but I know the Great Apothecary knows and he’s acting like he doesn’t know so I assume he that he knows but he’s acting like he doesn’t know so it should be fine.”

“Master doesn’t mind because he doesn’t care. But I do,” Asha Claire muttered through gritted teeth. “Those fools are getting paid well enough and yet they’re actually going around, wasting their time, wasting their money, and gambling on a test subject instead of working. This is a research facility – a holy grounds for science and alchemy - not a casino.”

“But the kid really is interesting, though. Number 373’s in class Aquarius just like subject 124. I think they had a sparring match a few hours ago and 373, the female kiddo who’s ranked 12th, completely suppressed number 124 who’s rank 1 in their class,” The male researcher explained before taking a swig on his tumbler. “-sides, the researchers are betting on how soon she’ll be brought down to Elisium but they’re not doing anything aside from placing bets. It’s all harmless stuff, I tell you. No need to worry.”

Asha Claire’s blue eyebrows rose. “Rank 12, huh? Does she have special traits? A high affinity for spells?”

“She’s good with spells. Although, it seems she’s been holding back. Kid’s been stuck in the middle ranks for the last two years and only managed to catch the eyes of the maintainers like… what?,” Jeorge Marcus Grin massaged the six o’clock shadow on his chin. “Two, no- three weeks ago?”

“Useless teaching staff can’t tell whether a kids acting or not,” The female muttered. “Any other defining characteristics? Signs of a Talent?”

“No Talent and no signs of awakening one either. She seems like a genius at spells. Based on the data we got from her latest fight with Subject 124, 373 has an almost bottomless reserve of energy. If she gets older, she’ll probably be a formidably Spellcaster.”

“That’s it? She’s no different from 124 then. If she doesn’t have any defining characteristics, mutations or malformations then she’ll end up dying on the table like the rest of them. Not that it matters.” Asha Claire gave a non-committal grunt. “We can always find more replacements. I’m much more interested in finding that traitorous bug for Master.”

Jeorge Marcus Grin stayed silent and observed the operating theater below them. As the Talent Implantation and Extraction procedures began, he was uncharacteristically quiet, it was almost a miracle. After taking a sip of coffee, he cleared his throat and asked, “Are you currently using Persequor?”

The Great Apothecary’s successor stared at the male like he had grown two heads and an extra arm. “What?”

“Persequor. The tracking spell,” the male researcher replied.

“I know what Persequor is, Marcus. Why in the world would I use Persequor in the middle of an experiment? What kind of idiot would use a spell in the middle of an experiment under the watchful eyes of twenty to thirty trained Spellcasters?” Asha Claire glared at the man standing beside her and massaged her temples. “I feel my IQ plummeting just talking with you. Just stand there and shut up.”

Jeorge Marcus Grin shrugged. “Okidoki, lady boss. Whatever you say!”

Asha Claire’s blue eyes rolled in their sockets. “Just shut up, Marcus.”

Her eyes zeroed in on the data of Subject 124. The child had dark-skin, long limbs, perfect health, and a good affinity with spells. The test subject’s body was in good condition and the vital statistics being flashed on the screen were all excellent. The woman’s bespectacled eyes tracked the numbers on the glass display and followed the changes and fluctuations of the digits being flashed on the display panels as the Talent of Teleportation was being inserted in the girl’s body. The sudden rise of heartbeat was expected. The extreme sensitivity to pain was also expected. The screaming and the crying that came with the pain was also expected. Everything she could see was proceeding as expected.

Asha Claire sighed and found her eyes being drawn to the mop of red hair in the operating theater and she realized that bright ginger hair was annoying as hell. The moment that she caught the sight of Michael Caelum’s head, she saw him move to the side with his head bent down and his back hunched ever so slightly. Her dark blue orbs widened in shock.

To her, the operating room was sacred grounds. The kid wasn’t vomiting again, was he?

The senior researcher beside her caught her staring at Michael Caelum, took note of her expression, and made a guess. “He’s puking? I think not. He just looks sick. Definitely looked worse when he puked in my presence. Now that was a sight.”

“He better not. Ahhh!” Asha Claire tugged at her hair and gave Jeorge Marcus Grin a glare that could slice the heavens. “I can’t believe this! That brat better not or else I’ll really kill him, all his relatives, and find a way to make sure he can’t continue his bloodline!”

“A dead person can’t continue a bloodline so killing him and all his relatives should be enough...” The male researcher muttered under his breath.

“Shut up, Marcus!” The woman stared at the numbers on the screen and her eyes looked like they would fall from their sockets. The numbers she had been staring at intently had suddenly shifted. It wasn’t a steep drop like all the other instances when the test subject had died instantly. It was different.

Asha Claire’s heart thumped in her chest and she could vaguely feel her blood coursing through her face. Her hands moved frantically on the glass panels as she focused on the dark-skinned girl’s data and vital statistics. The values dropped slowly before plummeting to zero as the girl’s heart had stopped. The child was dead but it seemed like the child fell asleep before dying. The Apothecary’s successor quickly changed the display screen and stared at the figures that reflected the state of the Talent of Teleporatation. The values were supposed to be unchanged – Asha Claire expected them to remain unchanged.

But the Talent’s data dropped faster than Subject 124’s vital stats. The woman could only stare at the values that were falling. Her face was full of incredulity and surprise. Asha Claire grit her teeth as beeping echoed in the room. The Talent’s values suddenly changed from stable to undefined. That only meant one thing: the Talent Implantation procedure had failed and Talent of Teleportation had disappeared into thin air.

“What the fu-,” Asha Claire cursed. She bolted out of the room. The researchers on the floor seemed to be just as surprised as her. While they were scurrying and trying to figure out what had went wrong, Jeorge Marcus Grin stayed in the observation platform and calmly continued to sip on his drink.

“Ah, really. You’re too focused on what’s in front of you that you totally ignored the hint I gave you,” Joerge Marcus Grin murmured before sighing with emotion. The persequor spell he had cast the moment he had stepped foot in the observation deck was still in effect. The male researcher could make out the faint outline of a small little girl who was now running off to the direction of the exits. Michael Caelum was hot on the child’s heels.

The male exhaled into his tumbler and took a long sip. “A teenage boy and a little girl are actually turning Elisium inside-out and nobody knows it. Tsk tsk. Just what is the world coming to?”

The male put down his drink took a step towards the glass panes. He looked down at the operating theater and at the operating tables lined below him. He could clearly see Asha Claire making her way towards the scene while the researchers scrambled to make a way so that she could approach any of the test subjects. The Apothecary’s disciple headed straight for the spot where Michael Caelum had been.

Joerge Marcus Grin could clearly sense the bloodlust emanating from the woman’s being. The woman stared up at him from where she stood and the glint in the woman’s dark blue eyes was every bit malicious. He stood passively at the viewing deck as Asha Claire ran towards the hallway’s doors. A crooked smile was firmly plastered on her face.

Jeorge Marcus finished his coffee slowly and headed for the operating room. Apart from the few staff were left in the theater, the once-bustling hallway was deserted. The senior researcher stood at the exact same spot where Asha Claire had been and amplified his persequor spell to look for the traces of 373. What he found was contrary to his expectations.

373 had hidden her tracks and her energy was nowhere to be found. But Michael Caelum’s energy had marked the place with unstable spikes that even a low-ranked Spellcaster could sense with persequor. The youth had probably done so with the intention to mask 373’s energy signature. Unfortunately, Michael Caelum had spent too much time and energy worrying about someone capable instead of taking care of himself.

“Ahhh… shit. I even liked the ginger. What awful luck.” The older male face-palmed and pinched the bridge of his nose. An image of Michael Caelum surfaced in his thoughts. Jeorge Marcus Grin closed his eyes and began walking to his room. A sense of dread filled him with each step he took. Asha Claire was out for blood and Michael Caelum had made a mistake. The boy had no idea that his one mistake was going to change his life forever. No matter what happened in the future, it was quite clear to Jeorge Marcus Grin that someone’s ass was about to get cooked.

And because of that, Asha Claire was probably going to get him to do more work.

As if reading his thoughts, his phone rang. The man fished the communication device from his pocket and flipped it open. When he saw the caller ID, he resisted the urge to moan. “Yes, lady boss?”

Asha Claire’s voice was crisp as she spoke. ’I’m going to kill her.’

“Huh? Her? Who’s her? There’re a lot of hers in Elisium. Which her are we talking about?” He asked.

’Maria Caelum. Get her. I’m going to kill her. Right now,’ the woman replied. With a click, the line died. Asha Claire had called to officially add something on his workload.

Jeorge Marcus Grin groaned, “I hate my life.”

And he meant it.

The classroom for the students under the Aquarius class was quiet. There was no music, no lights, no sounds coming from inside the room. Michael Caelum slowly approached the door and found it slightly ajar. In the corner of the room, a small figure was standing with her shoulders hunched down.

“Aria,” he whispered, “-if the other researchers do catch you I’d be powerless to do anything. We’ll be leaving in a few days. Until then, stay put.”

The small girl kept her back turned against him. Her head was hung and here eyes were staring at a desk that wasn’t hers. There were traces of glitter, petals and confetti from the afternoon’s celebration. But the brown-eyed girl with dark skin was no longer of their world and was never coming back.

“Why… Why do they do that to everyone?” The little girl’s voice echoed in the desolate room. Her tone was cracking, unstable, as her shoulders shook with her words. “Why are they staring at the children like objects? Why are they doing this?”

“Aria-,” the young male knelt and reached out to her small body, his hand hovering an inch above her shoulder. He wanted to hold her, to tell her things were going to be alright. But he couldn’t find the right words that would make everything better.

The little female soundlessly raised her hands and wiped something off her face. Michael Caelum placed his hands on her shoulders and slowly turned her around. His heart clenched at the sight of her crying. Her eyebrows were knit, eyes watery and red. Her pale lips were pursed together tightly while her tears were forming unending rivulets on her face. Michael Caelum expected her to glare at him or push him away. But the little girl’s face contorted in sadness as she leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Michael Caelum wrapped his hands around her and carried Aria in his arms. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. The more she sobbed, the tighter he held her. After a while, he locked the classroom door, held her tight and used Adicio. Within a moment, they were in his relatively empty room and he tried to set her down on his bed.

There was just one problem: He didn’t know how to set her down on the bed, not when her grip on his neck hadn’t loosened. He eyed the piece of furniture with a complicated look on his face. After a while, he wrestled the covers from his bed and propped it up against the wall along with the lone pillow he had. He sat down on the bed and leaned on the pillow while cradling the brown-haired girl in his arms.

He listened to her breathing and to each little quiet sob that escaped her lips until her breathing evened out. The young male could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He took a peek at her and found black eyes staring back at him. Her eyebrows were still knit together, her eyes were still red. But the heartbroken look was no longer on her face. Michael rejoiced. It seemed that a good cry was all she needed. However, he celebrated prematurely. Just as he was sure no other problems were going to prop up a high pitched noise left Aria’s lips.

After a few seconds, the same sound echoed in his room.

Hiccup.

Hiccup.

...hiccup.

Michael struggled to get out of bed. Aria’s arms were still wrapped around his neck and it didn’t look like she had any plans of letting go. He hobbled over to his cupboard for a glass and an unopened bottle of water. He was in the middle brainstorming on how he was going to open the water bottle when the female’s voice rang in his ears.

“Using agua is easier.”

The male’s amber-colored eyebrows rose a fraction as he attempted to figure out the meaning behind the child’s words. Her black orbs stared at him, then at the water bottle. She kept her lips pursed as one arm unwound itself from his neck. The hand on his neck latched on to the collar of his shirt. Her other hand made a grabbing motion at the water bottle as she concentrated her energy on the container. “Agua.”

Michael saw the water inside the water bottle form a vortex. Slowly, the cap started to untwist itself as the water continued to swirl while exerting pressure on the cap. The cap fell from the bottle and landed on the table top with a pop. Michael didn’t need to pour the water – the little girl used her spell to maneuver a portion of the water out the container and into the empty glass. The youth could only stare at amazement at the girl who simply blinked at him innocently like a doe waiting patiently for her parent to do something.

Then, she hicupped.

Michael Caelum took the glass with his free hand. He gave it to the smaller female who finally let him go and held on to the glass with two small hands. With his neck finally free from Aria’s grasp, Michael could finally set the little girl down on the bed. He sat beside her, with his hands propped behind him, and stared at the ceiling while the female took small sips from the glass of water.

The young male felt the mattress under him move. He stole a glance at the brown-haired female and saw the child walking over to his table to set the half-empty glass of water down. She scurried back to the bed and sat beside him. Her black orbs became glued to his eyes. Michael couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “They’re weird, aren’t they?”

The girl beside him blinked. “Huh?”

“My eyes…The color, I mean,” Michael coughed before rambling. “It’s called Heterochromia. There are different kinds of heterochromia. Mine is central heterochromia. It’s when the color of the iris near the pupil is different from the outer half of the iris. It’s somewhat genetic – mom said my father had it too.”

“They’re nice,” she commented. Michael’s reply was a muffled unintelligible syllable that accompanied a blush that spread through his cheeks.

“Ah?”

“It’s like the sun and the sky are hiding in your eyes,” was the girl’s explanation.

Michael Caelum cleared his throat twice as his face reddened even more. “That’s the first time someone’s said that about my eyes.”

She blinked at him a few times in silence. Then she asked, “Is it really what the books say, though?”

“Hmm?”

Black eyes gazed at him. “The sky. Is it bright and blue like the sky in the picture books and in your memories”

“Hmm, I wonder about that,” the male remarked thoughtfully. “The sky isn’t always blue. On rainy days it’s gray and dark. Sunrises and sunsets usually paint the sky with reds and oranges. Even the night sky… can be colorful.”

“Isn’t it just black?” The little girl asked.

“The night sky is like your eyes-,” He began.

“So, it’s black,” she interjected before he could finish.

Michael cleared his throat and undid the top button of his shirt. “It’s… not exactly black.”

The female’s lips were pursed. Black eyes continued to stare at him in confusion. He wanted to tell her that her eyes were endless pools filled with stars – that her eyes hid galaxies and secrets, and that the night sky was a mystical and as captivating as her gaze. But the words made him feel warmer and steamier than they should. Just the thought was enough to send an unexplainable heat creeping up to his ears.

She stood up on his bed and shoved her hand in front of his face. “Show me.”

“Huh?”

Her gaze was unrelenting as Aria stared at his eyes. “Memories. Show me.”

“Ah…You don’t need to-,” Michael leaned backward to avoid the touch of her hand. “Once we’re out of Elisium, you can look at the sky all you want.”

The girl inflated her cheeks and glared at him. “Really?”

“Then…” Michael Caelum scooted closer to her and extended the pinkie finger on his right hand. “When we get out of her, let’s watch the sky together, okay?”

Black orbs eyed the gesture warily before a smaller pinkie wrapped itself around his. “Promise?”

The young male gave him the warmest smile he could muster. “Promise.”

They talked about spells, about Luminae Academy and Elisium. The talked about the sky – about auroras and sunsets. She told him about her everyday life in the class of Aquarius. He told him about his life as a student, about being the son of a renowned researcher. Soon after, the female child fell asleep on his bed and Michael put the covers around her and watched the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

He remembered the conversation with Bob, especially the little bit about Jeorge Marcus Grin becoming a stalker. Michael Caelum’s face became as brightly colored as his naturally red hair. He stood up, faced the wall and lightly slammed his forehead on the hard surface. If Bob was a stalker with his girlfriend, then did that mean he was turning into a stalker too? Or worse- was he turning into a pedophile? The blush on his cheeks instantly darkened as he shook his head and slammed his forehead on the wall for a second time.

“Stupidus,” he muttered. “-now’s not the time for that.”

He stared at the girl who was sleeping on his bed as he recalled the face she had made when he had found her crying in her classroom. Michael could only guess at how the sight of someone dying had traumatized the child. From the start, he had planned on making her forget with his Talent. The things she saw this afternoon were things she didn’t need to see. Erasing those scenes from her memories was the most logical thing to do.

He sat on the edge of his bed and touched her forehead with his finger. But before he could begin, he withdrew his hand like a shock had passed through his finger. A modified detection spell that was combined with a discrete barrier had been cast around her body. Michael Caelum had heard about detection spells and static barriers being cast by around objects – but around people? Never.

'She’s still the same fearsome genius from before she lost her memory’, he mused, his gaze soft. He combed through the child’s brown hair with his fingers and brushed the stray strands away from the girl’s small face. Aria hadn’t changed much. She was still spirited, still impulsive. She was still getting into troublesome situations that were dangerous and beyond her capabilities.

Michael Caelum’s gaze turned sharp and resolute. He was older, more capable than the boy he was years ago. And it was time for him to use his power to save her and get her out of the hell that was Elisium.

He had no idea that a bigger shadow was looming over him, that his attempt to mask Aria’s presence had highlighted his own. As he thought about how to save the slumbering little girl, Michael Caelum was blissfully unaware of how a certain blue-haired researcher had decided to kill him right after she was done brutally murdering the young man’s mother.

Hello! This is littlehera. Thank you for reading this story up to this point. I'm popping by this chapter to make a special announcement: I'll be revising and editing the previous chapters of this story.

If you want to know which chapters have been re-uploaded, you can follow my (currently bare) profile as I'll be posting announcements on my feed. I will still release at least one chapter per week, until I reach the end of the book.

If you liked this book so far, leave me a review. I'd like to know what you think! Should I change the cover? Should I write side-stories for some of the characters? Tell me your thoughts!

Again, thank you for picking this up and I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did writing it.

-littlehera