“What do you mean… the power of the chosen ones?” Celestia frowned, her sharp gaze locking onto Aqualina.
Aqualina stared at the dark, foreboding cage before murmuring, “I… just felt something… I need to see them up close,” her voice laced with uncertainty as she stepped forward. Her fingers lightly grazed the bars while her eyes scanned for any kind of lock or mechanism. However…
“No lock?” Aqualina’s brows furrowed in surprise. She had expected chains or something to keep the cage shut, but there was nothing—just a door simply closed.
Cautiously, she reached out and pulled it open, stepping aside as she gestured for the children to leave. But…
“Come on, you’re free now,” Aqualina encouraged, her voice gentle yet firm.
Still, not a single child moved….
Frowning, she took a step inside, summoning a small flame in her palm. As the warm glow illuminated the dark space, the sight before her made her heart clench—dozens of frail children huddled together in the corner, clinging to one another in pure terror.
Aqualina’s expression softened instantly. “I’m not going to hurt you… Come, little ones… Come see this…” Her voice was soothing, almost a whisper, as she knelt down, letting the flickering flame in her palm dance invitingly.
The children flinched at first, their wide, fearful eyes locked onto her. But when they caught sight of the gentle orange glow, something changed. Their expressions flickered from terror to hesitant curiosity. Slowly, ever so slowly, they inched forward.
Meanwhile, Celestia was scanning the cage with a wary eye… Something about this place felt… off. Then, in the dim light, she spotted something in the farthest corner. Her gaze sharpened as she strode towards it.
“Yes, that’s it… come closer,” Aqualina encouraged, lowering her palm so the children could see the flame up close.
They crept forward, their movements timid yet filled with fascination, like moths drawn to a flame.
“Can you tell me your names?” Aqualina asked, her voice carrying a soft warmth as she looked at the closest child.
No response.
“Hmm… what about this?” She conjured a small chunk of ice in her other hand, then gently placed it into one of their tiny palms.
“SShhh!!”
A chorus of hisses followed as the children flinched at the icy sensation, their lips parting in surprise. Then, to her amazement, their expressions shifted—like curious little creatures discovering something new for the first time…. Some even smiled.
Aqualina chuckled softly, “Haha… see? It’s cold, isn’t it? Now, can you tell me your names? Why are you here? And where are your parents—”
Before she could finish her sentence—
“Princess!” Celestia’s sharp voice cut through the moment. “You need to see this. Now.”
Aqualina’s brow furrowed as she glanced over at Celestia. Creating more ice cubes, she handed them to the children, who eagerly took them, their small fingers grasping at the cold sensation. Then, she turned and walked toward Celestia.
“What is it?”
“Look.” Celestia raised her flame, casting light over the darkened corner of the cage, revealing—
A half-eaten corpse.
Aqualina’s breath caught in her throat.
Her gaze snapped back to the children, her mind racing. “Do you mean to tell me that…”
Celestia’s expression was grim. “I don’t know for sure… but it’s the only logical conclusion.” She crouched down, reaching towards the ground, and carefully picked up a small piece of cloth—worn, tattered, and all too familiar… It was the standard robe given to test subjects.
Seeing it sent a shiver down Aqualina’s spine. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “They… they were feeding the children? With… human bodies?” The words felt foreign on her tongue, like something out of a nightmare. “But why? Who would do such a thing?”
Celestia stared at the corpse, deep in thought.
Aqualina turned her attention back to the children. They still hadn’t spoken a single word. Not even a whimper. “It seems they can’t talk… or they don’t know how to…”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Did you feel it again?”
Aqualina blinked. “Huh?”
“The power of the chosen ones. You said you felt something earlier. Do you still feel it?”
Aqualina hesitated before shaking her head. “No… They seem like normal children. Maybe it was just a fluke… Unless…”
“We confirm their Arcane Cards?” Celestia finished for her.
Aqualina nodded. “But how? They won’t even speak then who they could even call the card out…” She gestured towards the children, who were still silently licking the ice. Not a single sound escaped their lips.
Celestia’s face darkened. Without another word, she strode toward one of the children and crouched down. “Hey, speak,” she commanded in an emotionless tone.
The child did nothing… Just stared at her.
Aqualina frowned. “You can’t just demand that from them—”
Before she could finish, Celestia’s hand shot forward. Without hesitation, she plunged her fingers into the child’s chest.
Aqualina’s eyes widened in pure horror. “What the hell are you doing?!”
Celestia pulled her hand back, and in her grasp—
A rainbow-coloured Arcane Card.
Aqualina’s breath hitched.
Both women stood frozen, staring at the shimmering card in Celestia’s hand. But what was even more shocking…
The child.
No screams. No cries of pain.
Unlike Aether who felt pain when Sandra pulled it out!
“What in the…” Aqualina whispered, unable to finish her sentence.
And before either of them could snap out of their shock—
“Who’s there?”
A voice echoed through the dimly lit space, snapping Aqualina out of her horrified daze. Her head whipped around just in time to see a man in a lab coat stepping into the cage—dragging a corpse behind him like a discarded rag doll.
His eyes widened the moment he spotted her and Celestia.
“EVERYO—”
Chuck!!
Thud!
Before he could even finish, Celestia’s blade sliced through the air with deadly precision, embedding itself deep in his throat. A sickening gurgle followed as blood spilt from his lips, his body collapsing to the ground in an instant.
Lifeless…. Silent!!
“We need to leave, Princess!” Celestia hissed, her grip tightening around Aqualina’s wrist as she attempted to pull her away.
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But Aqualina stood frozen, “N-No… We can’t just leave… This is wrong… Everything about this place is so, so wrong…” she whispered, her voice breaking as she took in the horrors surrounding her. “I-I can’t just turn my back after seeing all this…”
Whatever this organization was doing—it wasn’t just inhumane, it was something beyond comprehension, something utterly monstrous. And worst of all, they had managed to create a Rainbow Arcane card—an impossibility.
Such a thing defied the very nature of existence itself.
Only the Chosen Ones—no, only Arcane—had the authority over such a power, and yet… here it was.
In the hands of those who clearly had no right to it.
“Princess, they aren’t children! Look at them!” Celestia’s voice was sharp, and urgent, her eyes locked onto the horrific sight before them.
Aqualina hesitated, turning her gaze back to the small figures huddled in the cage.
And then—her breath caught in her throat.
The so-called children—no, the creatures—were hunched over the corpse the man had dragged in, their small hands tearing into flesh with terrifying ease. They weren’t eating the man Celestia had just killed.
No.
They were feasting on the one he brought with him.
Aqualina felt her stomach churn…
A sharp tug yanked her out of her horror, and before she knew it, Celestia was dragging her out of the cage, forcing her to move, forcing her legs to run even when her mind was screaming at her to stop.
They rushed through the winding corridors, their footsteps echoing against the cold stone walls, until they finally burst through a door—onto the terrace.
As they stood there, gasping for breath, the full scale of where they were finally came into view.
A massive tower stretched high into the grey sky, enclosed within a monstrous rectangular structure. The Metal walls which were the building that they escaped.. surrounding them loomed like an impenetrable fortress. It was clear now—this wasn’t just a lab.
It was a prison!
“There!” Celestia pointed toward a door wallpaper exit at the far side.
A wave of relief washed over her face.
Finally. They were almost out. She could finally reunite with Aether. After everything, after all the horrors they had faced, she could finally see him again.
Or so she thought—until—
“I’m sorry.”
Celestia barely had time to react before Aqualina yanked her hand free.
“P-Princess!! What the hell are you doing?!”
“If I run away now… if I abandon those children just to save my own life…” Aqualina’s voice was steady, but there was something raw in her tone, something unshakable. “Aether would be disappointed in me.”
Celestia blinked, stunned. “No, no, no—he wouldn’t—”
“You don’t get it, Celestia.” Aqualina’s voice softened, but there was an undeniable steel behind it. “He has the heart of a child. When he sees something wrong, he’s the first one to step in, no matter the cost. He’s an idiot. That’s why I know… if he were here, he wouldn’t abandon them…. He just wouldn’t!!”
She was a selfish cunning princess who never cared for others but… after being with Aether…. something changed… no, many things changed inside her.
Of course, Aether would want her to be safe. But if he knew she had left innocent children behind, knowing they had even the smallest chance of survival… he would be devastated.
And it wasn’t just about Aether…. She was one of the Chosen Ones.
If she turned her back on those who couldn’t fight for themselves… then what was the point of being chosen in the first place?
“But those are NOT children!” Celestia’s voice rose in frustration. “Can’t you see them?! Those things just ate a dead body! That’s not normal! That’s not human!”
To her, Aqualina’s life mattered more than anything.
Yet—
Aqualina smirked. “Haven’t you noticed? They only ate that body. They ignored the one you killed.” Her eyes gleamed with realization. “That means there’s something different about it. Something unnatural. We need to figure out what it is.”
Celestia groaned, running a hand down her face. ‘Why now, god?!’ she screamed inwardly, barely suppressing the urge to slam her forehead against the nearest wall. “And how exactly do you plan to ‘figure it out’ when we’re standing in the middle of enemy territory?!”
Aqualina’s lips curled into a daring grin.
“Because we’re in enemy territory,” she whispered.
Her body shimmered, an overwhelming surge of energy radiating from within.
In an instant—
A tsunami of blue swords materialized, flooding the sky above them before raining down like an unstoppable tidal wave. The entire tower quaked as the swords tore through the structure, cutting through everything in their path, ripping through stone and metal as if they were nothing but paper.
Celestia’s eyes widened in horror as the destruction unfolded before her.
“FUCK!!” she shouted in pure frustration.
There goes their Escape plan!!