Max couldn't sleep last night.
Not because of the pain — the drugs dulled most of it.
But because everytime he closed his eyes, he saw it.
A green flame
A green flame burning him alive.
He look out the window.
"Sunrise already...? how long have I been here?"
The door opened.
Same white hair.
Same white eyes.
Same girl.
"You're being transferred." She said
Max didn't move. "Transferred where?"
She didn't answer. Just waited.
Max stood up still feeling weak. He turned towards her with an expression of exhaustion.
They walked through a white hallway lined with doors. Every door looked the same.
Max glanced back at his door and it was just as identical to the others.
They were all types of sounds coming from behind each door.
Some were cries.
Some were yells.
Some were quite.
Then a person covered in blood stumbled out of one of the rooms.
Max's chest began to burn at the sight. Not painfully. But he could feel it growing.
"We're here." The girl said stopping in front of a door.
This was the only door that wasn't identical.
It was painted a deep shade of red. It Almost looked like it was painted with blood.
The girl placed her hand on the scanner — it glowed white, then slid open.
Max narrowed his eyes, the burning in his chest rising again.
"…What's your name?" he asked, voice sharp. "You never said."
The girl stepped further into the room. Her expression didn't change.
"You can address me as Loyalty," she said simply.
"Is that a title or a joke?" Max asked.
Loyalty didn't blink. "Neither. It's who I am."
Max stepped inside.
Nothing special was in the room. Just eight chairs arranged in a loose circle and a nearby table with scattered files.
Seven other people sat waiting. All teenagers. All different. All silent when Max walked in.
Seven pairs of eyes turned toward him. Some curious. Some cold. One or two looked just as lost as he felt.
He didn't say anything. Just stood there, tense, arms stiff at his sides.
Loyalty walked in behind him and shut the door with a soft hiss.
"You'll be staying here from now on," she said. "Unit Twelve. Under my watch."
Max glanced around again. The group sat scattered across the chairs — no one sat too close to anyone else.
One girl was chewing gum, leaning back in her chair like she didn't care. A tall boy in a military-style jacket had his arms crossed, eyes narrow, watching Max like he was prey. A smaller kid with glasses stared down at the floor, visibly shaking. Another boy had his hood up and didn't even look up.
Max cleared his throat. "So… what is this? Group therapy for freaks?"
"Call it what you want," Loyalty said. "Everyone here is like you."
"Like me?" Max turned to face her. "You mean cursed."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"No," said a voice — low, sharp.
Max turned. The one who spoke was the tall boy, still sitting, arms folded.
"We're not cursed," he said. "We're weapons. Broken or not — they brought us here to be sharpened."
Loyalty didn't correct him.
The gum-chewing girl snorted. "Some of us more broken than others."
Max looked at Loyalty again. "So what now? What are we supposed to do?"
"You learn the rules," she said. "You follow them. Or you die."
Another beat of silence. Then she walked to the center of the room and turned to face all of them.
"Rule one," she said. "Never awaken your power without supervision. If the Vice inside you takes control — and it will try — you won't survive long."
Max felt the green heat flicker faintly in his chest.
"Rule two: Never speak of what you are outside of this facility. The world isn't kind to people like you. You're anomalies. Weapons. Threats. If you're found out, you'll be terminated — by the same people who trained you."
Somebody cussed under their breath. Max didn't see who.
"Rule three," Loyalty continued, "Never reveal your Vices to each other. Vices naturally work with those who they correspond with the most. Revealing your Vices puts both yourselves and this facility at risk."
Max shifted uncomfortably. "And if I don't want to follow your rules?"
She looked at him.
"Then you go back to your room," she said simply. "And wait to be disposed of."
A sharp laugh came from the girl with the gum. "Damn. That's one way to welcome the new guy."
Loyalty ignored her and stepped toward the door. "Rest for now. You start training tomorrow. And Max—"
He looked up.
"You might think the Vice inside you is dormant. It's not. Every time you lose control, it grows stronger."
"And what happens if it wins?" Max asked in curiosity.
Loyalty paused, her back still to him. Then she said softly:
"Then I'll be the one who ends you."
The door slid shut behind her.
For a few seconds, no one said a word.
Then tall boy with messy black hair and faded scars on his jaw stood up. He had a fighter's build and a soldier's stare.
"Name's Kaz," he said. "Don't screw this up for the rest of us." Then he sat back down.
The gum girl raised two fingers lazily
"Ava. Welcome to hell, newbie."
She look like she was around 17. Bubblegum pink streaks in black hair. Silver lip piercing. Lazy grin like she was already bored.
Max nodded once. "I'm Max."
He didn't sit. Not yet.
He looked around again. Seven strangers. All different. All watching.
A quiet voice followed.
"My name's Rika."
She didn't look up. Just kept reading some novel, her curly hair hiding most of her face. Her voice barely filled the room, but something about it lingered.
Then came a sharp scoff.
Another girl in a dark hoodie stood up, yanking it off. Her hair was short and choppy — jet black with a red underlayer, like it had been cut with a knife. Her glare was just as sharp.
"Mira. I don't do friends. I don't do drama. Keep that in mind."
A pale-skinned boy with shaggy white-blond hair raised a hand half-heartedly. Eye bags. Slouched shoulders. He looked like sleep was a myth.
"…Renji," he said, then went quiet again.
A girl with golden eyes and long brown hair had a playful grin. Her tone was smooth, clipped, controlled.
"Samira.Let's not pretend this place is anything but a cage."
Max shifted slightly. That was six.
Then someone finally stood from the back corner — a boy with sharp features and wide, intense eyes that didn't seem to blink enough. His smile was too calm. Too polite.
"Call me Noel," he said. "It's… nice to meet all of you."
Max didn't trust that smile for a second.
Ava. Kaz. Rika. Mira. Renji. Samira. Noel.
Seven names. Seven strangers.
Eight, including himself.
Max finally sat. He could still feel the fire low in his chest — simmering. Waiting.
Something told him it would burn brighter soon.