Chapter 3: meeting the children
"Ahhh~ this hot water feels amazing…" Amon let out a relaxed sigh as he sank deeper into the steaming bath.
He was alone in a spacious bathroom, the air filled with gentle steam as he soaked in the warmth. His thoughts drifted back to something that had stuck in his mind all day.
The glowing, blood-red Lacrima.
"Magic is… really something," he mumbled, "But what can it actually do?"
Rex had told him that people could become stronger by learning to control magic. That much he understood.
"…Then there was that weird transformation," he muttered, recalling the moment Rex killed his father. He remembered the fur sprouting from Rex's arm, his fingers sharpening into claws.
"Is that… some kind of magic too? A different type, maybe?"
Amon didn't know much about magic, barely anything, really. But he wanted to. He wanted to understand it, to grasp it, maybe even use it himself.
Raising one wet hand from the water, he clenched it into a fist.
"Maybe… if I learn how to use it, I can get stronger too."
He sighed and sat up, reaching for the soap to lather into his hair. The warm water poured over him as he scrubbed gently.
'I'm still weak right now… but that's okay.'
He was only five years old. He knew he had time. Time to grow stronger. Time to learn. Time to change. And though a part of him was impatient… he understood he couldn't rush it.
Still, one question tugged at him.
"…Why do I even want to get stronger so badly?" he asked himself.
He thought back to the years of abuse. That pain, that helplessness, it had certainly fueled his desire for power.
But… that wasn't the only reason.
"No… there was someone else."
His hands stopped moving. A faint frown settled on his face.
"There was someone I wanted to protect. Someone important…"
A dull ache bloomed in his chest.
Badump.
A soft voice echoed in his mind, warm and full of love.
"Amon~ honey~"
Badump.
Another pulse of pain radiated from his heart, sharper this time.
His violet eyes narrowed, filling with something fierce, something forgotten, now reawakened.
"…That's right," he whispered. "How could I forget?"
"If you're weak… you can't protect anything. You can't protect anyone you love."
Just then, a loud voice cut through the quiet.
"Can you stop talking to yourself and hurry up already? We don't have all day!" Rex shouted from outside the bathroom.
Amon blinked, pulled out of his thoughts. He puffed out his cheeks like a squirrel and turned his head toward the door, even though Rex couldn't see him.
"…Stupid head," he muttered under his breath.
Still, as he leaned back against the tub once more, the flicker of determination remained in his eyes. Something deep inside had stirred. Something real.
And that something wasn't going away.
…
Amon stepped out of the bathroom, steam still trailing off his body like mist. He was dressed in a sleek, form-fitting black bodysuit that clung tightly to his pale frame, highlighting just how small and thin he still was.
A towel hung loosely around his neck as he dried his damp hair.
"Remind me again why I needed a bath?" he asked, not bothering to look up.
Across the room, Rex sat slouched on a worn-out couch, lazily puffing a cigarette. "You want the other kids to see you looking like a filthy stray?"
Amon raised an eyebrow, "Does it matter? I'm not exactly looking to make friends."
Rex didn't reply right away. He exhaled slowly, blowing a thin ring of smoke into the air before glancing at Amon again.
"…You look different."
And he wasn't wrong.
Before, Amon's appearance had been a mess, torn clothes, dirt-streaked skin, and wild, unkempt black hair.
But now, clean and freshly bathed, there was something noticeably different about him.
His raven-black hair had softened into gentle waves, falling neatly to his jawline. The strands, once stiff and lifeless, now moved with a light, natural sway.
His skin, now free of grime, revealed a pale, tone beneath.
Amon still looked fragile, but no longer pitiful.
"Well," Amon said, flinging the towel to the floor without a second thought. "Let's get this over with."
"Oh?" Rex raised a brow, cigarette bobbing between his lips as he rose from the couch. "What's the rush?"
"The sooner I meet these kids, the sooner I can start getting stronger," Amon answered plainly as he walked ahead.
Rex watched him for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly as he followed.
'Hmph… he seems different,' Rex thought, trailing a few steps behind. 'Is it just me… or did something change?'
There was a weight in Amon's voice now. A subtle shift in how he moved. Like something had clicked.
But Rex shook his head.
'Tch. Whatever. It's not my business anyway.'
He wasn't one to dig into things. He didn't care about Amon's past, and he sure wasn't looking to play therapist.
They weren't friends. Just two people caught in the same current. Their relationship was neutral at best.
And besides, Rex had his own issues to worry about. He wasn't here to form bonds.
'Yeah…'he thought bitterly. 'I'm just a guy trying to make some damn money.'
Still, as he followed the boy down the hall, a quiet curiosity lingered in the back of his mind.
Something about Amon was shifting.
And whether it was for better or worse… remained to be seen.
As Amon and Rex made their way down the corridor, Amon couldn't help but notice how oddly the scientists were behaving.
Clusters of them hurried past, carrying strange pieces of equipment he didn't recognize.
He expected to see a few here and there, but the further they went, the more crowded the hall became.
'Are they… preparing for something?' he wondered. The thought of asking Rex crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
Rex was just a worker, not someone in a high position. In Amon's eyes, the only person worth asking was James.
'James… Maybe I can ask him about it later.'
By the time they reached the end of the hall, Amon shook his head, forcing himself to drop the thoughts swirling in his mind.
Without knocking, Rex pushed open the door.
"Yo, I'm—" Rex began, but his voice was cut off as a blur of light brown came flying straight at him.
It slammed into his chest before wrapping itself around his head.
"Yay! Rex is back!" a young girl's voice squealed.
The culprit was a small girl with brown hair tied into playful pigtails, sparkling emerald eyes, and a fair complexion.
"…" Unable to breathe, Rex pried the girl off with one hand. Holding her effortlessly, he said with a neutral tone, "You're as energetic as ever, Amy."
"Hehehe~" Amy giggled, clearly pleased with herself.
Rex tilted his head toward Amon. "I brought another kid."
Amy followed his gaze. Her eyes widened when she spotted Amon, and she hopped down from Rex's arm, landing right in front of him.
"He's so cute!" she squealed, studying him like she'd just discovered a rare treasure.
Amon just stared back at her, silent and slightly puzzled.
Apparently, that only made him cuter in her eyes.
Unable to contain herself, Amy pulled him into a tight hug. "You're adorable~" she said, practically glowing with joy.
"Umh!" The sudden embrace startled Amon, and an awkward little noise escaped him.
"Oh, right!" Amy said suddenly, releasing him. "How old are you?"
Amon froze for a moment, unsure how to respond. After a short pause, he slowly raised his hand, showing all five fingers.
"…Are you five?" she asked.
Amon gave a small, silent nod.
Amy tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… since I'm eight, that makes me older than you," she concluded with great seriousness.
"I see…" she nodded to herself as if confirming an important fact.
Then, without warning, she grabbed his small, frail hand. "Come on! I'll show you the other kids!" she said excitedly.
Before Amon could react, she took off running, lifting his light body into the air as if he weighed nothing.
Strangely enough… he didn't really mind it.
Seeing the odd exchange between Amy and Amon, a small smile tugged at Rex's lips.
"I'm glad these kids can be… at least a little happy," he murmured under his breath.
Like Amon, he'd found and pulled each of them from the wreckage of their lives. Even if he kept his distance, even if he told himself it was just the job, there was a part of him that still wanted to see them smile.
"You haven't changed much."
A firm and familiar voice cut through the air.
Rex turned, sapphire eyes narrowing toward the sound.
Sitting casually on the floor was a man with messy, spiked black hair, uneven in length. His steady brown eyes held a quiet intensity, and his frame carried the lean strength of someone trained for battle.
He wore dark red combat leathers reinforced with a half-breastplate on the left, the crimson metal catching the dim light.
Armor plates shielded his forearms and elbows, strapped in tight with black leather. His trousers were reinforced at the knees, tucked into sturdy boots armored at the shins.
"Hello there, Alex."
"Yoo, Rex."
Alexander Redmaere, Alex, worked here too. Like Rex, he was a wizard. But where Rex tracked down magical children, Alex's job was simpler: keep them from escaping.
To Alex, James, and the rest of the scientists, the children weren't kids. They were experiments. Test subjects.
"I'll never understand why you even took this job," Rex said, shaking his head.
Alex shrugged. "Same reason you did. Pay the bills."
"..." Rex had no response. Unlike Alex, who looked at them and saw brats, Rex saw something worth protecting.
"Well," Rex said finally, almost to himself, "at least here they've got a chance at something better."
He let out a long sigh. "How long until the big day?"
Alex tapped his chin, pretending to think before answering. "You were gone for a week. That makes it today. Tonight, to be exact."
"I see…" Rex's gaze drifted back to the children. Amon and Amy were walking toward the others, and a heaviness settled in his chest.
Every month it came. The 'big day.'
'My apologies, Amon. If I'd found you sooner… maybe you could've had more time.
I couldn't even give you one full day of peace.'
He sighed again.
Rex didn't notice the faint smile curling Alex's lips.
'In a few hours… Project Requiem begins,'
Alex thought.
'Maybe this time, I'll finally witness the birth of an artificial mage.'
...
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