The sun hung high in the sky, its glory almost completely covered by clouds. The atmosphere was gloomy, as if foretelling what was to come.
Cole could be seen trudging with his head bent downward in what appeared to be the slums.
He moved with heavy steps like he was carrying the weight of the world.
"I really need hope. Something to change my situation," Cole thought as he continued his journey back home.
Keeping his head low had been a trait he picked up from living in the slums for so long.
Seeing what you aren't supposed to have killed more people than hunger.
Though it had always been keeping him safe, this time it was the beginning of his misery.
Bam!.
Cole suddenly collided with someone in front of him. Usually he was always attentive while walking, but today, he was at his last straw.
Almost about to give up. Leaving him lost in thought.
"I am sorry, I am sorry," Cole hurriedly apologized to the man in front of him while still on the ground.
Though he still expected some harsh retaliation. The world favored him today, though.
"Hmph," the man harrumphed before leaving.
Cole was relieved instantly, and a soft smile immediately formed on his face.
While still on the ground, Cole's eyes immediately caught sight of something.
It was an unusually expensive-looking poster.
"That shouldn't be there; I wonder what it is advertising," Cole said while standing up.
Curiosity compelled him to move closer, and Cole yielded.
"Tired of the unfairness of this world? Tired of how the strong treat the weak? Willing to become strong? Doctor Thomas's lab will help you achieve that," Cole read from the poster in front of him.
"If you're interested, head here," Cole continued with gleaming eyes.
The location written on the poster was somewhere in the slum, not too far from where he was.
Without further thought, Cole decided to head there and see how it would go.
"I hope he can help me awaken my innate spirit," Cole thought while walking.
Innate spirits were the core of strength in this world. Possessing one was the only thing that could help you change your life.
But Cole failed to grasp that chance, though, as he couldn't awaken his Innate Spirit at 16.
This made his already bad orphan life even worse. He was immediately discarded by society as trash with no hope of being redeemed.
The houses in Cole's surroundings kept thinning, becoming replaced with bushes, as he got closer to his destination.
"Why choose a location like this?" Cole grumbled but still continued.
About ten minutes later, he finally arrived at the location written on the poster.
It was a building that stuck out like a sore thumb in his surroundings. Possessing a grand aura.
In front of the building, Cole could see two guards dressed in formal attire while wearing an oddly welcoming smile.
"I came here after seeing the poster," Cole said upon arrival.
"Head straight inside; someone will be coming to get you." One of the guards responded while maintaining his smile.
Cole avoided wasting his time on small talk and directly headed into the building.
The building was nothing like it was outside. Instead, the inside was like a long hall that carried a discomforting aura.
The wind rushed past Cole's ears, producing a howling sound that seemed like people screaming.
"Creepy," Cole muttered as he continued further.
The deeper he went into the building, the darker it got. Cole could even hear distant screaming noises that made him unsettled.
His rationality finally overtook his curiosity and desperation as Cole decided to run and leave.
It was already too late, though, the moment he turned around to leave the building.
Bam!
A large solid object immediately hit him heavily on the head, directly knocking him out.
After an unknown amount of time.
"Uhhhh, ahhh," Cole groaned as he struggled awake.
The moment he opened his eyes, he immediately shut them back as the glaring lights around him almost blinded him.
Cole relaxed and waited for his eyes to acclimate before scanning his surroundings.
What he saw immediately made his heart drop. He was in a cage surrounded by thick metal bars.
Outside the cage, men and women adorning plain white lab coats could be seen moving all about, interacting with different machines.
Around him, Cole could see more kids his age, lying or sitting with completely blank eyes.
They showed little to no response to his presence, as if it were already normal.
About five minutes later, a disheveled-looking man walked in; behind him were some workers and also guards.
The man looked into the cage Cole was in, directly locking gazes with him.
"Welcome, kid; you just got a chance to change your life," the man said with a sly smile.
Cole refused to respond, only staring straight at the man with fiery eyes.
Though he was fed up with how things were going previously, Cole was completely sure his current situation was even more ghastly.
The old man laughed while watching Cole and the other kids. He looked towards one of the workers like he wanted to say something.
"Use that one, let's see how long his fire will last," he finally said with a mysterious gaze.
The worker nodded with a faint, terrible expression and began enacting the orders given to him.
Cole still watched all of this unfold but was completely helpless, and rationality prevented him from thrashing out unnecessarily.
Seeing his order being followed, the disheveled man turned and proceeded to leave the room.
The worker finally finished his preparation and handed some type of liquid to the guards.
The guards already knew what they had to do and moved towards the cage.
The blank expression on the kids finally shifted, replaced with one of deep, intense fear.
Cole saw their expression and immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
The guards barged in immediately and began picking the kids one at a time, forcing the liquid down their throats.
When it was Cole's turn, he attempted to resist, but he was quickly and easily restrained.
The liquid flowed down his throat quietly. Not eliciting any reaction at all until the moment it got to the stomach.
It finally arrived.
Fear, destructive pain arrived. It resulted in Cole screaming out loud, unable to bear it at all.
His voice overpowered every other kid in the cage.
Cole felt the pain deep in his soul. Like it was being forcefully torn apart and then attempted to be resewn.
The workers watched them with fearful expressions, but no one attempted to help, only standing in place watching them.
Gradually though, the pain subsided until it completely disappeared.
Cole lay on the cage's ground completely sapped of strength from screaming for so long, as he thought.
"What have I gotten myself into?"
The process kept repeating for days, on the third day a kid gave up. On the fourth day he was disposed of. On the fifth day someone replaced him.
Cole, though, refused to give up, his eyes still sharp while thinking of ways to escape.
On the seventh day, his opportunity finally arrived. When the guards entered the cage, they were ready to feed them another round.
Boom!
A piece of equipment blew up, shrouding the hall in an orange hue. Chaos ensued as the workers began scurrying while attempting to put it out.
The guards in the cage also sprang to their feet, rushing out of the cage to assist. This gave Cole a chance.
As stealthily as he could, Cole crept out of the cage due to the distraction.
The moment he got out, he looked back at the other children. All of them refused to move, having lost all will.
One of the kids looked back at him. His eyes displayed no drive, no zeal. Just surrender.
Cole didn't wait, directly sprinting towards a random exit he saw. Cole moved as fast as he could, shuffling through hallways as fast as he could.
Finally, he arrived outside. He didn't arrive at the entrance he came through, though. He found himself out in the open forest.
The guards finally caught wind of the situation and instantly began their chase.
Cole didn't relax when he got outside; instead, he sprinted even faster, but the guards seemed faster.
Slowly but surely, they closed the gap between them. Seeing the closing gap.
Desperation began creeping in.
"I can't go back there, I can't, I'd rather die," he thought while still running.
The guards behind him began slowing down, as they felt a change as they looked at the running Cole.
They could feel a change in their life energy, all seeming to converge around the running Cole.
"What's going on?" A guard asked with a worried expression.
The running Cole suddenly stopped as his body inexplicably headed towards the ground.
"It is over," Cole thought.
"Haaaaa" He suddenly screamed out as a burning sensation pierced his eyes.
If anyone could see him, they would see a faint golden glow taking over his eyes.
The guards then stopped, their brows furrowed in pain.