The heart of Libertatis trembled.
A deafening shockwave erupted through the inner city, rolling across its stone streets like the roar of an ancient beast awakened from slumber. Buildings groaned beneath the pressure as shattered glass rained from windows, while market stalls splintered into clouds of wood and cloth.
Pegaluves were hurled from the skies or thrown against walls, their cries swallowed by the chaos. Some lay motionless beneath the rubble, while others staggered through the dust searching desperately for loved ones.
The once-vibrant streets dissolved into panic.
Children screamed.
Parents called their names.
The air itself seemed to shake beneath an invisible force.
Hovering high above the city, Crevial slowly lowered her gaze toward the narrow alleyway below. A faint shadow lingered between the tightly packed buildings, unnaturally still despite the winds sweeping through the city.
She narrowed her crimson eyes.
"...Brother," she muttered, her voice dripping with irritation. "What exactly do you think you're doing, dipshit?"
Silence.
Then a voice answered from the darkness.
"The human... and everyone with him..."
Its tone was cold.
"They need to disappear."
A figure stepped from the shadows.
Full silver armor concealed every inch of its body, reflecting the pale sunlight in sharp flashes. Massive white wings extended from its back, each feather immaculate despite the destruction surrounding it. Resting in one gauntleted hand was an elegant chakram wrapped with a strip of crimson cloth that fluttered gently in the wind.
The figure lifted the weapon, pointing it directly at Crevial.
"You betrayed this city once," it said quietly.
Its voice carried no anger.
Only disgust.
"But to betray it twice..."
It lowered its head.
"...even you have fallen too low."
The wind caught the crimson cloth.
It whipped violently around the circular blade.
A brilliant beam of condensed light suddenly ignited from the hollow center of the chakram, racing toward Crevial faster than the eye could follow.
"CREVIAL!"
Lecia reached forward instinctively.
"DODGE!"
Time seemed to freeze.
Crevial closed her eyes.
Instead of moving, she simply folded her wings around herself, shielding her body as if accepting whatever came next.
The beam was only meters away.
Then—
CLANG!
Steel collided with light.
Achlys appeared between them without warning, drawing his blade in a single fluid motion. Sparks erupted as the beam scraped across the edge of his sword before veering away. Even after deflecting it, the attack carved a deep line across his upper right arm.
Blood splashed through the air.
"Achlys!"
Cryo immediately thrust out his hand.
A layer of crystalline frost spread over the wound within seconds, sealing the torn flesh and freezing the bleeding before it could worsen.
Achlys glanced briefly at his injured arm before returning his attention to Crevial.
His expression remained unreadable.
"...I still don't like you."
Crevial looked away.
"I know."
"But..."
He sheathed his sword with a calm click.
"I've realized something."
She hesitated.
"You pretend to be stronger than you are."
The words struck harder than the enemy's attack.
"You hide every weakness behind arrogance."
Silence settled between them.
"So stop pretending."
His golden eyes met hers.
"Be yourself."
"For once."
A faint breeze passed between them.
"And perhaps..."
"...I'll find a reason to respect you."
Crevial stared at him for several seconds before clicking her tongue.
"Tch."
"...Don't get cocky, brat."
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Achlys' mouth.
"There she is."
Without another word, he landed on the street below.
"We're leaving."
The others followed immediately.
The armored warrior remained motionless in the sky, calmly watching them descend.
"They're escaping!" Lecia shouted.
"Cryo!"
He nodded.
Both of them pivoted simultaneously.
Cryo slammed both palms together.
An enormous sphere of enchanted ice erupted around the armored figure, sealing it inside layers of translucent crystal.
Almost instantly, Lecia extended both hands.
The air compressed.
Invisible pressure wrapped around the frozen prison, squeezing it tighter and tighter until cracks raced across the ice.
Their voices echoed together.
"Combined Technique—"
"Devastation: Ice Pressure!"
The entire sphere imploded under its own weight.
Neither of them waited to see the outcome.
They turned and sprinted after Achlys.
Crevial flew beside him, unusually quiet.
"...Thank you."
Achlys raised an eyebrow.
"I wasn't expecting that."
She sighed dramatically.
"Don't misunderstand."
A faint grin crossed her face.
"I'm still going to beat you up later."
He laughed.
"I'd like to see you try."
"Weird flying beast."
She glared at him.
"You really have a death wish."
Behind them...
A slow tapping sound echoed from inside the frozen prison.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tiny cracks spread across the crystal.
Then—
The entire sphere exploded into thousands of glittering shards.
The armored warrior stepped forward as though nothing had happened.
Not a scratch marked the armor.
"...Running is pointless."
His voice remained calm.
"I'll catch you eventually."
And with steady footsteps, he began following them.
.......................................................................................................
Elsewhere...
Far from the crumbling streets...
Inside a quiet house hidden deep within Libertatis...
A lone girl slept.
Heavy chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles, binding her to the cold stone floor. Dust drifted lazily through the dim room as another distant tremor shook the walls.
Yet she never woke.
Instead...
Her body trembled.
Her wings twitched uncontrollably.
Her breathing became uneven.
She wasn't dreaming.
She was reliving something.
Something she had never escaped.
.......................................................................................................
Eighteen years earlier...
"Lisare!"
A cheerful voice echoed through the endless white corridors of the island research facility.
"Lisare! Wait!"
Tiny footsteps pounded against the polished metal floors.
A little girl with flowing sea-green hair laughed as she sprinted through the halls. Brilliant white wings bounced behind her with every step, while her striking crimson eyes sparkled with innocent joy.
"Catch me if you can!"
She giggled, glancing over her shoulder.
Behind her chased a young boy wearing faded gray clothes far too large for his small frame.
Unlike Lisare, his eyes were completely white.
Fastened to his chest was a metal identification plate.
E178.
He laughed so hard he nearly tripped.
"I'm gonna catch you!"
"You'll never win!"
Scientists in pristine white coats leapt aside as the children darted between them.
"Watch where you're running!"
"Those experiments are expensive!"
"Someone stop those brats!"
The adults barked complaints, but neither child paid them the slightest attention.
To them...
The endless laboratory wasn't a prison.
It was their playground.
Their laughter echoed endlessly through the sterile corridors, breathing life into a place that had forgotten what happiness sounded like.
Eventually—
A familiar bell rang throughout the facility.
Both children stopped instantly.
They knew that sound.
Playtime was over.
The boy smiled brightly despite his disappointment.
"Bye, Lisare!"
He waved enthusiastically.
She returned the wave with an equally radiant smile.
"Bye!"
His footsteps faded around the corner.
Her smile faded with them.
"E178..."
She whispered the number quietly to herself.
Not Poya.
Not her best friend.
Just...
A number.
Because that's what this place wanted them to believe they were.
Numbers.
Nothing more.
She lowered her head and silently walked toward her room.
As she crossed the doorway, a shimmering blue barrier solidified behind her, transforming into thick titanium walls that sealed her inside.
The lights throughout the facility dimmed.
"Lights out."
The announcement echoed mechanically through every corridor.
Lisare quietly curled into the corner of her room, wrapping both wings tightly around herself.
"...Mom..."
Her voice cracked.
"Why did you leave me?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
"They keep saying you'll come back..."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"They keep giving me hope..."
"...and then taking it away."
She buried her face against her knees.
"It isn't fair."
A faint mechanical hiss broke the silence.
The titanium door slid open just enough for a figure clad in pristine white robes to step inside. Unlike the others who walked these halls with cold indifference, this man's eyes softened the moment they found the frightened little girl.
He crouched to her level.
"Lisare..."
She hastily wiped the tears from her cheeks before forcing a smile.
"I'm okay, Uncle S3."
The lie was obvious.
He smiled sadly and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.
"You don't have to pretend in front of me."
She lowered her head.
"I... I just don't want them to think I'm weak."
His expression tightened for the briefest moment.
"They already underestimate how strong you are."
He rested a hand atop her head, carefully ruffling her hair.
"And that's exactly why you must stay strong."
She nodded.
Slowly.
Silently.
S3 pulled her into a warm embrace.
For a brief moment, the cold laboratory disappeared.
No chains.
No experiments.
No numbered rooms.
Just a frightened little girl clinging to the closest thing she had to family.
"It's okay," he whispered.
"You've done well today."
Lisare smiled against his shoulder.
"...Thank you."
His eyes shifted.
Almost imperceptibly.
His fingers reached toward one of the pristine feathers extending from her right wing.
With practiced precision...
He plucked it.
Lisare winced only slightly before relaxing again.
"There, there," he murmured soothingly. "Nothing to worry about."
She believed him.
Within minutes, exhaustion overtook her, and she drifted peacefully to sleep in his arms.
S3 carefully laid her upon the small bed before turning toward the exit.
The warm smile vanished from his face.
As the titanium door sealed shut behind him, something far colder replaced it.
He held the glowing feather between two fingers.
"...We've got it."
His lips slowly curled upward.
"With this..."
"...we can finally create the weapon capable of destroying the world."
His footsteps echoed away into the endless halls.
.......................................................................................................
Morning arrived without sunlight.
The facility never changed.
Artificial lights illuminated every corridor with the same lifeless white glow they had yesterday.
Lisare blinked awake.
"...Huh?"
She looked around, confused.
"When did I get into bed?"
She certainly didn't remember lying down.
Before she could think any further—
"Lisare!"
The familiar voice instantly brightened her mood.
Poya stood outside her room, bouncing excitedly on his feet.
"Come on!"
"Let's play!"
She laughed, already standing.
"I'm coming—"
"Not today."
A scientist stepped between them, placing a hand atop Poya's head.
"Lisare has important work today."
Poya's shoulders immediately slumped.
"Oh..."
The scientist smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry."
"I'll take good care of her."
He turned toward Lisare.
"Follow me."
She hesitated before glancing back at Poya.
"I'll be back soon."
He forced a smile.
"...Be careful."
She giggled.
"I always am."
.......................................................................................................
The room waiting for her was exactly the same as every other time.
Gray walls.
Metal tables covered in polished surgical instruments.
Bundles of transparent tubes.
A single spotless white bed waiting silently in the center.
"You know the procedure, E1."
She nodded without complaint.
Years of repetition had erased any fear.
She climbed onto the bed and folded her hands neatly over her stomach.
The scientist smiled.
"This may take several hours."
"Remain calm."
"Keep your emotions balanced."
"I will."
She closed her eyes.
A cold hand gently covered her mouth.
"...Sleep well."
Blue mist flowed from the scientist's palm.
Sleeping gas.
Darkness claimed her almost instantly.
.......................................................................................................
The scientist quietly exited the room.
"Proceed carefully."
Two workers dressed in identical white protective suits entered moments later.
Their faces were completely hidden behind smooth helmets.
Only the letters stitched onto their uniforms distinguished them.
QA.
QB.
Soon two more arrived.
"QF."
"QG."
One of the researchers unfolded a clipboard.
"QA and QB."
"You'll examine emotional responses within the wings."
"QF."
"QG."
"You'll continue environmental adaptation trials."
Everyone nodded before splitting into their assigned tasks.
The door sealed behind them.
Only QA and QB remained beside the unconscious child.
QA sighed heavily.
"...Trying to control the emotions of these creatures."
"What a joke."
"They're all failures."
He flexed his fingers before removing his left glove.
A crimson glow spread across his palm.
"...Rage."
His voice became strangely hypnotic.
"Become the fire that consumes everything."
He pressed the glowing hand gently against Lisare's forehead.
For several seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then—
Her wings reacted.
Snow-white feathers suddenly flared outward like thousands of tiny blades.
They trembled violently before wrapping around her sleeping body in a protective cocoon.
QB blinked in surprise.
"...They're defending her."
"The wings reacted before she did."
He couldn't help laughing.
"Looks like they've got minds of their own."
THUD.
QA smacked him across the back of the head.
"Idiot."
"This isn't funny."
QB rubbed the sore spot.
"You think I enjoy experimenting on children?"
His smile disappeared.
"...I don't."
QA looked at the unconscious girl.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Finally he sighed.
"We don't exactly have a choice."
"If we refuse..."
He never finished the sentence.
He didn't need to.
The silence said enough.
Without another word, both men continued their work.
.......................................................................................................
Four hours passed.
The researchers left.
The room became quiet once more.
Lisare remained lying motionless upon the white bed.
Thin trails of blood slowly dripped from several feathers where samples had been taken.
Eventually...
Her eyes opened.
She stared at the empty ceiling.
"...Again..."
No one came.
No one ever came.
She slowly climbed off the bed.
"They always leave before I wake up."
The words carried no anger anymore.
Only disappointment.
She stepped into the flickering corridor and quietly made her way back toward her room.
The closer she came...
The slower her footsteps became.
Someone was sitting outside her door.
Curled into a tiny ball.
Shaking.
"Poya?"
He immediately looked up.
The moment their eyes met, he sprinted toward her.
"Lisare!"
He threw his arms around her so suddenly she nearly lost her balance.
"I missed you!"
She laughed softly before hugging him back.
"There, there."
She gently patted his head.
"Don't cry."
"You big baby."
He sniffled before laughing through his tears.
"I am not!"
She smiled.
"...Then why are you shaking?"
His expression darkened.
"I..."
He looked toward the distant end of the hallway.
"The scientists said a huge storm is coming."
"They all ran into the shelters."
"But..."
He frowned.
"...nothing happened."
Lisare looked around.
The corridors were eerily empty.
No footsteps.
No announcements.
No scientists barking orders.
Just silence.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
"I'll go check."
Poya's eyes widened.
"W-Wait!"
He hurried after her as she pushed open the massive doors leading outside.
A cool silence welcomed them.
The night sky stretched endlessly overhead.
Black velvet scattered with countless stars.
Not a single cloud drifted across the heavens.
There was no wind.
No rain.
The air was strangely warm, almost matching the warmth of their own skin.
Poya blinked.
"...Where's the storm?"
Lisare didn't answer immediately.
She simply stared upward.
"...It's beautiful."
Poya smiled.
"I wonder..."
"...if one day we'll fly between the stars."
He reached toward the heavens as though he could grasp them.
Lisare smiled.
"I'd like that too."
Then...
Her smile disappeared.
One star was moving.
Slowly.
Far faster than any shooting star should.
It crossed the eastern horizon.
Growing brighter.
Closer.
Larger.
A feeling unlike anything she had ever experienced flooded her chest.
Pure instinct.
Pure fear.
Her body moved before her mind could understand why.
She rushed toward Poya and wrapped both arms around him.
Her wings exploded outward, surrounding them in a brilliant white shield.
"W-What are you doing?"
"I don't know..."
She tightened the embrace.
"...But I'll protect you."
The falling star suddenly erupted into blinding light.
A colossal staff pierced through the atmosphere, shattering the sound barrier again and again as it descended toward the island.
The heavens screamed.
The staff struck the earth only meters away.
Yet...
There was no crater.
Lisare's crimson eyes widened.
"...That's impossible."
Before anyone could react—
The entire world shook.
The impact sent a monstrous shockwave racing across the island, flattening trees and driving enormous waves across the surrounding ocean.
She slowly stepped in front of Poya.
"No crater..."
She whispered.
"...It's alive."
Her heart pounded.
"Get back inside."
Poya nodded without arguing.
He turned—
Only for several scientists to burst from the facility.
They seized him instantly.
One grabbed his throat.
Another twisted his arm behind his back.
"Poya!"
Rage ignited inside Lisare.
Before she could move—
The strange staff emitted another pulse.
An imploding shockwave collapsed the air around it as two more mysterious objects fell from the heavens, crashing into the ground beside it.
Smaller impacts.
Smaller craters.
But unmistakably connected.
Scientists rushed toward Lisare as well, pinning her to the ground.
"You reckless pieces of trash!"
A man wearing an elegant blue coat approached calmly with his hands behind his back.
His gaze settled on Lisare.
"When you're finished in the White Room..."
"...come to me."
Then he turned toward Poya.
Without warning—
He kicked the boy squarely across the face.
Blood splattered onto the ground.
The man smiled.
"...What a wonderfully kickable face."
His voice was almost playful.
"The black one is yours."
He looked toward the scientists dragging Poya away.
"Have your fun."
His smile vanished instantly.
"But if even one of you lays a finger on her..."
A suffocating aura swept across everyone present.
"...I'll personally make sure you aren't alone in Hell."
The scientists hurried away without another word.
Poya screamed.
His cries echoed through the facility.
They continued...
For hours.
Even when Lisare herself was dragged toward the White Room...
She could still hear him.
Begging.
Crying.
Screaming.
Then...
Silence.
An even crueler sound.
The silence of not knowing.
The screams had finally stopped.
That silence frightened Lisare far more than the cries ever had.
She sat alone inside the White Room, her small knees drawn tightly against her chest as she stared at the spotless floor. The room was as cold and lifeless as ever—white walls, white lights, white ceiling. It felt less like a room and more like the inside of a coffin.
How long had it been?
Minutes?
Hours?
She no longer knew.
The only thing she knew was that Poya's voice was gone.
A metallic hiss echoed through the chamber.
The heavy door slowly slid open.
The man in the blue coat stepped inside with the same calm, measured stride he always carried. His polished shoes clicked softly against the floor as he approached, his hands neatly folded behind his back.
He stopped directly before her.
Without looking up, Lisare instinctively shrank away.
"Come."
His voice was quiet.
Firm.
She obeyed.
Slowly rising to her feet, she followed him into the empty corridor beyond the White Room. The facility had fallen eerily silent, as though every living soul had disappeared.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Finally, the man broke the silence.
"What you heard..." he said evenly, "...was merely discipline."
His words carried no sympathy.
No regret.
Only certainty.
"You endangered this facility."
"You endangered our research."
"And actions have consequences."
Lisare's hands trembled at her sides.
She wasn't listening.
There was only one question filling her mind.
She gathered every ounce of courage she had and looked up at him.
"...Is..."
Her voice barely escaped her throat.
"...Is Poya okay?"
The man stopped walking.
For a heartbeat, he simply stared at her.
Then...
He smiled.
It wasn't warm.
It wasn't reassuring.
It was the smile of someone who enjoyed watching fear bloom.
"You have quite the nerve, E1."
He slowly turned to face her completely.
"After everything that's happened..."
"...your first concern is that boy?"
His eyes narrowed with amusement.
"So..."
"You're curious."
"You want to know what happened to him."
He crouched until his face was level with hers.
His smile widened.
"Would you like to experience it for yourself?"
Lisare's breathing caught.
Her pupils trembled.
"N-No..."
She instinctively took a step backward.
"I..."
Another step.
"...I don't..."
His smile only grew broader.
"You don't?"
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to little more than a whisper.
"Then remember this feeling."
"The next time you think about disobeying us..."
"...remember his screams."
He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
The gesture should have felt comforting.
Instead, it made her entire body freeze.
"Fear," he murmured, "is the greatest teacher."
He gave her shoulder one final pat before straightening his coat.
"Go back to your room, E1."
"And pray you never give me another reason to educate you."
Without another glance, he turned and disappeared into the endless white corridor.
His footsteps slowly faded into silence.
Lisare remained exactly where she stood.
Unable to move.
Unable to breathe.
Her legs finally gave out beneath her.
She collapsed to the cold floor, wrapping her wings tightly around herself as tears silently streamed down her cheeks.
She wanted to believe Poya was alive.
She wanted to believe those screams hadn't been the end.
But deep within her heart...
For the first time since arriving at the facility...
Hope began to die.
And the nightmare had only just begun.