**Initiating Hollow Unit Activation Sequence**
ASSERTION LOG:
This Unit is identified as a Hollow: a humanoid bio-engineered under the authority of the Delvian Empire. Structural analysis indicates deliberate suppression of higher cognitive autonomy, with behavioral architecture optimized for singular operational focus.
Notice: A Rider will be prepared at a later date for full autonomic control.
PRIMARY DIRECTIVE:
Terminate all designated "Callers" — anomalous human entities originating from the authoritarian state of Geoffria. Subjects demonstrate the capacity to exert direct influence over natural laws and manipulate surrounding environmental systems.
Negotiation parameters: non-applicable.
The- The — LAS! ER MEMORY I HAD m̸̨̥͈̣̐e̶͕̬̎̀̽͜ͅm̸̞̆́̐͆͘o̵͍̞̩̪̯͐̍̀r̸̰̗͚̽͆̾̀̈́y̸͖̼̓͛
The last memory I had was the distinct smell of melting plastic flooding my lungs followed by the scent of rotting meat. Heat scaled through my skin, blistering my flesh, then splitting it open as my blood boiled my bones.
The crowd roared as they celebrated
[as] my humanity dripped down its wood.
[as] my body slowly became irrelevant to me.
not scream in my agony.
[I could] only stare at the sky, hopeless of freedom.
[I could] only think of ways to expel my rage.
I tried to
I tried to [remember] my family but the pain crushed every thought I had before–
"Whatever you become…please, [remember] who you are."
When I awoke, I gazed at the distant setting sun of a grey dune. Within its mirage, a frog emerged draped in tattered black cloth and stood beside a broken wooden chair in front of me.
Above us, a thousand eyes gazed down, each as bright and burning as a sun.
The frog lifted an arm, gesturing toward the seat, as though it was inviting me to sit. I could've sworn that I had seen this broken chair before, though only in some dim and distant memory I could not place.
The creature piqued my interest so I walked across the desert, each step I took sunk my feet deep into the sand until it seemed like the desert itself tried to bury them.
Eventually, I found myself sitting on the chair, the frog stared at me before he began to speak with a deep, resonant voice.
There once lived a man
Who chewed through the world's ill membranes
But with each gnaw
Something slipped away
He pleaded, before he understood
He had never been human.
I shot it a blank stare, unsure what the hell it was talking about.
Before I could ask, a surge of blinding light poured through my closed eyelids and the desert dissolved into brightness. It felt as if sharp pins began poking around my eyes as the light blinded me.
Then, I was brought back to boring reality.
By the time I woke, morning classes had already ended. I was sitting beneath the shade of an old oak tree, its branches swaying gently over the short, moss-covered walls of the school garden.
Nearby, Jane stood at the edge of the pond, watching the sunlight ripple across the water's surface. She always had that faraway look when she was lost in thought she was always calm, distant, and a little unreadable at times.
Her long black hair caught the light as it swayed with the afternoon breeze, and her navy-blue eyes seemed deeper than usual.
She looked beautiful, as always... I uh— not that I mean that in a weird way y'know. Anyways, maybe it was just the mix of excitement and unease about the upcoming aptitude test that made her seem different.
"Wacha lookin at?" I groggily asked her with a coarse voice as I rub my eyes, still fresh from sleep.
She shot me a short dismissive glance "Nothing, just thinking about stuff"
"If you're thinking about the exam you're probably going to pass"
"You think so?"
"Yeah" I lazily reply as I let out a yawn
She grinned but her eyes seemed to disagree. I pushed myself up from the base of the tree and slowly walked toward the pond.
"How about me? Do you think I'll make it as a Sirius mage?" I asked with a grin, tossing a stone into the pond. It skipped once before sinking, leaving a ripple that spread out like a tiny crater.
Jane scoffed at me with playful sarcasm. "You? A Sirius mage? Really? You're the dumbest person I know, I don't even think you have half a brain developed in there"
My eyes widened in fake offense. "Huuhh? Oh But I did score higher than you on the exam yesterday!" I protested, raising both my arms in the air.
"Yeah, well, you did copy from me, so…that's just plain cheating"
I paused, trying to think of another dumb comeback.
"I wouldn't call it cheating… if I got more points than you, I'd call it an effective alternative answering method," I mumbled, half-smirking. Yeah, that was probably the dumbest sentence I'd ever come up with.
Jane smirked. "Whatever, you're stupid."
Her expression softened as she turned fully toward me. "But hey…maybe being a mage isn't everything right?"
"What? Is this the part where you're gonna call me stupid like my mom? Or my brother?"
"Mmm… no, not really," she said with a small chuckle. "I don't think it's impossible if you actually put your mind to it."
She grinned. "Remember when our tractor broke down last year? You spent weeks trying to fix that engine just because you didn't want to pay Max to do it."
"Yeah, pshh! I remember," though I barely did.
"Well, you're the kind of guy who never gives up once he's started something. You'll get there someday… I think." She gave me a teasing look. "You really are lazy, though."
That was probably the most backhanded encouragement I'd gotten all day—but coming from her, I didn't really mind. I sighed and shook my head.
"Okay, well, just because I work hard doesn't mean I'll always get what I want. Some people are born special, some aren't. You can't just force magic out of all things."
Jane frowned slightly, opening her mouth as if to argue, but then stopped. Instead, she smiled and said,
"Well, we'll see in about two hours, my good sire, if thou art destined to become a High Magus!"
I rolled my eyes at her ridiculous accent but couldn't help letting a laugh slip out. "Screw you."
We lay back on the soft grass by the pond. A gentle breeze drifted over us, carrying the scent of damp earth and water. For a while, it felt peaceful until the distant rumble of an engine cut through the stillness, and a faint trace of smoke drifted in with the wind.