"I understand your problem, Kamijo-san... Your friend should know the truth... but at the same time, you wouldn't want to tell him anything, would you?"
"Yeah... I'm so confused about what to do."
Hajime and his master, Fumio, were talking at the group's base about a problem in the shape of a girl with orange hair: Kaede.
"... it's really a tough situation. But I'm glad you came to me instead of trying to resolve things on your own... give me a little time, I'll investigate the White family to make sure they aren't involved with Goto, then I'll give you a solution."
"Thank you, Fumio-sensei. It means a lot to me."
"As I told you the first time we met, I will help you reach the end of the chessboard, even if you are just a pawn, Kamijo-san."
The 30-year-old [mage] knew it was psychologically hard for Goto's stepson to deal with the situation; one wrong move and he could die or worse. If he could ease some of his burden, then it was better for everyone.
"By the way, Fumio-sensei, where is everyone? I saw Kohaku at her computer station but not Kuro or Cloe-san."
"The Kusanagi siblings are... indisposed today. Yesterday was the anniversary of when the experiments on them began."
Hajime stiffened slightly at those words. Sometimes he forgot that Cloe and Kuro were born and raised in a laboratory. They were treated as test subjects, like lab rats, subjected to tests until death.
"I-I understand... I'm sorry for them. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No one can help; certain wounds never heal completely. Let's start training today."
*****
The night before, after dinner, both Kuro and Cloe had trouble sleeping. Or rather, they didn't want to sleep.
Every year, it was the same story. This date was burned into their minds. They would never forget it until the day they died, and perhaps even then.
It was on this very day, many years ago, that the two began to be heavily experimented on by the scientists who had brought them into the world.
The childhood of the two step-siblings had not been easy.
It all started when Goto allowed the construction of various laboratories for the creation of super soldiers, for illegal purposes ranging from contract killing to the use of [mages] and [espers] in wars outside of [Fumetsu].
Using DNA samples from various exceptionally powerful individuals, those working on the project used carefully selected surrogate mothers to give birth to "children" genetically predisposed to inherit the enviable traits of their "parents."
The laboratory where Cloe and Kuro were born was one of the smallest and least efficient. In 10 years of research and experiments, they had produced only 7 children, including the two Kusanagi, who were born from the DNA of the same "father."
The children were all born healthy and strong. They had great potential from childhood, but they did not meet the minimum requirements set by the project.
To compensate for this lack, the scientists began experimenting and "training" the children as soon as they could walk and talk.
After the 7 children turned 9, things took a turn for the worse. The experiments grew increasingly inhumane, cruel, and invasive. Of the 7 children born, only 3 remained after two years in that hell.
When Cloe and Kuro turned 11, there was an incident. The laboratory exploded, destroying all research and killing most of the staff working there.
Of course, the incident was not a coincidence; it had been premeditated by a member of [New Dawn]. By a stroke of luck, he managed to save two of the 3 remaining children: the two Kusanagi.
After more than a decade of suffering, Cloe and Kuro managed to escape from hell. Members of [New Dawn] took care of them, despite the rough start. The two young [mages] eventually learned to trust their rescuers and even formed strong bonds with some of them.
After meeting Kohaku, things got even better. But the past could not be erased or forgotten.
Nightmares, panic attacks, permanent and temporary side effects on their bodies. The list was long.
But the worst thing was that the two teenagers could not forget that they had been "created," like objects that would be discarded once broken.
The thought made them feel sick.
Not to mention their "parents"; just thinking about them put the Kusanagi siblings in a state that was the opposite of joyous.
Kuro's mother had volunteered for the experiments, then disappeared when he was just under 6 years old. Meanwhile, Cloe's mother, from what she had heard (or rather, guessed from listening to the scientists' conversations), had been kidnapped and then died during childbirth.
Their "father" was unaware of their existence. His genetic code had been taken without his consent. The two teenagers knew he was a strong [mage] in several fields, but they did not know his name. And even if they had known, with what courage would they have confronted him to tell him they were his children?
Only a year ago, they had discovered that their "father" had died decades before their birth.
"(Tsk! I can't sleep!)"
Kuro got out of bed around two in the morning; the boy was unable to stay in bed doing nothing. His body was filled with rage and a desire for revenge that felt like it could explode.
The teenager went down to the base's training area, bringing his three-bladed scythe with him. He needed to vent his frustrations or he wouldn't be able to sleep.
Taking position, the [mage] began to swing his weapon, imagining himself surrounded by the [Black Corps].
"I'll make them pay! To all those bastards who caused my birth! The world will be better without them! Goto and all the others will rot in hell!"
Unfortunately, as every year, Kuro's method for trying to relieve some anger didn't work. The boy returned to his room two hours later, sweaty, stressed, and definitely angrier than before. Tomorrow he would be irritable and much more of a jerk than usual.
Around the same time, Cloe was waking up from yet another nightmare that her mind was putting her through.
The poor [mage] was thrashing and writhing as if she were trapped like an animal. Her body was producing cold sweat and trembling from the terror she was experiencing.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH........"
The girl screamed in her sleep before her own shouts and the anxiety from her nightmares woke her up.
She quickly got out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to vomit.
It wasn't uncommon for her to have nightmares, but on this day, her mind seemed intent on tormenting her more than usual.
"I thought this time it would be better... what an idiot I am! It will never get better! I hate this day!!!"
Cloe had been born with more potential than all the other children in the laboratory. Therefore, she had to endure more than any of the others.
Unfortunately for her, knowing that her powers were so strong made them unstable and difficult for her body and mind to handle, which drove the scientists to push her beyond every human limit.
The things they did to her: invasive surgeries, inhumane tests, and torture disguised as "experiments" only worsened her condition regarding her powers.
A part of the girl wondered when they would kill her. In the last months, before they escaped, it had become evident that they considered her a defective product.
"Cloe-chan! Are you okay!?"
" I-I'm... here, Kohaku......"
When the [esper] entered the bathroom, she didn't need to ask her best friend what had happened. Just hearing her scream, Kohaku could guess it was about a nightmare that had been tormenting her.
"I-I-"
"Everything's fine, Cloe-chan. I'm here with you."
The two girls hugged to give each other strength. Cloe's sobs continued for half an hour before she finally fell asleep. Her friend decided to stay with her for the night, in case she had another nightmare.
The next day, Kuro stayed locked in his room. The teenager was unable to talk to anyone without screaming at them. He preferred to isolate himself from everyone today, as taking out his problems on others would be unfair.
Cloe did the same, but for different reasons; the girl hadn't been able to sleep well the night before, so she tried to recover, unfortunately in vain. The nightmares did not give her a break.
Aside from Hajime and Fumio, who were still training, the only active member at the base was Kohaku, who was working tirelessly to distract herself from what had happened yesterday with her best friend.
"(It would be easy to gather evidence against the [Black Corps]; it would be a small revenge for Cloe-chan and Kuro... but if I do it, everything will go wrong... tsk, I'm safe for now... but we will make them pay for all the harm they caused us!)" (Kohaku)