Manifest LN

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

The colours were all hazy in my vision as I looked through the semi-translucent glass door responsible for me being locked inside of my small incubation-like chamber.
I could only watch as the men and women in their lab coats walked around infront of me, pressing buttons and conversing with one another.
Boredom was always taking up my mind in these moments, waiting for the time when that man would come and do his usual tests on me.
Poking me with needles and the like, injecting unknown substances of varying colours into me and observing my reactions which ranged from unfazed to unnatural pained struggling, but every time this happened, I couldn't do anything to stop it.
'Useless.' I would think to myself as I was led down the winding white walled corridors, flickering white lights guiding the way until I was placed in the all so familiar room I'd come to tolerate since the near eight years I'd been kept here.
The same agenda, day after day after day, never changing.
An early morning with general lessons in all subjects from basic calculations to militaristic protocols followed then-after by physical and mental training.
I never would have thought I'd get used to whippings and hot irons being pressed into my back, but there I was, blank faced as yet another strike of the whip tore flesh from my back. 

After that training was done, a quick and effective medical treatment and assessment would follow, then a break for lunch full of the healthiest diet based food for this 'growing young boy'. The mush they served would've served better as poison I swear.
Right after lunch with the rest of the 'subjects', we would face one another in mach battles, beating one another to the brink of unconsciousness before moving on to the next.
The first few years I was in this environment I had been knocked on my ass and had the wits beat out of me more than a few times, but nowadays I haven't had the feeling of being hit in quite some time.
Once that was finished, we would do some more 'basic' lessons until, at the end of the day, we were placed in our 'test pods' and subjected to foreign elixirs and substances.

If I had to say one thing that kept me sane throughout these last few years, it would definitely have to say it was the only other subject I would consider a friend.
Seraphina had appeared first in the HDC around my tenth birthday in this 'laboratory'.
She was a year older than myself with long locks of wavy blonde falling around well past her shoulders, sometimes she'd even have me tie it into braids for her, but seeing as I'd never done that before, my first few attempts were 'not good'.
With that hair and that creamy completion of hers accompanied by her bright, sky blue eyes, she was definitely a beauty by my standards. Especially since all the other girls in my 'lab grouping' were typically dirtied up all the time from their own training.
After a week as bunkmates in the same room, I had learned a few things about her.
One, she was a year younger than I was and had apparently been sold off to the HDC by her in-debt parents.
Rather cruel, maybe my own parents were like that, not that I really cared to know though.
Next was that she hated her hair, I didn't know why until she said it reminded her of her mother and father.
Fair enough I suppose, but even still, it's definitely better than my own.
Black is such a boring colour.
And the third and final thing I learned, was that she was a very teasing individual.
Much to my expense, I learned this through several tests of my patience.
Though it was worth it if it meant I could keep seeing her smile. Those are hard to come by around here.

________

"Zenji?" The sweet voice sounded out from behind me, realizing I had been zoning off, I turned my eyes behind me.
Seraphina, still in her night-gown was standing in the doorway to the balcony I had found roost upon.
"What're you doing up so early?" Her head tilted to the side, allowing one of her pink braids fall from where she had it tucked behind her ear.
"Just couldn't sleep," I shrugged, "Sorry if I woke you."
Turning my gaze back to the steadily lightening sky, the stars slowly winking out, I heard Sera's soft footfalls approaching before she leaned against the balcony railing to my right, looking out into the sky as I had just been.
"Something on your mind?"
I shook my head, "Not really, just some old memories."
Feeling her soft gaze on my face, I kept my own forward, locked on the rising sun slowing appearing over the rooftops of the metropolis we called home.
"You alright?"
"Yeah I'm good." I answered, not sure if she believed me, almost all of our past memories weren't very good so I didn't blame her for worrying.
After a short silence she sighed and returned her gaze to the sunrise, "If you say so."
Together we stayed like that for a short while, embracing the silence and beauty of the rising light reflecting off of the windows littered throughout our "Night City".
That was until we heard another young female voice call out from down the stairs, "Sera! Zenji! Sozen's calling us so hurry up and come down here!"
"Be there in a minute!" Sera (the nickname I had given to my friend) called back. Looking back to me she said, "I have to get dressed so I'll meet you down there, don't want to make Sozen mad again do you."
A devious smile crossed her face as her eyes narrowed in the playful way they always do when she's remembering a memory of someone else's misfortune.
Flicking her in the forehead I rolled my eyes and started towards the main floor of the building. "Don't take too long doing your makeup." I said, waving behind my back as she rubbed her forehead with an unimpressed look taking over her previous expression.
The building in which we all lived was actually a coffee shop owned by the man known as Sozen, a thirty-something man with medium length, curly white hair leading to faded cyan ends.
He was a well built man, not too broad but not too narrow either, with his brown eyes framed by silver rimmed glasses he could be considered, arguably, a handsome man.
Unfortunately for myself, however, it always seemed like he had something out for me in particular, always berating me for one thing or another like some old father figure. Kind of creepy sometimes if you ask me.