White Eyes

Chapter 4 - Solitary

— Eyder —

We went to sit at the refectory tables, and Lina looked at me as if she was about to explain something. She glanced around calmly, and it was evident that the guards weren't paying much attention to us; they were in a stupor that would only break when something out of the ordinary happened.

I noticed a child around 12 years old who was so scared that he did everything exactly as they ordered. At least he didn't seem like he would have problems anytime soon. I intended to leave there in a week, and if I could take him, I would.

"I know you wanted to help that boy," Lina said with a reassuring expression.

"Yeah."

"But you can't do that. I've realized that you want to remain discreet. If you were to go there, that would change, and you would suffer as much as the boy."

"All because his ability hasn't progressed much?"

"It might sound crazy, but yes, all because of that. You have to show progress every time during these evaluations, even if it's the smallest improvement possible. Otherwise, you'll end up in solitary. I've never been there, but I've heard it's terrible. But don't worry; they don't want to kill their research subjects. You'll see, the boy will come back."

That left me a bit frightened, but I would be leaving soon anyway.

— Ayra —

And once again, I was waiting for life to pass in the darkness. They could at least let me roam free in this room. However, they must know that the moment they did that, I would escape without a doubt. Lost in my eternal silence and caught in my thoughts, something pulled me out of my mind. I heard screams.

"Please! TAKE ME BACK THERE! I promise I won't tell anyone that you didn't do anything!" The voice was that of a sobbing boy.

Terrible choice of words. He shouldn't have said that last part; they have too much pride. They won't let that slide.

"Don't worry, you won't need to lie. You're just going to be alone. I know it has a bad reputation, but it's not that bad. It's for people who haven't improved their abilities."

Solitary, where they "train" us, their research subjects. The training there is worse than hell. I remember well that after I tried to escape, they sent me there. Poor boy, but on the bright side, he'll only spend a day or maybe two, depending on his performance. In my case, they used it to torture me. They left me there for a month. What was bad for them was that I improved significantly, and the ideas of how to escape came back quickly because I became stronger.

The screams continued until I could no longer hear them. Then two people, who I deduced were the evaluators, commented between themselves:

"He didn't reach the goal."

"Then make him suffer a lot. So when he goes back to the others and they see his state..."

"They'll make even more effort," he said, finishing the other person's sentence.

"Perfect, isn't it?"

"I agree; one practically destroyed is everyone's salvation. It's well worth it."

I couldn't help but think about the horror they were discussing. But I still wouldn't do anything. It would soon be the moment when I would escape from this place. Anyone who wanted to accompany me would be very welcome. This reminds me of the first time I tried to escape. Inside, it's easy, but when you get outside, there's that thick mental barrier. Even my strength couldn't break it. But that's different now.