— 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.
— Eyder —
After lunch, we headed to the training room. It was similar to the evaluation room, but with separate areas for each of us to practice. I was given several jars of different sizes. My task was to make them disappear and then reappear, as one of the trainers explained. They also asked me to calculate how long I could keep an object from vanishing. They truly had no idea about the extent of my special ability.
I spent hours there, playing with the smaller objects they gave me. When handling a slightly larger object, I pretended to exert as much effort as I would to carry a sofa up the stairs without help. It was quite amusing to pretend, and I couldn't help but laugh silently at myself. The only problem was maintaining a completely serious expression throughout the act.
Although I almost burst into laughter several times due to my fake, failed attempts, I was grateful when they finally released us to go to sleep. Almost no one talked during dinner at the refectory, and we headed to our beds.
***
I had the urge to take action, especially after seeing the boy. Waiting wasn't my strong suit, but I knew I had to. I couldn't act without being certain about everything. Plus, they were monitoring my every move. If I decided to escape at that moment, I might make a mistake due to my unfamiliarity with the surroundings. They would likely capture me just like they did that girl with white hair. I'm quite curious about how she ended up here. According to Lina, she has been here longer than most of us. However, thanks to her escape attempt, I'm sure of one thing: if they're trying to brainwash us, it doesn't work. I chuckled softly at this thought. Luckily, I was lying down in the darkness; imagine if they saw me laughing for no apparent reason? I couldn't afford any slip-ups before completing my mission. The problem was that it seemed even more impossible now.
As far as I could tell, nobody knew much. They were good at hiding information, as seen with Lina, who could read surface-level thoughts. But one thing that surprised me was the amount of money invested here. They should be a government agency, but it doesn't seem that way anymore. I'm sure there's someone very wealthy involved in this. What awaited me next? Each day until then had been different. What would be next? Not that I was excited about it. On the contrary, more problems awaited me because I had to figure out how to conceal my ability. Not to mention, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Especially the moment our eyes met. It was almost unbelievable. Eyes of a beautiful snowy hue; looking at that girl was like seeing the goddess of winter herself. Yet, instead of feeling cold, you were warmed by the fire in her eyes, even though they were white. The sensation of seeing her was extraordinary and unforgettable.
A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered. Still, I wanted to see her again. If I could talk to her just once, everything might change. I could ask her all the things I wanted to know, even if she didn't have the answers. And maybe she'd want to escape with me. Someone like her, like us, didn't deserve confinement but rather a life of freedom.
If I could take everyone with me, including my new friend Lina and especially the beautiful girl with white hair, I would do it without hesitation. But was it possible? Could I find an opportunity to liberate many? It was true that I had been advised to escape with as many people as possible.
I fell asleep thinking of her, and I dreamt of the day I arrived, the day I saw her for the first and only time.
Hi everyone, hope to find you well! I've brought you another brand new chapter! I hope you like it!
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I apologize for the chapter being shorter and not having as much stuff as the previous one, but I needed to give you a break to breathe for the next one. I really hope you like him even though he's quieter.
And that's it, I wish you all a great weekend and see you next Friday!