I write a story called Voidshire. It's about a half dragon young man overcoming the difficulties pushed his way...by becoming a villain. Find links in my pinned post.
This story is about a boy born from a human mother and dragon father. The world he grew up in is full of magic. Supernatural creatures, villains, and heroes are commonplace. Dragons are only one among the long list of beings discriminated against. One day, his mother was taken from him and his best guess why? Because her son was of dragon blood. Desperate to save her, he tried to be hired as a hero and was turned down for being from a weak race. He turned to stealing. It was fine...until it escalated and he became the villain.
Check below cut for links.
Backstories
Ezephr — The Fallen Angel
Ezephr's Backstory
Content Warning: Experimentation on people/children, children killing each other, abuse, starvation, cannibalism,
dehum
Maya & Akeraanzeh —
Varazae —
Irzayn —
Main Story
Chapters
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If it isn't underlined with a link, then there isn't anything written or posted for it. Each link here will take you to another post with more links that go to the direct chapters. Thanks for reading!
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Content Warnings: Human experimentation, child experimentation, kidnapping, violence, toying with people, mentions of death, abuse/starvation, mentions of children killing each other, dehumanization, bullying, some harsh language
Chapter 3 — A Strong Girl
Today, he’d made his final decision. X1 was far too valuable to risk losing so early on…he needed to implement one of their tests prior to any contests. He was fairly interested in seeing what would happen to it inside of a growing body, but his main motive was preserving the subject. If he got to have a show from doing so, that was just a bonus. He had begun preparations early on, taking any children that managed to survive in the pit so he could perfect the project, test the limits of it. At this point, they had an abundance of important data.
Currently, he’d sent one of the cloaked to retrieve the angel, allowing him to sit back in the office chair and scan over the data. There couldn't be any mistakes in this experiment--none. He wouldn't allow his precious, rare chance to slip away from him so easily. Not now. Finding anything even close to the results he desired this early on in their project was exceedingly uncommon, to the point of never actually happening. He had his doubts, yes, but he’d also never had an angel before. This could very well open new opportunities for them.
He would like to get another one, but they lived in massive groups referred to as flocks. Each and every one of them was a threat on their own, but in their swarms you might as well accept your inevitable death. The only creature with no base element that developed any sort of unlisted magic you could dream of. He wasn't certain what led to them always varying in their power, seeing as inheritance had no affect, but had no way of confirming the cause. To him, that was detestable, but unavoidable. Not much he could do about it.
The doctor smirked. Well, until now anyway. He had an angel in his grasp for the first, and possibly last, time. It was exhilarating. Throwing about the possibilities in his mind for now, he spun the chair and pushed it over to the line of chemicals, double checking the process they were going through. The liquid was still coming out black, despite the many efforts made to keep it the same hue as blood. He hummed, moving on with a shrug. Oh well, that didn't change the quality. Color wasn't quite as important as the function. He looked at a bubbling tank. The implant was ready.
He heard the telltale sign of the laboratory door sliding open with a hiss, bringing him to swivel the chair and face who entered. Perfect, they brought the angel. Maintaining a faux smile, he calmly stated, “Ah, welcome, X1.” He crossed his legs, setting a hand on his knee while the other gestured around the room. “I’m glad you could get here unharmed.” He caught the barely suppressed flinch from his words and nearly lost himself. Mind on the matter, doctor. “Please, lay down over here.” He waved to a silver table.
His cloaked man set the wary child down before moving to block the door, arms crossed behind their back. Exactly as instructed. The doctor watched how the boy looked around the room, wondering what he thought of the items he'd never seen before. Patience…he could pick the boy’s brain as much as he desired later. What caught him off guard, however, was the defiant, closed fisted stance X1 took while staring daggers at him. “Why? Father, what do you want from me after abandoning us?” That was fairly surprising.
He felt both the outrage of his subject questioning him, and the absolute delight over the tenacity shown from a frightened five year old. Gorgeous. He tilted his head. “Whatever do you mean? I never abandoned you, I am simply waiting. Now, lay on the table and I will answer all your questions.” X1 clearly didn’t want to listen, but the doctor watched with satisfaction as the child gave in and approached the table. He didn't approve of someone simple minded, but he did enjoy someone who resisted, but still bent to his will in the end.
Once the angel was situated, having done so slowly and cautiously, the doctor rolled his chair over and offered the boy a smile. He was met with vague disdain. “Stay still, alright? This won't hurt a bit.” He hit the switch and watched with glee as the metal bars came up to restrain him. They snapped down quickly and almost painfully tight, preventing any form of real resistance without causing pain. Of course, the boy panicked…that wasn’t the best response he could've gotten, but it was expected. That's why the doctor frowned.
It was a tad disappointing to have the angel react how any child would, though he’d give credit for the unnatural silence. He turned away from the struggling child, only for his attention to be brought back when the boy spoke up. “You said you’d answer my questions. All of them.” The doctor gave the angel a cursory glance before waving for the boy to ask. “...why did you move us? What sound was mother making when you did?” He seemed to hesitate, as if he needed to think his questions through. “Why am I in here?”
The doctor turned only to retrieve the vial of anesthetic, filling his syringe. “You were moved simply for turning five years old. You had to relocate for the new batch of children and for your graduation. Your mother…I assume she must’ve been growling. It’s a nasty habit of critters, you see.” He tested the function of the syringe and went back over to the boy. “As for your being here…it’s simple, really. You’re better than the rest and I’m giving you my personal care.” To the point he planned to do this operation himself rather than delegate it.
X1 had such a fascinating expression over this information, but in the end he looked the doctor in the eye. Interesting…the subjects usually avoided that. “If…I let you do whatever, will you keep X4 safe and teach me more?” The man blinked in surprise, then gave a soft laugh while shaking his head. That was simply absurd. The boy had such a serious, yet hopeful expression, but he had no clue. The fool. He’d do whatever he liked to this boy…although it could be worth offering a reward. The doctor decided to make note of what had been asked for.
He clicked his tongue. “Ridiculous. As if you had a choice in the matter.” He swiftly injected the anesthetic in the boy’s pinned arm, then reached up and tapped the bar that was over his neck. “You’re just a useful product I’m improving. Don’t be mistaken. Perhaps if you win in the pit, I’ll consider your requests.” He watched the child fade away, patiently waiting for the medicine to take hold. When it had, he undid the restraints and removed the clothes, pulling the container holding the organ closer. “You certainly don’t need all these organs…”
☾︎☀︎︎☽︎
It…wasn’t that surprising they were being treated this way. From the beginning, trust didn’t exist in that strange home of theirs. Not for her. X4 readjusted, waiting patiently for her brother to come back and trying her best to not look around this place. It was full of screams, crying, begging…and not from her cellmates. She knew her change was bothering X1, but how could she explain the dark shape following him around ever since he got hit for their food. For her food. Why couldn't she just bring herself to move and get it without his help?
Guilt was eating away at her more and more as time passed in this cage. She let him heal her, but she failed to protect him. Instead, he used his body as her shield while she did what? Nothing. Nothing at all, except stare at the floor to avoid what she saw present in this cage. X1 was her brother, why couldn't she help him like she used to anymore? When he was taken away from her, she didn't even try to grab for him and…she saw the way his face twisted and tears formed in his eyes. But the worst part was his following resignation.
Did she…do something wrong? X4 chanced looking around their shared cage, trying to understand the situation. She was alone with that girl…and the others, but that girl was the scariest. Reaching up to fuss with her dirty, tangled pink hair, she attempted to distract herself. Would she get to eat with him gone? Probably not. She shook her head, then hurriedly avoided their eyes when that drew their attention. No, please just stay away and continue ignoring the quiet girl. She wasn't going to cause any trouble, they didn’t need to watch her.
She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to block out the world as the voices flooded her mind again. No, please be quiet! Her hands went over her ears to block it out, but that never seemed to help. With a very soft whimper, she pushed herself further into the corner and wished she was hidden. She never asked to be able to see these things, to hear them…they were scary and loud and violent. X4 suppressed her shaking as best she could while biting her lip. She wanted X1 back, finding all her thoughts focusing on that gentle, kind boy. Yeah. She depended on him far too much.
☾︎☀︎︎☽︎
She finds herself woken up by a heavy force slamming into her shoulder. Dully, she hears someone shouting at her as well, but…she had a hard time focusing after coming out of sleep. The scary things were all screaming and cackling and making a raucous loud enough to disorient her. Then a dark foot came hurtling towards her face. With a gasp, X4 shoved herself away, sitting up and scrambling back from the attack. Her heart beat wildly, abandoning the thought of the stones digging into her skin in order to dodge another strike.
Focusing on her surroundings, it took her a considerable moment to distinguish between her cellmate and the strange, creepy things she could always see. What? Her cellmate was attacking her? She was never attack liked this before--oh. X1 wasn't here this time. In a hurry, she shoved her tired body off the ground and moved away from the older girl. Why was she being attacked anyway? The thought briefly occurred to her that she’d slept and X1 was still gone--where was she? Rather than allow her time to wake up, a new attack aimed for her and landed right in the gut.
Can't breathe. She clutched her stomach weakly, looking up at the angry girl and just staring at her. What did she want? X4, with a part of herself returning, managed to stand up and stare the hostile girl in the eyes, of course, she couldn't speak at all, but she wasn't backing down anyway. The girl sneered at her. “What? Just because that dumbass protects you, you think you're safe?” She waved around the cage. “He’s not here.” Her claws jabbed at X4 when she roughly poked the young elf. “And I’m tired of your smug face in my corner.”
X4 just continued to stare, but unlike X1 she couldn't hide the wince when a claw pierced her skin. However…she stepped forward, causing the claw to go in deeper. She wore a glare of her own as she rode through the burn. Faintly, she was aware of something cool streaming down her face, but she didn’t stop. All of this ended when the older girl slapped her, the force throwing her back to the floor. There was momentary silence in their cage, all of them taking in the situation. X4 was much smaller than the other girl, so it hadn’t been interesting in the slightest at first.
Now, they were curious. The older girl growled quietly at the elf. “You…are you just copying that crazy bastard now? I’m calling your bluff, right now.” She gave no time between her threat and swiping at the younger child with her claws fully poised for the attack. X4 bit her lip painfully hard when those claws ripped through her skin and clothes, then tried to kick her attacker. She stepped on her legs, stopping that effort before it hardly began. Her blue eyes, lacking a pupil from her race, stared at the other girl with contempt.
Of course, her attacker wasn't stopping, but the room suddenly exploded to life around the two. X4’s eyes were glowing as she shoved at the girl, shocking herself when an unknown force sent her flying. The elf sat there stunned, watching the creepy and scary things she’d always seen…protecting her. Her gaze darted to her cellmates, finding the angry girl already standing, but not approaching, just staring. Could none of them see this? She didn't stand, dully aware of a horrible ache in her legs from being stepped on, but she scooted away from everyone.
Momentary silence, then the girl shouted, “I’m the strongest here, you can’t do that to me!” X4 had never understood why all the older kids in the cages were obsessed with being stronger than everyone else. Still, that didn't change the fact that she was now being charged. With a nervous sound, she threw her hands out in the hope of defending herself…and watched as the scary things rushed for the girl. A gasp escaped her, seeing that girl being slammed against the bars of the cage. X4 blinked, catching sight of the name on her neck. Y12.
Her long, dark purple hair had always hidden her name and she never answered if asked about it. X4 studied Y12 for a long time, hoping she was okay but too scared to go over and check. If she did, she’d get hurt, right? And if she didn’t get hurt, then Y12 was hurt a lot more than she thought. She really hoped not. That would be really, really bad. X4 didn’t want to hurt her…well, she didn't, the scary things did. The elf looked at the creepy beings, stiffening when she caught them all staring directly at her, as if waiting for something.
She shuddered, a cold chill trailing down her spine. Before she could dwell on it, Y12 groaned and pushed herself up. As if she’d never been knocked down, her dangerous red eyes boring a hole through the child. Everything about her behavior screamed danger, causing X4 to roughly shove herself against the wall. There was an immediate response from the creatures around her, all of them swarming to be in front of her. There was a breeze inside the cage from their movement, and Y12 was studying it closely.
In the end, the girl clicked her tongue and turned away, storming back to the single bed available. “This ain’t worth it. You’re a breakable freak just like that other one.” She whirled around though. “But I control this space. You got that?” X4 didn’t supply a response, merely shrinking into herself and earning a scoff from the older girl. She watched the other lay on the bed, then hugged herself. Did this…mean she was safe? Was she going to be hit more later? Did she get hurt too? X4 squeezed her legs tightly. She didn’t like hurting people.
In the end, she was back to wishing her brother was here for her. Whether she did it or not, she felt like those things had hurt that girl because of her. She was the only one who could see them, after all. Where was he? Was he coming back? If he didn’t come back…she didn’t know what she’d do. She glanced at her other two siblings, catching them staring at her. Weakly, she offered them a smile, the same one she gave all her siblings back home. They both pouted, their bottom lips poking out and their eyes getting teary.
She shook her head slowly, knowing they might get hit if they came over to her. And yet…despite the bad situation, she was happy to see that they were still who she remembered. X2 and X3 were both so kind…whatever the others had been doing, they looked so scared. She wasn’t fully aware of what all had gone on in the very beginning. She could recall zoning out or covering her ears and eyes when the others would scream, but she also knew X1 had always been right in front of her throughout all of that. She wished he would’ve helped them too.
X4 turned away from them, wincing as the movement both brought pain and the sound of quiet whines from her siblings. She touched where it hurt, grimacing at the sharp feedback it earned. When she raised her hand, it was covered in blood. That…probably wasn’t good. Remembering something their mother had taught them, she ripped off the already torn part of her clothes and tried to wrap around the area. Turns out, getting fabric from clothes was really hard if there wasn't already a tear. Having learned that, she used the rip to get more when needed.
Every motion hurt, but she made an effort to get herself patched up. X1 could heal her when he comes back…she held onto that thought desperately. He will come back. She can do this badly and he’ll help her. He’s not gone. She tried to keep her mind off how two people would leave, and only one came back. That wouldn't be him. Her brother was strong…he was kind, but he wouldn't leave her. He told her so. She pulled the fabric tight and winced, but didn’t stop. Mother had told them it had to be tight. While finishing it up and barely maintaining conscious, she wondered again where her little brother went to, and…when he’d come back to her.
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Content Warnings: : Human experimentation, child experimentation, kidnapping, violence, toying with people, mentions of death, abuse/starvation, mentions of children killing each other, dehumanization, mentioned cannibalism, bullying
Chapter 2 — Bread
He wasn't sure how long they'd been in this place, but he eventually learned the word ‘cage’. That's where they all were, apparently. For the moment, X1 was huddled up in the corner with X4, attempting to stay hidden from their cellmates. He’d heard the people dressed strangely say that word when talking about them all. At least it wasn't too hard to figure out what was being said. So far, they were all being ignored--food was tossed inside randomly, and sleep was rare. Every time he tried to get rest, those people would close in on them.
That is to say…he’s been protecting X4, taking the hits for her, giving her some of his food so she wasn't hungry, and barely sleeping. He would've done more, but she’d already resisted him giving her all his food, so he was relenting. For now. It wasn't too hard to act as a shield though, seeing as she’d freed his wings when she woke up. Turns out she was just passed out, but not actually hurt that badly--X4 was awake later that night, confused and trying to hold him like she had earlier. While he'd been glad she was okay, he was forced to stop her to avoid extra attention.
He stared at the others present in the room, eyeing even his other two siblings. They, from the beginning, ended up crying and obeying their cellmates. Sometimes they acted like who they were, but every now and then those two would attempt whatever the older ones had taught them. X1 wasn't stupid, though. He paid attention when they were shown how to do something, watching from his corner. Everyone in here acted like they had to be mean and hit people to get anything…maybe they did. The only problem with that, is he was weak.
There was never a time that he’d been very athletic…he could clearly remember the day his father found out, the look he'd been given. It made him feel like a failure. He wasn't sure how to fix that though, was there some sort of trick to it? Maybe he could heal himself while being hit? He’d just run out of mana before they would stop attacking, he wasn't strong with his magic either. His eyes went to X4, who was sitting similarly to him and staring nowhere, having acted differently ever since they got here. Was he capable of protecting her?
While he was thinking, a person in one of those same dark outfits from that day went by all the cells, as silent as ever. This was a repetitive event he’d seen many times before…they were getting food. Well, he didn’t know if it counted as food compared to what he’d grown up with, but it kept him and X4 from starving. His eyes darted to the older kids when the cart got closer, worried about what they might do this time. The cart rattled as it passed, pieces of old, dry bread being chucked into their shared cage. Hurriedly, he shoved himself forward to grab two of them.
A sudden shift of mood had his body reacting on pure instinct as his feathers quivered and his wings moved to act as a shield. He was just in time, too, as a fist connected with one of the wings in place of his head. He grit his teeth and made no sound, trying to ignore how his now injured wing quivered in pain. He looked up to be greeted by an enraged face, but he still clung to the two precious pieces of bread he retrieved for himself and X4. She wasn’t the same anymore, but he wouldn’t let her starve either.
They sneered at him and went to kick him this time. In response, he curled up to let his wings fully hide him inside of them, tumbling from the impact but still remaining silent. “The fuck are you always needing two for?! You get one, you damn wimp. Get up!” He shook for a moment, saying nothing, but eventually peeking out of his wings at the violent older girl in front of him. Her sharpened teeth were bared at him, a striking contrast of ivory against onyx skin. He looked to her wire thin tail that lashed behind her with as much rage as her expression.
Well then. He stood up, letting his wings relax and brushing himself off before meeting her striking red eyes. “...I grabbed it, it’s mine.” In an instant, she filled the room with the same sound his mother made when everyone was taken away, her fist filling his vision. With no time to use his wings, he raised his arms in a desperate attempt to block the hit, only to fine the situation much worse than he previously believed. The moment her fist connected, he heard and felt a loud SNAP just before the force of the strike reached him.
He gasped as he got thrown back and the bread left his grip, but copied her expression and flared his hurting wings, stopping himself. X1 was scared, but he just ran right at her, trying to copy her attack, to learn from them. All she did was grab his hand, yank him closer, and ram her knee into his stomach. That one made him hit the low ceiling and crumple to the floor when he fell. He couldn't breathe. What was that? What did she do? Why couldn't he breathe? A white hot sensation bloomed behind his eyes while his mouth gaped, unable to give him the reprieve of air.
She didn't give him time to recover. Immediately, the female demon stomped over to the injured angel and kicked his side to flip him over. “Dumbass…you just don’t get how it works.” She slammed her foot down on his chest, causing X1 to lose any air he’d managed to regain with a strangled exhale. He was still trying to be quiet…he knew they liked it when his siblings made noise when hit. Her heel ground into him and he scrunched his face, eyes squeezing shut from the effort of silence. “I am the top. You obey what I want you to do or you get hurt.”
Apparently, his continued silence angered her, as she proceeded to make that weird, gravelly noise again and stomp a second time. “Look at me when I'm talking to you!” He didn't really react aside from a cough, but after a considerable few defiant seconds, he forced his eyes open. Without hesitation, he glared at her, his eyes possessing far too much hatred for a five year old, even for an angel. She initially stiffened, her own eyes widening ever so slightly, before she covered it by kicking his face from this angle and stepping away.
He bit his lip as his nose exploded with blood, but he still didn’t heal himself yet. Rather…he rolled over, trying to push himself up when she reached for the bread he dropped. No…she can't have it. That wasn't hers! Using a newfound burst of energy and disregarding how moving hurt, he threw himself at her. Mainly at her body in general…and he didn’t try to hit how she did. This time, he latched onto her leg, wrapping his limbs around it, before he bit, hard. Blood flowed into his mouth and she gave a short scream.
As expected, it didn’t take long before she was prying him off, her fist hitting his face repeatedly until he finally relented. She stumbled away from him in shock while he simply fell to the floor…then began to sit up. He looked her dead in the eye and with a grin uncharacteristic of a child, he displayed his bloodied teeth and…a chunk of her leg. “If I can’t have bread, I have to eat something else, right?” His off-set tone combined by his following head tilt had all of them experiencing the sensation of cold, dangerous fingers sliding down their spines.
She leaned back, then glanced at her leg, where the blood poured freely and stained her dark skin with evidence of his wrath. With a strangled sound, she scrambled away from him and shot a look of horror around the room. “You took a bit out of my leg?!” Her fearful reply was met with a blank look of confusion.
He blinked at her. “Yes? I thought I already said that.” His mind felt like it was rolling through sludge, unable to think through any of his actions. He couldn't truly process what he’d just done either, only understanding he’d finally gotten her. This state of mind, unfortunately, was exactly what this place wanted from the children.
The demon shook her head, backing away from him before chucking the bread at him…but only one piece. She wouldn’t risk giving both back, the others might call her weak and try to take over! “Then you don’t need food for two.” Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to be quite as snappy as she had been previously. He was weak, he wasn't a threat…but he was certainly unsettling. She might have to beat him down again, but maybe later. She chose to back off…this time.
X1 stared dumbly at the bread when it hit him, then picked it up when it finally clicked what happened. He got the bread back. His feet were unsteady, so he stayed on his knees and crawled over to X4. Her shocked, empty stare was lost on him as he shoved the pitiful piece of bread at her hands. “I got your food…please eat, sister.” She hesitated, eventually reaching out and lightly touching his face. Her thin fingers traced where his skin had split, where bruises were already forming, and his possibly broken nose. She held the bread tighter.
He just smiled at her. X4 shook her head, but kept the food and looked away, her hand falling away from him as if she was giving up. The angel was unsure why she’d do that, she never did that. What did he do? Idly, he moved to sit beside her and wiped the blood around his mouth onto his bare arm. He froze, staring at the red smear over his skin with a rather baffled expression. How did that get there? His mind flowed slowly, but reminded him he had just been hit. Oh yeah…he was bleeding. He put a hand over his middle and began to heal himself, closing his eyes to get some rest.
☾︎☀︎︎☽︎
He had been observing the children for a week now, having chosen to follow through with his enjoyable plan of immediate exposure. So far? It was going swimmingly. He found himself grinning when there was a rather drastic change in their behaviors, especially X1. That one in particular adapted exceedingly fast to the change in situation, though it was regrettable that it tended to act only in defense of X4, of which he’d already designated as a failure. The elf had been interesting, but when moved all it did was cower, no real trace of what it almost became left behind.
Not much he could do about that, nor did he intend to. Rather, he centered his focus on X1, tapping his pen in thought while observing the live feed of their cell. From what he’d seen so far, the angel had picked up on their situation and readjusted to prevent getting hurt, whilst simultaneously stealing knowledge from the others present. He was enjoying the show and had begun to ignore the human ones…they failed their job anyway, all of them. He’d prefer to watch something far more exciting--the rise of a perfect test subject.
If the subject X1 managed to impress him any further, he may have to prepare the laboratory for their experiment. The wraith had undergone a few of their trial experimentations, but it still refused to kill, making it worthless. If it would kill he’d be a lot happier with it, but such is the stupidity of life.
While he was watching the screen, something else happened and he froze. Then the doctor launched to his feet, mouth stretching unnaturally as a manic grin overcame his expression. He was playing witness to a scene of pure, instinctive, desperate violence, that which held everything he’d been looking for. He stayed that way, observing the entire fight and finding his own emotions fluctuating as it went on. At first he was disappointed, seeing the angel lose, only to get a thrill of excitement over the retaliation the subject provided.
He kept watch over the following, interesting actions, coming to a few different conclusions. The angel…the boy certainly had a concussion, likely from that kick to the face. The wing and arm were broken…the nose was bleeding, but not enough for a true break. He grabbed a sheet and began to make notes of the injuries, eager to also see how he would recover from them just as much as seeing them be created. Black eyes, lip split several times over, possible broken ribs…that was a lot of exciting, useful damage. This was amazing.
How could a five year old already be this fascinating?! Sure, angels were among the top race when it came to speed of mental development, but the child was already capable of judging the situation and unleashing the same level of violence as was done to him. It was such a beautiful sight, witnessing a subject show such extreme response levels so early. The doctor tapped the pen again before adding a few additional comments on the side. Perhaps increases in stress would trigger X1 further…he needed to witness that. Maybe…he should reopen the pit.
☾︎☀︎︎☽︎
Ever since that…you couldn't even really call that incident a fight. Still, since then he’d been either left alone entirely…or hit with no warning. X4 hadn't been talking to him as often either…well he knew she didn't speak, but she was just sitting there now. In fact she wasn't arguing over their food from then on. That was good, but not like her. He didn't feel very great about it after the initial happiness over her accepting it. X1 hugged his knees tightly, deciding to just think about how long he'd been in the cage. The only way to tell time in here was to count how often he slept.
Once he'd actually stopped to think about it, he didn't have that hard of a time keeping track anymore. It was maybe seven days before he got hit. Okay, one week. It had been that much…maybe four times now? So around five weeks? They were being left here, weren't they. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to think. Sometimes they would take two people and only one came back. That meant this place wasn't permanent, right? One person got out. He just had to be sure it was X4 who gets out if he's taken away with her. He looked at the silent, detached girl.
For the first time in a while, he scooted closer to her, leaning against her shoulder tentatively. “Are you okay, big sister?” She seemed to flinch, her hand twitching as her eyes went to him, finally gaining her attention. He'd tried to talk to her often, but he hadn't tried copying her comfort method before. “Are you going to admit it, or do I need to pout and poke you until you do?” There were some unhappy responses from their cellmates, but he carried on like he never heard it, even moving to set his head in her lap. “Well? You can't be sad, talk to me!” He reached up and poked her nose.
In the end, she gave a cautious smile and gently ran a hand over his head like she always did back home. He melted into the touch, ignoring it whenever her hand brushed over a painful area. It hadn't taken him long to heal, but they still hurt him whenever they want. X1 felt like he'd won right now though, considering he'd gotten X4 to at least pet him like she used to. Her smile was still no longer there, but…he was over the shock of being moved here now. He could start trying to help her too, right? He wanted to. Smiling up at her, he pretended that her eyes didn't start to fade into the distance.
His game of pretend didn't last long, as very soon someone came down the ‘hall’--a new word he'd learned recently. They hit the cages with something loud if anyone made noise and just kept walking by…until they stopped outside his. He sat up in a hurry, readjusting to hide X4 behind his wings. In the back of his mind he felt her fingers slip amongst his feathers, but he was too focused to pay attention to that. The person was opening the door for their cage and he didn't feel safe, so X4 wasn't safe either. He leaned further and further away when the door swung open.
It was the first time it had opened since he got here, and that alone was unsettling. He shivered when their covered eyes scanned the room, nervously glancing at a second person that seemed to have come out of nowhere. One was entering, the other was preventing any of them from leaving. Fantastic. He bristled when the person went straight for him, trying to make his angriest face. Didn't stop them from grabbing his arm and yanking him off the floor, leaving X4 alone and exposed…but they ignored her. She tried to reach for him, but they didn't even acknowledge that much.
He stretched his own hand out for hers, already knowing better than to fight these people. And yet…this time his hand didn't even touch hers. This made his heart feel like a vice, his lungs as if they were shrinking by the second. He squirmed, earning a smack to the head with something heavy and hard, being whisked out of the cage regardless of his opinion on the matter. X1 held onto the darkly dressed person and squeezed his eyes shut to drown out the world. Eventually, he heard something slide and hiss, before a voice echoed out. “Ah, welcome, X1.” Father?
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Masterpost
Backstory Master
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Taglist: @nobodywritingao3 (if you want on the taglist, comment or send an ask)
Content Warnings: Human experimentation, child experimentation, kidnapping, violence, toying with people, mentions of death, mentioned abuse/starvation, mentions of children killing each other, dehumanization
Chapter 1 — The Lab
Computers beeped, vast containers full of strange liquid bubbled, and people scribbled notes. These were the only sounds taking up the research facility, the head doctor there to receive their new supplies. The firm, confident steps of the doctor created a new sound that echoed around the room, all eyes turning to him. His sharp eyes studied the line of ‘products’ they'd just finished gathering. Children. Most were babies hardly old enough to go without their mother’s milk, the majority seeming to be human. He frowned with his distaste of their samples and his eyes skipped to the others. “Humans? You couldn't get us a single dragon? Or even a demon?”
The cloaked team that had stolen the children away stared in silence, knowing better than to speak. Only a single one of them stepped forward. “Sir, we collected as many as we could from each continent. We found an elf child, as well as an angel. That is why--” The man was cut off when the doctor raised a hand for silence.
He quirked a brow. “An angel? Are you certain the parents are nowhere to be found? The last thing we need is a flock.” He wandered down the line again until he found the young angel. Brightly colored hair and the purest wings…it was perfect.
The man bowed. “It was discovered with a single angel present, a woman. They seemed to be fleeing from somewhere.”
“And the woman?”
“She has been disposed of, sir.” Silence fell upon the room, and yet the doctor grinned, reaching out and lightly touching the baby in front of him.
His smile was dark. “Well done. But not good enough. A single gold star among stones is far from the quality of many raw diamonds. The addition of the elf aside from the angel is the only reason you still have your heart.” He sent a glare their way before lightly tapping the edge of the basket. “Now then, transport the items to the nursery. Do we have a nursemaid available? Perhaps one that we can keep away from sharp objects, this time?” He scowled at his staff, watching the cowards flinch away from him with an air of satisfaction.
The cloaked group began to collect the children and followed the guidance of the other doctors and staff. “We do have a girl, sir.” One of the men who had been silent approached the doctor, dropping onto his knee. “There was a young wolf critter that saw us. We judged her wolf nature would assist in taking care of many children at once, we apologize for making a decision without prior approval.”
This made the doctor hum, then immediately strike the man, watching as just his head moved. “Making your own decision deserves punishment, but your judgement was correct. This time. Take her to the room, be certain there are enough supplies. Oh, and, go back out. Scout for the possible targets we can claim in five years.” In five years, these children would graduate from the nursery and move on to the next stage. He wasn't all that pleased with the quality this year, but it was better than not getting enough. The doctor had to pause to look at the number of children. Around twenty…and only two were useful. Despicable.
He turned away, heading to the monitors and studying the data of their current children. “Is there a test subject worth acknowledging?” From the way they all looked away, he doubted it. A frown etched his brow and he sighed, fixing his lab coat. “Very well. I suppose the one I had my eye on has also hit a lull. How disappointing.” He didn't miss how the researchers he hired shivered in unison. Rather, he found a sort of twisted pleasure in having so much sway over someone.
The doctor was a smug man at times, but that wasn't the biggest problem with him. A brilliant man that discovered a way to interfere with magiveins to create new magic and reinforce one’s physical strength. Except he experimented solely on sentient beings, never with animals. He called it animal cruelty while displaying a twisted grin and ordering children be captured instead. The man could be violent every now and then, but most of his energy went into studying his test subjects and determining if the method worked.
Then there was the pit. A child that disappointed him fighting against one he has hopes for? That man reveled in the activity. Currently, he had his eyes on the infant angel, drawing his attention away from the wraith that had begun to show promise. The wraith wasn’t improving anymore, so he no longer cared. He was watching his cloaked men transfer the products to the new room, debating if he should get involved this time as well. The test subject seemed to respond positively if they believed there was a familial relationship…perhaps he should indulge in a game.
☾︎☀︎︎☽︎
This batch of children proved to be both promising and worthless at the same time. The female critter was at least useful. Being of the canis lupus family made her capable of managing so many of them, even providing the bonus she wouldn't resort to suicide. Wolves take care of their pack after all. He was pleased with this, but the best result so far was the angel. The boy, X1, had a knack for healing incantations and he was hardly three years old--not to mention they had never taught these children spells. It was fascinating.
The elf, X4, often huddled in a corner as far from him as possible when he visited to play father. She would always have such a wide eyed stare, as if she already knew his true nature and intentions. Nothing he did convinced her he was friendly…intelligence. That was a bonus and better than the angel. So far the angel had suspicious glances, but would always move on like nothing had happened. Foolish. A habit that would become a weakness to exploit by others…it wasn't perfected yet. He had to create the perfect being.
Or else there was no reason to have targeted the dragons.
☾︎☀︎︎☽︎
No difference. The children were about to turn five and they still behaved in the same manner. Perhaps a wolf wasn't the best suited after all, she kept them too protected. No matter…they were always moved after turning five. His attention left this batch quickly with the lack of improvement, turning back to the wraith. The child was almost ten and had attacked one of the demon children in a brawl over food. They won. He was impressed, though a bit dissatisfied. Why was the demon still alive? They had to go for the kill.
He sat behind the one way glass, observing all rooms at once using the nearby camera monitors. Wrong. All of it was wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG! The doctor tapped the table, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hand with a rather deep scowl. None of them were satisfactory. He may need to start putting them in the pit again…he had no need for the ones that lose anyway. That demon was useless to him now, no other way to put it. And yet that ridiculous wraith wouldn't kill! He growled to himself and studied the caged areas.
The children were moved to cages often when they weren't good enough for his goal. He had some that were almost adults…if they didn't show results soon, he may need to put them down. That or he could add them to his cloaked men…their gender and race be forgotten, they would simply live to obey him and gather him new subjects. At least that way they actually had a use. The man watched all of them for many hours and still came up with no answer. Very well. He would simply force a result…extreme duress could trigger a response.
Decidedly content with that idea, he searched for someone to apply it to. His eyes landed on the new batch of five year olds. They were used to the comfortable environment of that plain white room, and he never failed to notice that the elf and angel both began to behave differently if he wasn't present in the room. This group…they were young enough to have potential. All he had to do is move them to cages immediately rather than the larger room. Perfect. His grin didn't reach his eyes in the semi-dark room. His plan was set.
☾︎☀︎︎☽︎
It was difficult for the boy, pretending to not notice the creeping chill down his spine whenever ‘father’ came home. The only name he knew was X1, like the strange mark on the back of his neck. ‘Mother’ always fussed over those marks, and he knew he had one too. Why would his siblings have it, and not him? He was always extra careful to keep his wings close to himself so his brothers and sisters wouldn't hurt them again, but it didn't always work. X1 really liked his sister, X4. She was so nice to his wings and mother said she was older too. He liked having a big sister.
X1 was sitting on one of the three couches, watching his siblings play with the soft, harmless toys they were provided. He was ready to help if someone tripped again, but he was otherwise left out when others played. All they wanted to do was play with his wings and got upset if he said no. It…also felt like he thought differently than they did. His siblings were loud, messy, and went wild when father visited. Father…he didn’t like father. Father looked at them funny, it didn't feel the same as how mother did. He wasn't sure why he knew that.
He shifted, wrapping his wings around his body and sighing in thought. This was boring. Movement drew his attention and he watched his mother as she sat beside him. She was smiling. X1 just stared at her when she ruffled his hair, loosening his wings somewhat. “Well? Are you just going to watch them again today?” Idly, he wondered why his mother looked so different from them. She was covered in fur and her face was shaped different…she had a tail and funny ears too. He leaned into her touch anyway, looking around for X4.
“Mother? Why are we different?” Her hand froze momentarily before sliding again as she tried to come up with an answer.
She tilted her head curiously. “I don't think we are? We're the same.” She lightly poked his nose. “We both have a nose.” She waved her finger in front of his eyes, “We both have eyes.” Then she smiled and her hand slipped down his head to his neck, lightly tickling him. He immediately made a strangled noise and squirmed, laughing with a grin--albeit quietly. “We’re both ticklish.” She kept going until he started batting at her and other kids wanted attention too.
He slipped away when they got crowded, flapping his wings awkwardly as he stumbled. X1 had never learned how to fly yet, though his wings were still a bit too soft to fly with. He watched his mother get swarmed, tucking his wings closer to himself at the sight. That would be unpleasant to be in. A hand touched his shoulder and his wings snapped right back out with a yelp. He spun around with wide eyes to see X4 smiling at him. She didn't speak, but she did reach over and poke his nose with one of her characteristic grins.
He blinked, then tried to return a smile, shuffling his wings to keep them safe, wary of the crowd of children nearby. “Hey…” She lightly grabbed his arm, an action she’d done many times before, pulling him away to her usual corner. His wings fluttered when she yanked him to sit down with her, plopping down a tad roughly before crossing his legs. X4 gave him a questioning look and he immediately avoided her gaze. “I'm fine.” Her pointed look definitely doubted him. “It’s just…why are we here? Different? Why does father feel so scary?”
He looked at his hands, then the floor, lost in thought. Her frail hand entered his vision, tapping the floor for his attention before reaching up and setting it on his head. She was always so quiet. As far as X1 had seen, she rarely said anything. She communicated with her eyes and hand gestures. He’d heard his name once or twice from her, but he didn't really need her to speak. All he knew, is that when she gave him her gentle, calming smile, he felt safe. Mother had the same smile, but she only gave it when father visited. He didn't like that.
He hadn't moved, so of course, X4 chose to bend down and look up at him with a pout. X1 flinched back, then smiled. “I’m okay, I promise.” His worrying didn’t do them any good, their home was happy and he only had to help anyone if they fell wrong. He felt her start ruffling his hair and he closed his eyes, shuffling over so lean against his sister. She continued to pet his head, but her hand eventually slipped down to brush through his white feathers. He flexed his wings, but otherwise leaned into the contact happily.
The two of them sat there in a comfortable silence, leaving the wild crowd of their siblings as a fading noise in the background. Even though none of them knew how little they had, or how strange their life was, they felt like this was perfect. They were never hungry, they had toys and friends to play with, a family, and safety. Their mother was playing with the other children, and they both knew that, but neither wanted to move. Why would they? X1 fully relaxed against his older sister, trusting her to protect his delicate wings as he drifted off.
☾︎☀︎︎☽︎
His peace didn't last long. The last thing he knew, he'd been cuddled with his sister, the next he was being woken up by a rough voice and someone clinging to him. What he saw when opening his eyes made him freeze up, stealing his voice while filling him with a new kind of confusion. There were people in dark clothes, their faces hidden, pulling his siblings out of the room without a word. The children were shouting and screaming, his mother was pinned and had something around her mouth. Why was she making a sound he'd never heard before?
The most shocking part was how his gentle sister grabbed his head and shoved it against her chest, pinning him and trying to block his vision. Her voice came out weakly, even holding a strange note as if the language was new to her, “No…X1…” Why was she shaking? Then he finally registered pressure around his wings, causing him to automatically try and pull them free. Pain bloomed through his wings and down his spine, drawing a muffled scream out of him. What happened? Where was he? Why were these people here?
His sister only held him tighter when he tried to squirm free--he wanted to see what was wrong with his wings, but she wasn't letting him. He attempted pushing her away, but before he could, big hands grabbed him and the two were pulled apart harshly. Despite being desperate to look behind him at his wings moments before, his eyes were glued to the tearful face of his favorite sister, watching her resist the strange person even when she was put over their shoulder. He reached a hand towards her, their fingers brushing, but never close enough.
It was too late, as they were fully separated, his wings not moving, and everyone being taken. X1 struggled only briefly, then just went limp when all his movements only caused pain to flare down his back. They were walking somewhere, the walls strangely silver and very long, but the only sounds were these people’s steps and the crying of children. Eventually, he chanced moving calmly to see if he was allowed to look at his wings…and they didn’t stop him. Finding that out, he followed through with it and spared a glance.
His wings were bound by something, a rope stretching across them in just the right way that he couldn't feel it unless he tried to move them. That was better than what he thought happened, actually. As some calm settled over him, he began to process what was going on, observing his surroundings. Alright. So for some reason, all of them were being moved and their mother was still at home. Where was father? Did he do this? Probably. The young angel readjusted in the uncomfortable grip and stared at his crying sister worriedly. What now?
They group walked for a while, stopping when they reached a strange area that nearly made his feathers poof. It smelled weird, as if water went bad here…he didn't know the correct words for it. There were others here, however all of them were older than him and his siblings. Where were they? He stiffed when the dark clothed people began to toss his siblings into these things, separating everyone by a certain number in each one. He kept track of X4 closely, but stayed quiet and obedient. They only got hurt if they resisted anyway.
He yelped when he was finally thrown into one, tumbling over the rough ground and feeling his skin tear from the impact. When it finally stopped he curled into himself, but made no sound. He simply bit his lip, lay there for a minute as he waited for the strange people to leave, and listened. Everyone was getting hurt…he could feel it. They were taken from their home and their mother, but why? Maybe this was why he never felt happy when father was home, he might have done this. Worse, he was pretty sure they weren't going to free his wings.
Finally, their steps faded and it was replaced by the sounds of laughter from their new rough reality. He pushed himself up and began to use healing magic on his own wounds before truly looking around. Already, he could see those older kids messing with his siblings, the other ones visible from his own even though he couldn't possibly reach them. In his, there were…two of the other noisy siblings, and his sister. He stiffened when he realized she wasn't moving, scrambling to get to her and ignoring the older kids that were already messing with the others.
He touched her hesitantly, shaking her while activating his magic. “X4! O-open your eyes!” He was scared, his wings were cramping, and she wasn't responding. At the same time, he could see she was breathing and hear the laughter nearby over his actions. Ignoring all of them, he tried sitting beside her, lifting half her body so he could hold her safely. She was heavy to him, but he didn't even care. He just wanted to keep her away from the weird people in here with them--she didn’t deserve this. Her wounds were healing, but they were still trapped.
