Children of Elisium
Chapter 2: Monsters

For as long as he could remember, they called him Salamander.

At first, he thought it was his name, that his parents had an awful sense for naming things since every other child had names along the lines of Lucy or Mark, Filomena or Xiao. The adults had said he had a powerful name – that he was named after a mythological animal that had the power over flames and healing. He had accepted this as the truth while growing up. Yet when his Talent had manifested when he turned nine, he realized that Salamander referred to his Talent and not him.

His body healed whenever it was wounded and he could summon flames with a single thought. But he couldn’t control the flames or the rate of his healing. So the adults sent him to the Sanctuary – to learn from the best. He expected to get better at his Talent. He believed that the Sanctuary would turn him into a better Spell Caster. But hell was waiting for him on the other side. Ever since then, his only memories had been that of pain.

Once they were kind. The boy called Salamander remembered being taught how to write and how to speak. But the moment the flames decided to materialize themselves, his existence turned from human to a lab rat. Every day, they would take him out from his cell, strap him on to a machine. Then, they would prod him with the metal stick and electrocute him again and again while increasing the power of each shock. At the end of the day, the men in white would throw him back into his cell and chain him to the wall. If he was lucky, they would give him something to eat. Most of the time, he was not.

His body healed too fast and kept him alive. Unlike the other children who passed away on their beds, he couldn’t die quickly. The adults also made sure that they did nothing to kill him. They only exposed him to constant pain and torture – just to see how much his Talent could heal and how fast his Talent could work.

He was used to the smell of his burnt flesh. He was used to sight of blood. But each day that passed only fueled the flames that burned inside of him. He memorized each white coated adult, he memorized each face. And once he was strong enough to break free, The golden-haired boy swore to drag the disgusting monsters to a fiery inferno even if it meant burning himself along with them.

Everyday, his nightmare continued. Today was no exception. He had been woken up with a bucket of cold water and dragged out of his cell. The experiments continued. The electricity surged through his body. The researchers watched him convulse and writhe in pain. Some even smiled in excitement.

Suddenly, the room became dark. The monotony he had memorized stopped for a moment. There was panic, cackles of lightning, and hoards of adults making their way out of the room in a hurry. The metal boxes and machinery had had gotten used to were pushed aside and shoved.

Metal corroded. Something exploded. The cycle was broken. The monotony had turned into chaos. He had been left in the middle of it. Even if he wanted to leave, to boy with blonde hair was still strapped to the machine. And the only thing he could do was stare at the scene and at a pair of dark but curious eyes that stared back at him.

An hour passed. The chaos had died down. A few researchers had come back for him and the other children, and proceeded to escort them out. They yanked him down from the machine and carried him to his cell. Strong hands threw him in with no regard for the rough concrete floor that scrapped against his skin. The white coats took his fetters and chained him to the wall. He was too weak to yell and he barely had any strength to prop himself up. But an odd smell wafted in the small dark space and the boy couldn’t help but look up.

His stomach churned and gurgled as his eyes were automatically riveted to the bowl that another researcher was waving in front of his face. Saliva started filling his mouth. How many days was it since he last ate? He had lost count. There was a pungent smell coming from the bowl. The food was probably rotten and stale. But he still lunged for it like a hungry predator and completely forgot that he was still chained to the wall.

’Thud!’

The chains snagged and he flopped to the floor painfully. The men simply laughed as they watched him. The adults dunked the contents of the bowl to the ground. Salamander panicked, his hand automatically reaching for the foul smelling chunks on the floor and shoving them in his mouth. He ignored the jeers the white coats were giving him and the taste of dirt in his mouth.

He coughed. He gagged. His throat was dry and parched. The men who looked at him spat at the floor before flashing a canteen that was filled with water. One of the researchers cruelly waved the bottle around and chuckled as the boy’s blue eyes followed the container’s every movement.

“Do you want this?” One of the men said with mock sincerity. He took the canteen from his co-workers hands and opened the lid. Sky blue eyes widened as the man tilted the container allowing the liquid to flow to the floor.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” The boy screamed, hands clawing at the moisture that was seeping into the cracks of the concrete. The men simply chortled, faces twisting in ugly ways. When they were satisfied, they turned away. Their distant laughter echoed in the distant hallways.

Once they left, his cell had turned silent. At that time, the floor glowed a faint blue and the moisture floated up from the ground forming a light blue orb. The ball of water slowly floated towards the boy who could only stare at dumbly at the spectacle.

“Cup your hands tightly,” a small voice instructed. He turned his head to the speaker, his eyes meeting a dark bottomless gaze that seemed to suck him in. There was a girl who appeared to be younger than him. The color of her hair reminded him of chocolates. Her feet were bare but she didn’t seem to affected by the rough concrete floor. When he still didn’t move, the little female took his chained hands and placed them together as the orb of liquid floated into his joined palms.

“Drink. Quickly,” she urged. Her eyes shifted from his face to a place in the distance, her gaze turning serious. “Someone’s coming.”

He looked at the water and greedily drank the liquid in his hand. He savored how the water felt cold against his throbbing throat. He took multiple sips and gulped down the water as fast as he can as he heard the footsteps approach. The moment he finished, a woman wearing a white coat passed by his cell without sparing a glance. The golden-haired boy could only blink as he realized he was alone in his cell.

The girl with brown hair was gone.

Michael’s eyes studied the little girl in front of him with a worried gaze. She had black circles under her eyes and an oddly lethargic look on her face. Aria yawned for the tenth time in the last hour and the young man couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Had trouble sleeping?”

Tired black eyes peered at him from above a hardbound book. Yesterday, she was reading ‘Arrays and Enchantments – A Theoretical Approach’ behind the ‘Basic Alchemy’ workbook. Today, it was ‘Talents – The Complete Compendium’.

The boy with light brown hair placed his head on his right hand. “How old are you, Aria?”

This time, the girl placed the book down on the table. Her eyes were still glued to the pages. Without looking at him, she showed him eight fingers. Michael Caelum’s lips quirked into a small smile.

“A famous scientist once said that ‘Quiet people have the loudest minds,’” Michael Caelum stated, his irregularly colored eyes glinting. His fingers drummed on the desk as he studied her expression. “You must be thinking of a lot of things, aren’t you.”

When she didn’t look up and pretended not to hear him, Michael continued. “Still waters run deep. The more you stay quiet, the more I know you’re contemplating something profound and interesting.”

“So?,” she replied with her eyes still staring at her book. It looked like she didn’t want to waste her breath on saying something that had more than one syllable.

“Do you understand those books? They seem difficult for an eight-year-old.”

The little female’s gaze was blank as she stared up at him. If only her eyebrows weren’t furrowed, then she would have looked pitiful and innocent. No words left her lips. But her gaze seemed to say, ‘I wouldn’t be reading it if I didn’t understand.’

“I thought about it,” he began with his voice oddly thoughtful, “-but an eight year old doesn’t really read very complicated books and doesn’t say complicated philosophical things about what a name could mean to other people.”

“Then maybe I’m not an eight year old.” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him with her lips pursed in a thin line. However, she only looked irresistibly adorable in Michael’s eyes and he had to resist the temptation to pinch her pink cheeks.

“You’re really cranky when you’re sleepy, aren’t you?” He remarked, still smiling. The way she pouted at him and ignored him told Michael the answer was ‘yes’.

Aria continued to read her book. The boy took a children’s book from one of the classroom’s shelves and read it in silence. As soon as the music ended, Michael took a glimpse at the girl and found that she had drifted off to sleep.

Her lips were slightly agape. Her shoulders were rising and falling with her every breath. The crease between her eyebrows had disappeared. Michael took a deep breath and lightly touched her cheek. His usually calm eyes turned worried. Although he was only sixteen years old, he was skilled enough to sense that the little girl had used a lot of energy. His senses were sharp and he had a feeling the female had done something. He just hoped it wasn’t something as life threatening as what he was imagining.

“What exactly were you doing last night that you would be as tired as this?” He whispered. His voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the classroom. The male held his breath. The even stomps were approaching the room and were getting louder with each passing second. The lock on the door opened with an audible click.

One of Elisium’s teachers went inside and scanned the room. The girl called 373 was sleeping. The phonograph was off. The only sound in the room was the sound of the little girl’s breathing. In her hands was an open picture book. There were no signs of complicated books. There was no sign that an amber haired boy was once there.

The boy called Michael Caelum had disappeared and the music had disappeared with him.

Night passed as all nights do and Elisium’s chimes heralded a day that 373 never really looked forward to because of one fact:

They had sparring today.

The little girl with black eyes didn’t really mind how the pairing for their sparring classes was. Although students were allowed to challenge peers who were more powerful than them, those who didn’t were matched with other children who had about the same level of power. The teachers always made sure that no students would suffer serious injuries so 373 had always faced someone average. Sometimes she would win. Sometimes she would choose to lose. What was important to her was that her rank stayed inconspicuous. She didn’t really care about who she was facing – she only cared about the rank she would end up at after the adult’s deliberation.

She expected to see the same today. Just like always, she retreated to a far off edge of the gigantic hall and opened a book. The space looked like an artificial football stadium complete with trimmed grass, goal posts, white lines and marble seating that enclosed the hall. The lighting above them shone brightly, almost like an artificial sun hung up above their heads.

373 was oblivious to her surroundings as she cracked open a notebook which contained a collection of notes about enchantments. Unknown to her, a boy with an big build had intentionally asked to be left out from the teacher’s match making. A sneer was on his round face. He occasionally sneaked glances at the small brown-haired female and laughed internally as 373 passed the time not knowing of the humiliation he was going to teach her.

Gabriel Fernandez was turning eleven this year and he was one of the top ten students in their class. He was recognized as one of the possible candidates for the Sanctuary. But whenever he competed with the other nine children who scored higher than him, he would always lose. And although most of the lower ranking children in their class feared him because of his big bulky body, the black eyed brat didn’t seem to care about his existence. The though alone made him irritated. That’s why he decided to put the girl with no name back into her place. Gabriel planned on using 373 as a stepping stone while pushing her down to the bottom of the class. Since the girl was just an average student, the plump boy was confident in his ability to embarrass the auburn -haired girl in front of everybody.

When 373’s number was called along with Gabriel’s name, hushed whispers filled the room. 373’s face darkened as her small black eyes narrowed into slits. On the other hand, the boy’s face lighted up and a proud grin was plastered on his face. Unfair was an understatement. In the eyes of the teachers 373 was in for a beating. Their teachers’ eyes widened at the pair and looked at the students who still hadn’t fought. As the two children slowly made their way to the center of the large space, the adults started searching their class lists for someone who could replace Gabriel Fernandez.

Unfortunately for them, Gabriel wasn’t planning on waiting. He charged at the small unsuspecting female even without their teacher’s go signal.

‘Fulcio!’ He shouted. The moment he did, the energy inside his body grew hot and strength seeped into his muscles. Every step he took became more powerful. The distance he traveled increased by a good amount. Gabriel covered the distance that separated him and 373 in four steps. And in a few breaths, he released a storm of punches towards the girl.

He considered himself an expert in fulcio. There was no one in the class who could rival him in his usage in the amplification spell. The more punches he threw towards the girl, the more his smile grew. The brat called 373 had beads of sweat dripping form her forehead. Although she dodged his attacks, 373 was only escaping his attacks by a hair’s breadth.

373 aimed a poorly constructed ignis at his chest. Gabriel ignored the unstable fire ball and leapt for her again with his fist heading straight for her small face. The ball of flame met with his chest and he ignored the heat the gnawed at his clothes. 373 crouched in an attempt to evade his attack. But her reaction was a few seconds too slow. His big fist struck her shoulder.

Her footing was already unsteady so the impact sent her falling down in an awkward manner. Her arm grazed the rough surface of the floor and an angry welt was forming on her porcelain-like skin. His mocking grin grew even wider as his cheeks flushed in excitement.

“Sorry. I can’t control my strength!” He declared, his voice dripping with arrogance. He looked down at the usually calm and silent girl. He expected to see her suffering expression, to see her teary-eyed and tired. However, her black eyes stared at him with a gaze that seemed to swallow him whole. And when he heard her voice for the first time, her tone gave him an unexplainable chill that permeated into his bones and gave him a foreboding sense of danger.

“You did this… just to feel good about yourself?” She whispered, her eyes never leaving his. “You did this… because you thought you could bully me?”

He stopped. Did the little girl just read his mind? His hesitation broke his concentration. The Fulcio spell that he was known for suddenly faded. It took him a few seconds before he realized that the amplification spell was wearing off and that his body was losing all its strength.

His expression become wretched as he panicked. He tried to cast fulcio again. Before he could, a palm struck him at his solar plexus and sent him flying backwards by a few feet. The hall became quiet. The girl who was ridiculously average turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing! Unlike the fulcio displayed, 373’s fulcio was concentrated to her palm and was more powerful than his. She said no incantations and not a single spell had fallen from her lips. At this moment, her lips moved. The audience thought that she was going to chant incantations. Instead, an unfeeling look was plastered on her face as she decided to utter two syllables.

“That’s it?”

“Shut up! I’ll beat you up! Fulcio! Fulcio!” Gabriel stood up as fast as he could with his face red with anger. He rushed at her in a frenzy while he yelled his favorite spell over and over again.

On the other hand, the girl he was facing calmly assumed a common fighting stance. Her right foot behind her left and both feet were a shoulder width apart. Both her hands were loosely clenched. Her guard was raised and she looked like an experienced martial artist. He growled at her, focused all his energy into one punch, and aimed for her head in hopes to knock her out with his punch.

His punch met with her small palm. With lithe and graceful movements, she guided his fist with a tug while she side step right beside his body. Her other hand was clenched tightly and was inches away from his face. Sparks crackled around her body. Her fist collided with his nose with an audible crack. Gabriel felt a thousand needles pricking his face. As he tumbled to the ground, the dust flew up before settling back down on the floor,

There roles were now reversed. The bully was looking up at his prey. The girl he thought he could oppress was staring down at him with a gaze that instilled fear into his very being. His body shook as he scurried backwards. The only word he could say was, “Monster!”

***

A few days later, and updated ranking was released. The students were all staring at the white sheet of paper intently as the adults posted it up on a cork board for all of them to see. 373 stared at the hordes of children crowding at the announcement. But as soon as her peers noticed her approaching, they all parted and made way for her which earned them a curious gaze from the black-eyed female. But as soon as she read the new ranking, she understood why they had reacted that way.

Her expression turned dark as she pursed her lips into a thin line.

In their class of 40, Gabriel Fernandez was demoted to rank 15. And she had replaced him in the top 10.