Children of Elisium
Chapter 3: Who are You?

It started with a gash on her arm.

Michael knew that the children in Elisium had sparring matches and that small accidents usually happened when students got too excited. But a few days later, Aria had numerous black patches on her legs. Yesterday, there were remnants of a burn mark on her hand. Today, someone had decided to hit her on the face.

There was a layer of medical gauze on her cheek. Every now and then, her hand would unconsciously come up to the bandage and massage the area around it with an ice spell on her fingertips. The white cloth was starting to turn a light shade of pink. The wound was fresh and blood was seeping into the bandage.

“It happens when we practice,” she explained. 373 felt that Michael was staring at her face too much so she decided to tell him the origin of her wound.

Michael gave the little female a worried glance. “Are the other children bullying you?”

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. The young man didn’t know if she was affirming his conjecture with her silence or if Aria just didn’t want to answer him. Still, he was alarmed by the gash on her right cheek. If it was deep enough and was left untreated, it was going to scar.

“Did your opponent really need to go for your face?”

The girl’s lips pursed into a thin line and her expression became serious, almost as if she was recalling what had happened during their sparring practice. “If I didn’t let him... the teachers’ wouldn’t have stopped the fight.”

His eyes widened as he slowly digested what the girl had said. “You let him hit you?”

She didn’t move from her seat but slowly nodded in response.

“What happened?” Michael Caelum asked, his voice filled with concern.

“I…,” she began before shaking her head. “-was careless.”

Careless? In the few days he was with her, he understood her personality. She wasn’t rash. She was someone who preferred to stew in her anger or expressed it by pouting or sending him glares that were ineffective since they made her look cute instead of intimidating. She had a deep and profound thinking that was beyond the mindset of an eight-year-old. He could describe her in a million words, but he could never call her careless.

“Why?”

The small female shook her head and said nothing. She chose to immerse herself in “A book of Pentagrams and Formations.”

“Doesn’t it hurt?” Michael couldn’t stop himself from worrying. “Aria. Are you okay?”

He thought that she wasn’t going to reply. But he managed to catch a few muffled words leaving her lips.

“It’s... manageable.”

Michael felt a twinge in his chest. The more he though about the pain the little female was going through, the more his heart ached. His hand slowly reached out to her wound. When the girl saw him reaching out to her injury, her black orbs turned icy as her body visibly stiffened.

Michael sighed as his expression turned serious. “Can you trust me for a few seconds?”

A frown appeared on her small face but she nodded twice in affirmation.

“Don’t move,” he whispered. His fingers inched toward the white cloth and gently removed it from her face. He turned grave as he studied the gash on her face. The wound wasn’t shallow and the area around it was swollen. Michael Caelum realized that the ice spell 373 used had brought the swelling down. His admiration for the small girl grew. Yet at the same time, his concern for her increased a hundred-fold.

His fingers hovered over her cheek and the black eyes that stared at him intently closed as she flinched. She trembled slightly as she waited for him to make his next move. Michael felt the pain in his chest grow stronger at the sight of her suffering.

He gathered his energy to the tips of his fingers and whispered, “Reparo.”

A small white glow was emitted from his fingertips and covered the gash on her right cheek. The swelling around her cheek slowly disappeared as the wound closed and was replaced by pink flesh. Once the spell ended, the male checked his work and nodded.

“I’m not that good a spell caster so the patch of skin is still very tender and will easily scar,” He explained as he examined her cheek. “Wear the gauze until a few days just to be sure. Make sure to stay safe, okay?”

He cast a glance at her, expecting to see her eyes closed shut. Instead, her black irises stared back at him with a cold and vicious glint. The girl quickly retreated from his hand and stood up from her seat.

“That spell... is an Intermediate-rank spell that isn’t taught in Elisium,” she said, her voice laced with suspicion. “The teachers aren’t capable of casting it.”

The words that she said made Michael freeze. Her eyes reflected confusion, doubt and caution. The girl’s small body tensed as she slowly took a step away from. With every movement she made, Michael knew the trust he had built up was crumbling into dust.

“You’re not from here.” The child’s voice held an accusatory tone. Her eyes bore into him, questioning him, probing him for the truth.

“Who are you?”

The boy with amber hair felt a foreign sensation wash over him. It was as if someone was trying to look inside his head. He stared at the female in front of him in shock. Before he could think, he said something that only made things worse.

“You’ve awakened your Talent?”

Her eyes widened and suddenly became alert. “How did you know...?

“Aria-,” It was only when the words were out of his mouth that he realized he had revealed something he shouldn’t have. The girl’s guarded expression turned into one of panic. But in a split second, panic turned into caution. She no longer regarded him as a friend. Her eyes could see nothing but an enemy in front of her. She gritted teeth.

“Stay away.”

She took a step back, static dancing on her body. Energy circulating in her blood stream. Her muscles were tense, like a tiger prepared to pounce. When he didn’t move, she darted forward and went around him. In a blink of an eye, she had almost reached the door.

Michael didn’t waste a second. With a step, he cast a spell.

“Adicio.”

His body faded and appeared right behind her. No matter how keen 373’s senses were, she wasn’t able to react on time. Before she could take another step, Michael held her arm firmly in his hand.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said. His upbeat voice was soft as tried to calm her down.

Indignation filled the female’s dark orbs. She seethed. “You’re lying...”

“I’m not. You know I’m not.” He placed her small hand on his chest. His heart was beating loudly that even he could hear the irregular beat echoing in his ears. “If you use your Talent, you would know I’m not lying to you. I have no reason to lie to you, Aria.”

A flash of hesitation appeared in her eyes. But in a moment, hesitation turned into confusion. 373 stared at him like a child would at a stranger: her gaze was filled with curiosity, yet at the same time her eyes reflected a sharp vigilance that showed how she couldn’t trust him in the least.

While her gaze tried to strip his secrets away from him, Michael could also feel something prodding at his thoughts. Michael Caelum sensed something peeking at his mind and with a deep breath, he emptied his head.

“I can’t tell you everything. And I don’t know everything you might want to know,” He began. When he saw her frown deepen, he released a sigh before he continued, “The more you know, the more danger you’ll face in the future. Just know that I will do all that I can to protect you.”

She muttered a single syllable. “Why.”

Michael blinked. “That’s-”

Before the youth could finish, footsteps echoed in the hallway outside of the classroom. Both of their gazes fell on the doors.

“Tomorrow,” He whispered. He placed a finger on her lips and let her hand go. His eyes pleaded with hers and Michael could only pray that the little girl could feel the sincerity in his words. He gathered his energy around his body and visualized the place he wanted to go to.

He felt a unique connection between him and the place in his thoughts. As the energy wrapped around him, he cast adicio and disappeared.

The scenery around Michael Caelum changed. He was no longer in a classroom, no longer facing the small girl with deep dark orbs that threatened to suck him in. Instead, he was in a small bedroom that had a single cabinet, a small desk with a lonely yellow orchid in a pot, a wooden chair, a small plain cot that was lined beside the wall, and a blue rimmed clock that hung on the bare wall. There were two doors : one for the bathroom and the other which led to a maze of hallways and rooms.

His eyes found a single piece of paper on his rather empty desk. He skimmed the contents on the sheet and his eyes slowly widened. The words were written in familiar handwriting: handwriting he hadn’t seen in a while. Without wasting a single second, Michael took a white coat from the cabinet and navigated through the interconnecting paths towards the place written on the paper. His face was full of composure. His vibrant eyes instantly turned dull. His expression turned serious.

Just like the adults that passed through the halls, Michael Caelum was an ordinary cog in the wheel of Elisium. He looked like someone on the way to his work assignment as per usual. No one could have guessed that he had broken at least a dozen rules just to see the child called 373. He made his way to a room that had no windows. Inside, a woman met him with a look of worry. She had the same amber-colored hair as him that complemented a pair of jadeite green eyes.

Michael gave her a smile. “Mom.”

Maria Caelum placed her hands on her hips. The 40 year old single mother’s lips twitched as she raised an eyebrow. “Are you actually sneaking out to see a girl, Michael?”

He massaged his temples and spoke with a stern and flat tone. “Mom...”

“I haven’t seen you for a year and the only thing you say to me is ‘Mom’”, she muttered under her breath. When he didn’t say anything she shook her head, her shoulder-length hair fluttering as she moved. “I used to play hide and seek with your father back when we were dating. You don’t have to make it sound like it’s worthy of a criminal offense.”

Michael didn’t reply at the mention of the father he had never met. Maria Caelum sighed in an exaggerated manner.

“I’m only teasing you, son. Stop giving me the silent treatment.” She blinked in a cute way and stared at him with wide eyes that seemed to glitter. “Pretty please?”

Michael took a few steps so that he could stand beside her. He was a head taller than his mother so when he looked at her, Michael had to tilt his head down. But his height didn’t faze the woman before him. Dark green quartz-like eyes stared at him with love and happiness. But when her gaze fell on something deep within the room, her orbs turned dark.

“You’re probably wondering why they called me back after all this time, aren’t you?”

Michael nodded and stared at the object his mother was looking at. In the center of the spacious room was a single imposing glass tube that was big enough to store an adult human. Around it was an assortment of display panels, wires, buttons and monolithic computers. The container was empty and the rest of the equipment in the room was also turned off. Although there was barely any dust on the surface of the machinery, they had been left in the room unused.

“Three years,” Maria Caelum said. There were lines on her face and she seemed to age a decade as she recalled the reason why she was back in Elisium. “The investigation took three whole years and yet it’s going nowhere.

It’s weird, isn’t it? The child the Great Apothecary had kept here in suspended animation suddenly disappeared and all the data, all her traces just suddenly disappeared. No fingerprints, no security camera footage. Nothing.”

The shadows on her face deepened as she continued to speak. “Not just that, every single personnel that was here at that time had forgotten her. No one knows how she looks like. No one knows her name. It’s almost as if that girl never existed.

And now, they want me back because during that time, I was one of the lead researchers here in Elisium. The Apothecary personally asked me to come back even when I don’t really enjoy looking at what they do to the children,” Maria Caelum walked towards the center of the room and traced the surface of the glass tube with her fingers. A grimace graced her delicate lips. “-but here I am. Apparently I can assist with the procedures down at the operating theater whenever I have time so at least I can keep myself busy. Needless to say, I’m stuck in a rather distasteful rut.”

“Are you sure he called you here to help?” The young male asked, his voice carrying a bit of suspicion and unease.

His mother shrugged as she turned to face him, her expression gloomy. “No one knows what the five normal-looking Magno Deorum are thinking. I doubt anyone would know what goes on in the most eccentric Magno Deorum’s head.”

Michael took a deep breath which ended up sounding like a hiss.

Magno Deorum.

It was a title that was given to six of the most talented and most powerful figures in the realm of Alchemy and Magic. The Magno Deorum each held a seat in the Ministry of Alchemy and Mystic’s High Council and each controlled their own divisions. Elisium was built by Silas Fidi. Among the six Magno Deorum, he was the Great Apothecary - the man who stood at the pinnacle of Alchemy and Alchemic research. More than a hundred of laboratories all around the world were under his name and operated for the sake of his division’s research. But his skill in spells were still worlds beyond that of an ordinary spell-caster.

The things they were doing in the Apothecary’s man-made paradise was something that went against the Laws of Nature and the Laws of Alchemy. Many researchers and spell casters under the Great Apothecary had once questioned whether they were doing something the High Council wasn’t aware of. The numerous brave souls that questioned Silas Fidi’s authority were either disposed of or turned into lab rats that had long since perished inside Elisium. Those who remained were either fearful of the Great Apothecary’s power or had lost their humanity long ago and were as deranged as Silas Fidi whom they worshiped like a god.

And no matter how much Michael Caelum’s mother pretended to hate Elisum, Maria Caelum was undoubtedly one of the many people that worshiped the Great Apothecary.

She was also one of the few people Silas Fidi trusted.

A long beep broke Michael’s train of thought. The door behind him opened. An unimaginable pressure rushed inside the room. The bright haired male felt like an unseen mountain had landed on his shoulders and was pushing him down. He hung his head and didn’t dare turn.

He took a glance on his mother. Maria Caelum had a serious expression on her face and beads of sweat were pouring on her small face. Her eyes were down cast as she gave the visitor a respectful bow. Although her face showed no signs of admiration, her voice was filled with respect as she spoke.

“Great Apothecary.”

Michael Caelum didn’t bow but kept his eyes glued to the floor. Pristine black leather shoes and spotless white slacks invaded his field of vision. Before he could take a step back, orange upturned eyes stared down at him and sent shivers running though his body.

The Great Apothecary’s sharp nose almost touched Michael’s face. But the other party didn’t seem to mind. The man who stood before the teenage boy had sunken cheeks and thin lips. His eyebrows and hair were dyed in a bloody shade of red. Even without his domineering aura, the Great Apothecary was a tall man who towered above most people.

Silas Fidi took a step back and bent so that his face was almost touching Michael’s chest. The action was sudden and Michael froze on the spot. The young male heard the other man take a long sniff before flashing him a blank look.

“Your coat smells freshly ironed.” The man remarked. Without further ado, the eccentric man turned on his heel and headed for the exit. His shoes clacked against the tiled floor before the sound stopped as he halted in his steps. Without turning, the Great Apothecary spoke. His voice was flat, almost lifeless. “Welcome back, Maria. Try not to mess up.”

The door opened before swiftly closing. The atmosphere between Michael and his mother turned sour. The silence was stifling. After releasing a long breath, Maria Caelum tugged at his arm as her green orbs locked on to his eyes.

“Let’s go grab dinner, shall we?”

Michael released a sigh of his own before nodding. “I’ll catch up to you in a while.”

His mother flashed him a small smile before quickly making her way out of the room. Michael Caelum turned to the tube in the middle of the room. His reflection stared back at him as he placed a hand on the cold glass. The young man recalled the Great Apothecary’s words and every action, his handsome features turning dark. His eyes lost their warmth as he clenched his hands into fists.

Silas Fidi. Magno Deorum. The Great Apothecary.

This fake paradise was erected because of him.

Would it also disappear once he died?