As a child, Bobby proclaimed to his father, "I would like to study really hard to become a professor like you, dad," His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and full of dreams.
His father proudly looked down at him and patted his head.
Those were his only memories before his trauma began.
One day, an evil organization kidnapped him to an underground secret area. They wore cloaks with an interesting drawing of an eye.
Alongside other kids, Bobby was imprisoned in a cell and starved.
Soon, a cloaked figure paced by the cell. Clanks of metal echoed loudly with his steps. In a robotic voice, he questioned, "So, which one of you is worthy of becoming my Number 3?" He gazed into the cell and revealed his dark metallic head. He bore a wide, wicked grin.
Next thing he remembered, Bobby was in a cell with another kid. They worked together to survive grueling trials. Tortures were a natural occurrence yet inhumanely cruel.
"No! Let me go," a kid begged and wailed.
In pitch black darkness, a cloaked figure held him up.
A trapdoor opened, and a bright fiery light shone through from underneath.
The cloaked figure dropped the kid into a pit of lava. "Another failure. A disgrace of my own," he noted.
Bobby winced and turned away. He could not bear the sound of a corpse burning, and he covered his ears.
Eventually, the kids had to defend themselves.
In a coliseum, a cloaked figure charged at them with his sword. He was fully intent on murdering them.
Bobby and his friend cowered, and they fought for their lives when they had no choice.
Figures in cloaks, with a unique design of an eye, watched over them and sneered.
Those days, underground, were filled with agonizing pain.
Trained to fight and survive, Bobby befriended the other kids, and they worked together in a rebellion.
"We must rely on our pure instinct to survive," Bobby declared.
The kids rallied with his words of encouragement. As a feat of Bobby's planning, they defeated the cloaked figures and escaped the sector they were held in.
An old, slouched cloaked figure stood in their way to the surface. He groaned with a raspy voice and queried, "What do you intend to do? Escape of my city is impossible!" In an instant, he transformed and massacred many of the kids.
Years later, Bobby and a few teenagers had survived all the experiments and trials. Enduring multiple procedures, they were fully trained to be leaders of an army.
With the experiments, Bobby opened his eyes and gained the ability to witness the final memories of the dead.
At the final examination, the teenagers were put to a final test. They simply had to kill each other.
The cloaked figures, proud of their subjects, chuckled with anticipation. "Let's commence," one of them exclaimed.
At first, the teenagers were fearful to kill each other. To live, they had to, so they braced themselves for what's to come. Steady and fast, they lunged at each other and performed killing blows.
At the end, Bobby and his friend were the last ones alive. They circled each other with their weapons.
"I really don't want to do this," Bobby murmured with sadness. His eyes were red, and his tears had dried up after a long fight.
"Neither do I," his friend muttered, and his face darkened with anxiety. He took a deep breath and nodded. He knew what needed to be done. In a turn of events, he lowered his weapon and guard.
"What are you doing," Bobby asked and raised an eyebrow.
"Ever since the beginning, you were always a step ahead of everyone. You will win this fight. I don't want to burden you with killing me, so... Hold onto all our dreams, my friend," he expressed, and he surrendered, ensuring his death.
Thus, Bobby, alone, was the last survivor, and he was victorious. Even so, he kneeled in defeat, and his vision was blurry. "I failed! I failed to save all of you," he wailed and grieved.
"Well done, my subject! In a week, you'll be my Commander Number 3," a mechanical cloaked figure congratulated and announced.
Bobby leaned back and stared at the cloaked figures in silence. His mouth hung open, and he breathed deeply.
On the next day, striboran soldiers stumbled into the underground bunker.
The vile cloaked figures acted quickly and disappeared into the shadows.
The soldiers discovered atrocious things.
Some of them were dismembered limbs, torture machines, and a disgusting environment.
"What is this place," a soldier questioned. It was Marcus, and he held a lantern ahead. His face wrinkled with revulsion.
"Look over here, brother," another soldier called out to him. It was Hubert. He had opened a door to a dirty room, and he looked inside.
Small monsters scurried by his feet and out the room.
Hubert shrieked and backed away.
Marcus carefully loomed closer to the risky room.
In it, Bobby, numb and depraved, laid on the ground.
"Are you alright," Marcus asked and approached. He kneeled next to him and lifted him up to a sitting position. He checked his pulse.
Expecting it to be the last time, Bobby slowly opened his eyes and turned to the two soldiers.
Hubert reached into his bag. He pulled out a piece of bread and offered, "Here. Eat."
Bobby weakly reached for the food. He grasped it and aggressively ate.
"We're soldiers. I'm Marcus, and he is my brother, Hubert," Marcus introduced. He helped Bobby stand up and urged, "Come on! Let's get you out of here."
Together, Marcus, Hubert, and Bobby ventured outside the underground.
As the sun gleamed on them, Bobby's eyes opened wide. The grass prickled his feet, and the fresh air breeze blew on his body. It revitalized him.
"You're filled with cuts and bruises! What did you go through in there," Hubert realized and concerningly sought to know.
"I'm out. That's all that matters," Bobby remarked, and he had a faint smile. He pushed off Marcus and slowly stepped forward.
Marcus furrowed his eyebrows with worry. "How are you even walking in that state," he questioned.
Bobby stared at the green landscape and blue sky. "I'm free," he blurted out and gazed around. He had a new goal. "I'm going to experience the rest of this free outside world. I'll stop the ones who kidnapped me and made me miss this." He looked back at Marcus and Hubert with determination.
Hubert and Marcus exchanged looks.
"Well, it's not exactly free, yet. There's a lot of war," Hubert pointed out. He walked closer and elaborated, "There's a worldwide war where Stribora seeks to unify the continent."
Bobby became serious and looked down. He twisted the grass by curling his toes. "There may not be peace, but this land is so beautiful. We must protect it," he proclaimed.
Marcus smiled and affirmed. "How about you join us back to The Capital? It's the safest place in our homeland," he suggested.
"My homeland? Can I have a home," Bobby asked. He looked at his dirty palms. Tears fell down his face and landed on his hands. Seeing nowhere else to go, he obliged, "Alright. Let's go."