ARCEUS'S POV
I rose from the bed as soon as I was certain everyone had fallen into a deep sleep. With cautious movements, I opened the door and slipped into the hallway, closing it behind me with a barely audible click.
The darkness enveloped me as I moved forward, deliberately avoiding the stairs I knew too well for their treacherous creaks. My heart pounded heavily against my chest as I glided like a shadow through the silent corridors of the orphanage.
When I finally reached the library, a sliver of light filtered from beneath the door. I entered quickly and shut it, making sure to make no noise. The scent of old parchment and dust flooded my senses.
Cassie was there, seated at one of the worn oak tables, an open book before her and a small oil lamp casting dancing shadows across her porcelain face. Her eyes, two deep lakes, locked onto me as she sensed my presence.
She stood with a fluid motion, the faint light outlining her silhouette against the shelves brimming with forbidden knowledge.
—You didn't back out —she murmured, a hint of admiration in her voice—. Good. Everyone else is asleep. Emilia went to bed a few minutes ago. So now we can talk freely.
I pressed my lips together, letting my mind process that information. Emilia, huh. It seemed Cassie had already uncovered the truth on her own.
—I know —I replied calmly, mentally preparing for the interrogation that would determine if she could place her trust in me—. I don't know where to start. What do you want to know? —I watched her intently before giving a slight shrug.
—I need to make sure my theories about you are correct —she explained cautiously—. And if you really know what I think you know, I want you to understand you're not alone. If you agree, we could even work together.
Cassie hesitated for a moment as I brushed my lower lip, pensive. It was clear she had been observing me for a long time, analyzing every gesture, and from what she'd just said, she had almost pieced it all together perfectly.
The only detail she hadn't mentioned, the one she could never have guessed, was my reincarnation. A secret I kept buried deep within me.
—Work together? How? —I asked, crossing my arms over my chest—. Actually, first, what do you think I know?
It was the most critical topic we needed to address before anything else.
—I'm supposed to be the one asking questions here —Cassie huffed, and I could sense the tension gripping her body.
I tilted my head, trying to gauge her mood. Her face was marked by worry and fear, the shadows under her eyes betraying her tears.
—You know what's on the other side of that door —she continued, her voice trembling—. You know what this place really is. And what we were born for. That's why you've been so strange since you arrived. That's why, every time someone is "adopted," you've never seemed genuinely happy for them.
Her words spilled out in a rush, like a river bursting through years of restraint. And each one hit its mark with painful clarity.
—There was always hesitation and sadness in your eyes —she went on, her voice breaking—. Maybe you think you're a good actor, Arceus, but it's pretty obvious when you act so strange.
She had offered subtle but sufficient clues so that, if her theory was correct, I would grasp the deeper meaning of her words. Cassie had been cautious even when she already held most of the answers. I let out a sigh, weighing how much I should reveal.
—This place is like a cage —I murmured finally, feeling each word burn my throat—. No, it is a cage. They feed us well, and everything goes according to plan. When we wake up, when we go to bed, everything. We're nothing but livestock waiting to be slaughtered.
Cassie shuddered like a lone leaf battered by the wind. She sobbed and then lifted her face. She seemed to have calmed slightly, but her reddened eyes and nose betrayed her inner torment.
—They're killing them and… —she whispered, casting nervous glances around, as if the walls had ears—. Good. We're on the same page —she added finally, with a sigh that seemed to release some of the tension built up in her shoulders.
—All this… it's probably to maintain our quality of life as merchandise —I commented with bitter irony—. After all, we probably wouldn't taste as good if we weren't healthy or were malnourished.
A shiver ran through her body at my blunt remark, but she nodded in agreement.
—And what about the daily exams? —she asked with genuine confusion—. Emilia encourages us to learn, but what's the point if they're going to eat us?
I furrowed my brow deeply at that question, which had also tormented me.
In fact, if we were mere livestock, they shouldn't care about our education.
At first, I thought educating us must seem almost dangerous to those monsters.
The meat won't taste better if we get good grades, will it?
Everything pointed to age and scores being related to the "level" of the merchandise.
Though Cassie was partly right, it wasn't the conclusion I had reached after years of meticulous investigation.
—If I remember correctly —I said slowly—, those who were sent were between seven and fourteen years old. And if seven years is the norm, then…
I left the sentence unfinished, giving Cassie the chance to complete the reasoning herself.
Horror spread across her face as she covered her mouth with a trembling hand, her eyes wide with fear as she grasped the terrible truth.
—So, basically, our shipment was determined by our scores? —she murmured, staring at the floor with helplessness—. I still don't get it. Why do they rank us by scores?
—Could it be the size of our bodies? —I suggested, though I immediately shook my head.
No… thinking about it, that can't be. In that case, they'd care more about our body mass.
Cassie's eyes widened sharply, as if struck by a bolt of terrifying clarity.
—Brain size —she uttered each syllable as if it were a sentence.
—Huh? —My face hardened, and every muscle in my body tensed.
We both fell into a deathly silence, lost in our reflections. Yes, that was the answer that fit all the pieces of the macabre puzzle.
It was said that the human brain was 90% developed by around seven years old. Other studies claimed it was fully developed by thirteen.
—It's just a theory for now —I murmured, trying to stay calm.
—Alright —she replied, her gaze turning piercing—. Now tell me, what did you see outside the orphanage?
A wrenching howl erupted from her throat, a sound so primal and visceral it seemed to tear the very fabric of the air. Cassie crumbled before my eyes, shaken by sobs that rose from the depths of her soul.
Though we were barely a step apart, an abyss of indecipherable emotions stretched between us.
—What's wrong? —I asked, feeling a dull anger beginning to simmer in my gut.
The room itself seemed to weep with Cassie as her muffled moans filled the air heavy with secrets. It wasn't her pain that fueled my growing fury… it was the injustice of our fate.
—Do you remember the door we found when we were kids? —she managed to articulate.
—Yes.
Cassie took a moment to respond, struggling to regain control of her voice.
—Well, beyond that door… there's a tunnel that leads to a pit.
—A pit? —I repeated, confused.
—A pit that leads to the surface, to the outside world —she revealed, watching as my eyes lit up with a spark of hope.
I stood frozen, stunned by the magnitude of that revelation that changed everything.
A suffocating knot blocked my throat, preventing me from uttering words of comfort that, in truth, didn't exist. So I did the only thing I could: offer her hope.
—Let's run, Cassie —I said with determination—. We have to get out of here.
She remained silent, weighing my words.
—I don't know what the outside world is like —I continued—, but we have no other choice if we want to survive. Everything will be fine, we'll manage to escape. If it's you and me, surely…
—Do you think it's possible to bring them with us? —she interrupted, her voice barely a whisper.
The silence that followed was more eloquent than any response.
—If we leave them here… —she continued, with renewed intensity—. They'll end up like that! Without a doubt! We can't leave them behind. I don't want anyone else to die!
Tears streamed freely down her flushed cheeks, clouding her vision. Her small frame visibly shrank as her shoulders trembled; she struggled to breathe as the torrent of emotions continued to pour out of her.
Can you really think it's possible to take them all?
—Are you joking, right? —I replied with an icy voice—. Cassie, look… We can't do it.
The cruel reality was undeniable. There was simply no way to escape that hell with all the children.