August 31, 2104

Union of Magical Research and Development Headquarters New York City

Alice was sitting in her anti-magic cell restrained with enchanted chains limiting her movement and the same screen that was used to show her the world and educate her. The same thing for the past 33 years her mobility restricted the same tests, the same needles keeping her alive with nutrient-rich IV’s and the same damn physiological conditioning.

Every day, every second she saw wars, death and imagines of torture that felt all too real. Her fake happy life with her family parents, siblings and sometimes pets being played out and what seemed for years. All to be suddenly ended in death, betrayal, and tragedy.

All these were made to make her cold, emotionless and heartless; it had succeeded for a time before she fully gained a body. But the doctors didn’t realize and didn’t bother to stop, and after years she went mad seeing these images displayed. Viewing them as normal to cope with her situation even talking to herself to get over the years of isolation.

She had been through countless surgeries and rituals in the effort to make her the perfect weapon. She ended up just that uncaring slaughterer most controlled fights against monsters, machines and people were won but at the cost of her seeing all life as nothing and worthless even her own.

She only thought “Why me, why won't they end it, why is it so terrifying, why am I suffering, why is it so fun, why do I love it, why do I hate it, why won’t they die, why won't they let me die, why, why, why Why, WHY, WHY, WHY!, WHY!!, WHY!!!!!!!!.”

“Why do I want to live and die.”

The same thoughts for years all her attempts at ending it were stopped or failed for years nothing changed; madness grew a destroying her slowly. One thing kept her from shattering an immense and straightforward goal destroy this world and end everything in it including herself.

“Walker, Thompson and the rest of you bastards in this fuckin hell hole are all going to die begging me to end it just like me now. Even you damned gods I’ll rip out your hearts and eat them… wait do gods have hearts and what does a heart taste like. Wait what does food even taste like…”

“Should I eat mine and find out…”

“No bad Alice you need that take one of the guards when they come in.”

“Don’t wanna, I want mine not one of those smelly things.”

“No take one of theirs and be done with it besides killing them was so much fun wasn’t it.”

“Hahahaha you're right Alice it was so much fun watching them run after killing a few when they thought we were restrained. Let's do it today to payback for shooting me last time and killing our parents for the millionth time. I liked those parents they had such a cute cat.”

“No that's wrong we shouldn’t kill them the guards are sometimes nice and turn off the conditioning. One of the guards was so nice he spoke to us I'm sorry guard, I'm sorry, *sob sob*.”

“Quiet Alice they only turn it off when they get tired of us screaming and sometimes they just turn up the intensity and close the blast door cause they were annoyed. And another thing that ass hole only ever screamed "shut the flying fuck up or I'll put a bullet in you” he had it coming like the rest of them.”

“But *sniff* no had talked to us in two years *sniff*.”

“Now, now you guys calm down we're all in the same head and should get along and focus on what's important.”

“What?”

“Do gods have hearts, can we rip them out and eat them, and what do they taste like.”

“Oh I forgot but we should be thinking about what does food taste like we were taught recipes and how to cook but we've never even seen solid food before. That's more important.”

“NO GOD HEARTS!!!”

“THE TASTE OF FOOD!!! Like does all food taste same, is there a good taste and bad tas-”

“OF COURSE THERE IS YOU FUCKIN MORON WE READ ABOUT IT!”

“WELL SCREW YOU TO!”

“Wait *sniff* don’t fight….”

“YOU WANNA GO BITCH!”

“FINE BY ME LET’S-”

“WAIT!!!!!”

““WHAT!!!!””

“I have a better question can you cook a god's heart.”

“......”

“Shit this is why you were always the smart one Alice.”

“Thanks, Alice and you should try not to make Alice cry so much it’s mean.”

“Fiiiinnnneeeee.”

“Also apologize to her.”

“....”

“Alice...”

“Don't wanna.”

“Do it.”

“Fuck you no.”

“Language young lady.”

“Bull shit we're 33.”

“But our body is 10, and we probably look even younger not appropriate.”

“God”

“Can we eat your heart.”

“....I hate you….”

Just outside Alice's room.

A guard walking down the hall waved to another “Yo Jason been a while didn’t know you were stuck watching the basket case since old guys died yesterday.”

The bored looking guard looked happy to have a distraction responded “Ya Rob I was assigned here this morning just listening to girl rant, and rave is depressing, and those screams are going to haunt me for a while. Makes you wanna help the poor thing.”

Rob just nodded and said “I know what you mean but be careful with what you say don't show any sympathy towards the girl and never interact with her. That's why this post is at the bottom of the barrel it's boring and depressing all the while you're being watched and recorded by the director himself. Another comment like that and you'll find yourself on the next dungeon expedition, and it won’t be a passive one either probably one of those death traps in South America or the Pacific.”

Jason’s eyes widened “For Christ sake why the hell has no one told me this shit. I’m a step away from signing my death warrant in here I need to transfer out of here. I don’t give a shit if we're in headquarters piss of the director you might as well shot your self then and there.”

Rob smiled and said, “Don't worry the post might not be needed anymore after today, I came down here to meet Dr. Thompson and prep the girl for real combat trials none of the controlled stuff up until now.”

Jason only smiled and thought “Thank god.”

A few minutes later Dr. Thompson arrived; an average looking man in his mid 50’s with brown hair that was starting to gray and a small beard with no other distinguishing features. He began the work of preparing Alice for combat, done through machines. It was very rare for scientists to go into Alice's room. In fact, the last time anyone was the before the guard incident was almost six years ago when the machines were first being installed."

The only reason why the guards were in even in there was to repair malfunctioning equipment that couldn’t come down for maintenance. Preparations were beyond complicated and dangerous the amount of physical and mental restraints were staggering. Each with a rune that cost enough to feed three families for 50 years if not longer.

Thompson had been working for 4 hours to put on the restraints due to the delicacy of the operation and Alice's resistance to them. But even to him, it was understandable most were extremely painful with some forcefully sucking out mana, stamina, some even with the ability to suck her very life force if activated. These combined were enough to kill a person outright let alone restrain them. But it only gave them enough control stop her from killing too many people if she went berserk.

Though the most horrifying part of this of this process was the Dr. Walker himself decided to oversee the preparations even being a mage of substantial strength himself Thompson could only pray he wouldn’t anger the man.

Dr. Walker was almost 89 years old but used his monstrous mana to keep himself looking young. He looked like he was in his early 30’s at most, he had sharp green eyes that seem to glow, dirty blond hair and was 5’7” with an impressive build that made it look he was always ready to fight. He was born in Queens, New York and joined the UMRD just as it was forming with near obsession after having seen the world destroyed he only wishes to save mankind no matter cost. He was the one created the small artificial girl from dungeon cores.

Thompson almost stopped breathing when Walker began to talk "It's been awhile since I’ve come down here in person. It stinks of that abomination if she wasn’t the hope of humanity I would have killed her a long time ago.” Thompson was shocked he always thought the director cherished the girl even if not as a person but as an important test subject. Even if she was created to see just how much they could put her through before she died, it was still surprising. But now he could almost see the venom coming out of Walker's mouth with each word he spoke.

Before Thompson could even gather his senses, Walker continued "Even the way she looks is like a damned monster, it’s pure white except for those disgusting eyes that sucked every color of beauty from the world. Talking herself like she's at a party even her mind is like a fuckin monster.”

Thompson only thought “That was all you're doing Walker you broke her mind and no one else. You ignored all our protests and had my first team killed. You only have yourself blame for this even I'm ashamed to see “HER” like this, but all we can do is move forward.”

Thompson then turned and spoke, “All the restraints are in place sir, but due to the recent surgery on the subjects regeneration she has gained an even stronger tolerance to most of our drugs and mental spells are still ineffective sir.”

Walker didn’t look at him and just asked: “You mentioned she could regenerate from low caliber sniper rounds to the head the only side effect was her going unconscious how long does she stay out of it.”

Thompson paled and answered, “The shortest time was 17 hours with the longest being 25 sir.”

Walker then indifferently said, “Good it will take 14 hours to the target area in Caelum safely we will have plenty of time. So shoot her Dr. Thompson.”

Thompson was shocked two fold the first being the order to have such an important subject shot merely to move it and second they were going to Caelum. He assumed the combat test would be on monsters just outside New York not on Caelum where only people lived.

He then spoke, “Sir with all due respect are you sure that is wise in Caelum she could-”

Walker cut him off and plainly stated “We have intel saying the cultists are planning a major attack on one of the city's lift generators. The cultists almost worship the subject for being born from cores and will be shocked to see it coming to slaughter them. She will then be restrained and brought back here, now Dr. Thompson do not make me repeat myself shoot it and load it on the transport.”

He could only respond with two words “Yes sir.”

Alice was waiting still with her portable restraints on gritting her teeth and ignoring the pain they caused. Her voices were quiet now which only meant something terrible was about to happen.

She only smiled and softly said, “Come on then will see how many I can take with me this time hahaha looks like I will get a heart today.”

The doors began to open, and all she could do was start to giggle when she saw the bastard Thompson and yelled out “Well if it isn’t everyone's favorite doctor come closer so I can tear your throat out with my teeth.” At this point, she was laughing hysterically a laugh full of hatred for all things the world, its people, and even herself.

That made everyone freeze to them she looked like she was only a child. It was even worse for Thompson who could only think that all he succeeded in doing was breaking a child younger than his own daughter. He didn’t speak he couldn’t all he did was raise his hand signaling a guard to ready his rifle.

Alice smiled wider and wider laughing with madness that only accumulated as her isolation went on, she thought they were going to finally kill her.*Drip*

“What the hell why am crying there going to kill me?”

“No I want to live I don't want to die I want to go outside want to have real food I want to see the sky!”

“Shut up it’s going to end, our time in hell is about to end I won’t let you fuck this up for us. Yo dumb ass with the gun hurry the fuck up before Alice ruins it for us.”

“No please I want to see the sun, I want to see trees, I want to try to eat real food, I want to be free of pain, I want-”

“SHUT UP DAMMIT THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO END IT! WE WILL BE FREE COME ON PULL THE TRIG-”

“NO ALICE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT SHE'S SAYING PLEASE EVEN FOR A SECOND WE WANT TO BE FREE!!!!”

At this sight, the guards, scientists of Project Alpha, Thompson even Walker were all taken aback. They knew she lost it for some time, but this went beyond even Walkers expectations. Alice was isolated from everyone since she gained a fully formed body ten years ago and by then she had already snapped. No one was allowed to see her without her being heavily sedated. It was the first time all of them had more than a glimpse at the real Alice, and it was horrifying. A child that could only be considered adorable this insane was terrifying.

The guards and simply didn’t have the heart to pull the trigger or more accurately they didn’t know which was the greater mercy killing her or letting her live.

The Project Alpha Team and Thompson just felt the full weight of what they had done to a once innocent girl some seeing their children and imagining them in this situation. Regret and self-hatred were on all there faces without exception even if she was born from dungeon cores she was still a child in their eyes. But there was, even more, fear for what they had to do to the future soldiers they would create after Alice.

Walker hesitated for the first time decades at the sight of a child arguing with herself on whether to live or die. He then looked into her eyes again remembering she wasn't human only a monster could have those damned eyes.

He had lost everything in the first years of the war even though New York and many other states weren’t targeted there were still incidents in his case he watched his family die in front him. The loss of his parents, little brother, and sister was what awakened his powers as a mage. And even then he again watched powerlessly as his wife was killed at the hands of a monster.

He would never forgive or forget what happened and those dungeons and everything born from them must be destroyed or used to kill dungeons. He regained his resolve grabbed the rifle from the guard aimed.

Alice saw this and screamed, “WALKER DON'T DO IT, NO DO IT, I WANT TO LIVE, DIE!”

He only sighed and then *bang* knocking Alice out with a near-fatal headshot everyone was stunned at the sudden event but a glance from Walker made everyone move again. Even if they were questioning everything, they worked for.

Alice was not treated, simply because there was no need and was only moved to a transport ship and headed to Caelum all those present had seen Alice's display quietly sat questioning what Alice was, who they were, what had they done and what they should do.