Vestige Chapter 1 - The Truth

When I came to, I stood in a field of endless greens. My face was burning and my eyes were pierced in sunlight. Nothing, say of grass, was visible yet a great orange tree stood in front of me. Above it, the clouds parted and the heavens opened up. The sun itself came down bearing its child, a humanoid creature with a face of porous blue crystal. It lacked eyes, nose, and ears yet looked at me. It descended to the ground and confronted me.

North merged into the south and east into the west. I stumbled back, as my equilibrium failed me. My eyes blurred as the organism entered my vision. Throbbing, my head felt as if it were being constantly scratched. As the creature came closer and closer, it faded into shades of blue and black. Finally, my eyes gave in and went dark.

Silence and serenity greet me as I awake. Around me, my brothers and sisters are still asleep in their bunks. I lay in my bed until dawn's light shines down upon me in brilliance. The others of the orphanage awake and begin their daily routines. I join them and stroll down the main hall.

"Good morning, Lulu! Isn't it such a nice day?" Aurelia greets me.

I bob and weave through my siblings. They pack their way to the edges of the walls and make their way through.

"Yo, Lulu! Morning! Ya gonna watch us practice later today?" Jax asks as he passes me.

"Only if you want to, of course." Gray clarifies.

The lights shine down upon me as I saunter. The elegance of their white design accents the rustic walls and floors quite nicely.

"Hey! Slow down there you two! Oh, hey there Lulu, good morning." Kata holds two squirming children's heads in her hands.

The children scream and smile through the halls. Their aura is infatuating and I can't help but join in with them.

"Ah. There you are, Lulu. Good morning. Would you mind helping me with the silverware?" Mother asks, looming over me.

"Right away, Mother!" My warm smile radiates back.

I collect forks, spoons, and knives from a drawer in the kitchen and set each of the three long dining tables that stretch the length of the room. Only being able to hold so much, I have to make several trips to set each plate. Kata passes me with a couple of pots in her hands. I peer in and observe golden scrambled eggs in one and gravy in the other. She places them on the table and returns to collect more dishes.

Once all is prepared, we all sit down and give our thanks before eating.

"Oh, Merciful Overlord, we thank you for the luxury you allow to those ungrateful like us. We strive to forever be in your favor and your grace." Each of us, led by mother, is in unison as we recite our devotion. Afterward, we ravage the meal gloating in front of us.

"Hey, can you pass me some more of that bacon?" Gray shoves two pieces down his gullet and beckons towards Kata.

"Of course! Here you go." She hands him the plate.

"Careful now, you don't want to get any fatter than you already are!" Jax laughs.

"That wasn't very nice, was it Jax?" Aurelia snaps back. "You really should think before you blurt out things like that."

"Like I need you telling me what to do! Come on Gray, let's get out of here. I want to get a head start today." Jax slams his pot of espresso on the table and leaves outside.

"Yeah man, let's get going." Gray leaves his empty plate behind.

"The nerve of those two." Aurelia snacks on her hashbrowns.

"It's like training is the only thing they ever have on their mind! Like, I know we all have to complete our daily regiments, but those two are out on the field late into the night." Aurelia mouths.

"I think that just shows how dedicated they are." Kata responds.

"I guess so, but I wish they wouldn't shirk their other duties because of it." Aurelia gulps down the last biscuit on her plate.

"You guys can go ahead and get started outside, I can clean up here." I offer.

"Alright." Aurelia and Kata leave the room and I begin to put away the dishes and food. They made quite a dent in what was prepared today. I restore the plates to their homes and purge the tablecloth of any left behind residue.

"Oh, Lulu!" Mother materializes from the kitchen.

"Thank you for staying behind to clean up." Most of the other kids had already moved on.

"You really do a great job of upholding your responsibility here. I can take it from here. Go ahead and join the others outside. Today the twelve to fourteen-year-olds are practicing on field E. Join them there."

"As you wish. Thank you, Mother." I head outside and to today's practice ground.

I pass the other units on my path. The other kids have already begun climbing, crawling, brawling and strategic practice. The air smells of mud and determination. Worn and rugged, my ears fill with cries and gunfire. Dirt and mud are all that surrounds our humble abode and it provides a strange disparity. I arrive and unite with the others. I enter through the back entrance of a large stone stronghold sitting on the edge of field E.

"You're finally here." Pinned behind sandbags, Aurelia exclaims.

"Took you long enough!" Jax shouts from the other side of the court. I can tell by his voice he is currently somewhere in between our main base and his.

"You're on team A with us today, Lulu." Kata tosses me a pack and a rifle.

"We've already had our left and right bases flanked and taken over. We're currently holding up in the middle fort." She explains.

I explore my pack and find rations, a flashlight and several chambers of dummy rounds. I heap one into my rifle.

"Yo! You better watch out cause we're about to take control of your main base!" Jax screams from the outside of the main entrance.

"We couldn't hold them back much!" Aurelia stomps into the fortress.

"Alright. If they're about to flank us, then Aurelia guard the west entrance and Kata the east. I'll take care of the main gate." I take charge of the dire situation.

"Got it!" They scramble into place. I jump across to the main entrance and duck to the left wall. I hold my rifle tightly and await the moment Jax or Gray charges in.

"Don't keep us waiting!" Jax charges in from exactly where I expect him to. I turn and point my rifle to the apex of his chest. My hand slides into the trigger and my arm recoils backward. Jax, sighting my presence, steers his jump into a slide and hits the dirt. My shots barely grace past his wavy blonde hair.

"They're attacking from the front!" Aurelia screams. Kata and her turn their attention towards Jax, who finds himself nailed threeway in gunfire.

"Wow, guys. I'm really disappointed with you three." Smug, Jax says as he lays on the floor, covered in fake ammo.

"What?! You're the one who just got shot in several different directions!" Aurelia, furious, shouts.

"Is that really the best you got?" Gray stands behind us, flag in hand. He must have snuck up behind us when we were occupied with Jax.

"Now that's what I'm talking about, man!" Jax stands up and knuckles Gray.

"Great work! You really pulled through."

"Yeah, man. I honestly thought it would be harder and we would have to resort to plan B!"

"What! You can't just do that!" Aurelia stomps the floor.

"Why not?" Kata joins Gray and Jax.

"You guys were really impressive, I never expected that!" She praises.

"Oh! Uhum." Jax clears his throat. "It was nothing, really! This is actually one of our easier maneuvers we have been practicing." Jax stands tall and triumphantly. He clearly is trying to show off his built and muscular body as much as possible.

"Really? That's super cool!" Kata responds.

"Yeah, congrats on winning today's match." I added.

"Let's just get a move on, we have more to do today." Aurelia collects her things and exits the stronghold. Kata and I join her. We leave Jax and Gray to continue training, as they always demand. On the other hand, we have house-work we need to complete. We walk up to the house and enter inside. Immediately the air cools my skin and evaporates the sweat on my face.

"That's the fifth time in a row you've lost to Jax." Mother awaits us inside.

"Yep. He's leagues above us, isn't he?" Kata places her pack down.

"That's nothing to be proud of, dear."

"No I wasn't-" Kata responds.

"Were you watching us?" Aurelia interrupts.

"Of course. I keep track of all my precious children at all times." Mother smiles down upon us.

"Aurelia I would like you to clean up the library today if that's alright. Kata and Lulu. You two can make the beds."

"Alright, Mother." Aurelia scurries off and up the stairs. Kata and I start fixing up the bedrooms. There are approximately fifty children here, yet we should have this done in no time.

"What are you going to do after you leave this place?" Kata asks while folding up some sheets on the bed across from me.

"I don't know to be honest. I haven't really given it much thought."

"I was just wondering. Since we're almost fifteen, you know?"

"So this was spurred on because of Jax then?" I pondered.

"Not entirely. I was just thinking about what life outside the walls is like. Will we eat good food? Will we have lots of work to do? Will we be able to see each other again?" Kata tidies up the bed and moves on to the next.

"Mother said life outside the walls was going to be great, didn't she?"

"I guess she did. I still hope I can see you guys again after I move on from this place." Kata pauses and stares at the pillow in her hand.

"You don't have to worry about that. You're just barely fourteen in fact."

"Yeah, you're right." She finishes up with the last bed. I place my final cover down.

"Let's get out of here."

"Hey Kata! I've been looking for you." Sweaty, Jax and Gray enter from outside. We walk downstairs and join him.

"There you guys are." Aurelia unifies with us from the region above us.

"How was your practice today, Jax?" Kata smiles.

"Great as always! We were able to really hammer in some new techniques." He responds. "Say before lunch starts, let's head and explore the forest!" He gleefully offers.

"Absolutely not!" Fire emerges from Aurelia's enraged words. "Going beyond the gate is against the rules!"

"Yeah, but come on. I just want to see what the forest is like. Just once, you know?"

"Come on, ya gotta give him this at least." Gray defends.

"Oh it won't be that bad will it?" I join it.

"Mother, won't even find out! She's too preoccupied with preparing lunch right now." Jax argues.

"Are all of you ganging up against me?" Aurelia's brow curls up into her long purple hair. "What about you Kata? Do you really think breaking the rules like this is such a good idea?"

"If Jax wants to, then I can't refute it." Kata responds.

"You've got to be kidding me." Aurelia's eyes roll. Fine, fine. But, let's make it quick, alright?" She sighs and gives in.

"Heck yeah! Let's get going!" Jax pumps his fist in the air.

We exited the building and made our way past the training grounds. The other kids had all finished by now and were spending their time endorsing in such activities as tag and jump rope. Many were seen lounging around without a care in the world. We showed up at the gate. A sharp, pointed steel fence stood in front of us. Its demeanor was tall, yet it was easily scalable.

"Welp, it ain't gonna climb itself." Jax easily vaults himself over. Gray and I are next to hop over. The top of the gate is sharp, yet I am able to pass it with ease.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Aurelia reluctantly jumps the height.

"You think you could help me out a bit, Jax?" Kata asks. Her body is short, thin and fragile. She is beautiful with long dark hair but has always struggled physically. She jumps up and down failing to reach the first bar.

"Here, take my hand." With Kata over the wall, we continue into the forest.

Trees topple our sense of height and direction. Vegetation of human size is littered throughout the forest. Gingerly, we step through the roots and logs cluttering our path. The trek is hard, yet the palette of green and yellow is alluring.

"Wow! It's so pretty in here." Kata's black eyes illuminate in fascination.

"Isn't it?" Gray responds.

"Yo! We reached the wall." Jax says.

In front of us towers a stone barrier of enormous height. It is so tall our eyes can hardly see the sky above it. Its surface is clean, a stark contrast to the forest around it, and flat, such that it is unclimbable.

"Hold up. What is that?" Gray points to the far side, where a tunnel sits. With a large diameter, the tunnel dwarfs that of our house. It seems to lead out of the wall, yet a big steel door blocks the path.

"Don't care." Jax turns around and confronts us. "Thanks for coming out here with me guys. I just wanted to have one last moment together with all of us. I'm turning fifteen today. Before I go, I want to thank you guys for all the great moments we've shared together. You've been really great friends."

"Yeah, man." Gray responds.

"And Kata, I wanted to tell you that I-"

*POP*. The speakers that can be heard all throughout the complex, even the forest apparently, turn on.

"Everyone! Lunch is currently ready. All return to the house for some wonderful steak and potatoes that Glenda has prepared!" Mother's voice blares across the system.

"Oh my gosh! We need to get out of here quick! Mother is going to kill us!" Aurelia jumps up and grabs Kata and me.

"Hold on-" Kata interjects.

"What are we going to do, if she finds out we broke the rules?!" Aurelia stomps off with Kata and me in hand, leaving Gray and Jax behind in the dense forest.

"You weren't able to tell her." Gray says.

"Yeah. She's already running off." Jax replies

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. Yo, you think I'll get the chance to tell her before I leave?"

"Probably. Mother is going to celebrate it at lunch right?"

"Yeah, she is. Damn, I'm such a fool. I shoulda just told her months, no, years ago."

"Too late now, man. Let's get going. You should have enough time before tonight."

Everyone had already gathered in the dining room and was currently in the process of obliterating their food. We sat down at the middle leftmost table. Mother approached us.

"There you are!" In her hands, she holds a large birthday cake with fifteen candles on it.

"Everyone. May I have your attention." She booms. "Could you please congratulate Jax on his fifteenth birthday!"

"Happy birthday!" The roam roars in applause. Hand smacking and whooping erupt. Everyone then returns to their plates and Mother sits down with us. She cuts the white cake into pieces and gives each of us a slice. It smells of pure sugar and tastes equally as delicious. Jax stares at his untouched slice.

"You can stay in your room. Don't come out to meet me tonight." Mother says.

"What? Why?" Jax responds.

"There has been a change of plans. You're not going to be graduating tonight."

"What!" Jax slams his fist into the table. "You can't do that! I'm the only one who's fifteen here!"

"Then, who is going to graduate?" Aurelia wondered.

"Of course I can do that!" Mother stood up and confronted Jax. "I'm the one who has all the power here and I'm the one making all of the decisions! You are going to stay in your room tonight and Kata will leave in your stead. You should've been here on time today; I've already informed everyone else!"

"Me?!"

"No, no! Mother, wait! Let me go instead, please!" Jax pleads and hugs Mother.

"We're done here." She pushes him off and leaves to the kitchen.

"Please! I'll do anything!"

"Lay it to rest, man." Gray comes up behind Jax.

"Yeah. Isn't it a bit insensitive for you to be overreacting in this situation." Aurelia butts in. "Think about how Kata feels."

Jax didn't say a word and instead left to his room. The rest of lunch was cold and slow. We seldom ate much.

"Congratulations, Kata." Aurelia attempts to lighten the mood. "You're going to be out of this place, by tomorrow."

"I don't want to leave this place." The air chilled and the sounds around us faded. Gray stood up with his plate and left the room.

"But graduating is sacred, isn't it? It's something to be proud of! You're graduating early too. Mother surely must have recognized your abilities." Aurelia argued.

"Don't worry. You'll be just fine." I patted Kata on her back. "You'll forget all about this by tomorrow."

We cleared our plates and scooped our remnants into the waste bin. Aurelia and I went to the kitchen. We had to scrub clean the plates and sort them. Kata walked upstairs to the bedrooms. She felt as if the wood below her was shaking and collapsing. Her gut strangled itself and turned inward. Haunting, a large wood door stood in front of her. She raised her hand and knocked on the door. Silence called back and so she opened it and entered.

Jax sat on his bed looking out through the mammoth glass pane to the fields below. Kata stepped towards and sat next to him.

"Graduation scares me." He says.

"It scares me too." She responds.

"Every time Mother leaves with a kid, she returns alone. I know we're told they leave for a better life outside the walls, but is that really true?" Jax's voice is calm and gentle, a far cry from his usual energy.

"Mother gets letters you know. I've seen them on her desk. None of them are ever from those who leave." He explains.

"Maybe, they just don't have any reason to write us back" Kata offers.

"Of course they have a reason to write to us. We're family. We spent all our lives growing up together here. You can't just throw all that away." Jax turns and faces Kata.

"Promise me when you leave, that you'll write us back."

"I'll try and write to you guys every day," Kata promised. "You'll be seeing me off right?"

"I'm sorry I won't be able to. After the scene I made with Mother earlier, she's probably gonna lock that door. Nevertheless, I hope things go your way from now on."

Kata gives her goodbye to Jax and leaves the room. He continued to sit there in silence. In his stomach, he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt and regret he had. This was his last chance to tell her how he really felt and he blew it.

"Goodbye, Kata!" The whole orphanage screamed their goodbyes. They leaped and waved at her. Kata stood with Mother in front of the entrance. She wore a black dress that accented her pale skin. Her hand moved through the air as her legs shook. She smiled and tried to hold in her uncertainty.

"I'll really miss you Kata." Aurelia waves.

"Yeah, you were a really great comrade." Gray adds.

"Do well, outside the walls." I say.

"Have fun in your new life, Kata!" Everyone cheered and saw her off. Kata and Mother walked through the fields, hand, and hand. It grew dark and cicadas could be heard chirping. The once busy ground turned serene and smelled of fresh nature. They approached the fence. Mother unlocked the gate and the two continued through the forest.

"Just in case this doesn't go so well, I'm really sorry your life had to end a year early." Mother says as they walk.

Kata looks up at her. "Huh?"

They arrive at the tunnel. Darkness from the trees covers the area. Blind, the surrounding area is cryptic. Sound has ceased to exist, as the forest has come to a halt for the night. Mother stops and lest go of Kata. She then places her hands on Kata's shoulders.

"Just so you know, this wasn't my choice. The higher-ups have been rushing along with orders as of late and they've requested someone of your body type." Mother squeezed Kata. "If I had a say in this I would have left you live out one more year before this moment. Alas, times are tough though and if we hope to continue living like this, sacrifices must be made. You just happened to be exactly what he wanted. "

Mother reaches into her bag and pulls out a syringe filled with clear teal liquid.

"This is going to hurt and it's going to hurt a lot." Mother cotton-balled Kata's arm to soften the tissue.

"In fact, I did this too when I was your age and let me tell you the pain was scorching. God, and I wasn't even one of the lucky ones too!"

Mother's yell echoed in the nightly forest. She pulled the syringe up to Kata's arm and began to press the top of it. The liquid filled Kata's body. Her face turned red and she began to sweat. Mother let go of her. "Good luck. And remember that you're doing this for the greater good of Dionis."

"You're not gonna let it end there, are you!?" Gray shouts from the other side of the door.

"Yo. It's locked. Just throw in the towel, as I have." Jax responds.

"Are you really giving up like that?! Kata is exiting the walls as we speak and you're lounging around in your room!"

"Yeah I am, what's your point?"

"Don't you still have something to say to her! Are you telling me, just because she's leaving you're going to give up everything you've worked for! We did all that extra training for a reason, man! I thought you told me that you wanted to be stronger! Stronger for her! We're not gonna let it end here!" The wooden door to Jax's room blows down and splats on the floor. Gray mightily stands above it.

"Let's go tell Kata how you really feel!" Gray and Jax stand up and dart out the room.

"Why are you doing this, man?" Jax asks.

"We're bros, aren't we? And bros help each other out." Gray and Jax jump down the stairs and trot past the dining tables.

"You can't run inside the house! Where are you even going at this hour?" Aurelia spins as Jax passes her.

"Come on! We're going to give Kata, one last goodbye!" Jax and Gray dash through the door.

"Wait! It's almost curfew!" Aurelia exclaims. "Lulu! Let's go, we have to catch up to them before they reach Mother! They could get us all in trouble like this!"

"Alright let's go!" Aurelia and I rush out and tail them.

"Quickly, we need to hurry!" Jax ran as fast as he could.

"Slow down!" Aurelia begged.

We spring over the gate and sprint through the forest. My ribs streak out in pain and my breathing speeds up. Jax is significantly farther than us. He slams to a stop at the tunnel where Mother and Kata are standing.

"Kata!" Jax screams out.

"I couldn't let it end here! I couldn't just let you go off, without telling you how I really feel! Kata, I love you! I don't want you to leave! I want to stay here with you forever!" Jax's voice shouts out in determination and passion. Weight runs off his chest and enters his voice.

"Touching, it really is, but you're far too late." Mother smirks back at Jax.

"We've already reached the moment of truth." Mother steps away from Kata. Kata falls to the floor.

"Kata!" Jax runs up to her aid. He reaches down to grab her but her skin is so hot that he knee-jerks backward. A black liquid begins to leave Kata's oral cavity. Her chest begins to pulse up and down.

"What's going on Kata? Are you okay?"

Kata's skin begins to turn black. Her body twitches like that of a bug. Emitting heat, her body begins to drip in various liquids. Her limbs distort themselves and become inhuman shapes. Her eyes turn red and cease to look alive.

"I don't think she will be graduating tonight! She has failed her final test." Mother laughs maniacally into the cold air.

As the seconds pass Kata looks less and less human. Her skin turns to scales and slime. Her eyes no longer visible, her skull sinks into her body. Her pale complexion is replaced with that of a dead night's. Horrific, her arms turn to tentacles and her human shape deforms into that of a monster.

This was no longer Kata.