What is innocence?

Innocence is to not know.

To not understand.

To not comprehend the wretchedness of the world.

Ignorance is a requirement of innocence.

However what will come of one whose innocence was never valued in the first place?

One who was not allowed to remain ignorant of the harsh realities around them?

Such a person can only become a monster.

----

[August 5th, 2035.]

[Approximately 2 years and 4 months before the cataclysm.]

A man walked through a corridor lined with the most expensive decorations possible.

Statues made from marble of various political and military figures were placed between each column, and lining the walls were hundreds of gorgeous portraits.

The ceiling of this hallway rose dozens of feet into the air, almost as if to boast of the great architect who designed such an elaborately decorated building.

Red velvet lined with golden embroidery carpeted the floor, and the very atmosphere was one of excessive wealth.

'Soon... very soon... I will be the one living in this palace.'

The man walking down the hallway seemed to grin as he took in the view, looking towards the grand decorations with greed.

His hands were in the pockets of his lab coat, which he wore over a professional suit. As he walked through the hall with his head held high, his grin only deepened as he faced forward.

'Just a bit more... and I will be the one and only ruler.'

His white hair flowed down his head with just a slight amount of chaos as the ends each took their own twists and turns.

Yet despite the seeming chaos which lined his hair, there was a flow to it which radiated nobility.

'Of this world.'

As he made his way through the hall, the man was met with two guards who wore professional military attire.

Wearing purple colored outfits which had golden embroidery and were lined with badges, the men bore assault rifles on their backs.

"Research Division Commander, Doctor Victor Lichtenburg. It is an honor for a mere guard as myself to meet such an esteemed person."

As the two guards genuflected before the man, one spoke these words while they lowered their heads.

"Ah. I see. And you are?"

Looking down on the two with thinned eyes, visible disgust could be seen in the expression of the white haired man.

"I am nothing more than a mere soldier, Sir. There is no need to even pay heed to someone like me."

"Do you expect me to open this door for myself?"

As the man asked this, the two soldiers immediately stood up, their expressions flustered.

"Ah, of course not Sir! Please forgive our rudeness in not understanding how busy you must be! Even a moment of your time must be quite precious, therefore I greatly apologize for having wasted-"

"Enough."

The man spoke with power in his voice, glaring upon the soldier who seemed to chatter on without reserve.

As soon as he witnessed the wicked look which the man gave him, the soldier silenced himself and opened the door for the man, looking down to the ground in shame.

"Forgive me, Sir."

With this one statement, the white haired man walked straight past the soldiers, into a large banquet hall filled with nobles of all types.

As he entered, his lab coat fluttered with elegance - yet he did not even so much as elicit a response to the man, who was left to wallow in his own awkwardness.

'Did I speak too much?'

'Did I irritate him?'

These were the thoughts which entered the mind of the soldier, who stood frozen as fear began to creep into his heart.

'Will he report me for this? Will I... no... no... no, nothing will happen. Surely, there is no way that I would be chosen as a subject. After all... I heard that due to his recent successes that there is no further need for test subjects.'

Looking towards his partner for reassurance, the man smiled as he spoke up.

"Hey, I-"

"Don't talk to me. I don't want to be seen associating with someone who disrespected the Division Commander like that."

Looking straight forward without even moving his lips, the other soldier made this reply before the man could even say anything.

Cut off from all human contact, the soldier was forced to look forward with a pained expression as he continued his duty as a guard.

'Did I truly just make such a grand mistake?'

'Is the Division Commander so great that even speaking to him is a crime for someone like me?'

Slowly, the fear began to eat away at the man.

Yet there was one thing which tore away at him more so than anything else.

‘That glare… the look in his eyes…’

With a gulp, the man felt a cold chill as goosebumps formed on his skin.

‘It was as if… I was nothing more than an insect to be crushed.’

----

'How disgusting.'

Victor stepped forward through a parade of nobility.

Surrounding him were ladies dressed in expensive dresses and even some wearing professional military attire, as well as many men dressed in suits and similar military attire.

Servants seemed to hold various drinks and foods on platters, merely standing by and waiting for those above them to take part in the refreshments which they offered.

'How truly disgusting for those pigs to believe they have the right to speak to a human such as myself.'

"Oh... if it isn't the guest speaker himself. I've heard about the progress you've had recently on your project. Ah, but where are my manners!"

A large man wearing an expensive red suit who held a stickly woman in his arms greeted the man known as Victor with a laudable expression.

The man had large brown sideburns which made their way down his excessively distinguishable face, which seemed to be almost a bit too square.

"Gorbache Straffork. Division Commander of the Army, at your service. With your new appointment as the Commander of Research and Development, it would make us equals, no? Let us get along well."

Holding out his hand for a shake, Victor grinned as he firmly grasped it.

"The pleasure is mine... Commander. And... who might this be?"

Turning to the woman who the burly man gripped as if she were a piece of property, Victor greeted the two with a pleasant smile.

The woman in the man's arm appeared to be thin beyond belief, and the disparity in the size between the two was enough to make one look twice.

She wore a thin red dress which hugged her tightly, yet not as tightly as the man who spoke for her.

"This is Velonka, my beautiful wife."

"It is a pleasure indeed to make both your acquaintances on this wonderful day. And a day of celebration it is. You... said you have heard of my research? It is something which not many know of, limited to only those who are very close to his grace. However, I suppose that as the Commander of the Army, you would be informed of that much."

Speaking in a proper manner, Victor carefully scanned his opponent as he fished for information.

'How much does he know?'

"You flatter me, Victor. Is it acceptable to call you Victor?"

"Only if I may call you Gorbache."

"Haha! A deal then."

The man let out a hearty laugh as he grandly smiled, gripping his woman all the closer.

"How much have you heard of the HCP?"

"HCP? What could that stand for?"

The man seemed to look at Victor with confusion, to which Victor hid his sinister grin.

'I see. So he doesn't know that much.'

"Ahem... I meant to say, how much do you know of my work?"

"Ah!! Well... I have heard some rumors through the grapevine. I am aware at least that you are developing weapons which will surpass..."

Looking around him before he spoke, the man said the next words in a hushed tone.

"Nuclear bombs."

"You are quite well informed. As the head of the army, I suppose you would be the first one to know about such a thing."

"But of course. I would love nothing more than to get my hands on such a weapon. If I were able to do so... then perhaps this war would be over in a day."

"I will do my best to meet those expectations."

With a smug grin, Victor rummaged his hand in his pocket, pulling out a card.

"Here is my information. I will inform you as soon as the weapons are... ready for use."

"Oh.... excellent."

Taking the card and placing it in his pocket, the burly man seemed to have a glint of bloodlust in his eyes as he smiled without a hint of being phased.

"Well, if you will excuse me. I will be giving a speech soon enough, therefore I should be going now.", Victor stated with a careful smile.

"Ah, do not allow me to hold you up. Even so... I look forward to working with you in the future... Doctor."

Walking past the man, Victor continued to smile peacefully as he walked past, waving back to both the man and his wife, who did not so much as wave.

Glancing up once, the eyes of the woman met with Victor as he looked back.

'A pig... owning a human. How... filthy.'

As soon as he was faced away so that the man could not see his expression, a disturbed frown drew itself over the face of the white haired scientist.

'No matter.'

However as soon as his disturbed expression appeared, it soon flipped to become a wretched grin.

'As soon as my project succeeds... I will no longer have to deal with such pigs.'

Holding his hand to cover his mouth, the man thinned his eyes in delight as he entertained his own ambitions.

'For I will make this world one... where only humans are allowed to live.'

Stepping forth onto the stage, the man now stood before hundreds of people - all of whom were of high ranking, with the servants aside.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank you all for this grand opportunity for me to reveal my work to you all."

The people who were chatting among one another ceased their small talk as the scientist held out his hand with the flutter of his coat, speaking with enough power to grab the attention of the entire room.

"As you all may or may not know... I am Doctor Victor Lichtenburg... and I have been freshly nominated by his Grace as the Commander of the 4th Division of the Forgestarian Empire... the Division of Research and Development. And today... I am here to discuss with you esteemed people of our glorious nation... the project which I have undertaken."

'Oh...'

'He's quite good looking, if I do say so myself.'

'A new Division Commander, eh? There hasn't been one for the 4th Division in quite some time.'

'After all... there hasn't been any progress in the research field since nukes stopped acting as an effective threat.'

"But before I say anything further about my own work... I would like to first thank the man who united this wonderful nation. Shall we all give his grace a round of applause?"

Notioning to a young man in the crowd who appeared to be in his early 30's who sat comfortably with guards surrounding him on all sides, Victor was the first to clap.

And as soon as he had clapped a single time, soon enough the entire audience was filled with applause.

Louder and louder, the clapping filled the entire area, enough to the point where one could not even hear themselves think.

"Our Emperor!!!"

"Hail to the Emperor!!"

"The one who made this nation!!"

"Our one and only ruler!!!"

The cheers of people were barely even audible over the immense clapping, however it was at that moment that the young blonde man known as the Emperor held out his hand.

"Thank you."

And with this single word, the clapping stopped.

Each and every person in the room held their breath as they awaited the words of the young man, who stepped forward with grace as his guards opened the floor for him.

"Yet... it was not for myself that we are holding this banquet. Every day is a day to celebrate my greatness... yet on this day, we also celebrate the greatness of another."

Stepping forth, the young man who had eyes as sharp as a razor motioned back to the very man who had given him the floor in the first place.

"Victor. Your research has intrigued me, and based upon the successes which you have reported to me thus far... I can only say one thing."

Closing his eyes, the man turned around as he walked back into the circle of guards, who closed up to once again surround him.

"I look forward to seeing the results of your work in practice."

It was then that once again the clapping filled the room, and the people were unable to contain themselves in excitement.

"Our liege!!! Your grace!!!"

"We adore you!!!"

"All hail Percius XXV!!!"

The cheers filled the room, and it took minutes for them to die down.

However when they finally had, Victor stepped forward with a smile.

"Your words are too kind, your grace. However, even so... I will not betray your expectations for me. Ladies and gentlemen... today I have been promoted to the position of Division Commander of Research and Development. And as such... I would like to present my project to you."

A servant rushed forward, bringing the man a clicker as the lights were darkened, and a holographic projector began to project an image onto the screen behind the man.

And on this screen was one single acronym.

HCP.

Stepping forward, Victor flashed the people a toothy smile as he ran his hand through his just slightly chaotic hair.

"Ladies and gentlemen... for far too long we have been unable to tap the potential of humanity. Yet through my work... I have toiled endlessly that we may finally see humanity truly RISE ABOVE itself."

Holding out both arms, the people held their breath as the man spoke as if he was grasping the entire world in those hands.

"It is my great pleasure to present to you esteemed elites who have already risen above the pigs below you... the HUMAN CALAMITY PROJECT."

----

'Human calamity project?'

'What could that possibly mean?'

Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire as Victor dropped such a statement on the people, however it was not out of fear or concern that they responded in this manner.

'This... sounds interesting.'

'I would like to hear more.'

It was then that the grinning occurred.

Like a plague, horrid smiles spread from person to person as they looked towards Victor with anticipation.

"What is a human?"

These words resounded through the hall as Victor stepped forward, facing the audience with grandeur.

"What does it MEAN to be human?"

The footsteps of the man were heard with crisp motions as he paced back and forth across the stage, glazing his eyes across the crowd of people who looked to him with bloodthirsty excitement.

"To be human... is to rise above the filthy beasts of this world."

With a smile, the man stopped in place as his lips wrapped themselves around his face.

"From the very moment we are born into this world, we are given a role to play. Some are given the role of a human... and others are given the role of a creature. Yet what is it that separates humans from these... lower beings?"

Clicking the remote as the slide switched to a scene of a wartorn village, Victor faced the audience as they witnessed such a photo with intrigue.

"Number 1. Intellect. It is our ability to experiment... to analyze... to improve... to create... all of these things allow us to rise above the mere LIVESTOCK which we tend to."

Clicking the next slide, a scene of the inner city was shown before the people, who found themselves holding back their laughter as they witnessed the poverty and grime which was shown.

'How pathetic...'

'Hahaha... truly, can such things even call themselves human?'

"Number 2. Societal and political systems."

Stepping forward, the man reached into his pockets as he pulled out two items - one in each hand.

In one hand he held a piece of coal, and in the other was a diamond.

"Even beasts have been witnessed to follow hierarchies and chains of command... but what separates us from beasts is not the idea of command or control... but rather the practices in which we have established. Namely... the sorting of the grime from the gems. While both of these items are made from the same chemical substance... one is a gorgeous jewel, sparkling with promise and worth. And the other..."

Looking at the piece of coal in his left hand with disgust, the man spoke words which invoked the haughty laughter of the crowd.

"Is only worth something when it is thrown into the fire... as fuel."

"Hahaha..."

"Indeed..."

Clicking to the next slide, an elaborate crest was shown.

This crest centered a thorned rose, the stem of which was weaved in and out between three items.

A sword, a sickle, and a spear.

"Behold, the crest of our nation, the Forgestarian Empire. The sickle, representing the lowly pigs who can do nothing more than perform MENIAL labor. Unable to rise above positions which even an animal could fill, they are the waste products of this nation. And it is because of these wasteful minds... that elites like ourselves are REQUIRED to guide them."

Motioning to the crest, the man continued as he spoke.

"The spear, representing the soldiers who are currently in battle against our enemies - namely, the filthy hypocrites of Stronvardia and Vorathia. Those who claim that their people are to make their own decisions, yet proceed to manipulate and use the very fools who believe that they hold power of their own. Our soldiers are those among the beasts of this nation who have at least recognized their own incompetence as human beings, and have instead resolved themselves to give their lives for those who have risen to become a TRUE HUMAN."

Closing his eyes with a grin, the man then spoke with a hushed tone, yet it was bold enough for all who were present to hear.

"And finally, the sword. Representing the sharpened minds of the elites who have given their all... for the sake of the scum below them."

And then, opening his eyes, the man known as Victor clapped - but once.

"For you exceptional humans, a round of applause. For we all know painfully well how difficult it is to exist on a plain so high above those who surround you."

Once more, the clapping started off as quiet.

A low and idle clap by just a few, however as the sound increased, so too did the number of people.

The frequency of clapping heightened, and soon enough there was enough volume to fill the room.

"To all you wonderful humans who have given everything for the sake of this nation, thank you all!! It is because of you all that we have gathered here today!!!"

Shouting above their claps, the man held up a fist of victory as he gained the approval of those around him.

"But more important than anything, we must remember what the rose represents!! Our beloved Emperor, whose petals astonish all who gaze upon his beautiful nation, whose thorns forbid the foolish people from rising above those of us who know better, whose stem ties these three groups together to function as one!!! His Grace, Percius XXV!!!"

Thus, the banquet of initiation began.

Having won over the hearts of the elite people in his presence, this man established himself on that day as one of them.

A noble.

A man who had risen above the filth around him to become a human among the wretched creatures who surrounded him.

"Now then!"

Shouting out, the crowd ceased their applause immediately as the man held up his hand.

"Shall I explain to you grand elites the next step for humanity to once more rise above itself?"

This man was the conductor of the Human Calamity Project.

The researcher who had given his life to finally stand in this spot.

"Or shall we allow ourselves to descend into barbarian savagery?"

"For progress!!"

"For progress!!"

The people cheered out in response to his question, allowing the man his opportunity to present his work.

"Very well then. Let us begin."

This man was Victor Oscar Lichtenburg.

'One small step for man?'

'Hah.'

'For one who is truly a human... this is merely inching forward.'

'But now... it is time to break out into a full sprint.'