"Everyday, create the world you want to live in" 

Robin Chase

---

When Theodore broke the news about everyone having lost, the first thought tackling his mind was how strong the big five was. Those titles were not just extravagant labels given for them to increase the popularity of Beyblade. All five of them earned the titles, working to their bones, practising twice as hard.

Now Shu felt like asking for autographs.

He discarded the thoughts and made his way through the forest after Norman. He had many questions but the ongoing haunting problem was Ethan. He knew failure was not an option, winning was everything. At least that was the rule that was drilled to their brain from the first day they had been in there. Telling Ethan they had lost — not only one all three of them, was like confessing to the devil that they have sinned.

"Are you nervous?"

Shu shrugged, "I have never been this excited to anything"

Norman gave him a wayside smile patting his back, "You'll be fine"

Shu smiled with a nod as they walked in. His hand instantly reached to the silver chain around his neck — the four-leaf clover, Liam's charm there to give him the little comfort he needed. His thoughts crossed over to the Snakepit again, this was the first time he stepped into this place after his death.

Dead with no trace of the killer. Dead in an instant. Dead because of this corrupted system eating the fun out of their favourite sport. How far will he go before he breaks too? How far would he be able to go until he dies too?

We're all going to save beyblade

Free's voice, he remembered the comforting words, the motivation, the advice and the practice sessions. It wasn't all for nothing, Shu decided. Yes, he lost again. He kept losing against Lui but that didn't mean he had to give up. He had the room to improve, and he was going to take the chance.

When he walked into the room where Ethan, Asthem and Boss were in, the albino was brimming with newfound courage. He had a responsibility, and he was going to fulfil it. He looked to his side to see Amber and Slate — still wearing their masks, their faces averted to the floor waiting for their predicament.

Shu looked into Theodore — masked, he knew at this moment he was on his own. If they needed to protect the cover, Theodore wouldn't be able to interfere no matter what the other two did or say to him. The room was silent except for the humming of the machines behind them, wide screens showing the Snakepit in wide angles.

"What the fuck was that?" Ethan's voice was loud and furious. "You two, masks off, NOW"

The two bladers pushed the masks off their faces, revealing his own shame filled misery. Sometimes, when hidden behind masks Shu forgot they were human too — teenagers driven to this place by the sheer will of winning. Ethan opened his mouth to speak again but was shut out by the Boss who surprisingly interfered. He walked towards them and stood, agonisingly close that Shu wondered whether the man could hear his rapid heartbeat. "That performance" He started, "Was pathetic"

His turn to Slate, "Especially yours, Slate. You failed to earn a single point against the big five blader Free De La Hoya."

Free is so cool, Shu dismissively thought.

"We do not tolerate any failure in the Snakepit" He was now looking at all three of them, "But" He said, "Red and Amber were both able to score one point against their opponents" His lips held a faint smirk as he looked at Shu. "Though for some you can say it's a pity."

Shu clenched his fists after hearing his mockery. Yeah, No one had to remember him. He clearly remembered how Lui purposely gave up a point in the first round. "You're out of the programme, Slate '' His voice said, surprising everyone in the room. Even Ethan's eyes grew wide in surprise before he regained his composure.

"W-what?" Slate questioned, his mouth twisted into a pained scowl, his eyes blinking hard but no avail as they didn't stop the tears forming in his eyes. Amber stood beside him, though he was trying hard to be sad for his friend, Shu could see the relief in his eyes, the slump in his shoulders that he was not the one kicked out of the programme. It was the simple truth in this place, it was everyone for themselves. Friendships had to be pushed back. You need to be selfish to survive.

Shu winced looking at the older male scrambling to the floor, begging the authorities not to kick him out, give him a chance, he chanted over and over until two security guards came in, dragging him out of the room without any sympathy. Shu stared, knowing well that this would be the last time he would see this person. When he walked out of that door, this place will be his past and Shu didn't want to imagine a future where Slate might not make it out of this place.

"And you two" Boss walked over to the two males standing in front of him, frozen in fear after seeing the display of the other member. "Get into the special room, we'll have a battle between you and decide"

"Special room?" Asthem said. Shu couldn't make out his expression but from the shaken tone of his voice Shu knew something was wrong about this.

Boss turned with a wicked grin, "Yes Asthem. Do you have any problems with that?"

Asthem shifted a quick glance to Shu and the albino stared, conflicted. Ethan was the one who answered for Asthem, "Lead them there" He said, looking at one of the guards standing in the corner. Shu wondered whether he imagined the sympathetic look Ethan gave them as they walked out.

What the hell is this room?

Turns out, it was just any other room. When Shu and Amber walked in, they were bracing themselves to something fearful, horrendous. But the room was completely normal. A grey walled training room with a stadium in the middle waiting to be used except the stadium was connected to a large electric buffer with a set of wires — red, blue and green blinking as the electricity surges between them.

The guard walked out as soon as both of them were inside and closed the door. Shu turned as one of the shades to their right opened up revealing a clear glass pane, Asthem, Ethan and Boss standing behind it. There it was again, the feeling of being lab rats. Not being human. Shu was reminded for the thousand times that he was being experimented on, like another farm animal, someone insignificant.

"Get into your stances," A robotic voice said. Shu turned to see an AI on the shape of a metal box, clusters of wires attached to it all of them connecting to the huge white power socket in the corner of the room. The two took their stances starting the countdown.

"3

2

1"

They counted together with the AI. It's metallic voice scratching against their ears. "Let it rip!"

The two beys flew into the stadium. Shu still didn't have any idea about its speciality. So far, it looked and acted like any other normal stadium he had seen in his life. The two beys spun on their own before clashing against each other.

The clink of the beys first broke the silence and then the surprised yelps of the two boys inside replaced the quiet air. Shu stood, frozen, the battle momentarily forgotten as he tried to understand.

What the hell was that?

The two beys made contact again with much more impact than the previous encounter. Shu jumped in surprise as another jolt went through his body, freezing him in place. The pain was burning like he had stepped on hot coal. He turned to the three men watching from the glass pane, Boss's lips twisted into a whimsical smirk.

Electricity, Shu realised, turning back to their beys in horror, both slowing to a stop.

Whenever the beys clashed, they were electrocuting them, the volt changing with the impact.

What the fuck will happen if they burst?

Shu licked his lips nervously and looked at Amber watching him with intensity- no, it was pure blood lust. The male looked as if he could burn Shu into ashes just with his gaze alone. Shu pressed his lips together, finding himself in between a decision of life and death. For the first time after arriving at the Snakepit, death felt so close that if he outstretched his hand he would have felt the coldness.

Beyblade was not supposed to feel like this.

"Spin finish" The AI said, startling him out of the trance. "One point to Amber Eye."

A flash of current blinded his vision. Shu doubled down, wrapping one of his arms around his torso, coughing loudly, hacking for breath. He refused to fall on his knees, but held onto himself barely balancing with his trembling legs. Amber Eye bent and picked up his bey. The last current was only to him, it was safe to assume losing a point caused him this time.

Shu made his way to the beydish and picked up Spryzen. The metal glinted as sparks jumped about it. Touching Spryzen was like pressing his hands onto a burning fire. He curled his fingers over the disk, feeling the burning sensation, drilling it into his brain. He could feel his skin feeling off, the wetness on his fingers by the burn.

But oh, the pain.

This burning, agonising pain.

Focus, Shu thought, attaching his bey back to the launcher. He didn't dare to look at his hand but just gripped the edge of the string ready to launch.

He couldn't afford to lose another round. Amber was ready to do anything, even murder another human for the sake of being the winner. How greedy human hearts could be? Looking into Amber, Shu realised it was not just greed, the desire to be alive. By now, both of them have understood the simple, basic truth in the situation.

You lose the game.

You lose your life.

And Shu found himself in denial before his mind shifted into hyper focused strategising. In the face of death, it was miraculous a human mind can do. Shu found himself wanting to win, wanting to burst the other bey into pieces. He who never thought of harming anyone in his life, found himself selfishly clinging to his only escape from this deadly battle.

He had to win.

Either he sacrificed his life and saved Amber or he followed Snakepit's rules; Think of yourself before the others.

Yeah, that's what he is going to do.

"3

2

1" The AI counted down with them. It was ironic that a simple AI was in charge of their lives. They —humans, who were supposed to be intelligent and quick-witted were playing a losing game.

You win, you lose what's left of your humanity,

You lose, you lose your life.

"Let it rip!" Both boys yelled. A painful silence followed as the two beys rounded each other in the stadium — two predators ready to suck the life out of the other in the literal sense of the idea.

The first impact. Shu closed his eyes feeling the electricity humming inside his body, his ears buzzing as the blinding pain drove him to his knees. Shu choked when the second impact happened. His mind stopped for a solid second, his eyes didn't comprehend a single thing happening in front of him.

Just the pain.

The pain as if his organs were melting into a gooey mush, The pain that made him double over and retch. He glanced at the stadium where Spryzen was being pushed back. Spots danced in his vision, clouding both his mind and his plans.

Focus, Shu choked out to himself. Focus. Focus. Focus.

Amber was in much better condition in front of him. He was obviously in pain, the trembling shoulders, knitted brows were open testimonies for it, but he was landing solid blows on Spryzen, driving it to a corner. The unimaginable pain of being pushed back, being the one on the losing end, was felt by the boy in front of him, already on his knees, staring at the battle with half-lidded eyes. Amber didn't feel any sympathy, only the triumph of his near success.

Snakepit had stripped him of humanity. He was a wild animal preying on the weak, a predator waiting for the next kill.

Meanwhile, Shu was staring at the battle, his mind shifting to the pain, penetrating his gut. He knew why he was suffering, Spryzen was taking heavy- He stopped. He tried to zoom in on that specific detail. He could barely see what's going on in front of him. His eyes were teary, and the edges were already turning darker. But he could guess, he could feel the blow. He could tell from where and with how much impact Spryzen was being attacked.

Focus.

Shu inhaled sharply and slumped himself to the floor.

Focus.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the electricity brimming in his body. The right side of his stomach exploded with pain, and there. Amber was attacking Spryzen from the right.

"Spryzen" He called out, "Take a left, Counter break!"

Focus.

He listened carefully to his bey's movements and heard the sudden stop of spin and the sharp turn and there it was, Spryzen's counter break. The sound torture they went through made him listen to his bey closer, understand it not only in a spiritual way but with the eye of a technician. Shu knew exactly where Spryzen was.

Shu breathed hard, focusing on the sound. Pain blossomed through the left of his stomach. The acidic iron taste pooled in his mouth, blood.

Focus.

He listened to Spryzen roar and attacked with another counter break. There was another attack, but this time, shallow. Amber screamed in front of him.

There it was, the damage done for the other bey.

He needed a burst finish.

He didn't want to think about what it would do to the other person.

He wanted the pain to end.

There was nothing for a while, Amber was being careful and ...sloppy. This was his chance. Shu opened his eyes, and kept them transfixed on his red, glamorous bey, spinning across the stadium towards the other. "Upper Launch '' Shu commanded as they clashed.

Both braced themselves for the pain. When the moment of impact took both of them by a storm, Shu almost wished he didn't command Spryzen to do so. The scalding pressure on his skull drove him to the ground. He grabbed his head with both his arms, curling to himself in agony. He was being burned alive. He coughed, scratching his throat trying to put down the fire lit inside.

But no matter what he did, it burned, obliterating all his senses. He could taste the blood, feel it gush out from his lips. He could see the black spots sprouting and widening each moment.

Please, Shu thought, I want to pass out.

He wanted to stop feeling this pain. The hammering in his brain as someone was battering it out. The ripping of his flesh like he was being teared alive. And then, it dissipated, like the mist dissolving upon the arrival of the sun. The agony faded into a throb and Shu barely recognised the sound of footsteps.

He was tired.

He was so tired.

He didn't bother opening his eyes when he felt someone clearing the hair off his neck, the sting of a needle piercing his skin followed. His mind became foggy, his limbs trembling with exhaustion. And the albino relaxed with a sigh as the peace took over, lulling him to a deep, serene sleep. 

---

 Shu groaned, waking up to the sound of machines humming around him. He wasn't sure where he was, his mind was overcast with a bleary numbness. It was like trying to sort through a ball of yarn. A haze scatter of memories allowed him to remember he was inside the snakepit. He battled Amber and then it was all black.

He didn't even know whether he won or lost.

Shu blinked trying to see through his blurred vision. White colour greeted him from all the sides. Shu frowned, moving his hand only to find it was impossibly heavy, or maybe he was just tired. He then remembered the electricity, the pain, none was there.

What happened?

"He's awake" A distant voice said, a voice he didn't recognise. Shu watched figures blur past him, all dressed in white, or were they wearing white coats? He couldn't figure it out.

"How are you feeling?" Another voice, much kinder and soft. A woman.

"Water" Shu wheezed out, surprised at the sound of his own voice. He sounded so small and tired.

"Get a glass of water" She said, her hand on his white locks as she ran her fingers through them carefully. Shu liked her. Soon, a hand wrapped around him, supporting him to sit down. Someone held a glass to his lips and Shu drank gratefully, greedily exhaling in relief as the moist liquid passed down his dry mouth and scratchy throat.

It was only then Shu decided to look around. He was indeed inside a small white room attached to numerous machines. He only recognised the heart rate monitor from the set of foriegn objects. He looked at his right arm where a small tube was attached to his skin, was it an IV drip? Shu wondered, looking at the clear liquid in the transparent bag beside his bed.

There were a set of people around him. All dressed in white lab coats, staring at him like he's an animal, an ivory tusk on display. He was not in a hospital, Shu concluded looking at the lack of windows and the gloom inside. But he didn't know the Snakepit had this kind of a place. "Where am I?" Shu asked, turning to the kind woman. Her sapphire eyes peered at him behind her rectangular, black rimmed glasses.

"You're in one of the Snakepit laboratories' ' She said, propping a pillow that he could lean against. Shu looked down at himself to see the light green thin gown he was wearing. Everything reminded him of a hospital and it was cold.

It was so cold here.

"What happened?" He asked again, Did he win? Did he lose? If so, what happened now?

The woman didn't answer, instead she turned around and Boss walked in. "Congratulations" He said, grinning wide. "You have won the game"

Shu unconsciously held onto the woman's elbow crawling back to the headboard. "And Amber?"

"He's out of the programme" He made his way towards the small iron bed and sat down on the crisp white sheets, "And kid, you're officially chosen to go through the Requiem Project"

Shu didn't know what to say. He was not particularly happy about that. "Okay" He said, "Now what happen?"

He thought of Asthem, Norman. It would've been nice to have either of them here, maybe even Leo. The boss turned to the scientist, "The group of you are in charge of taking care of the subject for the next two weeks and Rin'' He said, turning to the kind woman, "I hope you'll do a good job explaining what happens now" He leaned against Shu, and the albino crawled back again. The boss grinned, "Look how far you've come" He said, tapping his cheek with his pinkie, "We'll see how well you hold up or whether you'd end up like the others''

He stood, looking at all the others. "No one else is allowed in here during these two weeks."

Everyone nodded watching him walk out of the room. Shu watched him too, feeling the darkness clinging onto him, his mind lighting red warning signs. But there was nothing he could do about this.

Shu turned to Rin with a hope-filled look. There was no way he was going to dodge this or escape but he might as well know what's going to happen to him before he succumbs himself to being the subject. Rin stood, "You two" She said to two of the five scientist staring at her, "Work on the chemicals, we need him in his full consciousness as he go through it"

"You three" She said for the rest, "Check his medical records and test the blood we extracted earlier. I need a full record in three hours"

They scrambled to work and some walked out of the room with test tubes, all glistening in red, his blood. He didn't know when this all happened. He vaguely remembered being hurt during the match, but both his hands were okay, was he imagining all the blood? Rin stood at the edge of the bed and smoothened a wrinkle on the bed sheet.

"We're going to examine you for the next couple of days'' She started, "Test your cell count and inject the chemicals you need to go through the Requiem Project." She was listing down facts, all the things they would do to him like he was not human anymore. "We'll need to take care of your diet and exercising routine. And of course, we'll let you practise three hours each day before you try the big thing. You'd also need to practise holding yourself and moving with a VR device."

"Why?" Shu asked, why did he need virtual reality devices?

"The information is classified. All I can say is that you'd need the practice"

"Okay" Shu mumbled, "What else?" Shu asked, unconsciously reaching to his neck, relieved to find the necklace was still there.

"That's all" She said with a sickly sweet smile. Shu realised how mistaken he was. She was not being kind, she was excited. Excited of the project, the things they can do to him in the process. He was not a human to her, he was a project, and experiment. A subject.

"What about the earlier test?" He asked, not sure whether he would get any answers. "The electricity one, I remember coughing out blood and my hand-" He gestured vaguely.

"Oh, it was all a fluke," She said, her eyes lighting up. She looked like a child eager to tell something happened at school, and just as Shu thought she continued, "It was impressive what machines can convince human minds. The whole room was brimming with electricity, that's what you thought, right? But there was nothing! The machines were there to create a virtual reality where you two were getting electrocuted. Didn't it look so real?" She asked, clasping her palms on the bed, her mouth twisted to a sinister grin.

"Yes," Shu hesitantly said.

"That was my first successful VR room! This technology is so precious" She sighed, dreamily, "I worked so hard to make it feel real and when you two were screaming in pain, I realised how sweet accomplishment feels. After this project turns out to be a success, I'm looking at a big promotion! With my own lab and staff"

Shu pressed his lips together, thinking back to the hot, smouldering pain. How it felt so real. He thought he would die, he thought Amber would die and cursed himself for being selfish, all for nothing. He was angry, angry how he was deceived into thinking he was going to die. Angry when he felt everything was a mere game to these people. But what could he do except to sit here and hope for the best?

Nothing. There was nothing he could do.

For the first time he let this helplessness sink in. Though Asthem, Leo and everyone else tried their best to make it seem easy, show that they had it under control, they were all walking on thin ice. One slip of word, everyone would crash into the icy cold water below and drown.

"I'll be back with your dinner, little one" She said, standing up. Shu watched her walk out of the door and a second later several locks clicked into place imprisoning him in this small room with nothing but machines and white walls. The only colour was the red blinking light of the heart rate monitor and the incomprehensible mess of green lines on a screen to his left. Shu carefully lifted the thin blanket.

"Shit" He muttered, looking at the tube connected to the side of his torso, piercing through the hospital gown. He touched the sore skin over the fabric, wincing. Beneath his knees, his legs were bare and sickly pale. Shu eyed the metal clasp on his ankle, a chain connected to it. They were really worried about losing him, weren't they? The chain was locked to the metal leg on the bed. Shu placed the covers back on him and leaned against the headboard, focusing on the drip on the transparent bag as it flopped to the tube, connected to his arm.

Shu was drawn back with the sound of the locks clicking, soon enough Rin walked in with a food trap. She unclasped a set of metal locks on either of his side and straightened a portable table over his bed and placed the tray. Shu frowned seeing the white gooey porridge on it. "What is this?" He asked. Rin handed him a plastic spoon.

"It's a special porridge with all the nutritions you need" She said clapping her hands together, "Why do you need to separate everything when you can have it all together, right?"

Maybe because we have taste buds? Shu thought quietly turning the food over with his spoon, unable to keep the disgust out of his face. At least it didn't smell bad. "Eat up" She said, rushing him. "After this, we have to run some tests on you"

"I thought you already did," Shu pointed out reluctantly, "Are there more to it?"

"Yes" Rin said, "There's quite a few more"

Shu finally surrendered and started eating the tasteless mixture on his tray. It was like eating rubber except it effortlessly went down his throat with no taste at all. When he finally finished, Rin took away the tray. She came back later and Shu's heart skipped a beat in relief seeing Norman with her. If he didn't know better about this woman, he would've cried out to him just by pure relief alone. "This is gold eye" Rin said, introducing —she was not aware they knew each other. "He will be taking care of you alongside me. You don't have to worry about a thing, right Goldie?"

Norman scowled at the nickname, under his mask Shu could see his eyes transfixed on him. "Yes ma'am"

Rin cheered and walked over to Shu. She plucked the blanket off him and folded it neatly on the foot of the bed. Shu's gaze again shifted to the tube as he tried to figure out what it was for. "We'll need to take this baby out now" She said, reaching for the tube. The albino tensed.

"H-Huh?"

"It'll sting a bit," Rin said, undoing the series of knots in the side of his hospital gown —the knots which held the back and the front of the cloth together, exposing his skin around his torso —a bruised purple where the tube was inserted. Shu helplessly turned to Norman who stepped closer to the bed.

"How are you going to take it out?" Norman asked, knowing full well there seemed to be no way around it rather than to pull it out and he was pretty sure this was not the way they inserted tubes in the hospital. Shu's skin looked infected around the area, the bruises evident where they had made the cut to pull it in.

"Pull it" Rin said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Shu inhaled shakily with a dry laugh, as if the kid couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Hold on" He was saying. Norman saw the raw pain in his eyes when Rin — being the heartless monster she is, tugged at it. Shu flinched, and Norman found himself instantly reaching towards the kid who wrapped his arms around Norman's hand, burying his face into his elbow, almost as if just merely looking at it would double the pain.

Rin pressed her finger to his sore skin around and tugged again, the tube started slipping out of his body, smeared with blood where it had been inserted into the body. Shu's grip tightened, but he kept quiet. Norman could hear his breathing, frantic and laboured as the scientist kept doing what she did, never even sparing a glance at the child, clinging to his arms.

When the last of it was out, she smiled in glee. "There, all done" She said, finally looking over to Shu. There wasn't a sound, he was breathing hard, his face hidden in Norman's grip.

Norman frowned at this silence, "Red Eye?" He asked, shaking him lightly. No answer. "Red Eye" He said again, taking his shoulders and pulling him back.

"What happened?" Rin's oblivious face peered at the kid.

Shu's eyes were wide, tears smeared around them. It was almost as if he couldn't comprehend the pain. He couldn't believe she just tugged out that bloody tube out of him and that it was hurting like shit. His erratic breathing didn't slow down. He clutched to his chest, hitting himself over and over trying to inhale properly.

"He's shocked," Rin said, standing up and reaching for the jug of water. She pushed away Norman from his side and wrapped one arm around Shu, supporting him. "Drink this" She urged, lowering the glass to his lips. Shu was shaking his head, a choked whimper escaping his lips. "Drink this" Her voice was stern. Upon rejection of the albino, she tightened her grasp around him, a hand pressing to the wound at his side. Shu screamed and with that, doubled down coughing and retching.

"There there" Rin said, her tone softening. "You can breathe again, right? Or do I need to give you another push for it?"

Shu frantically shook his head and choked out a simple fine. When she lowered the glass of water after dissolving a pill into it, he didn't reject it. Out of pure fear for this woman he gulped it down.

"See?" Rin said, handing the glass to Norman who snapped out of his trance. "It was easy, wasn't it?"

Shu pursed his lips, running his palms down his face to wipe down the stray tears and the perspiration. "Yes," He murmured.

She then turned to Norman. "Bring him towards the lab next door. I'll be there. We have to run some tests on him. If he gets shocked by pain, we'd have to work on that it doesn't happen in the future"

Shu watched her leave. "What does she mean?" He asked. Norman reached for his shaking body and placed his hands on his shoulders. "What does she mean?"

Norman shook his head, "I'm not sure." He glanced at the cameras. "Can you walk?" He said, moving to a position that Shu would be shielded from the sight of them. He started knotting back his hospital gown and helped him to his feet. "Shu" He said, his voice soft and impossible quiet. "Asthem sent me to take you back. You shouldn't go along with the Requiem project"

"Why?" Shu winced, placing a hand on the bed to support himself when Normal reached for a pair of rubber slippers.

"It's too dangerous. Too many flaws and corners we do not know"

"But what about the project?" Shu asked, "What will happen to the mission?"

"That's not important" Norman said, his voice urgent, "We're not putting your life in danger"

Shu stared at him for a long second, "What happened to Amber?"

"He didn't make it. We tried to get him out safely, the choice of leaving the world was his own" Norman answered, averting his gaze.

Shu fell silent. "Will this kill me?"

Norman shrugged, watching Shu wince again trying to walk. "Currently, there's no life threatening things involved. We're monitoring every step with our own set of scientists back in the base. Can you really walk? I can help-"

Shu cut him off, "Then I'll go on. If it turns life-threatening, we'll draw away. We'd need all the evidence we can have to shut them down, don't we?"

Norman blinked, impressed. This child, barely a teenager, had grown so mature that Norman could hardly believe it himself. He knew the kid was not immature. Since the first time they met, he had seen this side of Shu — logical and decisive. But after all these months of training, he had grown even stronger — a body of a child with a mind of an adult. He hadn't seen a strong resolve like this even among most of the adults he had met in his life. Maybe, when Theodore said they were robbing him of a childhood, it is true. He didn't look like a child anymore, he looked too sad to even be one. Norman felt sad for this child, stripped off his qualities to enjoy the oblivion of being immature. He knew too much, seen too much and heard too much, things even an adult cannot bear.

"Okay" Norman agreed. He could explain to Asthem the details later. He knew Shu wouldn't go along with Asthem's plans even before he brought out the proposal. The kid was too stubborn to stop. "But, you'll have to quit when things go south"

Shu nodded, "I will" He gave him a watery smile, his eyes filling with tears. "When I was battling earlier, I realised I didn't want to die" He sniffled, pausing almost as if he was rethinking his words and with a childish innocence brimming in his soft voice, he said.

"I really don't want to die"

Norman squeezed his shoulder, nodding. "I know the feeling, kid" He said, walking with him towards the second lab. He didn't have to search his face for fear, there it was, evident on the way he hesitated before entering. His eyes looking through the metal table in the middle, the advanced equipment scattered around the lab. How cruel it should be to a twelve year old to be worried for his life.

How sad it was that this child had to be stuck in the devil's cave when he should be living his life out there.

How monstrous they were even for agreeing to let him go through all this misery, pain, suffering.

How miserable it must be to realise he didn't want to die in the middle of something he was supposed to enjoy.

How wretched it is for a child his age to say, I don't want to die. It was one of the saddest things Norman had ever heard anyone say, a child nevertheless. One of the most heartbreaking things he had ever heard anyone utter.

Norman watched his small body on the metal table, the heartless monsters strapping his limbs to it. The male noticed the vulnerability in his eyes and walked over to him, a hand placed on his head. Shu relaxed, feeling him close, he turned his head with a quick smile before one of the scientists pushed a needle to his neck — a sedative. The younger's eyes slipped close and Norman sighed in relief.

At least this time he was not awake when these people started treating him like an animal. Started stripping and cutting and running all those painstriken tools down his skin. He knew just making him sleep didn't undo anything done to him here, the chemicals would be there in him when he woke up, but at least he could feel safe in that world where he could feel nothing. At least he can be safe in that blissful oblivion for a couple of hours. 

I don't know what I'm doing anymore.