"Lieutenant Colonel Russel, I still don’t know why the Government would order the release of that abomination." A soft, melodious voice echoed across the hallway.
Operating in the outskirts of Amsterdale City was a private military base.
And within the base, four figures were seen walking through the hallway, the spotlights illuminated across the hallway, their footsteps resonating through the air.
Standing on the left was a middle-aged woman with jet-black and brown eyes; she was draped in a white lab coat.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she gently adjusted her glasses, not hiding her irritation.
The three figures accompanying her were military officers, draped in their military camo.
With a young lieutenant colonel Russel standing on the right side, his lips curled into a faint smile, "Doctor Eve, you should know the Government can’t be blamed, right?"
"The rate at which the curse of the Fallen Realm corrupts our world, we need as many Fallen Regulators as we can muster"
He softly exhaled, "If that child is a carrier of the Fallen Rune, and if there’s a chance he survives his First Apocalypse...."
"Why won’t we give him a chance?" The lieutenant colonel asked. The doctor scowled, "But....but....he...he is....I don’t like this" She complained.
Before she could complete her statement, they arrived at their destination. The spotlights illuminated the hallway.
Their movements came to a halt. A sealed metallic door stood before them. "Unseal the cage," Ordered Lieutenant Colonel Russel.
Seconds later, the metallic door clanged open. With thick mist escaping from every corner of the cell.
Doctor Eve gulped, swallowing her saliva, she gently opened the brown file she brought along, revealing a piece of white paper..
With a crimson X symbol boldly imprinted on the paper.
Her eyes narrowed as she read the information written on the file. The paper had the image of a young man with curly black hair and dark cerulean eyes.
The information displayed on the paper was....
Subject Name: Lenny Night
Subject Age: 18
Subject Status: Carrier of the Fallen Rune
Subject Height: 5’7
Subject Description: When the Dusk settled, and the Great House Night fell, only Lenny was found laughing, bathed in the pool of his parents blood.
Subject Medical Diagnosis: Schizophrenia, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Warning: Subject is mentally unstable and too dangerous to be associated with anyone.
"Let’s go," the voice of Lieutenant Colonel Russel brought her consciousness back to reality, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Lieutenant Colonel Russel was unfazed; behind him were still military officers.
They may be mundane humans while he was a Fallen Regulator but they were still armed.
And they were going against a mere carrier of the Fallen Rune.
Minutes later, the clouds of mist escaping the sealed cell slowly faded, granting them a clear view of what existed inside.
Doctor Eve followed from behind as the lieutenant colonel led the way into the dark cell.
**
Located at the depths of the cell was a young-looking figure, the shackles of the chains that bound him rattled as he moved his body.
He groggily pried his eyelids open, like lifting weights in a nightmare. "What is this?" He growled as Blinding lights speared into his pupils, making him wail in agony.
He threw up a grimy hand to shield his face.
As his eyes adjusted, he made out the crisscross of rusty bars, the damp stone walls, and the silver harsh light cutting through the darkness like a knife.
He blinked away tears, his vision clearing to reveal his own tattered reflection staring back- a mess of black, curly hair, wild and matted, framing a gaunt face with sunken cheeks and full lips twisted in a grimace.
It was hard to believe that this young man was actually a teenager who had just clocked 18 years old.
And was about to be called to the Fallen Realm within a few hours.
This young man was indeed Lenny Night, the last survivor of the Great House Night, deemed too insane to live amongst others and sealed away by the Government.
"Tsk." He kissed his teeth, slowly standing up from the cold floor. He staggered back a bit, his eyes blurred.
His eyebrows furrowed "What is going on?" He muttered.
Just then, the faint approaching footsteps drew closer, "Don’t struggle, Lenny, it’s calling you." A loud baritone voice resounded across the air.
With his eyebrows furrowed, Lenny gestured "Why don’t you come closer....."
Lenny growled, "Lieutenant Colonel Russel?" He asked. Stepping into the room with a broad smile was indeed Lieutenant Colonel Russel.
But he wasn’t alone, Doctor Eve and his fellow officers followed him, their firearms were out and ready to be unleashed.
Lieutenant colonel Russel was a Fallen Regulator, too powerful to be intimidated by this unpredictable psychopath but the other officers were different.
They were mundane and wary of the creature locked in a cell for more than half a decade.
There must be a reason why the Government considered him to be this much of a danger.
Lieutenant Colonel Russel breathed in deeply, "How have you been, Lenny?" Lieutenant Colonel Russel asked.
Lenny grinned, his arms folded as he lay back on the wall, "Why don’t you guess?"
"I’ve lost count of time ever since I got my ass sealed in here, locked away from my friends and my family" Lenny scowled.
Lieutenant Colonel Russel slightly tilted his gaze, "Lenny Night, House Night is gone.....you have no family left"
"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me. I totally forgot" Lenny chuckled.
There was a loud pause in the air....
Lieutenant colonel Russel continued "The Government locked you in here because on that very night, you became a carrier of the Fallen Rune without even reaching the ripe age of 16"
"The government could not risk taking you to any Awakening Ceremony, so you were contained here," Lieutenant Colonel Russel explained.
Lenny shrugged, "And why are you here then? Here to finally take my life?" He asked.
Lieutenant Colonel Russel chuckled, "Why would I do that? I’m a Rank 3 Fallen Regulator, I can’t bring myself so low as to exterminate a Carrier"
"But I was sent here because today is your 18th birthday," Lieutenant Colonel Russel stated.
In that moment, the atmosphere became tense.
Lenny frowned, his eyelid twitched for a second, "My birthday?" He asked.
Lieutenant Colonel Russel nodded, "You should know what that means, right? On the eighteenth birthday of all Carriers of the Fallen Rune"
"The curse of the Fallen Realm will call to them, summoning them when the sunsets...."
He took a deep breath, "You must have felt it don’t you? The dizziness? The feeling of being pulled apart...."
"In a few hours, you’ll be called to the Fallen Realm and that’s why I am here, to help you"