AN: Okay, this was just an idea that came to me ages ago. I've had it typed for quite a while but I wanted to wait until I'd finished 'Paternity' before posting it. But then I got writer's block on that, so I'm posting this. I have the first three chapters written already, so updates should be fairly regular, but don't expect too much until I've finished my exams.
And 'Paternity' fans, I am working on it. It's just taking longer than I expected to get a chapter I'm happy with to share with you all. But I definitely haven't given up on it. I like writing it too much.
But on the topic of this fic, it will cover more than you expect. It will include Mithos and Martel, and their quest to save the Giant Kharlan Tree, but it will just be slightly... different. You'll see. I'm really excited by the ideas I've got for this fic. I'm gonna love writing this one. I won't say any more and risk spoiling it. But I have several twists planned...
So here's the prologue. I hope you enjoy it! ^_^
Disclaimer: I do not own ToS, but I do own this nice twisty plot, which I hope you like at least a fraction of the amount we all love the game!
Yuan rounded the corner, brimming with pride as he clutched his notes in his arms. At seventeen, he was the youngest researcher there and many had sworn he was only there because of the brilliance of his human father, because he had been born here as part of a study on his elven mother. They ignored the results of the rigorous IQ testing he had received in order to be there.
But he had just proved them oh so wrong. It had been a breakthrough, a truly amazing discovery on the use of exspheres to power weapons and the destructive power of those weapons. He had just used one of the weapons, which he called 'the mana-extractor', to gain information and dispose of a Tethe'allan foot soldier, a man who had murdered Sylvaranti soldiers in cold blood.
And his father had been pleased. He'd shown Yuan's research to his superior, who had shown it to his superior, who had awarded Yuan a new project. In his arms, Yuan held an A-ranked file, a top secret specimen that he was taking over from one of the higher level operatives. He'd been told he was to extract knowledge of sealing techniques from the son of a ninja summoner.
He'd been told ninjas were notoriously difficult to crack, but he would do so. He would find out everything there was to find out about this specimen, summoning, sealing and all. This was his big chance to impress them, to make his own mark in the wood, based on his own merit. He would finally prove his worth, away from the shadow of his father, and be recognised as talented in his own right.
By the time he'd arrived in the block in which the subject was held, Yuan was biting down on his lower lip in a bid to quell the urge to smile. It wasn't professional to walk around with a smile on your face; he'd learned this very quickly in the magitechnology centre and the few faces he saw in this remarkably deserted corridor were serious, scarred by frown lines, brows furrowed in thought.
The allocated cell, number 709, loomed in front of him, Yuan's heart rate rising with anticipation, his mind relishing the prospect of a new challenge as he hurried through the process of unlocking the cell to let himself in. He slipped in through the smallest gap in the door possible, as protocol dictated to prevent the escape of the captives who still had their sanity and cunning.
He wouldn't make a single mistake with this project. He was the youngest operative ever to receive the honour of an A-ranked project. If he could get results where the man whose duty he had taken over had failed, he would be promoted for sure. Then he could be on par with his father and the stern-faced human would finally be within his reach instead of on top of the pedestal he could never see the pinnacle of. So Yuan would not permit himself to make a mistake. He had to be flawless.
At first, he could see no experiment. It wasn't until the lights progressively brightened after he turned the dial further up on the wall, that he noticed movement from the single blanket thrown on the bed.
He approached silently, quickly ripping away the covers to reveal his newest project, that had been hiding from the dusky, dull lighting it had been kept under before Yuan's arrival.
Wide, terrified eyes stared up at up from beneath auburn hair as the experiment uncurled and scrambled back on the simple rail bed, bringing its knees up beneath its chin once it was as far from Yuan as it could get.
Yuan stared back. He had been told he'd be responsible of extracting information for a summoner's son, but he hadn't expected the subject to be so young. He found himself regarding a boy who could not have lived for more than six years, huddled on the bed like any other child.
It was hard to think of something so small and innocent looking as a threat. The child was still staring fearfully in his direction, its bony shoulders shaking beneath the thin fabric of its dirty beige tunic. It looked fragile. Yuan doubted he would be able to handle the subject without snapping its shivering form.
He cleared his throat, ignoring how the experiment flinched. There were many ways of gaining information, and common sense told Yuan that a simple interrogation was the right way to start. Although, with a subject so young and afraid, it didn't normally go well unless information was given in return. Young humans were notoriously easy to trick with a false image of kindness and Yuan was sure he would find this one no exception to the rule.
"Hello," Yuan said, sitting down with his legs arranged in a cross on the floor by the foot of the bed, intending his lower position on the floor to make him seem like less of a threat. "My name is Yuan. Can you tell me yours?"
The child blinked, fear and confusion blurring the surface of its eyes. From his new place on the floor, Yuan could see more of the pale face beneath the hair and the angry purple bruises that marred each cheek. It seemed his predecessor had resorted to violence to deal with this subject, maybe even mentally scarred it to the point of being unable to say its own name.
Yuan rose, repositioning himself closer to the child, so that he was now sitting in front of him on the bed in the same position as he had before, casually, calmly, his body opened up to the much smaller one opposite him. He slumped his shoulders downwards, hoping to settle the subject, to make the interrogation easier.
The child cowered, hiding behind its arms, which Yuan noticed were in a worse state than its face as the sleeves that adorned them slid down to reveal more bruises, scabs and burns. It whimpered, terrified tears tumbling down its face, leaving dirty trails across its cheeks.
Yuan waited as its noises dies down, until it was crying silently, creepily for a child, and looking up forlornly and fearfully, its eyes meeting Yuan's own. Yuan smiled, another pair of tears escaping the child's eyes. He slowly raised his hand, stopping the movement every time the subject flinched or winced and looked away, the hand eventually making it up to his chest where he could point to himself.
"My name is Yuan," he said, gesturing to himself.
No recognition showed in the child's eerie, tortured eyes.
"Yuan," he tried again, in case the child was unable to understand the words he spoke. It was possible. And it would explain why he had received no verbal response from the child since his entrance. Subjects were usually none too keen to tell the researchers exactly what they thought of them. And, while Yuan had heard that younger subjects generally needed a little more coaxing to respond, he hadn't heard of any others not receiving a single word from a subject. Subjects usually begged when expecting punishment at least. Yet, this one hadn't.
He sounded it out, still pointing. "Yu-an. Yuan. I. Yuan."
The child was listening. He could see it. This subject wasn't stupid. He could see intelligence in its eyes beneath the confusion. It was now looking even more likely that the child had simply not been taught to speak his language. Ninjas hailed from Mizuho, summoners mostly from Balacruf – both regions which spoke their own language, separate to that of the two warring countries of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.
"Yuan. My name Yuan," he repeated one last time before slowly, carefully, so as not to frighten the child again, pointing his finger at the subject. The subject flinched, but continued to watch the half-elf intently, its eyes flickering between his and the finger. "You? Your name?"
He received no response, biting back an impatient sigh and bring his finger back to point at himself before stating, "My name is Yuan. I Yuan." The finger gently returned to the child. "What is your name? Your name? You?"
The child continued to stare. Yuan stared back.
He laid his hand on his chest. "Yuan," he said firmly yet quietly, pleased to note that the child didn't draw away from him. Next, he stretched the hand out to the child, waiting, remaining there for several seconds.
The child blinked, dropping its eyes from the half-elf to the cold, metal surface of the bed they sat on. Yuan retracted his hand, watching the subject patiently.
Finally, its dry, cracked lips opened, and it managed a quiet, hoarse murmur of, "Kratos."
Yuan managed to catch his jaw before it dropped to the floor, turning the movement into a wide, indulgent smile, inwardly grinning at his success. He nodded, giving a slow, friendly wave. "Hello, Kratos."
His experiment blinked. Its mouth opened tentatively again, Yuan holding his breath, expecting more speech, perhaps another sentence. His hopes were dashed as the sound of a bell reverberated through the cell causing Yuan to flinch and the subject to start violently, curling into a tiny ball on the steel sleeping table with a horrified cry, convulsing with the force of its fearful shaking.
The half-elf swore under his breath, recognising the alarm calling all personnel of this area to the control room on the floor above. This interrogation was over for now, but Yuan was not about to lose his progress to this intrusion. It was obvious that the subject had been interrogated crudely and that this could cause the slightest sound or movement to cause it to withdraw from him, back into itself, into a blubbering wreck.
In order to salvage the day's work, Yuan would have to pull something out of the bag, a kind gesture but something short enough that he could get to the control room quickly enough so as not to be considered late. It would be frowned upon to be late on his first day in this area.
Leaning forwards, he rubbed softly at the child's back, ignoring the piercing shriek at the first contact. That proved it; this subject had definitely been interrogated at the more violent end of the spectrum and for no knowledge, if Yuan's first theories on the speech capabilities of his project were correct, and they nearly always were. He wondered now whether the operative he had replaced had been taken off the case for negligence.
"Goodbye, Kratos," he said softly, close to the subject's greasy locks, and the small, rounded ear they hid. He continued as he left, despite knowing the experiment couldn't understand a word he was saying, something just telling him it felt right to, "I'll see you tomorrow."
He wouldn't be returning in the afternoon. If he was going to have to teach the subject to speak his language to ensure the success of his project, then he would have to dedicate the afternoon to visiting someone else.
At the thought of that, a smile grew on his face.
AN: And that's the end of the prologue. The next chapter should be up relatively soon, depending on how much time I get to type it up once 'Paternity' is finished.
Here's hoping I'll be seeing you next chapter.
Thank you for reading, and please leave me a review on the way out. I'm always open to suggestions and constructive criticism to improve my writing and it's always great to know that you're reading, particularly if you liked it. A 'hello' is also received with appreciation and a nice author-y grin. ^_^
~ThePurpleRose