He watched as the small figure drifted around him, curious about the world around her. He smiles and lifts her up easily, given that she was already floating in the first place.
"Lif!" he says, laughing.
"Lif?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.
"Yeah, that's going to be your name from now on, okay?" he says, running his fingers through her leaf-like hair and handing her some pet food. She readily gobbles the food up as he watches, amused at the actions of the little homunculus.
"It's just a simple test, that's all," says the lab coat clad figure.
"Just a simple test?! Do you know what could –"
"It's not for personal gain, you know. Don't do it for me. Don't do it for yourself. Do it for Science."
Science. That's right, it's for Science. The Creator reluctantly nods, and heads off to his small room in the Somatology Laboratories. There's something that needs to be done. It's just a simple test, after all.
"It's a simple test, Lif," says the Creator, standing in the middle of the South Field of Prontera.
"But master, it's scary here," says his Lif, hiding behind his legs, her eyes fixed on the bouncing jelly-like monsters.
"Don't be afraid, I'll give you potions if you get hurt," says the Creator, laughing. "I just want to know how much you can do against these Porings."
"O-okay, master," says Lif, nodding, floating towards one of the monsters. With a quick flurry of the leaves surrounding her, the monster is cut up into pieces, and a piece of jellopy drops.
"Look master! It dropped something!" says Lif excitedly, picking up the jellopy and handing it over to the Creator.
"Yup, it sure did," says the Creator, patting Lif on the head and giving her some pet food. "Come on, that's enough for today. You did very well, Lif."
"Yes, very well indeed," says the scientist. "Looks like our GUARDIAN project is going along smoothly."
"We lost over half the subjects, you know!" says the Creator angrily. "There is no way I'm testing it on her!"
"Science, my friend. How can you be so sure if you haven't done it yet?"
Pondering, the Creator shuffles to his room. "Their bodies are different from us! But the same as monsters!" he hears the scientist yell from the other room. Different, yes. But they are still alive.
"Master?" asks Lif, looking at the Creator.
Sitting on one of the benches in Geffen, the pair of them stick out like a sore thumb.
"What is it?" asks the Creator, munching on sweet potatoes.
"Why do people stare at me all the time?" asks Lif, floating somewhat halfheartedly over the bench.
"Hm... maybe it's because you're a bit different, that's all."
"Different?"
"Well, you are a homunculus, after all."
Lif looks somewhat disturbed at this though and sits down on the bench. The Creator lifts her up and sits her on his lap, making her blush slightly.
"Master!?"
"But you're still my homunculus, Lif," he says, tickling her.
Around them, people stare, but locked in their own little world, they ignore the people. So long as they are happy.
"Dad... it... hurts..." says his subject, strapped to a bed.
"Shh... I know... just... endure..." says the Creator, swallowing his feelings. "After this... you'll... you'll be stronger, I promise."
The Creator takes yet another syringe from his bag, and fills it with a serum.
"Dad, stop it!" pleads his subject. Cursing himself for what he does, he injects yet another batch in her.
"See, it's just another experiment, my friend," says the scientist, observing the procedures.
"Lif! Are you hurt?" yells the Creator, throwing a white potion.
"I'm... I'm fine, master!" says his Lif, activating Urgent Escape as they run for the exit.
They reach the surface just as another mob of Orc Zombies were about to surround them, and they collapse on the steps, beat.
"That was... quite an adventure, eh?"
"I'm sorry master, I couldn't be strong enough for this dungeon."
"It doesn't matter, Lif. What matters is you're safe. I'd hate to see you in pain," says the Creator, sitting Lif on his lap. "You're my daughter, after all," he says, smiling.
"D-daughter?" asks Lif, blushing. Laughing, the Creator gives her a pat on the head as he readies a Butterfly Wing.
"Let's go home for now, okay?"
"O-okay... daddy," says the Lif, taking his hand. Smiling, he waves the Wing and they teleport back to Prontera.
"God damn it. God damn you Wolfchev!" says the Creator.
"Don't... don't be sad, daddy," says Lif, lying weak on the bed. Slowly turning transparent, with wisps of ghostly smoke surrounding her, she smiles to reassure the Creator.
"Lif... I'm sorry..." says the Creator, taking her small hand in his.
"It's... okay... daddy... it was for me to be stronger... so I could... protect you..." says his Lif, turning even more transparent.
"So... Ymir's Heart Core substances aren't compatible with homunculi, after all," chuckles the scientist, watching the proceedings behind a thick glass.
"Wolfchev! Why the hell are you here!" yells the Creator angrily, tossing a Fire and Acid Bottle at Wolfchev to no effect.
"I though you understood, Flamel. We are men of Science. Attachment means nothing to us, only Science."
"She's my daughter, Wolfchev!"
"She's a homunculus, Flamel. An experiment, nothing more."
Having said all he wanted, and seen all he needed, Wolfchev left Flamel and his daughter, tending to his other subjects.
"Da...ddy..." calls out Lif weakly. Flamel rushes to her side, opening his guild supplied bag, looking for whatever may help.
Homunculi were, unfortunately, unsupported by the guild.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" rages Flamel, as he tosses his empty bottles and potions in desperation.
"I'm sorry, Lif! Just... just hold on! I'll find something for you!"
"It's... okay daddy... it was for our sake, right?" says Lif, smiling weakly.
"Lif! Just stay, don't go!"
"I'm... sorry daddy," says Lif. She reaches out to Flamel, and just as they touch, she disappears into a flurry of leaves.
"Lif! No!" yells Flamel.
"Homunculus Resurrection!" he casts, and the red aura surrounds him, but to no avail. "No! Homunculus Resurrection!" he casts again, but no matter what... his Lif was gone.
"I told you Flamel Emule, it was only an experiment," says Wolfchev, appearing in front of him.
"Homunculus Resurrection!" casts the Creator, as Lif rematerializes in front of him.
"Daddy!" says the Lif, jumping into his arms.
"Lif, I'm sorry! I ran out of potions," he says, comforting her.
"It's okay daddy. Good thing I only turn back into vapor, right?"
"Yeah. I've got good news for you too, Lif!"
"What is it, daddy?"
"Daddy's going to get work! Rekenber's been looking for Creators, and I've signed up!"
"That's great daddy! Imagine how much food we can get!" says Lif, twirling around in midair.
"Hey, stop that!" says the Creator, laughing as Lif's flurry of leaves surround him. "It's for us, Lif, we'll finally be able to live in peace, together."
Taking her hand, they both walk towards the airship, journeying into the vast lands of the Schwartzwald Republic.
"Um... uh... so... thank you for your time, Mr. Emule," says the journalist, packing up his things.
"Oh, no... the pleasure was mine," says Flamel, a grin forming on his face.
"I guess I'll take my leave now," says the reporter, making a way for the door. In what seemed to be superhuman speed, Flamel blocks his way.
"Oh, no no no, I'm afraid I can't let you leave now," he says, taking out his dagger.
"Mr. Emule!"
"No, we've got experiments to do. Thank you for volunteering as my test subject... number 5023."
It was then that the journalist noticed the wisps rising from Flamel, and his piercing red eyes. His screams went unheard beneath the bowels of Rekenber's Somatology Laboratory.
"If you can kill something that you care about," says Flamel, observing his latest subject. "Then there is no problem hurting things you don't, right?"
With a sad smile, he takes out a piece of jellopy from his pocket, the only remaining memory of something in his past. Suddenly, knocks on his door pulls him out of his reverie.
"Flamel!" says the voice of a familiar Paladin.
"What is it, Randel?"
"We've got company again, they've gone through a couple of clones already."
"Good, more subjects, I'll catch up to you guys, leave some for my tests, okay?" he says, preparing his bottles.