A biological weapon.
In the first years of my life, that was all I was referred to. The people in the white coats never called me a human or a child; for them, I was an experiment, who was destined to bring this country to glory and crumble those who try to take over into dust. Even though I was young, my instincts felt that it was wrong. I mean, I looked different from them from my eyes to my ears, and the horns on my head. One of the women at the facility taught me how to read and write, she was nice but she felt the same as the rest. From her, I learned the word 'reptile' and saw that hey! I look pretty similar to them, so I asked her.

"Hey, Miss Lady!" I approached her one day. She faced me with an expression that I can't understand, "Am I a reptile?" I exclaimed. Curiosity is one of my perks, being a child and all.

"...", she turned her back and walked away. If I was my age now I would've gotten mad and demanded answers, threw a tantrum in there maybe but instead, I just stood there, puzzled. Why didn't she answer me?

A few years passed and I was now seven years old. The only way I knew this was when the people in white coats came into my room...cell? Yeah. A cell for my yearly assessment. They measured my limbs, height, weight, and checked all of my five senses. No one said happy birthday to me during those times. However,

today felt different.

There were fewer people in the building and one of the heads of the facility was talking to an unfamiliar-looking man. They looked serious and discussed things that I have no idea about but I felt were related to me somehow. The head said something about a 'Project L.A.I.N.E.' and how it was such an utter failure and will now be discarded by the government. I glanced back at my cell to look at the gray sterilized walls with the name 'L.A.I.N.E.' displayed on them. I felt a hand touch my back and it nudged me in the direction of the unknown man. I glanced up and saw Miss Lady who taught me how to read and write.

"Be good alright?" she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

But I'm good already so why-

"This is our prototype and the only successful result of our experiments, L.A.I.N.E 00. We will be placing it and our trust in your care with added compensation from the government." My thoughts were abruptly ceased by the head of the facility speaking. Eyes cast on the tiled floor, I pondered once more. What the hell did they mean by placing me in the unfamiliar man's care?

"Alright." The man suddenly crouched down to my level and I looked up.

"W-Who are you?" I asked, my then high-pitched voice trembling in anxiety at the sight of a face that I didn't know of.

He was a kind-looking man (still is but don't tell him I said that). Tall, with slightly graying hair and faint wrinkles on his face. He smiled quite a lot since he had wrinkles near his eyes too. They said he's going to take me in after revealing the fact that the project was a failure. The man whose name I still didn't know took me by the hand and let me out into the sunshine that I've only barely seen in the window of my room. Didn't feel like a room though, more like a dingy prison cell as I look back now. Just a plain white bed that I spent more nights thinking about what life would be if I was like those people in white coats, human. I brought along a stuffed animal in the shape of what looks like to be a fat sheep and a dog I named 'Tofu' after seeing Miss Lady eat some that was now in my arms. God am I glad to be out of that damned shithole.

Anyway, back to my wonderful backstory.

The man placed me in the backseat of his car and drove a long way until we reached his home. I fell asleep in the middle of the trip after looking outside the window, eyes wide open, seeing things that I only found in the books Miss Lady lent me. I woke up in time just for the vehicle to enter the gate of what is I guess my new home. The property was large and looked like some kind of enclosure for plants and animals. The house itself, however, was small yet peaceful. A willow tree stood at the side of the house with a swing under it. Slightly overgrown and unkempt plants surrounded it and were crawling on the walls of the house giving off a sense of enchantment but at the same time, of loneliness. I wonder why? The man led me inside and took off his shoes, I did the same as well. Monkey see monkey do. He led me to the dining room and offered me to sit, which I did. He placed a mug of chocolate in front of me and sat down as well.

"This your home now. Feel free to explore your surroundings", He faced me, "My name is Finnegan Alunni and I will be your father from now on."

"Father? I don't have one of those. The people at the facility said I'm only a test subject. And I don't even know what that means!" I took an angry sip of my chocolate. It was slightly lukewarm but tasted rich nonetheless.

"Well...I'm one now. That is if you would like me to be one." Finnegan let out a small smile, making the lines on the corner of his eyes crinkle. My instincts told me that there was nothing to be afraid of but my rational side was still debating until it was metaphorically beaten up by my non-human side.

"Okay," I said after staying silent for a couple of seconds.

"You don't have a name yet. Don't you?" My now father...dad asked. I didn't, I told him. "How would you like the name Lisbet?" He asked.

"...I like it." I did. I finally had a name! Like all those kids in the book who got theirs from their parents too. No more Test Subject, or the Prototype for me!

Lisbet, turns out, was the name of his wife who passed away months before he took me in. I guess the man loved his wife so much that he named me after her. Other than that, I was supposed to have a mother. Like those kids in those stories. Boo. Portraits of her and father hung along the walls of the quaint little home I grew accustomed to. She looked like she had an air of elegance and gentleness around her. I would've liked her to be honest. Dad said that she was the one who grew the plants around the house and enclosure. From there, I found out that my father's job was to take care of magical beasts and plants. I was classified as one so he took me in. Despite being a half-magical beast, he raised me like his own child, a human. In all those years I lived in the facility, I've never found anyone whose love was as warm as my father's, not even Miss Lady could top it.

I was finally home.

"C'mon dad! Just let me take the exam one more time!"

"This is the third time you've failed. Please Lisbet, reconsider this. It's for your good!"

Ever since I discovered my dad's Hunter License, I've been getting flashes of people in places I don't know. Especially of this one kid with white hair running with a green fuzz which I assume is another kid. Why though? I ask myself the same thing over and over again every time it occurs. So I decided to enter the Hunter Exam as well. I had more strength and agility compared to your average dude so why not give it a go? You know?

I failed. On my first try, I failed at the second phase. My dad said it wasn't too bad, it was pretty good for my first try for a twelve-year-old. That wasn't enough though, and I didn't see those two boys so maybe next year I might see them. All year I trained as much as my little body can handle and then

I failed again. Unbelievable. The fourth phase was arduous with all of its puzzles and mazes. So just like what history does, I repeat my training regimens all year, and guess what? I failed! In the first phase to be precise. That had to be one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Falling over and being one of the first people to fail the exam despite being considered somewhat of a veteran was a blow to my ego. I didn't get to see those two mysterious boys anywhere too! My disappointment was doubled and I went home with a heavy heart.

Back to the present. After months of moping like a loser, I was able to receive one more flashback that fired me up. The fuzzy green boy was headed to a boat in some place called Whale Island. I ran to my desk to rummage for a map that I was sure I hoarded from my dad and found out that Whale Island was the closest island to my home! So I ran faster to the study than you can say "wow you're back up!" and told my dad that I was gonna go for another attempt.

"This is the last one dad I swear, I can feel that I'm gonna pass! If-if I fail, I'll come back here and never speak of this again. I'll be a normal kid, I'll do what you say. I-"

"Lis, my dear, I don't want that for you, to follow my orders like some kind of robot. I want you to be happy," My dad glanced away, "I'm happy that you found something that makes you happy but I just want you to be safe as well. It's my duty as your father."

"Dad.."I trailed off. He stood up and hugged me. I didn't realize I was crying until I felt his hand stroking my hair. I hugged him back as tightly as possible, "Please dad? I'll be back I swear and this time I'll be showing you my own card."

He let out a sigh. It wasn't out of disappointment but content.

"Alright. Be careful."