For a long while, it was just the three of them. Karl, Alcina, and Mother Miranda. Since the metal wielder was so young and could barely handle his own powers most of the time, he stayed in Mother Miranda's castle, which was more of a curse than a blessing. He couldn't seem to get away from her and even when she was out of sight, his cadou would pull toward her. And with no privacy of his own, he ended up blowing up most times.
The only times he felt slightly better was when Alcina visited, usually upon Mother Miranda's request, but he didn't really mind her so much. She was a snob and teased him about his young age, but besides that, there wasn't much that he disliked about her. She had a different energy than Mother. She was softer and didn't command things like she deserved all respect. It also didn't make his cadou twist when he spoke to her.
Karl sat on his bed, his kneels pressed up against his chest as he stared straight ahead, ignoring Alcina's form beside him. She was drinking a glass of something red and the copper scent gave him enough clues to tell what it was, but he ignored that too. He still had a few tear tracks running down his face and they were starting to dry, making his cheeks feel stiff.
Alcina let out a heavy sigh next to him. She moved slightly, which jostled the bed. "You know, Mother Miranda would lecture you less if you restrained your emotions more."
He didn't look at her. Just sank deeper into his own arms.
There was a pause before she spoke again. "She does have a point, you know. Killing all of your Lycans will only leave you defenseless in the end. You may have power now, but you can't protect yourself against most things this world can throw at you. As disgusting as they are, we need those beasts."
This time, he did glace at her and their eyes locked. He sent a glare her way. "I only killed them because Mother Miranda was being unfair." He hissed.
Alcina raised an eyebrow but her look wasn't one of disappointment anymore. "I can't say that I don't agree with you. The news of another lord joining us doesn't please me either, but there isn't much we can do about it. Mother Miranda's word is law."
Karl let his arms slide down to his sides as he sat up slightly. "But it's not fair! Why do we need another lord when we already have the Lycans?! Not to mention Urias and his older brother! She'll just end up hurting someone else the same way she hurt us!" Just the thought of someone else in his place...he couldn't allow it. He was selfish but no one deserved something so horrible.
"Mother Miranda's experiments were as cruel as they needed to be. It was a test of endurance and now look at us. We're far more powerful than any other being. I would say that it's a worthy trial to go through."
"You can't be serious?!" He didn't mean to shout it so loudly, but his heart was hammering again and he felt that rage return. "It was agony! There's nothing that could make up for what she did! And not only that, I can't even remember what I was before all of this!" He let out a heavy sigh that sounded more like a hiss in his hears. He looked way from Alcina's cold face and curled up again. "I'd rather go back to whatever I was than stay here."
There was another moment of silence but instead of comfortable or even awkward, the air felt cold and tense. He looked up to Alcina again and nearly gasped at the glare she gave him. Her lips were twisted downward and her fingers tapped against her thigh threateningly. "If I didn't know better," She started, her eyes narrowing further. "then I would've thought you were speaking against Mother Miranda."
He froze, suddenly realizing that he wasn't supposed to wish he wasn't here or had these powers. He was supposed to be grateful and loyal, despite how much of a arrogant bitch Miranda was. Karl didn't say anything, afraid that any defense he gave would only prove his true feelings further.
"Be careful of how you speak, Child." Alcina finally said as she stood, her full height on display now. He had to tilt his head nearly all the way up to see her face. "You may be nothing but a filthy boy, but your words still hold meaning." With that, she left the room, ducking under the door frame and then slammed the door behind her.
Karl snarled, feeling uncomfortably upset yet scared as well. He flipped off the door for good measure but laid down to rest on his side, the large blanket completely covering him. She was right. If he didn't watch what he said, then he could lose any chance he had at becoming Alcina's ally and he needed her if he wanted to take down Miranda. He alone wouldn't be enough, that much he knew, but with his big sister on his side, they had a chance.
For those next few days, Karl was very careful with what he said, even to the mindless Lycans. He didn't want word of his plans to cross Mother Miranda. And besides, with Alcina already being suspicious of him, he felt it was the best idea to just play extra nice for a little while until the event was forgotten. It seemed to be working fairly well, since no one mentioned anything all week.
But when Karl's cadou started to pull at him, meaning that Mother Miranda was asking to see him, his heart spiked. He wasn't sure why she was requesting his presence, since she seemed fine to leave him alone for months at a time. He hadn't done anything since her last lecture for killing so many lycans, so what could she possibly want?
Logically, he knew there wasn't really anything he had to be afraid of. He hadn't said anything that would immediately get him thrown to the dogs and there was also no way for Mother Miranda to suddenly find out he had even said anything to Alcina so late after it happened. So, he tried to ease his racing heart as he walked closer, ignoring the pain of the call.
Once he was upon the large doors, he pushed them open with his usual showman flair and gave her an obedient smile as he stepped closer. She had her back to him but was obviously waiting patiently. It was irritating how highly she thought of herself. So powerful that she didn't bother to even look at her own lord as he walked in.
"Mother Miranda, it's so nice of you to call. Whatever can I do for you?" He even finished it off with a slight bow, though, she didn't see it.
There was a moment of silence before she slowly turned around. Her expression was neutral but something about it made his heart jump into his throat. Why on earth would she be so upset with him?
"Heisenberg," She started, her tone strict but calm. "it was brought to my attention that you have certain feeling about your current situation."
His smile fell but he tried to keep from looking outright terrified. He played it off with a half chuckle. "What exactly did you hear?"
"I heard that you harbor strong feeling against me and my experiment. I also heard that you would rather be a defenseless child than the lord I have made you. Is that true?"
This was an accusation and a strong one at that. If he didn't play he cards right, he would get shredded apart before he could even think to fight back. He adjusted his stance and gave her a deceivingly open look. "Mother Miranda, I fear whoever informed you was mistaken." He looked between her eyes, not trusting himself to actually see her icy stare and keep his composure. "I don't harbor any kind of feelings against you. I love my gift and the experiments were...necessary. Honestly, if it sounded like I wasn't grateful, then it was probably just a result of my anger. Kids are emotional, right?"
She didn't speak for a long while. Her head moved to the side, as if she were examining him. That stone cold gaze never let up and he feared that he'd just blown it. If she detected his lie, then it would be all the proof she'd need to end him here and now. He chewed at the inside of his lip to avoid swallowing too much. And once she finally eased into a more relaxed stance, he held back a relieved sigh. "You have strong emotions, Heisenberg. I've known that for a while and it isn't something I see will become an issue, but I must advise that you watch your tongue in the future. We may be allies now, but the moment I hear you speaking in such a way again, I won't hesitate to replace you. Is that understood?"
He nodded quickly, letting his eyes fall to the floor, putting on the perfect 'reprimanded child' look. It wasn't exactly all an act either. "Yes, Mother Miranda. I understand."
With that, she turned back around, signally the end of this conversation and he nodded once more before leaving. Now that he was finished with that lecture, he had a certain traitor to speak to. As he made his way through the halls, his anger rose as he imagined his stupid bitch 'sister' sneaking off to tell on him behind his back. And just when he thought that he could trust her!
Making it to her castle didn't take very long at all. She was very close to Mother Miranda, after all. So much so that he could still feel the pull of his cadou every so often and the looming feeling that Miranda could be anywhere.
He kicked open the heavy doors and marched inside. He had seen Alcina's castle before, many times, but he saw it so differently this time. Now, everything he saw made him even more angry. Mother Miranda gave Alcina a whole fucking castle! And what did he get?! A single bedroom and a few stupid tools to occupy himself with for days on end! That bitch!
He carried metal shards with him and smashed every vase he came by. He shattered the glass to her nice cabinets and even knocked a few paintings off of the walls, not caring if they were hurt or not. He got in trouble and it was all Alcina's fault!
Heavy footsteps followed after him once he made it to the main living room. Speaking of the bitch.
"You disgusting man-thing!" She roared after him but he didn't care to look at her, just like Mother Miranda didn't care to look at him. He could feel how close she got with the vibrations through he metal he held in the air. "How dare you march into my home and destroy my artifacts!"
He turned on her, his glare just as potent as her own. Despite their height difference, he didn't feel threatened at all. She had sharp claws, but he had sharp objects too and his were a lot faster. "You told on me to Mother Miranda!" He accused, his finger already shaking up at her.
She stopped just a few feet in front of him. "Is this what it's about?! You got lectured for being a traitor and now you've come to destroy my things?!"
"It was ugly anyway! Just like you are!"
She scoffed and crossed her arms. "You really are such a child. I should've known you would act out like this. You've always been destructive and brutish. Perhaps you're more of a kindred with those lycan than I thought." Her smirk afterward made him growl.
"Shut up! You just shut the fuck up! This isn't a joke, Alcina! I could've died because you let your fat, stupid lips blab on about me! Do I really mean nothing to you?!" He watched her expression go from mocking to cold and serious.
"You don't know what games you're playing, Heisenberg. The things you said were unacceptable and to not tell Mother would've been treason." He felt his chest rip apart. She couldn't truly be so loyal...could she? Did she not go through the same pain that he had at Miranda's hand? "And just so that we're clear, I don't care for you enough to risk my own well being. If I had to do it again, I would. Instantly. Because no matter how well we may get alone, Mother Miranda is the one who gave me my power and this castle. She made me who I am and I respect her wishes over those of a literal child."
He was shaking. He couldn't believe this! How could Alcina do this to him?! What about those times they spent by each other's side through the night, talking about their favorite foods and colors and things like that?! They weren't best friends, but they got alone well enough! At least, he had thought so. When he had nightmares about being back on that table, strapped down and defenseless, he ran to her whenever he could. She had a real motherly feeling to her, like she actually cared. Now, he could see that it didn't matter at all. Alcina would never be his ally.
"Get out of my castle before I tell Mother Miranda you lashed out."
With that threat and his decisions final, Karl marched his way back toward the front doors. There was nothing left in his path to destroy as he went, so he just settled to slap the doors extra hard for emphasis.
From now on, he would never trust Alcina.
When Mother Miranda called him in again, he was terrified. It was one thing to get a harsh lecturing about the angry words he said, but to hear that he had gone and lashed out afterward? That would just be the icing on top of his cake of fuckery. There was no way he would live through this encounter, he was sure. And, again, it was Alcina's fault.
Pushing the doors open, Karl decided to forgo his act of ignorance and just bowed his head. "I apologize, Mother Miranda." He felt his entire body shake. He didn't expect her to speak before she sliced off his head or ripped out his heart. She'd probably mount one of the two on the wall just to make an example of him as well.
"Heisenberg." She turned but he didn't look up. He waited for her to continue, hoping he could somehow worm his way out of this as well? But there really wasn't any use in it. "I heard that you damaged Lady Dimitrescu's possessions. We had to go to the Duke to get as many replaced as we could and even then, some were lost completely."
He knelt on the floor, hating how quickly he submitted to her, but he was desperate for his life. "I apologize, Mother Miranda. I...I was upset." There was nothing else he could say that wouldn't immediately make things worse. If he mentioned it was because she told on him, it would prove he was hiding something. And if he mentioned his betrayal, it would have the same outcomes. Then again, Alcina likely told her all of that anyway. Fucking bitch!
He jumped when sharp nails tilted his head upward. He stared ahead in shock, not expecting to see Mother Miranda's expression to be so...sympathetic. He knew it was all a lie. If she really had the ability to feel sympathy, she wouldn't have tied him down and implanted the cadou.
"I see what's happening." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, as her fingers gently carded through his hair. The gesture was likely supposed to be reassuring but it gave him goosebumps along his arms. "You feel confined in this castle, don't you. You need somewhere that you can be truly free."
He froze, his eyes wide. How...how did she know that? He had complained about a lot of things, but never about wanting his own freedom. How did she know he wanted this so badly? Then again, she likely knew his every move. Slowly, he nodded in response. He knew it was foolish, but he let his hopes rise. Would she really have mercy on him and set him free?
"I should've seen it sooner. You're always so upset and wonder these halls like a lost ghost." Her lips turned up in a smile and she caressed his cheek with the back of her hand. He shivered. "I will give you what you want, then. You deserve some independence, after all. You are getting older now and older boys need their freedom."
He nodded again, more eagerly this time. Yes, yes! He wanted this so badly! He didn't care if it would come with a price! He'd willingly kiss her shoes if it meant being given this! "Mother Miranda, I-"
"There is a factory on the border of our land." She interrupted. "It belongs to you now. I'll show you where it is, but I must warn you that humans work there. I don't care what you do with them, so long as you get rid of them. You are powerful but still small. Humans will give one look at you and doubt my decisions. And we can't have that, now can we?"
He shook his head, still trying to gather what she meant. Was she...giving him a home? Like Alcina's castle? But Alcina wasn't free. She still had to follow order and do whatever Miranda said. Was her version of freedom just getting out of her castle and being set in charge of his own domain?
He knew it was too good to be true, but the disappointment was crippling. He thought...
She handed him a roll of parchment. He barely managed to grasp it before she started talking again. "You may leave at once, if you'd like. The place is old and messy, but I don't doubt that you'd love to fix it up to your own liking. I only ask that you pay it back by making me more lycans to replace the ones you killed. Understood?"
He looked down at the parchment for a moment, still feeling his heart break from the true meaning of her words. He was still a slave to her. Nothing had changed at all. "Yes, Mother Miranda."
"Good. Now go on. I expect to see my new lycans soon."
He hadn't expected the path to the factory to pass along the wooden mill he had been attacked in so long ago. It was almost haunting to see again. If he looked long enough, he felt like he could just barely make out a few red splotches in the grass, but it was all a trick of his mind. After years, they would've been long gone.
The path leading up to the factory was newer and well paved, which was a bit of a surprise. He never saw anyone going up this way the entire time he had been a lord, so how could there be people working in this factory? He shoved the curiosity aside for the time being and continued on his way. It wouldn't matter in the end. He'd get rid of them all eventually, which he was slowly getting more and more excited by. He even knew how he'd do it.
Following him was a pack of twelve lycans, who all growled and hissed in their own anticipation. He had promised them a meal and they seemed more than grateful to be fed something fresh instead of a dead crow or something. He wasn't exactly sure what all they were allowed to eat, since taking care of them was Mother Miranda's job. Well, in that case, they likely didn't eat anything at all. She was probably 'too busy' to take care of some lycans. Honestly. And he had gotten in trouble for killing a few? It all felt like a waste to him.
"Here we are." He announced as he looked upon the factory. It wasn't very big, but he could bet that it ran deeper into the earth than this single level gave on. There was a single, large pipe that stuck out of the side of the main building and it was billowing large puffs of smoke into the air like a train. There was also something that looked like a watch tower, but he couldn't be sure. His heightened sight at least told him that no one was in the window of it, which gave him some cover. Not that anyone would be able to beat him in a fight in the first place and they sure as hell weren't going to be escaping.
The lycans behind him grew restless and started inching past him, wanting to get a head start, but he stopped them with a snap of his fingers. They backed away with a pained whimper and he smirked in satisfaction. They were so impatient. Sure, he was excited to see what lay just inside of the building, but he wasn't going to go crazy about it.
"Let me check it out first. Then, I'll let you feed, okay?" They didn't answer, which he expected, so he just went alone toward the front door. As he walked closer, he saw several large piles of scrap and gears. They were all either rusted, bent or damaged in some way. He stopped to look at the pile for a moment before his smirk widened. How kind of them to give him weapons to use against them. He'd be sure to thank them in person soon.
With the pull of his inner magnet, he was able to gather a good number of ruined gears and sharp shards that would work well as knives. He pulled a long pipe into his hand as well, using at a walking stick despite the fact that he was only a child and didn't need it. It worked with his aesthetic -something Alcina always talked about concerning her castle and how perfect everything had to be. He had a very poor aesthetic, according to her.
He took the courtesy to stop in front of the door and wipe his feet, just to avoid tracking dirt into his new home. Then, without another word, he pushed both doors open and took a step inside.
Several heads turned in his direction. There were humans here, it seemed, and all of them were covered in oil and dirt from head to toe. He looked at them past his dark glasses -a gift to protect his sensitive eyes from the sun- and gave his best smile. "Well, well. It seems that this is your unlucky day."
The humans didn't react at first. They just stared at him stupidly. Did they not see the floating metal around him or the lycans he just barely managed to hold back from tearing them apart? His smile fell and he took another step forward. This seemed to get them out of whatever trance they had fallen into.
"A child?" The closest one said. The lack of fear made Karl huff in irritation. Mother Miranda had been correct. They really didn't take him seriously.
Pulling his glasses off, Karl tilted his head as he spoke. "I know how I look, but I assure you that I'm much more than just a child." He sent a metal shard flying toward one of their heads and it popped open like a grape. The others jumped and stared at the gory mess in horror. Now they were scared. Good. "I don't want to waste my time cleaning out this factory, but I have a question for you before I let you all die. Who's the boss around here?" He knew it wasn't a part of his job, that he could just send the lycans out on a rampage and clear out the factory so much easier, but he was curious and wanted to know just what kinds of projects they were working on. What would those stupid villagers need a factory for?
When no one answered, he sighed again and sent out another sheet of metal, decapitating an older man. The others screamed this time and backed away as much as they could, but the door leading further into the factory was to Karl's right and they'd have to get closer to get to it.
"I'll ask this one more time. Who's the boss around here?"
They were shaking and stuttering and crying for their lives, but just as he was about to render them all useless and let his lycans free, one spoke up. "A-Anton! Anton Heisenberg owns the factory!"
Heisenberg, huh? He had a feeling this might be the case, but it felt strange to be proven right. He'd be meeting a relative, if not his own father. Or, at least he assumed that was the case. Heisenberg might not have been an uncommon name but this was a small village and there could only be so many of them. Now that his question has been answered, he wanted to do just a bit more. "Where does he stay? Is he here now?"
"Yes! He's in his office! I...I don't know where it is exactly, but it's on the map!" Karl tilted his head to the other side. He looked around the room for a moment, hoping to see some kind of map mounted on the wall but saw nothing. The sound of more stuttering made him return his gaze to the group. "H-Here! I have one in my pocket!" The man pulled out a thick parchment that had been folded up several times and carefully offered it. He was shaking and Karl watched for a moment as the map wobbled in the air before taking it. The man jumped when their fingers brushed but the boy ignored him.
He looked through the several layers -he had been right about the levels going deep into the earth, but this was a little ridiculous- until he spotted what he was looking for. The office wasn't too far ahead, surprisingly. He mentally mapped out the next few rooms he'd have to go into before refolding it and shoved it into his large coat pocket. How that he had that much, he looked back at the group. "Thank you for your service. Now, I'll have to-"
"Wait!" The man waved his hands out desperately. Karl frowned at the interruption but let him proceed. "I have a wife and kids! If you let me go, I promise that I won't ever speak of this to anyone! In fact, I'll tell people to avoid this factory all together! No one will bother you again!"
Now that was a deal he could get behind. Karl let out a wide smile and even a short laugh before looking up again. "I like you. What's your name?"
The man stood still for a moment, almost like he was in pure shock before he quickly gathered himself to answer. "Petre." His eyes were so pleading that it was almost funny. Who knew that it only took two decapitations for a child to gain this kind of respect. He'd have to try it a lot more often.
Metal flew out and killed the others in the group, leaving Karl and Petre to themselves. Petre was shaking now, his eyes glued to those around him but as Karl grew closer, his gaze finally came back to the boy. This was going to be so much fun. "I like you." He repeated. "You make a striking deal, but there's only one issue with what you offered." He paused to see the man shake more. This really was too much fun. "I don't want people coming up here to bother me, yes, but I also want my name to spread. I want them to know who I am before I have to introduce myself. I am one of Mother Miranda's great lords, after all."
The gears in Petre's head seemed to turn and he figured out the perfect solution quickly. "I'll tell them, then! I'll say that you're powerful and dangerous and that you control this factory now! That's what you want, right?! You don't want anyone to disturb you because they fear you, not just because I said so."
"Exactly!" Karl laughed. "You have a way with words, I'll give you that. Now, go along. Return to your family and find somewhere else to work." Petre nodded quickly and scrambled away, not hesitating to even look back as he left. But before the man could escape the doorway, Karl stopped him with a sheet of metal pressed gently against his chest, holding him in place for another second. "Oh, and if I find out that you've even tried to encourage others over here, I'll not only kill you, but I'll make you watch as the rest of your family falls as well. Understood?"
He went impossibly pale and nodded sharply. "Yes, Sir."
Sir? Oh, he liked the sound of that. Someone could get high on this much power and he was immature enough to enjoy it to the fullest. "Good. Now run along." With that, Petre left and Karl expected to never see him again.
Karl continued his journey through the factory, taking turns and going through new rooms that surprisingly had a lot less people. The few that he did come across were killed before they even knew what was happening to them. Once he made it to that office door, he stopped and took a breath. This was it. He could see the shadow of his father inside -or whoever Anton Heisenberg was- but it wasn't enough to get any familiarity. He wanted to see the man's face for himself, hoping it could kick start some memories that he lost. With a steadying sigh, he pushed open the door and walked in. Lycans followed but kept well behaved.
Anton didn't seem to notice him at first, his fingers running over some kind of blueprint in front of him. Karl took another step forward, trying to see what it could be, but jumped when the other man did. Anton turned his head around quickly and the two locked eyes.
It was silent for a long moment and Karl looked at the shadowed face as best as he could, trying to remember anything he could about this man in front of him, but nothing came. He could tell Anton was his father by their similar hair color and the tone of their skin, but beside that...there was nothing he recognized. It made his heart fall in disappointment.
"Who..." Anton started, his eyebrows furrowing as he stared for another second longer. Then, with a flash of realization, those eyes widened and he looked at the boy with recognition. "Karl."
"Yes..." Karl answered awkwardly. What should he say? He had no memory of this man but there must've been some kind of bond between them, right? He must've loved his son, the one Mother Miranda took away. Maybe he didn't need memories to get something out of this.
Anton stood up but he was slow in stepping closer, almost like he was afraid of moving at all. Karl saw the man's eyes flick to the lycan behind him but he didn't seem so worried since they weren't attacking. "Karl." He repeated, his hands slowly raising out toward the small boy. Was it an invitation for something? Karl wasn't sure. It didn't look like the beginning of a hug, but he couldn't be too sure. But would it be right to hug him anyway-
"Karl, what are you doing here?" The words finally came out and Karl stood in silence for a moment. What was he doing? He was reclaiming his home. His new factory. The one his father supposedly ran. "You're supposed to be with Mother Miranda."
Wait...how did he know that? Petre didn't seem to recognize him and only really mentioned him as a lord after Karl himself had. How did his father already know that he was a lord? And why wasn't he outraged at the fact that he was gone in the first place.
"Why are you..." He started again, those thick eyebrows turning downward until they suddenly went up again. His expression was one of pure terror. "No...No, you didn't leave Mother Miranda, did you?"
Karl shook his head quickly. "No. I didn't leave her." He honestly didn't want to talk about Mother Miranda at the moment. He'd much rather talk about who his father was and the memories he had lost. He'd rather get scooped up into this man's arms and get kissed all over the face because his son was finally back and well and-
"So she sent you here, then? Mother Miranda wants my factory?" Anton's frown turned into a smile as he walked closer, seemingly getting over whatever had stopped him before. Two hands reached out and touched Karl's shoulders. They were firm and warm, but something about the touch didn't feel right. "Mother Miranda sent you here as her new lord, just as she said she would! And look at you! Oh!" He seemed to realize something and backed away, letting out a little laugh. "Sorry. I probably shouldn't be touching her lord without permission."
Karl stared for a moment longer before deciding it was time to ask the questions racing around his head. "What?" He started, the feeling of anger beginning to pool in his gut. "What?! I'm your son! Why wouldn't you be allowed to touch me?!"
Anton blinked in surprise from the question. "Well...you're not my son anymore. Right? Mother Miranda chose you as her lord so now you're her son. Remember?"
"No! I don't remember anything before..." This made no sense. How did he already know all of this? Why was he acting like Karl wasn't his? Like he was just an object that had been passed to someone else? "Did you give me away? To Miranda?" He felt the betrayal before Anton even answered.
"Mother Miranda chose you." He answered in such a casual way that it made Karl's mind short out for a moment. "She wanted you as her lord so we let her take you away. You were never ours in the first place, I suppose. You were different from the others, even before the festival. I guess it was fate that brought you into this world. We were just lucky enough to handle Mother Miranda's son before she took him back, properly."
This was far worse than anything he could've imagined. Aft first, Karl worried what his father would think. He was different, probably nothing like the child he used to be. He worried that his father would gasp in horror and call him a monster. That he'd look on in disgust, the same way Alcina always did. That he'd be rejected. But it's now clear that this was far worse than rejection. The fact that his father -and mother, most likely- so freely gave him up to that bitch that they even dared to believe that he was never theirs in the first place. That Mother Miranda was supposed to take him away from his safe home. Was supposed to imprison him like this.
The rage bubbled inside and Karl no long felt the need to hold back his words or wishes. "How dare you." He growled out, his teeth bared. "How dare you give me away to that fucking psycho! Mother Miranda strapped me to a table and cut me open! She implanted me with a fucking cadou and now..." He could barely breathe past the red hot feeling of rage. "Now, I'm forever forced to follow out her will! You left me to die to that bitch's hands!"
Anton's eyes were wide again and that disgust was there, but it was all the wrong context. "How could you say that?! How could you speak about Mother Miranda in such a way?! Whatever she did was well deserved! It was in her plan that you ended up as her lord and maybe she was right to put you through some pain in the process! You were always so misbehaved and got us into trouble! Perhaps Mother Miranda knew you needed to be kept close by to avoid any more problems!"
Karl couldn't speak anymore. He couldn't breathe, or think or register anything past the horrible betrayal that fueled him. Every exhale came out punctuated and harsh. His eyes bore into his father's face and without another thought, he pulled on the metal around him and watched as the man was cut and sliced by smaller shards of metal. It wasn't satisfying enough to watch him scream, so Karl did it again and again until there was nothing more for the man to do than gasp out in pain. He was loosing blood quickly, but he was still alive enough to feel it rush out of him.
Slowly, Karl got closer and only stopped once he was glaring down at the man. He was so pathetic, whimpering and gasping like a baby. When Karl's words came out, they were filled with nothing but venom. "You know, I thought there was someone out there that cared about me. I thought that I had a family somewhere who missed me. That once I found them, they'd take me away from this world of pain. But now I see that you're just as much of a demon as she is." He raised the metal pipe in his hands and pushed it back down until it sank through sink and hit something hard. Anton gasped out in a silent scream. His lungs had definitely been punctured and based on the blood that flowed from his mouth, they were already filling up.
"The thought of you was the only thing that kept me going." He raised the pipe and thrust it down again. "I cried myself to sleep because of the pain. Because of what your beloved Mother Miranda did to me." He pushed it down again. "Do you have anything to say to your son? Anything at all?"
Anton choked on his own blood but he somehow managed to mouth out a sad "I'm sorry". It meant nothing now.
Karl growled as he let the pipe stay upright in the man's chest and knelt down to squeeze at his jaw with one hand. More blood flooded out between blue lips but he ignored it. "No you're not." He hissed with distain. "You let me go. You didn't hesitate either, did you." He loosened his grip enough to let Anton shake his head. His grip returned to bruising as soon as that answer came out. "And now you'll pay for that mistake. Both you and Mama." He squeezed just a bit harder, just enough to feel the jaw crack, before letting go. He stood up fully, taking one more glance at the pitiful display before he turned away.
"Take whatever you want." He said to his lycans with a wave of his hand. "Just leave enough for me to experiment on."
They didn't need another second to think before they all bolted forward, crashing through the door in the process. It would only take a few minutes for them to track down each and every worker. Then, he'd get to work mutating the dead bodies. He wasn't a monster enough to operate on them while they were still alive, not like Mother Miranda had, but he wasn't going to let an opportunity like this slip away either. He needed to learn more about metal and machines to build his own army. One that wasn't organic enough for her to control.
Looking back down at his father's desk, Karl suddenly remembered the blueprints and walked forward until he could see them clearly. It looked like a giant fan or something. Wait, no. That wasn't quite right. The blades were too small and the main part of it was too big to be a fan. Perhaps it was some kind of propeller...thing?
Karl looked down at his father's dead body and suddenly got an idea. Maybe he could fit this onto him? It would make for a good soldier, that was for sure. Grabbing up the blueprints, Karl gave one last look at the room before deciding he should get one of the lycans to hunt down his mother as well, just to make sure he was the last Heisenberg around.
The new lord that Mother Miranda had been working on ended up taking a while to finish and Heisenberg had been too busy to actually interfere with any of her experiments. He only felt slightly bad, knowing that someone else had endured something so horrible has he did, but it withered away when he realized that even if he had come around to visit this new lord, there was nothing he could've done anyway.
Heisenberg was older, taller and a lot smarter than he had been. Years had passed but he didn't care to count them anymore. All he knew was that whoever this new lord was, they would most likely be dubbed his younger sibling and he almost felt excited to no longer be the youngest. Maybe the super-sized bitch would stop calling him a child all of the time now.
"This is Salvatore Moreau, your brother."
But all of his excitement quickly went away.
"He's fucking ugly." Were the first words out of his mouth. And he meant them.
Moreau was a mess of fat and blistered skin. He looked like a fish had fucked a pile of vomit and made a baby somehow. And it didn't help that he had a trail of green goo slipping between his fat lips. Ew. Just...ew.
"I must agree." Alcina looked ready to vomit and for once Heisenberg couldn't blame her. This was beyond being clean. Moreau was down right disgusting, even for his standers! And...where they the same size?!
"Now, now." Mother Miranda interrupted. "Moreau will work well with us and has already proven as a success. He has taken over the reservoir and is well respected there. I expect the same from you two."
Alcina cringed but Heisenberg didn't really want to agree with her for too long, so he looked back at Moreau and tried to find something he liked about the mess. He...well, he had some kind of half human body in there and luckily, most of it was covered in baggy clothes, so that was a good thing. And that little crown of bones was pretty sick.
Deciding to make a proper introduction, Heisenberg stood up fully and bowed, his hair falling into his face with the gesture. "I am Lord Heisenberg, master of metal." He stood again and saw that Moreau's eyes were slightly shinny and his lips were kind of turned upward into a smile. If you could call it that. "I rule the factory." He added just in case the kid-man-thing didn't already know.
"Oooh." Moreau made a happy cooing sound and his arms shook slightly as he smiled. "That's clo-ose!" His voice was deep and a little hard to understand past the constant gargling sound, but it was something Heisenberg was willing to get used to. He was already getting ideas for the two of them.
His alliance with Alcina had gone to ruin quickly and it had been years since then, but he knew better than to try again. She was smart and knew that another conversation like that would definitely mean his loyalty was, in fact, not in Mother Miranda. But Moreau obviously wasn't very smart, because the reservoir was nowhere close to the factory. Besides, if he was strong enough to get all of those fisherman away from the area so quickly, then he had to be a challenge against Mother Miranda, right?
Introductions went quickly, as expected. Moreau wasn't much of a talker, really, since whenever he did, he'd end up spitting up goo and it disgusted Alcina enough that he was thrown out of the room. Heisenberg let a few days pass before he dared to take action, not wanting to seem too eager. Besides, he needed to gather as much information as he could about his new brother before he threw out his ideas.
Heisenberg cringed at the way the moist soil squished against his boots, but he endured it. He pressed forward and stood on the dock as he looked over the lake. Moreau sure had taken over the area. Even the houses that had once been along the shore were now nothing but rubble.
A large figure popped out of the water and Heisenberg gaped as a giant fish breached onto the dock, nearly crushing the entire thing.
"Fuck! Watch where you're landing, idiot!" Heisenberg hissed and waited for Moreau to deflate -or whatever it was he did to get out of his giant fish form- until the familiar ugly mess was in front of him again. There was a smile pulling on those lips and it was slightly encouraging.
"Soooorry." Moreau moaned apologetically. "But no one...no one visits me. What do you want?"
He was almost so ugly that he was going back into the cute area. Almost, but he was still super ugly. Either way, Heisenberg shrugged it off and fell back into his showman mood. "Moreau, since you're new around here, I have some questions to ask you. To get to know each other better." He added on the last bit quickly, wanting to sound slightly less accusing.
"Oh yes!" Moreau clapped his hands happily. "What questions?!"
Heisenberg let out a chuckle. "It's nothing too big. I just...how did Mother Miranda make you? Did she...cut you? Implant anything?"
Moreau blinked a few times and his eyes went unfocused for a moment before he answered, much shyer this time. "Well...yes. She did some cutting and pu-put a cadou in."
Heisenberg waited for any more details but when it became obvious he wouldn't give more, he pressed. "And? Did it hurt? How do you feel about her now?"
"It did hurt." Moreau admitted and Heisenberg smiled. Yes, this was going well! "It hurt a lot. Bu-but that's okay! I don't mind it so much. You know? Mother Miranda is so kind and nice to m-me! She said I will make her proud! I want her to be proud!"
He tried not to deflate as much as he did, but damn it was so hard. How could Moreau say such things about a bitch like Miranda?! Was he fine that she cut them all open and put in the cadou, which made life a living hell?! Shaking the anger away, he tried another direction. Maybe Moreau just didn't see the real picture. "Do you remember how you got here?"
"Hm? Oh, um...no. But I know that I was happy whe-when Mother cut me. She told me to be a good boy and lay still, so I did. I did and now she's proud! And I swallowed up those fishermen too and now I'm a lord!"
This...wasn't going his way at all. Heisenberg let out an impatient sigh and tapped his foot against the dock. "So you like her a lot, huh? You would do anything to make her proud? Even if it hurt you?"
"Yes! No matter what! I just wa-want to be a good son!" Moreau gave that little smile again but it wasn't so reassuring anymore. Heisenberg didn't see any way to change this without risking getting told on again, so he just turned and left. "Wa-wait! Where are you-"
"I'm going home!" Heisenberg called out, not caring to look back. "This place stinks and I'm sick of you." It was obvious that Moreau had been brainwashed the same way Alcina was. They both believed that Mother Miranda gave them wonderful powers as gifts. They were fine to settle for this prison so long as they were treated with a false kindness. He couldn't quite understand how they could just go along with this!
But either way, it was obvious that he could not become allied with Moreau.
As Heisenberg focused on building his army behind Mother Miranda's back, he also developed his factory. He built signal towers that would allow him full control of his newest toys, his Soldat, throughout the entire village. He had also created a barbed fence around the entire area to keep the few villagers with a death wish away from him. It wasn't very many, admittedly, but when a few had come to him due to cruel dares or plain ignorance...well, they never got to return home. They were killed quickly and mercifully and then turned into new soldat for him to use. It had gotten to the point where he was able to make a good few hundred of them even.
When his creations and experiments weren't taking up his time, Heisenberg liked to practice his own abilities as well. He wanted to know just how far he could take his magnetism and at one point, he managed to completely mutate himself using a pile of scraps that he had around. He turned himself into a half organic monstrosity that scaled amazing heights, literally and figuratively. He was very large in that form and managed to rip up the earth all around his factory, but it was so exhausting that he couldn't risk going into it too often. And a part of him was afraid that he'd get into that form and wouldn't be able to return.
But even though he had developed his own abilities and his factory, he still knew it wouldn't be enough. Mother Miranda was more powerful than even his mega form and his entire army combined, which still left the possibility for him to form an alliance with someone else. Both of the other lords were out of the picture very quickly, Moreau ending up being even more loyal than Alcina too, which was dreadfully annoying. He didn't even dare try and approach the villagers, since they were both weak and loyal. Eventually, he worried that he would never get another chance to form some kind of alliance.
His worried all stopped when they were introduced to the fourth -and final- lord. Donna was a younger thing, similar to how he had been when he was first forced into the family. She had a thing with dolls that he couldn't quite understand, but it was powerful, that much he knew. At this point, he was desperate enough to put up with anything Donna had to throw at him.
Mother Miranda stood beside the girl with a smile. "This is Donna Beneviento, your new sister."
She had a black sheet in front of her face and honestly, if Mother Miranda hadn't said anything, he wasn't sure he'd know she was even a girl, but he shrugged it off. He had seen weirder things. He was seated next to weirder things, even.
"Heisenberg." Was all he said. He was too tired to give his full performance and she didn't look like someone who would apricate it either. Could she even see him past that cloth?
"I'm Angie!" A little doll hopped out from behind the girl and Heisenberg's half smile immediately fell. Oh no. She already had stupid little friends that were annoying. At least she was just the right size to punt across the room.
Moreau tilted his head to get a better look. He seemed genuinely interested, which was honestly sad, but it fit him well enough. "Hi. I'm your brother." Heisenberg could just see the wet smile he was wearing.
"You're ugly!" Angie responded with a disgusted look. It was enough to make Heisenberg laugh aloud. He couldn't say it was unexpected, but he was surprised with how forward she was. Maybe she'd be worth some laughs if nothing else. "And you're super tall." She looked at Alcina with more awe than disgust. If only she knew the things Alcina had in her basement. And the fucking blood.
"You're quite rude." Alcine snapped back, her how face turned down in a frown. "Donna, do you speak for yourself?"
Now this was something Heisenberg himself was curious about. Sure, they had all just met, but he had yet to see Donna give any kind of reaction to them. She just stood there like a statue. But as he watched, he saw that she still didn't give a reaction and instead, Angie answered with her annoying little shrilling voice.
"Donna doesn't need to talk, dummy! I talk enough for us both!"
Heisenberg chuckled at the sour face Alcina made. Honestly, he could endure a headache if Angie just insulted the big bitch the whole time. Alcina sat up straight, her shoulders framed perfectly as she continued to glare down at the little doll. "My, you have a horrid mouth. You're almost as bad as Heisenberg." Her gaze flicked to him and he flipped her off. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the doll. "But are you implying that you speak for Donna, then?"
"What is it to you?! Donna can say something if she wants, but she doesn't, so just shut up about it already!"
Mother Miranda raised a hand before any of them could speak and Heisenberg grit his teeth with how his cadou twisted to obey her silent command. Bitch. "I know that new siblings can be a challenge but I hope that you will all work together. You won't let me down, right Donna?"
Heisenberg was actually slightly surprised to see Donna shake her head in response. Then, she stepped forward and sat down beside Alcina silently. Angie stayed close by, but she didn't sit as well. They were definitely an interesting pair, but if Donna could freely control Angie -and possibly more dolls- then he was willing to reach out. That would work well with his soldat, increasing their army.
Again, he waited a few days before coming up to her. He didn't want to seem desperate and if Mother Miranda was watching over Donna then he didn't want to get caught up in anything, but since it had been a while since the girl had taken over the Beneviento mansion, he figured it was as good a time as any.
Except on the way there, he kept hearing voices that felt both familiar and foreign at the same time. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he kept his newly made hammer close by, just in case.
"It's Heisenberg!" He shouted at the door as soon as he had made it to the mansion. It wasn't very impressive, really. His factory was much more homey and both castles were bigger, but he wasn't one to really judge. If Donna preferred boring spaces, than she could have her boring spaces.
The door opened on it's own and Heisenberg huffed at that. Of course she was going to be some weird freak about visitors. If she tried to jump scare him, he wouldn't be responsible for any lost limbs.
No, he needed to do this right. He had been so used to doing things alone, building his army and his powers on his own that he really needed an ally in this. He would have to put aside his nature to be rude and teasing and at least try to stay friendly. There was no other way to get what he wanted.
With a deep breath, he stepped inside and was surprised to see the living room covered in dolls. Every wall held at least a dozen little dolls and he thought he could see even more in the other rooms. His brows furrowed and he took off his glasses to get a better look. He wasn't sure what was going on, really, but this was already starting to put him on edge. If Donna could control all of these, then he'd be getting more than some additions to his army. She could have her own right here! He wasn't sure how durable they were, likely not very, but their pure numbers may be just enough to overwhelm Mother Miranda.
"Karl!" He would never admit to jumping from the sudden sound. Or the gasp he let out with it. He looked around but frowned again when he saw no one there.
"Stop playing games, damnit! I'm just here to talk!" He gripped his hammer tighter, not sure where he was supposed to turn to. She could've been upstairs. Honestly, that was a good bet too. From what he could see, the other rooms were other living areas or the kitchen. Her bedroom was likely up there and any little girl would love to play dolls in her bedroom. So, up he went.
He kept a careful eye on the dolls below him as he ascended, watching for any possible movements. He didn't trust Donna to not attack him, especially with how little they knew each other and the fact that she was already messing with him a bit. He didn't take well to tricks and pranks.
"Donna!" He shouted as soon as he got to the top of the steps. There were more doors but which one was hers? He licked at the scar on his lip as he thought it through. He opened the first door but frowned when he just saw another empty room full of dolls. Well, she obviously wasn't in there. The next one proved to be similar and he cursed softly at just how many of these fuckers she owned. Why did she need this many dolls?! This was beyond an obsession at this point!
"Karl!"
He turned on his heels and just barely saw the blur of something moving down the stairs. He growled and chased after them, fully intending to tackle Donna if he had to, but once he started marching down the stirs himself, he froze in his spot.
There, just at the base of the stairs, was his dead father. The man looked up at him blankly, but he was completely whole. Heisenberg felt his heart speed up at the sight and it sickened him to know that this wasn't real. His father's body was on an examination table in his factory. Well, half of it was. The other half was turned into a giant propeller. But his father was also here, staring at him with eerily dead eyes.
"Karl, I'm so sorry."
"Donna..." Heisenberg hissed it out warningly. If she was somewhere close by, making up these hallucinations, then she had about ten seconds to show herself and beg for forgiveness before he-
"Karl, you've grown so much. Look at you. So different from the little boy I knew."
This was getting to be to much. Heisenberg hadn't been called by his first name in...well, years. And he hadn't even thought about his father in even longer. The machine he worked on no longer reminded him of Anton. It was just another soldat and a stupid one at that. He swallowed before marching down the stairs, his hammer raised and ready to smash this hallucinations to bits.
But just as he was ready to strike, the illusion faded and right where his father had been stood Donna, dressed in all black. Angie was no where near this time, which was a bit strange, but he was too angry to really care.
"What the fuck?! What made you think it was okay to just mess with me like that?!" He hissed it into her face, half hoping for a reaction.
"Sorry." The answer was so soft that he almost couldn't tell she spoke at all. And once he did register what she'd said, he was too confused to get upset.
"What? What do you mean 'sorry'? Did you not try to make me see things?"
Her veil shook with her head and he watched as her hands clasped together. "I thought you were an intruder." Was her simple response. Honestly, he was more surprised to be carrying a conversation with her than the fact that she had made someone no one but he and Mother Miranda even knew existed appear in front of him. They all had parts of themselves that were a little unexplainable. And that was also a fucking awesome power to use against Miranda!
"Well...whatever. I came by to ask you some stuff. Can you..." How could he say this without offending her? "Can you talk to me on your own?"
She nodded wordlessly and despite her confirmation, he found it odd that she didn't speak. Maybe he could make this easier by sticking to yes or no questions? Something she wouldn't have to really speak too long about?
"Alright. So, I assume Mother Miranda did all of that cadou stuff with your too. What are your thoughts on her?" Wait, no. That wasn't a yes or no question. "Wait...um...do you like her?" He asked instead.
Donna took a moment to consider it -or, at least he assumed that's what she took so long to do- before nodding. Great. Great start to this.
"You don't have to worry about her knowing if you don't. I'm not Alcina." She wouldn't know what that meant, but it didn't matter. He just wanted to make sure that she knew they could be allies if she truly didn't like Mother Miranda. He could handle these difficult conversations if he had to. Just so long as he could get his freedom.
Again, she just nodded and he let out a sigh.
"Look. Mother Miranda hurt you. Us. In ways that a kid shouldn't get hurt. Are you really willing to just go along with this?" He knew it sounded really bad and if Angie were around, he would be scared of getting exposed to Miranda, but she wasn't and Donna was quiet enough that he wasn't too worried about her running her mouth.
She stood here for a long moment again. Then, just when he was about to ask something else, Donna spoke. "She gave me friends. I didn't have that before."
That...wasn't what he wanted. He wanted her to see how wrong Miranda was. He wanted her to see what he saw, but maybe she still had a chance. This wasn't all ruined just yet. "What if I was your friend? Would you still like her?" It was a shot in the dark. He knew he wasn't a great person to be around and the thought of going out of his way to play dress up with Donna really made him want to just quit and go home, but he needed this. There wouldn't be another lord after her. There wouldn't be another shot after this.
"Mother Miranda loves me, like Angie does. I like her."
"Hey, now. I'm not trying to test you or anything. You can be honest-"
"Please leave."
The request made him pause. Did she...tell him to leave? It seemed too unlike her to ask for anything, especially something that could possibly be seen as rude, but he knew when the situation was hopeless. So, with another disappointing interaction and a desperate attempt failed, he pushed past her and walked all the way back to his factory. Donna wasn't going to help him, Moreau wasn't going to help him and neither was Alcina.
He went home and designed a tank with large saws on top just to appease his own creative mind. And if he killed a few extra lycans for the hell of it, then it wouldn't matter by the end of the day.
He was on his own again. Back to square one and no closer to his goal.
Heisenberg watched as the lycans tore apart the village. He had been commanded to stop anyone from coming into the castle. The lycans had been a good option and honestly, it was satisfying to finally see all of those ignorant fools get what they deserved. Who in their right mind world worship Mother Miranda after an attack like this in her name?
He recalled the conversation they had as Mother Miranda handed over a glowing flask. She had come home after months of being away -which was pure bliss for him- and raved as she talked about some baby.
"She is powerful." Mother Miranda spoke softly as she held the flask-turned baby tightly. "She'll be the one to bring us to our goal. At long last."
It made no sense to him why this baby was supposed to be better than all of them, but he didn't really care. If Mother Miranda let them go after freeing Eve, then he was fine with hiding away a flask. Who from, he wasn't sure. But he did notice that whenever Mother Miranda carried the child, she held her like a bomb about to go off at any sharp movement. He saw the fear in her eyes as she talked about Rose's power. That must've been why she separated the child into flasks, right? Because whoever this was, the baby made Miranda scared and he just knew he needed Rose on his side.
Now, he was stuck playing watchman as he saw his own attack play out. Most everyone was wiped out in moments. It all started late last night and already the town was covered in decaying bodies and fresh blood.
He also hadn't accounted for there to be a few smart eggs among them. A few who gathered behind their weapons and high gates. A few who were smart enough to realize that lycans were stupid and didn't focus nearly as hard on unmoving targets as they did running and screaming ones.
Of course, they were also dreadfully stupid for trying to postpone the inevitable. He watched as group of three went into Luiza's house, the place that was dubbed safe among the chaos. He rarely interacted with the villagers but he knew Luiza was a charitable one. She took in everyone who managed to get to her door and that ended as her downfall. He watched from atop the trees as the building lit up in flames. Whatever had happened inside obviously killed them. Now, no one was left over. He had succeeded in finishing them off.
With a grunt, Heisenberg jumped down from the tree he had perched in and whistled with his fingers, calling his lycans to him again. They came running and he sighed as the stupid things lumbered his way. Though, the slight decrease in number didn't go unnoticed by him. A few were also bleeding and others had holes blasted in their limbs and heads. Some of those villagers were real survivors. He had to give them credit for taking out at least a few of them. That alone was impressive.
"Come on, you shits." He waved his hand and led the group back toward the castle where Mother Miranda held them. He noticed a few rush ahead and disappear into the woods but he didn't bother to go after them. They'd find out that there was no one out there left to kill and they'd come running back home like lost, hungry puppies.
He would get some of the stragglers to pick up dead bodies for his army as their punishment. Mother Miranda hadn't said why she needed everyone dead in the first place, so he also assumed she didn't want the bodies either. More for him, he guessed.
As the lycans rushed to their holding place, he made a detour around the front entrance of the castle, just to see if someone had slipped past him somehow and managed to get inside. Really, he doubted it. So much so, that he didn't care to check every part of the entrance and just walked in like he owned the place.
He was very surprised to see a form hunched near the inner gate of the castle, a hand already on the switch that opened it. This person, this man, was wearing strange clothes, something he had never seen before, and his stance was a bit shaky, like he had been badly injured before this. Huh. Maybe there was a champion among the crowd of villagers. If this man managed to slip not only out of his lycan's grasp, but out of Heisenberg's sight as well, then he must've been something really special.
"Well, well, well. I didn't think anyone was left!" He smirked at the way the man jumped and turned toward him. He had wide eyes but something about him felt...off. "You must be pretty tough." He didn't mind giving the compliment aloud. He'd be killing whoever this was before he managed to get to Miranda anyway.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Oh. Oh, he saw what this was now. "You're not local...Even better." With a flick of his wrist, his metal shot forward, encompassing his new prey in a sharp cocoon of steel.
This was the person Mother Miranda wanted to avoid. This was the person she had been worried about when coming back with a baby. He had found it weird that she just suddenly had an orphaned baby, though, perhaps Rose was intended to be orphaned. And if that was the case, then maybe this man was worth keeping around. Maybe he found find his ally after all.
Author's Notes: This is...really long. I honestly didn't mean for this to be so long, but I had so many new ideas that I wanted to add. I love Heisenberg's character and I love seeing how he interacts with others too.
Writing as Donna was kind of hard, just because we see basically nothing of her in the game itself. All we know is that she's quiet and that she loves dolls. I took some liberties in saying that each lord probably had to fight to gain their domain as their tests, which made sense to me. What better loyalty test is there than killing your friends and family for a place to rule over?
I also want to thank everyone who enjoyed this! I love Resident Evil games so much and this was my first real taste in this fandom. I'll see if I feel like doing more with this in the future.