Chapter I
It was already 3:00 AM. The sky outside was still covered in pitch black, decorated with a few dazzling stars. Cool breezes occasionally brushed the charcoal fur of the lying wolf as they entered through the slit between windows. The season was gradually shifting from Summer to Autumn. Anubis could already catch the familiar sense of drying leaves in the air, which signaled that the irritating heat would soon enough stop to bother him. The wolf stretched out in contentment on the comfortable bedsheets at that soothing thought. His kind was never one to worship the sun, though he did sometimes indulge himself with a short nap under its warm rays.
Incessant noises from various vehicles and daily activities on the streets below their flat had died down almost completely. His keen sense of hearing now only picked up the sound of forlorn footsteps along with intermittent dash on the road from different cars, mostly taxis he assumed. However, despite the serenity casted upon his surroundings, Anubis's ears still straightened up and twitched continuously. At the pitch of his stomach resided an unnamed irksomeness, which to his great dismay, kept his worn-out mind wide awake.
His attempt to sleep had been resulting in vain for the last hours. Each time his eyelids fell shut, in the darkness always lurked a heavily eerie aura. Normally, having a spot on the hard ground that was comfy enough would be all it took for him to secure a peaceful rest. Yet tonight, despite having earned himself a cozy place on the bed, Anubis could not help but giving in to the unsettling sentiment invading his heart. This anxiety did not add up, counting his numerous experiences in brushing against death, but it was not entirely foreign to him, if not to say quite recognizable.
It had been a relatively long time since such emotion last emerged from the depth of his memory. Those unforgettable days of the past, where his life was much more of a torment than any viscous wound inflicted on him by his enemies in the most intense battles. The physical pain would just get dulled as the blood leaked out from the opened flesh, but those pieces of memories would forever remain gruesome with its agony woefully etched to his brain even when his consciousness had already slipped away.
Nevertheless, he was truly in need of a good rest. A mission was waiting for him to execute the following day; he could not allow exhaustion to be the cause of his failure. The Elders would not be tolerant towards any show of incompetence. Subsequently, whenever issues involved the Numbers brought them displeasure, they would unleash the distress upon the one person they believed to be ultimately responsible for the unwanted results, the captain of the Guardians, Sephiria.
He didn't enjoy the thought of having her taking the blame for his unsuccessful efforts in the slightest, though frankly, Sephiria would just simply smile it off should he ever express his concern.
Mentioning Sephiria, the young captain had been rooting in her office since midnight, certainly snowed under paperwork. Her office was right next to his room – their bedroom, to be precise – so that she wouldn't have to go a distance before finally setting her back on the soft bedsheets and calling it a day. However, as expected of his captain, her devotion to work always driving her off limits. Since he moved in with her, she had never ceased to amaze him with her capability to handle mountains of Chronos documents that only seemed to pile up every day.
One night he had intended to stay up with her until she finished. It turned out rather embarrassing for him, for despite possessing the resilience of a beast's physical prowess, Anubis could not even lift his ears up when the time had gone pass four o'clock in the morning. In the end, he had been leaning on her shoulders sound asleep all the while she carried him to bed after having completed her work. Nevertheless, how she was able to bring with her a 187 pounds wolf all the way to the bedroom still wasn't what perplexed him the most. It was the smooth functioning of hers in dealing with the given tasks on the next day that indeed puzzled number VI. In spite of having slept for roughly 2 hours, she could still be up as fresh as a daisy, willing to take on every obnoxious shit that was placed on her desk when morning came,…
The true power of number I, Anubis concluded with an exhilarating smirk.
Since then, Sephiria had advised him to go to bed whenever he saw fit. Trying to be awake until such late hours of the night would do more harm than good to his health; something ardently crucial for a Number. The captain also added that the privacy would enhance her concentration, helping to increase the productivity and henceforth, granting her a sooner chance to be resting. Facing her rationale, Anubis could not excuse himself with any more sensible reason and reluctantly accept to listen to her words. Obedience was not ever among wolves' finest natures. Nonetheless, he did not wish for his health to be another part of her concerns, which had already been quite innumerable, at least to ahis head that had yet to comprehend the sophistication of the humans' world like his. Partially, Anubis presumed his compliance could be somewhat of a tribute to the favors he had owed her, though, he imagined with a fleeting fondness, the blonde woman would probably pout upon his way of regarding her actions.
However, their story was not something he could simply look back with no gratitude. The captain was under no obligation to share with him her privileges, but she did not hesitate for a moment to do so as soon as she got the finalized information confirming her suspicion on his poor living conditions. Chronos must have concealed it from her watchfully; this he had no doubt. Judging from her fierce determination to conserve her men's interest which she had proven on countless occasions, her discovery would have been made a lot sooner if they hadn't. But what was done by night, appeared by day. Sephiria was a sharp observer and eventually, she began to notice that some of his injuries were not meant to remain nuisances for such an extensive amount of time, not to mention those fresh cuts her fingers had incidentally brushed over whenever she decided that she herself also deserved some warm embraces without being rebuked for acting horribly unbecoming of an elite leader.
He still remembered the enraged look she held when she finally visited the place where Chronos kept him captive. Based on the flash of astonishment that briefed her face, Anubis claimed she had barely expected what she was taking in with her own eyes was the accommodation that the organization had provided for a proficient member, no matter to what breed he belonged. The bars fencing his cage were made from the alloy with the highest resistance to force of all levels while Orichalcum, despite being emphasized as one of the most valuable assets of Chronos and solely to be used on specifically essential demands, was then the material which had built the chains that served the purpose of imprisoning him.
Needless to say, Sephiria quickly clarified her intention to enjoy the misery those assigned keepers would endure under her instant punishments should they endeavor to delay the execution of her orders. Violence, ironic as it sounded, was not often a measure for her to resort to. Nevertheless, the heartless countenance the captain had worn when her even voice commanded the keepers to unlock the chains had surely been quite a forceful persuasion for them to believe otherwise. In spite of how downgrading this later comparison would appear, Anubis could not deny that Sephiria did present herself with a considerable number of characteristics found in the vulgar maniac Creed Diskenth at that very moment: cloaking her murderous aim with absolutely courteous words and an ominous smile, whilst ensuring the message being well delivered through the sickening coldness that was replacing the former serenity of her eyes. What a twisted humor Maker had prided himself on. Even their eyes colors were a match.
Although Anubis would have been beyond delighted to bear witness to the tremendous agony that befell upon the arrogant staff who had filled their heart with glee during his mistreatment, he was glad that it had not happened thanks to their circumstantial judiciousness. He was not ready to welcome such swift turn of event, where his beloved captain seemed to be more inclined to resolve with blood rather than her usual ration and dexterity.
As his confinement was actually according to the Elders' compulsion, Anubis had never nurtured the hope to be offered any helping hand. However, when Sephiria turned up to free him, he was all but worried for her eventual meeting with the Elders. She had managed to defend Heartnet despite his unforgivable crime of defecting the organization, which was deemed as an inevitable death wish. Therefore, a rearrangement in supervising a Number; a matter that was righteously hers to take over, would be no demanding challenge.
His life had turned over a new leaf since the Elders agreed to follow Sephiria's proposition. She would become his keeper instead, took direct responsibility for his potential misconducts in the future. An effortless task, he recalled withimmense satisfaction. Though he was born a beast, Anubis had learnt enough lessons to be capable of avoiding unnecessary troubles, and Sephiria was not the person whom he would love to purposedly put in predicament. Knowing his pent-up frustration caused by the urban environment, Sephiria had altered her current flat with another one that was located near a spacious park, allowing him to find some alleviation in his occasional wanders into the land of nature. The idea had worked out handsomely. Being able to again breath in the fresh air from the forest had slowly ameliorate his sense of smell as it cleared up his traumatized mind, returning to him the spontaneous keenness of a primal predator. His bloodlust also got less fervid, granting him more control to neglect the upsetting deeds of humans which he had the misfortune to come across every day.
Nevertheless, the most joyful changes brought to his life must be Sephiria's cooking and her blatant gestures of affection. Rabbits' meat and venison were adequate for his appetite, but dishes made by her were pure scrumptiousness. The scent only was enough to pool the floor with his drool. Her food had the magic to renew his craving for them when the meal time once more approached the next day. Perhaps it could be explained by her clever techniques, or perhaps it was the happiness in understanding that preparing delicious fare for him was her heartfelt reciprocation to his endearment for her. Indeed, to love and to be loved in return were the best additive to put in whatever dish it could be.
On the contrary, Anubis insisted in upholding an ambivalent view towards Sephiria's sudden increase of loving indications. She utilized even the most short-lived moments for all types of adoring contacts, ranging from slight pats on the head, or the back, to inescapable cuddles. As if overfeeding him with her affectionate actions at home was not enough, the captain seemed to be quite drawn to the thought of discomfiting him in the headquarter as well. Sometime it made him question whether or not persuading the Elders in order to win the right of being his closed supervisor was just a step in her cunning plan which aimed at having him as her exclusive bolster pillow, but it was already too late to walk out from it now.
He was genuinely annoyed by her unashamed moves to carry him up to her chair, behind the office desk where she could burrow her face into the dense layers of fur at the front of his neck for as long as the absence of a third party permitted her. However, it was the fast reddening of his traitorous ears to every soft kiss she planted on his nose that he was most infuriated by; plus, her omniscient smile as she caught the sound of his metallic tail clattering against the floor beneath. Times like those were among the few moments when he desperately wished he had not been a wolf with a silly high pride and a tail that excitedly wagged to a drumming heart, which was without dispute the doing of the charming captain who was enjoying the sight with unfiltered joviality.
Lost in blissful reminiscence, Anubis slowly loosened up to the feel of sleepiness. The traumatized period was far behind him now; its remnants were nothing but harmless images in his recollection. What should be prioritized was the awaiting mission. Adding more risks to an already hazardous job by depriving himself of a proper sleep sounded insultingly absurd even to a brain considered not so ingenious as his. Leisurely, Anubis opened his mouth wide to an unwinding yawn, repositioning his body to further press on the welcoming cushion underneath. He then tightly closed his weighing eyelids, determining to emancipate his head from thoughts all together.
This time, the wolf hoped that his upcoming dream would paint the envious face of Janus, or if best the sulk glare of that presumptuous cat instead. He had never failed to eliminate his targets, and Sephiria's bias never ceased to put cockiness in his smile.
He wasn't lying on the bed when consciousness dawned on him.
As Anubis warily opened his bronze eyes, the sight of the glowing city below had been replaced with a murky wall looming large above. It took him a few blinks to acknowledge the coldness spreading across his stomach. Jumping, Anubis felt his claws scratching against a solid surface, creating sounds that sent goosebumps along his body. At the clanking of metal, the wolf quickly shifted his vision to his front paws in dread. The shapes of two Orichalcum cuffs emerged before him, their shining blackness danced in his eyes as if taunting him on the countless futile escaping attempts in his earlier days.
The number stood up swiftly and had the loud crash of chains against cement floor hitting his ears confirmed his deduction. The nightmare of the past had once again managed to catch up to him.
Anubis released a frustrated huff; feeling the heated air brushing pass the gaps between his fangs and the wall of nostrils as they rushed out from his heaving chest. Darting his eyes from sides to sides to take a better assessment on his surroundings, the wolf perceived a significant spatial disparity between the current cage with the one that was still vivid in his latest memory. The Elders had never given any instructions on his change of confinement place. Anubis had befriended the sickening chill of the floor under him forever, since the very first conception of day and night entered his mind through the scheduled check-ups happened at some certain hour. Henceforth, the possibility that the cage he was locked up within at the moment was a replacement of the old accommodation seemed unlikely to occur, which left the miniature of Anubis himself to be the only reasonable explanation for the difference in space.
This must be a dream that re-established the scene of a particular phase dating back to about twenty years ago. The era when the Elders were still immersed in many outrageous visions which were thought to be feasibly made possible with the aid of science. After the success with Sephiria's body compatibility in genetic modification, they had decided to take the program further, aiming to apply the experiment on a mass number of agents. However, according to Sephiria's narration, the scientist who possessed the key data to proceed the study of enhanced physical regeneration had withdrawn from the work as he soon foresaw the rise of an unquenchable thirst for power granted by immortality. His abandonment on the undone project had led to years-long sequence of unscrupulous and inhumane deeds, since Chronos, as always, stayed rather insistence with its objective.
It was confusing whether Anubis's fate was fortunate or not, but he had lived through such an era and survived to be the most naked testification of its tale.
The alternative of cells and nerves imposed on him had turned him into a being that was bounded to isolation. Neither a wolf nor a human. Fellows who were kept as subjects together with him in the course of the experiment either lost their lives or surrendered to hatred of all origins. They despised what he become, and planed on foolishly resisting with the last rubbles of their pride until their sanity completely dispersed. It had broken his heart to be shunned by his own kind for causes he had no control over. Nevertheless, Anubis sought no glory in suicidal endeavors; a thought which he might have the heightening of cognitive capacity to thank for. Instead of allowing himself to bow to his instinctual call for defensive aggression, the beast carved into his mind the habits and characters of individuals that engaged in delivering him his daily share of agony. The information did not help him build an efficient breakout in the end; nonetheless, all faces had appeared brand new when he came round after the convenient onslaught that took place during the night shift of a newcomer whom he had learnt to have an inane practice of provoking the subjects by wedging his hand in between bars.
The arrogant bastard was such a gullible prey. No sooner had he received no violent reaction to his idiocy than he opened Anubis's cage to approach the creature's curling form. Anubis remembered the wretchedly satisfied peals of laughter echoing from his vibrating throat upon the many mad charging of several ill-treated animals as they pulled the chains with such vicious force that their blood came out coating the material in red. Their growls erupted with wrath as he wandered deliberately outside before their eyes. Anubis had made sure to tear that pale neck first so as to mute whatever sounds that would inevitably spill out from the despicable parasite when he later chewed on his fragile hands. It was a shame he could not take his time reveling in the man's pathetic wailing while his bones were rattling against his fangs.
Yet, in spite of having carried out an unforgivable misconduct, he did not suffer any form of punishment from the superiors, which confounded him at first. They seemed rather glad at witnessing his outstandingly planned carnage, considering the number of casualties brought about by his riot a positive sign to proceed the maddening research.
Anubis did not understand religion, but he was unable to find a better description for days following that event than an appallingly close demonstration of hell on earth. It was until then did Anubis's immature and unsharpened mind learn the lesson on the dear price for inconsiderate violence; something he never let fade even in the most desperate time where he knew desperate measures must be taken.
Inhaling deeply to clear off disturbing thoughts, Anubis regained his composure and once more take a gauge of the surroundings. He had yet to obtain his Orichalcum tail, so breaking down those blocking bars would be impossible. His body, though malnourished and undeveloped, would still be oversized to pass through the gap between them without crippling some bones in the process.
He did not mind the pain, but to what would that action lead him?
It was almost sarcastic that he was trapped in his own mind, struggling to run free from the trick of the dreamland built on his own indelible experience. However, he was offered no control in here, and the flow of things could easily take a calamitous turn. Admit it or not, Anubis had yet to relinquish the terror that the sequence of mishaps had bequeathed him.
The wolf tried to swallow the trepidation down his throat, refreshing his mind to concentrate on the possibilities that were presenting themselves. Nevertheless, as he flexed his muscles to gather more strength, an act that unquestionably stemmed from instincts rather than his wit, Anubis could clearly hear the frightened call of every fiber consisted in his body. His legs were becoming soft as butter at the sensation of fear coursing through his veins, submerging into each inch of his spinal cord when his flesh stiffened up in a miserable attempt to attain self-encouragement.
His own limbs and parts were defying his ration. They were telling him to cow from the idea of revolting against his current circumstance, despite the odds.
The mind could overcome a trauma provided advantageous conditions and regular assistance, but not the body.
When a cut was made deep enough, it would leave a scar and the nerves under the damaged skin would forever pulsed reflexively in confrontation with any sharp object.
His claws began to dig into the cement floor beneath, in an aim to support his stance or to dilute fear with pain, he could not determine. However, before either of his intent turned truth, Anubis ears captured the sound which impaled his heart.
Footsteps, several and from many.
Such volume indicated no normal checkup. They would not waste human resources by sending groups with large members in order to only complete effortless tasks as feeding or examining the facilities.
The sound was approaching closer to the front door at the corridor. There was a familiar but pungent smell, one he realized often accompanying people who wore white, spotless white, and carrying a tool with a pointy end containing the opalescent liquid that shall incapacitate all his senses.
The skin on the inner of his ears was burning; every muscle hardened painfully as he rooted his feet at where he stood. Waves of shiver spread out across his body like wildfire on hay field and he could feel the recurring press of his heart against the ribcage; each beat resonated in his eardrums, deafening and vibrating.
'This is just a dream. A dream. A dream.' he murmured in his mind repeatedly, slowing his breath to calm his panicked heart. He could not be harmed by what had passed. He could not. He was stronger now.
Nonetheless, the wolf still took a step back to find an invisible momentum. Any dream would have its final scene. He had no intention of remembering it as his record of spinelessness. The dark would be his ally and he would shove his fangs in the embodiment of his fear to snuff it out for good. A number did not fail to exterminate his target.
So, with the supposed readiness, he waited as the entering noise speared through the silence that enveloped the incarcerating area bit by bit. His tail straightened behind him, though the extra weight of the metallic blade had vanished, leaving him more defenseless than ever.
'5...' Anubis started counting.
'4…' The heavy knocks of soles now became nearer, ensued by the shuffling of clothes.
'3…' Low hums heard from each air intake and outlet sounded faint, but regularly.
'2…', He bent his shoulders backwards,settling himself for the thrust.
'1'
And the silence reigned again.
The absolute soundlessness unexpectedly coated over the place as if he had gone deaf. Anubis could not pick up any outer reverberation; only the pulses of nerves rang in his ear-canals. It was as silent as the grave.
The wolf blinked in stun and confusion. His physic, though wasn't in its best state, had fair enough energy to ensure the functioning of his mind even under such detrimental conditions provided by this nightmare. The sounds and the alerting call of his instinct could not be pure delusions.
No one showed up in his sight; however, Anubis didn't lower his guard. With little steps at a time, Anubis tiptoed towards the door of his cage, slightly orienting his direction as soon as the distance was close enough for people outside, in case there were, to detect him. He stretched his neck to peek out at the route leading to the section entrance. The white light of wall installed electric bulbs still burned brightly at the other end of the route, where the crew should have walked pass minutes ago.
His nostrils bloated to inhale more of the air around together with all the scents that were mingled in it. He distinguished and examined them cautiously, wishing to be picking up a clue that would shed some light on the bizzare occurrence. There were various scent mixing up, scattering around the place in different level of concentration. However, Anubis huffed frustratedly, none of them could be taken as a hint for his enquiry.
"Damnit," he furiously growled and gritted his fangs, "how can I break free from this stupid mental maze then?" Anubis tried to dart forward, and the indestructible Orichalcum chains just violently dragged him back in subsequence. Should he had to die to escape, his traitorous mind would better make it quick.
In the deadlock, suddenly a voice came disrupting his train of thoughts. A soft, unmistakable voice called out to him in such an endearing manner that only one person would dare to.
"Bissy?"
He would have thrown a quiet tantrum if that pet name were used to address him at the headquarter. Knowing this, despite being overly fond of the idea, she had made her best effort to subdue the urge of letting her tongue 'unintentionally' slip on occasions.
However, at the very moment, he just wanted her to call him by it as many times as her breath could keep on.
Anubis jerked his head to the side instantly; his attention directed at where the voice originated from. The preceded shadow was beyond recognizable, and Anubis's tail would have wagged frantically should he have recovered from the initial astonishment.
"There you are." Sephiria appeared at the opened entrance. At the sight of her favorite Number, the captain's eyes were torched up with overwhelming joy. Her cheeks quickly raised in a beaming smile and soon she had kneeled down on both knees, arms spreading apart in waiting.
"Come here, Bissy." She spoke again, loudly and jubilantly this time. With a new tide of bursting strength washing down his legs, Anubis enthusiastically dashed towards her place. Four thunderous cracks of broken chains respectively resounded across the captive quarter in split seconds, but Anubis was too high on cloud nine to perceive his freshly created marvel. He run to her embrace like a man in the desert sprinted to the oasis. The moment her palms came in contact with his ruffled fur, Anubis let all his muscles slacken into the transmitted warmth, shoving his muzzle into the nape of her neck and breathed out in relief.
Were his lungs to be burnt to ashes from driving him to her, he would not trade the chance he had had for anything else. Her gentle strokes run up and down his back; lips graced his wetted nose which had not stopped huffing and buffing. The unforeseen sweetness was surreal, but he could not care less. None of what he had been reliving was real anymore, still it was better to be dwelled in things that could bring blissfulness rather than agony.
"Enjoyinggg I see."
A shocked yelp escaped him as Sephiria's hold turned suffocating at those words, threatening to bend some of his ribs. Before the wolf could react, a deformed hand was waving at his face; the blood trickling from various gaping bitten marks splattered from side to side, staining the ash blond strands on Sephiria's back. A young yet severely gashed humanoid materialized in Anubis's observation. His heart rammed at his chest at the manifestation at once. He finally fathomed what was being played out.
Upon realization, Anubis vigorously squirmed in her iron clutch; his nose squinted at the disgusting smell of the approaching man behind her.
"Shhhh. Be a good boy, Bissy." He heard her coaxing into his temple and glanced on the side, meeting her eyes. Creed's piercing maniacal blues were staring back at him; drops of scarlet liquid from the standing person's ripped throat started trailing down her bangs in thickening rivulets.
Anubis felt air stuck in his chest, blocking any syllables from being spelled out of his mouth. The bludgeon in the other hand was now clear in sight as the keeper whom he had brutally murdered slowly raised it up. The silvery surface flashed so dazzlingly under the electric lights, stinging the wolf's terrified eyes.
"Teehee." The mad man giggled eerily; his shoulders vibrated in sync. "Yesss. Be a good boy, doggy." He was panting with excitement as he finished; bloodshot eyes almost popped out from their holes when he shot his limply connected head backwards, facing the ceiling, bathing his visage in the spraying white aurora from above. Seeing the opportunity to dissipate the man's vital part, Anubis gathered momentum at his hind legs to make a leap. A futile attempt. He soon grasped the fact as Sephiria's fingers twisted in his fur, sorely pinning him down on her shoulders.
"Sleep tight." She said with a soulless smile. A lunatical shriek teared through his ears promptly after, then the bludgeon came rushing down onto his head as vehemently as an enraged bolt would strike the earth.
Anubis heard his skull splitting in half before the utter darkness inked his vision, drowning everything.