Hurt Me
Chapter One

The first I had heard of the almighty U-DO was shortly after my physical conception, and our separation. I had been so new to that strange world-the frightening masked faces looming over our body as they untangled our tranquil hearts, the savage darkness a constant companion as it devoured us. But you, Rubedo-your fear was never there. Attached to your throbbing insides, I felt rivulets of terror rush through as their scalpels drew near to summon us to the world, as they gouged our blood and severed flesh-yet you never screamed. You refused to be merely human, even at the moment of birth.

But my cries echoed throughout that Intensive Care Unit, shattering glass, piercing the darkness in frightened desperation for a way to end the pain. Their fingers poking and prodding-raping my innards, clutching at our heart. I recalled lashing out in protest during that process, fearful and indignant and refusing to be pulled from my sleep with you, brother. I was stable within the darkness that had engulfed us for so long-so different than the darkness of the Yuriev laboratories we had been thrown into, bathing in warmth instead of detachment. Yet they thrust me outward with their prying hands, striking my body and nearly strangling me to introduce me to this world, this gallery of horrors.

I felt you near me, Rubedo, even then, your child's cries and the waves of our species ricocheting madly in the laboratory, off of glass and plastic, the scalpels that tore at my body like fire. I didn't want to become part of this strange time; I was afraid, afraid of nothing, afraid of everything that would be offered for me in such a foreign place. I remembered kicking and screaming like a mad animal as they pulled me into existence, yet you were silent-accepting.

Perhaps that is truly why they named you Rubedo. Acceptance, aware of your life in this damned world.

They had injected me with needles, those men that had ripped me from the womb, over and over until I was senselessly numb. I suppose that, when you are drugged and a newborn child, you may see many apparitions within the chasms of dreams you call sleep. Yet as I fell to sleep, the darkness dissipated all around me, the familiar dreg of comfort that I had enjoyed within my conception.

And then there was light.

My first dream was of that orange radiance, its immense power and enigmatic heat swirling about me in caressing waves. It boasted a supremacy, a superiority that drew me in deeper than any drug that could quench my newly found senses-and I came, in that very moment, to recognize it as something sacred; something sacrilegiously beautiful.

I can't describe that moment. But when a child-human or animal-is born from the womb, the first person they see they are rumored to brand as their mother. Not the first person in plain sight, but the first they truly see-

And I saw U-DO in those strange dreams within the laboratory. I did not realize it yet, of course.

My comfort.

My soul.

My destiny.

Years passed, locked within the Yuriev Institute's premises like baby birds within a cage. Nigredo, Rubedo and I, all of us the superior beings to those beneath the rank of 666 explored the buildings and every inch of the outside world. Soon we came to learn our origins by the lab-coated men as explained to be "human but with something special," though none would agree to elaborate further on the matter. I thought they took joy in watching us wade in our own childish fantasies, unaware of our true purpose. We floated like angels in our naivety; never knowing our heaven was Fallen.

I came to love nature as a child within the Institute, every aspect of the floral gardens that gleamed like gems within that hidden world. Every night I would catch firebugs between my pale hands; their incandescence shining stares between my thin fingertips as if they were lamps. I learned the route of the rarest birds, the cardinals and even the doves that flew gracefully throughout the air in pilgrimage to the warmer worlds. I would awe the lab-coated humans by my knowledge obtained from merely observing them-obsessed by their beauty.

"You must be like that dove," They would tell me, the scientists that caught me staring dreamily out at the whitest of birds, "You are Albedo, the White One. You will learn to be graceful and pure like that dove, obeying and serving."

As I came to hear those words more the older I grew, 'obeying and serving' implanted itself into my mind like a constant mantra, curiosity growing within my young logic as dam to the overflowing of happiness in my young years. I foolishly disregarded it after days of contemplating what they had meant by "obey and serve," regarding it as perhaps the frivolousness of a human joke. We were U.R.T.V.'s- "human but with something special," as they liked to say. We would never serve them in our wildest dreams! Surely they had been joking, an effort to make us laugh, to make us fear for no reason.

Why is it that we fail to see what lay plain and simple before us?

As times continued to pass, I found myself running across the emerald fields of the garden with you, Rubedo, basking in the warmth of the sun that so resembled the orange light that had comforted me at my birth. You were smiling, laughing, as we raced across the tussock grass, struggling to overcome the other; frail Nigredo playing as the stern but grinning scorekeeper.

"There's no way you can win, Albedo!" You screamed, panting and giggling, your feet crunching the grass before you as you ran faster than the morning wind.

I laughed with you, joy filling my heart until it exploded, "No way, Rubedo! I'll always beat you!"

Out of breath, our hair slick with sweat, we were evenly matched in our speed, bare feet wet with dew, legs pumping in the attempt to outdo the other.

"Don't bet on it!" You suddenly screamed, and with a great long leap from our neck-to-neck position, you dove towards the finish line-a great, artificial willow tree that leaned crooked and bare before us-and I rolled into the grass, laughter ringing in my ears as I clutched onto your ankle and heaved a sigh of contentment.

"Well, we clearly know who won today's match," Nigredo declared loudly, swinging his short arms before him to cross smugly in front of his chest, "Rubedo, I congratulate you! Nice try, Alby."

I smiled up at Nigredo, one of the widest smiles I had ever given in my childhood, and let go-rather reluctantly-of your ankle. You stared at me quizzically for a moment, before suddenly embracing me completely and so tightly I almost squealed as we hit the ground together, our hands digging into the dirt below. Nigredo's chuckling echoed throughout the air shortly before he joined us, falling upon your back and causing me to yelp in surprise by the excess weight.

"Brother, you're hurting me!" I protested, as you leaned forward and rubbed your fist across my head,

"Oh, shut up Albedo, you know you love the attention."

Above us, the black-haired sibling sighed, resting his head upon Rubedo's shoulder, "You two just keep on bickering like this forever, don't you? What about brotherly love, hm?"

"No way!" Rubedo's face took on a mockingly disgusted look, as pink tinted his cheeks in embarrassment, "In love with Albedo? You're sick!"

As he said this, he struggled to wrestle Nigredo off of his back, who simply chortled and elbowed him in the neck until he cried out in playful discomfort,

"I didn't mean it that way, Rubedo! Looks like someone needs to get his mind cleaned and pulled from the gutter!"

I found myself blushing madly at the look of adoration in Rubedo's eyes as they locked with my own, at the fierce devotion in those sapphire orbs. I wanted to capture that moment forever, the embarrassed compassion reverberating from his being, so much like the comfort of that orange light I had experienced in my first state of panic. Those were the only two things that could ever bring me peace, and the only two that ever would; especially you, Rubedo. Especially you.

Our moment was broken, however, by the sound of footsteps ricocheting loudly across the garden floor. It was a strange phenomenon, that noise; for none were ever strong enough to be heard on the soft patches of artificial grass in that beautiful void.

We never knew it would be our paradise lost.

We had instantly heard those footsteps, even from countless feet away. Nigredo's senses had caught it first, as his jade eyes rose almost immediately towards the noise disrupting our peace. Rubedo followed suit, apologetically shaking his gaze from mine, as I watched the figure approach with my limited sight from the dew-emblazoned ground. It was a man; I had soon found out, dressed in an ebon lab coat-rather strange in contrast to the pure white shade of all the other kind employees we had met-his eyes just as dark and just as harsh.

All I could remember of his features were those eyes, a soulless abhorrence that bore into me as if they were struggling to engulf my very soul.

Instantly I felt myself beginning to shiver, as if I had sensed something very disturbing about this man, and clutched instinctively for Rubedo, who had gotten onto his feet with Nigredo and were slowly approaching the tall, slender male. I was still on my hands and knees, crawling like a frightened creature behind my brothers; always the fearful and anxious Albedo.

"What are you three doing out here at a time like this? You know this is the time for training, not for playing!"

Confused, we stared in unison at the pale, stern man before us who watched us indignantly, a tone of impatience in his hissing voice,

"I thought all U.R.T.V.'s were instructed to come to training!"

I peered out from between my brothers as his hardened glare fixated on each one of us, as if he were staring at our souls. Struggling to fight the instinctive flood of fear, I muttered in my best tone of voice,

"W-What do you mean? We don't do training!"

You nodded fiercely in agreement, yet Nigredo watched, silent as ever. A look of bewilderment suddenly swept across the strange man's face at my outburst, and then focused quite exclusively on Nigredo. As if it were never there, the confusion was replaced by amusement, and he shook his head and chuckled,

"You must be the wonderful U.R.T.V.'s Mizrahi informed me of! Well, I would have never guessed they would be so rude, so dumb and rebellious! It looks like Yuriev's got a lot of work cut out for him in making better models."

"Models…?" You staggered backwards for a moment, offended by that man's words, "We're not models. We're human beings!"

"Human…?" The enigmatic male's voice faltered, uncertain.

"That's right!" I cried, standing now t give you aid, "Rubedo, Nigredo and me! Humans with something special, like everybody says!"

This seemed to amuse that cold man more than ever, for his laughter had suddenly spouted into a fountain of mirth, so loud and cruel we three were forced to shut our ears. Even Nigredo appeared mildly frustrated as his hands clamped over his ears.

"You all think you're human? That must be the saddest thing I've heard all year. That is why most weapons have no hearts!

"Come on, old man!" Rubedo screamed impatiently, clutching his fists and gritting his teeth, "We are human! Our purpose is to live!"

"Purpose? Your purpose is told to you in training, weapon! You want to know the purpose Mizrahi intended you to have, instead of that little simpering excuse for a purpose, trying to imitate a real human? Report to the east sector of the Institute grounds in ten minutes, or never learn what you really are."

With that, his thin frame slithered away so quickly he may have disappeared altogether in the cold air. We stood there in silence, aware of what had happened, yet unaccepting. Nigredo merely heaved a sigh and stared out at the expanse of trees where the man had stood, yet your face was convoluted in uncertainty.

"What did he mean…?" You murmured softly, staring down at your tiny hands, "…weapons?"

After a moment of silence, I realized what had caught your eye. It was the number branded at birth; our birthmark, our death mark.

666 shown in its gleaming scarlet, almost manically within the tangerine sunlight. 667 beckoned to me, winking maliciously and stabbing me with confusion. As Nigredo's eyes hovered upon his own markings, I wondered if that man's words were true.

"Only one way to find out, isn't there?" You asked us-you asked yourself.

I nodded, struggling to give you a comforting grin-but it was lost by the wind-

Lost, like our humanity.