A/N: A mild warning for things get a bit dark in the next couple of chapters, specifically involving maltreatment/physical abuse of minors as well as indications of torture. Please be advised.

Chapter 17 - Through A Glass, Darkly - Part I

9 Years Ago, North Blue

Originally, the Facility was just a prison. A holding center where the World Government had declared any and all special threats to public safety were to be held—at least on paper. It was undocumented and unknown to the public, the area was cordoned off and inaccessible to the outside. In reality, it was a place where all the undesirable remnants of species that the world government wanted to be rid of were held. Anything that got in their way, anything that they wanted to be forgotten, anything that they wanted to be erased. Solarians, Lunarians, Cimmarians, the Fae, and many others like them, found themselves imprisoned here without reason and without hope of release or escape.

She really shouldn't have been here. She was a normal human and while her existence was indeed inconvenient for the World Government, she was of little threat to them. If they had left her alone, she would have died and been out of their hair with little fuss. However, fate had intervened and now she was imprisoned here at the Facility as well. It was the only home she knew. Though no one who lived there would ever refer to it as that.

She had no name. Or at least not a proper one.

The Facility records and most of the other staff referred to her as Prisoner #76213.

The Director called her many pet names, "Eyas" being his favorite.

She despised them all on instinct, though she of course never told him that. She wasn't a glutton for punishment.

She was 11 years old now, at least that's what the Director had told her. Though that meant little to her. What did years matter here? What did birthdays matter here?

Not a darn thing.

Currently, there was only one thing on her mind. Water…

The heavy lights burned down on her, searing her pale skin even past her dirty and soiled uniform. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth as it searched for any source of hydration it could find. The dry sand underneath her body burned just as much as the hot lamps simulating sunlight above. The stark white color of the walls and the mirrors set up in several different places made the space not just sweltering but practically blinding as well.

She had seen some prisoners leave the "Desert Room" with their corneas so severely burned that they would be lucky to ever see again. The Director would only tut to her saying that they weren't strong enough to make it through the test.

"But I have faith in you, my Eyas. You will pass with flying colors and make me proud, won't you?" The hands he had placed on her shoulders as he said that, had felt like the immovable talons of the birds with which he compared her.

The "Desert Room" was one of many ways that the Facility tested the prisoner's endurance in extreme situations. She had faced several such tests for as long as she could remember. Those who could not measure up would be considered failures and their bodies augmented or stored for future use. She pushed to pass each test put before her, the screams of her fellow prisoners and the experiments the Director sometimes forced her to watch, were warning enough.

Yet, even more than that, not only was her desire to survive a stubborn habit to kick, but she also knew that punishment for her , would not be the same as the others. Nearly everyone in the facility knew that she had the singular "honor" of being the Director's favorite. No, her punishment would be dispensed by the Director himself, and the buried memory of that one and only time she had been subjected to that Hell, pushed her to get through it.

And so hour after hour, she fought to stay conscious in the insidiously sweltering chamber. She had lost all track of time and pain in her body from a lack of water had crushed the aches from the lack of food. She had curled up onto herself in trying to protect her body as much as she could from the heat, with limited success. She had already begun to see mirages, fake food sometimes, or water, even one time her handler. At this point, she stubbornly forced herself to ignore them. However, if no one came soon, she knew that she would end up blacking out, and then coma, and then eventually—

The clanging of metal and the screech of a turned lock shattered the silence of the room. The sound of several footsteps moving across the sand could be heard. Feet and legs clad in white came into her view. Oh, great more illusions….

The mirages were talking to each other over her and she felt their mirage fingers pulling on her skin and moving her limbs around. If she wasn't so out of it, she'd yell at them to stop.

"Her blood pressure is 50/33…"

"...need to move her out…"

"Temperature is 105…but her pulse…"

The words seemed to haze in and out, but she barely paid them any mind. Instead, she closed her eyes even tighter. No need to listen to mirages that would go away on their own if you ignored them long enough.

However, one voice—relaxed and yet sophisticated, a casual charming drawl that suggested time spent in the South Blue, but it was ice cold rather than rustic and warm—cut through them all, and despite the heat still blazing down upon her, she felt a cold shiver roll down her spine.

A shadow stretched out over her, finally blocking the merciless light. "You see? I told you she would do well."

This was no mirage. Her brain wasn't so cruel as to imagine his voice.

Cracking open her eyes after having them mostly closed for hours took work, and even then, she could not see anything but flashes and haze. But even then she could feel his presence.

A hand came to her face, the fingertips cool on her skin as it grasped her chin and lifted her head up. She suddenly felt the refreshing splash of cool liquid upon her dry cracked lips, falling down her face and onto her neck and chest.

Water!

She opened her mouth and lifted her mouth as far as she could to reach the source of that delicious substance. It rushed into her mouth and she eagerly swallowed. She nearly choked as she struggled to gulp it down past the tightness in her parched throat, but she didn't care. It was cold, it was fresh, and it was water. That was all that mattered.

All too suddenly, the canteen was taken away from her and she spluttered and coughed. No! Give it back! She felt like she could weep at the unfairness of it all! She had done as he had asked. Couldn't she at least have this?

Her lips mouthed the words, though even with the recent hydration, her voice was still only barely a hoarse whisper.

" Please… ", she begged.

She heard his voice tut-tutting as his finger tapped her on her nose. "Now, now, Eyas. Don't be greedy. It's not good to drink so much all at once. Let's get you cleaned up and comfortable back in your room. You've been a very good girl. You survived for nearly 72 hours passing with flying colors. I am very proud of you."

He could keep his praise, all she wanted was for him to give the water back. She'd try to slow down. She promised!

However, the water never made a return and instead she felt herself being lifted roughly in someone's arms. She winced at the pain of her burnt skin and the jostling of her clothes against her body but sighed in relief once she no longer felt the overbearing heat beating against her. They carried her quickly through the halls and eventually passed her off to another.

The person she was handed off to, laid her on a table and began to strip her of her uniform in order to dress her into a fresh uniform. After that different IVs and needles were stuck unceremoniously into her skin. This was all done with speed and efficiency, not a moment or a movement wasted. Her eyes still hadn't come back to normal and she was still too far out of it to be able to do much other than simply let them do as they wished. She recognized the hands of her newest handler, a Dr. Linta, as she slathered salve onto her skin. She winced at the sting and the rough handling but still was simply relieved that this meant that she was finally getting a chance to go back to the relative comfort of her room.

She was picked up again and this time she could briefly see the passing of the lights of the halls above her before she heard the sound of a metal door being unlocked. Brought into the room and deposited on a familiar feeling pallet on the floor, the contents of the two or three IV pouches were placed on hooks on the wall near her before Linta left without a word, leaving her blessedly alone in the dim light of her cell.

#76213 curled up on her bed allowing the coolness of the chamber to seep in. She tried to relax her body and allow herself to finally pass out now that the experiment was finally done. A few moments of blessed silence passed and while she was still thirsty and starving, perhaps if she simply went to sleep, everything would feel better—

Ting…Ting…Ting

She furrowed her brow not yet quite registering anything other than her desire to just fall unconscious.

Ting…Ting…Ting

If you ignore something for long enough, maybe it will go away.

Ting…Ting…Ting!

Her white-colored eyes snapped open and she heaved a sigh. Thankfully the low lighting of her cell was merciful on her eyes. It wasn't like there was much to see in it other than the four concrete walls, ceiling, and floor. Pulling her body slightly forward enough to be able to place her ear closer to the wall behind her pallet, she tiredly used her finger to beat twice against it, responding back to the source of the sound.

After a moment, a whistling sound came through the pipe in the wall behind where she lay her head.

'Hey, human girl? You still alive?'

She sighed with a smile, happy to hear her friend's voice.

She spoke close to the floor. "Yes, I'm alive Schaden."

The was a pause for a few moments before she heard an answer.

'That's good. Goodness knows how boring it would be if I didn't have to hear your high-pitched voice all the time.'

She smiled and laid her face against the floor. Schaden was often like that. Not wanting to show how much he cared.

It was for both pragmatic and protective reasons, as it would be to no one's advantage for their watchers to know of possible potential weaknesses for either of them. Scha had cameras in his cell watching his every move, but thankfully she didn't have such issues. But Scha also had an easier time communicating with her without people realizing that he was even speaking.

It has been nearly 4 years since she had first begun to communicate with the strange creature making bizarre noises in the cell below hers. It took her a while to realize the sounds were a language, and two whole years in order to figure out how this strange language worked. It had started as simply a curiosity, a desire for something to do, someone to talk to who could truly understand and who could empathize.

Trust had come slowly. It was a commodity that neither of them could easily afford. In the beginning, she had suspected in the back of her mind that this could very well be one of the Director's cruel games. To put a temptation for human connection and warmth in front of her, only to punish her for seeking out such things. The voice on the other side had only begun talking to her out of a sense of nihilistic morbid curiosity. Nothing really mattered anymore, pain and the possibility of death were always nigh, so why not? He had nothing else better to do than communicate with the strange little human child who for some reason was on this side of the prison doors.

But over time, his presence became comforting, and hers became steady. And while she had never truly seen him in person yet (he had seen her but from afar a few times), they were the closest things to friends either had.

And as her only friend, she tended to worry about the other. She asked softly, "Hey, did they finally feed you since I was gone?"

There was a longer pause this time and she felt her stomach sink.

Eventually, he responded. 'Don't worry about me, human girl. I'm not as fragile as you are.'

She sighed before laying her head down once again, trying to think of some way to help her friend. It had to have been a week since Schaden had eaten, it made her ashamed of her own growling stomach. Why did his handler have to be so mean? Linta might be cold and unfeeling with her, but at least she did her job and made sure she was taken care of and fed at regular intervals. Sure, the Director would have the woman's head if—wait…

She bit her lip at the idea. If…maybe…. She didn't want to, but her friend was worth it, right?

"M-Maybe I could ask the Director to—"

'No!'

She jolted at the sharp retort.

'Don't you dare! I'd rather starve.'

"But!"

'You telling that man will only mean trouble for the both of us. And you know he'd never let us talk to each other again.'

She ground her teeth at the truth in what he said, knowing he was right. She didn't want to lose Schaden, but she also hated that her friend was suffering so needlessly.

"At least tell me your handler's name. I won't mention you, but I have to try something!" She pleaded.

'Foolish girl,' his voice carried a bit of affectionate amusement, 'just worry about yourself.'

She deflated at the other's stubbornness, "But Schaden…"

The sound of the clicking of the lock turning interrupted her and she looked up in alarm. Shifting back, she slid away from the wall, trying her best to sit up.

She'd only managed to prop herself up on her forearms before the metal door swung open and the sound of clipped heels against the hard floor could be heard against the ground. At the sight of the man who entered, her mouth went dry and she swallowed thickly, her body automatically cowering in his presence.

The Director settled down next to her, placing a tray of what looked to be a bowl of soup, some bread, and water on the ground. Now that her eyes had mostly recovered, she could no longer avoid looking at him.

He was human–mostly–in appearance. And compared to the other doctors and labcoats in the Facility, his physical attributes weren't all that unique. He was tall for a man, at nearly seven feet tall, but his bearing never made much notice of that. His skin was pale but not white like her own, and his platinum-blond hair was streaked with heather, gliding in waves down to his shoulders, and a pair of glasses with blue lenses often sat comfortably on his face, though, like now, they could also be seen perched on his head. His posture and stance were also calm and casual, though at times could show that there was quite a bit of breeding below the surface. All in all, many things about the Director, weren't all that memorable or unique.

But that only made the things that were, all the more undeniable.

For example, no one ever mistook the Director for another. His name was known–even she herself knew it–and while a few greenhorns would whisper it between themselves in awe, eventually they learned. No one ever called him anything but simply "The Director". The air he held around him and the way he carried himself, always seemed to whisper that he was other. He never bothered to wear the white lab attire of everyone else at the Facility. As he was fond of saying, he wasn't a doctor and he didn't like to pretend to be one.

And while he could be casual and friendly with his words, he brought a chill everywhere he went, to the point where she had never known a time when she didn't shiver in his presence.

Under the layers of his hair, his ears tapered off to a point, as did the canine teeth in his mouth, hinting at the fact that he didn't simply carry only human blood in his veins. And when his glasses didn't hide his eyes, the color of his irises nearly merged with the black void of his pupils, which caused any who looked him directly in the eyes to shudder and turn away.

And yet while his eyes and his fangs would be reason enough to unsettle anyone, it wasn't physical attributes alone that made #76213 terrified of him.

No…It was the fact that every time she had to look into those black dead eyes, she could only see the gaze of a monster looking back at her…

As he sat by her side, those eyes were currently roving over her, his mouth turned up in a comfortable, self-assured smile. His voice was soft when he spoke, suggesting warmth and concern that she was pretty sure didn't truly exist.

"It looks as if you've been well taken care of, Eyas. How are you feeling?"

She looked down at her hands and away from him. "I'm doing well, Director."

"How many times have I told you, Eyas? Look at me when I'm talking to you."

His voice never rose nor changed in tone, but she knew a command when she heard it. A jolt of fear rang through her and quickly she looked up, only to be caught once again in those horrible, terrible eyes…

His smile widened into a grin, "There's my good girl."

She swallowed and attempted to smile, though she couldn't quite make it work.

He didn't seem to mind though as he brought a hand to her chin, lifting her face up. With his other, he brought the glass of water towards her. "It's been a little bit so I think we can handle a bit more water now. You wanna try for me?"

She was still thirsty and she was used to this procedure by now. Opening her mouth, she let him hold the glass to her lips as she drank. She used the time to enjoy the coolness running down her throat and to be able to close her eyes again.

"You did well this time, Eyas. I am pleased. After you have recovered, tomorrow we're going to continue working on your endurance training. As well as continuing to work on controlling your devil fruit powers."

She mentally sighed as it would mean several hours of arduous physical stress and exhaustion, but at least it wasn't poison or interrogation resistance training.

After she had finished the water, he took the cup away before taking up the bread and holding it in his hand in wait. She didn't bother to hesitate and instead bent forward and fed ravenously from his hand.

With Linta she could eat on her own. She couldn't ever remember a time when she was allowed to do such a thing with the Director.

Besides, she was so hungry!

She ate the bread in no time and soon was moving on to the soup he provided.

The Director spoke offhandedly as he fed her. "We'll be having you work with your Cyto-Cyto fruit, using one of the Lunarians again. We had some pretty good breakthroughs last time and I think if you actually listen to me and push yourself, you can do this, Eyas."

He continued to speak on the goals she was to accomplish for her training, but her mind had completely frozen at the word "Lunarian".

In her mind's eye, she could see dark eyes looking back at her in fear, could hear screams ripping from ancient throats, and blood and viscera dripping to the ground in a flurry of black feathers and the crackle of fire.

Her stomach churned and what food was left in her mouth turned to ash.

Tears gathered in her eyes and she turned away from the soup he attempted to offer her. She wasn't hungry anymore. She began to tremble.

He couldn't make her do that again. Not again!

She felt his hand begin to pet her hair, as he asked with mild amusement, "What's the matter, darling? You're all aquiver."

She cried even harder and tried to curl away before attempting to supplicate, "P-please Director….Please, don't make me do this…please…please!"

The hand in her hair stilled for a moment, before increasing in pressure, just to the point that it began to hurt. Pulling her closer, he placed her head against his chest before she then felt his arms close around her in the semblance of a comforting embrace.

"Now, now, little one. None of that. You'll do fine, and make me proud as always."

His words caused her to despair even harder. She hated this. She hated it! She didn't like it when she had to use her power on live subjects. She couldn't see them, but she could hear them! She could hear every struggling breath, even pained gasp, every scream of agony as she used her powers to rip them apart piece by piece, cell by cell. It was hard for her with any living subject, but the Lunarians just took so much longer…

And it was all her fault. If she was better with her powers, she could probably do it so that it didn't cause so much pain, or at least try to end it as quickly as possible. But her control just wasn't…it wasn't…

She began to sob all the while grasping at his arm and begging. "P-Please…Please…."

The Director seemed to hum with the affectionate exasperation of a parent watching the tantrum of an unruly child, "Oh come now, Eyas. What are you crying so much about? You're a big girl now. Let's stop the tears, okay?"

His words had the direct opposite of comforting and instead, she felt despair come over her at the inevitability of it all and that he wasn't going to change his mind. But then again, she should really know better by now. She placed her hands over her weeping face in anguish.

However, as she continued to cry, the arms around her became hard like steel. The voice that spoke still held that tone of casual amusement, but a subtle dangerous edge could be heard beneath its surface.

"I said, stop the tears, Eyas. You're not disobeying me, are you?"

Terror pierced through her at that calm, cold voice and she even began to hiccup from the speed at which she was trying to force herself to stop crying. Scrubbing away at her tear-stained face, she did her best to remove the outward evidence of her pain. After all, she had long ago realized that he didn't really care about how she truly felt or the pain he caused her. Only in that, she did as he commanded.

After a few more moments she was finally able to force herself to stop shaking by what she hoped was an acceptable amount. She then felt him reach up to her face and angle it upwards towards him again. Her reddened eyes once again met his soulless own.

She didn't think she was imagining it, as she saw her crushed and ruined–but dry!–visage reflected back at her in those dark voids, that there was a spark of satisfaction there at what he saw.

"That's my good girl. As I said, you'll do fine. Get some rest tonight and wake up fresh tomorrow." His hand ran softly through her hair before going lower to the back of her neck, right where the chip had been implanted that served as a tracker and regulated her powers.

"Because what's the most important thing to remember, my bird?"

She shivered under his touch and her stomach still felt queasy, knowing what was in store for tomorrow, but she knew her response without question. "To do everything I can to please you, Director."

His smile widened, allowing his fangs to show fully, "Very good, my pet."

Needless to say, she couldn't stomach eating anymore, and even after the Director's departure, sleep was elusive, and troubled with nightmares of tormenting screams haunting her mind.

The next day came.

The endurance tests….she was able to pass...but with abysmal scores.

The devil fruit training….for only the second time for as long as she could remember—

She failed. Miserably.

"Ahh!"

#76213 cried out in pain as she was struck hard across the face, the shackles chaining her to the ceiling, rattled from the force of the blow. She was hoisted slightly off the ground, enough for her toes to touch the ground, but not enough to get her footing. The same gloved hand that had struck her, reached around and grabbed her hard by her white hair, yanking her head up.

Despite the violence he bestowed, every action the Director made towards her was cold, exact, and with precision. She could imagine him tilting his head for a moment, watching as she tried to catch her breath and hold back the tears, studying her. His face was probably neutral, but it was pretty hard to tell as she was blindfolded.

All she knew, was that he was livid. And she knew that meant a lot of pain for her. She didn't have anyone but herself to blame though. She knew the consequences of failure.

Releasing her head harshly, she could hear the Director stepping away from her. she couldn't see where, but she knew he was walking around her, circling her like a predator watching its prey.

When he spoke, his voice continued that pleasant casual drawl that it always did. "It seems…that your empathy for those creatures has begun to overshadow your desire to please me, Eyas."

She shook her head in denial, fear crushing her words. "P-Please, Director…I-I didn't—ahhhh!"

A scream ripped from her throat as a sudden vicious ripping pain rang through her upper arm as something sliced through her skin! The fact that she couldn't see it and could only feel the sting as blood ran down her arm, made it all the worse.

"No excuses, pet. You know how this works. I care for you, and you behave to my satisfaction."

The coldness of whatever blade he had used touched her cheek, her own sticky blood smearing her skin. She trembled and despite her best efforts, the tears indeed began to fall. "I–sob–I'm s-sorry…I'm s-soorry!"

The Director's hands came to her shoulders caressing them. She could feel the blade in his hand moving against the hollow of her neck. "It's okay… I know you want to be good for me. You just regressed a little. We just need to make sure we have an understanding as to what's really important, right?"

The pain in her arm was excruciating, and the stretching of her limb thanks to the upheld chains only made it worse. His grip on her shoulders increased increasing the pressure downwards.

"Right, Eyas?"

She tried to answer through the pain, her voice breaking, "Y-yess, Dir-rector…"

The tip of the knife tapped purposefully against skin. "We shall see."

He finally stepped away, but that only made her dread skyrocket. At least when he was close, she could know where he was. When he wasn't, he could be anywhere, doing anything, causing her imagination to run wild.

She then heard the screech of the door opening. A scratching noise of someone or something scrambling against the hard floor in an effort to resist. She had no idea what it was, but even more than that, she was perplexed. The Director was normally pretty covetous when it came to her and it was unusual for him to bring in someone else.

However, the moment that she heard that unusual, and yet horribly familiar whistling shrieks, her heart fell to the pit of her stomach and she practically forgot about her pain as her horror amplified astronomically.

Only one person she knew made sounds like that. And likewise, that meant there was only one reason to bring him here.

He knew.

'If you don't stop pulling so hard, you fanged bastard! I swear I'm going to rip your eyes straight out of your skull with my teeth someday! I wish I could make you understand every word coming out of my fuc—'

She knew the moment that Schaden saw her, his voice cut off completely and the sounds of resistance subsided. Instead, it was replaced by the telltale sound of a chain being secured.

'Human girl? Is that you?'Schaden's voice was quiet and with a slight tremble.

She didn't know what to say, her despair was too high for her to figure out an answer. A healthy pause came between the two friends who had never met face to face until this moment.

Schaden found his voice first, 'Don't say anything. Don't speak to me at all. Look confused. He can't understand me. We might be able to get you out of this.'

She knew what he was trying to do, but could only inwardly shake her head in misery. It was too late. The Director wouldn't have done this if he hadn't already known the truth.

She heard the foreboding sound of his footsteps approaching and with a swift yank, the blindfold over her eyes was lifted.

Blinking a few times, her eyes had to adjust even with the fact that the room was dim as it was, and the first thing she saw before her was a creature she had never seen the like of before. And yet…she knew intimately, that this being was her one and only friend.

He looked human in shape with two arms, legs, a torso, and a head. But his body seemed formless and less defined. Even with the gloom of the room, she could see that it was almost like his body was made of thick smoke that would wisp around and off of him. His head was made of the same dark substance and was mostly featureless except for the presence of two glowing violet regions that resembled eyes watching her, and a slightly open darker region that she could guess was his mouth.

A collar was around his neck made of dark grey metal connected to a chain secured to the wall. He had similar shackles on his wrists and his ankles.

"I believe this is the first time you two have actually met each other in the flesh." The Director whispered into her ear from behind her. She could picture the smirk on his lips even though she couldn't see it.

She tried to look over at him, but he was just beyond her vision. "Director, he's not—"

He held a finger to her lips, quickly shushing her. "Eyas, you didn't really think you could keep anything from me, did you? I simply let your little conversations go since of course even a highly trained bird such as yourself needs a little social interaction. And it was rather impressive that you were able to decipher his language all on your own. That's a skill I can put to good use in the future."

Her countenance dropped at this damning confirmation and she could only look away from him, feeling like a complete fool for thinking she could possibly have anything of her own.

He finally walked from behind her, not a hair out of place or a wrinkle on his clothing. His glasses weren't lodged on his forehead this time, but instead were properly held over his eyes, distorting her ability to read them. He walked over to Schaden and grabbed him by the collar, violently pulling his head up to face hers. The Cimmerian snarled and snapped in response, but the Director never flinched or even glanced at him, his eyes still on her.

"Eyas, meet #12323, though I'm training him to become my hound, just as you will be my hawk. Weapons designed and honed for the hunt."

'I am no one's dog!'Schaden snapped, once again only to be ignored.

The Director continued nonchalantly, "I'm sure he's told you by now, that he is a magnificent creature known as a Cimmerian, an extremely rare find these days. Usually, they are near impossible to catch, their body can transform and become intangible, and they can easily teleport from place to place. We have to keep him restrained with cold iron, which puts a stop to pretty much all of his abilities. One day, I hope to have him fully tamed, but we're still working on that."

This time when Schaden reacted, the Director pressed some switch somewhere causing a hum to sound, followed by large electrical sparks arching from out of the metal that bound the creature. She flinched as Schaden screamed out in agony, straining against his shackles as he writhed. She gritted her teeth in horror and could last only a few seconds before calling out.

"Please! Stop!" she yelled tearfully, "Please don't hurt him!"

The torture continued for a few more seconds, the Director making sure the lesson was learned before ending his torment. Schaden fell limply to the ground on his knees. The chains were the only thing keeping him upright and #76213 could hear labored panting noises coming from him.

The Director ignored Schaden's pained form before walking up to a nearby wall that was next to her. There were multiple tables set up there and her eyes went wide, her breathing speeding up rapidly, as she observed the large variety of shining metal blades of different sizes displayed. Along with them a line of needles of different lengths, the largest as long as his hand, twinkled wickedly in the limited light. A couple of syringes also lay on the table next to different vials of various colors. On another table was a set of even more blades, each cast in an unusual red metal that she had never seen before. She was so frozen by the sight of them all, that she failed to notice that Schaden too had gone still, his eyes drawn to the metallic crimson weapons.

As he purposefully and deliberately walked over to that display of sharpened tools, each reflecting the abject cruelty of the monster within the man before her. She felt her body begin to tremble and shake reflexively, panic and fear building to monumental heights. As he picked up an extremely thin inches long needle in his hand and came towards her, she began to keen, a pathetic whimper that she couldn't stop from leaving her throat. She knew this had been coming, had gone through this torture once before, but that hadn't made it any better in preparing her to handle it once again.

He continued to speak casually as he came closer to her, examining and testing the pointed weapon in his hand. "You failed me, my pet. You know what that means."

He came closer to her and the smile upon his lips was almost apologetic. She flinched as he laid a hand on her cheek, his gloved thumb wiping away at the stream of tears that had begun to flow once again. "Now, now, none of that. You need this, Eyas. It hurts me too to have to do this. I'd much rather be gentle with you, but actions must have consequences."

The corner of his mouth lifted ever so much, "And since you've decided to bring my hound into our little tête-à-tête, your actions have affected him too."

She looked up from the needle to his eyes. What?

"Oh yes, my sweet. Since you've decided to tie your souls together in 'friendship' and include him, I've decided to make use of him. I'd rather not do anything really drastic to you, since we don't want you to take too long to recover."

The hand on her cheek reached down to grasp her chin, moving her face so that she could once again see the table covered in vicious instruments of pain. "You see those blades made of red metal? They're made of Hihi'irokane, a special metal only found in the land of Wano. While cold iron can make a Cimmerian hold its form and keep them from teleporting, only Hihi'irokane can actively hurt them."

She began to weep fiercely as she began to realize the depths of what her punishment actually was entailing. This time, the Director didn't bother to look regretful. Instead, he turned her to look back at him.

"Let's see how you do on endurance this time around. Every time you scream pet, the dog will be given a punishment 10 times worse. You get your own personal 'whipping boy' now. Isn't that wonderful?"

She had begun to get choked up through the wailing, pleading, begging for the man not to do this. That she would do anything if he would at least let her friend go. She would be his perfect little hunting bird, would never fail him again, and would sit pretty in her cage. But please don't do this…not Schaden.

He only continued to watch her unmoved, his smile never changing. Suddenly, without even being aware that he moved, he struck her full across the face, her head snapping hard to one side from the force of the slap. "That's enough, Eyas. As I said before, you failed me, you have to pay for the consequences of your actions. Now, open up and say 'ah'."

The blindfold that had been around her eyes was rolled up and he held it in his fingers. She swallowed hard and her eyelids fluttered in utter wretchedness. It felt like something in her had broken, the realization hitting her at how inevitable it all was. As it always had been.

She kept her eyes down as she reflexively opened her mouth, taking the impromptu gag between her teeth.

'Hey, human girl.'

She perked up a bit at Schaden's low, plaintive murmur, but she didn't look over at him. She wouldn't give him another reason, perceived or not. She began to pull back from the here and now, finding a place inside herself where she could do her best to hide from all this.

'Don't worry about me, meine Kleine. Yell and scream if you must…I can take it. Stay strong. I'm here. You're not alone. Not anymore.'

She glanced up ever so slightly and met his violet eye with her own. In her mind, she began to hum a melody that she had no idea where she had gotten it from, but one that gave her comfort nonetheless. She continued to hold Schaden's gaze all the way up until the first needle pierced her flesh...

In the end, she only screamed four times.

Both she and Schaden survived, as expected. The Director was nothing if not purposeful and efficient.

It took her five days to recover enough to move. Schaden, an entire week.

As a reminder, the Director placed Schaden's cell next to hers. Informing her that they may continue to converse, but that her failures would now be his, and his would be hers. They would be each other's scapegoats.

From that day forth, the Cimmerian never disobeyed or rebelled again. Behaving as the perfect dog for its master.

Also from that day forth, #76213 kept the lesson she had learned.

She never failed again.

A/N 2:

A couple of notes to talk about for this chapter.

Lily's prison number is a reference to her first appearance in the One Piece manga, while Schaden's prison number is a reference to the era of Ancient Greece where a lot of Scha's attributes are based on come from.

The name the Director gives Lily is "Eyas". An eyas is a nestling, usually a hawk or falcon. And in falconry, is a young falcon or hawk taken from the nest for training.

As for the Director himself, don't bother trying to guess who he is, he is an original character, however, he does have influences from several other characters, with two in particular.

He DOES however have a very strong connection with a canon One Piece character which will be shown later on in the story. For now, you will only know him as Lily does, during her adolescent years spent being trained as a weapon in the Facility.