"You're finally here. Let's hear it, then—why did you want to see me?" Seiya's father turned, his cold gaze locking onto his battered and disheveled son.
"But let me warn you, it better not be a plea to spare the children at the cost of you taking responsibility for your failures" His father's voice cut through the air like a blade, making Seiya flinch.
Seiya remained silent, his lips refusing to form words, which only served to irritate his father further.
"Well? Speak up!" his father barked, the sharpness in his tone echoing in the room.
"I… um… I…" Seiya stammered, his voice trembling. "The kids… I…"
The words he desperately wished to utter were the very ones his father had forbidden. His head bowed, trembling under the weight of his unspoken plea.
His father strode forward leisurely, stopping just in front of Seiya. "You have some nerve.." he sneered, grabbing Seiya's hair in a brutal grip. "Making such a request when you're nothing but a mere fly—a mistake that should never have existed."
With a sickening force, he slammed Seiya's face onto the cold, hard floor. The crack of impact echoed as blood spurted from Seiya's mouth and nose, mingling with saliva. His face, now a broken mess, displayed the extent of the impact.
His trembling form crumpled further under the onslaught.
"Making you into a weapon was a grave mistake. Clearly, you're not ready" his father declared, his gaze icy, as though Seiya was a mere insect he could crush at any moment.
Mr. Sanio squatted in front of Seiya, yanking his son's head up by the hair to force the boy to meet his icy glare "You will remain the guinea pig you are—a mere object to bear every torment we inflict"
With that, he stood and walked away, leaving Seiya crumpled on the floor.
*******
Seiya sat on the edge of his bed, his glistening hair catching the faint light of the sterile room.
Nine months had come by—making it a year in this wretched place. A year of relentless torment. A year of excruciating pain. A year without even the briefest glimpse of the outside world.
His once lively eyes were now hollow, dulled to a lifeless gray. His vibrant eyes were now devoid of color, reduced to the empty, soulless gaze of a doll. Dark circles hung beneath them, evidence of sleepless nights and relentless anguish.
As he sat there, his mind was consumed by the memories of every agonizing moment he had endured up to date—weighing heavily on him. No matter how hard he tried, he could not escape them.
He thought back to nine months prior, when he had approached his father to try and tell him to spare the kids so he could bear his burden alone but his father slammed his face to the ground, saying he'd forever remain a guinea pig.
He did remain that because his hellish daily torture recommenced–brutal than ever before. One among them weighed particularly on Seiya's mind like it was an inseparable part of him.
On that day, he had been summoned for his usual torture, only to find something far more harrowing awaiting him.
In the room stood nine children, strapped to metal poles. At the center, a massive boulder sat ominously, one even the strongest Awakeners would struggle to move.
Seiya was instructed to submerge his hands in boiling water for five minutes. He had to watch as his flesh burned, the searing pain tearing through him. No matter how much he cried and pleaded, it wasn't stopped.
The helpless kids could only watch with eyes wide with fear and confusion—they were starting to realize the true nature of Seiya's tasks.
Afterward, his hands were plunged into salt, eliciting a scream from the depths of his soul. Then, with his mutilated hands, he was ordered to move the boulder—he was allotted five minutes each for the head of a child.
Despite his efforts, the task was impossible for his frail eight-year-old body. Helplessly, he watched as, one by one, the children were crushed to death, their lives extinguished by the failure he could not overcome.
By the end of the ordeal, all nine children were dead. Seiya had failed.
The memory haunted him, the weight of their deaths pressing down on him. Disgust and nausea surged within him as he recalled the scene.
Covering his mouth, he rushed to the restroom, where he retched violently, overcome by the guilt. He was alive, while the others were not. Breathing felt like a privilege he no longer deserved, granted by those who were no longer here.
After rinsing his mouth, Seiya turned on the faucet, letting the cold water flow over his hands. He splashed the water onto his face, but before long, his body gave out. His legs did not buckle; instead, he collapsed forward, his head submerging in the water pooled in the basin.
---
When Seiya opened his eyes, he found himself in the familiar void of his consciousness—a vast, empty white space. He exhaled softly, his dead eyes reflecting the weariness that consumed him.
{How long has it been since you waltzed in here} The familiar voice he's known to be his heart, let out.
"Sorry" Seiya murmured, his tone lifeless. "Since I don't know how it works, I can't come here voluntarily" He added in a quiet tone, lying on the white floor.
{Yeah yeah. You've grown stronger though} The voice said, a hint of enthusiasm in its tone.
"What makes you think that?" Seiya asked, his voice indifferent.
{Huh? Didn't you know? I saved us!} It remarked, a note of pride and white shock visible in its tone.
Seiya remained silent, prompting his heart to continue.
{Remember months ago when you were sent into a gate to fight ice elves?}
Seiya flinched, recalling the traumatic memories and experiences.
{One of them almost got me, your heart, but I moved so he missed} It explained.
Seiya recalled when an elf had indeed pierced his chest from behind during the battle.
"Ah…I remember something like that. Thought I was a goner for sure but….." Seiya paused, reluctant to continue.
He didn't know if what he felt were his genuine intentions. If his heart had let him die that day then maybe he would've gotten freedom from this hellish situation called his life. But, is that what he really wants?
Filled with doubt, Seiya refrained from speaking about it any further.
"Anyways, thank you. I thought the Awakeners were the ones who saved me but I was wrong"
Every word that left Seiya's lips were all devoid of emotion, tugged with tranquility—or maybe he just didn't have it in him to speak lively anymore.
{Sure! It's because you grew stronger anyway! Though, you ought to have really been messed up to not feel an organ moving inside you} The voice teased.
Silence fell between them as Seiya lay quietly, one hand resting over his face.
{By the way, why don't you give me a name?} his heart suggested, its tone eager.
Seiya sat up, intrigued. He had never considered naming it. "A name?"
{Yes! It's strange that you have a name, but I don't. Give me one!} it urged.
"Hmm… Kokoro?" Seiya proposed.
{... What's that?} it asked, unimpressed.
"The Japanese word for heart" Seiya explained.
{Pass!}
"Then… shinzou?"
{Pass!}
"Ma-eum? Sim-jang? Coeur?"
{I bet they all mean heart in different languages}
"Mm"
{Stop that!} the voice protested.
{You know you–} The voice began but abruptly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Seiya asked, concerned.
{I can't breathe. It's like… I'm being suffocated!} the voice struggled.
"I'm not feeling anything though" Seiya frowned.
{But I am! I've started to feel things better the more you grow stronger!} His heart huffed.
{Come to think of it, you only ever appear here when you're almost at death's door!} It remarked.
{Don't tell me, are you being experimented on right now?!} It asked with worry.
"No"
{Then what's wrong?! You think they're experimenting on you while unconscious? I don't know, it hurts! Just go!} The voice cried out, its agony resonating within Seiya, causing his heart to strain.