You can skip this chapter . This is your last warning.
"So, why are we in a white room?" Helios asked, his voice steady despite being chained as he looked at the three P.O.C. members.
"We are going to start your training here," one of the members replied coldly.
"Shouldn't you at least give me your names?" Helios asked with a sharp, sarcastic edge to his voice.
"Let's see if you're still so arrogant after the training, little hound," one of the masked figures sneered.
"You can call me 005," a female voice stated flatly.
"I'm 002, the leader," a male voice added with authority.
"And the one mocking you is 004; he's just a bit crazy," 005 said, casting a disparaging look toward 004.
"What, you don't have real names?" Helios mocked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"P.O.C. members have only one job: to serve the Imperial Family," 002 declared, his tone devoid of emotion.
Helios looked around the sterile environment, his eyes narrowing. "So, why are we in a white room?"
"As I said, this is where your training starts," 002 said, a faint, cruel smirk visible under the shadow of his black hood.
"What, just sitting chained up in a white room?" Helios asked, his voice rising in frustration.
"Have you ever heard of psychology before?" 004 asked in a mocking tone, leaning in until his face was inches from Helios's.
"Yes, it has something to do with the brain," Helios said, staring defiantly into 004's eyes.
"Good. Let me teach you what staying in a white room can do to you," 004 said with a predatory smile. "Firstly, it makes you lose your sense of time—days become weeks, weeks become months, and months become years. Secondly, it makes you lose your identity; humans are social creatures. And lastly: hallucinations."
"And it only takes a few weeks for all those things to happen. Think about what will happen if we leave you here for forty days," 002 added ominously.
"How is this going to help me become a commander?" Helios asked, his voice trembling slightly with newfound nerves.
"Oh, this is not the training for you to become a commander," 005 corrected him with a chilling calmness.
"We are training you to gain a new identity," 004 said, his grin widening.
"The training to become a commander begins after this one is over. We will put you in a war zone using spatial and hallucination abilities," 002 explained. "While you are doing this, you will get water only. And if you try to escape, just remember: we have Luna and Sara."
002 closed the heavy door, leaving Helios in total silence.
Circlet, are you here? Helios thought desperately.
I can't reach you. They used material that affects artifacts... you can't summon me or hear me clearly... Circlet's voice echoed in Helios's mind, sounding muffled and distant like a fading radio signal.
"At least they untied me before going," Helios muttered, standing up and stretching his stiff limbs. "Staying here for forty days doesn't sound so bad. I just need to sit down." He sat on the bed and closed his eyes to mediate, trying to anchor his mind.
"How long has it been?" Helios asked eventually, standing up and pacing the small space. "I only see white. They even covered my hair... they said if I remove the cover, they don't know what they will do to Luna and Sara." He began biting his nails nervously, his eyes darting around.
"My heart... it feels like it's going to explode. I can feel everything in my body beating," Helios gasped, his pupils widening in a panic attack.
"It's been two days. It seems like the madness is going to start soon," 002 observed, watching Helios through a one-way glass window.
"Should we give him the book yet?" 004 asked, holding a plain white book.
"Not yet. We still need to wait a few more days," 002 replied, his gaze fixed on the prisoner.
"I can see other colours... but it's a white room. There are no other colours," Helios whispered to the walls. "It feels like my brain is telling me to find something to do." He dropped to the floor and started doing frantic push-ups.
"I have no one. I'm all alone. I have no one, I'm all alone... No! I have Sara and Luna!" Helios cried out, retreating to a corner and clutching his head.
"Morning, Brother," a voice whispered.
"Morning, Moon. How's your day?" Helios said, smiling warmly at the empty air.
"It seems like he's starting to hallucinate now," 003 noted, watching Helios hug nothingness and talk to himself.
"He has been in there for nine days. None of us were ever in a white room for that long," 004 said, a hint of genuine surprise in his voice.
"Moon, have a nice day at school. Brother needs to go to work," Helios said, nodding politely to the blank wall.
"How many days have I been in here?" Helios groaned. He was back to doing push-ups, his knuckles and arms bleeding from the friction against the floor. "I can only drink water. I can't talk to anyone. I can't see Luna or Sara." He looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot from a lack of sleep.
"Brother, you can talk to me," Luna's voice came from behind him.
"Yes, Helios, you can talk to us," Sara's voice followed.
Helios spun around, but there was no one there. His body started trembling violently. "White... why white? I hate white! I hate white! I hate white!" He began hitting his head against the floor, though the mattress softened the blow.
"Give him the book," 002 commanded.
A book slid through a slot and fell in front of Helios.
"Let's go. We can see him after the time ends," 002 said to the others.
"Are we sure it's going to work?" 005 asked, sounding hesitant.
"I don't know. He's the first test subject," 002 admitted.
"A book? What does it say?" Helios thought, crawling toward the object like a starving man toward food. A white letter fell out from between the pages. "They had to write the letter in another colour... finally, something that isn't white!" he said hopefully.
He opened the letter, but it was written in transparent ink that only appeared when held to the light.
You have survived for twelve days. Keep up the good work. If you want to see Sara and Luna, read this book, the letter read.
"If the letter doesn't have any colour, then the book will..." Helios said, grasping onto his last shred of hope. He opened the book, only to find it written in the same invisible ink.
"Why? Why! Why? WHY!" Helios screamed, his voice breaking in a hopeless wail. "It's only been twelve days! I can't do anything, and I can only see white!" He sounded as though he were on the verge of sobbing. "My sister got kidnapped... and Sara got taken because of me, too."
"I failed, Mother. I said I would protect Luna, but I can't even remember her face," Helios wept, his tears falling to the white floor. "I have no one... I have no one... I have no one..." He repeated the mantra until he began coughing up blood from the strain on his throat.
Desperate for a distraction, Helios began to read the book. "How to military tactics ," he read aloud.
"It's been eleven days since we last saw him," 004 remarked.
"The King says we can let him hear his sister's voice," 005 said, holding Luna's hand.
"What about Sara? Why can't she see him?" 005 asked curiously.
"She is unpredictable. We don't know what she can do, so the King said to leave her," 002 answered, opening the door to the observation room.
"Where is Helios? I can't see him," 005 said, peering through the glass.
"There he is. It looks like he's died... he's bleeding," 004 said, his voice dropping.
"Where's my brother?!" Luna cried out, struggling to escape 005's grasp.
Helios suddenly bolted upright, his eyes snapping open. "Luna? Where are you?" he wheezed, blood flowing from his mouth. "Is it... another hallucination?" He slumped back down, exhausted.
"Helios, the King said you can say hello to your sister," 002's voice boomed over the intercom.
"Brother!" Luna wailed.
"Luna!" Helios screamed, trying to stand but falling back down as his legs gave way.
"That's enough. Take her back," 002 ordered as Luna's cries for Helios faded down the hall. "You're doing well. It's been twenty-one days. Twenty more to go, and you can see Luna and Sara."
"Are we trying to kill him? He can't survive another ninety days," 004 whispered, looking worried.
"He will. He can do anything for his sister," 002 said firmly. "Get the fake world ready."
"Yes," 004 replied.