Chapter 6

***\*3 Years Before Reset. . .***

The children sat on their beds in the dorms, looking at each other, chatting with one another. Akuji had a radio beside them, playing some jazz tunes as they four relaxed. Neo was talking to Akuji about songs, the music trend. Arius, as usual, was reading from a giant tower of books placed beside their bed, finishing each in an outstanding minute or two, sometimes even less. Rue sat in a corner, scribbling notes in their diary. A knock was heard from the door, before it opened.

"Hello my children, how are you all?" G stood at the doorway, smiling, their eyes still shining that unmistakable purple and red. Rue looked up, staring at them. The others said it was always like that, but they could tell. Half a year ago, before G left for an experiment, their eyes were pure white. Something had changed. It was like those days were a dream. Closing the diary, they waited.

"Yo G."

"Hi G!"

The duo walked over, Neo giving G a quick hug.

"We were listening to music, want to join?" G laughed, then patted Neo, shaking their head.

"My apologies, I am busy, I just came to check on you all." Rue could have sworn, G had looked at them. No, that for that second, they saw someone else. Someone... different. For now, they waved it off, assuming it was just hallucinations. They stood up, then walked past G out, their diary clutched close to their chest.

After a while, G left to work, leaving the three alone. Neo and Akuji went back to their discussion, Arius however, stood up and walked out, going after Rue.

The grey child sat on the grass, in front of the pond of the garden, staring at their own reflection. At this moment, they were unsure. What was real and unreal, were their eyes playing tricks on them? Who knows.

"What are you looking at, Rue?" Arius stood beside them, hands behind their back.

". . . The scenery is nice." They stared at the water.

"Do you really think G is a fake?"

". . . His eyes..." His eyes. The one unmistakable detail that they can't forget. Something happened during the experiment. Something must have.

". . ." Arius pulled Rue to the side and stared into their eyes. "I know a secret. A place in the lab where no one else knows." They stood up and walked towards the lab, Rue following behind.

Arius walked up to a wall in an isolated corridor. They had seen it happen a couple of times, and knew there was an entrance here. Pressing the button, the passageway opened, the two siblings walking in cautiously.

". . . Where are we..." They looked at the dark room, vials and other equipment sitting on the table.

"This is G's true lab." Arius walked over to the table, taking out a blueprint and a document, placing it down and rolling it, revealing its contents.

The blueprint had a picture of a robot, the words "M.T" at the side. The document was about an opening of an entertainment joint in the central.

"It seems G is making a robot." Arius kept the stuff, then took another, and another, until they stopped at a slightly torn and old one.

". . . What does it say." Arius stared at it, then looked at Rue, at their chest specifically.

"A soul extractor."

"For what?" Arius stared deep into the child's eyes.

"You.:"

. . .

. . .

G walked out of the lab into the central, the shadow phantom of a skeleton floating besie them, only visible to themself.

*"Let us go visit the royal family, G."* DisReal smiled.

"Haha... sure." G looked back towards the lab, then walked towards the looming castle.