Truth

Nia closes her eyes, her focus intensifying as the magic circles on the box continue to grow and overlap, each one pulsing with vibrant energy. The intricate designs intertwine, weaving a complex web of power that envelops the entire box. The glow from the circles intensifies, casting a brilliant light that pushes back the shadows.

Opening her eyes, Nia sighs. "It's done." She stands up and extends her hand, glaring into the distance. Pulled like a magnet, Flarey flies through the air, shooting gusts of flames in every direction until he lands in her hand.

"Hehehehe!" The little fox-bear doll laughs, its eyes closed as it continues to shoot flames, its high-pitched voice echoing with mischievous glee. The tiny creature dances on her palm, its flames swirling around them like a chaotic halo.

"You little—!" Nia clicks her tongue and grabs him by the leg, swinging him through the air just as a revolutionary tries sneaking up on her. Flarey smacks directly across the man's face, and in an instant, the revolutionary is engulfed in flames. He runs and screams, desperately trying to extinguish the fire, but the flames cling to him stubbornly, consuming him rapidly.

"Are you done?" Nia raises an eyebrow, holding Flarey upside down.

"Ababaya... Abayababapabo," Flarey mumbles, holding his spinning head as if dazed.

"I said to dance, not to burn the damn forest!" She grips Flarey, squeezing the doll before promptly slamming it against the mana barrier. As soon as Flarey makes contact, a burst of flames shoots out, spreading across the barrier. The intense heat and energy cause the barrier to crack, splintering rapidly before shattering into countless pieces.

The fragments of the barrier fall around them, disintegrating into nothingness. Nia stands amidst the fading remnants of the barrier, her eyes reflecting the fiery glow of Flarey's flames. 

"Nia, hurry up and send the files. We need to get out of here fast; the commander got the numbers wrong," Ryua groans, rubbing her forehead. "What a pain. Suki, deal with the ones hiding. Nio, I need a dome." Ryua turns around and walks into the tent, tapping her earpiece. "We won't be clearing them out. Group up with us as soon as you can."

"I'll try," Oda's voice crackles through the other end before the connection is cut off.

Nio emerges from the ground as if swimming through it. "Jamming magic? I thought we wouldn't find any mages here," he mutters, frustrated. Raising his arm, he casts a massive magic circle. The ground starts to rumble, and slowly, the earth rises, forming a colossal dome around them. The dome speeds up, the earth moving with a graceful but powerful force, creating a barrier.

"At least they're all weak," Suki smirks, licking his blood-soaked arm.

"SU-KI!" Palam yanks his tail back, making him shiver in pain. "How many times do we have to tell you to stop that bad habit? Hmm? Hmm?" She tilts her head at him, her eyes blazing with irritation.

With a sigh, Ryua rolls her eyes, hearing them argue outside. "No more traps?" she asks, holding an old man with a long blue beard. His eyes are dark brown, and he looks like a distinguished scholar.

"I burned it all! Hahahahaha! Your little terrorist organization won't be selling our plans. Without a hero around, our country will reign victorious!" The old man smiles with certainty, his eyes gleaming with fierce conviction.

"Your country? Terrorists?" Ryua raises an eyebrow, pushing him against the wall. "We're no terrorists. We're part of a private military. You can spout all the lies you want, but it won't change the outcome, you revolutionary," she says in a low, calm tone, staring at him with cold eyes.

"WHAT LOAD OF BULLSHIT IS THAT!?" the man yells, swinging his arm wildly. "PRIVATE MILITARY!?" He leans back on the wall, laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face. "There's no such thing as a private military, girl. You're all just a bunch of terrorist dogs under the control of bigger countries. In the eyes of all nations, you animals are nothing more than terrorists. The day you all get caught, the country you gladly serve for money will deny any connection to you. You're disposable, expendable, and when your usefulness ends, you'll be discarded like trash."

He grunts, holding his heart before coughing blood. "Hmhmhmhm, I was poisoned before you attacked, and I had already burned everything. The king will find the traitor and kill him. As for you..." He smirks with delight. "Your mission is a failure."

"Is that so?" Ryua exhales calmly, her head leaning on her hand. Standing up, she turns to Nia. "Talking all that bullshit, no one knows anything about our military—"

"Hahahahahahaha! You must think you're special, but you're not! Of course, we know about you, terrorists! We were going to hunt you later, but to think you got us first..." He coughs more blood. "We have countless reports on you, 'Ryua.'"

BOOM!

Ryua stops her fist a centimeter before punching the old man. "HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME!?" Her eyes are wide and cold, and the air is thick with bloodlust. "My public records were destroyed!" She grits her teeth, slamming him into the ground.

*Cough* *Cough*

The old man coughs more blood, yet despite the pain, a smile remains on his face. "Those terrorist leaders of yours are rotten. Manipulating you kids, mind-controlling you into the perfect soldiers. Engraving the art of murder into your little brains, placing you under countless experiments—"

POW!

"I ASKED YOU HOW YOU KNOW MY NAME! Stop lying out of your ass and tell me before—" Ryua yells after punching his face, splattering blood across the ground.

"Do you think anyone your age is as strong as you?" the old man smiles. "You're all failed experiments, killing machines with no guilt in killing innocent civilians. Hahahahaha!"

POW! POW! POW!

Despite being punched several times and his face being distorted, the old man remains smiling. "You monsters shouldn't be alive! But then again, maybe that's why you're here. Those dogs couldn't control you, so they sent you here. Hmhmhmhahahahaha! I don't mind dying knowing you monsters will die after me!"

Gritting her teeth, Ryua exhales, pushing him aside. "I see, you won't share how you know me." Walking up to Nia, she sits down. "Are you done?"

"One second," Nia mumbles, placing her palm on the ground where a drawn magic circle is. [Mother of flames, consumer of all, creator of struggles who judges us all, I ask thou flame itself to bring back what was lost in its kingdom,] she incants in an unknown language.]

Slowly, flames spiral out of the ground, spreading throughout the tent. Despite making contact with everything and everyone, it burns nothing. After a minute, the flames slowly dissipate, leaving a stack of papers behind.

"T-That's impossible! Those dogs should've kept their hands off those incantation books!" The old man looks at Nia with wide, trembling eyes. "Y-You... Do you realize what you learned!?" he grunts, trying to stand up, only to get kicked back down.

Looking down at him with cold eyes, Ryua sighs. "Teleport the files back to camp."

"On it," Nia mumbles, placing her palms over the stack.

"D-Don't do that! If you send those files, millions of innocent people will die! If you do—"

POW!

Ryua punches him into the ground, shattering the surrounding area. "Shut it, you filthy old man! Stop lying already." She exhales, rubbing her forehead.

*Cough* *Cough*

Spitting out blood, the old man gasps for air, extending his arm. "L-Look at the files! You'll see I'm not lying!" he grunts with heavy breaths. "Y-Your info is near the top in the blue folder!"

Nia pauses and turns to Ryua. "We have time."

"Tsk," Ryua grits her teeth and reaches down, grabbing the file. "Let's see how much bullshit he's spouting." Opening the folder, she finds countless papers, graphs, and images of them as children training.

[The Eternal Order of Shadows (EOS) is a terrorist organization established 78 years ago, designed and created with the sole purpose of developing living weapons. This organization has operated covertly with funding from the country of [redacted], conducting inhumane experiments on 7856 individuals over its history. Out of these subjects, only 10 have survived the rigorous and often deadly tests. The Protectorate of Beings (P.O.B) has informed all nations about the immorality of EOS's operations and declared that anyone connected to the organization will be punished accordingly. To remain hidden, EOS has disguised itself as a private military, working with multiple countries under this guise.

The current test group, A0164B, has been identified as a significant threat by EOS. This group consists of individuals who were collected as abandoned children with exceptional talents. These individuals underwent 57 biological experiments focused on body and magic enhancements, all conducted under strict supervision from ages 3 to 14. Despite their high potential, their bodies resisted the enslavement sigil, which led to them being labeled as failures. These subjects possess poison resistance and heightened senses, yet EOS concluded and reported to P.O.B that they lacked the means to control them. Under an unknown agreement, P.O.B decided not to handle the issue personally and instead placed a bounty on each individual.

Subject 01x, known as Zoey, underwent tests [redacted] and mutated into a [redacted] human. Her control over an unknown form of red lightning exceeds that of previous heroes. An image of her as a teenager shows her sleeping in a self-made red lightning incubator, her body surrounded by arcs of red energy that glow ominously in the dim light.

Subjects 02g and 03h, known as Nio and Oda, are siblings reported as demons by their parents. They were found sleeping within a solid rock. Tests show their control over earth varies with different materials, and experiment [redacted] improved their reaction time significantly, making their control nearly perfect, equivalent to that of a master. Future growth is unpredictable, and both must be terminated separately to reduce casualties. An image shows the two children encased in stone, their faces peaceful yet eerie, as if they were petrified statues.

Subject 04u, known as Ryua, must be terminated at all costs. Her true identity is known: she is a non-human, possibly a new species, with a body inspection revealing her to be 100% identical to a human. Hatched from an egg, her life history was falsified. Her birthmark suggests a connection to a mythical creature, though it remains unknown which one. 04u's body has an unnatural resistance to flames, and despite undergoing 17 different [redacted] experiments, it was concluded that her biological parents placed an unknown seal on her that will weaken over time. It is estimated this seal will break when she turns 100. 04u possesses a slow yet comprehensive healing ability, capable of repairing all internal damages, including her heart. Developing her into a weapon was EOS's greatest mistake. An image of her as a baby within an egg shows a fragile, almost ethereal being, with a faint glow emanating from her tiny form.

Subject 05r, known as Rio, possesses a strange body. Abandoned by his family, it remains unknown what raised him, but it is believed to be a mythical beast. Studies suggest 05r is related to Subject 07Y, known as Nia, who is blessed by an ancient flame. Experiments [redacted] resulted in both gaining control over mana equivalent to a rank 7 mage at age 9. After they unknowingly melted the slave sigil within a day, EOS refrained from further experiments. An image shows Rio in a wild setting, his body blending with the shadows, a testament to his mysterious upbringing.

Subject 07Y, known as Nia, shares a connection with 05r that extends for hundreds of miles. An image shows her surrounded by dense mana, a protective aura that hints at her formidable power. Despite the chaotic energy around her, Nia appears serene, embodying the calm within the storm.

Subject 06k, known as Suki, is a demi-human intended for deadly experiments but was adopted by the other subjects. Despite undergoing similar experiments, 06k continues to evolve internally without visible changes. Its mind and internal body grow at an unknown rate. An image of Suki sleeping in a tank reveals a serene expression, but the unsettling sight of wires and tubes attached to its body speaks volumes about the invasive tests conducted on it.

Lastly, Subject 08c, known as Palam, is considered the perfect soldier. Her body has been perfected to allow full control over her joints, enabling her to bend and twist as needed. Experiment [redacted] was a success, granting her skin resistance up to rank 6 spells without needing mana or aura. However, an issue arose: her connection to Subject 04u appears to interfere with the implantation of a slave sigil. Termination is deemed necessary. Under experiment [redacted], a side effect caused her to experience an adrenaline rush whenever she kills someone. If not terminated, her thirst for blood could compromise her sanity. An image of Palam in a tank shows her in a state of suspended animation, her body seemingly relaxed but ready to spring into lethal action at a moment's notice.]