Front Row Seats

A large structure that was colored with the most vibrant of hues lay in a compound of multiple similarly colored structures. A fence stood high, enclosing the structure from the city streets.

Sicarius paced through the structure's halls with his hands behind his back. Behind him was a rather elderly man wearing a tuxedo.

"Sir Weaver, forgive my insolence, but why do you have to bring that child here if he truly is a risk?"

"Relax Caretaker, He's mentally unstable," Sicarius said, "It wouldn't be a problem to just process him with the other kids."

"What if he tries something, sir?" Caretaker asked,

"I suppose you could handle a child like him right? He's the son of the commander, he mustn't die just yet." Sicarius said as he flexed his body, "Once we're done with the procedure just bring him back to the hospital. He won't remember a thing."

"Confirmed, sir," Caretaker replied, his eyes turning to look in front of them.

Two children from afar neared them with wide smiles as they yelled, "Caretaker! Caretaker!"

The Caretaker shook off his professional demeanor and smiled at the kids as he gave them a hug.

"Hello Jade! Hello Kat!" He said,

"Who's this new friend!?" The two children asked, pointing at Sicarius.

Caretaker glanced at Sicarius and smiled, "He's just visiting for a while."

The mouths of the two girls drooped, one child with black hair, Kat turned to Sicarius and spoke, "You should stay friend!"

"Yeah! Yeah! We have new friends here every day these days!" The other girl with jade colored hair, Jade, spoke.

Sicarius merely smiled.

'Until these little things become soldiers they are to be treated nicely.' Sicarius thought, or at least Richard did.

Sicarius remained within, watching the show happen with front row seats. Despite Richard thinking he was in control, he was just a visitor in Sicarius's body.

As long as Richard does anything within his body Sicarius would be able to observe him, even think.

"Carry on children," Caretaker said as he gestured at Sicarius, "Our friend here needs to go home soon."

The two children both nodded and carried on hopping gleefully away. Sicarius and Caretaker watched them disappear from sight before continuing their conversation.

"Those two...they're done right?" Sicarius asked,

"Sir Weaver can tell? Yes, they've been through the process." Caretaker answered,

Sicarius merely chuckled as he proceeded to walk, "Why else would they be so happy."

They paced through the halls, occasionally chancing upon playing children before heading down a set of stairs to what appeared to be a dead end.

Sicarius stood by while Caretaker started to leak out a dark sinister aura. They stilled for a second before the wall in front of them started to open. Jagged teeth appeared by the opening and revealed a tongue forming a carpet along the path. Nothing could be seen beyond.

Only when the mouth doorway stopped moving did they continue on through, stepping on the tongue carpet that made wet noises with every step.

The sobs and cries of children could be heard from the path forward, when they neared the light a large corridor revealed itself, with prison cells on each side.

Each cell had a child. Beaten, bruised, and shivering from fear, every child was in a bad condition. One child wailed as he leaned by cell doors, reaching out for Sicarius and Caretaker. Caretaker merely held the child by the arm and pulled, smashing the child onto the cell bars.

Such a sight would cause any normal man's stomach to churn. Such needless cruelty to such innocent beings and yet Sicarius and Caretaker could watch it without blinking.

"When are these urchins to be processed?" Sicarius asked,

"Once they're completely drenched in negative emotions could we begin sir Weaver." Caretaker pressed on the child's arm until he shrieked in pain. "As you can see some children still hope for freedom."

Caretaker let go, and the child ran away from the cell bars and into the corner, as he cried.

Sicarius within his body felt nothing as he watched. Even when he was a hero such sights didn't elicit emotion from him.

He watched as he and Caretaker paced on towards the end of the corridor, through a chamber, where multiple children were lined up by cultists.

The chamber was rather wide, with children being pushed inside from multiple passageways, while other children who were unconscious were being carried out.

The children pushed inside would be dragged along to table like platforms on the ground and a cultist would proceed to chain them down. Once they were chained down it would begin.

Ear piercing shrieks would follow as the cultist would grab a dark pulsing orb by their side and forcefully push them into the chest of the children. The dark pulsing orb would slowly penetrate through as if it was a ghostly entity.

Once the orbs passed through, the shrieking would subside, but only for a moment as a few children started vomiting. They kept vomiting until the orb would be pushed out of their system.

"Rejected!" A cultist said as he unchained a child who puked an orb, "Take him back! Make sure you break him thoroughly this time!"

Those who didn't reject the orb remained chained on the platforms, unconscious. A chilling dark glow would erupt from their bodies while their tense limbs would relax. The children despite being in such dire conditions began to smile in their unconsciousness.

"How much do we have now?" Sicarius asked,

"Throughout the remaining human continents, we've set up numerous orphanages already." Caretaker replied, "Here in Asia, we've amassed the most soldiers, specifically here in the City of Angels. I estimate we have more than a few hundred thousand already overall."

Sicarius chuckled, "Just a few hundred thousand? How about the Princess? Is she capable of managing that much?"

The Princess. Through Richard's thinking Sicarius was able to see the girl the same age as Sicarius. Black long hair, dark eyes, pale skin. The child in Richard's thoughts was turning black from what seemed to be Sin.

"That's exactly one of my problems sir," Caretaker said, "She's already trained to her limit. She wants us to release her restraints."

"We cannot release her restraints until she is of proper age," Sicarius replied,

"Sir, she is apparently dying of boredom, I fear she may even consider looking for trouble," Caretaker said with his brows furrowed at the possibility that the princess wreck their plans due to boredom.

Sicarius sighed, "Where is she right now?"

"Let me take you there sir," Caretaker said as he led them to a passageway and into multiple corridors before arriving at a double metal doored chamber.

Even before they entered they could hear the loud noises of battle.

"Oh? Is she training right now?" Sicarius asked,

"Yes Sir, she's with Shade-no, Slash now," Caretaker said as he proceeded to open the doors.

Beyond the doors, a scene of battle was taking place.

The Princess from Richard's thoughts and a young man who had his limbs formed into sharp blades of flesh and bone were in the middle of a spar on an elevated platform. The Princess let out a blast of devastatingly evil energy while the young man simply dodged and charged. Spectators stood by the edge of the platform watching intently.

As soon as Caretaker and Sicarius took steps within the room the two disengaged from the battle.

The Princess turned and her eyes glanced at Sicarius with interest, while the young man behind her had his eyes widen in recognition. A roar of laughter erupted from his mouth as he pointed at Sicarius.

"IT'S HIM!" He yelled, "THAT'S THE BOY THAT COULD BEAT YOU!"