Who Are You? (2)

The scenery around Michael Caelum changed. He was no longer in a classroom, no longer facing the small girl with deep dark orbs that threatened to suck him in. Instead, he was in a small bedroom that had a single cabinet, a small desk with a lonely yellow orchid in a pot, a wooden chair, a small plain cot that was lined beside the wall, and a blue rimmed clock that hung on the bare wall. There were two doors : one for the bathroom and the other which led to a maze of hallways and rooms.

His eyes found a single piece of paper on his rather empty desk. He skimmed the contents on the sheet and his eyes slowly widened. The words were written in familiar handwriting: handwriting he hadn't seen in a while. Without wasting a single second, Michael took a white coat from the cabinet and navigated through the interconnecting paths towards the place written on the paper. His face was full of composure. His vibrant eyes instantly turned dull. His expression turned serious.

Just like the adults that passed through the halls, Michael Caelum was an ordinary cog in the wheel of Elisium. He looked like someone on the way to his work assignment as per usual. No one could have guessed that he had broken at least a dozen rules just to see the child called 373. He made his way to a room that had no windows. Inside, a woman met him with a look of worry. She had the same amber-colored hair as him that complemented jadeite green eyes.

Michael gave her a smile. "Mom."

Maria Caelum placed her hands on her hips. The 40 year old single mother's lips twitched as she raised an eyebrow. "Are you actually sneaking out to see a girl, Michael?"

He massaged his temples and spoke with a stern and flat tone. "Mom..."

"I haven't seen you for a year and the only thing you say to me is 'Mom'", she muttered under her breath. When he didn't say anything she shook her head, her shoulder-length hair fluttering as she moved. "I used to play hide and seek with your father back when we were dating. You don't have to make it sound like it's worthy of a criminal offense."

Michael didn't reply at the mention of the father he had never met. Maria Caelum sighed in an exaggerated manner.

"I'm only teasing you, son. Stop giving me the silent treatment." She blinked in a cute way and stared at him with wide eyes that seemed to glitter. "Pretty please?"

Michael took a few steps so that he could stand beside her. He was a head taller than his mother so when he looked at her, Michael had to tilt his head down. But his height didn't faze the woman before him. Dark green quartz-like eyes stared at him with love and happiness. But when her gaze fell on something deep within the room, her orbs turned dark.

"You're probably wondering why they called me back after all this time, aren't you?"

Michael nodded and stared at the object his mother was looking at. In the center of the spacious room was a single imposing glass tube that was big enough to store an adult human. Around it was an assortment of display panels, wires, buttons and monolithic computers. The container was empty and the rest of the equipment in the room was also turned off. Although there was barely any dust on the surface of the machinery, they had been left in the room unused.

"Three years," Maria Caelum said. There were lines on her face and she seemed to age a decade as she recalled the reason why she was back in Elisium. "The investigation took three whole years and yet it's going nowhere.

It's weird, isn't it? The child the Great Apothecary had kept here in suspended animation suddenly disappeared and all the data, all her traces just suddenly disappeared. No fingerprints, no security camera footage. Nothing."

The shadows on her face deepened as she continued to speak. "Not just that, every single personnel that was here at that time had forgotten her. No one knows how she looks like. No one knows her name. It's almost as if that girl never existed.

And now, they want me back because during that time, I was one of the lead researchers here in Elisium. The Apothecary personally asked me to come back even when I don't really enjoy looking at what they do to the children," Maria Caelum walked towards the center of the room and traced the surface of the glass tube with her fingers. A grimace graced her delicate lips. "-but here I am. Apparently I can assist with the procedures down at the operating theater whenever I have time so at least I can keep myself busy. Needless to say, I'm stuck in a rather distasteful rut."

"Are you sure he called you here to help?" The young male asked, his voice carrying a bit of suspicion and unease.

His mother shrugged as she turned to face him, her expression gloomy. "No one knows what the five normal-looking Magno Deorum are thinking. I doubt anyone would know what goes on in the most eccentric Magno Deorum's head."

Michael took a deep breath which ended up sounding like a hiss.

Magno Deorum.

It was a title that was given to six of the most talented and most powerful figures in the realm of Alchemy and Magic. The Magno Deorum each held a seat in the Ministry of Alchemy and Mystic's High Council and each controlled their own divisions. Elisium was built by Silas Fidi. Among the six Magno Deorum, he was the Great Apothecary - the man who stood at the pinnacle of Alchemy and Alchemic research. More than a hundred of laboratories all around the world were under his name and operated for the sake of his division's research. But his skill in spells were still worlds beyond that of an ordinary spell-caster.

The things they were doing in the Apothecary's man-made paradise was something that went against the Laws of Nature and the Laws of Alchemy. Many researchers and spell casters under the Great Apothecary had once questioned whether they were doing something the High Council wasn't aware of. The numerous brave souls that questioned Silas Fidi's authority were either disposed of or turned into lab rats that had long since perished inside Elisium. Those who remained were either fearful of the Great Apothecary's power or had lost their humanity long ago and were as deranged as Silas Fidi whom they worshiped like a god.

And no matter how much Michael Caelum's mother pretended to hate Elisum, Maria Caelum was undoubtedly one of the many people that worshiped the Great Apothecary.

She was also one of the few people Silas Fidi trusted.

A long beep broke Michael's train of thought. The door behind him opened. An unimaginable pressure rushed inside the room. The bright haired male felt like an unseen mountain had landed on his shoulders and was pushing him down. He hung his head and didn't dare turn.

He took a glance on his mother. Maria Caelum had a serious expression on her face and beads of sweat were pouring on her small face. Her eyes were down cast as she gave the visitor a respectful bow. Although her face showed no signs of admiration, her voice was filled with respect as she spoke.

"Great Apothecary."

Michael Caelum didn't bow but kept his eyes glued to the floor. Pristine black leather shoes and spotless white slacks invaded his field of vision. Before he could take a step back, orange upturned eyes stared down at him and sent shivers running though his body.

The Great Apothecary's sharp nose almost touched Michael's face. But the other party didn't seem to mind. The man who stood before the teenage boy had sunken cheeks and thin lips. His eyebrows and hair were dyed in a bloody shade of red. Even without his domineering aura, the Great Apothecary was a tall man who towered above most people.

Silas Fidi took a step back and bent so that his face was almost touching Michael's chest. The action was sudden and Michael froze on the spot. The young male heard the other man take a long sniff before flashing him a blank look.

"Your coat smells freshly ironed." The man remarked. Without further ado, the eccentric man turned on his heel and headed for the exit. His shoes clacked against the tiled floor before the sound stopped as he halted in his steps. Without turning, the Great Apothecary spoke. His voice was flat, almost lifeless. "Welcome back, Maria. Try not to mess up."

The door opened before swiftly closing. The atmosphere between Michael and his mother turned sour. The silence was stifling. After releasing a long breath, Maria Caelum tugged at his arm as her green orbs locked on to his eyes.

"Let's go grab dinner, shall we?"

Michael released a sigh of his own before nodding. "I'll catch up to you in a while."

His mother flashed him a small smile before quickly making her way out of the room. Michael Caelum turned to the tube in the middle of the room. His reflection stared back at him as he placed a hand on the cold glass. The young man recalled the Great Apothecary's words and every action, his handsome features turning dark. His eyes lost their warmth as he clenched his hands into fists.

Silas Fidi. Magno Deorum. The Great Apothecary.

This fake paradise was erected because of him.

Would it also disappear once he died?