Small Hearts

That reunion took place after Green’s execution. And after that, she had to report to her own allies, so they could at the very least, rest easy. However…

The boy watched in horror as a bloody fist punctured the torso of his captain. He was already defeated but the anguish in his mind made all his wounds ache harder. He couldn’t even shout in protest. That was the only time he heard Liver’s voice.

— Imperium?

Juice snaps the kid out of a daze.

— Ah! Yeah…

Looking back out the window, Imperium wipes his watery eyes.

Imperium, whose real name was Atticus Marigold. The prodigy child was only 11 but had a fearsome and unique talent. His black Searcher uniform had little blue and pink ice-cream designs all over. His short curly hair was also blue and pink, as were his left and right eyes respectively.

He was in one of the rooms in the medical alley, resting after the events with Green, who apparently had just been taken down by Franchise and Evangelist. Ragnarok goes on about her training and drags Juice along with her. Imperium couldn’t help but wonder why he wasn’t called along. Probably because his own allies knew and despised his inadequacy.

They were probably irritated to have a literal child as a part of their squadron. As if their job was some kind of joke. Especially now that this worthless kid failed to protect the captain. Imperium wished he was less talented in other people’s minds. Only then would he be able to bring acceptable results. Alone in the room, Imperium decides to go home. He was still sore but there was no need to stay there any longer.

— No one needs me here…

But before he gets a move on, he sees his inadequate self in the mirror. What angered him more was his ice-cream uniform.

— So stupid…

Imperium changes out his uniform into black sweatpants and dark blue hoodie. He angrily stuffs his uniform into his backpack and leaves.

— See you later, Imperium! — Some Searchers see him leave.

— Bye guys…

The second youngest person in the Lapse, was 19 years old. A young woman by the nickname Useless. And she was much more like everyone else. In the forest path to the station, hearing only the silent sway of the leaves, he clutches the straps of his bag. And in the lonesome train he sits politely in his corner, hugging the bag.

Arriving in Adelaide, south Australia, Atticus walks back home from the station. He was the only child of one of the richest families in the world. His parents were one of the first to invest and support the creation of the Lapse and were benefited greatly by its success.

Once they learned that certain children were susceptible to the Vespucca Searcher Shot, they did not hesitate in presenting their child as a subject. Of course, the process was safe and the first thing to be tested was compatibility. If the subject demonstrated the biological composition necessary, then a decision would be made. And Atticus Marigold, at age ten, demonstrated the highest level of compatibility ever seen in any human being. His parents felt proud of his potential and discussed the job with him. Of course, the boy accepted to be a real superhero.

He was nicknamed Imperium, for once he grows, he will be a Searcher that reigns above others. The boy was then put under the vigilance of Liver, one of the most skilled and careful Searchers of the generation. It was thought that he and his band of misfits would be a great introduction for the boy and that Imperium would be looked after. And things went well for a while. Until they simply didn’t.

— If I wasn’t there…

On his way to the mansion, the boy could only think of Green. He could not even demonstrate happiness over the fact that his seniors, Evangelist and Franchise, managed to avenge and put an end to that dark foe, on their own.

— Master Atticus, welcome home.

The guards in front of his mansion lead him in. That gigantic white marbled, gated mini castle of a house. He shyly enters the main wooden halls, dark and elegant. Feeling small before the many greatnessess around him. And upon hearing of their son’s visit, the parents drop everything and immediately traverse the mansion just to meet with the boy. Both very clean and with gallant clothing. As two rich white aristocrats would look like.

— Atticus, my son! — His mom hugs him.

— There he is, Searcher Imperium! — The dad welcomes him.

Yet, despite their looks and attitudes, they cared for their child with all their being. Atticus was far from being a neglected child. One might think that presenting him as a subject for the wonders of the Wetlands was cruel, but all safe measures were thought of, and the boy was always the captains supervision. Not to mention he enjoyed the idea of being a real-life hero.

— Yeah… — He glances down.

— Is everything okay? How was the day?

In the boy’s mind, there was only the vision of Green’s fist.

Rupturing through Liver’s chest.

— Uhm… it was fine. — He shrugs.

— Are you sure buddy? — The dad asks. — You’re pale.

Atticus takes notice of himself through one of the large mirrors in the walls. Messy hair and intense sweating. His eyes were sunken, and his lips were dried. There was a hotness coming from stomach too. Feeling even more stressed by the fact that his parents noticed his deplorable state, Atticus rushes towards his room.

— If you excuse me…

Feeling as if he couldn’t make it he enters the bathroom. Slamming the door behind him, Atticus runs out of breath. Those scenes wouldn’t stop replaying in his mind. His fingers dig into hoodie, right over his tight and aching heart. Atticus feels his arms and legs go numb.

“Wrong target boyo.”

Green kicks Imperium in the mouth. The boy falls and Green continues to kick him. He is struck on his stomach, his head, his waist, his neck. His stomps were so violent that his hat came off and landed near the boy’s trembling legs.

“You’re out of your league kid!”

Atticus’s tears stain his hoodie and pants.

— I’m so sorry…

Green slams his fist through Liver’s gut, killing him on the spot.

He holds himself, whimpering and struggling with the lack of air. How worthless and pathetic he was. He could not even be killed by the enemy. He could not lay his life for his own captain in a moment of crisis. Speaking hateful things to himself, Atticus eventually faints into a deep sleep.

The next day he decided to go to the Lapse before dawn break. He did not want to face his parents and wanted to have a clear start for the day. He asked to attend and requested a new uniform for himself. One without the ice creams designed all over it. As he waited around this non-eventful day, a sudden event took place. And he and other’s searchers were notified, only when it ended.

— WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED HERE?! — Killerkill shouted.

Juice and Ragnarok were leisurely sitting before a massive crimson corpse. And Imperium was one of the people that witnessed such scene. In another room, after the two searchers were cared for, Killerkill informed other Searchers about the situation. And Imperium was there to learn about it as well. It was not the good start of the day, he hoped for.

The target was Kruger. Brother of Green and a certified monster from hell.

“Green’s… brother?!” — The boy’s eyes widen in a silent horror.

He couldn’t hear Killerkill’s voice anymore. But he managed to absorb all the information that came from her mouth. To now think that Ragnarok and Juice faced against an even greater evil on their own and survived, proudly claiming victory over him.

Reality warp… cortisol room… improbability beads…

Learning more and more about that thing, generated another image in the boy’s mind. He imagined Kruger, laughing, with that ugly face of his. Towering behind Green, who he already feared tremendously. Even if Imperium only ever saw Kruger’s headless body, he was certain of what face he had and the incredible malice that exhaled from him. That fact that it was dead, didn’t make it any less scary. Yet, his allies confronted him, alive and well. They experienced that monstrosity first-hand and overcame all of his might.

“I’m…”

And once again, Imperium did nothing.

“Really not worth anything… am I?”