Children of Elisium
Chapter 5: Who Am I to You?

The next day arrived and it wasn’t different from any other day in Elisium. 373 and the other students had their lectures, ate their meals like normal, and spent their afternoons as they usually did. When it was time for them to leave, all the students filtered out of their classroom while 373 stayed behind like always.

The teachers found nothing suspicious. They didn’t know that the little girl with brown hair was meeting someone who she shouldn’t meet. She had grown fond of the youth named Michael, and that in the last few days she had trusted him – believed that he was different from the lying adults in Elisium.

Everytime 373 thought about the boy with colorful eyes, she would feel a piercing pain in her chest that just wouldn’t disappear. The little girl felt betrayed yet a part of her wanted to drop her defenses and give Michael another chance. However, she lived in a place that was infested with death. The only thing that was waiting for her and the other children in Elisium was death. A mistake was equivalent to pushing the fast-forward button to the hell-hole that lied beyond the thick white walls.

Could she afford to give Michael a second chance? Or would it be a mistake?

The sound of footsteps brought 373 back to reality. The youth with amber-colored hair entered the room silently before closing the door shut behind him. He wordlessly took a chair from the desk in front of hers and turned it around so that he could face her. His eyes were filled with pleading. And although he hadn’t said a word, his mind was filled with thoughts of making it up to her and making her trust him again.

The little girl felt her chest grow heavy. In the last few days, Michael Caelum was her haven. Now, she had no idea what he was supposed to be in her life. She pursed her lips and slowly spoke. “Don’t… lie to me.”

“Ask your questions and read my thoughts.” He offered his hand to her as his brightly lit eyes met her deep black orbs. “This way, you’ll know that I’m not lying.”

373 took his hand and realized that his hand was bigger than hers. She could barely wrap her hand around three of Michael’s fingers. The female looked at the male seated in front of her, her lips forming a small frown. “Who are you and where did you come from?”

“I never lied about my name,” Michael began. “But you’re right: I’m not from Elisium.”

She stared at his multi-colored irises as his memories flowed into her mind. 373 saw a woman wearing a white laboratory coat that contrasted with fiery amber hair that was so like her son. There were books, other adults, little children who Michael called friends. In his thoughts, the little female could see people of different skin tones and different backgrounds filtering in and out a collection of buildings that was built on the edge of a forest underneath an infinite blue sky. A finely-crafted gate with golden letters enclosed the buildings from all sides. There were teachers in silken garments, cannons and remnants of a war. It was a place that painted a mesmerizing picture – one Michael had seemed to see a thousand times before.

“Luminae Academy?” 373 whispered as she recalled the words she had seen from his memories.

“It’s a school in Myron and it’s the oldest school that teaches Alchemy and Magic,” the young man in front of her explained. “I was a student under the College of Alchemy and Mystics. That’s why I know complicated spells not taught in Elisium.”

The girl with brown hair nodded before asking her second question, “Why are you here?”

Michael’s lips pursed. His thoughts were jumbled, like he didn’t know where to start. There was a girl in a tube that was suspended in a liquid substance, but that was soon replaced by a man that had blood-red hair and tangerine-colored eyes. 373 saw a bulletin posting about an internship position, a recommendation letter, his back among the dozens of researchers in Elisium. These were all small bits of pieces – random fragments that left out the truth. She didn’t understand what Michael was trying to make her see. But she knew that he was trying to hide something very important from her.

“Why me?” She inquired. “Why did you approach me?”

373 felt the male’s hand twitch in her grasp. She also felt a spell come to life around him, as he was intentionally keeping her out of his head. He looked away and as he spoke, his words came out slowly like he was carefully choosing what he was going to say to her. “Because you’re special. You have something they want – something they shouldn’t have.”

“That’s not all, is it?” she murmured. Her black eyes stayed glued to his face. Her voice started small. But with each word, her voice became stronger. “You knew what my Talent was. You know why they want me here. You...”

Her voice quivered. “You knew me...”

His eyebrows were scrunched as he closed his eyes. A hint of pain flashed on his face, marring his handsome features. Michael tried to pull his hand away from 373’s grasp. But the little girl tightened her grip, refusing to let go.

She wanted to break his walls. She wanted to gnaw at his defenses and make an opening that was big enough for her to see his soul - to see the truth. And so she asked again, with the intention of breaking through his spell and figuring out the truth once and for all.

“Who am I?” she asked.

“Who am I to you?”

373 felt something break. In a split second, she was surrounded by a blue sky that hung above a field that stretched towards the horizon. Birds were chirping. A refreshing wind caressed her face. A little girl with jet black eyes basked under the light of the sun. 373 felt warmth in her hand and saw that she was holding on to a hand smaller than hers. But the sun was soon replaced with emptiness. The sky disappeared and was replaced by the boring white walls the girl had lived with all her life. The room was quiet. The air was heavy. The warmth she had felt was gone.

Michael had freed his hand from her grasp. His beautiful eyes were wide open. His lips were slightly agape. His hands were trembling, as were his shoulders. From the ends of his amber hair to the tips of his toes, he looked haunted by the beautiful memory.

The youth didn’t give her another moment to ask another question. He didn’t give her a second to react. Sparks danced around his body as he disappeared from her sight with a quickly cast Adicio. But unlike the usual 373, she didn’t give chase. She didn’t feed her curiosity – her gut told her she shouldn’t.

The small female could vaguely recall a melodic voice and a single question she had almost forgotten.

‘Contentus es vere iustus est, pueri?’

‘Are you content with just that, child?’

Was she content with the result she gained? Was she content with how things were right now?

Her lips curved downward. Her hands turned into fists at her sides.

Was she content?

No, she wasn’t.

373 didn’t follow the traces of energy that Michael left behind. Something else had caught her attention. Within a few breaths, she sneaked into the kitchen, took a piece of bread, refilled her canteen of water, made her way into Leon’s cell and shoved her belongings in his hands. She quickly left him with his mouth wide open. Her mind was already focused on what she wanted to do. The brown-haired girl reappeared in a deserted hallway which she had traversed in her late-night strolls and took out the makeshift map she had drawn on the flimsy piece of paper.

‘Celare,’ she whispered. A blanket of energy wrapped around her body and she became concealed in the night.

She retraced her steps while carefully observing her surroundings. Inch by inch, she made her way to the same stop she had stood when she heard the distinctly silky and melodic voice whispering inside her head. She stopped at the spot where she heard the voice, her eyes scanning the empty hallway with both her Talent and her spiritual sense. There were no doors – just the plain white walls that caged the rest of Elisium. She stared at the map she had drawn. The longer she stared at the piece of paper, the more she believed she may have gotten the place wrong.

Her drawing was awful. That was probably a fact she couldn’t escape.

373 looked around one more time while paying attention to the smallest detail. There was nothing different in the pathway she had chosen. The lighting was still the same drab hue. The walls were still plain white and boring. The shadows on the walls still cast the hallway in the same darkness it did every single night. Tonight, they were just a little bit longer and darker than they usually were.

Her black eyes widened. The little girl’s body stiffened. She slowly made her way to the shadows on the wall and stared at how the shadows shifted even when the lighting in the halls neither flickered nor changed. With every step, she could feel an unexplainable chill creeping up her body. The energy around the area started to distort. The shadows seemed to dance and welcome her arrival.

A voice echoed in her head. It was a male tenor that was soothing and pleasant to the ears. It was the same melodic voice that she had heard the night she found the boy with the Talent of Salamander.

‘Nonne venis ad me, pueri?’ The voice said.

Did you come for me, child?

373 stopped in her steps. Creases appeared between her eyebrows. Her adorable face reflected a frown. The foreign sounding words lingered in her thoughts. She understood what the words meant even if she didn’t know why. But her thoughts never followed a straight line. She didn’t answer the question with a yes or no. She didn’t explain. Instead, she brushed of the chill that was permeating in her body and said, “Speak in English.”

A few seconds of silence passed. Then, a charming laugh reverberated in her thoughts. 373’s eyebrows rose as she listened. She exhaled slowly and concentrated on the fluctuations of the energy flow around her. She walked towards a section of the wall where the shadows seemed to be the darkest. With a flick of her wrist, the wall gave way and she created a hole that was big enough for her to pass through. She went through the opening and closed the gap she had created. Without wasting a second, she followed the trail of energy that the shadows seemed to have created for her.

The hallway was different from the metallic walls that smelled of alcohol and anti-septic. It was deserted and poorly lit with dust particles flying around the stale air. Unlike the pristine appearance that Elisium had, the long pathway had paint chipping at various places and had the air of age around it. The pathway had a lot of doors, but they were all rusted and closed shut. The floor that was covered with dust had no other footprints aside from hers. 373 was probably the hallway’s first visitor in a very long time.

The little female stopped at the end of the hall where a single door was left ajar. It creaked as 373’s little hand pushed it open. A single staircase stretched down towards a dark abyss. The shadows around her danced, beckoning her to travel the steps towards the bottom. As if in a trance, she slowly and quietly made her way down as the minutes ticked by.

Two flights of stairs became three. Three flights of stairs turned into five. For what seemed like an hour, 373 walked down the seemingly endless staircase until she found herself facing an imposing set of double-doors made from thick wood. There were carvings on the doors. She saw angels with swords and shields sitting on elaborately designed chariots that hovered above clouds. At the center of the door, a sun shone brightly with its rays falling on the ground. The little girl felt an odd power being sealed from behind the door. But when she pushed the doors ever so slightly, they trembled and opened as if welcoming her arrival – it was almost as if it was her fate to discover the imposing double doors and what lied behind it.

The room wasn’t dark but the light that shone inside it was unnatural. The ceiling was incomparably high but it was painted with a similar scene as the carvings on the door. 373’s eyes scanned the rest of the room as she went in. There were various artifacts that were littered on the walls and there were symbols drawn on the granite floor. The deeper she went inside, the brighter the light became. As she reached the farthest wall, her eyes widened in surprise at the sight that greeted her.

A single crucifix that was at least ten times her size was mounted on the wall. Black wings were sprawled out and pinned on either side of the cross. A perfectly chiseled body was secured on the gigantic crucifix with barbed wires and enchanted chains. The figure’s chest was bare and showed carved muscles that would have made an adult woman blush. Its legs were wrapped in silken pants that failed to hide a pair of powerful yet slender legs. Long black hair framed a beautiful godly face. 373 couldn’t help but admire its handsome features.

It looked like a beautiful statue of a fallen angel. But the golden eyes that stared at 373 were swirling with life and energy that neither chains no enchantments could contain. The almond shaped eyes stared at her with hunger. The little girl was no longer in a daze. She had fallen into a trap. The statue was probably going to eat her. But she wasn’t afraid. Even in the face of death, she oddly felt calm.

“You’re a demon,” she stated matter-of-factly, like she was talking to another person and not a mythical figure that could end her life in an instant.

The orbs continued to stare at her as the demon’s lips moved in a languid but mesmerizing manner. “I was hoping that one of the young Spellcasters from Elisium would nourish me so that I may regain my strength and break these restraints. But alas, it seemed that the child I was calling out turned to be but an infant – a lamb with skin and bones.”

The little female looked at the demon then silently gazed at the floor. A little knowing smile graced her lips before she looked back up and met the demon’s gaze and pointed to the writings on the floor. “You can’t touch me.”

“Oh?” A calm look graced the demon’s perfectly chiseled face. “And why is that, pueri?”

373 locked gazes with the demon. Then, with a huff, she ignored him.

The child scurried over to a place where the crests and lines seemed to converge while muttering to herself. She found herself drawn to the seal that was on the floor. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement. The seal was complex and was something she had only seen in the grimoires and the books about demons. Among the drawings she could recognize the King Solomon’s Grand Pentacle and the Fifth Pentacle of Mars. Both were used to subdue and control demons and were recorded in a book she had read a few weeks ago. Yet to use both at the same time along with other enchantments? That was possible?

“Child, I am Astaroth – Duke of Hell and brother of King Lucifer and Beelzebub. I know the past, the future, and all the secrets of the world. Yet you, an insignificant infant, dare to disregard my presence?”

The melodic voice sounded angry, yet at the same time there was intrigue concealed behind his tone. 373 stopped admiring the seal on the floor and found herself unable to reply. She momentarily forgot that she was in a room with a demon. She sat down on the cold floor, her expression serious. She had sought the owner of the melodic voice because it seemed to understand her and what she wanted. She turned to face the Duke of Hell. Her voice was timid as she spoke. “Can you answer my questions?”

The light around them seemed to dim as the shadows swirled around Astaroth. “I only answer the questions of my master. And only those who are qualified can create a contract with me.”

373 stared long and hard at him before asking, “What’s a contract?”

“You truly are an infant,” Astaroth said. Golden eyes seemed to shine with mirth as his lips curved into a smile. “It is similar to what humans call a promise. However, a contract with a demon is one that grants the contractor with great power at the expense of the contractor’s soul.”

The little girl held her breath. If she had the demon’s power, would she be able to escape Elisium along with Michael and Leon?

Before she could voice her thoughts, the demon in front of her chuckled. “Child, do you even understand what forming a contract with a demon means?”

After a few seconds of silence, 373 innocently replied, “I… can read about it.”

“A demon is a creature that feeds on life. To use a demon’s power, you would be burning your energy and life force while demonic miasma poisons your body,” Astaroth explained. “An adult can become a shadow caster and live for a month. However, a child like you would last no longer than a day. It would be pointless to form a contract with me.”

“What if I make a contract with a demon… but not use its power?” 373 asked.

The demon closed his beautiful eyes in contemplation. “That would defeat the purpose of the contract as you would be unable to use the demon’s power but still become bound by the contract to sell your soul.”

“Oh,” 373 muttered. A defeated expression appeared on her face. She wanted power to escape Elisium. But she didn’t want to leave Elisium only to die the next day. She abruptly stood and dusted her clothes. There was no use forming a contract with Astaroth. She might as well go back to her bed before someone discovered and undid her illusion spell.

The demon couldn’t help but help but raise its eyebrows at the child who didn’t spare him a second glance. “Leaving so soon, child?”

“No use being here.” She said with a nod. As she turned to leave towards the imposing double doors, Astaroth’s melodic voice echoed in her ears.

“Then, shall I make a proposition, pueri?”

373 stopped. Black eyes looked at the golden orbs that sparkled. The demon returned her gaze with his own as his lips quirked up. “If you can remove the seal on the ground that keeps my soul contained within this body, then I will consider owing you a favor and acknowledge you as my master. I will be your aide until I find a delicious morsel that shall become your substitute for my next meal...”

“Also,” Astaroth continued, “If you manage to retrieve my body from this artifact, then I will spare your life and your soul. Either way, the contract would be nullified, and you would get to live out your life as an ordinary human being.”

The female’s eyebrows perked up as she listened to him. “You mean, if I can undo the seal, you’ll become mine?”

If uttered by an adult woman, the words would have made up a very interesting proposal. 373 had no idea that her statement could have been taken in a different way. After all, she was a child. However, the demon in front of her wasn’t an innocent youth. He was a Duke of Hell who had lived thousands of years and had seen how humanity had risen and fallen in those fleeting centuries. A mischievous glint appeared in his golden eyes as a smirk graced his perfectly shaped lips.

“Yes, I’ll become yours,” Astaroth answered. His voice held and oddly seductive undertone that 373 did not understand. “But a child breaking this seal is impossible, pueri.”

Her black orbs shone with determination. “I can break it.”

His honey-colored eyes glimmered as he teased her. “You cannot.”

“I can, too.”

“Cannot.”

“CAN.” She hissed. Creases appeared at the space between her brows. She inflated her cheeks like a little angry chipmunk.

The demon laughed. “If you insist, allow me to make this promise unbreakable.”

Black wisps appeared from the floor and touched the space below her left collarbone. A black pattern star decorated with intersecting lines and fleur-de-lis shaped tear drops bloomed on her chest.

“This is mark is my mark – a symbol of my promise to you. It is something that only you and I can identify, unless you willingly decide to show it to someone else,” Astaroth said, “No matter where you are, I will find you as long as you bear my mark. As long as you have this mark, ego sum semper tecum.”

She tilted her head as her lips curved into a frown. “In English?”

The demon chuckled. He translated the words for her.

“I am always with you.”

A flash of bright red flashed inside a dark deserted hallway that was surrounded by machinery. This was Michael’s hideout whenever he wanted to run away from the normal hustle and bustle of Elisium. But what he was running away from wasn’t the experiments or the sight of blood. He was running away from the memory the little girl had brought out from his consciousness – a he had kept in a corner of his mind for so long. Yet now, the memory was flowing out like waters breaking free from the dam he had created to keep it in.

Michael leaned on the wall and slowly slumped to the cold floor. He felt suffocated, like the air around him had disappeared. He couldn’t hear the hum of machinery or the audible vibrations from the cooling system. He was still replaying what Aria had shown him. If he closed his eyes, he would be able to see the infinite blue sky, the meadow that seemed to stretched forever, the little girl with black intelligent orbs, the plastic ring that she wore on her little finger, and the flower crown that embraced her earth-colored hair.

A smile made its way to Michael’s lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His orbs held a deep longing and sadness that he couldn’t hide. He had never met her parents, could vaguely remember her last name. But Michael knew that she was named after a song – her mother’s favorite song: “Aria Dalla Suite no.3 in Re Maggiore.”

Her name was Aria Asterope.

Back then, he was nine years old and the little brown-haired girl was five. Yet Michael could clearly remember everything like it was yesterday. He could still hear her small voice, could still feel her warm hand inside his. He could still remember looping his little finger around hers as the female innocently declared: ‘Let’s get married when we get older!’

Then, after a year, the Great Apothecary took her away. Maria Caelum told him that Aria had an accident – that in order to save the child, the Silas Fidi had put her under a Cryogenic Sleep in a glass tube, like a princess frozen in time.

Her explanation was complicated. She said too much and explained too much. It almost seemed like his mother was trying to convince herself instead of her grieving son.

Every day, he would ask his mother if Aria had woken up. Every single day she would tell him to wait a little longer. For five years, Michael Caelum waited for the girl to return. Until one day, neither her mother nor her coworkers could remember that Aria had existed. The glass tube was empty. The girl with ebony eyes and brown hair had disappeared from the face of the earth. Her existence had been chalked up as his imaginary friend.

But he could remember her. Aria still existed in Michael’s memories. To him, Aria Asterope was still alive.

He retraced his mother’s steps and as he studied in Luminae Academy, Michael aimed for an internship under the Great Apothecary just to look for the little female. After three more years, he stepped foot inside Elisium. The laboratory’s records on Aria Asterope had been erased.

He found a classroom with an old phonograph and a record of the song that she was named after. He didn’t think that the antique would lead him to the girl he was searching for. But it did. And that was the most important thing to him.

He was seventeen, almost eighteen. She looked like she just turned eight. She didn’t know him. She didn’t even know her own name. But Aria was still Aria. She was still the same little girl who held his hand under the infinite sky that embraced the world. She still had black eyes that had an immeasurable depth and hair that was the color of earth. She was still the same little girl who promised to marry him. She was still the same girl who had taken a piece of his heart and his soul.

Michael rubbed his face with his hands. A tired look was plastered on his face but his eyes were gleaming with determination. He understood that Silas Fidi had taken her away because she had a power not even the Great Apothecary could explain. However, Michael Caelum was no longer the innocent child who could only wait and listen to his mother. He was no longer the weakling from eight years ago. He had found the person that he had been seeking. This time, he was going to protect her and watch over her like the guardian angel that she never had.

This time, he was going to save her. Even if it cost his life.

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