Project:Imagine

Six years ago, just a week after the Invidia raid, Mia sat in her office, the soft, comforting aroma of freshly brewed tea wafting through the air. The gentle clink of porcelain against her saucer broke the silence, a stark contrast to the chaos she knew lay beyond the walls of her sanctuary. Each sip of the hot tea spread warmth through her, a brief reprieve from the cold realities that had come to define her life.

The office was a haven of memories, lined with bookshelves that held ancient texts and mementos from countless missions. The room was meticulously organized, each item a testament to her long years of service. But her eyes were drawn to a single photograph on her desk, a snapshot of a time long gone. In the photo, she stood beside her former classmates: Knight, Scholar, and others whose faces were now just memories, etched in the annals of history. Ten individuals once filled that picture; now, only three remained, the others lost to the brutal realities of their world, some during the Invidia raid, others claimed by the monsters they hunted.

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. The door creaked open, and two figures entered. The first was a man with long, disheveled black hair that fell over his orange eyes, his appearance unkempt, as if he hadn't bothered with grooming in days. He wore a hoodie and sweatpants, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Next to him stood a woman, shorter in stature, with curly pink hair that framed her face. Her green eyes were wide behind circular-framed glasses, and her suit, complete with a pink tie, was crisp but did little to hide her nervousness. It was Knight whose real name was Jack and Scholar whose real name was Elizabeth. They exchanged uneasy glances before finally speaking, their voices tinged with the uncertainty of what was to come.

“I… I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. Nikolai left A.E.G.I.S after what happened to Emma, and many agents followed him… um…” Elizabeth’s voice trembled, the words faltering on her lips as she struggled to finish her sentence.

Mia’s eyes narrowed, her expression unreadable as she placed her teacup back onto its saucer with a soft clink. “I’ve heard the rumors,” she said calmly, her tone masking any emotion. “But what does that have to do with me?”

Elizabeth glanced at Jack, searching for support. Jack stepped forward, his voice firm but carrying an underlying tension. “We were considering leaving as well. We want you to come with us. If we leave now, we won’t be caught.”

Mia’s eyes flicked between the two, her gaze piercing. “This is ridiculous. You can’t be serious. Where would you even go?” Her words were sharp, tinged with anger.

“Nikolai has been gathering people to a base. He even has a method of finding Awakened who aren’t members of A.E.G.I.S. It’s at a level similar to that of the Bookkeeper’s, Elizabeth said. Her voice gained a bit of confidence as she relayed the information.

“I see,” Mia replied, her voice low, almost contemplative. The tea in her cup began to ripple, the liquid moving of its own accord. “Where is he gathering everyone?”

“A castle in—” Elizabeth started, but Jack quickly cut her off.

“Be honest, Mia. You have no intention of joining us, do you?” Jack’s voice was steady, but there was a hint of resignation in his words.

The room seemed to freeze for a moment. Then, in a sudden burst of motion, the tea from Mia’s cup violently shot out, a stream of water aiming directly for Jack’s eye. He barely managed to dodge it, the liquid splashing against the wall behind him.

“Not in the slightest, you trash,” Mia spat, her voice laced with venom. The calm, controlled demeanor she’d maintained shattered, revealing the seething anger beneath the surface.

“I can’t believe you would do this! After everything A.E.G.I.S has done for us, after everything I’ve sacrificed, and this is how you repay them? If it weren’t for the leader, I’d still be rotting in that hellhole!” Mia’s voice cracked with fury, her control over her emotions unraveling with each word.

The surrounding air began to shimmer, the moisture coalescing into sharp, condensed bullets of water. With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed them with deadly precision. The water bullets tore through the air, seeking their targets with relentless force.

Elizabeth and Jack barely managed to dodge the onslaught, the bullets whizzing past them, only to twist midair and chase after them again. The water seemed to have a mind of its own, each droplet infused with Mia’s rage.

“We know! We know what they’ve done for us, but… but they can’t be trusted anymore!” Elizabeth’s voice was desperate as she dodged the relentless assault, her movements frantic and panicked.

The surrounding walls began to groan as Jack’s ability took hold, the metal warping and twisting under his command. He formed a protective shield around them, the metallic barrier straining to hold against the water bullets’ impact.

“Mia, please, just trust us!” Jack’s voice was pleading, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and urgency.

“I did!” Mia screamed, her voice thick with betrayal. The water bullets intensified, slamming against the metal shield with increasing force. “But you’ve chosen to betray that trust! I’ll apprehend you both myself. Let Area 51 deal with traitors like you!” Her words dripped with venom, each one a dagger aimed at their hearts.

“You know we’re right, Mia! The Invidia raid was a disaster—we lost nearly everyone, and for what? We’re all that’s left of our class, and you know damn well the boss had an ulterior motive for sending us in there!” Jack yelled, his voice thick with desperation as he tried to break through to her.

Mia’s eyes narrowed, her grip tightening on the water as she prepared her next attack. “You’re delusional if you think I’ll believe that! The Invidia raid was necessary, we did what we had to, what A.E.G.I.S needed us to do!” Her voice was thick with conviction, but there was an undercurrent of something else, doubt, fear, anger.

As she spoke, the surrounding water began to swirl faster, condensing into razor-sharp blades. She hurled them at Jack and Elizabeth with a flick of her hand, each blade cutting through the air with lethal precision.

Jack gritted his teeth, his eyes flickering with desperation as he focused on reinforcing the metallic shield. The metal groaned under the pressure, bending and twisting as he struggled to keep up with Mia’s relentless assault. “Damn it, Mia! Think for a second! Why do you think we were sent on that mission? Invidia wasn't a danger to anyone, it wasn't in a location where it would be found. The boss wanted something from it.”

The metallic shield began to warp further, the strain evident as Mia’s water blades struck with increasing force. Elizabeth, breathing heavily, added her voice to the plea, “We lost everyone, Mia! Everyone we cared about, Stella, Lucas, Dorothy, they’re all gone! And for what? What was the point of the raid?”

Mia’s eyes flashed with rage, but the mention of their fallen comrades hit something deep inside her. The water swirling around her faltered for a moment, but only for a moment. “Shut up!” she screamed, her voice raw with emotion. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! We made sacrifices for the greater good!”

As she spoke, the water reformed into a massive tidal wave, crashing toward them with terrifying speed. Jack’s metallic shield buckled under the force, but he pushed back, using every ounce of his power to keep them safe.

Elizabeth’s voice trembled as she continued, “Please, Mia! We don’t want to fight you! We just want you to see the truth. The boss doesn’t care about us, he never did. We’re just pawns in his game, expendable and replaceable.”

Mia hesitated, her eyes flickering with something, doubt, uncertainty. But then her face hardened, and she forced the tidal wave to crash down harder. “You’re wrong! The boss saved us, and gave us purpose! You’ve just lost sight of that!”

Jack grunted as he reinforced the shield once more, the metal bending and twisting under the immense pressure. “Mia, please! We don’t have to do this! We can still leave together, and start over! A.E.G.I.S doesn’t own us!”

Water bullets zipped through the air, twisting with impossible agility as they homed in on Jack and Elizabeth. Jack strained to maintain his metal shield, the walls creaking and groaning as he manipulated the metal to deflect the relentless assault. But even as he fought to protect them, his voice remained urgent, pleading.

“You know we’re right, Mia! We’re all that's left, please just come with us!” Elizabeth yelled.

Mia’s expression twisted with rage, her control over the water intensifying. The kettle on her desk began to shake, its contents boiling over with her fury. With a flick of her wrist, she launched it toward Jack.

He smirked, confident in his abilities. “Don’t you know I can control metal?” Jack taunted as the kettle froze in midair, mere inches from his head.

But the danger wasn’t in the metal—it was in the water. The scalding liquid erupted from the kettle, wrapping around Jack’s head in a searing vice. He screamed in agony, his hands clawing at the boiling water that scalded his skin. The pain was blinding, and his concentration wavered, the barrier around him faltering.

Mia saw her chance and didn’t hesitate. She rushed forward, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat. Elizabeth, panicking, activated her debuff ability, trying to slow Mia down, but it was too late. Mia was already upon them.

With ruthless precision, Mia jabbed two fingers into Elizabeth’s glasses, shattering them and driving shards of glass into Elizabeth’s eyes. Elizabeth screamed, clutching her bleeding face as she crumpled to the ground.

Mia didn’t stop. She delivered a swift, brutal kick to Elizabeth’s head, knocking her to the floor. The force of the blow sent Elizabeth sprawling, her cries of pain echoing through the office. Jack, still writhing in agony, desperately tried to reform his defenses, but the damage was done.

Jack gritted his teeth, the searing pain from the scalding water still radiating across his face, but he forced himself to focus. He couldn't let it end like this. With a sharp breath, he manipulated the metal from the walls, shaping it into shot-put-sized balls that hovered menacingly in the surrounding air.

“You think this is over, Mia?” Jack growled, his voice hoarse from the pain. He flung his hand forward, sending the metal balls hurtling toward her with deadly precision.

Mia swiftly formed a barrier of water, but the force of the metal projectiles crashing against it sent shockwaves through the room. The impact was so strong that it cracked the floor beneath her. But Mia wasn't one to be easily overwhelmed. She redirected the water from her barrier, turning it into a swirling vortex that caught the shot put balls, spinning them around her like a storm before hurling them back at Jack.

He barely had time to react, diving to the side as one of the balls grazed his arm, tearing through his sleeve and leaving a deep gash. Despite the injury, Jack kept moving, using the metal around the room to create makeshift weapons and launching them in rapid succession. The room became a blur of metal and water, each attack more ferocious than the last.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth, struggling to regain her composure, wiped the blood from her eyes and stood on shaky legs. Her vision was blurred, but she could still make out Mia’s silhouette amidst the chaos. With a grim determination, she activated her debuff ability again, focusing all her remaining strength on slowing Mia down.

Mia felt the effects almost immediately, her movements growing sluggish, the water she commanded becoming harder to control. She snarled in frustration, knowing it was Elizabeth’s doing. But even as her body resisted, Mia’s will was unyielding. She forced the water to obey, using it to create a massive wave that crashed down upon Jack and Elizabeth, intending to crush them under its weight.

But Jack was ready. He slammed his hand against the wall, manipulating the metal to form a protective dome around him and Elizabeth. The wave crashed against it, water splashing in all directions, but the dome held firm. Jack, sweating from the effort, knew they couldn’t keep this up for long.

“We need to get out of here,” Jack panted, his voice urgent. “We’re not winning this.”

Elizabeth, her face pale and streaked with blood, nodded weakly. “Just… one last push.”

Jack lowered the dome slightly, just enough to gather the remaining metal in the room. He shaped it into several more shot put balls, then launched them all at once with everything he had left. The barrage was relentless, forcing Mia to split her focus between deflecting the metal and maintaining her attack.

For a brief moment, it seemed like the metal would break through her defenses. Mia, feeling the strain, hesitated, just for a split second.

But it was enough.

Jack seized the opportunity, pulling Elizabeth to her feet and dashing for the door. He blasted the metal door off its hinges, clearing their escape route. As they stumbled into the hallway, Mia’s eyes flashed with fury, but that momentary hesitation had cost her. She regained control, but by the time she turned to unleash her wrath, they were already gone.

Breathing heavily, Mia stood in the wrecked office, water dripping from her hands, her body still trembling from the effects of Elizabeth’s debuff. She cursed under her breath, the rage boiling within her, but it was too late. They had escaped.

Jack and Elizabeth had managed to slip through her grasp, but she knew it wouldn’t be the last time they crossed paths. Next time, she wouldn’t hesitate.

In the current day, as the battle raged on above, the tension in the bunker was palpable. The kids huddled together, their anxiety mixing with a sense of urgency.

“What’s going on up there? Is Mrs. Stone going to be okay?” Celia’s voice trembled with worry, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

“She’ll be fine,” Jacob said, trying to sound reassuring despite the strain in his voice. “We’ve seen her handle tougher situations. She’s super strong, remember? Just look at all the times she’s deflected Charles’s attacks.”

Alice, her eyes darting nervously around the dimly lit bunker, added, “Speaking of Charles, he and Iris are still in the medical office. Do you think they’ll be alright?”

Xavier’s face was a mask of determination. “I’m worried about them too. I don’t want anything to happen to either of them. We have to do something.”

Theo, glancing at his sister Celia with concern, said, “I want to help, but I’m also scared for Celia. The chaos up there is dangerous.”

“I… I’ll be fine,” Celia insisted, her voice quivering but resolute. “I want to help them. We can’t just sit here. Can we please try to find them?”

Jacob nodded, his face set with resolve. “Alright, it’s agreed. We need to help them. The bunker leads to many hidden passages throughout the facility. If we make our way through them, we can reach the medical office.”

The group quickly rallied, their fear giving way to a unified determination. They navigated the dark, narrow passages, the echoes of their footsteps mingling with the distant sounds of the ongoing battle. The passages were a maze of dimly lit corridors and tight spaces, but their goal was clear.

Little did Iris know that her actions had profoundly altered the course of the future. The butterfly’s wings beat furiously, setting off a chain of events that would ripple through time, bringing about monumental changes

As the kids emerged from the hidden passage, the scene that greeted them was both horrifying and surreal. They stepped into a corridor of the facility that seemed to have been ravaged by a brutal massacre. The once sterile hallway was now a grotesque display of carnage. Bodies of A.E.G.I.S agents lay strewn across the floor, their lifeless forms twisted in unnatural positions. The walls were stained with dark splatters of blood, and the floor was littered with torn limbs, some partially devoured, others bearing the marks of violent wounds.

Some limbs were grotesquely mutilated, chunks of flesh missing as if gnawed upon. In places, agents' hearts had been ripped out, their chests left gaping and exposed. A few had bullet holes in their heads, grim testimonies to the desperate, final attempts to escape the horrors that had befallen them. The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood and the acrid stench of death, a chilling reminder of the chaos that had unfolded.

At the center of this nightmarish scene, seated on a mangled corpse, was a young man whose presence seemed almost otherworldly amidst the carnage. He had medium-length blonde hair that framed his face with an unsettling grace. His eyes were a deep, blood-red crimson, glowing with a malevolent intensity that seemed to pierce through the very fabric of reality. Those eyes were both captivating and horrifying, conveying a sense of ancient malevolence and unearthly power.

Despite the gruesome setting, the young man’s facial features were strikingly handsome, reminiscent of a classic film star from an era long past. Yet, there was something profoundly unsettling about his beauty. His features were perfect, but there was an eerie quality to them that set him apart from any ordinary human. His demeanor, while seemingly relaxed as he gnawed on a severed arm, was a chilling contrast to the brutality surrounding him.

The sight of him, so calm and composed amidst the horror, was enough to freeze the blood of anyone who dared to meet his gaze. The kids, their faces pale with fear and shock, found themselves caught between the macabre scene and the enigmatic figure before them. The contrast between his unnerving beauty and the brutality of his surroundings filled them with utter horror.

The man sprang from the corpse with a fluid, predatory grace, landing lightly on his feet. In a swift, brutal motion, he hurled the severed arm he had been consuming with such force that it splattered against the wall, leaving a grotesque crimson stain that trickled down like a macabre piece of modern art.

Before the children could fully process the horror before them, he was upon them in the blink of an eye. His speed was otherworldly, a blur of motion that defied natural limits. He crouched in front of them, his face mere inches from theirs, his red eyes gleaming with a sinister curiosity. The air seemed to crackle with an oppressive energy as he bent down, his gaze piercing through them with an almost tangible malice.

“How delightful,” he murmured, his voice smooth yet laced with a chilling edge. “I was under the impression that all the children had scurried away to their little bunkers. How utterly amusing to find you so exposed. What a deliciously foolish predicament you’ve placed yourselves in. Tell me, what should I do with you all?”

His words were spoken with a calm, almost conversational tone, but the menace behind them was undeniable. His eyes flickered with an unsettling amusement, as if contemplating various ways to entertain himself with their terror.

The children stood paralyzed, their faces drained of color as they stared at the Boogeyman. Fear gripped them so tightly that they couldn’t move, their minds racing yet unable to form any coherent plan. The stark contrast between his calm demeanor and the grotesque violence he had just inflicted left them rooted to the spot, unable to escape the looming threat that seemed to envelop them like a shroud.

The Boogeyman stood calmly as the children, driven by sheer desperation, launched their attacks. The chaos began with Xavier, his hands crackling with icy energy. He hurled a barrage of ice shards toward the Boogeyman, each shard slicing through the air with lethal precision. Yet, with a casual flick of his wrist, the Boogeyman raised a hand and absorbed the icy assault, the shards dissolving into nothingness as if they had never been.

Theo, his face set in grim determination, focused intently. With a whisper of concentration, he cast his power over the Boogeyman, attempting to strip him of his sight. The Boogeyman’s eyes momentarily glazed over, but within seconds, they regained their piercing intensity. Theo’s efforts had no lasting effect, the Boogeyman’s senses returning as though they had never been tampered with.

Celia, feeling her ability’s limitations, could only watch in horror. She tried to assist by throwing objects from the surroundings, but they had little impact. The Boogeyman’s laughter echoed through the hall as he effortlessly deflected the objects with a flick of his hand.

Alice, in a frantic effort to protect her friends, summoned a handful of makeshift swords, their jagged forms glinting with determination. She thrust them at the Boogeyman, but his movements were fluid and almost graceful as he dodged and caught the swords mid-air. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent the weapons clattering to the ground, their purpose rendered meaningless.

Jacob, feeling the weight of his uselessness without his dolls, stood on the sidelines, his frustration evident but unable to change the tide of the battle. He watched helplessly as his friends fought and failed.

The Boogeyman’s grin widened as he observed their futile efforts. With a sudden burst of motion, he lashed out with a powerful kick, sending Xavier sprawling across the floor.

Theo tried to act quickly, launching another attack, but the Boogeyman was already upon him. With a swift, almost lazy motion, he kicked Theo hard in the ribs, the impact forcing Theo to crumple in pain, his vision briefly clouded by the sudden onslaught.

Celia, unable to contribute effectively, found herself on the receiving end of the Boogeyman’s attention. He kicked her aside with a swift, merciless strike, her body hitting the floor with a thud. She lay there, dazed and struggling to move, her efforts to assist proving fruitless.

He grabbed Jacob by the neck and carelessly threw him. Jacob landed heavily on a mangled corpse, the grotesque sight of limbs and blood breaking his fall. The impact left him sprawled in the filth, struggling to move, the pain from the throw overwhelming him.

Alice, her eyes fierce with determination, was the last one standing. The swords she conjured sliced through the air, but they barely grazed the Boogeyman’s seemingly impenetrable form. Each attack was deflected with eerie ease, the Boogeyman’s calm demeanor only adding to her desperation. Her control over her ability faltered, tiny tears of blood forming at the corners of her eyes as her energy drained rapidly.

The Boogeyman regarded her with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. His gaze was almost clinical, as if he were a spectator to a grand performance rather than a participant. He advanced toward her with an unnerving calm, each step deliberate, savoring the impending climax of their confrontation.

In a swift motion, he seized Alice by the hair, lifting her off the ground with a brutal grip. He forced her to meet his gaze, their faces inches apart. The contrast between her desperate, tear-streaked face and his cold, indifferent stare was jarring.

“Wait a minute,” the Boogeyman said, his voice taking on a sinister edge. “I recognize you. Your father was an interesting man. It was a shame what happened to him.”

Alice’s eyes widened in horror, her breath catching in her throat. She had never known her real parents, only the cruel lies of her adoptive family who had told her they abandoned her, that they had never loved her. The Boogeyman’s revelation was a chilling blow to her already shattered world.

“I’ll have to keep an eye on you,” he said, his voice dripping with malice.

His finger began to twist and contort, morphing into a grotesque, elongated worm. It wriggled its way toward her ear, the sensation horrifying and alien. As it entered her ear canal, drops of blood dripped from her ear. Alice’s eyes glazed over, and she slumped into unconsciousness, her body going limp.

The Boogeyman dropped her unceremoniously to the ground, her form joining the pile of unconscious and mangled bodies strewn about. He stood there for a moment, contemplating the fallen class, his expression one of cold, detached curiosity.

Suddenly, a sharp, almost electric sensation surged through him. His head snapped to the side, his eyes narrowing as he sensed something critical.

“Excalibur… Excalibur!” he roared, his voice echoing with a dangerous edge. Without another word, he took off with blinding speed, leaving the ruined hallway and its tragic scene behind.

As the Boogeyman vanished into the distance, the only sound left was the eerie silence of the aftermath. The class lay scattered, unconscious, and vulnerable, surrounded by the macabre remnants of the battle. The once-hopeful students were now left in a nightmarish landscape, their fate uncertain in the wake of the Boogeyman's sudden departure.