Red took Raioten by the hand and tried leading him back to their room. He snatched his hand back, choosing to stay in the storage closet.

  Red: C'mon Blue, don't lock yourself in here. Please come out.

  Raioten curled back up on the corner and looked away. Red was saddened by his decision and decided not to force him out. The next few weeks for her were lifeless. Each and everyday felt like she was living in a colorless, tasteless existence. Red could hardly focus on anything, and each night she struggled to remember a single thing she did that day.

  Raioten remained locked away in the storage room. He picked up the door and did his best to seal himself inside. The only time he snuck out was when he knew there wouldn't be anyone walking around. Raioten would sneak off to the cafeteria to eat in the middle of the night.

  After a hearty meal, he made his way to the advanced treadmills they had. The world and all of its problems faded into nothingness as Raioten's feet moved rhythmically on the machine. He could almost smile running on the treadmill, savoring every second he could have before the other prisoners began to wake up.

  Raioten could always tell when people started moving in their cells somehow. He didn't know how, but could manage to avoid all contact with them by the weird feelings he had. He remained in that storage unit all alone until he heard a loud commotion from the main corridor. He carefully went out to look at what caused such a stir.

  There was a large crowd gathered in the center of the massive common area. Right in the middle of the crowd was Red, fighting off her would be aggressors. Raioten wanted to help, but couldn't trust himself to fight anymore. He was afraid of the other side of his psyche that had been born out of the primal desire to survive. As his mind thought about fighting to save Red, he could imagine himself losing control.

  Raioten began to shake violently, trembling at the thought of becoming a ruthless monster again. He tried to imagine what Yona would do in his shoes. His feet shot forward as he imagined himself on a treadmill. Raioten closed his eyes and ran with everything he had. Red was defending herself from multiple opponents and losing ground slowly.

  As she prepared a counter attack, the view of her opponents became a blur. Red couldn't tell what exactly was happening as everything in sight disappeared. When the she was finally able to collect herself and see straight, she was next to a panting Raioten. He had ran by so fast that those who were attempting to fight Red had no idea what happened to her. They all looked around, totally flummoxed at Red's disappearance.

  Red: Little guy! You came back!

  She gave Raioten a hug and smiled softly to him. He smiled back and they went back to their room. He noticed that she looked completely exhausted.

  Red: I was just trying to bring these packages of baby food back for Tor when those guys attacked me. If i wasn't trying to keep the food safe, I would've smashed those losers! And you know I would've, matter of fact, I'll go back right now!

  Raioten put up his hands to calm her down, not wanting to let her loose while she was so worked up. He went to get her food and stayed with her and Tor so that she wouldn't go on a rampage outside. Raioten noticed that Red had fallen asleep almost instantly after she calmed down.

  Raioten kept Tor up on his head so the baby boy could stay surrounded by his wild hair. Raioten made sure Tor was fed and happy going into the night. When Tor began to smell, Raioten wasn't sure of what to do. He removed Tor from his hair, causing him to cry. Raioten was panicking with Tor in his hands until Red grabbed him. She changed his diaper, still half asleep.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Red: Make sure we get more diapers tomorrow.

  She fell right over on her bed, completely unconscious once again. Raioten took Tor into the common area to avoid accidentally waking up Red anymore. He held Tor in place on his head as he ran around the edge of the corridor. Tor absolutely loved every second of it.

  Raioten made sure not to run anywhere near his full speed, so he wouldn't scare Tor. The gentle breeze and the view of Raioten's hair in his face kept Tor comfortable. After a few laps around the corridor, Tor fell into a peaceful sleep. Raioten left Tor resting in his hair before setting him down on the bed that Raioten himself never used. Trying to get Tor to let go of his hair was a difficult challenge, as the baby kept a death grip on it.

  After finally escaping Tor's powerful grip, Raioten prepared to walk back to the storage room. His eyes were full of sorrow but he wanted to keep himself distant from others as much as he could. During his walk back, Raioten felt a powerful feeling of dread creep up on him. He immediately turned and began walking towards whatever was making him so nervous.

  He had no idea that something had been released just a few moments prior. Nearly 3 years ago, just before Raioten was brought to the Tower, a special prisoner was locked away. The Warden had him chained up with massive chains, suspended in the air in a pitch black room.

  - Three years prior -

  Warden: You are an Eximi, you know what that means?

  The prisoner made no attempt to communicate.

  Warden: It means you are extremely valuable to the Futurists and that it's my job to make sure you're fit to lead.

  The Warden snapped his fingers and a few guards entered the room. They all had night vision equipment and weapons.

  Warden: I'm not locking this door so you're free to go whenever you break out. Good luck.

  The Warden exited the room to leave his men to their work. The exit has a long hallway that was behind a large metal door. Each and everyday, the prisoner was beaten to within an inch of their life by the soldiers. They took shifts to ensure that the prisoner was attacked constantly throughout the days.

  The only break the Eximi prisoner got was when they were allowed to eat. The beatings began immediately after that. The pools of blood dried up and were replenished over and over in the three years since their arrival. It was hard for the Eximi to keep their thoughts in order. One by one, all of their memories faded away into the days of violent beatings.

  After some time, the soldiers noticed their weapons were no longer effective. They had to routinely upgrade their weaponry in order to consistently harm the Eximi. The Eximi spoke to everyone kindly, even during the assaults. The soldiers only got more furious, believing the Eximi to be mocking their strength.

  The Eximi was genuinely friendly and done everything they could to push the malice from their heart. After losing everything in a Futurist raid, the Eximi tried their best to stay positive. After years of constant beatings the Eximi snapped their chains and fell to the ground. They stood up with a hearty laugh. The soldier who had brought the Eximi food was terrified.

  ?: Please, don't kill me!

  Eximi: Don't worry about it man, you didn't do anything to me.

  As the Eximi heard the outer door open, they began to crack their knuckles.

  Eximi: These guys on the other hand..

  The soldiers walked in and immediately tried to escape when they noticed the Eximi wasn't in the chains anymore. The inner door however, slammed shut behind them.

  Eximi: Alrighty guys, now it's my turn.

  After a few minutes and a plethora of broken bones, the Eximi laughed a full, honest laugh.

  Eximi: Oh sorry, I'm stronger than I thought. Finally free after how many months?

  ?: Months? You've been in here for almost three years.

  Eximi: Holy what?! Are you serious?

  ?: Yes, I promise I wouldn't lie to you.

  Eximi: Oh wow, that's crazy.

  ?: By the way, how can you see in here without these glasses?

  Eximi: Hmm? Are the not lights on in here?

  ?: No, it's completely dark.

  Eximi: Oh yeah! It was dark when I was first in here. I can see in the dark, cool!

  The Eximi took a minute to regain their sense of body awareness. Even just taking steps was a struggle initially as their legs had been out of use for so long. Their body adapted pretty quicky and they were able to get to the door. Walking through the hallway to the final door made the Eximi a little nervous, but they pushed open the massive door.

  The light from outside felt like it was going to fry their eyes, which had gotten used to the dark. After a second or two, they were able to see clearly. The Eximi looked up to see a single person standing in front of them. In the vast, largely empty room, the only thing that stood out was the bright blue hair of the young boy standing in front of them.

  Eximi: Now who exactly are you?