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Introduction

Toya woke up in his bed like any other day. His messy room littered with clothes, plastic wraps, and books. A window gave him a nice view of the streets. People going left to right in their busy schedules. His alarm read 08:00 he'd be late again. Yet there was no sign of frustration or worry. He simply sighed and rubbed his face some more. Just another normal day in the life of Toya. Each step felt odd. There was an odd sense of weight to his movement. Toya just shrugged it off. He probably got up too fast. He looked through some of the scattered clothes and picked something at random to wear. He was an athletic boy. Stronger than most of his age and he didn't even do anything to deserve it. Yet even though his body had basically been born with a natural talent for anything athletic he chose a more scholarly route. He loved to read and learn about the world and its secrets. Now that he had his clothes picked out he looked at himself in the mirror for a while. The same tired expression he wore every day. He tried a smile but it just didn't work out well. Didn't feel real. His mother was yelling at his father in the other room. Something about forgetting the milk. Just a normal routine day in his life so far.

Toya closed to his room on his way to breakfast and locked it with his key. His mother hated it but she also knew there was no reason to worry about Toya. He was a trustworthy boy that never got himself into trouble. The only reason he locked the door was that she loved cleaning his room and hiding all of his things in places he couldn't find after. He gave her a kiss on the forehead as she ate her breakfast and hugged his father's head. "Aren't you going to eat? You're already late anyway." She asked him. He looked at the food and for a moment thought about staying but Kokoro was all alone without him. He had to get to class to be with her. "Maybe next time." Life played some awfully bad jokes on us some times. The next time the boy would see his parents they wouldn't look at him the same way. As he looked back at them on that table something odd happened. It felt like the moment dragged on. He'd only looked at them for 2 seconds but it felt much longer. As if time had stopped. "Bye." And so he parted. The beginning of his journey.

His school was like any other. A uniform group of people that all despised any sense of individuality. Stronger men ruled over the weak and the women that developed early ruled over the meek. This never bothered Toya. He always lived under the radar. Drawing attention to himself was obnoxious. He didn't want anything else from the school other than learning. The kid lost their focus due to social interactions and even inflated their egos thinking that their social status in school mattered. A couple of years of fame didn't matter to him. The only thing he needed, in all honesty, was Kokoro. She made things more bearable.
Arriving he made his way to class and was immediately reprimanded again. Another day of detention. He shrugged, apologized and sat by Kokoro. It was history class and nothing interested him. He'd learned most of the world's lore at home. He wanted to give Kokoro a kiss but he knew it'd only get her in trouble along with him. She did, however, slide him a note. Just like before when he was leaving his home time seemingly stopped. He kept the note in his pocket and winked at her.

It didn't matter that he tried to keep Kokoro from staying after in detention with him. She would just wait outside for him. Once he'd see her he'd frown and ruffle her hair. They truly loved each other even though they were so young. It was a connection that he couldn't explain. He'd known her ever since they were children. Her life was filled with tragedy and torment. Her only safe haven being Toya. He felt almost responsible for her happiness. Yet it went deeper. He knew that seeing her happy made him whole as well. Toya always felt like there was something missing in him. Kokoro filled that void. Yet he knew there was something else to it. Something deep down inside that he wasn't comprehending.
The two were walking home with arms locked together. The same route they took every day yet it wouldn't lead to where they always went. It would end much sooner. A man crept up on Toya and stabbed him. The boy fell to the ground without a moment to register what was happening. He could hear Kokoro yelling but his vision was blurring. Everything fading away to black. And then silence. The note read, "Never on time, but always the love of my life."

The Beginning of the end

Toya awoke in a dark room. His wound was patched up and he could feel something off about his body. It was the wound it came from deep inside. Like something had broken inside of him. Another curious note was the fact that both of his hands were cuffed to the chair he found himself in. The only sound in the room for the moment was the rattling he made when trying to free himself from the shackles. He was sweating, panicking and dazed. "H-Hey!" He shouted with a hoarse voice. How long had it been since he'd spoken? No one replied and he continued in absolute darkness all by himself. "C' mon get me outta here!" Then the memories started flooding back in his mind. The man who stabbed him. Kokoro screaming. Now the panic was amplified. "KOKORO!" Toya shouted as he frantically tried to free himself from the chair. "GET ME OUTTA HERE YOU ********!" He shouted just as the chair tipped over. His head would bounce off the floor and his mind lost focus once again. "Gh...." He groaned trying to concentrate on where he was. That's when the light turned on.

The sudden light blinded him for a brief moment. He couldn't see who had done it since Toya was behind a table and on the floor. The boy did hear approaching footsteps, however. The new sound was somehow comforting after being in silence for so long. "Where the ******** am I? Where's Kokoro? We're not rich we don't have any money for you ********!" He cursed still trying to get free from the cuffs. At this point, his wrists were starting to bruise. The unknown kidnapper simply sat down on the opposite side of the table. Toya could hear the rustle of paper. The shoes and pants the kidnapper were using. It was a man and he wasn't dressed like what Toya imagined. The man looked like a secret agent. "Toya Tokunaga. 17 years old. Son of Maria and Atsuma Tokunaga. Is this correct?" Toya's eyes widened. Just where was he? What had actually happened? "Hey man, I was attacked. My wound is bleeding I need help. My girlfriend she was-" He was interrupted by the man who dismissed his comments. "From this day forward you are no longer a citizen of the nation of Fronta. You will be sent to a place for your kind. Your parents are outside and will come in to speak with you." With all that said he rustled the papers together and left leaving Toya on the floor. "H-HEY! HEY COME BACK HERE! WHAT THE ******** ARE YOU SAYING?! MOM! DAD!" He shouted but with no results. He was alone again for about ten minutes just lying on the floor like an animal. The door creaked open again and his tone was completely different. Tears were streaming down his face. "P-please I'm sorry! I don't know what I did! Please just tell me what happened! I don't remember! I was at-" Once again he was interrupted but this time by his father. "Enough." The man said. It didn't sound like his father. Toya knew it was but it wasn't like it was directed at him. It was like he was just some mutt on the street. "What have you done, Toya?" His mother asked. He could tell she was crying. "Why? What are you? Why would you do this to us?" She asked. Toya was now crying uncontrollably. "Mom p-please j-just get me up. We can talk just tell me what I d-" A fist slamming against the table interrupted him. "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! THEY'RE SEIZING ALL OF OUR ASSETS! THEY DON'T TRUST US ANYMORE BECAUSE OF YOU! WE'RE GOING TO BE SENT TO SOME GHETTO TO LIVE WITH THE FILTH BECAUSE OF YOU!" His father screamed taken by rage. "You devil spawn. I always knew deep down inside there was something off about you." With that said his father left the room leaving only his mother behind. He could hear her crying and that was heavier than his father's words. "Mom, please...I don't know what's going on! They tried to kill me!" Slowly his mother approached him and knelt down to look at him. She caressed his face and for a moment warmth overtook him. "I'm sorry sweety. I tried. I tried so hard to keep you from this. To suppress who you are to keep you from knowing..." She kissed his forehead and whispered in his ear. "Time." She backed away quickly and left him there alone again. The lights went off and he could feel his eyes shutting as his conscious left him once again.

He'd awaken with several other people. All of them children. A screen in front of them. Toya was now in the Facility.

Waking up in new places without knowing where in the hell he was starting to become a norm for Toya. He missed his bed greatly. Yet this time he would not be waking up alone. Beside him was the girl he had saved. She was sleeping against the bed with her head over her arms and knees against the floor. Toya found himself lost in her for a brief second. She was all alone in the world just like him. If it hadn't been for her he might've just stayed there in that seat waiting to get stabbed. "Tsc" He quickly locked away the thoughts and turned to the opposite side. That's where he saw it for the first time. His grimoire. He assumed it was just something the people that had saved him left behind but once he opened it Toya knew it was his. The book was practically calling for him. The words inscribed made no sense to anyone else other than himself. A language unique to himself. Toya could feel the hidden knowledge overwhelming him to the point where he could no longer breathe. "Amazing." He mumbled just as the book shut itself. Someone was approaching. Turning around, Toya would see the ginger-haired boy from before. He grabbed a chair and sat on it with it's back against his chest. "So where do we start?" He asked with a smile that could cheer the mind and heart of any child. "What?" Toya asked confused by the question. He also hated how calm and spontaneous the boy was with everything that was going on around him. "Go on ask away. you probably have several questions. So I'm just gonna let you vent. Then I'll ask ya!" He said with a tone that almost made Toya question if they weren't friends from before. "I uh. I guess. Well, where are we?" He asked. Jeff's face darkened. Toya's heart began to race at the sudden mood swing. "Oh no that just won't do." He said getting up from his seat. "He ain't the one." The boy was quite visibly disappointed. "Who's the one?" Toya asked feeling a little disappointed in himself for not being someone he doesn't even know about. "Top secret mumbo jumbo stuff, anyways listen up. Everything you heard at introduction is a load of hocus pocus. This place is controlled by us and by us I mean the leaders. The adults just dump us in here and then ditch. They watch us and from time to time they tell us to do something but at the end of the day we're on our own." He concluded before sitting down again. "So ask away again. Oh, my name's Jeff by the way. Toya looked at Jeff for a moment pondering what to ask. "You said, leaders. Who are they?" The question did little to change Jeff's expression and the boy simply scratched his temple. "Well I guess you'd call me one! Leader o' the spits! Them psychopaths that tried to kill you out there are the bloods. Irene runs them but they just do whatever the ******** they want nowadays. Gotta talk to her about that. Then you got the glasses. Four Eyes runs them aka Tetsuo." Jeff stopped talking but before Toya could get a word in he added, "oh and I almost forgot about Vonya but she don't really count I guess." Toya frowned in confusion. "Why wouldn't she?" He asked. "Well, you see here at the Facility things used to be real chaotic. People fighting and killin' all the time. The headmaster was gettin' real tired of it so he ordered us to split up or just die. For a while we ignored him but uh..." Jeff's usual happy go lucky mood drowned in a sudden sorrow. Like memories washing away the facade that Jeff had made to keep others around him happy. "Let's just say that he's called Head Master for a reason. So we made the factions!" Jeff was back to normal. "I was just a lil critter back then. The four of old drew all the rules up. We can't invade each other's turf. Disobey the headmaster or disturb Vonya." That last bit made Toya curious again. "Why can't we disturb her and you still haven't told me why she doesn't count." Toya had just realized that Jeff tried to change the topic. "Well shoot you got me. Truth is Vonya is one of the elders. She's been here for longer than any of us. And I said she don't count cause she's not even in the main building like the rest of us." Jeff sounded tired of talking about Vonya almost as if it were a chore. "Where does she stay then?" Toya prodded. With a sigh, Jeff answered, "She likes to stay in the bunker. It's kinda like her fortress. Zombos everywhere." The thought of an underground lair flashed briefly in Toya's mind. A sad existence like that only made him more curious about who she was. Suddenly a bell went off. Jeff looked at his watch and sighed. "Well looks like we're out of time." He said while getting up from his chair. At this point, the girl was awake as well. "What do you mean?" Toya asked feeling nervous with the loud ringing. "It's time for you guys to choose where you wanna go."


All of the children including Toya were brought to an auditorium. They were seated by some neatly dressed children and told to keep quiet. Toya noted that all of the children were the ones from before when he woke up. Sitting beside him was the little girl that followed him everywhere. He still didn't know her name. She didn't talk much. It didn't matter how much he told her to go away she would just come back. Toya had no idea why they were bing hurdled up again. It made him uneasy after the greeting they had before. Some of the children were still barely done being cared for. Their wounds seeping blood. "Couldn't this wait?" Toya mumbled to himself. An immediate hush was given to him by one of the boys watching over things. They were all dressed more or less the same. Khakhis and white button shirts. Toya assumed they were the glasses kids. Someone walked to the main stage. It was a teenager about Toya's age. He wore glasses and dressed the same as the other kids. "Hello." He tested the mic by tapping it a few times. "My name is Tetsuo. I am the current leader of the Glasses Faction. Most of you are too little to understand the gravity of your current situation but- oh what am I even saying. This is a huge waste of time. You're all going to Jeff. The foolish bloods attacked you all and Jeff took you in. Well if any of you value intelligence and order come with me and my fellow brothers in sisters." With that, the boy left the stage. No one quite understanding what was going on. "Those that wish to come with us please follow me." One of the glasses boys announced. None of the children moved. It was just like he had said. Why would any of them trust anyone now that the bloods had attacked them? Two children, however, did actually go but they weren't harmed and seemed different from the rest. Toya felt a tug at his sleeve. He looked down and the girl was looking up at him. "Where are you going?" She asked. She was bright for her age. She must've paid attention to what Jeff had said earlier. Tetsuo looked like the brightest individual in the whole building but Toya didn't know him. Yet that also applied to Jeff. "I dunno gimme a break, kid." Just as he finished dismissing the girl someone else walked to the center stage. A woman also Toya's age. She eyed the crowd like a tiger eyeing its prey. She took the microphone from its stand and jumped down towards the crowd. "Hehe. Where are they picking you guys? Each time a new batch comes around you get smaller and smaller." Her index finger tracing the face of a whimpering child. "I don't expect any of you to join me. Why would you? You're all weak and pathetic. My boys attacked you against my will it is true. I punished them don't worry. But look at you. Broken and in fear of the unknown. You're all probably thinking 'Jeff where are you, Jeff? Come and save meeee~' Hahaha." Her eyes caught Toya for a brief second and then moved back to the crowd. "But aren't you all mad? Mad at the boys that did this to you? Don't you want to get back at them? I wouldn't mind. As a matter of fact, they're all tied up and just waiting for you." Irene lifted her right arm and flicked her wrist. Toya let out a chuckle. That gained her attention for a brief moment again but Toya wasn't amused. She was too obvious. Back at the stage the boys from before that had attacked Toya and the children were tied up and struggling to break free from the grasp of other bloods. They looked liked absolute s**t. Whatever hell they went through would be nothing compared to what Irene had in mind. "Don't you want revenge? Don't you want to get back at the ones who attacked you without even letting you breathe in the new world?! Join me and I will give you that revenge. Join me and all the blood you want to shed shall be yours." At first, no one moved but then one of the most wounded kids of the bunch got up. Toya had learned from the little girl that he was the last to be saved. The bloods had hurt him greatly with stabs and bats. The boy was moving only due to crutches. He made his way up the stairs to the stage and grabbed a knife given to him by one of the bloods holding the other hostage. Toya covered the little girl's eyes. One by one more of the wounded joined the crippled boy. In the end, the boys and girls that had been tied were all dead. In a brilliant act and display of bloodshed, Irene had managed to gain half of the children to her side. "To the rest of you." She concluded before leaving looking directly at Toya. "Have fun with Jeff." And just like that, she was gone. For about 3 minutes everyone just sat in silence until Jeff came in running to the center stage dressed as a giant duck. "WHAT'S UP PARTY PEOPLE! MY NAME'S JEFF AND-" Jeff looked down at the stage realizing there was blood everywhere. "Oh. Damn, she's good." Toya would join Jeff.