***6 Days Later ***

Icarus sat in the foyer of the orphanage as Thalia put their other siblings to sleep. He glanced at the timer for the second wave.

---

[Current Trial - Combat Testing]

[Trial Length - 360 Days]

[Time Remaining - 331 Days]

[GQC-1 Parameters for Success - Slay a Grade 2 Sever Beast]

[Waves Completed - 1/13]

[Next Wave Start - 12:42]

---

'Less than a day left....'

He moved patches of the Sever throughout his body continuously.

He had graduated from breaking his own bones and now tried to move the energy at all points during the day. This new approach had showed him the true difference between himself and Thalia.

For her, enhancement was second nature, equally as easy as flexing a muscle was for him. She could go from matching his speed one moment to completely disappearing from his sight. Her mastery was so great that she could also control which wounds healed in addition to easily enduring the pain that came with the regeneration. While he was proud of his sister's strength, it only highlighted his own inadequacies.

'I need to get to that level... and fast!'

Thalia walked back into the room and sat across from Icarus at the concrete table.

"We need to decide. There are two places that are a good fit. The exposure facility or the scrapyard. I think we should go the exposure facility. The entire street that it was on was completely untouched, so they must have performed well during the first wave. We only lost Ace because we were caught at the gate street. We must not make the same mistake again."

Icarus shook his head solemnly.

"Actually.... I think we should hole up at the scrapyard. I noticed something strange last time when you were fighting the Ravens. They seemed to be ignoring the regular humans as they attacked you."

She raised an eyebrow.

"What I'm saying is that I think the Beasts are attracted to the Notched. Maybe they can smell the Sever on us or something. Either way, it really doesn't matter. The street with the exposure facility is packed full of what I assume are Notched individuals. They may have been fine in the first wave, but I wouldn't count on it for this one. And we would have to fight our way through the gates since they're definitely not going to let us in this close to the start time."

Thalia stroked her chin, considering his words.

"Maybe you're right."

She then got up from the table abruptly.

"It's decided, we're going to the scrapyard. Now go get rested up."

He followed her directive, retiring for the night.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Now alone in the room, Thalia walked to the ladder and climbed up to the roof.

Already there was a man, clad in armor and holding a helmet in his hands. He was staring off into the distance with his back to her. She ignored him, sitting on one of the edges of the roof.

She spoke first, her voice full of venom.

"Why are you here?"

The man didn't turn towards her, refusing to look at her. They both knew who he was anyway.

"I've come to tell you that they would like you to cease this foolishness immediately and retu-"

She cut him off.

"We both know that won't be happening. Tell me. why are you really here? You knew my answer what my answer was going to be."

The man reached into his pockets with a sigh and produced a stone tablet with a holographic interface.

"That's where you're wrong. Read this."

Thalia snatched the tablet from the man and skimmed it. With each line, her eyes grew larger.

"Wh-what is this?"

He took the tablet back from her, stuffing it back in his pockets.

"It's the truth, an ugly and unfortunate one... Now, show me whom you believe in more. Yourself... or those children. "

*** The Next Morning ***

Icarus sat up in his mattress. He went about his morning routine, strapping up his boots and walking out into the kitchen. He absentmindedly set water to boil as he sat down at the dining table. A few minutes passed before the water started boiling. By then, his morning lethargy passed, bringing him to his senses.

'Huh, that's a little strange. No one's up?'

He stepped away from the stove, leaving the pot of water steaming with no rations in it. Once in the hallway, he ran to his younger siblings' room. Much to his relief, they were all still asleep in their beds.

He smiled lightly. The kids were probably enjoying sleeping in since Thalia almost never allowed it. The smile quickly faded from his face as he thought about his elder sister.

'Wait a minute... where is she? She never takes this long to get up...'

Icarus walked to her door, feeling awkward. In his fifteen years of life, he had never once had to knock on her door. She went to sleep after him and woke up before him. He tried to stuff those thoughts in the back of his mind as he raised his hand to tap on the door. He jumped back in surprise as the steel sheet creaked open with a light tap. It wasn't even closed.

"Thalia?"

Icarus received no response so he pushed the door fully open as he announced his entry.

"I'm coming in okay?"

He stopped in the middle of the room. She was nowhere to be found. Her mattress on the floor was completely unoccupied and her boots were gone. There was nothing else that indicated a person had even lived there besides two pieces of paper on a concrete table.

Walking over to it, he picked up one of the papers. It was a photo.

Thalia had told Icarus and Ace about how human society used to preserve memories as images on pieces of paper by using devices called cameras. When everyone was teleported into the GQCs, many technologies were replaced with more advanced versions, but it wasn't without cost.

Only items on one's person were brought with them, so many vintage items were lost, especially to the people of the slums who held little to no production capability. Icarus began to tear up as he remembered the clunky device that Thalia called a 'polaroid camera'.

Inside the image were three people. Himself, Thalia, and.... Ace. Icarus's eyes began to let out a steady stream of tears as memories of the photo flooded his mind. He remembered how Thalia complained about having only one film sheet left so he and Ace had to behave themselves or else there would be consequences. They ended up taking the photo with him and Ace smiling while stuck in headlocks.

As pleasant as the memories were, he forced them to the back of his mind and picked up the other paper. Four words were written on it.

---

Good Luck Icarus.

-Thalia

---

Icarus's hand trembled as he read the simple message repeatedly. He turned the paper over, hoping for something else on the back, but as he suspected, nothing was there. A grim realization dawned on him.

"We've been... abandoned."

Standing there in silence, Icarus eventually tore the note to pieces. It was useless to him now, even if it was the only reason he knew what was going on.

Tucking the photo of his brother and Thalia into one of his overall pockets, Icarus tried to wipe his tears off as he walked back into the kitchen and threw some ration packs in the pot.

He buried his face in his hands as he sat back down. He would have cried in other circumstances, but he couldn't allow himself to shed anymore tears.

'I don't have time for this!'

Gathering himself, Icarus finished the rations and went to wake up his siblings. They kept asking him where Thalia was but he staved off their questions with freshly prepared breakfast.

While they ate, he considered his two options. He could perpetuate the cycle of lies or speak the truth. Before his siblings finished their meal, he had made his decision.

Icarus raised his voice, ready to bear the consequences of his decision. He had to focus on the present; there was no room for excess emotion.

"I want you all to listen to me very carefully."