Chapter Text
She reached up and put the new Abnormality files in place on a shelf, just as she did the last thirty. Aunt Carmen asked her too and she didn't want to be thrown away again.
Her parents threw her away the moment she ran out of use as a tool for their reputation. A doll to put on display. A broken tool is of no use. Why would one keep it?
But she knew Aunt Carmen would never do that! She cared to much about people to do something like that!
Why would she throw away a broken tool, when she could put it back together exactly how she wanted it? It's easy when the tool already trusts you.
Sometimes she wondered where she would be if Aunt Carmen didn't take her in, probably in an orphanage somewhere.
She wouldn't have broken. She'd still be with her team. She'd still be a ward. She'd still be a Hero.
Every now and then she remembers that every time an Abnormality was born someone died and had silly thoughts like trying to get Aunt Carmen to stop.
A Hero wouldn't let this happen. A Hero would care. She stopped being a hero a while ago, and so she stopped caring. It's easier this way.
Why would she want to stop Aunt Carmen anyways? It's for [The Greater Good], to cure the disease of [Humanity], why would she want to stop it? She was a Hero! A former one, but a Hero nonetheless!
But she wasn't a Hero. Not anymore. What kind of Hero would let countless people die for something they didn't even understand? What kind of Hero would forsake every other option for one offered by a madwomen?
Sometimes she questioned what [The Greater Good] means, but she trusted that Aunt Carmen wouldn't lead them astray, and even if she somehow did Ayin would get them back on track!
No one is as unquestionably loyal to her as he is. He may mask it behind logic, but in the end he simply believes in the vision to much to put a stop to it or decide a line is to far.
Early on during the testing for one of the prototypes for the Seed of Light, before she was thrown away by her parents and while she was still a hero, Aunt Carmen asked her what she thought of when she though of a world where everyone could be their truest self, and she answered honestly.
She saw a better world in the worst way possible. She saw a perfect world in the worse way possible. She didn't believe it would work.
She saw an endless hell filled with infinite ways to suffer. At least everyone truly deserved it there.
Honestly, she can't believe she didn't believe in Aunt Carmen's vision before! She can't help but be disappointed in her past self for lacking Faith.
If it weren't for the fact that she knew Carmen wasn't a master, she'd assume her mind had been influenced.
She giggled a bit as she finished her assigned task and reentered the halls of the facility, maybe Kali would be willing to teach her a bit more about sword fighting. She could only hope.
She wonders what will happen after the end. They've discovered the cure for the disease of [Humanity], and now all that remains is to find the best way to administer it. And refine it…
Well that's what the Cogito experiments are for! Sure plenty people die in them, but it's an inevitability when pursuing [The Greater Good], and as Ayin always says, any sacrifice is worth it!
[The Greater Good] is nothing but a lie to soothe her conscience. It's an excuse.
Renata Cruz the niece turned adoptive-daughter of Carmen Cruz, who was once known as Missy Brion, hums as she skips forward to where she knows Kali will be. There's no hiding from her in this facility after all~
She paused in her skipping once she saw some of Kali's mercenaries, why they're so loyal to Kali she'll never understand, but she supposes that Kali is rather charismatic. Maybe talking with one of them would be nice… nope. They were loyal to Kali not Aunt Carmen on top of not fully believing in the mission.
People like that generally weren't worth talking to, though at least she knew they wouldn't betray them.
It's harder to realize she's wrong when trapped in an echo chamber. What goes in will come out and all that.
So she continues on her way.
She find Kali exactly where she thought she'd be, standing against the wall in front of the lab, smoking a cigarette.
"Hey, Kali why did you join up with Aunt Carmen anyways?"
Kali drops her cigarette and crushes it with her foot.
"Renata… Kiddo... I've already told you this three times." Kali was the first true success. The first wielder of EGO. That wasn't why.
"Well, I'd like to hear it again." It's important to remember the past, lest ruin consumer you.
She sighed before raising her hand and patting her on the head, "It was because of the Starlight Rain…"
February 2010, The Starlight Rain. Incident report.
> 3:00 AM: The experimental Seed of Light erupts into a massive beam of light.
> 3:33 AM: Beam collapses and begins to form golden clouds and pieces rain down onto the ground.
> 4:00 AM: 87 People caught within the immediate radius begin transformation into Peccatulum, 12 begin to distort, 1 person begins to undergo partial ego-death.
> 4:24 AM: Kali is exposed to the Light and begins to undergo distortion.
> 4:30 AM: Kali achieves E.G.O. and begins dispatching of Peccatulum alongside her subordinates.
> 5:00 AM: Kali meets Director Carmen and is given a briefing on the situation.
> 5:15 to 10:30 AM: Kali and subordinates assist with cleanup.
> From then on golden clouds spread light throughout the continent raining down on various people.
"I still don't think I've changed all that much, I mean calling it partial ego-death is a bit much right?"
She wasn't dead after all, just not in control. She wanted to wake up.
"I wouldn't know kiddo, I only ever met you afterwards when you were already like this." She said before muttering under her breath, "At least you getting caught in the middle of the beam of light taught them the importance of workplace safety…"
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that!" She said, seemingly discarding Kali's mutters.
"What?"
"Can you please teach me a few tricks and how to use a sword! Pretty Please!!!"
"Hah… I guess I can you little brat." And with that Kali dragged Renata to the training room.