Sob! Amelia… That’s enough… please… just end her suffering. Devil! You killed the bastards who did this to my daughter, didn’t you?! Tell me you tortured every single one of them before sending them to hell!

Who? Me? Don’t know. I don’t care enough to remember.

Devil!

Bla. Bla. Bla. Stop yapping, old man. You’re giving me a headache.

The children are forced to learn magic and pushed to their limits every day. Even exhausted, the devil never fails to keep Amelia company.

“Look, Amy, I can light a candle with my finger! That means I’m a mage now. One day I’ll become so powerful I’ll blast the door open and get you out of here!”

“Ha! If the best you can do is light a candle after two years, then it’ll take you a lifetime to do that, smelly brat.”

“Even so, I’ll work hard and I’ll try, and try, and try to save you, no matter what!”

“Huh… Give up, kid, and worry about saving yourself. You wouldn’t be here in the first place if you ran and hid, as I told you.”

“But then… you’d be lonely.”

“… Stupid kid. It’d be better if you hate me.”

Amelia wipes the boy’s tears. But her bloody fingers leave red marks on his cheek.

After that day, the boy volunteers to get more injections and try to develop his magical abilities as fast as he can, all to save one girl.

He works till his fingers bleed, but in the end… he’s too late… Amelia berates the hunchback for the last time and melts into a puddle of goo on the medical table.

“No! No! Amy! Talk to me! Open your eyes! Please!”

There’s nothing left of her… no eyes, skin, or bones.

Amelia! Why!? Devil! You promised her! You promised you’d… No… No, it’s all my fault. It’s all my…

Hahaha haha! How does it feel, Duke, to be one of the most powerful mages in the world, yet you allowed this to happen to your precious little girl? Are you angry? Do you feel rage coursing through your veins? Do you want somebody to blame, hmm?

Devil… Boy… If I remember correctly, your name was Bailey, wasn’t it? Yes, Bailey Bennet, the gardener’s son. Thank you for… staying with her till the end. You’ve done more for her… than this useless old man ever could.

Master…

Your honor, there’s no need to restrain me anymore. Allow me to pray for my daughter’s soul.

Very well, my old friend. Keep watching and maybe we’ll find out what happened to her remains.

Thank you, your honor.

“You bastard! I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!”

The boy summons fireballs in his hand but he is quickly subdued by the two guards. After he calms down, he tearfully begs to gather Amelia’s melted remains.

“Fine! But don’t leave a spot in my lab! Disgusting girl! Can’t even die without making a mess.”

The boy spends all night gathering Amelia’s remains into a jar. He takes it back to his cell along with her clothes and tugs them into bed.

“Hey, Amy, it was a long night, wasn’t it? Oh, did you see me making fireballs in my hands? It was this big! I promise I’ll become even more powerful and break us out of here one day, so don’t you lose hope, okay? I promise… one day.”

The boy continues to improve and take care of other children. Every night, without fail, he would clean Amelia’s remains and talk to her for hours on end. He often pretends to hear her cold replies.

He’s going mad.

Wouldn’t you?

I can’t wait to see him tear that hunchback to pieces! Whatever crimes he committed later, he was justified in taking revenge!

Sigh… The past is in the past. Try not to get too emotional.

At the end of the third year, seven artificial mages are created. The boy, Bailey, is the strongest one in the group. The other kids look up to him as the leader.

During one experiment, he creates a flashing light that blinds the two guards. The other kids use the opportunity to attack while Bailey heads straight for the hunchback.

“Tsk! Ungrateful dogs!”

The doctor presses a button, and the children instantly drop into the group. Their body convulses from pain.

“Do you think I didn’t prepare for this situation, huh? Do you think I’m stupid? Well, do you?!”

The man kicks Bailey till he spits blood. He takes out a knife and puts it next to his throat.

“I had high hopes for you! We were going to change the world! Usher in a new age of mankind! One where power isn’t determined by the way you were born! But you! You’re a disappointment, just like the rest of them!”

“You… killed her… you killed her!”

“Ah, your girlfriend. That bitch who couldn’t keep her mouth shut!”

The man snaps his fingers and one of his goons brings the glass jar containing Amelia’s remains to him.

“No, don’t touch her! Get your dirty hands away from her, you bastard!”

“This is what happens to dogs that bite my hand!”

The doctor smashes the jar to the floor, scattering her remains. He then stomps on her melted body.

“Amy!”

Your honor, excuse me, but I… I can’t watch the rest of it…

I understand, Duke. Then—

“Stop yapping, smelly breath. You’re giving me a headache.”