“Yerin.”

“What.”

“You have regained your memories, haven’t you.”

“Why ask? Father.”

Yerin sat glaring at her father at the end of a long table.

“I feel like a piece of , when I realized that I lived for three months working like a puppet for you.”

He only scoffed and looked away from her.

“Puppet? Do you think all those times you ran away and burned those dresses were being puppet like? You couldn’t have been so far from being a puppet rather than an empty shell.”

“Is that how you see me? After turning me into this?!”

Her hands slammed on the table, instantly burning a shadow into the dark wood.

“I had to do what had to be done.”

“What had to be done? You’ve turned me into a monster!”

“What monster? You’re a perfectly fine heir to the company, unlike your older brother.”

Yerin flinched at the mention of her lost brother. He had gotten into some trouble with their father before running away, she briefly wondered if he knew that this was what he was running away from.

“You chopped off my perfectly human legs.”

“You couldn’t move them.”

“I wasn’t given a chance to try.”

“There wasn’t a chance for you to even try, dear. You were never going to be able to walk on those legs again.”

Her father appeared to be sympathetic, as if what he had done was absolutely correct and expected Yerin to thank him for it.

“I never asked for robotic legs, but that’s not the main reason why I’m angry.”

“Then why? Tell me dear and I’ll listen.”

“Why did you suppress my memories? What made you think you could tell me that I was living as a double of myself as a cyborg?”

This, her father didn’t want to respond to.

“Was I just born to become your heir to the company? To bear the family name and become the one largest corporation in the world?”

Still, he didn’t respond.

“WAS I BORN JUST TO DO YOUR BIDDING?”

She saw her father raise his hand, she saw the guards coming near her, and she watched them flinch back at the heat of her flames. This was the power she used to get out of here the first time, enroll herself in a school that could shelter her at least for a few years to stay away from this mad man.

Her eyes widened as her flames colored blue for the first time since she had her injury.

“Well, dear. It looks like you have fully recovered your magic potential. Thank me later by going to this conference. I expect you to look pretty.”

With that, he walked out of the room as Yerin burned. Screaming her unjustness, she destroyed the table in front of her, her flames and burned at the tapestries, her clothes catching on fire revealing the odd patchwork of fake and real skin on her thighs.

Crying, Yerin returned to her room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SinB stared at the window where she last saw flames exploding from. Now that she had arrived at Yerin’s mansion, which was oddly not registered on the map app that was in her phone, SinB called Yewon to have them meet up here. She munched on an apple as she observed the security.

Two cameras, both pointing in opposite directions. Easy. Blowing a gust of wind, she knocked them out of focus and turned them in a way that appeared as if a low hanging branch had swung and knocked them. Hopping over the wall with a light jump, SinB quickly cleared the grass to the building. Checking to make sure that she was clear, SinB yelped as glass rained down on her, she quickly blew them away. Looking up, SinB sighed as another explosion of flames knocked out another window.

“Jeez, I wonder how many more windows she’s going to pop. This is a hazard to climb in.”

Hurrying to a pillar, SinB quickly scaled the side of it by hugging it with her legs, scooting up inches by inches. Reaching the third floor where the last explosion of glass came from, she looked over the surrounding wall and spotted Yewon and the others.

“Psst! Up here!”

“SinB! That’s trespassing!”

Eunha sighed and hopped the wall with a gust of air as Yewon looked helplessly. Yuju just smiled and offered her a boost, holding her hands in a cupped formation.

“Oh geez. You better get Yerin unnie back okay Yuju unnie? Promise me.”

“I promise.”

Once Yewon was over the wall, Yuju jumped up lightly, easily catching the top end and lifting herself over. Yerin needed to know that she wasn’t a monster like she called herself. She needed to know that they needed her no matter how she looked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sowon ah, you look better.”

“Is that so?”

“There’s only half a month left before you’re complete. Do you remember?”

“Unfortunately, no. What am I doing in here?”

Sowon shifted uncomfortably in her seat, she had woken up with no clue what was going on. In fact, she wasn’t even sure of her own name until Brian called her and it sounded right. She questioned why she could still know who Brian was but not herself.

“Well, soon your treatment will be done and you can have revenge on the people who made you this way.”

“This way? Am I injured? Is that why you have me strapped to this seat?”

Sowon wiggled in her seat again, she had the odd feeling that the numbness of her bottom was from the long days of sitting on there, not due to injury.

“No, they are the reason why you can’t remember. I promise that once you’re able to go out. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about them.”

“But why should I go for revenge?”

“Because, you were the star student of the academy, the chosen one to become the next top mage. But they crippled you and destroyed your dreams. The way you are now, they would only laugh at you for even dreaming that way.”

“I dreamed to be a mage?”

“Only the best, sweetheart. Rest well, I’ll visit you in the morning.”

Sowon sighed as Brian left. Struggling against her chains again, Sowon noticed that her wrists were already raw. Just how many times had she woken up confused and tried to escape? Stopping to prevent any more self-inflicted injuries, Sowon tried to find a more comfortable position.

“Mom.”

Hearing a child’s voice, Sowon looked up.

“Who?”

She watched as the wall removed.

“Hey, it’s me again mom.”

“I have a kid? You’re too cute to be my kid.”

Soeun gave a sad smile.

“You made me promise to come by and entertain you every day. Even if…you don’t remember.”

“I did that to you cutie? I’m sorry, you don’t have to come if it hurts.”

Soeun shook her head, taking a seat on the floor next to Sowon.

“No, I’ll always do whatever you ask, mom.”

“You’re seriously my kid? Man, what angel did I marry to have you?”

“No one, mom. No one.”

Soeun leaned against Sowon’s arm softly.

“I was made by the machines. Besides, I have to go in a few more days, Eunha unnie is coming back with Yerin unnie.”

“Eun…ha?”

“Yea, the girl you said that would save you.”

Sowon could still feel an odd warmth inside herself as she repeated her savior’s name.

“Eunha.”

===============

come onnnnn Yerin come to your senses! hurry up and save Sowon! poor sowonie....poor soeunie...