The Name Given to the Flame
"Manifesting the ability to manipulate flames like the Witch of Wrath is a tremendous breakthrough. It seems the answer was to give her emotions after all." Satoru exclaimed with delight, watching Subject 10 writhe in agony while spewing fire from her body. Ever since they confirmed that her powers grew stronger with every instance of pain, Subject 10 had been subjected to high-intensity experiments, living with fresh wounds on her body every single day.
She looked similar to Subject 9, but perhaps because she possessed emotions, it was painfully obvious that Subject 10 hated the suffering she endured. Every time Luke had to treat her wounds, the memory of her pain would surface, and he tried his best to remain detached. However, on the day he saw Subject 10 ignite flames from her body as if to show him, and witnessed her expressing gratitude in her own way, Luke realized the truth he had been forcibly ignoring all this time.
The fact that what they had created was not merely a creature that could be described as a "homunculus with emotions." Even though she was created as a weapon for war, she possessed feelings, was capable of communication, and knew how to ponder ways to make someone happy. Luke could not find any word to define such a being other than "human." From the moment he began to think that way, Subject 10 started to feel like an innocent, young child who had only just been born. Was it right to inflict such terrible things on a being like her just to save others? The guilt born from that contradiction constantly swirled in his mind.
Subject 10 was full of curiosity. After he told her a few stories about the outside world, she began to tap on the walls whenever Satoru was away, demanding he tell her more. Even though she should have found it difficult to move due to the grueling experiments, Subject 10 would crawl to the wall and tap on it, just like a curious child. When Luke told her stories about heroes and the Aegis Academy, she showed interest, and Luke told her, "I hope you can become someone who can protect people." At those words, Subject 10 closed her eyes for a long moment and opened them, as if to say she understood. She had been trained to obey orders, but Luke could only offer an apology in the face of the sincerity he felt in that blink.
The high-intensity experiments continued one after another. Subject 10’s body was much sturdier than a normal person’s, but her body’s natural healing ability had plummeted due to the constant use of healing magic. When Luke brought this up, Satoru replied as if it didn't matter. He said Subject 10 had given up and decided to prepare for the next round. At those words, all sorts of thoughts flooded Luke’s mind. Subject 10, whose life would end just like the other test subjects. Subject 10, burning away in the incinerator, cold and lifeless. And himself, continuing to create beings like her until a finished product emerged. But there was nothing Luke could do. He, too, was an accomplice who had laid his hands on a taboo. It felt as though they had already gone too far to turn back now.
However, the catalyst to stop it all arrived only a few days later. Seeking to spend a little more time with Subject 10 as a meager form of atonement, Luke visited the laboratory at dawn, long after everyone had left. He was greeted by the sight of the laboratory engulfed in roaring flames. Startled, he ran toward the building and saw someone slowly walking out from the entrance, her entire body wreathed in fire. Her red eyes shone vividly amidst the burning flames. Having looked into those eyes longer than anyone else, Luke knew instantly that it was Subject 10 who had burned the lab down.
Like the Witch of Wrath in the stories, Subject 10 was burning everything around her while cloaked in fire. Luke recalled the things they had done to her. It wouldn't have been strange for Subject 10, who was emitting flames powerful enough to escape a room built with fire-resistant materials, to be consumed by vengeance and harm the people around her. Approaching her with the desperate thought that he had to stop her somehow, Luke noticed the emotion contained in her eyes as she looked at him. Subject 10, engulfed in flames, a child struggling with a power too overwhelming to handle, was asking him for help.
Luke made up his mind. It was his fault that this child had been brought into this state, so it was his duty to end it. Luke muttered softly to Subject 10, "I won't let you be hurt anymore." Upon hearing those words, the flames on Subject 10’s body slowly died down. Luke caught her as she slowly collapsed, as if her strength had finally given out. He felt a sense of responsibility at the weight he felt in his arms. And so, Luke made a resolution. This child, who had known nothing but pain since she was brought into the world because of him—he would ensure she could live the rest of her life like a human being.
The first thing Luke did was give the child in his arms a new name. Perhaps as a side effect of using her powers, her hair was dyed the same color as her eyes. The color was as deep and red as the wounds she had endured. A child who had been hurt so much and knew that pain. Because she knew pain better than anyone, he wanted her to become someone who could treat others with kindness. With that wish in his heart, Luke gave her the name Scarlet.
Luke, who had never once used his family's influence in his life, sold the name of Aegis for Scarlet. The first thing he did was create an identity for her. He gave her the surname Evande, a shortened form of Evangeline Decimus, to remind her never to forget what he had done, and he decided to become the legal guardian of Scarlet Evande, who was now an orphan on paper. He agonized over how to help her live the most human life possible. When he asked if there was anything she wanted to do, Scarlet, whose reactions had become increasingly muted since leaving the lab, showed no response. As he racked his brain, he remembered that she had shown interest in the stories about Aegis Academy. He thought that if she received guidance at the Academy, he could feel at ease about her somewhat unstable control over her powers.
So, Luke made a request to his older brother for the second time in his life. The first was asking his brother to take the position of Headmaster at the Academy when he was young. The second was to allow Scarlet to take the entrance exam for the Academy, even though the application period had already closed. He was scolded for asking such a favor of someone who had to be more impartial than anyone, but when he earnestly pleaded that he wasn't asking for her to be passed, just for the chance to take the test, his brother sighed and accepted. And Scarlet literally shattered the scarecrow standing there for measurement. In a way, it was to be expected. Her special body, into which all sorts of things meant to enhance physical capabilities—things usually avoided due to side effects—had been injected for the sake of the experiments, possessed power far beyond that of an average physical-enhancement ability user. She didn't even show her ability to manipulate fire, but that alone was already a passing grade, and she became a preliminary student at the Academy.
After ignoring Satoru's contact for a while, he declared that he was quitting and returning to his original work, cutting off all communication. He heard that Satoru was searching for him. Fearing that being seen together might arouse suspicion, he found a new place for Scarlet to live. It was a dilapidated building in District 15, scheduled for demolition, where no one lived. It looked far too cramped, but since it was the only place Scarlet had shown any reaction to while they were wandering around, he bought the entire building. He thought that a place like this might actually be a good hideout, as Satoru, who had mysophobia, would never dream of coming near it.
The small space, which seemed almost full once a bed, a wardrobe, and a small refrigerator were placed inside, was where Scarlet would lie on her bed like the dead every time he visited. Even when he filled the refrigerator with food for her to eat, she wouldn't touch it, and he eventually had to throw it all away. He worried if she could manage on her own, but he felt he wouldn't have much time to check on her, as he had to avoid Satoru, who was persistently searching for him by asking people around.
Scarlet began to show changes after she started attending the Academy. Perhaps due to the aftereffects of the experiments, she had lost her previous memories; she became capable of conversation and seemed to be doing well at the Academy. Just as he was thinking that her becoming like a normal person might be for the best, Luke received a call from his brother. The news that Scarlet had lost her left arm and was hospitalized, followed by the words that countless people had been saved thanks to her, made Luke burst into tears. He cried because of the sadness, the guilt, and the gratitude that went beyond both. Even though she had lost her memories, just like the request he had made long ago. Just as he had thought when he gave her her name. The fact that she had become a kind person who protected others was the greatest salvation he could have ever asked for.
Luke took the nearest gate to the address sent via text and ran frantically. The address Satoru had sent was quite far from the nearest gate. It wasn't easy to run at his age, but he ran and ran until his breath caught in his throat, worried about what Satoru might have done to Scarlet. At the end of his run, he saw a single building located in a remote area. A building with a heavy-looking door slightly ajar, as if it had been waiting for him to arrive. As Luke passed through the open door and entered, it slammed shut with a metallic click. The inside of the building was dark, with the lights turned off. Thinking he might have entered the wrong place, Luke caught his breath and shouted loudly, "Satoru!"
Then, a familiar voice echoed through the building. "It seems you ran here in a hurry without even eating lunch. Didn't I tell you to eat before coming? You're not young anymore; you'll ruin your health if you run like that on an empty stomach, my friend."
"Where is Scarlet? You clearly said you were with her!" As Luke asked, a loud burst of laughter rang out from the darkness. With that sound, Luke felt his head spin. Along with the sensation of his consciousness rapidly fading, the lights in the building, which had been off, flickered to life. Smoke was filling the building. Sleeping gas. Luke realized the identity of the smoke the moment he saw it, but he had already inhaled far too much. Beyond his blurring vision, he saw Satoru wearing a gas mask. Satoru laughed and said, "To think an object would have a name. Don't worry. I'll let you meet her soon."
Satoru was a brilliant researcher. He had never known failure in his life. The family had ordered him to dispose of them, but the test subjects still remained. If that were the case, he simply had to achieve results with the ones that were left. He had said that her flames grew stronger according to her emotion of wrath, hadn't he? Since Luke cherished her so much, she must be precious to him as well. If he watched a precious person break down right before his eyes, he would surely be able to draw out her emotions. The experiments must continue. He would reclaim the glory of the great Astra with a finished product possessing the power of a witch. For that, he would do anything, anything, anything, anything, anything.
Satoru scratched his neck and laughed.