Chapter Text
"אִינטוּאִיצִיָה"
intuition
OVERGROWN VINES DRAPED across the rusty, metal interior of Lucia’s room, shrouding it in a soft, viridescent light. Unworn clothes were scattered about on her floor, as if they were about to be thrown out. A thin layer of dust covered her entire desk, untouched for weeks. The room was undeniably filthy, but Lucia didn’t care. The bed, covered in a plain, white duvet, supported by a flimsy, steel frame, seemed to be the only thing she bothered to tidy. Despite the room being cloaked with darkness, a small yellow glow emitted from her lamp on her bedside drawer. From the outside, this room could pass for a cell; no windows, no decorations, and the metal plates cloaked in artificial greenery. Above the steel door, a nameplate was hung; Lucia Meridian.
Eyelashes fluttering open, Lucia shoved the cotton duvet aside. At least the duvet was made out of real cotton, not cheap polyester. She stretched her arms, a quiet yawn escaping out of her mouth. Her gaze turned to her bedside table, where her breakfast was laid out for her. Antique designs were engraved onto the plate, making her feel somewhat appreciated to receive a fancy-looking dish. She took the plate in one hand, and the silverware in the other, and started to eat her breakfast: a runny egg, and a piece of seeded, crumbled bread; it wasn’t ideal, but it’s not like she had a choice.
Life in this so-called prison cell has been, to say the least, mundane . Lucia’s teammates in EXO-Unit 2F have made the past few weeks in EXO-Core, a human-built civilisation located on Althira, somewhat bearable. Yet, even with her surprisingly long-lasting friendships within her unit, she didn’t feel a strong connection with anyone - not even Sacho, who claimed to be her ‘closest associate’. His unwavering loyalty to EXO-Core was quite unsettling, but Lucia thought he was still an admirable person. The rest of her team members; Eden, Meryl, Kiana and Eliseo didn’t pay much attention to Lucia, and simply worked alongside her.
Eleven years ago, when Lucia was at the age of six, she had been sorted into a nursery home with five other children. Lush vegetation crept over every colourful surface, yet Winnie, their teacher, insisted that, “ EXO-Core decorated its interior with artificial greenery ”, only to, “ preserve the beauty of Althira, as the nature in the outside world had died out long ago .” It was a phrase used by every teacher in EXO-Core, and no child would question it. Posters of the EXO-Core leader were placed around the walls in an orderly fashion. Toys of different, vivid colours had been scattered all over the rainbow-patterned floor, free to be used by any child. EXO-Core had ensured that each child would be happy within their nursery homes, and that they would grow up to appreciate their environment.
It wasn’t some corrupt scheme that EXO-Core had developed to manipulate children; but rather because the truth would be too much to handle at such a young age. Therefore, at the age of sixteen, many were assigned into different EXO-Units. In these units, each child would be given a choice; to be a Miralogist, a Mechaforger, or to use an EXO-Form. Miralogists are practically scientists that uncover the different possibilities that Mira, the lifeblood of Althira, could be used for. Mechaforgers are engineers who maintain the structure of the EXO-Core fortification, as well as building EXO-Forms. EXO-Forms are mechanical robots that are infused with Mira. After selection, each EXO-Unit would receive specialised training over a two-year course.
A year ago, Lucia chose to become an EXO-Form user, as she had always wanted. Training wasn’t always easy; her teammates, Eliseo and Meryl, had struggled controlling the EXO-Form, and extracting Mira from test-sites, thus causing Lucia to fall behind. Inside the EXO-Form lay a dense control panel, with numerous buttons, switches, and levers, each having its own purpose. Considering the flickering glow of Mira from inside of the EXO-Form, it would only be natural to have a lack of focus. It’s fairly reasonable to why each course lasts two years.
Upon finishing her breakfast, Lucia stood up from her bed, placing her finished plate back onto her bedside table. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes, lumbering over to the steel door. She paused, then pushed the door with all of her strength, the hinges groaning as it opened. As she stepped out, she glanced around the narrow corridor, checking to see if any of her friends had woken up. All the doors were closed. She sighed, carefully closing the door behind her. With careful steps and a cluttered mind, she began to walk towards the main room, where she could peacefully collect her thoughts.
“Lucia!”
Her eyes flickered over to the hallway as the sole Miralogist of EXO-Unit 2F, Sacho Virel, pushed through his steel door, drowsily waving in her direction. It was obvious that he had only woken up; his oversized, wrinkled sleepwear clung loosely to his body, along with his frizzy, golden hair strands sticking out in every direction. His face showed a combination of a restlessness and warmth, a subtle smile slowly starting to form as he stumbled towards her. Lucia paused, turning to face him.
“Goodmorning,” Lucia spoke, watching as Sacho continued to lumber towards her, his eyes barely open. Sacho ran his fingers through his hair, trying to fix his bed-hair.
Mornings in the EXO-Unit always seemed to start this way, and Lucia would end up blabbering about stories of extraterrestrial beings, and even other-worldly planets on the shared living-room couch. But the part about 'other planets' wasn't simply fiction. Each child had been told about the existence of planets outside of Althira. Each planet had its own lifeblood, just as Althira has mira. Over time, however, each planet would die out, as their lifeblood would lose stability. And Althira was no exception. Thus, it led to the creation of EXO-Core; a civilisation designed to harness mira before it became utterly useless.
Centuries ago, mechanical ports were built in each sector of the EXO-Core building; a drill, covered with reinforced metal, would pierce into the ground to harvest the glistening, luminescent liquid, known as mira. With every extraction, the viridescent forests surrounding that area would decay; flowers would wilt, and trees would begin to rot from the inside. Mira did more than just sustain the greenery in Althira. It protected it. Naturally, a planet would emit thermal flares, electromagnetic waves, and fluctuations of its lifeblood, almost like a pulse. Mira nullified these emissions, even cloaking the planet in a refractive field, hiding it from the outside world.
EXO-Core had always known that harnessing mira by force would come at a cost. Althiras core would be weakened, and miras' protective blanket would falter, revealing it to the outside world. But years ago, when faint flickers of light began to appear on the interface of their resonance scanner, EXO-Core realised that a threat to Althira was near. It was still millions of light years away; but if it truly was what EXO-Core expected - what they feared the most, then they would need to start preparing. Immediately.
As Sacho and Lucia sat on the couch, he realised she didn’t have her usual, eager expression. She’d sit down, look at him, and talk incessantly without even realising it. He cherished these mornings, and he cherished her. But today, even noticing this slight change in Lucia made Sacho concerned. She didn’t look at him. She didn’t start talking. Sacho opened his mouth as if to say something, but he stopped himself. She clenched her fists, and sighed.
“I…” Lucia spoke, lifting her gaze to look at Sacho. She furrowed her brows, her lips slightly trembling. He looked at her, eyebrows raised.
“I want to visit the outside world.”