The Alastair Experiments

"Mine!" Kagura said and leaped, hitting the ball with a spike.

Rodney tried to counter but he couldn't make it. "Argh!"

"You're so useless," Margaux remarked.

"Says the girl that hasn't even hit the ball yet," Rodney clapped back.

They were playing beach volleyball. Kagura, Yuri, and Adonis were Team A while Rodney, Rain, and Margaux were Team B. Morris and Sofia couldn't play so Devin volunteered to not play too so the teams would be even.

As the game progressed, the grown-ups were cooking their dinner. They just got back from the waters and bath and they offered to cook their dinner so the students could enjoy their game.

Devin was walking down the shore with the twins. The sun was setting and the sky was painted with a pink hue. It was beautiful.

"I wish everything could be like this," Devin said. He was walking ahead, barefoot. The twins were following him as the younger boy enjoyed the calm and serene roars of the waves.

"If the peak of the war unfolds at our time, either we'll experience this once more or no one will," Andrew said.

They stopped in their tracks, the atmosphere changed. There was now an intense tension in the air. The calm waves seemed to be harsher, the wind seemed to blow harder.

"That's why we have to win," Devin said sternly. "And I have to get stronger to help."

The twins nodded and they all got back to the camp.

One could say that the day had barely made any progress. Margaux was still unapproachable, Morris now had his temper, and the rest were still a problem."

"Today a waste," Kagura said. Morris and Margaux are sleeping while the original members of Team Leah held a small meeting.

"Margaux is such a b*tch," Rodney huffed. "I couldn't believe someone like her could be as strong as me."

"How is this going to work, guys?" Sofia said. "Even Morris seemed different. He used to be calm and silent but now he easily gets irritated and speaks rather loudly."

Devin looked at his sand-covered feet. After his conversation with the twins, he had always been thinking about how to help everyone. But for now, he has to solve their small problem. He believed that this will be a small step forward.

"You're deep in thought," Rodney said.

Devin shook his head, "I'm just thinking of things."

"What things?" Kagura asked. "Devin, you are our squad leader. If you have any problem, let's solve it together."

"By the way," Rain interrupted. "Dr. Xia and Mr. Franco seemed close don't they?"

Rodney pursed his lips. "They're childhood friends. Along with my sister."

"Are you sure?" Sofia asked.

"Yeah. They used to play together along with their other friend, Lemon. But something happened and Lemon died. That's why Dr. Xia couldn't come to the Purgatory. She didn't was traumatized."

"Then, what happened?" Devin asked after the curiosity got the best of him.

"Leon rose to the top and my sister dwindled ever since. The Alastairs and their weird experiments. The twins too."

When Devin raised his eyebrow in question, Rodney added. "Let's go somewhere far."

The group ran towards near the shore. Even when they were sleeping, the others could still hear their conversation. They had to mask their voices with the waves.

"Do you know the surname of Mr. Franco?" Rodney asked.

Devin nodded, "Alastair. He's Franco Alastair."

Rodney hummed, "What about the twins? Do you know their surname?"

Devin thought about it for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I don't think I do."

A sigh escaped from Rodney's lips. "Alastair too. They're Andrew and Andrei Alastair."

"So?"

"Have you ever wondered why my sister, a Bearer of one of the 12 Apostles isn't in the top 12 Exorcists?"

Devin heard about Stephanie's rank on the second day of school. A pair of girls were pissed because Stephanie was teaching saying 'She's not competent'. They said they rather had someone else who could live with their title.

"That's because Franco Alastair was with the first successful experimental Exorcist," Rodney whispered. "The Alastair Project. About 27 years ago, one of the most prominent clans of the Exorcists decided to Experiment on the perfect warrior. At first, they were merging Reverence to those who already activated their own. It always failed until Franco Alastair's mother was chosen to become the way to the success of the project."

"What happened?" Sofia interjected.

Everyone was curious. The information Rodney was telling them was confidential. He only knew about it because he heard Franco telling Stephanie when they were little.

"Franco Alastair's mother was regarded as the Exorcist Princess," Rodney continued. "She was a Bearer of an Apostle and she was the Top 3 in the Union, just below Tina and Liu. Her name was Mary. The Alastairs modified Mary's pregnancy. They divided the zygote into three."

"But why?" Devin asked. "Wouldn't it be better to not divide? Won't the Exorcist powers divide too?"

Rodney shook his head, "No. A child starts to gain their Exorcist powers at the age of two. Twins, triplets, and so on does not affect the power of a child. It is all about purity."

"Think of it as flowing water," Kagura sufficed. "The water represents bloodline. What if in the middle of it, you put a white dye. That represents the Exorcist powers, specifically the Bearer of an Apostle. As the water flows, the dye's color fades. But when a Bearer is introduced at a later part again, the white retains its color."

"Correct," Rodney said. "And it's not about quantity. The Alastairs got ahold of an Apostle since the start of Exorcism and they plan on dividing the Apostle into three."

"Divide?" Devin asked. "How?"

"They planned on passing the Apostle into the zygote before they divided it, that way, the Apostle would multiply with it. But there was a complication."

"One of the three children started to absorb the Apostle along with the other two."

Their eyes widened.

"One was completely absorbed while the other had their Exorcist powers sucked out from them." Rodney sighed.

Rodney leaned in. "Franco Alastair absorbed his siblings. And at birth, he activated his Reverence and slashed his mother's stomach, killing her. He replaced his mother at the rankings years later. At age 22, he was the Top 3 Exorcist. The Bladeless Man. The Duke of Exorcism, Franco Alastair."

"W-What about Mary Alastair's Apostle," Yuri inquired. "When a pregnant Bearer mother, they will have the ability to pass their Apostle. What happened to it if she died?"

"It was bounced back to her younger brother," Rodney answered. "Arthur Alastair, Andrei and Andrew's father."

"What about the twins?" Devin asked. "I have to know what they are. If they were suffering a past like that at least I have to know, right?"

"We can tell you that ourselves."

Their heads whipped to the side and saw the twins standing there. Their presence was unnoticed.

"Give us a minute," Andrei said and the others walked out. "Good storytelling, Rodney."

Andrew chuckled, "It was historically accurate."

The twins and Devin were left in silence. Only the waves and the wind provided sound between them.

"So, what are you?" Devin asked.

"We're us," Andrew said. "We didn't have any other sibling."

"And we didn't kill our mother," Andrei joked that earned him a smack from his brother.

"What he meant was, we're not so different from you," Andrew clarified.

"Oh." Devin sighed and sat on the sand. "Tell me then."

20 years ago, the younger sibling of Mary Alastair, Arthur was betrothed to a woman in another family that also had an Apostle. The Smiths of America. Arthur was betrothed to Chelsea Smith where their child was modified to become twins.

To ensure maximum synchronization with the Apostles, instead of passing it at birth, they passed it with the first heartbeats of the twins. Chelsea Smith's health declined like Mary. Her children absorbed her Exorcist powers and started to feed on those that surround them.

Then on, Chelsea and Arthur Alastair went to a smaller cabin in the middle of the woods. Several high-ranking Exorcists would visit them every day to divert the twins' drawing out of powers and energy. They continued absorbing the other Exorcists' powers and Chelsea started to regain her health.

When the time of her labor came, the Alastair Clan held their breaths. The awaited moment had come and their experiment was a success.

The Twin Princes of Exorcism was born.

"That was harsh," Devin sighed. "Your family sucks."

"Tell me about it," Andrei chuckled.

"Well at least you have one," Devin added.

The twins sighed and ruffled the smaller boy's hair.

"And now you have us," Andrew said. "We're your family now. Along with your squad."

"Yeah?"

The twins nodded. "Yes."