Prologue: Light and Darkness (2)

"I wish you hadn't failed." His mother said upon his nearly successful suicide attempt.

Thus, the wickedest spark ignited the deadliest fire.

...

It all began with two brothers and the nine individuals lulled by the light of one and supported by the shadow of the other. At first a crew, they quickly opened up to the world, each looking for trustworthy individuals—People with whom they would carry out the mission of a lifetime. Little did they know the influence one man had on them all.

One thing led to another, and once the ten became a hundred, they grew much faster. If the ten formed the core, the hundred made the body and the thousand a solid block. And, altogether, they formed Ten-Thousands, the most ambitious organisation that Earth had ever known.

Over the years, each member reached the pinnacle of their field. In fact, they shared much more than the advantage of being the first genetically enhanced generation. And it was all thanks to the help of subtle shadow guidances and vitalising sparks.

As for the brothers of Light and Darkness, something much deeper united them. For the brightest sibling, this had been clear since his brother had shadowed a path to planetary unification—the greater good.

This should have been clear.

Sadly, while light shines unilaterally, darkness carries many shades.

Perhaps he had been deceived all along, or perhaps they had never been on the same wavelength. Maybe the war had changed him, or maybe she had changed him. The Brother of Light would get an answer, whatever the cost.

In total darkness, with only the warm blood of a lady flowing from his shattered hands for company, he reflected on all this. Everything had just been... fine, until that infamous day-

Just like sand in an oversized hourglass, humans fell by millions. Unfortunately, much sooner than they should have. The atom had never made the difference; may it please the egalitarians.

Indeed, World War III started nuclear.

Ironically, it was the perfect opportunity to carry out their plan. All too soon, but time was of the essence, and something had to be done.

Both brothers had sacrificed a lot from the start. Only, with the war, their journey became a one-way trip to hell. In their quest, they did to their relatives what many would never do to their worst enemy.

Although money was a powerful weapon, they had plenty of other tools at their disposal. Starting from deception to torture and murder, there was no limit. Sacrificing members of their own organisations had never been on the agenda. Still, there was no turning back.

'A thousand solid, nine thousand tools', such was the consensus among the Ten Gregoryos leading Ten-Thousands. Or rather nine, with the Brother of Light at their head. For him, it was and always had been: two solid, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine tools. All the sacrifices he made were for the greater good... and for his brother.

Even among the Gregoryos - the hundred original members - nobody was supposed to know him. It was His brother.

Yet this one had hidden a weakness. A woman. She came to Light by herself, and he knew her well. Too well.

With her seductive eyes that inescapably attract like gravity and an unparalleled emotional instinct to sweep any being off their feet, she had long held the position of Third Gregoryo. She was one of the hundred original members who, against all odds, had risen through the ranks.

Such personage developed close ties with the ordinary man who held the world in his shadow. And it was supposed to be a coincidence? He couldn't believe it. Only she was there and joined the secret, making the duo a trio.

Not for long, if it was up to him. He tried to lessen her influence, to blind her. But despite his sheer control over the organisation, all his attempts to undermine her sank into darkness.

Distrust grew into hatred and hatred to persecution. At this point he treated her like crap, making mistakes as he went along, yet her only answer was unbridled clemency. The brother of Light slowly understood what his brother saw in her.

Two had become three. They formed a trio whose strengths far outweighed their individual shortcomings.

Under their yoke, Ten-Thousands - which included the knowledge, skills, resources and influence of 10,000 gifted who had spent their youth exacerbating their genetic advantage - toppled the weakest countries one by one.

Most of the time these countries were absorbed in silence. It was a long and tedious process led from within by long-standing members. Many of them held key positions or knew the weaknesses of major authority figures. But not all politicians were willing to sacrifice their country for their loved ones. Three solid, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight tools. Never before had so many hemicycles been bombed, let alone from within.

May they've been the most devastating terrorist group - History is Written by Victors. The world was at their feet, ready to be reshaped to their liking.

From there, problems emerged. Ah, planetary unification… the greater good. What a disillusionment.

Although Ten Thousand was complex in nature, its structure remained simple. At the head, the ten Gregoryos divided the five continents. Each led a team of nine people, both partners and competitors. These sought their position and handled a country in the same region, their homeland. One hundred individuals for one hundred countries. This cycle repeated twice. Once at the regional and local levels, from one hundred to to Ten-Thousands.

From the beginning, they had all fought for the same thing: the greater good. But with the world at their feet and the war over, a question arose: What next?

Many knew the greater good of one was not that of others. The rest learned it at their own expense.

Fantasies unravelled, and for the first time since its creation, Ten-Thousands experienced internal conflicts.

Planetary unification was not forthcoming, and ironically, he, who misled everyone, felt the most wronged. He brought them all together. He gave them a meaning. His light was supposed to blind everything.

And yet,

The nine other Gregoryos were all endowed with a specific will, a greater good quite different from his own. And no one was willing to make concessions.

In his endeavour, his own allies overthrew and imprisoned him. Light confined to darkness.

However, he did not lose hope. His brother would save him. Had to save him. After all, they shared something much more robust than genetic ties.

Torture? Manipulation? Nothing can break their bond. Nothing.

A very dark joke accompanied his first prison meal; the printed dish formed a sentence. 'Thank you, ViK.' Only one person called him this. It was more than enough to freeze his blood, but his confidence stood unshakeable. A few years ago, someone had joined the secret. His brother had only one weakness, and he should never have trusted her.

The prank proved short-lived as they confined him with all four limbs tied to the wall in total darkness. He could only feed himself through a narrow suction tube.

Months passed, and no one came. Yet he never wavered. His brother had already engulfed the world in his shadow once. It was just a matter of time.

Despite the sensory void, his imprisonment proved of little hindrance; his mind remained free. And he used this as an opportunity to hone the intellectual skills that already made him unique among the gifted.

Time passed. Years? Decades? He didn't know. Only, one day, the door of his darkened cell opened. And his light broke through. It was the happiest and saddest moment of his life.

For a moment, he saw his brother, a mere illusion after so long in darkness. Instead, the least desirable person appeared: the problematic woman, target of all his suspicions. She crossed the door and spewed words he did not bother to interpret.

He only wanted to talk to one. All others could die.

His actions only followed his ravaged state of mind. As soon as she untied his upper manacles, his left index and middle fingers went straight for her eyes while his other hand drilled through her jugular. No more seductive looks, no more sweet words.

As her figure fell to the ground, he ravaged her in utter madness.

When his last fingertips and knuckles shattered, he considered another way to soothe his fury. It's when he noticed that his lower shackles had also been removed.

This disruption allowed her half-dead hand to reach his face. She stroked his cheek.

After so long without light, he couldn't discern the socket of her punctured eyes, yet he saw.

At that moment, everything made sense. Two solid, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine tools. So that's how it felt. To be a tool.

The Gregoryo had chosen the first hundred of them. As number One, his only mistake was to believe he was his chosen one. 'Two solid, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine tools'. Ironically, she chose light over darkness.

What a surprise that besides preparing his escape, the foolish girl had used her last moments to bloody write on his cheek: Hide.

Fate may have been cruel, but nothing will be more than revenge—his new volition.