Philosophy has had many questions and very little answers. Is there truly a world beyond our own plane? What lies on the top of the cosmic food chain? Is there more to our consciousness than what we believe? Today, Roman would answer one of these many many questions in this experiment. Does a clone have a soul? He watched Amai enter the darkened room, the snaking tubes that attached the NuPsi Network to a series of black boxes parallel to the rooms glowed with a breath-like purple pulse. He worked on the machine as he was asked by Malcolm himself, yet those weren’t his only orders.

Roman turned his attention to Italy, his half-sister, as she walked across the floor to the control center. She had no idea of the true functions of the machine, believing it to only ‘activate the power of the mind’. Malcolm and Margaret were now closer to the panorama window pane, with only the purple glow of the tube illuminating it. Everyone was waiting, watching to see his masterpiece in play. And he was ready to give them a show.

“Beginning Psionic-Transfer sequence…” Italy declared, after waiting for Amai to attach all the straps.

From the pulses of purple light, Roman could see the slightest smirk on Malcolm’s face. “Tonight, humanity is one step closer to reaching the realms of gods.” The Head Nurdstrum declared, turning to Margaret and Roman with a slight nod of approval.

You’re right Roman thought to himself. Just not by your hands. His own smug smirk curled from his lips as he turned his attention back to Amai.

“Synchronization process beginning in 3…”

Underneath one of the arms of the NuPsi Chair, a faint pinkish glow was emitting.

“2…”

His answer will soon be found.

“1…”

His family will be pleased.

“0....”

An ethereal whirling emitted from the machine, and Amai jolted up in silent agony. She refused to scream, Roman gave her her credit, the pain the machine was designed to give wasn’t dismissal. Her eyes began to appear the same color as the tubes, except they shined much brighter. His eyes shifted to Malcolm, who appeared to be fine with what was happening, then Margaret, who simply looked away, and finally his sister, who appeared to be having second thoughts.

No more than a minute later, Amai slumped over, seeming like her soul left her body, and Roman acted quickly.

“Stop the machine!” He ordered, the once purple tubes become pitch black. Then, the lights were turned on. Malcolm rushed in, followed by everyone else. While they gathered around the sleeping beauty, Roman saw his opportunity. He slipped his black gloved hand underneath the armor of the seat, where the pink was, and ran his fingers on the underbelly until he felt a humming, quickly removing the humming from the machine and gripping it.

While the three (Malcolm, Margaret, and Italy), called for reinforcements, Roman grabbed a med kit from the wall. Wanting to look like he was helping, while he was truly examining his prize. The soft hum in his fingers was revealed to be a small pink crystal, inside it Amai sat. She looked at peace, until she opened one eye and looked at Roman. It was her soul. Her consciousness.

He placed the crystal in a small black cloth sack, where it vanished completely, and hurried back to the prone body. Roman was certain her body wouldn’t die, the mystical flower he put in the tea she drank made sure of that. But his true goals were to obtain the soul of a being born from virgin parents for his family, and that was what he had gotten.

The The Signia Of Hawthron

At 8 years, Roman sat in the corners of his bedroom, the shadows covered the boy’s silent rage. He ripped the head and limbs of his action figures apart, and then lit them on fire with his father’s grill torch. His parents watched him from his room’s door frame, he heard them whisper things, nasty things, behind his back. He could only make out a few words, about how he was a ‘danger’ and a ‘monster’ to those around him. Of course, this wasn’t the first time they talked about this. They simply didn’t understand him, and how this released his stress, he wasn’t even entirely sure why he was stressed, only that he was. He watched his parents leave the room, probably to talk about him when he wasn’t around, but he didn’t care, he went on again, destroying his action figures and dismembering them.

It must’ve been only an hour or so until they returned back, they said they were going to the beach, and gestured for him to follow. The car ride was long and taxing, the buildings passed by in a boring manner, making Roman a bit upset. Until finally, they reached the beach, the crystal blue waters and the clear sky above was something he loved beyond measures. He dropped his figures and approached the water, sitting in the ocean, letting the saltwater calm him. He turned to find his mother and father talking to a man by a lighthouse, they handed him a suitcase and in return, gave them the keys. They dropped the keys, and headed to their car, driving into the distance before Roman could even catch them.‘Perhaps they made a mistake.’ He thought to himself, hopeful that they would return. So he sat in the water and waited for them to come back, but they never did. Leaving him isolated in a lighthouse, without any ways of communication.

+++

An entire decade passed, and he was now a young man. He took his usual dive into the ocean piercing fish and other marine life with his makeshift spear, cooking them to eat later. However, in the distance, he heard the sounds of a cry, a cry from a child. In sheer curiosity, he went to go find it. It was only a few miles away from the lighthouse when he found a newborn swaddled in seaweed. She (he checked) seemed to have been abandoned, much like him, so he took sympathy for her, knowing how it feels to be alone in the world and took her as his own.

Years seemed to fly by, as he taught her the things he learned from the ocean, and from the books that had been proved to him. In return, she unknowingly keeps his anger at bay, keeping his mind occupied on raising her and providing her happiness. However, this all changed when creatures of the sea sprang up. They raid the lighthouse, destroying everything in his way, he tried to fight them back, but they were too many and too great. They dragged her towards the sea, leaving him to bleed out. Moments before blacking out, a black SUV pulled up to his lighthouse and two men would carry him instead, and finally he was unconscious.

+++

Roman woke up, seated at the end of a black table surrounded by a black room. There was no light, only the darkness surrounded him. Then, when he thought he was alone, a voice emerged from the void room. “Greetings there Raymond...or by your natural name Roman. Now don’t worry, you’re with family now?” The voice spoke with a slight Chinese dialect

“WHERE AM I! AND WHO ARE YOU” Roman yelled, his anger beginning to rise.

“You may call me Mr. M. And I can’t help you unless you calm down.” The figure got closer, while he couldn’t see it, Roman could hear the sounds of the footsteps of the shoes approached him. He then felt a hand against his shoulder.

“Now, I know you must have dealt with a lost, your daughter...I too have a child, a son. While, he isn’t a child any more, but I remember when I almost lost him to those mutants.” The hand was lifted from his shoulder and back into the void.

“Now Mr. Roman, you’re a Nurdstrum, and us Nurdstrums must look out for one another. My son has the means to make you stronger, faster, and better, just to make sure that no one else experiences what we did.” Roman took a while to think about his, he was kidnapped and now this man wouldn't even show his face

. “Now how can I trust you “Mr. M”, I DON’T EVEN F***KING KNOW YOU!” He yelled once again as his anger suddenly peaked.

“Well Mr. Roman, as I said, I have powerful friends. My son for one will supply you the means to become strong, and I will provide you with the men and the money. We can make you a rich man if you agree. Just say yes and we’ll erase you from technological history and start you fresh and with a small army? Yes?” The voice spoke, this time in a more hopeful tune, opposed to its usual sinister tone.

“Sure, but I don’t want to get paid, I’m doing this cause I want those demons to bleed, and everyone of them to die. That’s enough payment for me, they took her from me and they’re going to pay, with every bone in their body” Once again, he began to get angry, but not his usually kind of loudness, but a silent anger, one that resided beyond a simple rage. An anger that held a purpose, and a mission

“Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Roman, the men will show you the augmentation chamber and we will get you your suit. And it's probably best if we stop calling your Roman for safety services. From now on, any one who is allied with us will call you Canvas.”