"Alone,
he sings his silence in a cage with no doors,
because wings that do not know the sky… do not know how to escape."
---
In a small white room, like a box without keys.
Smooth, clean walls, empty except for a small mirror fixed on the wall opposite the bed.
A child lay on a narrow bed, covered with a faded gray blanket.
His small body seemed frailer than it should… pale skin, almost bluish, bony limbs pressing against the thin fabric, long black hair falling over his face, covering half his eyes.
And his eyes — when open — held only a still darkness, eyes without a spark or reflection.
But now…
His eyes were closed.
He lay there, neither asleep nor awake.
On his chest rested a small dove, an old worn-out doll, its left wing torn as if it had survived a thousand falls.
His thin fingers gently surrounded it, not out of tenderness, but simply because it was there.
Inside his head… words whispered.
"If only I could truly sleep…"
His inner voice was faint, barely carrying a tone.
"Drift off… sink… disappear…"
But he did not know what sinking felt like.
He did not know what it meant to fall asleep and feel safe.
No fear in his heart.
No anger. Not even curiosity.
Just… emptiness.
In his mind, it was as if he saw himself soaring above the clouds.
White, thick, glowing under a nameless light.
His light body drifting over them as if nothing tied him to the ground.
His hands opened like wings, the air caressing his face, the sky calling him… a place where no words or commands were needed.
Then — suddenly —
A harsh voice cut through the silence.
" R0 ,You have two minutes to exit. Noncompliance will result in punishment."
A metallic voice echoed above the door to his room, breaking the moment that wasn't truly sleep.
His black eyes slowly opened.
No sigh, not even a flicker of fatigue.
He reached out his small hand to the edge of the bed, sat up lightly.
He set the white dove down gently on the small table beside the bed, then stood.
With silent steps, he approached the small sink beneath the mirror.
He raised his hands, splashed cold water on his face.
He didn't shiver at the chill, just kept his hands there for a moment, staring at his reflection in the glass.
A small face…
Pale…
Dark eyes that did not shine.
He brushed the hair from his forehead with his fingertips, revealing his eyes fully, stared at them for a moment, then turned away.
He put on his white pants, tightened the white shirt fastened with a thin belt at the waist.
Light clothes, meant not for warmth, but for function.
He approached the door.
And whispered, in a voice only he could hear:
"Again… and when?
When will I spread my wings and fly from here…?"
When his hand touched the door, it opened automatically, revealing the space outside.
He stood there for a moment. Then, without another word, stepped out.
As the door opened before him… a vast space was revealed, circular, like a closed arena between endless walls.
White walls surrounded the place, but they were not silent.
dozens of small doors were scattered across them, each door leading to a room like his.
And at the heart of the arena… stood several children, divided into groups, lined up in strict rows.
In front of his door, a woman stood.
She wore a white medical coat, a black badge shaped like a flame hanging from her chest, with the number one burning inside it.
Her eyes were cold, her hair pulled tightly back, her steps precise and measured.
"R0, follow me."
She said it in an emotionless voice, as if giving an order to a machine.
The child moved, his steps light, soundless.
He followed her across the arena, his eyes flickering briefly with faint curiosity… but he didn't call it curiosity.
He stopped when she raised her hand, pointing to a line drawn on the ground.
There, engraved in the cold tiles, was a large letter R.
He stood on it, his black hair falling still, looking down at his feet.
Slowly, other children gathered around him.
All of them bore the same letter, R — ten children in a single line.
Beside them, other factions: S, T, U… all the way to Z.
He knew the system.
They were divided by factions.
Children like him — some of them dwarves: tough skin, sharp features, quick small eyes.
Beside them, fairy girls: long ears, green and yellow hair, unforgettable beauty.
There were also nymphs, with long blue hair, light water-masks covering their faces, visible only if they allowed you to see them.
And among them, other races, striking in how they… let's say resembled him, but most had fiery hair, blue-haired boys with blue eyes, and children of stone race, their skins cracked like rocks.
R0 lifted his head slightly, looking at them.
They were all here, like game pieces waiting for orders.
He felt nothing toward them. No surprise, no fear, no excitement.
Just… he knew they were part of the system.
At the center of the arena, the doctor raised her hand, speaking in a loud voice:
"It's breakfast time."
The factions moved in disciplined lines, long rows heading toward the tables lined up at the side of the arena.
Each faction sat at its own table.
On the table, small meals, almost tasteless, without color or smell.
The children ate quickly, without a word.
When they finished, they wiped their plates with a cloth, put them back, then stood up in line again.
At the other end of the arena, the doctor watched them from above, a small sigh escaping her, as if allowing herself a second of weakness.
She whispered to herself:
"I hope something finally works… I need that promotion, I need out of this floor…"
She raised her voice:
"Your training session will begin exactly at six. Prepare yourselves."
Her eyes passed over the factions, as if testing each one.
"The top ten winning factions tonight… will get a grand dinner."
A small smirk crossed her face — a grand dinner? Compared to breakfast? Barely… but she knew the promise alone was enough.
"And they will be given two extra hours of sleep. And maybe — just maybe — they will rise to the next floor."
Here, many eyes lit up.
But R0?
He remained standing as he was, without a single movement.
The doctor continued:
"As for the losing factions… punishments await. More time spent here. Less time to sleep."
She stepped forward, the sound of her heels ringing in the enclosed arena:
"Remember: being on the higher floors is better than here… and freedom awaits you outside. But only those who use their powers well can reach it."
A massive door on the opposite side opened.
Through it entered a group of doctors, each holding a sleek electronic tablet, gleaming under the ceiling lights.
Each doctor headed to their assigned faction, their eyes sharp, fingers moving quickly across the screens.
The doctor finally raised her hand, announcing firmly:
"Follow your doctors in order. Any violation? Your whole faction will be punished."
The children stood, dozens of eyes on them, dozens of measured steps beginning to move.
And through all of this… R0's heart remained still.
As if it was happening to someone else, somewhere else.
The doctor led the long line of children toward another open door on the eastern side of the arena.
There, beyond the door, stretched wide corridors, their walls covered with screens showing numbers, faction names, and data boxes changing every second.
At the end of the corridor, the doctor stopped, slowly turned:
"Faction R… you will go with Doctor Code 17."
She pointed to a tall, thin man wearing metallic glasses that gleamed in the light.
He seemed as if he didn't truly see the children, only his electronic tablet.
The children moved behind him, lined up neatly, their steps synchronized.
They passed through more automatic doors until they reached a massive training hall, its walls covered with metal panels, the ceiling high, thin black wires dangling from above.
At the center of the hall was a large arena, surrounded by a glowing transparent fence, like a cage of light.
Outside the arena, several devices… strength meters, analyzers, monitoring screens.
Doctor Code 17 stood before them, finally lifting his head, his voice calm but sharp:
"We will begin with a basic power assessment."
R0 lifted his eyes toward the arena.
He saw the light's reflection on it, like a still water surface.
The sounds of the other children's voices began to fade from his mind, everything becoming silent.
Inside, only his body, his slow pulse, and a very strange voice… like a broken wing whispering:
"This is only the beginning."
One by one, the children of Faction R entered the arena.
First, a girl with short copper hair, clenched fists, her eyes sparking with electricity.
In front of her, a small device lit up red, measuring her strength.
She struck the device with her fist — a bright flash — numbers appeared on the screen: 27 points.
Next, a boy with gray hair, narrow cat-like eyes.
He leapt high, kicking the device. 32 points.
One after another, they stepped up.
Scores ranging in the twenties and thirties.
Then… it was R0's turn.
He stood there, eyes half-closed, body calm.
He heard whispers behind him:
"He's the weakest."
"He's just a number, meaningless."
But he didn't turn.
He didn't care.
He entered the arena, stood before the device.
He raised his hand slowly.
He didn't clench his fist. He didn't take a fighting stance.
He just… touched the device with his fingers.
One moment.
The screen in front of the doctor began to flicker.
Numbers flipped at insane speed.
[0… 0… 0… then — suddenly — — Error.]
The screen turned blue, red words appeared: "Invalid Reading."
Silence filled the hall.
Doctor Code 17 raised his eyebrows, stepped forward, examining his tablet, reloading the data.
The children behind R0 whispered, but he didn't hear them.
Inside him…
There was something else whispering.
Something not part of this hall, or these walls.
And suddenly, at the edge of his awareness, he remembered something.
A distant voice, from a time he didn't know when:
"When the time comes… you will know."
The doctor finally said coldly:
"R0… you will be evaluated later. Return to the line."
The child returned to his place, stood in his line, without expression.
But for the first time, he felt something stirring inside.
Not fear.
Not hope.
Just, that deep sensation:
Something is waiting for me… and I am waiting for it.