Tenebrous Industries was a rather large, yet underground, company who expressed themselves as being a company that would take in the children left abandoned and homeless from Dark Events. Acnologia's secondhand destruction of a small island in the middle of the ocean, not too far from Tenroujima, qualified as a Dark Event. Upon Tenroujima's sinking, the resulting tsunami of the water displacement of the island sinking into the sea traversed across the sea and completely sunk another small island. The resulting search for surviving members from Tenroujima turned up no surviving Fairy Tail members. However, a young boy was found on a piece of roofing floating about 2 miles away from Tenroujima's location. Nothing was said of him concerning Tenroujima's event because he was later tracked back to the small island that was wiped clean off the map. Collateral damage. All that remained of the small fishing and gathering village was a few wooden support struts on the higher ground of the island. The surviving boy was handed over to a child services company in Fiore, whom was full due to the multitude of dark events occurring recently, handed the boy over to a small, newly developed company that was formed to help take in the extras.
So it was that Zexion Archfiend, as he was later named, was taken in by Tenebrous Industries. At only 15 months old, Zexion had no real memories of anything that occurred to his hometown, which resulted in easier emotion recuperation. Tenebrous Alchemy Industries grew it's reputation for pulling off miracles with other cases in abandoned childcare. Zexion wasn't one of those cases. Zexion just grew up, as any child would, innocent, joyous and carefree, until the age of 5. The original founder of Tenebrous Alchemy Industries passed away, and with it, the good-hearted purpose of Tenebrous Industries died.
Zexion's life had just become shadowed from that moment onward, forever changing his life. Tenebrous Industries unnecessary because the flow of the abandoned dropped off. The new president of Tenebrous Industries decided to change the company's main objective to something that he found fascinating, and a possible money-maker; Magical Development.
This wasn't part of the advancement in the already present magical abilities in a human being. This was forcing the fusion of the human with magic. Against the laws of nature, he proceeded to use the remaining children that were left in the custody of Tenebrous Industries to use as guinea pigs for his method of magical infusion, which of course, he hid from the press and media. Being a guinea pig was frightening, and painful.
Zexion was the premier child to be tested upon, and thus became the poster child for underground magical testing for the newly changed Tenebrous Alchemy Industries. Zexion's innocence faded, his happiness torn from him, his life sent into shambles. He felt like a prisoner, living in fear each day.
They tested on nearly every part of his body. Each test would be the same, very inept use to surgical tools, no way to relieve pain. To emerge a magical force inside him, in the Industries belief that everyone possessed a magical ability, but only a minority of humans awaken that magic from an emotional or life threatening moment, they were painfully forcing the magic to rise, by placing him at the points he would be hanging onto life by a thread.
The industries had eventually tested on everything from Zexion's lower legs, replacing the bone and muscle with metal and wires, attempting amplify the strength of his legs, which failed. No difference was detected. They moved onto his hands, hoping to make them capable of crushing a human skull with a finger twitch. They replaced only one lower arm, his right only, learning from the loss of time and money with replacing both legs, with a high torque, high pressure clutching hand, the skin not remaining present as was the case with the legs. The lower arm from the elbow to fingertips was replaced with a black metal. Again, the hand didn't succeed in any strength increase. The Industries finally figured out that the nerves and signals from the brain could only go as strong the physically human possible. Replacing the body with mechanical parts would give no beneficial advancement to strength.
They moved onto things that needed no physical advancement, but gave the user some sort of advantage. They focused on sight. Late one night, Zexion was called in for typical testing. Only to be strapped to a table. Over a few painful hours, Zexion's right eye was removed. Zexion's screams of pain were heard throughout the underground facility causing the children to shake, whimper and cry. The children liked Zexion. He always remained strong; didn't give in to depression from what was done to him. The other kids saw him as a model of hope. They never spoke to him, but from a distance, they wanted to be like him.
His eye replaced with a red eye with a slit for a pupil, similar to a cat's eye. It was the eye of a dragon. They were hoping that being infused with the actual DNA, or suspected DNA, of a Dragon would help in rising some sort of magical power inside him. It failed.
All children in the Industries care, were forbidden from seeing themselves in a mirror to prevent the sight of whatever they had been doing to them. The depression led to one kid, after seeing himself in a mirror, led to him killing himself. This was a loss of money to the industries; one less guinea pig to test on. The industries forgot about the reflection from his new mechanical lower arm, now only acted as a functional paperweight. Zexion managed to see the distorted reflection and screamed out at how scary he looked. He now was scared of himself more than of the people who did this to him. They made him into a monster. Zexion went into a fit of rage and thrashed about his room, punching the white concrete walls with enough force to crack the surface. The lights above his head flickered at his screamed and maniac will. Zexion let out one last painful, terrified yell as he closed his eyes and hoped it was a dream. The yell broke the light bulbs of the large incandescent bulbs above him. Upon hearing the cracking and fracturing of the glass upon hitting the ground of his cell, he opened his eyes and looked up at the lights. His vision was now multicolored. The terminals of the light bulbs glowing a bright green, the metal around it glowing a light orange color, the walls colored a light red. He looked down at his mechanical arm, it too was glowing a yellow color. This only confused Zexion. He learned later that he could now see the energy present in objects, or so he thought. Electrical outlets glowed a bright green, stone walls were red, metals were an variety of orange colors. Through the next several months, Zexion worked to figure out the power himself, and kept it hidden from everyone.
Several other tests later, placing Zexion in life threatening situations time and time again, he kept his power hidden, not that it was worth anything in battle yet anyway. One day, walking through the halls of cells, he took note of each face that looked up at him from the cells. Each face had red color to him, little energy....little life.
Several months became years. They passed as he learned his power slowly as he watched the faces of his fellow captives grow older and weaker, and lose even more faith. Each reported death from the testing tore Zexion apart. Zexion was the oldest, and strongest among them, and he wasn't doing anything to even attempt to free anyone, even himself. He was broken so long ago by pain and treatment. They changed him, his attitude, his form, his will.
The Industries were getting annoyed with his anatomical failure. One day, in a complete fit of rage at the continual failure and loss of money, the president called Zexion into a small, white, empty room. Zexion was scared knowing he was meeting the president of the industries, and not some of the technicians he normally met with. The president was facing away from him upon entering the room. A basic discussion began, expressing how upset the president was with Zexion's failure to allow any of the methods they have tried over the years to work. Zexion expressed how it wasn't anyone's fault, it just wasn't working out. The conversation ended with Zexion saying that the Industries methods were what was the failure and that it was never going to work, not on anyone. The president whirled around and leaped towards Zexion, landing a right hook to Zexion's head, jerking his head to the side. The president jumped and twisted, delivering a roundhouse to Zexion's head, making him stumble sideways. Next was a hand to the side of Zexion that wouldn't let go. It bashed his head against one of the wall several times. A splintering crack was heard and a body hitting the ground. Zexion woke up several minutes later in a puddle of his own blood with a pounding headache. Upon Zexion getting to his hands and knees, the president raised his foot to slam it down onto his head. Zexion raised his metallic hand and caught his foot, gripping it enough to cause a bone to crack in the president's foot, using the other hand to absorb energy from the floor. Zexion developed a small dagger in his left hand, while his right was holding the presidents foot. Zexion looked up at the president, rearing back onto his knees. He rose onto his feet, shaking from pain, and proceeded to mutilate the president until nothing moved. One by one, Zexion used his rage for the Industries to free each child, while killing anyone who got in the way of doing so. Zexion didn't speak a word as he stole keys from guards to free the children. Each child he freed followed him and assisted in freeing the others. The children's smiles had returned, after thinking it was impossible to see them smile again.
Upon breaking free of the Industries, it was buried. One guard managed to hit a switch set in place by the second president to stop the evil that happened there from being exposed to the public. Therefore, no one knows it ever existed except for those whom were in it.
The children gathered around Zexion outside after they escaped. It is then when Zexion spoke for the first time. He told the children to stay together, and join a guild together somewhere. They all had developed magic from the Industries testing. Zexion's was natural, as nothing the Industries gave him granted him the magic. Most the children were the same way. Perhaps the children needed to be pushed to discover their magic. They may have had a point, but nearly killing them on purpose was not a way to do it, nor was replacing arms or legs or eyes.
The children insisted that Zexion form a guild for himself. Zexion refused, telling them to join other guilds and that he needs to be alone.
“I am not Guild Master material... not yet. Maybe someday.”
The children were sad he would need to go, but from time to time, a child from the Industries sees Zexion, taking a rest in a city. Zexion is happy to see they have each found lives of their own.
And so it was that Zexion began to wander around the world, learning his own magic and growing accustomed to the life he wanted to set for himself. Someday, he'll try join a guild, if someone shows interest in taking in a lab rat whose puzzle of life is jumbled and doesn't have all the pieces.
So it was that Zexion Archfiend, as he was later named, was taken in by Tenebrous Industries. At only 15 months old, Zexion had no real memories of anything that occurred to his hometown, which resulted in easier emotion recuperation. Tenebrous Alchemy Industries grew it's reputation for pulling off miracles with other cases in abandoned childcare. Zexion wasn't one of those cases. Zexion just grew up, as any child would, innocent, joyous and carefree, until the age of 5. The original founder of Tenebrous Alchemy Industries passed away, and with it, the good-hearted purpose of Tenebrous Industries died.
Zexion's life had just become shadowed from that moment onward, forever changing his life. Tenebrous Industries unnecessary because the flow of the abandoned dropped off. The new president of Tenebrous Industries decided to change the company's main objective to something that he found fascinating, and a possible money-maker; Magical Development.
This wasn't part of the advancement in the already present magical abilities in a human being. This was forcing the fusion of the human with magic. Against the laws of nature, he proceeded to use the remaining children that were left in the custody of Tenebrous Industries to use as guinea pigs for his method of magical infusion, which of course, he hid from the press and media. Being a guinea pig was frightening, and painful.
Zexion was the premier child to be tested upon, and thus became the poster child for underground magical testing for the newly changed Tenebrous Alchemy Industries. Zexion's innocence faded, his happiness torn from him, his life sent into shambles. He felt like a prisoner, living in fear each day.
They tested on nearly every part of his body. Each test would be the same, very inept use to surgical tools, no way to relieve pain. To emerge a magical force inside him, in the Industries belief that everyone possessed a magical ability, but only a minority of humans awaken that magic from an emotional or life threatening moment, they were painfully forcing the magic to rise, by placing him at the points he would be hanging onto life by a thread.
The industries had eventually tested on everything from Zexion's lower legs, replacing the bone and muscle with metal and wires, attempting amplify the strength of his legs, which failed. No difference was detected. They moved onto his hands, hoping to make them capable of crushing a human skull with a finger twitch. They replaced only one lower arm, his right only, learning from the loss of time and money with replacing both legs, with a high torque, high pressure clutching hand, the skin not remaining present as was the case with the legs. The lower arm from the elbow to fingertips was replaced with a black metal. Again, the hand didn't succeed in any strength increase. The Industries finally figured out that the nerves and signals from the brain could only go as strong the physically human possible. Replacing the body with mechanical parts would give no beneficial advancement to strength.
They moved onto things that needed no physical advancement, but gave the user some sort of advantage. They focused on sight. Late one night, Zexion was called in for typical testing. Only to be strapped to a table. Over a few painful hours, Zexion's right eye was removed. Zexion's screams of pain were heard throughout the underground facility causing the children to shake, whimper and cry. The children liked Zexion. He always remained strong; didn't give in to depression from what was done to him. The other kids saw him as a model of hope. They never spoke to him, but from a distance, they wanted to be like him.
His eye replaced with a red eye with a slit for a pupil, similar to a cat's eye. It was the eye of a dragon. They were hoping that being infused with the actual DNA, or suspected DNA, of a Dragon would help in rising some sort of magical power inside him. It failed.
All children in the Industries care, were forbidden from seeing themselves in a mirror to prevent the sight of whatever they had been doing to them. The depression led to one kid, after seeing himself in a mirror, led to him killing himself. This was a loss of money to the industries; one less guinea pig to test on. The industries forgot about the reflection from his new mechanical lower arm, now only acted as a functional paperweight. Zexion managed to see the distorted reflection and screamed out at how scary he looked. He now was scared of himself more than of the people who did this to him. They made him into a monster. Zexion went into a fit of rage and thrashed about his room, punching the white concrete walls with enough force to crack the surface. The lights above his head flickered at his screamed and maniac will. Zexion let out one last painful, terrified yell as he closed his eyes and hoped it was a dream. The yell broke the light bulbs of the large incandescent bulbs above him. Upon hearing the cracking and fracturing of the glass upon hitting the ground of his cell, he opened his eyes and looked up at the lights. His vision was now multicolored. The terminals of the light bulbs glowing a bright green, the metal around it glowing a light orange color, the walls colored a light red. He looked down at his mechanical arm, it too was glowing a yellow color. This only confused Zexion. He learned later that he could now see the energy present in objects, or so he thought. Electrical outlets glowed a bright green, stone walls were red, metals were an variety of orange colors. Through the next several months, Zexion worked to figure out the power himself, and kept it hidden from everyone.
Several other tests later, placing Zexion in life threatening situations time and time again, he kept his power hidden, not that it was worth anything in battle yet anyway. One day, walking through the halls of cells, he took note of each face that looked up at him from the cells. Each face had red color to him, little energy....little life.
Several months became years. They passed as he learned his power slowly as he watched the faces of his fellow captives grow older and weaker, and lose even more faith. Each reported death from the testing tore Zexion apart. Zexion was the oldest, and strongest among them, and he wasn't doing anything to even attempt to free anyone, even himself. He was broken so long ago by pain and treatment. They changed him, his attitude, his form, his will.
The Industries were getting annoyed with his anatomical failure. One day, in a complete fit of rage at the continual failure and loss of money, the president called Zexion into a small, white, empty room. Zexion was scared knowing he was meeting the president of the industries, and not some of the technicians he normally met with. The president was facing away from him upon entering the room. A basic discussion began, expressing how upset the president was with Zexion's failure to allow any of the methods they have tried over the years to work. Zexion expressed how it wasn't anyone's fault, it just wasn't working out. The conversation ended with Zexion saying that the Industries methods were what was the failure and that it was never going to work, not on anyone. The president whirled around and leaped towards Zexion, landing a right hook to Zexion's head, jerking his head to the side. The president jumped and twisted, delivering a roundhouse to Zexion's head, making him stumble sideways. Next was a hand to the side of Zexion that wouldn't let go. It bashed his head against one of the wall several times. A splintering crack was heard and a body hitting the ground. Zexion woke up several minutes later in a puddle of his own blood with a pounding headache. Upon Zexion getting to his hands and knees, the president raised his foot to slam it down onto his head. Zexion raised his metallic hand and caught his foot, gripping it enough to cause a bone to crack in the president's foot, using the other hand to absorb energy from the floor. Zexion developed a small dagger in his left hand, while his right was holding the presidents foot. Zexion looked up at the president, rearing back onto his knees. He rose onto his feet, shaking from pain, and proceeded to mutilate the president until nothing moved. One by one, Zexion used his rage for the Industries to free each child, while killing anyone who got in the way of doing so. Zexion didn't speak a word as he stole keys from guards to free the children. Each child he freed followed him and assisted in freeing the others. The children's smiles had returned, after thinking it was impossible to see them smile again.
Upon breaking free of the Industries, it was buried. One guard managed to hit a switch set in place by the second president to stop the evil that happened there from being exposed to the public. Therefore, no one knows it ever existed except for those whom were in it.
The children gathered around Zexion outside after they escaped. It is then when Zexion spoke for the first time. He told the children to stay together, and join a guild together somewhere. They all had developed magic from the Industries testing. Zexion's was natural, as nothing the Industries gave him granted him the magic. Most the children were the same way. Perhaps the children needed to be pushed to discover their magic. They may have had a point, but nearly killing them on purpose was not a way to do it, nor was replacing arms or legs or eyes.
The children insisted that Zexion form a guild for himself. Zexion refused, telling them to join other guilds and that he needs to be alone.
“I am not Guild Master material... not yet. Maybe someday.”
The children were sad he would need to go, but from time to time, a child from the Industries sees Zexion, taking a rest in a city. Zexion is happy to see they have each found lives of their own.
And so it was that Zexion began to wander around the world, learning his own magic and growing accustomed to the life he wanted to set for himself. Someday, he'll try join a guild, if someone shows interest in taking in a lab rat whose puzzle of life is jumbled and doesn't have all the pieces.
