Deep within the Alepou mansion, even below the secret levels known to the family, lay a place few spoke of and no one dared approach without permission: the Cherry Blossom Landscape.
Its name stemmed from its otherworldly appearance. Through a system of flooded underground caves, small natural islands emerged from the dark water, each crowned with cherry trees that bloomed year-round, illuminating the gloom with pink petals that fell eternally like soft snow. The air smelled of damp wood and floral sweetness, and the silence of the place seemed alive, almost sacred.
For the Alepou family, this sanctuary was considered the only truly forbidden zone. Not siblings, not servants, not even Talia could enter. Even the highest-ranking members of the family, like Lefki's grandparents, were strictly forbidden from crossing its threshold.
It was the only space Lefki claimed for himself. His refuge. His place to ponder matters concerning his family as heir. The only corner of the world where even the "perfect family" had no right to enter.
Lefki, dressed in an all-black suit adorned with fine silver details and dress shoes, moved silently through the cave system. He sat in a small boat that glided across the still water. The vessel was made of an artificial wood known as the essence of death: a material as strong as steel, cold to the touch, with a disturbing texture reminiscent of a corpse's skin.
The boat was steered by a woman with pale skin, hair as red as melted candy, and eyes that glowed with an iridescent, almost hypnotic pattern. She wore a simple, all-white dress. Her empty expression and absolute stillness, except for her actions in propelling the boat, revealed the truth: she wasn't a person, but a clay sculpture animated by Lefki's Quirk, moving with perfect, soulless precision.
– This place isn't like my laboratory, where I can think calmly and enjoy my own silence – Lefki said softly, watching the figure rowing without missing a beat – This passage was built as a sanctuary… in memory of my family members who died in the Naples tragedy more than ten years ago.
– This place became a sanctuary where their bodies rest deep within – Lefki murmured with a melancholic smile, his gaze fixed on the rowing sculpture. That figure was an exact recreation of how he remembered his deceased sister – You and the others sleep peacefully in the heart of these caves. I hope you like the artwork I created down there… and I apologize for not visiting you these past three years. I've been busy transferring my system to Japan.
Lefki glanced briefly at some of the islands surrounding him. Among the silent cherry trees, he saw silhouettes move and disappear as soon as his eyes fell upon them. That reaction, so natural in those inhabitants of the sanctuary, brought a tired smile to his face. He recognized them.
– I've never been a big fan of family tradition, if you ask me – he said calmly, tilting his head to avoid eye contact with the figure accompanying him in the boat – Since Quirks appeared, crimes have become darker… but people don't realize it. They live in a bubble that protects them from that reality.
He paused for a long, almost heavy, moment as the echo of the water caressed the rock walls.
– But our family… – he continued, with an exhausted sigh and eyes shining with an ancient pain – I don't know why they insist on compensating for that moral void with the tradition they've built ever since. Taking the victims discarded by that heroic system everyone admires and giving them a second chance as servants of the family.
His fingers closed tightly on the dark fabric of his trousers, as if trying to grasp something he couldn't quite find.
– Even after receiving the affection of those saved servants… even when I know that, over time, their desire to serve us is genuine and not just programming… – Lefki's voice cracked slightly – I always wonder what would have happened if the system hadn't allowed things to go so far. If it hadn't been necessary for us to intervene.
– And the worst part – Lefki murmured, raising his gaze with a mixture of shame and resignation – is knowing that I don't have the talent of my predecessors to continue with this whole system. My quirk doesn't allow me to manipulate people's minds to rebuild them and give them a new purpose.
He took a deep breath, holding back something that had been building up for a long time.
– I'm not like my grandfather, with that perfect mastery of reprogramming, nor like my father, with his slow and meticulous reconstruction – he continued, letting out a tear that fell silently onto his fingers – My quirk is different… more aggressive. It doesn't take fragments of the mind, but of the soul, forcibly reassembling them and making them fit together.
He observed his hands as if they were foreign tools, as if they didn't quite belong to him.
– My quirk reconstructs people, granting them a purpose… but the price is that their new 'self' ceases to be entirely human – he admitted with a somber serenity – Fortunately, my hands are better than my predecessors' at reconstructing their bodies when necessary. But, if I'm honest… it's not a process I enjoy.
– My first case was Suiren – Lefki confessed, a thread of sadness in her voice, recalling the day she found her on the brink of death – Grandfather had fallen ill and could no longer reprogram her, so the process fell to me for the first time – he shrank slightly, as if the memory still weighed heavily on her – The result? An impeccable servant, capable of fulfilling her role with absolute perfection… but with an inner emptiness so profound that she retains only a single flame, and that flame is directed solely toward me.
Her gaze fell to the water, where her reflection trembled among gentle ripples.
– It always pains me to see her confined to the depths of the mansion, even though she's in charge of managing the spy network we acquired upon arriving in Japan – he continued softly – But, unfortunately, the process must continue. I can't stop it, even if I wanted to.
Lefki stepped out of the boat and walked along the shore until he was greeted on the largest island in the caves by a girl, another of his masterpieces. She was too perfect a beauty to be human and, at the same time, too sensitive to be real. Her face seemed sculpted with absolute devotion: soft cheeks, pink lips always curved in a light, warm smile, an expression designed to convey serenity no matter the situation. That smile never changed, not in battle, not in the face of death, not in the face of affection or pain; it was an immutable kindness, programmed down to the last detail.
Her large, crystalline eyes shone with emerald green hues and a delicate pink halo around the iris. They reflected light even in the deep darkness of the caves, and her pupils exhibited an almost imperceptible tremor whenever Lefki approached her, the only gesture that feigned true humanity. Her hair fell in long, silky waves to her thighs, a pastel pink that faded softly to mint green. Each strand had been restored by Lefki to move with an almost liquid fluidity. However, when she entered operational mode, the tips darkened to a purplish pink, as if the programming itself were breathing.
Her body had an impeccable athletic build, with lean, toned muscles reinforced from within, giving an almost ethereal impression. Her limbs were surprisingly flexible and dense, capable of delicate movements or brutal force as ordered. Even so, her posture always remained upright, elegant, and marked by a cool gentleness that made her look more like a living sculpture than a person.
Her skin, white as porcelain, maintained a constant warmth to the touch, though its temperature never varied, a side effect of the neuromuscular reprogramming Lefki had performed on her. Every detail of her appearance spoke of the time, care, and obsessive love with which she had been created.
– Who's the victim today? – Lefki asked wearily, observing the girl who greeted him. she wore a short, black, mid-thigh kimono, cinched with a mint-green sash tied with mathematical precision – I want to finish this job quickly and get back to bed."
– I'm sorry you have to stay longer today, Master Lefki – the girl, Himei, replied in her soft, perfectly modulated voice – But I need you to talk to me after work about the start of operations for the Dark Side of the Sun team. We're ready to begin."
– Alright, let's start as soon as possible, so I can leave faster – Lefki said with a small smile as Himei led him to the center of the island. There, a large, completely sealed black bag awaited – Well, Himei… tell me about it.